incumbent on him (more especially those which he owes to you) to the best of those abilities, which God has given him. And it will be my last and most fervent prayer to Heaven, that both you and I may be well prepared for that most awful account, which we must all of us give, of the sacred and important trust reposed in us, at the tribunal of our Almighty Judge."

On the subject of Residence, in this Charge, the Bishop stated that the consideration of the question was then before the Legislature. The fact was, that under the Statute of the 21st of Henry the Eighth, many vexatious prosecutions had been instituted by common informers, for the mere sake of the penalties, against non-resident clergy; in consequence of which, many excellent men had been subjected to great hardships.

It was therefore extremely desirable, that such persons should be relieved from the pressure of this Act. Accordingly with this view a short Bill was in the first instance introduced, to suspend all actions on the Statute of Henry till the 25th of March 1802; and during the interval another Bill was brought forward by Sir William Scott, the outline of which, as stated by himself in a speech of great learning, ability and eloquence, was shortly this: first, on the matter of farming-for on that point also the Act of Henry was extremely rigorous and severe to give the clergy the liberty of farming in cases where they had been injuriously prohibited; and, secondly, in the matter of residence—to give a fair and reasonable allowance of time to the clergyman for the occasions of private life, free from the vexatious suits of an informer,

informer, though still subject to the superintendence of his proper superior: to allow an exemption from all penalties for clergymen bearing certain offices, during the times required for the duties of those offices: to restore the power of bishops to grant licences for absence in certain enumerated and expressed cases; and in other cases, which cannot be specifically foreseen or provided for, to allow the concurrence and consent of the metropolitan to have that effect. This Bill, which, before it was introduced, had been long in contemplation, was afterwards warmly debated in Parliament, and every point of it maturely weighed and thoroughly discussed. Many of its clauses were very strongly opposed; and, amongst others, the Bishop was himself of opinion, that the exemptions were too numerous, so as considerably

incumbents became less capable of supporting themselves with that decency and respectability, which, especially in a large commercial city, their stations required. But, in a peculiar degree in the present times, when from various causes the price of all the necessaries of life has been so enormously advanced, the inadequacy of such a maintenance was felt with such severity, as to render it absolutely necessary to call in the aid of the Legislature and it was therefore the object of the Bill then proposed by the Bishop, to improve, on the authority of Parliament, all the livings under the Act of Charles, by an increased rate upon property. This, however, though called for equally by justice and necessity, was strongly opposed; chiefly on the ground, that there was no consent of the parties

affected

great object of the Bill. I admit however that, in its general frame and structure, it is undoubtedly a very judicious one, and that it reflects the highest credit on the temper, moderation, and distinguished talents of the excellent person who drew it up, and who took upon himself the laborious task of carrying it through the House of Commons."

During the discussion of this question in the Committee of the House of Lords, the Bishop proposed a clause, empowering the ordinary to require a resident curate, wherever the incumbent himself was exempted from residence. This he considered absolutely necessary to remedy the imperfections and render effectual the beneficial operations of the Act. It was thought however at that time that the introduction of such a clause might risk the passing of the original Bill, and that