107). 
Adern thyfelf firft, then ornament others. 
Meature for meafure. 
Follow thou the mighty, and men fhall re- 
fpe&t thee. - 
He who builds much becomes poor, 
Rica, or Reca, or Raca. 
A proverbial term of reproach, accord - 
ing to Caniotus, ufed rather playfully, 
than in wrath. S: R. 
{Zo be continued. | 

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SER ii! Gis 
DOUBT nof but many of your readers 
will join with me in thanking your 
correfpondent V.F. (p. 887) tor commnu- 
nicating to you the very curiows letter of 
the late Archdeacon Blackburne. Any 
farther anecdoies of this ‘¢ venerable 
champion of liberty’’ cannot fail Of be- 
ing acceptable; and if V. HF. or any 
other of your correfpondents have tin 
their power to furnifh you therewith, I 
truft you will mo readily infert them. 
ft is much to be lamented, that none 
ef the friends of this truly great man 
fhould have colleéted the memoirs of his 
life and public labours. Certainly, a 
Linpsgy, or a Disney, is moft amply 
qualified, in every refpedt, for this under- 
taking, and cannot want materials. Phe 
public have alinoft a right to expect this 
very valuable prefent from the friend of 
Blackburne, and the biographer of 7obn 
Stebb ; for, at prefent, the lite ef this laft- 
named worthy man (toute the painter’s 
phrafe) wants a companion. A very re- 
4peétable charaéter of the archdeacon 
appeared in the Gentleman’s Magazine, 
Vol. LII, p. 743, and in the fame mit- 
cellany, Vol. LIX, p. 128,@ fhort quere 
is put, “ whether a few biographical 
anecdotes of the late rev. Dr. B. (as he 
is called “by miftake) would not be an 
acceptable article ?’’—chicily, as appears 
by what follows, becaufe the quertft 
thought, “the confiftency and impartia- 
lity of the good Dr. Johnfon was preff- 
ed particularly hard upon,’ by the au- 
thor of the Remarks on Fobnfon’s Life of 
Milion, whom the faid queritt believed to 
be the archdeacon. But no farther no- 
tice was taken of this matter; and a li- 
beral, candid, and impartial hiftory of 
the life of this «* venerable champfon of 
liberty,’ yet remains among the defide- 
rata of biography. sie 
It would be highly gratifying, if a 
catalogue of ‘ the cld books,” which the 
-archdeacon found “ among the lumber, 
jn his great grandfather’s houfe,”’ could 
“mow be made out, I dare fay, Calamy’s 
r 
Archdeacon Blackburne. 
355 
Defence of moderate Noncomformity, would 
be found among them, as it was a very 
popular book among the old puritans ; 
and, if fo, befides the general excellence 
of that work, the admirable introduc- 
tion tothe fecond volume could not fail 
of making a very ftrong and lafing im- 
prefiion upon a mind fo open to convic~ 
tion, as that of Blackburne appears to’ 
have been. Nor was he fingular in this 
refpect; for it had previoully convinced 
the celebrated Bilhop Hadly, and the 
great Locke had told the author, that 
while the dillenters adhered to thofe 
principles, they could not be confuted. 
I cannet, however, agree with V. F. 
in thinking, that the ftyle, and * fee 
dom of expreifion, for which the arch- 
deacon’s’ writings are fo remarkable,” 
can be traced to this “origin.” . The 
writers among the old puritans, like all 
or moft of the writers of that period, 
were by no means celebrated for the 
correétneis of their ftyle ; nor do I think 
V.F. will be able to produce: aav one 
among them, whofe ftyle Blackburpe 
appears to have chofen for a model. Per- 
haps it would be neareft the mark, if 
we were to fay of his ftyle, what he fays 
of Aleernon Sydney’s Chriftianity,—it 
‘* was after a form of bis own.’ Vid. 
Preface to Four Coarges, Sc, Se. p. 39. 
The worthy archdeacon appears to 
have entertained no hopes of feeing any 
thing brought about in his day, ‘* which 
deferved the name of Reformation.” 
What would he have thotight, had he 
lived to fee the prefent times—to fee his 
former coadjutors and compatriots in the 
caufe of ecclefiaftical and civil reforma- 
tion, almoft all turn apoftates, and not 
only fo, but, in many inftances, perfecu- 
tors of their once affociates and friends ! t 
He knew mankind well, and muft have 
had fome peculiar reafons for indulging 
fuch a gloomy prediétion. Happy for 
him, however, his. work was finifhed 
before this general defeétion and apof- 
tacy which we now behcld, took place. 
He has efcaped the mortification of fee- 
ing hisonce fellow-labourersin the caufe 
of reformation ‘“‘aéting the part of, a 
“© true profelyie, that is to fay, reforming 
backwards, with a violence and pre- 
‘¢ cipitation proportioned to the fufpi- 
cions their zew alles might entertain of 
« their hankering after their old devia- 
‘ tions, fhould they not give the moft 
fpirited proofs of their effeétual con- 
“ verfion, by appearing the moft for- 
66 
a 
a 
_ & ward to expofe, reprobate, and, to the 
“~ 
a 
utmot of their good-will—persr- 
t CUTE 
