A T T 



67 



A T T 



Attendants, 

 Atterbury. 



tate four others to his secretaries : if he did not write 

 himself, he could dictate seven letters at once. See 

 Stewart's Phil, of the Mind, c. 2. Helvetius Be 

 I' Esprit. Condillac Sur POrigine des Connmss. Hum. 

 s. 2. c. 1. Reid's Intel/, and Active Poziers. (m) 

 ATTENUANTS.or Attenuating Medicines 

 are those Which are supposed to diminish the consist- 

 ence of the blood, or secreted fluids. See Medicine. 



u l~ 



lTTERBURY, Francis, was the son of Dr 

 Lewis Atterbl ry, rector of Milton, in Buckingham- 

 shire, and was born there in 1662. He was educated 

 at Westminster school, and in 1680 became a student 

 in Christ-church College, Oxford, where, in 1684, he 

 took the degree of Bachelor, and in 1687 that of 

 Master of Arts. In 1690 he married a lady of the 

 name of Osborn, and about the same time entered 

 into holy orders. He went to London in 1693, 

 where he was elected preacher at Bridewell, and lec- 

 turer at St Bride's Church. Soon after this he was 

 appointed one of the chaplains in ordinary to King 

 William and Queen Mary, and in 1700 he was in- 

 stalled archdeacon of Totness. Upon the accession 

 of Queen Anne, in 1702, he became one of her ma- 

 jesty's chaplain's in ordinary ; in 1704 he was advan- 

 ced to the deanery of Carlisle ; in 1707 he was ap- 

 pointed one of the canons residentiary at Exeter ; 

 and in 1709 he was made preacher at Roll's chapel. 

 In 1710 he was chosen prolocutor of the lower house 

 of convocation ; in 1712 he was made dean of Christ- 

 church ; and in 1713, at the recommendation of the 

 Earl of Oxford, he was promoted to the bishopric 

 of Rochester, and deanery of Westminster. 



This rapid succession of promotions seems only to 

 have kindled Atterbury's ambition for still higher 

 exaltation. It is said that he aspired to the primacy 

 of all England, and that he had taken such measures 

 as would in all probability have secured it upon a 

 vacancy, had not the queen's death, in 1714, pre- 

 vented all his plans, and put an end to his prosperity. 

 He soon found that he was not held in the same es- 

 timation by her successor George the First, and he 

 himself soon began to manifest his disaffection to the 

 reigning family. At a time when every man who 

 held such a station as Bishop Atterbury, and who 

 was not hostile to government, would naturally have 

 felt himself called upon to express his decided disap- 

 probation of the plans of the house of Stuart, he re- 

 fused to sign a declaration which the bishops had 

 published against the proceedings of the pretender ; 

 and he strengthened all the unfavourable impressions 

 of this refusal, by keenly opposing the measures 

 of the court. At length, in 1722, he was appre- 

 hended upon a suspicion of being engaged in a con- 



spiracy to restore the Stuart family. His papers Atterbury. 

 were seized, and he was committed to the Tower. /~ ' 



A bill was soon after brought into the House of 

 Commons, " for inflicting certain pains and penalties 

 on Francis, Lord Bishop of Rochester ;" but he re- 

 served his defence till it should be argued in the 

 House of Lords. There the bill met with muck 

 opposition, and engaged the attention of the House 

 for more than a week. The bishop spoke in his 

 own defence with great ability and eloquence, and 

 concluded with a solemn protestation of his inno- 

 cence. But the bill was at length passed, by a ma- 

 jority of 83 to 43, and Atterbury was condemned to 

 perpetual exile. The king, it is said, when he con- 

 firmed the bill, expressed his regret that there should 

 be just cause for inflicting such a punishment upon a 

 bishop of the Church of England, and a man of such 

 eminent abilities and attainments. His daughter. 

 Mis Morrice, was permitted to accompany him ; and, 

 by the king's sign manual, his son-in-law, Mr Mor- 

 rice, had leave to correspond with him. He left 

 England in June 1723, and landed at Calais, whence 

 he went to Brussels, and thence to Paris. There he 

 resided, for the most part, until his death, which 

 took place on February 15, 1731, and which war- 

 supposed to be hastened by the loss of his daughter, 

 two years before. His body was brought over to 

 England, and interred in Westminster Abbey. 



The literary productions of Bishop Atterbury were 

 not very voluminous, but were considerable in point 

 of number and variety. While a student at Oxford, 

 he was distinguished for his taste in polite literature. 

 During that period, he wrote a version, in Latin 

 verse, of Dryden's Absalom and Ahitophel, an Epi- 

 gram on a Lady's Fan, and a Translation of two 

 Odes of Horace. His translations from Horace are 

 considered as the best that have been made from that 

 poet into the English language ; and though their 

 merit has perhaps been rated rather high, yet they 

 certainly possess much of the lively spirit and grace- 

 ful expression which characterise the original. From 

 these indications of a poetical talent, which he gave 

 in the early part of his life, many have concluded, 

 that he was peculiarly qualified for that species of 

 writing, and have lamented that he did not continue 

 to cultivate his powers as a poet. * His next pro- 

 duction was of a very different complexion, and, in- 

 stead of trifling with the muses, he appears defending 

 Luther and the reformation with great acuteness 

 and learning. He referred to this publication at his 

 trial, as an evidence that he had no secret inclination 

 to Popery ; and, on account of this performance, 

 Bishop Burnet ranks him among the most eminent 

 defenders of the protestant cause. He is supposed 



As a specimen of Bishop Atterbury's compositions in poetry, may be given his Epigram on a Lady's Fan, which was 

 addressed to the lady who afterwards became his wife. 



Flavia the least and slightest toy 



Can with resistless art employ. 



This fan, in meaner hands, would prove 



An engine of small force in love ; 



Yet she, with graceful air and mien, 



Not to be told, or safely seen, 



Directs its wanton motions so, 



That it wounds more than Cupid's bow : 



Gives coolness to the matchless dame, 



To every other breast a flame. 



