‘have been not perfectly informed. 
Omissions, 
‘tify them. 
246 
Adtiitions to the Account of ‘Sir Richard Hill. 
[April 1, 
ous obloquy cast upon it by your Corres * these two youths come with hin to West- 
_ spondent, and remain 
Yours, Ke. 
TWO NATIVES OF TOTNES. 
Totnes, Feb.1, 1809. 
ga ato EA 
% the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
N your Magazine for this monthT per- 
ceive & long narfative respecting the. 
late Sir Richard Hill, who was, if the ac- 
counts of his Belecenae be true, a very 
useful good man. As such be his me- 
‘mory duly respected ! 
But the writer of that account se¢ms to 
He 
has made some mistakes, and some 
Permit me to attempt to rec- 
‘He says, Sir Richard became known 
in early life to the Rev. andl learned 
Messis. Romaine, Talbot, Stillingfleet, 
Venn, Berridge, and Walker.—-Who, 
besides him, ever barat either Mr. 
Romaine, Mir. Venn, or Mr. Berridge, 
distinguished for ich rtiine > They were 
all of them, no doubt, pious in their way. 
a piping 
street Chapel. There, it is probable, 
‘they got their first impressions of metho- 
dism, although they afterward took the 
calvinistic side. Fletcher (a most amia- 
ble man) was greatly respected by. the 
‘old Lady Hill, ‘the mother of these gen. 
‘tlemen, and it was then said, that he was 
presented to the vicarage of Nadely 
through her interest. 
When young Rowland came out, a 
hot preacher, Sir Richard also, 
& young man of warm passions, and. of 
the same ealvinistic Judgment with: his 
brother, entered the lists with him against 
the wicked Arminians, and, in their zeal 
for what they thought the cause of God 
‘and truth, they round no customary 
restraints, Sir Richard published the 
panohlet mentioned, and Rowland 
brought out a Furrago, then a Farrago 
double distilled, and after that other 
pieces of the same cast, in which are 
many epithets bestowed, and many hard 
reflections, which his maturer judginent 
would, no doubt, now disapprove. At 
this time Fletcher was their chief opps- 
_ Christ—Up with him !—Up with him !— 
“will not discover a vast deal of Jearning, 
But whoever has heard, (as I have) the sent, but an opponent who fought only 
pulpit tittle-tattle of the first, or has read with: the keen sword of argumeit, finely 
a printed volume of his letters, cannot, I edged with meekness. Fletcher was 
think, give him credit for a vast profun- older than these warm young men; his 
city GF learning, nor indeed for much judgment more mature, his passions more 
elegance in writing. I remenibera pas-- under command; so that he never forgot 
sage, in one of those letters to a lady, what became him as a Christian and a 
runs. thus: Exalt the Lord Jesus gentleman. 
Mr. Augustus Toplady was also one of 
Up with him !”——The rest of the volume the warriors of that day, and a couraye- 
‘is ‘equally elegant and learned. So poor ous one he was. Sir Richard Hills: culo- 
honest Mr. Berridge’ s, thing, which he gist says, that “ he had a great command 
cailed ‘a poem, viz. ‘6 The Christian of language.” If he nieans a copia ver- 
World urimasked. Conie! take a peep!” © borum, he certa tinly had: but it was the - 
language of Billingsgate, as any one may 
especially sée who will take the trouble to wade 
or even of common Sense, 
“where he describes a laborious black. through his controversial publications. 
smith with a rer got into his threat.— As to the supposition that he recanted 
Mr Venn also wes a plain honest Calvi- some of his opinions when dying, it is 
nistie Methodist, is never before, that probably not true. But if ‘he ‘did, it 
ever! heard of, mistaken for ascholar.  cotld not be either a disgrace or a crc- 
The other gentlemen, whoever they dit to him. A man’s judgment may not 
“were, were not of celebrated ee ex- be’as clear as usual, when near dissolu- 
cept, perhaps, among the party; for I, tion, Butif it be so, surely there can- 
who have heen intiinately acquainted not be any disgrace in a change of senti- 
with methodism and its votarles, never ment, or in expressing that chanye, if he 
heard of them. thinks he has been mistaken. 
The gentleman who wrote this account It is, however, most . probable, that 
of Sir Richard, dces not appear to know if Mr. ’Toplady recanted any thing at- 
that Mr.< Pletcher: the Vicar of Madely, thatserious time, it was only the harsh 
was domestic tutor to Sir Richard and his -expressions which his furious” hy pang 
brother Rowland. Mr, Fletcher at that zeal had betrayed him into. ‘He might 
time preached frequently f for Mr. Wesley, then see, that it was possible for men who 
and I cam remember to have often seen ‘could not think with him to be equally - 
the 
, 
