This is a work not ill-performed; but perhaps rewarded with at least its full proportion of praife.

In 1668, he published Cowley's Latin poems, and prefixed in Latin the Life of the Author; which he afterwards amplified, and placed before Cowley's English works, which were by will committed to his

care.

Ecclefiaftical benefices now fell faft upon him. In 1668, he became a prebendary of Westminster, and had afterwards the church of St. Margaret, adjoining to the Abbey. He was, in 1680, made canon of Windfor; in 1683, dean of Westminster; and, in 1684, bishop of Rochester.

The Court having thus a claim to his diligence and gratitude, he was required to write the History of the Rye-house Plot; and, in 1685, published A true Account and Declaration of the horrid Confpiracy against the late King, his prefent Majefty, and the present Government; a performance which he thought convenient, after the Revolution, to extenuate and excufe.

The fame year, being clerk of the closet to the king, he was made dean of the chapel-royal; and, the year afterwards, received the laft proof of his mafter's confidence, by being appointed one of the commiffioners for ecclefiaftical affairs. On the critical day, when the Declaration diftinguished the true fons of the Church of England, he stood neuter, and permitted it to be read at. Westminster; but preffed none to violate his confcience; and, when the bishop of London was brought before them, gave his voice in his favour.

Thus

Thus far he fuffered intereft or obedience to carry him; but further he refused to go. When he found that the powers of the ecclefiaftical commiffion were to be exercised against those who had refufed the Declaration, he wrote to the lords, and other commiffioners, a formal profeffion of his unwillingness to exercise that authority any longer, and withdrew himself from them. After they had read his letter, they adjourned for fix months, and scarcely ever met afterwards.

When king James was frighted away, and a new government was to be fettled, Sprat was one of those who confidered, in a conference, the great question, Whether the crown was vacant? and manfully spoke in favour of his old mafter.

He complied, however, with the new establishment, and was left unmolefted; but, in 1692, a ftrange attack was made upon him by one Robert Young and Stephen Blackhead, both men convicted of infamous crimes, and both, when the fcheme was laid, prifoners in Newgate. These men drew up an Affociation, in which they whose names were fubfcribed declared their refolution to restore king James, to feize the princefs of Orange dead or alive, and to be ready with thirty thousand men to meet king James when he should land. To this they put the names of Sancroft, Sprat, Marlborough, Salisbury, and others. The copy of Dr. Sprat's name was obtained by a fictitious request, to which an anfwer in his own hand was defired. His hand was copied fo well, that he confeffed it might have deceived himself. Blackhead, who had carried the letter, being fent again with a plaufible meffage, was

very curious to fee the house, and particularly importunate to be let into the ftudy; where, as is fuppofed, he defigned to leave the Affociation. This, however, was denied him; and he dropped it in a flower-pot in the parlour.

Young now laid an information before the Privy Council; and May 7, 1692, the bifhop was arrefted, and kept at a meffenger's under a ftrict guard eleven days. His houfe was fearched, and directions were given that the flower-pots fhould be infpected. The meffengers, however, miffed the room in which the paper was left. Blackhead went therefore a third time; and finding his paper where he had left it, brought it away.

The bishop, having been enlarged, was, on June the 10th and 13th, examined again before the Privy Council, and confronted with his accufers. Young perfifted, with the most obdurate impudence, against the ftrongest evidence; but the refolution of Blackhead by degrees gave way. There remained at last no doubt of the bifhop's innocence, who, with great prudence and diligence, traced the progrefs, and detected the characters of the two informers, and published an account of his own examination and deliverance; which made fuch an impreffion upon him, that he commemorated it through life by an yearly day of thanksgiving.

With what hope, or what intereft, the villains had contrived an accufation which they must know themfelves utterly unable to prove, was never difcovered,

After this, he paffed his days in the quiet exercife of his function. When the caufe of Sacheverell put the publick in commotion, he honeftly appeared among

among

the friends of the Church. He lived to his seventy-ninth year, and died May 20, 1713.

Burnet is not very favourable to his memory; but he and Burnet were old rivals. On fome publick occafion they both preached before the house of commons. There prevailed in thofe days an indecent cuftom: when the preacher touched any fa vourite topick in a manner that delighted his audience, their approbation was expreffed by a loud hum, continued in proportion to their zeal or plea fure. When Burnet preached, part of his congrega tion bummed fo loudly and fo long, that he fat down to enjoy it, and rubbed his face with his handkerchief. When Sprat preached, he likewife was hohoured with the like animating bum; but he ftretched out his hand to the congregation, and cried, "Peace, peace, I pray you peace."

This I was told in my youth by my father, an old man, who had been no careless obferver of the paffages of those times.

Burnet's fermon, fays Salmon, was remarkable for fedition, and Sprat's for loyalty. Burnet had the thanks of the houfe; Sprat had no thanks, but a good living from the king, which, he faid, was of as much value as the thanks of the commons,

The works of Sprat, befides his few poems, are, The Hiftory of the Royal Society, The Life of Cowley, The Anfwer to Sorbiere, The Hiftory of the Rye-houfe Plot, The Relation of his own Examination, and a volume of Sermons, I have heard it obferved, with great juftness, that every book is of a different kind, and that each has its diftinct and characteristical excellence.

My

My business is only with his poems. He confidered Cowley as a model; and supposed that, as he was imitated, perfection was approached. Nothing, therefore, but Pindarick liberty was to be expected. There is in his few productions no want of fuch conceits as he thought excellent; and of thofe our judgement may be fettled by the first that appears in his praise of Cromwell, where he fays, that Cromwell's "" fame, like man, will grow white as it grows "old."

HALIFAX.