Doxologies. After his death, which took place on the 5th of February, 1749-50. about sixty pieces on the Doctrines and Duties of Christianity, were published from his manuscript, in three volumes, by the Rev. John Berryman, rector of St. Olave's, Silver-street. "His abilities as a scholar and polemical divine," says Nichols," were universally acknowledged; and his high opinion of the power, right, and dignity of the priesthood, is eminently conspicuous in all his writings."

CONYBEARE, (JOHN, Bishop of Bristol,) was born on the 31st of January, 1691-2, at Pinhoe, in Devonshire. He was admitted a battler of Exeter college, Oxford, in February, 1707-8; obtained a probationary fellowship in 1710; graduated as B. A. in 1713; was appointed moderator in philosophy in 1714; and became M. A. in April, 1716; when, he obtained a small curacy in Surrey. In 1717, he became a tutor in his own college; about 1722, Dr. Gibson appointed him a Whitehall preacher; in 1724, he was presented to the rectory of St. Clement's, Oxford; and, in the following year, he was chosen senior proctor of the university. He took his degree of B. D. in 1728, and that of D. D. in 1729. In 1730, he was elected head of Exeter college; in 1732, he was promoted to the deanery of Christchurch, and, in 1750, to the bishopric of Bristol. His death took place on the 13th of July, 1755. The revenues of his see were so slender, (never having amounted, it is said, to much above £300 per anuum,) that he died poor; and two volumes of his discourses were published, by subscription, for the benefit of his daughter, to whom George the Second granted a small pension. Dr. Conybeare preached a number of sermons public occasions, which have justly been described as judicious and solid compositions. His chief work, A Defence of Revealed Religion, (published in 1732,) against Tindal's Christianity as Old as the Creation, was termed, by Warburton, "one of the best reasoned books in the world." He appears to have been a man of superior abilities, and a most unexceptionable character.

on

WESLEY, (SAMUEL,) brother of

the celebrated dissenters, John and Charles Wesley, was born at Epworth, in 1692. He was sent to Westminster school in 1704, whence, having obtained a king's scholarship, he was elected to Christchurch, Oxford, in 1711. After having taken his degrees of B. A. and M. A., and entered into holy orders, he became a tutor at Westminster school; and, in 1732, head master at that of Tiverton, in Devonshire. He died on the 6th of November, 1739, without having obtained any preferment, in consequence, chiefly, of his hostility to Walpole, and his attachment to Atterbury. Being a rigid high churchman, and fearing, it is said, that they would bring about a separation from the church, he totally disapproved of his brothers becoming itinerant preachers. He was the author of a few poems and humorous tales, the whole of which he collected and published, in one volume quarto, about the year 1736. To the Spalding society, he left, as it is stated, an amulet which had touched the heads of the three kings of Cologne.

THOMAS, (JOHN, Bishop of Salisbury,) son of a porter, was born at Dolgelly, Merionethshire, in 1695. In 1702, he became a pupil at Merchant Tailors' school; from which, at the expense of his father's master, a brewer, he was sent to Catherine college, Cambridge, where he eventually proceeded to the degree of S. T. P. Having taken holy orders, he went out as chaplain to the English factory at Hamburgh; and, while there, acquired such proficiency in German as enabled him to assist in the editing of a periodical publication in that language. About this period, he appears to have attracted the favourable notice of George the Second, who, it is related, having expressed great surprise at seeing him attending some theatrical performance, Dr. Thomas replied, Sire, I am not ashamed of appearing at any place where the head of the church thinks proper to be present." On account of the facility with which he spoke German, he attended the king on most of his visits to the electorate. Nichols relates that the deanery of Peterborough having become vacant while George the Second was abroad, his majesty gave it

to Dr. Thomas, who soon afterwards received a letter from the Duke of Newcastle, then prime minister, entreating that he would relinquish the preferment, his grace having positively promised it to Dr. Newcome, and promising him something in return more worthy of his acceptance; but without effect the prudent divine "thinking, perhaps, that a deanery in possession was worth two in reversion." Handel, the musician, states, that during one of the royal voyages to the Hague, Dr. Thomas's hat was blown into the sea: and the king having uttered some jest on the occasion, Dr. Thomas observed, It is in your majesty's power to repair the loss, by providing me with another kind of covering for my head." Shortly afterwards, he had the satisfaction of obtaining a mitre. It appears that, on his return to England, he was nominated to the see of St. Asaph; but, before his consecration could take place, he broke his leg by stepping into a hole while crossing St. James's square; and, while suffering from the consequences of this accident, the king gave him, in lieu of that of St. Asaph, the more valuable bishopric of Lincoln, which had become vacant by the death of Dr. Reynolds. In 1761, he was translated to the see of Salisbury; in possession of which he died, on the 19th of July, 1766. "He is," says Cole, who wrote during the bishop's life-time, "a very worthy and honest man, a most facetious and pleasant companion, and remarkably good-tempered.

He

has a peculiar cast in his eyes, and is not a little deaf. I thought it rather an odd jumble, when I dined with him in 1753; his lordship squinting the most I ever saw any one; Mrs. Thomas, the bishop's wife, squinting not a little; and a Dane, the brother of his first wife, being so short-sighted as hardly to be able to know whether he had anything on his plate or no. Mrs. Thomas was his fourth wife, grand-daughter, as I take it, of Bishop Patrick, a very worthy man. It was generally said, that the bishop put this poesy to the wedding-ring when he married her :

If I survive,

I will have five,'

and she dying in 1757, he kept his word." The Rev. Richard Southgate

states that," though a good-tempered and a worthy man, he had his failings. He was pleased," continues our author, "with the company of persons of rank, and had not firmness of mind sufficient to refuse what a great man asked as a favour." He married his first wife, a Danish woman, at Copenhagen, where he obtained the notice of the King of Denmark, (with whom he subsequently corresponded,) and received the following advice from an old physician, whom he had consulted as to the best method of preserving his health: "Fuge omnes medicos, atque omnimoda medicamenta." While he was at Hamburgh, a Lutheran minister having refused to bury a gentleman belonging to the factory, because he had been a Calvinist, Dr. Thomas ridiculed him out of his absurd prejudices on the subject, by the following observations:-" In objecting to inter this departed Calvinist among the deceased of your Lutheran congregation, you remind me of a woman, who, once while I was in the middle of the burial service, pulled me by the sleeve, and, in a tone of grave remonstrance, informed me, that I was actually interring a man, whose death was attributed to the small-pox, by the side of her husband, who never had had that disorder."

BURTON, (JOHN,) son of the rector of Wembworth, in Devonshire, was born there in the year 1696. He completed his education at Corpus Christi college, Cambridge, where he took the degree of B. A. in 1717; and, soon afterwards, was appointed to read the Greek lecture. In 1720, he proceeded to the degree of M. A.; and, after having acquired great reputation as a tutor, he took the degree of B. D. in 1729, and, in 1733, obtained a fellowship of Eton. About the same period, he was presented to the vicarage of Maple Derham, in Oxfordshire; and, apparently, from motives of compassion, permitted the relict and children of his predecessor, Littleton, to reside with him in the parsonage-house. Soon afterwards, a neighbouring clergyman, on paying the new vicar a visit, discovered Mrs. Littleton in the act of shaving him, and remonstrated with him so warmly "on the indecency of the thing," that Burton at once proposed

upon his acceptance of the bishopric. In 1767, he obtained the mastership of Sherburn hospital; and, soon afterwards, a prebendal stall in Lincoln cathedral. Under his auspices, a translation of the Scriptures into the Manx language, which had been commenced by his predecessor in the bishopric, was completed and published towards the close of the year 1772. He had repeatedly declared, that he only wished to live long enough to see this laborious and useful work in print; and it is related that, when the last proof sheet was laid before him, he solemnly and emphatically chaunted "Nunc, Domine, dimittis," &c. On the following day, he preached on the uncertainty of human life; in the course of the next afternoon, he was deprived, in an instant, of all apparent consciousness, by apoplexy; and, about a week afterwards, he expired. This event took place on the 7th of December, 1772. He was, apparently, neither remarkable for his learning nor his eloquence; yet few, if any, of his episcopal cotemporaries, excelled him in piety, benevolence, or zeal for the advancement of religion.

TUCKER, (JOSIAH, Dean of Gloucester,) the son of a Welsh gentleman who farmed his own estate, was born in 1711; and, after having received a classical education, was sent to St. John's college, Oxford; where, in 1736, he proceeded to the degree of B. A.; and, on the 7th of July, 1739, to that of M. A. Having taken holy orders, he became, successively, curate of All Saints', Bristol; chaplain to Dr. Butler, his diocesan; and rector of St. Stephen's, in that city. In 1747, he published A brief Essay on the Advantages and Disadvantages which respectively attend France and Great Britain, with regard to Trade; and, a few years afterwards, Reflections on the Expediency of a Law for the Naturalization of Foreign Protestants, a measure which he cordially recommended; as he also did that of the Jews, in some letters to a friend, printed in 1753, which excited such angry feelings against him, that he was burnt in effigy by the populace. In 1755, he took the degrees of B. D. and D. D.; and, during the same year, became a prebendary of

Bristol. In 1758, he was advanced to the deanery of Gloucester, through the interest of Mr. Nugent, afterwards Lord Clare; in whose favour he had induced many of his parishioners to vote, at an election of members of parliament for the city of Bristol.

In

His

1772, he published An Apology for the Present Church of England, and a volume of sermons on important subjects. In the following year appeared his Letters to the Rev. Dr. Kippis, in which, although he advocated concession to the dissenters, to a certain extent, he strenuously opposed a repeal of the test and corporation acts. next productions were several tracts relative to the American war, published at different periods: in these, while he condemned the opposition of the colonies, he insisted that a separation had become absolutely necessary; and recommended that Great Britain should not only recognize their independence, but protect them against foreign aggressors. In 1781, appeared his Treatise concerning Civil Government, in the first part of which, he attempted to refute the arguments of Locke, on that important subject. In 1782, he printed a pamphlet, entitled, Cui Bono? or, An Inquiry as to what Benefits can arise, either to the English or the Americans, the French, Spaniards, or Dutch, from the greatest Victories or Successes in the present War; in which he is accused of having given a malignant estimate of the character of the Americans. He was also the author of a number of other works on political, religious, and commercial subjects; the most important of these were some tracts, relative to the disputes with Ireland, in which he recommended that trade should be freed from all restrictions, and left to regulate itself. Particularly assiduous in the performance of his clerical duties, he is stated to have been much beloved by his parishioners, who, as it appears, sincerely regretted the resignation of his rectory, in favour of his curate, which he thought proper to make, some time after he had been appointed Dean of Gloucester. Although he made but few converts to his opinions, he was, in general, esteemed as an able, and, on account of his wit, an amusing and rather a brilliant writer. Lord Mansfield designated

him, in the house of peers, as a writer of the first class, for sagacity and knowledge; and Archbishop Herring, in a letter to Dr. Forster, dated in the year 1755, says, "Tucker has sent me a very ingenious book, the forerunner of a great work on the true polity of government. But, I think, it is only a fine vision, and may sug gest a right way of thinking upon many subjects, and produce some partial good; but it fails in two main points: for it supposes, that, some time or other, governors of the world may start up, who shall be disinterested and honest in all their views, and have subjects of the same turn of thought. But his essay is really admirable, clear, and manly, and infinitely full of spirit and humour." He died, without issue, of a paralytic stroke, in 1799.

BATE, (JULIUS,) was born about the year 1711, and proceeded to the degree of M. A. at St. John's college, Cambridge. Having taken orders, he became chaplain to William, Earl of Harrington; and, on the recommendation of Hutchinson, the Duke of Somerset presented him to the rectory of Sutton, in Sussex. He was an ardent admirer of Hutchinson, whose opinions he defended with considerable zeal, learning, and ingenuity. His productions comprise,-The Examiner Examined, with some Observations on Hebrew Grammar; An Essay towards explaining the Third Chapter of Genesis, in answer to Warburton; The Philosophical Principles of Moses asserted and defended; Remarks upon Warburton's Remarks,-shewing, that the Ancients knew there was a future state, &c.; Faith of the Ancient Jews in the Law of Moses, and the Evidence of the Types vindicated; An Hebrew Grammar, founded on the Usage of Words by the Inspired Writers; The Use and Intent of Prophecy and History of The Fall cleared; A Defence of Mr. Hutchinson's Tenets; The Scripture meaning of Eloim and Berith; Integrity of the Hebrew Texts, and many Passages of Scripture vindicated from the Objections and Misconstructions of Mr. Kennicott; Critica Hebraæ; or, A Hebrew English Dictionary without Points; a posthumous volume, entitled, A New and Literal Translation from

the original Hebrew of the Pentateuch of Moses, and of the Historical Books of the Old Testament, to the end of the Second Book of Kings, with notes, critical and explanatory. Warburton accuses him," in conjunction with one Romaine, of betraying conversation, and writing fictitious letters;" and terms him, in allusion to his efforts for the advancement of the doctrines of Hutchinson, 66 one Bate, a zany to a mountebank." He died at Arundel, on the 7th of April, 1771.

RUTHERFORTH, (THOMAS, Archdeacon of Essex,) the son of a clergyman, was born at Papworth Everard, on the 13th of October, 1712, and became a fellow and tutor of St. John's college, Cambridge, where he proceeded to the degrees of M. A. and D. D. In 1742, he was chosen a fellow of the Royal Society; and, in 1756, appointed regius professor of divinity. He appears to have held, successively, the rectories of Barrow, in Suffolk; Stanfield, in Essex; and Barley, in Hertfordshire. He also obtained the archdeaconry of Essex; in possession of which he died, on the 5th of October, 1771; leaving one son, by his wife, Charlotte Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Abdy, of Cobham, Baronet. He was the author of An Essay on the Nature and Obligations of Virtue; A System of Natural Philosophy; Ordo Institutionum Physicarum; The Credibility of Miracles defended; A Concio ad Clerum; A Vindication of the Right of Protestant Churches, to require the Clergy to subscribe to an established Confession of Faith and Doctrine; two letters to Kennicott; and several sermons, charges, and other pieces. Dyer terms him, a strenuous asserter of subscription to the Thirty-nine Articles, in opposition to the Unitarians; and Maurice Johnson, in a letter to Mr. Birch, says of his Essay on the Nature and Obligations of Virtue:-" If you have not read that amiable work, I must not forbear recommending it to your perusal." Warburton, however, speaks of him thus:-" If he knows no more of theology than he does of morals, he is the meanest pedant of the age. The affectation of being singular has made him a bad moralist:-will the affectation of being orthodox make him a good