AINSWORTH, HENRY 1622), English Noncon formist divine and rabbinical scholar, was born at Swanton Mor ley, Norfolk. He was a scholar of Caius College, Cambridge, joined the Puritan party in the church, and eventually the Sepa ratist. Driven abroad in the persecution of 1593, he found a home in "a blind lane at Amsterdam." He acted as "porter" to a scholarly bookseller in that city, who, on discovering his skill in Hebrew, enabled him to continue his Hebrew studies. When part of the London church, of which Francis Johnson (then in prison) was pastor, reassembled in Amsterdam, Ainsworth was chosen as their doctor or teacher.
In 1596 he drew up a confession of their faith, which he re issued in Latin in 1598. Johnson joined his flock in 1597, and in 1604 he and Ainsworth composed An Apology or Defence of such true Christians as are commonly but unjustly called Brownists. In 1610 he was forced reluctantly to withdraw, with a large part of their church, from F. Johnson and his adherents on a question of church government, Ainsworth taking the more congregational view. (See CONGREGATIONALISM.) But in spirit he remained a man of peace. The fruit of his rabbinical learning appeared in his Annotations—on Genesis 0616); Exodus 0617); Leviticus (1618) ; Numbers (1619) ; Deuteronomy (1619) ; Psalms (includ ing a metrical version, 1612) ; Song of Solomon (1623). These were collected in folio in 1627, and again in 1639. From the out set the Annotations took a commanding place, especially among Continental scholars.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.--John Worthington's Diary (Chetham Society), by Bibliography.--John Worthington's Diary (Chetham Society), by Crossley, i. 263-266 ; works of John Robinson (1851) ; H. M. Dexter, Congregationalism of the Last Three Hundred Years (188o) ; W. E. A. Axon, H. Ainsworth, the Puritan Commentator (1889) ; F. J. Powicke, Henry Barrow and the Exiled Church of Amsterdam (19oo) ; J. H. Shakespeare, Baptist and Congregational Pioneers (1906) .