WAR BURTON. 



firft work, confiftinp; of " Mifcellaneous Tranflations in 

 Profe and Verfe," from Roman authors, was prefixed a 

 Latin dedication to fir George Sutton, %vho, in 1726, pre- 

 fented him to a fmall vicarage. Towards the clofe of this 

 year he vifited London, and became acquainted with fome 

 of the inferior literati of that period, and particularly with 

 Theobald, to whom he communicated fome notes on Shak- 

 fpeare. He joined with thcfe in their confederacy againft 

 the reputation of Pope, of whom Warburton faid, that, 

 whilft " Milton borrowed by affeftation, and Dryden by 

 idlenefs. Pope borrowed by ncceflity." In 1727 he evinced 

 his ability for original writing, by " A Critical and Philo- 

 fophical Inquiry into the Caufes of Prodigies and Miracles, 

 as related by Hillorians, with an EfTay towards reftoring a 

 Method and Puritj in Hiftory, in which the Charafters of 

 the moft celebrated Writers of every age, and of the feveral 

 Stages and Species of Hiltory, are occafionally criticifed 

 and explained." This work was dedicated, in very re- 

 fpeftful and complimentary language, to fir Robert Sutton, 

 his firlt patron ; by whofe interell he was placed in the lift 

 of king's mafters of arts, upon his majefty's vifit to Cam- 

 bridge in 1728 ; and by this academical degree he fupplied 

 tlie defefts of his education. He was alfo prefented by the 

 fame pau-on to the reftory of Broad Broughton, in Lincoln- 

 fhire, where he remained fome years in the afliduous profe- 

 cution of his ihidies. In 1736 he engaged the jniblic at- 

 tention as a writer by his well-known work, entitled " The 

 Alliance between Church and State; or, the Ncceflity and 

 Equity of an eftablifhed Religion and a Tcft-law, demon- 

 ftratcd from the Effcnce and End of Civil Society upon the 

 fundamental Principles of the Law of Nature and Nations." 

 The defign of this work, as it is ftated by a defender of it 

 againft an attack of lord Bolingbroke, was " to vindicate 

 our prcfei.t happy conftitution on a principle of right, by ad- 

 jufting the precife bounds of the two focieties, by fhewing 

 how they came to aft in conjunftion, and by explaining the 

 nature of their union ; and from thence, by natural and ne- 

 cefTary confequence, inducing, on the one hand, an e/lai/i/Ijrd 

 religion, with all its rights and privileges, fecured by a tefl- 

 laiv ; and on the other, a full and free iolerr.lion to all wlio 

 ditTented from the national worfhip." This was a popular 

 performance, and four editions of it appeared in the author's 

 life -time ; but it gave fatisfaftion neither to the high church 

 party, nor to the advocates for religious hbcrty. Our 

 author's grcateft work was publiftied in 1738, and entitled 

 " The Divine Legation of Mofes, demonftrated on the 

 Principles of a religious Deift, from the Omifllon of the 

 Doftrine of a future State of Rewards and Punifliments." 

 This adventurous and paradoxical performance found adver- 

 faries amongft perfons of all p.irties, who concurred in criti- 

 cifing and cenfuring tlie theory on which it is founded. 

 Undifmaycd by his opponents, he not only publidied a 

 " Vindication" of his opinion, but perfevered in the profe- 

 cutionof his work, abounding with learning and paradoxes, 

 and calculated to amufe rather than to convince its readers. 

 In a fecond correftcd and enlarged edition of the firft volume 

 of his " Divine Legation," he profefles to have omitted 

 " paflagcs, which were thought vain, infolent, and ill- 

 natured." In the year 1738 he piibiidied a fcrmon, entitled 

 " Faith working by Charity to Chriftian Edification," and 

 became chaplain to the prince of Wales. Wifhing probably 

 to regain the good opinion of Mr. Pope, he publlflied, in 

 the " Works of the Learned," a defence of his " EITay on 

 Man," againft the remarks of M. de Croufaz. Whatever 

 was his defign, Mr. Pope acknowledged Iiis obligations ; 

 and an intimacy commenced between them, which very much 

 contributed to the fubfequcnt advancement of the apologift. 



The fecond volume of the " Divine Legation" was pub- 

 lifhed in 1 741, and the work became the general repofitory 

 of the author's hterary effufions, and of various controvcrfies 

 in which he was engaged. In the courfe of this year he was 

 introduced by Pope to Mr. Allen, at his houfe near Bath, 

 where he was afterwards a frequent vifilor. In return for 

 the poet's attention, he vindicated his writings by notes and 

 comments, and thus fo far confirmed and enhanced the 

 friendfhip that fubfifted between them, that when Pope 

 died, in 1744, he bequeathed to Warburton half his hbrary, 

 and the property of all his works already printed, and not 

 otherwife difpofed of, the value of which legacy is eftimated 

 by .Tohnfon at 4000/. 



The controverfial antagonifts of Warburton and of his 

 " Divine Legation" were numerous, and comprehended fuch 

 names as thofe of Drs. Middleton, Pococke, Grey, Sykes, 

 and Stebbing ; agamft whom he defended himfelf, in 1744 

 and 1745, '" * publication, entitled " Remarks on feveral 

 occafional Refleftions, &c." with a degree of afpcrity, and 

 confcious fuperiority and felf-confidence, which difcnmi- 

 nated his ftyle of writing. The introduftion to Mr. Allen's 

 friendfhip terminated in a marriage with his favourite niece, 

 Mifs Gertrude Tucker, which took place in 1745, and 

 which ultimately put him in poifeffion of the fplendid feat of 

 Prior-Park. His Three Sermons, in defence of the Pro- 

 teftant eftablifhment and civil conllltutioii, preached on oc- 

 cafion of the rebellion, were held in high cllimation. In 

 the year 1746 he became preacher to the Society of Lin- 

 coln's Inn ; and in the following vcar he appeared as an 

 editor of Shakfpeare. Bold and original in his criticifms 

 and conjeftures, the abfurdity of feveral of which has been 

 expofed by Edwards, Johnfon, and others, he has ncver- 

 thelefs thrown light on fome obfcure pafi'ages, and drawn 

 forth into view latent beauties, fo that many of his notes 

 will find a place in the approved editions of this admirable 

 dramatift. Warburton's " .Julian, or a Difcourfe con- 

 cerning the Earthquake and fiery Eruption which defeated 

 that Emperor's Attempt to rebuild the Temple at Jeru- 

 falem," publifiicd In 1750, on occafion of Dr. Middleton's 

 " Inquiry concerning the miraculous Powers," is com- 

 mended for its candour, a quality for which the writer was 

 not remarkably diftinguifhed, and of wiiich few fpecimens 

 occurred in llie controverfy produced by Dr. Middleton's 

 publication. The notes annexed to his complete edition of 

 Pope's works, in 9 vols. 8vo., are faid by the moft com- 

 petent judges to have difguifed and perverted the author, 

 and to have aggravated the fatirical afperities of the poet by 

 the malignities of the annotator. Two volumes of War- 

 burton's fermons, preached at Lincoln's Inn, were pub- 

 liftied in 1753 and 1754 ; and in thefe, as well as in a feries 

 of litters addrelTed to a friend in the following year, lie ex- 

 hibits " A View of Lord Bolingbruke's Philofophy." He 

 was now rapidly advancing from one ilage of preferment to 

 .another; from that of prebend of Gloucefter, obtained in 

 1753, to that of king's chaplain in ordinary in 1754; and 

 in 1755 *" ''■''' °^ prebend of Durham, in exchange for that 

 of Gloucefter, to the hoiunirof a Lambeth degree of D.D. 

 conferred upon him by archbilhop Herring, to the deanery 

 of Briftol in 1757, and in 1759 to the fee of Gloucefter. 

 Being appointed on the following 301)1 of .lanuary to preach 

 before the houfe of lords, he clofed his fermon witli the 

 following fimimary of the charafti r of the martyr: " In a 

 word, his princely qualities were neither great enough nor 

 bad enough to fuccecd iu that moft difficult nf all attempts, 

 the enfiaviiig a free and jealous people." Of the Methodiftit 

 Dr. Warburton had Ipokcii with fome degree of afperity, 

 iu tlie fecond volume of his " Divine Legation," in 1742 ; 



and 



