and charitable Endeavours; one Thing only I fhall mention of Dr. Davies; that when fo early I and another Chriftian Friend found great Fault with his reading the Athanafian Creed, of which he was no Admirer, he faid in Excufe, that he read it only as he would read Greek to his Englife Congregation. However, we fo fatisfied him of the Impropriety of reading it, that he promised us to read it no more. But to return to my own History.

I was admitted of Clare-Hall, Cambridge, as I have already faid, about the Midde of 1686, while a very small Part of the Old College was ftanding: Tho' I queftion whether any of it was ftanding when I came to refide, which was the September following. My Father being now dead, we were all of us under the Care of our Mother the Widow, whofe comparative fmall Means for feven Children, made it difficult for her to fupport me there. And had the Expences of a Collegiate Life been as extravagant then as they are now come to be, or had I not lived as frugally as poffible, she would not have been able to have given me my Degrees; especially that of Mafter of Arts. In which the Prefent of 51. from Bishop Moor, was then a kind and feasonable Addition; and partly an Occafion of my Acceptance of the Place of his Chaplain afterward. However, I find by my Accounts ftill preserved, that tho' I was a Penfioner for the last half Year, yet did my whole Expences for the three Years and half, till my firft Degree inclufive, not amount to fo much as 100 1. See

· Dr.

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, Archifhop Tillotson fent his worthy Chaplain, Dr. Barker, who afterwards publish'd his Works, to the University; 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. Moor, Bishop of Norwich, foon took my Pupils, eleven in Number, and I was kindly invited by the Bifhop 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 Chappel there, with that Defign, I found Bishop Burnet there alfo: Who as I was told, had Bufiness with him. So that upon fome of the Family's Suggeftion, I went away; intending in a few Days to come again: But in thofe 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 NewYears Day, 1688-9, one of his excellent Sermons

at

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, having had Occafion to mention the Archbishop's Chappel at Lambeth, give me leave to take No-> tice 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 Chappels. For tho' it be well known how little they both approved this Creed (See Dr. Clarke's Life, ift Edit. pag. 81. and Mr. Emlyn's Life, pag. 58.) yet does it no way appear that either of them had Chriftian Courage enough to banish it out of thofe Places : However, fince I have by me an authentick Paper communicated by Dr. Laughton, which vindicates this excellent Archbishop Tillotson, from fome false Reports, which had been told of him, altho I formerly permitted it to be publish'd, yet shall I here repeat it. It runs thus, verbatim.

"I have thus long deferr'd to return an An"fwer to your Letter, about the late worthy Archbishop of Canterbury, because I was defi"rous to give you as punctual an "could of thofe Things laid to his

Account as I

Charge in the

"Libel. I have found out two Perfons, who be"fides myself were in Clare-Hall that Summer, "in which Worcester Fight was, viz. Sir Watkin

་་

fon Payler, who was Nobleman, and Mr. James "Mountain, who was Fellow of the College, and if there had been any fuch Alteration made by

1

"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, or attempted to be "done, but do believe it to be a malicious Lie. I "perceive I was mistaken in the Time of his be"ing made Fellow, which (you fay) by the "Buttery Books appears to be fome Time before "Worcester Fight, and I muft believe that Re"cord before my Memory at this Distance 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, a"mongst several that did, I have forgotten, but "I am pretty confident the Story of his being "denied the Honour to kiss his Majefty's Hand, " is not true, for I never heard of any fuch "Thing, which (if it had been fo) I fhould cer

tainly have done, if not from him, from fome "others, feveral of my Acquaintance being "there. It is true, that he had Dr. Gunnins'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 several Years after Dr. Gunning left "it; and I think none of thofe Fellowships were

fill'd after the first 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

"But I will as foon as I have an Opportuny, "speak or write to him about it. As for what the "Pamphlet fays of his governing the College, "the Senior Fellows not daring to oppofe him "because of the Intereft he had with his great "Masters; it is very malicious and false, for he "was not of an imperious Humour, but had

then that sweetnefs of Temper which he ever "after retained, and was much respected by the "Senior Fellows: He was indeed in those young "Years of very great Parts and Prudence, and "the Senior Fellows would always have his "Advice in what was done about College-Affairs,

66

giving great Deference to his Judgment. And "Mr. Mountain (who was one of thofe Senior "Fellows, and as much as any one for the King's "Side, 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 Respect."

66

In 1693, I was become Mafter of Arts, and Fellow of the College; and intended to take Holy Orders. Tho' I confefs the Subscriptions, &c. for my Degree of Mafter of Arts feemed to me even then fo uneafy, that I could hardly perfuade myself to comply with them, and have ever fince I examined into Primitive Christianity abfolutely refused them, both for myself, 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