Middletou, Erasmus, a noted English divine, was born about 17!(». He received his education at St, Edmund's Hall, Oxford, but was expelled from that uni- versity, together with live other youths, on account of his sympathy with the Mi tlmdi^ts. This circumstance gave rise to Mac(iii\\.ni> >.iiir.- <>( The Share}-. INIiddle- ton then entered Kinu> ( olK ^^c, Cainbridge, and, after his graduation. l)('(aiiH' [lasior of an Episcopal congrega- tion at Dalkeith. Scotland, and curate successively to Eomaine and ('adogan,and at St, Margaret's, Westmin- ster. He was presented to the rectory of Turvey, Bed- fordshire, in 17(54, and was thus a predecessor of Leigh Richmond (q. v.). He died April 25, 1805. Dr. Mid- j dleton was a man of warm piet\', and of a Catholic spir- it. He is the well-known author of Biographia Evan- gelica, or an hisfoiical Account of the Lives and Deaths of the most eminent evangelical Authors or Preachers, both British and Foreign, in the several Denominations of Protestants (1779, 4 vols. 8vo). This great biographical work is a collection of invaluable materials, and must immortalize his memory, while doing immense good. Of his other works we mention : A rchbishop Leighton's wholeWo7-ks,with Life (1805,4 vols.) : — Versions and Im- itations of the Psedi'ns of David (\SOG) -.—Luthers Com- meiitary on the Epistle to the Galatiaiis, with his Life (1807). See Allibone, Diet, of Brit, and A mer. A uthors, ii, 1275; Cooper, Biog. Diet, of Eminent Peisons, p. 8G5.
Middleton, Thomas Fanshawe, D.D., the
first English l)ishop of Calcnila, largely idenlilied with the Anglican Ciuirch missionary work in India, m\\y sou of the Kev.T. Middleton, rector of Kedieston, Derbyshire, was born at that village Jan. 2G, 17G9. His early train- ing he received imder his father. In 1779 he was ad- mitted into Christ's Hospital, London, and thence pro- ceeded to Pembroke Hall, Candjridge, where he took his degree of B,.\,, with honors, in Jamiary, 1792. Shortly after he received ordination, and entered upon the curacy of (Jainsborough. in Lincolnshire. Here he edited a jieriodical work entille<l the Country Spectator, which continued to ai)pear for about seven months, ^Middleton sustaining the paper mainly by his own com- ' positions. This connection brought him to the notice i of Dr. .lohn Pretyman. archdeacon of Lincoln, who in I 1794 appointed him tutor to his two sons. Middleton in conse«iucnce removeil first to Lincoln, and afterwards to Norwich, where he became curate of !^t. Peter's j\Ian- I croft in 1799, having previously (in 179.5) been presented by Dr. Pretyman to the rectory of Tansor, in Northamp- tonshire, In 1802 he was presented with the rectory I of Bvtham, in Lincolnshire. About this time he wrote
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his chief work, The Docti-im of the Greek Article ap- plied to the Criticism and Illustration of the Xew Testa- ment, which he published in 1808, with a dedication to Dr. Pretyman. The object of this work is, first, to es- tablish the rules which govern the use of the article, and then to apply these rules to the interpretation of various passages in the New Testament, many of which are of such a nature that they furnish arguments for or against the divinity of Christ, according to the different views which are taken of the force of the article. Ow- ing to this circumstance, the doctrine of the Greek arti- cle has become the subject of warm discussion among theologians ; and some Unitarian divines have strongly opposed the views of Middleton. His chief rules have, however, been received as sound by the great majority of Biblical critics. (A second and improved edition was published by Prof. Scholefield in 18-28 ; and a third by the Eev. Hugh James Kose in 1833. An abstract of the work is prefixed to Valpy's edition of the Greek Testament.) In the same year in which he published this work he took his degree of D.D. at Cambridge, and removed to his living at Tansor, where he discharged his duties in such a manner as to gain the affection and esteem of his people. In 1809 he was appointeil by bishop Pretyman to a stall in the cathedral of Lincoln, and in 1812 to the archdeaconry of Huntingdon. In 1811 he resigned his two livings for the vicarage of St. Pancras, INIiddlesex, and the rectory of Rottenham, in Hertfordshire. He fixed his residence at St. Pancras, and made the acquaintance of several dignitaries of the Church and other distinguished individuals. He was in sj'mpathy with the object of the Society for Promot- ing Christian Knowledge, and was earnest and untiring in advancing its interests, as well as those of other soci- eties in connection witla the Church. The knowledge thus acquired of their plans, resources, and activities greatly aided him in his subsequent career in India, and the discernment and good judgment which he brouglit to their meetings contributed materially to their efficiency. About this time the Anglican Church established a bishopric in India, constituting Calcutta as the episcopal residence. For this distinguished posi- tion Dr. Middleton was selected; and he was accordingly consecrated the first colonial bishop ever set apart by the Anglican Church by the archbishop of Canterbury, May 8, 1814. A short time prior to his departure for Calcutta, bishop Middleton was made a fellow of the Eoyal Society. He arrived in Calcutta Nov. 28, 1814 — a little more than a year from the time of the death of Henry Martyn, that valued worker in this field. Dur- ing the voyage Middleton had diligently employed himself in increasing his qualifications for his office, es- pecially by the study of Hebrew and Persian. As bishop of Calcutta he made every effort to promote the interests of Christianity, and to aid the cause of education. He made three visitations of his immense diocese, in two of which he directed his particular attention to the state of the Syrian Christians in the neighborhood of Cochin, on the coast of IMalabar. By his efforts the Bishop's College at Calcutta was established for the education of clergymen and missionaries for the British possessions in Asia ; and he laid the first stone of its buildings Dec. 15, 1820. He instituted a consistory court at Calcutta, and would have done the same at Jladras but for the opinion of the advocate-general of jNIadras that he re- garded such a measure as illegal. These extended la- bors and extraordinary exertions, embarrassed by daily annoyances from the civil authorities in their application of regiUations applicable only to the home clergy, could not result otherwise than in depressing him and dimin- ishing his vigor, especially in India's unhealthy climate, and greatly hastened the end of his days. He died July 8, 1822, absolutely worn out by toil and fatigue. His successor in the work was the sainted Reginald Heber (q. v.). Bishop Middleton was large and dignified in form, animated in manner, and generous and kind in disposition. As a preacher he was very impressive, his