college. This, however, his enemy still endeavoured to prevent, and, on some idle pretence, stopped his degree.

Skelton's only remedy was now to wait patiently till the next commencement, which would take place in about half a year. As the time approached, he contrived to foil the provost at his own weapons, and knowing his tyrannical and capricious temper, played him a trick, which his biographer relates in the following manner. A few days before the commencement, he waited on the provost, "and after paying his humble submission, said, Mr. Provost, I am extremely obliged to you for stopping me of my degree last time, because it was what I wished for above all things, and I beg and beseech you may also stop me now, as my friends are forcing me to take it, and quit the college, contrary to my desire.' 'Ah, you dog,' he replied, what do you mean? do you wish to stay here contrary to your friends' consent? Take your degree, sirrah, and quit the college, or I'll make you smart for it.' Skelton then began to cry, and whine, and sob, saying how greatly distressed he was at getting this unfavourable answer. Don't be growling here, sir,' he said, but go about your business, I'll not agree to your request, you shall take your degree in spite of you, sirrah. Upon this Skelton, with sorrowful countenance, though with joy at his heart, walked grumblingly out of the room." The consequence of this was, that he commenced B. A. in July 1728, and had his name taken out of the college books, May 31st following, two years before the natural expiration of his scholarship. Notwithstanding this treatment, he always spoke of Dr. Baldwin as in many respects an excellent provost.

Soon after leaving college, he resided with his brother John, a clergyman, and schoolmaster of Dundalk, and took on himself the management of the school, which by his efforts rose to high reputation. He had been here but a short time, when he obtained a nomination to the curacy of Newtown-Butler, in the county of Fermanagh, from Dr. Madden (see MADDEN), and was ordained deacon for this cure by Dr. Sterne, bishop of Clogher, about 1729. He was afterwards ordained priest by the same bishop, and used to relate that he and the other candidates were examined by Dr. Sterne and his assistant for a whole week in Latin, and that they were not allowed, during the whole of this trial, to speak a word of English.

During his holding this curacy he resided in Dr. Madden's

house, called Manor-waterhouse, about three miles from Newtown-Butler, as private tutor; and had three or four boys to instruct in English and the rudiments of the Latin and Greek languages. This left him little time for the composition of his sermons, and such as he wrote at this time, he afterwards very much disliked. Here, however, he exhibited that active benevolence which always formed a striking feature in his character, and although the salary derived both from his curacy and his teaching was very small, he gave at least the half away in charitable purposes. Here likewise it would appear that he wrote his first publication, an anonymous pamphlet, printed at Dublin, recommending Dr. Madden's scheme for establishing premiums in Trinity college; but Madden, although he admired this pamphlet, and solicited the publisher for the name of its author, never made the discovery: Skelton judging it for his advantage to keep the secret. In the mean time, his situation being rendered extremely irksome by the vulgar mind and parsimonious disposition of Mrs. Madden, he resigned both the curacy and his tutorship in about two years.

On leaving Dr. Madden, he repaired to his brother's, in Dundalk, until, in 1732, he was nominated to the curacy of Monaghan, in the diocese of Clogher, by the hon. and rev. Francis Hamilton, the rector. This situation was for some years permanent, and afforded him leisure to pursue his favourite study of divinity, and to execute the duties of a parish priest. "His inclinations," says his biographer, "were all spiritual, and he only desired an opportunity of being more extensively useful for long before, he had fixed his thoughts on the rewards of a better world than the preHis life was accordingly most exemplary, and his preaching efficacious. It was said that the very children of Monaghan, whom he carefully instructed, knew more of religion at that time, than the grown people of any of the neighbouring parishes, and the manners of his flock were soon greatly improved, and vice and ignorance retreated before so powerful an opponent. His charities were extraordinary, for all he derived from his curacy was 40%. of which he gave 10l. a year to his mother, and for some years a like sum to his tutor, Dr. Delany, to pay some debts he had contracted at college. The rest were for his maintenance and his charities, and when the pittance he could give was insufficient for the relief of the poor, he

solicited the aid of people of fortune, who usually contributed according to his desire, and could not indeed refuse a man who first gave his own before he would ask any of theirs. His visits to the jails were also attended with the happiest effects. On one remarkable occasion, when a convict at Monaghan, of whose innocence he was well assured, was condemned to be hanged within five days, he set off for Dublin, and on his arrival was admitted to the privy council, which then was sitting. Here he pleaded for the poor man with such eloquence, as to obtain his pardon, and returned with it to Monaghan in time to save his life. In order to be of the more use to his poor pa rishioners, he studied physic, and was very successful in his gratuitous practice, as well as by his spiritual advice, and was the means of removing many prejudices and superstitions which he found very deeply rooted in their minds.

Mr. Skelton set out in his ministry in the character of an avowed champion of the orthodox faith. Deriving his religious principles from the pure source of information, the holy Scriptures themselves, he could find in these no real ground for modern refinements. Consequently he declared open war against all Arians, Socinians, &c. and published several anonymous pieces against them. In 1736, he published "A Vindication of the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Winchester," an ironical attack on Hoadly's "Plain account of the nature and end of the Lord's Supper." When bishop Sterne read it, he sent for Skelton, and asked if he had written it? Skelton gave him an evasive answer. "Well, well," said the bishop," " 'tis a clever thing-you are a young man of no fortune; take these ten guineas, you may want them." "I took the money,' Skelton told his biographer, "and said nothing, for I was then a poor curate."

66

He published the same year, "Some proposals for the revival of Christianity," another piece of irony against the enemies of the church, which was imputed to Swift, who, as usual, neither affirmed nor denied; but only observed, that the author "had not continued the irony to the end." In 1737, he published a "Dissertation on the constitution and effects of a Petty Jury." In this, among other things, he seems to object to locking up a jury without food, until they agree upon their opinion. The attorney general called at his bookseller's, who refused to give up the name

of the author. "Well," said the attorney general, “give my compliments to the author, and inform him from me, that I do not think there is virtue enough in the people of this country ever to put his scheme into practice."

His fame, however, both as a preacher and writer, his extraordinary care as an instructor of a parish, and his wonderful acts of charity and goodness, began, about 1737, to be the subject of conversation, not only in the diocese of Clogher, and other parts of the North, but also in the metropolis; but still no notice was taken of him in the way of preferment. Dr. Sterne, the bishop of Clogher, usually sent for him, after he had bestowed a good preferment upon another, and gave him, "by way of a sop,' ten guineas, which Mr. Skelton frequently presented to a Mr. Arbuthnot, a poor cast-off curate, who was unable to serve through age and infirmity. At length Dr. Delany, who had been his tutor at college, perceiving him thus neglected, procured for him an appointment to the curacy of St. Werburgh's in Dublin. This would have been highly acceptable to Mr. Skelton, and Dr. Delany would have been much gratified to place such a man in a situation where his merits were likely to be duly appreciated: it is painful to relate in what manner both were disappointed. When he was on the point of leaving the diocese of Clogher, bishop Sterne perceiving that it would be to his discredit if a person of such abilities should leave his diocese for want of due encouragement, sent a clergyman to inform him, "that if he staid in bis diocese he would give him the first living that should fall." Relying on this, he wrote to Dr. Delany, and the curacy of St. Werburgh's was otherwise disposed of. The first living that fell vacant was Monaghan, where he had so long officiated, which the bishop immediately gave to his nephew Mr. Hawkshaw, a young gentleman that had lately entered into orders! It would even appear that he had made his promise with a determination to break it, for when he bestowed the preferment on his nephew, he is reported to have said, "I give you now a living worth 300l. a year, and have kept the best curate in the diocese for you, who was going to leave it: be sure take his advice, and follow his directions, for he is a man of worth and sense." Skelton, with all his "worth and sense," was not superior to the infirmities of his nature. He felt this treacherous indignity very acutely, and never attended a visitation

But

during the remainder of the bishop's life, which continued for a series of years; nor did the bishop ever ask for him, or express any surprize at his absence. Under Mr. Hawkshaw, however, he lived not unhappily. Mr. Hawkshaw submitted to his instructions, and followed his example, and there was often an amicable contest in the performance of their acts of duty and charity.

In 1741, he resumed his useful publications, "The Necessity of Tillage and Granaries, in a letter to a member of parliament," and a paper published in the Philosophical Transactions, entitled "A curious production of Nature," giving an account of a species of caterpillar which appeared on the trees at Monaghan. In 1742 he accepted the office of tutor to the late earl of Charlemont; but, owing to a difference with his lordship's guardian, soon resigned this charge, and returned to his curacy. He had, however, a very high opinion of lord Charlemont, and, in 1743, dedicated to him his "Truth in a Mask," a pamphlet in which he professes to "give religious truth such a dress and mask as may perhaps procure it admittance to a conference with some of its opposers and contemners:" his biographer, however, does not think he has been very successful in this attempt.

After he returned to his curacy, he was offered a school worth 500l. a year, arising from the benefit of the scholars, but refused it as interfering with the plan of literary improvement and labour which he had marked out for himself; and when told that he might employ ushers, he said he could not in conscience take the money, without giving up his whole time and attention to his scholars. In 1744, he published "The Candid Reader, addressed to his terraqueous majesty, the World." The objects of his ridicule in this are Hill, the mathematician, who proposed making verses by an arithmetical table, lord Shaftesbury, and Johnson, the author of a play called "Hurlothrumbo," with a parallel between Hurlothrumbo and the rhapsody of Shaftesbury. In the same year he also published "A Letter to the authors of Divine Analogy and the Minute Philosopher, from an old officer," a plain, sensible letter, advising the two polemics to turn their arms from one another against the common enemies of the Christian faith. During the rebellion in 1745, he published a very seasonable and shrewd pamphlet, entitled the "Chevalier's hopes."