hi 



Account of the late Mr. David Wiltiams, 



which period it has administered relief, 

 perhaps rescued " from a ti;nfUss grave," 

 scores i>f worthy men of letters. This suc- 

 cour, too, has been afl'orded in snch a man- 

 ner, as not to wound the feelini^s of the ir- 

 ritable minds of men of taste~aiid learning;. 

 The Literary Fund has a dotihle claim of 

 snpport, and its late foiinder a <louble 

 claim to honor. As a charitable institution 

 it is inffrior to none in relief to distressed 

 persons; and, wlien the attainments and 

 'energies of literature are contemplated, 

 the political importance of it to the empire 

 must be clearly seen. The names and 

 deeds of the most niiglity men-killtis, and 

 of the most cruftij statestnen of the pre- 

 sent times, will have oidy a perishable re- 

 cord ; but the name of David Williams will 

 live, and the Literary Fund will flourish 

 till the British people cease to culti- 

 vate letters and relapse into barbarism. 

 About the year 177.!, beinj; resident at 

 Chelsea, he brought forward his plan of 

 education, founded on the outline given by 

 Comnienius, when he was invited here to 

 reform the English schools, but whose de- 

 sign was frustrated by the civil wars. Mr. 

 Williams distinguished himself on this oc- 

 casion in such a manner, that, although he 

 was a stranger in the neighbourhood, and 

 his religions tenets lay under some imputa- 

 tion among the orthodox, yet he met with 

 great enconragement. At Chelsea, he pub- 

 lished a Treatise on Education, in a duo- 

 decimo volume ; which contains some un- 

 commonly acute and judicious remarks, and 

 discloses his sentiments with respect to re- 

 vealed religion. Here the celebrated Ur. 

 .Franklin, witli whom he was intimate, took 

 refuge in his house, from the storm he ap- 

 prehended would follow Mr. Wcdder- 

 burne's unwarranted attack on him at the 

 Council-board ; an event which is said to 

 have had more effect towards the crisis 

 which soon after followed, than can be 

 easily imagined. And here it was that the 

 philosopher of Pennsylvania concerted 

 with his friend the plan of a deistical and 

 philosophical lecture. This scheme was 

 carried into practice ; Mr. Williams opened 

 a chapel in Margaret street, Cavendish- 

 square, in which he was supported by per- 

 sons of conseqirence and fortune ; but the 

 complexion of his discourses was neither 

 relished by churchmen ror dissenters ; ac- 

 cordingly, although many went lo hear him, 

 few enrolled Iheir names as members. He 

 published, while ofliciafmg in this capacity, 

 the Inauguration Sermon, two volumes of 

 Lectures on the Universal Principles of Re- 

 ligion and Morality, and a Liturgy for the 

 Chapel. Notwithstanding a variety of ob- 

 stacles, he continued his labours, during a 

 period of nearly four years; but, as the sub- 

 scribers did not increase, he removed to a 

 private room, where he delivered his 

 opinions before those who supported the 

 institution. Hi* society was, iudeed, 

 2 



("Aug. T, 



small ; but it was as respectable as any in 

 England. Mr. Williams's other publication* 

 consist of a pamjihlet on "The Nature 

 and Extent of Intellectual Liberty;" "a 

 Plan of Association, on Constitutional 

 Principles," a tract wiitten at the time of 

 the riots in London ; " Letters on Political 

 Liberty," occasioned by the county meet- 

 ings and associations, in 178!^; "Lectures 

 on Political Principles," "Lectures on 

 Education;" and, u "History of Mon- 

 mouthshire," in one volume, 4to. Several 

 anonymous works have been erroneously 

 attributed to Mr. Williams; among them, 

 "Royal Recollections;" but this is so in- 

 finitely beneath his abilities, that no one of 

 his friends can allow it lo be his. The 

 " Lessons to a Young Prince," and " An 

 Apology for professing the Religion of Na- 

 ture in the eighteenth century," may pos- 

 sibly have come from his pen, and they 

 are not un%vorthy of it. Some of the above 

 works possess a large share of intrinsic 

 merit, and shew that Mr. W. had early 

 turned his thoughts to political enquiries; 

 and these seemed to have been first sugges- 

 ted to his mind, in consequence of having 

 previously given assistance in some par- 

 liamentary transactions. His religious and 

 known political opinions connected him in- 

 timately with the popular party in this 

 country, and his celebrity recommended 

 him to the notice of the Girunilisls in 

 France, who invited him over to assist them 

 in the foimation of the Constitution. He 

 was intimately acquainted with Brissot 

 while in England ; and the journey, which 

 introduced him to the friendship of all the 

 great political leaders of the day, was not 

 without some personal danger : for, as he 

 recommended mercy to the king, the Ja- 

 cobins branded him with the title of royal- 

 ist, and IfC was actually denounced such in 

 their club. Mr. VV'Illiams saw so clearly 

 the designs of this faction, and was so cer- 

 tain of the result, that he foretold to their 

 opponents, that, if they did not destroy the 

 Jacobins, the Jacobins woidd soon destroy 

 them ! The celebrated Madame Roland 

 speaks highly of the political talents of Mr, 

 Williams, in many parts of her very ani- 

 mated work. "Paine," says she, "is bet- 

 ter calculated to produce a revolution, than 

 to assist in the formation of a constitution. 

 He seizes, he establii^hes, those grand prin- 

 ciples, the exposition of which strikes every 

 one at first sight, ravishes a club, and pro- 

 duces enthusiasm at a tavern ; but for the 

 cool discussion of a committee, for the con- 

 nected labours of the legislator, I consider 

 David Williams as infinitely more proper.'* 

 On his return from France, Mr. W. re- 

 sided at Brompton, and there planned 

 the Society of the Literary Fund, of 

 which he became the resident conductor. 

 — He was buried in the vault of St. Anne's 

 church, on Saturday, July 7, Agreeably 

 to his order, the funeral was quite private. 



