Chap. XIV.] AND Religion. 245 



been in the navy, he never had seen a band of such 

 complete blackguards. And I said the same for the 

 army. And, 1 declare, that, in the whole course of ray 

 life, I have never seen any men, drunk or sober, behave 

 in so infamous a manner. Mr. Phillips, of Eling, (now 

 Doctor Phillips) whom 1 saw standing in the room, I 

 tapped on the shoulder, and asked, whether he was not 

 asnamed, Mr, Lee, of the College; Mr. Ogle, of 

 Bishop's Waltham ; and Doctor Hill, of Southamp- 

 ton : these were exceptions. Perhaps there might be 

 some others ; but the mass was the most audacious, 

 foul, and atrocious body of men I ever saw. We had 

 done nothing to offend them. We had proposed 

 nothing to offend them in the smallest degree. But, 

 ther were afraid of our speeches: they knew they 

 could not answer us; and they were resolved, that, if 

 possible, we should not be heard. There was one par- 

 son, who had his mouth within a foot of Lord Cochrane's 

 ear, all the time his Lordship was speaking, and who 

 kept on saying, " You lie! you lie ! you lie I you lie!" 

 as loud as he could utter the words. 



445. Bakkb, the Botley Parson, was extremely busy. 

 He acted the part of buffoon to Lockhart, He kept 

 capering about behind him^ and really seemed like a 

 merry andrew rather than a " spiritual person." 



446. Such is the character of the great body of Hamp- 

 shire Parsons. I know of no body of men so despi- 

 cable, and yet, what sums of public money do they 

 swallow! It noAv remains for me to speak more par- 

 ticularly of Baker, he who, for your sins I suppose, is 

 fastened upon you as your Parson. But what I have 

 to Ray of this man must be the subject of another Letter. 

 That it should be the subject of any letter at all may 

 well surprize all who know the man ; for not one 

 creature knows him Mithout despising him. But, it is 

 not Baker, it is the scandalous priest, that I strike at. 

 It is the impudent, profligate, hardened priest that I 

 will hold up to public scorn. 



447. When I see the good and kind people here 

 going to church to listen to some decent man of good 

 moral character and of sober quiet life, I always think 

 of you. You are just the same sort of people as they 



