the sake of those whom I judged deserving. I will not forget you; and, though I leave the diocese, yet, I hope, the good opinion you have given me reason to have of you, will not be altogether useless to you. I am your humb. servt. THO. BANGOR."

To Dr. GREY.

Temple, Feb. 11, 1748-9.

"Sir, I am obliged to you for communicating your papers to me, relating to the prophecy of Daniel, and that on the Psalms. You have done justice to the thoughts I suggested to you, and I have no objection to the publication of them: but, I ought to let you know, how far I had gone in this matter. Soon after the publication of my Intent of Prophecy, Mr. Collins wrote a book, and took notice of what I had said of the History of the Fall, I drew up an answer at that time, but did not publish it then, intending to add a dissertation to some new edition of my book. I have not yet done it, and may, perhaps, have no time to do it, but I have sent you a copy of what I have said on this prophecy, with no intention to prevent your publishing your piece, which I am very willing you shall do. Your view is to explain the prophecy in general: mine, you see, is to shew how the prophecy at the fall was understood.

"I should say something to the prophecy in the Psalms, but writing is uneasy to me. If you publish your piece, you shall be welcome to use, and you will do me great honor to use any observations of mine. I am, Sir, with sincere regard and respect for you, your very affectionate brother, and humble servant,

THO. LONDON."

Bp. Newton, in his own life, observes, that

8vo. edit. with Pocock's, &c. 2. 177.

"one evening in conversation at Mrs. Montagu's, when Bp. Sherlock had published his 4th vol. of discourses, they were wishing that he would give orders for his occasional sermons which he had printed separately, to be collected into a volume. Dr. Newton said upon it, that perhaps Bp. Sherlock was of the same mind as Bp. Manningham. For when Dr. Tho. Manningham, his son, who was afterwards prebendary of Westminster, applied to him in the name of the booksellers, that they might have leave to collect into a volume the different sermons which he had printed at different times, for there was a sufficient number to make a volume; the Bp. replied, "prithee, Tom, let them alone, they lie quiet now; put them together, and they will fight." This 4th and last volume of his discourses Bp. Sherlock was prevailed upon to publish at the request of his friend Gilbert West. The Bp. was against publishing any more sermons, saying "he was drawn to the dregs;" "why then," said Mr. West, " let the ungodly of the earth drink them and suck them out." Bp. Sherlock's occasional sermons the booksellers have since collected into a separate volume, to which is prefixed a short and imperfect account of his life."+

This imperfection, we trust, is in some degree supplied in the present memoir.-EDIT.

Bp. Newton adds, p. 178, that "Bp. Moss, Sherlock's favorite chaplain, is best able to do justice to the life and character of this eminent prelate. He delivered something of this kind in a charge to the Clergy of the archdeaconry of Colchester, and promised a 2d part, which the world has long wished for and expected from so masterly a writer."

Mr. Burdy, in his life of the Rev. Philip Skel ton, author of Deism revealed, has the following anecdote of Bp. Sherlock. "A few months after its publication, the Bp. of Clogher happened to be in company with our Bp., who asked him if he knew the author of this book." O yes," he answered carelessly," he has been a curate in my diocese near these 20 years," "More shame for your Lordship," replied Sherlock, "to let a man of his merit continue so long a curate in your diocese."-Our Bp. kindly sent a message to inform Mr. Skelton, that he would promote him in his diocese, if he would write a book upon Christian morals: but he had no opportunity of bestowing his meditated patronage on him, as Skelton foolishly desired the messenger to ask his Lordship what objection he had to the old Whole Duty of Man. The Bishop sent him no answer.*

Mr. Cumberland thus introduces our Bp. into his Memoirs of Himself, vol. 1. p. 180. "Bp.

* Skelton's Life, 80. 1816. p. 266. 2. 358.

Sherlock was yet living, and resided in the palace, (Fulham) but in the last stage of bodily decay. The ruins of that luminous and powerful mind were still venerable, though his speech was almost unintelligible, and his features cruelly disarranged and distorted by the palsy; still his genius was alive, and his judgment discriminative; for, it was in this lamentable state that he performed the task of selecting sermons for the last volume he committed to the press, and his high reputation was in no respect lowered by the selection. I had occasionally the honour of being admitted to visit that great man, in company with my father, to whom he was uniformly kind and gracious; and in token of his favor bestowed on him, a small prebend in the church of St. Paul, the only one that became vacant within his time. Mrs. Sherlock was a truly respectable woman, and my mother enjoyed much of her society, till the bishop's death brought a successor in his place."

Bp. Sherlock got a bill passed, Jan. 11, 1749, empowering him to demise, or sell for the benefit of the bp.ric, the episcopal palace in Aldersgate Street, then in a ruinous condition. Gent. Mag. 1749. 100.

Portraits.-There are two excellent portraits of the Bp. after a fine picture of him by Vanloo, painted in 1740; one an engraving by Ravenet, the other a mezzotinto, by Mac-Ardell, in the

years 1756 and 1757.-Lit. Anec. 18 cent. vol. 3. p. 217.

Arms.-Sherlock being the last Bp. of Sarum in Richardson's Continuation of Godwin, a plate of his arms is given there, p. 362. viz. Party per pale Ar. & Az. 3 fleur de lis counterchanged. This is not in Edmonstone, who gives the coat of Sherlock of Surry, Per pale Q. & S. 3 chevrons counterchanged.

10. JOHN GILBERT.

SUCCESSIT. A. D. 1748.-TRANS. AD EBOR. A. D. 1757. OBIIT A. D. 1761.

This prelate was son of the Rev. John Gilbert, who had been Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford, and who died vicar of St. Andrew's, Plymouth, and canon of Exeter, 1722. Vide epitaph infra. The place and date of the Bp's. birth are unknown, as well as that of his early education. On the 1st Feb. 1717, I find him A. M. of Merton College, Oxford; (Cat. Oxf. Grad.), where he occurs among the Merton Prelates p. 16. It is a singular fact, that no record occurs of any higher degree, whence it may be presumed, that he obtained his degree of D. D. from Lambeth. ["He was instituted Aug. 1. 1721. to the Vi