(Sir Richard), author of the Chronicle of the Kings of England, was born at Sevingherst in Kent about the year 1568. After going through the usual course of academical learning at Hart-hall, in Oxford, he travelled into foreign parts; and upon his return home was created master of arts, and soon after, in 1603, received from King James I the honour of knighthood. In 1620, he was high sheriff of Oxfordshire; but engaging to pay some of the debts of his wife's family, he was reduced to poverty, and obliged to betake himself for shelter to the Fleet prison, where he composed several books; among which are:

1. Meditations and Disquisitions on the Lord's Prayer. 2. Meditations, &c., on several of the Psalms of David. 3. Meditations and Prayers upon the seven Days of the Week. 4. Cato Veriegatus, or Cato's Moral Ditichs varied, &c.—Mr Grainger observes, that his Chronicle of the Kings of England was ever more esteemed BAK

by readers of a lower class than by such as had a critical knowledge of history. The language of it was, in this reign, called polite; and it long maintained its reputation, especially among country gentlemen. The author seems to have been sometimes more studious to please than to inform, and with that view to have sacrificed even chronology itself to method. In 1658, Edward Phillips, nephew to Milton, published a third edition of this work, with the addition of the reign of Charles I. It has been several times reprinted since, and is now carried as low as the reign of George I. Sir Richard also translated several works from the French and Italian; and died very poor, in the Fleet prison, on the 18th February 1615.

(Thomas), an eminent mathematician, was born at Ilton in Somersetshire about the year 1625, and entered at Magdalen-hall, Oxon, in 1640; after which he was vicar of Bishop's-Nymmet, in Devonshire, where he wrote The Geometrical Key, or the Gate of Equations unlocked; by which he gained a considerable reputation. A little before his death, the members of the Royal Society sent him some mathematical queries, to which he returned so satisfactory an answer, that they presented him a medal, with an inscription full of honour and respect. He died at Bishop's-Nymmet on the 5th of June 1690.

(Thomas), a very ingenious and learned antiquary, descended from a family ancient and well esteemed, distinguished by its loyalty and affection for the crown, was born at Crook in 1656. He was educated at the free school at Durham, and thence removed to St John's college Cambridge in 1674. He proceeded B.A. 1677; M.A. 1681; was elected fellow March 1679-80; ordained deacon by Bishop Compton of London December 20, 1685; priest by Bishop Barlow of Lincoln December 19, 1686. Dr Watson, tutor of the college, who was nominated, but not yet consecrated, bishop of St David's, offered to take him for his chaplain, which he declined, probably on the prospect of a like offer from Lord Crew Bishop of Durham, which he soon after accepted. His Lordship collated him to the rectory of Long-Newton in his diocese, and the same county, June 1687; and, as Dr Grey was informed by some of the Bishop's family, intended to have given him that of Sedgfield, worth L.600 or L.700 a-year, with a golden prebend, had he not incurred his displeasure and left his family for refusing to read King James II.'s declaration for liberty of conscience. The bishop who disgraced him for this refusal, and was excepted out of King William's pardon, took the oaths to that king, and kept his bishopric till his death. Mr Baker resigned Long-Newton August 1, 1690, refusing to take the oaths; and retired to his fellowship at St John's, in which he was protected till January 20, 1716-17, when, with one-and-twenty others, he was dispossessed of it. After the passing the Registering Act 1723, he was desired to register his annuity of L.40, which the last act required before it was amended and explained. Though this annuity, left him by his father for his fortune, with L.20 per annum out of his collieries by his elder brother from the day of his death August 1699, for the remaining part of the lease, which determined at Whitsuntide 1723, was now his whole subsistence, he could not be prevailed on to secure himself against the act. He retained a lively resentment of his deprivations; and wrote himself in all his books, as well as in those which he gave to the college library, facies ejus, and in some ejus redor. He continued to reside in the college as commoner-master till his death, which happened July 2, 1740, of a paralytic stroke, being found on the floor of his chamber. In the afternoon of June 29, being alone in his chamber, he was struck with a slight apoplectic fit; which abating a little, he recovered his senses, and knew all about him, who were his nephew Burton, Drs Bedford and Heberden. He seemed perfectly satisfied and resigned; and when Dr Bedford desired him to take some medicine then ordered, he declined it, saying, he would only take his usual sustenance, which his bed-maker knew the times and quantities of giving: he was thankful for the affection and care his friends showed him; but hoping the time of his dissolution was at hand, would by no means endeavour to retard it. His disorder increased, and the third day from this seizure he departed. Being appointed one of the executors of his elder brother's will, by which a large sum was bequeathed to pious uses, he prevailed on the other two executors, who were his other brother Francis and the Hon. Charles Montague, to lay out L.1310 of the money upon an estate to be settled upon St John's college for six exhibitioners. He likewise gave the college L.100 for the consideration of L.6 a-year (then only legal interest) for his life; and to the library several choice books, both printed and MS. medals, and coins; besides what he left to it by his will; which were, "all such books, printed and MS. as he had, and were wanting there." All that Mr Baker printed was, i. "Reflections on Learning, shewing the insufficiency thereof in its several particulars, in order to evince the usefulness and necessity of Revelation, Lord 1709-10" (which went through eight editions; and Mr Botwell, in his "Method of Study," ranks it among the English classics for purity of style); and, 2. "The Preface to Bishop Fisher's Funeral Sermon for Margaret Countess of Richmond and Derby, 1708;" both without his name. Dr Grey had the original MS. of both in his own hands. The latter piece is a sufficient specimen of the editor's skill in antiquities to make us regret that he did not live to publish his "History of St John's College, from the foundation of old St John's house to the present time; with some occasional and incidental account of the affairs of the university, and of such private colleges as held communication or intercourse with the old house or college: collected principally from MSS. and carried on through a succession of masters to the end of Bishop Gunning's mastership, 1670." The original, fit for the press, is among the Harleian MSS. No 7028. His MS. collections relative to the history and antiquities of the university of Cambridge, amounting to 49 volumes in folio and three in quarto, are divided between the British Museum and the public library at Cambridge; the former possesses 23 volumes, which he bequeathed to the Earl of Oxford, his friend and patron; the latter 16 in folio and three in quarto, which he bequeathed to the university. Dr Knight styles him "the greatest master of the antiquities of this our university;" and Hearne says, "Opulentum est ut sibi quoque collectanea de antiquitatibus Cantabrigiensibus juris faciat publici Cl. Bakerus, quippe qui eruditione Baker intended something like an Athenæ Cantabrigiensis, on the plan of the Athens Oxonienses.

Baker (Henry), an ingenious and diligent naturalist, was born in Fleet-street London, either near the end of the last, or very early in the beginning of the present century. His father's profession is not known; but his mother was, in her time, a midwife of great practice. He was brought up under an eminent bookseller who preceded the elder Dodgley to the business of a bookseller; in which, however, he appears not to have engaged at all after his apprenticeship; or, if he did, it was soon relinquished by him; for though it was in his power to have drawn away all his master's best customers, he would not set up against him. Mr Baker being of a philosophical turn of mind, and having diligently attended to the methods which might be practicable and useful in the cure of stammering, and especially in teaching deaf and dumb persons to speak, he made this the employment of his life. In the prosecution of so valuable and difficult an undertaking, he was very successful: and several of his pupils, who are still living, bear testimony to the ability and good effect of his instructions. He married Sophia, youngest daughter of the famous Daniel Defoe, who brought him two sons, both of whom he survived. On the 29th of January 1740 Mr Baker was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries; and, on the 12th of March following, the same honour was conferred upon him by the Royal Society. In 1744, Sir Godfrey Copley's gold medal was bestowed upon him, for having, by his microscopical experiments on the crystallizations and configurations of saline particles, produced the most extraordinary discovery during that year. Having led a very useful and honourable life, he died at his apartments in the Strand on the 25th of November 1774, being then above 70 years of age. His wife had been dead some time before; and he only left one grandson, William Baker, who was born February 17, 1763, and to whom, on his living to the age of 21, he bequeathed the bulk of his fortune, which he had acquired by his profession of teaching deaf and dumb persons to speak. His furniture, printed books (but not MSS.), curiosities, and collections of every sort, he directed should be sold, which was accordingly done. His fine collection of native and foreign fossils, petrifications, shells, corals, vegetables, ores, &c., with some antiquities and other curiosities, were sold by auction March 13, 1775, and the nine following days. He was buried, as he desired, in an unexpensive manner, in the church-yard of St Mary-le-Strand; with in which church, on the south wall, he ordered a small tablet to be erected to his memory. "An inscription for it (he said) would probably be found among his papers; if not, he hoped some learned friend would write one agreeably to truth." This friendly office, however, remains as yet to be performed. Mr Baker was a constant and useful attendant at the meetings of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies, and in both was frequently chosen one of the council. He was peculiarly attentive to all the new improvements which were made in natural science, and very solicitous for the prosecution of them. Several of his communications are printed in the Philosophical Transactions; and, besides the papers written by himself, he was the means, by his extensive correspondence, of conveying to the Society the intelligence and observations of other inquisitive and philosophical men, both at home and abroad. The Society for the encouragement of arts, manufactures, and commerce, is under singular obligations to our worthy naturalist. As he was one of the earliest members of it, so he contributed in no small degree to its rise and establishment. At its first institution he officiated for some time gratis as secretary. He was many years chairman of the committee of accounts; and he took an active part in the general deliberations of the Society. He drew up a short account of the origin of this society, and of the concern he himself had in forming it; which was read before the society of antiquaries, and would be a pleasing present to the public. Mr Baker was a poetical writer in the early part of his life. His Invocation of Health got abroad without his knowledge; but was reprinted by himself in his Original Poems, serious and humorous, Part I. 8vo, 1725. Part II. came out in 1726. Among these poems are some tales as witty and as loofe as Prior's. He was the author likewise of The Universe, a poem intended to restrain the pride of man; which has been several times reprinted. His account of the water polype, which was originally published in the Philosophical Transactions, was afterwards enlarged into a separate treatise, and hath gone through several editions. But his principal publications are, The Microscope made Easy, and Employment for the Microscope. The first of these, which was originally published in 1742, or 1743, hath gone through six editions. The second edition of the other, which to lay the least of it, is equally pleasing and instructive, appeared in 1754. These treatises, and especially the latter, contain the most curious and important of the observations and experiments which Mr Baker either laid before the Royal Society or published separately. It has been said of Mr Baker, that he was a philosopher in little things. If it was intended by this language to lessen his reputation, there is no propriety in the stricture. He was an intelligent, upright, and benevolent man, much respected by those who knew him best. His friends were the friends of science and virtue: and it will always be remembered by his contemporaries, that no one was more ready than himself to assist those with whom he was conversant in their various researches and endeavours for the advancement of knowledge and the benefit of society.

Baker (David-Erskine), son to the former, was a young man of genius and learning. Having been adopted by an uncle, who was a silk-throwster in Spitalfields, he succeeded him in the business; but wanted the prudence and attention which are necessary to secure prosperity in trade. He married the daughter of Mr Clendon, a reverend empiric. Like his father, he was both a philosopher and a poet; and wrote several occasional poems in the periodical collections, some of which were much admired at the time; but so violent was his turn for dramatic performance, that he repeatedly engaged with the lowest strolling companies, in spite of every effort of his father to reclaim him. The public was indebted to him for "The Companion to..." BAK

the Play-house," in two volumes, 1764, 12mo; a work which, though imperfect, had considerable merit, and showed that he possessed a very extensive knowledge of our dramatic authors; and which has since (under the title of "Biographia Dramatica") been considerably improved by the attention of a gentleman in every respect well qualified for the undertaking.

person whose occupation or business is to bake bread. See the articles Baking and Bread.

The learned are in great doubt about the time when baking first became a particular profession and bakers were introduced. It is however generally agreed, that they had their rise in the east, and passed from Greece to Italy after the war with Pyrrhus, about the year of Rome 583. Till which time every housewife was her own baker; for the word piper, which we find in Roman authors before that time, signified a person who ground or pounded the grain in a mill or mortar to prepare it for baking, as Varro observes. According to Athenaeus, the Cappadocians were the most applauded bakers, after them the Lydians, then the Phoenicians.—To the foreign bakers brought into Rome, were added a number of freed-men, who were incorporated into a body, or, as they called it, a college: from which neither they nor their children were allowed to withdraw. They held their effects in common, and could not dispose of any part of them. Each bakehouse had a patronus, who had the superintendency thereof; and these patroni elected one out of their number each year, who had superintendence over all the rest, and the care of the college. Out of the body of the bakers were every now and then one admitted among the senators.—To preserve honour and honesty in the college of bakers, they were expressly prohibited all alliance with comedians and gladiators; each had his shop or bake-house, and they were distributed into fourteen regions of the city. They were excused from guardianships and other offices, which might divert them from their employment.—By our own statutes bakers are declared not to be handicrafts. No man for using the mysteries or sciences of baking, brewing, surgery, or writing, shall be interpreted a handicraft. The bakers were a brotherhood in England before the year 1155, in the reign of king Henry II. though the white bakers were not incorporated till 1407, by king Edward III. and the brown bakers not till 1621, in king James I.'s time. Their hall is in Harp-lane, Thames-street; and their court-day on the first Monday of the month.—They make the 19th company; and consist of a warden, 4 masters, 30 assistants, and 140 men on the livery, besides the commonalty.—The French had formerly a great baker, grand pâtissier de France, who had the superintendency of all the bakers of Paris. But, since the beginning of this century, they have been put under the jurisdiction of the lieutenant-general de police. In some provinces of France, the lord is the only baker in his seigneurie; keeping a public oven, to which all the tenants are obliged to bring their bread. This right is called fureuragion, or fureuragion, and makes part of the banalités.