Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 61.djvu/20

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Whiston
14
Whitaker

cation of the Apostolical Constitutions,’ 1715. 22. ‘An Account of a Surprizing Meteor,’ 1716 (another in 1719). 23. ‘An Address to the Princes … of Europe for the Admission … of the Christian Religion to their Dominions,’ 1716. 24. ‘Astronomical Principles of Religion,’ 1717. 25. ‘Scripture Politics,’ 1717 (to which is added ‘The Supposal, or a New Scheme of Government,’ privately printed in 1712). 26. ‘A Defense of the Bishop of London,’ 1719; a second ‘Defense,’ 1719. 27. ‘Commentary on the Three Catholic Epistles of St. John,’ 1719. 28. ‘Letter to the Earl of Nottingham concerning the Eternity of the Son of God,’ 1719, six editions; ‘Reply’ to the same in 1721. 29. ‘The true Origin of the Sabellian and Athanasian Doctrines of the Trinity,’ 1720. 30. ‘The Longitude and Latitude discovered by the Inclinatory or Dipping Needle,’ 1721. 31. ‘A Chronological Table, containing the Hebrew, Phœnician, Egyptian, and Chaldean Antiquities,’ 1721. 32. ‘An Essay towards restoring the True Text of the Old Testament,’ 1722 (‘Supplement’ in 1723). 33. ‘The Calculation of Solar Eclipses without Parallaxes,’ 1724. 34. ‘The Literal Accomplishment of Scripture Prophecies,’ 1724; answer to Collins's ‘Grounds and Reasons’ (‘Supplement’ in 1725). 35. ‘Of the Thundering Legion,’ 1725. 36. ‘A Collection of Authentick Records, belonging to the Old and New Testaments’ (in English), 1727. 37. ‘The Horeb Covenant revived,’ 1730. 38. ‘Historical Memoirs … of Dr. Samuel Clarke,’ 1730 (three editions). 39. ‘Paraphrase on the Book of Job,’ 1732. 40. ‘The Testimony of Phlegon vindicated,’ 1732. 41. ‘Six Dissertations,’ 1734. 42. ‘Athanasian Forgeries, Impositions, and Interpolations’ (by a ‘Lover of Truth’), 1736. 43. ‘The Primitive Eucharis revived,’ 1736 (against Hoadly's ‘Plain Account’). 44. ‘The Astronomical Year,’ 1737. 45. ‘The Genuine Works of Flavius Josephus, the Jewish Historian, in English,’ 1737 (often reprinted till 1879). 46. ‘An Account of the Dæmoniacks,’ 1737. 47. ‘The Longitude found by the Ellipses … of Jupiter's Planets,’ 1738. 48. ‘The Eternity of Hell Torments considered,’ 1740. 49. ‘Three Tracts,’ 1742. 50. ‘The Primitive New Testament in English,’ 1745. 51. ‘Sacred History of the Old and New Testament; reduced into Annals,’ 1748. 52. ‘Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Mr. William Whiston, containing several of his Friends also, and written by Himself,’ 1749; 2nd edit. 1753.

[Whiston's Memoirs is the chief authority for his life. References above are to the second edition. See also Nichols's Lit. Anecd. i. 494–506. For numerous references to Whiston's various controversies, see the Index to the same work; Notes and Queries, 9th ser. v. 143.]

L. S.

WHITAKER. [See also Whittaker.]

WHITAKER, Sir EDWARD (1660–1735), born in 1660, admiral, was on 16 Oct. 1688 appointed lieutenant of the Swallow, then commanded by Matthew (afterwards Lord) Aylmer [q. v.] In 1689 he was in the Mary, in 1690 again with Aylmer, in the Royal Katherine, and on 15 May 1690 he was promoted to be captain of the Dover of 44 guns, in which, during the following three years, he made several rich prizes and captured many of the French privateers. In 1693–4 he was flag-captain to Aylmer in the Royal Sovereign. In 1695–6 he successively commanded the Elizabeth, Monck, and St. Andrew, and was flag-captain to Sir Clowdisley Shovell [q. v.] in the Victory. In 1698 he was living at Leigh in Essex. In May 1699 he was appointed to the Portland, and on 13 Jan. 1701–2 to the Ranelagh, one of the fifty ships commissioned on the same day. A month later, 16 Feb., he was appointed master-attendant at Woolwich, and seems to have held the office through the year. On 4 Jan. 1702–3 he was appointed to the Restoration, and, a few days later, from her to the Dorsetshire, one of the fleet with Rooke in the Mediterranean in 1704. In the capture of Gibraltar Whitaker acted as aide-de-camp to Sir George Byng [q. v.], ‘his ship not being upon service,’ commanded the boats in the attack, rallied the men when panic-struck by the explosion of a magazine, and hoisted the English colours on the bastion. In the battle of Malaga the Dorsetshire was one of the red squadron, and was closely engaged throughout. In 1705 Whitaker commanded the Barfleur; early in 1706 he was promoted to be rear-admiral of the blue, was knighted, and appointed to command a squadron off Dunkirk. In April he convoyed the Duke of Marlborough to Holland.

In 1708, with his flag in the Northumberland, he went out to the Mediterranean with Sir John Leake [q. v.], and in August commanded the detachment which co-operated in the reduction of Minorca. When Leake returned to England, Whitaker remained in command, and on 21 Dec. was promoted to be vice-admiral of the blue. A commission of 20 Dec. to be admiral of the blue seems to have afterwards been cancelled, and on 14 Nov. 1709 he was made vice-admiral of the white. In January 1708–9 he was relieved from the command in chief in the