STANYHURST, Richard, son of James Stanyhurst, speaker of the Irish house of commons, was born in Dublin in 1545 or 1546, and died in 1618. He studied at Oxford and Lincoln's inn; and turning Roman catholic, went to the continent, where he entered into holy orders, and became chaplain to Albert, archduke of Austria, at that time governor of the Spanish Netherlands. Stanyhurst's sister was the mother of Archbishop Usher. He wrote many works—"Harmonia, seu catena dialectica in Porphyrium;" "De Rebus in Hiberniâ gestis;" "De Vita S. Patricii;" "The Principles of the Catholic Religion," &c.
STANZIONI, Massimio, Cavaliere, an able painter, born at Naples in 1585. He was the scholar of Caracciolo, and became an imitator of Guido, whence he is sometimes called Il Guido di Napoli; but he also followed the then prevailing taste of Caravaggio. Stanzioni was an excellent colourist; some of his best works are still preserved at Naples in the church of the monastery of San Martino, and in the capella del Tesoro, in the cathedral. He died in 1656, leaving an account of the painters of Naples, which was used by Dominici in his well-known work, Vite dei Pittori, &c., Napolitani.—R. N. W.
STAPEL, John Bodæus A., a Dutch physician and botanist, was born at Amsterdam at the beginning of the seventeenth century, and died in 1636. He was educated at Leyden, and showed a taste for botanical pursuits. He collected materials for an edition of Theophrastus, but his premature death prevented him from publishing it. It was subsequently edited by his father. A genus of plants was named Stapelia by Linnaeus.—J. H. B.
STAPLEDON, Walter, a learned prelate "of great parentage," founder of Exeter college and of Hart hall, Oxford, became bishop of Exeter in 1307. He accompanied the queen to France in 1325, but he remained faithful to the king, in consequence of which he became unpopular. Having been appointed guardian of the city of London in 1326, during the absence of the king in the west, he was attacked by the populace when walking in the streets, and beheaded on the 15th October.—D. W. R.
STAPLETON, Sir Robert, an English dramatist, the third son of a gentleman living at Carleton, Yorkshire, was born there at the commencement of the seventeenth century, and was educated in the monastery of the English benedictines at Douai. After his return to England he became a protestant. He was gentleman-usher to Charles I. whilst he was prince of Wales, and constantly shared the fortunes of his master. In 1642 he received the honour of knighthood; and when after the battle of Edgehill the king was driven into Oxford, Sir Robert attended him, and was created D.C.L. At the Restoration Stapleton was remembered by Charles II., and held office at court. He translated the Loves of Hero and Leander, from the Greek of Musæus, and afterwards dramatized the same story. He also translated Juvenal, and Strada's History of the Belgic War. His dramatic compositions are—"The Slighted Maid," produced in 1663; "The Step-mother," in 1664; "Hero and Leander," in 1669; and "The Royal Choice." He died 11th July, 1669, and was buried near the vestry door of Westminster abbey.—F.
STAPLETON, Thomas, a Roman catholic controversialist, born in Sussex in 1535, was educated at Canterbury, Winchester, and New college, Oxford. During the reign of Queen Mary he was prebendary of Chester. Afterwards he was professor of divinity at Douai and Louvain. He died in 1598. A collected edition of his works was published at Paris in 1620.—D. W. R.
STARK, William, M.D., was born at Birmingham in 1740. He studied medicine at Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, and Leyden. At the university of the latter town he obtained his medical degree in 1767. Returning to London in 1769 he became introduced to the scientific society of the period, and at the suggestion of Sir John Pringle and Dr. Franklin embarked in a number of experiments on diet. He commenced by feeding himself on bread and water solely, and then added various alimentary substances, carefully observing the effect of each diet on the various functions of the body. Each experiment was continued for from four to fourteen days. Unfortunately, he became a martyr to his scientific zeal; for, having commenced a diet of bread or flour, with honey and infusion of rosemary, it produced a diarrhœa, to cure which he substituted cheese for the honey. The result was that inflammation of the bowels and fever ensued, of which he died after an illness of five days. His works were published by Dr. J. Carmichael Smyth in 1788, 1 vol. 4to.—F. C. W.
STATIUS, Publius Papinius, was one of the most distinguished poets of the silver age of Latinity. His writings gained him extensive popularity, and were warmly praised by his contemporary Juvenal. Notwithstanding his poetical fame Statius was very poor, and in his later years abandoned the empty applause of the capital for the comparative tranquillity of Naples. He was of an amiable character, and tenderly attached to his wife Claudia. He was born about a.d. 60, and died about a.d. 100. Like Silius and Martial, he courted the favour of the tyrant Domitian by the most servile flattery. His extant works comprise—"The Thebaid," an elaborate heroic poem in twelve books, on the mythical wars of Thebes; "The Achilleid," a heroic poem on the exploits of Achilles, of which only the first two books survive—probably the work was left incomplete by the author; and "The Silvæ," a miscellaneous collection of short poetical pieces, consisting for the most part of epistles to his friends. The epic writings of Statius are graceful and pleasing, composed according to the strict rules of art, and evidently corrected and polished with the utmost care. Yet in modern times they have been little read, for they evince a total want of the creative faculty, and show that Statius had quite mistaken his own powers. The best passages resemble a feeble imitation of Virgil. "The Silvæ," though evidently written with much less care, and consisting merely of occasional pieces, are far more interesting. Besides throwing much light on the manners and customs of the Romans in that age, many of them possess great literary merit. One of the most pleasing of these poems is that written in honour of the marriage of Violantilla. One of the best editions of Statius is that by Lemaire in the Bibliotheca Classica, Paris, 1830.—G.
STAUNFORD or STANFORD, Sir William, an eminent English lawyer, the son of a London mercer, was born at Hadley, Middlesex, in 1509, and studied at Oxford. He entered Gray's inn upon leaving college, and there acquired such a reputation for legal knowledge that he was appointed autumn-reader to that society. He was made serjeant-at-law in 1552, queen's Serjeant in 1553 when Mary ascended the throne, and in 1554 became a judge of common pleas, and received the honour of knighthood. He wrote "Placita Coronæ," and an "Exposition of the King's prerogative," and left many MSS. His "Placita Coronæ" has been often reprinted. He died in 1558.—F.
STAUNTON, Sir George Leonard, first baronet, the historian of Lord Macartney's embassy to China, was born of an ancient family, at Cargin in Ireland, in 1737. Educated for the medical profession, he settled in 1760 in London, where his general merits and his literature procured him the regard of Dr. Johnson, who on his departure for Guadaloupe in 1762 addressed to him an affectionate letter of regret and advice. In the course of years we find him attorney-general of Grenada, when Lord Macartney arrived out as governor of that island. They became firm friends, and on the capture of Grenada by the French were sent to Europe as prisoners of war. When, after their liberation. Lord Macartney was sent to India as governor of Madras, Staunton accompanied him as secretary, and his services were rewarded by a baronetcy and a pension. In 1792 he again accompanied as secretary Lord Macartney, sent ambassador to China; and wrote the well known "Account of Lord Macartney's Embassy to China," published in 1797, long a standard work on the aspects, manners, and customs of the Celestial empire. Sir George Staunton died in London in 1801.—F. E.
STAUNTON, Sir George Thomas, second baronet, son of Sir George Leonard Staunton, was born in 1781 at Milford, near Salisbury. He accompanied his father as a page in the embassy to China, and acquiring a smattering of Chinese in the passage out, was caressed by the emperor of China as the only member of the embassy who knew anything of the language of the Celestial empire. In 1798 he was appointed by the East India Company to a writership at Canton, where, occasionally visiting England, he resided for eighteen years, returning home finally with a considerable fortune. During one of his visits to England he published, in 1810, an English version of the penal code of China, his principal performance as a translator from the Chinese. Among his works was a volume of memoirs of his father, privately printed, and a narrative of the proceedings of Lord Amherst's embassy which he accompanied to Pekin as king's commissioner. From 1818 to 1833 he represented St. Michael's, Cornwall, and Heytesbury, Wiltshire, in the house of commons, where he afterwards sat as one of the members for South Hants, and from 1838 to 1852 for Portsmouth. His political principles were those of a moderate liberal. He printed in 1856,
