was writing for his Sifter, whom he had directed to meet him: there was then nothing of Disorder difcernible in his Mind by any but himself, but he had then withdrawn from Study, and travelled with no other Book than an English Teftament, fuch as Children carry to the School; when his Friend took it into his Hand, out of Curiofity to see what Companion a Man of Letters had chofen; I have but one Book,' fays Collins, but that is the • beft.

A LET

A

LETTER

TO A

BISHOP.

CONCERNING

LECTURESHIP S.

I

MY LORD,

Would not thus have addrefs'd your Lordship in public, but that in these our Days the Prefs is the only Method by which I could gain Admisfion to you, or have the Opportunity, to use our old College Phrafe, of a little CONFAB: Bishops and Curates are, I believe, at present seldom seen together, except in the Prayer for the Clergy. Fortune, my Lord, who brought us fo clofe together at the University, where, you may remember, we were Chums, has at Length

Savo lata negotio,

as the old Bard fings, in one of her strange Freaks, thrown us from the most intimate Connection into Stations of Life at the utmost Distance from each other, by making your Lordship a Bishop, and me an-Afliftant-Curate. I think, my Lord, I have

somewhere

fomewhere read, that in the Roman Triumphs a Person was always appointed to attend the Conqueror, and as he paffed along to repeat to him

Thou art a Man, The following Pages may be confidered as a falutary Hint of the fame Nature, and were only meant to lay on your Lordfhip's Table, and as you flip on your Lawn, to whifper to you--- Thou art a Clergyman.'

Though I do not (to use the Phrafe of a certain Right Reverend) bask in the Sunshine of the Gospel, you will perceive, notwithstanding, in the Course of this Letter, I am not so much hurt by Difappointments, but that I can laugh at a proper Opportunity; at prefent, however, I am perfectly serious, and do from my Heart think and declare, that the least grateful Acknowledgement which our dignified Clergy can make, for the Honours and Rewards conferred on them, is to affist their distressed Brethren; to make use of their beft Endeavours to fupport the Dignity of the minifterial Office ; and to gain them fome Deference and Refpect, if they can, or will, procure them nothing elfe: and yet this, my Lord, I will not fay wherefore, or by whom, is of late Years, moft fhamefully neglect

ed.

Your Lordship, I am convinced by Experience, is not without Humanity; I have known fome Bifhops, (formerly I mean) who had not a Grain of it in their whole Compofition; but that is not your Cafe; I have therefore taken the Liberty to appeal to you, in Behalf of the inferior Clergy of these Kingdoms, who, I believe, are the most diftreffed, deferted, and defpifed Body of Men, at prefent, on the Face of the Earth: into the Caufes of this, I propofe cooly and candidly to examine, and to confult with your Lordfhip concerning the moft probable Method of removing them. R

VOL. II.

I have

242 LETTER TO A BISHOP.

I have a thoufand Things to fay to your Lordfhip, on this copious Head, which I fhall reserve for fome future Occafion, and for the Sake of Method, confine myself at present (though I hate Confinement of every Kind) to a particular Branch of our fcanty Revenue, commonly known by the Name of LECTURESHIPS.

Your Lordship being much better acquainted with ecclefiaftical History than myself, could probably acquaint me with the Origin and Rife of these PAUPERTATIS SUBSIDIA: as I am not, however, very ambitious of tracing the Source of this muddy Spring, I fhall defer the Search to another Opportunity, and content myself with obferving (a Truth which I am every Day more and more convinced of) that the Establishment of Lectureships, in and about London, has been extremely prejudicial to the inferior Clergy of this Kingdom, and contributed, in a great Measure, to bring upon the whole Body that Poverty and Contempt into which they are now fallen; that the Methods by which they are obtained are highly unbecoming our Character, and the Means made Ufe of to fupport them inadequate to the Duty performed; that they are acquired, in fhort, with Difficulty, loft with Eafe, and very few of them worth the keeping: which I will endeavour to prove to your Lordship in as few Words as pof

fible.

6

It may not, perhaps, be improper, when I talk of SERMONISERS, to follow the ufual SERMON Method, and divide my Subject into three or four general Heads; and though I would not, as Lord Shaftsbury fays, Bring my Two's and Three's be⚫fore a fashionable Congregation,' yet, as I am talking only to your Lordship, and what paffes may never go much further than ourselves, I may as well adopt the TEXTUAL Manner; (there, my Lord, is a new Word for Johnson's Dictionary).

I fhall

1

I fhall proceed therefore,

FIRST,

To confider how LECTURESHIPS are canvaffed for.

SECONDLY,

What is expected from them, And

THIRDLY and LASTLY,

How they are paid, and what Emoluments usually arise to the Poffeffors of them.

First therefore, my Lord, with Regard to the canvaffing for Lectureships, as ufually practifed amongst us, I will venture to affert, it is an Employment utterly inconfiftent with the Character, and unbecoming the Dignity of a Clergyman, an Office greatly beneath the Attention of Genius and Learning, and highly unfuitable to all the Notions of Life imbibed in the Course of a genteel and liberal Education.

The Choice of a LECTURER in this Metropolis is generally vested in the whole Body of the Parish, confifting, for the most Part, of ordinary Tradef men, fometimes very low Mechanics, Perfons not always of the most refined Manners, or delicate Senfations. Your Lordship, I am fure, muft remember, how cavalierly, when we were at Cambridge, (for which by the bye, we deserved to be horfe-whipped) we used to treat the CANAILLE; if an honeft Tradefman came dunning to our Room of a Morning before Lecture, we tipped the NON DOMI upon him; or if by Chance he gained Admittance, and grew importunate in his Solicitations, without further Ceremony fhewed him the nearest Way down Stairs. Little did fome of us think

R 2