Oxford Bigotry and Oxford Studies. 73 



heads of houses and the two proctors. Now, mark : both these 

 appointments were subsequent to the promulgation of the obnoxious 

 " lecture," and of another work on a similar subject, the " Philoso- 

 phical Evidences." 



Down to the year 1834, then, all was right, all couleur de rose for 

 the unfortunate person selected as the object of academic persecu- 

 tion ; but during that year Dr. Hampden was guilty of a most hein- 

 ous crime, that made him obnoxious to several of his colleagues : he 

 actually ventured to breathe a sentiment of liberality towards Dis- 

 senters, and to suggest certain measures with a view to the admission 

 of Dissenters as members of the University ; and in the contest of 

 1835, he warmly advocated a measure substituting declaration of 

 agreement with the doctrines of the Church of England for the sub- 

 scription to the Thirty-nine Articles. Here, and here only, is, in 

 reality, Dr. Hampden's offence; and we sincerely hope that he may 

 find in the strength of the ecclesiastical law some defence against 

 those who are ostensibly religious opponents, but in reality his invete- 

 rate political foes. 



The Whig government selected Dr. Hampden as the successor of 

 the late amiable and eminently Christian professor, Dr. Burton ;* 

 and certain are we, that, if they had looked all round Oxford, they 

 could not have found a person better qualified as a man of learning, 

 piety, and orthodoxy, than the present occupant of the chair. Who 

 of his enemies, of the whole formidable array of eighty-one, would 

 venture to enter the lists with the modest, calm, but unflinching 

 object of their rabid revilements ? 



The opinion of one who has more than once subscribed to the arti- 

 cles in the convocation-house, and has devoted his best energies to 

 the study of theology (the queen of all the sciences) during five or 

 six years, might perhaps be admitted by our unprejudiced readers ; 

 hu as that is our own, let that pass. We could, if the confidence of 

 private society allowed the liberty, cite the opinion of above twenty 

 beneficed clergymen within the circle of our acquaintance, (men not 

 less orthodox than the tight-laced Dr. Gilbert and the dogmatical 

 Mr. Vaughan Thomas, and not less truly religious than Dr. Pusey 

 and Mr. Newman,) who hold the Hampden persecution in abhorrence, 

 because they consider the charge of rationalism to be a mere cloak 

 for political hostility : and we say without fear of contradiction, that 

 the whole body of non-conformist clergy, a large majority of whom 

 agree in all the doctrines of the church and show to it a bright ex- 

 ample of ministerial zeal and usefulness, are thoroughly disgusted 

 with the ungenerous and untrue accusation, and the shabby manner 

 in which it has been supported. 



If the case against Dr. Hampden had been fairly conducted, and if 

 the damnatory evidence from his works had not been tampered with, 

 but allowed to be fairly canvassed by the judges before condemna- 

 tion, we could not have objected to a condemning verdict from an 

 unprejudiced and competent jury. But who are his accusers, who 



* The writer of this article attended three or four courses of the professor's pri- 

 vate lectures ; and he feels it his duty to testify to the very high character, both as a 

 professor and a Christian, which Dr. Burton bore in Oxford. 



