APPENDIX to the CHRONICLE. 571 



whom the Calvinists regarded as 

 their prophet, to spend some of 

 the summer months in travelling, 

 and in one of these excursions he 

 was invited to preach at the doc- 

 tor's church. He accepted the 

 invitation ; but his sermon was so 

 httle to the vicar's taste that he is 

 said to have treated him rather 

 rudely, and even to have preached 

 against him from the same pulpit. 

 The doctor was soon after attacked 

 in a printed letter with great warmth 

 by the author of Fietas Oxoniensis, 

 and the controversy we believe was 

 continued for some time with no lit- 

 tle heat on both sides ; though the 

 doctor did not scruple to confess 

 that his own doctrines were not 

 those of the church of England, 

 and upon this ground it was that his 

 antagonist had so great an advan- 

 tage over him. But Mr. John Wes- 

 ley, and a very pious minister in 

 connection with that extraordinary 

 man, the Rev. Mr. John Fletcher, 

 vicar of Madely, were the principal 

 antagonists of Sir Richard. The 

 whole field of controversy between 

 Calvinism and Arminianism was tra- 

 versed over and over again by these 

 adroit polemics ; but there was one 

 gentleman who had a manifest ad- 

 vantage over all the rest, and that 

 was Mr. Augustus Toplady. He 

 possessed a considerable degree of 

 learning, a great command of lan- 

 guage, an extent of reading, and 

 such a competency of metaphysics 

 and logic, as enabled him to give to 

 Calvinism an attracting appearance. 

 When that gentleman died, it seems 

 the Wesleyan methodists propagat- 

 ed some scandalous stories concern- 

 ing the manner of his departure, as 

 that he had recanted his opinions, 

 and expired distracted. In confu- 

 tation of this slanderous reproach, 

 Sir Richard printed a small pam^ 



phlet, which abundantly vindicated 

 the consistent integrity of his de- 

 parted friend, and did honour to 

 his own feelings. Since that time 

 he has published a few other pieces, 

 some practical and others contro- 

 versial. The chief of his works, how- 

 ever, is " An Apology for Brother- 

 ly Love, and for the Doctrines of 

 the Church of England, in letters 

 to the Rev. Charles Daubeny; with 

 a Vindication of such parts of Mr. 

 Wilberforce's Practical View as 

 have been objected to by Mr. 

 Daubeny in his ' Guide to the 

 Church.'" 8vo. 1798. In this 

 work Sir Richard evinces greater 

 moderation than in his former 

 pieces; and it must be admitted 

 that, so far as the faith of the 

 church of England is concerned, 

 he encounters his adversary to 

 great advantage. Sir Richard 

 was elected one of the knights of 

 the shire for the county of Salop, 

 in 1780, and continued its repre- 

 sentative in six successive parlia- 

 ments till the dissolution in 1807. 

 He formerly used often to speak 

 in parliament, and never rose but 

 to promote or to suggest some ob- 

 ject of public utility. Every 

 thing he uttered was marked by 

 good sense, observation, know- 

 ledge of the world, and sincere 

 patriotism. There was, however, 

 something peculiar in his manner, 

 and his mind having a strong bias 

 towards religion, he frequently 

 mingled passages from Scripture 

 in his speeches, which subjected 

 him to the ridicule of those whose 

 dispositions were less serious ; but 

 the known rectitude and benignity 

 of his character always secured 

 him the attention and respect of 

 much the greater number of his 

 hearers. In his parliamentary ca- 

 reer, it was his principle to support 

 administration 



