Robert Alfred Vaughan

[1] Having finished his course in Manchester, and become engaged to be married, Vaughan spent a session (1846–7) at the University of Halle, coming under the influence of Julius Müller and August Tholuck.

At this time he thought his main object should be a series of ecclesiastical dramas to illustrate church history: Tholuck suggested the study of philosophy.

He expected to be ordained as colleague and successor to Jay, and resigned when difficulties were made about this; his engagement ended on 24 March 1850.

He was learning Spanish and Dutch (to add to French, German, and Italian) to gain access to writings of mystics, and was contributing constantly to the British Quarterly.

In the autumn of 1854 he visited Glasgow but declined a call to succeed Ralph Wardlaw, returned home ill, and was laid up for two months with pleurisy.

[1] While at Bath Vaughan wrote articles for the British Quarterly on Schleiermacher and Savonarola, and planned from 1849 his work on the mystics.