Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 10.djvu/49

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Chandler
41
Chandler

his 'Travels' more or less fully describes, are: Tenedos, Alexandria Troas, Chios, Smyrna, Erythræ, Teos, Priene, lasus (in Caria), Mylassa (Caria), Stratonicea, Laodiceia (ad Lycum), Hierapolis, Sardes, and Ephesus, where Chandler asks if a wonder of the world, the temnle of Artemis, can really have 'vanished like a phantom, without leaving a trace behind. The party left Smyrna for Athens on 20 Aug. 1765. At Athens Chandler expresses his regret that 'so much admirable sculpture as is still extant about (the Parthenon) . . . should be all likely to perish as it were immaturely from ignorant contempt and brutal violence.' 'We purchased two fine fragments of the frieze (of the Parthenon) which we found inserted over the doorways in the town, and were presented with a beautiful trunk which had fallen from the metopes, and lay neglected in the garden of a Turk.' Besides Athens, Chandler and his friends visited other parts of Greece Proper ; they had originally intended to proceed from Zant« to Ithaca, Cephallenia, and Corcyra (Corfu), but the plan was given up, partly on account of 'the infirm state of health under which we laboured.' They embarked on 1 Sept. 1766 (new style), reaching England on 2 Nov. in that year. Col. Leake has devoted some criticism to Chandler's researches in Attica. The researches of Chandler and of his predecessor, Stuart, in connection with the topography of Athens 'have cleared up' (he says) 'much that had been left obscure and faulty by Spon and Wheler, and in some instances Chandler's superior learning enabled him to correct the mistaken impressions of Stuart, but others he has left uncorrected, and he has added many errors and negligences of his own, as well in the application of ancient evidence as in regard to the actual condition of the ruined buildings.'

The valuable materials collected by Chandler and his companions were communicated to the world in three important publications : 1. a fine illustrated volume entitled 'Ionian Antiquities; or, Ruins of Magnificent and Famous Buildings in Ionia,' published at the expense of the Society of Dilettanti in 1709 (London, folio) : the account of the architecture was by Revett, the historical part of the work being by Chandler. 2. 'Inscriptiones antiquae, plcrceque nondiim editae, in Asia Minore et Grajcia, presertim Athenis, collect ne (cum appendice),' Oxford, 1774, folio. In this work, for which Chandler himself was alone responsible, the author prints the Greek texts both in uncial and cursive characters, and provides a translation (in Latin) and some short notes. This book made accessible to scholars for the first time a number of valuable texts, which have since been re-edited in Boeckh's great 'Corpus Inscriptionum Graecarum.' 3. 'Travels in Asia Minor ; or, an Account of a Tour made at the Expense of the Society of Dilettanti,' Oxford, 1775, 4to ; and ' Travels in Greece; or, an Account of, &c.,' Oxford, 1776, 4to. These two books, which practically form a single work, contain Chandler's journal. Several editions of the work have been published, among others an edition in 2 vols. London, 1817, 4to, and a French translation in 8 vols., Paris, 1806, 8vo. A copy of the first edition (1776-1776, 2 vols.), in the British Museum, contains numerous manuscript notes made by Chandler's companion, Revett ; these were transcribed and printed in the edition of the 'Travels in Asia Alinor and Greece,' published by R. Churton at Oxford in 1825 (2 vols. 8vo). In 1772 Chandler was senior proctor of his university ; in 1773 he was admitted to the degrees of B.D. (23 April) and D.D. (17 Dec.) In July 1779 he was presented by his college to the consolidated livings of East Worldham and West Tisted, near Alton, Hampshire. In 1786 (2 Oct.) he married Benigna, daughter of Liebert Dorrien, by whom he had a son, William Berkeley, and a daughter, Georgina. Chandler spent the winter after his marriage at Nimes, and then visited Switzerland, living chiefly at Vevay and Rolle. In 1787 he proceeded to Italy and occupied himself at Florence and at Rome (in the Vatican) in collating manuscripts of his favourite poet, Pindar ; he also began to examine some interesting manuscripts of the Greek Testament in the Vatican, but we are told that while he was 'poring upon them with great avidity, the jealousy of the papal court deprived him of them.' In 1800 Chandler was presented to the rectory and vicarage of Tilehurst, near Reading, Berkshire, where he resided till his death, which took place 9 Feb. 1810, after he had only partially recovered from a paralytic or apoplectic seizure. While at Tilehurst he published 'The History of Ilium or Troy,' 1802, 4to; another work by him, 'The Life of W. Waynflete. Bishop of Winchester, collected from Records, Registers, Manuscripts, and other authentic evidences,' was published posthumously (London, 1811, 8vo, edited by C. Lambert).

[Chandler's works ; R. Churton's Account of the Author, prefixed to his edition of Chandler's Travels, 2 vols., Oxford, 1825, 8vo ; Gentleman's Magazine, 1810 (lxxx.) 188 ; Leake's Topography of Athens, 2nd edit., 1841, i. pp. 97, 98, 326-8 ; Michaelis, Ancient Marbles in Great Britain.]

W. W.