world more to advantage, and be more likely to be useful at home afterwards than going abroad so early as is now common. They have too many small bursaries in their Colleges, which are temptations to the inhabitants to breed up for the ministry more than they are able to support and provide for, when they have gone through the course of their education. They treat their chaplains but indifferently, and the poor Mess-Johns* are so kept down in several wealthy families, that they Chaplains. See supra, p. 211. The treatment of these divines, in the Church of England, was a subject, noticed with no small severity of censure, in the periodicals of this time. Addison makes "a chaplain to an honourable family" say: "for not offering to rise at the second course, I found my patron and his lady very sullen and out of humour." Again, as I still continued to sit out the last course, I was yesterday informed by the butler, that his lordship had no farther occasion for my service." Tatler, No. 255. An Annotator (1786) adds: "Dr. Geekie was chaplain to the Duke of Somerset, and provoked him so highly, by continuing to sit at the desert after repeated hints and marks of displeasure, that the Duke would not speak to him. “A few years ago, suppose twenty or thirty, the Archbishop of Canterbury gave an annual dinner, on St. Stephen's day, to the Privy Council, when the chaplain came in, and said grace, and retired immediately, till wanted to bless after dinner a provoking indignity, as coming from one of the same order, who might say grace himself." See "Tatler with Notes," (1786) vi. 319, 320. Mr. Noble has recorded the follies of this "proud Duke of Somerset," who died 1748. See "Biog. Hist." (1806) ii. 2730. The Archbishop was, most probably, Secker, who enjoyed hardly dare venture to say their souls are their own. This makes several of them come abroad and seek a subsistence in other parts, where, for want of ac the primacy from 1758 to 1768. He had been educated, partly by the kind patronage of Dr. Watts, in a Dissenting Academy, whose accomplished tutor was summarily noticed by the Archbishop's biographer, Bishop Porteus, as "one Mr. Jones, who kept an academy at Gloucester." See Dr. Gibbons's "Mem. of Watts," (1780) pp. 346-352; "Gent. Mag." (1784) liv. 84; "Monthly Repos." (1821) xvii. 270, 271. The Archbishop only continued an earlier custom. Oldham, who died in 1683, addressing "a friend about to leave the University," thus warns him : 66 'Diet, an horse, and thirty pounds a-year, Besides the advantage of his lordship's ear, The credit of the business, and the state, Are things that in a youngster's sense sound great. Little the unexperienced wretch does know What slavery he oft must undergo : Who, though in silken scarf, and cassock drest, Wears but a gayer livery at best. When dinner calls, the implement must wait, If he be deign'd the honour to sit down." "The Guardian" (1713, No. 163) makes a correspondent say: "I have had the honour, many years of being chaplain to a noble family, and of being counted the highest servant in the house, either out of respect to my cloth, or because I lie in the uppermost garret. "Now my young Lord is come to the estate, I find I am looked upon, as a censor morum, and suffered to retire constantly, with prosperity to the Church' in my mouth. I have, with much ado, maintained my post hitherto at the desert, and every day eat tart in the face of my patron; but the servants begin quaintance, friends, and interest, they are oft exposed. As for the settled ministers of the Church of Scotland, though they are not so plentifully or profusely provided for, as many of the Established Church, in England, yet are there none but what have a competency, whereupon to live easily, and conveniently, and above contempt. It is a very frequent subject of inquiry in conversation, what North Britain has gained by the Union, and what it has lost, and sentiments are pretty much divided. To me, it is very plain and evident, that by this Union the Scots have their religion and liberty secured, and a deliverance from the Jacobites, whose attempts could not possibly have been defeated, or their hopes extinguished, had it not taken place. And it is to be hoped, and may reasonably be expected, that their gain will be more visible and sensible, an hundred years hence than at present. Carlisle, (which we came to, when we had passed through North Britain) was, in ancient times, a Roman garrison, and a frontier against the Scots, who were inveterate enemies of the old Britons. It is a small city, but very pleasantly situated. Not to brush very familiarly by me, and thrust aside my chair when they set the sweetmeats on the table." I remember a question started, by some writer, at that time, whether the chaplain should sit "above or below the salt," referring, I believe, to a custom observed at the long table in baronial halls, where the salt divided the yeomanry from the nobility and gentry, and distinguished the quality of their entertainment; especially the potations.-ED. finding any thing to be seen here very curious, we only stayed to refresh ourselves, and went forward. But, instead of taking the direct road for London, which goes through Penrith, we turned off to the right, and went to Cockermouth and Whitehaven, to accompany Mr. Dixon home, who had so kindly accompanied us in our journey through North Britain Whitehaven is a sea-port, with a Custom-house, and a considerable trading town, that, in a degree like Liverpool, has much increased in traffic and wealth since the Revolution, and the war that followed. There we spent a Lord's day; and on the Monday morning went for Kendal, a considerable town in Westmoreland. In the way, we passed over two yery high mountains, called Hardknot and Wry Nose, on the top of both which we could discern a number of clouds a good way under us, beating against the mountains and sometimes breaking in pieces. At the top of Wry Nose we came to "three stones, commonly called Shire Stones, lying within a foot one of another, yet in three several counties; one in Cumberland, another in Westmoreland, and the third in Lancashire."* We were forced to carry some provisions with us over these mountains, being told beforehand that when we came to the other side, though we might have good drink, yet we should meet with nothing we could eat; their bread being exceeding black, coarse, and harsh. When we came there, we ac Magna Brit. (1720) i. 397.-ED. tually found it so. Though the air, as we crossed over the mountains, had sharpened our appetites, we all concluded we must have been forced to fast, if we had not had provisions of our own. In our way, afterwards, to Kendal, we went just by Winandermere, so famous for the fish called charrs, which come potted to London, and are reckoned so very delicious. Kendal is a large populous town, noted for a woollen manufacture.* We went from thence to Burton, and so to Lancaster, a pretty town with a castle (made use of, as a prison) standing very pleasantly. From thence we went to Preston, a very pretty town, with abundance of gentry in it, commonly called Proud Preston: but I must own we there met with a great deal of civility. Being upon the fine walk, without that town, we could see Houghton Tower, and many other places, all the country round. Sitting down on the bench, at the upper end of the walk, I was saying, that was a pleasant place for a pipe of tobacco and a glass of October. A lady that overheard me, (who by the way, I was afterwards informed, was a great tory) immediately sent her footman home, to fetch both, without giving us the least hint of her design. But when, after a little time, we talked of moving, the lady very civilly asked us whether we would not stay till the pipes and drink came, which she had sent for, and she doubted not would be brought, in a little time. Upon this hint, we thought ourselves "Lanificii gloria et industria præcellens," according to Camden. See Pennant's Additions, p. 48.-Ed. |