bishop of York, a man of very extraordinary talents for bu siness of all sorts: and I am persuaded that we shall reap great advantages from what will be done.

I pray God to bless you, good Dr. JOHNSON; and I beg you to pray for your loving brother,

THO. CANT.

GOOD DR. JOHNSON,

Lambeth, August 18, 1762.

The bearer is Mr. COOPER. God

grant he may prove a proper man, and useful amongst you. I am not able at present to enlarge: for I have had the gout near three months in my right hand, which is still very weak and stiff; and it hath now seized my left, and I write in great pain. Otherwise, through the divine mercy, I am: well; and I hope to send you a long letter soon. Dr. JAY will tell you, so far as he knows, for he doth not know the whole, what difficulties there have been about the collection for your college. I think the agreement between him and Dr. SMITH a very right one, and beneficial to both colleges. Favour Mr. COOPER with your advice about every thing; and if you think he is going wrong in any respect, either in his method of instruction or his conduct, tell him your thoughts in a friendly and frank manner, supporting him amongst others at the same time. I really think he will take it well. God bless you and your society in every thing. I am your loving brother,

THO. CANT.

Lambeth, October 6, 1762:

GOOD Dr. JOHNSON,

I am fallen again into my own, fault of not answering your letters regularly. But indeed I have more business here than my declining health will permit me to go through as I ought. On the first of June the gout seized my right hand, and disabled me, I think, for more than two months, from subscribing my name with it: nor is it well yet. When it grew better, my left hand was attacked; and as that mended, the same distemper laid hold on one foot and knee, of which it is now in possession, not without threatening the other. But God's will be done. I hope Mr. COOPER is or soon will be with you, and will answer expectation. I gave him such advice as I could: the best part of it was, that he should consult you, and follow your direction in every thing. I promised him to send some books after him; and they were carried for that purpose three days ago to Dr. JAY's lodgings. You will be pleased to tell him this, and to add, that they are only what I told him they would be, such duplicates from among my books, good or bad, as I could spare; for I have lent the rest of my duplicates to my Chaplains. Dr. JAY hath undoubtedly acquainted you with what hath been done for the two colleges. I approved the proposal of a joint collection, as the best way for both. Lord President (Earl of Granville) opposed your college very strongly, and engaged Lord Egremont, Secretary of State, to take the same side; but at last we got the better. Dr. SMITH hath acted very honourably and disinterestedly in this whole affair; and was well contented with my procuring twice as much from the King for New-York college as for Philadelphia, because the

former is a royal foundation, and hath no other patron. A pamphlet hath been sent me from America, entitled, "The real Advantages which Ministers and People may enjoy by conforming to the Church of England, faithfully considered and impartially represented." It is written in a ludicrous man ner, yet with strong virulence, and seems likely enough to do great mischief. Yet surely the dissenters who have any seriousness cannot approve such a method of writing against us; at least they might be brought to disapprove it by the prudent use of very mild and friendly remonstrances, setting forth the uncharitableness of such treatment, and the injustice of such representations. With the author himself stronger expostulations, yet grave and gentle ones, might be used; begging him, with fit expressions of concern for him on some of the more flagrant enormities of his pen, to consider what spirit he is of. Some good persons, whos are not of our Church, one should hope, might thus be brought over to take part with us. And other ways of an swering, I apprehend, would do us little good, but perhaps much harm. The American facts alleged or alluded to are so many, that no one who hath not been a good while in our colonies can make a full answer, unless more than ordinary pains were taken to furnish him with materials. And an intemperate answer would be, and a defective one might be, worse than none. I had not an opportunity of knowing the contents of this pamphlet till Dr. SMITH was gone out of town to the north.

*

I should have said one thing more about the pamphlet, which is more material than all the rest, that whereinsoever we are justly accused, Clergy or people, we should own it, and mend; which is the only

good answer in such cases. The Society hath not met since May. I have been ill, and the Bishops, the Secretary, and the Treasurer out of town. In the mean time I have paid "the bill of five hundred pounds from your college out of my own pocket. And I think I have secured from the crown "one hundred and seventy pounds for the damages done by the soldiers to Mr. CHARLTON'S glebe on Staten-Island. I hope there will not fail to be a meeting next week. Whether I shall be able to go to it is very doubtful. But at least I promise myself that I shall talk over matters with such as can go; and then I propose, God willing, to write you another letter: for there are several particulars in yours of last April, relative to Society affairs, yet unanswered by me. But I must go no further at present. Only I assure you that no one hath hitherto intimated to me the least desire of the office of Bishop in America: and that I am entirely of your opinion, that the crown should not begin with Clergymen already settled there. God bless you, good Dr. JOHNSON. Pray for your loving brother,

THO. CANT.

GOOD DR. JOHNSON,

Lambeth, March 30, 1763.

I thank you for the kind condolence which you express in your letter of January 6. I was then in a fresh fit of the gout, and have another upon me now. These attacks unfit me greatly for business, else I should have written to you sooner. As Mr. BEACH hath undertaken to answer the late virulent pamphlet, I hope he will do it in such a manner as to win over the more moderate of

the dissenters from some of their prejudices against us, and shame even the more vehement, by a good example, into some degree of mildness and fairness. My meaning was not to intimate that I knew the name of the writer, but only to signify a doubt whether it might not be Dr. MAYHEW, which I found some persons had suspected. I knew not whether Mr. BEACH, who, in a letter some time ago, mentioned himself as declining, would be willing to under. take such a work, and therefore had intended to propose it to Mr. APTHORP, of whose abilities and temper the Bishop of Norwich gives me the highest character. But I am glad your information came time enough to prevent me, for one may suffice.

Probably our Ministry will be concerting schemes this summer, against the next session of Parliament, for the settlement of his Majesty's American dominions; and then we must try our utmost for Bishops. Hitherto little hath been said to them, and less by them, on the subject. Our dissenters, however, give out the contrary, and endeavour to raise an alarm. God prosper us if it be his will.

I have not heard that any application hath been made for a Doctor's degree for Mr. CHANDLER,* but shall be ready at any time to forward one, as I understand from you that he deserves it so well.

Dr. BURTON will write to you concerning the several

Dr. Johnson had recommended him in the following words, in a letter of January 6, 1762: "We are told here that Mr. Chandler has a Doctor's "degree at Oxford, which seems strange, as no application was ever made ❝for it, and as Mr. Cooper thinks he must have known of it if it had been. "However, I wish it may be done, if it has not; for I have no man like"minded with him in caring for the interest both of religion and learning, "or hath made so good proficiency in the study of either, or is likely to be ❝so great an ornament to both."