"I must confess that I had once as great a veneration for you as for any one [of] your figure in the church; but then you preach'd honestly, and liv'd peaceably; but since pride or ambitious discontent, or some particular respects to some special friends of the adverse party, or something I know not what else, has thrust you upon scribbling, and a design of being popular; since you had forsaken your first love (if ever you had any) to our church and establishment, and appear to be running over ad partem Donati, to the disturbers of our church and peace, you must needs pardon this short reflection, though from an old friend, and sometimes a great admirer of you.
"As for the present establishment, you have (you conclude) as much already from that as you are likely to have, but you claw the democratical party, hoping at long run to see an (English) Parliament; that is, we must know, one that has no French pensioners shuffled into it to blast the whole business, such as will be govern'd by your instructions; and then Presbytery (you trust) will be turn'd up Trump, the Directory once more take place of the Liturgy, and God knows what become of the Monarchy, and Mr. C. be made a great man.
"What an excellent design was that of your Stipulation, which I heard one say was like a new modell'd Independency. 'Twas intended, I suppose, as an expedient to reduce the sheep of your own flock, which through your default chiefly (as is commonly reported) were gone astray; but because this tool could not work, without the force of a law to move it, therefore by law it must have been establisht, and the whole nation forsooth comprehended under it, and all must have set their instruments to your key, and their voices to the tune of B—ley. Oh! had this engine but met with firm footings in Parliament, as was hoped, our English world had been lifted off its pillars long before this day; it had gone round, and in the church all old things had been done away, and everything had appeared new. But, Sir, I trust the foundations of our church stand more sure than to need such silly props as your Catholicon (as you vainly call it) to support 'em.
"What an excellent thing too is your book of Patronage? 'Twere no living for Simon Magus, or any of his disciples here, if those rules you there lay down were but duly attended to.
"But in those two books you showed yourself pragmatical only; but in this of Martyrdom not a little impious, in your unworthy reflections upon almost all the honest people of England since the beginning of the reign of Oliver the First, and some time before; not sparing many loyal worthies' memory who held up a good cause upon their sword points (as you express it) as long as they could; and when they could do so no longer, either dy'd for't, or deliver'd themselves up to the will of the conqueror, yet never (as you) abjur'd the cause. Our rulers you suppose are ill affected (otherwise your talk of Popery at your rate is like that of one that were desirous and in conspiracy to bring in Popery): and, undoubtedly, it had been in already, had not the prayers of Mr. C., and the fifty righteous Non-Cons in every city, prevented it."
Ἁλιέυς.
Dublin.
[The Preparation for Martyrdom is not to be found either in the Bodleian or British Museum Catalogues. The author of the Letter in reply to it, however, has afforded a clue to its authorship. Zachary Cawdrey, who appears to have been an admirer of the Vicar of Bray, was Rector of Barthomley in Cheshire during the Commonwealth, and for fourteen years after the Restoration; this explains the hint in the Letter, of "setting their voices to the tune of B—ley." Cawdrey, moreover, was the author of Discourse of Patronage; being a Modest Inquiry into the Original of it, and a further Prosecution of the History of it: which is also noticed in the Letter. Zachary Cawdrey was born at Melton Mowbray about 1616; at the age of sixteen he entered St. John's College, Cambridge; and in 1649 became Rector of Barthomley, where he died Dec. 24, 1684. His brother David was one of the ejected, and the author of several works.]
Reference wanted.—I find, in Blackwood, No. XXXVI. p. 432., a reference to an article in the Edinburgh Review, by Sir D. K. Sandford, on Greek banquets. As I cannot find the article itself, may I ask your assistance?
P. J. F. Gantillon.
N. B.—In the article in Blackwood, p. 441., for "Hegesander" read Hegesippus; p. 444., for "Demgle" read Demglus; p. 450., for "Nausidice" read Nausinicus; p. 455., for "Hesperides" read Hyperides.
[The article will be found in the Edinburgh Review, vol. lvi. p. 350. January, 1833.]
Speaker of the House of Commons in 1697.—Who was the Speaker who succeeded Sir John Trevor, and was Speaker of the House of Commons in 1697?
W. Fraser.