ERCILDOUN, THOMAS of, or "THOMAS THE RHYMER" (_fl._ 1220-1297).--A minstrel to whom is ascribed _Sir Tristrem_, a rhyme or story for recitation. He had a reputation for prophecy, and is reported to have foretold the death of Alexander III., and various other events. ERIGENA, or SCOTUS, JOHN (_fl._ 850).--Philosopher, _b._ in Scotland or Ireland, was employed at the Court of Charles the Bald, King of France. He was a pantheistic mystic, and made translations from the Alexandrian philosophers. He was bold in the exposition of his principles, and had both strength and subtlety of intellect. His chief work is _De Divisione Naturæ_, a dialogue in which he places reason above authority. ERSKINE, RALPH (1685-1752).--Scottish Divine and poet, was _b._ near Cornhill, Northumberland, where his _f._, a man of ancient Scottish family, was, for the time, a nonconforming minister. He became minister of Dunfermline, and, with his brother Ebenezer, was involved in the controversies in the Church of Scotland, which led to the founding of the Secession Church in 1736. He has a place in literature as the writer of devotional works, especially for his _Gospel Sonnets_ (of which 25 ed. had appeared by 1797), and _Scripture Songs_ (1754). ERSKINE, THOMAS (1788-1870).--Theologian, _s._ of David E., of Linlathen, to which property he succeeded, his elder brother having _d._ He was called to the Bar in 1810, but never practised. Having come under unusually deep religious impressions he devoted himself largely to the study of theology, and _pub._ various works, including _The Internal Evidence for the Truth of Revealed Religion_ (1820), _Unconditional Freeness of the Gospel_, and _The Spiritual Order_. He was a man of singular charm of character, and wielded a great influence on the religious thought of his day. He enjoyed the friendship of men of such different types as Carlyle, Chalmers, Dean Stanley, and Prévost Paradol. His _Letters_ were ed. by Dr. W. Hanna (1877-78). ETHEREGE, SIR GEORGE (1635?-1691).--Dramatist, was at Camb., travelled, read a little law, became a man-about-town, the companion of Sedley, Rochester, and their set. He achieved some note as the writer of three lively comedies, _Love in a Tub_ (1664), _She would if she Could_ (1668), and _The Man of Mode_ (1676), all characterised by the grossness of the period. He was sent on a mission to Ratisbon, where he broke his neck when lighting his guests downstairs after a drinking bout.