Easter Tuesday, 1729.-5. At the Consecration of Two Bishops, 1731.-6. On Luke, ii. 52, 17...— 7. On the Accession of King George II. 1738. Pelham manor 36 40 796 I stay about a week longer here, or thereabouts. There seems to be an inclination to divide the singing-man's place between two. Hawkins recommends Rider's son for the chorister's place, vacant by Tenant's son. Mr. Fleetwood, his wife, and sister, are in your house. Tookie went home on Tuesday, but returned yesterday. We have chosen Powers and Beaumont Demi's, and given Kempton encouragement to hope for favour the next vacancy. Fox has been at London, sung at St. Paul's, and is like soon to make one. The chorister's place not fixed. It lies between Mr. Bentham's son and Kider's. Residences as last year. write this while the brethren are at church. I hope I shall not be called to account, as I was once about the Queen's Bounty. 4. To the Rev. Dr. Z. Grey. DEAR SIR, I Bluntsham, near St. Ives, March 24, 1733-4. I have read over Mr. Neale's Review of the Answer to his first volume, which appears more plausible than I expected from him; and, may I add, is without that rancour which he seemed to shew in the work itself; I therefore do not wonder at its being acceptable to most readers, though I think it very easy to discover his trippings; and, if I had your Answer, I could easily point them out: however, I cannot but be of Mr. Neale's opinion as to our Articles. The compilers of them were certainly Calvinists; and the seeming latitude in some of them is more owing to chance, rather than any design in them to favour those of a contrary opinion; till about the time of Archbishop Land the Clergy were universally so. I had once occasion to consult all our authors of any eminence within a large space of time till about 1620, and did not meet but with very few that had not been thoroughly tinged with very narrow notions relating to predestination, free-will, &c. I find among the Anabaptists, for a long period, there were some who opposed Calvinistical doctrines beyond any sect whatever; and they still continue so to do. The late ingenious Mr. Gale was pastor of a congregation in London, where they have always been great sticklers for the Remonstrant principles; as far as I have observed, the Presbyterians are pretty lax as to the Quinquarticular points, but the Independents otherwise; nay, Neale himself is not reckoned a Calvinist, at least not a strict one, by his own people; but, however, what he advances upon this head is plausible, and to his purpose. As to the strict opinion of the three orders, I be lieve Dr. Knight's only son, Samuel, was fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, B. A. 1738; M. A. lieve many of the Reformers amongst ourselves did (as Mr. Neale observes) speak very doubtfully of them, and seem to confound the two first of Bishop and Presbyter together: some of his quotations seem to favour much of this opinion. Till Laud's time we have little of the Jus Divinum. Bishop Stillingfleet's Irenicum carries this argument very far, and looks upon the particular forms of church government not to be fixed in Scripture, but left ad libitum, and to be determined by the wisdom of the Church, as should be found most suitable to the circumstances of it; he retracted this opinion afterwards, but never answered thoroughly his own arguments. I only mention this to shew, that the current opinion of the century after the Reformation was pretty uniform as to the point of Episcopacy; but, since, there have been better arguments produced than were before thought of. I made a visit to old father Strype, when in town last; he is turned ninety, yet very brisk, and with only a decay of sight and memory; he would fain have induced me to undertake Archbishop Bancroft's life; but I have not stomach to it, having no great opinion of him on more accounts than one. He had a greater inveteracy against the Puritans than any of his predecessors. Mr. Strype told me that he had great materials towards the life of the old Lord Burleigh and Mr. Fox the martyrologist, which he wished he could have finished, but most of his papers are in characters; his grandson is learning to decypher them. I shall tire you with my scribble; so shall only add, that if the Court be any where but at Richmond I shall have the pleasure of meeting you the 15th of June. There are three Sundays in the part assigned me and my colleague; I suppose we must take care of them; the fifth Sunday was used to be supplied by one who was no chaplain; but now I suppose it is otherwise. I suppose the chaplains did not go in the procession at the wedding. SAMUEL KNIGHT! DEAR SIR, 6. To the Rev. Dr. Z. Grey. Bluntsham, near St. İre's, Sept. 4, 1741. I have thought it a long time since I had the pleasure of seeing you. Mr. Jones had more than once fixed a time of waiting upon you at Houghton; but he is so uncertain a man, that, if ever I have that pleasure, I believe it must be without him; but at present I am unfit for any journey, having been confined to my bed and chamber a full month, by a long and painful fit of the gravel; but (I thank God) all but the weakness is now over. I am glad to hear that you are preparing a new edition of Butler's Hudibras: no one is better prepared than you for such a work: many things want explanation, and you live in the very county that gave rise to the work. The Bishop of St. Asaph [Dr. Maddox] sends his service to you. He did not go to his diocese this summer, but is at a house he hires at Little-Marlow, Bucks. Iwent near him with the Bp. of Sarum, to his visitation 1741. By his father's interest with Bp. Sherlock he obtained the sinecure rectory of Fulham in Mid in Berks, but had not time to call on him. Mr. Moss went the whole visitation. I heard from his Lordship after he returned home, that he was taken very ill at the Devizes, so that he left him there when he returned to Salisbury, about a month ago. I have not heard since. When I was in London in July Mr. Hatton lay at the same inn as I did. He was very well then. There was a match talked of between Mr. Moss and one of the Dean of Sarum's daughters. Tom. Pyle coming into the canonry of Sarum may possibly break it off. He has a noble fine to come in from his prebend. I beg you would help me to a sight of my friend Dean Moss's Translation into Latin of the beginning of Milton's Paradise Lost *. I have the first book printed, done by Mr. Power, fellow of Trinity College. I would compare them together, and return them safe to you. I much lament (and I am sure you do) the loss of our worthy friend Mr. Baker. This alone will render Cambridge less agreeable to you. But I shall tire you: I am sure I have my weak hand; so conclude, with best respects to your lady, my being, dear Sir, your affectionate friend, SAM. KNIGHT. DEAR SIR, 7. To the Rev. Dr. Z. Grey. Sarum, May 12, 1742. Having finished my visitation in Berkshire, I am got here in order to preach my turn at the cathedral on Sunday, and to look over the scripts and charts in the Chapter-house, which (though very considerable) yet lie very much neglected: I hope to find out many things not yet taken notice of, relating to the antient state of this church. I gave the list of Convocational pieces to the Chancellor of Peterborough; he thanks you for it, and will borrow some of them when he fixes to writing. Nothing was done to any purpose at our last meeting in Convocation. There were some good speeches on both sides, but the reading of the paper delivered to the House by Dr. Reynolds was put off till the 19th instant. I hope to be there at the time: if nothing is done then, I think I shall never again put myself to any trouble of the same kind. I am sorry I could not be at the feast of the Sons of the Clergy last Thursday; but more sorry that the collection was so small. The collection for the Society for Propagation of the Gospel, &c. goes on very successfully: it is believed it will amount in the whole, through England, to 80007, The Bishop of St. Asaph's Sermon on the Feast-day † is in the press; if out before I leave the town, I shall have one for you as a present from the Bishop; he is the first Bishop that ever preached on that occasion. Dr. Wilkins is ready to put to the * Query, if ever printed. + Dr. Isaac Maddox, before the Sons of the Clergy. press dlesex, to which the patronage of the vicarage is attached. He presented to the vicarage Dr. Denison Cumberland; and on his promotion, 1763, to the see of Clonfert, in Ireland, Dr. Anthony Hamilton, press Bishop Tanner's Boston de viris illustribus Angliæ ‡; he brings it down to King James the First: the Literary Society have engaged in the printing of his Notitia Monastica §, in two volumes, folio. I hope the senior proctor, Mr. Beaby, sent the Archdeacon of Lincoln's letter to the prolocutor; be pleased to send it to my son with the enclosed. I am, with humble service to your lady, and Mrs. Moss, dear Sir, your affectionate humble servant, S. KNIGHT. SIR, 8. To the Rev. Dr. Z. Grey. February 22, 1742-3. Having an opportunity of a frank cover from the Bishop of St. Asaph, I had a mind to give you a line of the present situation of affairs. I never knew such a general harmony and coalition of parties in my time as at present. I had the honour yesterday to preach before his Majesty, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the rest of the Royal Family, at St. James's chapel, the first time; there was a numerous court. Mr. Pulteney (who has had the greatest share in this happy union) was there; the Duke of Argyle, Mr. Sandys, Lord Carteret, were all with Lord Wilmington. Very steady measures are resolved upon in relation to the Queen of Hungary. The Duke of Argyle sets out on Thursday for Holland, to bring the Dutch to reason, and to engage them to break off their attachment to France. We have fresh and good news from Bavaria, that the Queen has great success against the new Emperor, and has regained her loss in Bohemia. I saw the new Earl of Orford || introduced into the House of Lords; he looks much dejected. Poor Doctor Twells died on Friday, and left a large family very destitute. That day Dr. Stebbing gave the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts a good sermon. Dean Pearce's Clerum is wrote against very sharply. The Bishop of St. David's goes to Exeter; Dr. Hutton succeeds him. I am, in haste, &c. SAMUEL KNIGHT. Dr. Mangey's Philo-Judæus is come out in two volumes; it is dedicated to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Bishop Tanner's son is to marry his Grace's daughter; he is to have Archdeacon Gerison's living in town, a prebend of Canterbury, &c. Alured Clark had been Bishop of St. David's in two days, if this change had not happened; but I think him now nearer death than a Bishoprick. He means " Bibliotheca Britannico-Hibernica," printed by the Literary Society, 1748, of which Boston's Catalogue of writers makes a very small part of the preface. Z. G. It was printed by that Society in one volume, 1714, folio. Z. G. #Sir Robert Walpole, just made such. Z. G. and and in exchange had Dr. Cumberland's living of Stanwick, co. Northampton, belonging to the Crown. With the ample fortune that devolved to him from his father, Mr. Knight purchased the manor of Milton, near Cambridge; and held also the rectory, which, like Fulham, is a sinecure, and in the patronage of King's College; which, it is apprehended, Mr. Knight obtained by exchange with a fellow of King's for some other piece of preferment. The rectory-house of Milton is an old mansion, standing near the South-east corner of the church-yard, and has been uninhabited many years. The house in which Mr. Knight resided is the manor-house, and was not erected, but only repaired, by him. The cure of Milton is vested in a vicar, and the patronage of the vicarage is in the rector thereof. Mr. Knight died in January 1790, at the house of his only son, Samuel Knight, esq. (of Trinity College, B. A. 1776; M. A. 1779); to whom the father's fortune, which was very considerable, devolved, STEPHEN MARTIN LEAKE, Esq. descended from a family of the Martins in Devonshire, was son of Stephen Martin, a naval officer in the reign of Queen Anne, and for some time senior captain, an elder brother of the Trinity House, in the commission of the peace for Middlesex, Essex, and Surrey, and deputy lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets. Captain Martin married Elizabeth, daughter and coheir of Captain Richard Hill, of Yarmouth in Norfolk, by Mary his wife. Christian, the other daughter and coheir of Captain Hill, married Sir John Leake, knight, rear-admiral of Great Britain, admiral and commander-in-chief of the Fleet, and one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in the above reign. Sir John Leake and Captain Martin being united in the closest friendship by this matrimonial connexion, and still more by 20 years service together in the fleet, and Sir John having lost his lady and their įssue, to evince his regard for his brother-in-law, adopted |