William Dobson

William Dobson, an English painter, born in London in 1610, died in 1646. He served an apprenticeship with a portrait painter and picture dealer, and availed himself of the opportunity thus offered him to copy some of the works of Titian and Vandyke. One of his pictures fell by chance under the eye of Vandyke, who was so much struck by its merit that he presented the painter to Charles I., who sat to Dobson for his picture, and upon the death of Vandyke conferred upon him the title of his chief painter. Several of his portraits are in the cabinet of the duke of Northumberland. One of his best historical pictures is the "Decollation of St. John," at Milton.

William Douglas Oconnor

William Douglas O'Connor, an American author, born in Boston, Mass., in 1833. He studied art for several years in Boston, but in 1853 became associate editor of the "Commonwealth " newspaper in that city. From 1854 to 1800 he was connected editorially with the "Saturday Evening Post" in Philadelphia. In 1861 he became corresponding clerk of the lighthouse board at Washington, and in 1873 was appointed chief clerk. He resigned this post in 1874, and became librarian of the treasury department. He has published " Harrington," a romance (Boston, 18G0); " The Good Gray Poet," a pamphlet in vindication of Walt Whitman (New York, 1860); and "The Ghost" (New York, 1807); besides numerous poems and stories contributed to magazines, the most noted of the latter being " The Carpenter " and " What Cheer? "

William Drummond

William Drummond, a Scottish poet, born at Hawthornden, Edinburghshire, Dec. 13, 1585, died Dec. 4, 1649. He spent about eight years on the continent of Europe engaged in study, travel, and the collection of books; but passed most of the remainder of his life on his estate at Hawthornden, devoting himself to literature. He wrote a history of Scotland from 1423 to 1542; but the work is of little value, and he is chiefly remembered for his poetry and for his " Notes of Ben. Jonson's Conversations with William Drummond of Hawthornden, January, 1619." His versification sometimes bears a striking resemblance to that of some of Milton's poems. His sonnets, which form a considerable part of his works, are especially elegant. An edition of his poems, with a life by Peter Cunningham, was published at Edinburgh in 1852.

William Edward Hartpole Lecky

William Edward Hartpole Lecky, a British author, born near Dublin, March 26, 1838. He graduated at Trinity college in that city in 1859, taking the degree of M. A. four years later, and from this time devoted himself to political and philosophical literature. His first important work, " The Leaders of Public Opinion in Ireland," was published anonymously in 1861, and attracted immediate attention. It was republished under his own name in 1871-'2. In 1865 he published the earlier of the two works which have chiefly contributed to his reputation, "History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe" (2 vols., London; 4th ed., 1870). This was followed by his " History of European Morals from Augustus to Charlemagne " (2 vols., London, 1869). The last named work especially has been widely read, and a German translation of it appeared in 1871.