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wit and learning and liberal conversation whetted and sharpened one another.

Not long after his admission into Westminster College, he lost his friend and patron Bishop Smalrige, who died of an apoplexy at Christ Church on the 27th of September 1719. This was truly a worthy prelate, an excellent scholar, a sound divine, an eloquent preacher, a good writer both in Latin and in English, of great gravity and dignity in his whole deportment, and at the same time of as great complacency and sweetness of manners, a character at once both amiable and venerable. Nemo illum amabilem, qui non simul venerabilem, diceret. Sen. Epist. cxv. He was so noted for his good temper, that succeeding Dr. Atterbury in the deanries of Carlisle and Christ Church, he was said to carry the bucket wherewith to extinguish the fires which the other had kindled. But notwithstanding his merits he never attained to any very great or lucrative preferments. He had Bristol the poorest bishopric in the kingdom, and Christ Church the most expensive deanery, foreigners and persons of quality, who visit the university of Oxford, being usually recommended to the Dean of Christ Church. He was also the Preacher at the new chapel in the BroadWay, Westminster, which at that time was frequented by one of the best and politest congregations in town, several families of fashion and distinction

tinction living then in those parts. He was besides appointed Lord Almoner by Queen Anne, but was removed by the Ministers of George I. on account of party; though surely no man ever exercised greater candor and moderation than he did towards all parties and persons, and is particularly commended for it by Sir Richard Steele and Mr. Addison in the Tatler, the latter of whom likewise makes very honorable mention of him in a letter to Dr. Swift, dated from Bristol October 1, 1718. "The greatest pleasure I have met with for some "months, is in the conversation of my old friend "Dr. Smalrige, who, since the death of the excel"lent man you mention, is to me the most candid "and agreeable of all bishops: I would say,

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clergymen, were not deans comprehended under "that title. We have often talked of you; and "when I assure you he has an exquisite taste of "writing, I need not tell you how he talks on such "a subject." The authors of the Biographia Britannica from the pretended information of a gentleman well known to the family say, that the Bishop left a widow and two children, a son and a daughter, the son named Henry. But the truth is, he left a widow and three children, a son named Philip and two daughters, both sensible clever women. Considering the nature of the Bishop's preferments, his hospitable manner of living, and his extensive charities, he cannot be supposed

supposed to have nade sufficient provision for his widow and family; but it was happy for him and for them too, that some time before his death he grew much into the favor of Caroline Princess of Wales, who generously procured a pension of 300l. a year for the widow, and a prebend of Worcester for the son. The son was also presented to the living of Christleton near Chester by Sir Roger Mostyn, and had the chancellorship of Worcester conferred upon him by Bishop Hough, out of regard to his father's memory. A subscription too was opened, and nobly promoted for the publication of sixty of the Bishop's sermons; some of which, it must be confessed, are unequal to the rest, having never been designed for the press, but others are truly excellent, and worthy of him or of any author. The widow very properly took this opportunity of addressing the dedication to the Princess of Wales with an humble acknowlegment of the many and great obligations which she and her family had received from her Royal Highness.

The year 1719 proved fatal to Mr. Addison as well as to Bishop Smalrige. The Bishop was buried at Christ Church, where a monument was erected to him by his widow with a handsome inscription, drawn up most probably by Dr. Freind, the Head Master of Westminster School, and also his brother in law, the Bishop and he having

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married two sisters. Dr. Freind was at that time the celebrated writer of Latin epitaphs; which yet Mr. Pope, who was as great a composer of epitaphs in English verse, and could not well bear a rival in any way, thought too prolix and too flattering, if Dr. Freind be really intended, as he was generally supposed to be intended in that epigram.

Friend, for your epitaphs I'm griev'd,

Where still so much is said,

One half will never be believ'd,
The other never read.

Mr. Addison was interred in Westminster-abbey, and the King's Scholars in their surplices with their white tapers in their hands attended the funeral, and the service was observed to be performed with more than common energy and solemnity by Bishop Atterbury. The friendship between Bishop Smalrige and Mr. Addison commenced at Lichfield, where Mr. Addison's father was Dean, and increased at Oxford, where the one was a student of Christ Church, and the other a fellow of Magdalen College; and they were somewhat alike in heir dispositions and tempers, so that party disputes, which were then carried on with great vehemence and animosity on both sides, did not much divide them. They were both excellent Latin poets, and bore distinguished parts in the

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Musæ Anglicanæ; but I know not whether the Auctio Davisiana of the former be not superior to any of the productions of the latter. Mr. Whis ton in the memoirs of his life would fain represent Bishop Smalrige as an Arian and a friend to him and Dr. Clarke. He was indeed a friend to all mankind, and conversed with those two learned men in the spirit of meekness, and was for mode rating the violent proceedings of the Convocation against them but Whiston was always too sanguine and opinionative, whatever he took into his head he firmly believed, and because he wished the Bishop to be as himself, he fondly concluded him to be such an one. However the report so far prevailed, that the Bishop thought proper to disclaim it, and to assert his constant belief of the Trinity, in a letter addressed but a few days before his death to Sir Jonathan Trelawny Bishop of Winchester, and by him attested and made public.

From Bishop Smalrige the discourse naturally applies to his friend Bishop Atterbury. The person here treated of was captain of Westminster School, when their chief governor, the Dean, in August 1722, not many days after performing the last office at the magnificent funeral of the great Duke of Marlborough, was taken into custody, and carried before a committee of the Privy Council. Where being under examination he made

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