402 



Account of the laic Dr. Samuel Jlorsley. [Nov. T , 



DofloT's m'ftskes. He followed up the at- 

 tack by numerous proots in behalf of the 

 common belief, drawn from the early fathers 

 of the church, and the purefl ecclefwftical 

 hiftnrians. The difplay of readi. g, and acute 

 rclcarch, in thefe letters, is wonderful. The 

 ftyJe alfo is admirable ; and though, at times, 

 it affumcs a lofty manner, yet the reader of 

 tafte finds himfclf charmed with the ele- 

 gance of the language, and the clofenefs of 

 the reafoning. Dr. Pricftley continued the 

 combat, by another feries of letters, to 

 which the Archdeacon again replied. The 

 controverfy here clofed, on the part of the 

 latter; who fignified, that it was an endlcfs 

 tadc to contend upon an exhaufted topic, 

 with one who was never difpofed to ceafe dif- 

 putin.< till he had obtained the laft word. 

 In 1789, Dr Horfley collefled thefe tra<£t«, 

 and printed them in one volume oflavo, with 

 fomc additions, particularly a fermon on the 

 Incarnation, preached at Newington, on 

 Chriftnias-day 17y.5 ; and which, having a 

 material relation to the controve'fy in quef- 

 tion, he thought proper to infert in this col- 

 leflion. While this difpute was goina on, 

 Dr Horlley was ensi.iged in another, whicli 

 made nearly as much nolfe as tlie firft, at 

 le.ift in the fcientific world. When Sir Jo- 

 fcph Banks came in as prcfident of tlie "Koyai 

 Snclcty, on the refi^nation of Sir John Prin- 

 gle, the m:ithematical and philofophical mem- 

 bers of the Tvewtonian fcliool were difgufted 

 at tiie extraordinary preference which was 

 Aewn to fui jefts, as they conceived, of an 

 inferior nature to thofe which ought, in their 

 opinion, to engage the firll learned fociety in 

 the world. It has been faid, that cabals 

 wPre formed by tliofe mcmbrrs of the old 

 ftamp againft the prcfident and his friends ; 

 but of this uo proof was ever brought for- 

 ward. In 170 1, the latter ventured upon :i 

 ftcp, which could not fail to tan the fniutbcr- 

 jng flame into a blaze. The council thought 

 proper to difmifs the learned Dodor Hutton 

 from the office of Latin fecretary for foreign 

 correfpondence, \jpon the very frivolous pre- 

 tence, that it was improper fuch a poft (hould 

 be tilled by a perfon who did not relide in 

 the metropolis. The fcientific members took 

 fire at this treatment of one of the ahleft 

 and moft refpcct.iblc of their body. Accord- 

 ingly, in leveral mectljitiS of the fociety, 

 attempts were made to leffen the influence of 

 tlicir pvefdfnt, and to reinflite Dr. Hutton 

 in his pl.ice, but without fucccfs. In this 

 conled- between philofophy and the virtuoli, 

 Dr. Horllev made the mod confijicuoup figure. 

 Finding, however, that his labours, and thofe 

 o. his learned adocijtes, were in vain, he 

 forfook. (U) exprefs it in his own forcible lan- 

 guage) " that temple, where philofophy 

 oiVct reigned, and where Newton prciided as 

 }:crotricIating minilter." In 1786, Dr. Horfley 

 •ebf.iined, without either foiicitation or even 

 cxjVclar.cy, a prebciul in the cathedral church 

 »,' <.:l<..vBfter. His iriend, on tiii» occafcn. 



was Lord Thurlow, 'hen Chancellor ; who, 

 without being perfdnally known to Dr. H or 

 receiving any application on his behalf, re- 

 fifted every requeft that was made for this 

 valuable preferment, and bellowed it upon 

 the man whom he jufllv confidered as having 

 merifd it tlie moil of any divine in this age. 

 In 178S, Dr. Horfley was elevated to the 

 epifcopal bcncli on the tranflatinn of Dr. 

 Smallwell from the fee of St. David to that 

 of Oxford. Lord Thurlow, on this occafion, 

 was again his ftcady and unfolicited patron; 

 and made it a ))oinc to bring in his friend, 

 in oppolirion to candidates who were backed 

 by all the force o'' minirterial influence. On 

 the great ftrug-^le made by the proteftant 

 diflenters, in 1790, to obtain a repeal of the 

 Corporation and Teft afts, a pamphlet ap- 

 peared, entitled, " A Review of the Cafe of 

 the i'r<itfftant Diflenters," which was writ- 

 ten with fuch holdnefs and elegance on the 

 hiuh church fide, that, though anonymous, 

 all parties concurred in attributing it to the 

 Biiliop of St. David's ; nor were they wrong 

 in their conjefture. His conduft in the fee 

 of St. David's was highly praifeworthy. Of 

 all the bifhoprics, no one exhibited more po- 

 verty, or more ignorance, on the part of the 

 clergy, than this. Many of the curacies, 

 wlien his lordfliip entered upon the govern- 

 ment of this extcniive diocefe, did not ex- 

 ceed ten pounds per annum, and fome of the 

 churches were actually ferved for five ! It 

 may eahly lie concluded what fort of divines 

 a grc.it part of thefe poor minifters were, un- 

 der fuch circuniftances. What was ftill 

 worfe, the multitude of candidates tor orders 

 incrcafed yearly ; fo that Wales poured her 

 fuperfluous clergy into England, to the dif- 

 grace of the cloth, and the real injury of fuch 

 as were regular! v bred. A reform was there- 

 fore necefi'ary, but it required a fl^ong and 

 pcrfevering mind to accompliili it. Dr. Hor- 

 iley was not to be daunted by any obftacles. 

 He obtained, with the greatefl: poCible dif- 

 patch, an accurate and minute ftate of his 

 diocefe. He then gave notice to the bene- 

 ficed clergy, who did not rcfide, that they 

 would be compelled to refidence, or to allow 

 their curates a more liberal falary. By thefe 

 means, he remedied that Iliameful abufe of 

 one man's ferving feveral churches on the 

 fjmc day j directing that a curate ihould ferve. 

 two only, and thofe within a moderate dif- 

 tance fiom. each other. Having regulate'd 

 the condition of the clcrjy, he proceeded to 

 a rtricter courl'e with refpedl to candidates lor 

 holy orders, admitting none without per- 

 fonally examining tl«m hirafelf, and looking 

 very narrowly into the titles which they pro- 

 duced. With all this vigilance, his lordftiip 

 a£ted to them as a tender father, encouraging 

 theno to vifit him during his ftay in the 

 country, which was ufually for feveral months 

 in the year, afliltiiig them with advice, and 

 adminiftcring to their temporal necelHties 

 with a liueial ar.d paternal hand. In his 

 progrefe 



