ving many younger Children befides) they took his Son back with them, admitted him' in their own College, maintain'd him there, and, in a very particular manner, recommen-. ded him to the favour of the then Provost, or Head of the College, Dr. Langbane, which he found the Advantage of. He receiv'd feveral Prefents of Gold towards his Subfiftence there from unknown hands; with Anonymous Letters to certify, that those Gifts were in Confideration of his Father's Sufferings, and to encourage his Progrefs in Study: Several fuch Presents and Letters he received both before and after his being in Holy Orders, without his Knowledge from whence they came; but after the Reftauration of the Church, and Royal Family, he had some reason to believe that they came from Dr. Taylor and Dr. Hammond, being part of thofe Collections of Money, put into their Hands by charitable and well difpofed Perfons, for the Support and Encouragement of Suffering Loyalty,

He has often mention'd thofe Favours which he likewife then receiv'd from Sir Robert Southwell, a worthy Member of the faid College, and at whofe Request he published the first Fruits of his Labours, The Gentile Sinner. The occafion of writing that Book was this; fome young Gentlemen, with Mr. Ellis, being met together one Even

ing

ing in the faid College, after fome free and ingenuous Difcourfe among them, Mr. Ellis was defired to give the Character of a Gentleman, which he did, without premeditation, in some entertaining manner to the Company. He was defired afterwards to put his Thoughts into writing upon that Subject, and which he immediately went about, whilft his Fancy was warm, and fat up the whole Night: The next Day he prefented his Papers to them, which were fhown to his Tutor, and fo well approved of by him, that he put him upon a Review of the fame, in order to print them. When this Work was performed by him, he was not above four Years ftanding in the University, in which he gave an early Specimen of his Wit, as well as Understanding in Sacred Matters, and what benefit the Church might expect from him hereafter.

His time at the Univerfity was wholly Dedicated to study, and innocent Converfation, which he much delighted in: His Learning and Parts were publickly taken notice of, and which, in a fhort time, procured him a Fellowship in Queen's College, which he was a Credit and Honour

to.

He was ordained by Dr. Skinner, the then Deprived Bishop of Oxford, at his House in Langton near Oxford, on the 10th of Decem

a

ber

ber 1656, and afterwards became a constant Preacher either at St. Peter's in the Eaft, or at Abington, till the Year 1660, when the Lord William, then Marquefs, afterward Duke of Newcastle took him to be his Domeftick Chaplain, upon the recommendation of Dr. Morley and Dr. Barlow.

His grave and prudent Deportment procured no fmall Reputation to him in that Noble Family, and where the greateft Perfonages in it would fuffer themselves to be reproved by the Chaplain when any thing was fpoken or done amifs; (a Freedom rarely to be met with in this Licencious Age.) This he hath been often heard to fay.

Here, without much Digreffion, may be related a certain paffage, which fome of his Friends, and particularly thofe of his Family, were well acquainted with.

That a certain Gentleman of extraordinary Note, then dining with the Marquels, according to his ufual Talent, was scattering fome prophane Jefts against the Chriftian Revelation, and the Bleffed Author of it, and in a Sceptical way denying the fame,

c. The Marquefs fpoke to his Chaplain to reply to him; which at first he modeftly wav'd, and faid, that if the Gentleman was in earneft, he would endeavour to give him

Satis

Satisfaction at a more seasonable time, in those Points he pretended to doubt of, and not then, when they were at Dinner; but being urged by the faid Gentleman, who went on with his Difcourfe, Mr. Ellis told him, that he fhould be likely to offend him by that Reply, which he judg'd then neceffary to make. The Gentleman giving free Liberty of Speech, and promifing to take nothing amifs, Mr. Ellis faid, that he would answer him, or do fomething towards it, by putting fome Queflions to him, which he crav'd a direct Answer to first Question was Self to be Sir

The Do you know your ? To which he an

fwer'd, That he doubted of that, or might The fecond Queftion was,

do fo

Whether he knew that he was then Talking with him, and asking the former Queftion To which he Anfwer'd in the Negatiye. Mr. Ellis then thought fit to put an end to the Difpute by telling him, that when Sir... fhould come to know

himself to be fo, and fo far return'd to his Understanding and Senfes as to be convinc't that he was then talking with him, and asking those Questions, it would be time to dif pute more serious Matters, and not before. The Gentleman faid he was rude and unmannerly, which the Marquefs deny'd, from the Liberty of Speech before granted

So nice are we of our own Honour, and fo regardless of God's.

This was a smart Reply, as well as Rebuke, to a Perfon that was too prone to play upon Sacred Things, to turn them to Jeft and Ridicule, and to pretend to act the part of the Sceptick, (who doubts of every thing) upon all occafions. Yet another part of this Story muft not be omitted, more honourable for the faid Gentleman, who having, at the fame time, a very good Living vacant, made a tender of it the next Morning to Mr. Ellis, in a Letter, or by a Meffage to the Marquifs: (no doubt in confideration of Mr. Ellis's merit, as well as his own Unworthinefs, in ridiculing the Sacred Truths of our Religion the day before) But the Marquifs would not let him Accept of this Preferment, hoping, in fome fhort time, to make as good Provifion for him. As this was an Argument of the Gentleman's Ingenuity and good Nature, so it gives hope to believe, that his Principles were better than his Talk, and his ferious Thoughts very different from his witty or loofer Expreffions in Converfation. And when the fame Perfon came to Die (as a Reverend Person then attending him hath Witneffed) he declared, that he always believ'd the Truth of Chriftian Revelation, and Jefus Christ to be the Meffiah, notwithstanding a

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