Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 32.djvu/16

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Lambert
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Lambert

and in Horsfield's works. Seven of his pictures appeared at the Royal Academy, and he exhibited frequently at the Society of Artists and elsewhere from 1761 until the year of his death. Lambert excelled as a draughtsman, but his work suffered from unpleasing mannerisms. His colour is said to have been excellent, but his extant paintings have lost much of their brilliancy, probably from long esposure to very strong lights.

Lambert was for many years organist of the church of St. Thomas-at-Cliffe, Lewes. Dunvan, in his 'History of Lewes,' p. 324, says that Lambert was a better punter than musician, though excellent in both arts. As a musician he was comparatively little known. He died at Lewes on 7 Dec. 1788, aged 63, and was buried in the churchyard of St. John's, near that town. The Society of Arts and Sciences accepted a presentation picture of a landscape by Lambert about 1770.

[Lower's Worthies of Sussex, 1865. p. 39 Dunvan's Hist. of Lewes,.324; Graves's Dict. of Artists, p. 138.]

R. H. L.

LAMBERT, JAMES (1741–1823), Greek professor at Cambridge, was born on 7 March 1741, the son of Thomas Lambert, vicar of Thorp, near Harwich, and afterwards rector of Melton, Suffolk. His father was a member of Trinity College, Cambridge (B.A. 1723), and the son, after being educuted at the grammar school of Woodbridge, was entered of Trinity College on 23 April 17S0. He graduated B.A. as tenth wrangler and senior medallist in 1764. and proceeded M.A. in 1767, having obtained a fellowship in 1766. For a short time he served the curacy of Alderton and Bawdrey near Wood bridge. He was assistant tutor of Trinity College for some years, and on 7 March 1771 was elected regius professor of Greek, after delivering a prelection 'De Euripide aliisque qui Philosophiam Socraticam scriptis suis illustravisse videntur.' There was no other candidate. In 1773, through Mr. Carthew of Woodbridge, Porson was sent to him at Cambridge to be tested as to his fitness to receive the education which Mr. Norris was proposing to give him; and it was through Lambert's means that he was examined by the Trinity tutors, and was in consequence sent to Eton (Porson, Correspondence, pp. 125-32). Lambert gave up his assistant tutorship in 1775, and for some years superintended the education of Sir John Fleming Leicester [q. v.], returning to college with his pupil in 1782. He resigned the Greek professorship on 24 June 1780. He was a strong supporter of Mr. Jebb of Peterhouse in his proposal for annual examinations at Cambridge, and was a member of the syndicate appointed in 1774 to consider schemes for this and other improvements in the university course of education; their proposals, however, were all thrown out by narrow majorities in the senate. In 1789 he was appointed bursar of his college, and held the office for ten years; a road near Cambridge, connecting the Trumpington and Hill's roads, is still known by the name of the 'Via Lambertina.' He latterly adopted Arian opinions, and never accepted any preferment in the church, but he kept his fellowship till his death. This occurred on 8 April 1823 at Fersfield, Norfolk, where he is buried. His portrait is in the smaller combination room at Trinity College.

[Documants in the Cumbridge University Registry; Gentleman's Magazine for July 1823, p. 34; Porson's Correspondence (Camb. Antiq. Soc.). pp. 125-32; Jebb's Remarks upon the present mode of education in the University of Cambridge, 1774, p. 62.]

H. R. L.

LAMBERT, JOHN (d. 1538), martyr, whose real name was Nicholson, was born at Norwich and educated at Cambridge, where in 1521, at the request of Queen Catherine, he was admitted fellow of Queens' College, being then B.A. Bilney and Arthur are said to have converted him soon afterwards to protestantism. He was ordained priest and lived for some time, according to Bale, at Norwich, where he suffered some persecution, probably for reading prohibited books. He found it convenient to take the name of Lambert, and passed over to Antwerp, becoming chaplain to the English factory, and a friend of Tindal and Frith. One John Nicholson was examined on a charge of heresy before convocation 27 March 1531 and following days (Letters and Papers, Henry VIII, v. 928); but it is stated that Sir Thomas More caused Lambert to be brought to London about 1532 to answer an accusation made against him by one Barlow. Lambert seems to have been asked by the king's printer whether he was responsible for the translation of the articles of Geneva; and although he denied the charge was imprisoned in the counter. Thence he was taken to the manor of Ottford and afterwards to Lambeth, where he was examined by Warham on forty-five articles. To each of these he gave a separate answer, showing considerable learning. The articles and the answers are printed by Foxe. He obtained his discharge on the death of the archbishop (25 Aug. 1532), and for some time taught children Latin and Greek near the Stocks Market in London. He resigned his priesthood, contemplated matrimony, and seems to have entered the Grocers' Company, About March 1536, on the accusation of the