1 52 HISTORY OF HARTING. 



things with the Ch. of R., it would be sin in me 

 to let my child doe it. Because to act against con- 

 science is a sin, even when 'tis an erroneous conscience. 

 I grant y l - whoso is led by an erroneous conscience 

 ought to labour to get rid of his errour ; as in great 

 pity to my understanding you tell me you hope I 

 will ; and I assure you S ir it hath not been my fault 

 hitherto, nor shall it be for the future. And whoe 

 knows what y r - skill in casuistry may doe for a weake 

 Xtian ? In the meane time, I am sorry to find 

 y r - stile (style) soe altered at top and bottom ; but that 

 as you please. However, I shall allways be as I allways 

 was to my poor ability, Mr. Caryll's sincere ffriend 

 and 



" Very humble servant, 



JOHN NEWLIN." 



This letter is written beautifully in an upright hand, 

 quite clean still, and without a fault. . 



It is interesting to note in this correspondence the 

 humble position in a gentleman's family sought for 

 by a clergyman of the eighteenth century, on behalf 

 of his daughter. To be sure Parson Newlin numbered 

 near a score of children, including his nine daughters, 

 and Ph. Caryll asks in another letter "what sort 

 of figure he cuts with his numerous retinue ?" But 

 it is impossible not to admire the honest English sen- 

 tences of the Parson, or to censure sufficiently the 

 subterfuges of the cruel adversary who has no pity 

 for the poor man's ewe lamb. We cannot believe that 

 under any circumstances the gentle hearted old Squire 

 would have written as his cousin Philip did. The 

 correspondence seems to have been referred to him, 

 but in all probability Mary Newlin never saw Harting 

 Vicarage again, and lived and died in France a Papist. 



A little before this the verses of the Vicar of Harting, 

 Dr. James Bramston (instituted 1725), a satirist, be- 

 came famous. He wrote " The Art of Politics," and 

 the " Man of Taste." A specimen of his verses is to 



