Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/523

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FROST FROST, William Edward, an English painter, born in Wandsworth, Surrey, in September, 1810. He commenced his career as a portrait painter, and executed in the course of 14 years upward of 300 pictures of this class. In 1839 he attempted historical composition, and his "Prometheus Bound," exhibited in that year, gained the gold medal at the academy. In 1843 he won a prize of 100 in the Westmin- ster hall competition by his cartoon of " Una alarmed by Fauns." He has since confined himself chiefly to classical subjects. Among his principal pictures are the "Disarming of Cupid" and the "Bacchanalian Revel." He was elected a royal academician Dec. 30, 1870. FROTHINGHAM. I. Nathaniel Langdon, an American clergyman, born in Boston, July 23, 1793, died there, April 4, 1870. He grad- uated in 1811 at Harvard college, where in the following year he became instructor in rhetoric and oratory. In the mean time he studied theology, and in 1815 was ordained pastor of the first Congregational church in Boston. This charge he retained till ill health compelled his resignation of it in 1850. He was the author of more than 50 sermons pub- lished occasionally, and of a volume of " Ser- mons in the Order of a Twelvemonth " (Bos- ton, 1852). He also contributed in prose and verse to periodicals, and a collection of his poems has been published under the title of " Metrical Pieces, Translated and Original " (Boston, 1855). They are distinguished, like his prose writings, by singular refinement of sentiment and grace of expression. II. Octavins Brooks, an American clergyman, son of the pre- ceding, bora in Boston, Nov. 26, 1822. He graduated at Harvard college in 1843, spent three years in the Cambridge divinity school, and was settled as pastor of the North church (Unitarian), Salem, Mass., March 10, 1847. He removed to Jersey City, N. J., in May, 1855, where he preached till May, 1859, when he accepted a call to New York, and became pastor of a congregation which in 1860 was organized under the name of the "Third Uni- tarian Congregational Church." He is dis- tinguished for the intellectual character of his preaching, his wide scholarship in various branches of learning, and his impressive elo- quence. He is one of the principal leaders of the so-called free religious movement, which has for its object the promotion of rationalist ideas in theology, in place of the received doc- trine of the Christian church. He has written extensively for various journals, contributed numerous papers to prominent reviews, and, besides publishing more than 150 sermons, is the author of the following works : " The Para- bles " (Boston, 1864) ; " Stories from the Old Testament " (Boston, 1864) ; " Renan's Critical ^s," translated (New York, 1864); "The Child's Book of Religion " (New York, 1871) ; "The Religion of Humanity" (New York, 1872) ; and " The Life of Theodore Parker " (Boston, 1874). 340 VOL. vn. 33 FROUDE 511 FROTHINGHAM, Richard, jr., an American his- torian, born in Charlestown, Mass., Jan. 31, 1812. He was for many years a member of the staff of the "Boston Post," was chosen to the Massachusetts house of representatives by his native town in 1839, '40, '42, '49, and '50 and was mayor of Charlestown for three terms (1851-'3). In 1851 he was a delegate to the national convention of the democratic party and in 1852 promoted the election of Mr. Pierce as president. He was elected in 1853 to the convention called to revise the constitution of Massachusetts, and took an active part in its debates. He has published " History of Charlestown " (1848) ; " History of the Siege of Boston, and of the Battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill" (1849); "Account of the Bunker Hill Monument" (1849); "Life of Gen. Joseph Warren " (1865) ; and " Rise of the Republic " (1872). ' FROUDE. I. James Anthony, an English his- torian, a son of Archdeacon Froude, born at Dartington rectory, Totness, Devonshire, April 23, 1818. He entered Oriel college, Oxford, in 1836, took his degree in 1840, and two years after obtained the chancellor's prize for an English essay, and was elected fellow of Ex- eter college. His sympathy with the high church views which then prevailed led him to entertain the idea of studying for the ministry ; and he proceeded so far as to be ordained dea- con in 1845. But he never undertook any clerical duty, and soon abandoned theology for literature. In 1847 he published a volume of stories, entitled " The Shadows of the Clouds," and in 1849 " The Nemesis of Faith," both of which were condemned by the university au- thorities. Soon after the publication of the latter Mr. Froude resigned his fellowship, and was obliged to give up an appointment which he had received to a teachership in Tasma- For two or three years he wrote almost ma. constantly for "Eraser's Magazine" and the "Westminster Review." One of his articles in the latter on the book of Job has been re- printed in a separate form. In 1856 he pub- lished the first two volumes of his " History of England from the Fall of Wolsey to the Defeat of the Spanish Armada," which was continued from time to time till its completion in 1870, in 12 volumes. His contributions to various periodicals have been reprinted under the title of " Short Studies on Great Subjects " (1st se- ries, 1867 ; 2d series, 1871). He also published in 1871 a small volume on Calvinism. He was installed as lord rector of the university of St. Andrews in March, 1869. In 1872-'3 he deliv- ered a series of lectures in the United States on " The English in Ireland in the Eighteenth Century," which have since been published (3 vols., London, 1873-'4). His " History of Eng- land " attempts to show that Henry VIII. was a much better man than he has been commonly represented to be, and that Queen Elizabeth was indebted for her high reputation as a sovereign chiefly to the abilities of her min-