BUTLER, Charles, English Roman Cath olic historian: b. London. 15 Aug. 1750; d. there, 2 June 1832. He was nephew of the Rev. Alban Butler (q.v.). He was called to the bar in 1791, and was the first Roman Catholic who was admitted, after the passing of the relief bill of that year. He wrote glom Bibliae,) giving a history of the original text, early versions and printed editions of the Old and New Testaments, and also of the (Koran,) 'Zend-Avesta) and the 'Edda.' This first ap peared in 1797, and was followed by (Hone Juridic Subsecivw,) a connected series of notes respecting the geography, chronology and literary history of the principal codes and orig inal documents of the Grecian, Roman, feudal and canon law. He continued and completed Hargrave's 'Coke Upon Littleton' ; supervised the 6th edition of Fearne's 'Essay on Con tingent Remainders" wrote a history of the geographical and political revolutions of Ger many, and a 'Historical and Literary Account of the Formularies, Confessions of Faith, or Symbolic Books of Roman Catholic, Greek and Principal Protestant Churches.' During the
last 25 years of his career he principally de voted his pen to the vindication of the Roman Catholic Church. He published numerous biog raphies of eminent Roman Catholic divines and authors; continued his uncle's 'Lives of the Saints,' and produced 'Historical Memoirs of the English, Irish and Scottish Cath olics.' When Southey's ultra-Protestant 'Book of the Church' appeared, it was replied to in Butler's 'Book of the Roman Catholic Church,' which gave rise to six answers on the Prot estant side, two of which were responded to by Butler. His 'Reminiscences' appeared 1822-27. As a constitutional lawyer his repu tation was very high.