WHETSTONE, C1EoRnr. ( 1514 ?-57 ?). An English author, of a wealthy Lincolnshire fam ily. He was born probably in London. From his father he seems to have inherited a compe tence which he quickly squandered. he served in the Low Countries in 1572 and was present at the bottle of Zutphen (September 13, 1586), when Sir Philip Sidney was mortally wounded. He also accompanied Sir Humphrey Gilbert on the disastrous voyage to Newfoundland (1578-79). Whetstone is mainly of interest because his Promos and Cassandra, a play in rhymed verse (1578; reprinted by Collier and ]lazlitt's Shake speart's Library, 1875), and the prose tale with the same title, in his //rpht»teron.of courses (1582; also reprinted by Collier and Hazlitt I, furnished the plot for Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. Aiming his other works are the Backe of Regard, verse tales mostly from the Italian (1576; reprint by Collier, 1870) ; A lecnionbraunec, an elegy on George Gascoigne (1577; in Arbcr's reprints of Gaseoigne's works, 1868) ; and A Mirour for Magestrates of Cytics, a prose treatise (15S4).
WHEWELL, 115'd , WILLIAM (1794-18G61. A distinguished English scholar and philosopher. He was horn at Lancaster, graduated with high honors at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1816, and became a fellow, and later a tutor, of Trin ity. In 1820 he became a fellow of the Royal Society, and in 1827 of the Geological Society. He spent much time in traveling and studying architecture and natural science. From 1828 to 1832 lie was professor of mineralogy at Cam bridge, and from 1S38 to 1S55 Knightbridge pro fessor of moral philosophy. lle became master of Trinity in 1811, and in the same year was president of the British Assoeial ion. In his ear lier literary career he produced several text books on mathematical subjects which have now been superseded, and also contributed a variety of papers to scientific journals and to the Trans actions of learned societies. Later in life he con
centrated his powers mainly on the production of large works. Among the more important of his books are: Astronomy and General Physics Considered with Reference to Natural Theology the third Bridgewater treatise, 1833) ; His tory of the Induetire Sciences (1840); Philoso phy of the Inductire Sciences (1840) : and The Elements of Morality, Including Polity (1s845). His treatise on The Plurality of 1Forles (1853) had a considerable popularity from its subject; his Lectures on the History of Moral Philosophy in England (1852), and The Platonic Dialogues for English Readers, a selected translation, may also be mentioned. He died at Trinity in eon sequence of injuries sustained through a fall when riding. He was a man of the most varied acquisitions, a clear-headed student, a vigorous and independent thinker and writer. It was said of him that science was his forte, omniscience his foible. Ills chief ambition was to grasp, survey, and coordinate the sciences. He did ex cellent serviee to both science and history in his endeavor to gratify it. Ile took a prominent part in the reorganization of the course of study at Cambridge. and left his mark as one of the most efficient masters of Trinity, besides twice holding the office of vice-chancellor. lie beeame wealthy through two. marriages, and was very generous in the use of his money; his gifts to the university alone are estimated at over f100, 000. In philosophy he was an intuitionist, and is now best remembered as an opponent of J. S. Mill. Consult the biographies by Todhunter (London, 1876) and Mrs. Douglas (ib., 1881).