been some years kept in, the Chair at Oxford being given to Dr. Potter. This disposal of it is neither a disappointment to me (for I have long thought it would not fall to my share), nor a mortification; for I am in a place where I am beloved and esteemed, and which I never thought of leaving without some regret. I have reason to think that the Lecture of St. Dunstan's will soon be offered me; by the accession of which to what I have, my circumstances will be as good as if I had changed what I have for what (I must not now say) was promised me at Oxford. It was to my disadvantage to be thought acceptable to the University and College; but I am much better pleased to have had their good wishes without the preferment, than I should have been to have had the Chair against their wishes. I have heard of no objections made to me, which I have not reason to be pleased with. Mr. John Coke called upon me yesterday, who gives his most humble service to you. I am, dear Sir,

"Your most affectionate friend and servant, GEO. SMALRIDGE." "DEAR SIR, March 16, 1713-14.

"I have this moment the favour of yours of the 10th of this month, in behalf of Mr. Fowler's son, a Commoner of Christ Church, who is desirous to be of the Foundation. I do not know whether you are acquainted with the method of our nominating Students. More than half of that body are elected from Westminster; the rest come in by the appointment of the Dean and Canons. A little before Christmas a new List was made, in which I named two, and each of the Canons one. I shall have no right of naming another till those ten places are filled, which, according to the usual course, will not be for these three or four years to come. I have had numberless applications of this sort from relations, from countrymen, and from some persons of high rank, and to whom I am much obliged; but I cannot think it proper to enter into any engagement for what is at so great a distance. If I live to dispose of another Student's place, I will, by the grace of God, bestow it on one of such a character as you represent this young gentleman to be; but I cannot so long before-hand promise any thing farther, than that I will have a great regard to your recommendation. For I must beg of you to be assured, that as I always had a sincere affection and respect for you, so you have never done or omitted any thing that should lessen that esteem. Before I received your last Letter I thought I had wrote to you since I heard from you; but I can easily imagine that I have been faulty on this head, though my silence has not proceeded from want of respect to you, or from any resentment, for which I do not know that you have given me any occasion. If an Exhibition of 10l. per annum, which is about half the value of a Student's place, will be acceptable to your friend, he may, when he is a year's standing, appear for it; and

* Dr. Jane died in the latter end of 1707; and Dr. John Potter was chosen Regius Professor of Divinity early in 1708..

VOL. III.

T

if

if upon examination (which is public in the Hall) he acquits himself well, cannot well fail of obtaining it. If your inclinations should in summer time bring you to Christ Church, you shall, at the Deanery, find a clean bed and room, and a very hearty welcome, from, dear Sir,

"Your affectionate friend and humble servant, GEO. SMALRIDge." "DEAR SIR,

[1714.]

"It is with a great deal of satisfaction that I can now at last tell you that I this morning admitted Geast* a Student of this house, in whose behalf you was pleased to interest yourself some time ago. I had not sooner an opportunity of bestowing on him this place, and was not sure it would be ever in my power to do it, though it was always my desire. In the Roll I named my own son, because I was willing to secure to him a Student's place in case of death, having little else to leave him; but as soon as he was chose this last election at Westminster, I named Geast in his place, who is now admitted, my son being not to come in till Christmas. All the three, who are now come in by Canons' Election, had before stood at Westminster, and been chosen to Trinity College in Cambridge. I know you have that kindness for Christ Church, that you will be glad to hear that three sides of Peckwater being some time since rebuilt, finished, and inhabited, the fourth side, which is next to the Deanery, and which we intend for a College Library, is now begun, and carried this summer to a pretty good height, so that, if benefactors be not wanting to us, we may hope in two or three years to see the whole Quadrangle, which the skilful say will be as fine a square as any in Europe, completed. I should be very proud of paying my respects to you here, than whom no one would be a more welcome guest at the Deanery to, Sir,

"Your affectionate friend and servant, GEO. BRISTOL."

Rev. SAMUEL HUTCHINSON to THOMAS GOUGH, Esq. of Oldfallings.

"DEAR SIR, Langton, Nov. 3, [1742]. "I am somewhat apprehensive that I shall find it difficult to procure your pardon for my long silence, and am almost afraid I have trespassed too far upon your experienced goodness in ex

Henry Geast, admitted a King's Scholar at Westminster in 1710; on whose behalf Mr. Prior thus addressed Bp. Atterbury, March 23, 1713-14: "MY LORD: At the same time that I congratulate your succession to the House of Lords, and your being in power to continue your zeal for the Church, and your services to the Nation; I take leave to recommend a private charity to you-that you would take Henry Geast (of whose taste and learning Dr. Freind will give your Lordship an account) to our wellbeloved College of Christ Church. This is mortification enough for a Cambridge man to ask, but I persuade myself Dr. Atterbury will not deny my request. I am, with great respect, my good Lord and dear Schoolfellow, your most obedient and bumble servant, M. PRIOR." —Mr. Geast was elected to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1714; but, by the intercession of his friends was sent to Christ Church. He took the degree of M. A. 1720.

cusing failings of this sort in me. I was very greatly concerned to hear the account of the fall you had from your horse in your journey into Staffordshire, but am in hopes you have long since recovered the bad effects of it, which I was informed were not of the mildest nature. I hope that crazy constitution of yours has not prevented your enjoying the utmost pleasure and satisfaction in celebrating your Brother's nuptials *; and imagine you think yourself very happy in having so good a Physician as Dr. Wilks so near you, if you should be out of order; but surely you may by this time reasonably hope for a steady state of good health. I have often wished, since I parted with you at Cambridge, that I had been able to have accepted the kind invitation you gave me to go along with you into the country; but, however, I entertain great hopes that I shall be able one time or other to afford myself that happiness, although I cannot say but it would have been particularly agreeable at that time, upon account of your brother's marriage, in which state I heartily wish that the happiness he will have hereafter may be equally great with the pleasure I shall take in hearing of it. I have taken care to execute all the commissions you left with me in the best manner I was able. I sent' Hammond upon the New Testament' to Mr. Swallow; who says he will take the greatest care imaginable of the Letters you left with him, which I imagine are some of the original copies of those of Bishop Smalridge to your Father. I hope you will not fail of getting those original Letters again which you sent to Mr. Piggot to be transcribed; for I take them to be of most inestimable value, as they consist chiefly of decisions of some nice points of Learning. I am in hopes you have not laid aside your design of making a Paraphrase of, and Commentary upon, the Psalms; for I am sure the specimen of that Psalm you was so kind as to favour me with in a Letter seemed to me to be executed in so masterly a manner, that you shewed yourself as nearly as possible equal to the subject you had undertaken. I have, since I saw you, taken a view of your favourite Author Lord Shaftesbury; and have written remarks upon various parts of his Works, which I intend to communicate in Letters upon my return to College; you will there find that I think his criterion of them very deficient in many particulars, and that he has given very invalid, if any, proofs at all, of many things which he has started. I want to know if you have, since I saw you, received any assistance in forwarding the History of Bury.' I suppose it will be difficult to determine whether we shall meet with you at the Earl of Stamford's, my Lord Ward's, Sir Harry's, or my Brother's. However, I hope you will receive it in good time, as I will come to you at Mrs. Gough's at Oldfallings; and you will in your next, which I hope I shall receive from you as soon as possible, let me know where to direct to you for the future, who am, dear Sir,

"Yours, &c.

SAMUEL HUTCHINSON."

Mr. Walter Gough was married in 1742, previous to his brother Tbomas's entering into Orders.

↑ Of St. John's College, Cambridge; B. A. 1741; M. A. 1745.

T 2

Extracts

Extracts from Bishop SMALRIDGE's Correspondence.

(MS. Ballard, VII. in the Bodleian Library *.)

1. Letter from GEORGE SMALRIDGE to Mr. CHARLETT. No date t. Thanks him for advice.-"The place I am not at all fond of; I did not seek it; but it is offered, and it is not in my power to refuse it: which you will easily judge when you shall know my circumstances. Mr. Ashmole has been, and still is, my worthy Patron. I have received a support from him for many years. When he first intimated to me that he designed this place for me, I received it coolly, but was checked for it. He designs it as an ease to himself; and therefore, if I should reject it, I forfeit any title to his other favours. I am conscious how little I am qualified for it: but the chemistry I shall have nothing to do with, and it will not be very difficult to get some knowledge of the things in the Museum sufficient for my purpose."—" If this place had not been compatible with Orders, I had rejected it ‡."

2. From the Same to the Same. Dated Dec. 23, 1704. "The Case of Admission of Occasional Conformists to the Holy Communion I have not seen, but have heard much commended, and particularly by his Grace of York."-" The Rehearsal of the last week is very much and very justly applauded."

3. From the Same to the Same. Dated March 1, 1706-7. Fears Dr. Charlett's Friend will not obtain the vacant Greek Professorship §.

4. From the Same to the Same. April 10, 1707. Censure of the Prolocutor of the Lower House for absence without the Archbishop's leave, pendentibus arduis negotiis. The Queen angry with the Clergy for reflecting on her Prerogative. Dr. Potter sure of his election as Professor. Thanks Charlett for kind mention of him to the Archbishop of York.

5. From the Same to the Same. April 30, 1707. Form of Protestation of the Lower House against the proceedings touching their Prolocutor. The Archbishop suspected of acting against the Regal Supremacy, by proceeding against the Prolo

cutor.

* For a reference to this series of Bishop Smalridge's Letters, I was indebted to the late Rev. Charles Coates, the diligent Historian of Reading; and for this complete analysis I am happy to express my obligations to a worthy and accurate Friend, the Rev. Philip Bliss, Fellow of St. John's College, Oxford, well known by several elegant publications, and particularly by the many improvements he has made in the "Athena" of Anthony Wood.

+"8 Dec. 1682. Geo. Smalridge, fil. Ric. S. Lichfield, Stafford. Gen. an. nat. 18, Ch. Ch." Matriculation Register.

Subscribed on the back by Charlett: "Recommended by Mr. Ashmole to look after the Museum."

The Professorship, vacated by the promotion of Dr. Thomas Mills to the Bishoprick of Waterford and Lismore, was given to Mr. Edward Thwaites, Fellow of Queen's College.

6. From

6. From the Same to the Same. June 25, 1707. His wife's illness forces him to Thistleworth. Dr. Sherlock to be buried at St. Paul's: Dr. Blackall to preach the Funeral Sermon. Great appearance of Divines to do him honour expected.

7. From the Same to the Same. April 22, 1708. "In reading Dr. Hickes's Preface, I had the same thoughts as you have-that he declares too freely for the abolition of Episcopacy, upon supposition that it is not of divine appointment. Should his argument find credit, and should all be for abolishing Episcopacy who do not believe it jure divino, I am persuaded, it would not stand long. Had he not told us that he speaks with the seriousness of a Christian, I should not have thought that he had been in earnest, when he represents the advantages of changing Episcopacy, if it were mutable, to be so great, and the reasons for doing it to be so strong."

8. From the Same to the Vice-Chancellor, in defence of Mr. Robert Watts, of St. John's College*, who was suspected of schism from the Church. Dated May 1, 1708.

9. From the Same to Dr. CHARLETT. Dated June 22, 1708. Anxious about the Election + then going to take place in Oxford, but unwilling to appear in it, " lest it might look like personal pique, which I am far from having against Dr. P. "-" I have seen Mr. Addison and Mr. Steele; but they neither of them know Mr. Ward."

10. From the Same to the Same, dated July 3, 1708, giving an account of the Elections for the House of Convocation.

11. From the Same to the Same. Dated Aug. 19. Regrets that he lost the pleasure of Mr. Ayerst's company. "I hope you will let Dr. Wallis know what kind things are said of him by Dr. Hickes. I before let the Doctor know what was said in his praise by the same Author in print. You have, I hope, read the "Observator" of Wednesday last. You will there see what Tests are designed for us at the University. It is, I think, more the concern of the Court, than it is ours, that, if we do err in these points, we should be suffered to continue in our errors. The Homilies, Liturgy, Acts of Parliament, not to mention a great many private Authors, will make a fine bonfire in the School Quadrangle, when the books, in which non-resistance is taught come to be burned by the manus infamis. I wish the Bible itself may escape. After all that Mr. Hoadly has said to bring off St. Paul; he seems to me to be as obnoxious in some places as any High-church-man of them all. I am told that Dr. Kennett will have the Parsonage of Whethampsted, vacant by the death of Dr. Lamb §. But he, that is not yet satisfied,

'

"I have used his notes and illustrations on Wood's Athenæ Oxonienses' in the new edition. They were procured by Mr. John Jones for Dr. Rawlinson, and are now in the Bodleian." P. BLISS.

+ For the Convocation.

Dr. Potter, who had been the successful Candidate for the Regius Professorship of Divinity. See before, p. 273.

§ It was given, in December 1708, to Edward Wake, M. A.