’ 
ago) Exiracts from the Port-folio of a Man of Letéers. 
for the favour of your’s to me, of the 
24th of Ai ugust last, yet should | be 
awakened by the Providence of God and 
his vicegerent in these realmes, placing | 
the primacy of Ireland in your Grace, so 
far as to shew myself, on that occasion, 
among the joyful number of the congra- 
tulators to your Grace; who having so long 
borne the fatigue of preserving the 
church of Ireland, have, with justice, 
had its highest utle given you. I here, 
with this addréss -to your Grace, offer 
you a present of such ecclesiastical news, 
as, perhaps, 
your thoughts in this.conjuncture cf af- 
faires. 
I here enclose for your Grace part 
of the result of the Bishops numbering 
the people in England, some few years 
ago, which has kept the Nonconformists, 
and particularly the Papists, here, from 
valuing themselves upon their numbers, 
as formerly. I have not yet bad the nume 
bers of the persuasions in religion in the 
province of Yorke, but have took care to 
have it, and your Grace will : sure 
then to have it from me. The province 
of Yorke I account, both in taxes and 
numbers of people, to be but a little 
- more than a sixth part to that of Can-= 
terbury, though, yet I believe, the Pa- 
pists in that province are more in pro- 
portion to the number. of the rest of tne 
people, then in the province: of Canter- 
bury. -Your Grace may please to take 
notice, that none under the age of com- 
municaits, Viz, sixteen, were numbered 
in the province of Canterbury. From 
hence your Grace will better see the 
number. of the people of England (for- 
merly, by all calculations, euessed at to 
be six milhons),, than from any other 
meanes, since the number of those under 
sixteen is. allowed to be equal to that— 
above. ‘The total of the Papists, by this 
survey, in, all the province of Canter- 
bury, is nat-so great as some foolish ti- 
morous pedple lately said out, that it 
was in the parish of St. Martin’s in. the 
fields, where L lodge. -But the number- 
ing of them by the Lords the Bishops, 
hath been of great use to the Church and 
State, for taking their measures. 
Tam to be so-bold with your ee 
as to entreat you to part with this to 
none. The Bishop of London, who was 
the great promoter of it, and ‘who only 
has given copies of it, hath (as his Sutor, 
the Bishop of Lincoln, told me) given out 
but three or-four, viz. one to rie King, 
and those others to his Ministers; a 
upon my conidence to desire it of him, 
may not be unworthy of 
{ 
not be pa 
‘thereby, 
289 
sent it me with a complement of my bes 
ing fit’ to be trusted with it, and desire 
to me not to part with it to fies of my 
friends, if to any. 
There Hewes enclose for your Grace, 
the form of an additional prayer, that wags 
sent the day before the late Mast,to beused 
in all the churches. here in town: the 
oecasion of composing it was, that in 
the printed book of prayers a alae er 
before composed for the Fast, the 
Tiouse of Commons, by some ste their 
Members, desiring the Bishops, that some 
more zealous prayer than those migiit be 
found ;-and one in the House having 
said, that the composer had been too 
meat-mouthed aid timorous, the en- 
closed very pathetical prayer was penned, 
and used to the great satisiaction of the 
people ; and so carefull were the minis: 
tery, who read it that-day at Westinin= 
ster, to give content to the people 
that of their own accord they 
read the word Popish, adding 4.1m some 
parts of the prayer, where 7twould be 
congruous to the sense, and thus parti- 
cularly the Bishop of Rochester, Dean of 
Westminster, added that word to the 
prayer, who th at day read prayers in the 
Cathe dral. 
About ten daysago, th ere was a hia 
debate in a full ‘Committee of the Elou 
of Lords, about making the eee 
of transubstantiation to be a part of the 
Test, and it was, by three or 
carried at the Committee, that it ate 
rt thereof; all the Bishops’ 
Benth was for the affirmative, except 
Canterbury, R pene Nets and )Ely:s Dn 
Gunning Bian, yp of Ely, then declared, 
(Our vorces, 
o>) 
that the Papists, i adoring the host, 
were no_idolators; pBks Wa very long 
and learned sp eech by. the Poe of Line 
coln, in reply to him (which a wath ereat 
applause of that Bishop, is generally 
discoursed of here), the Church of Rome 
was charged by him to be idolatrous, not 
Only in, worshipping the bread, 
praying to. saints aud_imaves.. 
within a few days pee, it was 
7A 
bak ‘in 
And, 
“ar 
ried in the Tlouse, to make the repoun- 
cing part of the Test, who, it seems, did 
not agree with the Commitee, and 
where proxies could not be used as ia 
the House: but yet it was carried in the 
House, that the Duke should he ex- 
empted from the Lest, by way of pro- 
viso. All the Bishops’ Beuch in the 
House was- against the Duke’s .proviso, 
except Darhain ; Rochester went out a 
ttle belore the question, aud Canter- 
bay was not there. Some days after 
that, 
