CHAPTER IV. 



MINISTRY AT WARRINGTON : 1846-1858. MT. 26-38. 



Warrington was classic ground when, from 1757 to 1783, it 

 was the seat of an academy, or college, of which Drs. Priestley, 

 John Taylor, Aiken, and Enfield, Rev. Gilbert Wakefield, and 

 others were tutors, and where many who afterwards rose to 

 eminence were students. John Howard resided here, to 

 have Dr. Aiken's literary aid while he was preparing his work 

 on prisons, which was printed in this town : he attended the 

 Presbyterian meeting-house, some monuments in which bear 

 testimony to this period of its history. It has been recently 

 renovated, bat in 1846 it was dingy and sepulchral; and the 

 town and neighbourhood had few of those charms which Mrs. 

 Barbauld has immortalized in her poetic " Invitation." Philip 

 had never lived in so drunken or unhealthy a place, and that 

 autumn the swampy fields and market-gardens smelt horribly 

 from the potato disease. A new parsonage was to be built ; 

 but meanwhile he and his sister resided first in Academy 

 Place, and afterwards in the Butter Market. 



After the great strain of his last half-year at Stand and his 

 removal, he ought to have had a complete holiday • but he only 

 allowed himself " a parson's week " with his sisters and myself at 

 Ambleside. So it is no wonder that he felt completely exhausted, 

 and good for nothing but to " stupidize " and rest. He wrote 

 to his friend Travers : "I really do not wonder that people 

 become very bad; for I feel with you that it is not really 

 religious motives, primarily that is, but the same perhaps 



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