KING, Dr William, a facetious English writer, born at London in 1663, was allied to the noble families of Clarendon and Rochester. He was elected a student of Christ Church from Westminster School in 1681. He afterwards entered upon the study of law, and having taken the degree of doctor of civil law, soon acquired a considerable reputation as a civilian, and obtained great practice. He attended the Earl of Pembroke, lord-lieutenant of Ireland, into that kingdom, where he was appointed judge-advocate, sole commissioner of the prizes, keeper of the records, and vicar-general to the lord-primate of Ireland. He died on Christmas day 1712, and was interred in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey. His writings are pretty numerous. The principal are, 1. Animadversions on a pretended Account of Denmark, written by Mr (afterwards Lord) Molesworth; 2. Dialogues of the Dead; 3. The Art of Love, in imitation of Ovid De Arte Amandi; 4. A volume of Poems; 5. Useful Transactions; 6. An Historical Account of the heathen Gods and Heroes; and, 7. Several translations.