controversialist, _b._ at
Nottingham, _ed._ at Camb., took orders, but becoming a Unitarian
renounced them and acted as classical tutor in various Unitarian
academies. He was a strong defender of the French Revolution, and was
imprisoned for two years for writing a seditious pamphlet. He _pub._ ed.
of various classical writers, and among his theological writings are
_Early Christian Writers on the Person of Christ_ (1784), _An Examination
of Paine's Age of Reason_ (1794), and _Silva Critica_ (1789-95),
illustrations of the Scriptures.

WALLACE, LEWIS (1827-1905).--Novelist, _b._ at Brookville, Indiana,
served with distinction in the Mexican and Civil Wars, and rose to the
rank of General. He was also a politician of some note, and was Governor
of Utah and Minister to Turkey. His novel, _Ben Hur_ (1880), dealing with
the times of Christ, had great popularity, and was followed by _The Fair
God_, _The Prince of India_, and other novels, and by a work on the
_Boyhood of Christ_.

WALLER, EDMUND (1606-1687).--Poet, _b._ at Coleshill, Herts, and _ed._ at
Eton and Camb., belonged to an old and wealthy family, and in early
childhood inherited the estate of Beaconsfield, Bucks, worth L3500 a
year. He was related to John Hampden, and was distantly connected with
Oliver Cromwell, his own family, however, being staunch Royalists. He
studied law at Lincoln's Inn, and at the age of 16 became a member of
Parliament, in which he sat for various constituencies for the greater
part of his life, and in which his wit and vivacity, as well as his
powers of adapting his principles to the times, enabled him to take a
prominent part. In 1631 he added to his fortune by marrying Anne Banks, a
London heiress, who _d._ in 1634, and he then paid assiduous but
unsuccessful court to Lady Dorothea Sidney, to whom, under the name of
Sacharissa, he addressed much of his best poetry. Though probably really
a Royalist in his sympathies, W. supported the popular cause in
Parliament, and in 1641 conducted the case against Sir Francis Crawley
for his opinion in favour of the legality of ship-money. His speech,
which was printed, had an enormous circulation and brought him great
fame. Two years later, however, he was detected in a plot for seizing
London for the King, was expelled from the House, fined L10,000, and
banished. On this occasion he showed cowardice and treachery, humiliating
himself in the most abject manner, and betraying all his associate