232] 



A TOPOGRAPHICAL 



himself, devoted his talents to truth and virtue. An edition of 

 Mr. Browne's poems was published in the year 1768 hy his son, 

 Mr. Hawkins Browne. This edition is adorned with a very fine 

 portrait of the author, engraved from an original painting by 

 his friend Highmore. 



BISHOP KURD. 



If Staffordshire can boast of having given birth to characters 

 who have upheld the honour of their country by their prowess and 

 gallantry, she can likewise exult in her sages and philosophers, 

 whose talents and acquirements have illumined the page of mo- 

 dern history. Independent of her Colossus of Literature, and 

 other profound scholars, she may proudly recount the virtues and 

 unostentatious wisdom of a HURD, who, whilst he added lustre to 

 his high calling, thought it no condescension to regard with com- 

 placency the virtuous, though less exalted, among his fellow-men, 

 to deal abroad that brotherly love so forcibly inculcated by the 

 doctrines of Christianity, and who, through a long and honourable 

 course of years, was indefatigable in illustrating, both by his preach- 

 ing and living, the important truth, that earthly honours are only 

 valuable in proportion as they are seconded by the virtues of their 

 possessors, and that not even the dignified assumption of the mitre 

 can shed one ray of glory on the brow of him who is not a good 

 man and a practical Christian. 



This accomplished and erudite Prelate was born at the village 

 of Congreve, in this county, on the 13th of January, 1719-20, at 

 which place, at the time of his birth, his father rented a consider- 

 able farm, but soon after removed to a larger at Pendeford, about 

 midway between Wolverhampton and Breewood. He received the 

 rudiments of his education at Market-Bos worth, in the county of 

 Leicester, under the tuition of Anthony Blackwall, the well-known 

 editor of the Sacred Classics; and was afterwards removed to the 

 free grammar-school at Breewood, under the Rev. Mr. Hillman, 

 and, upon his death, under his successor, the Rev. Mr. Budworth, 

 whose memory Mr. Kurd affectionately embalmed so early as 1757, 

 in a Dedication to Sir Edward Littleton, who had also been edu- 

 cated at Breewood school. He continued under the care of this 

 gentleman till he went to the University ; and was admitted at 



