Chapter Hanna to Harrington of H by Biographical Dictionary of English Literature

Hanna to Harrington

Hanna, William (1808-1882).—Divine and biographer, son of Samuel Hanna, Professor of Divinity in the Presbyterian Coll., Belfast, was born there, became a distinguished minister of the Free Church of Scotland, and colleague of Dr. T. Guthrie (q.v.). He wrote an admirable Life of Dr. Chalmers, whose son-in-law he was, and edited his works. He also edited the Letters of Thomas Erskine of Linlathen (q.v.), and wrote various theological works.

Hannay, James (1827-1873).—Novelist and journalist, was born at Dumfries, and after serving for some years in the navy took to literature, and became editor of the Edinburgh Courant. He wrote two novels, Singleton Fontenoy (1850), and Eustace Conyers (1855); also Lecture on Satire and Satirists, and Studies on Thackeray. For the last five years of his life he was British Consul at Barcelona.

Hare, Augustus John Cuthbert (1834-1903).—Youngest son of Francis Hare, and nephew of Aug. and Julius Hare (q.v.), born at Rome, practically adopted by his aunt, the widow of Aug. Hare, and educated at Harrow. He was the author of a large number of books, which fall into two classes: biographies of members and connections of his family, and descriptive and historical accounts of various countries and cities. To the first belong Memorials of a Quiet Life (his adoptive mother’s), Story of Two Noble Lives (Lady Canning and Lady Waterford), The Gurneys of Earlham, and an inordinately extended autobiography; to the second, Walks in Rome, Walks in London, Wanderings in Spain, Cities of Northern, Southern, and Central Italy (separate works), and many others. His writings are all interesting and informing, but in general suffer from his tendency to diffuseness.

Hare, Augustus William (1792-1834).—w as the son of Francis Hare-Naylor, who married a cousin of the famous Duchess of Devonshire, and was the author of a history of Germany. He was sent by the widow of Sir W. Jones, whose godson he was, to Winchester, and New Coll., Oxford, in the latter of which he was for some time a tutor. Entering the Church he became incumbent of the rural parish of Alton Barnes where, leading an absolutely unselfish life, he was the father and friend of his parishioners. In addition to writing in conjunction with his brother Julius (q.v. Guesses at Truth, a work containing short essays on multifarious subjects, which attracted much attention, he left two vols. of sermons.

Hare, Julius Charles (1795-1855).—Essayist, etc., younger brother of the above, was born at Vicenza. When two years old his parents left him to the care of Clotilda Tambroni, female Professor of Greek at Bologna. educated at Charterhouse and Cambridge, he took orders and, in 1832, was appointed to the rich family living of Hurstmonceau, which Augustus had refused. Here he had John Sterling (q.v.) for curate, and Bunsen for a neighbour. He was also Archdeacon of Lewes and a Chaplain to the Queen. His first work was Guesses at Truth (1827), jointly with his brother, and he also published , jointly with Thirlwall (q.v.), a translation of Niebuhr’s History of Rome, wrote The Victory of Faith and other theological books and pamphlets on Church and other questions, A Life of Sterling, and a Vindication of Luther. Hare, though a lovable, was an eccentric, man of strong antipathies, unmethodical, and unpunctual.

Harington, Sir John (1561-1612).—Miscellaneous writer, and translator, born at Kelston Park near Bath, and educated at Eton and Cambridge, became a courtier of Queen Elizabeth, whose godson he was. In 1599 he served in Ireland under Essex, by whom he was knighted on the field, a stretch of authority which was much resented by the Queen. While there he wrote A Short View of the State of Ireland, first published 1880. He was in repute for his epigrams, of which some have wit, but others are only indelicate. His translation of the Orlando Furioso of Ariosto, in the metre of the original, is a somewhat free paraphrase, and is now superseded. It first appeared in the form of extracts, which were handed in MS. about the Court until they reached the Queen, who reprimanded the translator for corrupting the morals of her ladies by translating the most unedifying passages, and banished him to his country seat until he should have translated the whole poem. His most valuable work is one which was published in 1769 by a descendant, under the title of Nugæ Antiquæ (Old-time Trifles), a miscellaneous collection from his writings and papers, containing many things of interest, e.g., a minute account of the Queen’s last illness, and letters and verses by her and other eminent persons.