1808.] 
cuftom. He was, in-confequence, accufed 
of extortion, and Middleton arrefted for ° 
the debt. Whenone of the beadles ferved 
him with the writ, Bentley in a tone 
of indignation, faid, “that he fhould not 
be fet down by what tie Vice-Chancel- 
lor and two or three of his friends deter- 
mined over a bottle.”” ) 
This fpeech, though fpoken of the Vice 
Chancellor only in his individual capa- 
city, being confrued into a contempt of 
his public authority, and Bentley's dif- 
obedience to the fummons to appear in 
his court, eccafioned a fentence of contu- 
macy to be pronounced againft him: he 
was accordingly deprived of his degrees. 
‘But, whatever might be urged againit his 
general demeanor, it was pretty generally 
underftood, that malice, rather than juf- 
tice, directed thefe proceedings ; for the 
two laft divinity-profeffors, one of whom | 
was the Vice-chancellor, had made and 
received, this extraordinary fee ; and not 
only fo, but this very Vice-chanceilor, act. 
‘Ing now’as judge, Dr. Gooch, had de- 
clared, “that if Dr, Bentley’s cafe ever 
came before him, he would condemn 
him.”” 
Thus was this Jearned man ftript of 
this pretty plume, D.D. and Middleton, 
in his Remarks on Bentliey’s Propofals for 
his Edition of the New Teftament, triumphs 
at his appearance as plain Richard. Bent. 
ley might ftill have flapped himfelf with 
his broad pinions: in the confidence of” 
talents, and in the pride of literature, he 
might have exclaimed, 
Non ea noftra vocom= 
but he was not a bird of the Dr. Dell- 
f{pecies* ; he had been accuftomed to ftrut 
-and look gay under academical plumage ; 
nor was he likely to fuifer fo beautiful 
a feather to be ftript from his head with- 
outa ftruggle. After a refiftance of more 
than ten years,he re-aflumed, by mandamus 
from the Court of King’s Bench, his doc- 
tor’s degree ; and thus, after a long con- 
fli&, and many violent bruifes, he ob- 
tained a complete triumph. 
Then, frefhly up arofe the doughty 
' knight, 
All healed of his hurts and woundés wide, 
SPENSER. 
CXVIL.——DR. MIDDLETON. 
Conyers Middleton nas been Jong known 
to the public as an elegant author, and 
was generally admired in the Univerfity, 
: * Concerning Dr. Dell, formerly Mafter of 
‘Caius College, fee our Cantabrigiana for 
June, No. rx. 
- Monraty Mac, No, 108, 
Cantabrigiana, 
42) 
till he alarmed the body of the clergy by 
the boldnefs of his writings. He was 
chofen fellow of Trinity college in 1706, 
and public librarian in 1721; that office, 
as is iuppofed, being firft created, in order 
to beftow it on Middleton.’ He alfo ob- 
tained the Woodwardian profeflorfhip of 
foflils, which, however, he foon refigned. 
The alarm alluded to above was firft 
occafioned by his Letter from Rome, in 
which he fhews the conformity between 
Popery and Paganifm; but in fuch a man. 
ner, that the argument was fuppofed to 
extend to the priefthood in general, as it 
had been before applied by Dr. Gale in his 
Court of the Gentiles, and by Mr. Delaune 
in his Plea. Indeed, it was fuppofed ftill 
farther, that Middleton, in his attack on 
the Popith miracles, defigned fecretly ta 
invalidate the miracles of Chrifianity. 
This alarm was increafed by his Res 
marks on Dr. Waterland’s Vindication of 
Scripture, againft Dr. Tindal’s celebrated 
work, intitled, Chriftianity as old as the 
Creation. The clergy thought their whole 
order and profeflion invaded by thefe re. 
marks, and Bifhop Pearce, the critic, who 
engaged in the controverfy, proclaimed 
him asone, who, under the pretence of mak- 
ing amore fubtle defence of Chrittianity, 
meant to weaken its evidences. 
The alarm-bell, therefore, was now giv- 
en, as Middleton exprefles it, thro’ the na- 
tion: and the Univerfity was proceding ta 
deprivehim of his degrees: but Middleton 
fottened down his fentiments, and the Uni- 
verfity was fatished, fo far however, only, 
as to allow the learned Doétor to enjoy his 
academical honours ; for the public orator, 
Dr. Wiliams, was for keeping alive the 
ditcufiion, and maintained in print, that 
Dr. Middleton ought to have been banifh- 
ed from the Univerfity, and his book ta 
have been burnt by the hangman. 
Dr. Middleton’s learned work, intitled, - 
“A Free Inquity into the Miraculous 
Powers,” which are fuppoled to have fub- 
fifted in the Chriftian Church from the 
earlieft ages, through feveral fucceflive 
centuries, is intended to fhew, that we. 
have no fufficient reafon to believe, upon 
the authority of the primitive Fathers, that 
afly fuch powers were continued to the 
church, after the days of the apottles. 
This performance was intended to meet 
the objections of all Dr. Middleton’s oppo~ 
nents on the queftion concerning miracles 5 
and many were convinced : feveral mem- 
bers of the Univerfity, however, ftill con- 
‘tinued tothink Dr. Middleton no fincere 
friend to'Revelation ; for, as his book goes 
to thew that the primitive fathers were very 
gi credulous, 
