session, namely, the Lectures delivered by the first Norrisian Professor, Dr. Hey. The reader will no doubt be struck with a great originality, and sometimes eccentricity of illustration; but, as a work of reference, full of deep research, and accurate and extensive information, more particularly with respect to the history and doctrines of the Church of England, it cannot be too strongly recommended to the biblical student.

On the 3d of August 1768, after a most harassing and painful illness, which he bore with the greatest fortitude, and the most profound acquiescence in the divine will, Archbishop Secker died at Lambeth; leaving his two chaplains, Dr. Stinton* and Dr. Porteus, joint executors,

and

*Of this learned, amiable and excellent man, the Bishop has left the following short, but interesting account:-"The death of Dr. George Stinton, which occurred April the 30th, 1783, was a very severe and unexpected

c 3

and, amongst other directions of his will, committing to their care the revisal and publication of his Lectures on the Catechism, his manuscript sermons, and other

occasional

unexpected misfortune to me. He was one of my best and dearest and most intimate friends. I had known him, and lived with him in habits of the most perfect intimacy, for near twenty years; during which time not the slightest difference ever arose between us. He was a man of great integrity and worth, of superior abilities, and very extensive erudition. Of the learned languages he was a complete master, and was also well skilled in French, German, and Italian. He wrote but little, and published only four sermons, all on public occasions, and all excellent. He possessed the talent of conversation in a degree superior to almost any man I ever knew, and spoke, as he composed, with remarkable elegance and correctness. To this he added a large share of wit and humour, all which rendered him a most agreeable and entertaining companion.

"He was in appearance, a strong, robust man, and seemed calculated, as much as any one I ever saw, for long life. But he was cut off very suddenly and unexpectedly, and added one more to the number of those striking instances of the uncertainty of human life, which are every day occurring, and which ought to make a stronger impression upon us than they usually

occasional writings. This trust was faithfully fulfilled: and in order to render the work more complete, as well as to pay the last tribute in his power to his deceased friend and benefactor, Dr. Porteus prefixed a "Review of the Archbishop's Life and Character." It is unquestionably a masterly performance, and one of the happiest specimens of biographical composition. The character of the Archbishop is drawn with accuracy and discrimination. There are no false tints thrown in to embellish and set off the picture. It is touched with the firm hand and in the sober colouring of truth; and the impression left on the mind is a mingled sentiment of admiration and

esteem

usually do. He was buried in the church of Allhallows Barking, of which he was Vicar. I attended his funeral, and shed tears of sincere grief over his grave."

esteem for the talents, the erudition, the unostentatious beneficence, and the profound Christian piety, of that illustrious Prelate.

It was not however merely by giving to the world this "review of his life," that Dr. Porteus testified his respect and affection for the memory of his great Friend. He neglected afterwards no opportunity of defending him privately or publicly. He suffered no calumny to go abroad, no unjust insinuation to be thrown out against him, without instantly stepping forward to refute and to repel it. His anxiety in this particular was unremitting and incessant. As an instance of it, I can never forget the surprise and pain and indignation, which were excited in his mind, upon reading two passages in the late Lord Orford's works, in one of which the point of an Epigram is made

made to turn upon the supposition that the Archbishop was a hypocrite; and in the other, he is expressly charged, in direct unqualified terms, with having been the President of an Atheistical Club! Such assertions as these, so disgraceful in themselves, and so utterly and grossly false, the Bishop of London, as he then was, could not suffer for a moment to pass uncontradicted. He wrote immediately to the Editor, Mr. Berry, stating in the strongest terms the injustice and mischief of such flagrant misrepresentations, and offering, if the thing were possible, to have the leaves, which contained them, cancelled at his own expense. Unfortunately, the book had got too much into circulation to render this proposal feasible: but he so far succeeded, as to obtain a direct promise from Mr. Berry, that, should the work in question