and Private Life of Lord Eldon, with selections from his correspondence." Mr. Twiss died in May, 1849.—F. E.
TWISS, William, a very learned divine, and prolocutor of the assembly of divines at Westminster, was born about the year 1575. His father, the son of a German who had settled in England, was a clothier at Newbury in Berkshire. Twiss was sent to Winchester school, whence he was in 1596 elected probationer fellow of New college, Oxford. Two years afterwards he became an actual fellow of the same college. Anthony Wood says that he studied divinity for the long period of sixteen years. Having graduated in 1604, and taken orders soon after, he for some time read catechistical lectures every Thursday in term-time in the college chapel, and preached every Sunday at St. Aldate's church. It was during his connection with the university also that he transcribed and corrected the works of Bradwardine, published by Sir Henry Savile. His extraordinary reputation for learning and sanctity of life having at length reached the court. King James appointed him chaplain to his daughter Elizabeth. Twiss accompanied that unfortunate princess to the palatinate; but returning home after an absence of about two months, he withdrew altogether from the court and settled in a curacy at his native place. His love for studious retirement made him refuse several valuable preferments which were offered him solely on the score of merit; among them were the wardenship of Winchester college and a prebend of Winchester. He afterwards also declined two professorships, one at Oxford and another at Franeker, so deeply engrossed was he with his high and abstruse studies and his humble ministerial duties. When the notorious Book of Sports was published, Twiss boldly declared his opinion against it, but the favour or policy of the king interfered to prevent his suffering any molestation on that account. During the rebellion, however, he suffered considerably by the violence of the soldiery. But his honesty was above suspicion, and his moderation was in some measure respected by the royalists. It is related that when Prince Rupert, the son of the unhappy queen of Bohemia, to whom he had been chaplain, came to Newbury, he behaved very courteously to Twiss, and desired him to forsake the parliament and engage his powerful pen in defence of the king—a request with which he did not, and indeed could not comply. Twiss was in 1640 chosen a member of the sub-committee, to assist the committee of accommodation appointed by the house of lords to consider the innovations introduced into the church, and to promote a more pure reformation. Three years later he was nominated by an order of parliament prolocutor to the Westminster assembly of divines, and on the first July he preached before both houses of parliament in Henry VIII.'s chapel. He lamented that the assembly wanted the royal assent, but "hoped that in due time it might be obtained, and that a happy union would be obtained between the king and the parliament." Twiss was not a partisan, and seems to have been unable to join heartily with either of the contending parties. The sorrows and distractions of the times pressed heavily on his mind, and at last brought him to the grave. He sank down one day in the pulpit while preaching, and after lingering a short time expired on the 20th July, 1646. Almost his last words were, "Now at length I shall have leisure to follow my studies to all eternity." Twiss was one of the greatest and best divines of his time. His learning and abilities were only surpassed by his modesty, and his honest and high-minded concern for the welfare of his country. He was universally allowed to be the ablest opponent of Arminianism in that age. His works, which are principally controversial, are these—"A Discovery of Dr. Jackson's Vanity; or, a perspective-glass whereby the admirers of Dr. Jackson's profound discourses may see the vanity and weakness of them in sundry passages, and especially so far as they tend to the undermining of the doctrine hitherto received," 4to, 1631; "Vindiciæ Gratiæ, Potestatis, ac Providentiæ Dei," folio, Amst., 1632; "Dissertatio de Scientia Media tribus libris Absoluta," folio, Arnhemii, 1639; "Of the Morality of the Fourth Commandment as still in force to bind Christians; delivered by way of answer to the translator of Dr. Prideaux's lecture concerning the doctrine of the Sabbath," 4to, London, 1641; "An Examination of Mr. Cotton's Treatise concerning Predestination," 4to, London, 1646; "Animadversiones de Prædestinatione," folio, Amst., 1649; "The Scriptures' sufficiency to determine all Matters of Faith, made good against the Papist; or, that a Christian may be infallibly certain of his faith and religion by the Holy Scriptures," London, 1652 and 1656, Dumfries, 1795; "The Riches of God's Love unto the Vessels of Mercy, consistent with his absolute Hatred or reprobation of the Vessels of Wrath," folio, Oxford, 1653. He also wrote a preface to Mode's Apostasy of the Latter Times, London, 1642 and 1644; and another to the same author's Key of the Revelation, London, 1643. Fifteen of his letters are published in Mede's works.
TWYNE, Brian, son of Thomas and grandson of John, was born in 1579. He was educated at Corpus Christi college, Oxford, of which he was made reader in 1614. After quitting connection with the university, he was presented to the vicarage of Rye, in Sussex, by the earl of Dorset. He seldom resided thereon, passing most of his time in a retired and studious manner in lodgings at Oxford. Wood says he was of a melancholy temper, and wholly given to reading, writing, and contemplation. He was employed by Laud, who had a great regard for him, in drawing up the university statutes, and was rewarded with the post of custos archivorum. Twyne died at his lodgings, in the parish of St. Aldate, on the 4th of July, 1644, and was buried in Corpus chapel. His only published work is entitled "Antiquitatis Academiæ Oxoniensis Apologia, in tres libros divisa," Oxon., 1608. It was written to disprove the absurd statement of Kaye in his history of Cambridge, that that university was founded twelve hundred and sixty-seven years before Oxford. Such a piece of oriental chronology hardly needed refutation; but the book is nevertheless valuable, and formed the first regular account of the university. Twyne bequeathed some volumes of MS. collections to his alma mater, which were of use to Anthony Wood in writing his Athenæ Oxonienses.
TWYNE, John, schoolmaster, was born at Bolingdon in Hampshire, and was the grandson of Brian Twyne of Long Parish. He studied at New Inn hall, Oxford, and after leaving the university was appointed head master of the free-school at Canterbury. He was chosen mayor of the city in the time of Wyat's rebellion. Twyne grew rich, and purchased estates in Kent. He was esteemed a good scholar and antiquary, and has received honourable mention at the hands of Leland, Camden, and Holinshed. He is said to have been a violent papist, and a MS. belonging to Bene't college, Cambridge, shows that he was addicted to the bottle, and inclined to be turbulent when in liquor. He died on the 24th November, 1581, and was buried in the chancel of the church of St. Paul, Canterbury. He was author of a book entitled "De rebus Albionicis, Britannicis, atque Anglicis Commentariorum libri duo." It was published after his death at London in 1590.
TWYSDEN, Sir Roger, second baronet, of Roydon hall, East Peckham, was born in 1597, and carefully educated, his father being a man of learning and a book collector. Sir Roger succeeded to the baronetcy in 1628, and adhering to the king in the civil war, suffered a long imprisonment before he was permitted to compound. In 1652 was published the work in connection with which it is that his name is chiefly remembered, the Historia; Anglicanæ Scriptores, with an elaborate preface by him. He edited, with a preface, in 1653, Quæstio quodlibetica, or a discourse whether it may be lawful to take use for money? a question answered in the affirmative by the author of the tract R. F., said to be Sir Robert Filmer. In 1657 appeared his "Historical Vindication of the Church of England in point of schism as it stands separated from the Roman, and was reformed 1 Elizabeth." There is a copy of this in the library of the British museum, with notes by the author. Bound up with it is a tract, entitled "The Commoner's Liberty, or the Englishman's birthright," 1648, without publisher's name. A recent MS. note attached to this tract ascribes its authorship to Sir Roger Twysden, on the authority of the Rev. L. Larking, who, the note adds, possesses a large number of his manuscripts. Sir Roger gave valuable assistance to Philpot in the Survey of Kent. "He died in 1672 in the general esteem," says Collins' Baronetage, "of all that knew him for sanctity, innocency, and other christian virtues."—F. E.
TYCHO BRAHE, a distinguished astronomer, was born at Knudstorp in Scania on the 14th December, 1546. He was destined by his father for the military profession; but having disliked the choice thus made for him, he was sent to the university of Copenhagen in April, 1559, to prepare himself for the study of the law. He had been hardly sixteen months at college, however, before his attention was directed to the science of astronomy by the prediction of a great solar eclipse, which was
