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oppofite parties, it is univerfally agreed, tliat lie was a man 

 of great learning and uncommon abilities, a fine writer, and 

 a irroft excellent preacher. Witli refpeCt to Atterbury's 

 public and political charafter, it " was marked with that 

 turbulent ambition and contentious violence which animated 

 the Beckets and Lauds of former times, and which was ill 

 difguifcd by the affecflcd mildaefs and moderation of his 

 epillolary writings." '• Th.e turbulent and imperious tem- 

 per of this haughty prelate," fays Dr. Wharton (Effay on 

 the Writings and Genius of Pope, vol. ii. p. 432, 433.), 

 " was long felt and remembered in the college over which 

 he prefided. It was with difSculty queen Anne was per- 

 fuaded to make him a biftiop ; which (he did at lad 011 the 

 repeated importunities of lord Harcourt. After her deceafe, 

 Atterbury occafionally urged his friends to proclaim the 

 Pretender; and on their refiifal, upbraided them for their 

 timidity, with many oaths ; for he was aecuftomed to fwear 

 on any llroiig provocation;" From an anecdote related 

 by lord Chefterfielu to Dr. Maty, and recorded in " Maly's 

 Mem.oirs" of that nobleman (p. 279.), it has been iufened, 

 that Dr. Atterbury had been long known, among his friends, 

 to be a fceptic, or au unbeliever, with regard to revelation. 

 The anecdote is as follows. " I went to Mr. Pope one 

 morning at Twickenham, and found a large folio bible with 

 gilt clafps lying before him upon liis table ; and, as I kncv,- 

 his way of thinking upon that book, I aiked him jocofely, 

 if he was going to write an anfwer to it ? It is a prefent, 

 faid he, or rather a legacy, from my old friend the bifhop 

 of Rochefter. I went to take my leave of him vefterday 

 ■in the Tower, where I fawthis bible upon his table. After 

 the firll compliments, the bifliop faid to me, my friend 

 Pope, confidering your infirmities, and my age and exiie, it 

 is not likely that we fliould ever meet again, and therefore 

 I give you this legacy to remember me by it. — Does your 

 lordfliip abide by it yourfelf ? — I do. — If you do, my lord, 

 it is but lately. May I beg to know, what new light or 

 arguments have prevailed with you now, to entertain an 

 opinion fo contrary to that which you entertained of that 

 book all the former part of your life ? — The bilhop replied, 

 we have not time to talk of thefe tilings ; but take home 

 the book ; I will abide by it ; and I recommend to you 

 to do fo too, and fo God blefs you!" This fingle ftoiy, 

 however, not only uncorroborated, but contradicted by other 

 fafts, is not fufficient to warrant the charge of fcepticifin 

 againft this prelate. Whatever were his faults, he does 

 not appear to have difbelieved or even doubted the truth of 

 Chriliianity. His aftions and writings exhibit the fier\- 

 zealot and bigot rather than the infidel ; though it mull be 

 acknowledged, that thefe charafters may be united in the 

 fame perfon. His fermons on the miraculous propagation 

 of the gofpel, and on a (landing revelation's being the bell 

 means of conviftion, befides other difconrfes, furnifli im- 

 portant and pleafing evidences of his attachment to the 

 Chrillian religion. It ought alfo to be confidered, that 

 he generally treats unbelievers with contempt, as an ignorant, 

 fuperficial, and conceited fetof men ; which he would Icarcely 

 have done if he had been of the fame fentiments. Por 

 though a man may conceal, or deiiyi or even ])erfeciite the 

 opinions which he himfelf holds, it is not very likely that he 

 (liould appear to defpife the retainers of them. Belides, 

 there is an ardour of affedionate efteem in Mr. Pope's two 

 lall letters to Dr. Atterbury (Pope's Works, vol. v. p. 351 — 

 355.), written to him when he was in the tower, which that 

 eminent poet, who valued himfelf upon his moral charafter, 

 could not well have exprefled to the bidiop, if he had known 

 that he had adled the bafe and hypocritical part of publicly 

 profeffing and defe-nding that religion which he privately 

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difavowed Not to add, that he aftual'v derived mnch of 

 his confolation in adverfity from his religions principles. 

 His coiTefpondence with Dr. Wall and bifhop Potter, pre- 

 ferved in Nichols's publication, fullv proves his belief in, 

 and his zeal for the honour of the Clnillian revelation ; and 

 the telhmony, derived from his private corrcfpondencc and 

 Jrom the uniform teuour of his life and writings, ought 

 lurely, with impartial and candid judges, to outweigh the 

 evidence deduced from a fingle ftoi v, however well authen- 

 ticated. In his letters to Mr. Pope', and to his other cor- 

 refpondents, bilhop Atterbury appears in a very pleafing 

 light, both as a writer and a man. In eafe and elegance, 

 thefe letters are fuperior to thofe of Mr. Pope, which are 

 m.ii-e flndied. If we were to form our judgment of Iiim, as 

 a man, from thefe letters, we fhould incline to think that 

 n was his lole wilh to fpend his life in a learned and elegant 

 focial intereouife with a few private friends ; and yet nu- 

 merous facts fufficiertly (hew, that nothing could be more 

 dillaut from his real difpofition and charafter, and that he 

 was aftnated in early life and in tJbc progrtfs of his years 

 by a relllef? and turbulent ambition. Hispanegyrift, bilhop 

 Smalridge, in the fpeech wliich he made, upon prefenting 

 hmi to the upper houfe of convocation, as Prolocutor, rc- 

 prefents him as " Vir in r.ullo literarum genere hofpcs, ia 

 plerifque aitibus et ftudiis diii et feliciter excrcitatus, in 

 n\axime perfettis litcrarum difciplinis pci-feftiflimus : i. e. 

 " one, who i» well acquainted with all parts of literature, 

 long and fucccfsfully exercifed in molt arts and (ludies, and 

 moll accompliflied in thofe fciences which admit of the 

 greateft perfeilion." Although it is allowed, that he was 

 fometimes too feverc upon liis adverfar)', and dealt rather 

 too much in fatire and invective, yet this is imputed 

 by his panegyrill more to the natural fervour of hii 

 wit, than to any bitternefs of temper, or prepcnfe malice. 

 As a comjiofer of fermons and a preacher, he excelled 

 his cotemporaries, and in this refpecl few Englifli authors 

 have attained to fo high a rank. Of his character, as a 

 preacher, the following encomium is bedowed upon him 

 by the author of the " Tatler" (N'^66); who, havirg 

 obfened that the Englifh clergy too much neglecl the 

 art of fpeaking, makes a particular exception with re- 

 gard to this prelate. " Atterbury," fays he, " has fo parti- 

 cular a regard to his congregation, that he commits to his 

 memory what he has to fay to them ; and has fo foft and 

 graceful a behaviour, that it mull attraft your attention. 

 His perfon, it is to be confcflTed, is no fmall recommenda- 

 tion, but he is fo be highly commended for not lofing 

 that advantage, and adding to the propriety of fpeech 

 (which might pafs the criticifm of Longinus), an aClion 

 which would have been approved by Deinollhenes. He 

 has a peculiar force in his way, and has many of his audience, 

 who could not be intelligent hearers of his difcourfe, were 

 there not explanation as well as grace in his aelion. This 

 art of his is uied with the moll exacl; and honeft (kill. He 

 neverattempts your palTions, till he has convinced yoiirreafon. 

 All the objec\ions, which you can form, are laid open and 

 diiperfed, before he ufes the leall vehcniei.ce in his lemion ; 

 but when lie thinks he has your head, he very foon wins 

 your heart, and never pretends to Ihew the beauty of holi- 

 nefs, till he has convinced you of the truth of it." Dr. 

 Blair (Lerturcs on Rhetoric, &c. vol. ii. p. 127 — ^SS-)' 

 fays of this prelate, that he is dcfervedly accounted one of 

 our mod eh)quent writers of fermons. " At the fame time," 

 he adds, " he is more diilinguidied for elegance and purity 

 of expredion, than for profoundnel's of thought : his llyle, 

 though fometimes carclcls, is, upon the whole, neat and 

 chade ; and more beautiful than that of moll wnters of 

 O o 2 fermons. 



