BULL, George (1634-1710), bishop of St David’s, was born at Wells, and educated at Tiverton school, Devonshire. He entered Exeter College, Oxford, but had to leave in consequence of his refusal to take the oath of allegiance to the Commonwealth. He was ordained privately by Bishop Skinner in 1655. The first benefice he enjoyed was that of St George’s near Bristol, from which he rose successively to be rector of Suddington in Gloucestershire, prebendary of Gloucester, archdeacon of Llandaff, and in 1705 bishop of St David’s. He died February 17, 1710. During the time of the Commonwealth he adhered steadily, though with great prudence, to the forms of the Church of England, and in the reign of James II. preached very strenuously against the errors of Romanism. His works are among the most solid contributions made to theological learning by the Church of England. They uniformly display great erudition and powerful thinking. The Harmonia Apostolica, published in 1670, is an attempt to show the fundamental agreement between the doctrines of Paul and James with regard to justification. The Defensio Fidei Nicenoe, his greatest work, published in 1685, tries to show that the doctrine of the Trinity was an article of faith in the Christian church before the Council of Nicaea. It still retains value as a thoroughgoing examination of all the pertinent passages in early church literature. The Judicium Ecclesioe Catholicae obtained for him the thanks of the French clergy. His last treatise, Primitive and Apostolical Tradition, was published shortly before his death. The best edition of his works is that in 7 vols., published at Oxford by the Clarendon Press, under the superintendence of the Rev. E. Burton. This edition contains the Life by Nelson. The Harmonia, Defensio, and Judicium are translated in the Library of Anglo-Catholic Theology.

BULL, John, a distinguished English composer and organist, was born in Somersetshire about 1563. In 1591 he was appointed organist in the Queen’s chapel in succession to Blitheman, from whom he had received his musical education; in 1592 he received his degree of doctor of music at Cambridge University; and in 1596 he was made music professor at Gresham College, London. As he was unable to lecture in Latin according to the foundation-rules of that college, the executors of Sir Thomas Gresham made a dispensation in his favour by permitting him to lecture in English. He gave his first lecture on 6th October 1597. He afterwards visited France and Germany, and was everywhere received with the respect due to his talents. The story told by Anthony Wood of Dr Bull’s feat at St Omer, which consisted in adding, within a few hours, forty parts to a composition already written in forty parts, is simply impossible. Honourable employments were offered to him by various Continental princes; but he declined them, and returned to England, where he was appointed organist to James I. in 1607, and in the same year resigned his Gresham professorship. In 1613 he again went to the Continent on account of his health; and, in the Netherlands, entered into the service of the archduke. In 1617 he was appointed organist to the cathedral of Nôtre Damo at Antwerp, and lie died in that city on the 12th March 1628. The usual statement that he died at an earlier date at Hamburg or Lübeck is incorrect. Little of his music has been published, and the opinions of critics differ much as to its merits. A claim made on his behalf to the composition of the music of the English national anthem has given rise to much discussion, but it seems now generally agreed that the claim is not well founded. Contemporary writers speak in the highest terms of Bulbs skill as a performer on the organ and the virginals.