MIDDLE'I'ON, CONYERS, an eminent English di vine, was born at York, in the year 1683. Iris lather, the Rev. William Middleton, rector of Ilinderwell, near Whitby, gave him a liberal education, and at the age of seventeen, he was admitted a pensioner of Trinity College, Cambridge, and two years after he was chosen a scholar on the foundation He took his degree of A. B. in 1702, and officiated as curate of Trumping ton, near Cambridge. In 1706, he was elected a fel low of his college, and next year he became A. M. About two years afterwards, he married Mrs. Drake, a widow of ample fortune ; and, after his marriage, he took a small recto, y in the Isle of Ely, which he re signed, however, in little more than a year, on account of its unhealthy situation.
When George I. visited the university of Cambridge, in the month of October 1717, Middleton, along with several others, was created a doctor of divinity by man date ; and he took an active part in the famous pro ceeding against Dr. Bentley, which for some time oc cupied much attention. In that controversy, in the course of the year 1719, he published the following lour pieces : 1. " A full and impartial Account of the late Proceedings in the University of Cambridge against Dr. Bentley," &c. 2. " A Second Part of the full and impartial Account," &c. 3. Some Remarks upon a Pamphlet,' entitled, the Case of Dr. Bentley farther stated and vindicated," &c. 4. " A true Account of the present State of Trinity College, in Cambridge, under the oppressive government of their master, Ri chard Bentley, D. D." When, in 1720, Dr. Bentley published his " Pro posals for a new Edition of the Greek Testament. and Latin version," Middleton, the following year, publish ed "Remarks, paragraph by paragraph, upon the Pro posals," &c. Bentley defended his Proposals against these Remarks, which, however, lie did not ascribe to Middleton, but to Dr. Colbatch, a learned fellow of his college, and casuistical professor of divinity in the university• for the double purpose, it is supposed, of giving him an opportunity of abusing Colbatch, and of shcwing his contempt of Middleton. At a meeting in February 1721, the vice-chancellor and heads of the university pronounced Bentley's book to be a most scandalous and malicious libel ; and they resolved to inflict a proper censure upon the author, as soon as he should be discovered. .Middleton then pub
lished, with his name, an answer to Bentley's defence, entitled "Some farther Remarks, paragraph by para graph," &c. These two pieces against Bentley ate writ ten with great acuteness and learning.
Upon the great enlargement of the public library at Cambridge, the ollice of principal librarian was conferred upon Dr. Middleton, who, to shew himself worthy of it, published, in 1723, a small piece with the title, Dzb liothec• Canrabrigiensis crdinande quedam, (pram do mino trocanctliario senatuigue academico considerandam et perficiendanz, cfficii et pietatis ergo profionit. In the dedication of this tract to the vice-chancellor, in which he alluded to the contest between the University and Dr. 13:.ntley, he made use of some incautious xpressions against the jurisdiction of the Court of King's Bench, for which he was prosecuted, but dismissed with an easy fine.
Soon after this publication, he had the misfortune to lose his wife, and having fallen himself into bad health, he undertook a journey through France and Italy, along with Lord Coleraine, and arrived at Rome each in 1724. He e as at Paris towards the end of the year 1725, and arrived at Cambridge before Christmas Shortly after, he published a tract, entitled De medicorum apud ve teres Romanos degentium conditions disserratio ; qua con tra virus celeberrimos Jacobum Sponium et Richardum Meadium, scrvilem atque ignobilem eamlitisse ostenditur ; which drew upon him the displeasure of the whole me dical faculty, particularly of Dr. Mead. :Middleton de fended his dissertation against various attacks in a new publication, entitled Dissertationis, &c. contra anony ms quondam notarum brevium. responsionis. argue ani rnadversionis auctores,defensio, Pars prima. 1727. Mead and Middleton afterwards became very good friends. A tars secunda, however, was actually written. and printed for private circulation, after Middleton's death, by Dr. Heberden, in 1761, 4to.