326 
through the interference of Mr. Compton, 
the Britifh minifter at that court. He 
embarked for London, and there publith- 
ed, in 1746, a narrative of his fufferings 
from confinement and torture. His in- 
dictment appears to have furnifhed the 
Abbé Barruel and Co. with the model 
of their charges. It ftates, that John 
Couftos had infringed the Pope’s orders by 
belonging to the feé& of Freemafons, this 
fe&t being a horrid compound of facrilege 
and many other abominable crimes ; and 
that the faid Couftos having refufed’ to 
difcover to the Inquifition the true ten- 
dency and defign of the meetings of Free- 
mafons, and afferting on the contrary that 
Freemafonry was good in itfelf: therefore 
the Progtor of the Inquifition requires 
that the faid Couftos may be profecuted 
with the utmoft rigour, and defires the 
venerable court would exert its whole au- 
thority, proceeding even to torture, if ne- 
ceflary, in order to extort a confeffion of 
the truth of the feveral articles alledged. 
The following Epitaph on a Profeffor of 
Midwiiery is ingenious. 
Hic jacet T. Younc, M.D. Obfiet. Profeif. 
in Acad. Edin. 
Ob. 1783, Et. 58. qui Venerem fine Lucina, 
Lucinam fine Venere coluit: 
Filios poft mille Reipublice datos, 
Heu heu fine liberis difcesfit : 
Bella inter inteftina, 
Manu forti fed fine Mate, 
Patriz liberatoris nomen adeptus eft. 
UNION OF PROTESTANTS ATTEMPTED. 
Tt was a whim of Queen Anne to ac- 
complifh the union of the different Pro- 
‘teftant churches and to ufe them all to 
the fame liturgy. The King of Prufha 
found it convenient to humour her ortho- 
dox zeal, and employed Jablonfky to cor- 
refpond on the fubjeét with Sharp, the 
Archbifhop of York. An account of what 
pafled was publifhed in 1767, under the 
title, Relation des Mefures prifes dans les 
Années 1708—1714, pour introduire la 
Liturgie Anglicane dans le Royaume de 
Pruffe et dans T Eledorat de Hanovre. 
Strangely enough, Toland, the infidel, in- 
terfered in the conferences. Early in 
1708 he bad at Hanover an interview 
with Jablonfki and Urfinus, on the con- 
ciliation of the two or three religions: 
and probably he would have taught the 
divines to difpatch bufinefs, if Leibnitz 
had not rendered them jealous of his in- 
trufion. 
From the Port-Folia of a Man of Letters. 
[May 1, 
SIR THOMAS ADAMS, LORD MAYOR of 
LONDON, principally extracted from the 
MS. Of az OLD CLERGYMAN iz @ 
NATURAL HISTORY of WEM, &c. 
Though a commercial life is not mark- 
ed with fuch ftriking exploits as are found 
in the memoirs of heroes and politicians ; 
yet when trade has been fuccelsfully cul- 
tivated, the honeft gain thus acquired 
affords a latitude for the difplay of quali- 
7 
ties of the heart, much more valuable than 
are Commonly exerted by more illuftrious 
ranks of men who enjoy fortunes by in- 
heritance. A remarkable example of this 
is tobe found in Sir Thomas Adams, a 
man of great eminence in his time for his 
prudence, piety, loyalty, and fufferings, 
and for his aéts of munincence both in 
townand country. ~ | 
The family were originally fettled in 
Northwood, a hamlet in the parifh of 
Wem, in Shropfhire. There, in the 
reign of Queen Elizabeth, Randal Adams 
held of the Lord of Wem a meffuage 
and fifteen acres anda half ofland, which 
probably he afterwards purchafed. He 
had two fons ; William, whodied in 1598, 
_and Thomas, who was a tannerat Wem. 
This Thomas married Margaret, daugh- 
ter of John Eyre of Shrewfbury. By his 
care and indufiry he purchafed an eftate 
of 25]. a year. -He had three fons. 
Thomas, the fubjeét of this little me- 
moir, was born in 1586, and feems to have 
been originally defigned for the church, 
for he had his education at Cambridge, 
and took a degree there; but a more gain- 
ful profpect prefented itfelf, and he applied 
himfelf to the bufinefs of a draper in Lon-. 
don, and married Ann, the daughter of 
Humphrey Mepited, of Trenton, in Effex, 
by whom he had four fons and five 
daughters. Ia 1639 he was chofen theriff 
of the city of London, and was of fo 
public a fpirit, that when his fon-in-law 
brought him the news of his election, he 
immediately quitted bufinefs, and never 
afterwards followed his trade, but de- 
voted his whole time and attention to the 
city concerns. 
He made himfelf fuch a matter of the 
cuftoms and ufages, the rights and privi- 
leges of the city, and at the fame time was 
found to be a man of fuch wifdom and 
integrity in the exercife of his knowledge, 
that there was no honour in the city 
wherefore he was capable, to which he was 
not preferred. He was chofen Mafter of 
the Draper’s Company; Alderman of a 
ward, and Prefident of St, Thomas*s 
rh Hr | ; Hofpital, 
+ 
ee ee eee 
