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flowed from his heart, he hardly meditated them before hand, and never wrote them down. His only view was to fpeak like a good father, to comfort, to relieve, and inftruct his flock. He was of a difpofition remarkably meek and modeft; humane and charitable, and ever defirous to fhew his benevolence, and to do acts of kindnefs to all men. He was particularly tender to the French Proteftant minifters and in all refpects fhewed his candour and humanity. A proof of which is the following letter to one of his friends, on account of the misfortunes of cardinal Noailles, whom he had been obliged to oppofe;- Moft people, fays he, may be apt to imagine, that I fecretly and wickedly rejoice at what happens; but I fhould think myself a devil, if I were ca pable of fuch an abominable joy, and if I did not really grieve for what is fo detrimental to the church. I muft even tell you fincerely, what others befide yourself will hardly believe, that I am heartily forry for cardinal Noailles' misfortunes. I eafily imagine all the vexations he fuffers: I feel them for him; I do not call to mind what is pat, but in order to remember the favour he has honoured me with, for fo many years. All the reft, God be praised, is worn out of my heart. Nothing is changed in it. I only confider the hand of God, who was pleafed to humble me out of his infinite mercy. God himfelf is a witness of the fenfe of duty and zeal, with which he fills me for this cardinal. The piety, which I have observed in him, makes me hope, he will vanquish himself, in order to reftore the tranquillity of the church, and to please all the enemies of religion. His example would immediately reclaim the most obftinate and paffionate men; which would be an uncommon glory to him in

all ages. I pray for him daily at the altar, with the fame zeal, I had twenty years ago."- One private letter, written to a friend, unreferved and free, difcovers often the true picture of a man's mind, more than many actions. We have therefore inferted this, which we think, gives us fo good a profpect of our archbishop's mind.

He continued till the year 1715, in the happy exertion of his faculties for the good of mankind, without any material interruption; and, dedicated to the divine good pleafure, with great refignation and chearfulness, put off the robes of mortality, in the month of January, of that year, to enter on a ftate, where there is neither envy, perfecution, nor exile - His works abundantly demonftrate his extenfive learning, great genius, exquifite tafte, and unfeigned love of virtue and piety. The Adventures of Telemachus, which he compofed for the benefit of the young princes, under his care, is too well known, and esteemed, to need either mention or encomium here. The excellent fentiments, and enlarged notions, (fome fo contrary to the French mode of thinking,) which are every where confpicuous in this excellent work, were the chief occafion, as fome have fuggetted, of the difgrace of the archbishop; juftice however is done the archbishop, by that univerfal applaufe which is now given to this work, and that univerfal fatisfaction which the perufal of it affords.

He compofed in his youth, though it was not publifhed till after his death, in the year 1718, (for he was extremely fhy of publifhing,, and his pieces were generally tolen from him) "Dialogues upon eloquence in general, and particularly that which is intended for the pulpit:" which have been always held in much estimation, and will always be read with fin

gular profit by thofe, who are defirous to fpeak with propriety and

energy.

His Fables and Dialogues of the Dead, written alfo for the inftruction of his royal pupils, have appeared fince his death, and have met with high approbation; they breathe the pure fpirit of virtue, of unaffected good fenfe, of juft criticiím, of fine tafte. They are as much fuperior to Fontenelle's, as reafon is to falfe wit, or truth to affectation. The greateft fault of them is, that fome of them are too short.

There is alfo a work entitled the Characters of Charity, which is afcribed to him. It is a practical comment upon the 13th chapter of St. Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians; has appeared in an English tranflation, and contains many important obfervations, which will well repay the ferious readers most attentive perufal. All his fpiritual works were collected and printed in 2 vols. folio, and in 4to. by a bookfeller of Rotterdam. Amongst thefe we must not omit one work, which he published himself in the year 1713, called, "A Demon

ftration of the Being of God, grounded on the knowledge of nature, and fuited to the meaneft ca pacity." It is one of the best books upon that fubject, in the French tongue. And for the advantage of those who do not underftand that language, may be read in English one of the most elegant of our countrymen, fpeaking of this work and its author, obferves,

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that this great author, in his writings, has manifefted an heart full of virtuous fentiments, great benevolence to mankind, as well as a fincere and fervent piety to his Creator. His talents and parts are a very great good to the world, and it is a pleafing thing to behold the polite arts fubfervient to religion, and recommending it from its natural beauty." And again, "A man of his talents viewed all things in a light different from that in which ordinary men fee them; and the devout difpofition of his foul, turned all thefe talents to the improvement of the pleasures of a good life. His devotions has a fublimity in it befitting his character, and the emotions of his heart flow from wisdom and knowledge,"

Bafilides of Alexandria counted 365 heavens, every one of which had a particular angel, and over the whole there was a chief; a divinity to whom he gave the name of Abraxas, a name to which they attributed more than a hundred extraordinary but chimerical virtues. With regard to Chrift, he faid that it was not his own body that was faftened to the cross, but that of Simon the Cyrenian, which bore the exact resemblance of Chrift's body. In general, Bafilides affected much obfcurity in his doctrine.

Carpocrates

Carpocrates advanced, that our Saviour was born of his mother according to the common laws of nature, and he changed Chriftianity into a school of licentioufnefs, opening a door to every vice.

Bardefanes was at first a celebrated philofopher among the Chriftians of Syria; but afterwards giving way to the reveries of the Gnoftics, he became the founder of a fect that furvived many years.

But of all thefe Herefiarchs, Valentine, originally an Egyptian, was the most celebrated for his knowledge and understanding. St. Irenæus and St. Epiphanius have left us large expofitions of his fyftem, but in fo confufed a manner, that it is extremely difficult to form any intelligible notions of it.

Among the most ancient Herefi. archs of this century, we may place Cerdon the Syrian. He dwelt at Rome, and being feparated from the catholic communion, either with his own confent, or from being excluded by others, became the author of a new herefy, which differs only from the notions of the Gnoftics; in that he has established two principles, the one good, the other evil; adding, that it was the evil one which created the world, and gave to the Jews the Old Teftament. Afterwards Cerdon joined himself to Marcion, of the city of Sinope, who, having been banished his own country, came to Rome, where the communion of the orthodox refufed him admiffion. Marcion, as well as Cerdon fuppofed two principles, which gave to his followers the name of Duallifts; but we must ufe great attention perfectly to understand the Duallifm of Marcion. He adopted likewife (if we give credit to the authors of that time) several other reveries of Cerdon and the Gnoftics, to which he added many of his own. He rejected all the Old Tef tament, as the work of an evil

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N the center of this chapel is a most elegant monument of black and white marble, on which are two images in a cumbent posture, reprefenting an ancient nobleman in his robes, with his lady. This monument was erected to the memory of Lyonel Cranfield, earl of Middlefex, by his relict lady Ann. The infcription on the monument is in Latin, of which the following is a tranflation: "Sacred to the memory of Lyonel lord Cranfield, earl of Middlefex, who by that difcerning prince king James I. being called to court, was, for his excellent parts, bountifully rewarded both with honours and fortune; being made master of the requefts, and of the wardrobe, prefident of the court of wards and privy counfellor. The new and illuf trious, as well as difficult province of lord treasurer of England, he filled; which fervices, (how indefatigably he underwent) his titles. of knight, baron Cranfield, and lafly earl of Middlefex, with various other honours, abundantly teftify. From hence envy fwelling, its utmost efforts were exerted to raife ftorms against him. Whilst he boldly ftanding on his guard, encouraged

encouraged by the confcioufnefs of his innocence, was fhamefully toffed about; but happily escaping fhipwreck, in a compofed winter of life, caft anchor and finished his course in a retired leifure. Here lying concealed, being wearied out firft, and wafted afterwards, this pilot was roufed up to undertake a fafer voyage, and made the port of Heaven. He died the 6th of Auguft, 1645, aged about feventy, and was twice married; by his firft wife he had three daughters, Elizabeth late countefs of Mulgrave; Martha, countefs of Monmouth; and Mary, who died unmarried. By the fecond, who furvived him, he had three fons and two daughters, James, heir to the honour of earl Middlefex; Lyonel and Edward; Frances, lady Buckhurft; and Su. fannah, who died an infant."

On the north fide of this chapel, and adjoining to the area, is an ancient tomb of free-ftone, railed with iron, having formerly a canopy of wood, which was demolifhed at the coronation of king George I. On this tomb lies the effigy of archbishop Langham, who was first a monk, afterwards a prior, then an abbot of Weftminfter, and laftly archbishop of Canterbury. Round the tomb is a Latin epitaph, fetting forth, "That he was monk, prior, and abbot of this abbey; afterwards elected bifhop of London; but ly being then alfo vacant, he made choice of that fee; that he was primate and chancellor of England: priest cardinal, afterwards bishop cardinal of Prenefte; and nuncio from the pope; and that he died on the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, in the year 1376, on whofe foul God have mercy, and

his confent. In 1369 he was made bishop-cardinal of Prenefte, by pope Gregory XI. and had the profits aligned him of the archdeaconries of Taunton and Wells; founded a houfe of Carthufians at Avignon in Provence, at which place he was first interred, and afterwards removed to this chapel. He died of a palfy, with which he was feized at dinner, on the 22d of July 1376. Near this tomb is another, about eighteen inches from the ground, on which is engraved on a brass plate the figure of an old man in a doctor's habit, defigned for doctor William Bill, dean of Westminster, master of Eton college, head of Trinity in Cambridge, and chief almoner to queen Elizabeth, as appears by his infcription. On a brafs plate are fome Latin verfes, fetting forth, "that he was a good and learned man, and a friend to thofe that were fo; that he was juft and charitable; and that the poor, as well as the three colleges over which he prefided, fuftained an irreparable lofs by his death." He died the 5th of July, in the year 1561.

On the east fide of this chapel, where once ftood the altar of St. Benedict, is a beautiful monument compofed of various kinds of marble, erected to the memory of lady Frances, countefs of Hertford, who is here reprefented in her robes in a cumbent pol ure, with her head resting on an embroidered cufhion, and her feet on a lion's back. The fculpture of this monument is exceeding curious; it feems to reprefent a ftately temple, where the enfigns and devices of the noble families of Somerset and Effingham appear to be the chief The Latin infcription fets forth, "that he was wife to the noble earl of Hertford, fon to the renowned prince Edward, duke of Somerfet, earl of Hertford, vifcount Beauchamp, and baron Seymour: that he was daughter to

the