chaplain afterward. However, I find by my ac counts ftill preferved, that tho' I was a penfioner for the last half year, yet did my whole expences for the three years and half, till my first degree inclufive, not amount to fo much as 100l. See Dr. Newton's very prudent pamphlet, called, The Expence of Univerfity Education Reduc'd. Soon after I was made fellow of Clare-Hall, I fet up for a tutor there. And to encourage me in that employment, archbishop Tillotson fent his worthy chaplain Dr. Barker, who afterwards publifh'd his works, to the univerfity; partly to perfuade the heads of colleges to take more than ordinary care of giving Commendamus's for holy orders, and partly to bring his nephew Mr. Tillotson, to be my pupil at Clare-Hall. An honour and advantage this at that time of life very confiderable to me, had my ill health allowed me to go on in that way in the college. But as it did not, that excellent tutor Mr. Richard Laughton, my bofom friend, who was then chaplain to Dr. More, bishop of Norwich, foon took my pupils, eleven in number, and I was kindly invited by the bishop to be chaplain in his ftead, which I accepted of. However, foon after the archbishop had fent me his nephew, or in 1694, I waited upon him at Lambeth. And being at chapel there, with that defign, I found bishop Burnet there alfo; who, as I was told, had bufinefs with him, So that, upon fome of the family's fuggeftion, I went away; intending in a few days to come again; but in those few days the archbishop was dead. So very uncertain is human life! So that I did never converse with him at all: Tho' I once heard him preach upon New-Years Day, 1688-9, one of his excellent fermons at his lecture at Laurence-Jury; Circumcifion is nothing, and Uncircumcifion is nothing, but the keeping of the Commandments of God, 1 Cor. vii. 19.. However,

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However, having had occafion to mention the archbishop's chapel at Lambeth, give me leave to take notice how little courage both he and archbishop Sharp had in the rejection of that publick curfing of christianity, the Athanafian Creed, even as to their own cathedrals or chapels. For tho' it be well known how little they both approved this creed (fee Dr. Clarke's Life, ift edit. page 81. and Mr. Emlyn's Life, page 58.) yet does it no way appear that either of them had chriftian courage enough to banish it out of those places: however, fince I have by me an authentic paper communicated by Dr. Laughton, which vindicates this excellent archbishop Tillotfon from fome falfe reports, which had been told of him, altho' I formerly permitted it to be publish'd, yet fhall I here repeat it. It runs thus, verbatim.

SIR,

Mr. Denton's Paper.

"I have thus long deferr'd to return an answer "to your letter, about the late worthy archbishop "of Canterbury, because I was defirous to give << you as punctual an account as I could of thofe 66 things laid to his charge in the libel. I have "found out two perfons, who, befides myself, were " in Clare-Hall that fummer, in which Worcester "fight was, viz. Sir Watkinfon Payler, who was "a nobleman, and Mr. James Mountain, who "was fellow of the college; and if there had been any fuch alteration made by him in the college graces, as the pamphlet mentions, furely fome "of us who daily heard it read would have known it; but those perfons do profefs, as I do, they "never knew, or heard of any fuch thing done,

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" or attempted to be done, but do believe it to be

a malicious lie. I perceive I was mistaken in "the time of his being made fellow, which (you "fay) by the buttery-books appears to be fome "time before Worcester fight, and I must believe "that record before my memory at this diftance "of time. I was alfo in the college when king "Charles I. paffed by Cambridge, and whether "Tillotson went to Sir John Cuts's houfe, amongst

feveral that did, I have forgotten, but I am ແ pretty confident the ftory of his being denied the honour to kifs his majefty's hand, is not "true; for I never heard of any fuch thing, which "(if it had been fo) I fhould certainly have done, "if not from him, from fome others, feveral of "my acquaintance being there. It is true, that "he had Dr. Gunning's fellowship, but whether

by a Mandamus, or the college election, I cannot "certainly tell, but believe the latter; for when " he came into it, it was made void by the death "of one who had enjoyed it feveral years after "Dr. Gunning left it; and I think none of those "fellowships were fill'd after the firft turn by "Mandamus's; but of this I am not certain, and "forgot to afk Mr. Mountain about it, when I "was with him, who probably may remember "that better than I. But I will, as foon as I have "an opportunity, fpeak or write to him about it.

As for what the pamphlet fays of his governing "the college, the fenior fellows not daring to op"pofe him, because of the interest he had with his 66 great masters; it is very malicious and falfe, for "he was not of an imperious humour, but had "then that sweetness of temper, which he ever after "retained, and was much refpected by the fenior "fellows: He was, indeed, in those young years, "of very great parts and prudence, and the fenior

fellows would always have his advice in what

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<< was done about college-affairs, giving great "deference to his judgment. And Mr. Mountain " (who was one of those fenior fellows, and as "much as any one for the king's fide, having "been fome years in his army) doth, to this day, "retain a very great honour for him, and never " mentions him without a mighty refpect."

In 1693, I was become mafter of arts, and fellow of the college; and intended to take holy orders. Tho' I confefs the fubfcriptions, &c. for my degree of master of arts, feemed to me, even then, fo uneafy, that I could hardly perfuade myfelf to comply with them, and have ever fince I examined into primitive chriftianity, abfolutely refufed them, both for myfelf, and my children. Now when I was to go to take orders, I had no mind to apply myself to a bishop, how excellent foever, who had come into the place of any who were not fatisfied with the oaths to king William and queen Mary, and fo had been deprived for preferring confcience to preferment; which, as I ever after refolved to do myself, fo had I at the revolution written, tho' not printed, a very small paper against the lawfulness of that oath; tho' tenderly, and with a caution fuitable to fo young a man; as being then but 21 years old. However, tho' I have a copy of that paper by me, yet, because I foon afterward more thoroughly examined that matter, and fatisfied myself of the lawfulness of that oath, at least to those who had not taken an oath to king James, which was my cafe; and wrote fully for the title of princes, as not to be derived from hereditary right, but from the choice and recognition of the people in my Scripture-Politicks, of which hereafter: I think it no way proper to infert it in this place. Yet do I too well remember, that the far greatest part of thofe of the univerfity

university and clergy that then took the oaths to the government, feemed to me to take them with a doubtful confcience, if not against its dictates. Nor confidering the doctrines of paffive obedience and non-refistence, they had generally been brought up in, and generally figned before, was it to be otherwife expected. Whether the oppofers of fuch doubtful oaths and subscriptions, or those that take them while they are diffatisfied, are under the greater guilt I cannot determine. The great day muft determine it.

However, I moft fortunately pitch'd upon the great bishop Lloyd, who had been bishop of St. Afaph before the revolution, and was then bishop of Coventry and Litchfield, in the neighbourhood of Tamworth. To whom that year 1693, I brought my college teftimonial, with a letter from Mr. Langley, minifter of Tamworth, who was one of the best and most confcientious clergymen in that diocese, and known by the bishop to be fo. When I therefore defired that his lordship, would please to give me deacon's orders on St. Matthew's Day September 21ft, and prieft's orders on the Sunday following, being the publick ordination; he told me, that he knew what college teftimonials were: "And that had it not been for Mr. Langley's Let"ter, I might have gone away re infecta": Yet did his lordship favour me with a private ordination, to be a deacon, on the holyday: And after a most uncommon, but vaftly improving examination and inftruction in the cathedral beforehand, with a publick ordination into the priesthood, the next Lord's Day; dean Addifon, the prefent bishop Chandler of Durbam, then his lordship's chaplain, and the late bishop Smalridge, laid their hands on me in ordination, as prefbyters. Where it will be proper to obferve, that when Mr. Langley was once at another ordination with this bishop, he, as one

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