Wood observes, that he had the character of being the best scholastic divine in the English nation; and Cosin, who perhaps may be thought to rival him in that branch of learning, calls himself his scholar, and expressly de clares that he derived all his knowledge from him. He is also celebrated by Smith, for his distinguished wisdom, erudition, and piety. In the controversy, which in his time divided the reformed churches, concerning predestination and grace, he held a middle opinion, inclining ra ther to Arminianism, and seems to have paved the way for the reception of that doctrine in England, where it was generally embraced a few years afterwards, chiefly by the authority and influence of archbishop Laud. Overall had a particular friendship with Gerard Vossius and Grotius; and was much grieved to see the love of peace, and the projects of this last great man to obtain it, so ill requited. He laboured heartily himself to compose the dif ferences in Holland, relative to the Quinquarticular controversy; as appears in part by his letters to the two learned correspondents just mentioned, some of which are printed. in the "Præstantium et eruditorum virorum epistolæ ec *Bishop Hall says, "I wrote a little project of pacification (The Way to Peace in the five busy articles, commoly known by the name of Arminius), where I desired to rectify the judgmen of men, concerning this misapprehended controversy; shewing them th true parties in this unseasonable plea; and because bishop Overall went a midway, betwixt the two opinions which he held extreme, and must needs, therefore, somewhat differ from the commonly-received tenet in these points, I gathered out of oishop Overall on the one side, and out of the English divines at Dort on the other, such common propositions concerning these five busy articles, as wherein both of them are fully agreed," &c. Bishop Ha's "Hard Measure." Perhaps, however, bishop Overal's opinion will appear more clear from what he advanced at the Hampton-court conference in 1603. As much fault had been found with his university lec tures, he now took an opportunity at this Conference to declare before the king: "That whosoever (though being justified) committed any grievous sin, as adultery, murder, treason, or the like, became ipso facto, subject to God's wrath, or guilty of damnation, quoad præsentem siatum, until they re pented; adding thereunto, that those which were called and justifi d according to the purpose of God's election (howsoever they might and did sometimes fall into grievous sins, and there. by into a state of wrath and damnation, yet) did never fall either to ally from all the grace of God, so as to be ut terly de-titute of all the par's and seed thereof; no finally from jus ification. But in time, renewed by God's spirit unro a lively faith and repentance: and so justified from those sins, and the wrath, curse and guilt annexed thereto; wherein they were fallen, and wherein they lay. Which doctrine, he added, some in the university disliked and had oppsed: teaching that all such persons as were once truly just fied, Though after they fell into never so grievous sins, yet remained still just, or in the state of justification; and that before they actually repented of those sins: yet, and though they never repented of them through forgetfulness, or sudden death, yet they should be jusufied and saved without repentance." Strype's Whitgift, p. 480, &c. clesiasticæ et theologica," published by Limborch and Hartsoeker, as an historical defence of Arminianism. But our bishop is known in England chiefly by his "Convocation-Book," of which Burnet gives the following account: "There was a book drawn up by bishop Overall, four-score years ago, concerning government, in which its being of a divine institution was positively asserted. It was read in convocation, and passed by that body, in order to the publishing of it; in opposition to the principles laid down in the famous book of Parsons the Jesuit, publishedunder the name of "Doleman." But king James did not like a convocation entering into such a theory of politics, so he wrote a long letter to Abbot, who was afterwards archbishop of Canterbury, but was then in the lower-house. By it he desired that no further progress should be made in that matter, and that this book might not be offered to him for his assent; there that matter slept. But Sancroft, archbishop of Canterbury, had got Overall's own book into his hands; so, in the beginning of this (K. William's) reign, he resolved to publish it, as an authentic declaration that the Church of England had made in this matter; and it was published, as well as licensed, by him a very few days before he came under suspension, for not taking the oaths (October 1689). But there was a paragraph or two in it that they had not considered, which was plainly calculated to justify the owning the United Provinces to be a lawful government; for it was there laid down, that when a change of government was brought to a thorough settlement, it was then to be owned and submitted to as a work of the providence of God; and part of king James's letter to Abbot related to this." But what gave this book much consequence on its revival was, that the celebrated Dr. Sherlock acknowledged that he became reconciled to take the oaths to the new government, at the revolution, by the doctrines above-mentioned in Overall's work. Another matter in which Dr. Overall's opinion appears to have had great weight, in his life-time and afterwards, was the question of hypothetical ordination. One great obstacle to the reconciliation of the dissenters was, that the Church of England denied the validity of presbyterian ordinations, and required re-ordination. Bishop Overall, and after him, the celebrated Tillotson, endeavoured to meet this difficulty by a small alteration in the words of ordination, as, "If thou beest not already ordained, I ordain thee," &c. Bishop Montague of Norwich, who was a great admirer of bishop Overall, very frequently and confidently affirmed that Vossius's Pelagian history was compiled out of bishop. Overall's collections. Overall also is named among the translators of the Bible; and Mr. Churton notices the share he had in the church catechism, of which he is universally said to have written what regards the sacraments. OVERBURY (SIR THOMAS), an accomplished English gentleman, and polite writer, the descendant of an ancient family, was the son of Nicholas Overbury, of Bourton on the Hill, near Morton in Marsh, in Gloucestershire, esq. by Mary his wife, daughter of Giles Palmer, of ComptonScorfen, in the parish of Ilmington, in Warwickshire. He was born at Compton-Scorfen in the house of his grandfather by the mother's side, about 1581. In Michaelmas term 1595, he became a gentleman commoner of Queen's college, in Oxfordshire, where he made great progress in logic and philosophy, and November 15, 1598, took the degree of B. A. which being completed by determination in the Lent following, he left the university for the Middle. Temple, where he had been before entered in order to study the municipal law, but it does not appear that he remained here long. We are told that in a little time he set out for France, and on his return was accounted a very finished gentleman, and well qualified to shine at court, which, unhappily, was his ambition. Soon after his arrival he contracted an intimacy with the infamous favourite of James I. Robert Carr, afterwards earl of Somerset. This man's history is too well known to render it necessary to dwell upon it in this place. Intoxicated as he was with an advancement at court, of which he was so unworthy, he was not wholly insensible of his own ignorance and inexperience; and he found in sir Thomas Overbury a judicious and sincere adviser, who endeavoured to instill into him the principles of prudence and discretion; and so long as he was content to be ruled by Overbury's friendly counsels, he enjoyed, what Hume says is rare, the highest favour of the prince, without being hated by the people. It is easy, therefore, to see what attached Carr to Overbury; and the latter, who could not but perceive Biog. Brit. art. Sherlock.-Burnet's Own Times.-Churton's Life of Nowell, the inferiority of the royal favourite, appears to have con nected himself with him from motives of ambition, which, for a time, he had every prospect of gratifying. In 1608 he was knighted by the influence of Carr, and his father was appointed one of the judges for Wales. The year following, sir Thomas made another tour on the continent, which is said to have produced "Observations upon the Provinces United; and on the State of France," Lond. 1651, 12mo; but it is very doubtful whether he was the real author of this work. His connection with Carr, now viscount Rochester, continued to be mutually agreeable until the latter engaged in an amour with the countess of Essex, the particulars of which reflect disgrace, not only on the parties immediately concerned, but on the reign in which such shameful transactions could be carried on with impunity. No sooner, says Hume, had James mounted the throne of England, than he remembered his friendship for the unfortunate families of Howard and Devereux, who had suffered for their attachment to the cause of Mary and to his own. Having restored young Essex to his blood and dignity, and conferred the titles of Suffolk and Northampton on two brothers of the house of Norfolk, he sought the farther pleasure of uniting those families by the marriage of the earl of Essex with lady Frances Howard, daughter of the earl of Suffolk. She was only thirteen, he fourteen years of age; and it was thought proper, till both should attain the age of puberty, that he should go abroad and pass some time in his travels. He returned into England after four years absence, and was pleased to find his countess in the full lustre of beauty, and possessed of the love and admiration of the whole court. But when he claimed the privileges of an husband, he met with nothing but symptoms of aversion and disgust; nor could his addresses, or the persuasions of her friends, overcome her obstinacy; and disgusted at last with her reiterated denials, he gave over the pursuit, and separating himself from her, thenceforth abandoned her to her own will, and it is said that although be discovered her attachment to Rochester, he took little notice of it. - With Rochester she had already carried on a criminal intercourse, which, instead of satiating their desires, made them lament their unhappy fate, and long for an union that should be indissoluble. So momentous an affair, how ever, could not be concluded without consulting Overbury, with whom Rochester was accustomed to share all his secrets, and who, in fact, had been privy to his connection with lady Essex, and had even promoted it by dictating to Rochester those ingenious and passionate letters by which, in a great measure, the lady was won. Like an experienced courtier, says Hume, he thought that a conquest of this nature would throw a lustre on the young favourite, and would tend still farther to endear him to James, who was charmed to hear of the amours of his court. But when Rochester hinted his design of obtaining a divorce and marrying the countess, Overbury used every method to dissuade him from the attempt, representing how difficult it would be to procure a divorce, and how disgraceful to marry the woman whose mind these two friends had combined to debauch! And, in what the historian calls the "zeal of friendship," he went so far as to threaten Rochester, that he would separate himself for ever from him, if he could so far forget his honour and his interest as to prosecute the intended marriage. It was now that Overbury was to experience the nature of that friendship that is cemented only by vice. Rochester, over whose mind his passion for the countess had gained the complete ascendancy, revealed the above conversation to her; and when her rage and fury broke out against Overbury, he had also the weakness to enter into her vindictive projects, and to swear vengeance against his friend. Some contrivance was necessary for the execution of their purpose, and they hit upon one which, had it first appeared in a drama, would have been censured as unnatural. Rochester addressed himself to the king; and after complaining, that his own indulgence to Overbury had begotten in him a portion of arrogance, which was extremely disagreeable, he procured a commission for his embassy to Russia; which he represented as a retreat for his friend, both profitable and honourable. But, when consulted by Overbury, he earnestly dissuaded him from accepting this offer, and took on himself the office of satisfying the king, if he should be displeased at his refusal. Overbury fell into the snare, and declined his majesty's offer; on which Rochester again addressed the king, aggravated the insolence of Overbury's conduct, and on April 21, 1613, obtained a warrant for committing him to the Tower, which James intended, as Hume gently expresses it, as a slight punish |