Seventhly, To fave trouble and expence to the clergy, they contrived that convocations fhould meet as feldom as poffible; and, when they were fuffered to affemble, would never allow them to meddle with any business; because, they faid, the office of a clergyman was enough to take up the whole man. For the fame reason they were very defirous to excufe the bifhops from fitting in parliament, that they might be. at more leisure to stay at home and look after the inferior clergy.

I shall mention at present but one more inftance of their pious zeal for the church. They had fomewhere heard the maxim, that Sanguis martyrum eft femen ecclefiae; therefore, in order to fow this feed, they began with impeaching a clergyman: and that it might be a true martyrdom in every circumftance, they proceeded as much as poffible against common law; which the long-robe part of the managers knew, was in an hundred inftances directly contrary to all their pofitions, and were fufficiently warned of it before hand; but their love of the church prevailed. Neither was this impeachment an affair taken up on a fudden; I 2

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for a certain great perfon (whose character hath been lately published by some stupid and lying writer) who very much diftinguifhed himself by his zeal in forwarding this impeachment, had feveral years ago endeavoured to perfuade the late king to give way to juft fuch another attempt. He told his majefty, there was a certain clergyman, who preached very dangerous fermons, and that the only way to put a ftop to fuch infolence was to impeach him in parliament. The king enquired the character of the man: O fir, faid my lord, the most violent, hot, pofitive fellow in England; fo extremely wilful, that I believe he would be heartily glad to be a martyr. The king answered, Is it fo? then I am refolved to disappoint him; and would never hear more of the matter; by which that hopeful project unhappily miscarried.

I have hitherto confined myself to those endeavours for the good of the church, which were common to all the leaders and principal men of our party; but, if my paper were not drawing towards an end, I could produce several instances of particular persons, who by their exemplary

lives and actions have confirmed the character so justly due to the whole body. I fhall at present mention only two, and illuftrate the merits of each by a matter of fact.

That worthy patriot and true lover of the church, whom a late Examiner is fupposed to reflect on under the name of Verres, felt a pious impulfe to be a benefactor to the cathedral of Gloucester; but how to do it in the most decent generous manner, was the question. At laft he thought of an expedient: one morning, or night, he stole into the church, mounted upon the altar, and there did that, which in cleanly phrase is called difburthening of nature. He was discovered, profecuted, and condemned to pay a thousand pounds; which fum was all employed to Support the church, as no doubt the benefactor

meant it.

There is another perfon, whom the fame writer is thought to point at under the name of Will Bigamy. This gentleman, knowing that marriage fees were a confiderable perquifite to the clergy, found out a way of improving them cent. per cent.

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for the good of the church. His invention was to marry a fecond wife, while the first was alive, convincing her of the lawfulness by fuch arguments, as he did not doubt would make others follow the fame example. These he had drawn up in writing, with intention to publish for the general good; and it is hoped, he may now have leisure to finish them.

NUMBER XXIII.

Thursday, January 11, 1710.

Bellum ita fufcipiatur, ut nihil aliud nifi pax quaefita videatur.

IA

AM satisfied, that no reasonable man of either party can justly be offended at any thing, I faid in one of my papers relating to the army. From the maxims I there laid down perhaps many perfons may conclude, that I had a mind, the world fhould think there had been occafion given by fome late abuses among men of that calling; and they conclude right: for my intention is, that my hints may be understood, and my quotations and alle

gories applied and I am in fome pain to think, that in the Orcades on one fide, and the western coafts of Ireland on the other, the Examiner may want a key in feveral parts, which I wish I could furnish them with. As to the french king, I am under no concern at all: I hear he hath left off reading my papers, and by what he hath found in them, diflikes our proceedings more than ever; and intends, either to make great additions to his armies, or propose new terms for a peace. So falfe is that, which is commonly reported of his mighty fatisfaction in our change of miniftry. And I think it clear, that his late letter of thanks to the tories of Great Britain muft either have been extorted from him, against his judgment; or was a caft of politicks to fet the people against the present miniftry; wherein it hath wonderfully fucceeded.

But, though I have never heard, or never regarded any objections made against that paper, which mentions the army; yet I intended this as a fort of apology for it. And firft I declare (because we live in a mistaken world) that in hinting at I 4 fome