his parts. MACAULAY, CATHERINE, 176383, History of England.

His enemies triumphed, yet dared not venture abroad. He was disgraced by the legislature; but tens of thousands bent as lowly before him, as the Thibetians to the Grand Lama. He went on a tour of triumph through the country; and was received with splendid, respectful pomp, at every place he visited: magistrates, in their formalities, welcomed him into their corporations; and his guard of honour, was frequently, a thousand gentlemen on horseback. At Bridgenorth he was met by Mr. Creswell, at the head of four thousand horse; and the same number of persons on foot, wearing white knots edged with gold, and three leaves of gilt laurel in their hats. The hedges, for The hedges, for several miles, were dressed with garlands of flowers; and the steeples covered with flags. In this manner he passed through Warwick, Birmingham, Bridgenorth, Ludlow, and Shrewsbury, on his way to his Welch living, with a cavalcade better suited to a prince than a priest. Ridiculous as this farce was, it did some good; as it kept up the respect due to the national church, by engaging the voice of the people at large in its favor; and discouraging any attempts to lower or innovate upon it, in the smallest degree. After the three years suspension had expired, a printer gave him £100 for his first sermon; and the house of Commons, his prosecutors, ordered him to preach before them; thanked him for his discourse; and he was presented to the valuable rectory of St. Andrew's, Holborn. Had the ministry remained in power, he might, probably, have beeen honoured with a mitre.NOBLE, MARK, 1806, A Biographical History of England, vol. 11, p. 128.

It is a strange conclusion to the enthusiastic championship of Sacheverell in his day, that he stands alone among the objects of great popular contests, as one who has had no historical vindicator. Whatever may be said of the folly, the tyranny, or the dishonesty of his opponents, no one has a good word to say for Sacheverell himself. Nay, he gets wounded in the assault on his enemies; for a chief characteristic in their offences is that they should have made war on a creature so despicable. This view of his character and position is perhaps the

reason why there seems to have been a reluctance to open up the question, by a search through the rich and curious. materials left in the impeachment and the controversy. The story as it was originally told by Burnet and Tindal has been repeated over and over. And yet writers who have thus carelessly dealt in it, have attributed to Sacheverell alone the great events of the later years of Queen Anne's reign-events produced by operative causes of which the Sacheverell affair was a mere superficial phenomenon.-BURTON, JOHN HILL, 1880, A History of the Reign of Queen Anne, vol. II, p. 293.

He had a fine presence and dressed well. He was an indifferent scholar and had no care for learning, was bold, insolent, passionate, and inordinately vain. His failings stand in a strong light, because the whigs, instead of treating him and his utterances with the contempt they deserved, forced him to appear as the champion of the church's cause, a part which, both by mind and character, he was utterly unfitted to play even respectably, yet the eager scrutiny of his enemies could find little of importance to allege against his conduct, though the charge that he used profane language when irritated seems to have been true.-HUNT, REV. WILLIAM, 1897, Dictionary of National Biography, vol. L, p. 83.

GENERAL

Nay, the Tatler, the immortal Tatler, the great Bickerstaff himself was fain to leave off talking to the ladies, during the Doctor's trial, and turn his sagacious pen to the dark subject of death, and the next world; though he has not yet decided the ancient debate, whether Pluto's regions were, in point of government, a kingdom or a commonwealth.-DEFOE, DANIEL, 1710, The Review.

A sudden conflict rises from the swell
Of a proud slavery met by tenets strained
In Liberty's behalf. Fears, true or feigned,
Spread through all ranks; and lo! the

Sentinel

Who loudest rang his pulpit 'larum bell, Stands at the Bar, absolved by female

eyes

Mingling their glances with grave flatteries
Lavished on Him-that England may rebel
Against her ancient virtue.
-WORDSWORTH, WILLIAM, 1822-23, Ec-
clesiastical Sonnets, pt. iii, No. xi.
So superior was this speech [before the

Lords] in composition to any thing which Sacheverell had hitherto produced, that it was well understood to be no offspring of his brain. Its merit was in general and probably with reason ascribed to Atterbury. STANHOPE, EARL, 1870, History

of England Comprising the Reign of Queen Anne until the Peace of Utrecht, p. 414.

His literary skill was of the most mechanical kind.-MINTO, WILLIAM, 1879, Daniel Defoe (English Men of Letters), p.80.

PERSONAL

The late Dr. Henry Aldrich, dean of Christ Church, had but a mean opinion, and used to speak slightingly, of Dr. Humphrey Prideaux, dean of Norwich, as an unaccurate muddy headed man. Prideaux's chief skill was in Orientals, and yet even there he was far from being perfect in either, unless in Hebrew, which he was well versed in. In 1677 he was preparing for the press an edition of Dionysius Halicarnasseus, to be printed at the Theatre, but it came to nothing, I know not for what reason, unless because it was found that 'twould be as uncorrect as his "Marmora Oxoniensia, and that he would do little or nothing to it, besides heaping up notes; and yet from a letter in his own hand I gather, that he intended to be short in them, and to make them consist only of references to other authors, where the several stories were also told. As for MSS., I perceive from that letter that he would not trouble himself about any, but rest wholly upon what had been done to his hands by former editors.HEARNE, THOMAS, 1734, Reliquiæ Hearnianæ, ed. Bliss, Oct. 15, vol. III, p. 157.

He endured the most dreadful maladies that can afflict the human frame, for a series of years, with a patience and resignation without a parallel. He had a strong constitution; a firm mind, and a

body, able to undergo great labour, until subdued by the stone, and its dreadful consequences. At ten o'clock he retired to rest; at five he renewed his studies. NOBLE, MARK, 1806, A Biographical History of England, vol. II, p. 109.

GENERAL

Prideaux [in "The Life of Mahomet"] and the authors of the "Modern History" you will probably think unreasonably eager to expose the faults of the prophet, and you will surely be attracted to a second consideration of the work (Koran) of Sale by the candour, the reasonableness, and the great knowledge of the subject, which that excellent author appears everywhere to display.

display. SMYTH, WILLIAM, 1840, Lectures on Modern History, Lecture iii.

Prideaux's "Connection" is a work of great research, connecting the Old with the New Testament by a luminous historical summary. Few books have had a greater circulation, and it is invaluable to all students of divinity. Its author was highly respected for his learning and piety.-CHAMBERS, ROBERT, 1876, Cyclopædia of English Literature, ed. Carruthers.

Prideaux's literary reputation rests on his "Life of Mahomet" (1697) and his "Connection" (1716-18). Of each of these the story has been told that the bookseller to whom he offered the manuscript said he "could wish there were a little

be glad of my repentance.-DRYDEN, JOHN, 1700, Fables, Preface.

But

He is well entitled to grateful and respectful mention; for to his eloquence and courage is to be chiefly ascribed the purification of our lighter literature from that foul taint which had been contracted during the Antipuritan reaction. He was, in the full force of words, a good man. He was also a man of eminent abilities, a great master of sarcasm, a great master of rhetoric. His reading, too, though undigested, was of immense extent. his mind was narrow; his reasoning, even when he was so fortunate as to have a good cause to defend, was singularly futile and inconclusive; and his brain was almost turned by pride, not personal, but professional. In his view, a priest was the highest of human beings, except a bishop. Reverence and submission were due from the best and greatest of the laity to the least respectable of the clergy. However ridiculous a man in holy orders might make himself, it was impiety to laugh at him. So nervously sensitive indeed was Collier on this point that he thought it profane to throw any reflection. even on the ministers of false religions. He laid it down as a rule that Muftis and Augurs ought always to be mentioned. with respect. He blamed Dryden for sneering at the Hierophants of Apis. He praised Racine for giving dignity to the character of a priest of Baal. He praised Corneille for not bringing that learned and reverend divine Tiresias on the stage in the tragedy of Edips. The omission, Collier owned, spoiled the dramatic effect of the piece; but the holy function was much too solemn to be played with. Nay, incredible as it may seem, he thought it improper in the laity to sneer even at Presbyterian preachers.

In

parts Collier was the first man among the nonjurors. MACAULAY, THOMAS BABINGTON, 1855, History of England, ch. xiv.

VIEW OF THE ENGLISH STAGE

1698

Being convinced that nothing has gone further in Debauching the Age than the Stage-Poets and Play-House; I thought I could not employ my Time better than in writing against them. These men, sure, take Virtue and Regularity for Great Enemies; why else is their disaffection so very remarkable? It must be said,

they have made their attack with great Courage, and gained no very inconsiderable Advantage. But it seems, Lewdness without Atheism is but half their Business. Conscience might possibly recover, and Revenge be thought on; and therefore like Foot-Pads, they must not only Rob but Murther. I confess I have no Ceremony for Debauchery. For to Complement Vice, is but one Remove from worshipping the Devil.-COLLIER, JEREMY, 1698, A Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage, together with the Sense of Antiquity upon this Argument, Preface.

It goes for current authority round the whole town that Mr. Dryden himself publicly declared [the "Short View"] unanswerable, and thanked Mr. Collier for the just correction he had given him; and that Mr. Congreve and some other great authors had made much the same declaration; which is all so notoriously false, so egregious a lie, that Mr. Dryden particularly always looked upon it as a pile of malice, ill-nature, and uncharitableness, and all drawn upon the rack of wit and invention.-FILMER, EDWARD, 1698, A Further Defence of Dramatic Poetry.

If I do not return him civilities in calling him names, it is because I am not very well versed in his nomenclatures. I will only call him Mr. Collier, and that I will call him as often as I think he shall deserve it. The corruption of a rotten divine is the generation of our sour critic. The greater part of those examples which [Mr. Collier] has produced are only demonstrations of his own impurity, they only savour of his utterance, and were sweet enough till tainted by his breath.-CONGREVE, WILLIAM, 1698, Amendments of Mr. Collier's False and Imperfect Citations.

He is too much given to horse-play in his raillery, and comes to battle like a dictator from the plough. I will not say "the zeal of God's house has eaten him up;" but I am sure it has devoured some part of his good manners and civility. It might also be doubted, whether it was altogether zeal which prompted him to this rough manner of proceeding; perhaps, it became not one of his function to rake into the rubbish of ancient and modern plays: a divine might have employed his pains to better purpose, than in the

nastiness of Plautus and Aristophanes, whose examples, as they excuse not me, so might be possibly supposed, that he read it. them not without some pleasure. They who have written commentaries on those poets, or on Horace, Juvenal, and Martial, have explained some vices, which, without their interpretation, had been unknown to modern times. Neither has he judged Neither has he judged impartially betwixt the former age and

-DRYDEN, JOHN, 1700, Fables, Preface. However just his charge against the authors that then wrote for it might be, I cannot but think his sentence against the stage itself is unequal; reformation he thinks too mild a treatment for it, and is therefore for laying his axe to the root of it. . . . Nevertheless, Mr. Collier's book was upon the whole thought so laudable a work, that king William, soon after it was published, granted him a nolo prosequi, when he stood answerable to the law for his having absolved two criminals just before they were executed for high treason. And it must be farther granted, that his calling our dramatic writers to this strict account had a very wholesome effect upon those who wrote after this time. CIBBER, COLLEY, 1739, An Apology for His Life.

He was formed for a controvertist: with sufficient learning; with diction vehement and pointed, though often vulgar and incorrect; with unconquerable pertinacity with wit in the highest degree keen and sarcastick; and with all those powers exalted and invigorated by just confidence in his cause. Thus qualified, and thus incited, he walked out to battle, and assailed at once most of the living writers, from Dryden to Durfey. His onset was violent; those passages, which, whilst they stood single, excited little notice, when they were accumulated and exposed together, excited horror; the wise and the pious caught the alarm; and the nation wondered why it had so long suffered irreligion and licentiousness to be openly taught at the publick charge. JOHNSON, SAMUEL, 1779-81, Congreve, Lives of the English Poets.

It is no disgrace to the memory of this virtuous and well-meaning man, that, to use the lawyer's phrase, he pleaded his cause too highly; summoned unnecessarily, to his aid the artillery with which the Christian fathers, had fuminated

against the Heathen Drama and, pushing his arguments to extremity, directed it as well against the use as the abuse of the stage. Those who attempted to reply to him, availed themselves, indeed, of the weak parts of his arguments; but upon the main points of impeachment, the poets stood self-convicted. SCOTT, SIR WALTER, 1814-23, Essay on the Drama, vol. VI, p. 363.

In his "View of the English Stage," frightened the poets, and did all he could to spoil the stage by pretending to reform it; that is, by making it an echo of the pulpit, instead of a reflection of the manners of the world. It seems

that the author would have been contented to be present at a comedy or a farce, like a Father Inquisitor, if there was to be an auto da fe at the end, to burn both the actors and the poet. This sour, nonjuring critic has a great horror and repugnance at poor human nature in nearly all its shapes, of the existence of which he appears only to be aware through the stage: and this he considers as the only exception to the practice of piety, and the performance of the whole duty of man; and seems fully convinced, that if this nuisance were abated, the whole world would be regulated according to the creed and the catechism. -HAZLITT, WILLIAM, 1818, Lectures on the English Comic Writers, Lecture iv.

Collier's famous "View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage" came out in March 1697-8-and it did not come before it was wantedthings had gotten to such a pitch that Ladies were afraid of venturing to a new play, till they were assured that they might do it, without risking an insult on their modesty or if their curiosity was too strong for their patience, they generally came in masks. Collier had great merit, but he frequently goes too far he has such a bias on his mind that he sees Profaneness where there is none.GENEST, P., 1832, Some Account of the English Stage, vol. 1, pp. 123, 125.

There is hardly any book of that time from which it would be possible to select specimens of writing so excellent and so various. To compare Collier with Pascal would indeed be absurd. Yet we hardly know where, except in the "Provincial Letters, we can find mirth so harmoniously and becomingly blended with