and if the sermon was long, he was in danger of falling asleep and catching cold, and it would fatigue him too much, especially on those days when he was afterwards to come down into the Chapel to receive the Sacrament. The Doctor had before taken care in his Sermons at Court to come within the compass of twenty minutes, but after this especially on the great festivals he never exceeded fifteen; so that the King sometimes said to the Clerk of the Closet "A short good sermon." But Archbishop Gilbert's favors did not stop here. The Archbishop of York is not a very good patron, but

he gave him one of the most valuable pieces of preferment in the Church of York, the Precentorship which he held till he was promoted to a bishopric: And whenever he attended the Archbishop to his diocese or to Tunbridge Wells, every thing was made as agreeable to him as possible in the family, and He who had some appearance of haughtiness to others, was to him all civility and courtesy, a kind friend and a generous patron. There is a method of confirmation which was first introduced by Archbishop Gilbert; he first proposed it to the clergy of Nottingham at his primary visitation and upon their unanimous approbation he put it in practice. This was instead of going round the rail of the Communion table, and laying his hands upon the heads of two or four persons held close together, and in a low voice repeating the form of prayer

prayer over them, he went round the whole rail at once, laid his hand upon the head of every person severally, and when he had gone through the whole, then he drew back to the Communion table, and in as audible and solemn a manner as he could pronounced the prayer over them all. This had a wonderful effect. The Clergy and the people were struck with the decency as much as with the novelty of the ceremony. The confirmations were performed in less time and with less trouble, with more silence and solemnity, and with more regularity and order. It commanded attention, it raised devotion, insomuch that several Bishops since have adopted the same method.

When Dr. Warburton was made Bishop of Glocester, he desired his friend Dr. Newton to preach his Consecration sermon, which service was performed at Lambeth on January 20. 1760. and the sermon, as usual, was printed by Archbishop Secker's order. It was somewhat extraordinary, that he who had Lord Hardwick and Lord Mansfield for his friends should be made a Bishop by the means of Mr. Pitt'; but Mr. Pitt at that time represented the city of Bath, where he was brought in by the interest of Mr. Allen, whose niece Dr. Warburton had married. He was promoted to the bishoprick of Glocester from the deanery of Bristol, where Mr. Allen had laid out a good deal of money in repairing and new-fronting the deanery

house,

house, and had not quite completed it when the Dean was made Bishop. However such was Mr. Allen's generosity, that he was willing to finish what he had begun; but inquired first Who was likely to succeed to the deanery. It was supposed to lie between Dr. Squire and Dr. Tucker, and Mr. Allen asked the Bishop What sort of men they were, and the Bishop answered in his lively manner, that the one made religion his trade, and the other trade his religion. Dr. Squire succeeded to the deanery of Bristol, where Mr. Allen completed his intended alterations, and Dr. Tucker was soon after made Dean of Glocester. It was true that Dr. Tucker had written upon trade and commerce with more knowlege and intelligence than any cler gyman, and with as much perhaps as Sir Josiah Child or any merchant: but he has also written very well upon other subjects more properly belonging to his profession. He had the pen of a ready writer, but it was apt sometimes to run away with him, and wanted judgment to curb and restrain it. He had strong and lively parts, and with many of the excellences it is no wonder that he had also some of the failings of every great genius. He was too an excellent parish-priest, and an exemplary dean in keeping his residence and performing his duty, in managing the Chapter estates, in living hospitably, in repairing and improving his house, and in adorning and beautifying the Church and

the

the Church yard. In these things he merited well, and had many good qualities: but it is to be lamented, that he had not the respect for the Bishop, which was really due to his personal character as well as to his higher station, so that there was not that friendship and harmony between them, which ought always to subsist between the Bishop and Dean of the same Cathedral. They were both men of great virtues, but they were both also men of strong passions. Both were irascible, but the Bishop was more placable and forgiving, the Dean longer bore resentment.

There was also some misunderstanding between Dr. Warburton, and another friend of Dr. Newton, Hawkins Browne, who was suspected of having assisted Mr. Edwards in his Canons of Criticism, which was the smartest pamphlet that ever was written against Dr. Warburton. This produced a coolness between them, but proceeded no farther. Hawkins Browne was then in a decline, and died soon after the time that the other was made Bishop; so that Dr. Newton's joy for the promotion of one friend was damped by his concern for the death of another. He was a man of great capacity, of extensive reading, and of a most retentive memory. His Grandfather Hawkins who left him his estate having been a lawyer, he was also bred to the law at Lincoln's Inn, and very well understood the theory of it; but had too good an es

tate

tate, and was of too indolent a temper, to submit to the profession and practice of it. He had besides too much of a poetical genius, and delighted more in the flowry paths of Parnassus, than in the thorny walks of the law. He was a very good English, but a better Latin poet, as appear from his poem De Animi Immortalitate, which obtained the honor of two different translations by two different Members of Parliament, Mr. Hay and Mr. Soame Jenyns. In some things he very much resembled Mr. Addison. Like him he had a fine understanding with a happy mixture of the sublime and comic genius. Like him he never had a good constitution, but was subject to great flatulencies and lownesses of spirits. They both attempted to speak in Parlament, but with such ill success, that neither of them attempted it a second time. They were both excellent companions, but neither of them could open well without first staving a glass of wine, and then the vein flowed to admiration. It was a very apt and striking similitude, by which he once described himself. After one of the Westminster plays Lord Lyttelton, Mr. Browne, and several others supped with Dr. Markham then the Head-master, and now the worthy Archbishop of York. The conversation was lively and ingenious among so many ingenious persons, but lay chiefly between Lord Lyttelton and Mr. Browne; others now and then threw in something, but were more delighted in

hearing.