nighted in 1839.

WILLIAM of MALMESBURY (_fl._ 12th cent.).--Historian, was an inmate of
the great monastery at Malmesbury. His name is said to have been
Somerset, and he was Norman by one parent and English by the other. The
date of his birth is unknown, that of his death has sometimes been fixed
as 1142 on the ground that his latest work stops abruptly in that year.
His history, written in Latin, falls into two parts, _Gesta Regum
Anglorum_ (Acts of the Kings of the English), in five books, bringing the
narrative down from the arrival of the Saxons to 1120, and _Historia
Novella_ (Modern History), carrying it on to 1142. The work is
characterised by a love of truth, much more critical faculty in sifting
evidence than was then common, and considerable attention to literary
form. It is dedicated to Robert, Earl of Gloucester, the champion of
Queen Matilda. Other works by W. are _De Gestis Pontificum Anglorum_,
Lives of the English Bishops, and a history of the Monastery of
Glastonbury.

WILLIAM of NEWBURGH, or NEWBURY (1136-1198?).--Historian, belonged to the
monastery of Newburgh in Yorkshire. His own name is said to have been
Little. His work, _Historia Rerum Anglicarum_ (History of English
affairs), is written in good Latin, and has some of the same qualities as
that of William of Malmesbury (_q.v._). He rejects the legend of the
Trojan descent of the early Britons, and animadverts severely on what he
calls "the impudent and impertinent lies" of Geoffrey of Monmouth
(_q.v._). His record of contemporary events is careful.

WILLIAMS, SIR CHARLES HANBURY (1708-1759).--Diplomatist and satirist,
_s._ of John Hanbury, a Welsh ironmaster, assumed the name of Williams on
succeeding to an estate, entered Parliament as a supporter of Walpole,
held many diplomatic posts, and was a brilliant wit with a great
contemporary reputation for lively and biting satires and lampoons.

WILLIS, BROWNE (1682-1760).--Antiquary, _ed._ at Westminster and Oxf.,
entered the Inner Temple 1700, sat in the House of Commons 1705-8. He
wrote _History of the Counties, Cities, and Boroughs of England and
Wales_ (1715), _Notitia Parliamentaria_, etc.

WILLIS, NATHANIEL PARKER (1806-1867).--Poet, _b._ at Portland, and _ed._
at Yale, was mainly a journalist, and conducted various magazines,
including the _American Monthly_; but he also wrote short poems, many of
which were popular, of which perhaps the best is "Unseen Spirits,"
stories, and