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THE COMPLEAT

HISTORY

O F

ICON BASILIKE,

MR

R. BLACKHALL, who, by a public provocation, would needs engage me in a controverfie about spurious books, has not confin'd me to expose the impoftures of antiquity alone, tho' it be pretty plain, that this is employment enough for one body; but he likewise accuses me of not being more favorable to a modern Saint, as he is pleas'd to ftile king CHARLES the firft. "That excellent "book, which, he fays, was compos'd by him"felf in the time of his diftreffes, will, he fup

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poses, be an everlasting evidence of his profit"ing under his fufferings to after ages, notwithstanding the endeavors that have bin formerly "us'd to prove it fpurious, and the confidence of a late writer (the author of MILTON'S life) afferting it to be fo, without either producing any new evidence for the proof of his affertion or offering one word in anfwer to those just and "rational exceptions that had bin made before

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to those only teftimonies which he infifts upon "to prove it a forgery; or making any exceptions 66 to those later evidences that have bin produc'd to

prove it authentic." Whether this book was

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compos'd by himself is our business at prefent to enquire, and shall be quickly determin'd for as to his improving by his fufferings I will not deny what I hope, and charity commands me to believe. The reason why I produc'd no new evidence to prove the fpurioufnefs of Icon Bafilike was, because I thought the old ones fufficient. I vouchfaf'd no answer to the exceptions made to thofe teftimonies, because I neither thought 'em juft nor reasonable. And I would not difcufs the facts that have bin fince alledg'd to prove the book authentic, becaufe I intended not before to write a just differtation on this fubject, and fo was not oblig'd to mention all the particulars relating to it. If Mr. BLACKHALL does not think this answer fatisfactory, I fhall make amends now for all former omiffions; and, being very defirous to content him, will follow that fame method he was pleas'd to chalk me out in his fermon.

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In the first place therefore, to make this difcourse complete, and that the evidence of the feveral parts whereof it confifts, may the better appear by laying 'em all together, I fhall here infert the abftract which I made of Dr. WALKER's book in MILTON'S life, with ANGLESEY's Memorandum, and the other teftimonies: I fhall fecondly give particular answers to the exceptions that have bin made to all these pieces: And lastly, fhew the invalidity of the facts which are alledg'd to prove king CHARLES the firft was the true author of Icon Bafilike. I have not undertaken this work out of affection or oppofition to any party, nor to reflect on the memory of that unfortunate prince, whose officious friends are much more concern'd; but to

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clear my felf from a public charge, and to difcover a pious fraud, which deferves not to be exemted from cenfure for being the contrivance of a modern bishop, no more than thofe of the ancient fathers of the church.

THE relation of the whole fact in MILTON'S life is after this manner. "In the year 1686, "Mr. MILLINGTON hap'ning to fell the late lord " ANGLESEY'S library by auction, put up an Ikon "Bafilike; and a few bidding very low for it, he had leisure to turn over the leaves, when to his great furprize he perceiv'd written with the fame noble lord's own hand, the following " Memorandum,

KING CHARLES the fecond, and the duke of York, did both (in the last feffions of parlament, 1675. when I fhew'd them in the lords house the written copy of this book, wherin are fom corrections and alterations written with the late king CHARLES the firft's own hand) affure me, that this was none of the faid king's compiling, but made by Dr. GAUDEN bishop of Exeter : which I bere infert for the undeceiving of others in this point, by attefting fo much under my own band,

ANGLESEY,

(F THIS

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"THIS Occafion'd the world to talk; and several knowing the relation which the late Dr. ANTHONY WALKER, an Effex divine, had to bishop GAUDEN, they inquir'd of him what he knew "concerning this fubject, which he then verbally

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communicated to them: But being afterwards "highly provok'd by Dr. HOLLINGSWORTH's harsh "and injurious reflections, he was oblig'd in his own defence to print an account of that book, σε wherein are fufficient answers to all the fcruples or objections that can be made, and whereof I "here infert an exact epitome. He tells us in the "first place, that Dr. GAUDEN was pleas'd to ac"quaint him with the whole defign, and fhew'd "him the heads of divers chapters, with fom "others that were quite finish'd and that Dr. "GAUDEN afking his opinion of the thing, and he "declaring his diffatisfaction that the world should "be fo impos'd upon, GAUDEN bid him look on "the title, which was The King's Portraiture; for "that no man is fuppos'd to draw his own picture. "A very nice evafion! He further acquaints us, "that fom time after this, being both in London, "and having din'd together, Dr. GAUDEN took "him along with him to Dr. DUPPA the bishop "of Salisbury (whom he made alfo privy to his

defign) to fetch what papers he had left be"fore for his perufal, or to fhew him what he had "fince written and that upon their return from "that place, after GAUDEN and DUPPA were a "while in privat together, the former told him

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upon two other heads, the ordinance against the "Common-Pray'r-Book, and the denying his majesty the attendance of his chaplains; but "that DUPPA defir'd him to finish the rest, and he "would take upon him to write two chapters on "thofe fubjects, which accordingly he did. The "reafon, it seems, why Dr. GAUDEN himself "would not perform this, was, first, that during "the troubles he had forborn the use of the li66 turgy, which he did not extraordinarily admire; "and fecondly, that he had never bin the king's "chaplain, whereas Dr. DUPPA was both his

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chaplain, his tutor, and a bishop, which made. "him more concern'd about thefe particulars. Thirdly, Dr. WALKER informs us, that Dr. "GAUDEN told him he had fent a copy of Icon

Bafilike by the marquifs of Hartford to the king "in the Ile of Wight; where it was, we may be "fure, that he made those corrections and altera"tions with his own pen, mention'd in my lord "ANGLESEY'S Memorandum; and which gave oc"cafion to fom then about him that had acciden"tally feen, or to whom he had fhown the book, to believe the whole was his own. Fourthly, "Dr. GAUDEN, after the restoration, told Dr. "WALKER, that the duke of York knew of his "being the real author, and had own'd it to be a 66 great fervice; in confideration of which, it may "be, the bishoprick of Winchester, tho' he was "afterwards put off with that of Worcester, was

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promis'd him. And, notwithstanding it was "then a fecret, we now know that in expectation

of this tranflation, the great houfe on Clapham

common

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