man

P. 252. Dr. Francis Dickins, in a Letter to Dr. Z. Grey, Oct. 8, 1742, says, "I know not whether it will be any news to you to hear that Mr. Thurlbourn is married to Mrs. Hubbard*, sister of the late Master of Catharine Hall. Interest is making to succeed the honest Provost of King's College. Mr. Thicknesse has procured date for his Batchelor of Divinity's degree; and 'tis said Dr. George of Eton opposes him. There was a rumour that the Provost was dying; but I am told, to my great satisfaction, that he is as well as can be expected, and I hope will long continue There seems to be great harmony at Trinity College, under their new Governort. Mr. Johnson is chosen Bursar, and Dr. Parn one of the Deans. 'Tis said that Porter the Butler, will be eased of some of the trouble he had in the management of the College affairs in the last Master's time. FR. DICKINS." In another Letter Dr. Dickins says,

$0.

"DEAR SIR,

October 17, 1742.

"I was favoured with your kind and obliging Letter. I hope you will give me leave to be of the number of your subscribers: for you have already been over-kind in your generous presents to me of your books; and I would have subscribed for the large paper, but was willing to be uniform and all of a piece with the other subscribers. My friend at Winchester is the Rev. Luke Imber, formerly of Trinity Hall, one whom perhaps you have some knowledge of. I ever found him ready to do any kind of good office, when applied to, and I dare say it will be a sensible pleasure to him to be able in any sort to pleasure Dr. Grey. I shall by this post prepare him to expect some receipts from you.-Pray have any receipts been sent to Doctors Commons? If not, I desire you to convey some to Mr. Strahan at the Commons, the Doctor's son; before your receipts can reach him, I will let him know that I advised the sending of them.-Dr. Warren sends his service, and desired me to tell you that if he can procure a couple of franks, he will transmit to you Dr. Brett's notes.-Mr. Thicknesse, who had got a Royal mandate in his pocket for a Batchelor of Divinity's degree, to qualify him for the Provostship, died himself last Monday of an ulcer in his kidneys. Such is the instability of all human affairs. Dr. George has writ to the Fellows, to bespeak their favours in case of a vacancy, but he does not seem to be a popular man in the Society. FR. DICKINS."

P. 291. In a large square mansion at Hampstead, formerly the residence of Sir Henry Vane (in 1812 of the late Charles Pilgrim, esq. and now of John Peter De Rowre, esq.) Dr. Joseph Butler, Bp. of Durham, resided several years; and ornamented the windows with a considerable quantity of painted glass, which is still preserved there, and consists of a large series of Scriptural subjects' in squares, some very finely executed, and two or three of them with Biblical inscriptions in old English, and the date of 1571 underneath: several figures of the Apostles, with their * Of whom see before, p. 507.

† Dr. Robert Smith; of whom see vol. II. p. 126.

names

names subscribed in Latin, in smaller oblong squares; these are reported by local tradition to have been a present from the Pope to Dr. Butler:-some modern pieces, of inferior execution, in small ovals, viz. landscapes, &c. and a circular piece of painted glass, containing a figure of St. Paul, seated in the centre of some rich Gothic stall-work, and circumscribed Sigillum com'une Decani et Capituli eccl'ie Pauli London. All the pieces, except the modern ones, are inlaid in borders of stained glass adjusted to the panes. In the upper story was a very large room (now divided into several smaller ones) running along the whole back front of the house, and containing the Bishop's Library. Most of the apartments were hung with tapestry when its present possessor first occupied it. The house has been considerably modernized in some parts, but still retains enough of the antique hue to make it a very interesting object. The back front, entrance hall, and carved staircase, are in their original state. The garden is laid out in the old style, with a very large square grass plat, and avenue of fine elms at the end. An adjoining house (the residence of Mr. Langhorn) now completely modernized, was, I believe, formed out of the Bishop's offices, and contains painted glass in almost every window, in continuation of the Scriptural series before mentioned.

"After the Bishop of Durham's decease in 1752, this house, which was his own copyhold property, was sold, together with the whole of his real estates, for the payment of his debts, as directed by his will, dated 22 April, eod. an. Dr. Butler had been scarcely two years in enjoyment of the rich Sce of Durham before his death, and during the time he had been Bishop of Bristol, he is said to have expended more than the whole revenue of the Bishopric in repairing and improving the Episcopal Palace; so little was he possessed with the spirit of avarice. I have mentioned these circumstances to account for the above testamentary direction." Park's Hampstead, pp. 269–271.

A Portrait of this amiable Prelate is here annexed.

Abp. Secker, in a Letter to Dr. Salter, Oct. 15, 1766, says, "There is a grandson of my Patron Bp. Talbot, with a very small church income; and a nephew of my Friend Bp. Butler, with a very large family, and both of them in very narrow circumstances, for whom I have hitherto done nothing; and two nephews of my friend and brother Bp. Benson, for whom I have not done enough. I gave lately a good Prebend to Mr. [Gloster] Ridley; he not only deserved, but wanted; so do many others."

Bp. Butler's nephew was the Rev. Jonathan Butler, a native of Wantage, who was presented in 1742 to the Rectory of Shadwell, Middlesex; and in 1745 obtained the Prebend of Islington: He died at Wantage, in August 1798, aged 84. "This gentleman was not M. A. (as he has erroneously been styled) but LL.B. It is recollected that he walked after the Beadle from Clare Hall to the Schools, in order to keep his Law Act. Not having the talents, natural or acquired, of his Reverend Namesake and

Uncle,

Uncle, he did not shine in the Rostrum when opposed by Professor Dickins, who was a Latinist of great eminence." S, D. P. 328. Mr. Thomas Radcliffe to Dr. Z. Grey :

London, June 8, 1731.

"REV. SIR, "The favour of yours of the 30th ult. came unexpectedly to hand; and am extremely obliged to you for the notice you are pleased to take of my Letters, and the kind answers I have received from you to them. I do assure you that the motives which induced me to solicit in this affair were purely the thoughts I have entertained, that the Dean's Discourses would be of very great service to the world, more particularly at this time, when such loose opinions both in faith and practice are daily breathed in the world. As to what you are pleased to mention in relation to the Sermons on the Lord's Prayer, I humbly desire that you will by all means let them with all convenient speed be transcribed for the press, in order to a Third Volume. I presume there will be time sufficient for that purpose before the Second is closed, which in a manner is but just entered upon. Some of the Heads of Gray's Inn spoke to Mr. Williamson chiefly for those Sermons; and he promised they should be included in the Work, on which score he cannot be handsomely off of it.

"I confess it is a hard task upon you to look over Manuscripts that are left in disorder (as I am afraid these are); and it must be a difficult matter to distinguish the superior goodness of one Sermon from another in that condition. Only it is presumed in general, that those which have been more frequently preached, the Dean reviewed and retouched upon every such opportunity, and in that sense may be said to have had his last hand. This is the only rule I can think of, to go by, in the choice of them as for instance, if there be any that were preached at Court before the late Queen Anne of blessed memory (for as to the late King, I think he was not his Chaplain) that would be a good direction; because, as I have formerly hinted to you, the greater the auditory, the more care is supposed to be taken in the composition. In Dr. Knight's Life of Dean Colet, p. 428, it is said that Dean Moss once preached an Anniversary Sermon before the gentlemen and scholars of Bishop-Stortford school. I believe that Sermon was never printed; and, if it could be found amongst his Manuscripts, I think it would be acceptable to the world. The book does not say in what year it was preached, but that circumstance is not very material: however, if you find it amongst the Manuscripts you will then be best able to judge in what condition it is left.-We want a single Sermon or two to put into the First Volume before it be closed; it will be rather too scanty without it. I think an 8vo volume containing about 450 pages appears graceful and handsome; otherwise it looks as if it was contrived more for the sake of profit than Dr. Clarke's Volumes being rather under a just proportion. -I hope, good Sir, you do not forget Dr. Snape, that he may be supplied in due time with the proper materials for the Dean's

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