zeal, without sufficient knowledge; and, that he appears by several of his writings, especially those of later date, to have had a tincture of affectation and vanity, which did but ill become a scholar and a Christian; and which, if I mistake not, will be less applauded by posterity, than it was indulged by himself, or than he seems to have imagined, in his life-time, that it would.

I had a great regard for the man, upon the account of his integrity, or what I really believed to be such; but could never approve of his positiveness, where I thought his grounds were defective.

James Guy,

J. J.

Minister of Little-cotes, in Lincolnshire, was educated, as one of his sons informs me (1767), at Trinity college, in Cambridge; which college presented him to that benefice. The income there being but small, he was necessitated, in order to support himself and numerous family, to serve two other churches, being curacies, of small stipend each, and at some distance the one from the other. With these pittances he made some shift, though a hard one, to live, and bring up his large family in a tolerable manner. In his advanced age he continued to supply those three churches, and generally enjoyed good health to the last. He died about four years ago, aged one hundred, or an hundred and one; his son cannot tell which.

Soon after his decease the public papers took notice of this extraordinary man, saying, amongst other things, that he had thirty-six children by two wives. His said son says, this was a mistake. He had in all thirty-four; and fourteen of them being at home, used constantly to walk before him, by pairs, to church. He had the benefit of Dr. Busby's lectures.

1783, June,

MR. URBAN,

J. J.

I am this moment reading your Gentleman's Magazine of June, where you introduce Jones's anecdote of Bishop Thomas. He was a man of humour and drollery. I remember perfectly well, at a visitation, his giving us an account of his being married four times; and,' says he, chearfully, should my present wife die, I will take another; and it is my opinian (adds he) I shall survive her.

"Perhaps you don't know the art of getting quit of your 'wives. I'll tell you how I do. I am called a very good 'husband; and so I am; for I never contradict them. But 'don't you know that the want of contradiction is fatal to women? If you contradict them, that circumstance alone is exercise and health, et optima medicamenta, to all women. But give them their own way, and they will languish and pine, become gross and lethargic for want of this ' exercise.'

If you recollect Bishop Thomas, he squinted much. He was entertaining the company with a humourous account of some man. In the midst of his story he stopped short, and said, the fellow squinted most hideously;' and then, turning his ugly face in all the squinting attitudes he could, till the company were upon the full laugh, he added, and I hate your squinting fellows.'

I never heard Dr. Yarborough tell the story of General Sabin's wife's apparition, but have heard the following story of the Doctor. A neighbouring rascal broke into his house, with intent to rob and murder him. It was so light the Doctor soon recollected the man, as he was a tradesman he dealt with, and expostulated with him on the baseness of his intention. The fellow said he was undone without such a sum of money, which was a pretty large one. Well, go home, (says the Doctor) keep you your secret, and I will 'keep it for you; the money you shall have; behave well, and nobody, while I live, shall know any thing of it.'-The Doctor (it is reported) punctually performed his promise, was afterwards kind to the man, nor was it thoroughly known, though they were always suspicious of it, till after the Doctor's death.

1783, Dec.

MR. URBAN,

You seem, to have picked up a curious collection of stories about the late Doctor John Thomas, who died Bishop of Salisbury, in 1766: the circumstance of there having been three bishops of the same names, so near the same time, will be very likely to create confusion, especially as two of them were Bishops of Salisbury. His Lordship (first mentioned) once, I have heard, diffused a glow of pleasure over his auditory, when, preaching at the annual general meeting of charity children at Christ's Church in Newgate-street, he opened his mouth, and with great

pathos read "Matthew xviii. 14. It is not the will of your Father who is in Heaven, that one of these little ones should perish."

He once told a friend of mine, from whom I had it, that when he was Chaplain to the British Factory at Hamburgh, a gentleman of the Factory, being ill, was ordered into the country for the benefit of the air; accordingly he went to a village at about ten miles distance, but after some time died there upon this, application was made to the parson of the parish, for leave to bury him in the church-yard; the parson inquired what his religion was, and was told that he was a Calvinist: "No," says he, "there are none but Lutherans in my church-yard, and there shall be no other." "This," says Dr. Thomas, "was told me, and I wondered that any man of any learning or understanding should have such ideas: I resolved to take my horse, and go and argue the matter with him, but found him inflexible; at length I told him he made me think of a circumstance which once happened to myself, when I was curate of a church in Thames-street: I was burying a corpse, and a woman came, and pulled me by the sleeve in the midst of the serviceSir, Sir, I want to speak to you.'-' Pr'ythee,' says I, 'woman, wait till I have done. No, Sir, I must speak to you immediately.'-'Why then, what is the matter?Why, Sir,' says she, you are burying a man, who died of the small-pox, next my poor husband, who never had it.' This story had the desired effect, and the curate permitted the bones of the poor Calvinist to be laid in his church-yard.'

Soon after James Duke of Athol had made Mr. Hildesley, who was then Vicar of Hitchin, in Hertfordshire, Bishop of the Isle of Man, the Doctor, being then Bishop of Lincoln, met the Duke at Court, and accosting the Duke, told him, that his Grace had done him a very great injury.-" Done you an injury, my Lord!" says the Duke," in what respect? I am sure it is unknowingly, if I have."-"Yes," says he, "your Grace has done me a very great injury, I feel it very sensibly; you have deprived me of the best Vicar in my diocese."

If you think these trifles worth inserting in your valuable Miscellany, Mr. Urban, they are at your service.

Yours, &c.

E.

1784, Feb.

XXV. Anecdotes of Dr. RICHARD NEWTON, Dr. ROGER LONG, and Mr. SAMUEL RICHARDSON.

MR. URBAN,

THE following hints towards the lives of three eminent Englishmen, Dr. Newton, Dr. Long, and Mr. Samuel Richardson, when compared with the many curious particulars of the latter already printed in the Anecdotes of Bowyer," will be no unpleasing morceau to the lovers of biography. They are from the papers of Mr. Jones, which have already furnished some communications, and shall furnish more, from

Yours, &c.

Dr. Richard Newton.

EUGENIO.

A very sensible, thoughtful, judicious, and a truly honest man. His writings shew his learning, judgment, and integrity, and his life exemplified every Christian virtue.

He was my very good friend, and a promoter of my stu dies. I entirely loved and respected him living, and shall always revere his memory now he is dead.

Several large pages would not suffice to express his real worth.

Most orderly and exact in his family at Launden Grange (where I often visited him), as well as in his college. Discreet and punctual in every part of his conduct. Highly and justly esteemed by all the wise and good.

He lamented the indolence and inactivity, and was grieved to observe the secular views and ambitious schemes of some of the Heads of colleges and halls.

But he, for his own part, resolved to do his duty, as became a good governor, and a friend to useful discipline and learning.

An example of temperance and decency in every part of his behaviour; and of great moderation also, in respect of the different sentiments of his fellow-protestants. He valued, and occasionally visited, and would converse and sometimes dine with, Dr. Doddridge, when he came to Northampton. He saw that they both aimed at the same great and good end, in fitting up hopeful young students for the Christian ministry.

He usually made excursions, in the long vacations, into various parts of the kingdom, most commonly taking with

bim, for company and improvement, one or more young gentlemen of fortune in his college, at the request, and with the approbation, of their parents. He was himself, in every respect, a gentleman and a man of refined good breeding. You might see this in every part of his con

versation.

At evening, upon such journeys, he would, a little before bed-time, desire his young pupils to indulge him in a short vacation of about half an hour, for his own private recollections. During that little interval they were silent, and he would smoke his pipe with great composure, and then chat with them again in an useful manner for a short space, and, bidding them good night, go to his rest.

Bishop Compton, who had a kind affection and just esteem for him, collated him to the rectory of Sudbury, in the Doctor's native county of Northampton. He resided there for some years, and, during his residence, discharged all the parts of his office as a parish-minister, with exemplary care and fidelity.

Amongst other particulars, he read the evening-prayers of the Liturgy at his church on the week-day evenings, at seven of the clock, hay-time and harvest I suppose excepted, for the benefit of his parishioners, such as could then assemble for public devotions.

When he left the place, returning again to Oxford [about 1724], he enjoined his respective curates successively, three worthy men, (Mr. Baker, Mr. and Mr. Saunders), to keep up the same good rule; which they faithfully observed,

He exerted also his best endeavours, from time to time, to prevail with the succeeding Bishops of London (Gibson more particularly) to bestow his said rectory on his curate for the time being, and on each successively, and he would resign the charge: each of the applications without success. By the way, his lordship was continually teazed for preferment (and particularly for) by his kinsman Jones, the editor of Horace, &c. whom he afterwards collated to the rectory of Uppingham, in Rutland. His lordship's successor, Bishop Sherlock, readily consented to Dr. Newton's proposal, and Mr. Saunders accordingly succeeded the Doctor in the rectory.

As Jones was the secret adversary, of whose shrewd questions the author of "Pluralities indefensible" takes notice in the subsequent editions of that valuable treatise; you may there see, that for the space of twenty years after the said author left residing upon the spot, he never pocketed