"Bishop. Dr. Hough, will you deliver up the keys and give pos session of the lodgings to the person the king has appointed president?

"This being repeated a second and third time, and Dr. Hough having answered, that he had neither heard nor seen any reasons to induce him to it, the king's proctor stood up and accused him of contumacy; when the bishop admonished him in these words, three times: Dr. Hough, I admonish you to depart peaceably out of the lodgings, and to act no longer as president, or pretended president, of this college.' This being done, the commissioners struck his name out of the books of the college, and admonished the fellows, and others of the society, no longer to submit to his authority. Having adjourned till the afternoon, the president came again into the court, and having desired to speak a few words, they all took off their hats, and gave him leave; whereupon he said, 'My lords, you were pleased this morning to deprive me of my place of president of this college: I do hereby protest against all your proceedings, and against all that you have done, or hereafter shall do, in prejudice of me and my right, as illegal, unjust, and null; and therefore I appeal to my sovereign lord the king, in his courts of justice."

pre

By this firm and manly conduct of Dr. Hough and his colleagues, the king and his friend and coadjutor William Penn (whose activity in the cause reads a sort of lesson to our contemporaries, which we shall presently recall to their minds), were defeated in their attempt to force a Roman Catholic sident upon the college, and at length quitted Oxford re infecta. We cannot but be struck with this choice by James II. of William Peun the quaker, as an instrument to forward his designs against the established church in favour of popery. Who can help comparing it with the partnership entered into at a late catholic meeting in Ireland, between its members and a modern quaker of celebrity? The fact proves, that it is not a new thing for popery and quakerism, however discordant in their principles, to become friends in a confederacy against the established church.

The scene of which we have just read an account is the more creditable to Dr. Hough, as the whole tenor of his subsequent life exhibited a continued proof, that his firm stand against arbitrary power in no wise originated in a turbulent spirit, or factious motives. The happy times which succeeded the revolution were little fruitful in acts calculated to call forth conscientious resistance to ecclesiastical oppression, and the good bishop consequently confined himself to the quiet discharge of his pastoral duties, and to a charitable and paternal interest in the welfare of his friends. In 1690 he became bishop of Oxford, and successively filled the sees of Lichfield and Coventry,

and of Worcester, where he remained 26 years, having lived to the advanced age of 92. He retained complete possession of his faculties to the last, and what was still more valuable, seems to have been free from that peevishness and querulousness of temper which are among the moral infirmities of age. In short, he appears to have possessed the happy art of growing old with a good grace. The source from which this serenity flowed will appear from the perusal of his letters and other writings, which we recommend to the attention of our readers, who are yet to acquire a taste for the beauty of regulated affections, gentle habits, and polished humanity.

The following specimens are given by Mr. Wilmot of the bishop's pleasantry, good humour, and benevolence.

"A young clergyman, curate of a neighbouring parish, taking his leave of him one day, and making many awkward bows, ran against, and threw down on the floor, a favourite barometer of the bishop's: the young man was frightened and extremely concerned; but the good old prelate, with all the complacency possible, said to him, 'Don't be uneasy, sir; I have observed this glass almost daily for upwards of seventy years, but I never saw it so low before.""

The other is as follows: He always keep 10007. in the house for unexpected occurrences, perhaps to pay funeral expenses or legacies. One day the collectors of one of the noble societies in this country came to him to apply for his contribution: the bishop told his steward to give them 500l. The steward made signs to his master, intimating that he did not know where to get so large a sum: He replied, "You are right, Harrison; I have not given enough: give the gentleman 10007.—you will find it in such a place:" with which the old steward, though unwillingly, was forced to comply.

The Bishop of Worcester's chief correspondent was Lady Kaye, widow of Sir Arthur Kaye, of Woodsome, in Yorkshire, and great grandmother to the late Earl of Dartmouth. She was daughter to Lady Marow, whose funeral sermon the bishop preached in St. James's church in 1714. This lady appears to have been a most exemplary person, and as far as a judgment can be formed by the evidence given by Mr. Wilmot, to her may be ascribed the singular glory of having literally earned the fame bestowed upon her in a long and laudatory epitaph*.

The bishop also corresponded with another daughter of Lady Marow's, Mrs. Knightly. In one of his earliest letters to her,

* Lady Marow's epitaph is to be found in St. James's church, and is transcribed in the work before us, p. 80.

is a short passage upon the advantages of epistolary intercourse with friends, which pleased us much from its new and original

turn.

"Good sense in manuscript is what we may dwell upon with pleasure: we can oblige the author to repeat, over and over again, those thoughts and expressions we are so much taken with, and every time find out new beauties in them, with this great advantage, that modesty is not provoked on one side, nor does satiety rise on the other. For this reason, I have often thought it no small happiness to have friends at a distance, who are so good as to think of us, and so kind as to let us know it; and I really believe it would prove to our loss, if we could see each other so often as we desire it."

We have no doubt but one half at least of our readers will approve highly of the bishop's ideas of domestic management contained in the following extract from a letter to Mrs. Knightly.

"I congratulate Lady Delves on her good fortune, and I think I may say Sir Thomas too, for I hear he is much pleased, and that the lady carries herself with a decent complaisance, which cannot chuse but be engaging, to one who was not used to it in his former wife's time. She governed, so ought this to do; but her good sense will prevent her from letting the world, or even himself, discern it: it is the true art of maintaining a comfortable correspondence in a family; and it was the saying of the Archbishop Dolben, that every good husband willingly gave up the government to his wife, but every prudent wife kept the secret to herself."

A short letter from the bishop to Mrs. Knightly, after the death of her son, aged 20, is so well deserving of attention, that we shall insert it.

"Madam,

May 1st, 1732.

"Your last letter makes me sensible that prudence and good understanding are superior to the greatest trials, and that an even temper, which calmly bears, and does not impatiently struggle under adversity, overcomes it; slowly, indeed, and by leisurely degrees, but this makes the conquest more effectual. The reason is obvious, for then a man's conduct is such as the almighty Governor of the world expects it to be, who would have the sufferer know, that he is under his hand, and ought humbly, nay, thankfully to submit, but does not forbid him the use of all proper endeavours to lighten the weight; so far from such severity, that he sends the blessed Spirit to influence and assist him, whereby he is enabled to consider of his present state with true judgment, to make useful reflections upon it, and proceed to resolutions, which he may promise himself he shall soon have power to accomplish. This is that strength of mind, which philosophy vainly boasts she has at her disposal, but never could bestow it upon any of her votaries; for human nature has it not. The great Author of nature reserves it in his own hand, a gift only to those who seek it worthily, and none but the

sincere Christian can obtain it. I am confident, Madam, you have felt this by experience, and found that when a course of reasoning has made but little progress towards it, an humble prayer has brought it down from above. Let this, therefore, be your chief resort, your constant refuge, and be assured it will never fail you.

"Mr. Palmer of Ladbrook is now at Hartlebury, and tells me it is not long since he saw you in very good health, which is a blessing I pray God you may long enjoy, not only for your own sake, but for the sake of one who, well disposed as he is, will daily improve by your example and instruction; on whom duty and a tender regard for all you do and say will make a deeper impression than the most solemn lectures and discourses from an indifferent person. As I take myself to have more than a common interest in him, I cannot but express an equal concern, that he may in all respects make such a figure as you may look upon with comfort and pleasure.

"I am,

"Madam, &c."

We shall conclude our extracts by presenting to our readers part of a charge delivered by the bishop to his clergy, when in the eighty-first year of his age. He is treating of the obstacles which exist in the human mind to the reception of the truth.

"They are many, but I will instance only in three: 1st, self-conceit; 2dly, prejudice; and 3dly, prepossession. The first in the opinion of the wise man, was invincible. He no where vouchsafes his advice to it, concluding it would be thrown away, and gives a very good reason; for seest thou,' says he, a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.' Accordingly wherever such a one comes in his way, his severest reproofs are sure. to fall heavy, but not in a manner as if he expected amendment. A fool may, by proper treatment, in some degree become tractable : he is not absolutely incapable of being influenced by hopes and fears; as far as his small knowledge and apprehension, goes, he will obey those on whom he depends: but the self-conceited man is en tirely unmanageable, full of sufficiency, and not to be wrought upon. If you disapprove his conduct, he smiles, and pities your judgment. He is very sure he is not in the wrong, and therefore is incapable of being set right. He is, in short, impenetrable to good advice; and yet from such a temper as this we must not turn aside. The husbandman must scatter his seed on rocks, on stony ground, and even in the highways: it may be trodden under foot, or not take root; but he has not been sparing either of that or his pains; and if the product does not answer, the fault is not his. What Solomon thought impossible, is extremely feasible to one who is greater and wiser than he; who can, when he pleases, even by means of our endeavours (poor as they may be) make the opinionated sinner ashamed of his follies, and, which is more sick, of himself.

"The second ill quality which I mentioned to stand often in our way is prejudice, sometimes against the doctrine, sometimes against the preacher, and in either case we shall not easily remove it. For

if your reprehension be turned upon a favourite vice, or you set up a virtue that interferes with it, he must be a man of more than or dinary candour who will hear with patience and impartiality. All who are not thorough paced and hardened sinners find out ways to reconcile their principles to their practice, till they come to be easy in their own minds, and to look upon those things as very toler able wherein they indulge themselves. Let these alone, and you shall say what you please, without contradiction; but such and such doctrines are not to be digested; they bear too hard, and do not make, as they think, reasonable allowances; and if you will not forbear to insist upon them, you provoke their spleen. Is there not,? says Jehosaphat, a prophet of the Lord, besides these that stand before us, of whom we may enquire?" Yes,' says Ahab, but I hate him.' Why so? Because he does not prophecy good concerning me.' A covetous man is as ready as any body to applaud the preacher upon the subject of frugality, if he will but leave his hearers to adjust the measures of it. But if he takes upon him to define the virtue, and expose the sordid vice it may degenerate into, he thwarts the man's inclination, and loses his esteem. On the other hand, a luxurious man is so far from being shocked, when you tell of the blessings that attend a liberal hand, that he fancies himself well entitled to them. He does not with the miser keep all to himself, but calls his neighbours and friends to share in his plenty. But when you come to shew in what degree and in what manner hospitality must be exercised to make it commendable; when you talk of limits and restrictions, of proper objects and justifiable ends, you spoil all, and his complacency forsakes him.

"Thus it is obvious we might make ourselves acceptable enough, by prophesying only smooth things;' but the direct contrary is our duty, and will be, till the world comes into a better state. Sometimes the instruction is ill entertained, because not delivered gracefully and with a becoming air. The preacher's figure, or his mien, or his elocution does not please, and then the substance of what he says shall be little regarded. A foolish prejudice, and justly to be despised; but yet we find the great St. Paul laboured under it. The Corinthians could not but confess that his letters were weighty and powerful: the strength of reason and the truth of his doctrine were undeniable; but his bodily presence, it seems, was weak in their eyes, and the manner of expressing himself not tuneable to their ears. He did not appear great and awful, like one who ought to be revered; he spoke very good sense, that they allowed him, but he set it off poorly; and these trifling considerations, added to their vicious dispositions, made them bold to demur to his authority.

"The third, and of all others the most obstinate enemy we have to encounter is prepossession; for it sticks at nothing. Where education and interest have settled falsehood, neither shame nor remorse can touch it. How imperiously and how impudently does it maintain the ground! Dressed out in the most specious colours that can be invented, she insults the plainness and simplicity of

VOL. III. NO. V.

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