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The Rev. T. Marsden, vicar of Skipton and Kildwick in Craven. At Faldingworth, near Lincoln, the Rev. Mr. Davis, rector of that parish.

At Lilleshall, in Shropshire, the Rev, John Stanier, M. A. rector of Hope Bowdler, aged 58

At Kintbury, in Berkshire, the Rev. Thomas Fowle, rector of Hampstead Marshall in that county, and of Allington, Wiltshire, aged 79.

At his house in Hertford Street, May Fair, in the 87th year of his age, the Right Hon. Edward Saxton Pery, Lord Viscount Pery. His lordship was born at Limerick April 3, 1719, and married first, Martha, youngest daughter of John Martin, Esq. who died without issue; his lordship married second ly, Oct. 27, 1762, Elizabeth, sister of Thomas Viscount de Vesey, and has issue, Diana Jane, born Oct. 27, 1764, who married Thomas eldest son of Viscount Northland; and Frances married Jan. 8, 1789, to Nicholas Calvert, Esq. Lord Pery was bred to the bar, and soon arrived at the head of his profession, till he was called to the chair of the Irish House of Commons in 1771. The dignity with which he filled that important post for many years, his profound knowledge of the constitution, his temper, firmness, urbanity, and independent spirit are remembered with grateful admira tion. On quitting that dignity in 1785, he was raised to the peerage, and obtained a pension of 30001 per annum.

At the house of his friend M7. Bononi, in Titchfield Street, James Barry, Esq. the celebrated painter. He was a native of Cork in Ireland'; and his talents being discerned by that truly great and liberal man Mr. Burke, he brought him to Lon"don, and afterwards sent him to Italy, where Barry profited by studying the works of the greatest masters, The principal proofs of his improvement are in the great room of the house belonging to the society of arts in the Adelphi; on which paintings he bestowed the labour of seven years without taking any recompense. He was for some time, professor of painting in the Royal Academy, but blending in his lectures matters very remote indeed from the proper subject of them, gave just offence, and he was dismissed and afterwrrds expelled from the academy. He was a man of extremely singular manners.For some years he occupied a house in Castle-street, Oxford Market, but kept no servant, nor would he suffer any person to clean it. consequence was, that some villains broke into the house one night and robbed him of about 4001. all the property he had. He was hereby reduced to great want, which he would never confess. At length his friends made a subscription for him, and purchased an annuity, but before the first payment became due, he was no more. His remains were interred in St. Paul's cathedral near those of his friend Sir Joshua Reynolds.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

The

The letter signed Insula de Pont is too defective for publication.· It will be returned if called for.

A Yorkshire Curate is respectfully informed that there has been no supplementary number of the Orthodox Churchman's Magazine published since December 1804.

ERRATA in the Magazine for February.

Page 116, 1. 3. for perfidity read perfidy.

119, 1, 17, for regenerated read re-regenerated.
121 1. 2 from the bottom, for Testus read Festus.

THE

ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S

MAGAZINE AND REVIEW,

FOR APRIL 1806.

To the Church properly belong those who fear, honour, and worship GoD, wholly applying their minds to live an holy and godly life, and who placing their only hope and confidence in him, expect with certainty the blessing of eternal life.

Bishop Ponet's Catechism.

BIOGRAPHICAL SELECTIONS.

Memoirs of Dr. FRANCIS GODWIN, Bishop of Llandaff and afterwards of Hereford.

RANCIS GODWIN was the son of Thomas Godwin, bishop of Bath and Wells. He was born in 1561, at Havington, in Northamptonshire, and made such proficiency in classical learning, that in his sixteenth year he was sent to the university of Oxford, and in 1578, elected student of Christ Church. He took his degree of A. B. in 1580, and that of A. M. in 1583.

At this early period he distinguished himself by two works, in which learning, wit, and fancy, were equally conspicuous. The first treatise was called "The Man in the Moon, or a Discourse on a Voyage thither by Domingo Gonzales."

The shadow of this performance is, that Domingo Gonzales, a bold, whimsical, enterprizing Spaniard, after having run through a variety of adventures, being ship wrecked, with a negro servant, on an uninhabited island, discovered, by the fertility of his invention, a variety of curious and useful secrets, which gradually led him to attempt a passage through the air, in a machine supported by ganzas or a kind of wild geese; and that, after various experiments, he was at length borne away by these flying coursers, from the top of the Peak of Teneriffe to

the moon."

It is a philosophical romance, in which the author, Vol. X. Churchm. Mag. April 1806.

I i

under

under the veil of allegory, couches philosophic truths, then little understood; explains the laws of gravity and attraction; mentions the length of lunar days and nights; asserts that the earth is a planet, with respect to the sun, and a moon to the moon; alludes to the rotation of the moon about her own axis, and her revolution about the earth performed at the same time. "This book," says Anthony Wood" (which hath before the title of it the picture of a man taken up from the top of a mountain, by an engine drawn up to the moon by certain flying birds), was censured to be as vain as the opinion of Gopernicus, or the strange discourses of the antipodes when first heard of. Yet since, by a more inquisitive search in unravel ling those intricacies, men of solid judgments have found out a way to pick up that which may add a very considerable knowledge and advantage to posterity. Among which Dr. Wilkins, some time bishop of Chester, composed, by hints thence given (as 'tis thought), a learned piece, called "A Discovery of a new World in the Moon." The second work was a small tract, which he called "Nuncius Inanimatus; or, the Inanimate Messenger." The design was to communicate various methods of conveying intelligence secretly, speedily, and safely. He first relates the inventions of the ancients, and then asserts that, by an agreement settled between two parties, a message may be conveyed from one to the other, though at the distance of many miles, with an incredible swiftness; but he does not use the slightest expres

*To the method of conversing at a distance by means of signals, he alludes in "The Man in the Moon." When Domingo Gonzales and his negro Diego were in different parts of the island of St. Helenia, "If in the night season," says Domingo, "I would signify any thing to him, I used to set up a light in the tower, or place where our bell hung: it is a pretty large room, having a fair window well glazed, and the walls within being plastered, were exceeding white; by reason thereof, though the light were but small, it gave a great shew, as also it would have done much farther off, if need had been. This light, after I had let stand some half hour, I used to cover; and then, if I saw any signal of light again from my companion at the Cape, I knew that he waited for my notice, which perceiving, by hiding and shewing my light; according to a certain rule and agreement betwixt us, I certified him at pleasure what I list. The like course I took in the day to advertise him of my pleasure, sometimes by smoke, sometimes by a more refined and more effectual way. But this art containeth more mysterics than are to be set down in few words. Hereafter I will, perhaps, afford a discourse for it of purpose, assuring myself that it may prove exceedingly profitable unto mankind, being rightly used anti well employed; for, that which a messenger cannot perform in many days, this may dispatch in a piece of an hour."

sion which might tend to reveal the secret. Many attempts have been made to dive into this mystery some conjecture that it must be performed by signals, namely, by firing guns, ringing bells; others in sounding trumpets or by beacons, or by bombs, sky-rockets, or by smoke. This work is highly praised by the learned Dr. Hakewill, who, in his "Apologie, or Declaration of the Power and Providence of God," thus speaks of it :-" Among the rare inventions which this present age hath afforded, Nuncius Inanimatus may justly challenge a place; and it were to be wished that, being an experiment of so great consequence, greater notice were taken of it by the higher powers than have hitherto been." The perusal of it gave so much delight to Bishop Wilkins, that it gave rise to his "Mercury, or Secret and Swift Messenger; shewing how a Man may convey his Thoughts to a Friend at any Distance."

It is most remarkable, that many learned men should have employed their skill in attempting to discover this mighty secret, when, perhaps, it contained no inystery; for it is probable, from the expressions in the preface*, and from the title-page, in which this work is said to be printed at Utopia, that it was ironical, and intended to throw ridicule on those who pretended to find out import

* "These things, some whisperingly say, are strange and wonderful, but they are not so soon to be believed. But what doth seem so wonderful and incredible? You have yet but this only in the genus and the species; behold an individual is presented to their eyes, which thou wilt less believe. Tell unto this my nuntio at London, in as few words as may be, what you desire may be told to me dwelling at Bristol, Wells, or, if you will rather, at Exeter, for I do not much regard the length of the way, so it is but passable; I say, tell him at London, and that just about noon, any one verse of the sacred scriptures: I will see that he shall perform our commands in the designed place (mark-what I say), before the high noon of the same day. Do not rashly pronounce this proposal impossible, for the course of the sun makes the noon later by some minutes at Bristol than at London. This it is that you wonder at, that this messenger should exceed the heavenly motion thereof in swiftness. This he will do; will do it, I say, if there be need, or else I am the vainest person of all that know how either to speak or write. What speak I of towers or cities that are besieged? Our inanimate nuntio, not fearing any thing, will pass through whole troops of enemies., A trench digged almost as low as hell, or a wall, though higher than those of Babylon, shall not hinder his journey, but he will faithfully perform the message, so it be in as concise terms as may be, of him that sent him, though besieged; or, whether he would have it told to him that is besieged, and that with such incredible swiftness, if he be to be found within five or seven miles, though I doubt not but it may be done effectually within twenty miles."

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ant secrets, and to have made the most interesting discoveries, which they affected to envelope in dark mystery, and which were found to be visionary or impracticable schemes. But as these works contradicted the received opinions, and were, in several parts, satirical, the writer displayed great prudence, unusual in so young a man, in confining their perusal only to a few select friends. The Man in the Moon was not printed till after his death, and the "Inanimate Messenger" would not have been laid before the public during his life-time, had not the purport of it been represented to James the First, as if the intention of the author was to be carried into execution by magic incantations, and compact with evil spirits. In consequence of these malicious reports, he found himself under the necessity of explaining this design; he accordingly communicated the secret to his majesty, and convinced him that it was totally innocent. He also published the treatise in 1629, under the title of Nuncius Inanimatus, Utopiæ, 1629, which was afterwards translated by the learned Dr. Thomas Smith, and published, in 1657, with the Man in the Moon, under the title of the Mysterious Messenger, unlocking the secrets of men's hearts.

Having entered into the church, he obtained, through his father's patronage, the canonry residentiary of Wells, the subdeanry of Exeter, and two benefices in Somersetshire. He married, at a very early age, the daughter of Woolton, bishop of Exeter, by whom he had a large family but his domestic avocations did not detach him from his studies, for he devoted himself, with indefatigable zeal, to various branches of literature.

Having turned his attention to the antiquities of his own country, he formed an acquaintance with the celebrated Camden, who was preparing materials for his Britannia, accompanied him into Wales, and considerably assisted in the object of his pursuits. Being unwilling to interfere with Camden, he confined himself to ecclesiastical, biographical, and historical researches.

In 1601 he printed the first fruits of his literary labours; "A Catalogue of the Bishops of England since the first planting of the Christian Religion in this Island; together with a brief History of their Lives and Memorable Actions, so near as can be gathered out of Antiquity." He afterwards enlarged this work, and reprinted it in Latin, entituled "De Præsulibus Angliæ Commen

tarius."

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