continued all along to furnish the fociety at Oxford with proper fubjects by election. It was firft committed to 'the, care of a master and under-mafter only in the year 1382, it was placed under the fuperior government of a warden. This was the whole fociety that made their formal entrance into it as above-mentioned. Till the college was erected, they were provided with lodgings in the parish of St. John upon the Hill. The first nomination of Fellows was made by the founder, on the 20th of December, 1394. He nominated five only, though he had at that time determined the number to ten.

But

the chapel was not yet quite finished; nor was it dedicated nor confecrated till the middle of the next year: foon after which we may fuppofe that the full number of fel. lows, and of all other members. defigned to bear a more particnlar relation to the fervice of it, was compleated by him. The whole fociety confifts of a warden, feventy poor fcholars, to be inftructed in grammatical learning; ten fecular priests perpetual fellows, three priefts chaplains, three clerks, and fixteen chorifters: and for the inftruction of the fcholars, a schoolmafter, and an under- mafter or ufher.

"The ftatutes which he gave to his college at Winchester, and which are referred to in the charter of foundation, are, as it were, the counter-part of thofe of his college at Oxford; he amended, improved, and enlarged the former, by the fame steps as he had done the latter; and he gave the laft edition, and received the oaths of the feveral members of the fociety to the obfervance of them, by his commiffaries appointed for that purpofe, September 9, 1400. In this cafe he had no occafion to make a particular provifion in conftitut. Ang a vifitor of his college, the

fituation of it coincided with his defign, and he left it under the ordinary jurifdiction of the diocefan, the bishop of Winchefter."

Thefe noble foundations were worthy of a prelate famous for his piety, charity, and munificence. During the troubles of the reign of Richard II. our bishop behaved with such discretion and integrity, that he was equally esteemed by both parties. The lords in the oppofition propofed him as one of the council of government; and in the year 1389, the king appointed him high-chancellor of England. In 1391, he refigned the feals, nor does he appear to have had arry concern in the revolution that enfaed. He had been bleffed with an excellent conftitution, and an uncommon fhare of health. It is not to be wondered, that old age, and continued labour in conjunction, fhould bring upon him thofe infirmities which are the ufual confequences of each of them feparately; and that he fhould be obliged at last to have recourse to ease and retirement. In the latter part of his life, he expended a confiderable fum in repairing and beautifying the cathe dral at Winchefter. He built also, at that place, an oratory or chapel. He died at South Waltham, on the 27th day of September, 1404, after having been thirty years bishop of Winchester. Dr. Lowth gives us the articles of his will at length. We must not omit to mention fome instances of our bifhip's mutifi

charged the whole debts of the prior and convent of Selborne, to the amount of one hundred and ten marks. On which account the prior and convent voluntarily engaged for the celebration of two maffes a day, by two canons of the convent for ten years, for the bishop's welfare, if he should live fo long; and, for his foul, if he should die before the expiration of that term.

From the time of his being made bishop of Winchefter, he abundantly provided for a certain number of poor, twenty four at the leaft every day, not only feeding, but alfo diftributing money among them, to fupply their, neceffities of every kind.

He continually employed his friends, and thofe that attended upon him, to seek out the propereft ob-` jects of his charity; to fearch after thefe whofe modefty would not yield to their direffes, nor fuffer them to apply for relief; to go to the houses of the fick and needy,. and to inform themfelves particularly of their feveral calamities and his beneficence adminiftered largely to all their wants. He fupported the infirm, he relieved the diftreffed, he fed the hungry, and, he clothed the naked.

To the poor friars of the orders fubfifting on charity, he was always very liberal. His hofpitality was large, conftant, and univerfal: his house was open to all, and frequented by the rich and great, in proportion as it was crowded by the poor and indigent.

He was ever attentive and com

paffionate to fuch as were imprifoned for debt: he enquired into their circumstances, compounded with their creditors, and procured their releafe. In this article of charity he expended three thoufand marks.

The roads between London and Winchester, and many other places, when they were very bad, and al

most impaffable, he repaired and amended, making caufeways, and building bridges at a vaft ex

Rence.

He repaired a great number of churches of his diocefe, which were gone to decay and moreover furnished them, not only in a decent, but even in a fplendid manner, with books, vettments, chalices, and other ornaments. In this way he bestowed 113 filver chalices, and 100 pair of veftments; fo that the articles of this kind, few in comparifon, which we find in his will, were only intended by way of fupplement, to what he had done in his life-time; that fuch of the churches of his patronage, which he had not had occafion to confider

before as objects of his liberality, might not however feem to be wholly neglected by him.

Befides all this, he purchafed eftates to the value of two hundred marks a year, in addition to the demeine lands of the bishopric of Winchester, that he might leave there memorials of his munificence in every kind.

Though the other ornaments of his oratory are deftroyed, yet his monument remains there intire and unhurt to this day. It is of white marble, of elegant workmanship, with his effigies in his pontifical robes lying along upon it; and on a plate of brafs running round the edge of the upper table of it, is the following infcription in Latin verfe of the ftile of that age.

good reasons to believe) had fecretly embraced Christianity, tho' upon Gnoftic principles. There are fome who number among the Chriftians, Julia Mammea, the mother of this prince; as likewife the emperor Philip of Arabia. However, without all controverfy, it is certain, that the number of the churches amazingly increased throughout the world, which became infenfibly filled with Chriftians.

The church government continued upon the fame footing it was in the preceding age, and its foun- ! dations became more firmly eftablished. The authority of the bifhops particularly gained ground: the number of the clergy were greatly increafed in the more large and diftinguished places.

They immediately inftituted the order of readers, to which they added foon after, the other orders, which gave rife to the diftinction of fuperior and inferior clergy. Thefe laft orders were those of Subdeacons, Acolythes, Exorcifts, and Door-keepers. Thefe officers were at first only in fome particular churches, but afterwards they

were

were introduced into all, any ways confiderable.

No law as yet fubfifted in the church, which impofed celibacy on the clergy. There were, indeed, many fruitless attempts made for that purpofe; they answered this end, that thofe who voluntarily continued fingle, were held by all in great veneration. Nothing then feemed more agreeable to the gospel perfection, than to preferve unfpotted the flower of virginity; it was but feldom, that any who had entered into holy orders, afterwards married; but those who had been fo before, remained with their wives without any fcandal: At leaft, the hiftory of this time makes mention of many bishops and priests who had wives and children. But they begun from this period to have women, whom they called Subintrodu&tæ, to live with them, without being connected with them by any other tye than that of friendship, as we are affured from thofe who followed this cuftom.

Some new rites were now added to those in ufe before. Baptism was preceded by exorcifms, in order to free the perion who was to be confecrated, in the name of the Holy Trinity, from the power of impure fpirits. After baptifm,

those who had received the facrament were cloathed in white garments, which they wore for feven days. But the most remarkable abufe was, that they admitted infants to the holy fupper.

The faithful of this century had commonly buildings appropriated folely for their worship, as Christian and Pagan writers equally allow. Some of the learned maintain, that they offered incenfe to the divinity; but it is very difficult to establish this affertion.

Public fcandals multiplied on all fides, particularly from the apoftates, who in great perfecutions denied their Saviour. The church

then thought proper to add new regulations, which increased the feverity of its difcipline. This was not, however, equally rigorous in all places, and in certain cafes they knew how to foften it. To the public confeffion of fins, which the finner made in the face of the church, they now added another, upon account of the perfecution of Decius, which the offender was to make to the priest alone. Penitence was diftinguished at this time by thofe who prefided in the church, into four degrees. In the firft, the penitents were to remain for a certain time without the door of the church. After that, they were admitted to the hearing the word of God. They were then allowed to join in certain prayers, but kneeling, while the reft ftood. The third degree allowed them to partake of the prayers of the faithful, ftill remaining excluded from the holy communion. When they paffed all these three degrees, they received the peace of the church, were admitted to the holy table, and reinftated in all the privileges of the faithful.

There were in the Greek church, notwithstanding the violence of the perfecutions, many divines who were the great lights and ornaments of the age. The moft celebrated of whom were Hippolytus, bifhop of Porto, in Italy, or, as fome say, metropolitan of Arabia; Gregory of Cefarea, to whom they attributed thofe miracles, which gave him the name of Thaumaturgus: Methodius, bishop of Tyre, in Phoenicia; and Archelaus, bishop of Cafcar in Mefopotamia, who particularly distinguished him felf by the difpute he had with the Heretics. Some of the writings of all thofe whom we have mentioned are ftill extant; but the fame of these pious men was almoft eclipfed by the celebrated Origen, who did fo much honour to the fchool of Alex

andria,

andria, by the incredible number and great value of his works, though he racle more noife during his life, and fince his death, by fome particular circumftances which happened to him.

Among thofe whofe writings are loft, but whofe memory deferve refpect, we may number Julius the African, to whom chronology is much indebted; and Denys, of Alexandria, one of the most famous divines of his time. The apologists, then much wanted, were very numerous; the name of one i. e. Macarius Magnes, would have been intirely forgot, had not fome of his works been taken notice of by fome learned men of our time.

The perfon, the most diftinguished in the Latin church, was without difpute St. Cyprian, bishop of the church of Carthage, and martyr, of whofe piety, and other excellent qualities, we may judge from his writings. A bishop of Rome, named Cornelius, was in great friendship with St. Cyprian, whofe holy life, and pure doctrine ferved greatly to edify the church. He had the glory of suffering martyrdom. Minutius Felix, a Roman advocate, wrote an extremely elegant work, in the form of a dialogue, in defence of ChriAtianity. Arnobius deferves the fome elogium, though we must own, that he was much happier in refuting the idolatry of the Gentiles, than in explaining or etablishing the true religion. This is a remark that may be applied to almost all the writers of the primitive church.

The doctrine believed and profeffed in this century, was in the general conformable to that of the two preceding. If there was any difference, it was only in the manner or method of explaining the truths of religion, to which they applied with more care and art than they had done before. As there had arofe fome difputes refpecting the Trinity of perfons in the Deity,

2

and the divinity of the Son, they thought it necessary to explain in a more diftin& manner thefe myste ries; and in doing this, they borrowed variety of terms from the Pagan philofophy; but the misfortune was, that they mixed thefe philofophical notions with revealed truths; and made facred things the object of school difputations. Upon this account, the doctrines of Chrift's divinity, and that of the Holy Spirit, were propofed and treated of in a manner by no means exact, or agreeable to the analogy of faith.

[To be continued.]

WESTMINSTER-ABBEY. [Continued from page 200.]

ON

N the eaft fide of the door of St. Erafmus's chapel is a monument erected to the memory of Jane, daughter and coheirefs of Sir John Poultney, and wife to Sir Cleppefby Crew, Knt. who died on the 2d of December 1639, in the 29th year of her age.

new monument

The next is a erected to the memory of William Pulteney, earl of Bath. Above is medallion of the earl, in the center a large urn with the arms of the family, and on each fide of it are the figures of Wisdom and Poetry. In the front of the monument is the following infcription: "Erected to the memory of Wm. Pulteney earl of Bath, by his brother the Hon. Harry Pulteney, general of his majesty's forces, 1761. Ob. July 7, 1764. Et. 81."

Adjoining to this is a very handfome monument erected to the memory of admiral Holmes. He is reprefented in a Roman warlike habit, with his right hand refting on a cannon mounted on a carriage. Behind is an anchor, a flag-staff, and other naval decorations. Under which is the following infcription:

To