Faithorne, from a drawing by himself; a copy of J. Payne's portrait of Paracelsus; ‘Dr. Michael,’ after Guido Reni; and the frontispiece to P. Heylyn's ‘Cosmography,’ published in 1669. Walpole was of opinion that Faithorne's engraving of ‘Christ with a Globe,’ from a picture attributed to Raphael, was completed by Fillian.
[Redgrave's Dict. of Artists; Walpole's Anecd. of Painting, ed. Dallaway and Wornum; Le Blanc's Manuel de l'Amateur d'Estampes; Evelyn's Sculptura.]
FILLS, ROBERT (fl. 1562), translator from the French, published in 1562 ‘The Lawes and Statutes of Geneva, as well concerning Ecclesiastical Discipline as Civill Regiment, with certeine Proclamations duly executed, whereby God's religion is most purely mainteined, and their commonwealth quietli governed.’ The volume contains a dedication to ‘Lord Robert Duddley,’ in which Fills explains that he has done his work to confute those who say ‘against men of our profession’ that ‘we departed oute of this realme in the late tyme of banishement of Goddes churche onelye to this ende, to enjoye more unchastised freedome of sensuall lyfe.’ In 1563 (according to Herbert) appeared ‘A Briefe and Piththie Summe of the Christian Faith, made in forme of a Confession, with a confutation of all such superstitious errours as are contrary thereunto. Made by Theodore de Beza. Translated out of Frenche by R. F.’ In a long dedication to Lord Hastings Fills speaks of himself as ‘knowing the author [Beza], and being somewhat acquainted with him,’ and makes a fierce attack upon the secular pursuits of the English clergy, complaining of the ‘myngle mangle of spirituall and temporall regiment,’ and asserting that many cathedral churches are ‘a very refuge and denne of ydell, ignoraunt, and unpreaching lubbers.’ Several editions of this work were printed. In 1568, according to Tanner and Maunsell, Fills published ‘Godly Prayers and Meditations paraphrasticallye made upon all the Psalmes very necessary for al the godly, translated out of Frenche into Englishe.’ The book was published again in 1577, and a third time in 1590 with the title, taken from the dedication, of ‘The Anatomie of the Soule.’ Besides these there is an undated translation entitled ‘Meditations of True and Perfect Consolation, declared in two tables: in the first is seven considerations of the evills which happen unto us; in the second seven considerations of the good we receive. Translated out of French by Rob. Fills.’
[Tanner's Bibliotheca, p. 279; Ames's Typogr. Antiq. (Herbert); Maunsell's Cat. of English Printed Books, p. 50.]
FILMER, EDWARD (fl. 1707), dramatist, born in or about 1657, was the second son of Sir Robert Filmer, bart., of East Sutton, Kent, who died 22 March 1676, by his wife, Dorothy, daughter of Maurice Tuke of Layer Marney, Essex (Berry, County Genealogies, Kent, p. 187). Hasted (Hist. of Kent, fol. ed., ii. 418 n. g) wrongly describes him as the ‘second son of Sir Edward Filmer, who died in 1629.’ He was himself seated at East Sutton. In 1672 he was admitted as founder's kin fellow of All Souls' College, Oxford, and took the degree of B.A. on 17 Dec. of that year, proceeding B.C.L. 21 Feb. 1675, D.C.L. 27 Oct. 1681 (Cat. of Oxford Graduates, 1851, p. 229). He wrote a lugubrious blank verse tragedy of extreme length, called ‘The Unnatural Brother,’ 4to, London, 1697, which appears to have been acted three times at the theatre in Little Lincoln's Inn Fields (Genest, Hist. of the Stage, ii. 114). It met with a ‘very cold reception,’ which the author ascribes principally to his having ‘made choice of too few persons in the drama, and that the stage was never filled; there seldom appearing above two at a time, and never above three, till the end and winding up of the whole. … If these must be thought faults now in our nicer age, I am sure they were not thought such heretofore by the Antients’ (Preface). Part of this drama was reproduced by Pierre Antoine Motteux as ‘The Unfortunate Couple; a short Tragedy,’ in ‘The Novelty,’ &c., 4to, 1697. Filmer defended the stage against the attacks of Jeremy Collier in a sensible, well-written treatise entitled ‘A Defence of Plays, or the Stage Vindicated, from several Passages in Mr. Collier's Short View, &c. Wherein is offer'd the most probable method of Reforming our Plays. With a Consideration how far Vicious Characters may be allow'd on the Stage,’ 8vo, London, 1707. Collier replied in ‘A Farther Vindication of the Short View,’ &c., 8vo, London, 1708. Hasted (loc. cit.) is again wrong when he states that Filmer ‘died in 1703.’ By license, dated 29 Jan. 1686–7, he married Archiballa, only daughter and heiress of Archibald Clinkard or Clenkard of Sutton Valence, Kent (Chester, London Marriage Licences, ed. Foster, col. 484), and was buried at East Sutton.
[Baker's Biographia Dramatica (Reed and Jones), i. 242, iii. 371–2.]
FILMER, Sir ROBERT (d. 1653), political writer, was the eldest son of Sir Edward Filmer, knighted by Elizabeth, by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Argall (or Argol) of East Sutton, Kent. Sir Edward bought
