Nathaniel Wanley (1634 – 1680) was an English clergyman and writer, known for ''The Wonders of the Little World''.

Life

He was born at

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

in 1634, and baptised on 27 March. His father was a mercer. He was educated at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

, and graduated B.A. in 1653, M.A. in 1657. His first preferment was as rector of

Beeby Beeby is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England, with a population of 115 according to the 2011 census. It is situated north-east of Leicester, nearer to the villages of Keyham and Hungarton in the ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire ...

. On the resignation of John Bryan, the nonconformist vicar of Trinity Church, Coventry, Wanley was instituted his successor on 28 October 1662. Wanley kept in touch with the prevailing Puritanism of

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

. With Bryan, who attended his services though ministering also to a nonconformist congregation, he was intimate, and on Bryan's death in 1676 he preached his funeral sermon of warm appreciation. It was published posthumously, with the title ‘Peace and Rest for the Upright,’ 1681. Wanley died in 1680; he was succeeded by Samuel Barton on 22 December. Wanley gave or bequeathed to the

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

library at Coventry a copy of the '' Imitatio Christi'', described as ‘Ecclesiastical Music, written on Parchment, about the time of King

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in Englan ...

.’

Works

His first publication, ‘Vox Dei, or the Great Duty of Self-reflection upon a Man's own Wayes,’ 1658, was dedicated to Dorothy Spencer, Countess of Sunderland. He published ‘War and Peace Reconciled … two books,’ 1670 and 1672, a translation from the Latin of

Justus Lipsius Justus Lipsius (Joest Lips or Joost Lips; 18 October 1547 – 23 March 1606) was a Flemish Catholic philologist, philosopher, and humanist. Lipsius wrote a series of works designed to revive ancient Stoicism in a form that would be compatible w ...

. Wanley's major work is ‘The Wonders of the Little World; or a General History of Man. In Six Books,’ 1678, dedicated (17 June 1677) to

Sir Harbottle Grimston, 2nd Baronet Sir Harbottle Grimston, 2nd Baronet (27 January 1603 – 2 January 1685) was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1685 and was Speaker in 1660. During the English Civil War he remain ...

. The work, which is meant to illustrate anecdotically the prodigies of human nature, shows wide reading but is credulous; authorities are fully given and referenced. Later editions include that of 1774, with revision, and index; and 1806–7, 2 vols., with additions by William Johnston who worked with

John Aikin John Aikin (15 January 1747 – 7 December 1822) was an English medical doctor and surgeon. Later in life he devoted himself wholly to biography and writing in periodicals. Life He was born at Kibworth Harcourt, Leicestershire, England, son of ...

on the ''General Biography''. Wanley also compiled a history of the Fielding family, which is printed in John Nichols's ''Leicestershire''.

Family

He was married on 24 July 1655; by his wife Ellen (b. 30 April 1633, d. 28 June 1719), daughter of Humphrey Burton, coroner and town clerk of Coventry, he had five children, among them

Humfrey Wanley Humfrey Wanley (21 March 1672 – 6 July 1726) was an English librarian, palaeographer and scholar of Old English, employed by manuscript collectors such as Robert and Edward Harley. He was the first keeper of the Harleian Library, now the Har ...

Life

Works

Family

References

Notes

Further reading