:

The rest of this chapter I purposely omit, for it must be own'd that when he speaks as a Shoemaker he is very abfurd. He talks of Mofes's pulling off his fhoes, of tanning the hides of the Bulls of Bafan, of Simon the Tanner, etc. and takes up four or five pages to prove, that, when the Apostles were inftructed to travel without shoes, the precept did not extend to their fucceffors.

The next chapter relates how he discover'd a Thief with a bible and key, and experimented verfes of the Pfalms that had cured Agues.

I pass over many others which inform us of parish affairs only, fuch as of the Succeffion of Curates; a lift of the weekly Texts; what Pfalms he chofe on proper occafions; and what Children were born and bury'd: The last of which articles he concludes thus:

That the fhame of women may not endure, I speak not of Bastards; neither will I name the Mothers, although thereby I might delight many grave women of the parish: Even her who hath done penance in the sheet will I not mention, forafmuch as the church hath been witness of her difgrace: Let the father, who hath made due composition with the Church-wardens to conceal his infirmity, reft in peace; my pen fhall not bewray him, for I also have finned."

The next chapter contains what he calls a great Revolution in the Church, part of which I tran-. fcribe.

Now was the long expected time arrived, when the pfalms of King David should be hymn'd unto

the

the fame tunes to which he play'd them upon his harp; (fo was I inform'd by my Singing-mafter, a man right cunning in Pfalmody :) Now was our over-abundant quaver and trilling done away, and in lieu thereof was inftituted the Sol-fa, in fuch guise as is fung in his Majesty's Chapel. We had London finging mafters fent into every parifh, like unto Excife-men; and I alfo was ordained to adjoin myself unto them, though an unworthy difciple, in order to inftruct my fellow-parishioners in this new manner of Worship. What tho' they accused me of humming through the noftril, as a Sacbut? yet would I not forego that harmony, it having been agreed by the worthy parish clerks of London still to preferve the fame. I tutored the young men and maidens to tune their voices as it were a pfaltery, and the Church on the Sunday was filled with these new Hallelujahs.

Then follow full feventy chapters, containing an exact detail of the Law-fuits of the Parfon and his Parishioners concerning tythes, and near a hundred pages left blank, with an earnest defire that the hif tory might be compleated by any of his fucceffors, in whose time these fuits fhould be ended.

The next chapter contains an account of the Briefs read in the church, and the fums collected upon each. For the reparation of nine churches, collected at nine several times, 2 s. and 7 d. 3. For fifty families ruined by fire, I s. . For an inundation, a King Charles's groat given by Lady Frances, etc.

In the next he laments the difufe of Wedding-fermons, and celebrates the benefits arifing from those at Funerals, concluding with thefe Words: Ah! let not the relations of the deceafed grudge the fmall expence of an hatband, a pair of gloves, and ten ‡ R 4 fhillings,

fhillings, for the fatisfaction they are fure to receive from a pious Divine, that their father, brother, or bofom wife, are certainly in heaven.

In another, he draws a panegyrick on one Mrs. Margaret Wilkins, but after great encomiums_concludes, that, notwithstanding all, fhe was an unprofitable veffel, being a barren woman, and never once having furnish'd God's church with a chriftening.

We find in another chapter, how he was much Stagger'd in his belief, and disturbed in his confcience, by an Oxford fholar, who had proved to him by logick, that Animals might have rational, nay, immortal fouls; but how he was again comforted with the reflection, that, if so, they might be allowed christian burial, and greatly augment the fees of the parish.

In the two following chapters he is overpower'd with Vanity. We are told, how he was conftantly admitted to all the feafts and banquets of the Churchofficers, and the Speeches be there made for the good of the parish. How he gave hints to young Clergymen to preach; but above all, how he gave a Text for the 30th of January, which occafioned a most excellent fermon, the merits of which he takes entirely to himself. He gives an account of a conference he had with the Vicar concerning the Ufe of Texts. Let a preacher (faith he) confider the affembly before whom he preacheth, and unto them adapt his text. Micah the iiid and 11th affordeth good matter for Courtiers and court-serving men. The heads of the land judge for reward; and the people thereof judge for hire; and the prophets thereof divine for money; yet will they lean upon the Lord, and fay, Is not the Lord among us? Were the firft Mi

nifter

1

nister to appoint a preacher before the Houfe of Commons, would not he be wife to make choice of these words? Give, and it fhall be given unto ye. Or before the Lords, Giving no offence, that the Miniftry be not blamed, 2 Cor. vi. 3. Or praifing the warm zeal of an Adminiftration, Who maketh his Minifters a flaming fire, Pfalm civ. 4. We omit many other of his texts, as too tedious.

From this period, the style of the book rijes extremely. Before the next chapter was pafted the Effigies of Dr. Sacheverel, and I found the oppofite page all on a foam with Politicks.

We are now (fays he) arrived at that celebrated year, in which the Church of England was tried in the person of Dr. Sacheverel. I had ever the intereft of our High Church at heart, neither would I at any season mingle myself in the focieties of Fanaticks, whom I from my infancy abhorred, more than the Heathen or Gentile. It was in these days I bethought myself that much profit might accrue unto our Parish, and even unto the nation, could there be affembled together a number of chofen men of the right fpirit, who might argue, refine and define, upon high and great matters. Unto this purpose, I did inftitute a weekly Affembly of divers worthy men at the Rofe and Crown Alehoufe, over whom myself (tho' unworthy) did prefide. Yea, I did read unto them the Poft-Boy of Mr. Roper, and the written letter of Mr. Dyer, upon which we communed afterwards among ourfelves. Our fociety was composed of the following perfons: Robert Jenkins, Farrier; Amos Turner, Collar-maker; George Pilcocks, late Excifeman; Thomas White, Wheel-wright; and myself. First, of the firft, Robert Jenkins.

He

He was a man of bright parts and fhrewd conceit, for he never fhoed an horfe of a Whig or a Fanatick, but he lamed him forely.

Amos Turner, a worthy perfon, rightly esteemed among us for his fufferings, in that he had been honoured in the ftocks for wearing an Oaken bough.

George Pilcocks, a fufferer alio; of zealous and laudable freedom of Speech, infomuch that his occupation had been taken from him.

Thomas White, of good repute likewife, for that his uncle, by the Mother's fide, had, formerly, been fervitor at Maudlin college, where the glorious Sacheverel was educated.

Now were the eyes of all the parish upon these our weekly councils. In a fhort fpace, the Minifter came among us; he fpake concerning us and our councils to a multitude of other Minifters at the Vifitation, and they fpake thereof unto the Minifters at London, fo that even the Bishops heard and marvelled thereat. Moreover Sir Thomas, member of Parliament, fpake of the fame to other members of Parliament; who fpake thereof unto the Peers of the Realm. Lo! thus did our counfels enter into the hearts of our Generals and our Law-givers; and from henceforth, even as we devised, thus did they.

After this, the whole book is turned on a fudden, from his own Life, to a History of all the publick Tranfactions of Europe, compiled from the Newspapers of thofe times. I could not comprehend the meaning of this, till I perceived at lafi (to my no small Afionifhment) that all the Measures of the four last years of the Queen, together with the peace at Utrecht, which have been usually attributed to the E--- of O--, D- of O--, Lords H- and B, and ther great men ; do here most plainly appear, to have

been.