BRYANT, JACOB (1715-1804) , English antiquarian and writer on mythological subjects, was born at Plymouth, and held a post in the ordnance department. He was a great collector of books, and left his library to King's college, Cambridge, having, however, previously made some valuable presents from it to the king and the duke of Marlborough. Bryant was the author of many works on ancient history and on theology, the best known at the time being his New System, or An Analysis of Ancient Mythology now forgotten, and his Observations on the poems of Thomas Rowley, which played a con siderable part in the Rowley controversy.