or NORIS. See Norris.

(John), a learned English divine and Platonic philosopher, was born in 1657 at Collingborne-Kington, in Wiltshire, of which place his father Mr John Norris was then minister. He bred his son first at Winchester school, and afterwards sent him to Exeter college in Oxford, where he was admitted in 1676; but was elected fellow of All Souls in 1680, soon after he had taken his degree of bachelor of arts. From his first application to philosophy, Plato became his favourite author; by degrees he grew deeply enamoured with the beauties of that divine writer, as he thought him; and took an early occasion to communicate his ideal happiness to the public, by printing an English translation of a rhapsody, under the title of The Picture of Love unveiled, in 1682. He commenced master of arts in 1684, and the same year opened a correspondence with that learned mystic divine Dr Henry More of Christ's college in Cambridge. He had also a correspondence with the learned lady Masham, Dr Cudworth's daughter, and the ingenious Mrs Astell. He resided at his college, and had been Norris, in holy orders five years, when he was presented to the rectory of Newton St Loe, in Somersetshire, 1689; upon which occasion he married and resigned his fellowship. In 1691, his distinguished merit procured him the rectory of Bemerton, near Sarum. This living, upwards of £200 a-year, came very reasonably to his growing family; and was the more acceptable, for the easiness of the parochial duty, which gave him leisure to make an addition to his revenues by the fruits of his genius; the activity of which produced a large harvest, that continued increasing till 1710. But this activity seems to have become fatal to him; for towards the latter end of his life, he grew very infirm, and died in 1711, in his 55th year, at Bemerton. He was interred in the chancel of that church, where there is a handsome marble monument erected to his memory, with this inscription: "H. S. E. Johannes Norris, parochiae hujus rector, ubi annos viginti bene latuit cura pastorali et literis vacans, quo in recensu sibi pofuit late per orbem sparsa ingenti patriae ac pietatis monumenta. Obiit an. Dom. 1711, aetatis 54." As to his character, he had a tincture of enthusiasm in his composition, which led him to imbibe the principles of the idealists in philosophy, and the mystics in theology; and the whole turn of his poetry shows, that this enthusiasm alone made him a poet. As an idealist, he opposed Locke, and adorned Malebranche's opinion, of seeing all things in God, with all the advantages of style and perspicuity of expression. In short, his errors, which are harmless enough of themselves, ought to be easily pardoned, on account of the general excellence of his writings, especially upon subjects of practical divinity, which are universally esteemed.