HENLEY, JOHN , English clergyman, com monly known as "Orator Henley," was born on Aug. 3, 1692, at Melton Mowbray, where his father was vicar. He graduated from St. John's College, Oxford, and, after holding various cures, was presented in 1723 to the rectory of Chelmondiston, Suffolk; but residence being insisted on, he resigned, and on July 3, 1726, opened what he called an "oratory" in Newport Market, London, which he licensed under the Toleration Act. In 1729 he trans ferred the scene of his operations to Lincoln's Inn Fields. Into his services he introduced many peculiar alterations : he drew up a "Primitive Liturgy," in which he substituted for the Nicene and Athanasian creeds two creeds taken from the Apostolical Consti tutions; for his "Primitive Eucharist" he made use of unleavened bread and mixed wine ; he distributed at the price of one shilling medals of admission to his oratory, with the device of a sun rising to the meridian, with the motto Ad summa, and the words In veniam viam aut faciam below. But the most original element in the services was Henley himself, who is described by Pope in the Dunciad as "Preacher at once and zany of his age." His services were much frequented by the "free-thinkers," and he himself expressed his determination "to die a rational." For some time he edited the Hyp Doctor, a weekly paper established in opposition to the Craftsman. He died on Oct. 13, Henley is the subject of several of Hogarth's prints. His life, professedly written by A. Welstede, but in all probability by himself, was inserted by him in his Oratory Transactions (1728) . See J. Nichols, History of Leicestershire 4 vols. (1795-1815) ; I. Disraeli, Calamities of Authors, 2 vols. (1812, new ed. by the Earl of Beaconsfield, 1881) .