WARBURTON, William, English prelate: b. Newark-upon-Trent, Nottinghamshire, 24 Dec. 1698; d. Gloucester, 7 Jan. 1779. He studied law and practised in Newarlc, but soon gave up his profession and in 1723 took orders in the English Church, becoming rector of Brant Broughton, Lincolnshire, in 1728. In 1726 he formed an aquaintance with Theobald, to whose edition of Shakespeare he contributed. In 1727 he began to dis tinguish himself as an original writer by his inquiry into the (Causes of Prodigies and Mira cles,' and in 1736 appeared his (Alliance be tween Church and State, or the Necessity and Equity of an Established Religion and Test Law.' The first volume of his chief work was published in 1737, entitled (The Divine Lega tion of Moses demonstrated on the Principles of a Religious Deist from the Omission of the Doctrine of a Future State of Rewards and Punishments in the Jewish Dispensation.' This paradoxical performance met with adversaries among all parties, who concurred in criticising and censuring the theory on which it is founded, and he replied to his critics in a vindication of his opinions. Having published in the journal called the Works of the Learned, in 1739 and 1740, a defense of the
1744 Pope bequeathed to Warburton half his library and the copyright of such of his works already printed as were not otherwise disposed of. In 1747 Warburton appeared as the editor of Shakespeare and proved himself to be but a poor commentator. In 1750 appeared 'Julian, or a Discourse concerning the Earthquake and Fiery Eruption which defeated that Emperor's Attempt to rebuild the Temple, elicited by Mid dleton's Inquiry concerning the Miraculous Powers of the Christian Church.' In 1757 he became dean of Bristol, and two years after bishop of Gloucester. In 1768 he established a lecture at Lincoln's Inn on the evidence in favor of Christianity from the prophecies of the Old and New Testaments. His collected works were published by Hurd in 1788. Consult the biography of Watson (1863); and Mark Patti son, (Essays' (1889).