Palmer, William, an English theologian of our times, was educated at Oxford University, and became fellow of Worcester College, Oxford. After taking holy orders, he was made prebendary of Sarum, then rural dean, and finally vicar of Whitchurch, at Dorset. He is especially noted as a student of liturgy (q. v.). His masterly work on this branch of ecclesiastical research is entitled Origines Liturgicce, or Antiquities of the Eng- lish Ritual, and a Dissertation on Primitive Liturgies (3d ed. Oxf. 1839, 2 vols. 8s'o). A fourth edition (1845) contains a notice of those rites of the English Church which are not comprised in the Book of Common Prayer, also of the origin and history of the canonical hours of prayer. The additions were published separately. Pal- mer also ]3ublished, The Apostolical Jurisdiction and Succession of the Episcopacy in the British Churches Vindicated against the Objections of Dr. Wiseman in the Dublin Revieiu (Lond. 1840) : — A Treatise on the Church of Christ ; designed chiefly for the Use of Students in Theology (3d ed. rev. and enl. ibid. 1842, 8vo) : — A Com- pendious Ecclesiastical History from the Earliest Period to the Present Time (new ed. enl. ibid. 1841, sm. 8vo) :— I^etters to N. Wiseman, D.D., on the Errors of Roman- ism, in respect to the Worship of Saints, Satisfactions, Purgatory, Indulgences, and the Worship of Images and Relics; to which is added an Examination of Mr. Sib- thorp's Reasons for his Secession from the Church (Oxf. 1842; 3d ed. Lond. 1851, 8vo. In this edition "some discussions of minor importance have been omitted," and an introductory letter has been added on the titular hierarchy): — A Nai-rative of Events connected with the Publication of the Tracts of the Times, with Reflections on existing Teiulencies to Romanism, and on the Present Duties and Prospects of Members of the Church (2d ed. Oxf. 1843) (comp. a review [Recent Developments ofPu- seyism, by H. Kogers] in Edinb. Rev. Ixxx, 309) -.—The Doctrine of Development and Conscience considered in Relation to the Evidences of Christianity and of the Cath- olic System (Lond. 184G, 8vo) (see review [On the Study of the Christian Evidences] in Edinb. Rer. Ixxxvi, 397) : — Sermon on 1 John v, 4, The Victonj of Eaith [Church Societies]; with an Appendix (ibid. 1850, 8vo) : — .4 Statement of Circumstances connected with the Proposal of Resolutions at Special General Meeting of the Bristol Church Union, Oct. 1, 1850 (ibid. 1850). See Darling, Cyclop. Bibliog. vol. ii, s. v. ; Allibono, Diet, of Brit, and Amer. Authors, vol. ii, s. v. (.1. 11. W.)
Palmer, William H., a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Churcli, was born Aug. 1(>, I.S21,in Wisconsin. In early life he devoted himself to legal studies, and practiced several years at the bar. In 1858 he was
converted, and in less than one year from that time joined the West Wisconsin Conference. His first ap- pointment was Point Bluff, and he was next stationed at Lancaster. The outbreak of the war, however, broke up his pastorate, for he felt it his duty to serve his country. On leaving the army he was readmitted to conference, and stationed at Dodgeville. Here he re- mained two years, at Darlington two, IMonroe two. Providence two, and Platteville two, where, like the faithful soldier, he fell at his post. For months his health had been gradually failing, but he was ever cheerful, happy, and hopeful. At his last quarter!}- conference he was granted leave of absence, in the hope that rest would recruit his health, but he gradually grew worse, and died Sept. 23, 1874. He led a pure and holy life, and his memory is dearly cherished by those who knew him. See Minutes of Conferences, 1875, p, 149.
Palmers, Sec Palmer.
Palmer-'Worm (CTJ, gazdm ; Sept. (ca^uTr?; ; Vulg. eruca) occurs Joel i, 4 : ii, 25 ; Amos iv, 9. Bochart {Ilieroz. iii, 253) has endeavored to show that gazdm denotes some species of locust ; but the ten Hebrew names to which Bochart assigns the meaning of differ- ent kinds of locusts can hardly apply to so many, as not more than two or three destructive species of locust are known in Bible lands. The derivation of the He- brew word from a root which means " to cut off," is as applicable to several kinds of insects, whether in their perfect or larva condition, as it is to a locust, the action of the jaws being nearly the same in both cases. Both insects, when in numbers, shear away the leaves, slice after slice, and leaf after leaf, until the plant is com- pletely shorn of its verdure, when it either dies, or be- comes at least incapable of bearing fruit for that season. Hence most interpreters prefer to follow the Sept. and Vulg., which are consistent with each other in the ren- dering of the Hebrew word in the three passages where it is found. The Kap-Kij of Aristotle {Hist. Anim. ii, 17, 4, 5, G) evidently denotes a caterpillar, so called from its " bending itself" up ((cajusroi) to move, as the cat- erpillars called geometric, or else from the habit some caterpillars have of "coiling" themselves up when handled. The enica of the Vulg. is the Kcijnn} of the Greeks, as is evident from the express assertion of Col- umella (De Re Rust, xi, 3, 63, ed. Schneider). The Chaldee and Syriac understand some locust larva by the Hebrew werd. Oedmann (^Verm. Samml. fasc. ii, c. vi, p. IIG) is of the same opinion. Tj'chsen (Comment, de locusfis, etc., p. 88) identifies the gazdm with the Gryllus cristalus, Lin., a South African species. Michae- lis {Su]}p. p. 220) follows the Sept. and Vulg. See Cat- erpillar.