182 
4 kandfome income arifing from planta- 
tions in the Weft India Iflands, on which 
account he never fought for, nor would 
accept any preferment in the church. In 
a#he former part of his life he was rather 
gay and diffipated, and the occafion of 
his converfion is faid to have been this: 
Being one evening at a coffee houfe, 
with fome companions who knew ‘his 
talent for mimickry, they defired him 
‘to go and hear Mr. John Wefley, who 
was then about to preach fome where in 
the neighboushood, and then to return 
to exhibit his manner and difcourfe for 
their entertainment. Madan accordingly 
went with this intention, and juft as hé 
entered the place, the preacher named as 
his text ‘¢ Prepare to meet your God,” 
witha folemnity of accent which ftruck, 
him with a ferioufnefs that encreafed 
as the good man proceeded in exhorting 
his hearers to repentance. @n his return 
to the coffee-houfe his acquaintance afked 
him whether he had taken off the old 
methodift, to which he anfwered ‘ no 
gentlemen, but he has taken me off,” 
and then left their company altogether. 
From that- time Mr. Madan became an 
altered character; he frequented places 
of worfhip, and aflociated himfelf with 
feriowus people, at the inftant perfuafion 
ef whom, he entered into hely erders, 
but was never fettled in any particular cure 
till he became chapiain to the Lock 
Hofpital, where he obtained an afto- 
nifhing degree of celebrity. He himfelf 
fubfcribed largely towards erecting the 
chapel at this hofpital, and when it was 
Duilt, volunteered his fervices as the chap- 
tains nor did he ever receive a fhilling 
for his attendance during the whole time 
that he officiated in that eapacity. He 
continued to maintain his popularity as 
a preacher, without the fmallett diminu- 
tion, till the year 780, when he untfor- 
eunately rouied the public reientment 
againft himfelf, by the publication,of a 
work entitled ¢* Thelypthora, or a treatije 
on Female Ruta;’ in which he became 
the earneft but weak advocate tor polyga- 
my. / His intentions, it 1s faid,. were 
good, being no more than to oblige every 
feducer to marry the perfon he has injur- 
ed, even though he fhould have a wiie 
already living. A holt of writersappeared 
againft this modern Qchinus, fome ferious 
and fome fatyrical. The moft powerful, 
however, by far of all his antagonitts, 
was the late ingenious Badcock, who, 
in his criticifms on Thelypthora. in the 
Monthly Review, completely demolifhed 
the caufe of polygamy. In confequence 
Dr. Watkins on articles of neglefted Biography, 
[ April 
of. this imprudent publication, Mr. Ma- 
dan was under the neceflity of withdraw. 
ing from his fituation at the Lock Hofpital, 
and never after refumed it. Some years 
afterwards, he publifhed a more uleful 
work, viz. °¢ the fext of Fuvenal,” with 
a literal verfion, for young perfons, in 
two volumes, 8vo. Thefe books, with 
a collection of pfalms and hymms for the 
ufe of the Lock Chapel, and a fingle 
fermon, are all that he ever publifhed. 
In his private character, Mr. Madan 
was a very excellent man; he was a 
good hufband, an affectionate father, and 
a firm friend. He was of a very bene- 
volent difpofition, and hischarities were 
extenfive. No ftain was ever afixed up- 
onhim, but that which he imcurred in 
the»manner juft mentioned, and that fure- 
ly may be pardoned when we confider his 
motives, and.that the excellent Luther 
himéelf {anctioned the Landgrave of Heffe’s 
marrying two wives. 
All the perfons here noticed, except 
Benjamin Martin, are entirely omitted 
in the new edition ef the Biographical 
Ditionary, which is: alfo the cafe with 
a vaft number of other eminent and ex- 
traordinary names, many of which, with 
remarks, will be brought forward in the 
next and following numbers. 
J. WATKINS. 
ee 
Zo the Edstor of the Monthly Magazine, 
SIR, 
Pole it would not have been 
very wnreafonable to expect that 2 
publication like yours, profeficdly friend - 
ly to liberty, fhould, in critic:iiug a work - 
of the fame general tendency and fpirit, 
have difcovered fomething of the can- 
dour, and even the indulgence of fym- 
pathy. I am not fenfible, however, that 
I owe any chiigation of this nature, or 
that the werk ftands. indebted for the 
flighteft pertion of “celebrity” it may 
have attained’ to the conductors of the 
Monthly Magazine ; the laft fupplemen- 
tary number of which contains remarks 
upon the ** Hiftory of the Houle of Brunf- 
wick,” affecting the moral, at leaft as 
much as the literary character of its 
duthor, and fhercfore demanding: on his 
part fome degree of animadverfion. 
With reipect to the objeCtions properly 
literary, I have nothing to fay; the work 
is before the public, and to the public I 
cheerfully entruft the ultimate decifion, 
But, I conceive myfelf moft unjufily 
charged in two inftances of “a very differ- 
ent kind, by ftrong infinuation and im- 
plicatiog, 
