mestic incident related by the same historian of this great man, is worthy of attention, since it is one of those little accidental occurrences which often' serve to determine the conduct and character of a man during the whole of his life. It was told by Clarendon himself to lady Ranelagh, and by her to the author from whom it is extracted-When he had attained some reputation in the exercise of his profession, he went down to Wiltshire to visit his ancient father, who, in one of their rural excursions, remarked, "that men of his profession were too much inclined to stretch law and prerogative to the prejudice of the liberty of the subject, to .recommend and advance themselves." He charged him, therefore, if ever he arrived at eminence in his profession, never to sacrifice the liberties of his country to the will of a prince, or to his own interests. He repeated this twice, and immediately fell down in an apoplectic fit, and expired in a few hours.

The moderation of Clarendon's principles extended to most of the departments of administration. At a time when the parliament, in the first paroxysm of loyalty, was disposed to grant almost every request, this wise and upright minister asked only 1,200,000l. per ann. for the whole ordinary expenses of government—a sum which, at the present period, seems almost incredible for its moderation; and though he might have obtained two millions, as Burnet remarks, the chancellor "had no mind to carry it farther, or to trust him (the king) too much."

In these measures Clarendon was supported by the virtuous Southampton; and it is impossible to cite an instance more illustrative of their love of liberty and their country, than their aversion to war, and their detestation of standing armies. After the disbanding of Monk's army, a plan was in agitation to raise a certain force to be so chosen and modelled that the king might depend upon it in every emergency. To this plan Southampton strongly objected- He said, they had felt the effects of a military government, though sober and religious, in Cromwell's army: he believed vicious and dis

solute

solute troops would be much worse; the king would grow fond of them, and they would become insolent and ungovernable." He added, that " he would not look on and see the ruin of his country begun, and be silent; a white staff should not bribe him." Clarendon acceded to the sentiments of Southampton, and the scheme was abandoned.

The law as well as the church was chiefly modelled on the Restoration by the earl of Clarendon's influence. Burnet allows, that "he put the justice of the nation in very good hands. He seated on the bench some of those who had officiated as judges under the commonwealth, particularly the estimable and learned Sir Matthew Hale. The clerical appointments also were bestowed with decency at least. Juxton, as the oldest prelate, and the friends of the unfortunate Charles, was advanced to the see of Canterbury, though from his learning and talents he was little entitled to so eminent a station. Sheldon, a man of some learning, and dextrous in business, was first made bishop of London, and on the death of Juxton, was advanced to the primacy. Morley, the friend of the amiable and gallant Faulkland, was made bishop of Worcester. Some advances were even made to the most eminent of the presbyterian clergy. Bishoprics were offered to Calamy, Baxter, and Reynolds. The two former refused till the scheme of comprehension projected by Clarendon could be adopted, and an union of parties effected by adjusting the disputed points; but they were both, in the mean time, appointed chaplains to the king; and Reynolds, who was less scrupulous, accepted of the see of Norwich. The scheme of comprehension above alluded to was much promoted by Southampton, and when Clarendon gave way to the influence of the bishops and the high church party who strongly opposed it, he was much disgusted. The king at Clarendon's instance published a declaration soon after the Restoration, which, in the opinion of the most judicious persons, would have quieted most of the religious animosities, had it fortunately been adhered to; and, soon after, a commission was granted for a conference at the Savoy,

to which twelve of each party were nominated, with nine assistants, to consider of the union between the church and the presbyterians. The latter party proposed archbishop Usher's reduction as the groundwork of the conference. They then produced a series of objections to the church liturgy. They desired that no lessons should be taken out of the apocryphal books; and that the psalms used in the daily prayers should be according to the new translation. To the office of baptism, they particularly excepted; and to the posture of kneeling at the lord's supper. In conclusion, they produced a new form of prayer, drawn up by the celebrated Baxter, who was the principal manager for the non-conformist party. To Baxter was opposed a erg man of the name of Gunning, who was afterwards successively made bishop of Chichester and of Ely. Of these men the bishop of Salisbury remarks, that they "were the most unfit to heal matters, and the fittest to widen them, that could have been found out." They were both men of character and of learning, both subtle metaphysicians, and too fond of speculation. Many days were spent in the logical contentions of these acute disputants; and the conference at the Savoy was made a matter of amusement to the town, and not of edification to the church. As therefore the commission was limited to a certain number of days, the whole time elapsed without coming to a single conclusion ; and, instead of any good, much evil was produced by the asperity of language, and the violence of the disputants. The episcopal party, as soon as the conference was dissolved, laboured to render the terms of conformity still more severe. The act of conformity was passed, and the dissidents were in the end ejected from their benefices.

Previous to the passing of the act of uniformity, however, some alterations were made in the liturgy by the bishops themselves. The The prayer "far all sorts and conditions of men," and "the general thanksgiving," were both added -compositions which have never been excelled, and but seldom equalled. The piety, the spirit, the happy adaptation of language conspicuous in these prayers, must ever

render

render them subjects of admiration to men of true taste and sound principle. They are both ascribed to bishop Sanderson; though there is a tradition in St. John's college, which assigns the former to bishop Gunning, the opponent of Baxter in the conference. There is, however, a similarity in the style, which seems to mark them both as proceeding from the same pen; and, as the thanksgiving was avowedly Sanderson's, we have a right to conclude that he was the author of both. It may seem an extraordinary circumstance, that so necessary a part of the liturgy should have been omitted by the preceding compilers; but they supposed that the psalms and hymns, the doxology, the hallelujah, &c. sufficiently answered the purpose of thanksgiving. It was, however, observed, that these were not sufficiently particular and specific, and, on that account, this last form of thanksgiving was added.

Some alterations of less importance were also made: a rubric, in particular, was added from king Edward's liturgy, by the influence of bishop Gauden, explaining the reasons why protestants kneeled at receiving the sacrament, which gave infinite offence to the papists, as it contained an express declaration against the real presence. Another alteration was less favourably received. In the prayer for the parliament a new epithet was added to the king's title, who was styled "our most religious king," which, when applied to the infamous and profligate Charles, not only caused scandal but ridicule. The act of uniformity passed but by a small majority. It was executed, however, with peculiar severity, a circumstance which, in a more liberal age, we may be permitted, without suspicion of disaffection to the church, deeply to deplore. It was generally believed that a few concessions would have satisfied the more moderate among the presbyterians, and indeed Baxter was blamed by some of his own party for having offered a new liturgy, instead of insisting on a few of the most important points, which might have proved the basis of a happy union among the protestant part of the nation.

The

The sudden ejection from their cures of a number of men eminent for their piety and learning, and the hasty replacing of them; the wealth which flowed in upon the church from neglected fines and other sources; and the indolence and luxury which these circumstances, added to the contagious immorality of the court, brought, as Burnet remarks, some degree of scandal on the church; but its credit was nobly supported by one set of divines, who acted upon principles of the purest morality, and whose learning and piety served to counterbalance the respect in which some of the non-conformist ministers were held. Of Whitchcot, More, Wilkins, and Cudworth, we have already spoken in our preceding volume. The intellectual system of the latter was, however, not published till the present reign, viz. in the year 1678. The learned and excellent author perceived (what we of this age peculiarly feel) that the monstrous and pernicious doctrine of the fatal necessity of human actions was the ground-work of all the atheism and speculative immorality which prevailed. He perceived that by taking away all guilt and blame, all punishment and rewards, it not only militated against the precepts and principles of Christianity, but against all religion, natural and revealed, and against the very being of a God. He could not but perceive that it was equally hostile to all order in the state, since, if that doctrine be true, all laws are nugatory if not tyrannical; and to all virtue in a people, because it breaks down every barrier between guilt and innocence, between justice and oppression.

With these divines may be connected the names of Worthington and Lloyd. The former, a man of great learning and talents," of eminent piety, and great humility, who practised (as Burnet expresses it) a more sublime way of self-denial and devotion." Lloyd was educated under bishop Wilkins, and was a most profound critic in the classical authors, and still nore an adept in scriptural learning. His memory, indeed, was a complete concordance; he was an exact historian, and the most learned in chronology of all the divines of that period. Bishop Wilkins was accustomed to

say