had feen what fuch Courts were in Germany, as well as in England, told him, "Matters of Religion "would not be mended when that Family came "hither," which made Dr. Bray's Blood then rife in Indignation against him. Yet when that Family had been here fome Years, the good Doctor was forced to alter his Mind; and too fadly to acknowledge the Truth of Mr. Majon's melancholy Prediction.

At another Time in King George I. Reign, a great Noife was made about a Club at Court, cailed the Hell Fire Club; and it was faid that a Maid of Honour to the Princefs of Wales was one of them. Whereupon, difcourfing with Dr. Bray about that Matter, who with all good Men had fuch Enormities in the utmost Deteftation: [tho' by the Way this demonstrated but too plainly the Truth of Mr. Mafon's Prediction.] I told him, that I knew Dr. Harris, the Chaplain to the then Prince of Wales, now our Sovereign, whom I took to be an honest Man; and would speak to him about it. It being naturally the Chaplain's Duty to take Cognizance of fuch Scandals in their own Families. The Doctor reply'd, "Dr. Harris expects Preferment, you "must therefore take Care of it yourfelf." I allow'd this Hint, which at first I had not thought of, was proper: Accordingly I waited myself on the Lady Gemmimgen, who was with the Princefs, and whofe Brother was my Scholar in the Mathematicks, because the Princess of Wales then lay-in, and I could not directly come at her Royal High nefs. I then informed her of the Story, on pur

pole

pofe that she might inform the Princefs, which the did: But upon Enquiry no Body would confefs themfelves guilty: Tho' the Thing at that Time was but too notorious. Only fome Stop was, I fuppofe, put to that infamous Club for that Time. But O what a fad but prevalent Topick am I now come to! The Expectation of Preferment: More Preferment! The grand Thing commonly aimed at, both by Clergy and Laity; and generally the utter Ruin of Virtue and Religion among them both! Poison, fweet Poifon; firft poured upon the Church by Conftantine the Great, and greedily fwallowed, both by Papists and Proteftants ever fince. But bleffed be God who hath given me, inftead of that sweet Poison, Agur's admirable Wish: Neither Poverty nor Riches: But bath fed me with Food convenient for me. Prov. xxx. 8. Dr. Barrow may have confuted the Pope's Supremacy, beyond the Poffibility of a Reply: But the Popes will still exercise that Supremacy, and the Romanifts fubmit tó it, without any Scruple notwithstanding. Dr. Newton may have proved the Unlawfulness of Pluralities of Cures and Non-residence, to the utmost Satisfaction of every impartial Reader: But the Clergy, whether bred up in the Church of England originally, or brought over from the Diffenters, will feldom fcruple taking as many Cures as they can compafs, or the Law of the Land, with the utmost Stretch, will allow them notwithstanding.. Tho' it be very plain that the Chriftian Religion does not permit Clergymen to raise Families out of the Revenues of the Church. See my Account of Chriftian

Chriftian Difcipline, pag. 57, 58. and Life of Dr. Clarke, pàg. (first Edition) 160-163. Nor even as to temporal Dignities and Revenues, does it appear to me either that any of the Jewish Governors, who were raised up by God, fuch as Mofes, Joshua, and Samuel, before they extorted a King from him, to their own great Mischief, had any Allowance from the Publick at all. Nor indeed that, after their Return from Babylon, their Governors had any more than forty Shekels or HalfCrowns a Day, i. e. hardly one Thoufand eight Hundred Pound a Year, befides a Table kept for their Family. Nebem. v. 14, 15. Nay indeed, it does not appear to me, that that Civil Lift, as we call it, or thofe Courtiers who procure the greatest Places for themselves, are at all happier than those in a lower Station of Life. And a great Concern it is to fee, fo many both of the Clergy and Laity, made poor and miferable, only to pamper a few fuch as are not made one Jot more happy than they would otherwise have been. Nor do the Refidentiaries and rich Prebends in Cathedral Churches, all founded under Popery, except when they are given, as they ought all to be, to poor Vicars or Curates that really labour in the Vineyard of Chrift, and really want them, as they feldom are, do any thing elfe, than give Clergymen a Pretence for Non-refdence on their own Cures; and accumftom them to an higher Way of living than they would otherwise have been contented with, nay fometimes fhorten the Lives of the Poffeffors.

And

And that the Reader may be apprized of the little Advantage that acrues to Religion or Learning from fuch Prebends in the Cathedrals, which are among the principal of our Church Preferments; I mean after our Bishopricks and Deanaries, and -Archdeaconries; take this moft remarkable Letter of Archbishop Cranmer's to the Lord Cromwell, extant in Bp. Burnet's Hiftory of the Reformation, Records for Vol. III. No. 65, as follows, verbatim.

A Letter of Thomas Lord Archbishop of Canterbury to Cromwell, upon the new Foundation of Canterbury.

An ORIGINAL.

My very fingular good Lord,

A

FTER my moft hearty Commendations, thefe fhall be to advertife your Lordship, that I have received your Letters dated the 27th Day of November, and therewith a Bill concerning the Devife for the New Eftablishment, to be made in the Metropolitan Church of Canterbury By which your Lordship requireth my Advice thereupon by writing for our mutual Confents. Surely my Lord as touching the Books drawn, and the Order of the fame, I think that it will be a very fubftantial and godly Foundation: Nevertheless in my Opinion the Prebandaries which will be allow'd 40 l. apiece yearly, might be altered to a more expedient Ufe. And this is my Confideration; for having Experience both in Times, paft, and alfo in our Days, how the faid Sect

of

of Prebendaries have not only spent their Time in much Idleness, and their Subftance in fuperduous Belly-cheer, I think it not to be a convenient State or Degree to be maintained and established. Confidering first that commonly a Prebendary is neither a Learner, nor a Teacher, but a good Viander. Then by the fame Name they look to be Chief, and to bear all the whole Rule and Preheminence in the College where they be Refident: By Means whereof, the younger; of their own Nature given more to Pleasure, good Chear and Paftime, than to Abstinence, Study and Learning; fhall eafily be brought from their Books to follow the Appetite and Example of the fame Prebendaries, being their Heads and Rulers: And the State of the Prebendaries hath been fo exceffively abused, that when learned Men hath been admitted unto fuch Room, many Times they have defifted from their good and godly Studies, and all other virtuous Exercife of preaching and teaching. Wherefore, if it may fo stand with the King's gracious Pleasure, I would wish that not only the Name of a Prebendary were exiled his Grace's Foundations, but also the superfluous Conditions of fuch Perfons. I cannot deny but that the Beginning of Prebendaries was no lefs purposed for the Maintenance of good Learning and good Converfation of living, than religious Men were: But forafmuch as both be gone from their first Estate and Order, and the one is found like Offender with the other, it maketh no great Matter if they perish both together: For to fay she Truth, it is an Estate which St. Paul, reckon