itfelf in the cathedral at Ely, at a time when I was there and refused it. I asked him, How one that

believed fo very little furd; his anfwer was, another man's poifon.

could join in a thing fo abWhat is one man's meat, is He also told Mr. Jackson, that if he were at Paris, he would declare himself a roman catholick; and if he were at Conftantinople, 'he would declare himself a muffulman, as taking religion to be an engine to promote peace in this world, rather than happiness in the next. He was ready to wonder at Mr. Jackson for believing St. Paul before himself, when they were of contrary fentiments. So great an opinion had he of his own fagacity. Yet, when he came to write a small pamphlet about the convocation, of which he was a member, it appeared to be a very contemptible performance: which opinion of mine, when I plainly told him, he had little to fay in his own juftification. Only fo much juftice I must do him, that, when bishop Trimnell, my old intimate friend, and Dr. Cannon, with whom I had long had great acquaintance, and from their natural tempers, I thought the former would endeavour to fave me from publick cenfure and punishment, when I was perfecuted; and the latter would be feverer upon me; the reverse proved true. Nor could bishop Trimnell, the groffeft tritheift that I ever knew, bear one that was fuppofed to be an Arian, notwithstanding the latter doctrines were very strongly supported, and the former utterly condemned by all chriftian antiquity.

Soon after archbishop Tillotfon's death, 1694, diéd that most excellent lady queen Mary. Bishop Burnet, in the hiftory of his own times, fays, that

king William then turned himself much to the meditations of religion, and to fecret prayer: "that the new archbishop (Tenifon) was often and long with him; and that he entered into fo❝lemn

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lemn and ferious refolutions of becoming in all things an exact and an exemplary chriftian.' But he gives no particular inftance of fuch folemn and serious refolutions. I can give a remarkable one, that tends greatly to the honour of both the king and the archbishop, which I had then from my patron bishop Moor; who was one of thofe forrowful company of bifhops, of whom bishop Burnet fpeaks a little before, who attended her in her receiving her laft communion. It was this; there was a court lady, the lady Villers, with whom it was well known king William had been too familiar, and had given her great endowments. Upon the queen's death, the new archbishop, whether as defired by the queen before her death, or of his own voluntary motion, I do not know; took the freedom, after his lofs of so excellent a wife, to represent to him, the great injury he had done that excellent wife by his adultery with the lady Villers. The king took it well, and did not deny his crime, but faithfully promifed the archbishop he would have no more to do with her. Which resolution I believe he kept; I having heard another way that this lady wondred fhe could never fee that king after the queen's death. Now for an atteftation to this history, the bishop added, that the archbishop's fermon concerning boly refolution, which was preach'd in the king's lodgings at Kenfington, before he appeared publickly, was defign'd particularly to confirm him in that refolution of never feeing her more: It is in print; and, to an attentive reader, upon this key, will appear to agree very well with the foregoing circumstances.

But having now. mentioned two fuch eminent and learned men, as Dr. Bentley and Dr. Hare, it will not be amifs to relate what hand they had in fome great affairs of learning in their time,

wherein

wherein I was alfo deeply concerned myself, and particularly with relation to the apoftolical conftitutions, by me first introduced to publick notice and to the harmony of the four evangelifts, by me a little earlier determined to include above four years. As to the former, the apoftolical conftitutions, when Dr. Bentley, was about to peruse them, upon my firft proving them to be genuine, he pretended to me, that he would cut the grafs from under my feet, as his expreffion was, and prove them to be spurious: I reply'd, mafter, you will not write against me upon that head; for when you examine them you will find them to be genuine. Accordingly, when he had, in fome measure, examined them, he gave this for his opinion; that fome things in them he could correct as a critick; but that for other parts, they were ab ultima antiquitate. Nor did Dr. Hare (who had procured for Dr. Grabe and me, the collation of two Vienna MSS. of the conftitutions, by that very good man Mr. Anderson, then our ambaffador's chaplain at Vienna, and afterwards rector of Lutterworth; and one who seemed ftill to fuppofe them genuine :) nor did Dr. Hare, I fay, appear to me ever to deny their being fo; altho' neither were Dr. Bentley, nor Dr. Hare firm believers enough, nor ferious enough in christianity, to hazard any thing in this world, for their reception. And as to the latter, the harmony of the four evangelifts, Dr. Bentley had of old revived, from his own perufal of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (not pretending the fame of John,) that Valentinian notion, that our Saviour preached only one year; and this in the days of archbishop Sharp; whom I have heard fpeak of it with concern. This notion, I fay, came firft from Dr. Bentley, to Dr. Hare, and from him to his pupil, Mr. Nicolas Mann, now mafter of the Charter-Houfe; who being unacquainted whence it came, till I informed him of it; but a per

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fon

1

fon of very good learning, and fagacity, managed, the hypothefis fo well, that I once told the bifhop of Durham, he had demonstrated an impoffibility, as well as an impoffibility could be demonftrated. And which yet I throughly confuted from Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as well as John, afterward. See that confutation at the end of my VI. Differtations,. page 347-355, of which hereafter. Dr. Hare. alfo, about the end of queen Anne's reign, wrote a most remarkable paper, that fold greatly, intituled

The difficulties and difcouragements which at"tend the ftudy of the fcriptures, in the way of pri-. "vate judgment. In order to fhew, that fince fuch "a ftudy of the fcriptures is mens indifpenfible du"ty, it concerns all chriftian focieties to remove (as "much as poffible) thofe difcouragements". This was done in fuch a feeming ludicrous way, that the convocation fell upon him, as if he, were really against the study of the fcriptures. And he finding this paper rather an hindrance to the preferment he foon after was feeking for, aimed to conceal his being the author, which yet every body was fatisfied he really was. I mention that pamphlet in this account of my own life particularly, because he there introduces me, as well as Dr. Clark, and gives both our characters. Mine is in the words following, at large.

"There are, fays this author, two clergymen of "the town, who have ftudied themfelves into Herefy, or at least into a fufpicion of it. Both of "them men of fair, unblemished characters. One. " has all his life been cultivating piety and virtue,

and good learning; rigidly conftant himself in "the publick and private duties of religion; and "always promoting in others virtue, and fuch

learning as he thought, would conduce moft to, "the honour of God, by manifefting the greatness and wifdom of his works. He has given the

"world

world fufficient proofs that he has not mifpent "his time, by very useful works of philofophy, and "mathematicks, he has apply'd one to the expli«cation of the other; and endeavour'd, by both, "to difplay the glory of the great Creator: and to his study of nature, he early joined the study of the fcriptures; and his attempts, whatever "the fuccefs be, were at leaft well meant; and, "confidering the difficulty of the fubjects he was "engaged in, it must be allowed, that, in the

main, they are well aimed; and if he has not "fucceeded, no more have others who have meddled with the fame fubjects; nor is he more to be blamed than they. To be blamed did I fay? I fhould have faid, not lefs to be commended: for "fure 'tis a commendable defign to explain fcripturedifficulties, and to remove the objections of profane men, by fhewing there is nothing in the facred writings but what is true and rational.

"But what does a life thus fpent avail? To "what purpose fo many watchful nights and "weary days? fo much piety and devotion? fo "much mortification and felf-denial? fuch a zeal "to do good, and to be useful to the world? fo "many noble fpecimens of a great genius, and a "fine imagination? 'Tis the poor man's misfor

tune (for poor he is, and like to be; not having "the leaft preferment) to have a warm head, "and to be very zealous in what he thinks the "caufe of God. He thinks prudence the worldly "wisdom condemned by Chrift and his apoftles: "and that 'tis grofs prevarication and hypocrify " to conceal the difcoveries he conceives he has "made. This heat of temper betrays him into "indifcreet expreffions, and hafty affertions; de"figning to hurt no body, he fanfies no body "defigns to hurt him; and is fimple enough to "expect the fame favourable allowances will be "made

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