Heroick Piety and Vertue Do you not think Sir but the Lives of our Cooks Crooks and Rolles would not be very useful and acceptable to our Lawyers and also the Lives of our Harveys Willis and Lowers to our Physicians and our Bacons Hales and Boyles to our Philosophers I appeal how acceptable the Life of Sir Matthew Hales written by our present Bishop of Salisbury has been to this Nation I must beg the Bishop's Pardon for inserting one Expression here of that good Man Sir Matthew Hales which I believe he has not in his Life I have living Authority for it unto whom he said it That when he published the Life of Pomponius Atticus he did suspect that the World would believe that he therein wrote his own And now Sir I cannot forbear telling you what I lately Read as I remember in Diogenes Laertius who giving an Account of the Life of one of his Philosophers That as for natural Philosophy he had no Esteem of and altogether neglected it but he was so intent on and studious of moral Philosophy that he did not allow himself time to comb his Head nor pair his Nails Sir I am of opinion that either of our three great Philosophers were as eminent for moral Philosophy as Diogenes Laertius his Philosopher ever was as is evident by my Lord Bacons Essays Moral and Divine my Lord Chief Justice Hale's Contemplations Divine and Moral and Mr. Boyle's Occasional Meditations c. yet they were not such Slovens as to neglect combing their Heads or pairing their Nails neither were they such Cinicks as to neglect Natural no nor Experimental Philosophy as their Learned Works published to the World demonstrate Thus I end this Subject As for the late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. John Tillotjon you have not called me to give my Testimony of him therefore I leave it to his Learned and Pious VVorks which are already published to the VVorld and also to his intimate Friends to vindicate him which I believe they will readily do And Sir I hope you will pardon me for telling you now and then a Truth which is to the Purpose and the Matter we are speaking of when I first came to live at my House in Dukestreet Westminster I was several times robb'd at last I discovered the Felon whose Name was Benson he was one of my Laborers he had not only stolen Lead but had also gotten into my House which was the same House I afterwards let to the then Lord Chancellor Jefferies and when he was in he broke the Handle of a Pick-Ax by his endeavouring to break open one of the Inner-doors but could not which Handle of the Pick-Ax we found the next Morning but he opened a Trunk or Trunks c. and stole Cloaths Linnen and Plate c. as soon as I discovered him he fled for it but some days after he was taken by some of my Workmen and brought to me as soon as he saw me he fell on his Knees and confest the Fact and his Confederate and begging me pardon Multitudes of People being by as it 's usual upon such Occasions urged me to send for a Constable and carry him before a Justice of Pcace that so he might be sent to Goal I told the People I would not do that for if I did he might be hanged and I would not have my Hand in the Blood of any Man except for Murther for it was my Opinion that nothing but Blood did require Blood and therefore said I Benson I freely forgive thee but take care be never guilty more of the like Crimes lest thou shouldest not fall into the Hands of so merciful a Man as I am Not long after this for some other Crime he was hanged out of the Martial-Sea-Prison in Southwark This Story I do not tell any way to reflect on you but for Caution to some that read this my Letter and also my own Opinion that if a Law against Thest as also Perjury and Forgery were made correspondent to God's own judicial Law to his People of Israel of making sour-fold Restitution it would be a greater Terror to this sort of miserable People than hanging or standing in the Pillory I have many Arguments to prove this my Assertion but I forbear and leave it to our Parliament now assembling Sir I would have you weigh and consider that Place of Scripture you quote in the 45 Page of your own Book it 's 1 Tim. 1.9 10. And whereas you say But the House by the Interest of the Duke's Friends who increased much upon that Discovery In Answer to this I must tell you good Men are apt to be mistaken and wicked Men are given up to believe Lyes for the Truth of which I could besides the Instances mentioned in Scripture tell you of some Modern Examples to this purpose the Consequences of which have been very mischievous I could mention a Passage which I can prove by living Witnesses of a National Concern but I forbear till it 's proper Season And further you go on and say made him testifie what he since saith created Horrour in him What Horrour this Created in the Bishop he can best tell but I will assure you Sir if this Case had been mine I should father have rejoyced by reason the Story of suppressing the Dedication was falfe so far as I know believe or can remember Now Sir I have given you my Testimony as to this Passage in your Book which concerns the Bishop of Salisbury's suppressing his Dedication to his Book call'd his Vindication of the Authority c. of the Laws of Scotland And I have done it with Integrity and Simplicity and as near to Truth as in Words I could express it And this I have done as I believe I must answer it before our Great God who is a God of Truth and knows the Hearts not only of the Bishop and You and my Self but of all Men. As for all other Passages in your Book I have nothing to say to them I leave them to the Bishop who is of Age and very well able to answer for himself And now Sir give me leave before I conclude this my Letter to tell you something of the now Lord Archbishop of Canterbury I tell it you on my own Knowledge and I have also other living Witnesses to prove it And I farther declare I publish it without his or any of his Friends approbation or knowledge and when he did this great Work of Charity he then obliged me to secrecy as to the Persons that had the Benefit of it and therefore I shall not now name him by that Denomination you have given him in the 2 d. Pag. of your Preface I will give it you in your own words which are The Remarks on the late Funeral-Sermons c. The Letter to the Authour of the Funeral-Sermon at VVestminster Abby These Discourses not to mention others long since Printed will let Posterity see what kind of Man our Preacher and his Heroe
A LETTER FROM Moses Pitt TO THE AUTHOUR of a Book INTITULED Some Discourses upon Dr. Burnet now L d. B p. of Salisbury and Dr. Tillotson late L d. A.B. of Canterbury Occasioned by the Late Funeral Sermon of the former upon the latter Deuteronomy Chap. 19. V. 16 17. V. 16. If a false Witness rise up against a Man to testifie against him that which is wrong V. 17. Then both the Men between whom the Controversie is shall stand before the Lord before the Priests and the Judges which shall be in those Days LONDON Printed for Moses Pitt and Sold by the Booksellers of London and Westminster MDCXCV A LETTER from Moses Pitt To the Authour of a Book Intituled Some Discourses upon Dr. Burnet and Dr. Tillotson occasioned by the late Funeral-Sermon of the former on the latter SIR LAtely walking the Streets of London a Citizen of my Acquaintance calls me into his Shop and tells me that he was glad to see me and that he desired me to tell him the Truth of what he should ask me I told him I would as near as I could upon that he proceeds in his Discourse and said that he had seen a Book lately come forth against Dr. Burnet the now Bishop of Salisbury which saith he if the things are true therein related of him he is a very ill Man or Words to that effect and you are quoted to justifie one of the Passages mentioned in the said Book about Dr. Burnet's dedicating a Book to Duke Lauderdale I replied I could not answer him till I saw the Book and passage there in mentioned wherein I was quored for Authority upon which I made it my business to get one of your Books which with much difficulty I did and in Reading of it in Page the 18th and 19th I found this Passage in relation to the present Bishop of Sabisbury which I have here set down Verbatim by reason your Book is not easily by every Reader to be got which is as followeth I shall now proceed to things of something of a different Nature but which will shew no less what little Credit to be given to him and how unsafe it is to rely upon his Authority He dedicated his Vindication of the Authority c. of the Laws of Scotland to the Duke of Lauderdale then High Commissioner of Scotland In that Dedication he tells the Duke How worthily he bore that noble Character with the more lasting and noble Characters of a Princely mind and praises him for the long uninterrupted Tranquility that Kingdom had enjoyed under his wise and happy Conduct and saith That he was a Prince greater in his Mind than Fortune and that there was something inward to him which commanded all the Respect that could be paid by all such that had the Honour to know him as well as he did He acknowledges also the particular Engagement by which he was obliged to him and saith That it was not fit for him to express the Sense he had of them and of the vast Endowments of his Mind for fear he should seem to flatter him Then he instances in the profoundness of his Understanding and well-ballanced Judgment for which he might deservedly pass for a Master in all Learning And in the Conclusion tells him That from him they expected an happy Settlement and wished that Success Blessings might attend his Endeavours Not long after the printing of this Book at Glascow he brought a great Part of the Impression to London where he sold it to Mr. Moses Pitt and not long after that again he came to him to desire him with great Earnestness to sell the Copies of it without the Dedication For by this time the Duke had fallen out with him and discarded him for some Arts and Qualities he had observed in him which I need not name Mr. Pitt gave him very good Reasons why he ought not to do so and particularly told him he could not honestly sell an imperfect for a perfect Copy Upon which he was angry and threatened him with the loss of all the Favours he intended to do him in his Trade This Mr. Pitt can testifie if he is living but if he is not it can be attested by an honourable Person who heard him solicite Mr. Pitt to this base unworthy Practice But though Mr. Pitt would not consent to sell the Book without the Dedication yet he was content to let him have them again and then they came abroad without it And so hard it was till it was privately Reprinted to get one single Copy with it that I profess I could never get such a one till a Gentleman presented me with one out of his private Study And when he delated his Patron to the House of Commons Sir A. Forrester his Grace's Secretary told me That after the utmost diligence he could get but one single Copy with the Dedication though he would have purchased more at any Rate to shew the Gentlemen of the honourable House what kind of Man his Evidencer was that would publish such things in the Commendation of the Duke after he knew (a) See his Vindication in his xviâ—j Papers as he pretended he had a Design of bringing in an Army out of Scotland for the spoiling and subduing of England This discovery of the Dedication and his suppressing of it coming to be known made all the House curious to see it and he foreseeing what use would be made of it against him was willing to decline his noble Undertaking But the House by the Interest of the Duke's Friends who increased much upon that Discovery made him restifie what he since saith created Horrour in him and how much Reputation he got by it I need not now tell the World I am sure many of the Duke's greatest Enemies looked upon it as an horrible Lye not thinking the Design or the Discovery of it if he had designed it consistent with so much Wisdom as he was Master of above most great Men of his Time Now Sir after I had read not only this Passage but the whole Book over I consider'd with my self what Person or Persons were alive at that time when I printed for Dr. Burnet now Lord Bishop of Salisbury for it s now above 20 Years past that could any ways help my Memory that so I might declare to you and the World the Truth the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth in this Matter or Passage you call me if living to testisie Sir you must know that I am of the Cobler's Mind that lived in Holborn in King James the 1st's Time when Goundemore the Spanish Ambassadour was passing by in his Chair the Sedan-men happening to stumble and fall and the Ambassadour being on the Ground Multitudes of People came running at this Accident one of which cries to the Cobler to come out of his Stall and help up the Ambassadour The Cobler replies not he for he would not meddle with State-matters But considering with my self that two
testifie if living I shall raise to my self Legions of Enemies however Truth I will own seeing you have called me so fairly to it and if you and your Party be disobliged I will say in my Dear Lord and Saviour's Words whom I will imitate and follow so far as He is to be imitated by poor Mortals Am I your Enemy because I tell you the Truth It 's Truth you have given me a very fair Character with which a great many Men in the World would have pleased themselves with and parted with Truth and not declar'd it and liv'd and hug'd themselves with the vain Conceit of the World 's believing them honest Men and that they had a good Name in the World but I for my own part must part with that Character of a good Name though it be better than precious Ointment when it stands in competition with Truth and therefore I must undeceive you and the World I do not remember neither do I believe that there ever was any such Passage as you have related or that I ever gave the Bishop any such good Reason you mention and so farewel a good Name when it stands in competition with Truth And then you go on and say Upon which He I suppose you still mean the Lord Bishop of Salisbury was angry and threatned Him I presume you mean my self Moses Pitt with the Loss of all the Favours he intended to do him in his Trade This Sir is so very harsh an Expression that it 's not to be supposed I could forget it if the now Lord Bishop of Salisbury had said it to my dying Day but I declare I do not remember neither do I believe he the Lord Bishop of Salisbury ever said it or any thing like it Then you say This Mr. Pitt can testifie if he is living I hope you are now fully satisfied I am living and who knows but the Great and Good God has preserved my Life and the Life of Mr. Angus also hitherto to glorifie his Name in declaring and testifying the Truth in this particular Matter Indeed Sir I own a Prison is a living Grave and he that by Charity takes a Man out of Prison does a Work next to raising the dead some Account of this shall be given of one of those great Men you mention in your Book towards the latter End of this my Letter As for my being in the Land of the Living it had been no hard Task for you to have satisfied your self either by your Bookseller or Printer or both for I presume that most I was going to say almost all but I consider before whom I speak of the Master-Booksellers and Printers in London personally know me or have heard of me and the Oppressions I am under so that they could soon have satisfied you I was living wh n you penn'd this Passage But say you if he is not it can be attested by an honourable Person who heard him solicite Mr. Pitt to this base and unworthy practice It 's True it had been a base unworthy Practice of the Lord Bishop of Salisbury I believe he himself would own it provided it had been Truth But Sir I wish you had nam'd whose Acquaintance this Honourable Person is that can attest this that he heard the Bishop solicite me whether of the Bishop's or of your own or of Mine or of all or either of us and when it was and where it was And if he can put it into my remembrance by naming Tokens and Circumstances or any way whatsoever whereby I may call it to my Memory and remember the thing so as to attest it I will assure you Sir I will observe what my Lord Bacon directs in this Case in his Moral Essays Alway turn to the Pole of Truth so that if this you write of the Lord Bishop of Salisbury's be a Truth and I be fully in my Conscience convinced of it as I am now convinc'd it is false I will then Recant Repent Confess and Publish to the World my great Sin and beg Pardon of God and You for it But Sir I have often been thinking who this Honourable Person should be that can attest this it cannot be the late Honourable Robert Boyle Esq who was that worthy I want proper words to express my self Gentleman that brought my Lord Bishop of Salisbury and me first acquainted and recommended me to print for him and we have been in Conversation together but he is dead so he cannot be the Person Sir I wish we had this great Man I mean Robert Boyle's Life wrote fully by a good Pen and though it were by the present Bishop of Salisbury whom you so much despise it would be very acceptable to the Great and Learned Men of the World Sir I cannot think but of one Honourable Person more that I had at that time the Honour of a familiar Acquaintance with but I think it not proper for me at this time to name him but if I should I should do it with as much Respect and make him in my opinion as great a Heroe as the present Lord Bishop of Salisbury has made the late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury as you have exprest it in your Preface for indeed he is the Gamaliel unto whom I do own I had the best of my Knowledge in Authours of Books and the Subjects they wrote on he being a Man of gentile and universal Learning but I forbear to speak his due Commendations lest you and the World should think I flatter him but I will assure you that I do not remember that ever the now Lord Bishop of Salisbury and him and my self were ever in Conversation together but I do own that the present Lord Bishop of Worcester Dr. Edw. Stillingfleet with this Person of Honour and my self have been in Conversation together and this Person of Honour was the Spoaksman and I have reason to believe that his Lordship had then a great Honour and Respect for him and did value him as one of his chiefest Acquaintance and did present him with one of his Books soon after they were printed and I have several times in King William's Reign met with this Honourable Person passant in the Street and we saluted each other after a friendly Manner and therefore he could not be ignorant of my being in the Land of the Living And then Sir you go on and tell the World But though Mr Pitt would not consent to sell the Books without the Dedication yet he was content to let him have them again and then they came abroad without it Sir as to this Paragraph I do not believe neither do I remember that ever I did consent to the Sale of one of the Books without the Dedication neither do I believe or remember that ever I was content to let him have them again or that he ever had them again from me or that ever they came abroad without it And then you tell the World again And so hard it was till
it was privately Reprinted to get one single Copy with it that I profess I could never get such a one till a Gentleman presented me with one out of his private Study As to the private Reprinting of the said Dedication I know nothing of it and as to your not being able to get one single Copy with it I know nothing of but I believe if you had come to me for it I should have been able and very willing then to have furnished you with one But as to your being presented with one by a Gentleman out of his private Study I know nothing of this Then you go on and say And when he delated his Patron to the House of Commons Sir A. Forrester his Grace's Secretary told me That after the utmost Diligence he could get but on single Copy with the Dedication though he would have purchased more at any Rate to shew the Geutlemen of the Honourable House what kind of Man his Evidencer was that would publish such things in the Commendation of the Duke after he knew a See his Vindication in his xviij Papers as he pretended he had a Design of bringing in an Army out of Scotland for the spoiling and subduing of England As for Sir Andrew Forrester I knew him and if he had applied himself to me I believe I could have sold him what he had a mind to buy As for the Cause or Ground of the Quarrel between the Duke and the present Lord Bishop of Salisbury I knew not till you had printed it in this your Book neither am I any way concern'd in it The present Lord Bishop of Salisbury has most reason to know this Matter of Fact best and therefore I leave it to him to declare the Truth of it to the World it being his proper Province Then you go on and tell the World This Discovery of the Dedication and his suppressing of it coming to be known made all the House curious to see it And he foreseeing what use would be made of it against him was willing to decline his Noble Undertaking But the House by the Interest of the Duke's Friends who increased much upon that Discovery made him testifie what he since saith created Horrour in him and how much Reputation he got by it I need not now tell the World I am sure many of the Duke's greatest Enemies looked upon it as an horrible Lye not thinking the Design or the Discovery of it if he had designed it consistent with so much Wisdom as he was Master of above most great Men of his time Really Sir as to the present Lord Bishop of Salisbury's suppressing of his Dedication to the Duke I do not know nor remember any thing at all of it nor of all the House I presume you mean the House of Commons curious to see it and then you go on and say And how much Reputation he got by it I need not now tell the World Neither Sir have I need now to tell the World what Reputation you have got by printing this Story on the present Lord Bishop of Salisbury and appealing to me to attest but leave the World to judge Then as for your saying I am sure did you at that time call to mind you were giving your Deposition in this Matter and that in Print which is the most publick Record Many of the Duke's greatest Enemies looked upon it as an horrible Lye These words horrible Lye is such a harsh Expression that its being said off-hand and rashly has cost many a Man's Life and if it has been of so mischievous Consequence when spoken in Heat and Passion and although sometimes it might be justly and truly said and that without Scandalum Magnatum How much more provoking is it when it 's not only spoken but printed and that against a now Peer of the Land which cannot be supposed to be done in Heat and Passion as you your self plainly declare in the Preface to your said Book but all the World must judge it must be done falsly injuriously and out of pure Malice contrary to your own Declaration in the said Preface I will assure you Sir I do not say this to provoke the Bishop any way to revenge himself on you far be it from me but on the contrary if I could have the Honour of advising his Lordship I would give him the same Advice I would take my self by revenging my self by a frank free and hearty Forgiveness of you for both he and you and I must know who hath said Vengeance is mine and I will repay it 's the Great and True God Himself that said it And further Our Dear Lord and Saviour saith Blessed are you when Men revile you and persecute you and speak all Manner of Evil against you falsly for my Name 's sake for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you And shall the Bishop then be angry he is thus persecuted I will assure you Sir if this were my Case as it 's the Bishop's I would observe Our Dear Lord and Saviour's Direction to rejoyce and be glad for great is their Reward in Heaven that are so reviled and he has also told us that Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain Mercy these are words of Truth and by our words we shall be justified and by our words shall we be condemned But it 's not my Province to preach to the Bishop neither I presume Sir to you I only further tell you I my self have been scandalized even to the Danger of my Life vide The Cry of the Oppressed page 125. and I do confess I did sue my Adversary in an Action of Scandal and had Damages given me as is in that Book related but I will assure you Sir I did not do it out of any way of Revenge for the Injuries he has done me as related in that Book but only purely to vindicate my Reputation which is as dear if not dearer to me than my Life he having then at that time newly thrown me into Prison And having now this fair Opportunity I do as in the Presence of God Angels and Men declare That I am willing to forgive my Oppressors as to Injuries done my self by imprisoning my Body for almost seven Years and robbing me of my Estate by false Oaths and all other personal Injuries whatsoever As the Great True and Merciful God forgives all Sinners that is upon their true Repentance Confession and Restitution as far as they are able which are the same Terms I my self desire forgiveness from God or Men wherein I have offende But for their Blasphemies Perjuries and other Criminal Sins wherein the Honour of our True God is concern'd it 's not my Province to pardon and if they are at any Time hereafter prosecuted for it it shall not be in Revenge but purely that Justice may run down our Streets like Streams and Rihteousness like mighty Rivers and that the Honour of our True God may be vindicated to the
Terror of the Wicked and Rejoycing of the Righteous And although you so much despise the present Lord Bishop of Salisbury and tell the World how apt he is to write Lives I will give it you in your own VVords as in Page the 10th of your Preface you say And when I consider how apt he is to write Lives and to write his own Imaginations and Opinions in them I could not but bewail the Fate of the late Honourable Mr. Boyle after that of Bishop Bedel should he also write his Life as Report saith he designs to do And I cannot but wish for the Honour of that great Man's Memory that his Honourable Relations would oblige some Person of unblemished Reputation to write it whom the World hath no reason to suspect even when he writes Truth Sir As to this Point of writing of the late Honourable Mr. Robert Boyle's Life I will give you the following Account Some time before I knew or heard of the publishing your Book I met as I was passing through the Temple with Mr. John Warr who was Steward to Mr. Robert Boyle many Years and so continued to Mr. Boyle's Death and Mr. Boyle had that Esteem for him that he made him one of his Executors in his last Will after some Discourse we had about Mr. Boyle's putting 500 l. into Benj. Hinton's Hands which is a Loss to his Estate to this Day I ask'd Mr. Warr what was the reason Mr. Boyle's Life was not all this time published to the World he gave me this for Answer That the Bishop of Salisbury and others I think he said and others but I am not certain I would keep to Truth as near as in words I could had desired him to get Materials ready for that Work but he said the Labour was so great and his Expectations of Reward not considerable and also he having Business of his own on his Hands that he could not well spare his Time for to do it and then also the Fatigue would be great for that to do it well he must look over Hundreds of Books Papers and Letters which he could not well spare Time to do this was his Excuse to me that Mr. Boyl's Life was not to this Day published to the VVorld Now Sir do you not think but if the Bishop of Salisbury had published the Life of Mr. Boyle it would not have been very acceptable to the World especially he having made use of Mr. Boyle's Steward for so many Years to search Books Papers and Letters which are in the Nature of Records in this Affair of writing Lives and who can be presumed to know Mr. Boyle's private Transactions better than him and Mr. Boyle himself demonstrated the Esteem he had for him by making him one of his Executors and therefore the VVorld could not blame the Bishop for using of him and trusting to him in this Affair of bringing him Materials for so good a VVork and I doubt not but the Bishop would have very Honourably rewarded Mr. Warr for his great Fatigue in this Affair For I hear a very great Character of the Bishop's Generosity and also Charity from one I presume should know as well as any whatever I will give it you in his own VVords to me That the Bishop is No covetous Man no lover of Money for said he if the Bishop had 20000 l. per Annum he would dispose of it and give it away honourably and charitably I do not write this to flatter his Lordship for I abhor and scorn Flattery for I never had any other Advantage or Benefit from the Bishop than what I have had in way of Trade and the same for ought I know I might have had from you for I have reason to believe you have been a familiar Acquaintance of mine by your Quotation And Sir I am of the Opinion that when any Man especially a Peer of the Realm is scandalized in his Reputation it behoves all Men to vidicate them and their Reputation so far as Truth is on their Side Although I am also of your Opinion that if any Man much more great Men do ill and base Actions they ought to be told of it and that publickly for it 's no Fault in the Relator but the Fault is his that did the ill Action I remember I was at a Coffee-House and I think it was before this last Revolution where I heard that most Learned Mr Dodwel who indeed is a great Example of Heroick Piety and Vertue as you your self own in the 53 Page of your Book tell a Learned Knight well known in this Nation I name him not because I would not give Offence to any Man or Party of Men in express words that he was a Roman Catholick the Knight answered Mr. Dodwel I am no Roman Catholick Mr. Dodwel replies Sir I will not believe you the Knight answered again Sir I am a Gentleman why will you not believe me on my Word no Sir saith Mr. Dodwel I will not believe your Words but I will believe your VVritings for your Books denotes you a Roman Catholick So I say it 's not your Sayings no nor VVritings that can make the Bishop of Salisbury an ill Man but it must be his own VVritings and VVorks that must make him an ill or a good Man let his Lordship look to that I have told Matter of Fact and leave it to the VVorld to judge between the Bishop and your Self it 's You and not the Bishop has called on me to write what I have written and it's Truth And now Sir I am upon this great Subject of writing Lives let me also give my Opinion which is that if the Lives of great and good Men were wrote by their most intimate Friends that were Persons of Unblemished Reputation that would not write their own Fancies and Inventions for Truth but would take on them the Fatigue of searching of Books Papers and Letters which concerns the Person whose Life they intend to write and report Matters of Fact faithfully it would be a very useful and acceptable Work for Examples of Heroick Piety and Vertue are more pleasant and prevalent with Mankind than just Precepts and Commands And although it be a Truth Sir you assert in the 72 Page of your Book that our Hookers Sandersons and Hamomnds c. have asserted the great Truths of Religion as zealously as his Heroe did but Sir what need of these Comparisons and that in so much heat had we not also the Ushers the Pearsons which have done the like And we have the four first of these great and good Men's Lives written and we are beholding to the Writers of them and why should we not also covet the Lives of the Pearsons the Wilkins and the Tillotsons they being also the great Assertors of the great Truths of the Christian Religion its not to be doubted but their Lives would be very acceptable to all good Men but especially to the Clergy that so they might imitate their
and his Heroe's Successor not to mention others and what pernicious Doctrines were vented by them all as for these pernicious Doctrines vented by them all I have nothing to say I leave to them to justifie what they have both said and published and so help to convert the Lovers of Truth as those Libels in former Times converted many and helped to bring the Nation to its Wits and the exiled King back to his Throne By The Remarks on the late Funeral-Sermons c. you mean the Sermon of the present Lord Bishop of Salisbury on the late Lord Archbishop and the present Lord Archbishop's Sermon on our late Queen whose Grace you are pleased to term our Preacher's Heroe's Successor Sir I am of opinion that when any Man much more when the first Peer of the Nation is scandalized every one that can ought to clear his Reputation to the World and that is the true Reason I tell the World what Charity-Moneys he has put into my Hands and the good Effects it has wrought I have heard and believe that his Charity to others also has been very large and extensive but I report no more than I know so that the World may see how the best of Men are often most scandalized I received from his Grace Nov. 21. 1691. 21 l. 15 s. and on the 4th of January following 20 l. more which makes 41 l. 15 s. I believe I had more Moneys of him but I cannot now call the particulars to remembrance With this Charity-moneys I released besides what I relieved out of the Marshal-Sea-Prison and the Common side of the King 's Bench near about 20 Prisoners as can be testified by Mr. Francis Beale now of the Marshall-Sea and Mr. Sam. Malcher then Turn-key of the Common-side of the King 's Bench besides I took out of the Counter in Southwark one John Miller who had a Wife and two or three small Children he was in Execution for 100 l. and I agreed with his Adversary for 6 d. in the Pound and paid his Prison-Fees and I also got one Mr. Lewis Owen a Counsellor of Lincolns-Inn who had a Wife and several Children who was in Prison as he told me for 6000 l. out of the said Prison with the help of 20 s. which his Wife had gotten But the greatest and most notable Effect of this Charity-moneys was this which I now relate following In Christmass-Holy Days 1691. I was with my Landlord Mr. Ben. Hinton who broke for about 100000 l. who then had just newly taken the Coffee House where we both lodged then comes in two Women one of them asked to speak with Mr. Hinton he went out of the inner Coffee-Room to them the Woman told him Sir we have just now brought a Woman to bed of a Child and we have nothing to give her but Water and Oatmeal we beg of you 2 d. he answers her I will not give you one Farthing she replies what Sir will you be so hard hearted as not to give us 2 d. he answers again he had no Charity upon this I hearing a Noise came forth to know what was the Matter This Woman applies her self to me and tells me the Story and how Mr. Hinton had denied her 2 d. upon that I put my Hand into my Pocket and gave her all the Moneys I had which was 3 s. 6 d. and 18 d. more I borrowed so she had 5 s. of me when she was gone I had a Suspicion I had a Trick put on me upon which I ask'd Mrs. Jurdane that kept the Coffee-House then as Servant to B. Hinton if she knew the Woman who told me she did upon which her Maid went to see whether it were Truth of the Woman's being brought to bed and her miserable Condition and she brought me word it was really true upon that the same Day I begged 2 s. of two Friends more and sent it her by which I believe the Life both of the Woman and Child were preserved But to go on with this Story for it has much of the Providence of God in it The Michaelmas Term after Mr. Hinton desires me to call on his Creditor who kept him in Prison for saith he I am in Prison only for 100 l. and desire him to come over to me I ask'd Mr. Hinton if he would pay him the 100 l. he said no he could not then said I what should I speak to him for had you not the 100 l. of him he told me he had At last I promised I would call on him and I did so and upon my Request his Creditor came but he had first my promise to be there also which I easily granted neither would Mr. Hinton be with him without me so I was the Days-man between them When his Creditor came we three went up Stairs where he had caused a Fire to be kindled and after some preliminary Discourse and drinking each 2 Dishes of Coffee Mr. Reginald Heber for that was his Creditor's Name ask'd Mr. Hinton if he would pay him his 100 l. who told him he could not then Mr. Heber replied Mr. Hinton notwithstanding you have provoked me very much I will make you a very fair Proposal but I will not take your own word for this Reason because you have broken it with me But if you will give me any reasonable Security to pay me 20 s. a Week till the Debt be out I will let you out of Prison immediately upon this Ben. Hinton rose out of his Chair pulled off his Hatt and put it under his Arm with his Hands lifted up towards Heaven appealing to the Great God that he could not pay him 20 s. a Week upon this I sitting between them rose up and thrust him down into his Chair Crying out O do not appeal to the Great God to a Lye for your Creditor will not believe you I will not believe you neither will the World believe you upon that he said he could not pay his Creditor 20 s. a Week upon this Mr. Heber and I went to Sir John Moores same Proposal that if he would pass his Word that B. Hinton should pay him 20 s. a Week he would go over into Southwark and let him out of Prison immediately Sir John Moore denied to do it although at the time about his Breaking B. Hinton and others have told me that Sir John Moore profered at the Counters to bail him as far as 100000 l. Actions and B. Hinton's Wise at the same time lived with Sir John as his House-keeper Then we went into Lumbardstreet to the Shop B. Hinton kept his Goldsmiths-Trade in where lived Robert Hill who afterwards foreswore himself before the Commissioners of the Statute of Bankrupt against B. Hinton against two Deeds under his own Hand and Seal which I have by me to produce on occasion and sometime after died and Francis Grevil both his Nephews and formerly his Apprentices Mr. Heber made Mr. Grevil the same profer he had made Sir John Moore