AN

EPITAPH

O N

MISS DRUM M O N D,

DAUGHTER to the ARCHBISHOP of YORK,

H1

By the Reverend Mr. MASON.

ERE fleeps what once was Beauty, once was Grace,

Grace, that with Senfe and Tenderness combin❜d, To form that Harmony of Soul and Face,

Where Beauty shines the Mirror of the Mind.

Such was the Maid, who, in the Morn of Youth, In Virgin Innocence, in Nature's Pride,

Bleft with each Art which owes its Charm to Truth, Sunk in her Father's fond Embrace, and died.

He weeps-O venerate the holy Tear!

Faith lends her Aid to ease Affliction's Load, The Parent mourns his Child upon her Bier, The Christian yields an Angel to his God.

Some

Some ACCOUNT of the

LIFE AND WRITINGS

O F

DR. JOHN EACHARD.

HE Lives of learned Men, and especially Phi

Tlofophers and Divines, are generally spent in

the Shade of Obfcurity; amongst Books and Manuscripts, in Schools and Colleges; amongst Men unacquainted with the Intrigues of Courtiers and Schemes of Statesmen; amongst such as are Strangers to all the Noise and Parade of the Military, and the Tumult and Buftle of the bufy and commercial Part of the World: the fole Ambition of studious Men is, generally at least, to make literary Conquests, and to extend the Boundaries of Science.

From a Life thus private and inactive, no Materials can be obtained to amuse the common Readers of Biography, who require Actions more fplendid and vigorous, and Occurrences more varied and ftriking. They can find little or no Entertainment in fuch Narratives as rarely contain more than_Accounts of learned Controverfies acutely managed, or of clerical Duties faithfully discharged.

All that we can gather relating to the Life of Dr. John Eachard, may be comprized in a very narrow Compafs.

Ho

He was born of a good Family in the County of Suffolk. After being inftructed in the first Elements of Learning at a Grammar-School, he was sent to Catharine Hall, in the University of Cambridge, where he was admitted May 10, 1653; and was elected Fellow, July 9, 1658. He took the Degree of Batchelor of Arts 1656, and that of Mafter in 1660.

In 1670, he published his celebrated Work, called, The Grounds and Occafion of the Contempt of the Clergy and Religion enquired into. It was attacked by an anonymous Writer, the following Year, in an Anfwer to a Letter of Enquiry into the Grounds, &c. And by Barnabas Oley and feveral others, and amongst the reft the famous Dr. John Owen, in a Preface to fome Sermons of W. Bridge*.

Eachard replied to the firft, in Some Obfervations upon an Answer to his Enquiry; and in a few Letters printed at the End of his Book, intituled, Mr. Hobbs's State of Nature confidered, in a Dialogue between Philautus and Timothy, he took Notice of the Reft of his Opponents, whom he treats with less Ceremony than his firft Anfwerer, though he does not confider him as a Perfon of great Importance, or as a fair and candid Enemy.

Soon after our Author published a † fecond Dialogue between Philautus and Timothy; called, Some Opinions of Mr. Hobbs's confidered .

In this as well as the former Dialogue, he has employed all the Powers of his Wit to expose the false Reasoning and fpecious Sophiftry of the Philofopher of Malmesbury. And furely the graveft Reader cannot help being highly diverted with the happy Strokes of fine Humour and keen Raillery, with which he has attacked, and entirely confuted the abfurd and dog

* Formerly of Emanuel College, Cambridge.

This fecond Dialogue was never published in any Edition of the Author's Works, the last of which was the twelfth,

Dedicated to Archbishop Sheldon, May 20, 1673.

matical

matical Lectures of this inveterate Enemy of true Religion and found Morals. All the ferious and fyftematical Books, written by the moft eminent and learned of our Divines, could never have rendered the Philofophy of Hobbs fo contemptible as the incomparable Dialogues of Eachard, which contain the moft judicious Arguments, united with the moft fpirited Satire, and the livelieft Mirth.

Upon the Deceafe of Dr. John Lightfoot 1675, John Eachard was chofen in his Room Mafter of Catharine-hall; and in the Year following he was created Doctor of Divinity by a Royal Mandate.

It cannot be doubted, but that Eachard, who was Master of fuch admirable Wit and fine Fancy, united to a very competent Share of Learning, with a Temper equally chearful and benevolent, muft have been a most agreeable Companion, and a welcome Gueft, wherever he went; yet that grave Antiquary Antony Wood, in fome Part of his Diary, infinuates, that one of the greatest Prelates of that Age, Archbishop Sheldon, preferred the Pleasure of his Society to the Enjoyment of our Author's chearful and fpirited Converfation. Take the Story in his own Words.

Sunday Sir Leol. Jenkyns took with him in the Morning over the Water to Lambeth, Antony Wood; and after Prayers, he conducted him up to the Dining-Place Room, where Archbishop Sheldon received him, and gave him his Bleffing. There then dined among the Company John Eachard, the Author of "The Contempt of the Clergy," 'who fat at the lower End of the Table between "the Archbishop's two Chaplains, Sam. Parker and Tho. Tompkins, being the first Time the faid Eachard 'was introduced unto the faid Archbishop's Com· pany. After Dinner the faid Archbishop went into his Withdrawing-Room, and Eachard, with the Chaplains and Ralph Snow, to their Lodgings

to

to drink and fmoak. Sir Leol. Jenkyns took then A. Wood by the Hand, and conducted him into the Withdrawing-Room to the Archbishop.'

From this invidious Narrative of the vain and conceited. A. Wood, the very learned and reverend Commentator of Pope's Works has been induced to charge Archbishop Sheldon with Want of Difcernment and Tafte; and to reprefent him as a Man, who could prefer the Society of the dulleft Fellow in the Univerfe to that of one eminently distinguished for his Vivacity and Wit. With Submiffion to fo great 2 Writer, I muft beg Leave to fay, that it is not difficult to make such Obfervations, nor very easy to support them.

From the Diary itfelf, we may reasonably fuppofe that the Archbishop, who was a Friend and Patron of the University of Oxford, might think himself under a Neceffity to pay a little Compliment to the Man who was employed in writing the Hiftory of that learned Society, ad to encourage him in the Profecution of the Undertaking; and furely fome Marks of Civility were due to a Writer, who, by indefatigable Industry, had almost accomplished a very laborious as well as ufeful Work. It is very evident, that this Prelate was a firm Friend to our Author, and, as far I can guess from his own Words, a bountiful Mecenas to him; nay, in the Dedication of his firft Dialogue, he produces his Grace as a strong Instance of the great and noble Qualities inherent in Human Nature, in Oppofition to the Philofopher Hobbs, who endeavours to degrade her nobleft Works: Such a Man then as Sheldon, who was univerfally acknowledged to be a moft generous and munificent Patron of Learning; who was a Statesman, a Courtier, and an accomplished Gentleman, certainly knew how to diftinguish between the dull, though useful Qualities of

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