Anthony, a polemical writer, born at Heston, near Hounslow, in the county of Middlesex, in 1676, was the son of Henry Collins, a gentleman of about L1500 a-year. He was first bred at Eton College, and then went to King's College, Cambridge, where he had for his tutor Mr Francis Hare, afterwards Bishop of Chichester. He was subsequently a student of the Temple; but not relishing the law, he soon abandoned the study. He was an ingenious man, and the author of several curious books. His first remarkable piece was published in 1707, being entitled An Essay concerning the Use of Reason in Propositions, the Evidence whereof depends on Human Testimony. In 1702, he entered into the controversy between Mr Clarke and Dr Dodwell concerning the immortality of the soul. In 1713, he published his discourse on Free-thinking, which made a prodigious noise. In 1725 he retired into the county of Essex, and acted as a justice of peace and deputy-lieutenant for the same county, as he had before done for that of Middlesex and the liberty of Westminster. The same year he published a Philosophical Essay concerning Human Liberty. In 1718 he was chosen treasurer of the county of Essex; and this office he discharged with great credit. In 1724 he published his Historical and Critical Essay on the Thirty-nine Articles. Soon afterwards he published his Discourse of the Grounds and Reasons of the Christian Religion; to which is prefixed An Apology for Free Debate and Liberty of Writing; which piece was immediately attacked by a great number of authors. In 1726 appeared his Scheme of Literary Prophecy considered, in a View of the Controversy occasioned by a late Book, entitled A Discourse of the Grounds, &c. In this Discourse he mentions a manuscript dissertation of his, showing that the Sibylline oracles were a forgery executed in the times of the primitive Christians, who, for that reason, were called Sibyllists by the Pagans; but it never appeared in print. His Scheme of Literary Prophecy was replied to by several writers, and particularly by Dr John Rogers, in his Necessity of Divine Revelation asserted; in answer to which our author wrote A Letter to the Reverend Dr Rogers, on the occasion on this publication. His health began to decline some years before his death; and he was much afflicted with the stone, which at last put an end to his life, at his house in Harley Square, in 1729. He was interred in Oxford Chapel, where a monument, with an epitaph in Latin, was erected to his memory. His curious library was open to men of letters, to whom he readily communicated all the assist-