End of Civil Society, upon the fundamental Principles of the Law of Nature and Nations *." In three parts: the first, treating of a Civil and Religious Society; the second, of an Established Church; and the third, of a Test Law; 8vo. † The "Alliance" was much talked of at Court; and Bp. Hare, on whom that work had impressed the highest ideas of Mr. Warburton's merit, took the favourable opportunity of noticing him to the Queen; and the recommendation was very favourably received; but the sudden illness and death of her Majesty, Nov. 20, 1737, put an end to the friendly negotiation. At the end of the "Alliance" was announced the scheme of Mr. Warburton's magnum opus, in which he had at this time made a considerable progress; and of which the first volume was published in January 1737-8, under the title of "The Divine Legation of Moses demonstrated on the Principles * Bp. Hare, to whom he had sent a copy of this work, told him, "I had formerly been very agreeably entertained with some emendations of yours on Shakspeare, and was extremely pleased to find this work was by the same hand. You having great acuteness, an ingenious working head, and depth of thought, will always please as an author, though we are not entirely in the same way of thinking.—You have, Sir, not only my thanks for what you have done, but my sincere wishes, that what was intended for the service of the publick may prove also to be for your own, in which my endeavours, in any proper way, shall not be wanting." + Four editions of this volume were printed in the author's lifetime, and each with considerable variations; and Mr. Edwards, in his "Canons of Criticism," p. 261, ed. 1758, sarcastically says, "The first edition of "The Alliance" came out without a Dedication, but was presented to the Bishops; and, when nothing came of that, the second was addressed to both the Universities; and, when nothing came of that, the third was dedicated to a noble Earl (Lord Chesterfield), and nothing has yet (i. e. 1748) come of that." It must be confessed, all this is very severely said; but the long neglect and late advancement of a person of Bishop Warburton's talents will, now personal rancour has subsided, and the still voice of reason may be heard, reflect disgrace on those only who ought to have noticed him sooner. Some of the sheets of the Divine Legation were transmitted to Bishops Hare and Sherlock whilst passing through the press; and of a Religious Deist, from the Omission of the Doctrine of a future State of Rewards and Punishments in the Jewish Dispensation. In Six Books. By William Warburton, M. A. Author of The Alliance between Church and State *." This volume, which was introduced by a long Dedication to the Freethinkers, met with a reception which neither the subject, nor the manner in which it was treated, seemed to authorize. It was, as the Author afterwards observed, fallen upon in so outrageous and brutal a manner, as had been scarcely pardonable, had it been "The Divine Legation of Mahomet ;` and so many unhandsome reflections on it appeared in "The Weekly Miscellany," that, in less than and from both these learned Prelates Mr. Warburton received very gratifying marks of their approbation of the work, both before and after its publication, some of which may be seen in the "Discourse" of his excellent Friend and Biographer. In answer to a letter from the pious and benevolent Dr. Doddridge, Mr. Warburton thus writes: "REV. AND WORTHY SIR, London, April 19, 1738. "I found the very agreeable favour of your letter of the 13th instant in London, where I am lately come for a few days. I can now easily forgive the Country Clergyman; as, owing to him, in some measure, the acquisition of such a friendship as I flatter myself, Sir, to reap in you. And though you give so polite a turn to that occasion, I must never suffer myself to believe that it was any merit in my Book, but a generous indignation against an abandoned Libeller, that has procured me the honour of so considerable a Patroniser. I will assure you, Sir, that, next to the service of Truth, my aim in writing was, to procure myself the favour and friendship of good and learned men. So that you will not wonder that I accept the friendship you are pleased to offer me in so generous and polite a manner, with all the pleasure that gifts most esteemed among men are generally received with Difference of religious persuasion, amongst sincere professors, never was, I thank God, any reason of restraining or abating my esteem for men of your character in life and learning." This led to a regular and confidential correspondence; and many excellent letters by Bp. Warburton (some of which are here extracted) may be seen in the "Letters to and from Dr. Doddridge," published by Mr. Stedman in 1790. * See vol. II. p. 120. Amongst the many valuable correspondents of Mr. Warbur ton at this time was the industrious and accurate Mr. Birch; whose literary researches were frequently employed in the service of his friends. Several instances of their mutual regard have been given VOL. V. NN in two months, he was constrained to defend himself, in "A Vindication of the Author of the Divine Legation of Moses, from the Aspersions of the Country Clergyman's Letter in the Weekly Miscellany of February 24, 1737-8," 8vo. în a former volume of these Anecdotes, and others will occur in the notes on the present article.-Amongst many of Mr. War burton's Letters addressed to Mr. Birch, preserved in the British Museum (of which several were printed by Mr. Maty, in 1782, in his New Review, under the title of Warburtoniana) is a very curious one on the Character and Compositions of Milton; at the end of which he very kindly adds, "I shall endeavour to give you what satisfaction I can, in any thing you want to be satisfied, in any subject of Milton; and am extremely glad you intend to write his Life. Almost all the Life-writers we have had, before Toland and Desmaiseaux, are indeed strange insipid creatures; and yet I had rather read the worst of them, thun be obliged to go through with this of Milton's, or the other's Life of Boileau, where there is such a dull, heavy succession of long quotations of uninteresting passages, that it makes their method quite nauseous. But the verbose, tasteless Frenchman seems to lay it down as a principle, that every Life must be a Book; and, what is worse, it seems a Book without a Life; for what do we know of Boileau after all his tedious stuff? You are the only one (and I speak it without a compliment) that by the vigour of your style and sentiments, and the real importance of your materials, have the art (which one would imagine no one could have missed) of adding agrémens to the most agreeable subject in the world, which is, Literary History." Nov. 21, 1737.-In a subsequent letter to Dr. Birch, he says, "I do not know what you think in town of the Miscellany Papers; but, I protest, the surprizing absurdity made me think, that people would imagine I got somebody to write booty, had not the equal virulency shewn the writer to be in earnest. You surprize me much in what you tell me of the London Doctors of my acquaintance. I can only assure you, upon the word of an honest man, they expressed themselves in a direct contrary manner to my face, and pretended to seek my acquaintance and friendship." * The Reader will not be displeased to read his account of himself as given in this pamphlet, which breathes a spirit very advantageous to his character as a Divine. "There are, and those esteemed sincere Christians too, who would have taken the names of Infidel and Heretic for favours at the hand of the Letterwriter. But I am of a different humour. These titles have no charms for me. I have lived some time in the world; and, blessed be God! without giving or taking offence. This time has been spent in my parish-church (for I am a Country Clergyman, and reside constantly on my cure), in the service of my neighbour, in my study, and in the offices of filial piety: After publishing the "Vindication," he applied himself with great industry to compose the second volume of his work, notwithstanding the clamours which had been raised, and now grew louder, against the first *. Mr. Warburton's extraordinary merit had now attracted the notice of the Heir-apparent to the Crown, in whose immediate service we find him, in June 1738, when he published "Faith working by Charity to Christian Edification; a Sermon preached at the last Episcopal Visitation for Confirmation in the Diocese of Lincoln; with a Preface, shewing the Reasons of its Publication; and a Postscript, occasioned by some Letters lately published in the Weekly Miscellany. By William Warbur With lenient arts t' extend a Mother's breath, "Excess of zeal in such as the Letter-writer, and defect of Religion in others of better breeding, so efface these feelings of nature, that I could hardly have known how to have told them, had I not both the example, and the fine words too, of one of the politest men of the age to keep me in countenance. The time spent in my study has been employed in confirming my own faith against the erroneous opinions the Letter-writer has raked together, and then in planning a work to confirm my brethren. All the reward I ever had, or ever expect to have here, is the testimony of a good conscience within doors, and a good name without. The first, no man can take from me; the other, this Letter-writer, in the most unchristian manner, has attempted to invade." "I go steadily on, he tells Dr. Middleton, Nov. 12, 1738, amidst much ill-treatment. If you ask what it is that supports me, I will tell you, my excellent friend: it is the love of truth, and mature conviction of the reality of the Jewish and Christian Revelations." Bp. Hurd, p. 27. + Re-printed, as "A faithful Portrait of Popery, 1745." In a letter written just before to Mr. Birch, he says, "I hope you received my last, You might perceive I was in a passion against Webster] when I wrote; but his last letter against me has cured me of it; and I design to take no manner of notice of him in the Preface of my Sermon. You will wonder at this odd kind of cure; but there is a certain point, at which when any thing arrives, it loses its nature; so that what was before only simple calumny appears now to be madness; and I should have an ill office to endeavour the care of it."-In a subsequent letter NN 2 he ton, M. A. Chaplain to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales *." In October 1738 we find Mr. Warburton a Correspondent (though without his name) in the periodical work intituled "The Works of the Learned;" he adds, "Mr. Gyles has sent me word that W[ebster] has published all his Letters together; and he thinks it proper to do the same by those Newspapers wrote in defence of me. I have returned answer, that it was a matter of the utmost indifference; but that, if he thought it worth his while, I gave my consent: so I have left it to him to do what he thinks proper. To think I will ever enter into a controversy with the weakest as well as wickedest of all mankind, is a thing impossible. This I shall do indeed, in a short Preface to the Second Volume. I shall hang him and his fellows as they do vermin in a warren, and leave them to posterity to stick and blacken in the wind; and this will I do was the Pope himself their protector. Other business with them in the way of argument I shall never have any." "It is a great pleasure to me that such judges as you approve of my Sermon, and almost as great that my enemies are such as Webster. As I am resolved for the future not only not to answer, but even not to read, what that wretch writes against me; his putting his name to what he does will be of use to me. I wish you could contrive that that should come to his ear."-Yet in the same letter (addressed to Mr. Birch) he adds, "I have not seen Webster's Circular Letter [to the Bishops]. Pray, when you go by Mr. Gyles's shop, desire him to send it me." "I am indebted," says the Editor of that Work, "for the favour of the following lines to a gentleman who has distinguished himself very eminently in the Commonwealth of Letters, but who will not allow me the honour of naming my Correspondent. There are some people of so nice a decorum, that they will not be seen in dishabille, though the graces of their person are not to be concealed by any dress they can appear in."-The anonymous Correspondent's Letter thus begins: "A late book, intituled Remarks on Spenser's Poems, seems not to be so well known as so learned and judicious a performance deserves. The modest, worthy, and very learned Author has here given the justest plan for a good edition of Spenser (who had the Antients always in view) in the method he has observed of marking out, as he goes along, the imitations of the Classic Writers; which affords him an opportunity of making many useful and well-grounded remarks. The continence he has observed, with regard to the Author's text, appears to have been partly owing to the modesty of his nature, in part to a reasonable conviction that Spenser's text is very pure; and principally to his disgust at some strange liberties taken of late years with English Poets, on pretence of amending and restoring them. So masterly a piece of criticism then will very well deserve any one's notice." And I dare say nothing |