Stapledon, Walter, an English prelate, was born (according to Prince) at Annery, in the parish of Monk- legh, near Great Torrington, Devonshire. Our knowl- edge of his histf>ry begins with his advancement to the bishopric in 1307, his installation to which was accom- panied by ceremonies of magnificent solemnity. He was chosen one of the privy council to Edward II, ap- pointed lord-treasurer, and employed in embassies and other weighty affairs of State. In 1325 he accompanied the queen to France, in order to negotiate a peace , but her intention to depose her husband did not meet his approval, and he fell an early sacrifice to popular fury. He was appointed, in 1326, guardian of the city of Lon- don during the king's absence in the West; and while he was taking measures to preserve the loyalty of the metropolis the populace attacked him, Oct. 15, and be- headed him, together with his brother Sir Richard Sta- pledon, near the north door of St. Paul's. By the order of the (juccn the body was afterwards removed, and in- terred in Exeter Cathedral. Exeter House was founded by him as a town residence for the bishops of the dio- cese. He also founded, in 1315, Exeter College, which was called by his name until 1404, when it was called Exeter Hall. See Chalmers, Biog. Diet. s. v.
Staples, Allen, a Methodist Ejiiscopal minister, was born at Cheshire, Mass., July 15, 1810. He was Ii-
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cen9<?d to exhort in 1835. admitted on trial in the Mich- ifjan (.'onfcreiiee in IMtj. and was appointed to the Sa- line Ciriuit ; l*i37, Bean Creek mission ; 1838, Marshall Circuit; 1839, onlained deacon and ajipointed to (Jrand Kapids mission; 184<>. Lyons mission; 1841, superannu- ated; 184J, Albion Cirruit ; 1843, superaiuiuated ; 1844, ordained elder and appointed to Plymouth Circuit; 1845, Farmington Circuit ; 184G, superannuated. He died Oct. ".'l, 1847. He was modest and un.xssumins^; as a Christian, eminent ; in his piety, more than in any- tliiny else, lay the secret of his usefulness. His zeal for the salvation of men was proverbial. See Miiiules of Aimudl CotiJ'trenccs, iv, 279.
Staples, John, a Congregational minister, was born at T.iunton, ^lass., in 1743. He t;raduatcd at the College of Xew Jersey in 17G5, was ordained over the church in Westminster. Conn., in 1772, and continued pastor until his death, .if putrid fever, Feb. 10, 1804. He was of moderate Calvinistic views, although disliking the views of Hopkins. See Coiif/. Quurterli/, 1860, p. 2G.
Stapleton, Thomas, a Koman Catholic clergyman, was burn at Hentield, Sussex, England, in 1535. He was educated at Canterbury and Winchester, and then re- moved to New College, Oxford, where he obtained a perpetual fellowship in 1554. In the same reign, that of Mary, he was made prebendary of Chichester; but, on the accession of Elizabeth, left the kingdom, and settled at Louvain, where he distinguished himself by his controversial writings against Jewel, Home, Whit- aker, and other eminent divines of the English Church. He also visited Faris and Kome ; but returned to Lou- vain, where he translated Uede's Church IJistory into English. He was made regius professor of divinity at Douay, and canon in the Church of St. Amoure. He became a Jesuit, but relinquished the order ; and was appointed regius professor of divinity at Louvain, canon of St. Peter's, and dean of Hillerbeck. He died in 1598. His chief works are, Ti-es Thomce.: seu Res Gesfw S. TkoiiKF. Aposl., S. T/ionxe A rchiep. Citnt.,et Thnmce Mori: — Oraliones Funebres (Antwerp, 1577): — Orationes Cate- cheticfp (ibid. 1598): — Orationes A cademicfe M iscellane(B (ibid. 1002). His works were puhlished collectively at Paris in 1020 (4 vols, fol.), to which is prefixed his life by HoUendum. See Chalmers, Biog. Diet. s. v.
Star {'ZZ''3,ktikah; a(TTi)p or urrrpov; but "seven stars" in Amos v, 8 is IT^S, kimah, the "Pleiades," as rendered in Job ix, 9 ; xxxviii, 31 ; and " day-star" in 2 Pet. i, 19 is (pwfftpi'ipots, I'eniis in the morning). The ancient Israelites knew verj' little of the starry heavens, if we may judge from the imlications of the Bible, which contains no trace of .scientilic astronomy. We lind there only the ordinary observations of landsmen (Amos v. 8), especially sheplierds (Psa. viii,3), for instance, such as nomads would observe on open ])lains (see Von Ham- mer ill the /■'iiwlf/ruljen, i, 1 sq. ; ii, 235 sq.). The patri- archs obs<rved the stars ((ien.xxxvii, 9); and metaphors drawn from the stellar world, either with reference to the countless number of the stars (xxii, 17; ICxod. xxxii. 13; Nah. iii, 10, etc.), or to their brightness (Numb, xxiv, 17 ; Isa. xiv, 12; Rev. xxii, 16), were ear- ly in fre(pient use (see Lengerke, iMiuid, p. 377 .sq.). The sun and moon, of course, were readily distinguished from the other celestial hmiinaries ((ien. i, 16; Psa. cxxxvi. 7; Jer. xxxi, 35) on account of their superior size and brilliancy ; and from the name as well as pe- riod of the latter (n";!^) tlic earliest form of monthly designation of time was taken. See Month. The PhuMiieians, Haltylonians (Chaldirans), and Egyptians, whose level coiniiry as well as agricidlural or naval in- terests, ami especially the intense brilliancy of their sky by night (lla.kcii, ///»w. <>f Script, p. 30), inclined them to an obwrvation of the heavens, far surpassed the Hebrews in astronomical knowledge (see I)io<l. Sic. i, 50, 09, 81 ; ii, 31 ; Strabo, xvii, 8, 16; Macrob. 8ut. i,