a settlement across the Atlantic Ocean of £40 per annum. The dean set sail for Rhode Island; but not meeting with the promised support from ministers, and after spending nearly all his private property, and seven years of his valuable life, in the prosecution of this laudable scheme, he returned to Europe. This was not, however, until the Bishop of London informed him that Sir Robert Walpole had confidentially acquainted him, that Dean Berkeley had to give up all hope of ever receiving the £10,000 Government had promised to forward his laudable project.

T

66

A HOPEFUL FLOCK.

¡N the year 1773, the Rev. James Granger, author of the "Biographical History of England," published a sermon on The Nature and Extent of Industry," which he dedicated to his parishioners in the following words :-" To the inhabitants of the parish of Shiplake, who neglect the service of the church, and spend the Sabbath in the worst kind of idleness, this plain sermon, which they never heard, and probably will never read, is inscribed by their sincere wellwisher and faithful minister, James Granger.'

CHRISTENING AN ADULT.

R BUCKNER, Bishop of Chichester, had a footman living with him at one time, whose cognomen was

David, but who upon investigation, it appeared, had never been baptized. To have the man made a Christian, the bishop felt was his imperative duty; and for this purpose his curate, the Rev. Mr Croker, was requested to attend him at his residence in Wigmore Street, to perform the ceremony, whilst the prelate and his niece were to be the sponsors. After tea a basin of water was brought in, and David made his appearance.

JOHN WESLEY AND GEN. OGLETHORPE. 67

Mr Croker and the lady exchanged glances, and at length were unable to repress their laughter; however, they took their places at the temporary font; but as the bishop perceived that the ceremony was not likely to be very impressive, he wisely deferred the christening till a more favourable opportunity, and left David to his fate.

CLERGY IN THE REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZABETH.

N the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the ecclesiastic whose benefice did not exceed £12 per annum had permission to follow some trade. With such small stipends we can hardly wonder to find the learning and abilities of the clergy thus expressed in a catalogue of this body, in 1563 :

Those that know Greek and Latin,

Learned men,

Middling learned,

Knowing Latin,

Understanding a little Latin,

Understanding only very little or a few words of Latin,
Ignorant of Latin,

Unlearned, .

iii

xii

ii

ix

xxxi

xlii

xiii

iv

If the London clergy were thus ignorant, what must we imagine the country divines were?

T

THE REV. JOHN WESLEY AND GENERAL

OGLETHORPE.

JURING the voyage of Mr Wesley to America, he hearing an unusual noise in the cabin of General Oglethorpe (the Governor of Georgia, with whom he sailed), stepped in to inquire the cause of it, on which the general immediately addressed him : Mr Wesley, you must excuse me, I have met

with a provocation too great for a man to bear with equanimity. You know the only wine I drink is Cyprus wine, as it agrees with me the best of any. I therefore provided myself with several dozens of it, and this villain Grimaldi" (his foreign servant, who was present, and almost dead with fear) "has drunk up the whole of it. But I will be revenged on him. I have ordered him to be tied hand and foot, and to be carried on board the man-of-war that sails with us. The rascal should have taken care how he used me, for I never forgive."-" Then, I hope, sir," said Wesley, looking calmly at him, "you never sin." The general was quite confounded at the reproof, and putting his hand into his pocket, took out a bunch of keys, which he threw at Grimaldi, saying, “There, villain, take my keys, and behave better for the future."

THE ONLY RELIGIOUS PARSON.

HEN Lord Clancarty was captain of a man-of-war in

1724, and was cruising off the coast of Guinea, his lieutenant, a Scotch Presbyterian, came hastily into the cabin, and told his lordship that the chaplain was dead, and, what was worse, he died a Roman Catholic. Lord Clancarty replied he was very glad of it. "Hoot, fie, my lord," said the officer, "what, are ye glad that yer chaplain died a pawpish?". "Yes," answered his lordship, "for he is the first sea-parson I ever knew that had any religion at all."

B

CHARITY.

UTLER, Bishop of Durham, being applied to on some occasion for a charitable subscription, asked his steward what money he had in the house. formed him there were five hundred pounds.

The steward in

"Five hundred

THE AUTHOR OF "DOUGLAS."

69

pounds!" said the bishop ; “ what a shame for a bishop to have such a sum in his possession, when so many people are in He ordered it all to be immediately distributed to

want!"

the poor.

PARODY BY A DEAN OF CANTERBURY.

|R BOYS, a learned divine, and a dean of Canterbury, in the reign of James I., was a very warm adversary of the pope he would often attack him, both with un

sparing ridicule and elaborate argument. Strange as it may sound, he turned the Lord's Prayer into an execration upon his holiness, which he introduced with great applause in a sermon preached on the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot at St Paul's Cross. The execration consisted in the following very singular parody:-" Our pope, which art in Rome, accursed be thy name thy kingdom perish, thy will be hindered as in heaven, so also on earth. Give us this day our cup in the Lord's Supper, and restore us our money, which we have given thee for indulgences; and lead us not into heresy, but deliver us from misery; for thine is hell, pitch, and sulphur, for ever and ever. Amen."

THE AUTHOR OF "DOUGLAS."

HERE could not be a more agreeable companion than the Rev. John Home, the author of "Douglas," whose merits as a dramatic author are well known. By his talents, he was early in life introduced into the best society that Scotland afforded. Claret was at that time the favourite wine, and owing to its being admitted to the port of Leith on Spanish instead of French duties, it was cheap, and was consumed in large quantities. A naval officer, who happened to be stationed in the Firth of Forth, by transmitting information to the Treasury, put a stop to this illegal practice. The price of claret was so much

increased, in consequence of the duty being properly levied on it as a French wine, that many bons vivants were obliged to renounce it, and betake themselves to port; and in despair at one of their convivial meetings, they applied to their friend John Home, to write some verses expressive of their feelings. He immediately produced the following:

"Bold and erect the Caledonian stood:

'Make him drink port !' an English statesman cried;
He drank the poison, and his spirit died."

Fortunately it has been found by experience, that port is no poison; and that Caledonian spirit does not depend upon the drinking of claret; but the anecdote is worth preserving, as an instance of the ridiculous prejudices of former times.

ROYAL CHAPLAINS.

HE dinner daily prepared for the royal chaplains at St James's was reprieved for a time from suspension by an effort of wit. King Charles II. had appointed a day for dining with his chaplains, before an end should be put to those dinners. It was Dr South's turn to say grace, and whenever the king thus honoured his chaplains, the prescribed formula ran thus: "God save the king, and bless the dinner." Our witty divine took the liberty of transposing the words, by saying, "God bless the king, and save the dinner."-" It shall be saved," said the king, and he kept his word.

DR DONNE UNDONE.

R DONNE, the celebrated Dean of St Paul's, whose curious monument is still preserved in the crypt, having married Sir George More's daughter without the consent of her parents, was imprisoned in the Fleet prison, and