the evils both to the Church and his Majesty's interest arising from it, would not have given a precedent to justify those who are too apt of themselves to make many.

weight of one honest prudent man may be in such an assembly. Can he be as useful in Londonderry, or in any post in Ireland. As to that bishoprick, it might have been supplied very well to all intents and purposes by the scheme we proposed to the universal content of the whole kingdom, bothe clergy and laity : whereas by this breach upon them they are grievously out of humour; and I have not observed any one thing that has caused more murmur or discontent, though we have had many hard things put upon us.

In your Grace's letter of April 2d, you seem to be ill-pleased with mine of the 25th March last, and call it an extraordinary one. I say nothing to the contrary, only take leave to put your Grace in mind that it was on an extraordinary occasion. The government here, by the advice of the best friends to his Majesty's interest, both of the clergy and laity, who have the good of the Church and kingdom, most at heart, proposed and recommended a scheme for the filling of the bishoprick of Derry; with which, and the reasons of it, I acquainted your Grace. Your Grace, instead of coming into it, or giving us your interest and assistance to make it effectual, has, as far as you could, effectually broke it, and given a precedent to make all such recommendations, signify nothing for the future, which what inAuence it may have hereafter on this Church and kingdom, he must have a long head that can foresee.

I know very well that Londonderry is a better provision for the Bishop's wife and family than Carlisle; I heartily wish that it may prove so; but I cant persuade myself that the interest of a private family, though it were my own, ought to be put in the balance with the interest of the Church and the quiet and satisfaction of a whole kingdom, especially in our present circumstances. I do not impute this matter entirely to your Grace. I doubt not there were others concurred in it, or it had not been done. And I pray God some did not purposely project it with a design to remove out of the way one that they foresaw would be an obstacle to some contrivances that they have in their minds, and that your Grace may not be made sensible of it hereafter when you come to want his assistance.

The only thing your Grace al ledges as your reason for making this step, is the extraordinary merit of the person you appeared for. There is none that hath a greater opinion of the worth and merit of the Bishop of Carlisle, than I; and if either that or my personal friendship could sway me in a matter where the interest of the Church is concerned, I should surely have joined with your Grace. But as I take it his merit is nothing in the humble opinion, is ag argument against ut of the way, wherein most useful to the pub

es but in!

rather

putting

he might

bin

Lic. Where he was, he was a sure

I imagine your Grace is not well pleased with the way I writ my letter: I was well enough aware that it might be so; but that did not hinder me from taking the method I did. When I write to any friend, in which number your Grace allowed me to reckon you, I do it in such a way as I think most like to awaken them. And though I often anger them very heartily at first, yet I have

Church.

He was able in parliament

best, and that on their cool and se

satisfied the complaisant genteel way of writing never would have recovered. If I lose your Grace's correspondence on this account, 'tis the first instance of the kind I have met with.

I own to your Grace that I am one of those whimsical men who will not always do, or say, or think what I am bid. I never was so complaisant to my governors, and I hope my friends will not expect it from me. And if it has pleased God to make me an instrument to do any good in my station in the world, 'tis chiefly due to this obstinacy and the neglect of my private interest, which yet after all by God's good providence, has not much suffered by it.

This is but a part of what I have to say upon this subject. Your Grace may command the rest when you are willing to hear it. In the mean time, I assure your Grace there is none that more values or honours your Grace, or can be with truer respect, my Lord, your Grace's most humble and faithful servant,

WILL. DUBLIN.

Bishop Nicolson to Archb. Wake.
May 9th, 1718.

My very good Lord, Since I waited upon your Grace, I have not been one whole day free from pains of the gravel. They were increased by my coming from my brother's the other day by water, which deter me from venturing any more on the river in an easterly wind. Yesterday morning the Duke of Bolton shewed me a letter from the Lord's Justices of Ireland, wherein they acquaint his Grace that they had, immediately upon the receipt of the King's letter, issued out a warrant for passing the patent for Derry. Hereupon I went to take leave of his Majesty, who surprised me with his command to reside in my new diocese. I was much stunned at this; but readily professed That (I had hitherto) I would personally attend the duties of my charge ever where.' His extraordinary in

struction will hasten my waiting on
your Grace for your blessing sooner
than was intended. My Lord, your
Grace's most obliged servant,
W. DERRY.

Bp. Nicolson to Archb. Wake.
Dublin, June 17th, 1718.

My very good Lord, Fourteen days ago I troubled your Grace with an account of my arrival here, and I must beg leave to acquaint you with my setting out this very day for my northern charge. The roads thither are, somewhat unaccountably much infested at present with several gangs of Rapparees; who have lately committed two or three barbarous murders, and their chief ring-leaders are thereupon outlawed, &c. To secure me and my Dean who accompanies me from the violence of those true Tories, the Lords Justices have given me an order to the commanding officer at Ardee, to furnish me with a guard of ten dragoons, through the dangerous passes in the mountains. In this state I am to travel to-morrow, and some part of the day following.

The worst of my condition is, that I am like to be still in an enemy's country, when I come to the place where I hoped for rest. From all I can learn of the present state of Londonderry, the heats are more intense there in the Whig and Tory dispute, than they are in any other part of this kingdom. I am afraid several of the Clergy are of the same temper with my pert Chaplain at Chester, of whose conduct on the 29th of May, I think I gave your Grace an account in my last. This consideration sits the more heavy on me, because as the livings in that diocese are generally rectories of good value, the incumbents have the repute of being the most learned body of their divines, and for that reason their doctrines prevail with greatest authority. I have directed the Chancellor to call them all to my primary visitation upon the first or second Wednesday in July, and I

er

shall then, God willing, give them a plain and explicit confession of my own faith, and what is like to be my practice thereupon.

In the progress that I made with the Bishop of Meath, I had a discouraging taste, of what I expect to be entertained with more plentifully in this week's journey. The churches are wholly demolished in many of their parishes, which are therefore called Non-Cures; and several clergymen have each of them four or five, some six or seven of these. They commonly live at Dublin; leaving the conduct of their Popish parishioners to priests of their own persuasion, who are said to be now more numerous than ever. About three weeks ago, three or four of these were seized upon their landing, but the magistrates were forced to admit them to bail. The best part of this city are protestants, and the Churches are very full; but the generality of the population, coachmen, chairmen, porters, &c. are said to be papists. I beg the continuance of your Grace's prayers for, my Lord, your Grace's most obliged and ever dutiful servant,

at

the

VOLT

This

V 08 that

the

the other two Lord's Justices. They were also pleased to grant me a guard of dragoons, with whom I travelled in great security through a country said to be much infested with a set of barbarous and pilfering tories. I saw no danger of losing the little money I had, but was under some apprehensions of being starved; having never beheld, even in Picardy, Westphalia, or Scotland, such dismal marks of hunger and want as appeared in the countenances of most of the poor creatures that I met with on the road. The wretches lie in reeky sod hovels, and have generally no more than a rag of coarse blanket, to cover a part of their nakedness. Upon the strictest inquiry I could not find that they are better clad or lodged in the winter season. These sorry slaves plough the ground to the very top of their mountains for the service of their lords, who spend their truly rack-rents, as somebody supposed the rents of this diocese would be spent in London. A ridge or two of potatoes is all the poor tenant has for the support of himself, a wife, and commonly ten or twelve bare-legged children. To complete their misery these animals are bigoted Papists, and we frequently met them trudging to some ruined church or chapel, either to hear mass, a funeral, or a wedding, with a priest in the same habit with themselves. I was pretty curious, my Lord, in inquiring after the temporal state of my metropolitan our primate; but had not the satisfaction of finding that his revenue was as great as it had been represented to your Grace. I went through all the apartments of his chief palace at Drogheda; which is so far from meriting a comparison with Lambeth, that I can modestly aver my successor will find a better house in Rose Castle. His Grace comes so seldom there, and so little fuel has been spent in it of late, that I should be as much afraid of living

suffered also forced his personal

return to

1

assent to my my family, and of conti

Aging in England until May next, which fav I readily obtained of

there as I am of bringing my family into one somewhat better in this town.

Hither I came in much more pomp than I wish for last Saturday in the evening. The chancellor of the diocese, Dr. Jenkins, contemporary with my Lord of York, at St. John's, in Oxford, brought me to his house on the road at ten miles distance, where I was met by the neighbouring clergy, the two citizens in parliament, the mayor, aldermen, and sheriffs, &c. who all accompanied me to my lodgings. The next day I was enthroned by the dean, and have every day since been regaled and feasted by some great man or other. Yesterday the Bishop of Raphoe and I were complimented with the dignity of freemen; and after he left us the corporation gave a splendid entertainment in their Guildhall to me and all the clergy in town.

These joys are exceeding damped by the account your grace gives of your continuing indisposed. I daily beseech God to preserve your health, and have the general concurrence in this prayer. Your own chaplains cannot be more hearty in it, than all of them appear to be. I have not been unmindful of your commands about the young lady's pad; my registrar has procured one, which promises to do well, and will try to do better. I am ever your Grace's most obliged dutiful servant,

W. DERRY.

Bishop Nicholson to Archbp. Wake. Londonderry, July 8, 1718.

My very good Lord, I presumed to acquaint your Grace in my last with the singular respects shewed me at my coming into this diocese, and that I had appointed a primary visitation antecedent to my metropolitan's triennial. Accordingly, the clergy met me on Tuesday last, and continued most of them in town the two following days. A great comfort it was to me to see a set of

divines, of about fifty in number, in as good and graceful a dress as I had hitherto beheld, not one countenance or garb of a poor curate among them all. They have indeed generally very valuable preferments, partly here, and partly in other dioceses. There is but one vicarage within my jurisdiction, and that is annexed to a plump rectory. Your Grace will hardly believe me when I report that there are no fewer than nine doctors in divinity beneficed in the diocese of Derry, and that there is neither incumbent or curate under the degree of master of arts, whereof not above four or five Scotch laureats.

The visitation sermon was preached by one of Bishop Hartstong's chap-w lains, who was of the same endowments with his younger brother whom I met with at Chester. The man's name is Breviter. He took for his text Hebrew v. 4, and the aim of his discourse was to prove the necessity of a divine mission, which he proved well enough. But gave himself much liberty in inveighing against the late Bishop of Sarum's exposition of the 23d Article, and the present Bishop of Bangor's Court Sermon and Preservative. He concluded with an exhortation to myself and his other brethren of this diocese to stand manfully in the gap; to support with all our strength the tottering Church of Ireland, and to sound an alarm betimes in all the streets of our Jerusalem. In short, avoid fancying there was another a stranger, as I was, could hardly Popish army at the gates of Derry, and that we were all to prepare for a new siege.

As soon as he had done, I presumed to address myself to the auditory in a different strain. I assured them that I was newly come from Westminster, and that we had there no apprehension of invasion from abroad, or apostacies at home? that the King and Prince were both conformists; that her Royal High

aess communicated with us monthly; and that her children could say the catechism in our way. Several of the good men were overjoyed at these tidings; for though they generally had good thoughts of the present Lord Primate of England, they as generally believed the whole royal family to be warping towards Presbytery; and I cannot but agree with them, that there is too much of that leaven already in this part of his Majesty's dominions.

I went yesterday to repay a visit to my very good neighbour the Bishop of Raphoe: who, among other discourses, told me, that the Bishop of Clogher, in bis approaching metropolitan visitation of the diocese of Meath for our primate, was like to have the rehearing of a late dialogue between the Bishop of M. and Dean Swift; whereof your Grace has already had an account. Though my informer knows not whither his lordship or the dean is the complainant. The Bishop of Down, the 4th of next month, visits here the diocese of your Grace's most dutiful and obliged servant,

1 the short, hardy nother Derry, pare for

I pr

the w

18

W. DERRY.

Londonderry, July 11, 1718. My very good Lord,

ther the apparitor was not duly instructed, or, what I rather suspect, was inclined to squeese a few pence extraordinary out of me by way of composition, I cannot tell. But he would needs serve the instrument on me in the open street two days be-' fore the visitation: after my fatlings were killed for the entertainment of the clergy.

I was not a little provoked at this usage on my first appearance in a strange land. And had the fellow persisted in his arrest as he seemed to threaten, I should have been in great hazard of falling into the sin of rebellion. I was resolved to have gone on with my own work, and should scarce have avoided the temptation of disregarding a mandate, which bore date when, I am very sure his grace was not within the limits of this kingdom the 26th of May last. But the dean was a lucky mediator, and mistakes on both sides were corrected. The metropolitical visitation is to be held here on the 4th of next month: very soon after which, within two or three days, I hope to be moving towards Carlisle. The Bishop of Down is chief in the primate's commission for visiting this diocese, but a lameness is like to prevent his coming.

By the last post I could but just acknowledge the receipt of your Grace's letter of the 2d of June, which came to hand as mine went out. Give me leave now to return thanks for it; and to make answer to some parts of its contents. I am much obliged to my new metropolitan for his taking notice of me in his late visit to your Grace. piece of management caped the misfortune ispute with his grace ntrance into his proregistrar had acquainted

By

in our

a

good

of being in deal on my firs ince. M

The Archbishop of Dublin was not in town whilst I was there; but since his return thither he has a mero motu most graciously favoured me with a letter of good instructions for the management of his old cure here. He has very justly remarked on the sufferings of the see by his two immediate successors; and has furnished me with kind rules for avoiding the rocks whereon they split. He invites me to the settling some glebes on the new parishes which he thinks I ought im

trient

But assured me in that, the alibition should not come till my primary visitation 1 told him this would be

to Derry was over.

tled by the division of several old ones, according to a plan which he presented to Bishop Hickman, and wherewith he supposes him to have The projected

REMEMBRANCER, No. 26.

M