244 STANZAS ON WILLIAM'S DEATH. Preserve, O venerable pile! Inviolate, thy sacred trust; To thy cold arms THE BRITISH Isle Ye gentlest ministers of fate, Attend the Monarch as he lies, Rest his dear Sword beneath his head, Round him his faithful Arms shall stand; Fix his bright ensigns on his bed, The guards and honours of our land. Ye sister arts of Paint and Verse, High o'er the grave Religion set In solemn gold-pronounce the ground Sacred-to bar unhallow'd feet, And plant her guardian virtues round. Fair Liberty, in sables drest, Write his lov'd name upon his urn; Sweet Peace, his sacred relics keep, With olives blooming round his head, Stand on the pile, immortal Fame, REVOLUTION. Flattery shall faint beneath the sound, And Slander gnaw her forky tongue Night and the Grave, remove your gloom, But GLORY bids the royal Tomb Disdain the horrors of a shade. GLORY with all her lamps shall burn, To aid the triumphs of THE DAY! 245 It is but justice to add, that the enlightened Churchman and the conscientious Protestant Dissenter were uniformly the friends and supporters of WILLIAM. On no occasion were they insensible of the distinguished blessings of the Revolution of 1688. Its Centenary Anniversary (at which I had the honour of being present) was kept with a solemnity suited to the importance of the event. On Nov. 4, 1788, a religious service was held at the Old Jewry, when the late amiable Dr. Kippis preached an excellent sermon, and all dined together at the London Tavern. On that day the COMMITTEE and STEWARDS had on blue coats, the Dutch uniform, with buttons exhibiting a fine impression of the head of WILLIAM; and the identical Dutch colours, under which WILLIAM landed at Torbay, were introduced into the room, as well as held up, whilst the following Eulogium was read on the occasion: CHARACTER OF KING WILLIAM THE THIRD, SUPPOSED BY BURNET. He was the Head, Hand and Heart of the Confederacy, the Assertor of LIBERTY, and the Deliverer of NATIONS, King, Queen, Prince, Potentate, the World ne'er saw He was but words are wanting to say what- Born Nov. 4, 1650. Married Nov. 4, 1677. Landed in England Nov. 4, 1688. Reigned 13 years, 23 days. Died March 8, 1702. I have often thought there was a considerable resemblance between William the Third and General Wash ANECDOTE OF WASHINGTON, 247 ington. They were reserved in their tempers, modest in their claims, and distinguished assertors of civil and religious liberty. An anecdote of WASHINGTON shall be here recorded: it was communicated to me by the late Thomas Mullett, Esq., who was, soon after the American war, at Mount Vernon, the seat of General Washington. Besides other flattering marks of attention, WASHINGTON, when alone with him in his library, asked him if he had seen any individual in that country who was competent to the task of writing a HISTORY of the late unhappy contest? Mr. M. replied, with his usual presence of mind, "I know of one, and one only, competent to the task." The GENERAL eagerly asked, "WHO, Sir, can that individual be?" Mr. M. remarked, "CESAR wrote his own Commentaries!" The General bowed, and replied, "CÆSAR could write his Commentaries; but, Sir, I know the atrocities committed on both sides have been so great and many, that they cannot be faithfully recorded, and had better be buried in oblivion!”* No sooner were KING WILLIAM and QUEEN MARY settled on the throne, 1688, than the Dissenting Mi MR. THOMAS MULLETT was an American merchant, of the first respectability. He was a native of Taunton, died at Clapham, Nov. 14, 1814, in the 69th year of his age, and was interred by me in Bunhill-fields. He survived his partner and son-in law, my worthy relative, Mr. Joseph Jeffery Evans (son of the Rev. Dr. Caleb Evans, of Bristol), not two years. They were both men of excellent understanding, and firm friends to civil and religious liberty. Be this note sacred to their memory! 248 DISSENTING MINISTERS' ADDRESS. nisters in and about the city of London waited on their Majesties with an ADDRESS of Congratulation, when DR. BATES made the following admirable speech: "To the KING. May it please your Majesty "The series of successful events which have attended your glorious enterprise for the saving THESE KINGDOMS from so imminent and destructive evils, has been so eminent and extraordinary, that it may force an acknowledgment of the DIVINE PROVIDENCE from those who deny it, and cause admiration in all who believe and reverence it. The beauty and speed of this happy work are the bright signatures of his hand who creates deliverance for his people-the less of human power, the more of divine wisdom and goodness has been conspicuous in it! If the deliverance had been obtained by fierce and bloody battles, Victory itself had been dejected and sad, and our joy had been mixed with afflicting bitterness; but, as the SUN, ascending the horizon, dispels without noise the darkness of the night, so your serene presence has without tumults and disorders chased away the darkness that invaded us! In the sense of this astonishing deliverance, we desire, with all possible ardency of affection, to magnify the glorious name of GOD, the author of it, by whose entire efficacy the means have been successful; and we cannot, without a warm rapture of thankfulness, recount our obligations to YOUR MAJESTY, the happy instrument of it. Your illustrious |