BIDDLE, JOHN , frequently called the father of English Unitarianism, was born at Wotton-under-Edge, in Gloucestershire. He was educated at the grammar school of his native town and at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, being subsequently appointed to the mastership of the free school in the city of Gloucester, where "he was much esteemed for his diligence in his profession, serenity of manners, and sanctity of life." A treacherous friend obtained the ms. of his Twelve Arguments drawn out of Scripture, wherein the commonly received opinion touching the deity of the Holy Spirit is clearly and fully refuted; and in Dec. 1645 he was summoned before the parliamentary committee then sitting at Gloucester, by which he was committed to prison. He was released on bail after a short imprisonment, but in July 1647 was called before parliament, which desired to enquire into his views. After tedious proceedings, during which Sir Henry Vane befriended him, Biddle was committed to cus tody, and his Twelve Arguments, which he had now published, was ordered by parliament to be seized and burned by the hang man. Notwithstanding this and the ordinance of May 2,1648, visiting denial of the doctrine of the Trinity with death, Biddle l issued two tracts, one a Confession of Faith touching the Holy Trinity, and the other The Testimonies of lrenaeus, etc., con cerning the one God and the Persons of the Trinity (1648). These were suppressed, and the Westminster assembly of divines eagerly pressed for the death penalty for heretics like Biddle. This, however, was resisted by the army, and by many of the Independent parliamentarians; and after the death of the king, Biddle was allowed to reside in Staffordshire under surveillance. He engaged in preaching and in literary work, particularly an edition of the Septuagint, published by Roger Daniel. In Feb. 1652 the general act of oblivion gave him complete freedom, and his adherents soon began to meet regularly for worship on Sundays. They were called Biddellians, or Socinians, or Uni tarians, the name which has now become associated with their opinions. Biddle was not left long in peace. He translated some Socinian books, among others the Life of Socinus, and published two catechisms which excited a fury of indignation. He was summoned before the parliament in Dec. 1654 and imprisoned. The dissolution of that body again set him at liberty for a short time, but he was presently re-arrested and was only rescued by Cromwell, who sent him (Oct. 1655) out of the way to one of the Scilly islands, allowed him ioo crowns a year, and in 1658, on the solicitation of many friends, released him. For a few years he lived and taught quietly in the country, but, returning to London, he was, in June 1662, again arrested, and fined oo. As he was unable to pay this sum, he was at once committed to prison, where he died of fever.