410 LETTER TO 



not blinded them to the danger, to which they 

 were about to expose the literary reputation of 

 one of their dearest friends ; if they had not by 

 their own praises so fanned his desire for general 

 applause, as to occasion his giving a work to the 

 world, which sets at defiance every principle of 

 taste in composition, and exhibits more than a 

 schoolboy's ignorance of the common language 

 of the learned. 



The next public indication of the plan of the 

 college to defame the associated licentiates, (for 

 I purposely avoid mentioning any private proof 

 of it) was furnished in April 1796, by Sir George 

 Baker's swearing before your Lordship, that 

 Dr. Stanger, upon being made a licentiate, had 

 given his faith, or promise, that he would obey 

 their statutes. It now became clearly evident 

 to those, who had watched the conduct of the 

 college, that they meant to urge this, among 

 other arguments against the claim of that gen- 

 tleman, that he was unworthy of admission into 

 their body, from having, by his present applica- 

 tion to the court, forfeited all title to confidence 

 in his future declarations. No notice, indeed, 

 was taken of this part of Sir George Baker's 

 affidavit, in the pleadings which immediately 

 followed ; but Mr. Erskine was the only one of 

 their counsel, who completed his speech upon 

 that occasion, and there are strong grounds for 



