university, and at the regular time took his Doctor's degree therein, which qualifying him to plead in the courts of the Civil and Ecclefiaftical law, he was admitted an Advocate, and residing at Doctors Commons foon grew into confiderable repute, and had great practice as a Civilian. In the interim Lord Molefworth publishing his Account of Denmark in 1692, our Author took up his pen once more in his country's cause, the honour of which was thought to be blemished by that Account. Animated with this fpirit he drew up a cenfure of it, which he printed under the title of Animadverfions upon the pretended Account of Denmark †. This was published in 1694,

Varillas contradicts this, and in his Anfwer to Bishop Burnet fays that he never accepted the pention which Mr. Harlai "had obtained for him from the clergy of France in 1670, nor yet that which he procured of the King for him, charged 66 upon the Abbey of La Victoire, in 1672; and that all that "he received by the Archbishop's means was a present from "the affembly of the clergy in 1670, and a gratuity from the "King of two thousand livres in 1685." However that be, our Author having obferved that these Reflections on Varillas's Account of Wicliffe contain some memoirs of that great man, who was as it were the morning star of the Reformation, proceeds thus: "It were to be withed," fays he, " that "from the many volumes of his works ftill remaining a hi"ftory of Religion of that time were compofed, which would "give great light into the affairs of England."

+ Our Author acquaints us that these Animadverfions were wrote at the requeft of the Rev. Mr. Brink, Minifter of the Danish church in London, a perfon whose merit, travels, and

and was so much approved by Prince George, confort to the Princess (afterwards Queen) Anne, that the

knowledge of the world, had defervedly gained him the favour of the then present King of Denmark, upon whom he was an attendant at Venice; that from him, affifted by his Excellency Mr. Scheel, who refided here as Envoy Extraordinary, he had the memoirs which composed those papers, which had the honour not to be unacceptable to his Royal Highness Prince George; and when fent to Denmark were by the late king's order turned into French, and read to him as fast as they could be tranflated; that he had feen two editions of them, one in Holland and another in Germany; that he thould be ungrateful if he did not acknowledge the great honour which the univerfity of Copenhagen did him in a letter under the feal of that learned and flourishing body; that he took it as one of his greatest happinesses that by the means of his acquaintance with Mr. Brink he had accompanied him to his Grace the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lord Bishop of London, with letters from the Bishop of Copenhagen, teftifying the refpect he had for their Lordships, and his juft regard and veneration for the church of England. "As "to the matters of fact laid down in thefe papers," fays he, "I am no farther accountable, but believe none of them can "be contradicted." The book has a great many curious remarks upon the Danish conftitution both in church and ftate, one of which we thall mention as follows: "It is a general "miftake," he obferves," in England, to call the notion of "the Lutheran Proteftants concerning the facrament Confub"ftantiation, for no fuch word is used amongst them. Their "notion amounts to this, that they believe itedfaftly a real " and true prefence of the body and blood of Chrift in the fa"crament in a manner ineffable, which our Saviour himself "is beft able both to know and do; whereas Confubftantia"tion would imply something more natural and material.".

Doctor was appointed Secretary to her Royal High nefs the fame year.

In 1697 attacked by Dr. Bentley, he took a share with his fellow collegians at Christ-church in the difpute against that learned Doctor about the genuineness of Phalaris's Greek Epiftles. His zeal for the honour of his college glows with a fingular warmth in this controversy †.

+We have two letters of our Author which thew how he came to enter into this difpute: they are addressed to the Hon. Charles Boyle, Efq. who had applied to him for an account of what paffed between Mr. Bennet the bookfeller and Dr. Bentley concerning the MS. of Phalaris's Epiftles; in anfwer to which he says, that among other things the Doctor declared "that if the MS. was collated it would be worth "nothing for the future; and that his whole difcourfe was "managed with much infolence." This letter is dated Doctors Commons, October 13th 1697, and was written in Dr. Bentley's Differtation on the Epiftles of Phalaris and the Fables of fop, then juft published: in which piece our Author finding himfelf treated with fome contempt addreffed another letter to Mr. Boyle in the following terms: "Give me leave, Sir, to "tell you a fecret, that I have spent a whole day upon Dr. "Bentley's late volume of fcandal and criticism, for every one "mayn't judge it for his credit to be fo employed. He thinks "meanly I find of my reading; as meanly I think of his "fense, his modefty, or his manners: and yet for all that L "dare fay I have read more than any man in England befides "him and me; for I have read his book all over. If you have "looked into it, Sir, you have found that a perfon under the 64 pretence of criticism may take what freedom he pleases "with the reputation and credit of any gentleman, and that "he need not have any regard to another man's character

The following year came out his humorous piece entitled A Journey to London in the Year 1698, af

"who has once refolved to expose his own. It was my mis"fortune once in my life to be in the fame place with Dr. "Bentley, and a witness to a great deal of his rude and four"rilous language, which he was fo liberal of as to throw out "at random in a publick thop, and is fo filly now as to call it "eavesdropping in me, because he was fo noify and I was "fo near that I could not help hearing him.-You defired "me at fome years diftance to recollect what paffed at that "meeting, and I obeyed your commands. Shall I reckon it an "advantage that Dr. Bentley, who difputes the other tefti"monies, falls in entirely with mine? I would, if I were not "apprehensive, on that very account, it might be one step "farther from being credited. However, fuch is his spite to "me that he confirms the truth of all I told you; for the only "particular I could call to mind he grants with fome flight "difference in the expreffion; and as to the general account "I gave of his rudeness and infolence he denies it indeed, but "in fo rude and infolent a manner that there is no occafion "for me to justify myfelf on that head. I had declared, it "feems, that he faid "The MS. of Phalaris would be worth "nothing if it were collated." He fets me right, and avers "the expreflion was, that "after the various lections were "once taken and printed the MS. would be like a squeezed "orange, and little worth for the future." The fimilitude of "a fqueezed orange is indeed a contiderable circumftance "which I had forgot, as I doubtlefs did feveral others: but "for all that I remember the general drift and manner of his "difcourfe as well as if all the particular expressions were "prefent to me; juft as I know his laft book to be a difinge"nuous, vain, confufed, unmannerly, performance, though to "my happiness hardly any of his awkward jefts or impertinent "quotations ftick by me.—I had owned it to be my opinion "that"a MS. was worth nothing unlefs it were collated."

ter the ingenious Method of that made by Dr. Martin L― [Lifter] the fame year; which he defigned as a vindication of his country, in the view of fhewing Britain as much preferable to France as wealth, plenty, and liberty, are beyond tortoises' hearts, champignons, and moroglios; or the raising

"The Doctor cunningiy diftinguishes upon me, and fays" it " is worth nothing indeed to the reft of the world, but it is "better for the world if a price were to be fet upon it." I beg "his pardon for my mistake; I thought we were talking of "books in the way of fcholars, whereas he answers me like a

bookfeller, and as if he dealt in MS. inftead of reading them. "For my part, I measure the value of thefe kind of things " from the advantage the publick may receive from them, "and not from the profit they are likely to bring to a private

owner; and therefore I have the fame opinion of the Alex"andrian MS. (which he fays he keeps in his lodgings) now "as I thould have had before the editors of the Englith Poly"glot published the collation of it, though it may not per"haps bear up to the fame price in St. Paul's Churchyard or "an auction: but I hope if it be fafely kept it need never come "to the experiment.-As to the particular reflections he has "caft upon me it is no more than I expected; I could neither "hope nor with for better treatment from one that had used "you ill. It is reputable both to men and books to be ill spoken "of by him, and a favourable presumption on their fide that "there is something in both which may chance to recom"mend them to the world. It is in the power of every little "creature to throw dirty language, but a man must have "fome credit himself in the world before things he fays "can lessen the reputation of another: and if Dr. Bentley "must be thus qualified in order to mischief me, I am safe "from all the harm his malice can do me. I am, &'c.''