Dom. Interreg. Council Books, I. 70, p. 80; Hist. MSS. Comm. 8th Rep. i. 386b; see also Middlesex County Records, iii. 97). His works show a remarkable freedom and boldness of thought.
He wrote:
- ‘Newes from Heaven of a Treaty of Peace, or a Cordiall for a Fainting Heart,’ 1643, 16mo.
- ‘The Life of Faith, in Justification, in Glorification, in Sanctification, in Infirmities, in Times Past, in all Ordinances,’ &c., 1643, 16mo.
- ‘Some brief Considerations on Dr. Featley his Book, intituled “The Dipper Dipt,”’ &c., London, February 1645–6.
- ‘Fifty Questions propounded to the Assembly, to answer by the Scriptures whether Corporal Punishment may be inflicted upon such as hold different Opinions on Religion,’ London, May 1647.
- ‘Justification by Christ alone a Fountaine of Life and Comfort,’ London, June 1647; reprinted in W. Cudworth's ‘Christ alone exalted,’ London, 1745, 12mo; in this work Richardson refers to an earlier publication by him entitled ‘The Saint's Desire,’ and concluded with separate answers to objections of Huet and Dr. Homes to that work; Richardson's tone is strongly Arminian, and contradicts the opinion that Richardson was a Calvinist (Tracts on Liberty of Conscience, p. 238, Hanserd Knollys Soc.).
- ‘The Necessity of Toleration in Matters of Religion,’ London, September 1647; reprinted by the Hanserd Knollys Society in 1846.
- ‘An Answer to the London Ministers' Letter from them to His Excellency and his Counsell of War; as also an Answer to John Geree's Book, intituled “Might overcoming Right,” with an Answer to the Book intituled “The Armies' Remembrancer” … also a Discovery of that Learning and Ordination these Ministers have, and the Vanity and Insufficiency thereof …,’ London, January 1649.
- ‘The Cause of the Poor pleaded,’ London, 1653; a plea for providing the poor with work.
- ‘An Apology for the present Government and Governour, with an Answer to severall Objections against them, and 20 Queries propounded for those who are unsatisfied to consider. …,’ London, September, 1654.
- ‘Plain Dealing, or the unvailing of the Opposers of the Present Government and Governors, in answer of several Things affirmed by Mr. Vavasor Powell, &c. …,’ London, 1656.
- ‘A Discourse of the Torments of Hell … with many infallible Proofs that there is not to be a Punishment after this Life for any to endure that shall not end,’ 1658 and 1660, 12mo; reprinted in ‘The Phœnix,’ ii. 427; 4th edit. London, 1754. To this last two answers appeared respectively by John Brandon [q. v.] in Tὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον, London, 1678, and by Thomas Lewis [q. v.], in ‘The Nature of Hell,’ London, 1720. To Richardson are also conjecturally ascribed ‘An exact and full Relation of all the Proceedings between the Cavaliers and the Northamptonshire Forces at Banbury,’ January 1643–4, signed ‘R. S.;’ ‘The King's March with the Scots, and a List of the 3 Lords, &c. … that submit to the Parliament upon the surrender of Newark,’ London, May 1646; and ‘Oxford agreed to be surrendered to Sir Thomas Fairfax,’ London, June 1646.
[Tracts on Liberty of Conscience (Hanserd Knollys Soc.); Wilson's Dissenting Churches in London, i. 410; Barclay's Inner Life of the Religious Societies of the Commonwealth, p. 148; Dexter's Congregationalism, p. 103; Vinton's Richardson Memorial; Featley's Dipper Dipt, p. 4.]
RICHARDSON, SAMUEL (1689–1761), novelist, was born in 1689 at some place in Derbyshire never identified. His father was the descendant of a family ‘of middling note’ in Surrey, which had so multiplied that his share in the inheritance was small. He became a joiner and carpenter. He had also some knowledge of architecture, and was employed by the Duke of Monmouth and the first Earl of Shaftesbury. Their favour led to suspicions of his loyalty, and upon the failure of Monmouth's rebellion he gave up business in London and retired to the country. His wife was of a family ‘not ungenteel,’ and it would appear that in some way she was connected with persons able to be of use to her family.
Samuel, one of nine children, was intended for the church, but losses of money compelled his father to put him to trade instead of sending him to the university. He is said to have been for a time at Christ's Hospital (Nichols, Lit. Anecd. iv. 578). His name, however, does not appear in the school registers (information from Mr. Lempriere of Christ's Hospital), and, in any case, he never acquired more than a smattering of learned languages. His early recollections imply that he lived till the age of thirteen in the country. He says that he was ‘bashful and not forward,’ but he gave early proofs of his peculiar talent. He cared little for boyish games, but used to tell stories to amuse his playfellows, one of which was a history of a ‘fine young lady’ who preferred a virtuous ‘servant man’ to a ‘libertine lord.’ Before he was eleven he also wrote an admonitory letter to a sanctimonious widow of near fifty, proving by a collection of texts the wickedness of scandal. He became a favourite with young women, read to them while they were sewing, and
