Chapter L: Section VII (6)

{1017} The correspondence between these two eminent men did not close here. It is certain that some letters afterwards passed between them, as appears from the fragment of Mr. Pyle’s answer to one he had received from the primate, and which reads thus—

“I no sooner received the great favour of your Grace’s kind and good
Letter than I wrote to the person intimated therein, and deferred my
dutiful answer to it no longer than till I was enabled to acquaint
you with his truly filial reply, that he should never find greater
pleasure than that of complying with every desire of a father, and
the honorable friends of that father.—Meantime I am sorry for the ill
state of my friend _C—st—l_, which gives occasion to this affair. I
loved the man: my Sons honoured him much. I thank your Grace for
your very good remembrance of me and my Sou. Age, my Lord, confines
me at home, when yet good providence blesses me with eyes and
faculties, still enabling me to read, and even to preach once a day
generally. I read every thing and make use of the glorious
prerogative of private judgment, the birth-right of protestants. I
pass free sentiment upon _Mddltn_, and on all his opponents stronger
or weaker. So I shall upon what he is going to say on the only piece
of that great man of L— that ever gave me pleasure.—I read
_Disquisitions_, and when I’ve done fall to my prayers and wishes,
that the good thing desired may be put into the hands of the able,
knowing, and impartial, that no church-_tinkers_ may be suffered to
mend some few holes and leave others open, at which some vital part
of the noble christian scheme may run out and be lost. But no wish
of mine is so ardent as that your Grace may live with that excellent
[mind {1018}] of _Tlltsn_, which is in you, to preside in, to direct
this same good thing, and bring it to perfection.”

Of the residue of this letter we know nothing: this part of it sufficiently shews whereabout Mr. P. and the Primate stood as to the points afterwards agitated in the _Confessional &c._ This epistle is supposed to have been written about 1753, three years before the death of Mr. P. and four years before that of the Abp. than whom it does not appear that a worthier prelate ever occupied the See of Canterbury.

{1018} There is a word wanting here in the MS. Copy, which probably was _mind_ or _spirit_; alluding it is supposed to Tillotson’s liberal mindedness, and wish to get rid of the Athanasian Creed, &c.

{1020} Something is here wanting; _vacate_ perhaps or _relinquish_.

{1021} The same MS. volume, or Collection, from which the above has been taken, contains the following curious fragment or P.S. of a letter of the date of 1742 from the same respectable prelate, to the same correspondent, as we presume, for it has no superscription.—

“I find by the direction of one of your correspondents, whose hand
and head I guess at, how great a man a C—n of S— must be, that his
titles must follow him into all countries. The other, whose hand and
head I pretty well know, has more sense than to adorn the outside of
his letters in that manner.—I remember a story of a clergyman of
great form in _Surry_, who directed a post letter to _Abp.
Sancroft_—_To his Grace_, _my Lord Abp. of Canterbury_, _Primate of
all England and Metropolitan_:—which letter a man famous for
imitating hands happened to see brought to the post-office at
_Epsom_, and finding a little room left after the word
_metropolitan_, added the words _to boot_, which caused great wrath
in old Sancroft, and a thorough reprimand to the poor man next time
he appeared at _Lambeth_, who could not distinguish the addition from
his own hand. B. W.”

{1024} Of those letters of his which have fallen in this writer’s way all are of a date posterior to his removal from this town, except that which contains the account of the contested election in 1747, of which we have already given large extracts.—Of the rest the most remarkable is dated 24. July 1756, at Chelsea, where the Bp. of Winchester has a town house, with whom he then resided as his chaplain. Who his correspondent was does not appear; but he writes to him as follows—

“Dear Sir, I returned to this place a few days ago from Winch—r,
after taking possession of a warm stall in the Cathedral, and a very
good house in the close. My going thither was delayed a fortnight,
by a feverish disorder, attended with some very odd and disagreeable
circumstances of inflamation, from which I thank God I am very well
recovered. I find that as my constitution is, I must, now and then,
sacrifice something in point of health, to the plenty, that flows in
this noble house. However I am not worse upon the whole, than when I
lived in Norfolk: in that respect and all others I am sure I am a
_thousand times better_. Winch—r and all the large towns in that
county were full of _Hessian troops_, whose appearance and sober
behaviour was pleasing. I saw them in several different
circumstances. FIRST In their military _Exercise_, out of the City,
in a spacious plain on the top of a hill, every fine morning.
SECONDLY. At their _devotions_, on Sundays, in the Body of the
Cathedral; which was a most grave and edifying sight. Their service,
(both of such as are _Lutherans_, and of others of them that are
_Calvinists_,) is in the way of our _Dissenters_—1_st._ a _psalm_,
very long, in which every Soldier bore his part; each having a book,
and behaving in that, and the other parts of the service, with all
possible decency and attention. I saw about 700 each time that I was
present. They sing very well. The psalm was set by a Serjeant of
Granadiers, a noble stately fellow; who had a vast pair of whiskers
like birch brooms. All their granadiers wear this distinction in
their faces. When the psalm was ended, a very solemn divine (tho’ he
had no whiskers) in a black cloak, gave us a sermon in their
language; after a prayer, which ended with the _Lord’s_ Prayer; at
which they all went down on their knees on the floor. The preacher
used no great action, but he had a very great voice, great
earnestness, and was in a great sweat. Then followed another psalm,
much shorter than the first, and all was closed with a prayer shorter
also than the former.—There was a Collection of money, but for what
purpose I know not certainly. There were few of the common-people
but gave something. It is said to be made for the preacher’s
service, by some; others say it has relation to the Sacrament, which
they receive monthly; but I saw not the administration of it. The
generals and officers were all present and behaved with all
seriousness. The officers are very genteel and frugal; yet generous
enough to give the ladies of the place a Ball once a week.—Another
circumstance I saw them in was at a Ball, in a garden, from 6 to 9
o’Clock, which was by far the prettiest entertainment I ever was at.
The Dean of Winch—ter has a fine and large Garden, which is a place
of resort on summer evenings, for all the persons of fashion (which
are many) in the city. It consists of a large lawn, at the end of
which, (or rather through which) passes a quick river, that has a
Chinese bridge over it, and is formed into two cascades, as it runs
along. There is also a large grove, fine walks of gravel, and two or
three alcoves. Here the officers desired leave to introduce the
music, and give the ladies a Ball. The Dean consented, and all the
gentry and quality in and about the place were put together there.
And for the three hours I spake of, 25 couples danced on the lawn on
one side of the river, the musicians standing on the other. There
were 25 hands, and all good ones. They have learnt at home the tunes
of our English Dances, which are practised there in compliment to our
sovereign and country. In the dancing one could not but observe, how
true the officers stept both to the time and tune: whereas the
dancing of the English gentlemen, and most of the ladies too, was
what one may call _Romps run mad_. The day before I came away, the
troops from all the towns were encamped, about a mile and a half from
the city, which afforded me a mornings amusement of the most
agreeable sort. The Dean and Prebendaries, who have each of them a
good income; [and I’ll assure you, most of ’em, live up to it, as Peg
B— said of the Week’s Preparation] have done these Foreigners honour
at their Tables with high gentility. They almost all come to the
Cathedral, and one of ’em who sat next me, by some broken English of
his, and some bad _latin_, both of his and mine, was made to
understand all the ceremonies that were performed _by_ and _upon_ me
in the church, on the sunday I took possession. He seemed better
satisfied with all other things, than with our surplices, scarves,
and scarlet hoods; which he looked upon with somewhat of an evil eye:
For, you know, that from the days of good Q. B—ss to these days some
of the protestants abroad have objected to our Ecclesiastical Dresses
as _Popish_—and some even of our own Divines have boggled at them in
her time.—They have brought no _women_ with them, but a few of the
soldiers wives, who are very clean, large, and fleshy. They put on
when they get abroad a Straw Bonnet, which shades and almost hides
their faces, and a callico or printed linen cloak, very long and
full.—The persons at Winch—r of the female sex [like those of another
place that we know] are all, or would all pass for, fine gentlewomen.
And I could not for my life help being diverted with a question asked
by the simple _Hessian Women_ concerning them. _Pray_, said they,
_have you none but ladies of quality in this place_? The answer was,
that there was but one lady of quality [Lady Jernegan] in the city.
_Well_, said they, _we thought they were all such_; for in _our
country_, they who are _always dress’d out_, and _going from home_,
_are ladies of quality_: so we thought that ye were all quality.—One
of the superior officers quartered at Southampton (where the resort
of company to drink and bathe in the sea water, has benefited the
place and spoilt the people) seeing all the gentlewomen of the town
gadding abroad o’mornings, to the public rooms, or idle visits,
bought up all the _Thimbles_ he could get; and one morning when
abundance of them were together in a public place, he presented each
with a Thimble, saying, it must needs be, that they wanted the
requisites to employ them properly _at_ home, or they would not be
constantly _from_ home. This pretty reproof has produced a great
deal of mirth, but very little reformation, that I heard of, among
the Southhampton _Quality_.—The emoluments of churchmen as well as
others who live in Hampshire, [at Winch—r especially] ought to be
good. For (put all articles together that belong to house-keeping)
and things are dearer there, than with you, by 7 and 6 pence in the
pound. There is very little difference between the rate of eatables,
coals. &c. there and in London. Fowls of all sorts, pigs, rabbets,
are very high priced, and fish is 6_d._ a mouthful, tho’ Southampton
is so near. For the fine folks that come down from London have in a
very few years more than doubled the rate of that sort of food, even
upon the place. But the worst circumstance belonging to both that
city and county, is that there are many _Roman Catholicks_. One of
that persuasion would have hired my prependal house at a considerable
rent, for the term of the bishop’s life, till the end of which I
shall not fit it up for my own use. I sent such an answer that I
shall ne’er be applied to again by any body of that stamp: ‘any other
person of fashion shall have it for half the money, and be thanked
into the bargain.’ In looking over what I have writ, I find I have
filled a sheet; this surprizes me, for I did not intend to fill more
than a side. If you have as much patience as you used to have, may
be you have read it all. You can’t do a more acceptable thing than
to write to me, at any time, and at this time, it will be a sort of
charity, I being greatly dejected in _spirit_, at the state of public
affairs. Our Common prayer says, what is entirely true, ‘There is
none that fighteth for us but only God:’ and I wish I could be sure
we had him on our side. God bless us all. God bless you and yours,
and all that you and I love, and that love us—But, as _Falstaff_
says, ‘a pox on all cowards.’—So says your most humble servant, E.
P.”

To the preceding we beg leave to subjoin the following letter, or rather _fragment_ of a letter. That it is _from_ the same hand seems sufficiently certain from both external and internal evidence. It was written in 1756, probably to his father, and it might be one of the last, if not the very last that passed between them. We insert it the more readily because so honourable to Bp. Hoadly’s memory, and not otherwise to that of Dr. F.—

“Dr. _Thackery_, who keeps a school an _Harrow_ on the _Hill_, has
one living and 14 children. A man bred at Eaton, and a great scholar
in the Eaton way, and a good one every way, a true Whig, and proud to
be so by some special marks of integrity. He was candidate for the
Headship of King’s, and would have beat all men but George, and
George too, if Sir R. W. had not made George’s promotion a point.
Since this disappointment he took the school of _Harrow_ to educate
his own and other people’s children; where he has performed all along
with great reputation. The Bp. of W. never saw this man in his life;
but had heard so much good of him, that he resolved to serve him some
way of other, if ever he could—but said nothing to any body. On
friday last he sent for this Dr. T. and when he came into the room,
my lord gave him a parchment, and told him he had long heard of his
good character, and long been afraid he should never be able to give
him any serviceable proof of the good opinion he had long conceived
of him: That what he had put into his hands was the _archdeaconry of
Surry_, which he hoped would be acceptable to him, as he might
perform the duty of it yearly, at the time of his leisure in the
Easter Holidays. Dr. T. was surprized and overcome with this
extraordinary manner of doing him a favour, that he was very near
fainting as he was giving him institution.—Tis 130_l._ a year, with
dependencies that may bring in a deal of money.—1756.”

{1030} What led the author to this supposition or conclusion was an anecdote said to have been written by Dr. H. himself; in these words—

“In Turner de morbis cutaneis See Wts. related by Langius of a woman
longing to bite a baker’s shoulder.—Somewhat like this was the case
of Mrs. Forest the wife of an alderman (or baliff as they are called
in Scotland) of _Haddington_ in _East Lothian_; who having had 4 or 5
daughters, and then with child of a boy, and lying by her husband
awake, while he was fast asleep, in a summer-morning, his shoulder
lying bare, she long’d to taste of it, and after a great desire could
not forbear fixing her teeth. He waking jump’d out of bed thinking
she was mad, but being soon convinced of what was the matter, easily
forgave the fact, but would not venture a second trial. After
dressing and taking care of the slight wound, he soon after made a
jest of the news to his companions at the tavern: but while they were
a whetting, news was brought him that his wife was miscarried of a
boy; upon which he merrily said, ‘d—mn it, if I had known it was a
boy her longing should have been satisfied.’—This I had from the
woman herself upon enquiry: for the story was notorious about the
time I was born, 1669. G. H.—M. Dr.”

{1037} Those traits in his character have been often elucidated by divers well known anecdotes, two or three of which we will here take the liberty of inserting.—One of them is given in a letter of Dr. Pyle, if we are not mistaken, of the date of 1752, addressed perhaps to his father.—

“Your old friend Sir W. B. came to my Lord Bp. of Winch—r some weeks
ago, and told him that he waited upon him for a pension payable out
of his estate to the College of Physicians. My Lord said, he never
heard of any such pension paid out of his revenues; and as to an
estate of his own, he had none. Yes, says the knight, you are
chargeable herewith out of such an estate. My Lord said, he had no
estate any where of his own, and as Bp. of W. he had no such estate
as was named. Bp. of W—! quoth the knight; why then lam wrong; you
are not the person. I wanted Sir Cecil Bishop, and they told me he
lived here. Is Sir C. B. a clergyman, says my Lord? No, says the
knight. Why then Sir you might have seen your mistake immediately,
and so your Servant. This dog certainly wanted to see how the Bp.
look’d, and thence judge of his being likely to live or not, on
account of some estate that somebody he knows, is to buy or renew,
who hold of the Bp. of W. and nobody but a man of his parts and
assurance could, have got to the sight of him;” [_July_ 1752.]

Another anecdote of him is related by Bp. Warburton in a Letter to Hurd; dated Prior Park, Nov. 18th 1767.—

“When you see Dr. Heberden pray communicate to him an unexpected
honour I lately received. The other day word was brought me from
below, that one Sir William Browne sent up his name, and would be
glad to kiss my hand. I judged it to be the famous physician, whom I
had never seen, nor had the honour to know. When I came down into
the drawing room I was accosted by a little, round, well fed
gentleman, with a large muff in one hand, and a small Horace open in
the other, and a spying-glass dangling in a black ribbon at his
button. After the first salutation he informed me that his visit was
indeed to me, but principally, and in the first place, to Prior Park,
which had so inviting a prospect from below: and he had no doubt but
on examination it would sufficiently pay the trouble he had given
himself of coming up to it on foot. We then took our chairs; and the
first thing he did or said, was to propose a doubt to me concerning a
passage in Horace, which all this time he had still open in his hand.
Before I could answer he gave me the solution of this long
misunderstood passage: and in support of his explanation had the
charity to repeat his own paraphrase of it in English verse, just
come hot, as he said, from the brain. When this and chocolate were
over, having seen all he wanted of me, he desired to see something
more of the seat; and particularly what be called the _Monument_, by
which I understood him to mean, the Prior’s tower, with your
inscription. Accordingly I ordered a servant to attend him thither;
and, when he had satisfied his curiosity, either to let him out from
the park above into the down, or from the garden below into the road.
Which he chose I never asked; and so this honourable visit ended.
Hereby you will understand, that the design of all this was to be
_admired_. And indeed he had _my admiration_ to the full; but for
nothing so much, as for being able at past eighty to perform this
expedition on foot, in no good weather, and with all the alacrity of
a boy, both in body and mind.”

[Before we dismiss this anecdote, it ought to be observed that the bishop was somewhat incorrect in two instances at least: 1st. in representing our knight as a _little man_; 2_ndly._ in saying that he was then _past eighty_. Those who knew and remember him, speak of him as a _tall man_; and it is certain that he wanted several weeks of seventy six when he visited Prior Park.]—The next anecdote and the last that we shall here relate, came from the late Thomas Hollingworth, many years a respectable bookseller in this town, and who settled here under Dr. Browne’s patronage. He used to say that the first time he had to make out his bill after the doctor had been dubbed a knight, he wrote _Sir William Browne debtor to Tho. Hollingworth_. When he delivered it into the knight’s hand, he looked at it a short time, and then looking at him said, Mr. H. you might have said _the honourable_ Sir Wm. Browne. I beg your pardon Sir Wm. replied the bookseller, but upon my word I did not know that it was customary to prefix to the name of a knight the word _honourable_. As to that, rejoined the knight, tho’ it be not customary, it would yet have been pleasing.—That to be sure was childish and ridiculous enough; but we believe that with all his eccentricities and foibles, Sir. Wm. B. was far from being one of the most disreputable or unworthy characters that were to be found among the gentlemen of this town and its vicinity during his long residence here.

{1039} The rough draught, or fragment of a translation of the inscription is longer, but the rest the present writer could not well make out.—The above seems enough to give the reader a pretty just idea of the tenor of the whole.—Before we entirely dismiss this article, or take our final leave of Sir Wm. we should not omit to notice the much admired impromptu, or extemporaneous epigram produced by him when a regiment of horse happened to be quartered at _Oxford_, and the king having purchased the noble library of Bp. _Moore_, made a present of it to the university of _Cambridge_. The epigram was an answer to one that had been made by a Dr. Trapp, a witty, torified clergyman, on that occasion, in these words,

“The king, observing with judicious eyes
The wants of his two universities;
To _Oxford_ sent a _troop of horse_, for why?
That _learned_ body wanted _loyalty_:
To Cambridge he sent _books_, as well discerning,
That that right _loyal_ body wanted _learning_.”

Which drew from Sir Wm. the following reply, said so have been much commended, even by Dr. Johnson.

“Contrary methods justly George applies,
To govern his two universities;
To _Oxford_ is dispatched a troop of horse,
Since _Tories_ own no argument like _force_;
To _Cambridge_ Ely’s learned books are sent,
Since _Whigs_ admit no force like _argument_.”

{1052} The loose livers, (or whores and rogues of the parish, as some would call them) used to bring their _bastard_ children to him to _christen_, or make them christians, although they discovered no desire or inclination to live soberly, righteously, and godly, or become christians themselves. This he thought very improper and objectionable, and no less than a direct profanation of a religious rite; and therefore refused to christen such children, unless their parents made a profession of repentance, and solemnly promised to forsake those irregular and vicious courses, and lead for the future virtuous and pious lives. Some willingly complied with his requirement, upon whose children therefore he performed the said rite. Others could not be prevailed upon to submit to this requirement, for which reason he left their children unchristened, which gave great umbrage, not only to their parents and such like folk, but even to his own ecclesiastical superiors, up to the very bishop—all blamed him for having any scruples about such frivolous, harmless, and indifferent matters as these. Some also even of the most decent among his parishioners disapproved of his refusing to christen the said bastard children, it being, as they said, punishing the poor things for the sins of their parents. Forbidding those of loose or immoral lives to come to the Lord’s Table was another circumstance that gave great offence, and caused him no small trouble. One of these was the greatest man in the parish, or head Squire of the place; and a very fierce and dashing fellow he certainly was. He, by way of retaliation and revenge, set himself about picking holes in Mr. R’s coat. They were not indeed of an immoral, but rather an uncanonical nature. Mr. R. had allowed a certain worthy person to partake of the Lord’s Supper _sitting_ instead of _kneeling_. He also had _not_ made a point of wearing the _surplice_ while performing the burial service and some other duties. He had likewise taken the liberty of using the word _honour_ instead of _worship_ in the marriage service, and moreover of curtailing occasionally the liturgic part of the public service. These deviations were magnified into serious misdoings, and looked upon by his superiors in a very unfavourable light. Wherefore his conduct was afterwards more closely scrutinized; and from the examination and confession of his church-wardens the following articles of accusation were extracted, upon which he was proceeded against in the ecclesiastical court—1. That he did not read the Litany on _Wednesdays and Fridays_: 2. That he did not constantly wear the surplice in all his administrations: 3. That he did not usually administer the communion on _Christmas-day_, unless it fell on _Sunday_. Nor on _Whit-Sunday_. 4. That he did not read over the _Canons_ and _Articles_ twice a year. 5. That there were two children unbaptiz’d in the parish, which he refused to baptize. 6. That he was in the habit of conversing (or was on friendly terms) with one Mr. Richardson, an excommunicate person.—[Now this person was a worthy, pious dissenting minister, who had been persecuted for conscience sake, or for nonconformity, and excommunicated: and it was expected that no clergyman would converse or associate with him, unless he recanted: which was a sort of morality or religion which Rastrick did not approve, and therefore did not choose to practise.] The first time he appeared before the spiritual Court at Lincoln to answer to the above articles or charges, he had nothing to do but only to retain a _Proctor_ against the next court-day. When that time came, it fell out to be the very day when king James’s Declaration for liberty of conscience came first down into the country, which must have been in the spring of 1687. At this his second appearance he found the court very much down in the mouth (as he expresses it) and far from the heat and violence in their proceedings that he expected. They did however proceed to business, and went over each of those charges, but came to no determination: not thinking perhaps the then aspect of things favourable enough to warrant a rigorous decision. However that was, Rastrick was now becoming more and more dissatisfied with the terms of conformity, and began soon to think of availing himself of the royal Declaration of liberty of conscience to quit his public station in the church, as he actually did before the close of that same year. After which he seems to have continued disengaged till 1701, when he settled with the Presbyterian congregation in this town.

{1055} The author therefore requests the reader to correct his mistake at p. 1002 in dating Rastrick’s arrival here in 1710 or 11.

{1058} Something similar has occurred here within the present year (1811,) only with this difference, that the disaffected gained their point, and obliged the minister to resign and withdraw; whereas Mr. R. maintained his ground and retained his situation, in spite of all opposition, to the last. But he was constantly supported by the most respectable part of the congregation.

{1059} As a manuscript it is very curious for the neatness and smartness of the writing, especially as it appears to be written when the author was above 70 years of age. The beginning of the Preface, where matter corroborative of what was above suggested occurs, reads thus—

“Perceiving that Antinomianism is in a great part grown to be the
completion of the dissenting interest in England, as far as my
observation reaches, to the great reproach of the reformation, and
scandal of the opposers of its progress: and that many who pretend to
be against it are yet fond of the doctrines and opinions on which it
is founded; grounding all their divinity on the decrees of God alone,
abstracted from his rule of government; falling in with the
hypothesis of necessity and fate, on which Hobbes founded his
Atheism: making all God’s government to be merely physical, to the
destruction of all religion and morality: not enduring to hear of a
justification by works in any sense, though it be undeniably a
scripture doctrine and expression, _Jam._ 2. 24:—asserting such an
imputation of Christ’s righteousness as is essentially and formally
altogether unscriptural; and the like: by which means sinners are
hardened in their sin, comforted against necessary fears conducive to
their safety; charity, alms-deeds, and all good works at a fatal
stop; people taught to presume without ground; calling a good
conscience, or a consciousness of keeping Christ’s commandments, the
building on a rotten foundation: tho’ Christ saith the contrary.
_Math._ 7, 24. Learned, able, and faithful ministers rejected and
discouraged, and illiterate persons that will indulge men in their
soporiferous notions set up in their room—I say, perceiving and
musing on these things, and _exercised_ by a party of weak christians
under the aforesaid impressions; understanding the state of christian
doctrine amongst us, and the divided condition of the Churches about
it, and casting my eyes upon that text in _John_ 15, 10. as one of
the plainest and fullest decisive of these controversies: so many
thoughts sprung up in my mind upon it, that to preserve them. I
immediately set pen to paper and wrote down above twenty of the
following propositions before I took it off; to which the rest were
quickly added. By which time I purposed to preach from that text,
and lay them all before _my own congregation who so much needed it_:
which I did with different success; viz. the usual distaste of the
_discontented party_, but so much to the satisfaction and acceptance
of others, my worthy friends, that I was greatly and constantly
importun’d to present them to their eyes, as I had done before to
their ears. And having been called to preach at a meeting of
ministers at _Nottingham_ on the 26th of June 1718, I made no
particular preparation for it, but took a text out of the 22 chap. of
_Math._ part of the parable of the marriage feast, the whole of which
I had preached over at home, but now only so much of it as would
afford me matter suitable to the whole congregation, both ministers
and people. And being by my brethren desired to publish my Sermon, I
was forced to deny them their request at that time, because what I
had delivered was pick’d out of a great many discourses, and what I
thought most proper for the auditory at that time only, but would
have been a maining to the whole. Yet I did not despise their
motion, nor lay aside all consideration of it. The importunity of
some of them ran so much in my mind, that . . . I thought if I must
write I might digest the matter of that sermon into the following
Treatise, without deviating from the design of it, but rather
conveniently adding to the principles of it, which I have done,
hoping that they will accept it here, with the rest, by which the
doctrines of that sermon are better stated, cleared, and confirmed,
than they would have appeared to have been if that sermon had gone
alone. So in this way I shall answer the desires of my friends at
home and my reverend brethren abroad at once; and do what service I
can to the Church of God before I die.”

The whole preface is very long, this being but a small part of it. But this is enough to shew that there was in this congregation a party that disapproved of his ministry, as well as another that highly approved of it, and that he experienced a great deal of discomfort from the former, who appear to have been very calvinistically or antinomianly inclined, and withal very contentious, as their descendants or successors have been almost ever since.

{1060} Some of those thoughts relate to the _Theory of Comets_, which he supposed to be worlds in a state of conflagration and dissolution; and he thought it probable our Earth will hereafter become a comet and be seen as such in remote regions of the universe. This comet state of a Heavenly body he considered as a state of judgment, and indicating the previous apostacy and irreclaimable impenitence or rebellion of its rational inhabitants, which caused the very world they inhabited to be so devoted to destruction. Each of those devoted worlds, he thought, had its _saviour_ and offers of mercy sent to it long previous to that awful and fatal catastrophe. Christ he believed to be the saviour only of this world, from which he draws some curious inferences favourable to his own system.—According to his notion the same comet could not be expected to appear twice in our system: nor would that, perhaps, even in this day, be very easily refuted.

{1061} He was buried in St. Nicholas’ Chapel towards the west end, where his grave stone is still to be seen, with a long Latin Inscription or Epitaph, of which the following translation has been given many years ago by the late Dr. _Thomas Gibbons_, exclusive of two expressions here added.

“_Here lie the remains_
_of the revd._ JOHN RASTRICK, _M.A._
_Born at Hackington near_ Sleaford
_in the county of Lincoln_;
_and educated at_ Trinity-College _in Cambridge_.
_He was formerly vicar_ of Kirkton
_in the same county_, _fourteen years_:
_And afterwards_, _as he could mot comply_
_with some regulations of the_ Church of England
_with a safe conscience_,
_Was an undefatigable preacher of the gospel_
_in this town twenty-six years_
_To a christian church in separation from the establishment_.
_He was a man of eminent piety_,
_charity_, _and modesty_;
_of approved integrity_,
_of remarkable study and pains_;
_And an adept in almost every part of learning_,
_But especially the mathematics_.
_He was a pleasant companion_,
_A truly christian divine_,
_An eloquent and powerful preacher_,
_A faithful and vigilant pastor_,
_An intrepid reprover of vice_
_And as warm an encourager of virtue_.
_Having finished his course_,
_Imbittered_, _alas_! _with many trials_,
_He joyfully yielded up his soul to God_,
August 8, 1727. _Aged_ 78.”

{1063} On a slip of paper, in his hand writing, pinned to a blank leaf fronting the title page are the following directions to his son—

“My dear son William, I suppose you will be inclined when I am gone
to publish the following Treatise called ‘Plain and Easy Principles,
&c.’ If you do, I leave it to you to tell the world, that these are
the notions that I am most inclined to; and that it was the division
among the ministers at Salter’s Hall, that begat them, and put me
upon a more deliberate perusal of Dr. Clarke’s and Mr. Jackson’s
books, &c. as well as Dr. Waterland’s: and that my case was just the
same with that of Mr. Peirce of Exeter, &c.—It’s probable that you
may write an Epistle of your own to the Reader (and so stile it, as
mine it stiled the Preface). In that Epistle you may account for my
sentiments as now mentioned, and add what more of your own you
please. But I would not have you publish my book till you have let
some learned pious persons peruse it and give their approbation.—Mr.
Sam. Wright’s thoughts you will find in his Letter, and my undigested
notions in that matter, you will find in his said Letter before my
book: if you can put them into order you may, and may punish them in
the nature of an appendix: _as also you may a great part of my last
Thoughts about the Trinity and Son of God_. Or let Mr. Wright put
them in Order.”

N.B. The above words in _italics_ have the pen drawn through them, and may therefore be considered as cancelled.

{1064a} See the _preface_ to a modern poem called _Sleep_.

{1064b} Of those little poems, one is entitled _The Dissolution_; and as the name of _Martha Rastrick_ is affixed to if, we may presume it was a present, perhaps a new years gift to that daughter. The greatest part of it we will here take the liberty of inserting, thought we have no reason to think that the author had the remotest idea of its publication. Yet as it cannot dishonour his memory, and has lain in MS. now nearly if not quite a _hundred years_, it may be placed here as a curious relic. It runs as follows—

“Happy the man to whom the sacred Muse
Her nightly visits pays,
And with her magic rod
Opens his mortal eyes:
He nature at one glance surveys,
And past and future, near and distant views.

I’m mounted on Fancy, and long to be gone
To some age or some world unknown,
Swifter than time and impatient of stay,
To the west, to the uttermost limits of day,
To the end of the world I’ll hasten away:
Where I may see it all expire
And melt away in everlasting Fire.

’Tis done! I see a flaming Seraph fly,
And light his Flambeau at the Sun;
Then hastening down to the curst globe
His blazing torch apply—
See the green forests crackling burn,
The oily pastures sweat
With intolerable heat:
The mines to hot volcanos turn;
Their horrid jaws extended wide,
The sulphurous contagion spread.

Why do the aged mountains skip,
And little hills like their own sheep,
Like lambs, which on their grizzly head
Once wanton play’d?
Expanded vapours, struggling to the birth,
Roar in the bowels of the earth.

And now the Earth’s foundations crack assunder,
Burst with subterraneous thunder.
Dusky flames and vivid flashes
Reduce the trembling Globe to ashes
Fiery torrents rolling down,
The naked valleys drown;
And with their ruddy waves supply
The channels of th’exhausted sea.

Seas, to thin vapours boil’d away,
Leave their crooked channels dry:
And not one drop returns again,
To cool the thirsty Earth with rain.

And must all Earth th’impartial ruin share?
Spare ye revengeful angels, spare!
Spare the Muses blissful seat:
Let me for _Wickham’s_ peaceful walls intreat.
No, ’tis in vain: and _Bodley’s_ spicy nest
Of learning too must perish with the rest;
—The _Oracles of God_ alone
An hasty Angel snatch’d away,
And bore them high through parted flames
To the Eternal throne.

Behold! fond soul, all thou didst once admire,
The objects of thy hope and thy desire;
Houses and lands and large estate;
The little things that make men great:
The empty trifles are no more,
But vanish all in smoke, scarce lighter than before.

Was it for this the Statesman wrackt his thought?
Was it for this the Soldier fought?
While grumbling drums like thunder beat,
And clanging trumpets rais’d the martial heat?

Now Nature is unstrung,
The Spheres their musick lose,
The Song of ages now
Ends in a solemn close.”

{1069} He had left Lynn the year before, so that the congregation had but _four_ ministers in a _hundred years_, whose labours here were nearly of equal duration: _J. Rastrick_ 26 years; _W. Rastrick_ 25 years; _A. Mayhew_ 25 years; _W. Warner_ 24 years.—The _Baptists_, in little more than 40 years, have had at least half a score ministers, and the _Methodists_ ten times as many.

{1070} Coxe’s Memoirs of Walpole.

{1073a} Biographical account of Sir B. Keene, by Bailey Wallis D.D. who married his niece, a daughter of the rev. Venn Eyre, formerly lecturer of Lynn.

{1073b} Of their intellectual character, or mental endowments not much seems now to be known. The father being an alderman may furnish a sort of presumption, that he must have been a person of no common or mean parts: the mother has been spoken of as possessed of a well-cultivated mind; which seems to be corroborated by the following extract of a Letter from her to her son, the ambassador, in 1745, when this town assumed such a warlike appearance; as was observed at p. 920.—

“This place, heretofore famous for the arts and blessings of peace,
is now entirely in the guise of war. Every thing has a military air.
The ditch before the walls is scoured; but there are unhappily so
many hay-stacks just by, that a few Highlanders, or French, by
casting two or three of them into the deepest part of it, might be
masters of the town in about four hours. The bridge of St. Germans
and those above it are to be cut down, if we hear any of the rebels
have escaped through the Fens, and are coming towards us. But the
river is fordable in many places, and several of them are near the
town. The body of the people are formed into 5 regiments, which are
commanded by proper officers, chosen out of the body politic. Those
whose spouses bear rule over them being disposed into one regiment
called greys. Those heroes spend their mornings and evenings in the
Guildhall, there learning the trade of war, under able and
experienced masters. No merchant sells deals, salt, pitch or tar,
without a weapon by their side. Shopkeepers have taken to the sword,
and divide their cags of soap with their blades. You can’t purchase
a joint of meat, or a loaf of bread, or a pound of candles but of an
armed man. Even clergymen are engaged in these death-doing measures.
One bears a captain’s commission. Another is a sutler. Most of the
fair and timerous persons of the other sex, who had any wits a while
ago, have very few remaining now. An ancient Lady indeed of the
illustrious house of the R— commands a fortress adjoining to the
town-wall, in which are some veteran troops, natives of Spain. {1074}
With these she supports herself and wonderfully animates her
neighbours whose courage fails; and let the enemy come when they
please, ’tis generally believed she will be in a condition to make a
sally.”

{1074} “Bottles of Mountain Malaga.”

{1075} On his promotion he was congratulated by his venerable relation, the elder Pyle, to which the bishop returned the following answer—

“My dear uncle, I return you my hearty thanks for your kind
congratulation on my advancement to the see of C. and was proud of
shewing my respect and veneration for you by doing a small piece of
service to so worthy a young man as my C. P. [cousin Philip] I hope
these cold winds will not set you back again and I may once more
visit you and survey you as I did then, in the light of an ancient
prophet or patriarch. Truly I have often wished that my fortune had
permitted me to have enjoyed you more than I have done, to have sat
at your feet and suckt in the true unpoluted streams of goodness and
religion, which you have poured forth for so many years, so much to
your own reputation and the welfare of others. Be assured you leave
a Nephew behind you who is determined to support the cause of Truth
and Righteousness, and has courage enough to attack the f. [false]
principles both of gt, and rn. [government and religion] that
universally prevail among ch. Divs. [church Divines] With my most
sincere Benediction I am. Dear Sir. your affectionate Nephew 28 Mar.
1752.

E. C.”

{1079} A degree which was exactly the reverse of the initials of his name D.LL.

{1081} Dr. H. was respectable in the line of his profession, not only as a practitioner, but likewise as a writer; though he was not rewarded according to his merit. Many of his works, at his death, were left in manuscript, most of which still remain in that state; but some have been since published, in addition to those that appeared in his life time. Of his published works the following are thought the most remarkable—1. “A paper on a _puncture in the bladder_,” inserted in the Phil. Trans. vol. 66.—2. “A paper on the disease called _the mumps_,” inserted in the Edinb. Phil. Trans.—3. “A paper on the _use of mercury and opium_,” published in Dr. Duncan’s Medical Commentaries.—4. “A Treatise upon _Scrophula_,” published in London by Dilly.—5. “A Treatise on the _Eau-brink-Cut_,” published at Lynn, in 1793.—6. “Observations on the _Marsh remittent Fever_ and on the _Water Canker_, &c.” published by Mawman, London, 1801.—7. “Letters on the cause and treatment of the _Gout_, in which some digressive remarks on other medical subjects are interspersed;” published by Whittingham, Lynn, and Sold by Crosby, London, 1806. Before we close this brief memoir of Dr. Hamilton we may just observe that he, as was before said of Mr. Rastrick and another person, sometimes left his profounder studies and amused himself in writing verses, of which a specimen may be seen at the beginning of his “Observations on the Marsh Remittent Fever.” In the same work, at page 89, we also learn how long it was that Dr. Hepburn practised physic in this town, and consequently at what time he settled here, which appears to have been about the spring or early part of the year 1694, whence was about 25 years of age. This had escaped the author’s observation till after the memoir of Dr. Hepburn had been printed off, otherwise he would not have represented the doctor’s settlement here as taking place at or _about the commencement the last century_, which is six years at least later than the time when it did take place. This is mentioned here for the purpose of correcting that mistatement, and enabling the reader to fix the true date of Dr. Hepburn’s first settlement here.—The passage referred to in Dr. Hamilton’s book reads thus,

“The late Dr. George Hepburn, who practised physic at Lynn upwards of
65 years, {1082} and whose medical ability, sagacity, and judgment,
were equalled by few, and surpassed by none of his contemporaries,
told me that he was so folly convinced of the great efficacy, as well
as perfect innocence and safety of large doses of the Peruvian bark,
that being attacked by an intermittent fever himself at an early
period of his medical career in this town, and at a time when he had,
in an epidemic season, a great deal of practice in the country, took
at one dose an ounce of the Peruvian bark in powder, mounted his
horse immediately after it, went to visit his patients, and had no
more of his disease.”

{1082} _During so extraordinary a course of practice and longevity he must have seen the whole population of the place buried two or three times over_.

{1085} Their godships or high mightinesses would do well however to be constantly upon their guard against that formidable natural enemy of theirs, the high bailiff of Marshland, who has before now overpowered and overthrown as potent beings as any of them. If they escape the mighty hug, or unfraternal embrace of this formidable adversary, this ancient lord and master and demon of this lower region, they may think themselves peculiarly fortunate, and need not fear afterwards to breathe the deleterious air of any other spot in Britain, or even in the very island of Walcheren itself.

{1088} This female and virgin saint is said to have been born at Antioch in the 3rd century. Some say her father was a heathen priest, while others say that it was Theodosius patriarch of Antioch. All agree that she was a christian; and some assert that she was very beautiful, which excited in Olybius, preside of the east, under the Romans, a desire to marry her; but finding she was a christian, deferred it till he could persuade her to renounce her religion. Not being able to accomplish that object, he first put her to extreme tortures, and then beheaded her. She has the same office among the papists, as Lucina has among the heathens, viz. to assist women in labour: So she seems to be the patroness, or tutelar saint of the midwives. Her holiday, (20th July) is very ancient, not only in the _Roman_, but also in the _Greek_-church, who celebrate her memory under the name of _Marina_. She suffered in the year 278. [See Wheatly on the common Prayer, p. 69—also Mackerell’s History of Lynn, p. 4.]—Her victory over the Dragon by means of the cross has probably only a figurative meaning.

{1089} Of the former and present state of this church, the following descriptions have been given by writers who had visited and examined it, and had consequently undertaken to give of it a correct account.—

“This church (says _Mackerell_) deserves to be taken particular
notice of, as it is of no mean extent, being a very large, stately,
and magnificient pile, built, as most cathedrals in England are, in
the perfect form of a cross, and contains in _length_ within the
walls, by mensuration 240 feet; in _breadth_, including the cross,
118 feet, and in _height_ from the highest battlements 52 feet.
About the middle or cross isle it is graced with a very fair and
lofty _Lanthorn_, all covered with lead, mounted on four main arches
within the body of the church, in which hangs the _Clock-Bell_, which
may be heard all over the town. The height of this ornamental
fabrick is 132 feet. It was neatly painted within with several coats
of arms and other decorations in 1621.—At the west end is a tower of
stone 82 feet high; on the outside of which towards the street, is
placed a Moon-Dial, shewing the increase and decrease of that planet,
with the exact hour of the day to all that pass by, actuated within
by clock work, and new beautified and gilt in 1710. On this tower is
a very high and regular spire, of timber, all covered with lead,
resembling a pyramid, in height 193 feet; [but] in all, from the
superficies of the ground, it is 275 feet, including the spindle of
iron with a cross on the top, and under it a vane in form of a hand,
both gilt, which was new set up in 1630; the former one having
continued full 70 years, being erected in 1568. [rather 1558.] The
model of the spire is surprizing. Near this [and parallel with it on
the north side] is the Bell-Tower, built of freestone 86 feet high,
in which formerly were _five_ very large bells, of which the biggest
was called _the Margaret_, and was for her curious sound one of the
fairest of that kind, and might be heard (the wind favouring, as I
have been assured) full ten miles distant. Others had likewise their
distinct names, as _the Trinity_, _the St. Thomas_, _&c._ So
christened, I suppose, as was usual before the reformation. But the
_biggest_ and the _least_ of these were purposely broken, and with
some addition cast into others, to make a ring of _eight_, which was
effected in 1663.—This noble structure is illuminated with above 70
arched windows, and others, all formerly of painted glass,
representing the pictures of saints in sacred scripture, with other
holy men and women, martyrs and confessors; of which that high and
lofty one on the south side and cross isle is [was] very remarkable,
[exhibiting] as I am informed, the whole history of _St. Margaret_,
the patroness of this church; and that circular one over the altar
[containing] the genealogy of the kings of Israel, is now to be seen
almost all entire, where also underneath the same are depicted the
Town-Arms, and on the south windows in the Quire are still remaining
several coats of arms in lively colours, and very fair.”