precise regularity, but in promoting the spiritual affairs of the church of England colonies, in the West-Indies. The ministry, at this time, were so sensible of his great abilities in transacting business, that there was committed to him a sort of ecclesiastical ministry for several years; and especially during the long illness of Abp. Wake, almost every thing that concerned the church was in a great measure left to his care.

The writer of his life, among many instances which he declares might be assigned of his making a proper use of that spiritual ministry he was honoured with, specifies some few of a more eminent kind. One was his occasional recommendation of several worthy and learned persons to the favour of the secular ministry, for preferments suited to their merits. Another, that of procuring an ample endowment from the crown, for the regular performance of divine service in the royal-chapel, at Whitehall, by a succession of ministers, selected out of both universities, with proper salaries, who are continued until this day, under the name of Whitehall preachers, in number twenty-four, who officiate each a fortnight. A third, that he constantly guarded against the repeated attempts to procure a repeal of the corporation and test acts. By baffling the attacks made on those fences of the church, he thought he secured the whole ecclesiastical institution; for, it was his fixed. opinion, that it would be an unjustifiable piece of presumption to arm those hands with power, that might possibly employ it, as was done in the days of our fathers, against the ecclesiastical constitution itself. He was entirely persuaded, that there ought always to be a legal establishment of the church, to a conformity with which some peculiar advantages might be reasonably annexed: and at the same time, with great moderation and temper, he approved of a toleration of protestant dissenters; especially as long as they keep within the just limits of conscience, and attempt nothing that is highly prejudicial to, or destructive of, the rights of the establishment in the church. But he was as hearty an enemy to persecution, in matters of religion, as those that have most popularly declaimed against it.

Lastly, one more service to the church and clergy, performed by the bishop of London, was thought worthy of their grateful acknowledgements; namely, his distinguished zeal (after he had animated his brethren on the

bench to concur with him) in timely apprizing the clergy of the bold schemes that were formed by the Quakers, in order to deprive the clergy of their legal maintenance by tithes ; and in advising them to avert so great a blow to religion, as well as so much injustice to themselves, by their early application to the legislature, to preserve them in the possession of their known rights and properties. But, though the designs of their adversaries were happily defeated, yet it ought ever to be remembered, in honour of the memory of the bishop of London, that such umbrage was taken by sir Robert Walpole, on occasion of the advice given by him and his brethren to the clergy in that critical juncture, as soon terminated in the visible diminution of his interest and authority.

The biographer of sir Robert Walpole allows that the inveteracy displayed against this eminent prelate for the conscientious discharge of his duty on this occasion, re flects no credit on the memory of that statesman. His esteem for Gibson had been so great, that when he was reproached with giving him the authority of a pope, he replied, "And a very good pope he is." Even after their disagreement, he never failed to pay an eulogium to the learning and integrity of his former friend. About this time, great pains were taken to fix upon this worthy prelate, the character of a haughty persecutor, and even of a secret enemy to the civil establishment. To this end a passage in the introduction to his "Codex," which suggested the groundlessness of the modern practice of sending prohibitions to the spiritual from the temporal courts, was severely handled, in a pamphlet written by the recorder of Bristol, afterwards sir Michael Foster, as derogatory from the supreme power and superintendency of the court of king's bench; and other writers, with less reason and no moderation, attacked our prelate in pamphlets and periodical journals. It is said also that he was obnoxious to the king, on a personal account, because he had censured, with a freedom becoming his character, the frequent recurrence of masquerades, of which his majesty was very fond. Bishop Gibson had preached against this diversion in the former reign: and he now procured an address to the king from several of the bishops, for the entire suppression of such pernicious amusements. In all this his zeal cannot be too highly commended; and to his honour be it recorded, that neither the enmity of statesmen, nor the frowns of princes, could divert his attention VOL. XV.

II

from the duties of his pastoral office; some of which consisted in writing and printing pastoral letters to the clergy and laity, in opposition to infidelity and enthusiasm; in visitation-charges, as well as occasional sermons, besides less pieces of a mixt nature, and some particular tracts against the prevailing immoralities of the age.

He was very sensible of his decay for some time before his death, in which he complained of a languor that hung about him. As, indeed, he had made free with his constitution by incredible industry, in a long course of study and business of various kinds; he had well nigh exhausted his spirits, and worn out a constitution which was naturally so vigorous, that life might, otherwise, have probably been protracted. He died, however, on September 6, 1748, with true Christian fortitude, an apparent sense of his ap-proaching dissolution, and in perfect tranquillity of mind, during the intervals of his last fatal indisposition at Bath, after a very short continuance there. His lordship was married, and left several children of each sex, who were all handsomely provided for by him. In private life he possessed the social virtues in an eminent degree, and his beneficence was very extensive. Of this one remarkable instance is recorded by Whiston. Dr. Crow had left him 25007, which our prelate freely gave to Dr. Crow's relations, who were in indigent circumstances. Recording this story does Whiston more credit than his foolish ravings against the bishop's "gross

calls "primitive Christianity, oss ignorance" of what he

6.

His works in the order of publication were: 1. An edition of Drummond's "Polemo-middiana, &c. 1691," 4to, already mentioned. 2. The "Chronicon Saxonicum," 1692, 4to. 3. "Librorum Manuscriptorum Catalogus," printed the same year at Oxford, 4to. 4. "Julii Cæsaris Portus Iccius illustratus," a tract of W. Somner, with a dissertation of his own, 1694. 5. An edition of "Quintilian de Arte Oratoria, with notes," Ox n. 1693, 4to. A translation of Camden's "Britannia" into English, 1695, folio, and again with large additions in 1722, and 1772, two vols. folio. 7. "Vita Thomæ Bodleii Equitis Aurati, & Historia Bibliothecæ Bodleianæ," prefixed to "Catalogi Librorum Manuscriptorum in Anglia & Hibernia in unum collecti," Oxon. 1697," folio. 8. "Reliquiæ. Spelmanni-anæ, &c." 1698, folio. "Codex Juris Ecclesiastici Anglicani, &c." 1713, folio. 10. "A Short State of some

9.

16. "The 17. "The pre

present Questions in Convocation," 1700, 4to. 11. "A Letter to a Friend in the Country, concerning the Proceedings in Convocation, in the years 1700 and 1701," 1703, 4to. 12. "The Right of the Archbishop to continue or prorogue the whole Convocation. A Summary of the Arguments in favour of the said right." 13. "Synodus Anglicana, &c." 1702. 14. "A Parallel between à Presbyterian Assembly, and the new Model of an English Provincial Synod," 4to. 15. "Réflections upon a paper entitled The Expedient proposed,"" 4to. Schedule of Prorogation reviewed," 4to. tended Independence of the Lower House upon the Upper House a groundless notion," 1703, 4to. 18. "The Marks of a defenceless Cause, in the proceedings and writings of the Lower House of Convocation," 4to. 19. "An Account of the Proceedings in Convocation in a Cause of Contumacy, upon the Prolocutor's going into the country without the leave of the archbishop, commenced April 10, 1707." All these upon the disputes in convocation, except the "Synodus Anglicana," &c. are printed without his name, but generally ascribed to him. 20. "Visitations parochial and general, with a Sermon, and some other Tracts," 1717, 8vo. 21. Five Pastoral Letters, &c. Directions to the Clergy, and Visitation Charges, &c. 8vo. To these may be added his lesser publications and tracts, viz. Family Devotion; a Treatise against Intemperance; Admonition against Swearing; Advice to persons who have been sick; Trust in God; Sinfulness of neglecting the Lord's Day; against Lukewarmness in Religion; several occasional Sermons. Remarks on part of a Bill brought into the house of lords by the earl of Nottingham, in 1721, entitled "A Bill for the more effectual Suppression of Blasphemy and Profaneness," is also ascribed to the bishop; as is also "The Case of addressing the Earl of Nottingham, for his treatise on the Trinity," published about the same time. Lastly, "A Collection of the principal Treatises against Popery, in the Papal Cóntroversy, digested into proper heads and titles, with some Prefaces of his own," Lond. 1738, 3 vols. folio. '

1

GIBSON (RICHARD), commonly called the Dwarf, was a painter of some eminence in the time of sir Peter Lely,

Biog. Brit. Suppl. vol. VII.-Whiston's Life.-Coxe's Life of Walpole.Censura Literaria, vol. II.

to whose manner he devoted himself, and whose pictures he copied very faithfully. He was originally servant to a lady at Mortlake, who, observing that his genius led him to painting, put him to De Cleyn, to be instructed in the rudiments of that art. De Cleyn was master of the tapestry-works at Mortlake, and famous for the cuts which he designed for some of Ogilby's works, and for Sandys's translation of Ovid. Gibson's paintings in water-colours were well esteemed; but the copies he made of Lely's portraits gained him the greatest reputation. He was greatly in favour with Charles I. to whom he was page of the back-stairs; and he also drew Oliver Cromwell several times. He had the honour to instruct in drawing queen Mary and queen Anne, when they were princesses, and he went to Holland to wait on the former for that purpose. He married one Mrs. Anne Shepherd, who was also a dwarf. Charles I. was pleased, out of curiosity or pleasantry, to honour their marriage with his presence, and to give away the bride. Waller wrote a poem on this occasion, "of the marriage of the dwarfs." Fenton, in his notes on it, tells us, that he had seen this couple painted by sir Peter Lely; and that they appeared to have been of an equal stature, each of them measuring three feet ten inches. They had, however, nine children, five of which attained to maturity, and were proportioned to the usual standard of mankind. To recompense the shortness of their stature, nature gave this little couple an equivalent in length of days; for Gibson died in Covent-garden, in his 75th year, in 1690; and his wife, surviving him almost 20 years, died in 1709, aged 89.-Gibson's nephew, WILLIAM, was instructed in the art of painting both by him and sir Peter Lely, and became also eminent. His excellence, like his uncle's, lay in copying after sir Peter Lely; although he was a good limner, and drew portraits for persons of the first rank. His great industry was much to be commended, not only for purchasing sir Peter Lely's collection after his death, but likewise for procuring from the continent a great variety of valuable works, which made his collection of prints and drawings equal to that of any person of his time. He died of a lethargy in 1702, aged 58.-There was also one EDWARD GIBSON, William's kinsman, who was instructed by him, and first painted portraits in oil; but afterwards, finding more encouragement in crayons, and his genius lying that way, he