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«l^j;t-*-i'
THE
LIFE ,
' M!CROFOR»V\tD BY
PRBbRVATiaN
SERVICES
DATE. SEPl 8J992
OF
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D.
MASTER OF TRINITY COLLEGE,
AND REGIUS PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE :
WITH AN
ACCOUNT OF HIS WRITINGS,
AND
ANECDOTES OF MANY DISTINGUISHED CHARACTERS
DURING THE
PERIOD IN WHICH HE FLOURISHED.
BY
JAMES HENRY MONK, D.D.
LORD BISHOP OF GLOUCESTER.
SECOND EDITION, REVISED Sf CORRECTED.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR J. G. & F. RIVINGTON,
ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD, AND WATERLOO PLACE, PALL MALL;
& J. & J. J. DEIGHTON, CAMBRIDGE.
MDCCCXXXni.
c.
9' A'
LONDON:
aiLBERT AND RIVINGTON, PRINTERS,
ST. John's sqvare.
TO THK
RIGHT HONOURABLE AND RIGHT REVEREND
CHARLES-JAMES,
LORD BISHOP OF LONDON.
MY LORD,
There are several reasons
which induce me to take the liberty of prefixing
your name to this publication. In the first
place, there is no one to whom an account of
the life and writings of a distinguished scholar
can be inscribed with more propriety than to
your Lordship, who have obtained the same
rank in literature at the present day as was
enjoyed during his life- time by Dr. Bentley.
And if, in the perusal of the following Memoirs,
any reader should remark, that great learning
is not always accompanied by the graces of
personal character, the mention of your Lord-
ship's name will remind him that the defect
cannot be attributed to the nature of such
studies, and that similar excellence in classical
pursuits may be made subservient to religious
knowledge and the cultivation of all moral and
Christian virtues. Again, it is natural that every
scholar should express joy at seeing your Lord-
A 2
iv DEDICATION.
ship's well-merited elevation to the high station
which your learning adorns ; and still more, that
a churchman should declare his satisfaction at
so important a diocese being filled by a Prelate,
whose zeal, piety, and virtues peculiarly qualify
him for its important functions ; while they,
who have had the happiness of observing all
the steps of your progress from a curacy to the
See of London, and witnessing your exemplary
discharge of the duties of each successive
station, must feel uncommon delight at seeing
their anticipations of your future distinction
fulfilled in your Lordship's exaltation to a post
in which you possess such extensive means of
encouraging similar conduct in others, by the
influence of precept and example. Lastly, I
cannot forbear seizing the opportunity now af-
forded me of publicly mentioning the great and
constant friendship with which your Lordship
has honoured me for more than twenty years,
and which I shall always consider as one of the
most gratifying distinctions of my life.
I have the honour to be, with every senti-
ment of respect and attachment,
My Lord,
Your very faithful and affectionate servant,
J. H. MONK.
PREFACE.
In submitting to the Public the following Memoirs
of Dr. Bentley's life, I wish to explain, as briefly as
possible, my views in undertaking this work, and the
materials which I have possessed for its execution.
My desire to see a distinct account of this illus-
trious scholar originated a long time ago, several
years, indeed, before the idea occurred to me of
becoming his biographer myself. In the course of
my classical reading, I had frequently remarked how
much the writings of Dr. Bentley were influenced by
the circumstances of his personal history. And while
resident at Cambridge, in the society of which he
had been the Head, I was continually struck with the
manner in which the history of both College and
University was connected, and sometimes identified,
with the singular particulars of his life for above
forty years. But all the narratives of his story,
which are to be found in print, were taken from the
account given in the Biographia Britannica : although
that article appeared in 1748, within six years after
Dr. Bentley's death, the writer, who is stated to
have been the Rev. Mr. Hinton, had little knowledge
vi PREFACE.
of the principal facts of his life, and sought no
opportunities of consulting those who were better
informed respecting them : his stock of materials
consisted of a few of the numerous pamphlets written
on the occasions of the quarrel with the University and
the dispute in Trinity College ; but the information
which he collected from them was not sufficient to
give him a distinct idea of those transactions, and
his narrative is of course confused and unsatisfactory :
all the events of the last twenty years of Dr. Bent-
ley's life are despatched in a few lines, and those
few very erroneous.
A second edition of the BiograpJiia was published
by ^Kippis about thirty years after the first ; but the
article upon Bentley was reprinted with almost all
its mistakes : certain additions, indeed, were ap-
pended to it, the greater part of which, coming from
a very partial cpiarter, were not calculated to give a
more correct view of the life or character of this
distinguished personage. Several attempts have been
subsequently made, in different periodical works and
compilations, to digest that confused heap of mate-
rials into a regular shape ; some of those articles,
having been written by scholars, exhibit a much
more correct view of Bentley 's publications and lite-
rary merits ; but for his personal history, they have
done little more than retail the narrative of Mr.
Hinton, with all its errors and misconceptions : in
the meantime, it has been generally remarked, that
a satisfactory Memoir of Bentley 's life was a desi-
deratum in English literature.
PREFACE. vii
Perceiving that it was impracticable for any one
to give a faithful or distinct account of his career,
without a full examination of the records, registers,
and correspondence found in the archives of the
University, and of Trinity College, I long wished
that some person who had leisure for such a work,
and whose station gave him access to those deposi-
tories, would elucidate this curious period of acade-
mical history : and it was only from despair of seeing
the task accomplished by other hands, that I resolved
to undertake it myself.
My object in this work may be considered three-
fold : first, to give a full and impartial view of Bent-
ley's life and character ; secondly, a sketch of lite-
rary history during the period in which he flourished ;
and, thirdly, an account of what is worthy of notice
in the annals of the College and University, for the
first forty years of the eighteenth century. It hap-
pens that these three subjects naturally combine and
blend themselves into the same narrative.
In the detail of events, it has been my constant
study to represent every transaction in its true co-
lours, and to give a candid and unbiassed view of the
conduct of every person concerned. Having spared
no pains in investigating the truth, by reference to
authentic documents, and by comparison of opposite-
accounts from different parties, I am in hopes that I
have generally succeeded in giving a faithful repre-
sentation of the facts : but while I endeavour to do
justice to Dr. Bentley, it is frequently necessary to
exhibit his conduct in an unfavourable light, and such
viii PREFACE.
as reflects no credit upon his character, station, or pro-
fession. In so doing I shall of course expose myself
to the censure of persons, who condemn all attempts
to record the errors and frailties of illustrious cha-
racters, and would wish biography to be employed
upon those subjects only which can be proposed as
models for imitation. Anticipating objections of this
nature, I may as well make my reply to them at
once. In the first place, I cannot acknowledge the
justice or expediency of confining biography within
the limits just mentioned ; since I deem the disco-
very of truth paramount to all other considerations,
and think that an important and useful moral may
be drawn from the failings of persons gifted with
high intellectual endowments. But waiving this
question, it is right to state, that my publication is
not the means of first bringing to light the defects in
Dr. Bentley's character. The numerous pamphlets
which treat of his behaviour at different periods of
his life, are in greater request than any other tracts
that I am acquainted with : many of these pieces,
particularly the effusions of Conyers Middleton, which
have been reprinted among his works, represent his
conduct in the worst and most flagrant colours, and
abound with exaggerations and misstatements pro-
duced by temporary excitement and virulent hos-
tility. The present narrative, while it disguises
nothing, will be the means of vindicating Bentley
from unjust aspersions, and of giving a distinct and
fair view of his conduct, instead of representations
distorted and overcharged by personal animosity.
Soon after I had formed the design of this work,
PREFACE. ix
two unexpected and important sources of information
presented themselves. In the first place, a collection
of Bentley's correspondence with the greatest scholars
of his time, for about half a century, was discovered
in Trinity Lodge, at the death of the late Master,
along with several other papers of great importance
in his history. Secondly, the manuscripts of Dr.
Colbatch and others of Bentley's prosecutors, having
been carefully preserved by two or three successive
possessors, at length fell into the hands of an attorney
at Cambridge, and on his death were sold by his son
alongwith his books to a small second-hand book-shop :
at that moment, when in the last stage of its journey
to the grocer's or pastry-cook's, the whole collection
was accidentally seen and rescued from its fate by
two members of Trinity College. This large mass of
papers comprehends the correspondence of Colbatch
with many distinguished characters, of which the
letters of Conyers Middleton relative to his quarrels
with Bentley form an interesting part ; and the
various controversies which agitated the University
of Cambridge and Trinity College for nearly thirty
years, are here elucidated by the most satisfactory
authorities — the records of different courts, briefs for
counsel, and the evidence of witnesses on the op-
posite sides. Without the last-mentioned documents,
it would have been impossible to have given a dis-
tinct or connected account of those extraordinary and
complicated transactions.
Of my other unpublished sources of information
the principal are, the documents, relative both to
X PREFACE.
business and literature, preserved in the Archives,
the Library, and the Master's Lodge of Trinity Col-
lege, and the registers and public records belonging
to the University. I have also examined and gleaned
much information from Mr. William Cole's volumi-
nous manuscripts, from the Harleian papers, and
other materials in the British Museum ; from the
collections of Hearne and Go ugh the antiquaries,
and from the Ballard papers in the Bodleian Library
at Oxford ; a considerable correspondence between
Archbishop Wake and Dr. Bentley, preserved in the
Archiepiscopal Library at Lambeth : and a great
variety of letters and other original documents, which
have been communicated to me by different private
hands. Next to the first-named great collections of
original papers, I have derived the most assistance
from three manuscript journals kept by Dr. Col-
batch, Dr. Rud, and Mr. Attwood, who detailed
from day to day with great exactness events in which
Dr. Bentley was concerned during several interesting
periods of his life.
I have of course been careful to investigate and
draw from the works of Bentley and his contempo-
raries, as well as from every subsequent publication,
whatever authentic anecdotes or hints I could dis-
cover which might be of use in his biography. In
tlie latter class of publications, I feel that it is a just
tribute to acknowledge the frequent assistance which
I have found in Mr. Nichols's volumes of Literary
Anecdotes and Illustrations of Literature. I have
examined every one of the numerous pamphlets re-
PREFACE. xi
lative to Bentley's literary works and his personal
controversies which are any where recorded to have
appeared, besides several others which have escaped
the notice of bibliographers and collectors.
In taking this work in hand, I had little suspicion
of its extent, or the time required for its completion :
of the labour which it has cost me, I shall say
nothing ; since this can only be appreciated by such
readers as may have employed themselves in similar
undertakings : from them I shall probably have
credit for an endeavour to give a faithful represen-
tation of incidents long past ; and they, perhaps, will
be most disposed to treat with indulgence the faults
and imperfections of the book.
My special acknowledgments are due to the Master
and Fellows of Trinity College, for their kindness
and confidence shown in the unreserved communi-
cation of all the documents in their possession ; to
Mr. William Hustler, the Registrary, for greatly
facilitating my researches in the Archives of the
University; to the Rev, Dr. Bliss, and the gentle-
men who have the care of the Bodleian Library, for
their kind assistance in furthering my enquiries in
that noble repository; and to the Rev. Dr. D'Ovly,
Librarian of the Archbishop of Canterbury, for similar
aid in the Manuscript Library of Lambeth Palace.
To many gentlemen I am indebted for memoranda,
original letters, and other documents which have
contributed to this narrative ; of whom I would par-
xii PREFACE.
ticularly mention Mr. John Blayds, of Oulton, for
information respecting Bentley's family and early
years ; the Very Rev. Dr. Wood, Dean of Ely, for
the particulars of him while a member of St. John's
College ; to the Rev. Dr. Tournay, Warden of
Wadham College, for notices respecting his residence
at Oxford ; to Mr. Upcott, Librarian of the London
Institution, for copies of a valuable correspondence of
Bentley with his distinguished friend Evelyn ; to the
Rev. Dr. Burney, for the communication of many
detached papers respecting Bentley, collected by 'his
learned father ; to Mr. James Rimington, for a
large mass of papers belonging to Dr. Colbatch ;
and to the late Mr. Bentley Warren, for the
communication of many interesting particulars which
he had learned from his uncle. Dr. Richard Bent-
ley, of Nailstone in Leicestershire, the nephew and
executor of our hero. There are many other persons,
who have kindly supplied me with detached mate-
rials, to whom my obligations are expressed in the
notes. If I have in any instance neglected to make
this acknowledgment, I trust that the omission will
be attributed to oversight and accident.
One more remark is necessary, before this volume
leaves mv hands. As I have been oblio-ed to relate
the particulars of several sharp controversies and
stormy disputes, it has happened that the conduct of
some personages concerned is represented in un-
favourable colours. In so doing I have had no
object in view except the establishment of truth ;
and as more than a century has now passed away
PREFACE. xiii
since the transactions alluded to took place, I trust
that the parties may be considered as being fairly
the subjects of history. Should there, however, be
any part of my book which occasions pain or dis-
pleasure to the descendants of persons who figure in
the narrative, I can only say that I shall be sincerely
concerned at such a result, as being entirely contrary
both to my feelings and intentions.
Deanery, Peterborough,
April, 1830.
CONTENTS
OF
VOL. I.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
Bentley's origin — Family — Grandfather, Richard WiUie — Education in child-
hood — ^Wakefield School — His instnictors — His father's death — His grand-
father's bequest — Sent to St. John's College, Cambridge — College
studies — Bentley's verses — Mathematical pursuits — Newton's lectures —
Bentley's contemporaries — Richard Johnson — William Wotton, a juvenile
prodigy — Degree of B.A. — Fellowship at St. John's College — Bentley
master of Spalding School — Tutor to the son of Dr. Stillingfleet — His
Hebrew studies — Classical pursuits - - - - - 1 •
CHAPTER n.
Dean Stillingfleet made Bishop of Worcester — Bentley goes with his pupil to
Wadham College, Oxford — His acquaintance at Oxford j Mill, Bernard,
Hody — His literary employments — Hephaestion — Lucretius — Bentley
ordained deacon — Made chaplain to the Bishop of Worcester — Employed
to purchase the Vossian hbrary — Designs to collect the fragments of all
the Greek poets — Bishop Lloyd — Suggestion of publishing the Greek
lexicographers— Bentley's corrections of Hesychius — ^Verwey's edition —
Chronicle of Malela — Gregory — Chilmead — Pubhcation of Malela — Prole-
gomena by Hody — Bentley undertakes to write an Appendix — Account of
the Chronicle — Epistola ad MiUium — Correspondence with Bernard — Con-
troversy withHody— Reception of Bentley's first publication — Its contents —
Its style — Bentley occupied in theology — Resumes classical studies —
Undertakes Manilius - - - - -*- -18
CHAPTER HI.
Hon. Robert Boyle — His lectureship — Bentley appointed first lecturer — Con-
futation of Atheism — Mr. Evelyn — The principles of Hobbes — Newton's
discoveries — Bentley first makes them generally known — Consults Newton
himself — Bentley's style — Merits of the lectures — Bentley's first opponent —
xvi CONTENTS.
PAG p.
Bishop Kidder succeeds — Bentley made Prebendary of Worcester — Excites
envy — His haughtiness of manner — Correspondence with Graevius — A tract
of Rubenius — Graevius's edition of CaUimachus — Bentley undertakes the
Fragments — Joshua Barnes — Epistles of Euripides — Bentley's opinion of
them — Barnes's behaviour - - - - - - 37
CHAPTER IV.
Bentley made keeper of the King's hbrary — Second course of Boyle's Lectures —
Commences printing an edition of Philostratus — Abandons it to Olearius —
Graevius's dedication to Bentley — Controversy on ancient and modem
learning — Sir WilUam Temple — Wotton's Reflections — Temple's opinion
of iEsop and Phalaris — Bentley promises to confute him — Dr. Aldrich,
Dean of Christ Church — Hon. Charles Boyle — Undertakes to pubUsh Pha-
laris — Bennett, the bookseller, applies to Bentley for a manuscript — Causes
a quarrel — Boyle makes a reflection upon Bentley — Rejects his explanation —
Archbishop Tenison — Lambeth degree — Evelyn — Pepys — Bentley chaplain
to the King — Rector of Hartlebury — Apartments in St. James's palace —
Earl of Marlborough — State of the Library — Cambridge University press
renovated by Bentley's agency — Takes the degree of D.D. — His public
act — Commencement sermon - - - - - -55
CHAPTER V.
PubUcation of CaUimachus — Additions by Spanheim and Bentley — Boyle's
Lectures — Bentley's first Dissertation on Phalaris — Reply to Sir W.
Temple — Literary forgeries — Opinions respecting the Epistles — Bentley
proves them spurious — from Chronology — from their language — from their
matter — from their late discovery — Replies to Mr. Boyle— Censures his
edition — Other spurious Epistles — Reply to Barnes — ^Esop's Fables —
Their history — Babrius — Maximus Planudes — Sensation produced by the
Dissertation — The confederacy — Atterbury, Smalridge, R. Frehid, J.
Freind, Alsop — Atterbury the chief author — Sir William Temple's morti-
fication — His rejoinder — Swift's Tale of a Tub — Ridicules Wotton and
Bentley - ....-_. yg
CHAPTER VI.
Proposed new library — Bentley's club — Alsop's pubhcation of vEsop — Boyle's
Examination of Bentley's Dissertation — Dr. AViUiam King — Sir Edward
Sherburn's frivolous complaint — Absurd charges against Bentley — Merits
of the Christ Church book — Instances of its mistakes — Examination of
jEsop — Witty proof that the Dissertation was not written by Bentley —
Charge of plagiarism— Affronting Inde.x — Causes of the great popularity
of Boyle's book — Temple's reception of the book — Boyle's own sentiments —
CONTENTS. xvii
PAGE
Outcry against Bentley — Keill — Milner— Garth — Aldrich — Caricature —
Rymer's Essay — Swift's Battle of the Books — Bentley's behaviour —
Bentley i^repares a reply — Dodwell's Chronology — Bentley's enlarged
Dissertation on Phalaris — Attractive nature of the work — Defence against
the accusation of pedantry — Retorts Boyle's raillery — Short Account of
Dr. Bentley's Humanity and Justice — Refutation of this pamphlet —
Another anonymous tract — Bishoj) Lloyd's publication — Death of Bishop
StiUingfleet — His library — Bentley's complete victory - - - 95
CHAPTER VII.
Bentley made Master of Trinity College, Cambridge — History of the College —
Its great fame and prosperity — Its decline — The probable causes — Bentley's
appointment unpopular — The Duke of Gloucester — Bentley's first step upon
his admission — Repairs of the Master's Lodge — Bentley elected Vice-
chancellor — His marriage — Vindicates the rights of the University — A
Greek Archbishop created D.D. — Address to the King — Ludolf Kvister —
His edition of Suidas — Bentley made Archdeacon of Ely — Member of
Convocation — University Press — General election — Bentley undertakes to
publish Horace — Death of Grsevius — Elections in Trinity CoUege — The
Master's regulations — Measures of discipline — Care of the College library —
Graduates in Divinity — Dissention among the Fellows — Declamations —
Offence given by the Master — Expensive repairs — New staircase — College
Preachers — Sequel of the Phalaris controversy — Publications of Atterbury —
Dodwell— Swift— Wotton - - - - - - 139
CHAPTER Vlll.
Queen Anne visits Cambridge — Sike, the oriental scholar — Elected Hebrew
Professor — Dr. Brookbank — Cottonian library — Verses on the death of
Prince George of Denmark — Bentley prints the text of Horace — Baron
Spanheim — Kuster's Suidas — Jubilee at Frankfort on the Oder — Kuster
quits Berlin, and returns to Utrecht — Undertakes an edition of Aristo-
phanes — Bentley's Critical Epistles to Kuster — to Hemsterhuis — His
children — He takes pupils as boarders in the Lodge — Roger Cotes — Bentley
builds an Observatorj' — Founds a school of natural philosophy — Whiston —
Vigani, Professor of Chemistry — Bentley prepares a chemical laboratory —
College bowling-green — Bentley's plan for a new interior of the chapel —
Bernard Smith, the organ builder — Subscription — The work superintended
by Professor Cotes — Distress of the Fellows — The Master's measures of
retrenchment and reformation — College festivals — College offices — Pan-
doxator's Dividend — First deviation from the rule of merit in elections to
fellowships — Expulsion of two Fellows — Wyvill — Breval — Bentley dis-
communes some Fellows — Attempts to take away the Combination Room —
Is a candidate for the Bishoprick of Chichester — John Davies — Bentley's
Emendations on Cicero's Tusculans — James Gronovius — Peter Needham's
a
xviii CONTENTS.
PAGE
Edition of Hierocles — Assistance received from Bentley — Second edition of
Sir Isaac Newton's Principia - - - - - -183
CHAPTER IX.
A party among the junior Fellows in favour of the Master — History of the
College dividends — Bentley issues proposals for a new scheme of dividends
— Change in the Master's proportion — Scheme of composition for cus-
tomary allowances — Objections of the Fellows to the proposals — The
Master's design for improving the College preferment — The proposals
rejected by the Seniors — Mr. Miller, a lay-fellow, encourages their resist-
ance — Violent behaviour of the Master — The Fellows resolve to complain
to the Visitor — Dr. Colbatch — Bentley deprives Miller of his fellowship —
The Seniors reinstate him — Half the Fellows petition the Bishop of Ely
on the statute for the removal of the Master — Bentley publishes a letter to
the Bishop — Defence of himself, and abuse of his prosecutors — Rephes by
MUler, Blomer, Wliite, Paris, Partridge — Mr. Ashenhurst prosecuted for
libelling the Queen — Scandal occasioned by these feuds — Dr. King's
Horace in Trinity College — Bentley again wiites to the Bishop of Ely —
Le Clerc pubhshes the fragments of Menander and Philemon — Bentley
writes a censure of this book, imder the title of Phileleutherus Lipsiensis —
Sends it to Utrecht to be published by Peter Burman — Correspondence
with Le Clerc — Gronovius pubhshes a book against both Bentley and Le
Clerc — Bergler's review — De Pauw, Philargyrius Cantabrigiensis — Le
Clerc's defence - - - - - - -231
CHAPTER X.
Great political changes in 1710 — Vacancies of senior-fellowships in Trinity
College — Fifty-four articles of accusation presented against Dr. Bentley —
Account of Laughton, the Proctor — He disturbs a party of the representa-
tives and their friends at the Rose tavern — Politics at Cambridge — General
election — Expulsion of Professor Whiston — Barnes's edition of Homer —
His quarrel with Bentley — His death and character — Bentley makes
interest with the Queen for protection against his prosecutors — The Bishop
of Ely requires his answer to the articles — Bentley presents a petition and
com})laint to the crown— Question of the Visitor of Trinity College —
Government stops the i)roceedings of the Bishop — Opinion of the Attorney
and Solicitor General — Bentle.y throws himself on the protection of the
Lord Treasurer — His change of party — Questions submitted to the Queen's
counsel — Extraordinary efibrts of Bentley to finish his Horace — Dedication
to the Earl of Oxford — Preface — Theory of the ' Tempora Horatiana' —
Excellences and faults of Bentley's Horace — Numerous ])ubhcations ridi-
culing the book — John Ker's attack on his Latinity — Le Clerc's Review of
his Horace — Atterbury's compliments of the work — Another edition at
Amsterdam - - - - - - - -281
CONTENTS. xix
CHAPTER XL
PAGE
Opinions of the Crown Lawyers respecting the Visitor of Trinity College —
Bentley's prosecutors in private communication with the Lord Treasurer —
His design to compose the differences — Suicide of Professor Sike — Election
of Hebrew and Greek Professors — Dr. Stubbe turned out of the Vice-
mastership — Queen's prohibition taken oflF from the Bishop of Ely —
Bentley presents to the Queen an Address from the University of Cam-
bridge — Vote of the Senate directed against Bentley — Language held by
his friends in his favour — Clarke — Jurin — Cotes — Publication of Newton's
Principia — Thomas Bentley's Horace — Collins' Discourse of Freethinking —
Replies by Hoadly, Wliiston, Swift, Berkely, Ibbot — Bentley's Remarks
on Free-thinking — Dr. Hare publishes the Clergyman's Thanks to Phi-
leleutherus — Second Part of Bentley's Remarks — Disgraceful behaviour of
Collins — Bentley gives offence to Lord Bolingbroke — He replies to the
Articles of Accusation — Attempts to terminate the proceedings — The Bi-
shop's Assessors — Trial at Ely House — The Bishop's opinion unfavourable
to the Master — Sentence of Deprivation prepared — Death of Bishop Moore
— Death of Queen Anne - _ _ . _ - 325
CHAPTER XH.
Bentley's reconciliation with his Fellows— Fleetwood, Bishop of Ely — Fresh
attempt to vacate MiUer's fellowship — Miller's petition to the King —
Articles of accusation against the Master — Bishop Fleetwood refuses to
take cognizance of them — Bentley's Charge to his Archdeaconry — Sherlock
and Waterland — Vote of the Senate against Bentley rescinded — Thanks of
the University voted to him — State of politics at Cambridge — King's
present of the late Bishop Moore's library to the University — ' University
Loyalty considered ' — Bentley's Sermon on Popery — Attack upon the
Sermon — Reply — Account of Dr. Colbatch — Bentley offers liim the Vice-
mastership — ^The Master's disposal of College livings — Further measures
against Miller — College leases — Colbatch applies to the Bishop of Ely —
Archbishop Wake interests himself in favour of the Fellows — They petition
the King — Bentley's scheme of publishing the Greek Testament — Death
of Cotes — Robert Smith — History and death of Kuster — Biel — Correspond-
ence on Hesychius— Project of editions to be published by Bentley, ' in
usmn Principis Frederici ' — Schism in the Wlaig ministry — Bentley turns
out MiUer by constables — Quarrels with Colbatch — Fellowship election —
Petition read in Council — Miller's book on the University of Cambridge —
' Humble and Serious Representation on the State of Trinity College ' —
Bentley carries an address to the King — Waterland — Election of Vice-
chancellor — Bentley's Visitation Charge - _ . . 3G(5
THE HOUSE IN WHICH BENTLEY WAS BORN.
LIFE
OF
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D.
CHAPTER I.
Bentley's origin — Family — Grandfather, Richard Willie — Education in
childhood — Wakefield School — His instructors — His father's death —
His grandfather's bequest — Sent to St. John's College, Cambridge —
College studies — Bentley's verses — Mathematical pursuits — Newton's
lectures — Bentley's contemporaries — Richard Johnson — William Wotton,
a juvenile prodigy— Degree of B. A.— Fellowship at St. John's College —
Bentley master of Spalding School— Tutor to the son of Dr. StiUingfleet
— His Hebrew studies — Classical pursuits.
Richard Bentley was a native of Oulton in the chap. i.
parish of Rothwell, a village not far from Wakefield, Bemiey-s
in the West Riding of Yorkshire. In certain biogra- ''"^'"•
phical narratives which appeared a few years after his
death we find him described as a person of very low
extraction, ' the son either of a tanner or a black-
smith ^' On the other hand, the late Mr. Richard
Cumberland, his grandson, not only contradicts this
statement, but Intimates that he was sprung from a
family of rank and consideration, and shows great
anxiety to establish this point ; as if he deemed it
more honourable to his ancestor to have been born
of gentle blood, than to have raised himself from
' Biographia Britannica, vol. ii. p. 7^"^, first edition, 1/48.
VOL. I. B
LIFE OP
CHAP. I.
Family.
Grandfa-
ther, Rich-
ard Willie.
obscurity by the force of genius and merit ^, But the
fact is, that Bentley's progenitors were of that respect-
able class which has supplied every profession with
many of its brightest ornaments, the higher descrip-
tion of English yeomen : they had been settled for
some generations at Heptonstall, a village about eight
miles from Halifax, where they possessed property,
which appears to have suffered in the civil wars be-
tween the King and the Parliament ^ His grand-
father, James Bentley, a captain in the Royal army,
was taken by the enemy, and died a prisoner in
Pontefract Castle ; Cumberland adds, that ' his
house was plundered, and his estate confiscated.'
His father, Thomas Bentley, possessed a small estate,
probably by inheritance, at Woodlesford, one of the
five townships of which the parish of Rothwell con-
sists : indeed, from the occurrence of the name of
Bentley in the parish registers in the reign of Eli-
zabeth, I am led to suppose that this had been the
original residence of the family. In the year 1661
he married Sarah, daughter of Richard Willie, a
stone-mason at Oulton ; and the first offspring of their
union was the illustrious subject of these memoirs.
Bentley was born on the 27tli of January, 1661-62,
in a house belonging to his grandfather, in compli-
ment to whom he received the name of Richard. Mr.
2 In Kippis's edition of the Biographia Britannica, the article upon
Bentley received many additions and alterations, which were avowedly from
the hand of Cumberland.
^ The family was very numerous, and spread into several branches. In
the register of baptisms in the chapelry of Heptonstall, which consists of
four townships, no less than forty-two persons of the name of Bentley are
found between the years 1599 and I66O. Tlie Christian names of most
frequent occurrence are, Michael, James, and Thomas. For partictdars
respecting the family at Heptonstall, I am indebted to the obliging enquiries
of the Rev. Joseph Charnock, who occupies a house belonging to the family,
and some closes adjoining, which in the records of the parish are called
* Bentley's Land.'
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 3
Willie appears to have been a person of more consi- chap. r.
deration than his trade of ' mason' might imply ; ^^^"^ -
according to the authority just cited, he too had been
a cavalier, and had held a major's commission in the
Royal army'*. This however is certain, that in the
education and welfare of his grandson he took a great
and effectual interest.
It is a circumstance not unworthy of record, that Education
the most celebrated scholar of modern times received hood.
the first rudiments of his classical education from a
female : it was his mother, w^ho is represented to have
been a woman of exceedingly good understanding, by
whom Bentley was taught the Latin Accidence ^ He
was first sent to a day-school in the neighbouring
hamlet of Methley ^ ; afterwards to the Grammar
School of Wakefield, a seminary of considerable re-
putation. Of Bentley's school studies and school wakefieid
friendships no particulars have been recorded: by^^°°'
Cumberland we are only told, that ' he went through
the school with singular reputation, for his proficiency,
as well as for his regularity.' Even the name of the
master who had the honour of so illustrious a pupil,
has been hitherto unknown. I find that Mr. Jeremiah
Boulton was master of Wakefield School until April,
1672, when he obtained the living of Ack worth, and
was succeeded by Mr. John Baskervile. Of the latter Hi^nstruc-
gentleman, to whom, of course, the principal credit
of Bentley's education must belong, I know no more
than that he was of Emmanuel College, Cambridge,
* Biographia Britannica. It is necessary to obsetr^e, that Cumberland
is inaccurate in several of the particulars which he gives of Bentley : he is
even mistaken in the name of his grandfather, whom he repeatedly calls
Willis.
^ Biographia Britannica.
" Tins and some other particvdars I learnt from Mrs. Hopkins, a lady
related to the Bentley family, who died a few years ago at a very ad^^anced
age.
B 2
tors.
4 LIFE OF
CHAP. I. and presided in the school till his death in 1681.
^^^^- Not to name the school or the masters of men illus-
trious for literature, has been justly called ' a kind of
historical fraud, by which honest fame is injuriously
diminished ^' This remark is peculiarly applicable
to cases like the present, where the eminence of the
party rests so materially upon classical scholarship,
and where the bias of his taste and genius probably
received its direction from his early instructors. For
the place of his education Bentley testified throughout
life the greatest attachment, and extended to persons
coming from that seminary his encouragement and
patronage. It niay here be mentioned, that to this
school belongs the singular distinction of having pro-
duced two scholars who held the office of Regius
Professor of Divinity in their respective Universities
at the same time. John Potter, afterwards Arch-
bishop of Canterbury, who filled the theological chair
at Oxford, when Bentley was chosen to the same post
at Cambridge, was sent from Wakefield to University
Colle2:e.
At the time of Bentley 's birth, his father was con-
siderably advanced in life, while his mother's age was
only nineteen. They had four children younger than
himself, of whom only two, Ann and Joseph, survived
His father's their iufaucy. When he was thirteen years old, his
1675.' ''" father died, leaving his property at Woodlesford to
his eldest son James, the offspring, as it appears, of a
former marriage. Richard was committed to the care
of his grandfather Willie, who determined upon send-
ing him to the University. This design he put in
execution the following year, choosing that early
period either on account of the youth's uncommon
proficiency, or for the better chance of witnessing
' Dr. SamuelJohnson's Life of Addison.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 5
himself the completion of his education. His par- chap. i.
tiality for his grandson appears in a bequest of some ^^^^'
property, consisting of seven acres of land, the house His grand-
in which Bentley was born, and other buildings ; one- quest.
third to his daughter, and the remaining two-thirds,
with the reversion of the whole, to her eldest son
Richard ^.
Our vouno; scholar was admitted at Cambridge a May 24,
subsizar of St. John's College, at that time the largest Bemiey
in the University, under the tuition of the Rev. Joseph johnsCoi-
Johnston ; and in the entry of his admission he is 1^?^' <^*™-
"^ . , bridge.
stated, either by design or accident, to be a year older
than he actually was ^ The master of the College
was Dr. Francis Turner, afterwards Bishop of Ely,
and one of the seven prelates who signalized them-
selves by their resistance to the attempts of James II.
against the Church. The University was at this time
crowded with students to a degree, of which there has
since been hardly any example : at his matriculation, juiy 6,
Bentley's name appears the last of twenty-six sizars of
St, John's College, who had all commenced their re-
sidence in the same term.
Of Bentley's studies at the University, I am able to CoUegestu-
communicate little more than what may be inferred
from the attainments which he subsequently exhi-
bited. He here, doubtless, laid the foundation of his
8 For particulars relative to the Oulton property, Bentley's family, and
other matters connected with the place of his natiAaty, I am indebted to my
friend, John Blayds, esq. who is possessed of the property in question, and
has kindly examined and transcribed the different deeds alluded to, as well
as the parish registers.
'■> Extract from the Admission Book of St. John's College : " Richardus
Bentley de Oulton, fihus Thomae B. defuncti, annos natus 15 et quod
excurrit, Uteris institutus infra Wakefield, admissus est subsizator pro M'ro
Johnston tutore et fidejussore ejus, Maii 24, ann. 1676." Bentley's tutor,
when he took his degree of B.A. in 1664, spelled his name Johnson. The
reader of these memoirs wiU perhaps be struck with the coincidence which
associates so many persons of the name of Johnson with Bentley's history.
6 LIFE OF
CHAP. I. accurate and extensive knowledge of the classics, and
167C. attained that nice perception of their poetical mea-
~' sures, for which he stands unrivalled. Upon the
latter point, indeed, where he had scarcely any ex-
ample to follow, and where he claims the merit of a
discoverer, we are told by himself, in his Dissertation
on the Metres of Terence^ that he had adopted some
of his metrical opinions at this early age '^ The
academical prizes which now serve as a stimulus to
the genius and exertions of students, and are the means
of recording their early merits, had at that time no
existence : indeed, the value of this powerful engine
of emulation seems not to have been understood until
long after the period of which we are writing. But
the collision of talent, inevitable in so large a society,
could not have failed to operate with full force upon
the youthful ardour of such a mind as Bentley's.
Bentiey's I am uot awarc that any of his Latin verses, Avritten
at this period, have been preserved : but we have
little cause to regret their loss, as he was not en-
dowed with a poetical vein, and it is evident, from his
subsequent productions of that kind, that he never
acquired facility or elegance in their composition ; an
accomplishment, indeed, hardly to be expected from
a boy who quits school at the age of fourteen. The
only specimen which I possess of his college exercises,
is an English ode " On the Papists' Conspiracy by
Gunpowder," written in stanzas of ten lines : it is
principally curious, as showing that a taste still pre-
vailed for the forced conceits and far-fetched quibbles
which mark the poetical school of Cowley. The
following is a specimen of the style in which he com-
bines his wit and learning :
10 " Quare ego jam ab adolescentia in omnibus lambicis praeter Tetra-
metnim Catalecticum, de quo postea dicam, aliain uiilii scansionis ration em
institui, per cnrodiav scilicet rpoxaiVfyv," &c. De Metris Terentianis, p. iv.
verses.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 7
" Such, devilish deeds to Angli done] CHAP. 1.
Such black designs on Albion! I6i6.
Transmarine fruit : sure 't could not grow —
From soil quite contrary, and people too.
He that its history doth tell,
Must not have goose but Harpy's quill;
No Heliconian aid must wish.
But th' iron whip of Nemesis ;
"»v 'Tis that must now make Pegasus to go,
And scorn St. Peter's church at Rome below.
The Roman Pontiff he calls,
" For mathematics much renown' d ;
That fame's his due; for he hath found
The point of Archimede, he 'th hurl'd
Religion upside down, and mov'd the world."
And he thus compares the operations of the Papists
with the persecutions of the Christians under Nero :
" 'Tis true, the Christians they did tear.
Sewed in the skins of wolf and bear ;
But now ye butcher all the rest.
Like wolves in shape of Christians drest.
We do not wish that you should bear
Our kings in splendid triumph here,
Elijah-like, the skies to pass :
No Phaethon in Britain was.
Our sins are not so foul as to requne
Tlie Roman purgatory fire.
To make the senate -house a pile.
And senate a burnt off' ring for the isle."
The studies of the schools consisted of logic, ethics,
natural philosophy, and the mathematics : the latter
branch of knowledge, which was destined subse-
quently to take the lead, and almost to swallow up
the rest, had then but recently become an object of
much attention. That Bentley cultivated mathe- carpSts"
8
LIFE OF
Newton's
lectures.
CHAP. I. matical science with effect, may be inferred from the
^^^' close and logical character of his style, as well as
from his constantly recommending and patronizing
such studies in others. The true system of the uni-
verse, and the proper methods of philosophical inves-
tigation, had not yet become public by the writings
of Newton : but the light of the Newtonian discoveries
was partially revealed to Cambridge before the rest of
the world, by the lectures of the philosopher himself,
delivered in his character of Lucasian Professor.
These Bentley had an opportunity of attending ; and
that he did not neglect it, I am induced to believe
by his selection of the Newtonian discoveries as a pro-
minent subject of his Boyle's Lectures, and his fami-
liarity with the train of reasoning by which they are
established.
Among the students of the same year with Bentley,
I find some names of no small celebrity: Samuel
Garth of St. Peter's College, well known as a phy-
sician, a poet, and a philanthropist ; John Dennis of
Caius, a name familiar in the literary history of his
time, whose acuteness as a critic made him formidable
to Addison and Pope. Richard Johnson, of the same
college as Bentley, was also his contemporary ; and I
conjecture him to be the person afterwards master of
Nottingham School, and author of Grammatical Com-
mentaries, Nodes JVottinghamiccE, and Aristarchus
Anti-Bentleianus. This identity, which there seems
little reason to doubt, may help to account for the
personal rancour displayed against Bentley in the
latter production ; which is inexplicable but upon the
supposition of some previous intercourse. Johnson's
spleen might have been the offspring of a feud begun
at the University, or of mortification at the neglect of
old acquaintance by his more fortunate fellow-col-
Bentley's
contempo
raries.
Richard
Johnson.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 9
legian". Of his contemporaries I am aware of only chap. i.
one with whom Bentley maintained a friendship in ^^7^-
after life : this was William Wotton, the able anta-
gonist of Sir W. Temple, in the controversy ' On
ancient and modern Learning.' As their combined
efforts on that occasion have associated together the
names of Wotton and Bentley, it is right to take some wiuiam
notice of the former, who, when he entered the Uni- j^"^"","' ^
versity, was a child, and presents the best authen- P'o^igy.
ticated instance of a juvenile prodigy that I have ever
found upon record ^^. It is certified by the testimony
not of one but many persons of sense and learning,
that at six years of age he was able to read and
translate Latin, Greek, and Hebrew ; to which, at
seven, he added some knowledge of the Arabic and
Syriac. On his admission at Catherine Hall in his
tenth year, the master. Dr. Eachard, the antagonist
of Hobbes, recorded, ' Gulielmus Wotton, infra decern
annas, nee Hammondo nee Grot'io secundus' His sur-
prising proficiency during his academical career is
testified by some of the best scholars of that day.
Dr. Paman the Public Orator, Dr. Duport the Dean
of Peterborough, and Dr. Lynnet of Trinity College.
When he proceeded Bachelor of Arts, he was ac-
" Johnson, in his ' Grammatical Commentaries,' styles himself M.A.
and Mr. GUbert Wakefield, who gives some account of him in the Memoirs
of his own life, says, that ' he could not find out which University had the
honour of his education.' Bentley's contemporary, Richard Johnson, is
the only graduate of the name, either at Oxford or Cambridge, who could
be the Nottingham schoolmaster. He proceeded indeed no further than
his degree of B.A. But there have been many instances of persons who,
having only taken that first degree, afterwards intimated their academical
education by assuming the title of M.A. to which they had no claim,- pro-
bably from a dislike of the juvenile notion connected with the term ' Bachelor
of Arts.'
12 I am aware of the prodigies recorded of John Philip Barretier, whose
life is given by Dr. Sam. Johnson. See Johnson's Works, vol. xii. p. 149.
But the wonderful parts of that narrative rest upon the sole authority of the
youth's father.
10 LIFE OF
CHAP. I. quainted with twelve languages ; and as there was
^^7^-^Q- no precedent for granting that degree to a bo}^ of
thirteen, Dr. Humphrey Gower, one of the Caput,
thought fit to put upon record a notice of his profi
ciency in every species of literature, as a justification
of the University. These testimonies, after making
every abatement for the language of admiration, leave
the fact little less than miraculous : and it is right to
add, that Wotton maintained in after life a reputation
much higher than is generally the case with persons
famed for precocious intellect in childhood ^^
Nov. 4, As Bentlev did not eniov an exhibition from his
school, his finances were probably slender ; but when
he had been above two years at college, he was made
scholar on the foundation of Dr. Dowman, there being
perhaps no claimant from Pocklington School, for
which that endowment is destined : at the expiration
of the year he succeeded to one of the Yorkshire
scholarships founded by Sir Marmaduke Constable.
ieioSo ^fter the regular period of residence and study.
Degree of Bcntlcy commcnccd Bachelor of Arts, in company
with a greater number of students than have ever
since taken their degree at the same time, till the last
two or three years. On this occasion, so important
in an academical life, his name appears sixth in the
First Tripos, or list of honours. But a custom ex-
isted for the Vice-chancellor and two Proctors seve-
rally to nominate one student to a place among the
honours, as a compliment ; and the names of these
honorary ' Senior Optimes' were registered imme-
diately after that of the first man in the year. This
practice, though invidious as a distinction, and in-
13 The numerous and incontrovertible testimonies of the amazing profi-
ciency of Wotton's childhood may be seen in Nichols' hiterary Anecdotes,
vol. iv. p. 253—259.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. II
effectual as an honour, was suffered to continue, until chap. t.
the Senate-house examination had assumed its present ^^^^-^^-
form and importance ; nor was it totally abolished
till within the last forty years. Bentley's place,
therefore, corresponded with that of third Wrangler
at the present period. It is right, however, to notice,
that the disposition of these honours in former days,
considered as a criterion of merit, hardly admits of a
comparison with that of later times. The care taken
in ascertaining the proficiency of the young men was
inadequate ; and consequently little value seems to
have been attached to such distinctions, which we
scarcely ever find mentioned before the middle of the
last century. The very year in which Bentley gra- I680.
duated, witnessed the first of the improvements that
have progressively raised the philosophical system of
Cambridge to its present eminence — I mean, the
annual appointment of two persons accomplished in
scientific knowledge, to preside as Moderators in the
Sophs' Schools ; a duty previously performed by the
Proctors, who from the accidental mode of their no-
mination, must sometimes have been deficient in the
requisite qualifications. Four years afterwards a i684.
further improvement was made, by associating these
persons with the examiners for degrees ^'^.
Bentley had now completed his education with such Fellowships
■,(,.. n •^ ^ at St. John's
a share 01 credit as never tails to secure employment coiiege.
and mainten^xice for a scholar: he was, however,
excluded from a fellowship in his college, by that
unfortunate provision in the statutes of St. John's,
which confined the number of fellows born in each
county to two; a restriction not removed till the reign
of his present majesty : there being at that time two
fellowships held by Yorkshiremen, it followed that he
" From the Registers of the University.
12
LIFE OF
CHAP. I.
1681-82.
March,
1681-82.
Bentley
Master of
Spalding
School.
was not admissible. For the two years succeeding
his Bachelor's degree, I am unable to trace any notice
or biographical anecdote respecting him : he probably
continued to reside at Cambridge, in the further pro-
secution of his studies. A fellowship, founded by
Sir Marmaduke Constable, then becoming vacant,
Bentley was a candidate ^^ : but as persons in priest's
orders are alone eligible to this foundation, and as he
wanted four years of the canonical age, his motive in
coming forward on this occasion must have been a
desire to distinguish himself by his performance in the
examination. St. John's College has at all times
been laudably noted for attention to the interests of
its deserving members ; a spirit which was now exhi-
bited in favour of Bentley. The head-mastership of
the Grammar School of Spalding in Lincolnshire
being vacant, and the nomination having lapsed to
the college, he was appointed to that office. The
commission of so important a trust to a youth who had
just completed his twentieth year, is not only a testi-
mony of his scholarship, but implies an opinion of the
steadiness and discretion of his character. As soon
as he was of age, he disposed of his interest in the
Oulton property to his brother James ; and we are
told that he devoted the money arising from the sale
to the purchase of a collection of books, an article
indispensable in his present situation "^.
The office of a country schoolmaster generally fixes
the destiny of its possessor for life, and forces him to
be contented with the humble but honourable fame to
be acquired in the discharge of its duties. Bentley 's
lot designed him for a different sphere : he did not
preside over the school more than a twelvemonth, too
short a period to afford means of estimating his merits
'■' Cumberland, Biographia Brilannica, vol. ii. j). 242.
Ibid.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 13
as an instructor, and scarcely sufficient to place his chap. i.
name upon record in that capacity. Not only were ^^^^•^^-
his early biographers ignorant of the fact of his having
been master of Spalding School, but during his life-
time it was not generally known : many of his anta-
gonists accuse him of writing in the style of a peda-
gogue, without seeming to be aware that he had once
actually sustained that character ^^
In the accounts of the school I observe, that before
the year 1722 the master had no proper dwelling-
house ^^ This deficiency of accommodation at Spald-
ing might have been one reason which induced
Bentley to accept the office of domestic tutor to the
son of Dr. Edward Stillingfleet, Dean of St. Paul's. 1682-83.
Accordingly he bade adieu to Spalding, (where he s^'n of or.''^
was succeeded by Mr. Walter Johnson), and became stiiiingfleet.
an inmate in the family of that illustrious divine. For
this appointment likewise he was indebted to St.
John's college, of which the Dean had been a fellow.
To a young man of talents and merit, hardly any
situation could have been more beneficial : he here
enjoyed the use of one of the best private libraries in
the world ; was in the habit of conversing with many
leading characters in the Church and State, who
visited his patron ; and, above all, had the oppor-
tunity of profiting by the daily society of the Dean,
who was a person of unbounded learning, and who
had great insight into the characters and capacities
of others ; while his amiable disposition, and the re-
collection of having himself in early life filled a similar
situation in two gentlemen's families, insured his
'^ See a letter upon the subject from Mr. J. Rowning to Mr. Wm.
Greaves of Fulboume, given in Nichols' Account of the Spalding Society. —
Ldterary Anecdotes, vol. vi. p. 1 0.
'* Nichols' Literary Anecdotes, vol. vi. p. 55.
14 LIFE OF
CHAP. I. liberal and considerate treatment of the tutor of his
1683. gon '\
July, 1683. Bentley took his degree of Master of Arts at the
regular period, after which his connection with the
University of Caml^ridge ceased for some years ; the
Dean, in whose family he lived, being Rector of St.
Andrew's Holborn, resided principally in London.
Here he prosecuted his studies with all the advan-
tages of books and literary society, and amassed and
digested that prodigious fund of knowledge, which
displays itself in his earliest publications. We know
that he made theology a primary object, and judged
that an acquaintance with the oriental languages was
the best foundation for a thorough understanding of
the Scriptures. In a tract, written when nearly three-
score, he records with visible satisfaction his laborious
His Hebrew method of acquii'iug the Hebrew. " He wrote," he
tells us, " before he was twenty-four years of age, a
sort oi Hexapla; a thick volume in quarto, in the first
column of which he inserted every word of the Hebrew
Bible alphabetically ; and in five other columns, all
the various interpretations of those words in the Chal-
dee, Syriac, Vulgate, Latin, Septuagint, and Aquila,
Symmachus, and Theodotian, that occur in the whole
Bible. This he made for his own use, to know the
Hebrew, not from the late rabbins, but from the
ancient versions ; when, bating Arabic, Persic, and
Ethiopic, he read over the whole Polyglot." At the
same time he mentions having written another volume
in quarto of various lections and emendations of the
Hebrew Text, drawn t)ut of the ancient versions ;
' which, though done in these green years, would make
a second part to the famous Capellus's Critica Sacra '^•'.'
"' Life of Stillinrjjleet, p. 3,
*" Dr. Bentley'' s Proposah for printin() a new Edition of the Greek Testa-
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. "^ 15
Bentley, while under the protection of his patron, chap. i.
paid much attention to the criticism of the New Testa- ^^^^-
ment ; a subject which he resumed with so much
energy at a more advanced age. But his favourite
objects of pursuit at this as well as every other period
of life, were the classical authors ; and those he studied
in a manner at once so accurate and so comprehensive,
as to lay a foundation for the most solid fame which
has ever yet been built upon this department of lite-
rature. It may be remarked, that a scholar at that
time possessed neither the aids nor the encourage-
ments which are now presented to smooth the paths of
literature. The grammars of the Latin and Greek Ian- classical
guages were imperfectly and erroneously taught ; and p"""^""®-
the critical scholar must have felt severely the ab-
sence of sufficient indexes, particularly of the vo-
luminous scholiasts, grammarians, and later writers
of Greece, in the examination of which no inconsider-
able portion of a life might be consumed. Bentley,
relying upon his own exertions, and the resources of
his own mind, pursued an original path of criticism,
in which the intuitive and subtile quickness of his •
genius qualified him to excel. In the faculty of me-
mory, so important for such pursuits, he has himself
candidly declared, that he was not particularly gifted^^
Consequently he practised throughout life the pre-
caution of noting in the margin of his books the sug-
gestions and conjectures which rushed into his mind
during their perusal. To this habit of laying up
materials in store, we may partly attribute the sur-
ment, and St. Hierom's Latin Version, 1721, p. 35. I am not aware what
has become of these two manuscript volumes, or whether they have been
preserved.
2' Dissertation on Phalaris, p. 421. "I will freely own therefore to
Mr. B. that my memory, which is none of the best, deceived me here."
IG LIFE OF
CHAP. I. prising rapidity with which some of his most important
^fi«^- works were completed. He was also at the trouble
of constructino; for his own use mdexes of authors
quoted by the principal scholiasts, by Eustathius, and
other ancient commentators, of a nature similar to
those afterwards published by Fabricius, in his Bibli-
othcca GrcBca; w^hich latter are the joint produce of the
labour of various hands.
There is no doubt that from the first Bentley looked
forward to the clerical profession as his designation ;
yet he did not enter into holy orders till some years
after the usual age. For this delay we shall be at no
loss to account, if we recollect that he completed his
1685. twenty-third year at the very period of the accession
of James the Second to the throne ; and that this
Prince's whole reign consisted of unceasing attempts
to introduce Popery, and to overthrow the Church of
England, b)^ measures which amounted to a perse-
cution of its members. Dr. Stillino-fleet was at that
time Prolocutor of the Lower House of Convocation,
and took a great share in the councils of those illus-
trious fathers of the Church, to w^hose spirit and firm-
ness its preservation at that alarming crisis is, under
Divine Providence, mainly attributable. It was dur-
ing the same period that some of his most important
controversies were carried on ; and in them, Bentley
was believed to have been employed by him as a
transcriber : that, however, was a mistake, though it
is not unlikely that he assisted his patron's researches.
Subsequently, in the controversy upon Phalaris, the
Boylean party endeavoured to affront him with say-
ing, ' How unnatural a step it is for an amanuensis
to start up Professor of Divinity :' when, in reply, after
exposing the folly and rudeness of such an attack, he
adds, that ' he should never account it any disgrace
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 17
to have served Bishop Stillingfleet in any capacity of chap. i.
a scholar ; but that he was never amanuensis to his ^^^'^'
lordship, nor to any one else ; neither did his lordship
ever make use of any amanuensis : so little regard had
Mr. Boyle either to decency or truth ^^'
^^ Preface to Dissertation on Phalaris, p. Ixxviii.
VOL. I.
18 LIFE OF
CHAPTER II.
Dean Stillingfleet made Bishop of Worcester — Bentley goes tvith Ms pupil to
Wadham College, Oxford — His acquaintance at Oxford; Mill, Bernard,
Hody — His literary employments — Hephcestion — Lucretius — Bentley or-
dained deacon — Made chaplain to the Bishop of Worcester — Employed
to purchase the Vossian library — Designs to collect the fragments of all
the Greek poets — Bishop Lloyd — Suggestion of publishing the Greek
lexicographers — Bentley's corrections of Hesychius — Verwey's edition —
Chronicle of Malela — Gregory — Chilmead — Publication of Malela —
Prolegomena by Hody — Bentley undertakes to write an Appendix — Ac-
count of the Chronicle — Epistola adMillium — Correspondence with Ber-
nard — Controversy with Hody — Reception of Bentley' s first publication
— Its contents — Its style — Bentley occupied in theology — Resumes clas-
sical studies — Undertakes Manilius.
CHAP. II. When the deliverance of the Nation and the Church
^^'^^- had been effected by the Revolution, it was the first
care of King William's government to fill the vacant
bishopricks with divines most distinguished for ability
and piety. In pursuance of this determination, Dean
Stillingfleet, who was considered the ablest champion
of the Establishment, was shortly after consecrated
Bishop of Worcester.
It was about the same time that Bentley's pupil,
James Stillingfleet, being of a proper age for the
University, his father determined that he should be
accom])anicd by his private tutor to Wadham College,
Oxford. Cumberland asserts, that on this occasion
tlie Bishop gave to Bentley the absolute choice be-
tween Oxford and Cambridge ; and that he was in-
duced to prefer the former by his desire to consult the
manuscripts of the Bodleian Library ^ There can be
no doul)t, that an aspiring scholar would rejoice in
' Biogrnphia Britannica, vol. ii. p. 242.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. J9
the opportunity of examining the stores of learning chap. ii.
deposited in that noble collection : but that the Bi- ^^^^-
shop, who had sent his eldest son to his own college
at Cambridge, should have been determined in the
choice of an university for his second son by the pri-
vate wish of his tutor, is, to say the least, highly im-
probable, and not to be credited upon an authority so
frequently mistaken. What might be the real mo-
tives, is immaterial ; it is sufficient to state, that at
the beginning of 1689 Bentley attended his pupil to
Wadham College, of which he became himself a July 4.
member, and in the course of that year was incor-
porated Master of Arts, as holding the same degree
in the sister University.
Bentley resided at Oxford under very auspicious His ac-
. P , . . • 1 1 T-» • 1 quaintance
cnxumstances : from his connection with the Bishop at Oxford.
of Worcester, he obtained the acquaintance of several
persons most distinguished in the University for station
and ability, with whom his own merits presently
placed him on a footing of intimacy. Among these
we must particularly notice Dr. John Mill, Principal
of St. Edmund's Hall, the well-known editor of the
New Testament ; Dr. Edward Bernard, celebrated
for his researches in science, as well as in antiquities
and chronology ; and Mr. Humphrey Hody, tutor of
Wadham, afterwards Professor of Greek, whose Dis-
sertation against Aristeas's account of the Septuagint
Translators, written while a young man, had pro-
cured him an eminent and deserved reputation.
Bentley lost no time in availing himself of the ma- His literary
nuscript treasures of the Bodleian Library, to which ^elu!
his own character or the interest of his friends pro-
cured him an unreserved access : these were intended
to be the materials for publications, which he medi-
c 2
20 LIFE OF
CHAP. II. tated in widely different departments of literature.
ifi8Q- We find him, with all the ardour of a young and
sanguine scholar, at the same time designing to give
the w^orld new editions of Greek grammarians and of
Latin poets. He collated three manuscripts of He-
phsestion, found in the Baroccian collection, writing
in the margin of his copy some notes of his own on
that author, naturally the favourite of a metrical
scholar'. He was also in correspondence with his
friend William Wotton, then resident at St. John's
College, Cambridge, (of which he was become a fel-
low) who transmitted to him collations and extracts
from the libraries of his own University, as contribu-
tions to his various designs. One of Wotton's letters,
which is preserved, begins with accurate specimens
of the celebrated Beza manuscript of the Gospels,
probably intended for the use of Dr. Mill, and then
gives a careful collation from a copy of Macrobius in
Lucretius. Beuc't CoUcgc, of all the passages of Lucretius
quoted by that writer : from which we may infer,
that Bentley was at this time meditating an edition
of the Epicurean poet. Wotton's letter concludes
with an anticipation of what the public might expect
from the labours of his friend : "I should now,"
says he, " congratulate myself and the world upon
the ha])py prospect of all those new discoveries we
arc like to have from you, when once you are well
settled at Oxford. You know I write what I think ;
and therefore I hope you will make use of me, as
* This vohimc, Tumebus's edition, (which contains also Bentley's Colla-
tions of the MS. of IlephcTstion in Bishop Moore's lil)rary, and of that he-
lonfjiriff to Caius College) is now deposited in the library of Trinity College,
Cainlirid^re. Its contents have been published by Professor Gaisford, in
his excellent edition of Hephppstion.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 21
often as you think I can be in the least serviceable to chap. u.
you. I am your's afFectionately, W. W.^" i689-90.
In the following year Bentley was ordained deacon March i6.
by the Bishop of London, Dr. Henry Compton* ; deacon.
and shortly afterwards received the appointment of
chaplain to his patron, the Bishop of Worcester, who chaplain to
had already bestowed the same distinction upon Hody, of Worces-
the College tutor of his son.
About this time Bentley was employed by certain Employed
/^p . to purchase
leadmg Heads at Oxford to negotiate the purchase of thevossian
the books of Dr. Isaac Voss, Canon of Windsor, ' "'^'
(better known by his classical name of Vossius), who
was then lately dead. This library, the joint collec-
tion of himself and his learned father, Gerard John
Vossius, abounded in scarce volumes both printed and
manuscript, and was believed to be the best in exist-
ence belonging to any private individual. Bentley,
who was going to town, had a private commission to
propose to Adrian Beverland, the executor, a sum of
money for this valuable library on behalf of the Uni-
versity ; but accompanied with a caution to obtain it
as much below the maximum as possible. During
the progress of the negotiation, his brother, Matthew
Voss, declared that the books could not be sold with-
out his concurrence, and that Oxford should have
them 500/. cheaper than the booksellers. Either in
consequence of this hint, or from finding that a larger
sum had been mentioned than the University could
afford, or was likely to approve, the proposed terms
were lowered by the Heads ; whereupon the treaty
was broken off, and the precious collection disposed of
3 This letter is the earliest of a collection found in Trinity Lodge, July
1820.
* From Baker's MSS. in the British Museum, extracted in Gentleman's
Magazine, Nov. 1779-
22 LIFE OF
CHAP. II. to the University of Leyden. Three letters from
icao. Bentley to Bernard relating to this affair have been
preserved, and testify his zeal to secure a treasure,
the loss of which the scholars of this country have
never ceased to deplore. There appears to have been
some deception or collusion practised by Matthew
Voss or by Beverland. Bentley 's adversaries in the
Phalaris Controversy just glance at this affair, for the
purpose of hinting that the failure was owing to his
mismanagement ; an unfounded and ungrateful in-
sinuation, which the letters just mentioned sufficiently
contradict \
Designs to Tlic woi'k wliich Bentley had designed to be the
the Frag- fouudation of liis fame, was a complete collection of
Greek"* ^^^® Fragments of the Greek Poets^ : an undertaking,
poets. the magnitude and difficulty of which those only can
appreciate, who have ever endeavoured to collect the
quotations of any one poet, scattered through the
whole range of classical authors, as well as gramma-
rians, scholiasts, and lexicographers. Some idea
may be formed of the extent of this task, as well as
of Bentley 's qualifications for it, from the collection
which he has actually made of the fragments of the
single author, Calliinachus. That his design was
abandoned has always been a subject of regret among
scholars : nevertheless he had reasons for relinquish-
ing it, the validity of whicli it is impossible to deny.
Sucli a work, however desirable, would not have been
attended with advantages commensurate with the ne-
* T\\e three letters from Bentley to Dr. Bernard in relation to the Vos-
sian library (without date) are among the papers of the latter in the Bod-
leian. Tliey were printed by Dr. C'harles Burney, but not in their right
order, 'i'hcy will be found properly arranged in the Museum Criticum,
vol. ii. p. !i35.
« Epislola ad MilUum, p. 20.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 23
cessary labour and research : since no degree of dlli- chap. ii.
gence could have ensured the same attention to all ^^^^-
the poets in this multifarious assemblage, some in-
equality must have been observable in the perform-
ance : and the object itself would be better answered
by several editors, each peculiarly versed in his own
author, annexing to the entire works of the poets the
broken and scattered fragments of those which have
perished.
Of the many distinguished friends to whose inti-
macy Bentley was introduced, no one took more in-
terest in his literary career than Dr. William Lloyd, Bishop
Bishop of St. Asaph, the most learned of those seven °^
prelates who had signalized themselves in the late
reign, under the persecution of their infatuated mo-
narch. His intercourse with Stillingfleet had given
him opportunities of discovering the genius and ac-
quirements of his chaplain, and he discerned the line
in which they might be made peculiarl}^ beneficial to
literature. It appears to have been by his advice that Suggests to
Bentley undertook the gigantic task of publishing pubUsh^aU
the Greek lexicooTaphers. The plan proposed was, *'^'' 9'''^^'^
~ 1 111 ' Lexicogra-
to print the three principal, Hesychius, Suidas, and pliers.
the Etymologicon Magnum, in three columns on the
same page, after the manner of Walton's Polyglot.
It was calculated that they would fill three volumes
in folio, and that Julius Pollux, (who could not be
reduced to alphabetical order,) along with Erotianus,
Phrynichus, &c. and an appendix from manuscripts,
would make a fourth ^ This project met with great
encouragement; but upon his mentioning it in a letter
to Dr. Bernard, that friend intimated some doubt of
its propriety. Bentley's design of publishing Hesy-
^ Bentley's letter to Bernard. Museum Criticum, vol. ii. p. 538.
24 LIFE OF
CHAP. II. chius was long and fondly cherished, but we hear no
. ^^^^- further mention of the triumvirate : we may there-
fore conclude that he speedily abandoned the plan, on
account of its inconvenience : the method pursued in
the three principal lexicons is so dissimilar, that they
could not be printed in the same page without awk-
wardness ; nor could the notes upon them be com-
bined in the same series, without a degree of embar-
rassment not compensated by any advantage to the
reader.
Bentiey's The Lcxicou of Hesychius was that which had prin-
ofHesy- cipall)^ employed the sagacity and learning of our
'''""*■ critic. He it was who first discovered the two prin-
cipal sources of error, which had so corrupted the
text of this most important glossary of the Greek
language, as to render it comparatively useless : first,
that transcribers had been in the habit of taking up
words found in the margin of their copy, and jum-
bling them into the explanation given of other words;
and, secondly, a neglect of alphabetical order. By
attention to these and other particulars, he had been
enabled to effect above five thousand corrections in
Verwcy's Hesvchius^. Au cditiou of that lexicon had been
edition. '' . • 1 TT
above ten years in preparation at the Hague, by John
Verwey, a schoolmaster, who disguised his cacopho-
nous name by the classical title of ' Phorbeeus;' and
for his use the remarks of the learned were put in
requisition from all quarters ; Joseph Hill, a noncon-
formist minister of an English congregation at the
Hague, better known as the publisher of Schreve-
lius's Lexicon, supplied him with materials, and came
to England to procure assistance for the work. Bent-
ley's learning being already matter of notoriety, he
* Episi. ad Mill. p. 39.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 25
was applied to by this person for contributions to He- chap. ii.
sychius ; but he naturally preferred to publish him- ^^^^-
self the fruit of his labours. Besides, a printed spe-
cimen of Verwey's work had shown that he was des-
titute of every qualification, except diligence, for his
undertaking''. The projected work was rendered
abortive in the following year by the death of the
editor.
While Bentley was employed upon this and other
works of magnitude, his attention was by mere acci-
dent drawn to the subject which actually established
his unrivalled fame as a Greek critic. Amono- the
manuscripts of Francis Barocci, which enrich the
Bodleian library, was found the copy of a Greek his-
torical work, compiled in the beginning of the ninth
century, by Joannes Malela Antiochenus^^ . This is one chronicle of
of the numerous chronicles drawn up by Christian '^^^•'^•a-
writers, of events from Adam to their own time ; the
real value of which consists in their being taken from
older writings that have perished, and from their
being the sources whence Suidas and other lexico-
graphers drew their information upon chronology and
history '\ Accordingly, references had been made
to this author by Usher, Selden, Pearson, Lloyd, and
other learned men, who had access to this the sole
existing copy of the work ; while notes had been
" See Bentley's and Bernard's letters, Mus. Crit. vol. ii. p. 538. ; also
Alberti's notice of this undertaking, in his Frcefatio ad Hesychium, sect. ii.
p. xxiv.
'" The beginning and the end of this manuscript being torn out, the
author of the work would not have been known, had not Gregory dis-
covered a passage in it, which is quoted in another old work as from
Joannes Malela. See Hody, Prolegom. § xhii.
" Full accounts of these Chronica may be found in Cave's Historia
Liferaria, and in Fabricius's Bibliotheca Grceca, vol. vii.
26
LIFE OF
CHAP. II. written upon it and an edition undertaken by John
1^90- Gregory, a man of prodigious learning, in the time
Gregory, of Charles I., before the civil troubles interrupted
such pursuits, and involved all the king's friends in
common ruin. After him the manuscript was taken
chiimead. up by Eduiuud Chilmead, of Christ Church, the
compiler of the catalogue of manuscripts in the Bod-
leian : he translated the book into Latin, and wrote
a commentary upon it ; but when it was just ready
for the press, he also was expelled the University in
1648 by the prevailing Parliamentary party. Chil-
mead, happening to be an excellent musician, was
enabled to procure bread by performing at a weekly
concert in London till his death. But the Chronicler
of Antioch remained unprinted till the time of which
, we are speaking, when the curators of the Sheldon
press complied with the wishes of the learned, among
whom the study of ancient chronology had become
Publication fashionable, and committed him to the press, along
with Chilmeads notes and translation, under the
superintendence of Dr. Mill. When it was partly
printed, they applied to Hody to write the Prolego-
mena ; a task wliich he performed in an able and satis-
factory style. He first establishes that the author is
not the person generally quoted as Joannes Antioche-
nus, but is distinguished from him by the surname
of Maliia; the confusion having arisen from their
being both of Antioch, and both writers of chronicles
from Adam to their own time. He next investioates
the age of this writer, who from the manuscript end-
ing with the thirty-fifth year of Justinian, A.D. 560,
had been supposed by Bishop Lloyd and others to
have lived in the reign of that Emperor : Hody
proves, by an ingenious argument from internal evi-
of Malula.
ProIcp;o-
niena l)y
Hody.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 27
dence, that he must have belonged to a later period, chap. ii.
when the Greek language was still more degenerate ^^^^-
than in the time of Justinian.
Before the Proleqomena were printed, Bentlev hap- Bemiey un-
dertakes to
pening to express to Dr. Mill some curiosity about write an
the yet unpublished Malela, he was indulged with a^^^'^""'''
sight of the sheets from the press, upon condition of
writing down his remarks to be printed as an ap-
pendix to the book. Finding, however, that the
author was unspeakably dull, and his information
continually erroneous, he repented, and wished to
give up the undertaking ; but Mill was too anxious
for the credit of the publication, and the fame which
he foresaw it would procure to his young friend, to
release him from his promise '^. It was, besides, the
desire of Bishop Lloyd, who took a constant interest
in whatever concerned the advancement of know-
ledge, that Bentley should publish his remarks on
Malela ^'\ This was undertaken in the latter part of
1690, when our critic was upon the point of quitting
Oxford, and resuming his residence with the Bishop's
family in Park-street, Westminster: he accordingly
transcribed and carried with him such parts of the
work as supplied suitable topics for a dissertation.
The first pag^es of the Chronicle being^ lost, it com- Account of
^ ~ . . the Chroni-
mences in the midst of the fabulous line of ^Egyptian cie.
kings; the death of Vulcan, and the succession of his
son Sol. The early part consists of a laboured at-
tempt to reconcile mythology with history ; to accom-
plish which the narratives of the poets are reduced to
the plainest and dullest annals : it then passes rapidly
over the authentic part of history, till it reaches the
12 Epistola ad Millium, p. 1.
13 Dissertation on Phalaris, Pref. p. Ixxxviii.
28 LIFE OF
CHAP. II. Christian Emperors, when it becomes diffuse, witliout
^^^^- the recommendation of accuracy.
Such was the author who was destined to be the
vehicle for first establishing Bentley's unrivalled re-
putation. The passages selected to be the subjects
of his remarks consisted either of verses reduced by
the compiler to his own prose, which Bentley re-
stores with equal learning and cleverness ; or of allu-
sions to the poets, particularly the Attic dramatists.
In his commentary upon these extracts, he displays a
very wide extent of reading, not only in the classical
authors, but in the literature of later ages; and shows
that he had well examined and sifted the various
writers whom he makes subservient to his criticism.
Miinum''^ Having thrown his remarks into the appropriate
form of an Epistle to Dr. Mill, he transmitted them
to the Oxford press, and requested his friend Dr. Ber-
nard to read the proof sheets, and communicate to
Correspond- him his rcmarks and strictures. The correspondence
Bernard.' upou this subjcct has bccu preserved by Bernard, and
is on every account curious and characteristic. Ber-
nard, whose regard for Bentley is very conspicuous,
picks out a few points in the Essay, upon which he
animadverts with the spirit of a friend, and the au-
thority of a veteran scholar : Bentley defends and
justifies his opinions with the confidence of a person
thoroughly master of his subject, who feels himself in
a condition rather to impart than to ask instruction.
The doctor, far from being offended at this freedom
of dissent, shows increased admiration of his friend's
erudition and sagacity, particularly upon questions of
orthography and metre; and, before the close of the
discussion, declares his conviction that he is the only
person living competent to restore the remains of the
Greek poets from the depredations of time ; a com-
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 29
pliment which Bentley, though he affects to consider chap. ii.
it spoken in jest, evidently resolves to merit'*. ^^^^'
The Epistle was shown, at the author's request, to
the celebrated Henry Dodwell, one of the greatest
living authorities upon questions of ancient chrono-
logy, with Avhom he appears to have lived, while at
Oxford, on terms of intimacy and friendship '^ In
April 1691 it was ready for publication '", but its ap-
pearance was delayed till June by a whimsical occur-
rence, which gave to Bentley 's first public exhibition
a controversial character. Happening to pass through
Oxford about this time with the Bishop's family on
their way to Worcester, he was taken to task by Hody, controversy
his brother chaplain, tor terming their author Malelas,
whereas all the learned had hitherto designated him
by the name of Malela. Bentley, considering this
censure as a challenge, adds to his Epistle a full and
satisfactory examination of the whole question of the
proper orthography of Greek words when latinized,
and fairly shows, that though the names of slaves
and others adopted by the vulgar, received the Latin
termination, as, Marsya, Sosia, Demea &c., yet the
practice of the best authors of Rome was to retain
the Greek orthography in words of similar ending, as
Pythago7'as, Leonidas, Anaxagoras, Perdiccas, and,
consequently, that all analogy was in favour of ]\£a-
lelas '^ Hereupon Hody shifted his ground, and de-
clared that all this learning was expended in vain,
since the nominative was not o MaXtAac, but o MaXcXa,
" Museum Criticum, vol. ii. p. 540, 544. '^ Ibid. p. 542, 543
" Correspondence of Bentley and Bernard. Also a manuscript letter of
Dr Mill.
" The real doubt respecting the orthography of the name is of a different
kind. It is in one place called Malelas, in another, Malalas. See Epist.
ad Mill. p. 77—84.
30 LIFE OF
CHAP. II. which, like other barbarous names, was retained in
ig9^- the Greek undeclined. Bentley immediately wrote
a refutation of this new position, which is, in fact,
the least tenable of the two, and which he shows to
be contrary both to analogy and authority. His dis-
quisitions upon such dry philological questions are
expressed in a sprightly and amusing style. Hody,
much nettled at this state of the contest, before the
publication of the book, was in time to prefix four
closely-printed pages in favour of Malela ; which,
however, tend only to establish the opposite opinion,
by showing the insufiiciency of the best arguments
that could be produced against it. This piece of
learning concludes with a singular prayer against
arrogance, or bitterness of style ; evidently designed
to fix these charges upon his antagonist ^''. This
being the first occasion on which we find Bentley
accused of presumption, it is my duty to declare his
vindication. That he chose to maintain his point,
instead of deferring to the practice of others, when
convinced that the truth was on his side, resembles
neither pedantry nor presumption ; and in his manner
of doing this, I observe nothing which ought to have
given offence to his friend, whom he mentions in
another part of the Epistle in terms of handsome com-
mendation. The truth appears to be, that Hody felt
piqued at his brother chaplain interfering at all with
a matter which he conceived to belong to himself;
and was severely mortified when he found that he
had drawn upon himself an antagonist, whose powers
he had so greatly underrated. There is too much
reason to believe, that the offence given by this trivial
cause was never afterwards healed.
" This effusion, the solemnity of wliich was not well suited to the occa-
sion, was afterwards copied in ' Hoyle's Examination,' p. 288.
1
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 31
Malelas had been long and anxiously expected by chap. ti.
the learned ; and his appearance interested them, not ^^'^^^
from his own merits, which were slender, but from Reception of
those of the Appendix. The various and accurate first pubii-
learning, and the astonishing sagacity displayed in '^^''°"'
the Epistle to Mill, attracted the attention of every
person capable of judging upon such subjects. The
originality of Bentley's style, the boldness of his opi-
nions, and his secure reliance upon unfailing stores of
learning, all marked him out as a scholar to be ranked
with Scaliger, Casaubon, and Gataker. Notwith-
standing the reluctance with which the pretensions of
a new author are usually admitted, and the small
number of persons to whom such writings were likely
to recommend themselves, we find that the fame of our
critic was at once established : in particular, among
foreign scholars, the sensation produced b}^ this essay
of a young and unknown writer, seems to have been
unexampled; and Grsevius and Spanheim, the chiefs
of the learned world, pronounced him ' the rising con-
stellation' of literature, and anticipated the brilliancy
of his course ^^.
The learning of this essay seems like the flowing of
an inexhaustible stream. Of the many topics which its contents.
claim attention, we may particularly notice, that the
true nature of the compilation of Hesychius, and the
methods by which its errors might be corrected, were
" " Richardus Bentleius, novum sed splendidissimum Britanniae lu-
men," Gresvius Frmf. ad Callimachum. " No\'um idemque jam lucidum
litteratae Britanniae sidus Richardus Bentleius." Spanheim in Julian, (p.
19), " Et novissime etiam in eruditissima ad Jo. Millium Epistolapost Jo.
Malelam edita, luculenter adductis plurimis earn in rem exemplis adseruit
oriens no\'um litteratae Britanniae sidus Richardus Bentleius." Spanheim
in Callim. p. 455. " Quod statuit in Epistola Malelae addita Vir emditis-
simus, et a quo magntun praeclaris doctrinarum studiis incrementum licet
augurari." Ibid. p. 605.
32 LIFE OF
CHAP. II. here first made known ; and that to scholars following
^^^^- the path pointed out by Bentley, the main improve-
ments in his Lexicon from that day to the present
must be attributed^". Among other incidental re-
marks upon ancient metre, there is found the rule
relative to the connection of verses in an anapaestic
system, commonly called the Synaphea: this law,
though preserved by all the Greek dramatic writers,
as well as by the old Latin tragedians, had been dis-
regarded, or rather was not known, by Scaliger, Gro-
tius, Buchanan, and other modern writers of anapaests,
who fancied that a short syllable might be made long
by its position at the end of any line, and assumed
this privilege with as little hesitation as if they had
been writing; hexameters. For our more correct no-
tions of this measure we are unquestionably indebted
to Bentley ^\ There is also displayed an accurate
and intimate acquaintance with the characters and
plots of the lost dramas, the periods of their perform-
ance, and whatever else can be gathered respecting
the history of the Greek stage from scattered frag-
ments of the ancient DidascalicE still in existence ; a
curious as well as intricate topic, which Bentley treats
with a masterly hand. After this specimen, it is per-
fectly astonishing to find his adversaries in the Pha-
laris controversy attacking him on a ground with
which he had shown himself so peculiarly ac-
quainted.
Its style. The style of the Epistle is animated and lively,
and implies the gratification felt by a writer engaged
2" Epist. ad Mill. p. 33.
=" Epist. ad Mill. p. 26. The rule of the Synaphea had been hinted by
Terentianus Maurus, p. 58, 1. 10; but Bentley's remarks were clearly
drawn from his own readinjr and observation. Dawes very unjustly
accuses him of plagiarism in this respect. Miscellanea Critica, p. 29, 30.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 33
•
in a field where his resources are abundant, and chap. ii.
where he is sure to instruct and interest his reader. '^^^'
A person who opens it with the expectation of a dry
disquisition upon certain abstruse topics, is agreeably
surprised by meeting with information not less enter-
taining than profound, and is irresistibly carried on
by the spirited character of the remarks. The dic-
tion, indeed, though clear and luminous, is not free
from the redundancy and flippancy of a young writer;
and the expressions are now and then somewhat boast-
ful; a fault which would be readily pardoned, did it
not too frequently occur in his subsequent produc-
tions. In the conclusion Bentley takes occasion to
notice the critical edition of the New Testament, the
great work on which Dr. Mill had been many years
labouring, and on which he was destined to labour
many more ; giving at the same time a remarkable
specimen of his own acuteness in sacred criticism ^^
His opinion of what might be expected from the pro-
jected edition proved exceedingly gratifying to Mill,
who, in a letter which is preserved, shows that he
valued this praise not as the compliment of a partial
friend, but as the testimony of one to whose judgment
the world was sure to pay attention ^^.
Such was the production which established the
fame of Bentley, at the age of twenty-nine, in the
highest rank of literary eminence ; and from that mo-
ment the eyes of every scholar in Europe were fixed
22 Epist. ad Mill. p. 96.
'^^ This letter, dated March 31, I691, is in the collection belonging to
Trinity College. It begins thus : " Dear Sir, — I received your last pa-
pers, wherein you are infinitely too kind in your character of our present
work, and that which we design. I promise you to alter nothing ; bvit
I shall have much ado to be as good as my word; this discourse of yovirs
wLU raise the expectation of the world so much, that I shall not be able, I
doubt, in any tolerable degree to answer it. But I submit, and am highly
sensible of the great honour you do me herein : I will endeavour to alter
nothing."
VOL. I. D
34 LIFE OF
CHAP. ir. upon his operations. Great as is the number of per-
^^^^- sons who have since appeared with success in this
' department, it would not be easy to name a critical
essay, which for accuracy, ingenuity, and original
learning-, can take place of the ' Appendix to Malelas.'
June 1691. At thc time of his introduction to the world as an
fup"edi°'" author, Bentley was at Worcester, engaged in the
theology, sty^jy of thcology. Hc had resolved, as soon as he
had finished his Epistle to Mill, to devote himself
exclusively to such pursuits as became the chaplain
of a learned prelate, and to abandon classical books
for a season : such at least was the purpose which he
avowed to Dr. Bernard, and it drew from his cor-
respondent an expostulation, and advice that he should
combine with theology those critical pursuits in which
he was so peculiarly qualified to excel ^*. Whether
Bentley was ever serious in his design of relinquish-
ing his favourite authors, may fairly be doubted. At
all events, he was speedily summoned back to them
by the general voice of the learned world, which,
while it applauded the first specimen of his talents,
Resumes Called for tlicir fresh exertion. Accordingly we find
studies*' ^^^ preparing for the press new editions of Philos-
Undertakes tratus, of Hcsychius, and of Manilius : to undertake
to publish , . r> 1 Trr-
Manilius. at tlic samc time three authors oi such dinerent de-
scriptions, and requiring in the editor such different
qualifications, is a proof of the fertility of his learn-
ing and the energy of his mind. Manilius, a poet
for whom he had always felt a partiality, was to have
appeared the foremost''''. A readiness was shown in
2' See Bentley's and Bernard's Correspondence. — Museum Criticum, vol.
ii. Epist. X. p. 546.
"He had expressed somewhere in company a A-ery strong opinion in
favour of ManiUus; saying, that Ovid and Manilius were the only poets
that had wit among the ancients. His antagonists in the Phalaris contro-
versy had licard of this conversation, and thus sneer at the comparison :
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 35
all quarters to further and assist his schemes. Sir chap. ii.
Edward Sherburn, an old cavalier, who had formerly ^^^^'
translated the first book of Manilius, and written a
commentary upon it, lent him some scarce editions,
as well as a box containing collections relative to this
poet, formerly belonging to Gaspar Gevartius, which
he had some time before purchased at Antwerp ^^.
He obtained the collation of a Leipsic manuscript,
made by John Feller. His friend Dr. Bernard lent
him a manuscript of his own, and applied to Span-
heim to procure a collation of one which had be-
longed to Isaac Vossius, and which, with the rest of
his library, had gone to Leyden ^^ But Bentley was
" He forgets, I believe, when and where a certain critic of our times
maintained that Ovid and Manilius were the only two poets that had wit
among the ancients. 'Tis just as if I should say, that Sir W. Temple and
Dr. Bentley are the two best bred writers livnng ; or, to put it in the doc-
tor's more learned and polite way, that Nireus and Thersites were the two
most ybrmose men that repaired to the siege of Ilium." Boyle's Examination,
p. 28. Bentley says in his Reply, " I am not at all concerned to justify
this criticism, for I know not that ever I said so. But however, not to
desert Manihus, for whom I have an esteem, I see no reason at all why he
that said this should be ashamed of it. Wlien the Examiner reads Ma-
nUius (for by his censure one would guess he yet had not) he will find in
the best editions what Scahger says of him : ' A most ingenious poet, a
most elegant writer, that could manage an obscure and knotty subject with
that clearness and smoothness of style ; equal to Ovid in sweetness, and
superior in majesty.' Thus we see one of the greatest scholars among all
the moderns, and a very great poet himself, thought Manilius a very witty
one ; and just as that ' certain critic' did, has joined him with Ovid."
Dissert, on Phal. p. 8.
2s Epist. ad Grcevium, p. 2. Letter to Bernard, Mus. Crit. vol. ii. p.
556. Pref. to Dissert, on Phal. p. xliv. Before Bentley received Sir Ed-
ward's collection, he had collated an old Italian edition, without date of
place or year, which is in the Arundel library, given to the Royal Society.
This collation, as far as the middle of the second book, he entered in the
margin of his copy of the Aldine Manihus ; a book which was obligingly
sent for my inspection by its possessor, the late Joseph Cradock, Esq. of
Gumley Hall, Leicestershire. Bentley says at the beginning, " Collatus
cum editione vetusta, et (ut opinor) omnium principe, in 4to. ex Bibliotheca
Arundehana :" bvit he adds in a later hand, " Sed postea habui duas
vetustiores."
*^ Letter to Bernard, Mus. Crit. a-o1. ii. p. 555. " I cannot express my
D 2
36 LIFE OF
CHAP. II. diverted from these occupations to establish a repu-
^^^^- tation in a different field.
thankfulness to you, that you •nill so much engage yourself for me as to
ask that favour of Mr. Spanheim. I could have washed you would have
made use of Gronovius, who is used to such things ; the other, they say,
is a very high and proud sort of a blade." This extract is rather curious :
Bentley, we shall soon find, had reason to alter his opinion both of Grono-
vius and of Spanheim.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 37
CHAPTER m.
How. Robert Boyle — His lectureship — Bentley appointed first lecturer — Con-
futation of Atheism — Mr. Evelyn — ^e principles ofHobbes — Newton's
discoveries — Bentley first makes them generally known — Consults Newton
himself — Bentley's style — Merits of the lectures — Bentley' s first oppo-
nent — Bishop Kidder succeeds — Bentley made Prebendary of Worcester
— Excites envy — His haughtiness of manner — Correspondence with
Gr(evius — A tract of Rubenius — Grcevius's edition of Callimachus —
Bentley undertakes the Fragments — Joshua Barnes — Epistles of Euri-
pides — Bentley's opinion of them — Barnes's behaviour.
The Honourable Robert Boyle, youngest son of chap. hi.
Richard, first Earl of Cork, died on the 30th of ^^^^-
December 1691. This personage, belonging to a Hon. Robert
family remarkably prolific in talent, though his four
brothers enjoyed separate peerages, has himself en-
nobled his name by honours still more splendid and
durable. His works on natural and experimental
philosophy, particularly on hydrostatics and pneu-
matics, and his own improvements of the air pump,
have placed his name in a rank second only to that
of Newton : as a chemist, he takes the lead of all his
contemporaries ; and in his theological writings, he
has so blended philosophy with religion as to exhibit
to the world the true value of scientific pursuits. The
merits of this extraordinary character, and the extent
of his researches in most departments of human know-
ledge, are detailed by Bishop Burnet in a funeral
sermon : from this eulogy it appears, that Mr. Boyle
had been in the habit of expending no less than a
thousand pounds every year in works of charity and
beneficence, particularly in the propagation of Christ-
ianity. Wishing that in his death he might promote
38 LIFE OF
CHAP. III. the same cause to which he had devoted his Ufe, he
^^^^- bequeathed by his will a salary of fifty pounds a year,
His lecture- to fouud a Iccturcship for the defence of religion
*^'^' against infidels. The lecturer was to be annually
chosen, and to deliver eight discourses in the year in
one of the churches of the metropolis \
The care of this trust was bequeathed by Mr. Boyle
to four of his particular friends, Dr. Thomas Tenison,
then newly advanced to the bishoprick of Lincoln, Sir
Henry Ashurst, Sir John Rotheram, and Mr. John
Evelyn, the accomplished author of the Sylva. The
Feb. 13. trustees forthwith nominated Mr. Bentley as lecturer
Bentley ap- p , ^ • . ^ i • i 1 i
pointed fir.t Tor tlic first year ; an appointment which he owed
ec urer. ppJncipally to the high opinion entertained of him by
Bishop Tenison ^ We can hardly conceive a greater
compliment to the merits of a young man, only in
deacon's orders, than the selection of him from the
whole clerical profession, to be the first champion in
such a cause, and that too upon an institution to which
the celebrity of the founder was in itself sufficient to
draw the eyes of the public. At several different
periods of his life, he mentions this distinction, in such
terms as show, that he considered it the greatest of the
honours with which he was ever invested ^.
The manner in which the lecturer discharged his
office must have surpassed even the expectation of his
Confutation patrous. Tlic subjcct of liis discourses was, ' a Con-
' futation of Atheism.' It may be observed, that the
doctrines of Spinoza and Hobbes had made consider-
1 See the bequest in the Dedication prefi.\ed to Bentley's Boyle's
Lectures.
^ Evelyn's Mem. ii. p. 31. " We made choice of one Mr. Bentley, chap-
lain to the Bishop of Worcester."
^ In his letter to Grajvius, May 15, 1694. Pref. to Dissert, on Fhalaris,
1G99, p. l.xx.xiv. Proposals for an Edition of the Neio Testament, in 1720.
Reply to the Articles of Accusation brought against him before the Bishop
of Ely, in 1733.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 39
able progress in that age among the higher classes of chap. hi.
society, and were particularly dangerous from the ^^^^'
insidious way in which they undermined all belief in
natural and revealed religion. Both these writers
professed indeed to acknowledge the existence of a
God ; but by denying the Divine providence in the
government of the world, and by representing the
existence of the universe as the result of necessity,
they conducted their disciples to the very depths of
atheism. The metaphysical subtilty of their reason-
ings, the assumption of a calm and philosophical tone
of inquiry, and the apparent novelty of their dogmas,
combined to mislead the unwary. The positions of
Hobbes had been ably combated by Cudworth in his
' Intellectual System,' and by Cumberland in his
book ' Z)e Legibus Naturce ;' but these works were
not sufficiently popular to resist an evil, which had
spread so far as to become seriously alarming.
In his first lecture, delivered at St. Martin's Church, March 7.
Bentley exposes ' the folly of atheism, even with
respect to the present life :' and in those which follow,
he successively confutes the atheists from a consider-
ation of ' the faculties of the soul,' 'the structure of
human bodies,' and 'the origin and frame of the
world,'
The reader of these discourses is informed and
delighted by the variety of knowledge which they
contain, and their close and convincing train of
reasoning. The success with which Bentley unmasks
the tenets of the atheist, grapples with his arguments,
and exposes his fallacies, has never been surpassed,
and scarcely equalled, in the wars of controversy. He
steadily follows up his antagonist, and never fails to
dislodge him from his positions. Various as are the
topics which come under discussion, he appears at
home in all, and displays a familiarity with meta-
40 LIFE OF
CHAP. HI. physics, natural history, and philosophy, altogether
^^^^- wonderful in a person coming fresh from the field of
classical criticism. His ancient learning is introduced
in a happy and agreeable manner, when he compares
the theories of modern sceptics with those of the
heathen philosophers. The followers of Hobbes hav-
ing had recourse to metaphysical refinements, in
order to deprive the Divine nature of its essential
attributes, as well as to establish theories of mate-
rialism, Bentley encounters them on their own
ground ; and by examining the question according to
the system recently promulgated by Locke in his
' Essay on the Human Understanding,' exposes the
inconsistencies of which they are guilty, when they
represent an infinite and eternal Godhead as a cor-
poreal essence, and give to mere matter the faculty
of thinking. He agrees with that philosopher in
holding, that the notion of a Deity is not innate, and
seeks the proofs of his existence and attributes from
the operations of the human mind, the organization of
animal nature, and the structure of the inanimate
creation ; and, while he continually reduces his
opponents to an absurdity, he establishes his own
positions with the closeness and severity of mathe-
matical demonstration.
April 4. Mr. Evelyn, being present at the delivery of the
second of these sermons, formed a most exalted
opinion of the powers of the lecturer, whose acquain-
tance he forthwith cultivated, and continued to be his
intimate correspondent for several years *. On his
motion, Bentley was desired by the trustees to print
the lectures. When the three first had aj)peared, his
friend Dr. Bernard suggested the expediency of reply-
« Evehjii's Memoirs, vol. ii. j). 32. Tire second lecture was preached at
Row Church.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 41
ing- to the particular objections brought against the chap. hi.
Christian revelation, and especially those of the Jews : ^^^^-
to which Bentley answered, " I cannot think I should
do well to balk the proofs of a Deity, to attack either
Theists or Jews. The Jews do us little hurt ; and
perhaps to bring their objections into the pulpit and
the vulgar language, out of their present obscurity,
would not do well ; and few would care to read or
hear such discourses :" adding, that ' of all the parts
of his task,' (then probably expected to continue for
three years) ' this should be the last that he would
meddle with.' So much was he impressed with the
necessity of overturning the system of Hobbes, of The prind-
which ' the taverns and coffee-houses, nay. West- Hobbes.
minster Hall, and the very churches, were full.' He
was convinced, from personal observation, that ' not
one Eno'lish infidel in a hundred was other than a
Hobbist ;' and that they all well knew that his theory
of a corporeal God was a pretence to elude the penal-
ties of the law, or, to use Bentley 's own expression,
* a mere sham to get his book printed ^ ;' for in those
days, it seems, religion could not be made the object
of open attacks and insults with impunity. Bentley
was in fact meditating that most important discussion
which concludes his course of lectures, the demon-
stration of a Divine providence, from the physical
constitution of the universe, as demonstrated by New- ^j^^'^^^J^g
ton. The Principia had now been published about
six years ; but the sublime discoveries of that work
were yet little known, owing not merely to the obsta-
cles which oppose the reception of novelty, but to the
difficulty of comprehending the proofs whereby they
are established. There has been preserved among
Bentley's papers a manuscript in Newton's own hand,
5 Letter to Dr. Bernard, of May 28. Museum Criticum, vol. ii. p. 557-
42 LIFE OF
CHAP. III. containing directions respecting the books to be read
^^^^- as a preparation for the perusal of his Principia.
Bentley, for whose use they appear to have been
drawn up, having a mind well adapted for mathe-
matical reasoning, not only made himself master of
the system, but was able to discern the purpose which
it might serve in demonstrating the providence and
benevolence of the Creator. Atheistical writers had
propounded theories, in which the creation of the
world out of chaos, and the subsequent maintenance
of our System, were explained by what they termed
'natural causes.' Such schemes, which excluded all
immediate agency of the Divine will, had been nu-
merous ; but the fact was that they all contradicted
the laws of nature upon which they pretended to be
founded, as completely as was done by the Epicurean
hypothesis of atoms descending down an infinite space
by an inherent principle of gravitation tending not
towards other matter, but towards a vacuum, and
verging from the perpendicular. The erroneous but
prevalent system of Des Cartes, which supposed the
planets to be carried round the sun by the force of
vortices, afforded too great a handle for atheistical
reasoners, not to be pressed into their service. But
our incomparable philosopher had now demonstrated
the falsehood of the Cartesian notions, and established
the general law of gravity, and whatever relates to the
motions, bulks, and densities of the planets, by proofs
Bentley first never to bc shaken. To Bentley belongs the un-
gcne'raiiy''™ doubtcd mcrit of having been the first to lay open
kiiovvu. these discoveries in a popular form, and to explain
their irresistible force in the proof of a Deity. This
constitutes the subject of his seventh and eighth
sermons ; pieces admirable for the clearness with
which the whole question is developed, as well as for
the logical precision of their arguments. Among
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 43
other topics, he shows how contradictory to the prin- chap. iir.
ciples of philosophy is the notion of matter contained ^^^'^'
in the Solar System having been once diffused over a
chaotic space, and afterwards combined into the large
bodies of the sun, planets, and secondaries, by the
force of mutual gravitation ; and he explains that the
planets could never have obtained the transverse mo-
tion, which causes them to revolve round the sun in
orbits nearly circular, from the agency of any cause
except the arm of an almighty Creator. From these
and other subjects of physical astronomy, as well as
from the discoveries of Boyle, the founder of the
lecture, respecting the nature and properties of the
atmosphere, a conviction is irresistibly impressed upon
the mind of the wisdom and benevolence of the Deity.
We are assured that the effect of these discourses was
such, that atheism was deserted as untenable ground ;
or, to use his own expression, the atheists were ' silent
since that time, and sheltered themselves under
deism ^.'
Before he committed to the press his essays upon Consults
^ J. Newton
topics of a nature so difficult and so novel, Bentley himself.
had the precaution to consult Mr. Newton himself
respecting the use to which he had turned his disco-
veries. He addressed, accordingly, certain queries
to the philosopher, then residing in Trinity College,
Cambridge, which gave rise to a curious and im-
portant correspondence. Newton's four letters on this
occasion have long been before the public ^ : they
* Preface to the ' Present State of Trinity College, in Cambridge,' p. i.
See also Whiston's Memoirs of his own Life, vol. i. p. 105.
'■ They were given by Dr. Richard Bentley, the nephew and executor,
to Cumberland, whUe a student at Trinity College ; and were printed by
him, in a separate pamphlet, in 1/56. Tliis pubhcation was reviewed by
Dx- Samuel Johnson, in the Literary Magazine, vol. i. p. 89- See John-
son's Works, vol. ii. p. 328. Tlie original letters are preserved in Trinity
College, to which society they were given by Cumberland, a short time
before his death.
44 LIFE OF
CHAP. III. commence with two remarkable declarations, the ob-
^^^^^' ject which he had in view while writing his immortal
work, and a disavowal of that intuitive genius for
which the world gave him credit: he says, "When
I wrote m}^ treatise about our System, I had an eye
upon such principles as might work with considering
men for the belief of a Deity, and nothing can rejoice
me more than to find it useful for that purpose. But
if I have done the public any service this way, it is
due to nothing but industry and patient thought."
The matter of Bentley's inquiries relative to the Solar
System, is repeatedly discussed by Newton in a man-
ner which speaks the candid as well as powerful
character of his mind. Upon most points of consul-
tation he confirms Bentley's views, and supplies him
with additional arguments : some of his opinions he
corrects and modifies ^ ; and in one or two cases it
appears that he had not himself considered all the
deductions to be drawn from his own discoveries, and
that the questions proposed were new to him ; whence
Dr. Samuel Johnson, in a cursory review of these four
letters, takes occasion to remark, ' how even the
mind of Newton gains ground gradually upon dark-
ness.' In the publication of his essays Bentley of
course availed himself of all the suggestions of his
illustrious correspondent : his reasonings and con-
clusions therefore appear with the highest of all human
' This is ])articularly the case respecting the idea of gravity being
essential and inherent in matter ; a position which the atheists maintained,
and which Bontlcy had in the first instance conceded ; bnt upon Neulon's
begging, in his second letter, that ' he would not ascribe that notion to
him ; for the cause of gravity was what he did not pretend to know, and
therefore would take more time to consider of it ;' Bentley was led, by
reflection, to bring arguments against the theory of ' innate gravity ;' and
then shows, that even were this principle allowed to be essential to matter,
yet the creation could neither have been originally formed, nor afterwards
maintained, by its mere agency, without the i)rovidence of a Divine Being. —
p. 2-16, dth edit.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 45
sanctions ; and this department of natural theology chap. hi.
has perhaps never yet been so satisfactorily illns- _ ^^^^-
trated ^
Some notice must be taken of the style of these Bemiey's
. style.
compositions, which is remarkable not only for its
force and nervousness, but for a certain epigrammatic
and witty turn which gives it a peculiar character and
effect. We find it recorded as the opinion of Dr.
Johnson, that Bentley, in the composition of his ser-
mons, ' had his eye upon the writings of Dr. South '".'
I confess myself unable to discover marks of imita-
tion, or indeed of resemblance, further than any two
bold and strong writers may be termed similar. The
style is original, and is the same as distinguished
Bentley 's writings at every period of his life ; it drew
its character from nothing but from his own mind, and
like that was manly, bold, and uncompromising. It
certainly wants the polish which it would have re-
ceived had he begun to write about twenty years later,
when the harmony of a period was more cultivated in
English composition ; but his words and phrases are
so expressive and appropriate, that the reader would
be unwilling to change them for any refinements of
diction. He wrote as he thought, in a pointed and
logical tone, and as one who studies only his matter,
while he relies upon the clearness of his conceptions
for appropriate expressions. The consequence is that
every sentence has its weight, and impresses itself
upon the mind and memory of the reader. In respect
to the pointed wit and sarcasm, and the occasional
9 The original of the first of these letters, dated Dec. 10, I692, is in-
dorsed with the following note, in Bentley's hand : — " Mr. Newton's
answer to some queries sent by me, after I had preach't my two last ser-
mons : all his answers are agreeable to what I had deliA'ered before in the
pulpit ; but of some incidental things I do i-n-Extiv." — R. B.
'" This is upon the authority of Seward's Anecdotes, vol. ii.
46
LIFE OF
CHAP. III. playfulness which appears in these as well as his
^^^^- other writings, and which is said to have perv aded his
conversation, it may be objected, that such pleasantry
was ill suited to sermons : it should, however, be
recollected, that these compositions, although deli-
vered from the pulpit, were not the instructions of the
Sabbath, but popular lectures, of which the doctrines
of revealed religion formed no part ; while the arro-
gance and ignorance of which he convicts the atheist-
ical pretenders, must be allowed to be legitimate
objects of scorn and contempt.
Meritsofthe Such was the auspicious commencement of Boyle s
lectures. Lectuve, au institution to which we owe some of the
ablest theological pieces in our language ; among
them we may mention Clarke's ' Discourse on the
Being and Attributes of God,' Newton's ' Disserta-
tion on the Prophecies,' and Van Mildert's ' Histo-
rical Account of Infidelity :' but though Bentley has
had these divines among his successors, as well as
Gastrell, Bradford, Blackall, and Jortin, yet the repu-
tation of the first essay has been eclipsed by none.
The applause with which it was received was loud and
universal. One solitary attempt was made to resist
his reasoning on the immateriality of the soul, in a
pamphlet by Mr. Henry Layton ; a feeble piece,
which attracted no attention at the time, and deserves
our notice only as being the first of the innumerable
tracts published against Bentley in the course of his
Bentley's
first oppo
nent.
career
11
" 'Y\\Q title is, Observations upon a Sermon intituled 'A Confutation of
Atheism from the Faculties of the Soul,' alias, ' flatter and Motion cannot
think j' preached April 4, 1692: by way of Refutation: small 4to. A
manuscript note, in the copy in the Bodleian Library, says, "The author
of these tracts, and some others, particularly one called ' Observations upon
Dr. Nichol's Book, &c. is Henry Layton, of Rawdon in Yorkshire, Esq.'
Bentley had little to fear from a writer who expressed himself thus : " That
all were the works of God, I am ready to grant and maintain, as well as
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 47
As Boyle's bequest allowed the same lecturer to chap. hi.
be reappointed, it was natural to expect that Bentley '
would have preached the following year ; but the fact Bishop
is, that Dr. Kidder, Bishop of Bath and Wells, sue- succeeds.
ceeded ; being appointed at the urgent instance of
Sir John Rotheram, who prevailed upon the other
trustees, although with much reluctance, to comply '^.
Evelyn appears to have been concerned at this step,
which he considered unjust towards the person who
had so admirably fulfilled the views of the founder :
Bentley himself, however, did not evince any chagrin
or dissatisfaction.
Before his year's task was completed, he had re- October 8,
ceived, as the solid reward of his labours, a prebend pj^ebendary
in Worcester cathedral. We learn from Burnet that ?^ ^°'''^^^"
ter.
King William at this period left the church patronage
to the disposal of Queen Mary ^^ ; and as she was in
the habit of consulting Bishop Stillingfleet upon all
ecclesiastical subjects, he probably had not much
difficulty in procuring for his chaplain a stall in his
own diocese. This preferment must have been highly
gratifying to our young divine (who had just taken
priest's orders) not only as securing a liberal inde-
pendence, the first wish of a scholar, but because it
retained him in the society of his patron : his time of
residence was fixed for the months when the Bishop
was at Worcester.
The great reputation which he had now achieved Excites
envy.
was not unattended with its usual consequences, envy
and detraction. Of this we find an instance as early
as the present period. He had, it seems, obtained
he ; but in his design to prove God's providence and creation by the imma-
teriahty of human souls, I judge he hath taken the \vrong sow by the
ear."
'2 Evelyn's Memoirs, vol. ii. p. 35. Dec. 14, 1692.
13 Burnet's Hist, of his own Times.
48 LIFE OF
CHAP. III. some credit by deciphering a difficult Carthaginian
^"^^' inscription. Adrian Beverland, who has been al-
ready mentioned as the executor of Isaac Vossius
and the friend of Bernard, suspected that he had
copied it from some papers of his, and communi-
cated this belief, among others, to Bentley's brother-
chaplain Hody. The subject is not worth investi-
gating ; for Beverland soon discovered that he had
been doing injustice to Bentley, and that the suspi-
cion was utterly unfounded : he desires therefore,
in a letter to Dr. Charlett the Master of University
College ^^ that this may be explained to Hody and his
friends ; among whom he specifies Creech, the well
known editor of Lucretius '^ The envy produced by
Bentley's endowments was increased by a certain
His haugh- haughtincss discoverable in his conversation and
demeanour. There is a traditional anecdote, current
during his life time, which, whatever be its founda-
tion, shows the opinion prevalent upon this subject.
It is that a nobleman dining at his patron's, and hap-
pening to sit next to Bentley, was so much struck
with his information and powers of argument that he
remarked to the Bishop after dinner, ' my Lord, that
chaplain of your's is certainly a very extraordinary
man :' ' Yes,' said Stillingfleet, ' had he but the
gift of humility, he would be the most extraordinary
man in Europe '^'
" This letter, dated London, Sept. 1692, is in the Bodleian.
>5 Creech had been of Wadham College, and was then fellow of All
Souls. He i)ublished an English translation of Manilivis in I696, and
was prevented from giving an edition of that poet by its having been
undertaken by Bentley.
" This anecdote is told by Mr. John Nichols, (Gentleman's Magazine,
Nov. 1779,) on the authority of Dr. Owen. A rather difterent version of
it is found in a pamphlet written against Bentley in 1721, by some bitter
enemy : " Pray, Master, tell him of another great Bishop, who made this
shrewd obsen-ation ujion a certain forward young man, that he might in
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 49
It was in the summer of 1692, that Bentley com- chap. iii.
menced a correspondence with John George Graevius ^"^^'
of Utrecht, the most distinguished scholar of his time, Correspon-
1., . , ' ^ f 1 • , • • .'ll- dence with
winch continued with little intermission until liis Greevius.
death. All their letters are preserved, and are highly
interesting from the characters of the writers, the
pleasing style of their Latinity, and their free opinions
upon the literary topics of the day. The correspon-
dence originated thus : Bentley in examining Gevar-
tius's packet of papers relative to Manilius, lent to
him by Sir Edward Sherburn, discovered some mat-
ters which interested him, particularly a dissertation
de Vita Fl. Tlieodori Mallii Consulis from the pen of
Albertus Rubenius, and two letters from Grcevius to Aibertus
the same person. This Rubenius was a man of great
learning and no inconsiderable rank, being a mem-
ber of the Council of Government in the Spanish
Netherlands. Grgevius when a young man had en-
joyed his intimacy, and received from him on his
death-bed the charge of giving to the world his trea-
tise dc lie Vestiaria, which he accordingly published
from the scattered papers of his friend. The occa-
sion of the other essay appears to have been this :
Gevartius, one of his intimates, had projected an
edition of Manilius, a poet whose age is in some un-
certainty, owing to the total silence of all ancient
writers respecting him : the prevailing opinion was
that of Scaliger and Salmasius, which placed him in
the time of Augustus ; and this the internal evidence
appears to confirm : others, among whom we may
mention Faber and Vossius, brought him down as low
as the reign of the Emperor Theodosius. Gevart
fancied that he had identified the individual, and
that Manilius the poet was no other than Fl. Mallius
time become a great man, if God gave him the grace of humihty." Letter
to the Reverend Master of Trinity {'allege in Cambridge, 1721, p. 13
VOL. I. E
50
LIFE OF
CHAP. III. Theodoms, who was Consul 400 years after the Au-
^^^^ gustan period, and is the subject of a panegyrical
poem of Claudian. This notion, being repugnant to
all just criticism, and grounded upon the slender cir-
cumstance of Claudian recording the writings of his
hero upon the Stoical hypothesis of the creation,
(while no mention occurs of the two characteristic
features of Manilius, his poetry, and his astrology)
made but few^ converts : it was maintained however
with obstinacy by Gevart ; who, having in vain re-
commended it in his publications, resumed the argu-
ment in his inedited papers, intended as notes to an
edition of Manilius which he did not live to publish.
Rubenius, in order to divert his friend from an hypo-
thesis which procured him no credit, wrote the treatise
de MalUo, which remained unknown among Gevart's
papers till it was discovered by Bentley, who was ac-
cidently enabled to detect its author ^^ Grsevius
having been the editor of his other writings, Bentley
suggested that this also should be offered to him for
publication : accordingly, with the permission of Sir
Edward Sherburn, he imparted the matter to him ;
inquiring at the same time whether an opinion ex-
pressed in his two letters just mentioned, which
seemed favourable to Gevart's notion of the age of
Manilius, was sincere ; whether he still continued in
the same mind ; and, if so, by what arguments he
could maintain such an hypothesis. I have been thus
minute in explaining the commencement of this cor-
respondence, from the necessity which there will
shortly be of recalling the reader's attention to it, as
being made the ground of an unjust aspersion upon
Bentley's character. Grsevius in his reply explained
'" This treatise had no name affixed to it : but Bentley found a letter in
the same handwriting, signed A. R. the contents of which showed that the
writer was Albertus Rubenius. Preface to Dissert, on Phal. p. xiv.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 51
that the opinion about Manilius was one expressed by chap. iir.
him in his youth too hastily, upon hearing some ar- ^^^^-
guments of Gevart's which pleased him at the mo-
ment ; that he had since not only discarded that
theory, but had lately condemned it in an academical
speech. The dissertation of Rubenius he gladly and
thankfully undertook to publish. But the reader of
his letters is most struck with the cordial joy felt by
Graevius at opening an intercourse with a scholar, of
whom he had conceived so exalted an opinion. He
had just been perusing the Epistle to Mill with ex-
treme admiration, and perceived at once that the
author was destined to hold the very highest place
among the learned of his age. This he always ex-
pressed as his deliberate judgment ; and, regarding
the cause of classical learning with parental fondness,
he was overjoyed to find one who promised to be such
a powerful supporter. Graevius 's age was double
that of Bentley : the intercourse, which began with
topics of learning, ripened in its progress into the
cordiality of friendship : and the zealous, candid,
and warm-hearted disposition of the veteran scholar
displayed in his correspondence attracts as much
reo^ard as his learnino;.
Bentley transmitted to Utrecht the essay of Rube- •'^"•
. . . . 1692-93.
nius, and along with it a copy of Stephens' edition of
Cicero's Philosophical works, containing in the mar-
gin various readings from an ancient manuscript.
This belonged to Dr. John Moore, Bishop of Nor-
wich, who had offered through Bentley to send a
copy of the various readings to Graevius, then em-
ployed on an edition of Cicero ; and, upon his em-
bracing the offer, permitted him to have the volume
itself; promising him, at the same time, some other
suhsidia for the work, which his noble library supplied.
This prelate, who will hereafter engage much of our
E 2
52 LIFE OF
CHAi>. Ill attention, had not only made that extensive and va-
^^^^- luable collection of books, which now forms so con-
siderable a part of the University Library at Cam-
bridge, but with a truly liberal spirit was always
ready to give the use of them to scholars. He seems
early to have patronized and encouraged the subject
of these memoirs, and to have allowed him the free
use of his library.
Graevius's Au cditiou of Callimaclius had been undertaken
edition of ^, . , , C j.
caiiima- by GrsBvms s only son, a young man ot great pro-
*■''""■ mise, who had begun to print it when he was carried
off by a consumption. This work his father deter-
mined to complete : a full commentary upon the poet
had been promised for the edition by Baron Span-
heim : and Bentley was desired in Greevius's first let-
ter to add his contributions : a request to which he
acceded promptly and handsomely, sending at the
same time two or three specimens of his corrections :
he undertook also to give a new collection of the
Bentley un- Frao;ments of Callimachus arranged under proper
dertakes the .'^ , .. , iiTi ii-
Fragments, licads, and comprisHig above double tlie number dis-
covered by all preceding editors ; a bold promise, but
one which was more than realized in the performance.
Joshua He was engaged about this time in a correspon-
dence with a scholar of a very opposite character,
Mr. Joshua Barnes of Emmanuel College, Cam-
bridge. This personage, whose peculiarities have
occasioned his name to be seldom mentioned without
a smile, had been pursuing his course for many years
in different walks of literature with great perseverance
and incredible want of judgment : as a poet, histo-
rian, orator, and critic, he is equally unfortunate, and
equally satisfied with his own performances. He was
then employed upon his edition of Euripides, a work
for which he certainly wanted most of the essential
qualifications ; but for the demerits of which he has
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 53
received harsher treatment than he deserves from chap. hi.
recent scholars, who have forgotten how little had ^^^^-
been done before his time towards the correction and
illustration of that tragedian. Hearing that Bentley
considered as spurious the six Epistles attributed to Epistles of
Euripides, he wrote to ask him the grounds of that "'^'^^ ^^'
opinion. Bentley 's answer, while it avowed his own
belief that they were nothing but the fabrications of
some sophist, expressed his despair of bringing any
arguments to convince those who did not discover it
themselves; and he begs therefore that Barnes, ' when
he confutes the opinion of Meursius' against them, as
he threatened, ' would not name him ; for he did not
pretend to assert, but only to believe, that they were
fabrications.' He mentions in a lively and playful
strain a few particulars of the internal evidence,
which will make most readers of his opinion : for Bemiey's
instance, the poet's writing to Archelaus, refusing a "P'^ion of
large sum of money, and begging instead the lives
and liberty of some noble persons condemned to die :
his letter to Sophocles, his rival, who was then serv-
ing as a general upon an expedition, condoling with
him upon the loss of some plays by shipwreck! " Our
sham author," says Bentley, "had forgot Sophocles 's
errand ; that he was now the general, and not the
poet ; and that if he had had some plays beforehand,
he would not have carried them to the war." Again,
Sophocles is made to entrust the inspection of his
domestic affairs, during his absence from Athens, to
his rival ; and Euripides, after his own emigration to
Macedonia, writes to Cephisophon, the very person
whose intimacy with his wife had produced the ridi-
cule and vexations which drove him from liis country;
the subject of the letter is to beg, that he will 'jus-
tify his leaving Athens' against the calumnies of his
enemies ; and he refuses the oft'er of some money,
54 LIFE OF
CHAP. III. saying, that he could not desire riches now that his
^^^^- dear mother (Clito the herb-woman) was dead ! !
These arguments, irresistible as they may appear,
produced no effect in shaking the opinion of Barnes
in favour of the pretended epistles. But such was
Barnes's the discourtcsy and even rudeness of his behaviour,
behaviour, ^j^^^ j f^^j almost ashamcd to record it. Instead of
expressing either publicly or privately his thanks for
the information he had received, or taking any other
notice of it, he published the epistles as an integral
part of the tragedian's works ; and having made a
sort of reply to Bentley's objections, declared, that to
doubt their being the genuine work of Euripides was
a proof of impudence or want of judgment, perfrictce
frontis, autjudicii imminutP^. Those who have adopt-
ed an idea that Bentley's style was usually arrogant
or contemptuous, may suppose that his letter had
contained some offence of this sort : but the orio;inal
happens to be preserved, and has lately come to light''';
its character is the very reverse of offensive ; it is
courteous, good-humoured, and even flattering to
Barnes. For the behaviour of the latter I should
wish to discover some excuse, but am unable to give
any better account of it than that his prejudices in
favour of the exiled King might possibly make him
regard with contempt the opinions and scholarship of
a person patronised by the Deliverer's government.
'' See Barnes' Vita Euripidis, § 28, and his preliminary remarks on the
Epistles, vol. ii. p. 523, ed. iGQi; in Beck's reprint of Barnes, vol. ii. p. 498.
'" 'riiis Epistle had come into the possession of Holmes, Esq. by
whom it was presented to the British Museum in the year 1820. It is now
printed in the Museum Criticum, vol. ii. p. 405.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 55
CHAPTER IV.
Bentley made Keeper of the King's library — Second course of Boyle's Lec-
tures — Commences j)rinting an edition of Philosiratus — Abandons it to
Oleariiis — Grcevius's dedication to Bentley — Controversy on ancient and
modern learning — Sir William Temj)le — JVotton's Reflections — Te7nj)le's
opinion of jEsop and Phalaris — Bentley promises to confute him — Dr.
Aldrich, Dean of Christ Church — Hon. Charles Boyle — Undertakes to
publish Phalaris — Bennett, the bookseller, applies to Bentley for a ma-
nuscript — Causes a quarrel — Boyle makes a reflection upon Bentley —
Rejects his explanation — Archbishop Tenison — Lambeth degree — Evelyn
— Pepys — Bentley chaplain to the King — Rector of Hartlebury — Apart-
ments in St. James's palace — Earl of Marlborough — State of the Library
— Cambridge University Press renovated by Bentley's agency — Takes
the degree of D.D. — His Public Act — Commencement sermon.
Upon the death of Henry de Justel, Keeper of the chap. iv.
Royal library at St. James's, it was the particular J^^^^"^^'
wish of Bishop Stillino fleet and Bentley's other friends, Bemiey
• • p^i'ii'i made
that he should fill that situation, for which his know- keeper of
ledge of books eminently qualified him ; and to effect library"^ ^
this object, the greatest difficulties were overcome.
Mr. Edmund Gibson, afterwards Bishop of London,
was a candidate, supported by the interest of Arch-
bishop Sharpe : the place was actually given to Mr.
Thynne ; but with this gentleman a compromise was
effected > Bentley engaging to pay him 130/. out of
the salary, which was 200Z. a year, during his life-
time \ This transaction, which seems to have been
no secret at the time, will account for a delay in fill-
ing the vacancy. Justel died in September 1693;
Bentley had his appointment under the King's sign
manual on the 23d of December : but his patent,
1 These circumstances I discover from two manuscript letters in the
Bodleian, one from Gibson, the other from Hopkins, prebendary of Wor-
cester, both addressed to Dr. Charlett.
56 LIFE OF
CHAP. IV. constitiitino- him for life Keeper of all the King's
=_ libraries in England, was dated on the 6th of April
following : during this interval Queen Mary, who
took the sole interest in such matters, directed a cata-
logue of the library to be made by Postlethwaite and
Wright, the respective masters of St. Paul's and St.
James's schools*.
His second In the mean time Bentley was summoned by the
Bo"yi'e^'siec- trustccs of Boylc's Lccturc, to preach the course for
ture. tj^g year 1694 ^ His subject was a defence of Christ- -
ianity against the objections of infidels *. That the
eiulit sermons delivered on this occasion have never
been published, is a matter of serious regret : nor is
it a little surprising that he should have failed to give
them to the world, after the favourable reception and
increasing reputation of his former series ; particu-
larly when we find their publication continually so-
licited for more than three years, by Mr. Evelyn, as
well as by Bishop Tenison. This prelate, who was
shortly advanced to the primacy, and whose coun-
tenance and support was important to all Bentley's
views in life, appears to have been displeased by the
omission ; for which, indeed, we hear no apology,
except want of leisure to revise the discourses for the
2 Tliese matters are detailed in the Preface to Dissert, on PhaL p. xiv. — xix.
3 There is a mistake in the Ust of Boyle's Lecturers, given in Nichols'
Literary Anecdotes, vol. vi. p. 453 ; and in Bishop Van Mildert's preface
to his Historical Account of Infidelity; where the Lecturer for 1694 is
stated to have been Bishop Kidder.
* Evelyn, Mem. vol. ii. p. 39, says, that he was to pursue his former
subject upon atheism. But Bentley, in his letter to Grae^ius, of May 25,
IC94, distinctly says, that his second course of lectures was against the
enemies of Christianity. Evelyn's words deserve to be cited. " Dec. 3,
1693. Mr. Bentley preached at the Tabernacle, near Golden Square. I
gave my voice for him to proceed in his former subject the following year
in Mr. Boyle's lecture, in which he had been interrupted by the impor-
tunity of Sir J. Rotheram, that the Bishop of Chichester Iread Bath and
^Yells] might be chosen, the year before, to the great dissatisfaction of the
Bishop of Lincoln and myself. We chose Mr. Bentley again."
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 57
press ^ As this was no formidable task, I can only chap. iv.
account for the failure, by supposing that there were ^^^^'
some additional topics which he wished to introduce,
but was prevented from investigating by a succession
of ^other occupations, until the proper season for print-
ing had too long elapsed. In whose possession the
copies are I have never been able to discover.
The projected editions of Philostratus and Manilius
were now in a state of readiness for the printer; but
the increased expense of paper and printing in Eng-
land, the consequence of war and new taxes, deterred
him from publishing books, which from their nature
could only meet with a limited sale at home, and for
the exportation of which the circumstances of the
times were unfavourable '^. Accordingly, he designed commences
to print his Philostratus at Leipsic, and sent thither gdidon^o?"
the early part of his text and notes for that purpose. PhUostra-
But when he received the first sheet as a specimen,
he was disgusted with the meanness of the printing,
and resolved that his labours should not come forth
to the world in so unseemly a dress ^ Indeed, it
may be remarked that Bentley always placed a high
value upon typographical elegance, and was more
fastidious upon this head, than might have been ex-
•'5 He says to Evelyn, in a letter of Feb. 22, 1694 — 9.5: " I suppose
nothing will reinstate me fuUy in his Grace of Canterbury's favour, but
publishing my sermons ; which I could not yet do, for the bustle and dis-
traction that new housekeeping and furnishing brings along with it : but I
hope in a week more to haA'e a day or two of leisure to look on them ; and
if I once begin, 'twill be a short business." He tells Graexius, in Nov.
1695, that they are actually in the press. As late as Jan. 12, 1696 — 97,
he renews his promise to Evelyn : " I am now upon a job for our friend
Mr. Wotton [the Dissertation on Phalaris and ^"Esop] ; then I proceed to
pay my debts to you by printing my sermons." The copies of these ser-
mons are said, in Kippis's Biographia Britannica, to be in existence : this
was in 1778, in the life-time of Dr. R. Bentley, of Nailstone, who inherited
his uncle's papers.
« Pref. to Dissert, on Phal. p. Ixiii.
' Letter to Greevius, of May 15, 1694.
58
LIFE OF
CHAP. IV. pected from one who so well understood the Intrinsic
1694. merits of a book. After some time he abandoned
Abandons it altogether the view of this publication, as Professor
tooiearius. w^^lf remarks, ' to the joy of Olearius of Leipsic, and
of nobody else.' To this German, who undertook to
publish the two Philostrati, he sent part of his ap-
paratus, the collation of a manuscript belonging to
New College De Vitis Sophistarum, and that of a
Baroccian manuscript, both which he had made dur-
ino- his residence at Oxford. The edition of Olearius,
which appeared in 1709, contains Bentley's notes as
far as p. 11, taken from the first sheet just mentioned,
which had been circulated as a specimen ^
In the early part of 1694 the tract of Rubenius,
already mentioned, was published by Graevius, who
Graevius's prcfixcd to it an epistle of dedication to Bentley, as
foBentie". ^hc pcrsou to whom the world was indebted for its
discovery, accompanied with an account of the author
and his work. In this epistle the literary patriarch
pronounced publicly the same exalted opinion of his
new friend's learning and genius, which he had be-
fore expressed in private; and speaking in the name
of all scholars with whom he was acquainted, he de-
clared the expectations raised by his first performance
to be such as surpassed all example and belief.
In the midst of these honours and encouragements,
Bentley became accidentally involved in that dispute
wliich constitutes so peculiar a feature in his bio-
controversy graphy, tlic coutrovcrsy on the letters of Phalaris.
and Modern As this piccc of literary story is connected with the
Learning. q^^gg^iQ^ thcu agitated upon the comparative merits
of ancient and modern learning, it may not be dis-
agreeable to the reader to have a short account of a
* See Olearius Pre/, ad PhUostr. p. x. xi. Also Fabriciiis Bibl. Gr, torn.
V. p. 555.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 59
discussion, which for several years occupied so large chap. iv.
a share of public attention. ^^'^•*-
This dispute concerning the rival pretensions of the
ancients and moderns, had its origin in France, where
about the year 1688, the lively and witty Fontenelle,
the author of the ' Plurality of Worlds,' affixed to his
Pastoral Poetry a dissertation, in which he claimed
for the moderns a general superiority over the illus-
trious names of antiquity, making his principal stand
upon the ground least favourable to his own clients,
that of genius. The same hypothesis found other
advocates among the French savans, particularly Per-
rault, who in his ' Parallel between the Ancients and
Moderns,' bribed the assent and applause of his
countrymen, by matching some individual French-
man against each of the most illustrious ancients ^.
These extravagances were not likely to be long un-
resisted. Sir William Temple, illustrious as a states- sirwiiuam
man, and likewise the most popular writer of that ^'""^ ^'
age, who had long retired from public business to the
enjoyment of literary ease, came forward as the in-
dignant champion of the ancients. In his ' Essay on
Ancient and Modern Learning,' which first appeared
in 1692, he not only combats the positions of Fon-
tenelle and Perrault, whom he charges with ' suffi-
ciency, the worst composition out of the pride and
ignorance of mankind,' but flies himself into the op-
posite extreme, and boldly maintains the intellectual
superiority of former times in every department ; not
merely in the results of genius and taste, but in the
state of philosophy and knowledge, whether physical,
moral, or mechanical. Sir William's style of writing
is elegant and polished, and his conceptions are neatly
' For instance, Balsac was opposed to Cicero ; Boileau to Horace ;
Voiture to Pliny ; and Corneille to yEschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides
combined.
GO LIFE OF
CHAP. IV. expressed; but at the present day, when the voice of
1694. fashion no longer influences our judgment, and his
productions are made to rest upon their own merits,
we cannot avoid remarking, that neither his reason-
ing is strict, nor his views profound ; and that he is
far too dogmatical and uncompromising to be a safe
guide for the opinions of others. Moreover, in the
Essay of which we are speaking, he shows great cre-
dulity upon certain obscure topics of history; his
grounds are frequently insecure, and there appears a
determination to regard only one side of the question,
which savours more of a school declamation, than of a
calm and philosophical inquiry. The piece, however,
was read and admired, and being translated into
French, turned the tide of opinion in the Academy
against the moderns ; it was applauded by Boileau
and Racine, and forced Perrault himself into a formal
recantation of his heresy ^^ Notwithstanding this
triumph, the manner in which Temple had disposed
of the question by no means satisfied reflecting per-
sons. He had displayed a disposition to undervalue
the labours and discoveries of the moderns, particu-
larly the philosophers, which outraged every fair
principle of comparison; in some material depart-
ments of knowledge, his own information was too
superficial to allow his judgment to have much
weight ; and, in contrast to his French antagonists,
he showed a disinclination to admit the merits of his
own countrymen ; some of the most illustrious of
whom, as Shakspeare, Milton, and Newton, he did
not condescend to name. Besides, the only point
which his arguments, if sound, tended to establish,
'" Sir "William refers to these circumstances with great satisfaction in
the Ai)i)cn(lix to his Essay, entitled, ' Some Thouf/hts upon reviewing the
Essay on Ancient and Modern Learning.' Temple's Works, Vol. III.
p. 437.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 61
was the uncomfortable doctrine of the degeneracy of chap. iv.
the human species. In this state of things, Bentley's '^^^-
early friend, Wotton, who was now chaplain to the
Earl of Nottingham, wrote a book entitled ' Reflec- wotton's
tions upon Ancient and Modern Learning,' which ex- ^^fl'^'^''""^-
amines and weighs the arguments of the rival advo-
cates, and undertakes to limit the departments where
superiority may respectively be claimed. W.ptton
executed his work ably and judiciously : wide as the
proposed range is, his inquiry proceeds with calmness
and caution into every part, and evinces not only
more candour, but a more extensive acquaintance
with the topics under discussion, than had previously
been exhibited in this controversy. This must have
made his ' Reflections' very edifying, after the loose
and declamatory tracts which preceded them, and
even now renders their perusal interesting and useful.
Though professing the character of an umpire, he
more frequently resists the arguments of Sir W. Tem- .
pie; and this he does in the most efficacious manner,
by destroying the premises upon which they are built,
by giving a just view of the authorities for the alleged
vast acquisitions of the ancient sages, and showing
how ill they will bear the test of investigation. Of
Fontenelle his opinion is, that he injured his own
cause by an injudicious mode of treating it. A ma-
terial object kept in view by Wotton is, to uphold the
honour of the Royal Society, of whom Sir William
thought very slightingly, and contemptuously styled,
from the original place of their meeting, the ' Men of
Gresham^\'
'1 The following extract from a letter of Evelyn to his friend Pepys,
dated July 7, 1694, shows his opinion of Wotton and his performance;
" if some kind genius had not in pity directed the most learned Mr. Wotton
to give me a ^dsit, and an inestimable present too, his Reflections on the
Ancient and Modern Learning ; which, in recognition of yours, I should
62 LIFE OF
CHAP. IV. Among other arguments for the decay of human
^^^*- wit and learning, the Baronet had ventured an asser-
Tempie's tiou, ' that the oldest books extant were still the best
Tsopand in their kind;' and adduced as his instances, what
Phaiaris. j^e believcd to be the most ancient prose books writ-
ten by profane authors, the Fables of iEsop and the
Epistles of Phaiaris. This monstrous preference was,
unhappily for his credit and peace of mind, main-
tained in the following eloquent and elaborate pas-
sage :
" As the first (-^sop) has been agreed by all ages since, for the
greatest master in his kind, and all others of that sort have been but
imitations of his original; so I think the Epistles of Phaiaris to have
more race, more spirit, more force of wit and genius, than any others
I have ever seen, either ancient or modern. I know several learned
men (or that usually pass for such, under the name of critics) have
not esteemed them genuine, and Politian with some others have attri-
buted them to Lucian : but I think he must have little skill in painting,
that cannot find out this to be an original ; such diversity of passions
upon such variety of actions and passages of life and government,
such freedom of thought, such boldness of expression, such bounty to
his friends, such scorn of his enemies, such honour of learned men,
such esteem of good, such knowledge of life, such contempt of death,
with such fierceness of nature and cruelty of revenge, could never be
represented but by him that possessed them; and I esteem Lucian to
have been no more capable of writing than of acting what Phaiaris
did. In all one writ, you find the scholar or the sophist; and in all
the other, the tyrant and the commander." Temple s Works, Vol.
TIL p. 463.
Bentiey While Wottou was employed upon his publication,
tlTconfutr Bentiey happening to converse with him upon Tem-
Tempie. pj^'g gggay^ told him that the two works which this
have sent you, but that I was confident you must ere this have seen it,
and been entertained with as much delight and satisfaction as an uni-
versally learned, and indeed extraordinary person, is able to give the most
refined taste. This is he whom I have sometimes mentioned to you, for
one of the miracles of this age, for his early and vast comprehension. Set
him down, then, in your Albo, among the Gales and the Bentleys, as you
will certainly do as soon as you know him." Pepys's Correspondence,
p. 137.
1
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 63
veteran had pronounced the oldest and the best in chap. iv.
the world, were in truth neither old nor good ; that ^^^*'
he could prove the present collection of iEsopian
fables not to be ^sop's ; and that the Epistles upon
which such extravagant praises were heaped, were
not the production of Phalaris, but an impudent and
clumsy forgery of later times. Wotton immediately
engaged his friend in a promise to write the argu-
ments for this opinion, to be published in his book
then in the press. Bentley's sentiments about the
Epistles of Phalaris had been deliberately formed, as
appears from his having avowed them in his Ap-
pendix to Malelas, and in his correspondence with
Joshua Barnes ; but his promise to Wotton was not
executed at that time : independently of a disposition
to procrastinate, he was then occupied with his se-
cond course of Boyle's lectures, and his mind was
given to other literary objects : he M^as besides under
the necessity of leaving London and his books in the
month of May, to keep his residence at Worcester :
and thus Wotton's publication appeared without any
notice of the Tyrant or the Fabulist. The circum-
stance which first drew our critic into this memorable
controversy was purely accidental, and distinct from
his friend's undertaking.
The glowing panegyric bestowed upon Phalaris by
the most popular writer of the day, naturally excited
in the public a wish to become better acquainted with
his inimitable Epistles ; for it happened that those
compositions, now pronounced superior to every thing
of the kind, either ancient or modern, were known
but to very few even among the readers of the
classics, and were confined to the small circle of
critical scholars. Dr. Aldrich, the Dean of Christ d.. Aidiich,
Church, a learned and excellent man, who in zeal chrilt°^
for the honour of his college yields to none of the c^"'"'^*^-
64 LIFE OF
CHAP. IV. eminent characters who have presided over that so-
^^^'^^ ciety, made it a practice to employ some of his best
scholars in preparing new editions of classical works ;
and he used to present a copy of one of these publi-
cations as a new-year's gift to every young man in
his college. This mode of encouraging youthful
merit, however well intended, cannot be considered
judicious ; and it was soon afterwards discontinued.
To fix the whole attention of students upon a single
piece during a great part of that season in which
they ought to be acquiring an enlarged knowledge of
the ancient writers, was by no means beneficial to his
young editors ; and to expose to criticism the prema-
ture efforts of undergraduates, whose age made it
hardly possible for them to possess knowledge or judg-
ment adequate to their editorial task, was unfair both
to themselves and to the society. Nevertheless, such
a public distinction unavoidably became an object of
ambition. The book selected at this time for the
Christ Church publication was the highly praised
Hon. chas. Phalaris ; and the Honourable Charles Boyle was
fixed upon as its editor. This gentleman, brother to
the Earl of Orrery, had carried with him to college a
creditaljle share of classical knowledge, and much
taste for those pursuits, for which he acknowledged
himself indebted to his late tutor Dr. Gale, the Dean
of York '^ His attention to study and his pleasing
'2 " I am glad of this opportunity of mentioning the worthy Dean of
York, and of paying my public acknowledgments to him for the particular
kindness and favours I received from him while I was under his care. The
foundation of all the little knowledge I have in these matters was laid by
him, which I gratefully o^vn." Boyle's Examination, p. 59.
It may be considered among the curious anomalies which occur in Bent-
ley's life, that in his great controversy with the distinguished wits of Ox-
ford, his professed antagonist was one who had derived his instructions
from the late Greek Professor of the sister University ; and that Sir W.
Temple, on whose behalf the O.xonian war against Bentley was a\'owedly
carried on, was not only himself a Cambridge man, who had once been
Boyle
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 65
behaviour rendered him a favourite with the society, chap. iv.
and particularly with its Head, who had lately dedi- ^^^^-
cated to him a system of Logic drawn up for his par-
ticular use. On his first admission at Christ Church,
he was under the tuition of the celebrated Atterbury.
The union of high birth and academical merit natu-
rally caused him to be regarded as an honour to his
college, and interested all its members in his favour.
It was about the middle of 1693, that Mr. Boyle Undertakes
turned his attention to the Epistles of Phalaris, as- phaiaris'. *
sisted by Mr. John Freind, one of the junior students,
afterwards the celebrated physician, who officiated as
' director of his studies,' or, in modern phrase, as his
private tutor. For the service of the projected edi-
tion it was desirable to have the collation of such
manuscript copies as were accessible ; and one of
these, of no great age or value, belonged to the li-
brary at St. James's. Accordingly Mr. Boyle wrote
to his bookseller, Thomas Bennett, whose sign was Bennett the
the Half Moon in St. Paul's Church Yard, simply
directing him ' to get this manuscript collated.' From
his inexperience, he was not aware that in all libraries
a nice and necessary caution is observed regarding
their manuscript treasures, and that commissions of
such a nature are not usually entrusted to a book-
seller. The conduct of this Bennett produced such
singular consequences, and involved in literary and
personal discussions so many eminent characters, that
we are under the necessity of examining it with mi-
nute accuracy. To Mr. Boyle's request he paid no
attention for some time; and when renewed applica-
tions roused him to exertion, such was his ignorance,
Representative in Parliament for that University, but the very work con-
taining his sentiments respecting Phalaris and iEsop, the origin of the
dispute, was dedicated by him * Alma Matri Cantabrigiensi.'
VOL. I. F
66 LIFE OF
CHAP. IV. that he sent a collator with a printed Plialaris to Sion
^^^'^- College, imagining, as it seems, that and the King's
Applies to library to be the same '^. His next step was to ask
a mlnu-°' the assistancc of Mr. Bentley, who occasionally visited
*"'^'' his shop, judging him likely to have interest to pro-
cure a loan of the manuscript ; but so little zeal did
he show to oblige his Christ Church customer, that
he did not go to solicit the favour, but only men-
tioned it when he casually saw him. To the first
request, which seems to have been in the beginning
of 1694, Bentley answered at once, that he should be
happy in an opportunity of obliging Mr. Boyle, a
young man related to the illustrious founder of his
lecture, and ' that he would help him to the book.'
This was some time before he had the custody of the
library ; but it was afterwards noticed, that he might
have made interest with the persons employed upon
the catalogue, whom he sometimes accompanied and
assisted in their work. However it was not reason-
able to expect any uncommon exertions to serve a
gentleman who seemed himself to consider the matter
too trifling for any application to him, either by letter
Occasions a or through a friend. But the real cause of offence
was a conversation between him and the bookseller,
upon the latter asking confidentially his opinion of
the work on which Mr. Boyle was employed : Bentley
told him that ' he need not be afraid of undertakino-
it, since the great names of those that recommended
it would ensure its sale ; but that the book was a
spurious one, and unworthy of a new edition.' Ben-
nett receiving from Oxford fresh applications for the
collation, in order to excuse himself, laid the blame
'3 Account f?iven by (Jibson, the collator, copied in a letter from the
Rev. Edm. (iibson, afterwards Bishop of London, his relation, to Dr. Char-
lett, among the Ballard manuscripts in the Bodleian.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 67
upon the new librarian, whom he asserted that he had chap. iv.
long solicited in vain, and who had besides spoken with ^^'^^-
disparagement and contempt both of the book and its
editors. This representation, being implicitly believed
by Boyle and his friends, convinced them that Bentley
was behaving uncourteously, from hostility to a work
which he was known to consider as not being the
genuine production of the tyrant whose name it bore.
What ensued, confirmed them in this opinion. After May, 1694.
another and more urgent letter, the bookseller, though
he still gave himself no trouble respecting the object,
happening to meet Bentley in the street, renewed his
request for the manuscript ; and was answered that
* he should have it as soon as he sent for it to his
lodgings :' it was, in fact, delivered to his messenger
on the same day, along with an injunction that no
time should be lost in making the collation, as he was
shortly going out of town, and must replace the book
in the library before his departure'^. As he granted
this favour the very first time that it was asked after
he had the custody of the library, nothing but a mis-
representation of facts could have led people to charge
him with uncourteous or disobliging conduct. The
time of his leaving London to keep his residence at
Worcester was approaching, and as he was to set off
early on a Monday morning, he applied to Bennett
the preceding Saturday, for the restoration of the
book ; which had been put into his hand from five to
nine days before. The shortest of these periods was
more than sufl&cient for the completion of the task;
but it was not until almost the last moment that this
trust-worthy agent sent the book to Gibson, a person
who obtained his livelihood as a corrector of the press,
" Tliis is positively denied by Bennett : but the fact is indisputably
proved to be as Bentley stated it, by the letter of Gibson, the collator, men-
tioned in a preceding note.
F 2
68 LIFE OF
CHAP. IV. with orders to collate it with despatch. He had not
^^'^^' advanced further than twenty pages, when a message
arrived from the bookseller that it must be imme-
diately returned, ' as the library-keeper waited for it
in the shop :' his solicitation for longer time obtained
only a permission to keep it till the evening; to a fur-
ther delay Bentle}^ refused to consent, not choosing
to risk its safety during his absence from town. There
still, however, remained sufficient time for a compe-
tent person to have finished the collation : but at nine
o'clock that evening when the manuscript was re-
turned, only forty of the 148 epistles were despatched.
It was the care of Bennett to give his employer such a
representation of this matter, as should confirm his sus-
picion of some discourtesy personally directed against
himself. Mr. Boyle had already expressed his belief
of this being the fact : and to create such a quarrel
as should preclude explanation between the parties,
appeared the best mode of concealing his own neglect
of the commission. Besides, the numerous inqui-
ries made upon the subject soon discovered to this
sagacious tradesman his interest in siding with a
powerful literary party ^^
Such is the state of the facts, as it appears from a
careful examination of the many tedious discussions
respecting this much talked of but trivial affair, which
has, by a strange accident, found a place in our lite-
rary history. To Bentley, had the transaction been
fairly stated, not a shadow of blame could be attach-
ed; and Boyle was censurable only for giving implicit
credit to the representations of his agent. To have
gratuitously affronted a promising young scholar, of
'* This detail is drawn from the following publications, ' Boyle's Exami-
nation,' ji. 2 — 22. ' Boii/ey's Dissertation,' Pref. p. i.— xxxvii. ' Short
Account of Dr. Beniley's Justice and Humanity,' lyc. and ' Answer to a lute
Book written against the very learned Dr. Bentley.'
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 69
a name and family which he held in veneration, was chap.iv.
inconsistent with Bentley's character : he would rather ^^^'^-
have rejoiced in an opportunity of obliging him, and,
if properly applied to, would undoubtedly have made
the collation himself. But a notion prevailed at
Christ Church that an aftront was intended both for
Phalaris and his patrons ; and this it was determined
to resent. Possibly, the Tory politics prevalent in
that society might have had their share in hurrying
on a quarrel with a scholar in the opposite interest.
No more was said upon the subject till the appear- Jan. i,
ance of Boyle's Phalaris, when in the preface there Boyie's re'-
was found the followins: sentence : ' collatas etlam ^*''^''°" ^
O upon Bent-
curavi usque ad Epist. XL. cum MSto. in Bibliotheca '^y-
Regia, cujus mild copiam ulteriorem Bihliothecarius,
PRO siNGULARi SUA HUMANiTATE, negavit.' Of this
volume about a hundred copies were given to the
young men of Christ Church, and many others were
dispersed as presents : one of these Bentley saw for
the first time on the 26th of January. Surprised by
the reflection upon his character, he wrote instantly
to Boyle, explaining the real state of the case, and
assuring him that his suspicions of intended discour-
tesy were unfounded, and the very reverse of the
truth. He expected that, upon this assurance, the
offensive leaf would have been cancelled, apprehend-
ing that the copies were not yet in the hands of the
booksellers. This, it seems, was a mistake ; for the
book, though not advertised, had really been pub-
lished. There were, however, other modes, by which
the offence might have been honourably retracted,
and all further misunderstanding prevented. But
after two days' consideration, it was determined to
reject the pacific overture ; and Boyle coolly replied, Rejects his
' that what Mr. Bentley had said in his own behalf '"'p''"'''""-
might be true, but that the bookseller had represented
70 LIFE OF
CHAP. IV. the matter quite otherwise, and to him he was advised
^J^^to prefer his complaint. He added, that if this
account had been received before, he should have
considered of it ; but that after the publication, it
was too late to interpose ; and Mr. Bentley might
seek his redress in any method he pleased,' It is
hardly possible to justify the conduct of Boyle and
his advisers, in first resenting a supposed affront upon
ex parte evidence, and in afterwards rejecting an
explanation, offered in conciliatory terms, by a gentle-
man and a scholar. Bentley was now urged by his
friends publicly to vindicate himself from the calumny;
but good sense withheld him at the time. He knew
how averse the world is to listen to complaints of a
private description ; and he was aware that Mr.
Boyle's quarrel would be embraced by one of the
most numerous and distinguished societies in the
world, which it was neither his wish nor his interest
to offend. He preferred, therefore, to wait till they
should of their own accord make him amends, or till
a suitable opportunity should occur of laying his jus-
tification before the public.
Bentley had returned to town, after four months'
absence at Worcester, to complete his second course
of Boyle's lectures. Shortly afterwards, on the death
of Archbishop Tillotson, it was in contemplation to
elevate his patron Stillingfleet to Lambeth: this ap-
pointment was greatly wished by Queen Mary, and
Avould have been highly agreeable to the Church ; but
it was prevented by the Bishop's precarious health,
which made him unequal to the duties of the pri-
macy '^ He liad long been afflicted by the gout,
which now attacked his stomach, and three months
afterwards occasioned serious apprehensions for his
"' Burners Hist of his oivn Times, vol. ii. p. 136.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 71
life'^ Accordingly Tenison, the Bishop of Lincoln, chap. iv.
was translated to Canterbury. ^^^^-
Evelyn, whose regard for Bentley showed itself in Archbp.
constant and zealous endeavours to promote his inter- ^ '^"'''°"-
ests, immediately applied to the new Archbishop, his degree.
particular friend, to confer on their Boyle's lecturer
the degree of Doctor of Divinity. For some reason
which is not explained, the primate was averse to
grant this point, even in favour of a person of such
claims, supported by solicitations from such a quarter.
The request, indeed, did not meet with a refusal ;
but Bentley, perceiving both from letters and conver-
sation his disinclination to comply, forbore to extort
the reluctant concession of a title, which he would be
able shortly to obtain in the regular way from his
own University '^ He was at this time assisting
Evelyn in the revision of his valuable work, the Evelyn.
' Numismata, or a Discourse on Medals, ancient and
modern ; ' to which many improvements and additions
were made at his suggestion *^ Among the distin-
guished persons to whose acquaintance this valuable
friend had introduced him, was Mr. Pepys, formerly Pepys.
Secretary of the Admiralty, and President of the
Royal Society, a name well known both to the history
and literature of our country. Bentley, however,
seems not to have obtained a very high station in his
good graces : Mr. Pepys, after reading the attack
upon him in the preface to Phalaris, expresses himself
thus in a letter to Dr. Charlett : " I suspect Mr. ja„. lo,
Boyle is in the right; for our friend's learning (which i^"-'-^^-
1 have a great value for) wants a little filing ; and I
'^ Bentley's Letter to Evelyn, Feb. 109-4-95.
'** Ibid. Jan. 29, 1694-95.
'^ Ibid. Feb. 15, 1 694-95.
7-2 LIFE OF
CHAP. IV. cloubt not but a few such strokes as this will do it and
1C95. himgood^"."
The Bishop of Worcester recovered from his alarm-
ing fit of the gout, but was subject during the
remainder of his life to severe attacks of the same
Benticy disordcr. Meanwhile Bentley continued to expe-
theKing. rience proofs of his approbation and kindness; through
HaruJbiin-. his interest he was made chaplain in ordinar}^ to the
King ; and the rectory of Hartlebury, in Worcester-
shire, the place of the episcopal residence, was given
to him to hold until his old pupil James Stillingfleet
should be in full orders : this preferment, to which
he was instituted Sept. 4, 1695, he retained three
years ^'. It was about this period that he was elected
a fellow of the Royal Society.
iciJG. At the beginning of the following year Bentley
transferred his abode from the Bishop's house in Park-
street, Westminster, to the librarian's lodgings in St.
Apartments James's palacc, which he fitted up, and commenced
James's Pa- housekeeping. His apartments, which were very
agreeable to his taste, looked into the Park, and ad-
Feb. joined those of the Princess Anne of Denmark. Being
£,.,,, "^f" desirous of adding to them some small rooms over-
TouT' h^^dj Lord Marlborough, who was his neighbour,
undertook to intercede in his behalf : but the result
of his negociation was, that he obtained them for
himself. At this Bentley rejoiced, conceiving that
the great captain, having now become his debtor,
would use his powerful interest to procure him a new
ground-room to be built in the Park^^ His desire
2" Among the Ballard paj)ers in the Bodleian. A letter from Edmimd
Gibson (afterwards Bishop of London) to Dr. Charlett, March 19, 1G93-94,
in the same collection, says : " Carr}4ng your service to Mr. Pepys got
me a very good dinner there, in comi)any with Dr. Gale and Mr. Bentley."
■■" Communicated by the present Bishoj) of Worcester.
" < )n this subject he reasons thus, in a letter to Evelyn, Feb. 22, 1G95-96 :
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 73
was to obtain such an addition to the librarian's apart- chap. iv.
ments, as would enable him to arrange and exhibit ^ ^^^-
the curious part of the library in a becomino; manner: state of the
•/ ~ library.
for the room in which the books were then placed
being inadequate, they were scattered about in extreme
confusion, to the disgrace of the palace, and the mor-
tification of the librarian. Indeed he confessed he
was absolutely ashamed to show the library in its
present state ^^ This appears to have been his motive
for opposing the publication of the list of its manu-
scripts in the Catalogus Lihrorum Manuscriptorum
Magnce Brltaniiice et HibernicB, the great work then
printing at Oxford. Queen Mary was solicited by
the Archbishop of Canterbury and others to suffer
those of the royal library to be included in this
national work : for so completely did she occupy the
literary department of monarchy, that during her
life-time it was generally called 'the Queen's library.'
But Bentley having convinced her that the publication
was not advisable at that time, she withheld her con-
sent. The lamented death of this princess took away Dec 26,
his best chance of compassing the different schemes ^^^'
which he meditated in favour of the library.
We find Bentley 's intercourse with Cambridge re- Cambridge
newed at this time in a mode peculiarly honourable press!"^ "^
to himself, and beneficial to the community. The
renovation of the University Press, which had con-
" As for the closets, to be a little paradoxical, I will tell you the good
news, that I have utterly lost them : because by the loss of them my Lord
Marlborough thinks himself obliged (for he has them, and yet was our
solicitor to the princess) to obtain for me a new ground-room to be built
into the Park contiguous to my lodgings. This will certainly be done,
because at the same time he enlarges his closets, by raising a second story
over this designed ground-room."
^^ Preface to Dissert, on Phal. p. Ixv. This confusion in the library is
the subject of a hit at Bentley, in Swift's Bailie of the Books.
74 LIFE OF
CHAP. IV. tinued in decay since the Usurpation, was projected
^^^^' by him, and mainly accomplished through his agency.
Renovated Ncw building^s, ucw prcsscs, and new types, were all
byBentley's . , f ' . -^ . •, in i . i . r,
agency. rcquisitc : the University itseli being destitute oi
funds, a subscription for these purposes was procured
principally by his exertions ; and the deficiency was
made up by the Senate borrowing a thousand pounds.
The task of ordering types of every description was
absolutely committed to his discretion by a grace
couched in very complimentary terms ; and the power
of attorney given him on this occasion is the most
unlimited that I ever recollect to have seen '*. The
commission was executed with promptitude and judg-
ment : he procured to be cast in Holland those beau-
tiful types which appear in Talbot's Horace, Kuster's
Suidas, Taylor's Demosthenes, &c. That this estab-
lishment owed its renovation to his exertions, is one of
the praises due to Bentley, from which envy has never
ventured to derogate.
Takes the i^ j^jy iQQQ Bentlcv was crcatcd Doctor of Divinity
degree oi "^ . \ _ ^ «'
D.D. at Cambridge. As his exercise for this degree, he
His public ^^^^ appointed to keep the ' Public Act' at the
^*^'- Commencement "^ ; a theological disputation which
formerly constituted the principal object of interest at
that solemnity : the attention now engaged by the
prize compositions of the students, used then to be
directed to the skill and readiness with which the
theologian overthrew the studied subtilties of his
opponents. The three subjects defended by Bentley
on this occasion were : 1 . The Mosaic account of the
creation and the deluge ; 2. The proof of divine
authority by the miracles recorded in Scripture;
2< From the original documents preserved in the Registrary's office j and
the Grace-Book of the time.
2^ From the Grace -Book.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 75
3. The identity of the Christian and Platonic chap. iv.
Trinity ^^ The respondent at this Public Act had the — ^^^^—
honour of entertaining the University and its visitors
not only with his acuteness and learning, but also
with a public breakfast of appropriate magnificence.
It being found, however, that persons best qualified to
do honour to this public solemnity were sometimes
deterred by its costly accompaniment, a sumptuary
law was passed about this time, prohibiting the enter-
tainment for the future. Our new Doctor was likewise
appointed to preach before the University on the
Commencement Sunday. His discourse was a de- Commence-
fence of revelation against the deists, and a proof that mon.
the Author of our Religion was the Messiah ; a sub-
ject which he treated with his characteristic ability,
perspicuity, and closeness of reasoning. It was printed
at the time ; and being added, many years afterwards,
to an edition of his Boyle's Lectures, continues to be
read and valued as one of the most powerful vindica-
tions of Christianity from the cavils of infidels".
28 Tlie questions were thus worded : "An historia Mosaica de creatione
et diluvio contineat quidquam rationi contrarium ? 2. An miracula in S.
Scripiura memorata arguant divinam auctoritatem ? -.An Trinitas Chris-
tiana et Platonica sit eadem?" This is mentioned as a piece of hterary news,
in a letter from Edmund Gibson to Dr. Charlett, preserved in the
Bodleian.
^^ ITie title is, ' Of Revelation and the Messias ; a Sermon preached at
the Pubhc Commencement at Cambridge, July 5th, I696.'
76 LIFE OF
CHAPTER V.
Publication of CalUmachis — Additions by Spanheim and Bentley — Boyle's
Lectures — Bentley's first Dissertation on Phalaris — Reply to Sir W.
Temple — Literary forgeries — Opinions respecting the Epistles — Bentley
proves them spurious— from Chronology— from their language— from
their matter— from their late discovery — Replies to Mr. Boyle — Cen-
sures his edition — Other spurious Epistles — Reply to Barnes — jEsop's
Fables — Their history — Babrius — Maximus Ilanudes — Sensation pro-
duced by the Dissertation — The confederacy — Atterbury, Smalridge,
R. Freind, J. Freind, Alsop — Atterbury the chief Author — Sir William
Temple's mortification — His rejoinder — Swift's Tale of a Tub — Ridi-
cules Wotton and Bentley.
CHAP. V. Dr. Bentley's notes and emendations upon Calli-
^^^^- machus, and his collection of the fragments of that
Publication poet, were drawn up, after repeated interruptions, and
ciius.' "^ transmitted to Greevius for publication during the year
1696 : the last batch of fragments he sent to Utrecht
on his return to town from Worcester, where he had
been passing two months with the Bishop. Graevius's
Callimachus appeared in the August of the following
year, and presented two extraordinary specimens of
Greek erudition ; differing from one another, but each
constituting a monument to the fame of its author :
the collection of fragments by our critic, and the
Additions diffuse commentary by Ezechiel Spanheim. The in-
iltim and cxhaustiblc stores of knowledge in mythology, anti-
Bcntiey. quitics, aud philology, which the latter exhibits, are
an object of admiration ; and though he overlays the
poet with his learning, yet his commentary will always
be valued as a mine of information upon every subject
of which it treats. The merits of Bentley's perform-
ance were different : above four hundred fragments
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 77
raked together from the whole range of ancient litera- chap. v.
ture, digested in order, amended and illustrated with ^^^^'
a critical skill which had no example, presented a still
greater novelty. There existed no collection of Greek
fragments, which he could have taken for his model ;
and Valckenaer, one of the greatest scholars who have
trodden in his footsteps, speaking of this collection,
says, ' qua nihil in hoc genere prcBstantius prodiit aut
magis elahoratum^ .'
In the mean time the fame of Bentley's ' Refutation
of Atheism' increased both in this country and abroad :
a Latin version of the lectures by Dan, Ernest Jablonski
was published at Berlin ; and they were translated
into Dutch at the instance of Grsevius, who was no less
delighted with them than with the critical works of
his correspondent. It had been designed' that Bentley
should have continued Boyle's lecturer for the third i^oyie's
Lectures,
time in the year 1695. But he declined it, having
resolved to devote his time to the concerns of the
Royal library : he recommended, however, his friend
Wotton as his substitute : but this arrangement was
altered in favour of Dr. John Williams ^ The ever-
active friendship of Evelyn made him take measures
that Bentley should preach the following year the
lecture which he had so auspiciously commenced ;
and he believed he had obtained the consent of Arch-
bishop Tenison ; but for some reason his Grace's
support was given to Mr. Francis Gastrell, the preacher
of Lincoln's Inn, who became lecturer to the great
mortification of Evelyn. Bentley expresses to him
his own feelings on this occasion in different terms : Jan. 12,
"The person," says he, "that has the lecture, is '^'^'"
very well qualified for the performance, and has de-
1 Diatribe, p. 4. A. He thinks that Bentley's model was the collection
of Latin Fragments by Columna, Doiiza, Scaliger, Rutgersius, &c.
^ See Evelyn's Letter to Pepys. Pepys' Correspondence, vol. ii. p. 141.
78
LIFE OF
CHAP. V.
1697.
Bentley's
FirstDisser
tation on
Phalaris.
sired it a long time. Pray be not concerned therefore
for me, as if this was a disappointment ; for I speak
seriously, I am glad to be excused : this year I shall
find myself other work sufficient."
The fact is, that a second edition of the ' Reflec-
tions on Ancient and Modern Learning' being now
called for, Wotton claimed his friend's promise that
he would demonstrate Phalaris's Epistles and iEsop's
Fables to be spurious productions. Bentley desired
to excuse himself, alleging that circumstances were
altered since the promise was made ; as the treatment
which he had received in the preface to the Oxford
Phalaris would make it impossible for him to write
his dissertation without noticing the calumny pro-
pagated against him in that work. This excuse not
appearing sufficient, his friend exacted the perform-
ance of the engagement ^ This is his own account,
which we find unequivocally corroborated by Wotton.
It cannot however be supposed that Bentley's consent
was very reluctant ; or that he did not secretly rejoice
in this fair opportunity of clearing himself from an
unpleasant imputation. Far from seeing any dispo-
sition on the part of Boyle and his friends to retract
the offence, he found that their story had been indus-
triously circulated for two years, with all the additions
and exau'fferations with which rumour seldom fails to
decorate such an anecdote, and that it was becoming
seriously prejudicial to his character. Accordingly
he undertook a dissertation, in the form of Letters to
Mr. Wotton, of which the main object was to demon-
strate that the author of ' Phalaris's Epistles' was not
the Sicilian tyrant, but some sophist of a recent age ;
reserving to the conclusion his remarks on Boyle's
edition and the personal reflection upon himself.
^ Preface to Dissprtatioii on Phalaris, p. xi. xii.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 79
This essay, though afterwards eclipsed by the en- chap. v.
larged dissertation, is no less amusing than learned : ^^^7-
it was indeed a somewhat hasty production : yet so
clearly were the arguments digested in the writer's
mind, and so abundant were his sources of proof, that
it contains a fair and satisfactory view of the whole
question in all its bearings. Prefixed is the ill-fated
paragraph of Sir William Temple, the great advocate Reply to sir
of Phalaris and ^Esop, which gave occasion to the ' ^'"^^*
discussion. With the controversy in which Wotton
was engaged he disclaims any interference ; observing
that ' it was a subject so nice and delicate, and of so
mixed and diffused a nature, that he was content to
make the best use he could of both ancients and
moderns, without venturing with him upon the hazard
of a wrong comparison, or the envy of a ,^Tue one*.'
Respecting the Baronet's remark, ' that some of the
oldest books are the best in their kinds,' he says, that
the same had been ' observed even by some of the
ancients ; but then the authors that they gave this
honour to were Homer and Archilochus : but the
choice of Phalaris and ^sop, as they are now extant,
for the two great inimitable originals, is a piece of
criticism of a peculiar complexion, and must proceed
from a singularity of palate and judgment \'
After giving some account of the fashion once pre- Literary
valent, to publish compositions under the names of °*^^^"^*'
illustrious men of yore, which, having been encouraged
by the kings of Pergamus and Alexandria offering
large sums for writings bearing great names, was after-
wards adopted without intention of fraud by the race
of Sophists, ' the task of whose schools it was, to
compose rtOoTroiiag, to make speeches, or write letters
* Dissertation on the Epistles of Phalaris, first edition, p. 6.
5 Ibid. p. 7.
1
80 LIFE OF
CHAP. V. in the name of some hero, or great commander or
^^'^^' philosopher,' Bentley proceeds to the Epistles of Pha-
laris. Of these compositions no mention can be found
in any writer earlier than the tenth century ; and
respecting the real author of them opinions have been
Opinions yaHous. That thev were an imposture was early
respecting '' ^ ^ pi • •
theEpisties. suspcctcd ; and Angelo Politian, one of the luminaries
of the court of Lorenzo de Medici, pronounced the
fabricator to be no other than Lucian : this notion,
which is demonstrably erroneous, prevailed among
the learned for some time. The great Erasmus had
not only avowed his opinion that they were suppo-
sititious, but thought, like Bentley, that they were
sorry specimens of declamation ^ On the other hand,
some very learned persons had believed them the
genuine production of the tyrant of Agrigentum :
Selden had drawn from them arguments in chrono-
logy, and Dodwell was at that very time applying
them to the same purpose. This was a sufficient
answer to those who contended that the discussion of
their authenticity was trivial and useless. To unmask
an imposture which was thus introducing material
errors into our notions of ancient history, cannot be
deemed an unimportant service to the cause of let-
ters.
Bentley Bcntlcy bcgius his argument against the pretended
spuHous. Phalaris with proofs taken from chronology : he next
considers the language, then the matter of the Epistles,
" Erasmi Lib. I. Epist. I " Porro Epistolae quas nobis reliquit nescio
quis Bruti nomine, nomine Phalaridis, nomine Senecae, et Pauli, quid aliud
censeri posstmt, quam Declamatiimculae?" Of this great opinion in his
favour Bentley was probably not aware, as he does not refer to it in his
first Dissertation : but he afterwards adduces it in his reply to Boyle, who
had charged him at a ventine ' with being the first man who had ever
pretended to des[)ise Phalaris; and with having an opinion contrary to the
sense of all mankind that had ever written before him.' — Boyle^s Examina-
tion, p. 27. Bentley's Disscriatiov, p. 6.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 81
and concludes with the argument of their late appear- chap. v.
ance in the world. Upon the first point alone, which ,^i2L^
he justly regarded as the most satisfactory method of F'o"» cin-o-
detecting an imposture, his proofs seem more than
sufficient to procure an unanimous condemnation of
the fraud. Having assumed the age of Phalaris to
be in the 57th Olympiad, or about 550 years before
Christ, the latest period that history will allow, and
therefore the most favourable to his pretended writings,
he proceeds to prove that one Sicilian city, Phintia,
mentioned in the Epistles, was not named or built till
nearly three centuries after his time ; that another,
AlaBsa, was first founded above 140 years later; that
the ' Thericlean cups,' ten pair of which are included
in a magnificent present sent by the pretended Phalaris
to a physician who had cured him of a dangerous
illness, derived their name from Thericles, a Corin-
thian potter, who was contemporary with Aristophanes
the comedian, and therefore above 120 years later
than the death of the real tyrant of Agrigentum.
The author speaks in one place of ' Zancle,' and in
others of ' Messana ; ' whereas they were one and the
same city, which, by the concurrent testimony of
historians, had received the latter name from the
exiled Messenians of the Peloponnesus above 60 years
after the latest date of Phalaris's death : he makes
use of a quaint phrase, ' to extirpate like a pine tree,'
the original of which belonged to Croesus the Lydian
monarch, whose reign did not begin till some years
after the Sicilian was murdered : he mentions ' Tau-
romenium,' a name given to the city of Naxos many
generations after the time of Phalaris : this pretended
prince quotes a celebrated expression. ' words are the
shadoivs of tilings,' which Plutarch and Diogenes
Laertius attribute to Democritus the laughing philo-
sopher of Abdera, who was more than a century later
VOL. I. G
language.
82 * LIFE OF
CHAP. V. than his days : the author of the Epistles shows some
^^^^- acquaintance with verses of Pindar and Callimachus,
poets of after times ; and not only refers to a passage
from an Athenian drama, but actually mentions
' tragedies,' the invention and name of which per-
formance had not its origin till some years after the
tyrant had expiated his crimes and cruelties in his
own brazen bull.
From their Haviiig established these pretty formidable objec-
tions to Phalaris's claim of authorship, he proceeds to
the language of the Epistles, which is Attic, and
therefore not likely to come from the prince of Agri-
gentum, a Doric colony, whose broad and harsh
dialect differed in every thing from the refinements of
Atticism. And, even admitting some childish argu-
ments that had been suggested by Joshua Barnes, for
Phalaris speaking the language of Athens, yet the
style and idiom of his pretended compositions bore a
character later by some centuries than the tyrant, who
was contemporary with Solon, and consequently older
than any Athenian writings which exist. Besides,
Bentley urged that the sums of money, which the
mock prince distributes with boundless profusion in
his presents and purchases, were all of the Athenian
standard ; since the Sicilian talent was but a two-
thousandth part of the Attic, comprising only three
doiarii, while the latter was equivalent to six thousand;
the autlior's ignorance of which fact plainly betrayed
the forgery.
From their Having destroyed the credit of these reputed speci-
mens of antiquity by such overwhelming arguments
from fact, he ventures upon the most tender part of
the question, their subjects and business. Respecting
the force of wit and spirit, and the lively painting of
humour, which Sir W. Temple fancied he discovered
in them, he waives all discussion; but proves by many
matter.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 83
examples the want of sense and judgment which chap. v.
they exhibit, and detects the inaccurate and clumsy ^^^^'
learning, and depravation of taste, which marked the
scholastic exercises of the later sophists. Having
quoted the glowing character of the Epistles drawn
by the Baronet, I shall now give the reader the sum-
mary of the Doctor's opinion, in a paragraph contain-
ing the particular expressions for which his style of
writing was most keenly attacked :
" It would be endless to prosecute this part, and show all the silli-
ness and impertinency in the matter of the Epistles. For, take them
in the whole bulk, if a great person would give me leave, I should
say, they are a fardle of common-places, without life or spirit from
action and circumstance. Do but cast your eye upon Cicero's letters,
or any statesman's, as Phalaris was : what lively characters of men
there ! what descriptions of place ! what notifications of time ! what
particularity of circumstances ! what multiplicity di designs and
events ! When you return to these again, you feel, by the emptiness
and deadness of them, that you converse with some di*eaming pedant
imth. his elbow on his desk ; not with an active, ambitious tyrant,
with h'^ hand on his sword, commanding a million of subjects. All
that takes or affects vou is a stiffness and stateliness and operoseness
of style ; but as that is improper and unbecoming in all epistles, so
especially it is quite aliene from the character of Phalaris, a man of
business and despatch ''."
One point only remained, the late discovery of these From their
Epistles. Supposing Sir William Temple's opinion very. '^^°'
of their age to be correct, they must have remained
concealed above a thousand years, (a period not of
darkness and ignorance, but one in which literature
flourished more than any in the history of the world),
unknown to all the writers of antiquity, many of whom
would have been greatly interested by such curious
documents. This view of the question, exhibiting so
many enormous absurdities, Bentley treats with a
^ Dissertation upon Phalaris, &c p. 62.
G 2
84 LIFE OF
CHAP. V. liveliness and jocularity, which must have been highly
- ^^^^' unpalatable to the advocates of the ancient Agri-
gentine.
Replies to Having dismissed Phalaris, he proceeds to discuss
the edition which contained the attack upon himself :
"I must now beg the favour," he says, "of one word with our
late editors of this author. They have told the world in their preface
that (among other specimens of their diligence) they collated the
King's MS. as far as the xl. epistle ; and would have done so through-
out, but that the library keeper, out of his singular humanity, denied
them the further use of it. Tliis was meant as a lash for me, who had
the honour then and since to serve his Majesty in that office. I must
own, 'twas very well resolved of them, to make the preface and the
book all of a piece ; for they have acted in this calumny both the in-
justice of the tyrant, and the forgery of the sophist. For my own part,
I should never have honour'd it with a refutation in print, but have
given it the neglect that is due to weak detraction, had I not been
engaged to my friend to write this censure upon Phalaris ; where to
omit to take notice of that slander, would be tacitly to own it ^"
He then tells the story of the bookseller and the
manuscript, and his correspondence with Boyle, though
in less detail than he afterwards found necessary ; and
contrives in the following manner to introduce his
strictures upon the literary merits of the new edition :
" Pro singular i sua hinnanitate ! I could produce several letters
from learned professors abroad, whose books our editors may in time
be fit to read ; wherein these verv same words are said of me can-
didly and seriously. For I endeavour to oblige even foreigners bv all
courtesie and humanity ; much more would I encourage and assist
any useful designs at home. And I heartily wish, that I could do
any service to that young gentleman of great hopes, whose name is
set to the edition. I can do him no greater at present, than to
remove some blemishes from the book that is ascribed to him, which
I desire may be taken aright ; to be no disparagement to himself, but
a reproof only to his teachers ®."
Censures fjg ^heu brink's forward some specimens of false
his edition. , ~ , ^
translation, and mistaken readings, to which he gives
' Dissertation upon Phalaris, &c. p. 66. " Ibid. p. 68.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 85
no quarter, but lashes with a severity unusual at that chap. v.
time in classical criticism. Sucli a book as the Pha- ^^^^'
laris was beneath this species of chastisement: this
part of his essay does not appear well suited to the
rest, but is rather a discredit and blemish to the
whole performance. Nevertheless it occasioned his
adversaries all the mortification which he thought
they deserved. It ends with the following defiance :
" Let this serve for a short specimen of their care and skill in
using of manuscripts. I have many more instances ready at hand;
but their humanity, I hope, will pardon me, if I don't produce them
now, nor now proceed, as I once thought, to weed all their book for
them. My time does not lie upon my hands; and this tract must be
only a short appendix to the book of my fi-iend; but it's likely here-
after, if, in their way of speaking, they mightily exhort me to it, I
may be at their service; if not in this, yet in another language; to
carry the fame and gloiy of our editors, whither silch editions as
theirs s^Mom go, to foreign universities."
Having overthrown the claim of Phalaris to a place other spuri-
aniong royal or noble authors, Bentley examines cer- °"^^p'^'^*-
tain other reputed pieces of antiquity, the Letters of
Themistocles, of Socrates, and of Euripides ; all which
he shows not to be productions of the mighty cha-
racters whose names they bear, but forgeries of some
sophists many centuries later. His arguments, like
those upon Phalaris, are taken from the contradic-
tions to history and chronology, the extravagant mat-
ter as well as tasteless language of these impostures ;
all which he exposes with a happy mixture of accu-
rate learning and playful humour. It is right to
notice the manner in which he treats Joshua Barnes,
whose insufferable behaviour respecting the Epistles
of Euripides has been mentioned in our third chapter.
Instead of resenting such conduct, he repeats calmly
and good-humouredly the arguments of his private
letter, enlarged and enforced by several others ; and
86 LIFE OF
CHAP. V. of Barnes himself, who had since become Professor of
^^97- Greek at Cambridge, he speaks in terms not of dis-
Repiy to pleasure but of compliment.
^sop's Fa- There still remained the ^Esopian Fables, the other
bies. great object of Sir W. Temple's admiration ; and to
dispossess the old Phrygian fabulist of the credit, or
rather discredit, of having written the present collec-
tion, was no difficult task. This section of Bentley's
performance exhibits little novelty or research, and
bears greater marks of haste than any other part of
the Dissertation. It is probable that the printer was
too urgent, or his friend Wotton too impatient for the
publication of the book, to allow more time for the
Their his- Appendix. The history of the Fables, though not
'°'^^" generally known, had in fact been told before, and
Bentley only contributed greater precision and accu-
racy, together with a few additional circumstances.
Whether iEsop himself left any thing in writing, or
whether his Fables were preserved by oral tradition,
is a point which admits of dispute. From Plato we
learn, that Socrates amused himself when in prison,
with putting into verse some of these apologues which
he happened to recollect. The first collection which
we hear of was made by Demetrius Phalereus, the
peripatetic philosopher of Athens, who wrote and de-
claimed about a century later than Socrates. After
him, the Fables were put into verse by some one
whose name is lost ; fragments of this collection have
been preserved, and are principally in elegiac mea-
Babiius. sure. The present collection originated with Babrius,
a Greek poet, whose age is uncertain, but whom
Bentley considers to be in the latest class of good
writers : he composed ^sopian Fables in scazon or
choliambic verse, of which specimens are quoted by
Maximus Suidas and others. Maximus Planudes, the same who
translated Ovid's Metamorphoses, Caesar's Commen-
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 87
taries, and other Latin books into Greek, amused chap. v.
himself with the edifying task of putting Babrius into ^^^'^•
very dull prose ^"l and this notable performance is
the very book which is the delight of our nurseries,
and which Sir W. Temple extolled above all other
prose writings, as being at once the oldest and the
best in the world. Babrius, however, was not so
completely transprosed, but that many traces of his
verse, and indeed whole choliambic lines remain;
some of which Bentley pointed out, and observed that
they were quoted elsewhere as from Babrius. This
discovery had been before made by Neveletus, who
printed 136 of the Fables, from a manuscript in the
Heidelberg library, in the year 1610. Planudes, who
was himself a monk, makes jSlsop speak in one place
of the monastic order, and in another gir-es a quota-
tion from the book of Job '^ The subject, however,
far from being exhausted, was but slightly touched
by Bentley, and has received much greater light
from writers who have had the advantage of older
copies ; in which the verses of Babrius may be ex-
tracted from their mutilated and disguised form, and
exhibit not indeed ' the oldest prose writer in ex-
istence,' but in his stead a terse, elegant, and pleas-
ing poet, who lived many centuries nearer our own
times '^ To this Planudes belongs also, as Bentley
10 There is reason, however, to believe he was not the person who ori-
ginated this work. See Museum Criticum, vol. i. p. 410.
'^ Dissertation upon the Fables of ^sojj, p. 141.
'2 Tyrwhitt wrote a Dissertation de Babrio, Fabularum jEsopicarum
Scriptorej with some additional Fables, from a manuscript in the Bodleian.
This tract, which first appeared in 1775, was reprinted at Leipsic in 1810,
by Francis de Furia, in a thick volume containing the Fables from an an-
cient Florentine manuscript. The most satisfactory account of the history
of the iEsopian Fables will be found in an article of the Museum Criticum,
vol. i. p. 407, for which we are indebted to the present Bishop of London,
who has most ingeniously restored several complete fables to the choliambic
verses~of Babrius.
88
LIFE OF
CHAP. V.
1697.
May.
Sensation
produced by
the Disser-
tation.
The confe-
deracy.
Atterbury,
Smalridge.
believed, the Life of ^sop, a narrative filled with
unfounded and absurd fictions : among them is the
account of the old fabulist's personal deformity; which
story, though as generally believed as the fact that he
was a Phrygian and a slave to whom the Athenians
erected a statue, is nevertheless not only without au-
thority, but contrary to every fair and probable sup-
position ^^.
On the publication of this joint work, the sensation
in the literary and academical circles was great be-
yond example ^*. In the large and distinguished
society of Christ Church, a perfect ferment was pro-
duced by Bentley's attack upon Boyle's Phalaris,
which was considered an affront to the Dean under
whose auspices it was published, and the college for
whose use it was designed : and the mention of ' the
editors,' ' the translators,' &c. in the plural number,
seemed a reflection upon the whole society, as if they
were answerable for the faults of a juvenile publica-
tion. It was resolved accordingly that the audacious
ofl"ender should experience the full resentment of the
body whom he had provoked, and the task of inflict-
ing this public chastisement devolved upon the ablest
scholars and wits of the college. The leaders of the
confederacy were Francis Atterbury and George Smal-
ridge, both of them in process of time members of the
episcopal bench ; the first of whom has associated his
name with the political history of this country in a
degree which has seldom been the lot of a church-
man. Each was nearly of the same age as Bentley^'^;
and they were regarded as the rising lights of the
University of Oxford. A share in the association for
" Bmtley's Dissertation on the Fables of ^sop, § ix. p. 148.
" Bentley's Dissertation was sold separately to the purchasers of the
first edition of the ' Reflections on Ancient and Modern Learning.'
Atterbury was born in 1662; Smalridge in 1663.
15
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 89
the demolition of our critic is claimed for Robert chap. v.
Freind, afterwards head-master of Westminster school, ^^^^'
his brother John Freind, and Anthony Alsop, all ^- Freind,
students of Christ Church ; and the work was under- Aisop.
taken with the encouragement, but not with the as-
sistance, of the Dean. Mr. Boyle, in whose name
and behalf the controversy was carried on, seems to
have had but a small share in the actual operations :
having now quitted academical pursuits, and entered
upon the theatre of active life, he was content that his
college friends should fight the battle under his
colours '^ It w^as resolved to attack every part of
Bentley's book ; to cavil at all his arguments, and to
cojitend that, whatever were the merits of Phalaris
and iEfcjp, his dissertation had failed to prove either
of them spurious. But as they were likely to obtain
little triumph in matters of erudition, they determined
to hold up every particular of Bentley's character and
conduct to ridicule and odium ; to dispute his ho-
nesty and veracity as well as his learning ; and by
representing him as a model of pedantry, conceit, and
ill-manners, to raise such an outcry as should drive
him off the literary stage for ever. Accordingly,
every circumstance that could be discovered respect-
ing his life and conversation, every trivial anecdote,
however unconnected with the controversy, was caught
up and made a topic either of censure or ridicule.
In short, the obnoxious scholar, whose only strength
they supposed to be his learning, was to be borne
down by the weight of a combined attack upon his
literary, moral, and personal character.
16 Warburton says, upon the authority of Pope, that Boyle supphed
only a detail of the transactions with the bookseller ; and that even this
was corrected. Warburton's Letters to Hurd, p. 1 1 . I am disposed, how-
ever, to believe that Boyle had a somewhat greater share in the book than
is here represented: I shall give my reasons in a subsequent note for ques-
tioning altogether the authority of Pope's account.
90
LIFE OF
CHAP. V. The principal share in the undertaking fell to the
1697- lot of Atterbury : this fact was suspected at the time,
Atterbury and has been since placed beyond all doubt by the
luthdr!'^ publication of a letter of his to Boyle, in which he
mentions, that ' in writing more than half the book,
in reviewing a good part of the rest, and in transcrib-
ing the whole, half a year of his life had passed
away.' The main part of the discussion upon Pha-
laris is from his pen : that upon iEsop was believed to
be written by John Freind ; he was probably assisted
in it by Alsop, who was at that very time engaged
on an edition of the Fables. But the respective shares
cannot be fixed with certainty ; nor is this a matter
of importance, since Atterbury has, by his own con-
fession, made himself responsible for the faults of the
whole. In point of classical learning, the joint stock
of the confederacy bore no proportion to that of Bent-
ley : their acquaintance with several of the books
upon which they comment appears only to have
begun upon this occasion, and sometimes they are
indebted for their knowledge of them to their adver-
sary : compared with his boundless erudition, their
learning was that of schoolboys, and not always suf-
ficient to preserve them from distressing mistakes.
But profound literature was at that period confined to
few, while wit and raillery found numerous and eager
readers. It may be doubted whether Busby himself,
by whom every one of the confederated band had
been educated, possessed knowledge which would
have qualified him to enter the lists in such a contro-
versy. Besides, they had undertaken to maintain an
untenable position: for, although opinions might differ
upon some parts of Bentley's performance, yet the
assertion that all his arguments had failed to invali-
date the credit of Phalaris's Epistles, was one which
committed their characters both for scholarship and
tion.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 91
judgment. Nevertheless the confidence of wit and chap. v.
talent, joined with great esprit de corps, carried them ^^^"^^
forward ; and high were their anticipations of ven-
geance to be executed upon the presumptuous critic '^
There was another individual in whom Bentley's
Dissertation excited a still deeper feeling of resent-
ment. Sir William Temple had already been severely sir wniiam
chagrined at the favourable reception of Wotton's monifica-
Reflections, the work of a young and unknown author,
who presumed to question the decisions of his estab-
lished judgment ; but his mortification was increased
ten-fold by Bentley's Appendix, which did, it must
be confessed, place him in an uncomfortable predica-
ment. He now saw it demonstrated by arguments
not one of which he could refute, that the two pro-
ductions believed by him to be the oldest, and pro-
nounced to be the finest in existence, were the fabri-
cations of some comparatively recent hand, and that
they belonged to an age, in which both learning and
taste had degenerated. The Baronet therefore stood
in the situation of a celebrated connoisseur, who learns
that the pictures which he has commended as master-
pieces of Raphael or Titian, are the productions of
some common sign-painter ; or in that of an anti-
quary, who after having published his conviction of
the inimitable merit of an antique gem, finds evidence
brought to prove it the performance of an ordinary
modern workman. A person so circumstanced might
indeed change his ground, and maintain that the
forgery did really surpass in merit all the most famous
originals. But Sir William had not left himself even
this desperate resource : his argument for the supe-
riority of the most ancient writings over those of all
succeeding ages, was made to depend upon the anti-
" Their feelings may be seen in a letter from Smalridge ; Nichols' lllust.
of Lit. vol. iii. p. 268.
92 LIFE OF
CHAP. V. quity of these very productions ; whereby he had cut
^^^7- off his own retreat, and in a two-fold manner staked
his credit upon this questionable ground. His first
step was to write a reply to both Wotton and Bentley,
couched in language of indignation and contempt.
This piece was left unfinished, and printed after his
death ; his reputation however would have been better
consulted by its suppression. It breathes an angry
and resentful spirit, ill becoming a dignified and phi-
losophic old age. His adversaries he compares with
' young barbarous Goths and Vandals, breaking or
defacing the admirable statues of those ancient heroes,'
His rejoin- Scc.^^ The Dart which is finished of Sir William's
der. , ^
rejoinder concerns the publication of Wotton, to whose
arguments however he can hardly be said to reply ;
he does little more than repeat his own declamatory
account of the immense advances made in science,
philosophy, and literature by the ancient sages of
Egypt, Assyria, Greece, and Sicily, without advert-
ing to the questionable nature of the testimonies upon
which those pretensions rest. Before he arrived at
Bentley "s Appendix, he discovered that this was
already taken in hand by Boyle and his friends, who
were preparing an ample punishment for his temerity;
and to them he was content to leave the cause of his
ancient Sicilian and Phrygian authors.
It was at this time that Jonathan Swift inserted his
Swift's Tale first attack upon our critic in the ' Tale of a Tub. '
The greater part of tliis celebrated piece of liumour
had been composed, as the author informs us, in the
preceding year. The first design of the ' Tale ' was
only to ridicule the corruptions and extravagancies of
certain religious sects ; which part of his perform-
ance, while it displays an original genius, and a
** * Some thoughts upon reviewng the Essay,' &c. Temple's IVorks,
vol.iii. p. 471.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 93
peculiar turn of humour, has given well grounded chap. v.
offence to many by the indecorous and licentious ^^^^-
manner in which it treats the most solemn allusions.
The sections containing his ridicule of criticism and
of whatever else he disapproved in literature, were
written upon the appearance of Wotton's and Bentley's
joint publication. Swift was at this time living under
the protection of Sir WilHam Temple, at Moor Park,
and regarded his patron with the utmost attachment
and veneration. Perceiving the uneasiness of the
Baronet at the awkward situation in which this con-
troversy had placed him, he determined to avenge his
cause by those weapons, against which no learning
and no genius is entirely proof. Accordingly he
pfratified his patron by exhibiting his adversaries in Ridicules
r , . 1 1 1 . • • 1 1 1 1 • VVotton and
ludicrous colours, and at the same time indulged his Bemiey.
own propensity of treating with contempt those
branches of knowledge with which he was ill ac-
quainted. He took the same opportunity of venting
private spleen against some other writers ; but by
placing at their head John Dryden, his distant rela-
tion, who had spoken in disparagement of some speci-
mens of his poetry, he blunted his satire against the
rest, and conferred upon them no small honour, by
grouping them in such glorious company ^^
The third section of Swift's book, intitled ' A
Digression concerning Critics,' is almost entirely
levelled against Bentley ; it represents him as a
model of the ' true critic;' a character pourtrayed in
a mixture of irony and invective, as remarkable for
the broadness of the humour, as for its being totally
inapplicable to the Dissertation upon Phalaris. The
1' The origin of this pique is well known : some juvenile odes of Swift
having been shown to the veteran bard for his opinion of their merits,
Dryden said upon inspecting them, * Cousin Swift, you will never make a
poet.'
94 LIFE OF
CHAP. V. following specimens will be sufficient to justify this
^^^'^- remark :
" The third and noblest sort is that of the true critic, whose
original is the most ancient of all. Eveiy true critic is a hero bom,
descending in a direct line from a celestial stem by Momus and
Hybris, who begat Zoilus, who begat Tigellius, who begat Etcsetera
the elder ; who begat Bentley, and R)Tner, and Wotton, and Perrault,
and Dennis ; who begat Etcsetera the younger." " Now, from
this heavenly descent of criticism, and the close analogy it bears to
heroic virtue, it is easy to assign the proper employment of a true
ancient genuine critic ; which is, to travel through this vast world of
writings; to pursue and hunt those monstrous faults bred within
them ; to drag out the lurking errors, like Cacus from his den ; to
multiply them like Hydra's heads ; and rake them together like
Augeas's dung: or else drive away a sort of dangerous fowl, who
have a perverse inclination to plunder the best branches of the ti'ee
of knowledge, like those Stjonphalian birds that eat up the fruit."
In the fifth section he returns to the charge :
" When I consider how exceedingly our illustrious moderns have
eclipsed the weak glimmering lights of the ancients, and turned
them out of the road of all fashionable commerce, to a degree, that
our choice town wits, of most refined accomplishments, are in grave
dispute, whether there have been ever any ancients or not ; in
which point, we are likely to receive wonderful satisfaction, from the
most useful labours and lucubrations of that worthy modern. Dr.
Bentley:" adding this note : " The learned person, here meant by
our author, has been endeavouring to annihilate so many ancient
writers, that, until he is pleased to stop his hand, it will be dangerous
to affirm, whether there have been imy ancients in the world^"."
This celebrated piece succeeded at the time in
. obliging and gratifying Sir William Temple, and in
exciting a high opinion of Swift's talents among
private friends to whom the manuscript was shown :
but for some reason or other several years passed
before it was given to the public.
>" In another section Swift calls Dr. Bentley, * that great rectifier of
saddles.'
1
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 95
CHAPTER VI.
Proposed new library — Bentley^s club — Alsop's publication of^Esop — Boyle's
Examination of Bentley's Dissertation — Dr. William King — Sir Ed-
ward Sherburn's frivolous complaint — Absurd charges against Bentley —
Merits of the Christ Church book — Instances of its mistakes — Examina-
tion of uEsop — Witty proof that the Dissertation was not written by
Bentley — Charge of plagiarism — Affronting Index — Causes of the great
popularity of Boyle's book — Temple's reception of the book — Boyle's
own sentiments — Outcry against Bentley — Keill — Milner — Garth —
Aldrich — Caricature— Rymer's Essay — Swift's Battle of the Books —
Bentley's behaviour — Bentley prepares a reply — Dodwell's Chronology —
Bentley's enlarged Dissertation on Phalaris — Attractive nature of the
work — Defence against the accusation of pedantry — Retorts Boyle's
raillery — Short Account of Dr. Bentley's Humanity and Justice — Refu-
tation of this pamphlet — Another anonymous tract — Bishop Lloyd's
publication — Death of Bishop Stillingfleet — His Library — Bentley's
complete victory.
While the storm was gathering from various quarters, chap. vi.
Bentley's mind was directed to an object of a different ^^^7-
description, the erection of a new royal library, which Proposed
might be worthy of the nation, and of the noble col- "^"^ ' '^'^'
lection of books entrusted to his charge. It had
formerly been intended to convey the books to the
Roman Catholic chapel at Whitehall, a fine room
which the abdication of James II. had left unem-
ployed ; but this scheme was defeated by the fire
which destroyed the Palace and most of the adjoining
buildings. The design upon wliich Bentley had
fixed his heart has been already mentioned, the build-
ing a room of appropriate size and magnificence in
St. James's Park : for this work the sanction of the
Lords of the Treasury had actually been obtained;
but it was foimd that an Act of Parliament was requi-
site, to procure which every exertion was made by
himself and his friends. In promoting this as well
96 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. as his other views, we find Mr. Evelyn the foremost ;
^^^^- but the violence of party disputes at that moment,
and the financial embarrassments of the country,
proved obstacles too great for all his zeal to over-
come \
Bentiey's About the samc time Bentley formed a club, or
'''"^' evening meeting of a few friends, who happened to be
amono' the greatest intellectual characters that the
history of mankind can produce : this society, which
met once or twice a week in the librarian's apartments
in St. James's, consisted at its foundation of Sir
Christopher Wren, Mr. John Evelyn, Mr. Isaac New-
ton, Mr. John Locke, and Dr. Richard Bentley :
names sufficient in themselves to render illustrious the
age in which they lived, and the country which gave
them births
1698. The attack from Christ Church commenced with
itcatS/of " the new year. The honour of leading the assault
^'°P' was given to Alsop, who published a selection of
^sop's Fables, as the Dean's present to his students.
In the preface he treats Bentley in a manner which
betokened what might be shortly expected ; terming
him Richardum quendam Bentleiiim, viruin in volvendis
lexicis satis d'digentem ; and describes his supposed
refusal of the manuscript to Boyle, by giving the fable
of the ' Dog in the manger' in neat latinity ; where
' Evelyn's Letter to Bentley, of Dec. 25, 1698. Evelyn^s Memoirs, vol. ii.
p. 284. Also Bentiey's manuscript letters to Evelyn, Oct. 21, 1697, and
Feb. 27, 1698. In the latter he says, " I did receive your very kind letter
about your conversation with Mr. Edwards, and give you a thousand thanks
for the favour ; but I fear the quarrels of the House of Commons, the
unfortunate burning of Whitehall, the public necessities, and the general
decay of honour and \-irtue, will scarce permit our bill to be brought in,
at least not in this session. But, however, we are resolved not to despair,
till we are actually defeated. You know my useful motto, Possunt quia
posse videntur."
2 The foundation of this society is mentioned in a manuscript letter of
Bentley to Evelyn, Oct. 21, 1697-
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 97
the ironical words singularis humanitas, fix the allu- chap.vi.
sioii upon the offending librarian ^ ^^^^'
At leno^th appeared the performance of the con- March.
PI,. i-i • -IP ^1 Boyle'sexa-
lederate wits, which was to extinguisn tor ever tne mination of
fame and pretensions of our critic : it was a book of oL'serta-
about 300 pages, entitled ' Dr. Bentleifs Dissertations "°"-
on the JEpistles of Phalar'is and the Fables of ^sop,
examined by the Honourable Charles Boijle, Esq.' with
a motto sufficiently menacing :
Remember Milo's end,
Wedg'd in that timber which he strove to rend.
This work, which once enjoyed an extravagant
popularity, is now little known, except through the
fame of him whom it was intended to crush ; since
few will take the trouble of readins; a controversial
piece so immeasurably inferior to its opponent. But
if we consider that the view of each several question
which it discussed is the wrong one, it is impossible
to deny to its arguments the praise of address and
ingenuity. Bentley declared that the only merit of
^ Fabularum y^sopicarum Delectus. Oxonise, 1698. The fable deserves
to be given at length.
" CANIS IN PRiESEPI.
Bos post laboris taedia reversus domum,
Pro more stabulum ingreditur, ut famem levet ;
Praesepe sed prius occupaverat canis,
Ringensque frendensque arcet a faeno bovem :
Hunc ille morosum atque inhospitum vocat,
Et fastuosum mentis ingenium exprobrat :
Canis hisce graviter percitiis conviciis,
Tvine, inquit, audes me vocare inhospitum ?
Me nempe summis quem ferunt praeconiis
Gentes tibi ignotae ? Exteri si quid sciant,
Humanitate supero quemlibet canem.
Hunc intumentem rursus ita bos e.xcipit,
Haec singularis an tua est humanitas,
Mihi id roganti denegare pabulum,
Gustare tu quod ipse nee vis, nee potes ?"
VOL. I. H
98 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. the book was ' banter and grimace :' but this is not a
^^^s- fair statement ; no where could we find a specimen
of more cleverness and adroitness shown in encoun-
tering logic and erudition with the weapons of so-
phistry. Against every part of the Dissertation in-
genious cavils are raised, of a nature quite sufficient
to delude the half-learned among its readers: the
style is elegant and scholar-like, and a vein of well-
sustained humour and lively raillery runs through
the w^hole performance.
Regarded in another point of view, this book de-
serves severe reprehension : the spirit of hostility and
persecution which it breathes is so bitter and so dis-
proportioned to the alleged offence, that every candid
mind feels disgusted. Not content with denying
Bentley all credit for ability or learning, his oppo-
nents were resolved to dispute his honour and veracity
in every action and word, and to represent him as a
person unfit for the society of gentlemen. The object
constantly kept in view is not the pursuit of truth or
detection of error, but the ruin of an individual's cha-
racter; and to accomplish this no methods are thought
unfair or degrading.
The facts adduced to the disparagement of Bent-
ley's reputation, even admitting the statement of the
accusers, would not justify the shocking reflections
cast upon him. The affair of the bookseller and the
manuscript is related upon Rennet's authority, in
exaggerated terms. But, after hearing Boyle's own
account, every candid person must condemn him for
commencing a rpiarrel in resentment of a supposed
slight, before he had taken any measure to ascertain
that it was intended as such. His friends felt this to
be the weak part of his cause ; and accordingly they
laboured to prove, upon certain other testimony, that
their adversary's general behaviour was uncourteous.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 99
Dr. William King, a civilian, well known as a witty chap. vi.
writer both in prose and verse, happened to be in __i69a,_
Bennet's shop during one of the conversations about Dr. wiiiiam
the manuscript ; being- an old Westminster and Christ ^'""'
Church man, and a friend of Atterbur}^ he readily
furnished some recollections of the brusque language
which he had overheard. The foundation of his tale
was this: Bentley, immediately upon his appointment
to the librar}^ had exerted himself to recover from the
booksellers a copy of all their respective publications,
to which the King's library was entitled, as well as
the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, but which
they had of late failed to deliver. Among the rest he
called upon Bennet for his share ; Mdio thereupon
complained of the hardship of the demand, questioned
the right of Parliament to give awa}^ his property,
and talked of the booksellers being a rich body, with
a common purse, and able to resist and litigate the
question. Bentley checked his talk by explaining
the advantages derived by publishers from the ex-
istence of such libraries, to which therefore it was
equitable that they should contribute, and mentioned
as an instance the manuscript of which he was at
that moment soliciting the use ; telling him in jest
that he ought to make a present of a book to the
library in return, since the value of the manu-cript
after its collation would be diminished ; and to make
him comprehend this, he said, ' it would then be-
come like a squeezed orange.' Dr. King, who over-
heard this discourse, could recollect no particular
except Dr. Bentley 's remark, ' that the manuscript
when collated would be worth nothing for the future:'
he testified indeed that there was ' pride and inso-
lence' in his discourse, but suppressed the cause which
had excited it; wishing it to be inferred by the
H 2
100
LIFE OF
CHAP. VI.
1608.
Sir Edward
Sherburn's
frivolous
complaint.
Absurd
charges
against
Bentley.
reader, that it was Mr. Boyle, and not the bookseller,
for whom the rebuke was intended*.
The next accusation is still more unjustifiable. It
has been mentioned that Bentley, having discovered
among certain papers lent to him by Sir Edward
Sherburn, a manuscript tract of Rubenius, had with
the permission of the owner, transmitted it to Grsevius
for publication, stating at the same time through whose
means it came into his hands. Graevius, when he
made his public acknowledgment to our critic, omitted
to name Sir Edward Sherburn, either from inadver-
tence, or not deeming the mention of him material.
The knight, who was struggling with the joint evils of
old age and poverty, had been heard to make some
querulous remarks about what he considered a slight :
this was eagerly caught at by the Boylean party, who
procured from Sir Edward a declaration that ' Dr.
Bentley had ungratefully robbed him of the honour of
that publication ^' This assertion, unjustifiable even
upon his own view of the matter, was now made
public, along with an insinuation that he had sup-
pressed the name of Sir Edward, and thereby surrep-
titiously obtained the noble panegyric bestowed upon
him by Greevius ; as if that compliment had been any
thing but the spontaneous testimony of a scholar to
his learning and genius. With the controversy in
hand this story had not the remotest connexion : it is
painful to reflect to what disgraceful lengths even
enlightened minds may be carried by indulging in the
animosities of party.
The other stories are nearly of the same character.
The Doctor is accused of refusing the use of the library
to foreigners of distinction ; whereas every testimony
^ Boyle, p. 8. Beutley's Dissertation, Preface, p. xxxi.
"' Boyle, p. 15.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 101
which has come to us proves the reverse. The only chap. vi.
instance relied upon by his enemies is that of one _^^^^'
Fosse, a Dane, who complained that he could not get
a sight of the famous Alexandrian manuscript. This
person had made the modest request that he might
have that invaluable document, the treasure and glory
of the library, given to him to collate at his lodgings ;
a work of at least six months' constant labour. Bent-
ley observes in his reply, that ' it was pretty hard to
keep one's countenance at so senseless a proposal ;
however, he gave him a civil answer why he thought
the favour could not be allowed him :' nor indeed is
he charged with want of civility in the refusal ^.
Such tales as these it is humiliating even to narrate :
but upon no better grounds did Bentley's enemies rest
their general accusation of his rude manners ; and
this they endeavoured to confirm by quotations from
his writings in which he had differed in opinion from
some great men, as Scaliger and Casaubon. )Still
more stress was laid upon his presuming to contradict
the two]^ living worthies, Sir William Temple and Pro-
fessor Barnes. This attempt was preposterous, and
never was failure more complete : in no one of the
instances alleged is the language in which he ex-
presses dissent either contemptuous or disrespectful ;
while it happens that in each case Bentley's judgment
is clearly and unquestionably correct.
With regard to the learning displayed in ' Boyle's Merits of
Examination,' the reader will be disappointed who ch„rch"'
expects to find either much information or much accu- ^°"'''
racy ; but he will be amused with the clever and
dexterous management in which the arguments of the
adversary are eluded, and the several questions made
to wear a new complexion. This is particularly exem-
6 Boyle, p. 14. Bentley's Dissei-tatiou, p. Ixiv. A Short Review of the
Controversy, SiC. p. 24.
102 hlYE OF
CHAP. VI. plified in the discussion upon 'Sicilian money,' in
^^^^- which part of the work we are told that even learned
readers, and amona; them some of Bentlev's friends,
thought that the Christ Church party had triumphed.
Upon the whole, great address is shown in pressing
their plausible arguments, and in gliding hastily over
the weakest parts of the question. But if we compare
their performance with Bentley's reply, it will seem as
if his adversaries were impelled by a sort of fatality to
afford him fresh opportunity of triumph, and to make
their own discomfiture needlessly severe. In one
place they travel far out of their way, to dispute the
law laid down by Bentley in his ' Epistle to Mill' re-
specting the quantity of the final syllable in anapeestic
verses ; but the instances which they fancy to be
exceptions to this rule do in fact confirm what they
were intended to overthrow. This feat, while it gave
their antagonist an occasion of establishing his point
more completely, exhibited a ridiculous failure on their
part, which in a critical work it would not be easy to
parallel. Their censures relative to the ' Greek
Drama,' and the ' Age of Tragedy,' were peculiarly
adapted to call forth Bentley's knowledge on those
Instances of subjects. Ill supposing the o-orv^tK?) Troir](TiQ to have
'""" '^ ^'' consisted of 'lampoons,' they confounded the name
with that of the Roman Satira, the oflspring of Italy :
a blunder for which Dr. Busby's scholars ought to
have blushed ^ In many parts of the Examination
the confederate critics seem to have parted with their
lexicons and grammars too soon ; as for instance in
asserting that the Ionic was the dialect of Lesbos, the
country of Sappho and Alca^us, they betray ignorance
of history and grammar which is hardly credible ^
To complete their mishaps, it is frequently found that
" Boyle's Examination, p. ]8().
* Il)i(l. p. 41.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 103
in their sallies of ridicule the whole pith of the jest chap. vi.
depends upon some blunder of their own : so difficult ^^^"-
is it to be witty and wise at the same time. Of this
the following passage from Boyle's book affords a
tolerable specimen :
" The veiy spirit of Athenseus is got into him, who undertook to
disprove some of the most remarkable particulars of Socrates' life,
recorded in Xenophon and Plato, by the very same negative way of
arguing that Dr. Bentley makes use of against Phalaris and -/Esop;
the silence and pretermission of authors; nay, and expresses himself
in the same mannerly way too, calling Plato, the best bred man in
the world, dog and liar, covertly indeed ; whereas Dr. Bentley has
bestowed much the same titles on those he disputes against, bluntly
and openly. But the impartial Casaubon takes the part of those
great men against his author, reproves his rudeness, and confutes his
reasonings, and shows him to be, as confident clowns generally are,
all over mistaken. The men of letters, I hope, will excuse this free-
dom; no man is readier than I am to value Athenaeus for what he
ought to be valued, the fragments and remains of antiquity, which
he has preserved ; but to see him insolently trampling on great
names, is what I cannot bear without indignation." Boyle s Exami-
nation, p. 238.
Unhappily for this indignant vindicator of Plato
and good breeding against Atheneeus and clownish-
ness, he mistook the whole drift of the context and
expressions : the words o /cvwv ovroq are applied by
Athenseus not to Plato, but to Antisthenes, who had
given the same account as Plato of certain prizes said
to have been obtained by Socrates ; and whom, as the
founder of the sect of Cynics, he designates kuwv, the
title assumed by those philosophers themselves ^ Nor
is he more fortunate in his complaint of the Doctor's
application of a Greek proverb, ' Leucon carries one
thing, his ass another,' which Mr. Boyle fancies is
' calling him a downright ass '".'
9 Atheneeus, lib. v. p. 210. B. Bentley' s Dissertation, Pref. p. xcix.
■' Boyle's Examination, p. 11. To this Bentley rephed, " And by the
104 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. Of such mistakes there is more than a proportionate
^^^Q- share in the part of the ' Examination' devoted to the
Examina- Fables of iEsop ; which is palpably written by a dif-
l°sop.^ ferent hand from the rest; and of which Bentley
observes, that ' the style is something worse than that
of the Defence of Phalaris, and the learning a good
deal worse.' Upon the genuineness of the Fables
themselves hardly any stand is made, and the con-
test is maintained rather against the critic than the
criticism ; but in saucy and affronting raillery this
department of the work is not in the least behind its
companions.
Witty proof Another part of ' Boyle's Examination' consists of
DitseVta- an attempt to show, that by the same sort of argu-
tionwas ments as those adduced ag-ainst Phalaris's claim to
not written &
by Bentley. the Epistlcs, it might bc proved that the Dissertation
itself was not written by Dr. Bentley. This jeu
help," he says, " of a Greek proverb, I call him downright ass." After
I had censured a passage of Mr. B.'s translation that has no affinity with
the original, " This puts me in mind," said I, " of the old Greek proverb,
' that Leucon carries one thing, and his ass quite another.' Where the
ass is manifestly spoken of the sophist, whom I had before represented as
' an ass under a lion's skin.' And if Mr. B. has such a dearness for his
Phalaris, that he \\dll change i)laces with him there, how can I hel]} it ? I
can only protest that I put him in Leucon's place ; and if he will needs
compliment himself out of it, I must leave the two friends to the pleasure
of their mutual civilities." Pref. to Dissert, on Phal. p. Lxxv. lliis
proverb seems to have been a luckless one for the Boyleans ; as in another
part of their book (p. 49) they accuse Bentley of comparing Mr. Boyle to
* Jjucian^s ass;' and by this sujiijlemental blunder, gave a proof that these
two parts must have been written by different hands. " ITien he mentions
some coarse compliments upon himself, which I have already accounted
for : only here he says, I compare him with Lncian's ass ; which, were it
true, would be no coarse compliment, but a very obliging one. For
Lucian's ass was a very intelligent and ingenious ass, and had more sense
than any of his riders : he was no other than Lucian himself in the shape
of an ass, and had a better talent at kicking and bantering than ever the
Examiner will have, though it seems to be his chief one. Let the reader
too observe by the way, that Mr. B. in this place has it ' Lucian's ass ;'
but in another he cites it truly, ' Leucon's ass ;' and yet we are told the
very same hand wrote Ijulh passages." Pref. to Dissert, on Phal. p. Ixxxiii.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 105
cVesprit was, I am inclined to believe, the production chap. vi.
of Smalridge : it is highly humorous ; and as the ^^^^-
chief merit of the book consists in its pleasantry, this
part fairW deserves the palm. It supposes some critic
to argue at the distance of several centuries, ' should
it be then in existence,' that the Dissertation on Pha-
laris cannot be the production of Dr. Bentley, the
library keeper to the King : the author dexterously
contrives to adopt every word and phrase of the
Doctor's charged as being pedantic or ill-mannered :
from the gravity with which Bentley's own language
is copied, and he is thus made to argue against him-
self, the perusal of this parody becomes irresistibly
laughable '^
Bentley had brought this whole storm upon his
head, by censuring the faults of Boyle's Phalaris as
discreditable to his instructors. His criticisms are of
course disputed ; but the defence set up for some
grievous instances of false translation by Mr. Boyle
only involves that editor in still greater difficulties.
The reprisals which the Doctor's adversaries found
themselves able to make were few, and not very
important : in confining the ancient usage of the verbs
ZiwKij) and 7rf)oSiSa>^u too narrowly, he had certainly
spoken in haste, and without due examination ; this
is in truth the only triumph which he afforded to the
advocates of Phalaris.
" Boyle, p. 184— 201 . In attributing this part of the book to Smabidge,
I follow the authority of Dr. Salter, who had conversed with Bentley him-
self on the subject of this pubhcation. Warburton says, that it was written
by ' Dr. King of the Commons ;' and this he asserts upon the authority
of Pope, ' who had been let into the secret concerning the Oxford perform-
ance.' Letters to Hard, p. 10. But in the first place. Pope was at the
time only ten years old ; and though he was afterwards intimate with
Atterbury, yet he was not likely ever to have discussed with him a subject,
which supplied only mortifying recollections. In the next place, the tone
of the parody is somewhat diflerent, and the taste unlike that of King's
banter.
106 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. The whole book is drawn up upon a plan of offensive
^^^^- warfare; but the only point calculated to make a
Charge of scrlous iniprcssiou upon Bentley's character is a charge
plagiarism. ^^ plagiarism in two instances. It had been alleged
by Professor Barnes as an apology for Phalaris, a
Dorian prince, writing in the Attic dialect, that other
Greeks of Dorian colonies, and among them Ocellus
of Lucania, had done the very same ^^ Bentley de-
molished this argument, by proving from extracts
existing in Stobseus, that this Pythagorean did in
reality compose his treatise ' on the Universe' in
Doric, from which it had been translated into the
common dialect. This discovery Bentley had given
as his own; but his adversaries found that it had
been already made by Vizzanius, in the preface to an
edition of Ocellus, about fifty years before. The
other instance was his observation of the verses of
Babrius, still found lurking in the ^sopian Fables ;
which circumstance had been previously discovered
and published by Neveletus. These were adduced
as cases of gross plagiarism on the part of Bentley,
and he was assailed with every opprobrious taunt
which could be devised against a literary plunderer.
This was evidently considered by the Christ Church
wits as the surest and most annoying of their weapons :
but for the complete success of their cause, they re-
lied upon the numbers, the celebrity, and the in-
fluence of their college ; a fact which they unwisely
reveal, when in the gaiety of anticipated triumph
they thus wind up their long tirade :
^•' " Monendus autem est lector, Phalardis Epistolas nihilo secius
genuinas esse, quod earum auctor esset Agrigenti tjTannus : is enira Asty-
pala natus erat, una ex Cycladibus, ubi Atheniensium erat colonia : sed
nee ipse Diodorus Siculus, nee Empedocles Agrigentinus, nee Ocellus
Lucanus, Dorice sed Attice fere scripserunt." Barnes, Argum, Eurip.
Epistol.
1
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 107
" Especially he should take care, when the angi'y fit is upon him, CHAP. VI.
not to vent it upon great bodies of learned men. A single writer 1098.
may be trampled upon now and then, and receive con-ection ft-om his =
hand without endeavouring to return it ; but among numbers there
will always be found some who have ability, and inclination, and
leisure enough to do themselves and their friends right upon the
injurer, though he were a champion of ten times as much strength
and prowess as Dr. Bentley thinks himself to be. Besides, single
adversaries die, and drop off; but Societies are immortal ; their
resentments are sometimes delivered down from hand to hand ; and
when once they have begun with a man, there is no knowing when
they will leave him.
" 'Twere well too, if he would think it a point of prudence to
observe some measures of decency towards the dead as well as the
living; and not give himself that insufi'erable liberty of attacking
their reputation and their works, in hopes that nobody will be
generous enough to stand up in their behalf, and speak for those who
cannot speak for themselves. He has defied Phalaris, and used liim
very coarsely, under the assurance, as he tells us, that ' he is out of
his reach:' many of Phalaris's enemies thought the same thing, and
repented of their vain confidence afterwards in his Bull. Dr. Bentley
is perhaps by this time, or will suddenly be satisfied, that he also has
presumed a little too much upon his distance : but 'twill be too late
to repent, when he begins to bellow."
As a parting favour, they attached to the second Affronting
edition of their book ' A short account of Dr. Bentley
by way of Index,' for the pleasure of repeating once
more their principal affronts; such as, ' his charges
against the Sophists returned upon himself, for forging
history' — ' for solecisms' — ' for egregious dulness' —
' for pedantry' — ' for declaiming' — ' his familiar ac-
quaintance with books that he never saw' — ' his dog-
matical air' — ' his modesty and decency in contra-
dicting great men, Casaubon, Erasmus, Scaliger, Sir
W. Temple, Mr. Barnes, every body.'
The uncommonly favourable reception of this motley Causes of
production, generally called ' Boyle against Bentley,' popukrky
has long been regarded as a paradox in literary history. Jq^I"/'^^
The work, had it been viewed upon its bare merits,
must have been pronounced a total failure ; for allow-
108 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. iiig the utmost credit to the exceptions against Bent-
^^'^^- ley's Dissertation, yet every impartial scholar must
have admitted, that the main effect of his arguments
continued unimpaired : and whatever foundation there
might be for the complaint against his personal con-
duct, yet the retaliation was such as neither his al-
leged incivility could justify, nor the wit and humour
of the performance render tolerable. Nevertheless,
all accounts agree in stating the applause which the
book met with to have been loud and universal : and
the general interest excited by this controversy, pro-
perly a business of dry learning, appears to us almost
incredible. This state of public feeling is attributable
in some deg-ree to the vein of wit and satire which
pervades the Christ Church performance, but still
more to extraneous causes. The numbers and ability
of the members of that distinguished society, who
appear to have felt as one man in this common cause,
had a powerful influence over public opinion. Again,
the extreme popularity of Sir W. Temple, who was
represented as rudely attacked, and the interest ex-
cited in behalf of Mr, Boyle, a young scholar of
noble birth, who appeared in the field of controversy
as the champion of an accomplished veteran, disposed
people at all hazards to favour his cause. Added to
this, an opinion which had been industriously circu-
lated of Bentley's incivilit}'^, and a certain haughty
carriage which undoubtedly belonged to him, gave a
violent prejudice to the public mind. Severe and
accurate erudition being rare in those days, people
were so far deluded as to believe that on most, if not
all points, Boyle was successful : we learn from Bent-
ley himself, that the book was at first generally re-
garded as unanswerable ; and this even among his
own friends. Nobody suspected that he would ven-
ture to reply ; still less that he could ever again hold
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 109
up his head in the republic of learning: the blow was chap. vi.
thought to be fatal ; and many persons, as usual, ^^^^-
eagerly joined the cry against the devoted critic. Sir Temple's
W. Temple, though he could hardly flatter himself [hrbook."
that the Christ Church work had established his own
sentiments respecting Phalaris and j^sop, yet believed
that it had succeeded in destroying the reputation of
Bentley, against whom he had conceived an unwar-
rantable resentment, grounded not upon any personal
offence, but upon the powerful case which he had
made out against his positions. He lost no time in March so.
pronouncing a judgment upon Boyle's publication, in
which he says, ' the compass and application of so
much learning, the strength and pertinence of his
arguments, the candour of his relations, in return to
such foul-mouthed raillery, the pleasant turns of wit,
and the easiness of style, are in my opinion as extra-
ordinary as the contrary of these all appear to be in
what the Doctor and his friend have written.' In
conclusion, this enemy of railing and abuse excuses
his not having taken up the controversy himself, by
declaring that he ' had no mind to enter the lists with
such a mean, dull, unmannerly pedant ^^.'
To the G^eneral applause which hailed this publica- Boyie'sown
tion, there seems to have been one exception ; and
that was no other than Mr. Boyle himself, in whose
name it appeared, and for whom the honour of the
achievement was designed. This gentleman, while
his friends were so zealously fighting under his colours,
was himself attending his parliamentary duties in Ire-
land : although he left his cause in their hands, yet
he had, it seems, certain apprehensions and mis-
givings about the manner in which they were con-
" The extracts from this letter of Sir WiUiam's, perhaps addressed to
Atterbiiry, are given in the Short Account of Dr. Bentley's Humanity and
Justice, &c. p. 140.
sentiments.
110 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. ducting it; and during the progress of the work,
^^^^- expressed in his letters ' hopes that it would do no
harm.' The popularity of the book causing a new
edition to be immediately called for, he took that
opportunity of inserting some improvements and some
corrections, for which he was indebted to another
friend, whom I apprehend to have been his former
tutor. Dr. Gale the Dean of York ^^ These were
transmitted toAtterbury, theleader of the confederacy,
whose proud spirit immediately took fire : considering
this as a proof of distrust, and ingratitude to one who
had by his own labour procured so much reputation
for his pupil, he returned the papers to Boyle with a
letter of indignant complaint, reproaching him for his
thankless behaviour, and declining all further inter-
ference in the controversy ^^
Outcry Notwithstanding this dissension at the head-quarters
against n i • • i i • i i • •
Bentiey. 01 his cnemics, the clamour against our devoted critic
continued loud and incessant ; nor was it confined to
one description of persons ; all who wished to attract
attention by declaiming upon a popular topic joined
in the cry. We find philosophers and wits, poets and
critics, divines and physicians, gray-beards and strip-
lings, Oxford men and Cambridge men, combining
to hunt down the enemy of Temple and Boyle. John
Kciii. Keill, of Baliol College, a mathematician of high
reputation, was at this time publishing his first work,
an ' Examination of Burnet's Theory of the Earth;'
and, from no assignable motive except a wish to in-
" Wotton, in the Appendix to his Reflections on Ancient and Modern
Learning, 3d edit. 1705, mentions the belief that Dr. Gale had some con-
cern in Boyle's Examination. The Dean himself says, in a letter to Mr.
Pepys, of March IS, 1G9S-99: "The quarrel between Mr. Boyle and
Dr. Bentiey I abominated from the first. I like it not better now : so
much as I have read of the book (i. e. Bcntlcy against Boyle) gives me the
same idea that you have of it." Pepys's Correspondence, p. 164.
" This letter will be found in Atferbury's Correspondence, vol. ii. p. 21.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. Ill
gratiate himself with the enemies of Bentley, he ran- chap. vi.
sacked the philosophical part of his ' Lectures on ^^^^-
Atheism' for some opportunity of cavil. In his astro-
nomy he could find but two flaws; and these he went
far out of his way to mention with indecent asperity ^^.
The first was, a remark that ' though the axis of the
earth had been perpendicular to the plane of the
ecliptic, yet, take the whole year about, we should
have had the same measure of heat as we have now;'
where Keill chose to understand ' lue as signifying
the inhabitants of the temperate zone, instead of the
whole earth; in which latter sense the assertion is
correctly true. The other observation was certainly
an error ; that ' the moon does not wheel about her
own centre;' but it was an error which had been
committed by every astronomer before Newton, who
first discovered that the moon does revolve about her
axis, and this is mentioned in an incidental sentence
of the Principia, which Bentley had either overlooked
or forgotten. Keill concludes his ill-natured attack
upon a writer who had deserved so well of the cause
in which he was himself labouring, with this pitiful
sneer : ' It were to be wished that great critics would
confine their labours to their lexicons, and not venture
to guess in those parts of learning which are capable
of demonstration :' speaking as if he thought that a
person's classical attainments did in themselves dis-
qualify him for other and more severe studies.
John Milner, a veteran schoolmaster at Leeds, Miiner.
engaged in the dispute on Phalaris, in a book called
' A View of the Dissertation,' &c. ; and took part
'« Examination of Dr. Burnet's Theory, &c. p. 70. Bentley, in the next
edition of his Boyle's Lectures, altered we, in the first passage, into ' the
whole earth,' and omitted the second altogether. Keill's malevolent
remarks met with a merited rebuke from Wotton, in the third edition of
his Reflections, p. 478, and I have never seen his conduct in this matter
mentioned in any terms but those of reprobation.
112 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. against our critic; but in so doing he gave Bentley
^^^^- an occasion to correct two or three mistakes or mis-
apprehensions, the only fresh contribution which he
brought to this controversy '^
Garth. Di*. Garth, his contemporary at Cambridge, who
was related to the Boyles, published about this time
his well-known poem, ' The Dispensary,' and pro-
nounced his judgment upon the merits of the two
combatants in this simile :
" So diamonds take a lustre from their foil,
And to a Bentley 'tis we owe a Boyle :"
a couplet which is, perhaps, more frequently quoted
than any other in the poem, and always to the dis-
paragement of the author's judgment. In a collec-
tion of Latin verses printed at Oxford, called Examen
Poeticum Duplex, Bentley is held up as an object of
ridicule by two different hands, one of whom was
Akirich. asserted to be ' Dean Aldrich himself, or a brother
Caricature. Doctor of Diviuity '^. At Cambridge a caricature
was exhibited of Phalaris putting the unfortunate
critic into his brazen bull ; and as it was thought that
a member of St. John's College could not properly
make his exit without a pun, he was represented as
saying, ' I had rather be roasted than Boyled '^.'
Though there already existed literary journals in
England, they had not yet assumed the character or
functions of our modern Reviews. The same office,
however, was performed by pamphlets. One of these
Rymcr's spccdily cauic forth, termed ' An Essay concerning
ssay. Critical and Curious Learning, in which are contained
'' Bentley replies to him, Dissert, on Phal. p. 214, 215. terming him
' an unknown author, who has mixed himself in this controversy.'
"* Essay on Critical and Curious Learning, p. 70. Of the other poem,
all the wit is contained in the following hne : ' Anglo- Gra?co-Latino-cre-
pundia Bcntloiana.'
'" BuihjcW s Lives of the Boiiles, p. 193.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 113
some short reflections on the controversie betwixt Sir chap. vi.
W. Temple and Mr. Wotton, and that betwixt Dr. ^^^"-
Bentley and Mr. Boyl.' The author was Thomas
Rymer, who is now best known as a laborious anti-
quary, the principal compiler of the numerous and
ponderous volumes of the Fcedera, but who seems to
have enjoyed at that time no inconsiderable reputation
as a critic. This article displays its impartiality by
dispensing censures upon all parties concerned with
the tone and authority assumed by a fastidious re-
viewer : except indeed that Sir W. Temple is declared
a perfect and faultless writer ; and to take any excep-
tion to his decisions is pronounced the height of pre-
sumption. Rymer condemns our critic for having
resented Boyle's reflection at all, for having used
rudeness in the manner of doing so, and, lastly, for
contesting such an unimportant question as that re-
specting Phalaris and J^sop. The only real charge,
that of rudeness, is not substantiated ; and in regard
to his last censure nothing can be more unphilosophical
than his reasoning. He contends that all inquiries of
a ' curious' nature, carried beyond a supposed point
of utility (which never can be ascertained), are wrong-
in themselves, because they are fruitless. To this
doctrine nobody who is acquainted with the progress
of human knowledge can ever subscribe. Such pur-
suits, if they have no important results, are at least
innocent, and are the amusements of a liberal mind.
But it is well known that some of the greatest advances
in science and literature have been made by following
up such ' curious' investigations as did not at first
promise any great reward to the inquirer. Upon the
confederacy who, under the name of Mr. Boyle, had
clubbed their forces for the purpose of writing down
an individual, Rymer bestows a full measure of cen-
sure. They are condemned for the rancour of their
VOL. I. I
114 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. language, and for tlieir arrogant pretensions grounded
^^^^- upon the celebrity of their college. He adds some
reflections upon the supercilious air of superiority
assumed by Christ Church men of that day towards
the rest of the University ; which was encouraged by
their Dean, upon W'hom he is particularly severe^".
This provocation called forth an immediate and angry
reply from the college ; the author of wdiich abuses
Rymer and Bentley in alternate sentences, directing
his principal complaint, just as his precursors had
done, against the ill-breeding of his adversaries ^^
Of all the attacks upon Bentley written at this
period, the only one which continues to be known by
Swift's its own merits, is Swift's ' Battle of the Books,' apiece
the'yooks, exhibiting perhaps more than any of his writings the
orijxinal vein of humour which distino-uishes its author.
Like its predecessor, ' the Tale of a Tub,' it was com-
posed to soothe the mortified feelings of his patron,
~^ Sir W. Temple, by sacrificing to eternal ridicule the
objects of his resentment : and it continues to be read
and laughed over by thousands, Avho would have
turned a deaf ear to the eloquence of the English
Memmius, and all the combined wit and learning of
Christ Church. The idea of this piece, as well as the
20 Essay on Critical and Curious Learning, p. 63. " If I may be per-
mitted to suggest my owti opinion, I fancy this book was written (as most
pul)lic compositions in that college are) by a select club, lliere is such a
profusion of wit all along, and such A-ariety of points and raillery, that
every man seems to have thrown in a repartee or so in his turn, and the
most ingenious Dr. Aldrich no doubt was at the head of them, and smoaked
and punned ])lcntifully on this occasion. It brings the old character of
Christ Church very fresh into my mind ; which you may remember dis-
tinguished itself from the rest of the University, not by its extraordinary
learning, but its abominable arrogance, — ^I'he Dean, instead of checking
this intolerable temjjer, encourages and ])r()motes it by his own worthy
example. It is not long since he published a small Compendium of Logic,
for the use of Mr. Boyle," &c.
2' " An Answer to a late Pamphlet called an Essay concerning Critical
and Curious Learning." London. 1698. 8vo.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. Ii5
arrangement of the combat, was borrowed from a chap. vr.
French poem by Coiitray, called ' Histoire Poetique ^^^^'
de la Guerre nouvellcment declaree entre les anciens et
les modernes ,-' but the humour, the spirit, and the
satire are sustained in a manner peculiar to Swift ;
who displays here the same talent as in his Gulliver,
of reconciling the reader to the most monstrous fictions,
and of giving almost an air of probability to the wildest
offsprings of an all-licenced fancy. In so professed a
satire, the reader hardly expects to find the semblance
of fairness in estimatino- the relative streno-th of the
parties who are brought into deadly strife in St.
James's Library. But it has been remarked that in
some cases, Swift is guilty of less injustice to English-
men than Sir W. Temple, who committed his high
reputation by a serious and studied estimate of the
comparative claims of ancient and modern writers to
the gratitude of mankind. Shakspeare and Newton,
the two great glories of our island, pass alike unno-
ticed by the statesman and the wit ; except that each
indulges a sneer at the philosopher, along with the rest
of the Royal Society : but of Milton a distinguished
notice is taken by Swift : and while Sir William chose
to be totally ignorant that such a philosopher as Lord
Bacon had ever existed, and declared that ' he knew
of no new philosophers, that had made their entries
upon that noble stage for fifteen hundred years, unless
Des Cartes and Hobbes should pretend to it,' the
' Battle of the Books' assigns to Bacon the foremost
place among the opposers of Aristotle.
In the combat and the parley between Virgil and
Dryden, Swift takes a fresh occasion to discharge his
spleen against his illustrious kinsman. But it is upon
Wotton and Bentley, particularly the latter, that the
full vehemence of his unbridled satire is let loose.
The greater part of the ridicule thrown upon our
I 2
116 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. critic, whose leading demerits are represented to be
^^^^- dulness and hatred of the ancients, is so remarkably
inapplicable, that no degree of humour less than
Swift's could make it palatable :
" The guardian of the regal library, a person of great valour, but
chiefly renowTied for his humanit}', had been a fierce champion for
the moderns; and, in an engagement upon Parnassus, had vowed,
with his own hands, to knock down two of the ancient chiefs, who
guarded a small pass on the superior rock; but, endeavouring to
chmb up, was cruelly obstructed by his own unhappy weight, and
tendency towards his centre."
This mock-heroic combat concludes with the ' Epi-
sode of Bentley and Wotton,' which has succeeded as
completely as the author could have wished among
the lovers of broad humour, and has immortalized the
supposed triumph of Boyle over the two friends.
Bentley meanwhile remained calm under this mer-
ciless storm, relying upon the goodness of his cause,
and a conviction that the public judgment, however
strangely it may be perverted for a time, will at length
come to a just decision upon every question. War-
burton tells an anecdote upon the authority of Dr. S.
(whom I apprehend to be Smalbroke, Bishop of
Lichfield and Coventry) who meeting Bentley at this
period, and telling him not to be discouraged at the
Bentiey's ruu made against him, was answered, " Lideed I am
in no pain about the matter, for it is a maxim with me
that no man was ever written out of reputation but by
himself ^^" He had now, however, to experience the
most painful of all circumstances attending popular
'- This anecdote is told by Warburton in a note on Pope's Imitation of
Horace's Epistle to Augustus, v. 104. Its pul)lication was in 1749, which
ena])les me to fix the teller of the anecdote, whom he terms Dr. S. a learned
prelate now living. Warburton, however, is mistaken in sapng that it was
after ' the publication of that noble piece of criticism, the answer to the
O.xford writers.' At that time both speeches would have been inapplicable.
sentiments.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 117
outcry, the desertion or coldness of friends, whose chap. vi.
regards were influenced by fashion. That he felt ^^^^'
uneasiness at this situation may well be believed ;
indeed he confesses as much in one of his letters to
Grgevius ; but instead of expressing this to the world,
he applied himself to write such an answer as should
effectually turn the tide of popular opinion, and make
the weapons of his enemies recoil upon their own
heads. His sentiments at this time are expressed in April 21.
a letter to his unshaken friend Evelyn, who appears
to have stood up alone as his defender, and to have
recommended people to wait and hear the other side,
before they pronounced his condemnation. He feels
gratefully this proof of Evelyn's friendship ; and
assures him that he shall very shortly be able to
refute all the charges and all the cavils of his enemies,
so fully ' both in points of learning and points of
fact, that they themselves would feel ashamed.'
Though this was only three or four weeks after the
appearance of their book, his answer was almost
ready, and he intended it to be at the press within a
few days.
That Bentley did not immediately reply to his
adversaries must be regarded as fortunate, not only
for himself, but for the whole learned world. Al-
though there is no doubt but that such a publication
as he meditated would have put him in possession of
the victory and settled the whole controversy, so per-
fectly was he master of all parts of the question, yet a
hasty performance could not have supplied us with
such a valuable treasure of wit and learning as ap-
peared at the beginning of the following year: a
piece which, by the concurring testimony of all scho-
lars, has never been rivalled. The Boyleans had
pursued a course calculated to display their adversary
to the greatest advantage, and to raise to the highest
118 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. pinnacle the reputation which they designed to over-
^^^^' turn. In their efforts to confute his reasonings about
Phalaris they had introduced a variety of new topics,
which the writers from whence they drew their know-
ledge had treated either erroneousl}^ or slightly. This
imposed upon Bentley the necessity of explaining and
elucidating them ; in doing which he was able to
develope stores of learning more abundant than either
his friends hoped, or his enemies apprehended. It
was fully believed that his first Dissertation had been
the elaborate result of more than two years' attention
to the subject; that his bolt was now shot, and his
learning and objections exhausted. So far was this
from being the case, that it had in fact been a hasty
sketch, the sheets of which were sent to the press as
fast as they were written. When the famous Reply
appeared, the public found to their astonishment, that
the former piece had consisted only of the sprinklings
of immense stores of knowledge, which might almost
be said, like his talents, to expand with the occasion
that called them forth.
Bentley Bcforc lic Submitted his case to the world, Bentley
reply. was carcful to arm himself with a full refutation of
those charges upon his personal behaviour which,
futile and despicable as they now sound, had pro-
duced a great impression to his disadvantage. The
j)rincipal part of the bookseller's accusations he was
enabled to refute by the very same description of
arguments which he had so successfully used against
the genuineness of Phalaris, a comparison of dates.
To disprove the calumny that he had disguised the
name of Sir Edward Sherburn as the proprietor of
Rubenius's tract in order to obtain the dedication of
GraBvius for himself, he applied to his venerable cor-
respondent for a copy of the communication in which
he had introduced the subject. Graivius transcribed
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 119
that part of his letter, by which it appeared that the chap. vi.
charge of his enemies was as unfounded as it was i^os^
illiberal, and that he had explained the whole cir-
cumstance, with due mention of the knioht's name :
whose merit in the discovery, to say the truth,
amounted to little or nothing. Grsevius laid the
blame upon his own neglig-ence, as the means of
drawing unmerited slander upon his friend ; of the
defence set up for Phalaris and yEsop he spoke with
indignation and contempt ; and of the controversy
itself he expressed himself in such terms as gave a
fair prognostication of what would be the opinion
of scholars, when party prejudice had ceased to
operate.
The chronology of early Grecian history is involved Dodweii's
in great and perplexing obscurity ; so contradictory ^'"■''"°^''sy-
are the statements of the writers from whom this in-
formation must be sought. Such investigations de-
mand a sound and discriminating judgment, as well
as extensive and accurate learning. I apprehend
that before this period Bentley had not bestowed
more than an ordinary share of attention upon this
pursuit. But the questions of the age of Phalaris, of
Pythagoras, and of other worthies who lived in the
early periods of history, being closely connected with
the work on which he was embarked, he now exerted
all his acuteness in unravelling and clearing the sub-
ject. Dodweii's work De Cyclis Veterum being then
in the press, Bentley w^as indulged by the author
with a sight of that part which concerned his in-
quiry. It had been composed before Bentley 's first
Dissertation had dispossessed Phalaris of his claim
to the Epistles ; and Dodwell, led by the vulgar
error to believe in their authenticity, had unhappily
availed himself of their contents to determine certain
dates ; a step which might have been seriously pre-
1
120 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. judicial to historical knowledge, but for the timely
^^^^' interposition of our critic. This field of chronology
has exercised the learning and sagacity of more
heroes of literature than perhaps any other ; it brings
Bentley into immediate comparison with Scaliger,
Usher, Lloyd, and Dodwell; and we shall only ob-
serve, that the reader of Bentley 's dissertation on the
age of Phalaris, and of Pythagoras, will find no in-
feriority to any of the great persons whose names
have just been mentioned.
1G99. The Doctor found his book swell to a scale far
Bentlev's ■, ii* ••ii* ii* i
enlarged bcyoud iiis origmal design ; and his remarks upon
don"'* Phalaris alone having extended to above 600 pages,
he gave the volume to the world at the beginning of
the year 1699. His reply to the Examiner's stric-
tures respecting iEsop's Fables he reserved for a
second part, for fear either of delaying his reply till
the public interest had subsided, or of making the
book too laro'e for o-eneral circulation.
As the new work comprised the greater part of the
former Dissertation, its title was, A Dissertation upon
the Epistles of Phalaris : with an Answer to the Ob-
jections of the Hon. Charles Boyle. By Richard
Bentley, D.D. Chaplain in Ordinary and Library
Keeper to his Majesty. Its motto was from Horace :
" Mordear opprobriis falsis, mutemve colores?
Falsus honor juvat, et mendax Infamia terret
Quern nisi mendacem et mendosum }"
The appearance of this work is to be considered an
epoch not only in the life of Bentley, but in the
history of literature. The victory obtained over his
opponents, although the most complete that can be
imagined, constitutes but a small part of the merits
of this performance. Such is the author's address
that, while every page is professedly controversial.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 121
there is embodied in the work a quantity of accurate chap. vi.
information relative to history, chronology, antiquities, ^^^^'
philology, and criticism, which it would be difficult
to match in any other volume. The cavils of the
Boyleans had fortunately touched upon so many
topics, as to draw from their adversary a mass of
learning, none of which is misplaced or superfluous :
he contrives, with admirable judgment, to give the
reader all the information which can be desired upon
each question, while he never loses sight of his main
object. Profound and various as are the sources of
his learning, every thing is so well arranged, and
placed in so clear a view, that the student who is
only in the elementary parts of classical literature
may peruse the book with profit and pleasure, while
the most learned reader cannot fail to find his know-
ledge enlarged. Nor is this merely the language of
those who are partial to the author ; the eminently
learned Dodwell, who had no peculiar motive to be
pleased with a work by which he was himself a con-
siderable sufferer, and who as a non-juror was pre-
judiced against Bentley's party, is recorded to have
avowed, ' that he had never learned so much from
any book in his life^^'
This learned volume owes much of its attraction to Attractive
nature of
the work.
23 This is told by Dr. Salter, in a note affixed to Bowyer's edition of the
Dissertation, p. 449. He says in the same place that DodweU, 'in a letter
to Bentley which he had seen, reproves him with some severity as guilty
of unpardonable aifectation in pretending a contempt of his adversaries.'
If this be true, DodweU did not regard the controversy fairly. Consider-
ing their pretensions and their performances, Bentley gives them at least
as much credit as was their due. The compliment of Grsevius is not very
unlike that of Dodwell : in his Letter of May 3, 1699, he says to Bentley,
" Pro tua quam mild misisti Apologia maximas tibi ago gratias : nihil vul-
gar e mild de ilia sposponderam j sedvicit opinionem meam doctrine varietate
et copia, quce supra hujus argumenti, in quo elaborasti, mediocritatem assur-
git," ^-c. Oct. 9. " Quam multa didicerim ex hoc libro pulcherrimo et
varia doctrina recondita referto, malo apud alios, quam apud te."
122 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. the strain of luimour, which makes the perusal highly
1699. entertaining. The advocates of Phalaris, having
chosen to rely upon wit and raillery, were now made
to feel in their turn the consequences of the warfare
which they had adopted. In holding up his enemies
to laughter, Bentley's address is no less conspicuous
than his wit: he says in the preface, " I have
endeavoured to take Mr. Boyle's advice, and to avoid
all ridicule where it was possible to avoid it : and if
ever ' that odd work of his' has irresistibly moved
me to a little jest and laughter, I am content that
what is the greatest virtue of his book should be
counted the greatest fault of mine'^\'' He generally
succeeds in exposing the poverty of the jest attempted
by the Boyleans ; and, having convicted them of
some gross mistake committed in their eagerness to
be witty, he effectually turns the laugh against them-
selves. And although he recurs perpetually to the
same method, and that too with the keenest irony,
yet the occasions are so well chosen, that we are
neither sated nor offended by the repetition : so
careful is he that the provocation shall have pro-
ceeded from his adversaries. Moreover, by always
stopping short of the point to which strict justice
would have allowed retaliation, he contrives to en-
gage the reader's good-will in his favour. In this
part of his controversial tactics, as well as in the
whole of the argument, he owes much of his success
to his strong sense, and to that acute logic which we
have more than once had occasion to notice. The
talent exhibited in reducing to an absurdity all the
erroneous positions of his adversaries, is scarcely to
be paralleled. Even Bishop Warburton, who was
not well disposed to Bentley's reputation, admits that
^* Preface to Dissert, on Phal. p. xlii.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 123
'he beat the Oxford men at their own weapons.' chap. vi.
Such is the lively interest which his unabated strain *^^^'
of humour confers on the book, that a person who
looks into any part of it finds himself almost irre-
sistibly carried forward. It has been a matter of my
own observation for many years, that young men
who have consulted the Dissertation with no other
view than to obtain information respecting the history
of tragedy, the Attic dialect, or some other subject
connected with their studies, have unexpectedly felt
such interest in the train of argument, as to read the
whole work with appetite and delight.
So well sustained is the learning, the wit, and the
spirit of this production, that it is not possible to
select particular parts as objects of admiration, with-
out committing a sort of injustice to the rest. And
the book itself will continue to be in the hands of all
educated persons, as long as literature maintains its
hold in society.
The preface contains his defence against the charges
made upon his personal character : his vindication is
in every instance satisfactory and triumphant. The
affair of the manuscript, and the paltry insinuation
respecting Sir Edward Sherburn, are treated with
such clearness, and such temper, that even the
authors of the calumnies must have felt ashamed of
their injustice. To the complaint that he had spoken
roughly and injuriously of Mr. Boyle in his first
Dissertation, he replies by showing that he was not
the aggressor, but the injured party, and that it was
scarcely possible, while vindicating his own character,
to have spoken with less severity of him by whom it
had been assailed. To the charge of plagiarism, for
having taken his remark upon the language of Ocellus
Lucanus without acknowledgment from Vizzanius, he
124 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. replies that at the time of writing he had not seen
^^^^- that edition.
Defence Upon the peculiarities of Bentley's style of writing
elation of his adversaries had insisted, as if they actually look
pedantry, ^^p^j^ ^j^jg ^g ^ point in tlicir own favour. They con-
sider it one of the marks of a j)edant ' to use a Greek
or Latin word, when there is an English one that
signifies the very same thing.' The Doctor's justifi-
cation will perhaps not carry perfect satisfaction to
the reader's mind : however, as there are occasions
for finding fault with this practice throughout all his
writings, it is but fair to quote his own apology.
" Now, if this be one of Mr. Boyle's marks, himself is a pedant,
by his own confession : for, in this very sentence of his, signify is a
Latin word, and there is an English one tliat means the very same
thing. "We shall do the Examiner therefore no injuiy in calling him
pedant, upon this article. But if such a general censure, as this for-
ward author here passes, had been always fastened upon those that
enrich our language fi-om the Latin and Greek stores, what a fine
condition had our language been in ! It is well known, it has scarce
any words, besides monosyllables, of its native growth ; and were all
the rest imported and introduced by pedants ? — The words in my
book, which he excepts against, are ' commentitious, repudiate, con-
cede, aliene, vernacular, timid, negoce, putid,' and ' idiom ;' every
one of wliicli were in print, before I used them, and most of them
before I was bom. And are they not all regularly formed, and kept
to the true and genuine sense that they have in the original ? ^Vhy
may we not say ' negoce' from negotium; as well as * commerce'
from commercium, and ' palace' irova pulatium? Has not the French
nation been before-hand with us in espousing it ? and have not we
' negotiate' and ' negotiation,' words that grow upon the same root,
in the commonest use? and why may not I say ' aliene,' as weU as
the learned Sir Henry Sjjelman, who used it eighty years since, and
yet was never thought a pedant ? But he says ' My words will be
hissed off the stage, as soon as they come on.' If so, they would
have been hissed off long before I had come on. But the Examiner
might have remembered, before he talked thus at large, who it was
that distinguished his style with ' ignore' and ' recognosce,' and
other words of that sort ; which no bodv has vet thought fit to follow
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 125
him in. For his argument, if it proved any thing, wonld prove per- CHAP. VI.
haps too "touch ; and bring the glor\' of his own family into the tribe 1699.
of pedants. Though I must ft-eely declare, I would rather use, not """""^""^
my own words only, but even these too, (if I did it sparingly, and
but once or twice at most in clii pages :) than that single word of
the Examiner's ' cotemporary ;' which is a downright barbarism.
For the Latins never use co for con except before a vowel ; as ' co-
equal, co-eternal;' but, before a consonant, they either retain the N;
as ' contemporary, constitution:' or melt it into another letter; as
' collection, comprehension.' So that the Examiner's 'cotemporary'
is a word of his own coposition, for which the learned world will
cogratulate Kim." Pref. p. Ixxxiv.
Bentley's vindication of himself against another
charge of pedantry, that of writing proper names,
such as Delphi, correctly, and deserting vulgar errors,
is more completely successful : and from that day,
Mr. Boyle's Delphos has been classed with the rwump-
shnus of the Romish priest ; nor has any writer been
since found to uphold gross barbarisms upon the au-
thority of ' common custom.'
The argument of his opponents ' that Dr. Bentley Retorts
cannot be the author of the Dissertation,' he calls ramnV
' an insipid banter, which seems rather to have been
written in a tavern than a study :' an unfair character
of thatjezz d^esprit ;. but his retaliation is surprisingly
caustic :
" If another should answer him in his own way, and pretend to
prove, ' that Mr. Boyle is not the author of the Examination,' from
the variety of styles in it, from its contradictions to his edition of
Phalaris, from its contradictions to itself, from its contradictions to
Mr. Boyle's character, and to his title of Honourable, and from
several other topics ; it would be taken perhaps for no raillery, but
too serious a repartee ; or at least might pass for a true jest, though
intended only for a merry one." Dissert. Pref. p. cviii.
Of the Index, which concludes his antagonist's book,
the Doctor takes this notice :
126 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. " Mr. Boyle thought fit, in his second edition, to rake up all his
1699. afironts upon me together, under the title of ' A short account of
■==== Pr, Bentley, by way of Index.' And in an imperfect imitation of so
great an example, I had drawn up ' an account,' not of Mr. Boyle,
but ' of his performance, by way of Synopsis.' But, when I saw
such a multitude of errors concentered together, the sight was so
deformed and disagreeable, ' miseranda vel hosti,' that no resentment
could prevail with me to return him his own compliment." P. cxii.
The introduction to the original Dissertation was
omitted in the second edition, and gave place to one
better suiting the present state of the controversy.
Our critic cancelled likewise the last section, in
which the affair of the manuscript had been dis-
cussed, and the faults of Boyle's edition of Phalaris
exposed. The former point is more fully handled in
the preface ; and perhaps he felt ashamed of per-
petuating in a work of profound learning a critique
upon the venial errors of a youthful editor. Bentley
being at this time in expectation of a continuance of
the controversy, intended to translate his whole pub-
lication into Latin, and was enlarging it by a reply
to the Examination of i^sop, and his discourse upon
the other spurious Epistles. But his adversaries were
content with the present display of his wit and learn-
ing, and forebore to call upon him for any further
satisfaction. Thus it happened that the most valuable
of all critical essays remained long inaccessible except
to natives of this country, and the few continental
scholars who understood the English language. Nor
was it till after nearly eighty years, when a Latin
version of the Dissertation, made by Lennep, was
published along with his edition of Phalaris, that
foreigners became possessed of this literary treasure
25
25 Phalaridis Epistola;. Quas Latinas fecit, et, interpositis Caroli Boyle
Notis, Commentariis illustravit Joannes Daniel a Lennep. Groningae, 1777-
This edition was published after the death of Lennep by his friend Valcke-
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 127
Sir William Temple was spared the mortification chap. vi.
of beholding the result of a controversy, upon which ^^^^'
he had so imprudently staked his credit for taste and
discernment. He died a few weeks before the ap-
pearance of the Dissertation, which was to annihilate
for ever the pretensions of his Sicilian hero to the
fame of authorship. His Christ Church allies did
not feel easy under the report that a reply from Dr.
Bentley was in preparation, and they seem to have
thought in earnest of executing the threat denounced
in the gaiety of their hearts, that if the Doctor were
not quiet, ' they would put forth a book against him
every month as long as he lived,' Just at the time
of the appearance of Bentley against Boyle, (for so
the incomparable Reply was generally styled), they
had one of these attacks ready for publication ; a
piece of abuse, the subject of which was quite foreign
to the controversy. It is called A Short Account of ' ^^onkc-.
Dr. Bentley s Humanity and Justice to those Authors Bemie^y-s ^'
Humanity
naer, who prefixed a preface and some notes of his own. The reader may
Hke to see his observations upon the controversy, as they proceed from a
scholar whose name ranks in a class next to I3entley's : " Bentleius in
Dissertatione de Phalaridis, Themistoclis, Socratis, Euripidis ahonimque
Epistohs, et de Fabuhs iEsopi, in Responsione quoque, qua Dissertationem
suam \'indicat a censura Caroli Boyle, sic evicit has Epistolas sub nomine
Phalaridis a recentiore sojihista fuisse confictas, ut ea res amphus in con-
troversiam cadere non possit." VaM. Prcef. in Phal. Epist. p. v. " Anghci
Codicis M.S. ex Bibl. Regia Cottoniana qui htem Boyleum inter et Bent-
leium, utroque indignam, sed nobis utiUssimam et posteritati, peperit, col-
lationem accuratissimam ad Ed. Boyleanam in gratiam Lennepii ab amico
clariss. D. Ruhnkenio rogatus instituit vvc humanissimus Henricus Gaily,
S. T. P. Canonicus Norwicensis et Glocestriensis : qui, dum fuit in vivis,
Magnae Britannise Regi erat a sacris." Ibid. p. vi. " De his Epistohs, a
docto sophista, horaine, meo quidem judicio, in Itaha nato, cui hngua
Graeca non erat vemacula (vid. a me notata in p. 200), scriptis paene nimis
est sevemm magni Bentleii, sed ab editore Boyleo irritati, judicium."
Ibid. p. viii. The passage to which Valckenaer refers as one proof among
a number, of the author of Phalaris's epistles having been a person whose
mother tongue was the Latin, is, t<.Tiivai Swdfiivog ti)v (jttjfiijv, a Latin
not a Greek phrase. Virgil: " sed famum extendere factis Hoc virtutis
opus."
128 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. who have written before Mm, &c. &c. A bad and
^^^^- rancorous feeling pervades this anonymous rhapsody.
After a vapid declamation upon Bentley's want of
veracity, manners, and learning, his ' singular hu-
manity,' and other topics borrowed from Boyle's book,
there follows a prancing attack upon the arrogance
shown in his first work, the Epistle to Mill, eight
years before ; wherein he had questioned the judg-
ment of certain great writers, as Gerard Vossius^ Leo
Allatius, Scaliger, and Grotius, and had even ven-
tured to correct Casaubon, and other masters of learn-
ing. A charge of such a nature only proves the
want of learning in the person who makes it. We
next find a heavy complaint of his having dared to
dispute the accuracy of certain quotations found in
the fathers, and other ecclesiastical writers. Then
Alleged comes the main accusation, that Bentley had stolen a
from'st'an- gTcat part of liis Celebrated collection of the Frag-
'^y* ments of Callimachus from certain manuscript papers
left by Thomas Stanley, the editor of ^schylus.
The charge of plagiarism is one to which critical
scholars are, from the nature of their pursuits, con-
stantly exposed; since no care can secure them from
sometimes publishing remarks and conjectures, with-
out being aware that they have already been made
by others. Every candid person is slow to believe
that such coincidences are the result of any thing
but accident ; and theft would be equally dishonour-
able and foolish, in a case where detection is sure,
sooner or later, to ensue : yet it is by these insinua-
tions that the characters of illustrious scholars have
not unfrequently been assailed by the envious and
malignant. The present accusation happened to
carry its refutation along with it ; since it appeared
that Stanley's collection, which was among the papers
lent to our critic by Sir Edward Sherburn, was
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 129
merely taken from Atlienaeiis, Suidas, the Etymologiis chap.vi.
Magnus, Harpocration, and other grammarians, with *^^^-
whom Bentley had shown himself to be peculiarly
conversant ; and whom, as is proved by his collection
of those very fragments, he had examined and sifted
with more diligence than Stanley ; a fact virtually
admitted by the accuser himself. No person of com-
mon learning or common candour can read the evi-
dence for this charge without pronouncing it to be
frivolous and malicious : nor is there the least reason
to suspect that Bentley, supposing him to have ex-
amined Stanley's papers, was indebted to them for a
single fragment, or a single correction. But the
charge was urged with rancour ; and his enemies
hoped to give it the colour and air of truth, by
declaring that the original manuscript of Stanley
was left at Bonnet's shop, for the examination of the
curious. Just as this new engine for the Doctor's
destruction was ready to discharge its fire, the Reply
to Boyle came forth, and at once reversed the situation
of the parties. The Boyleans were now the persons
accused; they stood arraigned for language and con-
duct which, to a certain degree, militated against
gentlemanly and liberal principles ; their arguments
were shown to be feeble and unsound ; they were
proved to be woefully deficient in the particular
learning requisite for their undertaking ; and what
was most unexpected and most galling, they found
the weapons of satire and raillery, their main reliance,
retorted with success upon themselves. All that they
could do was to annex to the forthcoming publication
an appendix as large as the book itself, contesting, in
the name and on behalf of Bennet, Dr. Bentley 's
narrative of the King's manuscript. This wearisome
and revolting detail does not materially impugn the
Doctor's statement ; while it shows the anxiety of his
VOL. I. K
130 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. opponents to shift the dispute to a ground, on which
^^^^- they thought a better stand might be made than on
questions of learning. The bookseller eagerly caught
at the opportunity of making himself a prominent
figure in an affair, which brought him notoriety and
Dr. King, customcrs. Dr. King, (who was perhaps the writer
of Bennet's Vindication), introduces himself into the
appendix in a very ludicrous plight. His wretched
tale of overhearing one day some of Bentley's dis-
course, had been treated in the latter's preface with
merited contempt ; and the tale-bearer himself, who
was best known as the author of the ' Journey to
London,' a parody on Dr. Lister's ' Journey to Paris,'
was made to feel in his turn the smart of ridicule :
" But let ns hear," says Bentley, " the Doctor's testimony ; the
air and spirit of it is so extraordinary, the virulency and insolence
so far above the common pitch, that it puts one in mind of Rupilius
King, a great ancestor of the Doctor's, commended to posterity by
Horace, under this honourable character :
" Proscripti Regis Rupili pus atque venenum:"
The filth and venom of Rupilius King.
And if the Doctor do not inherit the estate of Rupilius, yet the whole
world must allow that he is heir of his virtues, as his own writings
will vouch for him, his deposition here against me, his buffoonery
upon the learned Dr. Lister, and some other monuments of his
learning and his morals." P. xxviii. And again : " But we must
not expect from the Doctor that he should know the worth of books ;
for he is better skilled in his catalogue of his ales, his hmntie-dumtie,
hiig-matee, three-threads, and the rest of that glorious list, than in the
catalogues of MSS." P. xxxiii.
These and some other hits came home to the civilian,
who, like other jesters, could not endure to have the
laugh turned against himself; and in his reply, while
he strives to be witty, he only shows that he is im-
moderately angry ^^
*" Short Account of Dr. Bentleifs Humanity and Justice, S,-c. p. 135.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. ]31
This book appears to have been on every accoimt chap.vi.
unworthy of a reply : but a reply it immediately met ^'^^^-
with. Bentley had now placed himself on such an Refutation
eminence, that people were no longer afraid to be pLilpUet.
seen combating in his cause. The advocate who on
this occasion volunteered his services, is said to have
been Mr. Solomon Whateley, of Magdalene College,
Oxford, the same who had lately translated the Epistles
of Phalaris into English". His defence is insufferably
long-winded and tedious, and although the argu-
ments are correct, yet the author's plan of spreadhig
over more than two hundred pages a trivial and
unfruitful question, is sufficient to surfeit the most
determined lover of controversy. Bentley 's book Another
called forth another pamphlet, entitled ' A Letter to trac't.^"'""^
the Reverend Dr. Bentley upon the Controversie be-
tween him and Mr. Boyle,' written in a moderate
tone, and complimentary to our critic, but exhorting
him not to continue the dispute, as it was unsuitable
for a divine, and as Mr. Boyle was a gentleman of
merit, and, moreover, related to the great philosopher.
To give a specimen of this author's ratiocination; he
contends, that injury is done to literature by proving
books not to proceed from the great men to whom
they are attributed, since the value of the work is
frequently estimated by the name which it bears : an
argument which tells in an exactly opposite direction
to that which he designed. Of this tract the only
remarkable circumstance is, that it has, I believe,
escaped the notice of all persons who have given a
history, or a list of the pieces produced by this me-
morable controversy.
2' The title is, An Answer to a late Book written against the Learned and
Reverend Dr. B. relating to some MS. Notes on Callimachus, together with
an Examination of Mr. Bennet's Appendix to the said Book. London, 8vo.
1699.
K 2
132 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. About the same time there appeared another letter
^^^^- addressed to our critic, of a very different character.
Bishop At the conclusion of his arguments respecting the age
pilbikation of Phalaris and of Pythagoras, wherein he combated
ofp''thJ^'' the opinions of Dodwell, Bentley had expressed a
goras. wish to rcfcr those nice questions to the judgment of
Bishop Lloyd, whom he considered the highest au-
thority upon subjects of that nature. The appeal
was immediately attended to ; and the learned pre-
late published a full statement of all particulars which
he deemed well authenticated, respecting the lives of
' Pythagoras and other famous men his contempo-
raries;' along with their dates and the reasons for his
reliance upon each. To this chronological detail he
prefixed an essay in the form of a dedicatory ' Epistle
to the Rev. Dr. Bentley :' an honour which must be
considered not the least of the rewards obtained by
the Dissertation on Phalaris.
Respecting Pythagoras, the Bishop observes:
" Of those many eminent writers that have employed their pens
on this subject, there are three that have given us his history at
large, Diogenes Laertius, Poi-[)h\T\% and Jamblichus. These three
have, I believe, culled out all that was remarkable in any of the rest:
and the two last were his great admirers, who would not omit any
thing that might make for his glory ^*."
He then gives a full and clear account of Porphyry
and Jamblichus, as well as their monstrous and fabu-
lous narratives respecting Pythagoras. Those writers
were determined enemies of Christianity, and laboured
to discredit tlie history of our Saviour's life, by pub-
lishing extravagant details of the life of that philo-
2« Chronological Account of the Life of Pythagoras mid of other famous
men his Contemporaries. With an Epistle to the Rev. Dr. Beiitley about
Porphyry's and Jamblichus's Lives of Pythagoras. By the Right Reverend
Father in God William, Lord Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, p. iv.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 133
sopher, and representing it as no less miraculous than chap. vr.
the Gospel history ; in hopes that men, not examining ^^^^-
the different nature of the evidence on which the two
narratives rested, might regard them both as equally
incredible. He explains also the similar attempt
made by Philostratus in his life of Apollonius of
Tyana. Bishop Lloyd's essay is mcU executed, and
exhibits so much learning applied to an important
purpose, that it seems a matter of regret that it should
not be more generally known.
Bentley's first patron, the excellent and accom- Death of
plished Bishop Stillingfleet, had been for a long time li.iglket.
in a precarious state from an inveterate gout ; which ^^^""^'^ ^^•
now fixed upon his stomach, and put a period to his
existence. As he had maintained a long and painful
conflict with this disease, it is hardly necessary to
refute the assertion of Whiston, that his end was
hastened by mortification at the ill success of his last
controversy with Locke : nor should I have mentioned
it at all, had he not quoted Bentley as his authority ^^;
whereas a letter, still in existence, shows that the
latter attributed his patron's danger to its real cause ^'^.
Indeed, without assigning to him wilful misrepre-
sentation, it is proper to caution the reader against
giving credit to Winston's narratives. Not only the
inaccuracy of his memory, but the mist of prejudice
through which he regarded every person and every
topic, may be observed in all his gossiping anec-
dotes. He perpetually confounds both dates and per-
sons ; and generally appears to substitute for the
sentiments of others his own interpretation of what he
had heard : accordingly, few of his stories will bear
•^ "NVhiston ; Memoirs of his Life, vol.i. p. 251.
^^ Bentley in a letter to his brother, James Bentley, written in February,
1699, says, " The Bishop of Worcester, my old patron, who is now at
London, lies very sick, and I fear he will hardly recover."
134 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. the test of examination. In the controversy with
^^^9- Locke, the Bishop of Worcester had certainly been
hasty in attributing to that philosopher opinions which
could not fairly be inferred from his writings ; and,
consequently, his success was not that which had
attended his other performances. But it is impossible
to imagine that any chagrin at Locke's vindication of
himself could have affected so philosophical and re-
ligious a mind as that of Stillingfleet.
Bentley was proud of expressing the veneration
with which he regarded his patron : having occasion
to mention him immediately before the Bishop's death,
he uses these remarkable expressions :
" I shall always esteem it both my honour and happiness to have
spent fourteen years of my life in his family and acquaintance, whom
even envy itself will allow to be the glory of oui' church and nation ;
who by his vast and comprehensive genius, is as great in all parts of
learning, as the greatest next himself are in any." Pref. to Dissert.
p. Ixxviii.
Tlie remains of the deceased Bishop being con-
veyed to Worcester and interred in the Cathedral, a
monument was erected over them by his son, James
Stillingfleet, who was then Prebendary, and after-
inscription wards Dean of that Church : the inscription, which
nume'nt! ° "^'^^ Written by Dr. Bentley, continues to be admired
for its eloquence and propriety, among the ornaments
of that venerable structure ^\
His library. It was Bciitlcy's first object to secure the valuable
library of the Bishop, with the riches of wdiich he
was so well acquainted, as an accession to that under
his own care : accordingly we find solicitations made
for its purchase by the Crown ; and, connected with
this proposal, Bentley 's old scheme was revived, of
procuring an apartment to be built for the library in
^' The reader \vill not be displeased to see this monumental eulogium :
[H. S. E.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 135
St. James's Park. His ever-active friend Evelyn chap. vi.
again endeavoured to interest the Archbishop of Can- ^^^^-
terbury in favour of the measure ^^ But this scheme
not appearing likely to succeed, he had recourse to a
different expedient, and recommended the purchase
of the library for the Royal Society : here also the
assistance of the King's bounty was requisite : and
when we consider how many great and distinguished
persons were interested in effecting this object, and
particularly that the Lord Chancellor Somers was
then President of the Society, we are apt to wonder
that it should not have succeeded ^^ But it seems
H. s. E.
EDVARDUS STILLINGFLEET, S. T. P.
EX DECANO ECCLESI^ PAULINA EPISCOPUS VIGORNIENSIS,
JAM TIBI, QUICUNQUE H^C LEGES,
NISI ET EUROP.E ET LITERATI ORBIS HOSPES ES,
IPSE PER SE NOTUS :
DUM REBUS MORTALIBUS INTERFUIT,
ET SANCTITATE MORUM, ET ORIS STATUR^QUE DIGNITATE,
ET CONSUMMATE EHUDITIONIS LAUBE,
UNDIQUE VENERANDUS.
CUI IN HUMANIORIBUS LITERIS CRITICI, IN DIVINIS THEOLOGI,
IN RECONDITA HISTORIA ANTIQUARII, IN SCIENTIIS PHILOSOPHI,
IN LEGUM PERITIA JURISCONSULTI, IN CIVILI PRUDENTIA POLITICI,
IN ELOQUENTIA UNIVERSI
FASCES ULTRO SUBMISERUNT.
MAJOR UNUS IN HIS OMNIBUS, QUAM ALII IN SINGULIS.
UT BIBLIOTHECAM SUAM, CUI PAREM ORBIS VIX HABUIT,
INTRA PECTUS OMNIS DOCTRINoE CAPAX
GESTASSE INTEGRAM VISUS SIT;
QVM TAMEN NULLOS LIBROS NOVERAT MELIORES,
QUAM QUOS IPSE MULTOS SCRIPSIT EDIDITQUE,
ECCLESIE ANGLICANS DEFENSOR SEMPER INVICTUS.
" Evelyn's Memoirs, April 29, 1699. " I dined with the Archbishop,
but my business was to get him to persuade the King to purchase the late
Bishop of Worcester's library ; and build a place for his o^vn library at
St. James's, in the Park, the present one being too small."
^^ Bentley, in a note to Evelyn, of May 3, 1G99, thus opens to him the
topic : " I come now to wait upon you with a request that you woidd meet
136 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. that, in spite of such powerful interest, the claims of
^^^^- economy were more listened to than those of litera-
ture; and Bentley had the mortification to see this
noble collection carried out of the island. It was
bought by the private purse of a liberal and spirited
Irish prelate, Dr. Narcissus Marsh, then newly ap-
pointed to the archbishoprick of Dublin ; who de-
voted his purchase to the purpose of founding a public
library in that metropolis ^*.
Bentiey's Bcutley was uow left to enjoy the triumph of his
vkTory!'' learning and sagacity, to which even the most averse
were compelled to pay homage : and what was a still
more important result of his book, he had silenced
and put to shame the slanderous attacks made upon
his character. Upon the various matters of this
celebrated controversy, his victory was complete and
final, and he was left in undisputed possession of the
field. A declaration was indeed made by his adver-
saries of their intention to publish a complete reply
to his book; but this was an empty vaunt ; they felt
their inability to renew the conflict upon questions of
learning ; and it was the course of prudence not to
recall public attention to the dispute. It may be
remarked, that no one of the Boylean confederacy
ever again appeared before the world as a critic.
Atterbury, their leader, immediately afterwards found
business of a different character, a defence of the
rights of the Convocation, in w^hich he acquitted
Sir Robert Southron, Sir Christopher Wren, and other friends, at Pontac's
to day at dinner ; to make an act of council at Gresham College, to desire
our president, and the late president, to obtain a public library for the
Royal Society. I beg of you not to fail us before two o'clock there."
The result of this meeting is mentioned in Evelyn's Memoirs, May 3, 1699:
" At a meeting of the Royal Society I was nominated to be of the com-
mittee to wait n\um the Lord Chancellor to move the King to purchase the
IJishop of Worcester's library."
=" See a letter of Archbishop Marsh, dated May 4, 1700. Letters of
Eminent Perso7is, vol. i. p. 103.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 137
himself with signal ability: though encountered by chap. vi.
such opponents as Wake, Kennett, and Gibson, his ^^^^-
superiors in antiquarian learning, he established his re-
putation as a spirited and powerful controversialist, and
was from that time looked upon as the ablest champion
of the High Church party in the kingdom.
Of all Bentley's enemies. Dr. King appears to King's Dia-
have been most severely galled by the chastisement Dfad^"
which he experienced, and laboured to revenge him-
self, by turning the critic into ridicule, in his ten
' Dialogues of the Dead;' which, by his own con-
fession, he ' wrote to divert his spleen.' The subject
of all these performances is Bentley and the con-
troversy. His banter, though occasionally humour-
ous, is upon the whole tiresome and palling ; and
the work produces the same effect as the travesty of
a poem, in showing the high opinion really entertained
of the original. Dr. King styles our critic Benti-
voglio, a nick-name which we find adhering to him
afterwards as long as he lived ^\
33 The following passage of a dialogue between Lilly and Helvicus is a
favourable specimen of the civilian's banter : —
" Helv. Why in such a passion, brother Lilly?
" Lilly. Brother Lilly! — You make very free with me. I am none of
your brother ! The great Bentivoglio may indeed call me brother, since
the publication of his eternal labours. He equals the Chronological Tables
that I yearly published ; and then he is so exact a man at the original of a
Sicilian city, that, amidst never so great variety of authors, he can tell you
the man who laid the first stone of it. There was not a potter in Athens^
or a brazier in Corinth, but he knows when he set up, and who took out a
statute of bankrupt against him.
" Helv. AVhy this is great learning indeed !
" Lilly. AVhy so it is. Sir. Do you know whether Thericles made
glass or earthenware, or what Olympiad he lived in?
" Helv. Truly, not I ! But do the fortunes of Greece depend upon it?
" Lilly. Thus you would encourage ignorance! My brother Benti-
vogho and I have studied many years upon things of less importance, some
of which I shaU name to you; as, that carp and hops came into England
the same year with heresy; — that the first weathercock was set up, on the
tomb of Zethys and Calais, sons of Boreas, in the time of the Argonautic
expedition; — that Mrs. Turner brought up the fashion of yeUow starch; —
138 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI. The prejudices excited by party and fashion are
^*^^^- never easily overcome. Of this fact there appears a
remarkable instance in the popular opinion prevalent
in England for at least fifty years, that the contro-
versy on Phalaris was one upon which great learning
and wit had been bestowed, but which after all left
the point in dispute undecided. Among persons
whose judgment upon such questions could be of any
value, the case was different : by them the triumph of
Dr. Bentley was deemed as complete, as his learning,
wit, and ingenuity were admirable : and it was not
long before he experienced a signal proof of the im-
pression created in his favour.
tliat the Sybarites first laid rose-cakes and lavender among their linen ; —
that Sardanapalus was the inventor of cushions, which never before this
last century have been improved into easy chairs, by the metamorphosis of
cast mantuas and petticoats, to the ruin of chamber-maids. — And yet we
thought our time well spent, I must tell you.
" Helv. Are any of these things in Usher's 'Annals,' or Simpson's
' Chronicon?'
" Lilly. Perhaps not. But we stand upon their shoulders, and there-
fore see things with greater exactness. Perhaps never man came to the
same pitch of clironology as the much esteemed Bentivoglio. He has
gotten the true standard by which to judge of the Grecian time : ' He
knows the age of any Greek word unless it be in the Greek Testament:'
and can teU you the time a man lived in, by reading a page of his book, as
easily as I could have told an oyster- woman's fortune when my hand was
crost with a piece of sUver.
" Helv. This is admirable! Why then, it seems, words have their
chronology, and ])hrases their rise and fall, as well as the Four Monarchies.
" Lilly. Very right; let Bentivoglio but get a sentence of Greek in
his mouth, and turn it once or twice upon his tongue; and he as well
knows the growth of it, as a \antner does Burgundy from Madeira." —
King's Works, Dialogue VH. vol. i. p. iGl.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 139
CHAPTER Vn.
Bentley made Master of Trinity College, Cambridge — History of the College
— Its great fame and prosperity — Its decline — The probable causes —
Bentley's appointment unpoptdar — The Duke of Gloucester — Bentley's
first step upon his admission — Repairs of the Master's Lodge — Bentley
elected Vice-Chancellor — His Marriage — Vindicates the rights of the
University — A Greek Archbishop created D.D. — Address to the King —
Ludolf Kuster — His edition of Suidas — Bentley made Archdeacon of Ely
— Member of Convocation — University Press — General Election —
Bentley undertakes to jmblish Horace — Death of Grcevius — Elections in
Trinity College — The Master's regulations — Measures of discipline —
Care of the College Library — Graduates in Divinity — Dissention among
the Fellows — Declamations — Offence given by the Master — Expensive
repairs — New Staircase — College Preachers — Sequel of the Phalaris
controversy — Publications of Atterbury — Dodwell — Swift — Wotton.
We have already noticed that during the life-time ofcHAP.vii.
Queen Mary, the Church preferment in the gift of the ^'^^^'
Crown was generally left to her disposal. Soon after
the loss of his Queen, King William was induced to
appoint a Commission, consisting of the six most dis-
tino-uished prelates on the Bench, who were to recom- April 7,
1 POP
mend fit persons to supply all vacant bishopricks,
deaneries, and other preferments, as well as headships
and professorships of the two Universities, in the
Royal patronage. The persons invested with this
trust were the Archbishops Tenison and Sharp,
Bishops Lloyd of Coventry and Lichfield, Burnet of
Sarum, Stillingfleet of Worcester, and Patrick of
Ely ; after Stillingfleet's death, another Commission
was issued, substituting in his place Moore the Bishop
of Norwich ^ Upon the vacancy of the deanery of
1 Tlie copy of this Commission, dated May 9, 1699, is given at length
in Le Neve's Lives of the Protestant Archbishops, p. 247- No Commission
of this nature has been issued by any monarch since King William.
the College.
140 LIFE OF
cHAP.vii. Durham in the latter part of 1699, Dr. John Montague,
^^700- the Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, was pro-
Bentiey moted to that dignity ; and the Commissioners una-
Mast^erof nimously recommended Dr. Bentley to the vacant
coUe'e headship of Trinity College.
Cambridge. There could scarcely be a better testimony of the
opinion entertained of our hero by the heads of the
Church, than the important and dignified charge thus
confided to his administration. And it might be sup-
posed that no appointment could be more agreeable
to the feelings and taste of a scholar ; not merely on
account of high rank and influence in a learned body,
but from the opportunity which it conferred of pro-
moting literature by the encouragement of merit and
of talents.
History of Tlic Collcgc ovcr whicli Beutlcy was called to
preside may be considered as the first-fruits of the
Reformation. It was founded by King Henry the
Eighth about one month before his death, and en-
dowed with revenues taken from the dissolved monas-
teries. Its earlier years were somewhat clouded by
the struggles between the popish and reformed
Churches ; but upon the accession of Elizabeth the
foundation was completed and placed upon its present
liberal footing ; giving ample encouragement to the
pursuit both of ornamental and useful knowledge,
and opening the emoluments of the college as re-
wards to the merit of the students in the most un-
its great restricted manner. Accordingly we find that Trinity
College rose at once from the infancy to the maturity
of its fame: and from that epoch to the civil troubles
in the reign of Charles the First, a period of little
more than eighty years, it flourished in a manner
unexampled in the history of academical institutions.
The illustrious names of Lord Bacon and Sir Edward
Coke stand at the head of a list of its members dis-
fame and
prosperity
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 141
tinguished in the theatre of public life. During the chap.vii.
reigns of Elizabeth and James the First, a period ^^oo.
when extraordinary attention was shown to merit in
ecclesiastical appointments, a greater number of
Bishops proceeded from this, than from any other
society ; and it was observed about the beginning of
the 17th century, that Trinity College might claim
at the same time the two Archbishops of Canterbury
and York, and no less than seven other principal
prelates on the English Bench ^. So greatly did
theological learning flourish here, that when the pre-
sent Translation of the Bible was executed by order
of James the First, no less than six of the translators
were found among the resident Fellows of this College^,
In elegant literature it claims an equal celebrity ;
having, in addition to many of the Elizabethan poets,
produced those two constellations of wit and learning,
John Donne and Abraham Cowley "* ; while it boasts,
2 Tlie following is an extract from a Memorial of Dr. Ne\dle, Master of
Trinity, in the reign of King James I.
" Within the suggestor's remembrance, besides Doctors in all faculties,
to the number of at least 60, Deans to the number of 1 1 , Public Professors
to the number of 10, the two Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the
Most Rev. Fathers ^\Tiitgift and Hutton, and seven other princij^al Pre-
lates, viz. Fletcher of London, StiU of Bath and Wells, Babington of
Worcester, Redman of Norwich, Rudd of St. DaAid's, Bennet of Here-
ford, and Goldsborough of Gloucester; all of them, simul et semel, Bishops
of this kingdom, since and under the reign of our now most gracious
Sovereign (except London and Norwich, who died not long before) are
such an instance, as we think no other College can afford the Uke ; and not
one of them chosen out of Westminster School." — Carter's Hist, of Cam-
bridge, p. 349.
3 Tlie fellows of Trinity College employed in the Translation of the
Bible were, 1. Edward Lively, Professor of Hebrew. 2. Jeremiah Rad-
clifFe. 3. Thomas Harrison. 4. John Overall, Professor of Divinity.
5. John Layfield. 6. William Dakins. Dr. John Richardson, Master of
the College, was also one of the translators ; but he was not appointed
Master till the work was completed.
* The fact of Cowley being of this College, his biographer Dr. Samuel
Johnson chooses to omit : he was elected FeUow in 1640, being then a
junior Bachelor; in 1643 he was ejected by the Puritans for refusing the
Covenant : but he recovered his fellowship after the Restoration.
142 LIFE OF
CHAP.vii. in the next generation, the still more illustrious name
^'^^ of Dryden. So high was its reputation during the
period of which we are speaking, that Fellows of this
society were chosen to fill the headships of the ma-
jority of other Colleges in the University \
Its decline. Tlic civil troublcs, and the intolerance of the Pu-
ritans, brought ruin and confusion upon this as well
as other societies : all the Royalist Fellows were ex-
pelled, along with Dr. Thomas Comber, the Master,
one of the most exemplary characters that ever pre-
sided over a college. The Restoration did not bring
back the prosperity or the spirit that had been
banished by the evil times ; nor could the society
recover the paramount station which it had so long
maintained. There were, indeed, some circumstances
peculiarly auspicious to Trinity College. Dr. John
Pearson and Dr. Isaac Barrow, two of the brightest
characters which grace the period of Charles the
Second, were successively Masters. In the mean-
time, the fabric nearly attained to the state in which
it continued till the year 1824 ; the beautiful qua-
drangle, half of which had been built in the master-
ship of Dr. Thomas Nevile, the Dean of Peterborough,
and in a great degree at his own cost, was now com-
pleted by the munificence of two restored Fellows,
Sir Thomas Sclater, and Dr. Humphrey Babington ;
s William Glynne, was made President of Queen's College ; Matthew
Hutton, Master of Pembroke HaU ; Nicholas She])pard, Master of St.
John's CoUege ; Thomas Legge, Master of Caius ; WiUiam ^\^lJtaker,
Master of St. John's; John Copcot, Master of Corpus Christi; John
Overall, Master of Catherine Hall ; Francis Aldrich, Master of Sidney
College ; Robert Scott, Master of Clare Hall. Two other Fellows of
Trinity of this period, James Duport and Francis Wilsford were after the
Restoration made Masters of Magdalene and Corpus Christi. To this list
of Fellows of Trinity, who became Heads of other Colleges, may be
added Walter Travers, Provost of Trinity College, Dublin; Matthew
Sutcliffe, Founder and Head of Chelsea College ; and Charles Chauncy,
Head of Harvard College, in New England.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 143
and the noble library, an edifice unrivalled for mag- chap.vii.
nificence and convenience, was erected by a subscrip- ^^oo-
tion of the members, under the auspices of Dr. Barrow.
Above all, the presence and example of Sir Isaac
Newton might have been expected to sustain the
spirit of a college, the scene of all his great dis-
coveries, of which he continued many years a resident
Fellow. In spite of these advantages, the house was
observed to decline in numbers and celebrity in the
latter years of the seventeenth century ; and it hap-
pened at the crisis of which we are speaking, that the
list of its Fellows was more destitute of distinguished
names than at any preceding or any subsequent
period.
To what such a state of things was owing, must The proba-
not be hastily pronounced. The reason assigned by ^'^ *'''"''''■
Bentley for the decline of the Society was the disuse
of theological degrees among the Fellows ; a cause
insufficient of itself to produce such an effect. The
following facts may account for it more satisfactorily :
first, the acknowledged relaxation of discipline under
the two last Masters, Dr. North and Dr. Montague,
had produced its never-failing consequences, in im-
pairing both decorum and literature : secondly, that
distinguishing principle of Trinity College, admission
to the founder's bounty upon the score of merit alone,
had experienced an interruption in the times of civil
discord, when Fellows were appointed by the nomi-
nation of parliamentary commissioners, and subse-
quently of the Protector. After the Restoration,
Charles the Second being probably urged to assume
the same patronage as had been exercised by the
Usurper, frequently sent Royal mandates for elec-
tions to fellowships ; which, though plainly contrary
to their statutes, the Society were constrained to obey.
In the short reign of James the Second this exercise
1
144 LIFE OF
CHAP.vii. of arbitrary power was carried still further, every
^'^^^- vacancy among the fellowships being filled by man-
datory letters from the King. Although the College
was delivered by the Revolution from future invasions
of its privileges, yet some of the intruded Fellows
having obtained office by their seniority, and not
being indebted to industry or learning for their own
preferment, wanted both ability and disposition to
encourage those qualifications in others. A third
cause of the depressed and languid state of Trinity
College, may be found in the prevalent distaste for
the old system of academical study ; people had
begun to neglect and despise the learning of the
schoolmen, before a more vigorous and manly system
of instruction had been substituted. This happened
to be the intermediate state of torpor ; and the Col-
lege disputations, exercises in which members of all
ages used to display their ingenuity, were now much
neglected, being frequently performed by deputy, and
disposed of in a superficial and unedifying manner.
Bcntiey's For tlicsc cvils uo better remedy could have been
me'nTuii- dcvlscd tliau the appointment of a Master possessed
popular. Qf talents, energy, and reputation ; and this was the
sole motive for the arrangement which placed Bentley
at the head of Trinity College. The measure was so
well intended, and so honourable to its authors, that
it is painful to find it not productive of all the good
eflTects which they contemplated. But in making this
selection some material circumstances appear to have
been overlooked. Bentley had no previous connection
with the College which he was sent to govern ; he
was himself educated in another and a rival society;
and, not having resided at Cambridge since he reached
manhood, he was unacquainted with the business as
well as feelings of the place, and destitute of all the
peculiar information which the Head of a College
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 145
ought to possess. Far from cherishing that attach- chap.vii.
ment to his society which is generally observed to ^^"^-
overcome all other feelings among the governors of
our colleges, Bentley regarded with contempt the
Fellows over whom he was to preside ; and the pre-
ferment itself he seems to have valued chiefly on
account of its income, and as a step in the ladder of
advancement. On the other hand, his appointment
was unpopular in the Society, to whom he was known
only by his reputation as a critic and controversialist,
and who were chao-rined at not seeino; one of their
own College placed at their head ^ Besides over-
looking these circumstances, his patrons were not
aware that there were certain defects in his character,
which made him a person not to be safely trusted
with authority. Hitherto the reader has seen him
pass clear and unsullied through no common ordeal,
and put to shame the attacks of jealous and envious
adversaries : in the remainder of his history there will
be found much to regret, and much to condemn.
At the time of his appointment it was intended that The Duke
the Duke of Gloucester, son of the Princess Anne, °er.
and Heir Apparent to the throne, should be educated
at Trinity College, under the immediate care of the
new Master. Great were the hopes entertained of
this amiable young prince by all parties in the nation :
but it happened in this, as in many similar instances,
that the expectations of the English people, when
most strongly excited, were destined to be disap-
•^ Dr. Gale, the Dean of York, formerly Fellow of Trinity College, and
Greek Professor of the University, had aspired to succeed Dr. Montague
in the mastership, as appears from a letter of his to his friend Mr. Pepys.
March 18, I698 : " I am told Dr. Montague will be Bishop of Worcester:
when that shall happen, might not a friend of yours hope to be removed
southward to Trin. Coll. ?" Pepys' s Correspondence, vol. ii. p. 164.
VOL. I. L
146
LIFE OF
Dr. Bentley
installed
Master.
cHAP.vii. pointed by the premature death of their beloved
^700- object \
On the first of February, 1699—1700, Dr. Bentley
was installed Master ; having first taken the oath to
preserve unbroken the statutes of the College, and to
consult the common benefit rather than his private
interests. Tradition says that, being congratulated
upon a promotion so little to have been expected by
a member of St. John's, he replied, in the words of
the Psalmist, " By the help of my God, I have leaped
over the wall ^"
His first step on entering into the office was of a
very inauspicious description. A dividend from the
surplus money had been fixed, in December 1699, to
be paid, agreeably to the custom of the College, to
the Master and Fellows, for the year ending at
Michaelmas, The Master's share, amounting to 170/.,
was clearly due to Dr. Montague, whose resignation
took place in November ; but by some accident it
had not yet been disbursed to him. Bentley, imme-
diately upon his admission, claimed this sum, as
being profits accruing during the vacancy, and there-
fore payable to the new Master ; and by dint of ter-
rifying the bursar, or treasurer, who declined paying
it, with a threat to bring him before the Archbishop
Bentley's
first step
upon his
admission
^ William, Duke of Gloucester, died July 29, IJOO. For an account
of this young prince, see Bishop Burnet's History of his own Times, vol. ii.
p. 245.
* Another traditionary anecdote, presented in Dr. Bentley's family, is
this : " Bishop StiUingfleet said, We must send Bentley to rule the turbu-
lent Fellows of Trinity College : if any body can do it, he is the person ;
for I am sure that he has rided my family ever since he entered it." The
truth of this story is overset by a reference to dates. StiUingfleet was
dead many months before the vacancy ; and the ' turbulence ' of the
Fellows has an evident allusion to transactions which occurred several
years later. It is allowed on all hands that, before Bentle)'^s appointment,
the Society had been perfectly tranquil.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 147
of Canterbury, he actually obtained the money. In chap.vii.
making this claim he was misled by a reference to '^OQ-
the case of parochial preferment, where the successor
is always entitled to the arrears during the vacancy.
But in the present instance, the sums from whence
the dividend was made, had all been received in
Dr. Montague's time. Besides, a case precisely
similar had occurred in Trinity College little more
than twenty years before, when Dr. North gave up
the dividend to the executors of his predecessor, Dr.
Barrow; and a College order was made to regulate
and decide such questions for the future. Bentley
at the same time demanded and enforced payment of
other dues, amounting to 110/. which had become
payable at St. Thomas's-day preceding. For this
claim he had stronger grounds ; though, to say the
least, it was injudicious to assert it against the opi-
nions and feelings of the Society : but to the dividend
he had not the shadow of a right ; and his predecessor
declared his intention of commencin«: a suit aofainst
the College, if it was withheld from him. Bentley
throughout life was too obstinate in maintaining a
point to which he had once committed himself. The
matter remained in controversy about two years, when Apni ic,
a compromise was effected. The Dean of Durham
allowed the 170/. to remain in Bentley 's hands, as a
gift to the College, to be expended in purchasing
furniture for the Master's lodge : and the thanks of
the Society were given to him for this benefaction,
and entered in the register by the Master's hand.
Through this handsome conduct of the Dean the
dispute was amicably settled : an impression, how-
ever, was produced not favourable to the new Master;
and unfortunately his subsequent conduct had no
tendency to remove the prejudice thus excited against
him.
L 2
148 LIFE OF
cHAP.vii. The Master's lodge, a spacious and noble habita-
^'^^'^' tion, was in want of considerable repair, no material
Repairs of work havine" been bestowed upon it for about sixty
tli6 Ma.st8r*s o i «/
lodge. years. The state of the floors and ceilings made it
expedient that there should be no longer delay; and
it was natural that a new Head should, at his first
coming, wish his house to be suitably repaired and
ornamented. Bentley applied for this purpose to the
eight Senior Fellows, a body to whom, in conjunction
with the Master, the government of the College and
the disposal of its revenues are entrusted. To induce
them to consent to a thorough reparation of the lodge
at the College expense, he urged the propriety of its
being fitted up previously to the coming of the Duke
of Gloucester, their future sovereign. The cost, lie
said, would not exceed 300/. ; and declared that he
would himself contribute 100/. towards it. The Se-
niors readily and handsomely assented ; making no
difficulty or demur upon any point, except that some
thought it wrong to permit a charge required for the
credit and dignity of the whole Society, to fall even
in part upon the private purse of the Master. An
. order was accordingly entered in the College register^
by Dr. Bentley, and subscribed at his request by the
whole meeting, directing in general terms that the
lodge should be ' repaired and finished with new
ceiling, wainscot, flooring, and other convenient im-
provements,' but without naming any limit to the
9 April 11, 1700. " Agreed then by the Master and Seniors, that the
Master's Lodge be repaired and finished with new ceihng, wainscot, floor-
ing, and other convenient improvements ; towards which expense the
Master will contribute de propria the sum of one hundred pounds sterhng.
R. Bentley, Mag. Collegii.
Thos. Bainbriggs, D.D. Edw. Chester.
Will. Corker. Geo. Modd.
John Ekins. Edw. Bathurst.
W. Stubbe, D.D. Nat. Rashleigh."
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 149
expense, or specifying what ' other improvements' chap.vii.
were deemed 'convenient.' I am thus particular in ^^^^-
the detail of this transaction, as it afterwards became
the subject of a serious charge against the Master,
that he had artfully worded the order in such general
terms as left the extent of the work to his own dis-
cretion, and that he had, contrary to the practice,
induced the Seniors, by the subscription of their
names, to commit themselves for the payment of the
expense. The latter step however he probably adopted
from the custom of his Chapter at Worcester ; and in
an undertaking of magnitude it seems no more than
a measure of prudence. The cost of the whole work,
exceeding 1600Z., caused excessive dissatisfaction and
clamour : but it does not appear to have been executed
with extravagance ; nor can we, after a careful ex-
amination, see reason for believing that Bentley was
actuated by bad faith. That he had ever said the
expense would not exceed 300/. he denied, and com-
mented on the improbability and absurdity of the
assertion ; but as the evidence of several persons
proves that he did actually name that sum to the
Meeting, it is to be concluded that he was speaking
only of a part of the work. Some of the Seniors
must have possessed sufficient knowledge of such
matters to be aware that a thorough repair of so large
a building could not be effected at so small a cost. It
does not appear that any scruple was made at the
outset of the undertaking, or that workmen were
called upon for an estimate of the expense. In short,
the confidence reposed in the Master's discretion was
absolute and unlimited.
As the lodge is now nearly in the state into which
it was brought by these repairs, we have clear evi-
dence that no inappropriate or extravagant alterations
were admitted. In all the rooms wainscot was sub-
150 LIFE OF
cHAP.vii. stituted for the antiquated and decaying tapestry.
^'^Q^- Here Bentley complied with the fashion of the day'";
as he did likewise in the introduction of marble
chimney-pieces and sash-windows. In the last par-
ticular only there seems to have been just ground for
complaint ; since these windows not only occasioned
a great cost, but were a blemish to the Gothic cha-
racter of the noble quadrangle. He alleged in defence
of this alteration, for which his taste as well as eco-
nomy were impeached, that there w^as already a want
of uniformity in the court, no two sides being exactly
alike, and that sash windows were desirable, as giving
greater light to rooms which were not less than twenty-
five feet in depth.
Nov. 4. In the first year of his mastership. Dr. Bentley
Bentley bccame Vicc Chancellor, being chosen agreeably to
chancdTor *^^ custom of tlic Univcrsity, as the senior in degree
among the Heads of Colleges who had not already
served that office. This choice of the chief magistrate
according to his standing, not as a Head, but as a
graduate, is so palpably inconvenient, that it is asto-
nishing the practice should have been so long con-
tinued. It occasionally happens, as in the present
instance, that a person who has not resided in the
University for many years, and has little or no know-
ledge of its business and customs, immediately upon
being appointed to preside over a College, finds him-
self invested with the government of the whole body,
and the management of its revenues, business, and
discipline ; and, ere he has become properly ac-
quainted with the duties of his station, his term of
office has expired. Owing probably to his inex-
perience in University business, very few matters of
importance were transacted during the year of Bent-
'" Only the dining-room was wainscoted with oak.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 151
ley's Vice-chancellorship. I find him charged with chap.vii.
not exercising- the hospitalities expected from his high ^'^^^'
office " ; a circumstance which, if true, must be
attributed to the state of his lodge, which continued
during the whole year in the hands of workmen.
Bentley was indeed a good deal absent from the Bentiey's
University this year, from causes of another kind. ™^"'^^^'
He had long cherished an attachment for Mrs. Joanna
Bernard, a lady who had been a visitor in Bishop
Stillingfleet's family. She was daughter of Sir John
Bernard, of Brampton, in Huntingdonshire. Being J^"- ^'
now raised to a station of dignity and consequence,
he succeeded in obtaining the object of his aftections,
and was united to her at Windsor '^ ; having pre-
viously obtained a Royal dispensation under the Great
Seal for the violation of Queen Elizabeth's statutes,
which enjoin celibacy to the Master as well as the
Fellows of Trinity Colleo;e. This marriao^e appears character
JO on of Mrs.
to have been eminently happy : the lady who con- Bentiey.
tinned the partaker of his joys and sorrows for nearly
forty years is described as possessing the most amiable
and valuable qualities. She had a cultivated mind,
and was sincerely benevolent and religious. Whiston
relates that Bentley during his courtship was in
danger of losing her, from insinuating doubts of the
authority of the book of Daniel ; a story exceedingly
improbable, which, if it ever had any foundation, has
been distorted from the truth, according to the prac-
" A MS. letter in the Bodleian, from Mr. Wm. Bishop, dated Chelsea,
July 10, 1701, makes a bitter mention of this supposed parsimony of the
Vice Chancellor.
^2 Memorandum from Bentiey's Ephemeris for the year 1701. " Jan.i.
I married Mrs. Joanna Bernard, daughter of Sir John Bei-nard, Baronet —
Dr. Richardson, Fellow of Eton College, and Master of Peterhouse, mari'ied
us at Windsor in the CoUege Chapel." — " Jan. 6. I brought [my wife to
St. James's."
152 LIFE OF
CHAP.vii. tice of that hearsay narrator '\ The alliance with
^^^^- Mrs. Bentley, whose family connections were nu-
merous and distinguished, was the means of securing
him powerful protection at critical periods of his life ;
while the excellence of her disposition tended to soften
the animosity of his opponents. We find her men-
tioned with applause and sympathy in publications
written for the purpose of injuring the character and
fortunes of her husband ^*.
Vindicates In tlic coursc of Beutlcy's year of office, he had
of the^uni- an opportunity of displaying his spirit and decision in
sept.'4, upholding the rights of the University against the
^'^*^^- mayor and corporation of Cambridge, who had given
permission and encouragement to players to perform
at Sturbridge fair, without the sanction of the Vice
Chancellor, and in defiance of his authority. His
vindication of these privileges granted by Charters
and Acts of Parliament was essential to the discipline
of the place; and we may judge from the practice of
subsequent times, that the prompt interference of
Dr. Bentley on this occasion was productive of per-
manent good effects '^.
A Greek ^ Greek Prelate, Neophytos, Archbishop of Philip-
Archbishop .... . .
createdD.D. popoli, visitiug England at this time, came to Cam-
bridge, and was presented to a degree of Doctor in
Sept. 11. Divinity by the University. On this occasion the
Vice Chancellor, with great good-nature and pro-
's lVTiisto7i^s Memoirs, vol. i. p. 95.
" See two pamphlets written against Dr. Bentley, True State of Trinity
College. 1710. p. 17- and A True and Impartial Account, &c. 1711. p. 28.
'5 The Grace of the Senate bespeaks the decisive temper of the Vice
Chancellor. It enacts that the j)rivileges of the University shall be
defended and vindicated at the public charge : and in the meantime, to
prevent a breach of discipline, it confers the authority of Proctors during
the time of the fair on no less than 62 Masters of Arts ; and decrees that
whoever disobeys them shall ipso facto incur the penalty of expulsion ! !
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 153
priety, directed that he should be presented by the chap.vii.
Greek Professor, Joshua Barnes ; who was thus grati- ^'^"^-
jfied with the opportunity of delivering a Greek oration,
a copy of which is still preserved.
Before the end of his year of office, Bentley had an Address to
occasion of declaring his political sentiments, and oct. 14. '
those of the University, in an address presented to
King William upon Louis the Fourteenth's acknowledg-
ing the son of James II. as king of England. The
address itself is given in a note, as being the undoubted
composition of the Vice Chancellor, and expressing
his opinion on public affairs in clear and uncom-
promising terms ^^
Of Bentley's operations at this period, the matter University
most interesting to posterity is the influence exerted
by him over the press of the University. We have
seen that to his zeal and services five years before this
16 « May it please your Majesty,
" We your Majesty's most loyal and dutyful subjects the Chancellor,
Masters, and Scholars of your University of Cambridge, having a just
detestation of the indignity offered to your Sacred Majesty, by the French
King, in setting up a pretended Prince of Wales, as king of these realms,
humbly crave leave on this occasion to assure your Majesty, that from our
hearts we own and assert your most just and rightful title to the Crowns
of these Kingdoms, and will contribute our utmost to its defence, with aU
the cheerfulness and affection, that becomes our duty to the best of Kings,
and our gratitude to our happy deliverer.
" We can never forget the once deplorable state of the Church and
Nation, under the fatal influence of Popish and arbitrary power ; when all
our prayers and addresses to Heaven were for your Majesty's speedy
arrival to rescue us from the imminent dangers of idolatry and slavery.
And we are daily sensible, that we entirely owe the safety of our religion
and Uberties to you'- auspicious Government. Neither can we doubt but
God will still support and enable you, not only to maintain your own Crown
and dignity at home, but defend your injured neighbours abroad, and
secure the threatened hberty of Europe.
" May the same good Providence, that has hitherto protected you from
so many secret and open attempts, preserve and prolong your sacred hfe,
assist and prosper you in all your great and good designs, direct your
subjects in Parliament to the wisest and best counsels, and continue these
nations under the happy establishment of a Protestant successor."
154 LIFE OF
CHAP. VII. establishment was indebted for its new types, and
^^^^' was restored to a condition worthy of the place. Al-
ready some handsome editions of Latin Classics had
been printed with those types, and dedicated to the
use of the young Duke of Gloucester. Terence had
been edited by Leng of Catharine Hall, afterwards
Bishop of Norwich ; Horace by Talbot, the Hebrew
Professor ; Catullus, TibuUus, and Propertius by the
Hon. Arthur Annesley, Representative for the Uni-
versity ; and Virgil by J. Laughton of Trinity.
Bentley, on succeeding to office, resolved to extend
the sphere of its utility. Among the many foreigners
introduced to his acquaintance by his correspondent
Ludoif Graevius, was the distin2:uished Ludolf Kuster, a
Kuster. ' . * , '
Westphalian, who had lately been appointed by the
King of Prussia professor of an academy at Berlin,
and obtained permission of travelling to foreign uni-
versities. He had already made himself known as
a Greek scholar by the press under the title of
Neocorus^\ Bentley received him with cordiality
and kindness, and induced him to make Cambridge
his residence, where he might pursue his studies with
the advantage of its libraries and learned society.
His edition Kustcr having, when at Paris, made collations of
three manuscripts of Suidas, undertook a new edition
of that Lexicon, to be printed at the Cambridge press :
this was done at the persuasion of Bentley, who also
engaged the University to bear the expense and risk
of the publication. He lent to the editor a body of
notes and corrections of Suidas, made by his illus-
trious predecessor Bishop Pearson, and preserved in
Trinity library ; he added some emendations of his
own, and assisted him with his advice throughout the
work. Kuster's ardour and perseverance in this
'' The word Kuste (being German for Sexton) was properly rendered
in Greek ])y 'StioKopog.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 155
undertaking were extraordinary ; and such was his chap.vii.
eagerness to accomplish it, in order to resume his ^^^^'
duties at Berlin, that he did not allow himself suffi-
cient time for a performance of so great extent and
importance. Scarcely four years elapsed from his
taking the work in hand to the publication of the three
massy folios ; a period inadequate even to collect and
digest the materials, particularly as the innumerable
Greek fragments cited by Suidas from all descriptions
of writers, many of them corrupt, require a cautious
and deliberate judgment. But while we regret the
haste in which it was executed, we must allow it to
be a noble performance; and the experience of 120
years has proved its value and utility. Though the
precipitation of the editor has left much for succeeding
scholars to accomplish, yet every one capable of
appreciating what was done, will confess his obligation
to Bentley, as the means of this edition being given
to the public.
The Doctor continued for several years to interest
himself in the affairs of the University press, being
generally a member of the Syndicates, or commit-
tees, appointed to investigate and conduct parti-
cular matters relative to that concern. Much difficulty
seems to have been experienced in securing an
adequate extent of premises for the operations of
printing, and for warehouses ; an object of magnitude
and importance, which it has been left to our own
times to accomplish. It is to be remarked, however,
that this establishment, although endowed with privi-
leges intended to make it an advantage as well as an
honour to the University, continued for a long time the
occasion of pecuniary loss. The cause, as far as it can
now be understood, appears to have been the want of
a permanent committee of management ; a measure
which, however obvious, was not adopted till many
156 LIFE OF
cHAP.vii. years afterwards. In the meantime, the receipt and
' disbursement of large sums of money, as well as the
necessary negotiations with persons of business, were
entrusted to the individuals holding the annual office
of Vice Chancellor, who generally possessed no pre-
vious acquaintance with the concern ; a system which
inevitably led to injurious and almost ruinous conse-
quences ^^
June 1701. On the death of Dr. Saywell, Master of Jesus
mIdeXch- College and Archdeacon of Ely, Bentley was collated
deacon of ^^ ^jjg vacaut arclidcaconry ; a dignity which besides
its rank in the Church, was endowed with the two
livings of Haddenham and Wilburton ^^. He had the
honour of receiving this preferment from Bishop
Patrick, one of the most learned and exemplary pre-
lates that ever graced the Bench. The archdeaconry
Becomes a Conferred a seat in the Lower House of Convocation :
co^nvoca-"^ as tlic oppositiou Carried on by the majority of that
house against the Bishops was just then at its height,
it seems probable that a wish to call into action on the
other side such talents and spirit as Bentley's might
have occasioned this appointment. He was regular
in his attendance at the Synod, as long as it was per-
mitted to meet and deliberate ; and he took a share
in the debates. Of this fact I find several proofs :
nor is there any doubt but that he sided with the
court party, who were at that time the minority in
»8 The University does not appear to have been awakened to a right
view of this matter till 1737> when a Grace was passed, constituting a
Syndicate with plenary power over the affairs of the press for three years.
The preamble of this Grace observes: " Cum Prelum Academicum, in
usum et commoditatem Academiae olim destinatum, per quadraginta retro
annos ita negligenter fuerit administratum, ut Academiam oneraverit
sumptu, ultra bis miUe et trecentas libras," &c. The present permanent
Syndicate of the Press was not established till the year 1782.
''' MS. note in Dr. Bentley's Ephemeris for 1701. " June 24. I was
admitted Archdeacon in Ely cathedral by Dr. Fern." It may be observed,
that he had resigned his stall at Worcester in May, 1700.
tion.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 157
the Lower House : but I am not able to mention any chap.vil
particular instances in which he was distinguished -as ^ ^^^^'
a member of Convocation.
At the General Election in November 1701, Dr. General
Bentley had the satisfaction of assisting in the return
of his illustrious friend Sir Isaac Newton as one of the
Members for the University : the other successful
candidate was Mr. Henry Boyle, afterwards Lord
Carleton ; so that on this occasion Trinity College had
the honour of supplying the University with both its
Representatives.
It was not until the following summer that Dr.
Bentley found that leisure for study, which was to be
expected as the peculiar advantage of an academical
station. The last two years and a half I believe to
have been the only period of his life in which he was
abstracted from his favourite employment, the critical
examination of ancient writers^''. He now formed the
resolution of devoting his literary powers to prepare
editions of classical books for the use of the students
of his college, and of selecting those authors which
were most likely to prove a relief to his own mind
when fatigued with cares and business ; particularly
such as would bear the interruption of other avocations
without injury to the plan of his edition. Accordingly,
he determined to commence his scheme with an edi-
2" In his letter to Grae\'ius, Aug. 20, 1702, Bentley thus expresses him-
self: " Cum memoria repeto, Vir amicissime, quantum jam temporis
effluxit, ex quo literas de communibus studiis vel ad te misi vel ad ullos
eruditorum, quos mare a Britannia nostra separat ; non possum non dam-
nare fatum meum, et annorum duorum et amplius quasi jacturam plorare.
Sic enim meae se res habuerunt, postquam ex jucundissimo otio protractus
sum ad splendidam banc sane et satis opulentam sortem, sed obsessam
infinitis negotiis per caput et circa latera quotidie salientibus. Quod ergo
interrogas, Quid moliar, quemve authorem, Hesychium, Maniliumve,
notis meis iUuStratum edere parem, scias me toto hoc biennio vix unum et
alterum diem vacavisse humanioribus literis : tantum abest, ut dignum
aliquid tuis oculis jam a me sit expectandum."
158 LIFE OF
CHAP. VII. tion of Horace ; a choice which peculiarly accorded
^^^^- with his views ; since such are the charms of this poet,
Bentiey that Honc Can be a more agreeable solace of vacant
to publish hours ; and so delightful are his writings both to the
Au^!T702. y^^^^^g ^^^^ the old, the serious and the gay, that no
classical book is so universally read and remembered.
As his justly celebrated edition was nearly ten years
in preparation, we shall defer our remarks upon its
merits for the present. One observation however the
first mention of this undertaking inevitably suggests :
it is greatly to be regretted, that Bentiey should have
devoted so large a portion of the best years of his life
to a Latin, rather than to a Greek poet : his know-
ledge and perception of the latter language was incom-
parably better than of the former ; and he might have
been employed more usefully to literature, and more
honourably to himself, in correcting real errors in
Greek poetry, with a felicity which no one else could
attain, than in suggesting alterations of a Latin author,
and defending them by learning and ingenuity, which
oftener produce admiration than conviction.
Renews his The Doctor uow rcsumed his correspondence with
dence'with GrflBvius, to wliom he communicated his design, along
Graevius. ^{{[^ tlircc or four emcndations of Horace, respecting
which he asked for his friend's opinion. The literary
veteran was delighted at this renewal of intercourse
with a person whom he so greatly admired : he sent
for his use a manuscript of Horace, and gave, what
Bentiey valued still more, his full approbation of the
proposed corrections. The concluding part of their
correspondence is interesting and affecting. We see
the old scholar still zealous in the interests of literature
amidst the calamities of life and the infirmities of old
age. He had just buried his wife, with whom he had
lived happily for forty-four years ; and he began to
feel the distressing symptoms of dizziness or swimming
1
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 159
in the head : yet he occupied himself in preparing a chap.vii.
corrected and enlarged edition of Gruter's Inscriptions, ^^^^'
and in the very different task of writing the memoirs
of King William. The interest which he took in the
proceedings of the whole literary world continued to
his latest hour. Two or three weeks after Bentley
had received his last letter, he learned from Peter
Burman, Grgevius's friend and colleague at Utrecht,
that he had been seized by apoplexy, while on his Death of
way from his own house to Burman's, where he was
engaged to dine, and in a few hours was deprived of
existence ^^
We must now advert to some parts of Bentley 's Elections to
administration of Trinity College, which occurred in amUd^ioiar-
the first five years of his mastership. The conduct of ^'^j^^^^jIj^""
elections to fellowships and scholarships vitally con-
cerning the prosperity of his society, he lost no time
in making them the subject of his particular attention.
Hitherto the examinations had taken place in the
chapel viva voce, before the Master and eight Seniors,
who are the electors : Bentley being of opinion that The
this oral test was not satisfactory in an enquiry so gJiations!^"
extensive and profound, ordered that the candidates
should be examined by each of the electors at his
own apartments, whereby an opportunity was given
21 Tlie letters of eac 1 were carefully preserved by his correspondent.
Those of Bentley were obtained, along with an immense assortment of
letters to Graevius, by Dr. Mead, at whose sale they were disposed of, and
came into the possession of the late Mr. George Stevens : by him they
were sent as a present to Dr. C. Burney ; who having procured Grae-\aus's
letters from Mr. Cumberland, printed the correspondence in that sump-
tuous volume, called Richardi Bentleii Epistolw, of which it forms the
most valuable half. There are, however, three of Graevius's letters in the
collection belonging to Trinity College, which have not been printed, and
which were probably overlooked when those papers were ransacked for his
correspondence. Gras\'ius's last letter is one of those omitted : it is that
from which an extract was given by Bentley in his note on Horace,
Cann. I. 23. 5. and its contents are on other accounts highly interesting.
ships,
160 LIFE OF
CHAP. VII. for the performance of written exercises, and time
^'^^^- allowed to weigh and compare the respective merits
of the young men with suitable deliberation. This
method of separate examination, although liable to
some considerable objections, which were felt both in
Bentley's time and subsequently, continued to be the
practice of Trinity College for ninety years ^^ The
Master at the same time put a stop to an unwarrant-
able custom, which obliged the candidates to keep
open hospitality at a tavern during the four days of 4
examination : the expense of these entertainments
used to be defrayed by the persons elected ; nor could
it have been inconsiderable, if, as he tells us, the
reckoning for a single evening amounted to six
pounds ".
Scholar- A practicc had long; existed of holdino; the elections
to scholarships but once in two years ; and on those
occasions only the sophs and junior sophs were ad-
mitted as candidates. Though this could hardly be
said to be in express contradiction to the statutes, yet
it was certainly not agreeable to their spirit and
intent, inasmuch as it withheld longer than was
necessary the encouragement given by the foundation
to industry and good conduct. Accordingly the Mas-
ter conferred a benefit upon the rising generation by
ordaining that the elections should take place every
year, and that freshmen, as well as under-graduates
of higher standing, might become candidates ". In
22 The present admirable system of examination was not adopted till the
year 1789, when Dr. Thomas Postlethwaite became Master.
23 Bentley's Letter to the Bishop of Ely, p. 14. Miller's Remarks, p. 39.
Blomer's Full View, p. 60. Similar entertainments used to be given at
taking degrees.
2* Bentley's Letter to the Bishop of Ely, p. 13. Bentley, however, was
not justified in attributing this abuse to a wish of saving the allowances
due to the few scholarships which were annually kept vacant ; a sum too
paltry to have been any consideration with the Masters or Seniors. A
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 161
order to accelerate the succession to scholarships, he chap.vii.
adopted a plan of erasing from the list, previously to ^^^J^Ji^
each election, the names of those who, having taken
the degree of Bachelor of Arts, did not design to
return to the College ; considering that to them a
scholarship, the allowances of which are paid only to
residents, must have ceased to have any value. This
last measure, though proceeding from the best inten-
tion, was one of questionable propriety, and did in
fact lead him to inflict an injury upon at least one
meritorious young man, Luke Thompson, a Bachelor
of Arts, and then a student in the Temple, whose
name he cut out from the list of scholars in 1703,
with the presumed consent of his tutor : this gentle-
man had designed to sit for a fellowship the following
year ; but, as scholars only can be elected fellows, he
was excluded from all access to that object. Bentley,
to whom both his person and his name were un-
known, acted in this instance entirely from error ;
and although borne out by the strict letter of a statute,
which allows to the scholars only forty-two days'
absence in the year, he found sufficient cause to
regret his precipitancy, when it was subsequently
charo;ed ag-ainst him as an act of malversation.
In these, as well as many other measures of dis- The Master
cipline, the Master proceeded upon his own authority own autho-
and responsibility, without asking the approbation of "'^'
the eight Seniors, his statutable counsellors. In thus
deviating from the practice of his predecessors, he too
plainly showed a disposition to engross to himself all
power, and appropriate all credit in the College
government. There is no reason to suppose that the
Seniority, which he acknowdedges to have been re-
more probable cause might have been found in the disposition likely to
exist in old men, to relieve themselves from the fatigue of examining a
large body of students, in the alternate years.
VOL, I. M
162 LIFE OF
CHAP.vir. spectably composed, would have withheld its assent
^^'^"- from any measures of a beneficial tendency ; and
their experience might have saved him from such
errors as he incurred on the following occasion. One
Expels a of the studcuts haviug been detected by the Proctor
at a house of ill-fame, for the second time, was
brought before the Master ; who, judging that the
case called for severe punishment, immediately pro-
nounced on his own authority the sentence of ex-
pulsion. Here was a positive violation of the statutes,
which ordain that no member of the College shall be
expelled except, after a full hearing of the case, by
the voices of the Master and at least five of the eight
senior Fellows. Bentley, in thus acting without the
concurrence of the Seniority, followed a solitary pre-
cedent which he found for monarchical power. This
was an order on a similar occasion, entered in the
Conclusion Book, by his great predecessor Bishop
Pearson. It is however curious to observe, that had
he exercised upon this College register the same cri-
tical sagacity with which he perused ancient writers,
Bentley would have been led to suspect that the
authority which he made his model was in fact
nothing more than a slip of the writer's pen -\ At
all events, the illegal act of a former Master, however
2'> Bentley's entry is as follows. " Dec. 24, 1701. Ordered by the
Master, that Hanson the subsizar be expelled the College, for his foul and
scandalous, and repeated offence. R. Bentley, Mag. CoU."
The example which he followed was an order, Jan. 23, 1664-65.
" Ordered by the Master, that Young the scholar be expelled the Col-
lege for his foule and scandalous offence. Jo. Pearson."
But the entry, which immediately follows, made at the same time, is
this : " Agreed then also, that Edward Botany be appointed the third
cook. J. P."
As the words, ' agreed then also,' show that the former order was made
at a meeting of the Seniors, it appears in the highest degree probable, that
Pearson intended to write, ' Ordered hy the Master and Seniors,' but
omitted the two last words by accident.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 163
great his fame, could not justify so palpable a viola- chap.vii.
tion of the statutes. With respect to his severity in ^'^^^i
this instance, it is but justice to Bentley, who was
not ordinarily harsh towards juvenile delinquencies,
to observe that the character of the young man was
such as made him unfit to remain longer in the Col-
lege. It appears that at the time of his repeated
immoralities, he was a frequenter of a Presbyterian
meeting-house, and was himself meditating the pro-
fession of a dissenting preacher.
In the first year of his mastership, Dr. Bentley improves
turned his attention to the important object of sup- ^^ ' '^'^'
plying the newly erected library with books, and
making it as beneficial as possible to the Society.
For this purpose he obtained a College order, that ^^"S"^' 19,
the students should be admitted, upon liberal con-
ditions, to the use of the library; and in consideration
of this great privilege, every one was to pay at his
admission a small sum for the purchase of books.
He also set apart two classes for the use of the under-
graduates and bachelors. The last measure seems to
have been attended with more inconvenience than
advantage, and I find no subsequent mention of such
an arrangement : but the discontinuance of the pay-
ments upon admission, is a matter seriously to be
regretted. Had the regulation been observed from
that time to the present, so great is the number of
students who have been admitted into Trinity College,
that the library would probably at this day have
ranked as high, in regard to useful books, as any
collection in the world "^
The Master's efforts to improve the Collee-e library offends the
•■■ o .; Senior Fel-
Senior Fel-
lows.
^° The sums to be paid were thus fixed : for a nobleman or fellow com-
moner, twenty shillings ; a pensioner, ten shillings ; a sizar, five shillings.
The alteration in the price of books woidd at this time render it necessary
that the payments should be three or four times as great.
M 2
164 LIFE OF
cHAP.vii. gave occasion to the first misunderstanding between
^^*^^- himself and his Seniority. Dr. John Hacket, Bishop
of Lichfield and Coventry, a prelate noted both for his
spirited defence of the dignitaries of the Church be-
fore the Long Parliament, and for his splendid muni-
ficence after the Restoration, was in the year 1667 a
noble benefactor to Trinity College. To this Society,
of which he had formerly been a Fellow, his attach-
ment in old age returned with renewed ardour. The
old part of the fabrick, called ' Gerard's' or ' Garret's
Bishop Hostel,' being; in a ruinous state, he ^ave 1200Z. for
Racket's •' o ' o ^
Benefac- thc purposc of rebuilding it ; with a provision that the
rents of the chambers should be for ever appropriated
to the improvement of the library. Not long after-
wards the new library was erected at a cost of above
18,000/. ; but when it was finished, considerable sums
being still requisite for the book-cases and internal
fitting up of this magnificent room, it was resolved
that the charge should be repaid to the college stock
by the rents of the ' Bishop's Hostel,' amounting to
about 501. a year. This arrangement was not incon-
sistent with the terms of the donation, which specified
as its object not only the purchase of books, but the
desks and fabrick of the librar}^, and it was made with
the knowledge and approbation of Sir Andrew Hacket,
the Bishop's heir. Dr. Bentley, on discovering this
practice, insisted that all these sums, which he con-
tended had been " interverted' from the library,
should immediately be restored, and devoted to the
Dec. 22, purchase of books ; with an assertion, that the Col-
''^'' lege had been ' robbing the library,' and ' putting
the money in their own pockets.' He carried his
point, and succeeded in expending the whole sum,
about 360/., in books : but the Seniors, who had them-
selves been liberal subscribers, and had made great
personal sacrifices to complete the structure, were
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 165
deeply hurt at the imputation cast upon them ; and ciiap.vii.
the uneasy feelings excited on this occasion, appear ^^'^'^'
never afterwards to have subsided ^^
The next subject of College legislation was pro- Pnviieges
ductive of great dissention in the Society, as will ates in di-
easily be believed, when it is understood how the ^'"''^"
interests of many of its members were affected by the
decision. The Fellows of Trinity are not compelled
by Queen Elizabeth's statutes to take any degree
higher than that of Master of Arts : there are, how-
ever, some provisions intended as an irresistible in-
ducement to the superior degrees of Bachelor and
Doctor of Divinity ; the statutes assign increased
stipends to those who have obtained such rank, and
confer upon the Doctors in particular some material
privileges, such as a preference to the highest College
offices, the right of sole occupation of a set of cham-
bers, (while other Fellows are to have pensioners
living with them), and a permission, withheld from
the rest, to occupy a house in the town. At the
same time it is specially enacted, that admission into
the number of the eight Seniors is not to be affected
by those degrees, but determined by priority of stand-
ing alone; whereby the oldest and most experienced
are always associated in the government of the Col-
lege. In the lapse of years the privileges just men-
tioned had ceased to be a sufficient temptation to
encounter the trouble and expense of the higher
degrees. The increase of the College buildings had
accommodated almost every member, as well as the
Doctors, with a set of rooms to himself; and the
surplus of revenue above the original rental, oc-
casioned by the altered value of money, had pro-
duced a dividend which constituted the greater part
"^ Letter to the Bishop of Ely, p. 14. Miller's Remarks, p. 40.
IQQ LIFE OF
CHAP.vii. of a Fellow's income, and left the statutable stipends
1702. objects of inferior consideration. There are however
two chapters in the statutes, upon which graduates in
divinity still claimed substantial privileges. In ap-
pointing the distribution of chambers, there is this
direction: Seniorem s^cvnbvm svvm. gradvm juniori,
tarn inter socios qiiam inter discipidos, semper prceferen-
dum statuimus : and with respect to a vacant college-
living, it is said, volumus illius prcesentationem socio
SECUNDUM GRADUM suuM maxiine seniori, sive domi sive
ahsens fuerit, omnino conferri. At first sight, both
these passages appear to give the preference to the
senior graduates, in terms too precise to admit of a
dispute ; particularly as the ordinary meaning of the
word gradus in the statutes is an ' academical degree.'
The opponents of this interpretation are, however,
able to take fair ground, from the insertion of the
words in the first extract, tam inter socios quam iyiter
discipidos : about half the discipidi, or scholars, being
under-graduates, the word gradus, as it applies to
them, must mean standing, or degree of admission ;
thence they contend, that it has the same meaning
with respect to the Fellows : and as there is a manifest
parallelism between the two passages, they argue that
the word should, in the case of livings also, be in-
terpreted as meaning no other seniority than that of
admission. To overturn this objection, several strong
arguments have been brought ; but the subject is of
too local a nature to pursue further. I shall only
remark that no person, unbiassed by interest or pre-
judice, can deny that there is some ambiguity in the
terms of the enactment. It is the misfortune of this
question hardly ever to have been discussed except
in times of irritation, and by interested judges; other-
wise the real cause of the uncertainty might have
been detected and acknowledo-ed : I conceive it to
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 167
have been this — The Commissioners of Queen Eliza- chap.vii.
beth, in revising the statutes from a former draught, ^^^^-
made an alteration in these two particulars, without
noticing that, in order to preserve consistency, a
change of some other words became requisite. Their
inadvertency has left a bone of contention, which has
proved no inconsiderable evil to Trinity College. It
is indeed provided, that whatever ambiguities may be
found in the statutes shall be decided by the inter-
pretation of the Master and eight Senior Fellows.
But the latter are generally too much parties in this
cause to give an unbiassed judgment: and it has in
fact happened that the interpretation of one board has
been rescinded by their successors. In 1612 six of
the Seniors decided for preoption of livings and
chambers by standing; but in 1639 the majority
declared in favour of degrees. Nay, in the master-
ship of Dr. Pearson there are two orders made by the
same Seniority, within two years, which imply oppo-
site opinions upon this question. Both parties ap-
pealed to the practice of their predecessors; which
had, in truth, been various and unsettled, and sup-
plied authorities to each. The prevailing usage, how-
ever, had been this: the Fellows postponed their
degree of Bachelor of Divinity till some one among
their juniors w^as on the point of proceeding to that
rank ; wdiereupon those who were not already B. D.
took the degree, in order to preserve their rights
unimpaired. It is obvious that w^ere all to graduate
according to their standing, the priority of choice
would practically be the same, whichever interpreta-
tion be given to the words of the statutes. But there
was alw^ays an inducement to delay. The College
offices of junior bursar and steward, are confined to
Masters of Arts ; and it was the practice for the Fel-
lows to hold them in rotation for three years. The
168 LIFE OF
cHAP.vii. University offices of proctor and taxor are similarly
^70^- restricted ; and thus it sometimes happened that per-
sons, in hopes of filling all those posts, remained
Masters of Arts till an age at which the taking new
detrrees was irksome and inconvenient. At the time
of which we are speaking, an unusually long interval
had elapsed since any of the Fellows had graduated
in theology : at length, in 1701, Colbatch and Hutch-
inson became Bachelors of Divinity ; and, in imitation
of them, the next year four others applied for the same
degree. The discussion of the disputed statutes was
now revived, and much heat and disturbance ensued.
The question being referred to Dr. Bentley, he de-
clared his judgment decidedly in favour of the gra-
duates ; and proposed to settle the point for ever by a
formal and statutable interpretation. But here new
difficulties arose : five of the eight Seniors happened
to be only Masters of Arts ; and feeling that such a
decision would have the effect of giving all their
juniors a claim to rooms and livings before themselves,
they stoutly resisted the Master's arguments and per-
suasions, though urged with all his ability at several
Decision in succcssive meetings. At length, upon the candidates
the°Gradu- for the dcgrcc pledging themselves not to use their
3'*^i702"^ privileges to the prejudice of those five individuals,
they consented to an interpretation, declaring the
meaning of the two statutes to be, that ' all Bachelors
of Divinity have the preoption both of chambers and
livings before Masters of Arts; and that one Bachelor
of Divinity is to be preferred to another, according to
the seniority of his degree in the University.' In
exerting himself to establish this point, Bentley 's
motive was to raise the character of his Society, to
engage the juniors in the studies requisite to appear
with credit in their theological disputations, and to
obtain for the elder members the consideration be-
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 169
lonoins: to the rank and title of Doctor, His measure chap.vii.
had the effect of causing the Fellows to proceed to ^702.
their degrees in divinity, with few exceptions, for
nearly seventy years : after which the practice was
again discontinued. But for the reasons already ex-
plained, the statute itself remains a subject for dissen-
tion, which no domestic resolution will ever be able to
remove. It can only be taken away by a judicial
decision, or by the easier and more eligible method
of procuring a new statute in a Letter from the
Crown ^^.
28 An apology is due to the generality of readers for having dwelt so
much upon a local topic, interesting only to Fellows of Trinity College :
while to them the matter is so important, that they may perhaps wish my
account had been stiU more detailed. For the tranquillity of the Society
I hope the question may never more be in dispute, and that the knot may
be cut by one of the two methods recommended in the text. Should it
however again come into discussion, it may be of some use to caution
the disputants not to rely upon assertions to be found in the only pub-
lished arguments on this case — those in Bentley's Letter to the Bishop of Ely,
p. 15 ; and in Miller s Remarks, p. 45 — 49. Strange as it may seem, both
these pamphlets contain several misstatements of the facts relating to this
question. First, Bentley gives not the statute itself, bvit his own interpre-
tation of it : and in a note, pretending to cite the actual Latin words, he
omits that member of the sentence, upon which the objection was founded.
Some of his statements about the practice of the College are inaccurate :
for instance, in his 76th page, he says, that from the Restoration till his
becoming Master, but three Fellows had taken any degree higher than
M.A. ; whereas the number who had taken higher degrees in that time was
above twenty. He assigns the cessation of the custom of graduating to
the times of the Commonwealth ; whereas it had continued with consider-
able regularity for fifteen years after the Restoration. He is likewise mis-
taken in attributing the recommencement of the practice to his own
encouragement in 1702. The four Fellows who then came forward (and
who were not in fact B.D. till the next year) did so in imitation of two who
had actually graduated in 1701 : a fact of which he seems not to have
been aware. As to Miller, he takes up the question so entirely as an
advocate, resolved to keep out of sight aU that could be said against him,
that it may be doubted whether or not he was sincere in the opinion which
he upheld. He confutes the mistakes of his antagonist ; but gives in his
turn, a still more uncandid statement. He suppresses the fact that gradus
does in a great majority of places in the statutes, clearly mean an acade-
mical degree .• he deliberately strives to confound different topics, by adduc-
ing as a case in point the statute for admission into the Seniority : the
170 LIFE OF
CHAP.vii. Some other particulars of Bentley's government
^7^^- must now be noticed, to enable the reader to under-
Latin De- stand the real nature of the charges which he will find
camaions. |jj.Q^gj^|. agaiust him. The statutes of Trinity College
direct that the Latin declamations of the students
shall be delivered on Saturday evenings ' after sup-
per :' they also enjoin that, for the encouragement of
diligence in the declaimers, all the society shall be
present at these exercises. The hour of supper was
six, and after that meal all who chose used to adjourn
to Chapel to hear the declamations. But it was found
in practice that the audience was far from comprising
the whole College ; and the sizars, who sup after the
fellows, were by this arrangement excluded from an
opportunity of hearing these performances. To cor-
rect this evil the Master proposed that they should be
delivered immediately after evening service, whereby
a full attendance would always be secured ; alleging
that such a deviation from the letter of the statute was
necessary to secure its essential object ; or, to use his
own expression, that ' it must be broken in order to
July 24, be kept.' This alteration was accordingly voted,
though not without considerable opposition on the
part of some Seniors, who urged the indecency of
declamations after the manner of Quintilian being-
addressed to an assembly habited in surplices, the
universal dress on a Saturday evening ; an objection
which, notwithstanding the reconciling power of cus-
tom, cannot be denied to have considerable weight.
Perhaps, if it was judged indispensable that the statute
should ' be broken in order to be kept,' it might have
practice he asserts to have been for eighty years before Bentley, against
giving any ])reference to degrees ; though hving witnesses could have told
him the contrary : and after having searched the Conclusion Book for this
and other purposes, he quotes the two old orders which make against the
claim of the graduates, but suppresses the two which are in their favour.
1703.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 171
been a better mode of breaking it, to have fixed the chap.vii.
exercises for some other evening in the week^^ ^"^^^^
In some subsequent ordinances, Bentley was accused
not only of affecting arbitrary power, but of endeavour-
ing to gain popularity among the students while he
mortified the fellows. In the year 1704 he issued a Sept. so,
'' 1704.
decree, that the head-lecturer and four sublecturers
should be subjected to the statutable mulcts of eight-
pence, and of four-pence, in case of neglecting their
duty of lecturing and examining daily in the Hall.
These lectures, being for the most part confined by
the statutes to diff'erent works of Aristotle, had, it
seems, been for some time generally omitted ; and
their place was found to be more usefully supplied by
the lectures of the Tutors. It must be confessed that
the revival of an obsolete and trivial fine was not the
best method of enforcing attention to the duties of
education.
At the same time the Master decreed that the penalty Absence
of three half-pence for absence from Chapel, which '°""' ^^^'
the statutes impose upon the fellows as well as other
members of the college, should be exacted as far as
concerned the lower half of the sixty fellows. This
distinction, which appears rather arbitrary, was
grounded upon an University statute, whereby per-
sons above forty years of age are exempted from the
29 It is fair to quote part of the College order made on this subject.
After a preamble explaining the inconvenience which it was proposed to
remedy, it proceeds thus :
" And it being morally certain, that if the declamations were delayed
'till after the scholars in waiting and poor scholars have supped, there
would still be fewer auditors at the said declamations, especially in the
time of winter ;
" Resolved and agreed by the Master and Seniors, in pursuance of the
primai-y intention of the said statute, which desires the whole College to
be there present, that from henceforth the declamations be performed
immediately after Evening Prayer, before their departure out of Chapel.
R. Bentley."
172 LIFE OF
CHAP. VI I. severity of collegiate rules ; and he assumed that
^^"'^- the last thirty might always be considered nondum
quadragenariL The measure itself was nugatory ;
since a more regular attendance could never be
enforced by the infliction of so paltry a fine. The
only good which this mass of small penalties could
produce, was a more liberal remuneration to the two
College deans for the execution of their invidious but
important office.
Absence Shortly aftcrwards there issued an edict from the
from grace. ]y[j^g|.gj.^ wliich was dccmed a still greater stretch of
his prerogative, and was accompanied with insinua-
tions yet more offensive to the Fellows. A pecuniary
mulct is fixed by the statutes for any person leaving
his table in Hall before grace : hence had grown a
custom which Bentley with justice styled ' unwar-
rantable.' The fellows, whom long association and
friendship had linked together as one family, found
much of their comforts arising from the society in the
Hall, and sat longer over their repasts than the young
men, who, as soon as they had despatched their meals,
were in haste to go to their avocations, their parties,
or amusements. This had induced a s^eneral custom
of permitting the absence of all the students from
grace, while to satisfy the letter of the law, they were
fined the sum of two-pence weekly ; a mulct, which
was indiscriminately imposed upon all students,
whether present or absent. This, being an unde-
niable abuse, called for a remedy ; nor was there any
reason why it should not have been removed by a
Oct. u, regular order of the Master and Seniors. But Bent-
ley, thinking it a fair opportunity of displaying the
strength of his prerogative, and of humbling the
fellows, sent forth a mandate, granting a general leave
to every member of the College to quit the Hall before
grace at his own discretion, without mulct or punish-
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 173
ment : and stated as the ground of this decree, ' the chap.vii.
unreasonable delays at meals at some of the fellows' _J2^_
tables.' This exercise of power he justified by an
expression of the statutes, to which he gave a rather
wide interpretation ^^ The deans, however, con-
sidering it an illegal proceeding, made some show of
resistance, and attempted to fine a student who
quitted the Hall : but they soon found that the decrees
of the Master of Trinity were neither to be disobeyed
nor questioned.
Conformably to the original observance of Friday, Suppers on
there was no supper allowed in the Hall on that day. ^"'^^y-
Bentley, finding that this rule only led to the forma-
tion of parties at taverns on Friday evenings, with a
view to remedy the evil ordered that meat suppers
should thenceforward be provided in the Hall, and
treated with infinite contempt some objections urged
by the more scrupulous against this innovation.
From his first coming to the College, the Master Noblemen
determined to break certain customary privileges of comJoneTs.
the noblemen and fellow-commoners, which were in
reality as pernicious to themselves as disgraceful to
the society. With this view he ordained that their
attendance at Chapel should be noted as well as that
of the other students, and that they should deliver
declamations in their turns. For the last resolution
3" The 17th chajjter of the statutes ordains that grace shall be said
before dinner and supper : Quod quidem a Magistro vel Vice-Magistro, vel,
illis absentibus, a Socio maxime seniore qui in Aula sit, semper fieri volumus.
Afterwards it says. Quod si quispiam Sociorum aut Discipulorum aut Pen-
sionariorum a mensa ante gratias actas discedat, nisi petita a Magistro, vel
eo qui primarium locum tenet, facultate, prandii vel ccence pretio a Decano
seniore, si adsit, veljuniore, cum alter abfuerit, mulctetur. Tlie words nisi
petita a Magistro, &c. were made the ground of giving a general permis-
sion unasked. But by others it was considered as the intent of the statute,
that leave should be asked of the person who was presiding in the Hall ;
which the Master of the College had long ceased to do, except upon
festivals and extraordinary days.
174 LIFE OF
CHAP.vii. not only Trinity College, but the nation, is indebted
1704. ^Q j^jjjj . gince it has happened, in a great number of
instances, that young men of birth and family, who
have afterwards become the most shining senators
and statesmen, have first had their emulation excited
and their talents developed by these collegiate ex-
ercises.
Causes of Tlic tcst of tlic propriety of Dr. Bentley's ordinances,
unpopu- in the first years of his mastership, is, that they have
^^"'^' been maintained, with a very slight exception, from
that time to the present. The only valid objection
against them appears to have been the assumption of
monarchical authority by which they were enacted.
There were, however, not wanting other causes which
rendered the Master unpopular among his Fellows.
He suffered from a comparison with his predecessor,
Dr. Montague, who by associating intimately among
them and exercising a liberal hospitality, as well as
by his indulgent manners, had secured the love and
affection of the College. Bentley, though fond of the
society of a small circle, had no taste for the large
scale of hospitality incumbent upon the Head of such
a foundation, and thereby incurred the imputation of
Expenses of penuriousness. But the subject of loudest complaint
theTodge. ^^ this time, was the great and unlooked-for expense
of the reparations in the lodge. The Seniors, who
had been led to expect that these works were to cost
the College about 200/, when they saw them threat-
ening to reach five times that amount, refused to
Dec. 24, sanction further expenditure. At length, the Master
^ obtained with great difficulty an order for the bursar
to defray the workmen's bills already incurred,
amounting to between 7 and 800Z ; but not until the
Seniors had been reminded, that there was a necessity
for this being done, and that they had, by subscribing
the original order for the work, made themselves per-
1
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 17.5
sonally responsible for the payment ^^ At the same chap.vii.
time, they voted 150/. more for finishing it, besides ^^^'^-
the lOOZ. to be given by the Master. But they soon
found that the cost still to be incurred reached a con-
siderable multiple of that sum. Much money was
expended in fitting up a large room formerly ap-
propriated to the performance of comedies. These
exhibitions, which are prescribed by the statutes, and
were regularly practised till the time of the civil wars.
King James I. in his frequent visits to Cambridge had
been fond of witnessing. The room appeared to have
been originally part of the master's premises, since it
could only be approached by passing through the
house : as the performances had been long disused,
and it was devoted to no other public object, Bentley
considered himself justified in reuniting it to the
lodge. But in the college the matter was not
regarded in the same light ; and this apartment had
certainly not been in contemplation when the order
was passed for fitting up the lodge ; accordingly much
dissatisfaction ensued. At length however the work
was supposed to be complete, and all the accounts
had been paid, when Bentley unexpectedly applied
for leave to erect a new and handsome staircase. To Newstair-
this fresh application the Senior Fellows unanimously '^'^^^'
refused their assent, representing the great extent of
the charges already incurred, as well as the goodness
and sufficiency of the old one, whose width admitted
four persons abreast. This it was which led to the
first open rupture in the College : Bentley, irritated
at his repulse, immediately ordered the old staircase
31 It was in reference to this matter that Bentley was reported to have
boasted, ' that he had choused the old gentlemen.' The story is every
way improbable and unworthy of credit : had there been any evidence for
so disgraceful an expression, it would certainly have been brought forward :
as it amounted to an acknowledgment of the whole charge made against
him.
176 LIFE OF
CHAP.vii. to be pulled down, and the new one to be built upon
_^^ the projected plan. Mr. Spencer, the bursar, whose
Dispute be- officc espcciallj directed him to take care of the Col-
maTter'and lege property, went to the lodge, accompanied by
the seniors. Q^her Scuiors, and forbade the workmen to proceed.
The Doctor, when informed of this interference of the
bursar, treated it with much contempt, saying that
' he would send him into the country to feed his
turkeys,' and in defiance of all remonstrance, he
finished the present very handsome and appropriate
staircase, which cannot be denied to reflect credit
upon his taste. In this proceeding, however, he had
made himself liable to defray the expense from his
own pocket ; and so he was informed by the Seniors,
when he asked them, two or three times, to sanction
the payment from the public stock. Hereupon he
reminded them of certain powers vested in their
Head, which, although disused, might at his pleasure
be exerted for the annoyance of the fellows. It is
ordered that no member whatever shall go out of the
College, though for a short period, without leave first
given by the Master or his deputy, and even then the
time of his absence is limited to 62 days, except per-
mission for a longer time has been obtained from the
Master and Seniors ; and sundry penalties, both vex-
atious and severe, are attached to the breach of this
statute. Experience, however, having shown that the
non-residence of a part of the fellows was beneficial
to the College as well as to the country at large, these
strict injunctions had long been neglected ; and the
form itself of soliciting leave of absence, an indulgence
never likely to be refused, had been altogether omitted
with the connivance and possibly at the wish of the
governors. Dr. Bentley now hinted to the fellows
not only his undoubted power to withhold his consent
in future to their leaving College, but the penalties
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 177
which the greater part of the society had already CHAP.vir.
incurred ; at the same time styhng this prerogative ^^"'^-
his rusty sword. The following scene is recorded as
having taken place in the presence of many witnesses.
One evening in coming out of the chapel, the Master
accosted the Seniors in the great quadrangle with
much urbanity, and finding them in perfect good
humour, touched upon the subject of the staircase ;
when, contrary to his expectations, they all decidedly
refused to have any thing to do with it. Irritated at
this disappointment, his colour and his voice altered,
and he demanded, in menacing accents, whether
* they had forgotten his rusty sword ^^'
The method by which it is alleged that he finally CoUege
carried his point was even more censurable than the ThlpT. ""
violence of his previous behaviour. Finding his
threats ineffectual, he determined to give an actual
specimen of the weight of his prerogative. Of the
fellows of Trinity, those only who are College preach-
ers, are allowed to hold Church preferment. These
College preacherships were originally twelve in num-
ber, but were increased by King James I. to sixteen.
At this period there were four vacancies, and four of
the fellows whose standing gave them a claim to
succeed, having performed the requisite exercises,
were candidates. One of these gentlemen, Mr.
Michael Hutchinson, had recently been presented to
a Stall in Lichfield Cathedral, which of course he
could not hold along with his fellowship, unless
appointed a College preacher. Bentley, availing
himself of this circumstance, declared that he would
not consent to any election until the expense of the
staircase was defrayed, and plainly told Hutchinson
and the others that their only chance of the appoint-
'-' The True State of Trinity College, I/IO, p. 52,
VOL. I. N
178 LIFE OF
CHAP.vii. ment would be by persuading the Seniority to allow
^'^^^- the charge on the public account. This stratagem
succeeded : the Seniors, teazed by importunities,
willing to effect a pacification even by a great sacrifice,
and seeing no other method of saving one of their
brethren from the loss of his preferment, which was
on the point of lapsing, did at length, after a resistance
of two years, concede the point, and sanctioned the
Dec. 20, payment of 350Z. for the staircase : whereupon the
College preachers were appointed, and harmony was
for a season restored to the society ^^.
Sequel of Wc must now quit the politics of Trinity College,
comroveisy. to rccord the sequel of the controversy on Phalaris.
It was no secret that Atterbury was the principal
author of ' Boyle against Bentley,' the book which
had procured such triumph and distinction to the
person whom it was intended to annihilate. In the
Atterbury. coursc of his disputc upou the rights of Convocation,
Atterbury was taunted with the defeat which he and
his party had sustained from the pen of Dr. Bentley,
and with having left their adversary in possession of
the field. Upon this provocation there appeared a
small anonymous book, entitled ' A Short Review of
the Controversy between Mr. Boyle and Dr. Bentley,'
the author of which, I have no hesitation in believing,
from the style as well as other evidence, to be Atter-
bury himself^*. The professed objects of the piece
33 The Seniors at the time of making this concession, stipulated that
an inventory of the furniture to be purchased with the 270/. in the Master's
hands (viz. his own contribution of 100/., and Dr. Montague's donation of
170/.) should be entered in the junior bursar's books, as goods belonging
to the lodge : an agreement which Bentley neglected to fidfil, and thereby
incurred much gratuitous odium.
3'' The title of this book is almost long enough for a table of its contents.
' A Short Review of the Controversy between Mr. Boyle and Dr. Bentley :
ivith suitable reflections upon it. And the Doctor's advantageous character
of himself at full length. Recommended to the serious pervsal of such as
propose to be considered for their fairness, modesty, and good-temper in
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 179
are, to apologize for Mr. Boyle, and to decry the chap.vii.
presumption and ill-manners of his opponent : but ^^^^-
from all questions of learning, the only objects in the
controversy worth attention, it carefully abstains, and
thereby conveys a tacit but perfect confession of Bent-
ley's triumph. Though the style is caustic and
polished, yet its general effect is feeble ; being little
more than a repetition of the criminating charges of
Boyle's book, subdued and diluted by an unwilling
moderation. Notwithstanding the popularity of At-
terbury, this tract produced little or no sensation : in
fact, it appears shortly after its birth to have sunk
into oblivion. Among all the accounts of the Phalaris
controversy, I do not find any mention of this ' Short
Review;' nor could the author or his friends be
solicitous to claim a work which the public showed
no inclination to notice.
I observed in the last chapter, that when Bentley Dodweii's
disputed the opinion of Dodwell upon the age ofiogy!"°
Phalaris and of Pythagoras, he appealed to the judg-
ment of that master of chronological learning. Bishop
Lloyd, who immediately published a tract confirming
for the most part our critic's views upon the question.
It was not till after five years, that Dodwell found
leisure to publish an elaborate reply. About this
work the most remarkable circumstance is, that its
learned and candid author acknowledges the errors
which he had committed respecting Phalaris, and
u-riting. London, 1701.' In a manuscript letter from Dr. Wake to Dr.
Charlett, dated March 14, 1700-1701, the anticipation of this book is
clearly alluded to : Wake, having mentioned Atterbury's late work written
in reply to himself, ' The Rights, Powers, and Privileges of an English
Convocation, stated and vindicated,' adds, " Dr. Bentley is next to be
brought upon the stage. The book, I am told, is ready, but the market
must not be overstocked ; and 'tis reasonable that the world should recover
breath, and have a new appetite to laugh, before it comes abroad. Some
men, I am told, wonder at my impudence that I have not yet hanged
myself."
N 2 -t-
180 LIFE OF
cHAP.VTi. rather corrects than defends his former opinions. He
^^^^' places Pythagoras later than either Bentley or Lloyd
had done, and upon this point adduces a powerful
mass of authority : at the same time he confesses the
great difficulty of the subject ; the oldest historians
having neglected to distinguish the accounts resting
on certain authority from those which they derived
only from tradition. This able tract, though not
written in an elegant style, is a model of controversial
candour and good-manners. Dodwell treats his two
adversaries with the respect and consideration which
their learning deserved ; but he discovers the feelings
of the nonjuror, when in speaking of Lloyd, now
Bishop of Worcester, his old patron and friend, he
terms him Episcopus olhn Asaphensis ; that he might
not acknowledge the validity of his translation by
King William. The book itself is one of great value;
being the most elaborate attempt ever made to ap-
proximate to truth respecting the history and bio-
graphy of that remote age ^\
Swift's About the same time Swift's two famous produc-
li'sbTd.''" tions, ' The Tale of a Tub' and ' Battle of the
Books,' were ushered into the world. They appeared
^^ The title of the work Exercitationes duce. Prima de ^tate Phalaridis ;
Secunda, De ^tate Pythagorce Philosophi. Ab Henrico Dodwell, A.M.
Dubhniensi. Londini, 1/04. The spirit in which it is WTitten maybe
judged by the following extract from the discussion on the age of Pytha-
goras : ' Nos hie Natalem uno anno seriorem quam in prsedicta Disserta-
tione (soil. De Cyclis Veterum) posuimus, de quo infra plura. Antiquior
placet amico summo CI. Lloydio Episcopo ohm Asaphensi, et eruditissimo
Bentleio. Natum illi censent 01)Tnp. xliii|. \\i annum aetatis xviii. Olymp.
xlviii. inchoarit, quae ilium a?tas excluserit a Pugilatu Puerorum. Pugilem
enim Pythagoram eundem existimant cum Philosopho. Discrepamus ergo
spatio integro novem Olympiadum, annorumque proinde xxxvi. De quo
S[)atio ambigitur, antiquioremne justo Pythagoram fecerint celeberrimi
Adversarii, an nos potius justo seriorem. Nostras ergo dissentiendi rationes,
qua par est nominum tantorum observantia proponemus ; nee aliter quam
qua salva veritate licebit, tuebimur atque vindicabimus. Sic enim Chris-
tiani hominis officiis, et bono Reipubl. literariae publico, optime consultu-
ros arl)itraraur.' DodwelU Exercitationes Duce, j). 90.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 181
anonymously, after having been for several years chap.vii.
handed about in manuscript : the reason for this long ^^^'^'
delay in the publication it is not easy to determine ;
it has indeed been remarked that a degree of mystery
almost always attended the productions of Swift.
Both pieces were immediately read with great in-
terest and avidity ; three editions were called for in
1704, and a fourth, with the author's corrections,
appeared in the following year. But how great
soever was the amusement which it aftbrded to the
laughers, the ' Tale of a Tub' occasioned much
scandal and disgust, from the irreverent levity of the
allegory in which the history of the Christian Church
is disguised. Though there was no doubt of the
author's design to uphold the Church of England, yet
many of its zealous and conscientious members were
justly offended at the method to which he had re-
course for this purpose ; among them was Queen
Anne, who in consequence of this work steadily re-
sisted the promotion of its author to a dignity in the
English Church. So resolute was she in her refusal,
that a few years afterwards her minister, Harley, who
admitted Swift to his confidential intimacy, while in
the plenitude of influence, and all-powerful upon
other matters, was unable to advance him to a place
on the episcopal bench.
In the following year Wotton printed a third edition wotton's
of his ' Reflections upon Ancient and Modern Learn- '^'■'^*^"*=^-
ing;' in which appeared Bentley's Dissertation upon
the spurious Epistles of Euripides, Themistocles, and
Socrates, and the Fables of Jisop; that upon Phalaris
was omitted, being superseded by the larger work.
As an appendix, Wotton wrote an able defence of
himself and Bentley against the attacks of Swift,
without spleen or ill-humour, but not without severity.
At the same time he exposed, fairly enough, the real
182 " LIFE OF
CHAP. VI I. allusions contained in the ' Tale of a Tub.' Dr.
^'^^'^- Swift, in liis edition of 1709, bethought himself of
this pleasant conceit: he extracted passages from
Wotton's appendix, and affixed them as explanatory
notes to the text ; thereby making his adversary the
commentator on his ' Tale:' a character which Wotton
sustains very respectably; his notes have been at-
tached to every subsequent edition, and prove in sober
sadness very useful to the reader
36
3s Bennet, the bookseller, the prime mover of the famous dispute upon
Phalaris, died in 1706 : and it is a curious fact that he gave occasion by
his death to another controversy of some celebrity. His funeral Sermon
was preached at St. Paul's by his patron Atterbury, and contained a lavish
eulogium on his character, which is said not to have been well deserved.
In discoursing on his text, 1 Cor. xv. 19. " If in this life only we have hope
in Christ, we are of all men most miserable :" the Doctor maintained that
' were there no life after this, men would be more miserable than beasts ;'
and ' the best men would be most miserable.' Immediately on the pub-
lication of this discourse, the celebrated Hoadly printed a letter to Atter-
bury, calling in question these positions : which the preacher defended in
a preface to the second edition of the Sermon : and was again attacked in
a rejoinder by Hoadly, who on this occasion first distinguished himself in
the field of controversy, and seems to have had the advantage over his
antagonist.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 183
CHAPTER Vni.
Queen Anne visits Cambridge — Sike, the oriental scholar — Elected Hebrew
Professor — Dr. Brookbank — Cottonian library — Verses on the death of
Prince George of Denmark — Bentley i^rints the text of Horace — Baron
Spanheim — Kuster's Suidas — Jubilee at Frankfort on the Oder — Kuster
quits Berlin, and returns to Utrecht — Undertakes an edition of Aris-
tophanes — Bentley's Critical Epistles to Kuster — to Hemstcrhuis — His
children — He takes pupils as boarders in the lodge — Roger Cotes —
Bentley builds an Observatory — Founds a school of natural philosophy —
Whiston — Vigani, Professor of Chemistry — Bentley prepares a chemical
laboratory — College bowling-green — Bentley'' s jjlan for a new interior of
the Chapel — Bernard Smith the Organ builder — Subscription — The work
superintended by Professor Cotes — Distress of the Fellows — ^fhe
Master's measures of Retrenchment and Reformation — College festivals —
College ojjices — Pandoxator's Dividend — First deviation from the rule of
merit in elections to Fellowships — Expulsion of two Fellows — Wyvill —
Brcval — Bentley discommunes some Felloios — Attempts to take away the
Combination Room — Is a candidate for the Bishoprick of Chichester —
John Davies — Bentley's Emendations on Cicero's Tusculans — James
Gronovius — Peter Needhain's Edition of Hicrocles — Assistance received
from Bentley — Second Edition of Sir I. Newton's Principia.
Not long- after his lodge had been completely refitted chap.
and furnished, Dr. Bentley enjoyed the honour of
receiving in it no less a guest than his Sovereign.
Queen Anne, who was passing the month of April ^^^ts cam-^
1705 at the Royal residence at Newmarket, went i^''dge.
over on the 16th, accompanied by her husband and
her whole Court, to visit the University of Cambridge.
Alighting at the Regent Walk, before the Schools,
she was received by the Duke of Somerset the Chan-
cellor, at the head of the University, and addressed in
a speech by Dr. Ayloffe, the Public Orator. From
thence her Majesty went in procession to the Regent
House, where agreeably to ancient custom was held
the congregation of the Senate, termed Rey'ia Comitia,
VII [.
1705.
184 LIFE OF
VIII
1705.
CHAP, at which the University conferred degrees upon all
persons nominated by the Royal command ; the pre-
sence of the Sovereign dispensing with statutable
qualifications and exercises K Afterwards the Queen
held a court at Trinity Lodge, where she rendered
Confers this day memorable by conferring knighthood upon
knighthood , •^^ • p i i • o • t tvt ^ 2
on Sir Isaac tlic iiiost lUustrious ot hcr suDjccts, oir Isaac iNewton ^.
DhTerinthe^ sumptuous diuiier was then given to the royal
Sr^^ visitor and her suite in the Hall of Trinity College,
which had been newly fitted up and decorated.
Whoever is acquainted with the large sums which
Alma Matei- has since expended on public objects,
will be surprised to learn that she was then so poor,
as to be compelled to borrow 500/. for the purpose of
this entertainment ^ The royal party, after attending
evening service at the magnificent chapel of King's
College, took leave of the University, and returned
the same nig-ht to Newmarket.
sike, the Bentley, from his first comino- to Trinity Colleo'e,
oriental . , ■^ \ . *..*^f..
scholar. Hvcd principally in a select knot of intimate friends,
with whom his intercourse was constant and familiar.
For two of these, Ludolph Kuster and Henry Sike, he
procured on the day of the Queen's visit the degree
of Doctor of Laws in the University ; an academical
rank which circumstances rendered peculiarly desira-
' Among the personages of the Queen's suite who received the degree
of LL.D. were the Lords Sunderland, Orford, Wharton, and Harvey.
There were created at the same time thirteen Doctors of Divinity, among
whom occur the well-known names of Robert Mosse, William Fleetwood,
Samuel Bradford, and Andrew Snape ; and three Doctors of Physic, one
of whom was her Majesty's physician, the celehrated Dr. Arbutlmot.
2 The two persons who had the honour of receiving knighthood along
with Sir Isaac Newton, were Sir John Ellys, Master of Caius College, the
Vice Chancellor, and Sir James Montagu, the University Counsel, after-
wards Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer. Oldmixon's Hist, of the
Stuarts, vol. ii. p. 355.
3 Grace Book, April 2, 1705. From some expressions in the contro-
versial pamphlets in 1710, I infer that the expense of this academical
banquet was not less than one thousand pounds.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 185
ble to them both. Of Kuster's history we have already chap.
. VIII.
spoken : Sike was a native of Bremen, and, like the j-^^'
other, a scholar of fortune : having obtained great =^=
distinction for his knowledge of oriental literature at
the University of Utrecht, he published a version of
one of the Apocryphal Gospels from the Arabic, and
engaged, jointly with Kuster, in the composition of
the literary journal called Bibliotheca Novorum
Librorum. His merits being made known at Cam-
bridge by his friend and colleague, Bentley formed
the idea of bringing him over, and raising him to the
station of Hebrew Professor, a post in which a vacancy
was shortly expected. This scheme was in agitation
as early as 1702, and gave great satisfaction to the
venerable Grsevius, by whom, as well as the other
scholars of Utrecht, Sike was highly esteemed for his
learnino; and character *. There were however certain
difficulties in the way of the project, which it required
all Bentle3^''s address to overcome. The statute of
foundation for the Hebrew professorship requires that
the candidates must present themselves in person to be
examined by the electors, and that they must have
the degree of Doctor or Bachelor of Divinity, or, at
the least, of Master of Arts. It is indeed specified,
that if a majority of the electors should deem an
absent person most deserving, the election shall be
postponed to give him an opportunity of appearing.
The vacancy having taken place by the resignation Feb. 3,
of Mr. Talbot, the Master of Trinity, being one of the ^'^^■^•
seven electors, availed himself of this clause, and
* Graevius says, in his last letter to Bentley, Dec. 1702 : " Audio vos
cogitare de provnncia literas orientales docendi Sickio nostro mandanda :
quod si feceritis, optime consiiletis studiosis harum deliciarum. Non
destituet vestram expectationem. Doctrinam ejus nosti : doctrinae re-
spondent mores ac vivendi ratio, quam A'obis ceque probabit ac erudi-
tionem."
186 LIFE OF
CHAP, induced a majority to declare the election postponed
j-Qg till Sike should appear : in the meantime Mr. Bouquet,
" Fellow of Trinity College, was named to fill the office
and receive the salary ^ By this contrivance the time
of election was made to depend upon Sike's conve-
nience ; and since a meeting for the purpose could
not take place without Bentley's concurrence, it was
in effect postponed until they were certain of success.
April 24, Accordingly, Sike having become a member of the
E^eftedne- Uuivcrsity at the Royal Commencement, and the
brew Pro- opportunity being found favourable, he was chosen
Regius Professor of Hebrew ^. Bentley not only
assigned him good chambers in Trinity, but recom-
mended all oriental students to his instructions ; and,
to render his situation still more advantageous, ad-
mitted pupils under him as one of the public tutors of
the College.
Dr. John Among; the few with whom Bentlev lived in close
intimacy was Dr. John Brookbank, a civilian. Fellow
of Trinity Hall, and the Official of his archdeaconry.
This gentleman is extolled as often as he is named,
for the suavity of his manners and the friendliness of
his disposition. His character and consideration in
the University must have been great, as I find that in
the year 1692 he was a candidate to represent it in
Parliament ; although unsuccessful, he had a respect-
^ The resolution made on that day is still extant in the Registry Office,
drawn up by Bentley's hand, and states, that the electors were unanimous
in considering Sike dignissimus, though not unanimous in judging him
capable of being elected. It is sid3scril)ed by the seven electors, at the
head of whom is Sir William Dawes, afterwards Archbishop of York; who
was then Deputy Vice-Chancellor.
« In the register of this election, Sike is specified to be ' Master of Arts
in the University of Utrecht, and Doctor of Laws in our own.' It seems
extraordinary that he did not receive at the Royal visit the degree of M.A.
which would have been a qualification more consistent with the statutes
tiian that of LL.D.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 187
VIII.
1705.
able poll, ill which there appear many of the first chap.
names in the University ; and, above all, he was
honoured by the vote of Sir Isaac Newton ^
At this period of his life Dr. Bentley used to pass
several months of the year in London, attending- his
various duties of chaplain to the Queen, librarian,
and member of the Convocation. Parliament having Cottonian
purchased the invaluable manuscript library collected
by Sir Robert Cotton, along with the house on the
banks of the Thames which bears his name, it was
placed under the care of the Royal library-keeper. Apartments
and apartments were fitted up for him in Cotton House.""
House, better and more commodious than those which
he occupied at St. James's. We now find him mixing
in the highest circles, and his society courted by the
most eminent characters in the Church and in the
State. The ascendancy of his talents was generally
acknowledged, and public rumour marked him out as
a probable aspirant to the episcopal dignity. Though
on familiar terms with many of the great, our critic
does not appear to have attached himself to any one
in particular : however, an opinion was raised that
Lord Halifax was his professed patron, from a copy of
Latin verses, in the Threnodia of the University of verses on
Cambridge composed on the death of Prince George Iwr^^' "^
of Denmark. It has seldom happened that these S'^'"'-^ ?'
. . -^ Denmark.
official expressions of academical feeling have pro- noa
cured any literary honour to their authors ; and
Bentley 's verses on this occasion, we must confess, do
little credit either to his judgment or delicacy. They
are divided into three addresses ; the first to the
widowed Queen, the second to the Tomb, and the
third to Charles Montague, Baron Halifax ! the
7 John Brookbank was originally a member of Trinity College, where
he proceeded to the degree of B.A. in 1674-5, and of M.A. in 1G78.
Being afterwards FeUow of Trinity Hall, he became LL.D. in 1692.
188
LIFE OF
CHAP.
VIII.
I7O6.
Bentley
prints the
text of Ho-
race.
topics of the last being his promised edition of Horace,
and the noble statesman's own vein of poetry. This
led to a general expectation, that the forthcoming
Horace was to have been dedicated to that nobleman ;
a choice natural enough, from his having been
formerly a Fellow of Trinity College distinguished for
the elegance of his scholarship, and now the professed
Maecenas of the age ^
In the meantime the text of Bentley 's Horace was
committed to the University press. By a letter to
Professor Sike, who was then at Oxford examining
oriental manuscripts, it appears that in August 1706
he was diligently employed in correcting the sheets,
and hoped to have the publication ready in the
ensuing spring ^ But the method which he adopted.
* As some readers may be curious to see a specimen of this poetical
luctus, I shall treat them with the last of Bentley's three eftusions.
" Carole, si tibi adhuc Collegi cura vetusti ;
Quod tamen assidue nascitur, usque no\aim ;
Si placuit nostro nitidus jam pumice Flaccus,
Quodque sibi vates dixerat, usque recens ;
Gratia si veteris tibi pectore vi\^t amici :
Unam fer multis officiosus opem.
Sume, precor, citharam nimium nimiumque tacentem ;
Verbaque cum plectro fortiajunge gravi :
Eflfer, age, Heroem, stellantique insere Olpnjjo :
Dircaeusque iterum nubila tranet olor,
Nos etenim viles, corvi picaeque, poetee
Vix pennas madida (turpe) levamus humo."
A former copy of the Doctor's elegiacs, on the death of the Duke of
Gloucester, received a burlesque translation from Lord Jefteries, son of
the infamous Chancellor, llie above lines were honoured with a similar
translation by some other hand.
" In this letter there is something too curious not to be quoted.
"Sir, Trinity College, Aug. 16, 1706.
" I received your kind letter, and am glad to hear you have met with
such reception at Oxford, and particularly that you have employed your
time so well in searching into the oriental manuscripts there. I hope in
time the public will have a testimonial of your labours by something in
print. The old Arabic Poems, and the Proverbs, will certamly be worth
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 189
though intended for expedition, was ill calculated to chap.
• • • VIII
accelerate its appearance. The text being printed off ^-^g
before the notes were written, it became necessary ■■-
that the daring emendations introduced into Horace's
verses should be defended by arguments, which put
into requisition all his learning and all his subtilty.
Had the notes been printed at the same time with the
text, it is more than probable that many of the boldest
alterations would have been withheld. Bentley found
also that little progress could be made except in his
long vacations. Great were the expectations excited
by this undertaking ; but among continental scholars,
by whom his peculiar strength was better understood
than by himself, it appears to have been regretted
that he was not occupied upon some Greek author;
and particularly there was an earnest and universal
wish that he would give the world his promised
Hesychius.
Of all the distinguished personages with whom Baron Eze-
Bentley associated and corresponded, no one had a |^g'4_ ''^""
greater regard for him than the celebrated Ezechiel
your editing, and bring a great honour to you, as well as benefit to
learning. I send you here inclosed a letter, which came hither from Dr.
Kuster ; I presumed to open it, to see if there was any thing relating to
me that required a present answer. I do not wonder that some of the
Oxford men do talk so wildly about my Horace ; but their tongues are
better than their pens ; and I am assured none of them will write against
my notes. They have had enough of me, and hereafter will let me alone.
Perhaps some little bantering book may come out incognito in English;
but that none dare write in Latin, and set his true name to it, I am
morally certain. However, if any one should do so, he has my free leave.
Quisque suo periculo.
'AWovg iK^vdpiK', avo S'"'EKTopog iffX*" X^'^P"'?'
I have printed three new sheets in it this last fortnight, and I hope shall
go on to finish by next spring. You seem to have promised my notes to
Dr. Kuster upon Hesychius absolvitely ; whereas you know I did it con-
ditionally, provided he would print it at Cambridge. Your friends here
are all well ; I wish you much happiness till I see you.
R. Bentley."
190 LIFE OF
CHAP. Spanheim, who was now become a Baron of the
jyQg Empire, and passed the last eight or nine years of
==== his life as ambassador of the Kins; of Prussia at the
British court. This extraordinary man at the verge
of fourscore continued to unite diplomatic activity
with intense application to study. Perhaps it would
be hardly possible to find so remarkable an instance
of the characters of the man of business, and the man
of study, combined in the same individual. Being
a counsellor upon whose political sagacity and address
his sovereign principally relied, he was deeply occu-
pied in those measures which exalted Prussia to the
rank of one of the leading powers of Europe, and he
was at the same time closely engaged in publishing
his laborious and abstruse work on Ancient Coins.
His letters to our critic, several of which are preserved,
testify high personal esteem, as well as admiration for
his genius and learning, which it will be remembered
he had been one of the first to discover and proclaim.
As a testimony of his regard he presented Bentley
with his portrait, which is bequeathed by the latter
to Trinity College, there to remain as a memorial of
their friendship.
Kuster's Bcutlcy's otlicr learned friend Kuster, having now,
by means of his patronage, completed the three noble
volumes of his Suidas, their appearance raised the
fame of the editor, while it excited public admiration
at the spirit and liberality of the University of Cam-
bridge in undertaking so magnificent a publication ^°.
Shortly after he had established his reputation by
this work, he proceeded to assume his functions at
Berlin ; and by the management of his friend Bentley,
his introduction to the notice of his Royal master was
particularly auspicious. The University of Frankfort
'" This is particularly noticed in Le Clerc's Bibliotheque Choisie.
1
Suidas.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 191
on the Oder having; resolved to celebrate the cen- chap.
. . . VIII.
tenary anniversary of its foundation with secular ^^^^
solemnities, invited various other Universities to assist '
by their deputies at this ceremony. The invitation Frankfort
sent to Cambridge was courteously accepted; and a °" ''^^ ^'^^'■"
deputation was nominated by the Senate, consisting
of representatives of the different faculties. The
King of Prussia presided at the solemnities ; and
Kuster, being attached to the delegation, was pre-
sented to him, attired in the scarlet robes of a Cam- April 26,
bridge doctor, and received in the gracious manner '
which his merits and character demanded. There
exists a curious letter from him to Bentley, in Eng-
lish, giving a detailed account of this academical
jubilee : from which it appears that the deputation
from the banks of the Cam was distinguished above
those of all the other Universities : an address was
delivered to the King by Dr. Andrew Snape, the
divine ; another to the Prince Royal, by Dr. Penrice,
the civilian ; and a third to the Rector Magnificus,
by Dr. Plumtre, the physician of the representative
body^^
Immediately after this celebration, Kuster entered ^satiSla'^'
upon his office of Greek Professor in the academy at ^'ti^ '"^
-r-> T 1 T p 1 1 1 • 1 • 1 situation at
Berlin ; but he soon tound that the reputation which Berlin.
he had achieved drew upon him the jealousy of his
colleagues, who, though his inferiors in other respects,
possessed interest with the ruling powers ; while his
own former friends were either dead, or had left the
capital. Kuster was a man of high and independent
spirit, which could neither brook affronts and slights,
nor descend to the methods necessary to ingratiate
himself at court. Perhaps a hastiness of temper
" An account of the solemnities was officially transmitted by the Uni-
versity of Frankfort to that of Cambridge, where it is preserved in the
Public Library.
192 LIFE OF
CHAP, mio-lit have contributed to make him take a preci-
VIII , . .
1706 pitate resolution. Having allowed himself scarcely
- one month's trial of his situation, he determined to
quit Berlin, and to pass the remainder of his life in
the enjoyment of the freedom and the learned society
to be found iu Holland or in England. Having
Goes back askcd and obtained the King's permission, he betook
to Utrecht, j^jjjjggjf ^Q Utrecht, where he was kindly received by
his old acquaintance, and found himself deservedly
appreciated. Presently he resigned his situation at
Berlin ; whereupon the booksellers became the only
resource to which he could look for subsistence. The
reputation of his Suidas made them anxious that he
should undertake a new edition of Hesychius ; a work
which he promised to execute, principally in reliance
upon Bentley's emendations ; well knowing how much
they surpassed in worth the lucubrations of all other
scholars, and what value and credit they would confer
upon his edition. The Master of Trinity, who felt a
sincere regard for Kuster, offered him the whole
collection, but upon condition that the book should
be printed at the Cambridge press ; choosing that the
fruit of his early studies should be issued to the world
under his own eye, and from the bosom of his own
Alma Mater '^ Some difficulty and delay being
thereby interposed, Kuster had in the meantime
engaged for an edition of Jamblichus's Life of Pytha-
goras. Before this work was off his hands, he yielded
to the urgency of some booksellers, who imposed
upon him the task of a new and complete edition of
Aristophanes, for which there appeared to be a great
demand : consequently Hesychius was again post-
poned.
Kuster having now chosen to throw himself and his
" See Bentley's letter to Professor Sike, quoted in the note, p. 18S.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 193
reputation into the hands of others, was compelled to chap.
put his great work to the press, with scarcely a j-^-
minute's delay, and to adopt a plan for the edition ==^=
which was in opposition to his own judgment, and to
the earnest and repeated recommendation of his friend
Bentley. Thus he inserted the whole of the Greek
Scholia ; not only the ancient and valuable collection
first printed by Aldus, but the modern lucubrations
of the French scholars Biset and Bourdin, which over-
load and incumber the pages of his folio, and detract
from its real value as much as they increase its price.
It was determined that nothing should be omitted
which had appeared in the edition of Portus ; accord-
ingly, the Latin metrical versions occupy a column
in each page contiguous to the Greek text. At the
end of the volume is a valuable collection of all the
commentaries upon Aristophanes then in existence ; His edition
1 . ,^ • .,.,,. . 1 °f AiLsto-
Dut their arrangement is highly inconvenient to the phanes.
reader. The truth is that Kuster was composing his
own notes, while the press was occupied in re-printing
those of other commentators. In vain did he wish
for another year or two to devote to this great and
important task : his finances, relying solely upon the
profits of his pen, compelled him to obey the arrange-
ments and the urgency of the Leipsic publisher,
Fritch, who had undertaken to give him 150/. for the
edition. His correspondence with Bentley at this Correspond-
period IS very interesting. It was my good fortune Kuster and
to discover the originals of Kuster 's letters, along with ^^"''^y-
copies of two of Bentley 's, amid a large collection of
papers found in Trinity Lodge upon the death of the
late Master, and I printed them soon afterwards in
the seventh number of the Museum Criticum. The
confidential manner in which the German opens his
circumstances and feelings is very striking : he con-
sults Bentley, for whom he entertained unbounded
VOL. I. o
194 LIFE OF
viir
1707.
CHAP, deference, upon rather heterogeneous topics ; for in-
stance, the readings of the comic poet, his own scheme
of purchasing a life annuity as soon as he could scrape
together 600/, and a private negotiation with some
English minister to whom the Aristophanes was to be
1708. dedicated. The last point was decided in favour of
Lord Halifax ; and of all the ' soft dedications' with
which he was regaled, none was ever more soothing
to his gentle ears, or better earned the 50/. or 60/.
which was thought a reasonable compliment to the
dedicator of a folio ^^ Bentley did not spare his best
exertions to serve his friend on this occasion. He
gave him good counsel relative to the undertaking,
of which, as we have seen, he was not suffered to
avail himself; and not only transmitted a collation of
the Lysistrata, along with some unpublished Greek
Scholia which he had copied from Vossius's manu-
scripts while that collection was in England, but
determined to put together for the use of the edition
Bentiey's his owu emeiidatious of the Comedian. Accordinoiy,
Critical . .
Epistles on in tlic summcr of 1708, he addressed to him three
phanes. ' Critical Epistles,' containing observations upon the
first two plays, the Plutus, and the Clouds. He had
intended to proceed with the other nine ; but found
that even these contributions arrived too late ; for
Kuster's own commentary, in which he had designed
them to be incorporated, was already printed. The
use which his friend made of his letters was to dissect
them into the form of notes, omitting all the points
on which he had himself anticipated them, as well as
much of that playful and digressive style which gives
them a peculiar interest with the reader. Fortunately
however the two of which Bentley preserved copies,
have now after more than a century been given to the
" Vid. Kusteri Epist. Museum Criticuni, vol. ii. p. 412—415.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 195
world. There are scarcely any of the writings of our chap.
great critic which exhibit a more lively specimen of ^^qq^
his acuteness, and perception of the elegancies of the — —
Greek language, than may be found in these epistles.
The reader of them will hardly fail to remark, that
an edition of Aristophanes was the work which would
have best suited the genius of Bentley : and every
scholar must regret that he did not devote to this task
some of the time which was passed in college squab-
bles, or in defending new readings of the Latin poets.
It is not too much to say that, had he given his mind
to such a work, no person ever lived who was so well
qualified for an editor of the greatComedian of Athens.
These specimens, it should be observed, were drawn
up hastily, and after he had been for some years
abstracted from that line of reading. Their style is
animated and engaging : they abound indeed as much
as any of his writings, with boastful and confident
expressions ; but for this it is a good apology, that he
never intended them to meet the public eye, having
strictly enjoined his correspondent to embody the
remarks in his own notes, and to give them in his own
words'*. This injunction Kuster could not follow,
having already printed his own commentary; and
in such haste that his notes on one comedy, the
Lysistrata, were written in a day and a half, and two
other plays appear without any annotation whatever.
The notes picked out of Bentley *s epistles are sub-
joined to those of Baron Spanheim, who in his old
age, and in the midst of public business, found leisure
" " Denique hoc oro te atque obsecro (quod antea facere memini) ut si
quae ex nostris tibi usui fuerint, ea in notis exhibeas, non meis verbis,
nomine ad finem posito, ut fit in notis variorum ; sed tuis, narrationis
<Tx^/iart, sic emended Bentleius, &c. ; et quoties castigationum rationes
adjicis, non meis verbis, quas hie avToaxiCid'!:,t», taris ; sed memor Epi-
charmi, El/ta ^rpc "cai Tropipvpnv, Xoyoim iroiiciWojv aofoTg." Museum Criticum,
vol. ii p. 456.
o 2
]96 LIFE OF
VIII.
1708.
CHAP, to write a profound commentary on the three first
vTTT r ....
plays. Having two such auxiharies in the rear,
Kuster sent forth his Aristophanes with more credit
than it really deserved ^^
Tiberius About tlic Same period Bentley was engaged in a
huis. literary correspondence with Tiberius Hemsterhuis,
the founder of the most distinguished sect of conti-
nental scholars. This personage, who was destined
to hold among the literati of the eighteenth century
a place second only to Bentley himself, was at that
time a youth, and remarked among the learned of
Holland for his surprisingly precocious attainments.
A new edition of the Onomasticon of Julius Pollux
had been for some time in progress at Amsterdam,
when it was interrupted by the editor, Lederlin, being
called away to a professorship in his native city of
Strasburg. He had completed only seven books, and
to finish the remaining three young Hemsterhuis was
engaged as a well qualified person. It was the
venerable Grsevius, the patriarch of literature, whose
authority sanctioned this recommendation ; and at his
urgent persuasion the youthful scholar undertook a
work requiring no common portion of learning and
judgment, before he had attained his eighteenth
year ^^ ! His performance bears many marks of
juvenility, but 'exhibits at the same time an extent of
erudition which is perfectly astonishing in a youth.
Like Kuster, he complains of being hurried by the
15 Notwithstanding the breathless haste with which this edition was got
up, and which was so injurious to the author, to the editor, and to the
reader, there was an unaccountable delay in the publication. Bentley's
notes on the Clouds, the last matter in the volume except the Indexes, were
sent to Kuster in August 17O8 ; but the book was not forthcom'ng tiU the
year 17 10.
"* The character of Grsevius, and particularly his kindness to young
men of merit, is beautifully described by Hemsterhuis, in the preface to
Juhus Pollux, p. 24.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 197
impatience of the bookseller, who was eager to derive chap.
the fruits of the expence bestowed upon the under- j^^g
taking. Shortly before the publication of Julius
Pollux, Hemsterhuis ventured to write to Bentley, encTww"
whom he considered as the highest living authority, ^'^"'^^y*
for his opinion and assistance respecting certain pas-
sages ^^ : he received an immediate reply, with the
Doctor's opinion upon all the subjects of consultation.
The young Dutchman sent letters of thanks for this
favour by the hands of two persons who failed to
deliver them : at length, in the spring of 1708,
Bentley received from him a letter of acknowledg-
ment, with a present of some select Dialogues of
Lucian which he had just published. Nothing can
exceed Hemsterhuis's expressions of gratitude for the
condescension and favour of the great critic : he
regrets that the hurry of the publisher had prevented
the edition of Julius Pollux being enriched with his
emendations ; but promises to insert those, and any
other remarks which Bentley would send him, in* his
Cur<s Secundoe. The attention paid to this second Bentiey's
application marks considerable good-nature in our EpisUe on
Aristarchus. He transmitted to Hemsterhuis one of p"[[|J^
the richest literary despatches ever consigned to the
post-oflfice. First he relieves his young correspondent
from all apprehension of having given offence by his
silence, and then, after some merited compliments on
the learning, industry, and genius displayed in his
work, he plainly tells him that his principal defects
arose from the want of adequate skill in the ancient
metres, and adds his urgent advice that he should
lose no time in acquiring this description of know-
ledge ; which indeed appears to have been generally
neglected by continental scholars. As example is
" This letter was written on the 4th of July, 1705, when he had been
two years and a half employed on the work.
198 LIFE OF
CHAP, usually found to have more weight than precept,
VIII
j^Qg Bentley took up the tenth book of Julius Pollux, and
- examined all the Comic fragments which it contains ;
correcting the errors of the original, as well as those
committed by Hemsterhuis himself, and restoring the
true reading with incomparable neatness and inge-
nuity. This epistle not only displays his acute and
happy perception of the language, but shows in a
striking light the importance of that metrical skill on
which he so justly prided himself. It proves besides
great knowledge of the peculiarities of Attic phrase-
ology and Attic customs ; which I particularly notice,
because some late writers have been disposed to deny
him that qualification.
Its effect The effect of this letter upon Hemsterhuis was
upon Hem- . .
sterhuis. remarkable, and is well described by his celebrated
pupil, David Ruhnken, in the Elog'mm with which
he has honoured his memory. The restoration of the
comic fragments was the very part of his work upon
which he had bestowed most pains, and thought he
had acquitted himself most successfully. What then
was his mortification at finding that in almost every
one of these attempts he had clearly failed ; and that
Bentley, without any greater assistance than himself,
had by mere dint of learning and sagacity, restored
the verses of the poet with success amounting to
demonstration. In the first moments of chagrin, he
determined to abandon his Greek studies altog-ether,
and kept his resolution for about two months. He
then began to consider that it was unfair to compare
his own juvenile performances with those of Bentley,
an experienced critic, and the first man of the age in
that line of scholarship ; and wisely judged that it
would be better to follow the advice of his corres-
pondent in endeavouring to corrcf^t the deficiencies
which he had pointed out. To the honour of Hem-
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 199
sterhuis it is recorded, that he was in the habit of chap.
. . VIII.
relating this anecdote as well as his own feelings on ^^qq
the occasion, to young scholars whom he wished to -
encourage : to the last day of his life he never failed
to speak of Bentley with veneration, nor did he ever
hear an attempt made to depreciate his merits without
testifying offence ^^.
I find that about this period Bentley was in cor- Bentiey's
respondence with several other continental scholars, other con-
among whom the name of Adrian Reland, the orien- [^"i^^f^l^
talist, is the most distinguished. The homage and
deference offered to him by them all, show the vast
estimation which his publications had at this time
acquired among the learned of other countries. Of
his own letters, besides those to Kuster and Hem-
sterhuis, he kept a copy of one to Godfrey Richter of
Jena^^ From a letter of his to De Veil, a French
scholar resident in London, the date of which I am
unable to determine, it appears that his intense study
by candle-light had produced a weakness of his eyes: vveakness
which, however, he declares was relieved by an appli- ° ^'^ ^^^^'
cation of the insects called multipedce -". This is the
1^ Ruhnken. Elogium Hemsterhusii, p. 23 — 27- Hemsterhuis kept the two
Epistles of Bentley till his death, which happened in 1766. They were
then found by his son and given by him to Ruhnken, who printed them at
the end of the second edition of his Elogium in 1789. Bentley preserved a
fair copy of his second letter, which, as well as the originals of Hemster-
huis's, is now lying before me.
" This Richter published Specimen Observationum Criticarum in 1713,
and an edition of Phsedrus for schools in 1718. He wrote to Bentley,
Aug. 1, 1708, with an offer to collate for him a MS. of ManiUus, which he
had found at Leipsic. Bentiey's reply has lately been printed in Germany
from the original.
20 " Sed qua ratione oculis meis malefactum rogas. Non usque adeo
canis annisque obsiti sumus. Sed quia noctu ad lucernam et quidem luce
satis maligna, etiam in lecto supinus legere jam olim consueveram. Hinc
illis prima mali labes. Verum baud longa mora contemptissimi animalculi
beneficio, quam credo multipedam vocant, simul ilh acumen suum, et nos
libros (imprimis autem tuos) resumpsimus." [" Quod
«200 LIFE OF
VIII
1708.
CHAP, only time in Bentley's life that I observe any com-
plaint of his eyes failing him ; although he continued
the constant exercise of them to extreme old age, in
the most trying occupation of reading small Greek
type and manuscripts difficult to be decyphered.
Bentiey's The offspring of Dr. Bentley's marriage were two
daughters, Elizabeth and Joanna, and two sons, Wil-
liam and Richard ~K William died shortly after his
birth : of the other three, mention will be made in
He tcakes different parts of these memoirs. The increase of his
Edersin family was probably the cause which induced the
the lodge, jyia^g^gr iQ listen to the solicitations of some noble
persons, and take three or four young men, students
of the College, as pupils and boarders of his own.
Their names were Edward Viscount Hinchinbrooke,
Lord Kingston and his brother, and Sir Charles
Kemys. These pupils remained inmates of the lodge
only one year (1707). The Master perhaps found
that his attention to them absorbed too large a share
of the leisure which this busy period of his life
afforded. I apprehend that they stopped the pro-
gress of the Horace ; and it is certain that they were
the means of exciting a considerable clamour in the
society. That the Head of the College should take
private pupils did not seem altogether consistent with
his dignity ; nor could it be agreeable to the Fellows,
who found themselves curtailed of their legitimate
occupation. But it gave rise to a complaint of a still
" Quod liceat Veli doctas mihi volvere chartas,
Ponitur hacc vobis gratia, Multipedae :
At vobis maneat crebris, precor, imbribus uda,
Subqiie cavo quercus cortice tuta domus."
2' All, except Elizabeth the eldest, were born in Trinity lodge. It
appears from the register of All Saints' jjarish, that Joanna was baptised
Sept. 1, 1703; William, Jan. 16, 1706-7, and buried three days after-
wards; Richard, June 3, 1708.
sure.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 201
more invidious nature. The spirit and liberality of chap.
. VIII
the Fellows of Trinity had always supplied their ^ "
Master's lodge with various articles of housekeeping, ===
as bread, beer, oil, fuel, &c. out of the common purse
of the College, and that too without limitation ; re-
liance being placed upon the delicacy and good feeling
of their Head, that this indulgence would never be
abused. But when they found the expense of these complaints
articles increased by the consumption of the pupils,
for whose board no payment was made to the College,
they began to grumble and to tax the Master with
greediness and meanness. As each of the young
men paid him the large sum of 200Z. for board and
lodging only, they shoidd certainly have been re-
garded in a different light from the rest of his family.
Bentley, when he heard of the dissatisfaction, treated
it with contempt, observing that ' a few College
loaves' were not to be put in competition with the
honour brought to the society by these young patri-
cians ; he thought indeed that he had amply repaid
the cost by putting into their chambers three sash
windows at his own expense. But neither these
arguments, nor the mention of some precedents in
the time of former Masters, (which, to say the truth,
were not in point) could allay the discontent and
disgust excited by the measure ^^.
During the period of which we are speaking, the
exertions of Dr. Bentley to raise the character and
improve the fabric of his college were great and
successful. In the course of a single year (1706) he
undertook three works of magnitude and importance;
the erection of an observatory, the foundation of a
chemical laboratory and chemical lecture, and the
refitting of the chapel upon a magnificent plan. The
^- There is much said on this subject in Bentley^s Present State of
Trinity Colkf/e, \). 10- Blomer^s Full View, \^A6l. Miller's Remarks, \^ 186.
202 LIFE OF
CHAP, origin of the first work was this : Dr. Thomas Plume,
VT IT
Archdeacon of Rochester, had just founded and en-
1708.
dowed a professorship of Astronomy and Experimental
shiVofTs- Philosophy, making the Heads of Trinity, Christ's,
tronomy. ^^^ Caius CoUcges, aloug with the Lucasian Professor
of Mathematics, electors to the office. Among the
young men chosen Fellows of Trinity in the year
RogerCotes. 1705 was Rogcr Cotes, a native of Leicestershire,
who exhibited such an extraordinary proficiency in
natural philosophy and mathematics, with so great
an original genius, as attracted the attention of the
Master, and caused his determination to bring him
forward into a field worthy of his merits. Having
made him known to Sir Isaac Newton, as well as Mr.
Whiston the successor to the chair of that philosopher,
and having obtained their testimony in his favour,
Bentley proposed him as the first Astronomical Pro-
fessor, and procured his unanimous election, while
jan.1705-6. yet a Bachelor of Arts. No sooner had he accom-
buUds'^an plished this point, than he undertook to build a noble
observa- Obscrvatory, that the study of astronomy, promoted
by such a professor, and aided by such advantages,
might become naturalized and permanent in Trinity
College. For this purpose he instituted a subscrip-
tion among the members of the College and the lovers
of science throughout the University, by means of
which he succeeded in erecting over the beautiful
entrance of the College, called the King's Gate, an
Observatory, stored with the best astronomical instru-
ments which science could at that period produce.
The expence, as commonly happens in such under-
takings, greatly exceeded the sum contemplated ;
nor was the Master able to complete the purchase of
the instruments, without appropriating to that pur-
pose money which properly belonged to the library.
1705-6. He obtained a College order, assigning for ever the
VIII.
1708.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 203
chambers over the gate to the Astronomical Professor chap.
and his assistant, who was to be a scholar of the Col-
lege. In this station Cotes delivered his incom-
parable lectures on the sublimest subjects of natural
philosophy for about ten years, when the world was
prematvirely deprived of that extraordinary genius.
In his observations he was assisted by his young
relation, Robert Smith, the worthy successor to his
professorship. By such measures Bentley had the Founds a
satisfaction of founding in Trinity College a school of Nauuli'phi.
natural philosophy of singular eminence, which has '"^op^'y-
continued to produce some of the first scientific cha-
racters of our country in an unbroken succession from
that day to the present. Thenceforth Newtonian
learning became one great pride of the place in which
the mighty genius of its founder had been nurtured
and matured ; and the same College which gave
birth to his discoveries has been made a principal
means of introducing the knowledge of them to the
community. The great and solid glory of originating
and fostering this school is due to Dr. Bentley ; and it
is just to observe that at no period did his enemies, in
the height of their animosity, venture to deny or
detract from his credit in this particular.
It was at this time his favourite object to make Professor
Trinity College the focus of all the science in the
University. With that view he procured for Professor
Whiston chambers in the College adjoining the King's
Gate, from which he and his pupils enjoyed the full
advantage and convenience of the observatory. Whis-
ton mentions in his Memoirs that he gave a course of
lectures on hydrostatics and pneumatics jointly with
Cotes ; and, with a degree of modesty not usual to
him, acknowledges the great superiority of his col-
league's share in the performance ^^
-^ Whiston' s Memoirs, vol. i. p. 118.
204 LIFE OF
CHAP. John Francis Vio;ani, a native of Verona, having
VIII n ' , .
j-Qg" resided in Cambridge and taught chemistry with
reputation for about twenty years, received in the
feSor of '^°" year 1702 a strong mark of the approbation of the
Chemistry. University, by being invested with the title of Professor
of Chemistry. To serve the purposes of science, and
promote the celebrity of his College, Dr. Bentley
resolved to transplant him and his lectures into Trinity,
Bentley Accordiugly hc repaired and fitted up an old lumber
chemkS fa- house as an elegant chemical laboratory; and here
boratory. vigaui rcgularly delivered his courses of lectures for
some years. But, whatever might have been the
reason, this scheme of founding a school of chemistry
was not permanently successful. Some time elapsed
after the death of Vigani before the University ap-
pointed a successor to the professorship. Bentley 's
conduct in this business, like some other of his laudable
undertakings, did not escape an uncharitable construc-
Coiiege tion. The College bowling-green happened to adjoin
that part of the lodge in which was the Master's study;
and parties of the Fellows, amusing themselves with
the game of bowls, proved a frequent disturbance to
the lucubrations of our Aristarchus ^^ Accordingly
he aimed at delivering himself from this annoyance,
and designed at the same time to enlarge the garden
of the lodge, which is very confined, and lies con-
tiguous to the bowling-green, by the addition of that
ground. But no sooner had he propounded this
scheme to the Fellows, than it met with their unani-
mous opposition, as an unwarrantable encroachment
upon their comforts; and it was in vain that he
** The following memorandum is found in a blank page of Bentley's
Ephemeris for 1701 : " July 26, 1701, Saturday. Mr. Hutchinson, Mr.
Porter, Mr. Green, and Mr. Laughton played at bowls in the College
bowling-green all Chapel time, in the evening senace : seen out of my
window by me (who was then lame and could not be at Chapel) and Will.
Saist."
bowling-
green.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 205
descended to private solicitations to effect his purpose, chap.
But as it was observed that he did not easily abandon ,.,„o
his projects, it was suspected that the fitting up the ==
' lumberhole' had some bearing upon this design ;
since, if ever the bowling-green should become part
of his garden, it seemed a natural consequence that
the laboratory would be transformed into his green-
house. So strongly did this suspicion prevail, that ^^b. 11,
when the Master applied to the Seniority to defray
the expense bestowed on that building, (which was
not till after the work had been executed) they con-
sented only upon the express and recorded condition,
that it should never be converted to any other purpose
than that of a laboratory for the use of chemical,
physical, and philosophical experiments ^^
The idea of giving a new interior to the chapel, the Trinity
greatest of Dr. Bentley's improvements in Trinity
College, appears to have originated in the following
manner. Among the members of his club in London
was the celebrated organ-builder, Mr, Bernard Smith,
who is universally known by the title given him by
his contemporaries, of ' Father Smith ^''.' When he
first became Master, this gentleman promised to make
him a noble organ for his College chapel. The mag- organ buiit
nificent instrument being now in a state of forward- Smith.
ness, Bentley considered it almost necessary that the
chancel should be fitted up with becoming elegance
for its reception. It happened at this time that the
fabric itself was dilapidated, the roof being decayed
and dangerous, and one of the walls in imminent
25 See Miller's Remarks, p. G8. Blomer's Full View, p. 119.
26 See an accovint of ' Father Smith,' in Noble's Biographical History,
vol. ii. p. 362. He did not hve to complete the organ of Trinity: it
was finished, ' by tuning and voicing,' by his son-in-law, Christopher
Schrider, according to a resolution of the Master and Seniors, May3, 1708.
206 LIFE OF
CHAP, hazard of falling. To repair the latter damage,
i^oy Mr. Corker, a Senior Fellow, had, three years before,
— — made a donation of 500Z. ; and several other benefac-
tions, to the amount of 600/, were appropriated to the
Bentiey's Same objcct. Fortlficd by these circumstances, the
plan for a ]y[ag^gj. resolvcd to effect a complete reparation and
new interior a •>■
ofthecha- jjg^ modelling of the whole building, with every
suitable improvement and ornament ; and thus to
render it one of the handsomest chapels in Europe.
But the College revenues being unequal to such an
undertaking, he proposed to aid it by private sub-
subscrip- scription, and set the example himself by a liberal
FeSows.'''' donation of 200/. Having thus taken the lead, he
recommended to the Fellows that every one should
subscribe the amount of his whole year's dividend,
which was just payable. This must be acknowledged
to have been a most unreasonable requisition ; but
such was the spirit pervading the society, and the
determination not to be left behind in promoting a
work which all had at heart, that almost every man
complied. The amount of the dividend of a Senior
was 50/, of a Junior, 25/ ; and these sums, though
not large, constituted the principal income of the
majority. To some who had small livings, pupils, or
other resources, the sacrifice was comparatively light ;
but in most cases it proved highly distressing ; par-
ticularly as in the years 1703 and 1704, owing to the
great expenses of the College, only half a dividend
had been received. Thus in some instances it hap-
pened that a person subscribed to the chapel more
than he was worth in the world. In this measure
Bentley emulated the example of his great prede-
cessor. Dr. Barrow, who had, by an appeal to the
members of his College, secured funds for the erection
of a library. But although that magnificent work
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D.
207
cost more than 18,000/, so judicious were the arrange-
ments that the burden was less felt than that of the
present undertaking ^^
CHAP.
VIII.
1707.
2^ The list of the subscribers for repairing and beautifying Trinity
Chapel has, I believe, never been printed. It is true that acknowledg-
ments come too late when more than 1 20 years have passed : however, as
I know no instance in which donations have been so hberal in reference
to the means of the contributors, it seems but an act of justice to give the
Subscription of 1 707 from the original copy.
£
s.
£
s.
Richard Bentley, D.D.
. 200
John Barnwell . .
. . 25
W. Stubbe, D.D. . .
. 100
Marshal Greswold .
. . 70
WiUiam Mayer . . .
. 50
Thomas Hill . . .
. . 25
George Modd . . .
. 40
Tliomas Rud . . .
. . 5
Edward Bathurst . .
• 40
J. Baker . . . .
. . 25
M. Hutchinson, D.D. .
. 30
George Jeffreys . .
. . 25
John Colbatch, D.D. .
. 30
Gilbert Malkin . .
. . 25
Stephen Cressar, B.D.
. 30
Ed. Rud ....
. . 25
Henry Firebrace, D.D.
. 50
Samuel AVhite . .
. . 25
Nath. Hanbury, B.D.
. 20
Phillips Gretton . .
. . 26
5
Wm. Ayloffe, LL.D. .
. 30
Roger Cotes . . .
. . 25
John Cooper, B.D. . .
. 20
John Wy^dll . . .
. . 25
Edmund Miller . . .
. 60
William Chamberlajoi
. . 30
James Braboum, B.D.
. 20
John Felton . . .
. . 25
Thomas Blomer . . .
. 25
Samuel Knight . .
. . 25
Henr>' Sike, LL.D.
. 30
Henry Eden . . .
. . 30
Henry Colman . . .
. 50
WUham Wade . .
. . 25
John Hacket . . . .
. 50
Griff. Wilhams . .
. . 20
John Whitfield . . .
. 20
Phil. Bouquet, B.D.
. . 18
James Bankes . . .
. 20
Edmund Stubbe . .
. 30
William Drury . . .
. 20
Henry Hawes
. 10
Montague Lloyd . .
. 32
James Mailed
. 20
John WiUiams . . .
. 25
John Towersey . . .
. 25
John Paris ....
. 25
Matthew BarweU
. 20
John Craister . . .
. 25
John Heylin . . .
. 5
WOham Andrews . .
. 20
Mordecai Gary . .
. 5
John Laughton . . .
. 50
Edward Smith . . .
. 21
Montagu Bacon . . .
. 30
Laurence Eusden . .
. 10
Bradgate Ferrand . .
. 5
Paul Jenkinson . . .
. 10
Richard Stokes . . .
. 20
Robert Uvedale . . .
. 25
Hon. Wm. Kingston .
. 100
James Uvedale . . .
. 25
Samuel D'Oyly . . .
. 25
Ralph Welstead . . .
. 20
Thomas Pilgrim . . .
. 25
Ward Ashenhurst . .
. 25
Nicholas Clagett . . .
. 25
Laurence Brodrick . .
. 20
John Reddington . .
. 25
Robert Lumley . . .
. 20
Conyers Middleton . .
. 25
Abraham Franke . .
. 30
1
George
208
LIFE OF
CHAP.
VIII.
1707-
The Master
lends 1000/.
The work
superin-
tended by
Prof. Cotes.
Distress of
the Fellows
In order to facilitate the execution of the work,
1000/. was borrowed at five per cent, a low rate of
interest at the time ; which sum the Master lent to
the College from Mrs. Bentley's fortune. It is an
instance of the violence of party prejudice that this
act was afterwards objected against him as usurious,
and made matter of judicial charge before the Visitor.
The whole arrangement and superintendance of the
work, as well as the disbursement of the money, was
committed to Professor Cotes. It must add to the
interest with which this chapel is viewed, to learn
that it was beautified under his auspices and direction :
at the same time many perhaps will regret that so
much of the brief period that this extraordinary genius
was spared to the world, should have been devoted
to such employments as collecting subscriptions, and
overlooking the operations of masons and carvers.
The work, though beautifully executed, and worthy
of the College, was productive of extreme uneasiness
and agitation. The expense exceeded 6000/; the
private subscriptions of the Fellows, although they
£
s.
George Toilet
.
25
James Jurin . .
,
•25
Vyner Snell . .
30
Robert Parran
25
Alexander Burrell .
30
William Smyth .
25
Anthony Corbiere
30
Christopher Hussey
25
Ri. Walker . .
25
Henry James, S. Th
. Prof.
Reff
?0
William Herring, oj
Cam-
bridge, draper .
. .
10
Sir John Ellys, M. oJ
'' Cuius
Coll
10
20
50
10
10
D. Hopkins, D.D. Rector
of Fakenham ....
Hen. Campion, Esq. of Kent
John Yardley . .
John Valavine . .
Dr. Bowes
Mr. Ral. W. Cradock
Mr. Trevor . . .
Mr. William Sotheron
Mr. T. Micklethwaite
P. Wagener, Rector of Stis-
tead, Essex 5 5
10 10
10 10
50
10 10
5 5
Total
£2674 5
In the heading of the above subscription for repairing and beautifying
the College Chapel, it is stated that the expense of it ' may amount to
about 3000/.'
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 209
absorbed most of their year's revenue, amounted to chap.
little more than a third of that sum : and, notwith- ,„„ '
1707-
standmg the assistance from other members, a large =—
deficiency remained for the College stock to defray.
Hence, in subsequent years, they found their expected
income anticipated by the cost of the chapel, and
several of them became involved, from no fault of
their own, in debts and embarrassments. An outcry
was immediately raised against the Master as the
author of this distress ; and their ill-will was auo--
mented by reports of his having spoken of their
circumstances in terms of unfeeling levity. On one
occasion, when the subject was mentioned, he is said
to have replied, that " he expected their complaints,
but that it would be all one twenty years hence ^\"
And it is recorded, as a proof of his contemptuous
treatment of those who had so largely and painfully
contributed to the work, that when one of the Seniors
enquired what he proposed doing to a particular part
under reparation, he was told that ' he would know
when it was done.' A settled ill-humour was now
engendered in the Society, which discovered faults
and bad intentions in every step and every exjoression
of their Master.
The extraordinary charge upon the College stock Bentiey's
led Dr. Bentley to turn his attention to methods of measures.
improving its revenues, and economizing its ordinary
expenditure ; and these financial subjects appear to
have occupied much of his time and thoughts in the
years 1706 and 1707. A large portion of the College
rents, being, by Act of Parliament, paid in corn and
malt, or in sums equivalent to the value of those arti-
st Blomer, in his ' Full View,' p. 125, declares that Dr. Bentley made
this speech, which he terms ' barbarous,' in his hearing. But the words
haA'e not necessarily the apphcation which he affixes to them : Bentley
might have been speaking of unreasonable complaints.
VOL. I. P
210
LIFE OF
CHAP.
VIII.
1707.
Retrench-
ments.
cles in the Cambridge market on stated days, much
collusion had existed from tenants influencing their
prices in order to defraud the College : such practices
were now met by strict and efficient regulations of the
Master, which secured that important portion of the
revenue. But his measures for domestic retrenchment
gave so much offence, that it may be doubted whether
they did not occasion greater evils than they reme-
died. The character of a fiscal reformer is generally
invidious, and in order to produce real good, requires
to be moderated by judgment and discretion. A great
establishment, like Trinity College, is unavoidably
exposed to the waste or imposition of servants and
dependants. At that time the state of things called
aloud for reformation : how the Master corrected one
department of the system shall be related in his own
words.
Pandoxator. "The pandoxatorship ^^ had been so managed, that there were
four bakers in one office, and four brewers m the other ; each inde-
pendent of any other, and having a salary to himself: whereby the
work was done negligently, and perpetual complaints made without
means of redress. There was a clerk too, or supervisor of both
offices, who having annually laid out many hundred pounds of
College money for wheat and malt, had not bought one bushel in the
open market for above twenty years before I came thither. The
pandoxator too had carved well for himself, and besides other
emoluments, had (as it were on purpose to puzzle the accounts) the
32d part of the yearly gain : and to enhance his own perquisite, had
for many years placed that on the account of gain, which was mani-
festly on the side of charge and loss. To remedy all these evils at
once, without any consent at all of the governing part, (for that was
not to be hoped for, and the statutes in that case required it not), in
1707 I displaced this clerk, and four bakers, and four brewers at
once, made a contract with one baker and one brewer to do the
whole work for about half the charge, settled a certain salary of 20/.
29 " Trinity College for above a hundred years has had a bake-house
and brew-house of its own ; and the Senior Fellow, who looks after those
offices, is cSiWedi pandoxator." Letter to the Bishop of Ehj, p. 22.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 211
per ann. upon the pandoxator (as a premium to the Seniority, though CHAl'.
the very office might have been drop'd and spar'd), caused all the ^^^"•
com ever since to be bought in the open market, gained thereby '^07-
some hundred pounds a year to the College, which since that time
has had the best bread and beer in the whole University." Letter to
the Bishop of Ely, p. 23.
In this reform there might have been nothing wrong,
except the autocratic exercise of authority by which
it was effected. But in controlling the expenses of
the College festivals, Dr. Bentley suffered his zeal for
economy to impair the character of hospitality which
had always distinguished that noble foundation. On College
the various feasts of the Church, the two audit days,
and the Founder's Commemoration, it had been an
immemorial practice for the College to entertain in
its capacious hall a large party of persons from the
rest of the University. On Trinity Sunday in par-
ticular the Heads and other dionitaries were invited,
and always made it a point to pay respect to the
College by dining in their robes. The Master finding
that the charge of these festivals had become enor-
mous, and amounted on some one day to thirty
shillings a head, instead of making such regulations
as might obviate the abuse, while the hospitality and
splendour were preserved, adopted the unfortunate
plan of forbidding the invitations altogether; strictly
limiting the charge to a sum sufficient to provide a
good dinner for the members of the House, and
ordering that, if any one introduced a guest, he
should pay his quota himself. This order was fatal
to all public hospitality ; and the society, mortified at
the abolition of what they regarded as one of their
glories, gave a harsh interpretation to the measure,
and considered it as a paltry saving of money, to
be devoted to the expenses of the Master's private
establishment.
p2
212 LIFE OF
VIII
1707
Jordan the
steward.
CHAP. The stewardship of the College having descended
in its triennial course to Mr. Jordan, a Fellow who is
stated to have been sometimes affected in his intellects,
Bentley discovered, on examining his accounts at the
audit, that he had charged 50/. for the article of wine
beyond what had been usual in one year : and, as the
poor man could give no reasonable account of this
excess, he caused him to be fined that sum, and
deposed from his office with all publicity of disgrace.
As there was no suspicion of wilful malversation on
the part of Jordan, who seems to have been imposed
upon by others, this was a very severe proceeding :
indeed it was felt to be so three years afterwards,
when the penalty was remitted upon condition of his
subscribing 30/. towards the repairs of the chapel.
The Master seized this opportunity ' while' (to use his
own expression) ' the iron was hot, ' and extorted the
consent of the Seniority to an arrangement, by which
the two fiscal offices of Junior-bursar and Steward
were confined to the younger part of the society. The
statutes exclude from them all Bachelors or Doctors
of Divinity; and it was now enacted that thenceforth
none should be elected who were above seven years
standing as Masters of Arts ; that being the earliest
period at which a theological degree can be taken :
at the same time the emoluments of the two places
were reduced to the original salaries of 4/. and 3/. a
measure intended only to serve a temporary purpose,
by removing an obstacle to a favourite plan of the
Master's which will shortly be developed. Indeed it
was not equitable, that, while the stipends of other
offices were augmented in proportion to the altered
value of money, these two, which did not remunerate
the holders with rank or dignity, should be brought
back to their original allowance : nor was it reasonable
to expect gentlemen to devote their time and attention
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 213
to these troublesome departments for so paltry a chap.
consideration.
1707.
Bentley's economy descended to such minute par-
ticulars, that he made a decree against any Fellow
being allowed to receive his commons in his chambers
instead of the Hall, except with the special permission
of the Master or his deputy: a regulation which, in
the eyes of the Society, seemed to be designed not so
much to save money, as to make himself the arbiter
of the comforts of those, whose health or convenience
might require such an indulgence.
In years of great expence, when there remained no Pandox-
other money to distribute, the emoluments of the de°nV.
Fellows were confined to their commons, a small
statutable stipend, and ' the pandoxator's dividend.'
The last was so called from its having originated in a
surplus stock in that officer's department. It was
fixed at the following sums : 20/. to the Master ;
lOl. to each of the eight Seniors ; and 51. to each of
the other Fellows who had resided in College not less
than half the year. At the audit of 1707 Bentley, Dec. 1707.
declaring that these proportions were objectionable,
and that the money ought to be divided like the rest
of the College stock, put a final period to ' the
pandoxator's dividend' by the force of his prerogative,
as it could not be issued without the Master's consent.
His object was not the correction of an abuse, for this
dividend had, in fact, the advantage of priority over
the other ; but he found it an obstacle to a grand
financial scheme then in his contemplation. The
season chosen for its abolition was unfortunate, since
it aggravated the distress, and increased the murmurs
of the Fellows ^^
For the first five or six years of his mastership, in
'" Bentley's Letter to the Bishop of Ely, p. 22. Miller's Remarks,
p. 66 — 71. True State of Trinity College, p. 40.
214 - LIFE OF
CHAP, all elections to scholarships and fellowships he had
J-Q-' regarded only the merit of the candidates; and in
consequence a series of able and deserving young
tionlii'eiect- Kicn had been admitted into the society. But at the
ingaFeiiow. election in 1706 he is stated to have made the first
1706.' deviation from the rule of merit. The Vice Master,
Dr. Wolfran Stubbe, a much respected personage,
who had formerly filled the Hebrew professorship,
was generally a supporter of the Master's measures:
among the candidates was his nephew and heir,
Edmund Stubbe, a young man wdio is represented as
a profligate, and in everyway unworthy of the station.
Bentley, to gratify the old gentleman, proposed and
elected him a supernumerary Fellow, to succeed upon
a ' presumed vacancy.' In this act there was a two-
fold malversation. The candidates for fellowships
being superannuated when of the standing of Masters
of Arts, there had formerly been a custom of pre-
Pre-eiec- electing to future vacancies. This practice, though
not expressly forbidden b}^ the statutes, was contrary
to their general spirit, as discouraging the emulation
of students by pre-occupying what ought to be their
rewards. It had, accordingly, been strictly prohibited
by a Royal Letter of King James I. Dr. Bentley, at
the same time that he condemned pre-elections, termed
this act only a presmnption ; thereby taking a distinc-
tion between the two cases which made no practical
diHerence. Having once ventured upon this step,
he had frequent recourse to the same method ; and
in the following year, two more fellows were elected
by ' presumption.' The choice of an unworthy per-
son, whom he afterwards termed ' the worst character
that ever entered a college,' was never insisted upon
by his accusers, out of tenderness towards the uncle,
Dr. Stubbe ; but it became known in the world ; and
we are told by Whiston that, in his opinion, the
tions.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 215
present was Bentley's first breach of integrity, and chap.
that ' having made this deviation from the path of ^-^g'
justice he never afterwards returned to it^\'
The Master continued to take such liberties in the t:xpuision
administration of Trinity College, as prove that he Feiiows.
considered himself absolute and irresponsible. Of
this a glaring instance occurs in the expulsion of two
Fellows propter crimina majora, both of whom he
allows to have been ' men of good learning and
excellent parts,' but adds, that ' they were on these
very accounts more dangerous to the society, having
fallen into such ill courses and enormities, as could
not be tolerated there, without infecting and ruining
all the youth ^^' The first was Mr. John Wyvill, Wyviii.
whose offence consisted in having cut to pieces some
College plate, with an intention, as was supposed, of
melting and selling it. Of his guilt there was no
doubt ; but his expulsion was summary, and without
the forms of the statute, which enacts that this pun-
ishment shall be inflicted only with the consent of the
Master and major part of the eight Seniors, after a
regular citation, hearing, and proof of guilt
33
31 Whiston's Memoirs, vol. i. p. 106. His account of this transaction,
though he places it three years too early, is substantially correct, as I find
from MSS. observations written by persons in College at the time. Indeed
he asserts that Bentley himself told him that in this instance he had
stepped from the rule Detur Digniori, and that he had done it with reluct-
ance. I find it also stated that this Edmund Stubbe had paid attention to
a niece of the Master, then visiting at the lodge, and that a marriage was
in contemplation: in which case Dr. Stubbe's fortune, not less than
10,000/., was to have been settled on the young couple. If there be good
foundation for this story, it will at least prove that Bentley, at the time of
the election, could not have been aware of the badness of his character.
He proved a disgrace to the College ; but fortunately in about four years
he reUeved it, by marrying an innkeeper's daughter at Ne\vmarket.
3^ Letter to the Bishop of Ely, p. 29.
^^ John Wpnll was B.A. in 1701-2 and elected Fellow in 1704. He was
one of the representatives of the University, in the dej^utation sent to
Frankfort on the Oder, as mentioned at the beginning of this chapter. It
is possible that he might have distressed himself by his expenses on that
216 LIFE OF
VIII.
1708
Breval.
CHAP. The other Fellow expelled at the same time was
John Durant Breval, son of Dr. Breval, a Prebendary
of Westminster. He had been guilty of some foolish
or criminal conduct in Berkshire : being suspected
of an improper connection with a married lady, on
her experiencing harsh usage from her jealous hus-
band, he interfered for her protection ; when the
result was that he beat the husband, and was held
to bail for the assault. Conceiving, however, that
there was an informality in the proceedings against
him, he neglected to appear at the assizes, and was
in consequence outlawed. In this stage of the busi-
ness. Dr. Bentley laid before the Seniority the case
of the two delinquents, and proposed their immediate
expulsion. Respecting Wyvill little or no opposition
was made ; though the Board did not conceive that
this discussion amounted to a final sentence, and no
entry to that effect was made in the College register.
But to such a proceeding against Breval some of the
Seniors expressed their positive objection, observing
that of the two offences charged against him, the one
for which he was liable to expulsion, the adultery,
rested upon mere rumour and suspicion ; adding, that
if they proceeded upon such grounds to deprive him
of his freehold, ' he would have an action against the
College.' This apprehension the Master treated with
contempt, saying, that ' his father was just dead in
poor circumstances, and all his family were beggars.'
Subsequently to the meeting he entered in the Con-
clusion-book the following memorandum, the wording
of which is peculiar : " April the 5th, 1708. Ordered
occasion. He confessed in a letter to the Master the justice with which he
had been treated. Subsequently he bore a good character, and became
Chaplain to the Bishop of London, Dr. Compton. At the trial of the
Master, when this expulsion was made one of the articles of accusation,
Wyvill refused to bear evidence against him, declaring that he had no
ground of complaint.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 217
by the Master and Seniors that the two Fellowships, chap.
late of Mr. Wyvill and Mr. Breval, be declared void." ^-^^g
It was deposed by several of the Seniors that no ——
consent was given at the Board, and no entry made
in their presence. In this proceeding:, which is one legality of
tlie proceed-
of the clearest cases of malversation proved against ing.
him, Bentley seems to have believed that he had
extorted a sort of consent from his council, and so
little was he accustomed to have his measures crossed
that he held in contempt all forms that stood in the
way of his sovereign will. The sentence itself he
believed to be just. We find Breval indeed some
years afterwards asserting upon oath his innocence of
the adultery, and his belief that the Master, in thus
oppressing him, was actuated by pique against him-
self for a refusal to vote according to his wishes at an
election, and against his father, owing to some dispute
in the Convocation. But irregular as such an exer-
cise of power certainly was, there is no reason to
suppose him influenced by those or any other sinister
motives. The presumption of Breval's guilt was very
strong ; nor was it diminished by the pretence of his
friends, that ' he was a sort of romantic Platonic
lover ^*.' The Master alleged in defence of his con-
duct towards this gentleman, that ' he had been guilty
of gambling with young men of the College, and
winning their money;' a charge which, if true, called
for immediate expulsion. But as no mention had
been made of it at the time, this allegation supplies
no justification of his proceeding.
Mr. Breval having nothing to depend upon but his Account of
fellowship for subsistence, immediately joined the
3* Miller's Remarks on Dr. Bentley' s Letter, p. 81. Blomer, who was a
friend of Breval, and nearly of the same standing, mentions that the
latter, in reference to Dr. Bentley's usage of him, said, ' tantum nonjugu-
lavit.' Full View of Dr. Bentley's Letter, p. 76.
218 LIFE OF
CHAP, army in Flanders as a volunteer, and soon obtained
j-Qg" an ensign's commission. Here his talents, address,
== and skill in different languages, attracted the notice
of the Duke of Marlborough, who employed him in
several negotiations. Having served in the army with
reputation, on the return of peace he travelled through
Europe with Lord Malpas, and published an account
of his tour in three folio volumes. He afterwards
became a wit and poet of some note about town, and
produced various dramatic pieces at the theatres.
But at length, in a luckless hour, he provoked the
resentment of Pope by writing a farce called ' The
Confederates,' in ridicule of ' Three Hours after Mar-
riage,' the rejected production of Pope, Arbuthnot,
and Gay; and was accordingly exalted into the un-
enviable immortality of the Dunciad ^^
strongmea- Mauv othcr of his acts show that Dr. Bentley did
suresofthe • i i i • n ^ • n i
Master. not cntertani the least apprehension oi bemg called to
account before a superior. He chose a layman as one
of the four Sacellani or Conducts, whose duty is to
read prayers daily in the College chapel ; telling him
that he would dispense with his taking Orders, and
allow him to hold his appointment till seven years
after his Master of Arts' degree ^^ He assigned to
Mr. Hacket, one of the Fellows, a small piece of
garden ground, hitherto used by the College cooks
for growing kitchen herbs, saying that he exercised
Heciiscom- this right 'as lord of the soil.' Finding that his
munes some • i 1 1 • 1
Fellows, measures excited much outcry m the society, he re-
solved to check the rising spirit of sedition by a new
and extraordinary mode of punishment ; discommoning
^5 See an account of Captain Breval in Nichols's Literary Anecdotes,
vol. i. p. 254.
^•^ This was done in imitation of the provision of a totally different
statute, which allows the Fellows to remain lapnen till that period. But
it is indispensable that the Conducts shall be clergymen. " Quatuor sint
presbijteri, et appellentur Sacellani."
VIII.
1708.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 219
those Fellows whom he designed to censure. Thus chap.
he ' put out of commons' Mr. Barwell, who was
approaching- to the rank of a Senior, because he was
in the habit of condemning the proceedings of the
Master : he inflicted the same punishment on Mr.
Eden, the junior bursar, for hesitating to pay a bill
for some work done at the Master's premises ; and on
two or three other Fellows upon different pretences ^^
For this exercise of power he alleged the authority of
the statutes, which occasionally specify, as a penalty
of minor offences, commeatu menstruo privetur or mulc-
tetu7\ But for the legal punishment of a Fellow the
consent of the Seniority was required. Besides, this
sort of penalty, though used as a mode of admonishing
refractory students for neglect of College duties, never
before appears to have been inflicted upon those of
senior standing ; and when exercised on persons in
Holy Orders, and officers of the establishment, became
an unseemly and intolerable indignity. To all com-
plaints of this proceeding he replied, that ' it was but
lususjocusque,' and that he ' was not warm yet ^\'
These and several other particulars of Bentley's i709.
, . ,. , , Attempts to
government continued to excite discontent : and the take away
outcry was increased by the profuse expenditure of JJj^io°"oo'^^
*' Eden demurred to the payment of 15Z. for a hen-house, which the
Master had erected in his yard, alleging that it was done without leave of
the Seniors. Bentley told him, when he ' put him out of commons,' that
he would not be kicked by an ass. As this measure was speedily followed
by the Bursar's submission, and the payment of the bill, it was observed
in College, that the Master, by calling him an ass, had made him appear
one ever since. Miller's Remarks, p. 175.
38 See Miller's Remarks, p. 120. Blomer's Full View, p. 94. The True
State of Trinity College, p. 50 and 81. Dr. Bentley, in his Letter to the
Bishop of Ely, defends this ' discommoning,' urging that it was not so
much a punishment, as * a reprehension, a disgrace, a denouncing, an
accusation;' and adding, that ' the parties themselves submitted, asked
pardon for their faults, and returned thanks to him for the clemency of
his proceeding.*
VIII.
1709.
220 LIFE OF
CHAP, the Lodge, which, it must be confessed, had become
much greater than under any of his predecessors.
He soon discovered that ' the Combination Room,'
where the Society are in the habit of assembling after
dinner, was the place in which he and his proceedings
were loudly and continually censured ; and he be-
thought him of the desperate expedient of silencing
at once the voice of opposition, by removing the scene
on which it was exerted. He accordingly attempted
to deprive the Fellows of their Combination Room,
and to convert it into chambers, alleging that the
statutes had made no mention of such a place of
meeting, (although every other College in England
possessed one), and urging that it was a source of mis-
chief and dissention. The unanimous resistance of
the society made him abandon this scheme, but the
attempt was long remembered with indignation and
resentment.
Aspires to The fcuds iu Trinity College had not yet attracted
Ikk'of Chi- public notice ; while the great and successful efforts
Chester. ^f ^jjg Mastcr to advaucc the splendour and credit of
the society were generally known, and prepared people
to witness his further advancement. On the vacancy
of the bishoprick of Chichester in April 1709, Dr.
Bentley was a candidate for that dignity. This fact
I discover from two letters, which have been preserved,
addressed by his friend Baron Spanheim to the Earl
of Pembroke and Bishop Moore, soliciting their in-
terest with the Queen in his favour, and urging that
such a promotion would be attended with the universal
applause of the learned throughout the world. These
letters I copy in a note, as a specimen of the address
and delicacy, as well as zeal, with which the veteran
diplomatist endeavours to serve his friend in a matter,
where his proper character of an ambassador gave
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 221
him but little pretence for interference ^^. The quar- chap.
ters to which the Baron addressed his applications
39 A My Lord Comte de Pembroke, Grand Admiral de la Grande Bretagne.
A Londres le 27 Avril, 1709.
My Lord, Je suis bien redevable a la bonte, avec laquelle il a plu a
Vostre Excellence de prendre part a I'estat de ma sante, laquelle, par la
grace de Dieu, se trouve autant que retablie, et a me donner lieu de luy en
aller temoigner en peu de jours ma reconnoissance. Que pensera-t-EUe
cependant de la liberte que je prends de luy dire, que j'aprens que I'Evesche
de Chichester se trouve vaquant, et que Monsr. le Docteur Bentley est sur
les rangs pour y pouvoir estre avance par la grace de Sa Majeste Britan-
nique. Je sgay que V^e. Excell<^e. en connoist le merite, et n'ignore pas,
qu'il est considere non seulement en Angleterre, mais encore dans les pays
etrangers, pour un des plus S9avans hommes de nostre temps, et un des
omemens de sa nation. En sorte que le choix d'un si digne personnage a
cette dignite, s'il venoit a avoir lieu, ne pourroit que rencontrer une appro-
bation generale. Et bien qu'il ne convienne en aucune maniere a un
Ministre Etranger, comme moy, de me mesler en ce que peut regarder des
affaires ou des etablissemens du dedans du Royaurne, I'estime particulier
que je fais et du merite et de I'amitie du dit Docteur Bentley, et la con-
noissance que j'ay de I'estime que N"^^. Excellce_ en fait, m'a donne cette
confiance qu'Elle ne prendroit pas en mauvaise part, si je luy marquois
par ces lignes, combien je serois sensible a I'appui et I'approbation qu'il luy
plairoit de contribuer en faveur de cette promotion du Docteur Bentley a
I'Evesche de Chichester. Je la supplie au moins de me pardonner cette
liberte, et de me croire avec des attachemens particuliers, &c.
E. Spanheim.
Reverendissimo Viro, Joanni Moro, Episcopo Eliensi, S. P. D.
E. Spanhemius.
Nescio quid de me statues, quod intermissa fuerint aliquamdiu mea te
conveniendi, partumque semel eruditae tuae consuetudinis amicitijeque
usum excolendi ulterius ofEcia. Mitto, quod a pluribus septimanis gravi
catharro adfectuque pectoris molesto laborarim, unde vix adhuc plane
convalui. Illud vero, quod nunc forte se mihi oiFert, scribendi ad te
argumentum baud omittere potui ; idque eo magis, quod istud tibi haud
ingratum fore, neque a te alienum, possum facile arbitrari. Fato functum
praeteritis diebus Episcopum Cesterciensem, ac simul inter illius pontificii
candidatos exstare CI. Dfem. Bentleium, uno eodemque tempore ad me
relatum est. Quum vero, non solum ex quo pedem in banc Britanniam
ante octennium, hujusce mei muneris, quo fungor hactenus, intuitu, intuli
mihi cum eo, ob singularem in orani literarum genere doctrinam, amicitiee
usus intercesserit ; sed jam ante ex editis aliquot Dissertationibus, ad
Malelara Antiochenum in primis, ut nascens turn eruditse Britannias sidus
et ornamentum, quamquam plane ignotum hactenus, publice celebrassem,
non potui non, ut banc ornatissimam Spartam vir doctissimus amicissi-
VIII.
1709.
222 LIFE OF
VIII
1709.
CHAP, were judiciously chosen. The Queen had lately
shown, by her nomination of Dr. Blackall and Sir
William Dawes to the sees of Exeter and Chester, in
opposition to the recommendation of her prime minis-
ter, that she was determined to follow her own will
in such appointments. Of all the ministers who had
then access to her Majesty, the Earl of Pembroke, the
Lord High Admiral, was supposed to have the greatest
share of her confidence ; and she was known to be in
the habit of consulting Bishop Moore upon eccle-
siastical subjects. The solicitations made on this
occasion were unsuccessful ; but they probably were
not without some effect ; as we find from a letter of a
cabinet minister, in the following year, on the vacancy
of the bishoprick of Bristol, that Dr. Bentley was
understood to be in the Queen's contemplation. That
see, however, was not filled till after the great minis-
terial revolution which ensued, when it was given to
Dr. John Robinson, who became, shortly afterwards,
Lord Privy Seal, and plenipotentiary at the Treaty of
Utrecht, and is the last ecclesiastic in England who
has held any of the high offices of state *°.
musque posset consequi, animosus optare. Etsi eadem opera haud minus
intelligerem, neutiquam Ministrum Principis externi decere, ut se rebus
vestris interioribus, minime autem Ecclesiasticis, immisceat; neque id
etiam a me hie agi omnino profitear. Id vero pridem mihi constat, quo
loco ipse Bentleium habeas ; ut non sim dubius, quin sponte patrocinio
tuo, et apud Serenissimam Potentissimamque Reginam commendatione,
hoc ejus incrementum sis prosequuturus ; unde non in hac solum Britan-
nia, sed foris etiam commendatissimi nominis virum sacris illis infulis
ornatum omnes grato animo intelligent. Unvun hie addam, quod te fac-
turum mihi jam spondeo, ut hoc meum pro CI. Bentleio studium, etsi forte
minus mihi conveniens, boni consulas ; meque amicitia tua benevolentia-
que, quod fecisti hactenus, complecti deinceps non dedigneris. Dabam
Londini V. Kal, Mai. Anno mdccix.
''" The Earl of Sunderland to the Dvichess of Marlborough. " Tuesday
morning. I am this moment informed that the Bishop of Bristol [Dr.
Hall] is dead. Upon all accounts Dr. Willis would be the properest person.
There are two other men very good, that the Lord Treasurer says that the
Queen is well affected to. Dr. Mandeville and Dr. Bentley. ITiis is a time
1 . .
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 223
Though the completion of his Horace was still de- chap
layed, some specimens of Bentley's genius and learning ^ '
appeared in the publications of other scholars. Of
Davies's
icero's
these the most considerable was a body of emendations ci
on Cicero's Tusculan Questions, attached to the edi- '^"«<^"J^"
' Ciuestions.
tion of that book by Mr. John Davies, a Fellow of
Queen's College. This gentleman, who had already
appeared before the world as the editor of Maximus
Tyrius, of Csesar, and of Minucius Felix, designed to
publish all those works of Cicero which Graevius had
left unfinished : the present specimen appeared from
the University press, and was dedicated to Bishop
Moore, the general patron of rising scholars, who had
accommodated him with the use of the same precious
volume which Bentley had formerly procured for his
friend Graevius. This work is universally known, and
continues to be the most popular edition of the Tus-
"culans. The performance was creditable to the editor
as a young man, and it would perhaps have been
better, if in his subsequent editions he had used the
same moderation, and abstained from altering the text
of Cicero without authority. Bentley, having obtained
a sight of the book before publication, perused it with
interest, and noted a great number of corrections
which he was disposed to make in the text : where-
upon Davies entreated him to write his observations
on those passages, to be printed as an appendix to the
edition. With these solicitations our Aristarchus com- Bemiey's
plied, and produced a series of notes occupying ninety-
four pages, entitled Richardi Bentleii Emendationes in
Ciceronis Tusculanas, far surpassing all preceding com-
mentaries, and claiming a high rank among the works
that makes this of more consequence than ordinary ; so that I beg j'ou
would mention it to the Lord Treasurer as soon as you can, that he may
not plead engagements." Coxe's L^fe of the Duke of Marlborough, vol. iii.
p. 169.
Appendix.
224
LIFE OF
CHAP.
VIII.
1709.
Letter to
Davies.
of Bentley himself. We discover in these emenda-
tions more acquaintance with the philosophical works
of Cicero, than his former writings could have led
people to expect. Every part is entertaining as well as
instructive to the scholar ; nor is there any fault to be
found with the composition, except the self-complacent
and boastful tone which pervades the whole. The
most valuable notes are those containing his correc-
tions of fragments of old Latin Poets, with which the
Tusculans abound. These quotations had been miser-
ably corrupted and disjointed, owing to an ignorance
of the laws of metre adopted by the dramatic poets of
Rome : and all scholars before Bentley, without ex-
ception, had committed great errors in attempting to
correct them. Persons who are not acquainted with
these metrical notes, will have but an inadequate
notion of Bentley 's skill and correctness of ear, which
could detect immediately the rhythm of verses, defaced
by mistakes of transcribers, mixed up with the text of
Cicero, and constructed in measures abounding with
licence, and difficult to be caught by a modern reader.
If we would fully appreciate his merit in this depart-
ment, it should be recollected that he was the first
who discovered the true laws of these verses, and that
whatever knowledge we now possess upon the subject
may be said to originate with him. In one place he
held out expectations of publishing, some time or
other, both Plautus and Terence, a task for which he
displayed such peculiar qualifications '^^
Bentley prefixed to these Notes a short letter to
Davies, bestowing upon the edition fully as much
compliment as it merited ; and having so done, he
assumed the privilege of a friend, and animadverted
^' Among the metrical notes, T would particularly point out to the
reader, those on Lib. I. liv. Til. xii. III. xix.
novius.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 225
rather freely upon the errors and oversights of the ^'"'^i'-
editor. Such defects he excuses upon the score of j-Qg
his youth ; an apology, we might suppose, not very
acceptable to a person of the age of thirty, who had
been already for six years a classical editor. In fact
he schools him, in the course of the appendix, in so
magisterial a tone, that a less devoted disciple would
have turned refractory, and declined to publish to the
world so much censure of himself: but Davies, who
regarded Bentley as little less than a divinity, far
from being displeased, expressed his unqualified grati-
tude, and continued to the day of his death to extend
to him, not only his admiration, but his zealous and
devoted friendship *^
There was a particular reason which, as I appre- James c-ro-
hend, induced Bentley to comply witliDavies's request
in writing these notes. The only member of the
literary republic from whom he had experienced rough
treatment, since the controversy on Phalaris, was
James Gronovius of Leyden, who had been attacking
him in almost all his writings for the last ten years.
This laborious professor, perhaps the most voluminous
of classical editors, has disgraced a name which would
otherwise be honourable in literature, by his habit of
assailing with insolent language his rivals in criticism;
a practice which he pursued for nearly half a century.
At this time his favourite amusement was vilifying
" Respecting these notes he thus expresses himself in the preface.
" Ultimum locum tenent Emendationes, quas meo rogatu scribere dignatus
est Vir praestantissimus Richardus Bentleius. Illi propterea gratias
quam maximas habeo atque ago ; nee dispari animo erunt ii, qui suo quee-
que pretio solent sestimare. Quantopere vero mihi placeant, melius indicare
nequeo, quam si tester eas Auctore suo dignas videri : Hujus enim sum-
mam eruditionem ac mirum acumen exosculantur omnes, qui non sunt aut
invidi, aut ab hisce Uteris aheni." In the editions subsequent to the first
this paragraph is omitted.
VOL. I. Q
226 LIFE OF
VIII.
1709.
CHAP, and traducing the three most learned men of the age,
Spanheim, Bentley, and Kuster. With Bentley he
appears to have been angry on account of his success
Bentley!^ in corrccting the fragments of Callimachus, some of
which he had himself attempted in vain a long time
before. Thus provoked, our critic cannot be accused
of indulging hasty resentment : but finding at length
that ten years could not subdue this ill-nature, and
that he was become a perpetual object of the male-
volence of one whose talents and learning he held in
small esteem, he resolved to make his implacable
adversary feel the recoil of his own weapons. Gro-
novius having published a new edition of the works of
Cicero, corrected from Gruter's, the appendix to the
Tusculans afforded Bentley an opportunity of reta-
liating on the aggressor: accordingly he shows him
no quarter, but lashes him in a style of severity which
he had never before adopted. Whatever may be the
literary justice of this proceeding, the reader must
regret the animosity evinced towards Gronovius, whose
offences do not appear along with the castigation, and
whose consideration as a scholar, (being termed by
his adversary homunculus eruditione mediocri, ingenio
nulla), hardly deserved so much notice from one of
Bentley's eminence ^^.
Needham's About tlic samc time our critic 2:ave Q'reat assistance
edition of n /r t* tvt x^ y-t
Hierocies. to Mr. Pctcr Nccdham, a Fellow of St. John's Col-
lege, who was publishing an edition of the Commentary
of Hierocies on the Golden Verses of Pythagoras.
" In speaking of the father of GronoA-ius, he inserts a sentence which,
at all events, ought to have been spared : Ut primus ibi restituit Jo. Frid.
Gronovius, acerrimo virjudicio, doctrina autem et acumine admirabili j qui,
si in vivis esset, nihil credo agrius ferret , quamfilium sibi esse tarn parenti
dissimilem. In Tusc. V. 23. Other signal instances of his severity towards
James Gronovius appear in the notes on Tusc. IV. 21. V. 37 ; and in the
latter part of the Dedicatory Epistle to Da^aes.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 227
This scholar, like his friend Davies, was patronised chap.
VIII
by Bishop Moore, and already known to the public j-^g
as a Greek editor **. His present undertaking appears -
on some accounts unfortunately selected : Hierocles
was an author printed originally from a bad copy ;
no good manuscripts had hitherto been used in cor-
recting the editions, and little or no critical skill had
been exerted upon the text. There existed in the
Medicean library at Florence a singularly good ma-
nuscript, the readings of which Needham in vain
endeavoured to procure through some powerful inter-
cession. Finding however that Fabricius, the com-
piler of the Bibliotheca GrcEca, possessed a collation
of this valuable copy, he used the interest of his
friend Professor Sike to obtain it: but here some
unlucky accident interfered. Fabricius wrote to in-
form him that he had complied with his request;
but the packet never reached him. Instead of such Bentiey's
assistance, he received from Bentley a very large tkl'nrof Hi-
collection of emendations and conjectures which had ^'"°'^'"*
occurred to him in the perusal of Hierocles, but
scarcely a word of note to confirm them : and Need-
ham, who regarded the genius of our critic with
unbounded veneration, and deemed his sagacit}^ of
conjecture as even more infallible than the authority
of manuscripts, admitted into his text without hesita-
tion almost all the Bentleian emendations. In so
doing he consulted neither his own reputation, nor
that of his illustrious friend; for immediately after
the appearance of his book, Christopher Wolfius, of Woifius.
Leipsic, published a review of it in the form of an
** Peter Needham had published at the University press, in 1704, an
edition of the Geoponica. He took his Bachelor of Arts' degree in 1696-97;
M.A. in 1700 ; B.D. in 1707 ; and D.D. in 1717- On Feb. 14, 1705-6,
he was elected Rector of Ovington in Norfolk, a living in the patronage of
the University.
q2
Priiicipia.
228 LIFE OF
CHAP, epistle, restoring the text, and overturning many of
y^^y the conjectures upon the authority of that very coila-
' - tion which Needham had failed to obtain. Many
wanen. years aftcrvi^ards, Dr. Richard Warren, a Fellow of
Jesus College, published an edition of Hierocles, for
the avowed purpose of giving a text free from the
conjectural emendations introduced by Needham, and
supplying the true readings from the Florentine
manuscript ; not without some misplaced asperity
ao-ainst Bentley ; who had in fact never recommended
that absolute and implicit adoption of his conjectures,
which his admiring friend judged to be their due".
Shortly afterwards Bentley succeeded in effecting a
matter which he had much at heart, the publication
Newton's Qf a ncw aud improved edition of Sir Isaac Newton's
Principia. The first impression being entirely ex-
hausted, the lovers of philosophy were in a manner
debarred access to the fountain of truth. The book
had not been received on the continent as its merits
demanded, and the greatest injustice had been done
to the fame of its illustrious author. This seems
principally attributable to Leibnitz, who had already
begun to practise those arts which were afterwards so
conspicuously exposed. By denying the truth of part
of Sir Isaac's discoveries, and by assuming to himself
^5 The title of this book is, ' HierocUs in Aurea Carmina Comment ariiis
Gr. Lat. Graca accuratius nunc recognita, et ad MSS. Codicumfidem exacta,
plurimisque in lods e Gudiana Medicai Codicis coUatione emendata, una
cum Notts subjunctis, edidit R. W. S. T. P. Coll. Jes. Cant, miper Socius.
Londini, 1742.' All the knowledge possessed of this manuscript proceeded
from the collation made long before by Marcjiiard Gudius, the well-known
copyist of inscriptions and manuscripts. The long posti)onement of the
rival edition of Dr. Warren is a curious circumstance. At this time he
was a Fellow of Jesus College, a little junior to Needham ; but for some
reason or other, he put oft' his jniblication for thirty-three years ; and at
length it came foi-th in the year of Benthifs death, and long after that of
Needham, when the age of Warren himself was between sixty and seventy.
The origin of his dislike for Bentley will be found in a subsequent period
of this history.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 229
the credit of part, he had laboured not without success, chap.
to detract from liis glory, and to transfer it to his own ™^
brow. It could not be denied that some of the de- '
monstrations in the Priucipia were imperfect, and
that others, depending upon experiments, had not
received al] the illustration of which they were capable.
A new edition was therefore required, both for the
interests of science and the reputation of the philo-
sopher: and Dr. Bentley, who lived in great intimacy Bentieyin-
with him, long solicited and urged him to this work, fo'pubiisha
But Sir Isaac's avocations as Master of the Mint, and "'^"' ^'^'t'""-
other public duties, had for some years abstracted his
attention from mathematical pursuits ; and he was
unwilling that his book should re-appear without a
careful revision and improvement. At length Bentley
effected his object by engaging Professor Cotes to
superintend the publication at the University press.
To his care Sir Isaac committed this trust ; and never June, 1709.
perhaps was more zeal and ability experienced in a
literary coadjutor tlian he found in this admirable
young man. The feelings which Cotes expressed at
the outset of the undertaking, continued during the
three ^^ears that the work was in progress ^*^. The
improvements which he suggested were numerous and
■*'' Cotes, in his first letter to Sir Isaac, thus expresses himself.
" Sir, Cambridge, August 18, 1709.
" The earnest desire I have to see a new edition of your Principia
makes me somewhat impatient till we receive your copy of it, which you
were pleased to promise me aljout the middle of last month you would
send down in about a fortnight's time. I hope you wUl pardon me for
this uneasiness, from which I cannot free myself, and for giving you this
trouble to let you know it. I have been so much obhged by yourself and
by our book, that (I desire you to believe me) I think myself bound in
gratitude to take aU the care I possibly can that it shall be correct.
" Your obliged servant,
" Roger Cotes."
** For Sir Isaac Newton at his house in Jermyn-street ,
near St. James's Church, Westminster.'"
230 LIFE OF
VIII
1709
CHAP, important, and in most cases were adopted by Sir
Isaac, who took pains to make this monument of his
genius as perfect as possible. The correspondence
between Newton and Cotes, during this whole period,
is in the highest degree important and interesting to
the lovers of science. Their letters, nearly three
hundred in number, are preserved in Trinity College :
and I now express publicly, what 1 have often ex-
pressed in private, a wish and request that some one
of the many accomplished Newtonians, who are re-
sident in that Society, would favour the world by
publishing the whole collection '^^
*'' Some letters, which are, properly speaking, part of this series, are
among the collection of Sir Isaac Newton's papers, belonging to the Earl
of Portsmouth, at Hartsbourne House, Hampshire, where they were
obligingly shown to me by the Hon. H. Fellowes.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 231
CHAPTER IX.
A party among the junior Fellows in favour of the Master — History of the
College dividends — Bentley issues proposals for a new scheme of divi-
dends — Change in the Master's proportion — Scheme of composition for
customary alloivances — Objections of the Fellows to the proposals — The
Master's design for improving the College preferment — The proposals
rejected by the Seniors — Mr. Miller, a lay fellow, encourages their
resistance — Violent behaviour of the Master — The Fellows resolve to
complain to the Visitor — Dr Colbatch — Bentley deprives Miller of his
fellowship — The Seniors reinstate him — Half the Fellows petition the
Bishop of Ely on the statute for the removal of the Master — Bentley
publishes a letter to the Bishop — Defence of himself, and abuse of his
prosecutors — Replies by Miller, Blomer, White, Paris, Partridge — Mr.
Ashenhurst prosecuted for libelling the Queen — Scandal occasioned by
these feuds — Dr. King's Horace in Trinity College — Bentley again
writes to the Bishop of Ely — Le Clerc publishes the fragments of
Menander and Philemon — Bentley writes a censure of this book, under
the title of Phileleutherus Lipsiensis — Sends it to Utrecht to be pub-
lished by Teter Barman — Correspondence with Le Clerc — Gronovius
publishes a book against both Bentley and Le Clerc— Bergler's review —
De Pauw, Philargyrius Cantabrigiensis — Le Clerc's defence.
Dr. Bentley having excited against himself the chap. ix.
clamour and resentment of a large portion of his ^^"^-
Fellows, was too much an adept in the art of governing Bentiey
to omit any means of dividmg the malcontents, and pavtyamong
,,.,. ., J • ^ • ' J. i the Fellows.
estabhshmg an opposite party ni his own interest.
This he effected by carefully watching every oppor-
tunity of advancing the fortunes of those who showed
a disposition to adhere to him. His station as Head
of so large a College, his acquaintance in the great
world, and his eminent reputation naturally invested
him with an extensive description of patronage : be-
sides the power of assigning pupils in College, he had
opportunities of recommending the younger Fellows
to curacies, chaplaincies, tutorships, and other situa-
232 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. tions. Thus his friends were sure to be provided for,
^^^^- while vexation, loss, and proscription seemed the only
lot of his opponents. His system of advancing young-
men to College offices, and breaking through the
custom which had long confined all emolument to
length of standing, engaged in his interest many of
the juniors, who now saw the road to advancement
laid open. In the meantime, the numbers and repu-
tation of his College experienced a considerable
accession ; nor could it be denied, that the Master
distinguished young men of merit, and procured for
them the notice and the patronage of the great. The
complaint of the Seniors, that he governed arbitrarily
and without their assistance, had little weight with
their younger brethren ; some of whom regarded it
with indifference, others with satisfaction. The sub-
seaiing- jcct of ' scaling-money' was an old bone of contention
money. |^ ^j^^ Collcgc : tlic statutcs cnjoin that the sixteen
first Fellows shall be present at setting the seal to
leases and other acts of the corporation, allotting to
each one shilling for his trouble, and two shillings to
the Master: but an old custom, the origin of which
could not be traced, had increased the allowances for
each sealing ten-fold ; and the amount of these pay-
ments in the course of a year was considerable. The
juniors, who had no share in this profit, had always
contended, that all beyond the statutable allowance of
the sealers ought to be thrown into the common
stock : the Master now declared himself to be of the
same opinion, and incited them to remonstrate against
the practice as a grievance \ He pursued a similar
' See Bentley's account of this matter, in his Letter to the Bishop of
Ely, p. 20 ; and a counter-statement in Miller's Remarks, p. 57 to GO.
Bentley appears to overstate the amount of these payments, when he says
that they averaged 300Z. a year. The custom, however, continued till the
year 1784, when the fi.\ed sum of 10/. was assigned to each of the sixteen
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 233
course in encouraging complaints against an aug- chap. ix.
mentation in the stipends of the Vice Master, Senior ^'^^^'
Dean, and Senior Bursar ; making it known, ad salaries of
augendam invidiam, that it had originated during the
Usurpation. In this instance there was less ground
for complaint than in the last : the altered value of
money had rendered an increase of the small salaries
prescribed by the statutes, not only reasonable, but
necessary ; and, even then, the trouble of those im-
portant offices was but poorly compensated.
By these and similar methods he secured a con-
siderable party among the juniors ; of whom the first
in talents and reputation was Professor Cotes : a name
calculated to reflect honour upon any cause which he
embraced. But the most active of his adherents was
Mr. Ashenhurst, a Fellow of two years' standing, whose Ashenhurst.
character, having been painted only by enemies, is
represented in as unfavourable a light as possible : he
is stated to have been a bustling, forward, and im-
pudent man, of unabashed assurance and overbearing
conversation : his best trait was the unshaken fidelity
with which he continued throughout life to serve the
interests of his principal. Being a medical student,
and having commenced his practice at Cambridge,
he w^as constantly on the spot, and incessantly exerting
himself to promote all the views and projects of the
Master.
Bentley had for some j^ears meditated an improved Coiiege
method of dividing the College revenues, which he
at length proposed to the society, and was resolutely
bent upon its accomplishment. The existing system
of dividends distributed the surplus money of the
College among the Master and Fellows in certain
Fellows, for his attendance at reading and sealing all the leases, &c. in the
course of the year ; a svim not more than a reasonable remuneration for
his trouble and loss of time.
revenues.
234 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. proportions which had been fixed by a College order
^709- in the year 1660. The original endowment had
allotted to all Fellows chambers and commons free of
expense, and had given them stipends varying ac-
cording to their academical degree: to a Doctor of
Divinity 5/, to a Bachelor of Divinity 41, and to a
Master of Arts 21. 13s. 4c?. And these were the whole
emoluments of a fellowship, except a small allowance
for liheratura or dress, likewise apportioned according
History of to degTces. But when the depreciation of money had
dividends. j.gj-,jgj,gjj ^jj increase of allowance necessary for the
subsistence of gentlemen, and had at the same time
increased the revenue, the surplus was disposed in a
mode not contemplated by the statutes. The first
dividend took place in 1630 ; in subsequent distribu-
tions the sums allotted to the senior and junior Fellows
were varied in arbitrary proportions ; but it was re-
marked that by each successive change the juniors
were sufferers. At length, after the Restoration, the
Seniority thus arranged the distribution of 2000/, the
largest sum ever divisible in one year, which was
thence termed ' a whole dividend.' The Master had
150/; each of the eight Seniors 50/; the ninth and
tenth Fellows (called labourers, from their generally
filling the place of some absent Senior at the board)
each 40/, the next six 34/, and the rest of the Fellows
(being M.A.) 25/. This scale, by giving the advan-
tage to standing alone, held out no encouragement to
taking higher degrees ; and therein proceeded upon
Bentiey different principles from the statutes. The Master
neTscheme now circulatcd a paper of proposals for altering the
ofdividends. gcheme of dividends so as to reduce them to an exact
proportion with the stipends. Each sum prescribed
by the statutes was to be multiplied by ten : so that a
Doctor of Divinity was to have 50/, a Bachelor of
Divinity 40/, a Master of Arts 26/. 135. 4d, or in that
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 235
ratio. That this method was more consonant to the chap. ix.
spirit of the foundation than the existing one, is unde- ^^^^'
niable. The effect of the change woukl have been to
make every Fellow proceed to the higher degrees as
soon as his standing allowed ; an object which, as we
have already seen, Bentley had much at heart ; and if
a due provision had been made for the present Seniors,
whose age rendered the taking degrees inconvenient •
and burdensome, no one could have complained of
hardship in the alteration. It admitted indeed of
doubt whether it was worth while to disturb an
arrangement which had continued fifty years, and, as
far as appears, without exciting dissatisfaction. How-
ever, the determined resistance which the proposals
met with, was occasioned by the increase contemplated
in the income of the Master himself.
The foundation of Trinity, at the same time that it Amount of
gave the Fellows the above-mentioned stipends, as- ^jl^.j^/j^^^^" *
signed to the Master 100/. for stipend and commons
jointly, but without specifying what portion of that
sum was for stipend alone. Bentley, in proposing
that the dividends of the society should henceforth be
in proportion to their respective stipends, of course
included the Master in the new scale ; and suggested,
in the first instance, that his stipend should be con-
sidered as 85/, or seventeen times as great as that of a
Doctor ; whence it would follow that his dividend
ought to be 850/ ; but foreseeing that the largeness
of that sum would startle every one, he proposed to
fix it at 800/. When he discovered that the increase
of his share from 150/. to 800/. raised an outcry against
the whole scheme, he issued a new paper of proposals
in which he reduced the Master's share to 400/. As
this was still unpalatable, he finally declared that he
would be content with 200/, provided the rest of the
project were ado])ted. But it was shrewdly remarked
tion.
236 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. that, if the dividends were once established upon the
^^^^' footing of stipends, the old claim for 850/. might be
revived either by the present Master or his suc-
cessors.
Customary This, howcvcr, constltutcd but a part of his new
to the Mas- proposals. The foundation had provided for the Mas-
*^''- ter three servants, and three horses, to be kept at the
public charge, as well as extra-commons: for all
which a composition in money had long been esta-
blished. But by custom and prescription he was also
supplied with bread, flour, beer, coals and other fuel,
candles, oil, linen, pewter, and a few more articles:
this being regarded as a matter of grace and favour,
since it rested upon no authority to be found in the
Bentiey's statutcs. The Doctor now proposed that in lieu of
rcorplls? ^^1 ^^^^^6 particulars he should receive a fixed annual
payment, the amount of which he estimated at above
700/ ; but declared himself satisfied with that sum.
The idea of compensation for allowances grounded not
on right, but on the grace and indulgence of the
College, met with a most unfavourable reception.
The plan had, in one point of view, a plausible ap-
pearance : it removed a source- of uneasiness and
complaint, as well as the indelicacy of submitting the
details of a domestic establishment to the revision of a
board, who were yearly called upon to defray its
expenditure. But on the other hand, it was evident
that such an arrangement would make the Master
entirely independent of the Seniority, and would
deprive them of the power even of obliging him by
their liberality. Moreover, those customary allow-
ances had been granted with the view of enabling the
Head to maintain at his table, and in his family, the
decent splendor and hospitality of the leading College:
but a pecuniary composition might be expended in a
different mode, or in a place remote from Cambridge.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 237
Indeed, there was a strong suspicion that Bentley chaimx.
intended, as soon as he had accomplished his scheme, ^^^^-
to live principally at his new residence in Cotton
House. It was no secret that he aspired to high rank
in the Church : and people believed that his main
purpose was to raise his mastership to such a value,
as might make it an object of some importance in an
arrangement on the vacancy of a mitre. In addition
to these considerations, a serious objection was taken
to the proposed amount of the composition. The
expenses of the lodge in Dr. Bentley 's time had
already exceeded by 200Z. or 300/. a year the utmost
cost under any former Master ; in some articles they
do really appear to have been enormous ^ : but the
claim now made placed the amount higher than it
had yet reached even in the year of greatest ex-
travagance : and this payment added to the dividend
and other emoluments would have raised the value of
the mastership to above 1000/. a year, a sum greater
by one third than it had ever yet cost the college.
So g^reatlv did these are^uments preponderate, that Methods
1 * V -111 • , "sed to
the proposals met with a cold reception among the effect im
Fellows. Bentley however was too inflexible in his ^''"-''''''^
nature, and too much attached to this particular pro-
ject, to think of abandoning it. Having first circulated
his scheme in December 1708, he tried in the course
of the ensuing year a variety of methods to procure its
adoption. He made several alterations in the details,
2 In a single year, 1708, the expense of coals, billets, charcoal, &c. for
the lodge, was llOl. 3s. 9d. Of ale and small beer, Wjl. I6s. Od., of
bread and flour, 681. I6s. Od. Upon the first item bis adversary Miller
remarks, " One single article, that of his fire, which amounts to 1 10/. 3s. Qd.
is so much, that scarce any nobleman in England, T believe, no Arch-
bishop, spent the like in the time. This fuel must be sold or otherwise
embezzled ; for if he had kept a continual fire in every chimney of his
lodge all that time, it could not have consumed so much." Some Remarks
upon Dr. Bentleifs Letter, p. 169.
238 XIFE OF
CHAP. IX. to meet successive objections: but it was observed
^'^'^^- that in so doing, while he varied the particulars, he
always arrived at the same conclusion with respect to
the sum total of his demands. He endeavoured to
obtain a petition in favour of his scheme from the
juniors : to accomplish this, Ashenhurst laboured earn-
estly ; but the result was that only eight persons sub-
scribed it, three of whom were Bachelors in the
probationary state of Minor Fellows. This attempt
therefore was not only attended with failure, but raised
the displeasure of the Seniors, as promoting discord
and insubordination in the society. To some of the
Board he held out promises, to others threats, with
the view of procuring their acquiescence. Unfortu-
nately for the College and the Church, two of that
body had occasioned scandal by some particulars in
their lives and conversation. It is asserted, that he
denounced to those individuals his intention of insti-
tuting proceedings against them, as Archdeacon, in
an ecclesiastical court ; but Dr. Brookbank, his
OflBcial, suggested to them that this purpose might
be averted by their timely acquiescence in the scheme
of dividends and compensation ; to which he, being
an old College friend, implored them with tears in his
eyes to consent ^ But the argument upon which the
Master principally relied for success, was his declared
resolution not to suffer a dividend to be issued except
upon the footing of his new arrangement. Two
' whole dividends' were ready for payment at the end
of the year 1709; and he presumed that the neces-
sities of the Fellows, who had received no dividend for
two years, and had indeed devoted the last which had
3 This story is told by Middleton, in the second part of the Full and
Impartial Account of the Proceedings of the University against Dr. Bentley,
p. 12. He alleges that he had repeatedly heard it from the parties them-
selves.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 239
been paid to the subscription for the chapel, must soon chap.ix.
compel them to unconditional submission. ^'^^^'
Among other methods of reconciling the society to Conferences
his measures, we hear of two conferences held at the ^^^^ ° ^^'
lodge between the Master and some of the Fellows, in
both of which he attempted to gain over by conces-
sions the most respectable and influential among them.
Dr. Ayloffe, the Public Orator of the University,
having drawn up a paper of objections to the pro-
posals, he suggested a free discussion of the question
in a conference. There were present Dr. Cressar and
Dr. Ayloffe on one side. Professor Cotes and Mr.
Ashenhurst on the other. The Master replied seriatim
to all the objections, and according to the report of his
two seconds, compelled the Orator to recede from
each position and finally to declare himself satisfied :
but the other party affirmed that this satisfaction
applied only to the Master's reducing the estimate of
his own dividend from 400Z. to 200/.* The other
conference was for the purpose of fixing the compo-
sition ; when he agreed that, upon condition of receiv-
ing the proposed 700/. a year, he would for the future
furnish the lodge at his own expense \
Among the modifications of his dividend scheme", Bentiey's
there is one, inscribed by Bentley on the fly-leaf of the .'mproving
Conclusion-book, which contains, along with other [j''4fs"^^^
regulations, a proposition so wise and beneficial, as
deserves to redeem his name from much of the obloquy
to which his proceedings are exposed. The church
preferment belonging to Trinity College is small and
insignificant in comparison with the rest of its endow-
* See the report of this conference on Decemher 12, 1710, in Dr-
Bentiey's Letter to the Bishop of Ely, p 72 : and Miller's Remarks, p. 150.
5 I find the account of this second conference in the MS. Diary of Dr.
Edward Rud. The Fellows who assisted were Cressar, Hanhury, Red-
dington, and Cotes.
1
240 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. ment ; and the best livings, instead of being a provision
^^^^- for those quitting college, were generally held by
Fellows being College-preachers. The Master per-
ceiving that this was the faulty part of the system,
making Fellowships of Trinity rather an impediment
than a furtherance to the professional utility of their
holders, proposed that one-tenth of every dividend
should be set apart for the improvement of College
livings ; adding a provision, that all Fellows taking
preferment thus augmented, should give a bond to
resign their Fellowships within a year. Had such a
plan been adopted, and persevered in from that time
to the present, the best effects must have ensued ; the
College would have had a sufficient number of good
livings for those who wished to enter upon the care of
a parish at an active period of life ; the succession to
Fellowships would have been accelerated ; and the
Church would have obtained the services of a number
of persons of high talent and acquirements ; too many
of whom, owing to the poverty of College preferment,
continue all their lives unbeneficed, or only commence
the practice of clerical duties at an age when new
habits and pursuits are not easily adopted.
His plan The Doctor having prepared his way by all the
the^seniorl mctliods dcscribcd, as well as by private discussions,
commonly called ' closetings,' with almost all the
Seniors, in which every argument of persuasion, in-
Dee. 21, terest, or intimidation, was used to secure their assent,
at length proposed to the Board his two schemes of
dividend and compensation ; wlien, to his amazement
and confusion, they met with unanimous disapproba-
tion. It seems however that the plan of dividends
according to degrees might have been carried, had he
not insisted upon its being accompanied by that of
compensation for his allowances. Having formed a
contemptuous opinion of the ability and the firmness
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 241
of the Seniors, and having often witnessed their dis- chap. ix.
position to make concessions as the price of tran- ^'^'^^'
quillity, he did not choose to consider this repulse as
decisive, but declared the consideration of the subject
adjourned to the morrow.
But in the evening of this day another character Mr. Ed-
appeared on the scene, who gave an unexpected turn ler.
to the proceedings. This was Edmund Miller, a
lay-fellow, and Counsellor of the College, who was
come according to custom to pass the Christmas vaca-
tion among his brethren. He was a barrister of con-
siderable reputation, possessed a great acquaintance
with academical affairs, and was generally believed
to be aiming at the representation of the University.
The state in which he found the society on his arrival
shall be described in his own words. "When he
came to College it was easy to perceive in their coun-
tenances how most of the Fellows were terrified, as
well as dissatisfied, with what they thought was
doing ; they scarcely spoke to one another, but looked
like so many prisoners, which were uncertain whether
to expect military execution, or the favour of decima-
tion*'." Miller at once declared his opinion that the
Master's proposals were unreasonable, and such as the
Seniority neither could nor ought to sanction : and
he appears first to have hinted that the violence with
which they were beset might be resisted before some
higher authority. The confidence reposed in this
gentleman, from his familiarity with business and
knowledge of the world, encouraged them to a still
firmer resistance. Next morning one of the Seniors
urged at the meeting that, as they were only trustees
for the College, it was desirable to learn the opinions
of the rest of the society, upon the disposal of so large
" Miller's Remarks, p. 85.
VOL. I. R
242 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. a portion of their revenues : he suggested accordingly
^'^^^- that the Pubhc-orator, Dr. Colbatch the Professor of
Casuistry, and Mr. Miller, should be heard in the
name of the other Fellows. The Master, having him-
self set the example of an appeal to the juniors, could
not directly refuse this hearing : but, finding that
Miller was likely to prove an obstacle to the scheme
on which he had set his heart, he adopted a sudden
and extraordinary measure in order to paralyze his
opposition.
Lay Fei- The statutcs of Trinity College prescribe that all
the Fellows shall be in holy orders within seven years
after they are Masters of Arts, or if not, shall then
leave the society ; except two, of whom one may study
civil law, the other medicine ; and these two are to be
nominated by the Master. As it had commonly hap-
pened, upon a vacancy of one of these lay-fellowships,
that there was neither a civilian nor a physician
among the Fellow^s, the Master had, in default of such,
nominated barristers, or persons of no particular pro-
fession, accordino' to his discretion : nor was this
proceeding ever brought into question. It happened
that Miller held the physic fellowship, to which he
had been appointed by the late Master ; and Bentley
chose to infer, from a sentence in the statutes, wherein
the two laymen are incidentally termed Juris Civilis
et Medicince Professores, that they ought to he Doctors
The Master of tliosc faculties. Accordingly, when Miller was sent
Mmer!"^ for to the meeting, he began by reading the words of
those two statutes, and then asked him, ' whether or
not he was Doctor of Physic' On his reply that
' there was no occasion for this question, since the
Master knew what he was as well as he could inform
him ;' Bentley intimated, that, ' if he was not Doctor
of Physic the following Lady-day, he would declare
his fellowship void.' This passed for an empty threat,
1
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. • 243
and Miller had presence of mind enough to perceive, chap.tx.
how great an advantage the Master had given him in ^'^^;
the eyes of the meeting. He merely answered that
' this was not worth talking about, as he had been
summoned to speak upon a different matter ; ' and then
proceeded, though not without interruption, to express
his sentiments on the unfairness of the new projects,
and the desi2:ns which he believed them to cover.
Bentley was much exasperated at such bold and un-
compromising conduct ; he asserts that ' Miller defied
and threatened and reviled him with such opprobrious
words and insolent behaviour, as he believed were
never used by any Fellow to his Master to his face,
and before such an audience, since the University had
a being.' The other denies his having ' used insolent
or opprobrious or even uncivil language;' however
this might be, the Doctor was so little used to the
common freedom of opposition, that he was almost
sure to be incensed at a fearless and open attack upon
his favourite project.
Bentley determined however, after a few days, to Quaneis
1 ^•iri,-C'--i. Jl 1 with the Se-
make one more trial oi his beniority, and denounced niority.
to them his intention of bringing the matter before the
Queen and Council, unless they agreed at once to his
proposals ; and, on their firm and unanimous refusal,
he asked them, ' whether they would be led by the
nose by a lawyer;' and said that ' lawyers were the
most ignominious people in the nation.' Finally, on
meeting with unlooked-for steadiness in persons whom
he had held in contempt, he was betrayed into an
excess of passion, of which we find no other instance
in the course of his life. He said, that ' he laid before
them good and evil ;' bade them ' choose between
life and death ;' and, after calling some of the indi-
viduals by opprobrious names, he left them with this
valedictory sentence : " From henceforward, farewell
R 2
244 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. peace to Trinity College." Immediately afterwards
^J^^-_. he set off for London, with an intention, it was thought,
of effecting his purposes through the intervention of
powerful friends'.
As soon as he was gone, the Fellows, finding that
some appeal would forthwith be made to higher au-
thorities, and conceiving themselves to be the party
aggrieved, came to a resolution of having the first
word, and determined to prefer a complaint against
Declaration their Mastcr : accordingly they consulted Mr. Miller
!4Sns't'hi!n. respecting the proper steps to be adopted. This was
the very point at which the latter was aiming, and in
which he would probably not have succeeded but for
the violence of the Doctor's behaviour at parting. As
a preliminary step he drew up the following paper, to
which the sixteen senior Fellows present in College,
as well as eight of the juniors, immediately subscribed
their names ; at the same time entrusting the whole
business to his management and discretion :
Jan. 13, " We whose names are here underwritten, all of us Fellows of
1709-10. Trinity College in Camhridge, do disapprove of our now Master Dr.
Bentlev's late project of altering the proportion of our dividends ;
and of his excessive demands of a composition for the profits of his
mastership ; and of the unworthy and unstatutable methods he made
use of in order to compass the same ; and also of many other things
by him done, since he became our Master ; all which, or so many of
them as can be recollected, and as counsel shall think fit, we desire in
behalf of ourselves, and the rest of the College, may be represented
to those who are the proper judges thereof, and in such manner as
counsel shall advise : humbly craving such determination and sen-
tence therein, as to the wisdom and justice of the said judges shall
seem meet."
" Miller's Remarks, p. 12. It was either at this or the preceding meet-
ing that he told Mr. Cock, one of the Seniors, ' He would die in his
shoes :' another, Mr. Rashleigh, he called ' The College Dog.' Tlie
character of the latter personage was indecorous, if not immoral ; but I
have never discovered any thing recorded of Mr. Cock, which could give
occasion to such scurrility.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 245
Dr. Colbatch, the individual most respected of the chap. ix.
whole College for his learning and piety, objected to ^^^^'
the violent expressions of this paper : and although Dr. Coi-
he disapproved of the Master's late conduct, and
joined in the wish that their disputes should be re-
ferred to proper judges, yet would not consent to
push matters to extremity against him. He accord-
ingly proposed to substitute a moderate and temperate
declaration for the subscription of the Fellows, but
found only one individual who concurred in this milder
measure : in conclusion, he and his friend subscribed
with the rest, specifying that their signatures extended
only to a wish that the disputed points might be laid
before a proper tribunal ^ .
No sooner was Bentley informed of this bold and Bentieyde-
unexpected step, than he hastened back from town, ler'Tfeiiow-
with the impatience of a general who hears of a mutiny j"p ^'jj^''^"'-
among his troops during his absence, and resolves to
arrest its progress by making a summary example of
the ringleader. On the morning after his return he
summoned a meeting of the Seniority, and declared
that Mr. Miller's not having proceeded to the degree
of Doctor of Physic was a statutable cause for pro-
nouncing his fellowship void. All the Seniors ex-
s The following is the declaration proposed by Dr. Colbatch :
" Whereas some disputes have lately arisen, and do still continue,
between Dr. Bentley, Master of Trinity College, and us, the Fellows of
the same College, occasioned by a certain proposal made by him, the said
Master, for altering the proportion of their dividends, and making a com-
position for himself for the profits of his mastership, in which proposal
several particulars are contained, to which we cannot (as we conceive) by
the statutes of our college agree ; we whose names are underwritten, the
Vice-master, Senior Fellows, and other Fellows of the said College, do, for
the restoring of peace and tranquillity to the Society, earnestly desire, in
behalf of ourselves and the rest of the members of the College, that the
aforesaid disputes may be refeiTed to their cognizance and determination,
who are the proper judges of it, and in such manner as counsel shall
advise, humbly craving such sentence therein as to the wisdom and justice
of such judges shall seem meet." B.ud's Diary.
246 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. pressed their dissent from this doctrine; whereupon
'^^^' he informed them that he neither asked nor needed
their concurrence, but should act by virtue of his
prerogative as executor of the statutes : and added,
that he appointed Mr. Ashenhurst successor to the
physical fellowship : he then sent for the butler, and
ordered him, in the presence of the meeting, to cut
out the name of Mr. Miller from the boards of the
College ; at the same time entering, with his own
hand, the following order in the Conclusion Book :
"Jan. 18, 1709-10. Declared by the Master, that Mr. Edmund
Miller having been nominated by the late Master to the Physic-
fellowship, and having neither proceeded Professor Medicince, nor
studied physic according to the 19th and 20th statutes, and still
refusing to da so, has thereby forfeited his right to that nomination,
and the said fellowship is become void.
"Declared the same day by the Master, that Mr. Ashenhurst,
Fellow of this College, student and practitioner in physic, is hereby
nominated to the said Physic-fellowship, to hold and enjoy it ; upon
condition that he proceed Professor Medicince, when he is of due
standing by the statutes of the University.
Ri. Bentley, Magister Collegii."
The Seniors The statutcs dircct that, in case of a dispute arising:
Miller. between the Master and any of the Fellows, it shall be
laid before the Vice-master, who, with the assistance
of the other Seniors, is to investigate and compose the
difference. Mr. Miller made his appeal on this
ground to Dr. Stubbe, the Vice-master, who imme-
diately desired Dr. Bentley 's attendance at a meeting
to be held next morning in his chambers. This sum-
mons the Master considered an affront, and treated
Jan. 19. with neglect ^ The Seniors assembled at the ap-
" This summons was not intended to be disrespectful ; but it must be
allowed that, being addressed to a superior, it was couched in a rather dry
and peremptory style :
" Master, Jan. 18, 1709.
" I desire you to be present at my chambers to morrow morning at
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 247
pointed hour ; when the Master not appearing, they chap. ix.
entered upon the merits of the question before them, ^^^^-
and concluded with an unanimous resolution, to which
the eight subscribed their names, that upon an exami-
nation of the rules and customs of the College, they
dissented from the Master's interpretation of the sta-
nine of the clock, concerning an appeal made to me and the rest of the
seven Seniors this day by Mr. Miller, about your ordering his name to be
taken off from the Buttery-board, and some other matters between you and
Mr. Miller." W. Stubbe, Vicemaster."
Upon this billet the Master remarks, in his printed Letter to the Bishop
of Ely, ^.47.
" I make no doubt but yom- Lordship, who have once been Fellow of a
College, will admire at such a new and unparallel'd thing, that a Master
shou'd be summon'd from his o\vn apartment (where the publick business
is always transacted) to attend at a Vicemaster's chamber. And yet this
was sent me at a time, when they knew I was indispos'd by a great cold,
and confin'd at home. However, when they met there at nine the next
day, wthout inquiring whether I design'd to come then, whether I desir'd
another opportunity, or wish'd them to come to me ; under the conduct of
Mr. Miller, they subscrib'd to this following order :"
" At the Vicemaster's Chamber in Trinity- College
in Cambridge, Jan. 19, 1709.
" Upon complaint and appeal made unto us by Mr. Miller, according to
the form of the College- Statute, concerning Dr. Bentley our now Master's
yesterday ordering his name to be cut off from the Buttery-board without
and contrary to the consent of any of the Senior Fellows then present,
upon the Master's interpretation of the College-Statutes concerning the
Physick-fellowship. We the Vicemaster and the rest of the seven Seniors
now resident in College, upon consideration of the said statutes, and the
usage which has always been in this and other Colleges in the University
in the like case, do declare that we do not agree with the Master in his
interpretation of the said statutes, and do therefore think fit that Mr.
Miller's name be this day put again upon the Buttery-board.
" W. Stubce, Vicemaster. Edw. Bathurst. J. Cooher.
P. Cock. N. Rashleigh. Nath. Hanbury."
G. MoDD. Tho. Smith.
The Doctor makes himself extremely merry at the wording of this
order, which, having been transcribed by a lawyer's clerk, was not pointed;
and pursues his cavils in a tone of drollery not suiting so serious an occa-
sion.
248 • LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. tute, and therefore thought it right to replace Mr.
^^^^- Miller's name upon the buttery-board.
Theargu- It is almost superfluous to discuss the legality of
and against Bcntley's procccding, since it is clear from the time
fcT.'*^'^^^ and circumstances that the act of expulsion was per-
formed, not, as he alleged, in compliance with the
oath and duty of a Master, but in punishment of the
audacious attempt of which Miller had been the sug-
gester. The Master defends his conduct with an
elaborate and ingenious argument, at considerable
length ; but the whole chain of his reasoning is broken,
if it be not conceded that Professoi^ MedicmcB signifies,
in the view of the statutes, Doctor of Physic : this
point he endeavours to establish by a fallacious
analogy. At Cambridge, as well as in other Uni-
versities, every Doctor of Divinity is termed SanctcB
Thcologi(B Professor; but the title Professor is not
technically applied to a Doctor in other faculties.
There is no doubt but that the statutes designed this
fellowship to be held by a physician; and that is a
sufficient reason for conferring; it on one who intends
honafide to study and practise medicine, in preference
to other candidates: but it was unjust to deprive a
person legally possessed of it, particularly after he had
been made College Counsel by Dr. Bentley himself,
with the concurrence of the Seniors, in 1701, at a
time when, according to this new interpretation, he
was liable to expulsion for not being Doctor of Physic.
At all events the ground taken by the Master was
novel and contrary to usage; and, consequently, could
not be legally established but by an interpretation, in
which the majority of the Seniors should concur with
the Master '^. It was preposterous to assert that his
'" Tlie five holders of this fellowship preceding Miller, were Clement
Neville, Richard Duke the poet, Sir WiUiam Norres, Charles Montague,
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 249
own view of the subject was too plain and clear to chap. ix.
admit of doubt, or require consultation ; and the cir-
cumstance of the place, when vacant, being in the
Master's appointment, was so far from giving him the
sole power of vacating it, that it made his agency in
the business a matter of greater delicacy, and more
questionable propriety ".
This act of severity had an effect widely different
from what Bentley had expected. Instead of quelling
further opposition by the influence of terror, it made
the Fellows more determined in their resolution to
dislodge a Master, who had so little difficulty in
taking away a person's freehold by the decree of ab-
solute authority. Such readiness had he shown to
bend the statutes to his purpose, that no one could
foresee how soon his own turn might come : fuit
intactis quoque cura Conditione super communi. He
had, moreover, supplied his prosecutors with a new
and weighty article of charge against his administra-
tion. All thoughts of pacification being now given Jan. 20.
up. Miller set oft' for London to take measures for the
prosecution ; and the Master, having again cut out Jan. 24.
the reinstated name, followed to traverse and counter-
act his operations.
A demur immediately arose among the lawyers Doubts as to
who were consulted, respecting the true Visitor of of xrinity!^
Trinit}^ College. The old statutes had indeed speci-
fied that the Bishop of Ely was General Visitor; but
those of Queen Elizabeth did not contain this pro-
vision : it was therefore inferred by some that the
visitatorial power rested with the Crown, as repre-
(afterwards Earl of Halifax and First Lord of the Treasury,) and Dr.
Charles Morley ; of whom the last only was a physician.
" 'riie reader may see, if he please, all that can be said on both sides of
this question in Bentley's Letter, p. 31 — 50 ; MiUer's Remarks, p. 82 — 1 14 ;
and Blomer's Full View, p. 77 — 81.
250 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. sentative of the founder; and practice seemed to
_^'^^^- confirm this opinion. However, the 40th chapter of
Queen Elizabeth's statutes, concerning the deprivation
of a Master, declares that an appeal against him for
crimes or malversation must be made to the Bishop
of Ely, who is at the same time termed Visitor, in
whom rested the power of judging the cause, and, if
necessary, of removing him from the mastership.
This statute is of so much importance in the progress
of our history, that it will be convenient to give it to
the reader at length.
CAP. XL. DE MAGISTRI, SI RES EXIGAT, AMOTIONE.
" Quoniam Capite gravi aliquo morbo laborante, csetera Corporis
membra vehementer quoque vexari solent; idcirco Statuimus et
Ordinamus, ut si Magister Coll. in suo officio obeundo admodum
negligens et dissolutus repertus fuerit, aut de inhonesta vitse ratione
aut incontinentia suspectus fuerit, per Vice-Magistrum et reliquos
septem Seniores, aut per majorem partem eorum, quorum Conscien-
tiam quantum possumus in hac re oneramus, sicut Domino Jesu
rationem reddituri sunt, cum omni lenitate et modestia admoneatur :
quod si hoc modo admonitus non se emendaverit, secundo similiter
admoneatur : sin autem neque tum quidem resipuerit, Vice-Magister
et reliqui Seniores, vel major pars eorum, rem omnem Visitatori
Episcopo Eliensi, qui pro tempore fuerit, aperiant; qui et eam
diligenter cognoscat, et cum sequitate definiat. Cujus Sententiae
Magistrum sine ulla appellatione omnino parere volumus, sub poena
loci sui in perpetuum amittendi.
" Porro si dictus Magister coram dicto Visitatore aliquando exa-
minatus, et vel de Haereseos, vel Lsesse Majestatis crimine, vel de
Simonia, Usura, Perjurio coram Judice commisso, Furto notabili,
Homicidio voluntario, Incestu, Adulterio, Fornicatione, Dilapidatione
bonorum Collegii vel de violatione Statutorum ejusdem, vel denique
de alio quovis consimili crimine notabili coram preedicto Visitatore
legitime convictus fuerit, sine mora per eundem Vice-Magistrum
Officio Magistri privetur : neque ullam ei appellationem, aut idlum
aliud juris remedium permittimus : sed cuncta quae in hac causa tenta-
verit, irrita esse volumus et decernimus ipso facto."
As it was intended to prosecute Dr. Bentley for
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 251
* wasting the goods of the College, and violating its chap, ix,
statutes,' this enactment appeared completely to meet ^'^^®-
the case; and accordingly Miller, accompanied by
Felton, one of the junior Fellows, carried the com-
plaint to the Bishop of Ely. Dr. John Moore, who Dr. j.
filled that see, had been an early friend and patron sho^of Ely.
of Bentley, and was one of the six prelates whose
recommendation advanced him to the mastership.
His being Archdeacon of the diocese added another
tie to the connection which literature had produced:
the Bishop had, since his promotion to Ely, been a
guest at Trinity Lodge, and advanced by his contri-
butions the Master's plans for the improvement of the
College. Nevertheless, when called upon to become
his judge, he made no scruple, except so far as to
direct that the accusation should come in the form of
a petition, addressed to himself by name as Visitor
under the statutes. Accordingly the following Petition
was drawn up by Miller, and subscribed by a still
greater number of names than the former Declaration :
" To the Right Reverend Father in God, John Lord Bishop of Ely, Petition of
Visitor of Trinity College, in Cambridg, vpon the Fortieth Chapter ^^^^ Fe^ows.
of the College Statutes, entitled De Magistri (si res exigat)
amotione. The Humble Petition and Complaint of the Vice-Master,
Senior Fellows, and many of the Doctors in Divinity, and Masters
of Arts, Fellows atid Members of the College of the Holy and
undivided Trinity, in the University of Catnbridg, of King Henry
the Eighth's foundation, in behalf of themselves and the rest of the
Members of the said College, against Richard Bentley, Doctor in
Divinity, now Master thereof,
" Shew,
" That the Fellows and all the members of the said College having
for many years lived with a great respect and love to their former
Masters, and in a perfect amity one with another, In the year of our
Lord God 1700, when the said Dr. Bentley first came to be their
Master, the peace of the said College was soon disturbed, by his
-demanding and taking of the said College several unusual and great
•252 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. sums of money, which he apphed to his own use : And almost every
1710.' year since by his continual making new demands of profits and per-
== quisites for himself ; and by his taking and threatening to take away,
sometimes with the forced consent of the governing part of the
College, and sometimes without any consent at all, several known
privileges and perquisites from the rest of the College in general,
and even fellowships and scholarships from several in particular; and
by his threatening and assuming to inflict several unstatutable and
(before his time) unheard-of punishments upon several of the Fellows,
for no other reason but because he heard they talked against his
proceedings: And by his using violent and imworthy methods,
whereby he has prevailed with some few of the College to espouse
his separate interest, the peace of this Royal and ample foundation
has not only for many years been wholly broken, but the statutes
have been violated, and the goods of the College wasted, and many
of the Fellows reduced to great necessity by his lessening the value
of their fellowships, which were before but very small. Nevertheless,
the Fellows and Members of the said College, out of a peaceable
disposition, and being persuaded by the said Dr. Bentley's fair
promises, which he constantly made upon his gaining every new
advantage, that they should enjoy peace and quietness for the future,
and out of respect to those that made him their Master, though they
could not be wholly silent, they were unwilling publicly to complain
to their superiours ; till now again this last year the said Dr. Bentley
not only making another exorbitant demand of profits to himself, but
in order thereunto, endeavouring to make an alteration almost
throughout the whole College in their dividends and dues, whereby
they are maintained, and which they and their predecessors have for
many years enjoyed, and that in a partial manner, and by such
methods as are before mentioned ; We are necessitated at this time
to petition and complain to your Lordship, promising within a con-
venient time to lay before you, in such method as you shall appoint,
the several particulars, wherein the truth of what is here alledged
will manifestly appear : Humbly craving, in due time, such sentence
as to your Lordship's wisdom and justice shall seem meet."
Feb. 6, 1709.
WoLFRAN Stubbe, D.D. and Vice- John Cooper, B.D.
Master. Nat. Hanbury, B.D.
P. Cock, Sen. Felloto. John Laughton, by his consent by
Geo, Modd, Sen. Fellow. letter.
Edw. Bathurst, Sen. Fel. Stephen Cressar, D.D.
Nat. Rashleigh, Sen. Fel. Abra. Jordan, M.A.
Thos. Smith, D.D. Sen. Fel. William Drury, M.A.
Mat.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 253
Mat. Barwell, M.A. the same that is mentioned by Dr. CHAP. IX.
John Colbatch, D.D. " I desire Colbatch." 1710.
that all matters mentioned in this Griffith Williams, B.D. " I de-
petition may be referred to the sire the same that is mentioned by
cognizance and determination of Dr. Colbatch."
my Lord the Bishop of Ely." Samuel White, M.A.
William Atloff, L.L.D. Will. Chamberlain, M.A.
Edmund Miller, M.A. Jo. Craister, M.A.
Ja. Brabourn, B.D. Edm. Stubbe, M.A.
L. Brodrick, D.D. Jo. Paris, M.A.
Ralph Welstead, M.A. Tho. Blomer, M.A.
Ri. Stokes, M.A. gave his consent Conyers Middleton, M.A.
by letter. John Felton, M.A.
William Wade, M.A. " / desire
Of the thirty names attached to this complaint,
only the last eight were Fellows elected within the
period of Bentley's mastership : of the rest of the
juniors, some were attached to him by past obliga-
tions, others were so dependent upon his favour for
their pupils, that they were neither requested nor
wished to join in the accusation. However, there is conyers
found among the complainants the w^ell -known name ' ' ' '^ °"-
of Conyers Middleton. Being at that time a young
man, he did not take a prominent part in the proceed-
ings ; and his fellowship became vacant a few months
afterw^ards by his marriage. But the feelings of
hostility to the Master originated by these disputes
sank deep into his mind, and made him subsequently
the most determined and dangerous of his adversaries.
The Bishop of Ely having received the Petition by Feb. 10,
the hands of Miller, forthwith transmitted a copy of ^'^'^^"^^'
it to the party accused ; whereupon Dr. Bentley
determined to brino- the affairs of his Colleo;e before
the public, and to become in his turn the accuser of
those who had presumed to arraign his conduct and
seek his deposition. This measure, the policy and
decorum of which were very questionable, was put
into immediate execution. His statement of the case
254 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. appeared in the shape of a ' Letter to the Bishop,'
^'^^^- containing unmeasured invectives against the sub-
Bentiey scribcrs, and asserting that the only real offence which
fe"t"rtothe hc had givcu was his successful endeavour to restore
Bishop of (jig(.ipiine, study, and good morals in Trinity College.
He anticipates almost all the particular charges to be
brought against him, and invariably takes credit to
himself for his behaviour in those very instances.
Attacks his The cliaractcrs of the subscribers he treats with un-
prosecu ors. jj^^^^^^^g^ coutumcly, representing them as a de-
bauched and profligate crew, destitute of learning,
industry, and principle ; and the complaint itself he
terms ' the last struggle and effort of vice and idle-
ness against virtue, learning, and good discipline.'
This language was every way unjustifiable, being
grounded upon the fact of the disreputable lives of
two or three among the thirty complainants ; while
the rest were persons to whom no reproach whatever
could be attached, and some of them, as Dr. Stubbe,
Dr. Smith, Dr. Cressar, Dr. Ayloffe, Dr. Colbatch,
and Mr. Wade, ranked high among the most re-
spectable characters in the University. The pub-
lication of such abuse and scandal was not only
indecorous and unsuitable to a dignified divine, but
plainly appeared the effect of resentment, and, as
such, was ill calculated to establish an opinion of his
own innocence.
Criticizes A cousidcrablc part of Bentley's pamphlet is occu-
tie petition. ^.^^ ^itli cavils and exceptions against the form and
language of the Petition, which, even if well-founded,
could not aftect the merits of any question at issue ;
that document being only preparatory to a formal and
judicial proceeding, when the articles of accusation
were to be definitely drawn up and substantiated by
evidence. Thus he urges that Edmund Miller, having
been ejected from his fellowship, had no right to
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 255
present or to subscribe the Petition ; that the signa- chap. ix.
tures of all the Fellows above the number of the eight ^'^^^'
Seniors, ' which, with ostentation, ad augendam in-
vidiam, are added to it, are so far from giving more
force and weight, that they invalidate and void it.'
He contends that by the words of the statute he ought
to have been twice admonished by the Vice-master
and Seniors, before a complaint was made to the
Visitor; a form which, as the other party maintained,
was required only in the first part of the enactment,
and not in case of ' wasting the goods of the College,
or violating the statutes.'
One topic insinuated in his pamphlet was after- Politics of
wards turned against himself with great effect : several
of the Fellows were of Tory principles, which at that
time predominated in the University. Among them
the politics of the Master did not serve to render him
more popular. ' If,' says he, ' in this age of parties
and divisions, some few dislike me on that account,
'tis impossible to help it : excepting these, I do not
want the good word and love of any, but of such
wretches, whose commendations would be more scan-
dalous than their railings : for no one can have favour
of these, if he is not like them in his vices ^^.'
To another cause of his want of popularity, the Allusions to
contrast between himself and his predecessor. Dr. Master!
Montague, he alludes in the most offensive and scur-
rilous terms : ' ' Had I been of their party, had I
herded and sotted with them, had I suffered them to
play their cheats in their several offices ; I might
have done what I would, I might have devoured and
destroyed the College, and yet come away with their
applauses for a great and good Master '\"
He treats his adversaries with similar insult when Distress of
the peti-
Bentleifs Letter to the Bishop of Ely, p. 12. '^ Ibid. p. 64.
tioiiers.
256 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. speaking of that part of tlieir complaint, which men-
^7'0- tions that some of them are reduced to great necessity :
" But yet, my Lord, I own one truth that Mr. Miller has said
here, and it's the only one in the whole Petition, that some of the
Fellows (every one of them his subscribers) ' are reduced to great
necessity.' But what, I pray, is the time reason of it ? Not the
' diminishing of their fellowships,' as our oracle avers ; that is refuted
above, to a demonstration. 'Tis not the ' lessening' of those, but
the increasing of something else : I mean the price of claret. For
the advance of twelve-pence in a bottle repeated every day, must
needs now exhaust a scanty fellowship ' which was before but very
small.' This is the grand article in their expenses, far above all
other charges, of clothes, or (what are now forgot by them) books :
for I dare pass my word, among all their debts and ticks there are
none to the stationers." Letter, p. 62.
Defence of fhc g-cneral topics uro;ed by him in defence of his
his conduct. l *zj j
conduct have been ah'eady noticed in our history of
his College administration. The pervading charge,
that he acted arbitrarily and without the concurrence
of his statutable advisers, he in some cases denies,
but more frequently avows and justifies ; contending
that the statutes do not require their assent in all
particulars : he admits, indeed, that custom was
against him, but maintains that it was ' not custom
but statute which he was sworn to observe,' and that
no good measure could ever have been effected with-
out the exertion of such magisterial and decisive
authority. Of his scheme for ' dividends according
to degrees' he makes a clear and powerful defence ;
and, as his conduct respecting this matter was con-
fessedly the immediate cause of the prosecution, with-
out which the other complaints would not have come
before a Visitor, he turns this topic greatly to his
advantage. As for the charge of excessive expenses
in his own house, he founds upon it an ingenious
argument against the Fellows, who had refused his
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 257
proposition for taking away such grounds of complaint chap. ix.
for the future by an equitable and honourable com- ^^'^'
position.
Upon the whole, however, the reader who is ac- character
quainted with Dr. Bentley from his other works, will pamphlet.
be surprised and disappointed by the perusal of his
' Letter to the Bishop of Ely,' and will scarcely
believe him to be the same writer who ten years before
triumphed over the combined wits of Christ-Church.
Notwithstanding the powerful and pointed sentences,
the severe invective, and caustic ridicule interspersed
in this piece, its general effect is such as to raise a
prejudice against the author. The tone is not that of
an innocent person, who feels unjustly criminated, but
of a daring adversary, more intent upon carrying war
into the enemy's quarters than upon defending himself.
The perpetual criticism of the words of the Petition is
captious and misplaced, suiting neither the dignity of
the writer, nor that of the personage to whom the
epistle is addressed. In regard to his attack upon the
prosecutors, it is even now disgusting to see such
invectives against persons, whose station demanded
the character of wisdom, gravity, and piety. What-
ever might be the foundation of the scandal in par-
ticular cases, no provocation or resentment could
justify his injuring the credit and interests of his
society by publicly vilifying its governors.
To avoid the indecorum of putting forth this pamph-
let in Bentley 's own name, it was said in the title-
page to be ' published for general information by a
gentleman of the Temple.' Prefixed to the book is Pretended
an address from the publisher to the reader, where it is p"*"^""''^'-
asserted that the Letter is printed from a copy given
by the Master to a person of honour, which he ' acci-
dentally met with,' and published ' because he thought
it would be an inexcusable fault to conceal it." The
VOL. I. s
258 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. disguise however was so thin, that no one hesitated to
^^^^- consider the ' Gentleman of the Temple' a fictitious
character, and to attribute the publication to Bentley
himself. This preface is drawn up in worse taste, and
exposed him to more ridicule, than almost any other
of his productions ; particularly by a long enumera-
tion of the scholars who had given to the world their
high opinions of Dr. Bentley, from Spanheim and
Grsevius down to Needham and Davies.
Replies to Tliis publication immediately produced a host of
Letter.^ repUcs from members of the College, who rebutted
with exasperated feelings the accusations of their
Master. Six or seven pamphlets appeared in rapid
succession, two only bearing the names of their au-
thors, Edmund Miller, and Thomas Blomer ; the
others were believed to be written by junior members
of the society, who, having subscribed the Petition,
were indignant at a publication which censured ' the
scandalous lives, insufficient learning, and seditious
practices of most of the gang.' In all of them the
Master's ' Letter to the Bishop of Ely' is taken to
pieces and treated with unceremonious and unsparing-
examination. The deference claimed by his station
and talents being banished by a recollection of the
language of his own pamphlet, every defect in his
character or administration is exhibited in a glaring
and exaggerated light, and his whole conduct is
charged as tyrannical, rapacious, treacherous, and
unfeeling ; while his designs are represented as still
blacker and more odious. One of the accusations
brought by Dr. Bentley against the petitioners, that
of dulness, was refuted at once by the answers which
his ' Letter' called forth : we find in them a great
deal of scholarlike writing, mixed with no conmion
powers of witty and caustic raillery. The quaint and
obsolete expressions which occur in all the Doctor's
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 259
writings, and the occasional ruggedness of a style chap. ix.
which he allowed himself no time to polish, afforded ^^^^-
an unfailing topic of ridicule to the young scholars by
whom he was assailed. Miller examined every sen- MUier.
tence of his ' Letter' with industry and care ; and,
having access to the different College books, he en-
countered in detail his assertions respecting statutes,
precedents, and accounts, with much accuracy. Being
perfectly master of the subjects in dispute, and relying
upon facts and arguments, he w^as the most formidable
of Bentley's adversaries. That Miller was in reality
a turbulent and factious man there is every reason to
believe, and he probably rejoiced at being appointed
to conduct the prosecution : but the violence of the
Master's behaviour and language had given him an
advantage in the appeal now made to the public,
which he did not fail to improve. Blomer's ' Full Biomer.
View of Dr. Bentley's Letter' is a piece of great and
well sustained humour : with all the exuberances of
juvenile wit unchecked by any forbearance, it has the
effect of holding up the Doctor's performance, as w^ell
as his character, in a ridiculous light ; and it is pro-
bable that all the witty attacks of Swift, Arbuthnot,
and Pope, never occasioned him so much annoyance
as he must have felt at the perusal of this effusion '*,
The other pamphlets wTitten in reply to Bentley
were anonymous : but it was understood at the time
that one called the ' True State of Trinity College'
was the joint production of "White and Paris, two white.
i» The title is, "A Full View of Dr. Bentleifs Letter to the Lord Bishop
of Ely, in a Discourse to a Friend, wherein the whole strain of that celebrated
piece throughout is fairly, familiarly, and largely considered." By Tho.
Blomer, ma. Fellow of Trinity College, in Cambridge. London, 1710.
The four mottos of this pamphlet are — Quid me alta silentia cogis Rumpere,
et obductum verbis vulgare dolorem. — Longa est injuria, longa Ambages, sed
summa sequar fastigia rerum — Nee servire ulli possumus, nee impernre desi-
deramus. — Decimo demum pugnainmus anno.
s 2
260 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. junior Fellows among the petitioners : and that ' A
i7^Q- True and Impartial Account of the Differences between
the Master and Fellows,' which did not appear till
Paris. 1711, was written by Paris, who had in the mean time
experienced the especial resentment of the Master, by
whom he had been deprived of a pupil. The reason
alleged for this act of rigour was, that ' he had coun-
tenanced and encouraged the young man in dissipa-
tion :' a charge which was denied at the time, and
which his respectable character in after life makes us
unwilling to believe. These pieces are keen and witty
jeu d'esprits, attacking the Doctor's conduct with in-
vective and his defence with ridicule. Two other
anonymous publications, arising from Bentley's ' Let-
Partridge. ter' and the College feud, were attributed to Partridge,
a scholar of Trinity, and are to be noticed as testifying
the eftect produced upon the minds of the young men
by the disputes of their governors : all wholesome
respect to character and authority was destroyed, and
the bands of discipline appeared to be dissolved '^
Ashenhurst. jj^ ^n tlicsc publicatious wc find Bentley's friend
Ashenhurst treated with extreme severity. Not only
the prominent character which he sustained in the
(piarrel as the Master's active minister, but the belief
'5 The title of the first of these pamphlets is. Some Considerations
humbly offered to John, Lord Bishop of Ely, on the book entitled ' The
Present State of Trinity College, in Cambridge, by Dr. Bentley.' By a
Master of Arts and Fellow of the said College, 1710. The same writer
piibhshed a second Letter to the Bishop of Ely, dated June 21, 1710,
called The Rights of the Scholars of Trinity College Asserted. It appears
clear from p. 67 of this pamphlet, that, notwithstanding his assumed title,
the author was really an undergraduate. In attributing them to Partridge,
I follow the authority of Dr. Rud, the author of the MS. Diary to which
I frequently refer. He was one of the tutors, and has noted the names of
the sui)posed writers in his collection of these various tracts, now in
Trinity library.
The only piece of information to be gathered from the last pamphlet is,
that the price of an undergraduate's gown in the year 1710 was four
pounds.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 261
that he was a tale-bearer and traducer of his brethren, ^^hap. ix.
marked him out as the object of odium and resent- ^^ ^'
ment ^'^. And this he was soon in danger of expe-
riencing to his cost ; for having in conversation upon
the politics of the day unguardedly said to Mr. Craister,
a brother Fellow, that ' the Queen was a superstitious
canting woman,' it was suggested that these words
amounted to the crime ' Icsscb majestatis,' and were,
as such, punishable by expulsion from his fellowship :
whereupon an official application was made by the
Vice-master to Dr. Bentley, calling upon him to con-
vene the party accused before the Seniority, and to
hear evidence upon the complaint. The Master,
being aware that the real cause of the accusation was
Ashenhurst's devotion to his interests, would not listen
to the representation ; and by this refusal incurred
fresh outcry, as acting inconsistently with his former
conduct, when he had joined the other Heads in
punishing Dr. Tudway, the Professor of Music, for
uttering words disrespectful to her Majesty '^ But
the loyalty of Dr. Stubbe would not suffer him to rest :
"' See The True State of Trinity College, p. 66-68. Some Considerations,
p. 23. A True and Impartial Account, p. 26. Thirl])y, in The University
of Cambridge Vindicated, p. 12, describes Ashenhurst as ' the greatest
plague and nuisance of the University :' monstrum nulla virtute redemptum
A vitiis : and says, ' that he insinuated himself into the acquaintance of
all youth of rank and fortune, in order to debauch their principles.'
1^ The crime of Tudway was a bad pun reflecting on the Queen, or
rather on the ministry. He said in company, that though her Majesty
had refused the address of the Hertford burgesses, yet had it been from
Daniel Burgess (the celebrated dissenter) it woidd have been received.
For this he was convicted, on the 20th of July 1706, before Dr. Fisher
the Vice-ChanceUor and eight other Heads at Sidney Lodge, of ' ha\ing
uttered words highly reflecting on the Queen and her administration,' and
sentenced to be suspended ab omni gradu suscepto ct suscipiendo, and to be
deprived of his organist's place at St. Mary's and his professorship in the
University. The execution of this sentence was published by the Vice-
ChanceUor at a Convocation on August 20 : on the 10th of March follow-
ing, Tudway, having first subscribed a most humble and penitential
apology, was released from his suspension.
•262 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. he wrote two letters to the Vice-Chancellor, callino-
^^^^' upon him to investigate the affair according to the
July 5. statutes of the University. That officer, overcome by
Vice-Chan- liis importuuitics, cited the accused party before the
lomV Heads, and proceeded to a regular trial of the offence.
Craister deposed that, being in company with Ashen-
hurst at the Cock tavern in Westminster in the month
of February, the latter observed that ' Mr. Harley
went still to court, and had the Queen's ear ; that he
knew how to please and tickle the Queen ; for, said
Ashenhurst, the Queen is a superstitious canting
woman.' A few days afterwards another court was
held, when the culprit made his defence, a copy of
which is preserved, along with other particulars of this
cause, in the archives of the University. It is a
masterly piece, bearing internal evidence of the hand
of Dr. Bentley, and displaying that legal acuteness
which was subsequently so conspicuous in causes
where he was himself engaged. It demonstrates that
this paltry proceeding originated in the College dis-
putes, and the part which Ashenhurst had taken in
favour of the Master. After all, no judgment was
pronounced : either the prosecutors were ashamed to
press the case further ; or it was found that the want
of two witnesses to the fact prevented their obtaining
a conviction in this court, where the civil law pre-
vailed '^
Public opi- The whole of these extraordinary disputes occa-
"]]g"g"" sioned in the public mind great surprise and sensa-
quarreis. tiou. Curiosity was excited and kept alive by the
details of a feud, which involved the credit of one of
the first literary characters, and one of the first societies
in the world. But all friends of the University were
" It was attempted to remedy this deficiency by the testimony of a
worthless ])uj)il, who had once heard Mr. Ashenhurst speak of the Queen
as ' a w euk, silly woman.'
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 263
shocked at a proceeding which, whatever might be its chap.ix.
result, brought disgrace upon the academical charac- ^^^^-
ter ; and churchmen were afflicted to behold a learned
divine engaged with his Fellows in an unseemly con-
test of mutual invective. A correspondence, given in
the note, between Dr. Atterbury, then Dean of Car-
lisle, and Dr. Colbatch, may serve as a specimen of
the feeling which we are told was generally produced
by this controversy ^^.
" " Reverend Sir, Chelsea, May 27, 1710.
" I was at Oxford when your letter came. I hope the person at
London, you directed to search the Paper-Office, has found the piece I
directed you to : and that it is to your purpose. You may depend upon
it, 'tis there ; though the officer (Mr. Delafay) may happen in his first
search to overlook it. I am heartily troubled at the imprudent and un-
christian steps taken towards calling in the world to judge of the differences
in your College, and the occasions of them ; which ought to have been
lodged with the Visitor only, and there for ever buried— as it is plain that
you. Sir, from the manner of your subscription, thought from the begin-
ning ; and it is extremely to be lamented that so contrary a course should
be taken. Could I contribute any thing towards preventing the mischief
which this unhappy dispute may bring upon the College, you may depend
upon my best services, if I can affiard them with that secresy, which in
such an affair as this I desire carefully to observe. For it becomes not
me to intermeddle in such affairs, nor would I upon any account in the
world be known to do it. I doubt not your being just to me in that par-
ticular, and I am with much esteem and truth,
Reverend Sir,
Your most faithful humble servant,
" To the Rev. Dr. Colbatch." Fr. Atterbury."
" Reverend Sir, Trinity College, June 6, 17 10.
" I beg your pardon for not sooner answering the last letter I had
the honour to receive from you. The reason of this delay was my expect-
ing an account of the MS. from Mr. Miller, at least in the book he hath
now pubhshed ; he having had timely notice sent him, and promised that
the Paper-Office should be searched for it. But whether or no he hath
done what he promised, I cannot yet learn ; I am sure he hath made no
use of the MS. in his book, but given sufficient cause to fear that this
quarrel of ours ynW. be carried on further still, mth the same spirit and in
the same manner as it was begun ; there being an inexhaustible magazine
of scandal on both sides, which both parties seem resolved to make the
most of, without considering the advantage they are giving to the common
enemy j so that, should the Royal Visitation, which seems now imavoid-
'264 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. Another of Bentley's old adversaries, Dr. King, had
1710. feelinp-s of a different kind on this occasion. He had
Dr. King's Smarted severely under the castigation which he re-
TrinhyCoi- ccivcd for interfering in the Phalaris controversy, and
^^^^' had continued to discharge his spleen in the ' Dia-
logues of the Dead' as Ions; as he could interest readers
with that topic. After ten years' interval, he was
overjoyed to find that he could assail his old enemy
in a more vulnerable point than that of criticism.
The publication of Miller's ' Remarks' put him in
possession of the details of bread, beer, and fuel con-
sumed in Bentley's lodge. On this foundation King-
built a piece of humour, entitled ' Horace in Trinity
College.' It was printed in what he called his ' Useful
Miscellanies :" the fiction supposes Horace, in fulfil-
able, and is, indeed, the only means of reducing us into order, be managed
by men of the same stamp "vvith those that were so shamefully baffled in a
late attempt, possibly they may find a way to retrieve a lost game. I can
hardly doubt but that the first design of printing was to give them an
occasion to follow the blow. The only hope left us is, that the power is
now falling into better hands, in which case I doubt not but we shall find
the effects of your great kindness to our society, and zeal for the public
good. I am with all possible respect.
Reverend Sir,
Your most humble and most obedient servant,
" To Dr. Att€rbury,S)-c." J. Colbatch."
" Reverend Sir, July 15, 1710.
" I readily agree with you as to the consequence of this quarrel and
the dirty way of managing it, which both sides, I find, equally fall into. I
am sorry to see such hints as are scattered in Mr. Miller's book, about the
exorbitant stipends of the several Masters of Colleges, and the too great
luimber of Fellows obliged to take Orders : their informations look further
than your own College, and seem to call for a General Visitation, or an
Act of Parliament to set right these disorders. There are those who will
be ready to improve this quarrel, till it grows ripe for such an interposition.
Whatever happens, you may depend upon all the little services I am able
to do, either to the body in general, or to you. Sir, in particular : for I
am, with a sincere respect, Sir,
Your most faithful humble servant,
" To the Reverend Dr. Colbatch, Fh. Atterbury."
Casuistical Professor and Fellow of Trinity College, in Cambridge."
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 265
merit of his well-known prophecy, Vismn Brit armos chap. ix.
hosp'itibus feros, to visit Britain and take up his abode ^'^^^'
in the Master's lodge of Trinity College, where he
gets immensely fat (Epicuri de grege porcus) by the
good cheer maintained at the expense of the society.
This banter is interlarded partly with quotations from
Horace's works, and partly with Miller's extracts from
the College account books. Perhaps the most laugh-
able matter in the piece is the representation of a
medal, bearing on one side a figure of Horace, with a
cup of audit ale in one hand, some college rolls in the
other, and an immeasurable rotundity of person ; and
on the reverse E Promptuar. Col. Trin. Cant^^.
Shortly after the publication of his 'Letter,' Dr. Bentiey
Bentley held a conversation with the Bishop of Ely, tffh"em-''
and learnt, much to his dissatisfaction, that his Lord- =''^°P°^^'y-
ship was not convinced by his arguments of the
informality of the Fellows' proceedings, but thought
that the provisions of the statute had been sufficiently
complied with. He immediately addressed another
letter to the prelate, repeating and urging his excep-
tions against the form and signatures of the Petition.
This shall be preserved in a note, as a specimen of the '
ingenuity and subtilty exhibited by our critic, for the
first time, in a legal argument; this instance is the
more remarkable, as the point which he laboured to
maintain appears to a common apprehension perfectly
untenable ^\
2" In the edition of King's works, 1776, this piece is found in vol. iii.
p. 24, entitled ' Sotne Account of Horace's Behaviour during his Stay at
Trinity College, Cambridge ; with an Ode to entreat his departure thence.
Together with a Copy of his Medal taken out of Trinity College Buttery.
By a well-wisher to that Society.'
2' To the Right Reverend Father in God, John, Lord Bishop of Ely.
" My Lord,
" In the conversation your Lordship honoured me with yesterday
evening; I perceive your Lordship inclined to that opinion, that in the
40th of our College statutes, the clause beginning with Porro is wholly to
266 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. During the progress of this feud, Bentley could so
^^^^' far abstract his mind from a business which vitally
be separated from the preceding, and gives room for any accusers of the
Master above the eight Seniors mention'd in the clauses before. Now I
humbly conceive that that opinion is clearly refuted from the statute itself,
upon these following considerations :
" 1. In the prior clauses, the Seniors not till after two admonitions can
accuse the Master to the Visitor, si in suo officio obeundo admodum neyligens
aut dissolutus repertus fuerit, out de inhonesta vitce ratione aut incontinentia
suspectus. In the latter clause the same crimes, before mentioned in
general terms, are expressed in particular. Tlie negligens et dissolutus in
officio is specified by Dilapidatio Bonorum Collegii et violatio Statutorum
ejusdem .- those being the main branches of his office quatenus Master, as
appears by his oath in the said statutes. Again, the Inhonesta vitce Ratio
Bjid Incontinentia are particularised in those special crimes, Hareseos ?;eZ
IcescB Majestatis Criminc, Simonia, Usiira, Perjurio coram judice commisso,
Furto notahili, Homicidio voluntario, Incestu, Adidterio, Fornicatione. Now,
my Lord, if the last clause allow'd of all accusers whatsoever, the Seniors
would be under more difficulties than any other persons; which is absurd;
for they, for the same crimes, cannot accuse till after two admonitions,
which any others may do without that previous condition : or if the Seniors
too are allowed by the last clause to accuse at large, the prior clauses ■will
be found wholly useless and impertinent.
"2. Again, my Lord, the words of the latter clause being only these,
Examinatus et legitime convictus, 'tis plain that examination and conviction
supposes the accusers mention'd before, and no other ; for otherwise it
would have been added, a quocunque accusatus ; but at present, there
being no word at all of accusation, this clause must necessarily relate to
the accusers named before, or else the Visitor himself might examine the
Master without any accuser ; which is absurd and unreasonable.
" 3. Again, my Lord, if the latter clause be totally disjoin'd from the
former, any person, though no member of the Society, may summon the
Master before the Visitor; a thing imheard of in any College in England;
and I may add, my Lord, that in King Edward's statute (the same
number, 40) about the expvilsion of the Master, the Seniors alone are
ajipointed accusers, and no other : neither is there any thing there am-
biguous, or in the least ca])able of another interpretation.
" Upon all which, my Lord, I humbly crave leave to insist and protest
again (for fear of bringing so dangerous a precedent upon my successors)
that all the present proceedings, and what shall foUow on the same foot,
are null and void ipso facto : and I admit them, or give answers to them,
only to clear myself in your Lordship's opinion and the world's, without
any acknowledgment of this proceeding as judicial or legitimate,
" I am, with aUhumihty and sincerity,
" Yoiu- Lordship's most obedient servant,
" Ri, Bentley."
•• At her Majesty's Library, March 25, 1710."
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 267
affected all his worldly interests, as to compose one of chap. ix.
the ablest and most perfect of his works, ' The Emen- ^^^^'
dations of Menander and Philemon.' The celebrated
John Le Clerc was now in the full career of literary Joim Le
ambition : in his countless publications he not only
appeared as a theologian, philosopher, scholar, and
critic, but pretended to the foremost rank in all those
different departments. He seems to have been the His skiu as
first person who understood the power which may be
exercised over literature by a reviewer. He had
formerly been the principal writer of the Bihliotheque
Universelle, and for two or three years past had pub-
lished the Bibliotheque Choisie, a quarterly journal,
which examined most new publications. Such an
adept was he in the science of reviewing, so skilfully
did he distribute his praises and censures, and so well
did he understand the artifice of interposing his own
judgment on some of the leading subjects, that he
maintained an air of superiority upon every topic, and
by an absolute system of terror, made himself a despot
in the republic of letters. Being a man of great
capacity and surprising exertion, he executed many
voluminous works of dissimilar natures. He was at ^^ anxious
this time regarded as the leader of the Arminian tioninscho-
divines in Holland ; he was likewise eminent in ^'^''"^"
natural and moral philosophy ; he had left scarcely
any department of modern literature untouched ; but
all would not satisfy him, unless he could also establish
a reputation for classical scholarship. Unfortunately,
he had been ill-grounded in the Greek language, was
imperfectly acquainted with the elements of its gram-
mar, and had acquired the little knowledge which he
possessed at an advanced age, with the view, as it Publishes
would appear, of becoming in every respect a parallel mentTof
to the incomparable Grotius. In an evil hour he an^^i^phlfj^
undertook an edition of the Fragments of the comic m""-
268 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. poets, Meiiander and Philemon; a work requiring
^' not only an extensive familiarity with classical authors,
but peculiar judgment and tact, and, above all, an
accurate acquaintance with the comic metres. In all
these respects, Le Clerc was deficient : in the last
particular he had not the information which might
have been derived from the poorest grammar-school
in Europe : the total extent of his metrical theor3r
seems to have been that an iambic verse oug-ht to con-
sist of twelve syllables ; but of the difl:erence between
a spondee, iambus, and trochee, he had no very dis-
tinct notion, and appears never to have troubled
himself with such inquiries. How he could have
ventured upon this undertaking, conscious as he must
have been of his own unfitness, and aware of the
danger of exposure, is perfectly amazing : there seems
hardly any way of accounting for such unexampled
presumption, unless we suppose that he had got into
his possession the manuscripts of some deceased
scholar, who had begun an arrangement of these
Fragments, upon the accuracy of which he placed
undue reliance ^^.
Grotius having employed himself on his Stobseus,
as well as his Excerpta from the Greek Dramatists, to
beguile the hours of imprisonment in the castle of
Louvestein, Le Clerc determined to reap glory in the
same field. His own account of the undertaking, that
he had always felt great delight in these remnants of
2-' This was the conjecture of his enemy Peter Burman : " Suspicio
})ra[;terea non vana mihi, diim excutio ha^c fragmenta, nata fuit, in manus
hujusce vulturii incidisse quasdara schedas viri ahcujus doctissimi, qui
ante nostrum his fragmentis jam colligendis operam dedit. Dubitaveram
etiam vehementer, an non cum eo communicata fuerint horum Comicorum
fragmenta ohm a Theodoro Cantero collecta, qui ingens patriae meae lumen
et decus fuit, et quae ohm CI. Francius possecUt, nunc vero auctione pubhca
ejus libris divenditis in Amstelaedamensis cujusdam incolae manus per-
venerunt." Burmanni Prcefatio.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 269
Greek comedy, and had collected and transcribed chap. ix.
them for his own convenience and amusement, is ^'^^^-
unquestionably fictitious ; since his knowledge of the
lano-uao-e was never sufficient to enable him to derive
the least pleasure from their perusal. The collection
consists of fragments copied from the two volumes of
Grotius just mentioned, and those pointed out in the
indexes of Meursius and Fabricius ; to the latter of
whom he omits to mention his obligations. It seems Excessive
hard to pronounce of any book, drawn up by a man [hiTbook!
of learning, that it contains nothing new which is
useful or instructive ; but Le Clerc's compilation
deserves this and even severer censures. Instead of
improving the collections of Grotius, he either im-
plicitly follows him, or in deserting him seldom fails
to commit some enormous error. He undertakes to
give the notes of his great predecessor entire ; but, in
violation of this promise, the reader finds them mu-
tilated. He prints the words of the poets mixed up
with those of the prose writers by whom they are
quoted, and arranges the whole in lines of twelve
syllables, intended to look like iambic verses. Many
of the fragments he alters, by the insertion, omission,
or substitution of words, without apprising the reader
of the change ; and thereby does all in his power to
prevent the true reading from being discovered. In
short, he accumulates every fault which a person
destitute of all qualifications for his task can be
imagined to commit. This work, the demerits of
which have never been paralleled, is dedicated to the
Earl of Shaftesbury, author of the ' Characteristics,'
who had formed an acquaintance with Le Clerc and
was an admirer of his latitudinarian principles. It Bentiey
was published in the latter part of 1709 ; and Bentiey, Eme^.Hia-
immediately taking it in hand, wrote his celebrated ''°"'*-
270 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. ' Emendations" on 323 passages of the Fragments, in
^'^^^- which he exposed the ignorance and presumption of
the editor with the keenest irony; giving at the same
time his own corrections, conceived in his happiest
style, and for the most part certain and irrefragable.
He says of this, as of the generality of his works, that
it was composed extempore, and finished on the 13th
of December. Some doubt has been insinuated re-
specting the truth of this assertion, as he certainly
did not send it for publication till March or April
following : but the reader, who has seen in what way
his time and his mind were occupied in the interval,
will easily believe that he could not have found leisure
to revise, or even bestow a thought upon Greek frag-
ments^^. The work itself does not indicate much
labour or research ; it evidently proceeds from a person
familiar with the subject, secure in his positions, and
satisfied with exposing the worthlessness of Le Clerc's
edition, and the intolerable presumption of the editor.
Bentiey's Traditiou has recorded two motives which induced
motTves. Bentley to criticise this publication. It is well known
that there had formerly existed a scheme, which
appears to have originated with Locke, for bringing
over Le Clerc to England, and providing for him in
the Church ^^. His heterodox opinions, approaching
to Socinianism, must have long put an end to any
views of that description. A report however prevailed
that Lord Halifax still meditated giving him a home
and provision in this country; and Bentiey's own
place of Library Keeper was thought of, as well cal-
23 This insinuation is from his friend Dr. Hare, to whom the Emenda-
tions were sent, who says, in his Epistola Critica, p. 6, {not.), " Script cb
hce Emendationes Opera Extemporali et finitce Idibus Dec. 1709. Vid.
Burmann. prsefat. p. 6. ad quem mense demum ApriU sunt transmissae."
2' See the correspondence between Locke and MoUneux.
1
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 271
ciliated for that purpose : this was believed to have chap. ix.
induced our critic to prove that, in ancient literature ^^^^'
at least, he was a mere pretender ^^ The other story
lias a greater air of probability : it is said that Bentley
was dining in a company at Lambeth Palace, where
the merits of Le Clerc, and the idea of importing him
into this country, happened to be the subject of con-
versation. His principles were allowed to be danger-
ous, but all parties agreed in the praise of his universal
learning; and his publication of Menander and Phi-
lemon, which had just appeared, being alleged as a
new proof, Bentley alone ventured to dissent from the
general applause ; and his ' Emendations' were written
in support of his opinion ^'^. Whatever foundation
there may have been for these anecdotes, we know
that the Doctor considered himself ill used by Le
Clerc's critique of his Notes on the Tusculans in the
Bihliotheque Choisie, and on that account had no dis-
position to spare the reviewer ^^. But, independently
of other motives, it was of importance to the interests
of literature to expose the arrogance of this pretender,
who was assuming the character of dictator in a
department where he had not the slightest right to
interfere ; and the peculiar acquirements of Bentley
pointed him out as the scholar most competent to
pronounce the censure of the learned world on the
presumptuous intruder.
2s This account is given by Bishop Newton, in his Life, p. 30. A similar
story is told in some manuscripts of Mr. George Ashby, in possession of
Sir Thomas CuUum, Bart.
2" Kippis, Biographia Britannica, vol. ii. p. 244 : he found this anecdote
in a paper of memoranda by Dr. Michael Lort, Greek Professor at Cam-
l)ridge. Tlie latter gentleman having lived some years in Trinity College,
in daily society and intimacy with Dr. Walker and other friends and con-
temporaries of Bentley, about whom he was much interested, did certainly
enjoy opportunities of hearing authentic anecdotes respecting him.
27 This appears from Bentley's letter to Le Clerc, shortly to be men-
tioned.
272 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. It was determined that a mystery should attend the
^'^^^- birth of this produce of Bentley's genius. Either not
having leisure to superintend the publication himself,
or choosing that it should come before the world
Sends the anouj^nously, he sent it to be published in Holland,
Jrhlted in^ the couutr}^ where Le Clerc resided, and where it was
Holland. Q^^YQ ^q excitc uiost scusation. Of all the Dutch
scholars whom this self-elected arbiter of literature
had made his enemies, there was none so exasperated
Peter Bur- agaiust him as Peter Burman of Utrecht. In addition
""^"' to the common offence which Le Clerc had given by
decrying the plodding and laborious line of scholar-
ship, Burman had a peculiar and personal cause of
His fend resentment. Finding his craft constantly attacked
Clerc. ^ ^y the Swiss reviewer, he defended himself in the
preface to an edition of Petronius Arbiter with warmth
and indignation; and added something more than
general censure, an exposure of many gross errors
committed by Le Clerc, particularly in Latin prosody.
The latter replied by a virulent article in his journal,
which went beyond the field of literary contest, and
impeached the moral character of Burman on the
ground of his writing commentaries upon so licentious
an author as Petronius. This produced a furious
rejoinder, called Le Gazettier Menteur, a little book
which Burman chose to write in French, althouo-h a
foreign language, that it might be legible to all the
readevs oi the Bibliotlicque ; and certainly makes out
a very strong case against Le Clerc, and the arrogance
of his pretensions to universal scholarship. This
quarrel, which ceased only with their lives, had just
reached its height, when Burman received, he knew
not from whence, the welcome and unlooked-for
present of Bentley's ' Emendations,' written under the
name of Phileleutherus Lipsieusis. The idea of such a
title seems to have been taken from Le Clerc himself.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 273
who had given in his journal a censure of Gronovius's chap. ix.
Arrian, pretending to come from an Oxonian who ^^^^'
subscribed himself C. Veratius Philellen. As a further
disguise, Phileleutherus takes occasion to speak of
Bentley in terms of commendation, lamenting how-
ever the rough treatment which he had lately given
to Gronovius. But, in spite of all deception, the
internal evidence of Bentley 's style, and his peculiar
metrical skill, with which no one could compete,
must have immediately discovered the real author.
The packet was accompanied by no other communica-
tion to Burman, than a permission to publish it with
a preface of his own-": a leave of which he availed
himself with the greatest good-will, insulting over his
fallen adversary with as much triumph as if it had
been his own, and not another's hand, by which he
was overthrown. While the book was in the press
Burman selected a bundle of Le Clerc's errors un-
noticed by Phileleutherus, and made a display of them
in the preface, with the consoling assurance that six
hundred more might still be discovered.
The secret of this production was not duly kept
even till its birth : a report was circulated that Bur-
man was about to publish something written by Bentley
against the editor of Menander. This was owing to Dr. Francis
Hare.
28 The title of the book is " Emendationes in Menandri et Philemonis
Reliquias, ex nui)era editione Joannis Clerlci : ubi midta Grotii et allorum,
plurima vero Clerici errata castiyantur, Auctore Phileleuthero Lip-
SIENSI :"
Est genus hominum, qui esse primos se omnium rerumvolunt.
Nee sunt. Ter.
The inscription in Bentley's own hand was, " Haec edantur a CI. Petro
Burmanno, qui praefationem, et, si veUt, dedicationem prsemittat : scriptae
hae emendationes opera extemporaU, et finitae Idibus Decembribus anno
MDCCix." He added also, " Clericus omnia Menandri loca ex Alberti
Fabricii Bibliotheca Graeca sitmpsit, Dramata scilicet ex Menandri, cpii
ibi legitur, catalogo, loca sine Dramatis nomine ex indicibus Scholiastarum
et aliorum Scriptorum ibidem ; neque tamen unqiiam Fabricium laudat."
VOL. I. T
274 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. the indiscretion of his friend Dr. Francis Hare, who
^^^^- was then in Holland as Chaplain General to the army
of the Duke of Marlborough, and to whom the con-
veyance of the parcel was committed. He put it
into the hands of Johnson, a Scotch bookseller at the
Hague, to be forwarded to Utrecht ; but, forgetting or
disregarding the caution of secrecy, declared that he
Alexander had reccivcd it from Dr. Bentley. Alexander Cun-
ham" "^ ningham, the future antagonist of our critic, who also
resided at the Hague, having learnt these tidings from
the bookseller, apprised Le Clerc, with whom he was
intimate, and propagated the news with much in-
Le Clerc dustry ^^. Tlic unfortunate editor, alarmed at the
threatenin<r Tcport of his liaving fallen into such hands, first made
letter. ^^^ iudircct attempt to discover the truth, and then
addressed himself to Bentley, calling upon him to
contradict, by the first post, the report of his having
written the forthcoming book, as an enormity un-
becoming a Christian and a divine; at the same time
denouncing his resentment and hostility, if he did not
instantly clear himself of the charge, and adding that
July 1. silence would be considered a confession. To this
repW-^^* menacing epistle, the Doctor immediately returned
an answer, which perhaps Le Clerc found more diflicult
to digest than even the public castigation that followed.
29 These particulars were told to Bentley in a letter from Burman. — In
Phileleutherus's dedication of the ' Remarks on a late Discourse of Free-
thinking,' addressed to Hare, he alludes ironically to his want of secrecy
respecting this commission :
" To My very Learned and Honoured Friend, F. H. D.D. At London,
Great Britain.
" Sir,
" Your many and great civilities to me since our first ac-
quaintance in the Low Countries, and the kind office you then did me in
conveying my Annotations on Menander to the press ; but above all your
taciturnity and secrecy, that have kept the true author of that book un-
discovered hitherto, if not unguessed ; have encouraged me to send these
present Remarks," «&c.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 275
Copies of both letters have been preserved, and chap. ix.
nothing more strongly exemplifies Bentley's clear, ^7io-
powerful, and caustic style, or his acute talent in dis-
putation. Without indulging in the least invective,
he exposes the arrogance of Le Clerc's pretensions ;
his presumption in first undertaking a work to which
he knew himself to be every way unequal, and then
expecting that no one should venture to censure the
performance ; his childish precipitation in complaining
of a book which he had not seen, and of the contents
of which he could know nothing ; and the insufferable
insolence of his threatening language. The letter
however contains a fair acknowledgment of his general
merits; and though it refuses either to confess or deny
the authorship of the ' Emendations,' since the inquiry
had been made with menaces, yet it promises in
conclusion that if, after the book was published and
had been read by both parties, any question were put
to him, he would answer without reserve. Le Clerc
however was satisfied with this reply, and never
requested any further epistolary favour from Dr.
Bentley.
When the ' Emendations' appeared, the real Phile- Rentiey's
leutherus was immediately detected ; it being agreed tions.
on all hands that there was but one scholar living who
was capable of producing them. The book was read
with such avidity by the learned, that in the course of
three weeks not a single copy remained unsold ; an
occurrence which, though common in the effusions of
a popular novelist or a party pamphleteer, is unexam-
pled in the case of a classical publication. This per-
formance is too well known among scholars to need
any further commendation ; but I shall mention, as
a peculiar proof of its merit, that although it consists
principally in the exposure of the errors of an igno-
ramus, its learning and spirit are such, that a repeated
T 2
276
LIFE OF
Gronovius.
CHAP. IX. perusal, far from surfeiting the reader, never fails to
^710- convey fresh interest and amusement.
The first combatant whom this publication called
into the field was Gronovius. He had been sufficiently
irritated by the severe treatment he experienced in
the ' Notes on the Tusculans ;' but was now provoked
almost to madness by Bentley's correction of one of
the fragments of Menander (omitted by Le Clerc),
which is contained in Steplianus Byzantinus De
Dodone, a book published by himself eighteen years
before. In correcting the errors committed by Grono-
vius in this fragment, he spoke of him with a perpetual
sneer disguised in the civilest language, which per-
haps proved more unpalatable than open abuse. This
veteran editor was engaged at the same moment in a
literary feud with Le Clerc, who had handled him
roughly in his Bibliotlihque. Such opposite impulses
of resentment would have prevented any other person
from meddling at all in the dispute ,- but Gronovius
was too passionately fond of literary warfare to be
deterred by an awkward position of circumstances :
he immediately printed a small volume, divided
equally between the abuse of Bentley and the abuse
of Le Clerc. The very title indicates the temper in
which it was composed — Infamia EmeRdationum in
Menandrum nuper cditai'um. The greater part of the
attack upon our critic consists of an angry and bitter
contest respecting the fragment of four or five lines
just mentioned. His spirit of invective is terrible ;
and, as if to increase the disgust of the reader, it is
expressed in a harsh and unpolished style. Gray
hairs, instead of softening the mind of Gronovius,
seemed only to have added rancour to his resent-
ments ; and more tlian forty years' perseverance in
editino- the classics had failed to humanize his man-
ners. From Bentley he turns to the discomfited Le
Infamia
Emenda-
tionum, &c.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 277
Clerc, at the exposure of whose ignorance he exults ; chap. ix.
and, being convinced that he could never more be _iIl^L_
formidable as a censor of other scholars, he kicks and
tramples upon him without forbearance or compunc-
tion. To the letter from the supposed Oxonian,
Philellen, he replies under the name of his corres-
pondent, M. Lucilius Profuturus, in a strain of inso-
lent retaliation. Of this performance I have nothing
more to remark, except that it has become deservedly
scarce.
Le Clerc, being totally incompetent to defend him- Bergier.
self against the strictures of Phileleutherus, was obliged
to look abroad for assistance. A review of the con- Jan. 1711.
troversy appeared at Leipsic in the Acta Eruditorum,
written by Stephen Bergier, the future commentator
on Alciphron and AristojDhanes. Of all the writers
who engaged in the controversy on Menander, Bergier
was, with the exception of our hero, the best Grecian.
He entertained a friendly feeling towards Le Clerc,
in whose favour he says all that the case would admit;
and, while he finds a few defects in the ' Emendations,'
he candidly owns Bentley's superiority to himself, as
w^ell as to all persons alive, in that description of
knowledo'e.
It w^ould have been better for Le Clerc to have
rested satisfied with this judgment, and to have drawn
the public attention no further to a matter so injurious
to his literary character. But unfortunately he re-
ceived as a present a collection of notes on Menander,
decrying the publication of Phileleutherus, and re-
viling him in the worst terms of insult and invective.
This was the production of the notorious John Corne- De Pauw.
lius de Pauw of Utrecht, a person who has justly been
considered the pest and disgrace of letters. He was
then in the beginning of a career, which he continued
for at least forty years, abusing most other scholars.
278
LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. and boastino; of his own merits with offensive arro-
1710.
gance. His learning was, I think, more extensive
than has been generally allowed ; but it was without
accuracy : and so utterly destitute was he of judg-
ment and taste that his critical writings have little or
no value. This however constitutes but the smallest
part of his demerits : all his writings prove him to be
devoid of candour, good faith, good manners, and
every gentlemanly feeling : and while he unites all
the defects and bad qualities that were ever found in
a critic or commentator, he adds one peculiar to him-
self, an incessant propensity to indecent allusions.
Such was the principal ally whom the great philoso-
pher could find in the hour of his distress. Le Clerc's
good sense should have made him reject such assist-
ance, which, so far from being a support to a weak
cause, would have injured the strongest : but sore-
ness and vexation overcame his better judgment, and
made him catch at an opportunity of being revenged
upon Bentley. Nevertheless it is plain from one or
two passages in his preface that he was really ashamed
of his auxiliary. The report of Bentley 's College
quarrel, and the accusation of his rapacity having
reached Holland, the name assumed by De Pauw was
Phiiargy- Philarqiirius Cantabrigiensis ; an obvious insult for
rius Canta- «/ '
brigiensis. wliicli tlic coutrovcrsy in hand afforded no excuse :
and the whole title of the book was a parody of that
of Phileleutherus ^'^. Le Clerc, in a long preface,
labours to gloss over the enormous demerits of his
own performance. But the defence is so inadequate
as only to prove the justice of the castigation which
Le Clerc's
defence.
^" Philargyrii Cantabrujiensis Emendationes in Menandri et Philemonis
Reliquias ex nupera Editione Joannis Clerici. Ubi qucedam Grotii et aliorum,
plurima vero Phileleutheri Lipsiensis errata castigantur. Cum Prcpfatione
Joan. Clerici. Amstehdami. 17 11. The motto is the same as that of * Phi-
leleutherus.'
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 279
he had sustained. He offers many common-place chap. ix.
observations upon the difficulty and uncertainty of ^^^^'
restoring corrupt fragments ; but that was the very
reason which made his presumption in undertaking
such a work the more insufferable. In reply to the
charge of gross ignorance of metre, he asserts that,
when he divided the quotations into lines resembling
Iambics in nothing but in length, he was aware of
their unmetrical state, but thought it better to do this
than to alter the words found in the books where they
are quoted : a defence which leaves unnoticed the
heaviest censure of all, namely, that he actually had
altered many of the quotations without even apprizing
the reader, and thereby produced a large portion of
those unmetrical lines for which he apologized. To
Bentley and Burman, whom he designates by the
respective titles of Thrasonides and Giton, Le Clerc's
defence must have been a triumph. As for De Pauw,
his performance is so worthless, and his style so dis-
gusting and execrable, that scarcely any one can read
three pages of it, unless it be with the temper of his
enemy Dorville, who, when composing the Vajinus
Critica, hunted out with avidity all the faults of this
unhappy critic. The real Philargyrius continued
many years unknown : he was, I find, supposed to
be Olearius of Leipsic, the editor of Philostratus ; till
at length De Pauw acknowledged the precious pro-
duction as his offspring ''\ The book concluded with saivini.
3' There is in the possession of my learned friend Dr. Maltby a copy
of Phileleutherus and one of Philargyrius, bound together in a volume,
formerly belonging to Dr. Davies, President of Queen's College, and
editor of Cicero, who has written the following note in the title page of-
Philargyrius : "Auctor hujus Libri Gottefridus Olearius, qui Philostratum
edidit. Hoc mihi dixit Abr. Gronovius, Jac. Fil. At Bentleius a J. Corn,
de Pauw hoc opus elaboratum esse contendit." That Bentley was right in
his opinion is placed beyond a doubt by De Pauw's own confession in his
Preface to Phrynichus, as well as in other publications. Bentley never
bestowed any notice upon this book except the following allusion in his
280 LIFE OF
CHAP. IX. a set of trifling and puerile notes by Salvini the
^^^*^- Florentine Professor. Such was the triple alliance,
which undertook to chastize the temerity and over-
throw the credit of Dr. Bentley !
long note on Hor. Art. Poet. V. 441, where, speaking of Gronovius, he
says, " Nam quod rursus nupero hbello me oblique impetivit, ut et alter
nescio quis, uterque sane operam et oleum perdiderunt : nondum enim
eorum ictus tanti facio, ut iterum a me vapulent :
** Multo majoris colaphi mecum veneunt.^'
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 281
CHAPTER X.
Great political change in 1710 — Vacancies of senior-fellowships in Trinity
College — Fifty four articles of accusation presented against Dr. Bentley
— Account ofLaughton, the Proctor — He disturbs a party of the repre-
sentatives and their friends at the Rose tavern — Politics at Cambridge —
General election — Expulsion of Professor Whiston — Barnes's edition of
Homer — His quarrel with Bentley — His death and character— Bentley
makes interest with the Queen for protection against his prosecutors —
The Bishop of Ely requires his answer to the articles — Bentley presents
a petition and complaint to the Crown — Question of the Visitor of
Trinity College — Government stops the proceedings of the Bishop —
Opinion of the Attorney and Solicitor General — Bentley throws himself
on the protection of the Lord Treasurer — His change of party —
Questions submitted to the Queen's counsel — Extraordinary efforts of
Bentley to finish his Horace — Dedication to the Earl of Oxford —
Preface — Theory of the ' Tempora Horatiana' — Excellences and faults
of Bentley' s Horace — Numerous publications ridiculing the book — John
Ker's attack on his Latinity — Le Clerc's Review of his Horace — Atter-
bury's compliments of the work — Another edition at Amsterdam.
A CONSIDERABLE time Intervened before the design of chap.x.
the Fellows of Trinity College to prosecute their Master nio-
for malversation could be put into execution. The chanc
delay seems partly owing to the professional avocations mfnStirs." ^
of Miller the conductor of the proceedings, and partly
to the overwhelming interest which the political events
of the year 1710 exercised over the minds of all
persons in the kingdom. The impeachment of Dr.
Sacheverell caused an uncommon ebullition of spirits,
and threw the country into an agitation as great as
almost any event recorded in our history. The flame
excited by these proceedings proved the main cause
of the great ministerial revolution, by which the
powerful government of Lord Godolphin and the Whigs
was overthrown, and the High-church party, under
282
LIFE OF
CHAP.x. the lead of Harley and St. John, were admitted into
^^^"' the councils of the Queen.
To Dr. Bentley this great and unexpected triumph
of the Tories seemed highly inauspicious ; particularly
as he had been endeavouring, in his pamphlet, to
represent the opposition which he met with in his
Colleo;e as the fruit of his attachment to the Whio;
interest. It was now concluded that he could expect
no favour and no quarter from those who had obtained
the ascendant : and the circumstance of the master-
ship, when vacant, being in the disposal of Govern-
ment, contributed to render his situation alarming.
It may be noticed as a curious fact that his three
opponents, Atterbury, Smalridge, and Freind, by
whom the Phalaris controversy was conducted, had
confederated to produce the popular defence of Dr.
Sacheverell, and were the first persons to experience
the patronage of the new ministry. To complete the
coincidence, his old enemy Dr. Swift, who was strongly
prejudiced against him, became the intimate com-
panion and confidant of the two leading members of
the cabinet. But, threatening as this aspect of affairs
might seem, the address or good fortune of Dr. Bentley
carried him safely, if not triumphantly, through all
perils.
His first endeavours were to break the confederacy
of his Fellows, and by alternate promises and threats
to induce some of them to withdraw their names from
the prosecution. Among other eftbrts to procure the
acquiescence of his College council in the schemes
detailed in the last chapter, he had offered successively
to the ninth and tenth Fellows, an immediate admis-
sion to the rank and profits of the Seniority on condi-
tion of compliance with his propositions. With this
object he attempted to vacate the place of Mr. Haw-
kins, the oldest of the body, who had for many years
Bentley at
tempts to
divide his
opponents.
Hawkins.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 283
laboured under mental malady, and was then the crap.x.
inmate of a private madhouse ; alleging that he was ''^^^'
incapable of discharging the duties of a Senior \ It
was of course remarked that his removal from the
number of the eight, supposing the reason to be valid,
ought to have taken place long before, and not have
been reserved to answer a particular purpose; and
the Board, conceiving this to be an attack upon their
freeholds, declared their dissent; or, to use the Master's
sarcastic expression, ' the majority of the Seniors were
not willing to part with him out of their number.'
However, about June this year Hawkins died. The Vacancy in
, . -, • 1 • • 1 Tj^ ii tl^6 Senior-
statutes direct that withm nnie days atter the vacancy ity.
of a senior-fellowship a successor shall be appointed
by the Master and remaining seven ; and they more-
over enjoin that the next in standing shall be chosen,
unless there exist some weighty objection considered
by the Master and major part of the Seniors a suffi-
cient cause for his rejection. Accordingly, at the
meeting held within the prescribed time, the Seniors
unanimously chose Mr. Cooper, the next in succession
and one of the prosecutors ; but the Master refused to
admit him, alleging that he wanted every qualifica-
tion required by the statutes, in which the members
of this College council are described as octo viri et
gravitate et prudentia prcsstantes. Whatever might
be the objections against the qualifications or charac-
ter of Cooper, it was clear that in his refusal he was
actuated by feelings of interest or revenge ; since this
was the same individual to whom he had offered a
senior-fellowship a few months before. Before the
' True State of Trinity College, p. 80. John Hawkins was the contem-
poraiy of Dr. Barrow; he was elected Fellow in 1650, and became B.D.
in 1661 : his grace for the degree of D.D. passed in College in 1680, but
he did not proceed to its completion. He had been a member of Trinity
under ten successive Masters.
284
LIFE OF
CHAP.X.
1710.
Fifty-four
articles of
accusation
against
Bentley.
July 11,
1710.
end of the year Cooper was admitted by the Seniors,
in the Master's absence. The only fruit reaped by
Dr. Bentley from this demonstration of power was
that it became an additional item in the articles of
accusation, which were immediately afterwards exhi-
bited to the Bishop of Ely ; and his conduct in this
particular may perhaps be considered as among the
most serious in the catalog-ue of his alleged malver-
sations ".
The accusation was now presented in form, com-
prising no less than fifty-four articles, and subscribed
not only by the same names as the Petition, but by
seven other Fellows, making the complainants a clear
majority of the College ^ These numerous charges
embraced almost every act of Dr. Bentley's adminis-
tration, and every part of his conduct since his admis-
sion to the mastership. The material questions have
been already laid before the reader, and their merits
impartially discussed. Miller, by whom the articles
were drawn up, had been careful to turn into an accu-
sation every particular for which Bentley had in his
printed pamphlet assumed merit to himself. Several
of the articles are frivolous, charging the Master with
violations of statute in cases where an adherence to the
^ Bentley's defence in this particular was that Cooper was addicted to
intemperance : this was denied hy the opposite party, who stated that he
was as sensible a man as any in England.
In October this year another senior-fellowship became vacant by the
death of Mr. William Mayer ; but, the Master being absent in town, his
deputy did not dare even to give notice of the vacancy : at length, on the
2Cth of December, the Seniority having met to vote a diAndend, Mr.
Cooper protested against the validity of any proceeding, tiU the body was
completed by filhng up the vacancy. This being a sound and tenable
objection, they admitted Cooj)er into the first vacancy, and then proceeded
to elect Hanbury, the next in order, into that occasioned by the death of
Mayer. Rud's Diary.
3 The additional names were, Thomas Pilgrim, Tliomas Hill, John
Williams, David Fleming, Robert Johnson, William Smith, and Alexander
Burrell.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 285
literal enactment was scarcely possible : others made chap. x.
it criminal in him to have meditated and proposed ^^^^'
measures which were never carried into execution :
many more contained charges of negligence, which,
though culpable, called for censure or admonition
rather than expulsion. But when all the complaints
of this description have been set aside, there remain
some of serious import, and such as demanded the
cognizance of a judge.
As it is directed that the accused Master shall be
' examined' on each charge, it was thought right that
the articles should be put into the form of questions
addressed to the party arraigned, which gives them a
quaint and even ludicrous character. It was also
resolved to engage the public as a party against the
Doctor : accordingly the whole accusation, as soon as
it had been presented to the Bishop, was published
in a pamphlet, along with those parts of the College
statutes which he was accused of having violated *.
The powers of a Visitor enable him to hear a com- Delay in
plaint in a summary manner : yet such was the caution •n^g''"'^'^'''*"
of Bishop Moore, that it was not till after long delays
that any further step was taken in this affair, on the
decision of which the peace and settlement of Trinity
College depended. He first sent a copy of the articles August.
to the Master, who appears to have taken no notice
of them whatever ; and thus the affair was suffered to
slumber for three months longer. In the meantime
some other matters occurred at Cambridge, which,
though not directly affecting the subject of these
memoirs, are somewhat connected with his history.
* Tlie title of this book is, * A true Copy of the Articles against Dr.
Bentley, exhibited to the Right Reverend Father in God, John, Lord Bishop
of Ely, by many of the Fellows of Trinity College in Cambridge, together
with the College-Statute De Amotione Magistri, and several other Clauses
of the College Statutes, with references to the Articles. London, 1710.'
286 LIFE OF
CHAP.x. and will be interestino; to the reader, as exhibitino- the
^7^^- state of feeling and parties in the University at this
eventful period.
Laughton, The Senior Proctor was Mr. Richard Laughton, the
° ' tutor of Clare Hall, a man of learning and virtue,
whose exemplary attention to his pupils had elevated
his College to a high rank in public estimation, and
was the theme of universal applause. As Proctor he
had been indefatigable in repressing the licence of the
young men, and restoring the ancient discipline of the
University : in particular he had put down some clubs,
and constantly dispersed the parties at taverns, which
according to the practice of that day used to be kept
up till a late hour. He had likewise curbed the licen-
tiousness of the tripos, and forbidden any personal
reflections on the senior members of the University ;
whereby it was foretold that the spirit of that exercise
would be altogether destroyed, suhlato jure nocendi ;
a prediction which we may observe, by the bye, has
not been verified by the result. Mr. Laughton had
supplied to Dr. Bentley a testimony under his hand
of the good conduct and good discipline which he
had observed among the students of Trinity ; a docu-
ment which the latter took care to insert in his
' Letter to the Bishop of Ely.' But it unfortunately
happened that this valuable member of the University
was a violent party-man, and appears to have suffered
such feelings to overpower all sense of discretion, as
the following anecdote will too plainly prove.
Party at the Thc representatives of the University, the Hon.
??"■.> Arthur Anneslev and the Hon. Dixie Windsor, had
July o. >j
come as usual to visit their constituents at the Com-
mencement, and happened to be passing the evening
with a select party of friends at the Rose tavern.
The company, who were all in the Tory interest,
consisted of about ten persons ; among them were
1
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 287
Sir John Cotton, member for the town of Cambridge, chap.x.
a baronet of the oldest family in the county; Thomas ^^^^'
Paske, LL.D. of Clare Hall; Mr. Gooch, of Caius ;
and Mr. Middleton, of Trinity College: the two last
of whom will make a prominent figure in a future
part of this history. About ten o'clock the party was
surprised at the unceremonious entrance of Mr. Laugh-
ton preceded by a lictor, and followed b}^ a number
of under-graduates as his body guard. He imme-
diately ordered the whole company to leave the
house, and disperse to their respective colleges.
Whether in this procedure he acted from error or
design may admit of a doubt ; but as no person of the
company was in statu pupillari and amenable to his
authority, there was no pretence or excuse for his
interference. This strange visitation provoked much
laughter : the Proctor, having intimated that he would
not quit the room till the party had dispersed, was
invited by some to take his seat at the table ; others
begged that he would dismiss his myrmidons; one
gentleman proposed to him the toast they were
drinking, and that toast was ' Doctor Sacheverell.'
Laughton's political feelings now conspired with a
sense of slighted authority to resent this affront, and
he left the room with expressions of great indignation.
But being a person not easily daunted, within an
hour he again burst upon them, and summoned them
to depart : the rudeness of his behaviour only excited
fresh merriment : at twelve o'clock he made them a
third visitation, at which time they had called for
their reckoning. But the Proctor's wrath did not
end with the evening: he drew up a formal complaint
against the parties, which he presented to the Vice
Chancellor and Heads, demanding satisfaction for the
affronts put upon him in the execution of his office,
and calling for the punishment of the tavern-keeper.
288 LIFE OF
cHAP.x. Alderman Langham, as the harbourer of such lawless
^'^^^- revellers.
No words can place the folly and indiscretion of
Mr. Laughton's conduct in a stronger light than his
own account of the transaction, which, unfortunately
for him, found its way into print \ His complaint,
being the mere effusion of temper, met with no atten-
tion from the superiors of the University ; although
the Vice Chancellor Dr. Roderick, Provost of King's,
was considered of the Whig party as well as himself.
This anecdote may serve as a proof how dangerous it
is to indulge in the heats of faction, by which even
the best and most gifted men may be led into the
commission of extravagancies. The gentleman of
whom we are speaking was not only a good dis-
ciplinarian and good instructor, but deserves the
praise of having taken the lead in making the study
of the true system of philosophy universal at Cam-
bridge : for by choosing the Principia of Newton as
the predominant subject both of the exercises in the
schools and the mathematical examination for degrees,
he enforced among the students the general attention
to that immortal work, which has from his time never
ceased to distinguish the University of Cambridge ".
* An account of this absurd story, along \vith the Proctor's still more
absurd rejiresentation of it, will be found in The University of Cambridge
Vindicated, p. 18 ; a pamphlet written at the time by Styan Thirlby : it
was brought forward again in print by Arthur Asliley Sykes, in the year
1719, with the view of reflecting on Doctors Gooch and Middleton; the
latter of whom, in his Remarks on the Case of Dr. Bentley farther stated,
gives a very full detail of the business, and a very satisfactory refutation
of the only real charge laid against the party at the Rose, that one of
them (Dr. Paske) appeared to have drunk to great excess by the tone and
accent of his voice. Their reckoning, when they separated, did not
amount to Is. Qd. a head.
6 This fact is testified by Sir William Browne, who was Mr. Laughton's
pupil at the time when he was Proctor, in his speech to the Royal Society,
Nov. 19, 1772. See Nichols's Lit. Anecd. vol. iii. p. 323. The subject
of the introduction of the study of Newton's works at Cambridge is
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 289
No sooner were the Whigs dismissed from the chap.x.
government, than addresses of thanks to her Majesty ^^^^-
poured in from all parts of the country ; among which Politics at
that from the University of Oxford was conspicuous. ^"' " ^^'
On this occasion Cambridge did not follow the ex-
ample of the sister University: but as High-church
feelings predominated there, though with a more
moderate tone than at Oxford, much dissatisfaction
was felt at the omission, which was generally attributed
to the Vice Chancellor. The eccentric Styan Thirlby,
then an undergraduate of Jesus College, published a
violent and intemperate pamphlet on this subject ;
showing his rancorous and hot-headed temper, which
age and experience did not mollify. He abuses Bentley
without measure or decency, having already contracted
that dislike for him, which displayed itself some years
afterwards in his edition of Justin Martyr ^
The new ministry lost no time in availino- them- General
selves of their popularity by a dissolution of Parliament.
Mr. Annesley, one of the representatives, being just
removed to the House of Peers by the death of his
brother the Earl of Anglesea, a contest took place at
the general election, which displayed the prevalent
politics of the University. Though tliere were four
Tory candidates, each standing on a separate interest,
no Whig ventured to come to a poll ; and the Senior oct. 5,
Proctor, just before the expiration of his office, had the ^*
mortification of pronouncing Mr. Windsor and Dr.
clearly and distinctly treated in a paper in the Museum Criticum, vol ii.
p. 514, in answer to some unaccountable mis-statements jjublished by
Professor Playfair.
^ The title of this worthless tract is, " The University of Cambridge
vindicated from the Imputation of Disloyalty it Ues under on tlie account
of not Addressing : as also from the malicious and fold Aspersions of Dr.
B ly, late Master of Trinity College : and of a certain Officer and
pretended Reformer in the said University. Written 1)}' the Author. Lon-
don. 1710."
VOL. I. U
290 LIFE OF
CHAP.x. Paske, two of the party at the Rose, to be the elected
^^^^- members for the University ^ In this contest it does
not appear that Dr. Bentley took any part : he was
in fact absent from Cambridge at the time.
Expulsion The next event was the prosecution of Professor
ofPiofessor \Yi^igton for the publication of Arian doctrines. He
Whiston. i 1 • 1 1
Oct. 30, ^vas twice convened before the academical court; and,
^^^^' remaining obstinate in his resolution to propagate
opinions hostile to those of the Church, was banished
from the University by the sentence of the Vice Chan-
cellor and eleven Heads. In these proceedings the
Master of Trinity took no share : he entertained for
Whiston a personal regard ; and while he pitied his
perverse judgment, he respected his sincerity, and
appears to have been always ready to render him
service. In the following year, when Whiston dedi-
cated to the two Houses of Convocation the ' Historical
Preface to his Primitive Christianity Revived,' thereby
compelling the Synod to notice the work, and inviting
its censures, Bentley went to him, and endeavoured
to persuade him not to court the ruin of himself and ij
his family by perseverance in such a headstrong course.
But his arguments, like those of other friends, were
as vain as if addressed to the winds ; so thoroughly
was he persuaded that he should shortly bring over
the whole nation to his own theory of * Primitive
Christianity ^'
Notwithstandino' the banishment of Whiston, the
Heads of Colleges did not proceed to appoint a suc-
cessor to the Lucasian professorship for more than a
8 The numbers were : for Mr. Windsor, 201 ; Dr. Paske, 149 ; Mr.
Shaw, 93 ; Mr. GiU, G4. Rud's Journal. Thirlby says, that a Whig who
canvassed could not get more than ten votes. Of course this was not
literally the fact.
3 IVhiston's Life, vol. i. p. 131. The account of the proceedings against
him in the University is given by Whiston at great length, in his appendi.v
to an Historical Preface to Priinilioc Christian if y Revived, in 1711.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 091
year; intending no doubt to give him an opportunity, chap.x.
by timely recantation, to resume his station in the ^7io-
University : for this forbearance it is probable that he
was indebted to the friendly interference of the Master
of Trinity '°.
In the latter part of 1710 Joshua Barnes gave to Bames's
the world his edition of the Iliad and Odyssey of Home";^
Homer, with a dedication of the former to the Earl of
Pembroke, and the latter to Hyde Earl of Rochester,
the Queen's uncle. This work was published by the Hisresent-
editor in a fit of wrath, great as that of the hero of the Against
Iliad himself; and the object of his resentment was ^''"'"'•^"
Dr. Bentley. It was no secret that our critic enter-
tained contempt for the Greek scholarship of the
Professor, whose deplorable want of judgment and
critical accuracy, as well as warmth of temper and
childish irritability, exposed him to unceasing ridicule;
from which not even the fame of extensive learning,
undeniably his due, afforded him protection. The
success of Barnes's innumerable publications not hav-
ing been such as to prejudice the booksellers in his
favour, no one of that fraternity could be found to
undertake the cost and risk of the ELomer. But the
Professor had married a widow with a handsome
jointure ; a large share of which he devoted to this
expensive publication, or, to use his own term, he
entrusted his whole fortune huic uni Hoynericce navi ".
He was anxious to dedicate this his great work to the
'" The vacancy was filled up Nov. 19, 1711, when Nicholas Saunderson,
A.M. of Christ College, the mathematical prodigy, who had been blind
from his infancy, was elected Lucasian Professor, by a majority of the
votes of six Heads against /owr. His opponent was Christopher Hussey,
Fellow of Trinity College, who was supported by Dr. Bentley. Saunder-
son dehvered his inaugural speech on the •21st of January, following.
" The story is well known of Barnes having, as it is said, overcome the
scruples of his wife, as to the employment of her money for this purpose,
by persuading her that the author of the Ihad was no other than King
Solomon.
u 2
292 LIFE OF
CHAP. X. Queen: but the compliment was declined, owing, as
• he believed, to the disparaging representations of
Bentley. What foundation he had for this suspicion
cannot be determined. It seems highly probable that
Queen Anne, who was in the habit of conversing
with her chaplains, might have asked the Doctor
for his opinion as to the forthcoming publication of
Barnes ; and if so, it is certain that his representa-
tions would not come up to the Professor's own
notion of himself. But that he had deliberately
done him an ill-natured turn is very unlikely. Barnes's
preface exhibits a pitiable specimen of rage and mor-
tified vanity : the poor fellow complains in the bit-
terest terms of envy and neglect ; and particularly of
one 'Zoibts,'' one 'homo hiimicus,' whom he charges
with impudence, arrogance, and malignity without
measure. That all this indignation was levelled at
Bentley there could be no doubt. Barnes, who had
no notion of true criticism, held in aversion and
contempt the new school of scholarship, which he saw
superseding that in which he had been educated. He
boasts with the most childish vanity of his own un-
rivalled learning and his acquaintance with Homer
for above forty years ; talks of the countenance he
liad received from the great men of former days,
Bancroft, Gunning, Beaumont, Barrow, and Duport ;
wliile in allusion to Bentley he says, " Quantum ad
Grcecarimi Literarum cognitlonem spectat, nondum
i/lot^nm virUitas meam assccuta est pueritiam.''
One cheering topic alone presented itself to the
Professor. The change of ministry took place just at
the time when he was writing the dedication of tlie
Odyssey to Lord Rochester, who was himself made
President of the Council. Barnes's exalted notion of
monarchical power and divine right had formerly
made him the panegyrist of King James H. and Lord
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 293
Chancellor JefFeries : he now hailed the accession of chap.x.
the new ministry as the harbinger of better times ; ^^'^'
and there was not raised a louder song of triumph in
the whole kingdom at the discomfiture of the Whigs,
than that which burst forth from the editor of Homer.
Dr. Bentlev no sooner saw the publication, than he Bentiey's
J ^ . letter to
wrote to Mr. Davies, who was a friend of Barnes, Davies.
lashing the vanity and arrogance of the Professor, in
terms as severe and unsparing as possible. This
epistle, though not intended to be communicated to
any except Barnes himself, has been preserved, and
exhibits the most complete specimen that exists of the
Doctor's vehement and overwhelming style, when
writing without premeditation, and actuated by feel-
ings of anger ; and as such, although it is already in
print, I cannot forbear giving it to the reader ^^ :
" Dear Sir,
" After vou left me this morning', I borrowed of Dr. Sike Mr.
Barnes's new edition of Homer, where I was told that I should find
myself abused. I read over his dedications and prefaces, and there
I found very opprobrious words against enemies in general, and one
Homo Inimicus in particular ; which I cannot apply to myself, not
being concerned in the accusation. But if Mr. Barnes has, or does
declare in company, that he means me by those expressions, I assure
him I shall not put up such an affront, and an injuiy too ; since I was
one of his first subscribers, and an useful director to him, if he had
followed good advice. He struts and swaggers like a Suffenus, and
challenges that same enemy to come aperte, and show him any fault.
If he mean me, I have but dipped yet into his notes, and yet I find
every where just occasion of censure.
Iliad S. V. 101. 'AXXa dTroTTraviovtriy Ipwljaovm Ss ^ctp/ujjc.
Thus all editions have it ; but in this, we have it in the very text
Au-ctp aTrmrravEovai}', epu){]aovai Ce j^apf.njg — and this noble note
added ; avrdp, ita omni/io pro uWd ut uliiu. So we have avrdp clapt
'2 This letter was fovmd, after Da\des's death, by his successor in his
parsonage-house at Fen-Ditton, and was first published in the Monthly
Review for March 1/56, vol. xiv. p. 202, at the end of a critique on Mus-
grave's edition of the Hippolytus of Euripides.
294 LIFE OF
CHAP. X. in pro imperio, only to avoid the hiatus of two vowels aXXct a Now
1711. for this interpolation alone, his book deserves to be burnt. Let us
examine into the passage a little ; what is diroTrTaviovaiv ? He
translates it respicient; but says not one word to explain it. His
friend Eustathius, to whom he owes the better half of his notes,
knows not what to make on't; whether it be d-K-oiTTaviovaLV, from
OTTTaipw, OTTTW, 1. 6. diTofi\i-\\^ovaiv ; or itTro-TtTaviovtriv, from Trrw,
Trraivb), (boflov/xai, i. e. 7rr//sOV(7tj', or from ttetu), TrratVw, i. e.
■KETa<T(^{](jovTai. But whoever heard of either oTrratVw or Trrah'M ?
where does our Professor find either of them ? He's wholly mute
upon this word, which is cittu^ Xeyofieroy. and yet the wretch would
venture blindfold to put in avrap. But the true reading is thus :
'AXX' dTTOTTcnrTaviovffiy, eput'jaovcri Ee ^opjurjc-
'ATTOTrawTau'ii). fut. Trcnrrapto, lonice Tzcnrrareio. TraTrrauoj comes forty
times in Homer ; and if he had been, as he thinks himself, McBonides
sextus pavone ex Pythagoreo, he might have found out the emenda-
tion, which is clear jyer se ; but I will prove it so by authority.
Etymol. in 'ATroTrra^^j oc. ttetuj TTEraivu), koX TraTrrarto Trmrrarova-i,
Kai perd rfjc TrpoS'f'o-fwe avro, dwuwrapov(Tt ; SO it is printed indeed,
but it is evident that he writ it dnoTTTaiiovm, and had respect to
this place, as Sylburgius well observes. Again, Hesychius in the
right series between diroTva^ and aVoTrap has it thus; "AiroTrraj'sovinv,
irepijjXixpovcni' ottwq fuyioa-iy. correct dno-naivTayiovcnv, TrepifiXe^povaiy:
he means this very passage, as appears by the schohast, aVoTrra-
viovffLv' 1)701 tg rag vaiig cnrofSXE-ipovaiy, ?/ a\\a\oae, 6 tori, <pEVL,oyrai.
What says our Professor to this jobb? "Epyoy'Oprjpeioio rod' eirXEro
Bapyeaioio, to foist in avrap of his own head, and so, quantum in se, ex-
tinguish the true reading for ever, which, while 'AXXa was preserved
in the text, might some time be retrieved ^''\
I dipped into his second volume, and there I found this learned
correction: Od. A. v. 546, p. 307. Agamemnon, says the schohast,
to judge fairly whether Ajax or Ulysses deserved Achilles's armour,
(il^puX(ji)Tovg TU)V Tpu)My tiyayojy iipu)T7]<TEy, cnro oiroripov tCjv Tpwwj'
l^uiXXoy EXv7n']9r](Tay- Eliruyrioy (!e 'OSvacxEa, he gave the armour to him.
Here our Professor corrects it, uTrti oTToripov avTtjy ol TpwEg, and thus
13 Dr. Bentley mentioned this emendation afterwards to his friends.
His nephew, lliomas Bentley, writing to him from Rome, in 1726, says :
" There are two or three Homers here, (manuscripts) that have better
readings than are in Barnes's edition. In the best of them I looked
at tliat fine emendation of yours, tiXX' ciTroTraTrTavtovcnv, &c. I found it
exactly and plainly so, and a scholion upon it ; for there's a large scholiast
ditierent from Didymus." Dr. Sam. Clarke had also heard of this correc-
tion, which is accordingly printed in the text of his Homer.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 295
acts Thraso in his note; Ita emendo, sensu postulante ; quique hoc CHAP. X.
valent, ad hos provoco. Impertinence! to appeal to men of sense 1711-
here ; as if it required much sense to know, that Ajax and Ulysses
were not Trojans. The business is to correct the place neatly ; that
is, truly, as the author wrote it; which he has not done, but has gone
clumsily about it. I'll give him the ti-ue lection with altering half a
letter ; vno vTrorepov rujy 'Howwr, * from which of the two heroes they
suffered most.* This is clear and neat. But our Professor, besides
his botching in the words, has sullied even the sense ; for the cap-
tives were not asked, what all the Trojans, ol Tpwte, thought, but
what they themselves thought.
Again, over the leaf, p. 309. v. 576, I find this worthy note : the
poet had said of Tityus, 'O o' sk Ivvia keIto TriXe^pa. Upon which
the scholiast, TlXedpoi'' 'ih:-vi' /dipoQ (rra^iov — &aT£ ~ov Tltvov to auifxa
Kare-^eiy tottov kvoQ iijjicTovQ a-aciov. So all fonner editions. One
TrXidpov being g of a stadium, 9 TvXedpa make one stadium and i.
Now comes our learned Professor's note. Cum irXidpov sit sexta jiars
stadii, et Tityus occupet novem irXidpa, sequitur ilium spatium oceupare
non unius dimidii, sed unius stadii et dimidii. Quare inter kvoQ and
tlfiiaeoc addendum erat to kui. Here is your Professor emeritus, that
has made Greek his study per annos quadraginta, to whose jmeritia
other people's manhood cannot reach. Now to pardon him his silly
interpolation of Ij/j-iaeoQ for tij^ilaovg, and so making the scholiast
write Ionic; it's plain he thought erog yfjicrove signified one half, and
not 07ie and a half; a piece of ignorance for which he deser\-es to be
turned out of the Chair ; and for which, and many others like it, si
magis me irritaverit, I, as his principal elector and governor, may call
him to account. What? he that in his preface has bragged of perus-
ing Pollux, Suidas, Etymologus, not to know what all of them teach
us ! £y ijjxiav TuXai'Tov says Pollux, liber 9, is Tpia iipiTuXaiTa, one
talent and a half, not one half-talent, as this booby would think it.
So in those Lexicographers, and authors ^a^^z/w, Si/o jjfXKTVjTedo-apa
■^pi(Tv,U ijfiKTv, 2^, 4|, 6^; SeKacvo rijjiav 12^, not twelve half, I
hope. A fit man, indeed, per annos 15 in Grceca Cathedra celeb.
Acade7ni(E sedere ! From thence I dipped in his fulsom iiviXoyoQ,
enough to make a man spew that sees the vanity and insolence of
the writer, where I meet with these verses,
" A?) TOT eyw, TpiyXtoaaog eioy kot aoi^i/xoc uvrtp,
EuTrpaytTjc t kXa^or (cat Tifxfjc Kvcuweiprjg.
But what a shame it is, for a man that pretends to have been a
teneris Unguicidis a great grammarian and a poet, not to know, that
the second syllable of evTrpayirjc is long?
Sir, I write to vou as a common friend, and desire you to show
1
296 LIFE OF
CHAP. X. Mr. Barnes this letter; but not to let liim keep it, nor transcribe it.
1711. If it be ti-ue, that he gives out, that he means me by those villanous
= characters, I shall teach him better manners towards his elector.
For though I shall not honour him so much as to enter the lists
against him mvself, yet in one week's time, I can send a hundred
such remarks as these, to his good friend Will. Baxter, (whom I
have known these twenty years) who, before the parliament sits, shall
pay him home for his Anacreon. But if it be otherwise, that he did
not describe me under those general reproaches, a small satisfaction
shall content me ; which I leave you to be judge of : for I would not,
without the utmost provocation, h\irt the sale of his book, upon
which he professes to have laid out his whole fortunes. Pray let me
hear from you as soon as you can.
Trinity College, Saturday Evening. " I am, &c."
Barnes's What satisfactioii Barnes ever made for his rude
character! behaviour, we are not informed : he was approaching
that period when rivalries and jealousies lose their
powers of annoyance. The sale of his Homer not
answering' his expectations, he wrote in the course of
1711 three letters to the prime minister Harley, sup-
plicating some preferment in reward of his long and
brilliant career in literature^^. But such a mark
of Royal favour, if ever intended, was postponed too
long ; for in the following year poor Barnes was
relieved by death from all his anxieties and distresses.
As we shall have no further occasion to mention this
Professor, we may just remark, that however deficient
he was in the qualifications of a critic, his labours
have been too much decried, and the credit justly
due to them has been refused ; and that in truth his
edition of Homer, with all its faults and imperfections,
is a more useful one to the reader than any which
had preceded it ; nay more, there was no edition
published for ninety years after it, which upon the
'< Tliese three letters have been preserved in the Harleian Collection ;
Br. Mus. 7523. lliey are dated April 24, 171I, Jime 4, 1711, and Oct.
IG, 1 7 1 1 . The second letter is one of congratulation to the Lord Treasure
on his earldom.
I
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 297
whole deserves the preference of a scholar. In paymg chap. x.
this tribute to Joshua Barnes, I am only performing ^'^
an act of justice : though if the dead had any feeling
for such matters, it would not, I fear, be sufficient to
appease the offended manes of my indefatigable and
warm-spirited predecessor.
We must now revert to the affair of the College Dr. Bent-
prosecution, which on a sudden assumed a new and est w/th die
curious complexion. Dr. Bentley, having in vain t^emhiL"-'^
endeavoured to terminate this business by breaking ""y-
the confederacy of his Fellows, betook himself to
other measures, and laboured to procure the inter-
position of the Crown in his favour. The change of
ministry, disastrous as it was to the party which he
had hitherto espoused, did in fact afford him the
opportunity of making immediate interest at court.
It happened that Mrs. Bentley was related to Secre-
tary St. John, and also to Mr. Masham, the husband
of the favourite who had supplanted the Duchess of
Marlborough in the good graces of her sovereign.
Through the interference of these personages, par-
ticularly of Mrs. Masham, the circumstances of the
dispute in Trinity College were represented both to
the Queen and Mr. Harley in a light favourable to
the Master, Her Majesty, who had long been ac-
quainted with Bentley, entertained a high opinion of
him : at the same time her correct feelings were
shocked at the scandal attached to the characters of
certain individuals among his prosecutors. That his
administration had conferred several benefits upon the
College, even his enemies could not deny: and what-
ever might be the other charges now brought against
him, the indisputable fact that the prosecution ori-
ginated in his new scheme respecting the College
revenues operated upon unprejudiced minds in his
favour. At first sight there was nothing unfair in his
298 LIFE OF
CHAP. X. proposals ; and the dislike entertained for them by
^^^^- the Fellows, although a good reason for their aban-
donment, appeared no ground for the expulsion and
ruin of the proposer. The matter was represented in
such a light to Mr. Harley, that he expressed a wish
to have the dispute settled, and a provision made
against similar dissensions for the future ; and the
Master was invited to suggest a mode for accomplish-
Attempt to ing the pacification of his College. Bentley imme-
RoyaTLet- diatcly proposcd that a Royal Letter should be sent to
mvn favour. ^liG College, deciding each of the questions under
controversy : at the same time he offered the draught
of such a paper, wherein the Queen, as representative
of the founder, was to decide that point of the statutes
which affected Mr. Miller's fellowship in a manner
agreeable to the Master's interpretation ; the College
was commanded to adopt a scheme of dividends
according to degrees, and to give a pecuniary compen-
sation in lieu of the customary allowances to the
Master; in order to remove all questions arising from
the Bishop of Ely being named as Visitor in the 40th
chapter of the statutes, the letter decreed that this
chapter (De Magistri, si I'es exigatj amotione) should
be repealed and annulled ; and in conclusion, the
Master was strictly enjoined to restrain and chastise
all licence among the Fellows, and in so doing was
promised the Royal aid and countenance.
Nov. 10, This sketch was transmitted through a private hand
to Harley, amongst whose papers I find it in Bentley 's
own hand-writing ^^ The design was bold and enter-
prising : had he succeeded in obtaining the Royal^a^,
1710.
'* This proposed dravight of a Royal Letter was accompanied by the
co])y of a Letter actually sent to the CoUege by King James L, upon a
dill'erent subject, the language of which it imitates and parodies as closely
as possible. They are found together among the Harleian papers in the
British Museum.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 299
all his plans would have been at once effected ; and chap. x.
he would have been delivered from the uneasiness ^IHl
and peril of this prosecution, as well as all future
attacks upon his authority. But he was not aware of
the cautious and balancing policy of the Minister,
which would never have allowed him to enter so abso-
lutely into the views of one party in a controversy.
This attempt at a coup de main does not appear ever Bishop
to have been known to the prosecutors: but it is pro- quiresan
bable, from a comparison of dates, that Bishop Moore ",^1^4.
did obtain some intimation of the project. Dr. Bent-
ley's communication was forwarded to the Minister
by Mr. Thos. Sclater of Gray's Inn on the 10th of
November, and on the 21st he received a letter from
the Bishop, peremptorily requiring an answer to the
articles preferred against him by the 18th day of the
following month. Bentley at first declared his inten-
tion of appealing to the Convocation, of which he was
a member, against the mandate of the Bishop : but
no sooner was the design known in the College, than
the Fellows subscribed a petition to the Convocation,
praying that they would not interfere in the proceed-
ings, and Mr. Ralph Blomer, a former member of the
society, undertook to support their prayer with a smart
oration against the Master ^^. Hereupon Bentley Bemiey
changed his plan of operations, and brought his case culeen"^^*^^
under the immediate coo;nizance of Government, by against the
^ r\ I'l 111 Bishop's ju-
a petition to the Queen, which represented that her lisdiction.
Majesty was the real Visitor of Trinity College ; that
the Bishop of Ely, in assuming the visitatorial style
and functions, was invading the rights of the Crown;
that the Master felt it his duty to resist all such illegal
pretensions, and accordingly threw himself upon the
Royal protection.
IC
Rud's Manuscript Diary.
300 LIFE OF
CHAP. X. The points now for the first time mooted by this
^'^^^- petition are entirely of a legal nature, and seem to lie in
a small compass ; but are in fact so nice and question-
able, that they continued for a number of years to
baffle the skill and ingenuity of the ablest English
lawyers. It would perhaps not be possible to name a
question upon which professional men have found it
more difficult to arrive at a satisfactory decision, than
that of the visitatorial jurisdiction over Trinity Col-
lege. The case, however, when divested of all tech-
nical niceties, sounds to unlearned persons simple and
intelligible.
Case of the Trinity College was founded by King Henry VIII.
TrSky"^ in the last year of his reign. That monarch, dying
College. shortly afterwards, enacted no statutes for its govern-
ment ; but his son Edward VI. did give a body of
statutes, in the 46th chapter of which the Bishop of
Ely is declared to be General Visitor of tins Royal
foundation. In the reign of Philip and Mary, a new
code of statutes was prepared to supersede those of
King Edward, in which the enactment respecting the
Visitor was omitted : however, as they were never
completed, nor ever received the Royal sanction, their
history does not materially affect the case. Queen
Elizabeth in the second year of her reign issued a
new body of statutes, to which the Great Seal was
affixed by Lord Keeper Bacon. This is the code by
which the College has ever since been governed, and
which all the Masters and Fellows have been sworn
to obey. These ordinances being for the most part a
revision of those of Philip and Mary, with such alter-
ations as the establishment of the reformed relisfion
rendered necessary, omit altogether the chapter De
Visitatore ; however, in the 40th chapter, which we
have already recited at length, they do incidentally
style the Bishop of Ely Visitator, and enjoin that all
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 301
complaints ap-ainst the Master shall be referred to his chap, x,
decision. Here then lay the difficulty. It was con- '
tended on one side that, the statutes of Elizabeth
having superseded those of Edward, the appointment
of the Bishop as Visitor was repealed, and the visita-
torial power had reverted to the Crown as representa-
tive of the founder. On the other hand, the mention
of the Bishop in the 40th chapter militated with this
opinion, and seemed to imply that in the view of the
compilers of those laws he still continued the Visitor.
At all events it was maintained that the latter enact-
ment gave him power to hear and decide complaints
against the Head of the College, though his jurisdic-
tion over the rest of the society might be disputed.
The practice appeared to confirm the opinion that
the Crown was General Visitor. Several ' King's
Letters,' altering, explaining, or adding to the statutes,
had been from time to time accepted and obeyed by
the College, as possessing an authority equal to the
statutes themselves : while it could not be found that
any Bishop of Ely, during the whole space of 150
years since the 2nd of Elizabeth, had exercised visita-
torial jurisdiction. One solitary instance only could
be produced previous to the present, in which an
application had been made to a prelate of that see in
the character of Visitor of the College ; and that had
come from no other than Bentley himself, who in the
year 1703, upon some dispute respecting the extent
of the Master's power at elections, had appealed to
the late Bishop Patrick as Visitor. That prelate was
ignorant that he possessed jurisdiction over Trinity
College, and was unable to find in tlie records of his
diocese any trace of such a claim on the part of his
predecessors. But, a copy of the statutes being-
shown to him, he signified his opinion upon the point
in dispute in a private letter to the Master, declaring
30-2 LIFE OF
CHAP. X. however that he could give no positive judgment till
^^^^' the case was judicially brought before him. This
anecdote, as may be supposed, was frequently adduced
against Bentley : but it proved nothing more than
that he had formerly apprehended the Bishop to be
General Visitor ; nor could it have any weight in a
question, which was purely one of law, and was now
to be submitted to the highest legal authorities '^
Petition re- The Mastcr's petition met with the immediate
AttorVeV^^ attention of her Majesty ; and a letter was written by
andsoiicitor ^j. Sccrctary St. John to the Attorney and Solicitor
General. . . , ,
General, requiring them to examine the allegations,
and to report their opinion thereon with all convenient
speed : at the same time the Attorney General was
The directed to signify to the Bishop of Ely, that the
procee^dings Quccu had takcu the affair into her own cognizance,
inhibited, ^j^j enjoin his Lordship to stay all further proceedings
till her Majesty's pleasure was known. Bishop Moore,
in his reply, expressed much satisfaction that the
question was referred to such able and impartial
judges, and willingly submitted to her Majesty's
pleasure in suspending the proceedings ; intimating
at the same time his confidence in her wisdom and
goodness, that she would never deprive him of any
right belonging to his see.
Report of Sir Edward Northey and Sir Robert Raymond, who
niyanT fiUcd thc ofiiccs of Attomcy and Solicitor General,
Solicitor fixed the 2d of January, 1710-11, for hearino- all
General. , _ ./ ' ' &
parties concerned in this aifair ; and many successive
hearings took place at the Attorney's chambers, where
Sir Peter King the future Lord Chancellor appeared,
jointly with Mr. Miller, as counsel for the Fellows '^
"' Vindication of the Lord Bishop of Eli/"s Visitatorial jurisdiction over
Trinity College, 1732. p. 33.
'' Dr. Bentley's counsel on this occasion were Mr. Mead and Mr. Lut-
wich. Rud's Diary.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 303
So numerous were the points for inquiry, and sucli chap.x.
the anxiety of the law-officers to obtain a clear view ^^^^'
of the question, that five months elapsed before they
made their report to the Government. This docu- May 29,
ment contains a full, comprehensive, and impartial ^^^^'
statement of every fact bearing upon the case, and
is consequently of high importance ; but in conclu-
sion the Attorney and Solicitor deliver their own
opinion with caution, and in reference not so much
to the general question of the visitatorial power, as
to the particular position in which Dr. Bentley was
placed. Whether all the enactments of King Edward's
statutes were repealed by those of Queen Elizabeth,
they do not pronounce ; but, instead of doing so,
they take a dilemma, and intimate their belief that
either by the old statutes, or by the 40th of Elizabeth's,
the Master is subject to the jurisdiction of the Bishop
of Ely : adding however that if either her Majesty or
Dr. Bentley thought fit to contest this opinion, a
prohibition to the Bishop's proceeding might be
moved for in any of the courts of law, and thereupon
the matter might be argued, and receive a judicial
determination.
This disposal of the question by Sir E. Northey
and Sir R. Raymond was by no means agreeable to
the Master : since, instead of interposing the protec-
tion of the Crown in his favour, they only gave him
permission to dispute, if he pleased, the authority of
the Bishop by a litigation, and that too in opposition
to their own declared opinion. He accordingly centiey ap-
resolved to address himself directly to the Prime f''" f'^T
•J ly to Lord
Minister, who had just recovered from the attempt Oxford.
made upon his life by the assassin Guiscard, and
had within a few days been created Earl of Oxford
and invested with the staff of Lord Hio;h Trea-
304 LIFE OF
CHAP.x. surer ^^ His letter is remarkable for the dexterity
^7^^- with which he contrives to identify his own cause
with that of the Queen's prerogative ; hut it calls
more particularly for the reader's attention, as com-
prising that act of Bentley's life, for which he was
subjected to incessant obloquy, his adhesion to the
leader of a Tory ministry.
" Right Honourable, Cotton House, July 12, 1711.
" After my lieartv thanks to God for the wonderful preserva-
tion of your most valuable life from the stabs of an assassin, and my
sincere congratulation for your new station and honour, so long and
so well deserved ; I humbly crave leave to acquaint your Lordship,
that at last I have received from Mr. Attorney General the Report,
sealed up and directed to Mr. Secretary St. John, a copy of which,
as delivered to me, with the alterations made in it, is here inclosed.
Your Lordship, when you read it, will please to observe, that ail the
facts alleged in my Petition are here confirmed ; that the statute of
Edward, which once constituted the Bishop of Ely Visitor, was
rejected and left out in the two later draughts of statutes, those of
Philip and Mary, and those of Elizabeth now only in force ; that
the Crown has for a century and half been in sole possession of the
visitatorial power ; that no Bishop of Ely all that while ever heard
of his being Visitor ; or ever once pretended to act as such till this
present Bishop. And as for the 40th statute of Elizabeth, which
obiter and incidentally styles the Bishop of Ely Visitator, my counsel
largely proved, first, that it was ipso facto void ; and, secondly, that
supposing it to be now in force, it was in the power of the Crown to
vacate it at pleasure. To the latter of these assertions the report
comes up fully, and refutes the arguments of the Bishop's counsel,
as if it could not be repealed without the Bishop's consent. But as
to the former, it is trimmingly drawn up, and seems willing to skreen
the Bishop from blame or trouble for what is past. Nevertheless the
latter point alone is equivalent to both together; for hereby it is
20 Bentley appears already to have made an eflFortto intercept and prevent
the report being presented, as soon as he learned that Sir Edward Northey
was in favour of the Bishop's cla'm. This was done through the medium
of Mr. Sclater, of Gray's Inn, whose letter to Mr. Harley, dated March 1,
is preserved ; but the attempt upon the life of the Minister on the 8th of
March, and his long illness which ensued, accounts for his non-interference.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 30o
clear, that if her Majesty will maintain her prerogative, it is but CHAP. X.
saying the word, and vacating the 40th statute : on the contrary, if 1711.
she will abandon it to the Bishop, she may give him a new corroborat- —
ing statute, if this be thought too weak. However, to give more
satisfaction about both the points in question, I have permission to
inclose the opinion of the learned Sir Nathaniel Lloyd, her Majestv's
Advocate General and Vice Chancellor of Cambridge, which he is
ready, if occasion were, to maintain in a public manner, by report or
by pleading. He indeed humbly conceives, that even Mr. Attorney's
present report is sufficient for her Majesty's prerogative, though the
former point be waived : and it is so much the more so, by what I
have heard last post, that those Fellows, the minor part of the whole
Society, that are complainers against me, have subscribed a petition
to her Majesty, that she will please to take this matter into her own
hands. My Lord, I very readily close with this, and desire nothing
more than that her Majesty would send down commissioners to
examine into all matters upon the place, with full power to set every
thing right, and to punish where the faults shall be found. I only
beg and most humbly hope, that such persons may be nominated as
are lovers of learning, and men of conscience and integrity, above
the influence of party ; and then I fear not but I shall be both
honourably acquitted, and merit the public approbation. I am easy
under every thing, but loss of time, by detainment here in town,
which hinders me from putting my last hand to my edition of
Horace, and from doing myself the honour to inscribe it to vour
Lordship's great name ; which permission is most humbly asked and
intreated by
" Your Lordship's most obedient and obliged servant,
" Rich. Bentley."
It is far from my wish to palliate the discredit "> change
attached to every person who changes his party in ° ^^"^ ^"
contemplation of his interest or emolument. But it is
my duty, as the biographer of Bentley, to state those
points which distinguish his case from an ordinary
instance of political tergiversation. In the first place,
his ranging himself among the clients of the Lord
Treasurer involved the sacrifice of no public principle
which he had ever professed or entertained. Lord
Oxford had hitherto always been an upholder of
Revolution principles, and of the Protestant Succes-
sion ; and it was not till some time after this period
VOL. I. X
306 LIFE OF
CHAP.x. that even a suspicion was entertained of his inclina-
^^^^- tions in favour of the Pretender. Besides, although
now supported by the Tories, he had until the last
two or three years acted with Lord Godolphin's admi-
nistration. Still it is undeniable that Bentley was an
adherent and panegyrist of the discarded ministry
immediately before their ejection; but in this transfer
of his attachment to their successful rivals, he broke
no engagement, and deserted no benefactor. He
sought not preferment, but protection against what he
deemed the efforts of a conspiracy : and having reason
to believe that the Bishop of Ely was disposed to
favour the views of his prosecutors, he thought him-
self justifiable, at a crisis where his all was at stake,
in having recourse to the only quarter capable of
shielding him ; particularly as fortune seemed oppor-
tunely to have opened him a door to such powerful
protection. It rests with the reader to give whatever
weight he thinks proper to these suggestions. I have
only to add that, having once formed this resolution,
he could not have fixed upon a patron to whom his
forthcoming edition of Horace might be addressed
with more propriety. The Earl of Oxford was him-
self a literary man, fond of the society of scholars,
had collected one of the noblest libraries in Europe,
and possessed both the power and disposition to tread
in the steps of Maecenas.
Question of Bcutlcy's communicatiou met with immediate atten-
the visita- ^Jqj^ from the Minister : he directed that the report
tion 01 the ^
College sub- of thc Attomcy and Solicitor General should be laid
the Lord before the Lord Keeper, Sir Simon Harcourt, and all
Queen's^" thc Crowu lawycrs ; to whom certain questions were
counsel. propouudcd as to the legality of her Majesty taking
the whole visitation of Trinity College into her own
hands; questions obviously suggested by the Master's
letter, and implying plainly enough the wish of the
1
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 307
Government to adopt his view of the subject. At the chap. x.
same time Mr. Secretary St. John wrote to Bishop ^^^^-
Moore, signifying her Majesty's pleasure that he
should further stay all proceedings on a business
which she deemed of so much importance, until
answers to these questions had been obtained.
Bentley had now passed nine months at his town Bemiey
residence, instructing his lawyers, improving his h°rHorace.
interest at court, and preparing for the struggle in
which his reputation and fortunes were involved : and
it was not till the month of June that he was able to
return to his College and his books, with a deter-
mination of completing the long-promised edition of
Horace. We have already adverted to the causes
which occasioned the work to hang so long upon his
hands. The various and busy transactions of his
College government not only occupied his time, but
distracted his mind from a steady pursuit of any
literary object ; and the necessity to which he had
reduced himself, of supporting in his notes all the
emendations of the already printed text, was a con-
tinual obstacle to his progress; for he must have
been led by consideration and inquiry to distrust some
of those ingenious conjectures, which had given new
readings to Horace. A two-fold motive now urged
him to despatch : a wish to appear before the public
in a different and more favourable character, and at
the same time to offer his homage to the Lord Trea-
surer. He accordingly betook himself to the task
with that indefatigable application of which his con-
stitution was capable, and summoned into action those
stores of learning, which never fail to astonish as well
as to instruct the reader. It seems probable, that in
the ensuing five months the largest portion of his notes
was written, and sent to the press as they came from
his hands; and I apprehend that his exertions during
X 2
308 LIFE OF
CHAP. X. this period have scarcely been equalled in the history
'^J^^- of literature.
Dedication Tlic important affair of the dedication was first to
U Oxford! be settled in a way agreeable to the great patron to
whom the work was inscribed. Bentley had dis-
covered that the Lord Treasurer was not exempt from
the pride of ancestry. The Earl of Oxford and Earl
Mortimer, though indebted for rank and power to his
talents and address, was anxious that the world should
know that his ancestors were related to the Veres and
Mortimers of former centuries, and that his family
estate in Herj^fordshire had been in possession of the
Harleys since the reign of Edward the First. Bent-
ley accordingly applied to Mr. Thomas Bateman,
who seems to have been private secretary to the
Lord Treasurer, for particular information upon this
momentous topic ; and four letters addressed to him
by that gentleman, in the month of November, prove
the solicitude of the Premier that his heraldic glories
should be fully and accurately displayed.
Thepubii- It was on the 8th of December 1711, that Bentley
put the last hand to his great work ; having thus
exceeded the precept of Horace, by keeping it to the
tcjith year after its commencement. The day whicli
gave to the world what was intended as a restored
copy of Horace, was, either by accident or design,
the birth-day of the poet himself — Sext. Idus De-
cemhrcs'^ : a circumstance which he did not fail to
mention as an auspicious coincidence for the birth
Adulatory of liis book. Thc dedication, which contains nine
Dedication, ^^arto pagcs of elaborate panegyric, has subjected
its author to the charges of servility and adulation :
but candour must allow that the fault was rather that
of the age than of the scholar, who, if he dedicated
^'' Vita Hornfii Flacci, Avclore C. Suetonio Tranquillo.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 309
to Lord Oxford at all, could hardly have avoided chap.x.
addressing him in the language of flattery. Good j'^^^'
^ taste had not yet abolished the fashion which de-
manded from every dedicator, whether classical or
I vernacular, the most unsparing praise that language
could supply. Even at the very time of which we are
speaking, the volumes of the Spectator, the reputed
purifier of our national taste, were inscribed to the
leaders of the Whig party in terms of equal or greater
adulation ; although some of them were worse sub-
jects for panegyric than Harley, and their praises
were not veiled in the decent obscurity of a learned
language ^\ Bentley's dedication, were it the speech
of a public orator in an University, presenting a dis-
tinguished nobleman to a degree, would probably
meet with unqualified admiration. The difficult affair
of a long pedigree is managed with great adroitness ;
and the topics of Harley having filled the Speaker's
chair in three parliaments, his magnificent library,
his patronage of scholars, the attempt made upon his
life by an emissary of France, his measures of finance,
and the projected peace wliich was to give tranquillity
to the world, are all exhibited in oratorical display.
In drawing the parallel between Horace's patron and
his own, the Doctor makes a palpable allusion to his
recent change of party, by remarking that the poet was
not less in favour with Maecenas from his having once
served under the banners of Brutus and Cassias.
The ' Preface to the Reader' is couched in such Arrogant
arrogant terms as exposed Bentley to unceasing ridi- the'pre^face.
cule and censure ; and his character for presumption
has been established by those few pages, more than
by all the other productions of his pen. He wrote as
a person fully aware of the reputation which he had
21 They are Lord Somers, Lord Halifax, the Right Hon. Henry Boyle,
the Duke of Marlborough, the Earl of Wharton, and the Earl of Sunderland.
310 LIFE OF
CHAP. X. acquired for learning- and genius, and as if he were
^'^^^' resolved to follow the Horatian precept, simie supe?'-
biam qiKBsitam meritis. After explaining the plan of
his edition, and his reasons for confining himself to
the restoration of the text from manuscripts and con-
jecture, he describes the various qualifications requi-
site for the critic who undertakes this highest and
most perilous department ; but in such terms as leave
no doubt that he himself lays claim to them all, and
that too in their greatest perfection. In addition to
a complete knowledge of all Greek and Roman au-
thors, which he ranks as the lowest and meanest
requisite for the verbal critic, he says, JEst et peracri
insuper judicio opns ; est sagacitate et ay^ivoia ; est, ut
de Aristarcho olim prcedicahant, dwinandi quadam
peritia et mavriKij : quce nulla labor andi pertinacia vitceve
longhiquitate acquiri possimt, sed natures solius 7nunere
nascendique felicitate contingimt. This implied as-
sumption of the attributes of Aristarchus fastened
upon Bentley that appellation, which had already
been sometimes given to him ; and he continued to
receive it, either with a serious or ironical meaning,
according as it was applied by a friend or an enemy.
He claims credit, as usual, for the rapid and extem-
poraneous manner in which his annotations had been
despatched ; and for the truth of this he appeals to
the testimony of all his intimates at Cambridge : but
the language is arrogant and invidious, and seems
almost to challenge that severity of examination, which
his edition of Horace has experienced beyond all
parallel in literary history: " Qualiacunque vero hcec
sunt, cestivis tantum mensibus (ita tamen ut uno alteroquc
biennio fuerint prorsus intermissa) et jwimo impetu ac
calore sine lima curisve secujidis descripta, sic madida
Jere charta (ut nemini hie meorum non compertissmium
est) ad typographos dcferchantur . — Sic tamen, uti spcro,
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 311'
ut nee sermonis piiritatem^, nee ordinis lumen, neque chap. x.
rationum vim et perspicuitatem vel in his avToa-^^e^loig ^^^^-
desideres."
The preface gives an account of the various manu- onhogra-
scripts of Horace, which the Doctor had examined, or edidon.
obtained collations of: it also states his reasons for
restoring the orthography of the Augustan age in
many words, as volgus, divom, inpius, conpesco, which,
although written in the ancient manuscripts of the
poet according to the original form, were universally
altered in the printed copies. In this he followed
the example of Heinsius's Virgil, as well as in printing
the accusatives plural in is, where the genitives end
in ium ; as urhis, auris, omnis. He likewise adduces
the authority of the best copies, and of the old gram-
marians, for terming the lyrical compositions of Horace
not Od(S, but Carmina ; the two books of Satires,
Sermones, not Satirce ; and each separate Satire,
Ecloga.
Bentley's preface concludes with his opinion re- chronology
specting the chronology of the works of Horace. This liiffer°enr^
was a subject upon which Dacier and Masson, in "'"■'^^•
their respective lives of this poet, had bestowed great
pains, and persuaded themselves that they could fix
the particular years in which the several pieces were
written. According to the theory of both these critics,
Horace must have been employed upon his Odes,
Satires, and Epistles at the same periods of his life,
and he must have published his works not in whole
books, but in separate poems. Besides, they differ
-' It happened most unfortvinately for the Doctor, that in this very
expression he exposed himself to a charge of impure Latinity. His acute
and bitter enemy, John Ker, observes, that the word puritas is found only
in a writer of recent age and poor authority. Vid. Quafernce Epistolce, &c.
p. 23. But even supposing the word itself to be defensiljle, the phrase
sermonis purito.s will still remain an Anglicism.
312 LIFE OF
CHAP. X. from each other in their arrangements, and a sharp
^^^^' controversy had lately taken place between them upon
their respective systems. Bentley condemns the per-
formances of both, at the same time that he gives them
full credit for their industry. His opinion is that each
book of Horace was published collectively in its present
form; that his earliest work, the first book of Satires,
was written within the 26th, 27th, and 28th years of
his age ; the second book of Satires in his 31st, 32nd,
and 33rd years ; the Epodes in his 34th and 35th
years ; that he did not commence his Odes till he
had reached his 36th year, and that the three first
books were composed between that and the age of
43. The first book of Epistles he conceives to have
occupied his 46th and 47th years ; then the fourth
book of Odes and Carmen Secidare the years 49, 50,
and 51 ; finally, he judges that the Art of Poetry and
second book of Epistles, the latest of the poet's com-
positions, cannot be more definitively fixed, than as
having been produced in the last six years of his life,
which extended to his 57th year. For the verification
of this theory he appeals to the internal evidence
found in the various compositions of the poet. An
attention to the particulars of Horace's life is essen-
tially necessary to the full understanding of his works;
and every careful reader is competent to form a judg-
ment of the correctness of Bentley 's limitations. It
is probable that they will be deemed, upon the whole,
to approximate to the truth as nearly as any scheme
of the kind can be admitted, but that some exceptions
must be allowed, proceeding from such insertions and
alterations (particularly in his earlier books) as can
hardly fail to be made by a poet, subsequently to their
first publication. Gesner, a diligent observer, de-
clares in the preface of his edition, that he could not
discover in the Satires any thing which overset the
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 313
theory of the Doctor. This subject is not devoid of chap.x.
interest : as Horace was an author for about thirty ^^^^'
years, it may be curious to trace the alteration of
taste which took place within that period. At all
events it is satisfactory to remark, that the licentious
parts of his writings appear to have been principally
confined to his earlier productions^^.
A remarkable feature in the preface is, that Bentley
expresses his regret for more than twenty of his emen-
dations. But he compliments himself too profusely
for his candour in this voluntary confession of error :
and the self-condemnation of so many of his altera-
tions was not a favourable omen of the reception
which the reformed text would experience-*.
This publication had been long and anxiously Alterations
expected, and its appearance excited much sensation of Horace.
and surprise. There were found between seven and
eight hundred alterations of the common readings of
Horace ; all of which, contrary to the general practice
of classical editors, w^ere introduced into the text.
Scholars, having been familiar from their childhood
with the works of this poet, were unwilling to believe
that they had been all their lives mistaken in those
passages which had afforded them unceasing gratifi-
cation. Many indeed of Bentley 's readings are those
of old editions and manuscripts ; but the greater part
are the fruit of his own conjecture, supported by
arguments always plausible and ingenious, and not
unfrequently convincing. A person, who at first
23 Bentley's scheme of the Tempora Horatiana is condemned by Mitscher-
Uch, the Leipsic editor ; but he is a person of httle or no authority ; in
this case he appeals to the Life of Horace by Jani, an abridgment of
Masson's, one of those jiroductions to correct the errors of which Bentley's
theory was composed.
^* This occurs only in the Cambridge edition. In the reprints at Am-
sterdam those readings do not ajipear, nor is there any mention of them in
the preface.
314
LIFE OF
CHAP.x. rejects his correction and declares a preference for the
^'^^^- old reading, will sometimes be surprised to find his
opinion changed on perusing the note, and be com-
pelled to acknowledge the justice of the emendation :
and this is a result of his labours which the Doctor
anticipated, not without exultation. But while some
of his new readings are fairly established, a larger
proportion must be confessed to be dubious. Many
of his changes are unnecessary, others harsh and
improbable. He shows a propensity to confine the
limits of poetical licence too closely, and thus to reduce
the language of Horace into prose. But, when he
defends his corrections by analogy, he brings forth
the riches of his learning as from an inexhaustible
mine ; and the reader, whether convinced or not
respecting the particular point under discussion, is
almost sure to find his knowledge increased : and
hence it will be observed that the very errors of Ben-
tley are instructive.
In the notes of this edition there are several par-
ticulars justly censurable ; though perhaps they have
received more reproach than they deserve. The most
prominent is the tone of authority in which our editor
issues his critical decrees, as the absolute dictator of
literature. Nor is this all ; we find throughout the
work an arrogant style, and an assumed superiority
over all other commentators : such claims, whether
just or not, the world is seldom disposed to concede
to the pretensions of a writer himself. The Doctor
is also too prone to the childish vanity of claiming
merit for improvements and plausible conjectures in
cases where the same had already been suggested by
others ; adding that he had discovered such or such
a readino- before he observed that the same had been
TT
proposed by some old editor or commentator. How-
in these instances, nor in some others
Faults in
the notes.
ever, neither
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 315
where he omits to name the first propoimder of his chap. x.
emendations, is there any reason to question his ^^^^'
veracity, as some of his enemies have done with
unpardonable asperity. A great part of his notes
were composed in haste, and while his attention was
more exerted to confirm his readings by analogy than
to examine the writings of others ; so that he could
hardly fail sometimes to appropriate emendations, in
ignorance that they had been made by his prede-
cessors. But the anxious and ostentatious claim
which he is for ever making to the praise of originality,
being unworthy of a man of his undisputed eminence,
justly exposed him to attack. There is another fault
arising from his being himself the general subject of
his own panegyric ; his language, though lucid and
perspicuous, frequently assumes an air of rhetorical
flourish by no means consistent with sound taste.
Notwitlistandins^ the egotism of his critical discus- Rentiey's
1 1*6(1 till cnt
sions, Bentley can seldom be considered unjust to- of other
wards other commentators. To Nicholas Heinsius, ^^^°^''"
Torrentius, Janus Rutgersius, as well as to his con-
temporary Baxter, he generally allows fair credit,
though not unaccompanied with a display of his own
superior sagacity. Some other critics, as Cruquius,
Marcilius, Barthius, Daniel Heinsius, and Dacier, he
frequently treats with contemptuous language ; which
even when merited would better have been forborne.
But Gronovius is the only individual against whom Gronovius.
he launches into wrathful invective : that veteran,
who had passed a long literary life in provoking and
insulting the most distinguished of his contemporaries,
was now again made to feel the weight of Bentley 's
resentment. The bitterness of his late publication on
Menander, Infamia Emendationum, had deprived him
of all claim to quarter ; and accordingly he is held
up to odium and contempt in the longest and most
316 LIFE OF
CHAP. X. elaborate note in the book, that on V. 441. of the
^'^^^- Art of Poetry, Et male tornatos mcudi reddere versus,
in which Bentley substitutes for tornatos his own con-
jectural reading ter natos. This emendation he had
proposed many years before in his notes on Callima-
chus ; but, although it met with unqualified approba-
tion from Graevius, it was far from satisfying the
_ generality of the learned, who thought the common
reading not only defensible, but preferable to that of
our critic ^^. Among others, Gronovius having taken
occasion, in his Aulus Gellius, to condemn the altera-
tion, Bentley rouses himself like an offended lion,
and devotes some pages, almost at the conclusion of
his work, to justify this reading, and to chastise and
crush his old adversary. The majority of scholars
will probably side with Gronovius, in rejecting the
Doctor's ter natos ; but whoever turns to his defence
of this alteration, wherein he puts forth all his strength,
will be amazed at the learning and ingenuity, which
almost charm the assent in opposition to previous
conviction-*'.
Numerous This book was, it must be confessed, unlike any
caUonrcen- cditiou of a Latiu author ever before given to the
suringand world. It immediately called forth a host of petty
ridiculing ^ . .
Bentiey's advcrsarics, who assailed the great critic in small
anonymous publications. All these attacks were
made with the shafts of ridicule, to which parts of
Bentiey's book, particularly the dedication and the
preface, are undeniably exposed. The vein of malice
25 Graevius in his letter to Bentley, written Nov. 23, 1702, about seven
years after he had been acquainted with this emendation, says, Dudum
acEpiits harum rerum noii impcritis laudavi non coiijecturam, sed emeiidationem
tuam, certissimam in loco Horatii ex Arte, quam prodidisti in Notis ad Calli-
muchum. Earn qui videt et non prohat, is in his Uteris ceecior est quavis
talpa. Quid enim torno cum incude ?
'^'^ The common reading is vindicated by many scholars, who are referred
to by Mr. Kidd in a note on the lines in his edition of Horace.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 317
conspicuous in them all shows that their authors had chap. x.
conceived a personal dislike for the editor of Horace. ^'^^^'
One of them, entitled Horatius Reformatus, a little
pamphlet of 24 pages, contains all the peculiar read-
ings of Bentley's text, with the common readings in
an opposite column : this was an eminently malicious
contrivance ; since it left the innovations without that
defence which alone could render them palatable. An
ironical dedication to Dr. Bentley states that this
publication was requisite for his own credit as well as
the public good ; inasmuch as it would enable num-
bers to enjoy the reformed Horace, to whom his
edition was inaccessible from the magnitude of its
price ; adding with a sneer that there was no neces-
sity for notes, since his authority was so great, that
the world would be satisfied to take the innovations
upon his dictum^''. Another sixpenny tract consists
of Bentley's dedication to Lord Oxford, with a literal
English translation ; to which are prefixed his verses
addressed four years before to Lord Halifax, along
with a burlesque version ^^. The professed object of
this publication was to expose the Doctor's servility;
it was followed by a similar translation of the preface ^'\
A third was a small Latin tract of no merit whatever,
called Aristarckus Ampullans in Curls Horatianis, the
author of which adopts from De Pauw the title of
Philargyrius Cantahrigiensis, as insulting to Bentley :
it contains nothing more than complaints of the pre-
sumption of the critic, and the liberties taken with the
27 Horatius Reformatus: sive Emendadones Omnes, quibus Edifio
Bentleiana a vulgaribus distinguitur, summa fide in unum collects. Lend.
Bowyer. ]712.
28 " 2)r. Bentley's Dedication of Horace, translated. To which is added,
A Poem in Latin and English, inscribed to the Right Honourable the Lord
Halifax, written by the Reverend Dr. Bentley." London.
2° The Life of Horace : with Dr. Bentley's Preface. Latin and English.
London.
318 LIFE OF
CHAP. X. text of Horace. A fourth squib is called ' The Life
^^^"' and Conversation of Richard Bentley, in Latin and
English :' it consists principally of scraps from Bent-
ley's notes rendered into vulgar English ; a ludicrous
and gross banter, giving an account of his birth,
parentage, and school education, with all the inso-
lence of low scurrility. Another assumes the title of
'Five Extraordinary Letters,' sneering at the editor
of Horace, in 20 pages of wit and buffoonery : the
topics of this Je?^ d' esprit are the same as of the others,
and would serve as well for an attack on any verbal
critics, whom the author compares to ' corn- cutters.'
From several allusions to Bentley's College govern-
ment, it seems that this assailant was one of his adver-
Tiansiation saHcs in THnitv ^^ The sixth writer who attacked
of the Odes
and Bent- our cHtic's Horacc, devoted more time and trouble to
ey s otes. ^|^^ ^^^^ ^j^^^ ^jj ^j^^ othcr scofFcrs put together : his
first publication appeared with this title, ' The Odes
of Horace in Latin and English ; with a translation of
Notes upon Dr. Bcutlcy's Notcs. To which are added Notes
upon Notes; done in the Bentleian Style and Manner.
Part L To be continued. 1712.' The translation
of the Odes is executed in poetical measure, in a rapid
and off-hand style, but not without considerable spirit
and cleverness. The version of Bentley's notes pro-
fesses to be made in literal English, but is in truth a
mere travesty; adopting such vulgar phraseology as
would give a ludicrous character to any book that ever
was written. This I presume to have been the attrac-
tive part of the performance, which caused it to amuse
the public as much as it undoubtedly must have done.
^" Five Extraordinary Letters supposed to be writ to Dr. D y, vpon
his Edition of Horace, and some other matters of (jreat Importance. London.
1712. The motto of this squib, Ecce it(rum Crispintis, et est mihi scepe
vocandus Ad partes, imi^hes that the author had already been Bentley's
adversary.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 319
The 'Notes upon Notes' are miserably vapid, and chap. x.
their unvaried sneer tiresome and nauseous. Never- ^^^^'
theless the author found encouragement to pursue his
task of exhibiting the Doctor's Horace in a ridiculous
light through twenty-four successive numbers ^\
These attacks from the light artillery of wit pro-
bably gave little or no uneasiness to our great critic.
^' Of these 24 numbers, 17 were published in 1712, and 7 in 1713:
probably one appeared every fortnight, containing 36 pages, at the price of
sixpence. They were then collected in two volumes with the following
title page : " The Odes, Epodes, and Carmen Seculare of Horace, in Latin
and ISnglish ; with a Translation of Dr. Ben-ley's Notes. To which are
added Notes upon Notes. In 24 parts complete. By several hands. 1713."
Perhaps I shall give the reader no bad specimen of the wit and malice of
this publication, by copying a few mottoes of the respective parts :
molitur inepte.
carmma non prius
Audita Musarum Sacerdos
Virginihus puerisque cantat.
ibimtis, ihimus
Utcunque preecedes, supremum
Carpere iter comites parati.
operosa parvus
Carminafinyit.
placet impares
Formas atque animos subjuya ahenea
ScBco mitt ere cumjoco.
Tandem nequitiafiye modum tuce,
Famosisque laboribus.
tu, simul obliyasti
Perfdwn Musis caput, etiitescis
Pulchrior multo, juvenumque prodis
Publica cura.
There appears once to have been a notion that the author was no other
than Bentley's old enemy Dr. King. A copy of the book, in an old bind-
ing, shown to me by Mr. Evans the eminent bookseller of Pail-Mall, is
lettered Kiny's Horace. But Dr. W. King was dead some time before the
completion of the work. Tlae ^vTiter might have been another person of
the same name.
320 LIFE OF
CHAP.x. But there came forward another antagonist, who
^^^^- levelled at him a blow calculated to inflict a deeper
John Ker. wouud. Tliis was Mr. John Ker, the teacher of a
dissenting academy, who had a few years before writ-
ten a book on the structure of Latin, a subject with
which he was accurately and minutely conversant.
Having some previous acquaintance with Bentley, he
solicited his interest with Lord Sunderland, the Secre-
tary of State, to obtain the Queen's privilege for that
publication, which was to be dedicated to her Majesty.
This favour the Doctor obtained for him ; and also
invited him to his table at Cotton House, where
according to his own statement he was handsomely
entertained, and enjoyed the still higher gratification
of learned conversation. On this occasion Bentley
pronounced the word equidem to be joined only with
the first person singular in the best and oldest Latin
writers, (whereas in Ker's book it was allowed to be
read with a third person,) and said that examination
would confirm this rule. The schoolmaster havinn-
his attention called to this point, lost no time in col-
lecting instances of equidem used with a second and
third person by writers prior to the Augustan age,
and within two days waited upon Bentley armed with
his authorities, and not doubting but the Doctor
would be pleased and thankful for the information.
Offended at Tlic visit liappcncd to be ill-timed : Mr. Ker found
Bentley. ,.. . ■,. iaii-i n /-^
him just settmg out to dine at the Archbishop of Can-
terbury's, and already on the outside of his door :
he entered however upon different topics, to all of
which Bentley replied in a harsh and contemptuous
tone, utterly unlike his manner two days before ; and
proceeded along the street with the determined step
of one who is apprehensive that the least delay may
make him too late for his engagement. The school-
master accompanied or rather followed him for about
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 321
a hundred yards, and then conchided this unpro- chap. x.
mising interview by taking his leave ; but the other ^^^^'
did not even turn to acknowledge the valedic-
tion. This is Ker's account of the offence : but, as it
was widely different from his former treatment, we
must conclude that Bentley was disgusted at his be-
haviour, or deemed his conversation obtrusive. This
slight however excited Ker's resentment ; and his
vexation had been rankling for four years, when the
publication of Horace gave him an opportunity beyond
his hopes of taking revenge upon the supercilious and
mighty critic. Bentley was by no means a purist in Defects in
his Latinity. His style, though sometimes redundant, LaUnU^y!
is easy, flowing, and perspicuous ; and his command
of words and phrases is great : but his compositions
were generally too hasty to allow him to consult
authorities : accordingly, his memory sometimes de-
ceived him, and expressions may be found which,
although in the tone of classical phraseology, are
such as an examination of the orio^inal authors will
not strictly justify. This blemish was no sooner
observed b}^ Ker, whose daily occupation consisted in
detecting such slips, than he resolved to discharge his
bile, which had been so long concocting, by the
exhibition of Dr. Bentley in a light peculiarly morti-
fying to a scholar. A peevish and splenetic disposi-
tion, aggravated by poverty and neglect through a
long life, made him enjoy the task ; and, in two Latin
epistles addressed to the Doctor, he exposed his
boastful pretensions, and the unauthorised expressions
in his Dedication and Preface, with all imaginable con-
tumely. Whatever might have been the feelings of Dr.
Bentley, he was too wise to give consequence to an ob-
scure adversary by taking any notice of this effiision ^'\
^- The title of Ker's book is Quuternes Epistolce : Prima et Secunda ad
Richardum Bentleium ; Tertia ad I/lnstrissimum Virum Ezekielem Spanhe-
VOL. I. Y
322
LIFE OF
CHAP. X. In enumerating the critiques which the appearance
^'^^^- of Bentley's Horace called forth, we must not omit
Le cierc's ouc Written by his crest-fallen adversary John Le
Bentky's Clcrc. This professor of universal learning, although
Horace, ^iq had bccn scduccd by vanity into the disastrous
undertaking of his Menander, had too much sense not
to perceive how greatly it had damaged his reputa-
tion ; and he lost no time in adopting measures to
retrieve his credit. In the year 1711 he put forth an
apologetic account of his life and writings, adding some
letters of Grsevius and Spanheim as testimonies of the
estimation in wdiich he had been held by the greatest
scholars of the age. He now resolved to meet praise
of another description, by candour and forbearance
tow^ards the critic from w^iom he had experienced so
severe a fall. Accordingly there appeared in his
Bibliothhque Choisie a critique, w^hich w^as immediately
translated and published as a pamphlet, entitled ' Mr.
Le Cierc's Judgment and Censure of Dr. Bentley's
Horace.' It is w-ritten in a liberal tone, and, consi-
dering the fate of his own Menander, must be acknow-
ledged to be honourable to the reviewer. He admits
unequivocally the learning, ingenuity, and other qua-
lifications of the editor, and declares that he abstains
for personal reasons from a particular examination of
his new readings ; adding however some just and
sensible observations upon the difficulty and danger
mium; Quarta ad Ludovicum Fridericum Bonetum. 1713. The two letters
to Spanheim and his nephew Bonet, the Prussian minister at the Enghsh
Court, are short and imimportant. Another cause for Ker's wTath against
Bentley discovers itself in p. 113 of his book. The Bill just passed ' to
prevent the growth of schism,' placed him, as a dissenting schoolmaster,
in some jeopardy ; and it was suggested by a friend, that the Doctor, being
intimate with the great, and acquainted \vith his circumstances, was likely
to become an informer against him. Tlais suggestion, improbable and
absurd as it was, obtained his credence, and made him regard Bentley as
his dangerous enemy.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 303
which attend alterations in the text of a Latin an- chap. x.
thor ^^ 1712.
In the meantime Dr. Bentley continued to receive Atteibury.
letters from distinguished scholars in this and other
countries, complimenting him upon his noble edition
of Horace. The reader will be interested to see that
of his old adversary Dr. Atterbury, who was now
become Dean of Christ-church, not only on account
of the celebrity of the writer, but for the curious
acknowledgment which it contains. It is to be
observed that these two antagonists, being raised to
the headships of the first Colleges in their respective
Universities, annually passed some days in each
other's society, at the examination and election of
Westminister scholars to be sent to Christ-church and
Trinity.
" Reverend Sir, Chelsea, Apr. 19, 1712.
" I was prevented in my intention of wayting on you, by an
account which Dr. Potter gave me, that on that very day you had
33 Le Clerc observes, that sometimes expressions disj^lease the reader,
because he does not happen to recollect similar ones ; yet that by research
they may perhaps be discovered to be justifiable. Another important remark
is, that poets of all ages and countries take liberties in their phrases, which
must not therefore be hastily pi'onounced spurious because the same are
not to be discovered elsewhere.
Shortly before this publication Le Clerc had experienced some mortify-
ing proofs of his impaired reputation. He had applied to succeed Limborch
in the professorship of theology among the Remonstrants at Amsterdam,
but was rejected, though upon his own ground, and by his own party, who
elected Callenberg an Arminian preacher of Rotterdam. His failure was
celebrated by a multitude of satires in prose and verse, in which his old
enemy Bunnan took a prominent part. Bentley received accounts of tbis
matter both from Burman and Kuster : the former teUs it with high exulta-
tion ; the latter, who had a regard for Le Clerc, with evident concern.
Kuster, who was himself just returned from England, writes thus:
" Clericus nuper in gratiam plane redire tecum videbatur, cum ipsi dicerem
te saluti ejus ad me bibisse. Scio equidem te minime curare, quo loco
apud eum sis : sed tamen, cum et ipse plurimos habeat amicos, quique
eum magni faciant, praestat eum habere amicum, quam inimicum."
Y 2
324 LIFE OF
CHAP. X. left London. My busyness was to have thanked you for that noble
1712. present of your new edition of Horace, which you were pleased to
' make me. I deferr'd doing it till I had penis'd the whole work, and
could with assurance say (as I now can) that 'tis every way equal to
y^ expectation raised of it. I am indebted to you. Sir, for the great
pleasure and instruction I have received from that excellent perform-
ance ; though at y® same time I cannot but own to you the uneasy-
ness I felt when I found how many things in Horace there were,
which, after thirty years' acquaintance with him, I did not under-
stand. I hope to meet you at the Westm'. election ; but could not
defer my acknowledgments so long.
" I am. Reverend Sir,
" Your obliged and most faithful humble servant,
" Fr. Atterbury."
" To the Reverend Dr. Bentley,
Master of Trinity College in Cambridge."
Newedition The favourable reception of Bentley 's Horace is
dam!"^ " proved by the fact of another edition being almost
immediately called for. This he chose to publish at
Amsterdam, in consequence of the cheapness of paper
and printing in the United Provinces. The second
edition is in all respects an improvement upon the
first ; the notes are placed at the foot of each page ;
the addenda are incorporated in their proper places ;
some hasty and crude conjectures are omitted ; and
the work is enriched with a copious index of the words
and phrases of Horace ; being that originally made
by Treter, afterwards enlarged and new-modelled by
Aveman, and finally adapted to this edition and
Bentley 's readings by Verburg, subsequently the
editor of Cicero ^*.
3^ This Index of Thomas Treter, a Pole, was first printed at Antwerp,
by Plantin, in 1575. Daniel Aveman's Index appeared at Brunswick in
1667.
KiCHARD 13ENTLEY, D.D. 325
CHAPTER XL
Opinions of the Crown Lawyers respecting the Visitor of Trinity College —
Bentley's prosecutors in prirate coynmunication with the Lord Trea-
surer — His design to compose the differences — Suicide of Professor
Sike — Election of Hebrew and Greek Professors — Dr. Stubbe turned
out of the Vice-mastership — Queen^s prohibition taken off from the
Bishop of Ely — Bentley presents to the Queen an Address from the
University of Cambridge — Vote of the Senate directed against Bentley —
Language held by his fiends in his favour — Clarke — Jurin — Cotes —
Publication of Neivtou's Principia — Thomas Bentley's Horace — Collins'
Discourse of Freethinking — Replies by Ho udly, Whiston, Swift, Berkely,
Ibbott — Bentley's Remarks on Freethinking — Dr. Hare jmbliskes the
Clergyman's Thanks to Phileleutherus — Second Tart of Bentley's Re-
marks — Disgraceful behaviour of Collins — Bentley gives offence to Lord
Bolingbroke — He replies to the Articles of Accusation — Attempts to
terminate the proceedings — The Bishop's Assessors — Trial at Ely
House — The Bishop's opinion unfavourable to the Master — Sentence of
Deprivation prepared — Death of Bishop Moore — Death of Queen
Anne.
The progress made by the Fellows of Trinity College chap.xi.
in the prosecution of their Master was not greater in ^7i2.
1712 than in the two preceding years. The Crown opinion of
lawyers, to whom the questions relative to the visita- lawyers'on
torial jurisdiction had been referred, after more than '^^.%^'.'*'.^°''
J ' ot Trinity
seven months' deliberation at length came to a dis- Coiiege.
Jan. 9
tinct opinion, that they deemed the Crown to be 1711-12.
General Visitor of the College ; but that the Bishop
of Ely possessed, under the 40th statute, the power
of hearing and deciding upon the charges against the
Master ; adding that it was in the power of her
Majesty to alter the visitatorial authority, provided
such alteration met with the acceptance of the Col-
lege. This opinion is subscribed by the eminent
names of Sir Thomas Powys, Sir Edward Northey,
326
LIFE OF
CHAP. XI. Sir Robert Raymond, Serjeant Hooper, Serjeant
^'^^^- Conyers, Mr. Lutwych, and Mr. Ward : but, upon
one essential particular it is opposed by the no less
Sir Joseph valued opinion of Sir Joseph Jekyl ; who states his
^ reasons for thinking that the visitatorial power, having
been once vested in the Bishop of Ely by King
Edward's statutes, was not revoked by those of Queen
Elizabeth ; particularly as the latter, in the 40th
chapter, actually make mention of him as Visitor ;
consequently, that in his view of the question, the
Bishop continued General Visitor of the College. The
division of opinion on this point, though highly mo-
mentous to the Society, did not affect the immediate
question of Bentley's case, since both parties agreed
that the jurisdiction in a complaint against the Master
rested with the Bishop. As there now appeared no
further objection to the exercise of his functions, it
was expected that the Royal prohibition would be
immediately taken off, and the Bishop allowed to
administer justice in this long suspended cause. How-
ever, the interdict still continued ; and it was currently
believed that the hand of power was extended to
screen the Doctor, through the influence of Lady
Masham, and Secretary St. John. But the true
state of the case is discovered from certain letters
preserved in the collection of Lord Oxford.
The prosecutors had found access to the Lord
Treasurer's private ear, through the medium of their
late representative the Earl of Anglesey, and were
Lord Trea- eucouraocd by the assurances of that Minister that he
would procure them redress for all their grievances,
and settle the disturbed and afflicted Colleo-e. As
early as June 1711, we find that the Vice- master Dr.
Stubbe was in communication with him ; and from
subsequent letters it appears that the leaders of the
prosecution were induced to delay their proceedings,
1
Private
communi-
cation of
the Fellows
with the
surer
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 327
in reliance upon the powerful assistance of the Pre- chap. xi.
mier. It is curious to observe that he acted in this ^^^^'
business precisely upon that temporizing and pro-
crastinating policy, for which we find his administra-
tion condemned even by his own adherents. To
negotiate with opposite parties, and to persuade each
to rely upon his management, seems to have been his
universal resource in all difficulties. By this method
he procured both the Whigs and the October Club to
acquiesce for some time in the measures of his govern-
ment ; and subsequent discoveries have proved that
he was engaged in secret communications at the
same moment, with the Pretender and with the court
of Hanover ; and was thus encouraging both houses
to reckon upon his assistance in mounting the throne
of Great Britain.
In the present instance however there is no reason Design of
to suspect the Lord Treasurer of insincerity, or of Treasurer,
intending to betray either party to whom he promised
his countenance and assistance. His undoubted in-
tention was to compose the quarrel, and then to take
such measures as might prevent the recurrence of the
same state of affairs in the society. As the easiest
method of effecting this purpose, he wished the Master
and Fellows to concur in submitting all differences to
the arbitration of the Crown \ He possibly expected
1 This appears, from several circumstances, to have been the Lord
Treasurer's object; particularly from a correspondence between the Master
and Bateman, a person in the confidence of Lord Oxford, who had written
to Bentley for an account of the state of things in the College in Dec.
1712, and had received from him a long and particular letter; to which,
after a communication with the Minister, he replies : " I cannot but wish
what you mention at the close of it may be soon eflfected, viz. the unanimous
reference of it to her Majesty, and the submitting the whole to her settle-
ment and determination. This will be a publick ser^ace, and may entitle
any one to favour who influences in it, and brings it about. I doubt not
but you'U believe whom I wish to congratulate upon it, and that I am your
affectionate faithful servant, T. B."
328 LIFE OF
CHAP. XL that the pique and animosity mixed up in this dispute
^'^^^' would in a short time subside, and a sense of duty and
interest would bring the contending parties to some
better understanding. It is likewise highly probable
that he intended to recommend Bentley, when occa-
sion served, to some station in the Church which
might remove him from the scene of disagreement.
At this time a general expectation prevailed of the
Master's speedy advancement : indeed it was reported
that he was actually appointed to the deanery of
Lichfield^. Bentley's own activity and exertions
were great to maintain and increase his reputation,
and to strengthen his interest ; but unfortunately his
endeavours to put an end to the College dissentions,
which were an evident obstacle to his advancement,
were not dictated by a pacific spirit. He made no
concession or retractation, but clung to the idea of
inducing his prosecutors to give up their proceedings
and acquiesce in all his schemes and arrangements.
May 20. A dcplorablc occurrence took place this sprino- in
Death of . . . ^ .
Prof. sike. Trinity College : Dr. Henry Sike, the learned orien-
2 His friend Kuster, \vTiting to him from Amsterdam, Aug. 5, 1712, in
Latin, adds this EngUsh postscript. — " P.S. After I had \vritten this letter,
(which I have kept from one post day to another, waiting for Mr. Hemster-
huise's letter for to be inclosed in myne) there came to see me some
Enghsh gentlemen, and amongst them one of your College, nomine Town,
a physician (qui magni tefacit) who brought me the good news that you
were made Dean of Lichtfield. Ec/o plane erect us f id hoc nuncio; and
upon that I drank presently first your health, and afterwards upon the
confirmation of this news. I can assure you. Sir, that I shall long heartily
to have the confirmation of this from you, because nobody of your friends
can take more part in your prosperity than I do ; having found that I
have no truer friend then you. Mr. Hemsterhuise desseins to write this
same day. Vale." Writing again shortly aftenvards, he says, " Te a
Serenissima Regina creatum esse Decanum Litchfeldensem, etiam ab aliis
postea mihi relatum est ; qua ex re ingentem volujjtatem cepi : gratulor
tibi ex animo de nova hac dignitate, et quidem eo magis, quo magis id
inimicis tuis doliturum esse novi. Pudor jam, credo, et reverentia rursus
intrabit animos eomm, qui in Collegio, cui praesides, tamdiu erga te contu-
maces fuerunt."
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 329
talist, who through the address and mfluence of chap. xi.
Bentley had been made Professor of Hebrew, perished ^^^"-
by suicide ^ To what this sad catastrophe was attri-
butable I do not comprehend; but I find that it raised
excessive grief and horror among the learned through-
out Europe. Sike was esteemed by every one for
his talents and disposition ; all appear to have felt
interested for his welfare, and to have nourished high
expectations of the fruits which were to result from
his erudition ^
This melancholy event was followed in a few weeks August 24.
by the death of Professor Barnes, whose uncomfort- Hebrew
able situation we have lately described. The election p"ofesor]!
to the two vacant professorships of Hebrew and Greek
3 Rud's MS. Diary. " May 20, 1712. Dr. Sykes (Sike) hanged
himself some time this evening, before candleUght, in his sash, which bore
his weight till he was dead, but broke before morning ; for he was found
lying upon the floor, with part of it about his neck, the rest stiU hanging
upon the hook."
* I do not understand the allusion in Saxius's Onomasticon Literarium,
vol. V. p. 491, where the notice of Sike thus concludes. " Postea in
Angliam translatus literarvim orientis doctor publicus in Academia Canta-
brigiensi extitit ; ubi exprobratam sibi, quam olim meruerat, crucis poenam
indigne ferens, laqueo sibi ipse gulam domi fregit."
Adrian Reland, who was then printing his Palastina, writes thus to
Bentley, July 23, 1712. "At quam nos turbavit nuncius horribilis ! In
hvinc usque diem fidem habere non potui rumoribus de Sikio nostro cir-
cumlatis. Nunc coram se testem fuisse infandi spectaculi affirmat Crown-
fieldius. O infelix fatum ! et damnum quod literae nostras patiuntur vix
reparabile. Promiserat et mihi nuperis literis Excerpta ex Abulfeda quag
ad Palsestinam spectant. Nisi ilia tua auctoritate nanciscar per aUquem
sermonis Arabici gnarum, Ockleyum aliumve, spem omnem abjicere
cogar."
Francis Burman, writing from Amsterdam, says : " Adeone verum est
Sikium sibi necem conscivisse ? Quibus furiis agitatus tantum scelus
peri^etravit, cui jam in re lauta ac splendida esse licebat ? Vix famse, quae
valde incerta ad me pervenit, credidi."
Matthias Ancherson, a j'oung Dane who had studied for some time at
Cambridge under the tuition of Sike, writes from Copenhagen a letter full
of mourning at the sad tidings, and of veneration for his deceased pre-
ceptor, of whose projected undertakings he gives some account. I find,
from the register of St. Michael's parish, that Sike was buried there.
May 28, 1712.
330 LIFE OF
CHAP. XL took place at the same time ; when Dr. Philip Bou-
^^^^' quet was chosen to fill the former, and Mr. Thomas
Pilgrim the latter office. They were both Fellows of
Trinity : Bouquet had been substituted during the last
vacancy of the Hebrew chair ; the latter was a young-
man of ability and high character, and was already
the most distinguished among the tutors of the
College. It may be observed that he had subscribed
the late articles of accusation : as his advancement
to the Greek professorship was with the consent,
perhaps by the recommendation, of Dr. Bentley,
this must be deemed an attempt to conciliate one of
the most respectable of his opponents, at the same
time that he exhibited his own magnanimity and
spirit of forgiveness.
Dr. stubbe From the commencement of the proceedings the
from" the Master had aimed at dissolving the confederacy, by
vf.? °L sowino^ divisions amono- its members : as he foresaw
ter. that if two parties could be established among the
malcontents, one of them would ere long fall in with
his own schemes. The Fellows were aware of his
design, and held together for more than two years so
firmly, that not the slightest tendency to a separation
was visible. Perseverance however succeeded. The
vice-mastership, like other College offices, is supplied
at an annual election by the Master and Seniors ;
but in practice the same individual is usually re-
elected, as long as it continues agreeable to himself.
The ordinary business of this office is to preside
among the Fellows : in the absence of the Master the
station becomes one of importance, as most of the
authority of the Head devolves upon his representa-
tive. Dr. Stubbe had passed a great portion of the
last two or three years in London, devoting himself to
the management of the suit. This afforded Bentley a
plausible ground to propose another person as Vice-
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 331
master; but, as he must be one of the eight Seniors, chap. xi.
the choice lay only among his prosecutors. At the ^^^^'
two preceding elections he had nominated Dr. Thomas
Smith, who was, next to Stubbe, the most respected
of the number ; and on each occasion the Board
resisted the change. Smith however was not proof
against this petty ambition : he saw that the dignity
was within his grasp ; for the statutes invest the
Master with such a power at elections, that he is able,
with the support of one Senior, to choose a candidate,
even against the opposition of the other seven. Ac-
cordingly he hinted to his brethren his resolution to
obtain the station : they perceived that it would be
imjDolitic to urge any further resistance; and therefore,
on Bentley's proposing him as Vice-master, at the
election in 1712, in order to avoid the appearance of
division, they signified their assent ^ The Master
and his friends represented this election as an overt
act of pacification, or ' as a renouncing of the quarrel,'
shown by the prosecutors voluntarily abandoning their
leader ; and succeeded in possessing the public with
the notion that matters were in a train of amicable
settlement. Upon poor Stubbe this event operated as
5 This is the account given of the affair in Dr. Colbatch's MSS.
Bentley, in his letter to Thos. Bateman, Esq. Christmas day, 17 12, in-
tended for the eye of Lord Oxford, gives a different turn to it. " Last
October, as you know already, they (the Seniors) turned old Stubbe, the
principal in the subscription, out of the vice-mastership, and chose, by my
nomination, one Dr. Smith, which was looked upon by the whole Univer-
sity as a renouncing of the former quarrel. And even poor Stubbe retired
out of College to London, that he might not be the head of the party here ;
and had he thought that there was locus poenitentla, would have made
his submission to me. In a word, if I am thought worthy of being owned
by our Maecenas, there will not be a month's space before the affairs of
this House will be unanimously referred to her Majesty's commands, how
dividends, &c. shall go for the future." Dr. Stubbe himself, in a note to
the Lord Treasurer, of Oct. 21, says, " Dr. Bentley has been lately at his
old trade of divide ct impcra, which will oblige our College, I fear, to take
some speedy course with him."
332 LIFE OF
CHAP. XI. a sentence of exile from the House in which he had
_^^l^L passed ahiiost the wliole of a long life. His wounded
feelings would not allow him to return to a place,
where he must descend to a lower seat than that
which he had long occupied ; rather than submit to
such mortification, he preferred ending his days in
London.
Failure of At the last jcar's audit, the Master being absent,
attempt U) the Scuiors had voted a dividend upon the usual
terminate g^^j^^ g^^ ^^ ^^le wiutcr of 1712 Dr. Bentlev refused
tneprosecu- J
t'on- his consent to issue a dividend, unless they would
subscribe to his plan ; calculating that the privation
of their income must compel them to acquiesce in his
conditions. The result was exactly opposite to his
expectations. The Fellows, finding that nothing was
gained by forbearance, resolved to be no longer
deceived by the promises of countenance and protec-
tion from the Government. Stubbe thus pours out
Jan. 9, his sorrows in a letter to the Prime Minister : " Dr.
Bentley, I hear, at the auditing our College accounts,
refused to vote a dividend of the remaining money,
in order to starve the poor members of our society
into an acquiescence under his base and unworthy
measures. Our college, my Lord, though it be dutiful
and silent, is in a very wretched condition ; and if
your Lordship please to look upon it with compassion,
you M'ill be a second founder to us. My Lord, I
cannot ask pardon for this, without remembering my
former offences of this nature ; but I cannot doubt
either of your Lordship's pardon, or of the success
of my petition, when I consider that I speak for a
nursery of learning to my Lord of Oxford." The
Minister seems to have had recourse to his universal
specific, and enjoined further patience and delay ,•
but Miller, whose quarrel with Bentley was personal,
urged the necessity of applying to the Court of
Queen's
Bench.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 333
Queen's Bench for the purpose of obliging the Bishop chap. xi.
of Ely to proceed as Visitor. It was believed that ^^^^'
the Royal prohibition was illegal, and would not be
recognised by the Court. Lord Oxford was apprised ^pni 18,
by Stubbe, that all his endeavours to prevent the Prohibition
cause being brought forward would probably be in
vain : whereupon the ministry determined that the
validity of their proceedings should not be made the
subject of an argument before the Bench, and the
Secretary of State, now Lord Bolingbroke, wrote to
Bishop Moore, giving him the Queen's permission to
proceed in this cause ' as far as by law he was em-
powered.' Before the end of the Easter term the Rule grant-
affair of the Master of Trinity College was first intro- courVor
duced into the Court of Queen's Bench by Mr. Page,
(afterwards the Judge of hanging notoriety), who, as
counsel for the Fellows, obtained a rule for the Bishop
to shew cause why a mandamus should not issue to
compel him to discharge his judicial functions.
Before we describe the effects of this accelerating Bentiey De-
power upon the proceedings, it will be right to notice chanceUor.
the exertions of Bentiey and his friends to engage the
public opinion in his favour. He entered into the
management of University business more than he
had hitherto done. The Vice-chancellor, Quadring,
Master of Magdalene College, being old and infirm
frequently required a deputy in that fatiguing office,
and Bentiey was always his ready substitute ^. In
June, 1712, he displayed his zeal in support of the
Government : a furious attack had been just made by
the Whigs in the House of Lords, complaining of the
negotiations carrying on at Utrecht, and of the British
interests being separated from those of our Allies ;
and upon this question they expected to have accom-
" Dr. Gabriel Quadring was Bachelor of Arts in 1660 ; he must, there-
fore, have been above seventy years of age when chosen Vice-chancellor.
334 LIFE OF
CHAP. XI. plished the overthrow of the Cabinet ^ The Minister,
^^^^' although he obtained a majority, was desirous of
being strengthened by public expressions in favour of
Presents an his measures. Accordingly Bentley proposed to the
theUnh°er- Scuatc au addrcss to the Queen, thanking her Majesty
Sen.'^'^ f^^' having made so much progress in the work of
June 11. pacification, and expressing unbounded confidence in
the wisdom of her councils. It is to be remarked
that this address declared the attachment of the Uni-
versity to the Hanover succession, terming the princes
of that house ' her Majesty's relations,' It was
delivered by the Master of Trinity, who at the head
of the University was introduced to the Royal pre-
sence by the Lord Treasurer ^
Severegrace Beutlcy was dcstiucd liowcvcr to experience a
nate against severe rebuflf from the body to whom he had thus
Bentley. volunteered his services : whatever mio-ht be the
motive, a determination was taken by the members
of the Senate, that they would never more be placed
under his presidency. The alleged complaint was,
that Dr. Brookbank, the Official of the Archdeacon
of Ely, had granted probates of wills and adminis-
trations of goods to the heirs of members of the
University, a right considered as belonging to the
academical Court. The subject was not likely in
7 Secretary St. John wTiting to Mr. Harley at Utrecht, on this day,
says, " The House of Lords is at this moment in debate on the Queen's
speech, and his Lordship (Oxford), while I am writinir to you, may very
probably be emjjloyed in wiping off some of the dirt which that scavenger,
Wliarton, throws at him." Bolingbroke's Correspondence, vol. i. p. 433.
Dr. SM-ift says of this debate in his Journal to Stella, " We got a great
\-ictory last Wednesday in the House of Lords by a majority, I think, cf
twenty-eight ; and the Whigs had desired their friends to bespeak places
to see Lord Treasurer carried to the Tower." Whether this were written
in earnest or in joke, may be doubted : but it did actually happen, about
three years after, that Lord Oxford was carried to the Tower, and on
account of this very negotiation.
* The Address itself may be found in the Annals of Queen Anne, vol. ii.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 335
itself to occasion much interest; and, as far as appears, chap.xi.
no innovation had been made on the practice which ^^^^'
had long prevailed ; yet upon this ground, without oct. lo,
any previous step, a grace was brought into the
Senate, enacting that in future no Archdeacon of
Ely, or Official of the Archdeacon, although Head
of a college, should be capable of acting as Vice-
chancellor, or deputy Vice-chancellor; a measure
avowedly levelled against Bentley, who in the ordi-
nary course was approaching to a second year of
office. It was passed not only unanimously, but with
a shout of applause. As there was no appearance
of the Doctor having wilfully infringed the privi-
leges of the body, this proceeding must be regarded
as harsh and unhandsome ; nor can it be accounted
for, except from the prejudice against him which
the long continued complaints of his own Fellows
could not fail to have excited in the University at
large ^
9 Dr. Stubbe sent Lord Oxford a copy of this grace against Bentley,
taking care to tell him that * it passed in the Senate House with a more
than usual shout.' A letter from Mr. Wm. Bishop, dated Jan. 5, 1712-13,
among the Ballard Collection in the Bodleian library, gives a similar
account of it on the authority of Dr. Mosse the Dean of Ely.
The temper of the Academical Senate just at this period appears to have
been none of the gentlest. About three weeks after the explosion against
Bentley they aimed a blow at the Heads in general, against whom they
were incensed for not allowing them an Auditor of their own. A scheme
was therefore laid for having a Vice-chancellor of their own. This office
had been confined to the Heads since the year 1586, when it was filled by
Dr. Capcot, a Fellow of Trinity. It was now the turn of Dr. Adams, the
Provost of King's : on the 3d of Nov. he and Dr. Greene, Master of
Corpus, were put in nomination. This being considered a matter of mere
routine, only four of the Heads happened to be present ; the place of
others was supplied by the Presidents or Senior Fellows of their respective
Colleges. One of these unexpectedly proposed Mr. Hawkins, a Fellow
of Pembroke Hall, others joined in the nomination, and he was on the
point of being returned to the Senate as one of the two candidates ; in
which case he would infallibly have been elected Vice Chancellor on the
Clarke.
336 LIFE OF
CHAP. XI. In the present circumstances of Dr. Bentley, when
^'^^^- both his character and fortunes were exposed to peril,
it was highly desirable for him to have the testimony
of persons of reputation in favour of his merits and
conduct. Accordingly, we find that many of his
friends, who were zealous in their attachment, took
occasion about this time to represent him in the most
glowing colours which the spirit of panegyric could
devise. Their compliments, indeed, may be termed
extravagant, and the laudatory language in wliich
they are couched is apt to disgust the reader : but
they undoubtedly produced their intended effect of
counteracting the impression on the public mind
which his enemies laboured to produce.
Dr. Samuel Tlic first to bc rccordcd of these panegyrists is the
celebrated scholar and divine, Dr. Samuel Clarke,
the Rector of St. James's. Between him and our
critic there had long subsisted a friendship, which was
not abated by their taking different courses in the
stormy sea of politics. He put forth in 1712 his
edition of Caesar's Commentaries, with an appropriate
dedication to the Duke of Marlborough, the modern
conqueror of the Gauls. Bentley having given him
the use of a manuscript from the King's library,
Clarke takes occasion to speak of this favour in terms
following day. But at this critical moment, Dr. Smith, the new Vice-
master of Trinity, and another voter entered the Regent House, and hy
giving their voices in favour of the Heads, overturned the project. This
anecdote is told by Atwood, the Esquire Beadle, in his MS. Diary. Mr.
Will. Cole, who transcribes it, notices that a similar attempt was made
sixty years afterwards, in 1772, when Mr. Stephen Whisson, FeUow of
Trinity College, one of the most exemplary characters in the University,
was very near being chosen Vice Chancellor ; but the plan was defeated by
Whisson himself declining the intended honour. The person who was to
have been set aside on this occasion was Dr. Cooke, the Provost of King's.
Cole, who disliked the Provost, would have rejoiced at his mortification ;
but his own aristocratical principles made him condemn an attempt, which
he considered to have too republican a tendency.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 337
obviously intended to counteract the notion, not yet chap. xi.
obliterated, of his uncourteous treatment of Mr. Boyle "
relative to the far-famed copy of Phalaris : Maximum
mihi hoc in opere auxilium attulit liber MS. haud
quidem ipse a?itiquissi7nus, ex valde antiquis autem, ut
videtm\ codicihus exscriptus ; quem e Bibliotheca Regia
utendinn mihi dedit vir in hujusmodi rebus peritia plane
incredibili, et criticos unus omnes longe longeque judicio
et sagacitate antecellens, Richardus Bentleius. And
in a note at p. 424, he again compliments him in
similar language of superlative panegyric : " Vide
illustrissimi et acri judicio quidquid ubique est criticorum
longe exsuperantis Richardi Bentleii Emendationes
ad Ciceronis Disputationes Tusculanas a Davisio
editas,'' p, 80.
Mr. James Jurin a junior Fellow of Trinity Col- J"''"-
lege and master of Newcastle school, had undertaken
by Bentley's advice a new edition of the Geography
of Bernhard Varenius, a book of which copies were
become scarce and in great request. He published
it in 1712, adding as an appendix some account of
the discoveries and improvements in geography since
the time of Varenius, who wrote in the middle of the
17th century. The book is well executed, and is
dedicated in devoted terms to Dr. Bentley, whose
interests he espoused with the most zealous attach-
ment. An extract from the preface is inserted in
the note, as a specimen of the language held at this
time by the partizans of the Master of Trinity"'.
10 " Cum fnistra jam ubique fere qviaererentur apud bibliopolas Varenii
exemplaria, idque judicaret magno cum Juventutis Academicae detrimento
fieri Vir Reverendus Richardus Bentleius, quem neque publica munera,
quae singulari cum doctrina, labore, fide, sanctitate, et sapientia admi-
nistrat; tum ilia quibus Reginse optimse et Ecclesife inservit ; tum quo
partem Academise celeberrimae minime postremam impensiori studio fovet,
alit, ornat, ac magis indies magisque efflorescere facit, et, ut vera dicam,
cogit; neque privata studia, quibus orbem emditum indefessa diligentia
VOL. I. Z
338 LIFE OF
CHAP. XI. Jurin's own history is too curious to be passed without
^'^^^' notice : at the time of this publication he was master
of a country grammar-school, and had reached his
thirtieth year : nevertheless he afterwards adopted
the profession of medicine, and became a physician
of high celebrity and great practice in the metropolis ;
he distinguished himself as a successful advocate for
inoculation, and was the author of various scientific
papers in the Philosophical Transactions ; for a long
time he was Secretary to the Royal Society ; and
finally became President of the College of Physicians,
which station he held at the time of his death in
1750.
Publication But tlicrc was a more distinguished publication, in
Principia. wliich thc praiscs of Dr. Bentley were proclaimed in
as high a strain of encomium. This was Sir Isaac
Newton's Principia, which appeared in the spring of
1713, The long interval since this work was put to
press is accounted for in the interesting correspond-
ence between the illustrious author and its editor
Professor Cotes. The numerous avocations of Sir
Isaac, the careful consideration which he gave to the
improvements introduced in his immortal work, and
the suggestions made from time to time by Cotes, all
of which he received with attention, had contributed
to delay its appearance. Bentley having been the
prime mover of this publication. Cotes wished that
the preface should be written by him : but it was the
opinion both of the Doctor and Sir Isaac, that this
ought to come from the pen of the editor. The
following letter from Cotes to Bentley on this subject
ditare et erudire pergit; nee atrox denique obtrectatorum invidia, qua
jamdudum animo excelso, et egregie sibi conscio conflictatur, quamque
jamjam feliciter, ut spero, eluctatur et proculcat, quin minima quaeque ad
rem literariam pertinentia cura sua amplectetur, prohibere potuerunt : is
me, de quo majorem aequo, pro bonitate sua et humanitate, opinionem
conceperat, hortatus est, ut novae hujusce editionis curam susciperem."
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 339
contains matter so curious that there needs no apoloo^y chap. xi.
1713.
for submitting it to the reader : '
" Sir, March 10, 1712— 7 13.
" I received what you wrote to me in Sir Isaac's
letter. T will set about the index in a day or two. As for the
preface, I should be glad to know from Sir Isaac with what view he
thinks proper to have it written. You know the book has been
received abroad with some disadvantage, and the cause of it may be
easily guessed at ; the Commercium EpistoUcum, lately published by
order of the Roval Society, gives such indubitable proofs of Mr.
Leibnitz's want of candour, that I shall not scruple in the least to
speak out the full truth of the matter, if it be thought convenient.
There are some pieces of his looking this way, which deserve a
censure, as his Tentamen de motuum ccelestium causis. If Sir Isaac is
willing that something of this nature may be done, I should be
glad, if, whilst I am making the index, he would consider of it, and
put down a few notes of what he thinks most material to be insisted
on. This I say upon supposition that I write the preface myself-
But I think it will be much more advisable that you or he, or both
of you should write it, whilst you are in town. You may depend
upon it that I will own it, and defend it as weU as I can, if hereafter
there be occasion. " I am. Sir," &c.
The preface, with which all votaries of science are
acquainted, concludes with the following paragraph :
" Extabit igitur eximium Newton i opus adversus atheorum
impetus munitissimum praesidium : neque enim alicunde felicius, quam
ex hac pharetra contra impiam catervam tela deprompseris. Hoc
sensit pridem, et in pereruditis concionibus Anghce Latineque editis,
primus egregie demonstravit Vir in omni literarum genere prseclarus,
idemque bonarum artium fautor eximius Richardus Bentleius,
SEecuH sui, et Academise nostree magnum ornamentimi, Collegii
nostri S. Trinitatis Magister dignissimus et integerrimus. Huic ego
me pluribus nominibus obstrictum fateri debeo : Huic et tuas quae
debentur gratias. Lector benevole, non denegabis. Is enim, cum a
longo tempore celeben-imi auctoris amicitia intima frueretur, (qua
etiam apud posteros censeri non minoris sestimat, quam propriis
scriptis quae literato orbi in dehciis sunt inclarescere) amici simul
famse et scientiarum incremento consuluit. Itaque cum exemplaria
prioris editionis rarissima admodum et immani pretio coemenda
superessent; suasit ille crebris efflagitationibus et tantum non ob-
z 2
340 LIFE OF
CHAP. XI. jurgando perpiilit denique Virum prsestantissimum, nee modestia
1713. minus quam eruditione summa insignem, ut novam hanc operis
editionem, per omnia elimatam denuo et egregiis insuper accessioni-
bus ditatam, suis sumptibus et auspiciis prodire pateretur : mihi vero,
pro jure suo, pensum non ingratum demandavit, ut quam posset
emendate id fieri curarem".
" CantabrigicE, Mali 12, 1713."
Our critic in the meantime was not sparing of his
own exertions to increase his ah'eady extensive re-
putation. Besides the second edition of his Horace,
he put forth in 1713 a reprint of the ' Emendations
of Menander,' adding to it his celebrated Epistle to
Mill, the earliest fruit of his genius. This publication
issued from the Cambridge press, and was of course con-
sidered as a public avowal of the real Phileleuthcriis
Lipslens'is : the violent preface of Burman, being the
offspring of private resentment against Le Clerc, was
judiciously omitted.
Thomas The Doctor's nephew, Thomas Bentlev, the son of
Bentley's . ^ . . "^
little Ho- his elder brother James, was at this time a Bachelor
of Arts in Trinity College : he was an amiable youth,
a promising scholar, and devoted in his attachment
to the person and fame of his uncle. As the size
and price of the Horace impeded its circulation,
Bentley suggested to this young man, as the com-
mencement of his literary career, to publish a small
edition of the work with short annotations. He
executed this task by printing scrupulously his uncle's
text, giving the common readings in the margin,
and affixing some brief explanatory notes which
might be useful to younger readers. The large work
being dedicated to the Earl of Oxford, this little
1' Bentley was higbly gratified by this encomium, which various cir-
cumstances contributed to render valuable to him. In the postscript of a
letter to Mr. Bateman, July 12, he says, " Prithee see, at the end of the
preface of Mr. Cotes, our Astronomy Professor, one of the finest young
men of Europe, what character is given of me there, in Sir Isaac's book."
race.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 341
Horace was inscribed to his son, Lord Harley. For chap. xi.
this Dedication, which, as a juvenile production, ^'^^^'
candid persons woukl have forborne to criticise,
Thomas Bentley was abused many years afterwards
by Pope and Warburton, with great asperity, in the
notes on the Dunciad^^
It was at this crisis that Dr. Bentley had an Coiuns's
. , P T . '11 11 Discourse of
opportunity oi rendermg a signal and memorable Pree-think-
service to the Church, and employing his learning '"s-
for the most legitimate of all purposes, the defence
of religion. Anthony Collins, a gentleman of edu-
cation and fortune, who in early life enjoyed the
friendship of Locke, had for some years devoted
himself to the dissemination of his own principles of
infidelity. Being respectable in his private life,
popular and agreeable in his manners, and possessing
an extensive acquaintance, he acquired influence in
society ; and so great was his zeal in the cause,
that he seems to have proposed to himself the cha-
racter of an apostle of irreligion. At the beginning
of 1713 he published, without his name, a book
styled ' A Discourse of Free-Thinking, occasioned
by the Rise and Growth of a Sect called Free-Think-
ers.' It is but too certain that deism had been
making considerable advance in England since the
Revolution, and that its progress had been aided by
the insidious writings of Shaftesbury, Toland, Tindal,
and other enemies of revealed religion. But the
assumption of a ' growing sect' seems to have been
'2 Book II. 205. Tliis matter we shall have occasion to mention here-
after. Richard Johnson in the Preface to Aristarchus AntiBentleianus,
charges Bentley with having himself published this small Horace under
the name of his nephew, and with having styled himself Seculi Decus.
This is a gratuitous calumny, as improbable as it is malicious. The editor
declares that his uncle merely suggested the plan, but had not even seen
the work before its publication.
342 LIFE OF
CHAP. XI. an artifice designed to imply an uniformity of opi-
1713^ nions, which did not really exist, among the im-
pugners of Christianity. Or if the ' sect' had any
thing like ' a local habitation and a name,' it was a
small knot of persons whose ordinary place of ren-
dezvous was the Grecian Coffee-house near Temple
Bar ; and of them Mr. Collins was himself the
centre. His present work, whether we regard its
literary merit, its power of argument, or the pro-
foundness of its views, appears totally unworthy of
the attention which it excited : the learning is super-
ficial, the reasoning unsound, and the information
upon general topics loose and inaccurate ; while his
' sapless pages' (as Bentley well denominates them)
are destitute of those indispensable requisites, honesty
and candour, for the absence of which no merits can
atone. Nevertheless, this publication, intrinsically
so worthless, occasioned great sensation : it appeared
as the manifesto of a party ; it assumed the con-
currence of almost all great men of every age and
country in similar tenets of ' free-thinking;' and it
attacked the clergy of the Established Church with
especial severity. The authoritative and self-suffi-
cient tone in which its positions are laid down, and
its perpetual appeals to ancient literature, were well
calculated to entrap the careless and half-learned,
who at all times constitute a large proportion of the
reading public.
Replies by 'The Discoursc of Free-Thinking,' having from
these causes made much noise in the world, drew upon
itself a host of replies ; and, however ' worthless of
such honour,' exercised some of the ablest pens of
Hoadiy. the age in its refutation. Dr. Hoadly wrote a few
pages of ' Queries,' placing in a clear and forcible
light the fallacious reasoning and evil tendency of
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 343
Collins's positions^^ A tract, called ' Reflexions on chap. xi.
an Anonymous Pamphlet,' &c. appeared from the ^'
ready pen of Mr. Whiston, who, although himself at WMston.
open war with the Establishment, and smarting
under the censures which his heresies had provoked,
yet condemned the unfair attack here made upon the
clergy, and exposed the objects of this scoffer in
their true colours. Dr. Swift, who was at that time Swift.
devoting his days and nights to uphold the cause of
his friends in administration, laid hold of this piece
as one in which the High Church party were made
prominent objects of attack, and published an ' Ab-
stract' of Collins's arguments, divested of the quota-
tions, which fill half his book. The Discourse, in
this form, is supposed to be written by a Whig, with
the professed intention of making converts to that
party. This attempt to palm upon his political
opponents the principles of an infidel must be con-
demned as an unjustifiable stratagem ; but the ' Ab-
stract' itself, by stripping off" all extraneous matter,
has the effect of exhibiting the tenets of the Free-
Thinker's Discourse in their native deformity ; and
although tinctured with Swift's peculiar vein of '
humour, the parody, considered as a composition, is
clearly superior to the original. The Whigs, on their
part, were not slow in declaring their abhorrence of
Collins's performance : besides the tract of Hoadly, the
Guardian, a paper conducted by Steele in support of
that interest, contained in its third number a sensible
and keen article against this design to ridicule the
Scriptures : it was written by Mr. Berkeley, afterwards Berkeley.
Bishop of Cloyne. The same amiable philosopher re-
curred to this book in the 39th paper of the Guardian,
'^ Queries recommended to the Authors of a late Discourse of Free-
Thinkiruj. By a Christian. London. 1713.
344 LIFE OF
CHAP. XI. giving an allegorical account of the composition of the
^^^^- brain and heart of its author. Dr. Ibbot, chaplain to
ibbot. Archbishop Tenison, chose for the subject of his
Boyle's Lectures a refutation of CoUins's Discourse.
But the fame of all the above pieces has been
eclipsed by that of Dr. Bentley's unrivalled criticism
on this deistical performance. Immediately on its
publication he took it up, and finding that the learn-
ing was unsound, the reasoning bad, and the object
malicious, he resolved to expose it in its true colours ;
and he has in fact made its author a warning to all
vain and superficial sceptics, who are tempted to
employ their puny sophistry in attacks upon revealed
religion.
Bentley's Our critic betliouglit him of assuming the same
de7the tuie title iu his reply to Collins, as he had maintained
°^ ^'"'f f "■ with so much credit in his book upon Le Clerc's
tnerus Lip- 1
siensis. Mcnandcr. The conceit was happy ; for the name of
Phileleutherus Lipsiensis chanced to have a two-fold
convenience : as a 'lover of freedom,' he could with
propriety expose the false pretence to 'free-thinking,'
made by a writer who inculcated a set of opinions
' the most slavish, the most abject and base, that
human nature is capable of;' and in the character of
a Leipsic scholar, supposed of course to be a Lutheran,
he could encounter the attacks made upon Christ-
ianity in general, withovit displaying any particular
interest in favour of the English clergy, against whom
the malice of Collins was prominently directed. To
ascertain the identity of the author was unnecessary ;
since it was made no secret that these ' Remarks on
the Discourse of Free-Thinking' were from the pen of
Bentley. They were preceded by a dedicatory epis-
tle addressed to ' My very Learned and Honoured
Friend, F. H. D.D. at London, Great Britain :' this
friend was understood to be Dr. Francis Hare, to whose
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 345
care the remarks upon Menander had actually been chap. xr.
committed by Phileleutherus. ^^^^-
Nothing can be more judicious or effectual than character
the manner in which the Doctor takes to pieces the marks. '^
shallow but dangerous performance of the infidel.
Not satisfied with replying to particular arguments,
he cuts the ground from under his feet, by exposing
the fallacious mode of reasoning which pervades them
all, and the contemptible sophism which represents
all good and great men of every age and country to
have been 'free-thinkers,' and consequently partizans
of his own sect. But the happiest of the Remarks are
those which display the mistakes and ignorance of
Collins in his citations from classical writers. By a
kind of fatality, his translations are perpetually in-
accurate, and his conception of the originals erroneous :
and though most of his blunders are the effects of
ignorance, yet not a few seem to arise from a deli-
berate intention of deceiving his readers. Never was
the advantage more conspicuous of a ripe and perfect
scholar over a half-learned smatterer : while the latter
searches book after book in pursuit of passages favour-
able to his own theory, the former, familiar with the
writings and characters of the authors, and accurately
versed in their language, is able to take to pieces the
ill-assorted patchwork of irrelevant quotations. These
parts of Bentley's work are not only effectual in
demolishing his adversary, but are both entertaining
and useful to the reader ; and to them it is owing
that the book has experienced a fate so different from
that of other controversial writings : even the ablest
and best-written of such pieces generally fall into
oblivion along with the dispute which gave them
birth ; but the ' Remarks of Phileleutherus' are still
read with the same delight as at their first appear-
ance. The fact of their having passed through a
346 LIFE OF
CHAP. XI. multitude of editions at considerable intervals of time
^^^^- marks a continuance of interest among the educated
public, only to be accounted for by the intrinsic value
of the work.
Collins having assailed Christianity and its pro-
fessors with ridicule, the usual method of the infidels,
Bentley determined that he should experience the
full power of the weapon which he had chosen. But
there was much difference between the two cases : the
enemy of religion had scoffed at opinions which, being
seriously and honestly entertained by Christians, would
have claimed from a candid adversary the tribute of
respect : he himself, on the other hand, incurred
derision for his ignorance, self-sufficiency, and inso-
Society for Icncc, the most legitimate objects of ridicule. At the
gadonXiie pi'Gsent day it is interesting to observe that ' The
Gospel. Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign
Parts' was in its early years distinguished by the
especial hatred of the enemies of Christianity. Col-
lins accordingly levels his sneers against this institu-
tion in such conceits as the following :
" We have here in England a Society supported by the encourage-
ment of her most excellent Majesty, and the contributions of many
divines and ladies of our Established Church, in effect for the propa-
gation of free-thinking in matters of religion throughout the world ;
and whose design supposes, that it is all men's duty to think freely
about matters of religion. For how can the Society for Propagating
the Gospel in Foreign Parts hope to have any effect on infidel
nations, without first acquainting them that it is their duty to think
freely, both on the notions of God and religion, which they have
received from their ancestors, or which are established by law among
them, and on those new notions of God and religion brought to them
by the Missionarys of the Church of England ?" — " Nay, should
the King of Siam (or any other infidel prince) in return for the
favour of our endeavours to convert him and his kingdom to our
religion, desire to send us a parcel of his Talapoins (so the priests of
Siam are call'd) to convert us to the religion by law established in
Siam ; I cannot see but that our Society for Propagating the Gospel,
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 347
and all the contributors and well-wishers to it, must acknowledge CHAP. XI.
the King's request to be highly reasonable, and perfectly of a piece 1713.
with their own project." — " And oh ! that the proper persons were =^==
but employ' d for the execution of so glorious a design ! That such
zealous divines as our S Is, our At ys, our Sm ges, our
St bes, our Higgins, our M rns, and our Sw — fts, were
drawn out annually, as our military missionarys are, to be sent into
foreign parts to propagate the Gospel " !" — Discourse of Free-
Thinking, p. 41.
After pointing out the tendency of sneers and insults
upon the Sovereign, with which this insipid banter
commences, Bentley replies :
" But to leave unpleasing thoughts, and for once to ' answer a
fool according to his folly.' Are the Talapoins of Siam then to be
put here upon a level with the whole clergy of England ; the light
and glory (if they are not chang'd all on a sudden) of present Christ-
ianity ? and this done by a sorry retailer of atheistical scraps, which
he imderstands not three lines of ; but at the first ofier of a transla-
tion betrays his stupidity } Is he to ' di'aw out' your divines, whose
names we know not here because he has mangl'd them ; but conclude
them to be men of worth and distinction, from the very credit of his
abusing them ? If he is once for ' drawing out,' and reviving the old
trade of ' AySpcnrocoicaTrrjXia, selling and exporting of men, it may per-
haps be found more serviceable to your Government to oblige your
East India Company to take on board the whole ' growing sect,'
and lodge them at Madagascar among their confess'd and claim'd
kindred (since they make themselves but a higher species of brutes)
the monkeys and the drills : or to order your new South Sea Com-
pany to deliver them to the Spaniards as part of the assiento, to be
11 In Swift's Parody of this part of CoUins's Discourse, (which is, in
point of style, a clear improvement of the original), it is curious to observe
that he selects the company in which he would choose to be transported :
" Here is a Society in London for propagating free-thinking throughout
the world, encouraged and supported by the Queen and many others.
You say, perhaps, it is for propagating the Gospel, &c. — I heartily wish a
detachment of such divines as Dr. Atterbury, Dr. Smalridge, Dr. Swift,
Dr. Sacheverell, and some others, were sent every year to the farthest
part of the heathen world, and that we had a cargo of their priests in
return, who would spread free-thinking among us." — Swift's Works,
vol. viii. p. 302.
348
LIFE OF
CHAP. XI. free-diggers in the mines there; and after a decent time in that
1713. purgatory, to convey them to their happy country, their paradise of
~ New Jersey ; where neither priest, nor physician, nor lawyer, can
molest them." Remarks upon a late Discourse of Free -Thinking ,
p. ei, ed. 1743.
Whitby.
Sacred cri-
ticism.
Hare's Cler-
gyman's
Tlianl<s to
Phileleu-
thcnis.
The publication of Mill's Greek Testament had
excited alarm among some, who apprehended that
the number of various readings discovered in different
copies of the Scriptures endangered the authority of
the whole, and a strong protestation had been made
against the pursuits of the critic by Dr. Whitby, a
laborious but ill-judging divine. The opportunity of
attacking the sacred volume upon this score was too
tempting to be omitted by Mr. Collins : to him there-
fore, or rather to Whitby, Phileleutherus makes a
satisfactory reply. His remarks on this subject are of
such great and permanent importance, and the point
of view in which he places the study of sacred
criticism is so luminous and convincing, that from the
time of this publication no friend of religion has been
heard to decry the critical study of the inspired
writings : — nor have there been any cavils founded
upon the variation of manuscripts, to which a satis-
factory reply may not be found in the pages of Phile-
leutherus.
Having carried his ' Remarks' through one half of
the ' Discourse,' he discovered that they already
amounted to a good sized pamphlet ; and accordingly
issued them from the press, promising that, if he
understood it would be serviceable to reliaion or
agreeable to the English clergy, he would give the
world another letter on the remainder.
No sooner had this publication appeared, than Hare
returned the compliment of the dedicatory address,
by a well-written but extravagantly laudatory pam-
phlet, entitled ' The Clergyman's Thanks to Phileleu-
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 349
tlierus,' addressed byname to Dr. Bentley, whom no chap, xi,
one doubted to be the real author of the ' Remarks. ' _^J^^'
The writer, who subscribes himself Philo-Criticus,
displays the merits of the reply to Collins in a just
light ; for in truth a more complete overthrow of an
adversary can scarcely be imagined : but his lan-
guage is that of unrestrained panegyric, applied not
only to this, but to the other works of Bentley ; and
being addressed to the person eulogized, it far exceeds
the limits of delicacy and good taste. It proves how-
ever how great must have been our critic's fame to
enable the public to tolerate such excessive praise of
a living individual. The same observation applies to
this as to the other panegyrics of Bentley put forth
by his friends at this period ; namely, that they were
designed to counterbalance the obloquy vented against
him by his enemies, and to show that, if he had a
party hostile to him in the University, there were
other and more distinguished persons who regarded
him with all the warmth of friendship and admiration.
This profuse tribute of praise, like that lately bestowed
upon oui critic by Dr. Clarke, possessed an additional
advantage ; it was evidently uninfluenced by party-
spirit, Dr. Hare being devoted to the Whigs, and
having lately made himself conspicuous by a sermon
delivered before the Duke of Marlborough after the
taking of Bouchain, wherein the conduct of Govern-
ment in arresting the career of the conquerors was
severely arraigned.
This laudatory pamphlet suggests that the first
publication of Phileleutherus had been written with a
view not unlike the present ; since it displayed to the
Free-thinkers, who considered Le Clerc as their head,
' that he was as much inferior to the truly learned, as
they themselves were to him :' a remark which must
350 LIFE OF
CHAP. XI. be confessed to sound rather like an after-thought '■''.
^^^^' In stating the want of a new critical edition of the
Scriptures Hare expresses his conviction, that no one
living except Bentley was equal to the task, and
mentions how much people desired that he would
favour the world with such a work, or at least with
his Critica Sacra; of which he had given some inge-
nious and acute specimens interspersed in the Remarks
upon Free-Thinking. This is worthy of observation,
as being the first public suggestion of an undertaking
which, in process of time, occupied so much of the
Doctor's attention ^^.
Second part Eucouragcd by the flattering publication of the
Remarks. ' Clergyman's Thanks,' and still more by the general
voice of approbation, Bentley again took in hand the
Free-Thinker's book; of which the latter half consisted
principally of extracts and translations, brought to
prove this monstrous position, that Socrates, Plato,
Aristotle, Plutarch, Varro, Cato, Cicero, and in short
all the virtuous and great of different ages, belonged
to his own pretended sect. As far as Collins was
concerned, the former Remarks had effectually de-
stroyed his credit both for reasoning and knowledge.
The second part therefore contributes little to the
general effect ; but it possesses a peculiar value from
the clear and luminous view which it affords of the
opinions of the ancient philosophers. The Free-
Thinker, having a loose and imperfect idea of their
tenets, and being resolved at all hazards to challenge
every one of them as his own, misconstrues passages
from their works, and misstates their sentiments ;
Bentley, while showing how his adversary distorts the
meaning of his quotations, and flounders from blunder
'5 Clergyman's Thanks, p. 11. "> Ditto, p. 38.
1
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 351
to blunder, exhibits his own perfect acquaintance with chap. xi.
their writings, and gives the reader concise and well- ^"^^^^
defined explanations of the opinions they entertained
and the discipline they taught. His remarks upon
Cicero will serve as a specimen both of the severe
chastisement which he bestows upon Collins, and of
his address in making his strictures the vehicle of
solid information.
When the second part of his Remarks had extended September,
1713.
to the same bulk as the first, Bentley was called off
from his task by the College prosecution, which im-
periously demanded his undivided attention : he again
broke off, leaving the work unfinished, and in his
address to F. H. pretending to be written from Leipsic,
playfully alluded to his private predicament. "And
then you know my long lawsuit here, which is now
removed to Dresden : and who would regard the
' Free-Thinker, 'or willingly jade his own parts, under
such clogs and impediments ? I find when I set pen
to paper, that I sink below my own level : Qiicerit se
ingenium nee invenit. But if you'd had patience till
my trial was over (for trial in my case is the same as
victory) then perhaps your ' growing sect' might have
felt to their cost ;
" Et nos tela, pater, ferrumque haud debile dextra
Spargimus, et nostra sequitur de vulnere sanguis."
The applause which hailed this publication was
great and universal, and the general sensation excited
in favour of our critic's merits was highly important
at the present crisis. Even his enemies, while they
contended that the real object of his book was to take
off the odium brought upon him by the prosecution,
were still compelled to acknowledge the ability dis-
352 LIFE OF
CHAP. XI. played in the performance '^ Cumberland, in a
^^^^' pamphlet written in defence of his illustrious grand-
father against the sneers of Bishop Lowth, tells us
that amono; other honours he received the unanimous
thanks of the whole Bench of Bishops for his ' Re-
marks on Free-Thinking '^' That all the prelates who
were acquainted with Dr. Bentley would take an
opportunity of complimenting him on this service
rendered to the cause of religion, is highly probable ;
but the story of his having received public and formal
thanks from the Bench I consider erroneous ; for at a
later period of his life, when he makes a display of
the honours paid him on this occasion, he does not
mention such a compliment.
Coiiins's The conduct of Collins was such as to justify the
behaviour, latc cxposurc of his cliaractcr and principles. His
book concluded with a truly Epicurean sentiment —
' For I think it virtue enough to endeavour to do
good, only within the bounds of doing yourself no
harm." And he illustrated this notable maxim by
taking alarm at an unfounded rumour of his work
being in danger of a prosecution, and immediately
fled to Holland ; thus showing, that however bold he
was against divine authority, he was tremblingly
afraid of human power. Instead of defending him-
self against Bentley's ' Remarks,' which called in
question his character both for scholarship and good
faith, he endeavoured to elude them by pitiful strata-
gems. He reprinted his book at the Hague with a
London title, and with such a resemblance in the
form and number of the pages as gave it the appear-
'' Dr. Colbatch in a MS. Reply to Bentley's attack upon him, in the
year 1720, unequivocally confesses the merit of Phileleufherus.
'8 A Letter to the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of O d, &c.
London. 1767-
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. - 353
ance of an original edition, but with a few omissions chap. xr.
and alterations in certain passages which Bentley had ^^''^'
exposed as disgraceful to his character ; in order that
future readers might believe him innocent of those
charges •^. He afterwards printed an edition with
more alterations; and in 1714 there appeared at the
Hague, under his own inspection, a French transla-
tion of his 'Discourse,' still professing to be printed
at London, wherein further attempts were made to
elude the force of the strictures to which he could not
reply. All these artifices are detailed in a French book,
published at Amsterdam many years afterwards, termed
FiijDOJinerie Laiqiie, which contains also a translation
of the remarks of Pk'deleutherus Lipsiensis ^^ .
In the interval between the publication of the two Bentiey
parts of his ' Remarks,' Bentley gave personal and urLor/Bo-
deep offence to Lord Bolingbroke, the minister by ^'"^^'■'''^^'
whose influence it was commonly supposed that he
"' It absolutely had this effect wth Mr. Prichard, a gentleman of Led-
bury, in Herefordshire, a disciple of the Free-thinker's sect. Collins, in
his wanton desire to insult Christianity, in his 90th page, translates a
passage from Victor's Chronicon — ' Sancta Evangeha, tanquam ab idiotis
Evangelistis composita, the Holy Gospels, as written by idiot Evangelists.'
Upon this shameful version Dr. Bentley remarks as follows : " Ab Idiotis
Evangelistis, by Idiot Evangelists; says our author ; who, if he's sincere
in this version, proves himself a very Idiot in the Greek and Latin accept-
ation of that word. 'Irui-jjc, Idiota, illiteratus, indocfus, rudis. See Du
Fresne in his Glossaries ; who takes notice, that Idiota for an idiot or
natural fool, is peculiar to your English law ; for which he cites Rastal.
Did Victor, therefore, mean ' Idiot Evangelists' in A^our English sense ?
-No : but illiterate, unlearned. What, then, must we think of our author
for his scandalous translation here ? whether imputation will he choose to
lie under; that he knew the meaning of Victor, or that he knew it not?" —
Remarks,]). 113. In the reprint mentioned in the text, Collins omitted
the words by idiot Evangelists, and Mr. Prichard, who possessed that copy,
and believed it to be the original, persuaded himself that this disgraceful
translation was nothing but an impudent forgery of Bentley, invented to
discredit his antagonist. There may be found in Nichols's Literary Anec-
dotes, vol. ii. p. 673, an amusing correspondence on the subject between
this gentleman and Professor Lort.
*" See Leland's View of the Deistical Writers. Supplem. p. 36.
VOL. ]. A a
354 > LIFE OF
CHAP. XL was sheltered from his College prosecutors. This
^^'^- seemingly ill-timed collision occurred at the annual
election of scholars from Westminster school to the
two Colleges of Trinity and Christ-Church. The
connection of the school with these two Royal found-
ations had already proved the source of jealousy
between their Heads. Christ-Church influence had
for some time predominated at Westminster, which
was attributed to the Dean and Head-master both
Dec. 17, beloneino; to that society : and it had been resolved a
1707 00 J
few years before by a College decree at Trinity to
maintain at the public charge the right of their Head
to nominate the two masters of the school alternately
with the Dean of Christ-Church. At the annual
examination, which takes place before the two Heads,
aided by an associate from each College, it is cus-
tomary to elect, by alternate choice, to the foundations
of those two societies seven or eight youths ready for
the University : and, in order to preserve the equili-
brium perfect, each college possesses the right of first
option in the alternate years. In practice however
there had been some deviation from this rule of
equality, owing to the different constitution of the
two colleges. The studentships of Christ-Church
being permanent in tenure, and increasing in value
according to standing, conduct their possessors to the
full emoluments and preferments of the society with-
out risk or trouble : the scholarships of Trinity, on
the contrary, are tenable only till the standing of
Master of Arts ; they entitle their holders to become
candidates for fellowships ; but those higher objects
are open to free competition, and are the rewards of
merit. It followed therefore that the studentships
were coveted as a more secure provision, and as
exempt from the hazardous literary ordeal to be
encountered by the scholars. And, since the society
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 355
of Trinity never wished to gain unwilling members, f'UAP.xr,
it was common to allow those bo3^s who had interest ^^^^'
enough to obtain studentships, to become the Christ-
Church option. At the election in 1713, Lord Boling-
broke had used his interest to secure a studentship
for Robert Prior, a relation (perhaps a natural son) of
the celebrated Matthew Prior, who was his most
intimate friend, and at that moment confidential
minister at the Court of France. But Bentley, hap-
pening to be entitled to priority of choice, defeated
the object of the Secretary of State, by fixing upon
this boy, though the ninth in place, as his first option ;
and, in spite of all remonstrances, remained obstinate
in his resolution^'. What could be the Master's
motive for conduct so pointedl}^ offensive to Lord
Bolingbroke it is impossible to determine : he has
been frequently accused of too great an attention to
persons of power and influence ; and it cannot be
supposed that so able a diplomatist as the Secretary
would have suffered him to remain ignorant of his
wishes. It may be surmised that Bentley was piqued
21 This anecdote is told by Lord Bolingbroke himself in a letter to
Prior, July 4, 1713.
" I am unfortunate in all my negotiations ; at least in all those at home.
At the last election at Westminster I endeavoured to have sent a very
pretty lad, who wears your name, and therefore was entitled to my very
best services, to Christ Church ; ])ut Bentley pro solita hiimanitate sua,
leajjed over eight boys to make this youth his first option, and remained
with all the good breeding of a pedant inflexible." — Bolingbroke' s Corres-
pondence, vol. ii. p. 4.37-
Prior replies, July 13.
" I am obliged to you A'ery particularly for your care of my friend
Prior : I cannot imagine how you came to know that snudging boy, for his
mother is very homely. Bentley will always be an iU-bred pedant ; can
the leopard change his skin ? I hope you may never have any thing more
essential to trouble you, than the disappointment of the boy's going to
Trinity. I think I shall always have interest enough at Cambridge to
make his stay there easy; and if he has the continuance of your patronage,
I think too, matters cannot go so ill, ])ut that in four years we may set him
afloat in the world."
A a 2
356 LIFE OF
CHAP. XI. at the Minister for havino; iust withdrawn the sliield
of power which protected him from his enemies : or
he might attribute to Bolingbroke the disappointment
of his hopes of preferment. In either case we know
that his suspicions were erroneous ; as the jealousy
of the Lord Treasurer allowed to his colleague no
power of interference beyond his immediate depart-
ment. But it seems unlikely that a person who knew
the world so well as the Master of Trinity would have
shown his resentment by petulant and ill-natured
conduct, I am disposed therefore to think that he
only intended a pointed assertion of his privileges
against Atterbury, the Dean of Christ-Church ; who
was at that moment nominated to succeed Bishop
Sprat in the see of Rochester and deanery of West-
minster ; preferments which, it may be added, were
probable objects of ambition to Bentley himself ^^
Bentiey's To rcsumc tlic loug protractcd case of the College
thTarHdes. prosccutlou : — all obstacles to the exercise of his
judicial functions being at last removed, the Bishop
of Ely demanded the answer of the Master of Trinity
to the charges presented against him ; but not before
he had taken the precaution of requiring that the
petition and articles should be subscribed afresh by
the accusers ; and it does not appear that any one of
22 A pamphlet was written this year, eAndently by some member of his
College, containing a very bitter attack upon Dr. Bentley. It is called
An Answer to some objections that have been made to the conduct of Dr.B.,
Inyether uith a Dialo(/ue between a Whig and Tory concerning the present
State of the Case of Trinity College. Its style is generally scurrilous ;
but from it we learn (p. 8.) that the Master had lately been disappointed
in his hopes of preferment, at which he expressed great indignation ; it is
likewise said (p. 2.) that he was reported to have abused a noble person
then in power.
It may be remarked that during the whole administration of the Earl of
Oxford, in the distribution of Church preferment a glaring and unexampled
partiality was shown in favour of the University of Oxford. In the course
of the wliole four years scarcely a Cambridge man was preferred.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 357
the number declined to repeat his signature. Bentley chap. xi.
met the storm with such an intrepid spirit as only the ^'^^'^'
consciousness of innocence ought to inspire. He im-
mediately complied with the Bishop's mandate by June 13.
sending his reply to each of the 54 articles. The
answers are brief, and sometimes laconic ; and do
little more than indicate the line of defence which he
intended to adopt, when the cause should come to ' a
full and personal hearing.' Many of the facts laid to
his charge he acknowledges and justifies, asserting
that they were not violations of the statutes : others
he makes a subject of boast ; as he had done in his
printed letter, to which he frequently refers as his
' former answer.' To the various accusations of ex-
cessive and wasteful expenditure he replies that the
objects were of a public nature, and that they had
either been previously sanctioned or subsequently
allowed by the Seniority. His tone is high and
confident, and breathes the utmost contempt of his
accusers. There is however no recurrence to the
ground taken in his petition to the Queen, in which
he disputed the jurisdiction of the Bishop : on the
contrary, this answer commences with styling him
'Visitor,' and professes 'all submission to his Lord-
ship's censure and sentence.'
This document, being sent to the Fellows, produced
a ' representation' or ' replication' signed by counsel
in their name, commenting upon each of the Master's
answers, contending that some were ' insufficient,'
others ' untrue, ' and praying that the Visitor would
compel him to give a fuller reply. This, like all the
productions of Miller, was long and tedious.
Bentley rejoined by a short address to the Bishop,
treating the ' representation' with severity and con-
tempt ; urging justly enough, that these successive
rejoinders would not advance the case ; that it was
358 LIFE OF
CHAP. XI. unreasonable for him to be called upon to disprove
^^^^' the articles of accusation, before the accusers had
adduced any proof in their support ; and again call-
ing, in a tone rather of command than supplication,
for ' a final and personal hearing.'
This second reply being sent to the prosecutors,
was followed by another rejoinder from Miller in
their behalf, complaining of Dr. Bentley's refusal to
put in a fuller answer ; and begging the Visitor's
order that they might inspect the College books in
the Master's custody for the purpose of substantiating
their charges.
These proceedings, wdiich were in truth only formal
preliminaries, protracted the business till August ;
when Dr. Bentley made an effort to put an end to
this vexatious afiair by one of those stratagems which
Attempt to his 2;enius w^as ever ready to suo-o-est. He proposed
terminate "^ * . . 1 r
theproceed- to souic of tlic prosccutors that the Visitor should be
'"^^" petitioned by both parties to come over to Cambridge,
where, from the facility of examining the registers
and account-books, and by personal inquiries on the
spot, he might be enabled to come to a prompt deci-
sion upon the case. The suggestion was eagerly
embraced by several of the Fellows, as calculated to
obviate further delay and expense, and put a termina-
tion to a state of things which appeared ruinous to
the college. Eleven of the prosecutors had actually
subscribed their names to a petition for this purpose,
when it was remarked that Miller, to whom the whole
conduct of the cause had been intrusted, was still
upon the circuit ; that it would take a long time to
make a thorough examination of the books ; that
nothing w^as yet in readiness ; and consequently that,
if the prayer were complied with, and the trial imme-
diately commenced, an acquittal must follow as a
matter of course from the want of evidence. Accord-
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 359
iiigly, no more of the Fellows added their names to chap. xi.
what they conceived a stratagem to overreach them : ^^^^'
Bentley however not despairing of success, sent the
petition to Ely with the signatures already obtained,
by the hands of Professor Cotes. But Bishop Moore, The
1- 1 •! (, .p , . . , ,, Bishop's as-
bemg determnied to lortity his own judgment by the sessors.
first legal assistance, had engaged as his assessors
Lord Cowper, the ex-chancellor, and Dr. Newton, an
eminent civilian. He replied therefore that he in-
tended to try the cause in London, as the place where
both parties might most conveniently provide the
assistance of counsel, and that the trial would take
place in November, if the engagements of his asses-
sors permitted ^^
The Bishop having declared that he meant to take
the evidence in the form of affidavits, the month of
October was spent by Miller and the other prose-
cutors in preparing proofs from the College books,
and in drawing up depositions. No less than twenty-
seven affidavits were sworn against the party accused ;
nor does it appear that any one of the complainants
relented, or declined to maintain upon oath the charges
to which he had affixed his signature.
The society was destined however to experience
more of the law's delay, and the prolonged evils of
dissension and confusion. At this time the unsettled
state of public affairs, the violence of opposition, the
growing feuds between the principal ministers, the
precarious state of the Queen's health, and the appre-
hensions respecting the succession, occupied every
mind with intense interest ; while the avocations of
the judge, the assessors, and the advocates furnished
continual reasons for postponing the affairs of Trinity
^' A detailed account of these and some subsequent proceedings is given
in the Journal of Mr. Rud, who was in College at the lime.
360 LIFE OF
CHAP. XL College. Nor was it till the moiitli of May, J 7 14,
^^^'^' that the trial of Dr. Bentley actually commenced.
During this agitating interval, when his fortune
and character were at stake, our critic solaced the
hours of suspense by undertaking a new edition of
Terence. Of all the Latin writers this comedian was
his favourite : and his peculiar insight into the comic
metres, a subject which other scholars had abandoned
as hopeless, enabled him to correct a prodigious num-
ber of passages, and to throw new light upon the
author. But the overwhelming anxiety occasioned
by the approaching trial prevented his bringing the
work to a termination ^*.
Trial atEiy- When tlic loug cxpcctcd day arrived, the large hall
at Ely-House was converted into a court of justice,
where written evidence was produced in support and
refutation of the 54 articles against the Master of
Trinity College. The counsel for the prosecution
were Sir Peter King, Sir John Cheshyre, Mr. Serjeant
Page, Mr. Miller, and Dr. Paul the civilian. Those
employed by the Master were the Hon. Spencer
Compton (afterwards Speaker of the House of Com-
mons, and Earl of Wilmington), Mr. Lutwych, and
Dr. Andrews the civilian. As the nature of the cause
partook both of the common and the civil law, it was
arranged that two gentlemen of the former and one
of the latter profession should speak on each side
upon the respective heads of accusation. Of all these
learned advocates it is probable that Mr. Miller alone
was sufficiently master of the case, involving as it did
most of the statutes, as well as the details of College
history for above ten years. His familiarity with the
*' That Bentley was at this period occupied with preparing an edition of
Terence, I discover from a letter of the Abbe Bignon, Jan. 12, and of
Kuster, Jan. 16, 1711.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 361
business in all its bearings must have rendered him a chap.xi.
formidable adversary ". '
The articles embraced almost all material parts of
Bentley's College administration : in the account
already given of those transactions I have been care-
ful to consult the original records, as well as to com-
pare and balance the statements of the contending
parties, and particularly the briefs or instructions for
the management of this case drawn up by Miller and
Bentley themselves, which contain the heads of the
arguments, as well as of the evidence for supporting
the accusation and defence on every article. Con-
sidering the fallible nature of human testimony, after
a long interval has elapsed, and passion and prejudice
have interposed, it is surprising to find so little dis-
agreement respecting the substantial facts themselves.
The colouring given to them forms the ground of con-
troversy : what the accusers imputed to bad and cri-
minal motives, the other party contended to have been
innocent and praiseworthy.
The Master stood charged with the two offences of
'wasting the College goods,' and ' violating the sta-
tutes.' To the first class of articles he replied by
proving in detail that the difterent expenses alleged
to be ' wasteful,' had either been previously sanc-
tioned or subsequently approved by the College coun-
cil, consistino; of the accusers themselves. This con-
25 In a loose paper which I found in the Treasury of Trinity College,
there is the foUowing account of the performances of four of these gentle-
men. The \vriter seems to be some Fellow who was present at the trial :
" Spencer Compton. He hath been heard to say afterwards, that he
never was so ashamed of any cause in his life.
" Sir J Cheshyre. He used Dr. B. very mvich in his own way.
" Serj.Page. He hummed, and hawed, and stumbled; so that his
clients were very much ashamed of him.
" Mr. Miller. Was very exact in dates and c|uotations, but otherwise
but dull and heavy."
362 LIFE OF
CHAP. XI. currence of the Seniors, although it might clisquahfy
them from becoming complainants, could not exempt
the Master from censure : it was a better apology,
that the principal sums which he was charged witli
lavishing had been expended in the repairs and orna-
ment of the fabric, and other public objects : such
expenditure might indeed have been greater than was
necessary, but could not be termed ' dilapidatio
bonorum CoUegii,' The other class of charges he
met by showing that some of the acts with which he
was charged contradicted no statute, however opposite
they might be to custom and precedent. Still there
remained several, (particularly the issuing and enforc-
ing his decrees without approbation of the Seniority),
which plainly convicted him of exercising a power
beyond the law. Each instance, if considered by
itself, will rather be thought to call for the admonition
of a Visitor than to be a sufficient ground for expul-
sion. But when all the matters proved against him
are impartially reviewed, they must convince us that
Dr. Bentley was actuated by too arbitrary a spirit to
brook any restraint upon his authority, and that he
would never suffer the statutes, customs, or even the
interests of his society to stand in the way of any
favourite project. His conduct in the deprivation of
Miller was rather that of an Asiatic despot than of the
responsible Head of a liberal society : and his insulting
expressions towards some of the Fellows, which he
avowed and attempted to justify, showed how little
chance there was of his ever submittino- to be con-
trolled by persons whom he held in such supreme
contempt.
At the commencement of the trial public opinion
was greatly in favour of the accused. He was acknow-
ledged to be the most learned scholar that this country
could boast, and had recently proved himself a power-
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 363
fill defender of revealed religion. In his college he chap. xi.
had stood forward as the promoter of industry, learn- ^'^^^-
ing, and discipline ; his moral character was unim-
peached ; while his accusers were for the most part
persons of no name or celebrity, and to some of them
rumour attributed discreditable and immoral lives.
There is strong reason to believe that Bishop Moore
partook of the general impression, and that the Master
had by some means obtained intimation of his judge's
leaning in his favour. But in the progress of the trial opinion of
his sentiments underwent a change ; for at one of the Hiffavour-"^
hearings when the Master was present, the Bishop '^j^^g" ^'*^
expressed an opinion unfavourable to him. This
unexpected shock was too much even for the firm
mind and strong nerves of Dr. Bentley ; and he fainted
away in the court ^''.
The trial continued six weeks, and at the con- orders a
elusion left an impression that judgment would be deprTvation
e-iven ae:ainst the Doctor". In fact the Visitor, after ^"^y"^"
~ t3 -■ pared.
2*5 This remarkable fact is recorded by tradition. The truth of it is
placed beyond a doubt by Cumberland, who mentions it among other
anecdotes of his grandfather's life, and adduces it as a proof of the extra-
ordinary sensibOity of his nature. Kippis's Biographia Britannica, vol. ii,
p. 243. See also Noble's Continuation of Granger, vol. iii. p. 102. A
conversation between Judge Page and Dr. Colbatch some years after,
preserved in Colbatch's MSS., refers to the same anecdote. The judge
had witnessed the scene.
^^ The following letter was written at this crisis by Dr. Stubbe to Mr.
Erasmus Lewis, the Under Secretary of State, who is weU known, from
the writings of Dean Swift, as the attached and confidential friend of the
Lord Treasurer Oxford.
" From Mr. Addison's, in Cook's Court, Lincoln's Inn, June 16, 1714."
" Dear Sir,
" As you are a friend to Trinity College, I believe it will be no
unwelcome news to tell you, that the cause draws towards a period ; for
the Tryal ended at Ely-House Monday last ; and tljo' the Bishop may be
naturally given to procrastinate and moUifie, yet we flatter ourselves (the
crimes objected against Dr. Bentley having been proved in so pubhc a
manner) that it will not be in his Lordship's jjower either to suspend his
sentence long, or to give any other but what A\'ill be agreeable to justice ;
so that I must beg the favour of you to recollect what passed between us
364 LIFE OF
CHAP. XI. consulting his assessors, was convinced that the case
^^^'^' was made out against him, and accordingly ordered
a sentence to be drawn up of ejection from the
mastership. The process however was destined to
have a different result : Bishop Moore having caught
cold by his long sittings in the hall of Ely-House, an
Death of iHness ensued, which terminated fatally on the 31st
Bp. Moore. , . ■, ,
of July before he could pronounce judgment in this
long protracted cause.
After the Bishop's death there was found among
his papers the sentence prepared against Dr. Bentley.
But a considerable doubt exists respecting his real
intentions ; and there is much reason to believe that
he still entertained hopes of reconciling the conflict-
ing parties in the College, and that the sentence was
designed to compel the Master by terror to acquiesce
in such a settlement as he should propose, and that
it was only intended to be executed in case milder
methods were found ineffectual "^
about three years agoe upon this subject, if you have not quite forgot it. —
I j)romise you T am of the same mind I was then, and shall be glad to be
assured that you retain the same kind inclinations to lend me your helping
hand : I shall be proud of your directions in this affair, and to approve my-
self in this and every thing else, your most obliged humble servant, W. S."
" For Erasmus Lewis, Esq. These."
From the above letter it might be sujiposed that Dr. Stubbe himself
was aspiring to succeed to the mastership of Trinity on the expected
deprivation of Dr. Bentley ; but as it is hard to suppose that a person
whose age was at least seventy-five years could be smitten with such
aml)ition, I am disposed to think that his intended object was to ajiply to
the Government for some settlement of the disputed questions before a new
appointment was made. However this may be, the Lord Treasiu-er, who
was at this moment in the midst of a stniggle to preserve his own power
against Lord Bolingbroke, had little leisure to attend to the wishes or
suggestions of Dr. VVolfran Stubbe ; acrior ilium cura domat. This
liCwis however, whom his friend Dean Swift styles ' a cunning shaver,'
seems to have played double in the business, and to have sent this very
confidential letter of Stubbe's to Dr. Bentley, among whose i)apers I
found it.
28 lliis statement of the probable intentions of Bishop Moore seems as
well authenticated as the nature of the case admits. Dr. Colbatch availed
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 365
This event, which relieved Dr. Bentley from the chap. xr.
imminent peril in which he stood, was followed the ^^^'^'
next day by one of greater importance, the death of Death of
Queen Anne ; whereby the sceptre was transferred Anne
to the house of Hanover, the ministers were ejected "^'
and proscribed, and a new aspect given to the po-
litical state of the country.
himself of all opportunities of making enquiries of those who conversed
with him at the time, and fully believed the fact to have been as is stated
in the text. The following is the decretory part of the sentence : " Quia
per acta inactitata, deducta, allegata, exhibita, proposita, probata, pariter
et confessata, comperimus luculenter et invenimus praefatas partes quere-
lantes, et negotium hujusmodi promoventes, eorum intentionem in qui-
busdam articulis, sive libeUo supplici, aliisque pfopositis et exhibitis in
hoc negotio datis exhibitis et admissis, penesque Registrum nostrum
remanentibus deductam (quos quidem Articulos sive Libellum supplicem,
ceteraque proposita et exhibita praedicta pro hie lectis et insertis habemua
et haberi volumus) sufficienter et ad plenum (quod infra pronunciandum)
fimdasse et probasse, nihilque effectuale per dictum Richardum Bentley
vel ex parte sua fuisse aut esse in hoc negotio exceptum, deductum,
allegatum, exhibitum, propositum, probatum, vel confessatum, quod
intentionem dictarum partium querelantium, et negotium hujusmodi
promoventium in hac parte elideret, seu quomodolibet enervaret : Idcirco
nos, Joannes Episcopus Eliensis, Visitator antedictus, Christi nomine
primitus invocato, et ipsum solum Deum oculis nostris proponentes et
habentes, deque et cum consilio Assessorum nostrorum nobiscum assiden-
tium, praefatum Richardum Bentley, Sacrae Theologiae Doctorem, Collegii
Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis in oppido Cantabrigiae prasdictae Magis-
trum coram nobis examinatum, bona dicti Collegii dilapidasse, et statuta
ejusdem Collegii violasse pronunciamus, decernimus, et declaramus ;
Eundem igitur Richardum Bentley, sicut praefertur, coram nobis, Visita-
tore antedicto examinatum, et dilapidatione bonorum dicti Collegii coram
nobis Visitatore praedicto convictum, propter praemissa officio suo Magistri
Collegii praedicti privamus, ipsumque Richardum Bentley officio suo
Magistri Collegii praedicti amovemus, per banc nostram sententiam de-
finitivam, sive hoc nostrum finale decretum, quam sive quod ferimus et
promiilgamus in his scriptis."
3GG LIFE OF
CHAPTER XII.
Bentley^s reconciliation with his Fellows — Fleetwood, Bishop of Ely — Fresh
attempt to vacate Miller's fellowship — Miller's Petition to the King —
Articles of Accusation against the Master — Bishop Fleetwood refuses to
take cognizance of them — Bentley's Charge to his Archdeaconry —
Sherlock and Waterland — Vote of the Senate against Bentley re-
scinded — Thanks of the University voted to him — State of politics at
Cambridge — King's prese7it of the late Bishop Moore's Library to the
University — ' University Loyalty considered' — Bentley's Sermon on
Popery — Attack upon the Sermon — Reply — Account of Dr. Colbatch —
Bentley offers him the Vice-mastership — The Master's disposal of
College Livings — Further measures against Miller — College leases —
Colbatch applies to the Bishop of Ely — Archbishop Wake interests
himself in favour of the Fellows — They Petition the King — Bentley's
scheme of jmblishing the Greek Testament — Death of Cotes — Robert
Smith — History and Death of Kuster — Biel — Correspondence on Hesy-
chius — Project of Editions to be published by Bentley, ' in Usum
Principis Frederici' — Schism in the Whig Ministry — Bentley turns out
Miller by constables — Quarrels with. Colbatch — Fellowship Election —
Petition read in Council — Miller's Book on the University of Cam-
bridge — ' Humble and Serious Representation on the State of Trinity
College' — Bentley carries an Address to the King — Waterland — Election
of Vice-chancellor — Bentley's Visitation Charge.
CHAP. The premature termination of the suit ao-ainst the
1714 Master of Trinity College, at the very moment
when it was expected to end in his deprivation,
afforded him an opportunity of retracing his steps,
conciliating his Fellows, and retrieving the ground
which he had lost in the good opinion of the public.
It is impossible not to wish that he had profited by
this warning ; and that being now saved by his good
fortune from immediate peril, he had confined him-
self to the strict path which his duty and his dignity
prescribed. We find indeed that he did avail himself
of tlie alteration of circumstances to effect the paci-
7
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 367
fication of his College, but it was done in a manner chap.
not calculated to secure the praise either of his own j„j^
times or of posterity. =^=^===
The majority of the eight Senior Fellows, being Bentiey's
harassed with domestic feuds which now appeared tion with his
interminable, conceiving that they had already done ^'^"°'^^-
their utmost to procure a redress of grievances, and
thinking any alternative better than the anarchy and
discord in which they had passed the last four years,
listened readily to the first overtures for accommo-
dation. Since the commencement of the proceedings
in 1710, not less than six of the prosecutors had
died : of the remainder some were weak and harm-
less men, far advanced in life, who only desired
permission to pass the remnant of their days in
tranquillity ^
The see of Ely was supplied by Dr. Fleetwood, Fleetwood,
Bishop of St. Asaph, who had distinguished himself Ely.
in the late reign by his learning, as well as by
protesting against the conduct of the Tory govern-
ment. Immediately on his nomination he declared
that, if he visited Trinity College, it should be in
the character of a General Visitor, to execute im-
partial justice on all delinquencies, whether of the
Master or of the Fellows. This announcement pro-
duced a sudden effect upon two or three of the
prosecutors, who had degraded their character and
station by intemperate habits, which made them
obnoxious to the censures of a Visitor. They ac-
cordingly entered into a compact with the Master,
and declined joining in any further proceedings
against him, while he, on his part, neither molested
them, nor obstructed their interests. Hereupon he
abandoned his scheme for dividends and compen-
1 Tliree of these had been intruded into the Society by the mandates of
Charles II. and James II. See Chapter VII.
XII.
1714.
368 LIFE OF
CHAP, sation, which had been the immediate cause of the
late proceedings. The common object of the two
parties, to prevent any external interference, was a
sufficient cement of the union. Among those re-
conciled to the Master was Mr, Barwell, a person
hitherto conspicuous for the violence of his hostility :
he was in reality a timid man, shrinking from the
slightest appearance of danger ; a weakness of cha-
racter which Bentley had already perceived, and
availed himself of the discovery. The vice-master-
ship, vacant by the death of Dr. Smith, was now
given to Mr. Modd, one of the oldest Fellows ; the
bursarship to Mr. Bathurst, though he was nearly
incapable of its duties from infirmity of sight; and
Mr. Hanbur}^, the individual whose intemperate
habits the Master had most severely reprobated and
published to the world, was made senior dean^
Fresh at- Being convinced however that he could never
tempt to va- ' ^ ' • ' j. j. •ii'j. i
cate Miller's ^^J^Y his powcr lu sccui'ity or tranquillity, so long
Feiiowsiup. g^g jjjg enemy Miller continued in the society, he
resolved at all hazards to effect his removal. The
former pretence for depriving him of his fellowship,
that he was not a Doctor of Physic, seems to have
met with such universal condemnation that he dared
not revive it. But the statutes supplied him with a
different ground in the following enactment. Cap.
VIII. ^'- Statuimus py^cBterea, si quis Sociorum, qui non
sit Co7icionator, aut JJiscipulorum, sacerdotium aid
prehendam cujiiscu7ique summcB habuerit, aut si pensio-
nem anmiam, qucE smmiiam decern Ubrarum excesserit,
aut possessiones aliquas hcEreditarias dictani summam
excedentes, aut stipendium jjro toto vitcB sucb tempore
duraturum, quod eandem summam supcixiverit , ut post
annum Collegia amoveatur.' As Miller possessed an
" This is alluded to in MuhJlpfon's JVorks, vol. iii. p. 356.
RICHAR© BENTLEY, D.D. 369
estate of several hundreds a year, the Master had chap.
contended at the late trial that, upon the score of the ^^^^
above statute, he ought to be deprived of his fellow- ^—
ship. This plea furnished, of course, no justification
of the step which had actually been taken. As it
seemed however a fair statutable ground, Bentley,
at the ensuing election, declared Miller's fellowship
to be vacant on account of his property. To this the
Seniority demurred, not being yet prepared to cashier
their champion ; but he obtained their acquiescence
in a proposal which bespeaks all the subtilty of its
author. It was agreed to elect provisionally David
Humphreys, one of the candidates whom the Seniors
were themselves desirous to admit into the society,
to supply the place of Miller, in case his fellowship
should be declared vacant by the King before the
following July, the regular period for admission of
Major-fellows.
The Seniors were probably fflad of an expedient ^liiier's pe-
, . , , „ , . . . ,y . . . tition to the
which took out 01 their jurisdiction so nice a question : King.
the advantage obtained by Bentley will show itself in
the sequel. Miller immediately preferred a petition
to the Crown, praying for redress and protection.
The words of the statute seemed to be plainly against
him ; but he urged, reasonably enough, that as they
occurred in the chapter Z>e Concionatorihiis, they had
always been considered to relate only to the Fellows
on the clerical line ; and had never before been put
in force against the two laymen, who possessed no
share in the advantages given by that very statute to
their clerical brethren. It was besides evident that
this measure was partial and personal ; since the
Master not only connived at others who were pos-
sessed of property, but had recently advised the
Seniority not to accept the resignation of Mr. Gres-
wold, who had succeeded to an estate of above a
VOL, I. B b
370
LIFE OF
CHAP.
XII.
1714.
Articles of
accusation
against the
Master.
Bp. Fleet-
wood refu-
ses to take
cognizance
of tlieni.
Bentley's
Cliarge to
his Arcli-
deaconry.
thousand a year, alleging that persons of property
were beneficial members of the society.
The contest being now brought to such a point
that one or other must be ejected, Miller, who was
just advanced to the rank of Serjeant at Law, pre-
sented to the new Bishop of Ely a fresh set of articles,
accusing the Master of wasting the goods and vio-
lating the statutes of his college, and calling upon
the prelate to proceed as Visitor under the 40th
statute. This new accusation differed little from that
which had been laid before Bishop Moore : some of
the trivial charges were dropped, and a few were
added relating to occurrences of the last four years :
but Miller finding it impossible to obtain as many
signatures as before, subscribed them himself ' in the
name and behalf of many of the Fellows.' Bishop
Fleetwood declined taking cognizance of this accu-
sation, alleging that he considered it unfair to visit
the delinquencies of one member of the college, and
not the rest ; and, since the late Queen's counsel
had decided that the general visitatorial power did not
belong to the Bishop of Ely, he would not take upon
himself to exercise such functions.
Just before this Bishop's accession to the diocese,
Bentley, in the character of Archdeacon of Ely, had
held a visitation of the clergy. They, like the ma-
jority of the parochial ministers throughout the
kingdom, were of the Tory party, and many of them
were observed to be backward in taking the oaths to
the Government. The first proceedings of the new
reign, the exclusion from office of almost all reputed
friends of the Church, as well as the vindictive be-
haviourof the triumphant party, gave much disgust,
and led to an opinion, that a throne supported by
such measures could not be secure or permanent.
The Archdeacon, who had all along expressed his
^v,ICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 371
attachment to the Hanoverian Succession, endea- chap.
XII.
voured in his Charge to reconcile the minds of his
1714.
brethren to the present settlement by force of argu-
ment. But in so doing his language fell far short
of the loyalty of the Whigs, and raised a clamour
against him from the zealots of the cause which he
was advocating, notwithstanding that he bestowed all
personal praise upon King George, terming him the
Antoninus of his as^e. The followino- sentence of the
Charge was particularly condemned as disrespectful
to his Majesty: " It is hardly possible for a foreign
prince to avoid several errors in government at his
first coming amongst us ; but I doubt not but that a
little time will open his eyes, and then all will be
well." So jealously were the words and actions of
Bentley watched by his adversaries, that Serjeant
Miller, who was a vehement and intolerant Whig,
laid hold of this passage as matter of charge before
the Bishop of Ely, and hoped to convict him of the
crime IcescB majestatis, as a statutable ground of ex-
pulsion from his mastership^.
It will be recollected that, by a decree of the Senate
two years before. Dr. Bentley was placed under the
ban of the University. Circumstances now afforded
him an opportunity of being reinstated with honour
and eclat. In the course of the year 1714 the Univer- shoiock
sity acquired among its Heads two of the most illus- ^nd.
trious divines that the Church of England can boast,
Thomas Sherlock and Daniel Waterland ; the former
3 Middleton's Full and Impartial Account of the Proceedings, §-c. 1719,
Works, vol iii. p. 295. MS. Copy of Serj. Miller's Articles against the
Master of Trinity, December 1714. Tlie writer of a pamphlet, called
University Loyalty Considered, while he advocates Dr. Bentley in every
thing, and maintains that his Charge comprised nothing really disrespectful
to his Majesty, yet acknowledges that the common report of it had done him
more harm than even his unfortunate Dedication to the Earl of Oxford,
' a man who soon after happened to be a knave.' p. 31.
Bb2
372 LIFE OF
CHAP, beinsc made Master of Catherine Hall, and the latter
XII
J-J4 of Magdalene College. They were both young men,
distinguished by talent and erudition; and they ex-
hibited, on their elevation, great aptitude for busi-
ness, and discretion as well as activity, which speedily
gave them influence and authority in the body. At
the Public Commencement in this year, their theolo-
gical disputation excited an uncommon sensation, not
confined to the University : the subject was the ques-
tion of Arian subscriptions ; Waterland being the
respondent, and Sherlock the opponent. The unusual
circumstance of a public debate betw^een two Heads
of Houses, the general interest of the topic, and still
more the learning, ingenuity, and fluency of the
combatants, made a great and lasting impression.
Sherlock having become Vice Chancellor, Dr. Bentley,
and his Ofiicial, Dr. Brookbank, submitted to his
arbitration the whole question in dispute between the
Archdeacon of Ely and the University, relative to
the probates of wills, ' to be by him equitably and
Vote of the amicably decided*.' Accordingly the Vice Chan-
agdns^t cellor, after an examination of the charters, records,
Bentley re- ^^-^^}^ rciristers, drcw up a distinct statement of the
scindeu. ~ ' ^ _ ^
different descriptions of persons to the probates of
whose wills the University was entitled : whereupon
the Official subscribed an engagement never to inter-
fere with those claims, and the Archdeacon ratified
the concession in the name of himself and his suc-
Dec. 21. cessors. Those documents being published to the
Senate in a convocation, were immediately followed
by a grace, cancelling and annulling the late resolu-
* Dr. Sherlock, during this year of office, compiled a manuscript book
upon the Property, Rights, Privileges, and Customs of the University.
This valuable document is said to have been lost by a Vice Chancellor
some years ago: a copy of it, however, is preserved in Cole's MSS.
vol. xxi. p. 237-
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 373
tion, by which the Archdeacons of Ely and their chap.
Officials were excluded from the office of Vice Chan- ,^_, '
1714.
cell or ; and the repeal was next day voted by the
body with the same unanimity as the censure ^
The zeal of Bentley's friends did not rest satisfied Thanks of
with restoring him to all the privileges of his station : ^uy voteT"
it was resolved to mark the public sense of his merits ^° *"'"•
by honours of a signal and unusual nature. At the Jan.4,1715.
next meeting of the Senate, Mr. Waterland, supported
by Professor Cotes and Mr. Bull, a Fellow of Queen's,
carried up the following grace, which was voted
unanimously by the Caput and the two Houses :
" Whereas the Reverend Dr. Bentley, Master of Trinity College,
besides his other labours published from oui- press, to the great
advancement of learning and honour of this University, has lately,
under the bon'owed name of Phileleutherus Lipsiensis, done eminent
service to the Christian Religion, and the Clergy of England, by
refuting the objections and exposing the ignorance of an impious set
of writers, that call themselves Freethinkers — May it please you that
the said Dr. Bentley, for his good services already done, have the
public thanks of the University ; and be desired by Mr. Vice Chan-
cellor, in the name of the whole body, to finish what remains of so
useful a work "."
It is necessary to notice and refute an attempt
made to disparage this high honour conferred upon
our critic, by a pretence that the Senate had been
surprised into the resolution. This is the assertion
of Middleton, who declares that the whole was the
result of artifice and management, that the design
' was only whispered to three or four friends,' that
•^ This resolution for cancelling the former penal grace was executed
more literally than could have been designed by the Senate : for it was
erased from the Register-book with such determined diUgence, that it
never could have been deciphered. However, a copy of it was preserved
by Atwood, the Esquire Beadle, in his Diary, from whence it was tran-
scribed by Cole, in his multifarious collection.
® University Grace Book ; Rud's Diary ; Atwood's Diary.
374 LIFE OF
XII
1715,
CHAP. ' it was passed as silently and clandestinely as possible/
and that the scandal it gave was the occasion of a
decree soon after, ' that no business should be com-
pleted except in two congregations ^' Now the fact
is that the motion was made with unusual pomp;
^ and, as it passed without one dissenting voice, it is
difficult to imagi\ie that any length of notice could
have procured its rejection. That it was voted at a
single congregation is no proof of artifice ; this was
not uncommon at the time; and, although the decree
to which Middleton alludes was judicious and proper,
yet it could not have had reference^ as he pretends,
to this vote of thanks to Bentley, since it was not
Jul i«, made till above two years afterwards. Neither of
1716-17. ^i^g ^^Q Diary-writers who record the circumstance,
though present on the spot and sufficiently ill-disposed
to our hero, mentions a belief of artifice or the ex-
istence of any dissatisfaction. And the person an-
swerable for the management, had there been any,
was Sherlock, the Vice Chancellor, who can never
be reckoned among the friends of the Master of
Trinity.
I am not able to justify Dr. Bentley 's omission to
comply with a request, thus publicly preferred and
accompanied with all the circumstance of honour.
The part of Collins' book which remained unanswered
consisted indeed of little more than quotations, and
afforded no exercise for the critic's sagacity, except
the exposure of blunders in translation and perversion
of the meaning of the original ; of both which delin-
quencies the Freethinker had already been satifac-
torily convicted. But the completion of the work
was now become due to the University ; and for his
neglect of this honourable debt neither the pressure
" ^Middleton's Full and Impartial Account, ^'c. Works, vol. iii. p. 292.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 375
of other business, nor his constitutional habit of pro- chap.
crastination, can excuse him. j^jg
The political feelings prevalent in the Universities
T ^ 1 J J 1. xl Stateofpoli-
are, in ordinary cases, not much regarded by the tics at Cam-
Government or the public. But at particular and " ^^'
critical times, the sentiments expressed by the acade-
mical bodies have been observed to influence those of
a great part of the nation. Thus in the reign of
James the Second they gave the first demonstration
of resistance to the attempts of that monarch against
the establishments and liberties of the country ; an
example which was speedily and happily followed.
In the memorable year 1710, the public reception of
Dr. Sacheverell by the University of Oxford added
weight and consequence to that popularity, which was
soon felt with tremendous effect by his prosecutors.
And at the present crisis, when the new King was
imperfectly established on his throne, and when a
party, whose extent could not be ascertained, showed
symptoms of a design to restore the house of Stuart,
the sentiments of the University became of much
importance, as giving a tone to those of the Church
and of a considerable part of the aristocracy. At
Oxford a strong demonstration of Jacobite principles
was made by the senior part of the body ; who, upon
their Chancellor, the Duke of Ormond, openly em-
barking in the service of the Pretender, testified their
unaltered attachment to him by choosing his brother,
the Earl of Arran, to hold his station ; while the
excesses of the students, said to be unchecked and
permitted by their superiors, occasioned the Govern-
ment to send a military force to keep them in subjec-
tion. At Cambridge there prevailed a spirit of a
different kind, which it is necessary to explain, since
a vulgar error has represented this University as the
head-quarters of Whig politics. That a great majority
376 LIFE OF
XII.
1715.
CHAP, of the members were of the Tory party at the acces-
sion and throughout the reign of George the First,
will satisfactorily appear to the enquirer. At the
General Election in 1715, the Tory representatives
were re-elected ; and in all subsequent struggles, by
which the strength of the parties can be estimated,
that interest maintained a majority of at least two to
one. It is however equally certain that only a small
proportion of the High-church party at Cambridge
were Jacobites ; and thus far the case appears to have
differed from that of the sister University. The Non-
jurors were not numerous, and appear to have shown
no disposition to disturb the government which they
declined to acknowledge. But on the night of the
Pretender's birth-day, and again on that of King
George, disturbances did take place through some
young men, who had either imbibed Jacobite princi-
ples, or thoughtlessly availed themselves of those
occasions for juvenile licence : some windows were
broken, and some cries were heard of ' No Hanover.'
But the excesses, being few and trivial, were censured
by the Vice Chancellor as ordinary breaches of disci-
pline, without reference to their political- tendency.
This conduct of Sherlock and the other Heads, even
as represented by an enemy, seems to have been highly
judicious : and the advice of the party who called for
signal and extraordinary punishments, had it been
followed, would probably have been attended with
consequences destructive of the peace and credit of
the University.
Aug. 10. These disturbances being represented in an exag-
gerated light, and tumults occurring about the same
time in various parts of the country, which were con-
sidered as the harbingers of rebellion, an address to
the King was voted by the Senate ; wherein they assure
his Majesty of their zeal and attachment to his person
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 377
and QTOvernment, and their uneasiness at the danger chap.
o ' '-' XII.
which threatened them, ' a danger affecting not only ^^^5
the present age, but the latest posterity:' declaring — —
that, as they had constantly acknowledged King
George to be the only lawful and rightful heir to the
throne, it was impossible for them ever to forget their
duty and join in treason ; reminding the King of his
promise that the constitution in Church and State
should be the only rule of his government ; and in
conclusion assuring him that, ' whatever representa-
tions had been made to their prejudice, they did and
would so instruct the youth, that they might show in
their conduct an example of those principles of loyalty
and obedience, which this University, pursuing the doc-
trines of our Church, has ever steadily maintained.'
This avowal of a determination to uphold the title King's pre-
of the Hanover family upon Church of England prin- "^"jBi^Vo'p
ciples was immediately followed by a noble exercise JJ"^"^^^^ Jj^-^
of Royal munificence. The King, at the suggestion university.
of Lord Viscount Townshend, purchased the library
of the late Bishop Moore, one of the best in the king-
dom, for 6000/., and presented it to the University of
Cambridge. This collection, valuable not only for
its extent (being about 30,000 volumes), but for the
rarity of its treasures, both printed and manuscript, is
the greatest benefaction which Cambridge ever yet
received. The gratitude of the University for this
signal generosity was expressed in an address to the
King, and another to the Minister ; in both of which
we find specimens of that glowing eloquence fre-
quently conspicuous in the writings of Dr. Sher-
lock ^
8 On this occasion was Avritten the well-known epigram of some Oxonian
wit :
" King George observing with judicious eyes
The state of both his Universities,
378 LIFE OF
CHAP. Just at this time appeared a tract called ' Univer-
1715. ^^ty Loyalty Considered ;' written by an ardent Whig,
who was indignant at not findina: in others that zealous
* Univcrsitv
Loyalty attachment to the new King, which he professed him-
ed"'' "' s^lf • he would show no quarter to Tories or High-
churchmen, but insinuates his wish for the restora-
tion of Whiston, and the abolition of all proceedings
against propagators of heretical opinions. It would
be idle to criticise a party pamphlet written at a mo-
ment of feverish excitement : but the notice of it is
necessary ; since the author devotes almost half his
pages to the praise of Dr. Bentley, whom he deems
the first character in the University, and recommends
as the most deserving of preferment in the Church;
and after having divided his work between the praise
of the Monarch, and the praise of the Master, sub-
scribes himself by the appropriate, but not very
decorous, title of PMlo-Georgius et Pkilo-Bentleius.
From this production of his friend, whoever he might
be, we find that Bentley had by this time identified
himself with the Whig party ; and some share of the
animosity with which we shall find him treated in the
University, may be attributed to this dereliction of the
side which he had embraced in the late reign ".
To Oxford sent a troop of horse ; and why ?
That learned body wanted loyalty.
To Cambridge books he sent, as well discerning
How much that loyal body wanted learning."
The retort, by Sir William Browne, founder of the prizes for odes and
epigrams, though ingenious, must be confessed to be inferior in wit and
satire to the original :
" The King to Oxford sent a troop of horse.
For Tories own no argument but force ;
With equal skiU to Cambridge books he sent.
For Whigs admit no force but argument."
^ ' llnivernifi/ Loyalty Considered j in a Letter to a Gentleman at Cam-
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 379
Shortly afterwards the flames of rebellion blazed chap.
forth in Scotland, and in the North of England. The '^^^'^
celebration of the 5th of November occurred at the
very crisis of danger from the civil war undertaken to sermon on
place a popish monarch upon the throne. On that ^"p"^"
day Dr. Bentley, with a spirit worthy of his character,
delivered from the University pulpit at St. Mary's his
bridge. London, 1715.' For the politics of this writer, the following
specimen wiU suffice :
" 'Tis certain that even the University magistrates would be better
subjects than they are, if they were but half as good as those they think fit
to punish for being bad ones. If they would be thought so, let them exert
themselves with the utmost rigour against those that are otherwise. To
that end, let them banish aU party-talk, as well as party-papers, from the
coifee-houses. Let the dead be forgotten, rather than that the memory of
a good Queen shall obstruct your affection to a better King. Let it be as
punishable to insinuate treason as to speak it. Let your pubhc orations be
in praise of the present Administration ; and if the Orator expatiates on the
virtues 6i King George, let him be no longer hissed at and ridiculed." P. 22.
Of his panegyric on Dr. Bentley, I select these sentences :
" As to the first of them, it is not denied by any judicious persons, that
he's a man of such a consummate merit, as should entitle him to as much
encouragement as is due to the most learned man in the age. On this
account, 'tis well known that it is not for want of abihties, that he is not so
serviceable as he might be to the Church." — " He is so weU versed in
these (parts of learning) that you'U be of my mind, if I venture to affirm,
that whoever is a master of any one of them in as high a degree as he is
master of them all, is sure to be accounted a very great man, in the judg-
ment of such as don't give way to prejudice. I cannot give the gentle-
man I'm speaking of a higher nor indeed a juster encomium, than by
confessing that Sir Isaac Newton is not a greater philosopher, than he is a
universal scholar. Upon these grounds I persuade myself that he knows
as much as it is morally possible for any one man to know of every thing ;
this at least I can say of him, that he has made such a perfect proficiency
in all parts of the most valuable literature, that no other genius but the
same that carried him so far, can carry him farther." — ' ' Can you suppose
then, that in such good times any thing can obstruct this gentleman's
promotion, except his own deficiency in an affection for such as have it in
their power to promote him ? But, for the world to impute this to him, is
to determine his reputation by the reports of such as make it their game
and pastime to ruin him. Because he's a man of a great soul, of an innate
authority, and a very majestic air, many have therefore taken an antipathy
against him as a man that's high-minded." P. 25, &c.
The above passages, as well as some others in this tract, savour strongly of
irony.
380 LIFE OF
CHAP, celebrated Sermon on Popery. This remarkable com-
1715 position, which combines the learning, clearness of
conception, and force of language that distinguish its
author, unmasks the papal system, and details its
history with admirable success. Its originality of
style and mixture of learning and argument, not un-
accompanied with eloquence, have secured for it a
fate very different from that of other sermons on the
same anniversary : it continues, and will ever continue
to be read, with an interest inferior only to that which
it must have excited, when pronounced from the
pulpit, aided by the advantages of a powerful voice
and impressive delivery. He opens the discourse
rather in his character of a critic than a preacher, by
explaining the full force of the original words in his
text, (2 Cor. ii. 17.) Ov yap iafxtv wg ol ttoWoi, Kawt]-
\evovTeQ TOP Xoyov tou Geou — and showing the in-
adequacy of our translation — For we are not as many,
which corrupt the Word of God. His commentary
upon the words KaTniK^vovTiq r. X. t. 9., the full notion
of which is, trafficking in the word of God for their
own lucre, is clear and satisfactory, raises the force of
the passage, and makes it apply to the spirit of
Popery ; whose various institutions, from its first
growth in the Church, are all found to have had the
same intent and effect. The enumeration of these
corruptions begins with one suggested by the philolo-
gical commentary that had preceded ; the papists —
' enhancing the authority of the vulgar Latin over
that of the Greek original : so that we must search
for St. Paul's meaning here, not in the notion of
/caTrrjAeuovTEc, but of cidulterantes ; not of oi ttoWoi, but
of midti without its article ; an original defect in the
Latin tongue.' He goes on to expose the different
inventions of monasteries, of relicks and images, of
pilgrimages and crusades, of papal infallibility, of
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 381
purgatory, of indulgences and pardons, of the celibacy chap.
of the clergy, and at length by slow degrees, of j-j^
transubstantiation. The language is as plain as the ===
reasoning is forcible ; till his spirit rising with his
subject, and apparently compelled by the indignation
to which it gave birth, he bursts into a strain of
eloquence of which very few instances can be found
in his compositions :
" I might now go on to show you a more dismal scene of impos-
tures, judicia Dei, the judgments of God, as they blasphemously
called them, when no human evidence could be found : their trials by
ordeal ; by taking a red-hot iron in the hand ; by putting the naked
arm into hot boihng water ; by sinking or swimming in pools and
rivers, when bound fast hand and foot; all of them borrowed or
copied fi'om pagan knavery and superstition ; and so manageable by
arts and slights, that the party could be found guilty or innocent,
just as the priests pleased, who were always the tryers. What bribes
were hereby procured ? what false legacies extorted ? what malice
and revenge executed ? on all which if we should fully dilate and
expatiate, the intended tragedy of this day, which now calls for our
consideration, would scarce appear extraordinary. Dreadful indeed
it was, astonishing to the imagination ; all the ideas assemble in it
of terror and horror. Yet, when I look on it with a philosophical
eye, I am apt to felicitate those appointed for that sudden blast of
rapid destruction ; and to pity those miserables that were out of it,
the designed victims to slow cruelty, the intended objects of lingering
persecution. For, since the whole plot (which will ever be the plot
of Popery) was to subdue and enslave the nation, who would not
choose and prefer a short and despatching death, quick as that by
thunder and lightning, which prevents pain and perception, before
the anguish of mock trials, before the legal accommodations of gaols
and dungeons, before the peaceful executions by fire and faggot ?
"Who would not rather be placed direct above the infernal mine, than
pass through the pitiless mercies, the salutary torments of a popish
Inquisition ; that last accursed contrivance of atheistical and devilish
politic ? If the other schemes have appeared to be the shop, the
warehouse of Popeiy ; this may be justly called its slaughter-house
and its shambles. Hither are haled poor creatures (I should have
said rich, for that gives the frequentest suspicion of heresy) without
any accuser, without allegation of any fault. , They must inform
against themselves, and make confession of something heretical ; or
else undergo the discipline of the various tortures : a regular svstem
382
LIFE OF
CHAP.
XII.
1715.
Sterne's
plagiarism.
Attack upon
the sermon.
of ingenious cruelty, composed by the united skill and long succes-
sive experience of the best engineers and artificers of torment. That
savage saying of Caligula's, horrible to speak or hear, and fit only to
be writ in blood, Ita feri, ut se mori sentiat, is here heightened and
improved : Ita se mori sentiat, ut ne moriatur, say these merciful
Inquisitors. The force, the effect of every rack, every agony, are
exactly understood : this stretch, that strangulation is the utmost
nature can bear ; the least addition will overpower it : this posture
keeps the weary soul hanging upon the lip ; ready to leave the car-
cass, and yet not sufi'ered to take its wing : this extends and prolongs
the very moment of expiration ; continues the pangs of dying without
the ease and benefit of death. O pious and proper methods for the
propagation of Faith ! O true and genuine Vicar of Christ, the God of
mercy, and the Lord of peace !" — Bentley's Sermons, p. 364, 6th ed.
Perhaps some readers who are not aware of having
ever perused Dr. Bentley's Sermon on Popery, may,
nevertheless, recollect the latter part of the above
quotation. If so, it is in the novel of Tristram
Shandy that they have met with this passage, pur-
loined almost verbatim by the sentimental plagiarist
Sterne, whose literary thefts have long been notorious.
The present instance is the more curious, as this hap-
pens to form the very part of the sermon read by
Corporal Trim, which so overpowers the feelings of
the sympathetic soldier, that he declares ' he would
not read another line of it for all the world ^^'
This discourse, being printed, had the common fate
of Bentley's publications, in giving birth to a contro-
versy. It was attacked by one Cummins, a Calvin-
istic dissenter, who was possessed with an excessive
animosity against the clergy of the Establishment :
he seems to have made it the subject of a tirade,
merely on account of its author's celebrity. His ob-
jects were, first to accuse the English clergy of the
same insincerity which Bentley charges against the
Papists, particularly in their preaching the doctrine
of universal redemption, after having subscribed the
Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, vol. ii. chap. 17.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 383
39 Articles, which, he contends, countenance his own chap.
. . XII.
notions of partial redemption, and absolute predesti- ^-^^
nation : secondly, to insinuate that the great body of ===
them were favourable to the Pretender ; a charge
which, as applied to the principal object of his attack,
was notoriously contrary to the fact. Of criticism
Cummins speaks in terms of contempt which only
prove his own ignorance ; and the deplorable work
which he himself makes in his interpretations, where-
ever he differs from Bentley, proves the importance
of that learning which he wishes to decry. This
pamphlet partakes of the high and presumptuous
spirit which the marked countenance of Government,
and the cloud hanging over the High-church party,
had given to the dissenters. After a considerable Reply.
interval of time there appeared an elaborate reply,
written by some friend of the Doctor's, as much for
the purpose of praising him, as of confuting his adver-
sary ; who, in truth, was scarcely worthy of that
trouble. This tract, which concludes with a laboured
defence of the doctrine of universal redemption, dis-
plays no inconsiderable acquaintance with polemical
divinity ".
In reverting to the affairs of Trinity College, it Account of
now is necessary to introduce to the particular aQ- batch.
quaintance of the reader a personage, who will make
a prominent figure in the remainder of this history.
Of all the Fellows of the College, Dr. John Col-
batch stood the highest in reputation, both as a
scholar and a divine : unlike the generality of his
" Reflections on the Scandalous Aspersions on the Clergy, by the author of
the Remarks on Dr. Bentley' s Sermon on Popery, 1717. I find it some-
where asserted that the author of these reflections was Bentley himself;
which nobody can believe, who reads half a page of the pamphlet. There
are several references to manuscripts in the library of Corpus Christi Col-
lege, from which we might infer that the writer was a member of that
society.
384 LIFE OF
XII
1715.
CHAP, brethren, he had lived much in the world, and pos-
sessed an acquaintance among persons of rank and
consideration. He had passed nearly seven years,
from his first entering into Orders, as chaplain to the
Factory at Lisbon, and had, at the desire of Bishop
Burnet, written an account of the state of relio-ion
and literature in that country ; which being shown to
Queen Mary, produced much applause, along with
assurances from her Majesty of providing for the
author. At the earnest request of the same prelate,
accompanied with promises of preferment, he left his
situation in Portugal, worth about 200/, a year, to
become private tutor to his eldest son, Gilbert Burnet,
who was designed for Trinity College. Colbatch,
however, was destined to experience in a higher
degree that description of patron which Dr. Johnson
enumerates among the ' ills of a scholar's life,' He
had been desirous of quitting his fellowship, but was
persuaded, greatly against his inclination, to continue
in College till the Bishop of Salisbury's son had com-
pleted his education : but in 1701, one year before
the expiration of that term, the famous Duke of
Somerset, Chancellor of the University, having placed
his eldest son, the Earl of Hertford, at Trinity, applied
to Colbatch to undertake the care of his tuition. For
this however he was indebted to the recommendation
of Dr. Bentley ; and by the joint authority of Bishop
Burnet and the Master, he undertook a charge which,
they contended, was certain to procure for him high
advancement in his profession. For two years he
devoted himself with much labour to the educa-
tion of the young patrician ; and then discovered
that the noble Chancellor was more sparing of re-
muneration than became the head of an Univer-
sity, and the official patron of learning. His Grace,
however, was so well pleased with Colbatch's services,
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 385
that he used his persuasions to induce him to continue chap.
tutor to his son during his travels, promising to pro- ^-^^
vide for him in the Church, and to continue his ==
salary, 100/. a year, till such provision was realized.
Accordingly, he accompanied the young Earl abroad,
devoted two more years to his service, and became
his instructor in the French and Italian, as well as
the classical languages ; but just before the period
when his services were no longer required, he was
recalled by the Duke with some expressions of dis-
pleasure, for which no intelligible reason coidd be
assigned : the promises of present and future provision
were forgotten and disclaimed; and he was dismissed
with the bare proportion of his salary, which, after
deducting the expenses he had incurred, left him a
remuneration less in amount than the wages of a
common footman, as a return for the most important
services which one man can render to another. On
experiencing such harsh treatment from a person who
was every way his debtor, Colbatch made proper
remonstrances ; and the Master interfered in a man-
ner which did him honour. But the result of Bent-
ley's representations to the Duke was only the vindi-
cation of the tutor from the reflections made, or
pretended to have been made, upon him : to all
claims upon his gratitude or justice he turned a deaf
ear. Thus Colbatch returned to College at the age
of forty, having derived from the labour of his best
years no other reward than a prebend of Salisbury,
given to him by the Bishop, which did not exceed
201. a year ; that prelate conceiving himself relieved
by the Duke from the obligation of giving him better
preferment. Possibly, the well-known violence of
Burnet's party prejudices might have disinclined him
to a person whose politics, although moderate, were
of the Tory cast. Colbatch, in speaking of this
VOL. I. c c
386 ^ LIFE OF
CHAP, treatment some years afterwards, observes, that ' the
j^jg hardships which he suffered, were aggravated by
- some circumstances which must lie infinitely heavier,
and sink deeper into an ingenuous mind, than any
temporal loss or inconvenience whatsoever.' The
University however showed a better sense of his merit
than those two great patrons ; in 1707 he was elected
Professor of Casuistry, and delivered lectures on
Moral Philosophy with much reputation. He joined
to other learning an uncommon acquaintance with the
Civil and the Canon Law, and with writers upon
those subjects. For a number of years, no member
of the University was more looked up to as a con-
scientious and exemplary person, zealous for the pro-
motion of study and discipline, and remarkable for
disinterested and public spirit. It was from an
opinion of this character, that he retained through-
out life an extensive influence, both among the old
and the young; notwithstanding his rigid and inflexi-
ble principles, which made even one of his friends
admit that his ' virtue was by some deemed too
severe '^' We may further remark that he possessed
the pen of a ready writer, and a style which was always
perspicuous, and, whenever he chose, caustic and severe.
Conduct of Such a person as I have described, was qualified to
CoUege!'"' he either a powerful supporter, or a formidable adver-
sary, to the Head of his Society. We find that Col-
batch attached himself for a considerable time to
Bentley ; being moved partly by gratitude for his
behaviour in the affair of his patrons, and partly by a
sense of the importance of subordination to the Supe-
12 Middleton's Account of the Present State of Trinity College, &c. Works,
vol. iii. p. 358. Whiston speaks of him in terms of a similar import : " Now
this Dr. Colbatch was my particular friend, and a person of great learning,
and regard to the severest discipline, and of the strictest virtue : though
that \artue seemed to have somewhat of the disagreeable." — Whistov's
Memoirs, \o\. i. p. 35G.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 387
rior. He warmly advocated all his rco-nlations for chap.
XII.
the promotion of order and learning, and whatever j„j-
else conduced to the credit of the college ; while he ==
endeavoured by the influence of friendship, to divert
him from such measures as he conceived blameable or
unstatutable. When at length a prosecution of the
Master was in agitation, Colbatch, as we have already
noticed, recommended a milder course, and suggested
such an appeal as might lead to the decision of all
the points of difference by a Visitor. He always
retained an opinion, that had his advice been followed
at that time, before matters were worse embroiled,
and while the union of the Fellows was unbroken, a
settlement of the College might have been etfected
by authority, and all the consequent distractions pre-
vented. But the violent counsels of Miller prevail-
ing, he concurred in what he deemed the only method
left for bringing on a visitation, and subscribed the
Petition to the Bishop of Ely : in so doing, however, he
and two of his friends specified that their prayer ex-
tended only to the settlement of the points in dispute.
It may be observed that Colbatch entertained a
distrust and a bad opinion of Miller, and was always
reluctant to make common cause with him. Shortly
after the publication of the latter 's pamphlet against
Bentley, a scheme being on foot to reverse the inter-
pretation of the statutes respecting the option of
chambers and livings. Dr. Colbatch wrote a very able
tract upon that question, upholding the prior right of
Doctors and Bachelors of Divinity, and refuting the
arguments of Miller. Copies of this piece were dis-
persed among the Fellows, and seem to have produced
as general an acquiescence as could be expected upon
such a topic ; nor do we hear of the question being
again controverted in the mastership of Dr. Bentley.
During the period of anarchy in College, while the
c c 2
388 LIFE OF
CHAP, prosecution was depending, Dr. Colbatcli took little
jyjg or no part with either of the conflicting factions : but
== he joined in petitioning Bishop Moore, in the autumn
of 1713, that he would put an end to this state of dis-
traction, by a summary hearing and decision of the
case at Cambridge. Coming now into the governing
part of the society, his sense of duty compelled him to
oppose the Master in a measure respecting a piece of
College land in the North of England '^. In February
" This business, to which Dr. Colbatch attributed more importance
than it desen^ed, was as follows : A piece of land at Kirby Kendal, in
Westmoreland, had become escheated to the College, as Lords of the
Manor, by the forfeiture of a felon. The rent was less than 4Z. a year,
and it was incumbered with a mortgage of 361. Bentley promised to
convey this land to Mr. Lambert, the principal tenant of the College, who
had been at the trouble and expense of the prosecution, for a small con-
sideration. It was necessary that the conveyance should receive the Col-
lege seal, affixed in the presence of the sixteen senior Fellows. On the deed
being produced before them, Colbatch objected that such an alienation
was contrary both to the Law of the Land, and the statutes of the College,
and woiild involve all who consented to it in the penalties of perjury and
the loss of their station : whereupon it was unanimously rejected. This
was in January 1713. In November following the Master, constant to
his purpose, and hoping that the opposition had now subsided, sent them
the deed again with certain alterations, imposing on the purchaser a per-
petual rent of four shillings. But the sixteen again refused their consent;
one of the number, Mr. Wliitfield, a zealous friend of the Master, went
out and carried the news of this determination to the Lodge : whereupon
Bentley sent word that unless they consented, he would not allow any one
of the leases, then ready, to be sealed. This threat was ineffectual at the
time ; but liaAang with great difficulty gained over eight of the Fellows,
he summoned another meeting, at which, contraiy to practice, he was
himself present, and thus carried his point by a majority. This transaction
has been represented by his adversaries in too heinous a light. In the
bargain itself there was nothing dishonourable : it involved no loss to the
Society ; nor was it an unreasonable accommodation to the College tenant.
The danger of a bad example was urged : but the circumstances of this
property were so different from those of other estates, that it could hardly
have been adduced as the precedent for an alienation. The purchaser
defrayed the mortgage and all expenses, and of the remaining money,
about 20/., half was assigned to the widow of the felon, and half to the
College library. The real gravamen of the transaction was its opposition
to the letter of the law, and the violence with which it was forced upon the
consent of the boiiy.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 389
following, on the death of Dr. Smith, the Vice-master, chap.
Bentley communicated to Colbatch that, notwith- j^jg
standing- some chagrin at his late opposition, he wished ===
to constitute him Vice-master, and commit to his care
the principal management of the college. This offer, Bentiey
although repeatedly urged, the other firmly declined, [U viJe'"
partly because it seemed an attempt to draw him over mastership.
to the Master's faction, but principally because the
statutes order that the Vice-master shall be one of the
eight Seniors ; and he could not be chosen into the
present vacancy, without doing injustice to Dr. Ayloffe,
who had a prior claim. On the failure of this pro-
posal, the vice-mastership was kept vacant till the
ensuing annual election, when Mr. Modd was chosen,
although wanting the statutable qualification of a
degree in divinity. It is impossible not to regret that
circumstances prevented the appointment of such a
man as Colbatch to this situation ; it would have
afforded the best chance of healing all domestic
wounds, and of diverting the Master from a line of
conduct, which was as injurious to his own credit and
interests as to the welfare of his society.
Dr. Bentley relying upon the pacification effected The
. , n 1 • . 1 1 J. Master's
With many oi his prosecutors, now proceeded to carry disposal of
his measures in the style of an irresponsible autocrat. [?°i"g^^
His plan was to strengthen and perpetuate his power
by securing to himself all appointments and patronage
whatsoever. A small vicarage, Flintham in Notting-
hamshire, unworthy the acceptance of a Fellow, hap-
pening to be vacant, and two young men appearing
as candidates for it, Mr. Bradshaw and Mr. Ferni-
hough, the former had the votes of the Master and
two Seniors, while the latter was supported by six
Seniors. In defiance of this vote, he wrote down in
the Conclusion-book the name of Bradshaw as vicar ;
390 LIFE OF
CHAP, and relied on succeeding: with the sixteen, whose
XII.
1715.
sanction is necessary for fixing the seal to a presenta-
tion. By great exertions he procured the consent of
a majority of that body : but at the meeting only ten
appeared ; whereupon he joined them, and saying
that ' the Master's vote was surely equivalent to that
of six Fellows,' put the seal to the presentation.
Another small living, called Over, was given to a
Bachelor of Arts, whose ' face,' he declared, ' he
had never seen,' but who was believed to have
merited this preferment by engaging to marry Mrs.
Bentley's maid. In case of livings taken by Fellows,
the statutes, combined with the late interpretation,
seemed to define the right of choice so clearly as to
preclude any exercise of favouritism. But the Master,
by retaining in his own discretion the nomination to
College-preacherships, (without which a living could
not be held by a Fellow), virtually possessed himself
of the power of granting or withholding preferment at
Jan. 1715, his pleasure. He had promised the living of Barring-
ton to Mr. Racket, a favourer of his views : but it was
claimed by Mr. Rud, who, though junior in standing,
was superior in degree to the other. This case was
embarrassing to the Master, as according to the inter-
pretation which he had been so anxious to maintain,
the senior Bachelor of Divinity possessed the prior
option. Rud, as well as Hacket, had always sided
with his party in the College disputes : but it was
objected that he was not Concionator ; Rud urged
that he had performed all the requisite exercises, and
might be immediately elected into one of the vacant
preacherships, if the Master pleased ; nay, he offered
to incur the risk of forfeiting his fellowship : but the
promise had been given to Hacket, and, therefore, a
peremptory stop was put to the other's claims, by
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 391
Beiitley pronouncing that his not being ah'eady a chap.
preacher, was causa gravissima for his exclusion. ._j '
In the foundation of Trinity College are comprised -
twenty pauperes, called beadsmen, who receive pen-
sions of 61. each, with a livery : these are usually old
servants or retainers of the College, whose age and
good conduct deserve such a provision. In 1715 the
Master proposed to the Seniority to fill up two vacan-
cies with persons recommended to him by a gentleman
of the county : one was an alehouse keeper ; the
other, Joseph Lindsay, had merited this patronage
by being the leader of the Tory mob at the late elec-
tion. To the first, who was unknown to them, the
Fellows made no objection ; but on the mention of the
other the whole meeting started with astonishment ;
they alleged that he was the most worthless and noto-
rious character in the town, the universal ring-leader
in all riots and disturbances. Bentley replied, then
by his appointment the College was sure to be pro-
tected from rioters ; and added, that it was for their
interest to oblige the gentlemen of the county : but
when he found that neither his jokes nor his argu-
ments availed, he declared that he would elect this
man with the single vote of Mr. Brabourn, an unfor-
tunate personage of impaired intellects, who was now
become his never-failing supporter.
The Master, being resolved to keep the whole ad-
ministration of the College in his own hands, was
unwilling that his council should interfere with the
accounts of the several officers. At the first audit Dec. 3,
which he attended, Colbatch observed that they had ''^^^"
been a whole day employed in casting up figures,
instead of examining the accounts, the proper busi-
ness of an audit ; adding that if this were to be con-
sidered as an approbation of the accounts, he would
not so far betray his trust as to countenance the pro-
1
392
LIFE OF
CHAP.
XII.
1715.
Further
measures
against
Miller.
July 8,
1715.
ceedings with his presence. Bentley answered that
the time for examination was not yet come. On the
following day, he proposed to the Seniors in the
Master's absence, that they should examine the ac-
counts and vouchers ; to which all assented : but they
judged it right to send the Vice-master to inform
Bentley of what they were about, that he might have
the opportunity of assisting at the work. The Master
declared that he wished to look at the account-books
himself; which, accordingly, were all sent to him.
He kept them for above a fortnight, till the dies com-
puti or day on which the whole business is to be
wound up, and then carried them to the meeting, and
inquired whether there was any objection made to the
accounts ; Colbatch replied that they had not yet
been examined ; but was told that ' it was then too
late, as that ought to have been done at the audit.'
But although Dr. Bentley carried all his points
and set opposition at defiance, he could not feel secure
so long as his inveterate enemy, Serjeant Miller, con-
tinued in the society. Besides, his favourite Ashen-
hurst, whom he had appointed Lay-fellow on Miller's
deprivation in 1710, now stood in a dangerous pre-
dicament : that act had been done with the express
disapprobation of the whole Board, and was con-
demned from every other quarter ; it followed there-
fore that the appointment of a successor was invalid :
indeed the late proceedings were an admission of
Miller being still a Fellow : and at Midsummer 1715,
Ashenhursts fellowship would statutably become void
on account of his standing. To obviate this danger,
the Master made two attempts in the March preceding
to get Miller's name erased : but the Seniors had the
discretion to refuse a compliance which would have
been both inconsistent and indecent. On the second
occasion he offered to refer this point to the arbitration
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 393
of the Bishop of Ely ; which, though an ingenious and chap.
plausible device, was dechned '^ At length when {^^^
the appointed day arrived, and no cognizance had —
been taken of the matter by the Crown, he proposed
that the point should be considered as decided against
Miller, and in favour of Humphreys. This was too
glaringly partial : but the Seniors did assent unani-
mously to another proposal, that the profits of the
fellowship should be reserved until the controversy
was decided by the King. The latter point was car-
ried with the consent of Colbatch, whose notions upon
statutable questions were of the strictest kind, and who
seems to have thought that the ground now taken
against Miller was legal and substantial.
But while eager to despatch one adversary, Bentley
seems hardly to have observed that he was bringing
upon himself another whose character made him
much more formidable. At this time he took upon
himself almost the whole management of the College
revenues ; the bursar, to whose office they belonged,
being incapacitated by age and weakness of sight.
Indeed, throughout his mastership all important
business was transacted immediately by himself, and
Colbatch acknowledges that no person better under-
stood matters of that nature. He engaged to grant CoUege
two leases of considerable estates, in which the pro-
visions of the Corn Act of the 18th of Elizabeth were
neo-lected. This well-known law makes it necessary
that in all college leases, one-third of the rent shall
be reserved in a certain quantity of corn and malt,
or in the market price of those commodities at the
half-yearly rent days ; by which means a portion of
the revenue is made to keep pace with the real value
"* Bentley probably felt secure that Bishop Fleetwood, the author of
Chronicon Pretiosum, would adjudge Serj. Miller's estate to be a sufficient
reason for vacating his fellowship.
394 LIFE OF
CHAP, of money. In the first of these leases a clause was
VTT J
XII
^^jg found, fixing the price of wheat at twenty pence and
=^== of malt at fifteen pence a bushel ; in the other the
whole rent was reserved in money, without mention
of either wheat or malt. The defence of this pal-
pable illegality was, that in former leases of those
particular estates the same covenants had been in-
troduced. But whether they had originated in fraud
or neglect, the wrong of a hundred years could not
justify its repetition, when people's minds were en-
lightened by experience, respecting the fluctuating
value of money ; particularly as the immediate ten-
dency of the agreement was to obtain a larger fine
to the existing society, by diminishing the just
revenue of future times. Colbatch, having in vain
urged these and other arguments to prevent the
sealing, made a formal protest; declaring that he
not only dissented, but reserved to himself the right
of appealing against these acts to the Visitor of the
College.
Colbatch He accordingly applied to the Bishop of Ely, laying
?he BTshop before him the subjects of complaint, and praying for
"^^•y- his interference: but that prelate declared, as he
had done to Serjeant Miller, that he would not act
as Visitor of the College, until he was convinced
that his see possessed the right which so many of the
Crown lawyers had denied to it, or until he received
orders from the King to execute that office.
Abp.wake To asccrtaiu the visitatorial power by the inter-
himleinn posltlon of thc Crown, seemed now the only prac-
fa
Fdbwf '^"^ ticable step ; and all eflTorts were made to solicit the
attention of Government to the state of this Royal
foundation. In this cause a powerful advocate was
unexpectedly obtained. At the beginning of 1716,
Dr. Wake, the Bishop of Lincoln, was advanced to
the primacy, which he held for above twenty years
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 395
with sino;ular advantas-e to the Church of Enoland. chap.
One of the first subjects which engaged the attention j ^
of the new Archbishop, was the condition of Trinity
College. It happened that one of the junior Fellows,
Philip Farewell, was patronized by his Grace, and
admitted to his frequent and intimate conversation :
this gentleman maintained a correspondence with
Colbatch, and through his means the Primate be-
came acquainted with all the proceedings at Trinity ;
and gave his decided opinion, that the society could
not go on any longer under the arbitrary proceedings
of the Master : he recommended a petition to the
King in Council, promising to second it himself at
the Council-board, and to advise the appointment
of a Royal commission to visit the College, and
arrange all differences. He suggested likewise a
previous application to Lord Townshend, the Premier,
to whose department, as Secretary of State, the
business belonged. By the agency of Mr. Farewell,
both he and Lord Parker, the Chief Justice, an old
member of Trinity, were solicited in favour of this
scheme. The Minister intimated, through his con-
fidential friend Dr. Cannon, that ' if a petition were
presented, signed by ten or twelve respectable names,
it would receive attention.' Accordingly the follow- May is,
ing temperate appeal, couched in terms free from Thoy peti-
hostility or offence, was subscribed by nineteen Fel-
lows of Trinity.
tioii the
Kinc
" TO THE KING S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY.
" The Humble Petition of many of the Fellows and Members of the
College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, in the Town and
University of Cambridge, of King Henry the Eighth's Foundation.
" Sheweth,
" That by the 46th chapter of the statutes, by which the
said College was at first governed, given by your Majesty's Royal
396 LIFE OF
CHAP, predecessor King Edward the Sixth, of blessed memory, the Lord
Bishop of Ely, for the time being, was appointed Ordinary Visitor
' ' of the same. But in latter statutes, given by your Majesty's Royal
predecessor Queen Elizabeth, of like blessed and glorious memory,
(by which only the College hath been ever since governed) the said
46th chapter is wholly omitted, and yet, as your petitioners humbly
conceive, is plainly referred to in the 40th chapter of these latter
statutes, the said Lord Bishop of Ely being there styled the Visitor.
All which will appear from copies of both those chapters hereunto
annexed. The which omission and reference, by making it uncertain
how far the power of the said Lord Bishop doth extend, have
occasioned many great inconveniences, through a long disuse of
regular visitations, which founders of Colleges have always thought
necessary for the maintenance of good disciphne ; and the want of
some person of undoubted authority, to whom the several members
of the said College might, upon urgent occasions, apply themselves
for the redress of grievances, and a speedy composure of such
differences as may arise, and of late years have arisen, among them,
concerning their respective rights and privileges ; but remain still
undetermined, to the great disquiet of the College, the present Lord
Bishop of Ely forbearing to interpose his authority till such time as
his right to the ordinary visitatorial power shall be declared,
" Wherefore your petitioners humbly pray, that your Most
Excellent Majesty, as Royal Successor to the Founder of the said
College, will graciously please to ascertain the visitatorial power,
either by a new grant, or confirmation of it to the said Lord Bishop ;
or else by authorising such persons to execute the same as to your
Royal wisdom shall seem meet.
" And your Petitioners shall ever pray, &c."
Few of these petitioners had been concerned in
the late prosecution at Ely House. It was the
advice of the Archbishop, which coincided with Col-
batch's own wishes, to keep this cause separate from
that of Miller. But the Serjeant, by importunity,
prevailed upon the petitioners to intrust to him the
care of presenting their prayer to the Council. This
had the effect which was apprehended, of identifying
their case with his own grievances, and seems to
have been the reason of its continuing several months
unnoticed.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 397
It was remarked by Dr. Bentley's adversaries, chap.
that, whenever he was placed in peril for mal-admi- j^^g
nistration of his College, his practice was to come
forward with some literary production which might scheme of
interest the public in favour of its author, and that fhe^Gr^lTk
therefore a share of the merits of his works was due Testament.
to his prosecutors. A comparison of dates does
certainly tend to establish in many instances the
truth of this observation. On the 15th of April,
when he probably knew that a petition to the King
was in agitation, he first announced his great plan of
publishing a Greek Testament, the text of which
should be restored with certainty by a method yet
unattempted. He had, however, for some time me-
ditated this undertaking. John James Wetstein,
who himself became many years afterwards an editor
of the Greek Testament, claims the merit of having
first suggested the scheme. Being in England at
the beginning of this year, he was kindly received
by the Doctor, first in Trinity College, and after-
wards at the King's Library ; happening to mention,
that he had made collations of some manuscripts of
the New Testament in France, Bentley pressed for
their immediate publication ; when, in the course of
conversation, Wetstein expressed a wish that the
Doctor would himself undertake an edition of the
New Testament, offering him as an assistance the
use of all his collations. This however was not, as
he supposed, the first recommendation of the kind ;
our readers are aware that a similar suggestion had
been publicly made three years before by his friend
Dr. Hare.
Having resolved to devote himself to this work,
the most important that can employ a scholar and
divine, he propounded his plan in a letter to the
Archbishop of Canterbury, in which his views are
L
398 LIFE OF
CHAP, detailed fully and with ^reat clearness. A few
j^jg extracts will put the reader at once into possession of
- the object, scope, and pretensions of the projected
edition.
" May it please your Grace,
" 'Tis not only your Grace's station and general character,
but the particular knowledge I have of you, which encourages me to
give you a long letter about those unfashionable topics religion and
learning. Your Grace knows, as well as any, what an alarm has
been made of late years with the vast heap of various lections found in
MSS. of the Greek Testament. The Papists have made a great use
of them against the Protestants, and the Atheists against them
both. This was one of Collins' topics in his Discourse on Free-
thinking, which I took off in my short answer ; and I have heard
since from several hands, that the short view I gave of the causes,
and necessity, and use of various lections, made several good men
more easy in that matter than they were before. But since that
time, I have fallen into a course of studies that led me to peiTise
many of the oldest MSS. of Gr. Test, and of the Latin too of
St. Jerom, of which there are several in England, a full 1000 years
old. The result of which has been that I find I am able (what
some thought impossible) to give an edition of the Gr. Test, exactly
as it was in the best exemplars at the time of the Council of Nice.
So that there shall not be twenty words nor even particles differ-
ence ; and this shall carry its own demonstration in every verse,
which I affirm cannot be so done of any other ancient book, Greek
or Latin. So that book wliich, by the present management, is
thought the most uncertain, shall have a testimony of certainty
above all other books whatever, and an end be put at once to all
Var. Lectt. now or hereafter. I'll give your Grace the progress
which brought me by degrees into the present view and scheme that
I have of a new edition .
" Upon some points of curiosity, I collated one or two of St.
Paul's Epistles with the Alexandrian MS. the oldest and best now
in the world ; I was sui-j^rised to find several transpositions of
words, that Mills and the other collators took no notice of; but I
soon fuund their way was to mark nothing but change of words ;
the collocation and order they entirely neglected ; and yet at sight I
discerned what a new force and beauty this new order (I found in
the MS.) added to the sentence. This encouraged me to collate the
whole book over, to a letter, with my own hands."
************
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 399
" The Western Latin copies, by variety of translations, without CHAP,
public appointment, and a jumble and heap of all of them, were ^'^i
gi-own so uncertain, that scarce two copies were alike ; which _
obliged Damasus, then Bishop of Rome, to employ St. Jerom to
regulate the best received translation of each part of the New
Testament to the original Greek ; and so set out a new edition so
castigated and corrected. Tliis he declares in his preface he did, ad
Grcecam vei-itatem, ad exemplaria Graca, sed Vetera; and his learning,
great name, and just authority, extinguished all the other Latin
versions, and has been conveyed down to us, under the name of the
Vulgate. 'Twas plain to me that when that copy came first from
that great Father's hands, it must agree exactly with the most
authentic Greek exemplars, and if now it could be retrieved, it
would be the best test and voucher for the true reading out of
several pretending ones. But M^hen I came to try Pope Clement's
Vulgate, I soon found the Greek of the Alexandrian and that would
by no means pary. Tliis set me to examine the Pope's Latin by
some MS. of 1000 years old, and the success is, that the old Greek
copies and the old Latin so exactly agree (when an able hand discerns
the rasures and the old lections lying under them), that the pleasure
and satisfaction it gives me is beyond expression.
" The New Testament has been under a hard fate since the
invention of printing. After the Complutenses and Erasmus, who
had but very ordinary MSS. it has become the property of book-
sellers. Rob. Stephens' edition, set out and regulated by himself
alone, is now become the standard. The text stands, as if an
Apostle was his compositor."
*********
" I am akeady tedious, and the post is a going. So that to
conclude — in a word, I find that by taking 2000 errors out of the
Pope's Vulgate, and as many out of the Protestant Pope Stephens',
I can set out an edition of each in columns, without using any book
under 900 years old, that shall so exactly agree word for word, and,
what at first amazed me, order for order, that no two tallies, nor
two indentures can agree better. I affirm that these so placed will
prove each other to a demonstration ; for I alter not a letter of my
own head without the authority of these old witnesses. And the
beauty of the composition (barbarous, God knows, at pi-esent), is so
improved, as makes it more worthy of a revelation, and yet no one
text of consequence injured or weakened.
" My Lord, if a casual fire should take either his Majesty's
library or the King's of France's, all the world could not do this.
As I have therefore great impulse, and I hope not d-^eal, to set
about this work immediately, and leave it as a Kei_m'i\wp to posterity.
400 LIFE OF
CHAP, against Atheists and Infidels ; I thought it my duty and my honour
^^^- to first acquaint your Grace with it ; and know if the extrinsic
expense to do such a work completely (for my labour I reckon
nothing) may obtain any encouragement, either from the Crown or
public.
" I am, with all duty and obedience,
" Your Grace's most humble servant,
" Ri. Bentley."
" Trin. Coll. April the 15th, 1716."
In addressing to Archbishop Wake his application
for public aid in the accomplishment of so great a
work, he was justified not only by the station of that
prelate, but by the encouragement with which he
always promoted the cause of religion and learning.
The Archbishop had indeed been himself addicted to
similar pursuits, and when residing at Paris, in the
reign of Charles 11. had made collations of manu-
scripts for Dr. Mill's edition. I regret that his reply
is not found among Bentley 's papers ; it appears from
the following letter to have been highly encouraging.
" May it please your Grace,
" This minute I had the honour of your Grace's letter ;
indeed when I saw by the prints that your Grace was in full Con-
vocation, and had addressed his Majesty upon so just an occasion'^,
and consequently was immersed in business of the highest import-
ance ; I condemned myself, that I should be so immersed here in
books and privacy, as not to know a more proper occasion of address
to your Grace. On a due consideration of all which, I gave over
expecting any answer, and designed to wait on you in person, when
I came to London, where already my family is. But I see your
Grace's goodness and public spirit is superior to all fatigues ; and
therefore I thank you particularly for this present favour ; as what
was (justly) above my expectation. The thought of printing the
Latin in a column against the Greek (which your Grace puts to the
common) I doubt not is your own. My Lord, it is necessan^ to do
so : and without that, all my scheme would be nothing. It was the
very view that possessed me with this thought which has now so
'* Congratulations to the King on the suppression of the Rebellion.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 401
engaged me, and in a manner enslaved me, that vce mihi, unless I CHAP,
do it. Nothing but sickness (by the blessing of God) shall hinder ^'^•
me from prosecuting it to the end. I leave the rest to the time of
the Westminster election : with my hearty prayers and thanks,
being
" Your Grace's most obedient and obliged humble servant,
" Ri. Bentley."
A few weeks afterwards Trinity College and the Death of
University sustained the severest misfortune by the June's.
death of Professor Cotes, who fell a victim to a violent
fever in the flower of his age and reputation. This
loss to science and to the world was so great as to
draw from Sir Isaac Newton the well-known observa-
tion, " Had he lived, we should have known some-
thing." To the Master the blow was peculiarly
severe : Cotes had lived in daily intimacy with him
for at least ten years, was attached to him and his
interests, and conferred credit and respectability upon
his party. His disposition and manners were amiable
and endearing, and he is never mentioned by his
contemporaries but in terms of regard. He was in-
terred in the chapel of Trinity College, where his
premature loss continues to this day to be spoken of
with the kind of regret excited by a calamity of recent
occurrence. The inscription on his monument was
written by the Master, and is universally admired for
the beauty of its language : we may add, it appears
from all concurring accounts of the man, that this
eulogy was neither undeserved nor extravagant ^^
Cotes was succeeded in the Plumian professorship Rob. Smith.
by his relation Robert Smith, who had been his as-
sistant in the observatory, and became the editor of
his posthumous works. He was at this time a junior
Fellow of Trinity : in the course of years he succeeded
Bentley in the mastership of the College, over which
he continued to preside within the memory of the
VOL. I. D d [- H. S. E.
402 LIFE OF
CHAP, livino- g-eneration. It is sufficiently known how
^' greatly the philosophical pursuits and reputation of
Cambridere are indebted to his works as well as to his
patronage ; but it is not immaterial to observe, that
throughout the life of Dr. Bentley Smith continued to
be his decided partizan, and appears subsequently to
have taken all opportunities of testifying respect for
his memory.
History and Not loug aftcrwards Bentley lost another of his
Kuster. attached and devoted friends, by the melancholy death
of Kuster. The whole career of this distinguished
scholar has in it some singularity, arising from a
peculiar temper, rather than from unusual circum-
stances. The reader will recollect, that at the time
of the publication of his Aristophanes, his grand
object was to purchase a life annuity, as a small but
secure independence. Having accomplished this
10 H. s. E.
ROGERUS ROBERTI FiLIUS CoTES,
Hujus Collegii S. Trinitatis Socius,
Et Astronomiae et Experimentalis
Philosophise Professor Plumianus ;
Qui immatura morte priereptus,
Pauca quidem ingenii sui
Pignora reliquit,
Sed egregia, sed admiranda.
Ex intimis Matheseos penetralibus
Fehci solertia turn primum eruta ;
Post magnum ilium Newtonum,
Societatis hujus spes altera,
Et decus gemellum;
Cui ad summam doctrinae laudem
Omnes monmi Anrtutumque dotes
In cumulum accesserunt ;
Eo magis spectabiles amabilesque,
Quod in formoso corpore
Gratiores venirent.
Natus Burbagii
In Agro Leicestriensi,
Jul. X. MDCLXXXII.
Obiit Jun. v. mdccxvi.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 403
point, he published in Holland his well known re- chap.
print of Mill's New Testament, two or three tracts in ^^j^
a controversy with Gronovius, (who continued to — ^=
abuse the Suidas as long as he lived), and several
small productions ; when, by the failure of his banker,
he was suddenly cast down from the independence
which he had all his life been labouring to attain.
Upon this calamity he came over to England, for the
double purpose of engaging with booksellers for the
publication of Hesychius, and obtaining a pecuniary
loan from his friends. This was in the summer of
1712 ; when, though flattered with hopes of assistance
by Bishop Moore and others, he returned without any
real aid, except what he received from Dr. Bentley,
who lent him a considerable sum with but slender
chance of its repayment. In a short time he received
a tempting proposal from the Abbe Bignon, librarian
to the King of France : he was invited to reside at
Paris, with a pension of 2000 livres, a further appoint-
ment as member of the Academie des Inscriptions, and
all the consideration which his learning was sure to
command among the French Savans. The condition
imposed on him was a change of religion. Whether
or not the sacrifice cost him much pain, we do not
learn ; but at least he took a decorous time to listen
to the reasonings of certain Jesuits, to whom he
applied for the satisfaction of his conscience. In 1713 Kustergoes
T-w>iTii'iP I*'' Pans and
he went to Pans, declared hmiseli a convert to the becomes a
Roman Catholic faith, and immediately experienced j^j^uc."
the liberality and countenance of Louis XIV. After
some time he informed Dr. Bentley of his change of
religion, and the comforts and honours of his new
situation. The Doctor's reply seems to have been full
of kindness and unabated friendship. Their corre-
spondence continued through the year 1714 : some
parts of Kuster's letters are very interesting, par-
D d 2
404 LIFE OF
XII.
1716.
CHAP, ticulai'lv the account of his successful combat at a
vrT •'
meeting of the Academy, in defence of Bentley and
one of his emendations of Horace, Si potes Archiacis
conviva recumbere lectis for Archaicis. It may be
noticed, that Bentley's merits did not meet with the
same acknowledgment in France as in the other coun-
tries of Europe ; partly from aversion to strict criticism,
and partly from offence at the manner in which he had
spoken, in his Horace, of Dacier and other French
scholars. In another letter he describes the beauties
and attractions of the country villa of his patron the
Abbe Bignon ; being anxious to tempt Bentley across
the sea, and make him acquainted with his Parisian
friends. About this time his well-known treatise on
the Greek Middle Verb made its appearance ; and it
is to be regretted that we do not possess the sentiments
His project- of Bciitlcy upoH liis tlicory. Kuster now devoted him-
chius!*^ self to his great work, the Hesychius, which was to be
printed at Paris, and the sheets sent to Bentley as they
left the press, that he might draw up his corrections
and observations of matters unnoticed by the editor,
in readiness to be given as an Appendix. But his
application to study was too intense for his constitu-
tion, and brought on an extraordinary complaint,
which put a sudden termination to his life ; and with
him was lost the prospect of Bentley 's emendations
being given to the world ^^
Kuster's fate added one to the number of abortive
editions of Hesychius. About half the work had
17 It was reported and believed at the time, though without foundation,
that Kuster died by suicide. A letter of his friend Wasse gives the fol-
lowing account of his death : ' ' We heard soon after that he had been
blooded five or six times for a fever, and that upon opening his body there
was found a cake of sand along the lower region of his belly. This, I
take it, was occasioned by his sitting nearly double, and writing on a very
low table, surrounded with three or four circles of books placed on the
ground, which was the situation we usually found him in."
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 405
been prepared and written out for the press : after his chap.
death two members of the Academie, Sevin and
1716.
Sallier, undertook to complete it ; but after labour-
ing for several years, they discovered that it was too
much for them, and abandoned the task : and in 1736
they handsomely transmitted Kuster's manuscript to
Alberti, who availed himself of it in his splendid
edition, of which it forms one of the most important
ingredients ^^ The truth is, that long intercourse
with Bentley had put him into possession of his
friend's notions upon this valuable but faulty Lexicon,
the peculiarities of which he is allowed to have under-
stood better than any other scholar, A specimen of Bentiey's
our critic's insight into Hesychius was called forth by ence with
a correspondence with John Christian Biel, a divine ^^'
of Brunswick, best known by his posthumous work,
the Thesaurus of the Old Testament, He was then
preparing for publication a collection of all the scrip-
tural glosses found in Hesychius ; but having some
time before travelled in England, where he visited the
Universities, and was received by our Aristarchus
with the kindness which he never failed to extend to
scholars, he remembered to have learned from him,
that those explanations of scriptural expressions were
not Hesychius's, but interpolated in his Lexicon by
some later hand. He therefore wrote to inquire the
grounds of such an opinion, and received from Bent-
ley, in reply, a very full and clear demonstration of
this phenomenon. Bentley 's letter, which is not only
learned but amusing, was communicated by Biel to
18 Kuster left a common place book, containing his unprinted notes and
emendations on the remainder of the Lexicon, upon which volume,
although deposited in the Bibliotheque du Roi, Sevin and SaUier had not
the good fortune to lay their hands ; otherwise they would probably have
completed the pubhcation : it was, however, discovered time enough to be
used in the second volume of Hesychius. See Ruhnken's Preface to
Vol. II. of Alberti's Hesychius.
»
406 LIFE OF
CHAP. Albert], and is printed among the Prolegomena of the
j\jP latter's edition : the two letters of Biel, in which he
- makes his request, and expresses his acknowledg-
ments, are well-written, replete wdth literary informa-
tion, and deserve to be printed along with that of his
illustrious correspondent.
Bentley's mind was at this period occupied by a
number of heterogeneous objects, each of which he
pursued with spirit and energy. His hours of study
w^ere devoted to preparations for the edition of the
New Testament, designed to be the mighty work
Project for wliicli should iuimortalize his name. At the same
pubSng time he meditated a widely different undertaking, an
classical editiou of Classical Authors in usiim Principis Fredei'ici.
books for ^ ■' _
the use of Priucc Frcdcric, the heir to the throne, being now
Prince Fre™ •
derick. about elcvcn years old, his education became an object
of national importance ; and it w^as generally expected
and wished that he should immediately be brought
over to England. A suggestion was said to have
been made by the two Chief Justices, Parker and
King '^, that editions of the classics should be printed
for the use of the young Prince ; and in order to
eclipse the French performances in usum Z>elphi?ii,
they recommended that the editor should be Dr.
Bentley. Lord Townshend approved the idea, and a
negotiation for this purpose was opened through the
intervention of Bentley's friend, Dr. Hare, who lived
on terms of great intimacy with the Minister. Our
*^ Dr. White Kennett, the Dean of Peterborough, in a letter of Sept. 29,
17 16, preserved in the Bodleian library, having just \'isited Cambridge,
says :
" I had it from the best authority, that the Master of Trinity was
recommended by the two Lord Chief Justices to undertake a new beautiful
edition of the Classics, In Usum Frederici Principis, and that he had dined
twice with Lord Townshend on that occasion, that he was ofTered 500/. a
year for that service; but he insisted on a pension of lOOOZ. forhfe ; which,
I ])rcsiime, however, will not be granted till the King's return."
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 407
critic was led to expect, as a remuneration, a pension chap.
of 1000/. a year : but some misunderstanding took j^^g
place about the terms of his engagement. One
report states that Lord Townshend only undertook pension.
for 500/. But according to the account of Dr. Salter,
who heard it from Bentley's own mouth, an alteration
was made in the proposal, with the object of tying
him down to the performance rather by his interest
than his honour ; and he was offered a fixed sum for
every sheet that he should publish. This communi-
cation being brought to him by Hare, he rejected it,
not without indignation : against his friend, whom he
always suspected to be the author of the suggestion,
he felt much resentment ; and their intimacy abated
from this time ^^ It is clear however that the nego-
tiation was not finally broken off" in consequence of
the dispute, whatever it might have been, respecting
terms : for I find those differences mentioned in
September, and on November the 18th Bentley him-
self, in a letter to Dr. Clarke, speaks of the scheme as
being still on the tapis, and waiting for his Majesty's
return. There is, I think, little doubt that the failure
of the plan was really owing to the Minister himself
2" This account is given by Mr. John Nichols, in the Gentleman's
Magazine for 1779, vol. xlLx. p. 547, in Dr. Salter's own words. In the
anecdotes of Bentley given by Dr. Salter, both there and in Bowyer's
edition of the work on Phalaris, some inaccuracies are to be observed. He
wrote them in his old age, apparently from the memory of conversations
with Bentley about 40 years before. On this occasion, he says : " Hare
went between Lord T. and Dr. B. and matters were just concluded; when
an envious and malignant suggestion of H.'s (as Dr. B. suspected and
was persuaded) defeated the whole ; and B. magnanimously disclaimed to
engage with persons who discovered so ilUberal a distrust of him. Instead
of an annual sum and a publication suo arbitrio, it was now proposed by
Lord T. through Dr. H. that B. should have so much per sheet. B. re-
jected the offer with scorn. ' I wonder,' said he to H., ' you should bring
me such a proposal, who have known me so long. What, if I had no
regard to their honour and to my own, would there be any diiBculty in
filling sheets ? Tell them I will have nothing to do with it.' "
408
LIFE OF
CHAP.
XII.
I7I6.
Schism
among the
ministers.
Bentley's
violent
measures
against
Miller.
Sept. 28.
being driven from the helm. The King passed
several months of this year in his German domi-
nions ; and it was not thought right to embark in
any measure which concerned the rising branch of
the Royal Family, without the cognizance and appro-
bation of his Majesty. But at this moment a schism
was taking place in the Whig administration, who
having obtained complete possession of the govern-
ment, now began to squabble for the spoils. The
Earl of Sunderland, so much distinguished for his
overbearing conduct while a minister of Queen Anne,
followed the King to Hanover, and contrived, with
the assistance of Stanhope, the other Secretary of State,
to prejudice the Royal mind against Townshend so
effectually, that in December he procured his dis-
missal, and obtained for himself the principal station
in the ministry. After a short struggle, Walpole and
all Townshend's party resigned, and left Sunderland
in full enjoyment of the object of his intrigues. After
this change, we hear no more of the joroposal for a
new edition of the Classics.
In the mean time Bentley's name continued to
excite public attention on several different accounts.
Relying, as it appears, upon the powerful interest with
which he had fortified himself, he resolved to put
down by vigorous measures the remaining opposition
in his college. On the day fixed for the election of
Fellows, Mr. Serjeant Miller came to Cambridge
determined to take his station amono; the eio-ht
Seniors, and there to maintain his own cause airainst
the Master. The latter was resolved at all hazards
to exclude him ; and for this purpose had recourse to
strange and unheard-of expedients. First, he stated
to the candidates for fellowships, his determination
that if Mr. Miller intruded himself into the meeting,
there should be no election ; and advised them to
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 409
dissuade him from a purpose so injurious to them- chap.
selves. He next sent for Zachary Pearce, one of the j-jg
aspirants, and suggested, that he being a Westminster ==
scholar might bring a body of students educated at
that school, among whom a great esijrit de corps
existed, to block out the Serjeant by manual force ^^
Finding these notable schemes ineffectual, the Master
resolved to rid himself of his enemy by the means he
would have used ao-ainst a thief or a house-breaker.
He summoned the meeting to his own lodge, and pre-
pared two constables for Miller's reception ; who, when
he entered with the others, laid hands upon him and
insisted on his quitting the house. The Serjeant gave
way to this violence ; and Colbatch, disgusted with
the scene, left the lodge, declaring against the force
wdiich was introduced. The Master and Seven Fel-
lows who remained, immediately subscribed a decree,
that neither Miller nor Humphreys should be allowed
to act as a Fellow, before the controversy respecting
their claims had been decided. They then proceeded,
attended by the constables, to the chapel, the statuta-
ble place of election, where Colbatch joined them,
and protested against the validity of any measures
decreed in his absence.
At the election of officers, three days afterwards. Election of
another storm took place : Dr. Colbatch being now
one of the eight Seniors, felt it his duty to claim the
post of Vice-master, which had been held for two
years past by Mr. Modd, a feeble old man, destitute
of the requisite qualifications. The statutes require
that this officer shall always be a graduate in Di-
vinity, never of an inferior degree, si commode fieri
potest. Upon the master proposing his re-election,
Colbatch desired that the statute might be read ;
2' This last story would be incredible, were it not taken from a manu-
script statement which gives it on the authority of Pearce himself.
410 LIFE OF
XII
1716.
CHAP, pointing out that Modd was neither Doctor nor
Bachelor of Divinity, while he himself was both.
Bentley immediately replied by quoting the clause si
commode fieri potest, and telling him that his conduct
during the last week would make his appointment
not only incommodum, but hicommodissimum. An al-
tercation ensued, in which he abused Colbatch with
violence and scurrility disgraceful to his own station
and character. This ebullition of wrath probably
arose not so much from any thing that had occurred
in College, as from a discovery of Colbatch's per-
severing endeavours to obtain the notice of Govern-
ment to the Petition of the Fellows. From that day
there ceased to be any intercourse of a friendly or civil
nature between these two Doctors ; they regarded
each other as implacable and mortal foes, and this
dreadful feeling ended only with their lives.
Fellowship It is ucccssary to advert to the fellowship-election
of this year, which, from one of the candidates be-
coming his own biographer, has obtained a memorial
in literary annals. Dr. Bentley availed himself of
his present influence over the majority of his council,
to convert all elections, both of Fellows and Scholars,
into nominations of his own. However, in exercising
his choice, he prided himself upon introducing into
the society the ablest and most meritorious young-
men ; and his enemies have been able to establish
but few instances of his deviation from this rule in
the space of forty years : but he regarded not whether
he had ascertained their merit by examination at the
time, or by a knowledge of their previous perform-
ances in College, or even by the reports of others.
In short, the Master felt himself at liberty to use the
same discretionary power as that exerted by the
Dean of Christchurch in nominating to the student-
ships at his disposal. But the circumstances of the
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 411
cases were totally different ; what was lawful in one chap.
College, was in positive contradiction to the statutes ^^^g
of the other. In consequence he was frequently ~
solicited, particularly by the great and powerful, in
favour of candidates for fellowships ; a species of
application which a constitutional master would deem
an affront, but which Bentley appears to have en-
couraged. In 1715, he chose, after little or no
examination, a candidate who brought him a letter
of recommendation from Bishop Atterbury, to whom
he was secretary. At the election of which we are
now speaking, three excellent scholars were chosen ;
Leonard Thompson, Zachary Pearce, and John
Walker : the two last of whom wdll be repeatedly
noticed in these memoirs. Pearce had given some zachary
kind of offence to the Master, or rather to his
minister Ashenhurst, and it was expected that he
would have been rejected. But being patronised by
Lord Parker, the Chief Justice, to whom he had just
dedicated his well-known edition of Cicero de Oratore^
he obtained from him a letter of recommendation to
Bentley, who thereupon elected him Fellow, saying
at the same time, ' My Lord has made me your
friend, let him make you mine.' We may easily
discern that the Master's object was to make a show
of obliging a powerful individual. But it is im-
possible to hear such anecdotes without acknow-
ledging the advantage derived to the College and
the public, by the present impartial mode of con-
ducting the elections ; where the full object of the
foundation is ensured by giving the preference to
superiority of merit ; and where the electors, after a
rigid scrutiny into the learning and ability of the
candidates, give their votes with an impression that
they are performing one of the most solemn and
responsible acts of their lives.
412 LIFE OF
^xii^' There were six other candidates, no one of whom
1716. ^^^ deserving of a fellowship : and there were five
=^— vacancies to be supplied. This necessity of choosing
unfit persons arose from confining the elections to
Bachelors of the senior year ; a bad custom which,
it is fair to observe, did not originate with Dr.
Bentley. Reduced to this predicament, the Master
had not the power of committing any material
injustice ; however, he drew upon himself much
obloquy by the two objects of his choice, who were a
nephew of Mrs. Bentley, and a nephew of Mr.
Hacket, the Fellow already mentioned, whose sup-
port it seems to have been sometimes necessary to
secure by a bribe^^
No sooner were these proceedings reported in
London, than considerable sensation was excited,
and the aflfairs of Trinity College became again a
subject of general conversation. Serjeant Miller beset
the Ministers with renewed complaints, while the
petitioning Fellows, through the zealous agency of
Mr. Farewell, seized this opportunity for soliciting an
attention to their prayer. Archbishop Wake, (who
had himself some cause of complaint against Bentley
for the uncivil reception which he had given to a
mandate sent to the college from Lambeth) expressed
his condemnation of the late proceedings in terms as
strong as possible ; declaring the Master to be ' the
greatest instance of human frailty that he knew of,
as wdth such good parts and so much learning he
could be so insupportable.' He renewed his promise
of zealously seconding the Petition. But it was
pretty clear that nothing eflfectual could be done
without the concurrence of Lord Townshend ; and
that minister had more than one reason for takino- no
o
22 Oil this occasion it was commonly observed in College that ' there
were elected three scholars, and two nephews.'— Rud's Diary.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 413
step in opposition to Dr. Bentley's wishes. However, chap.
perseverance in solicitation obtained what it would j_^g
have been a manifest denial of justice to refuse, the
The Fel-
hearino- of the Petition to the Crown. It was called lows' Peti-
...
for and read in Council, in the presence of the coundl '"
Prince Regent, and was sent by his Royal Highnesses ^'^^- ^^^
commands to Sir Edward Northey, the Attorney
General, whose opinion was required upon the legal
merits of the case, as well as upon the means of
appointing a visitation of Trinity College. The
business having proceeded thus far, there were two
causes which prevented its coming to any definite
result. Sir Edward Northey, though a lawyer of
great fame, did not possess the gift of despatch ; and
Bishop Fleetwood was determined to avoid by every
possible method the office of judge in a case which
had proved so difficult and irksome to his predecessor.
The Attorney General, in execution of his commis- sir Edward
sion, applied both to the Bishop and the Master for ""^^y*
their sentiments respecting the visitatorial power :
the latter replied at once that he acknowledged the
King alone as Visitor of the College ; the former
deliberated a long time before he returned any reply.
After the matter had been six or seven months in
the Attorney's hands, one of the petitioning Fellows
waiting upon him, was informed that the delay was
owing to his not having heard from the Bishop. At
length that prelate sent an answer, declaring that he
did not insist upon or claim any visitatorial power
over Trinity College, because the legal advisers of
the late Queen had determined that it belonged not
to him but to the Crown ; and expressed his readi-
ness to make a surrender of any supposed jurisdiction,
if thereby he could contribute to the prosperity of
the College.
The affiiir now seemed to admit of an easy ar-
414 LIFE OF
XII
1716.
^vi^^* ^^i^gement ; but either from design or procrastination,
Sir Edward Northey still neglected to make his
report to the Secretary of State. In a few months
he was himself displaced from his office, having
given no opinion on the case ; and as if to defeat the
object of the Fellows, he retained in his possession
the original document, which had been submitted
for his examination.
Bentiey J)y. Bentlev, findino; the Petition seriously aoitated
pfOpOSBS to »/ O •/ O
Miller a at thc Couucil Board, bethought himself of an ex-
miTe!™' pedient for taking off Miller, the enemy whom he
most dreaded, by a compromise ; and sounded him
with proposals, that he should receive the full emo-
luments of his fellowship to July 1715, and that his
charges, incurred in the suit before Bishop Moore,
should be repaid from the common stock of the
College. At the same time he circulated among the
Fellows this scheme of accommodation, with the
addition that his own expenses, as well as those of
the prosecuting party, should be defrayed by the
College. The Serjeant, however, was not at that
time in a humour to listen to any overtures ; he was
incensed at all that had passed, and thirsted for
revenge against the Doctor, by whose address and
management he had hitherto been baffled.
Miller's ac- But it was thc singular good fortune of Bentiey
University that tliis advcrsary just tlicu lost the power of giving
bridT ^^"^^ further disturbance, by the very method for
which an enemy would have prayed — that of ' writ-
ing a book.' Among other measures prepared by
Lord Townshend's administration to be introduced
into Parliament in the session of 1717, was one
asserting the power of the King over the Church,
and another regulating the two Universities. Ser-
jeant Miller, whose Whig principles were so violent
that he would not even tolerate a High-churchman,
1
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 415
and whose acquaintance with academical matters had ^l}ff'
quahfied him to speak upon such subjects, put forth j^^g
a little book, entitled ' An Account of the University
of Cambridge, and the Colleges there,' addressed to
the members of Parliament, and designed to be their
guide in the projected reformation. This publication
had two objects ; first, to point out methods by which
the High-church party might be crushed, and the
University made useful to the purposes of the Whig
ministry ; and secondly, to direct the public indig-
nation against his enemy Dr. Bentley. By review-
ing in detail the statutes both of the University and
of his College, he labours to establish this position,
that they were all either neglected or imperfectly
observed, and that the change of times and circum-
stances had made an attention to them inconvenient
or impracticable. From such premises he drew his
conclusion, that they ought to undergo a general
repeal, and that other ordinances should be enacted
more consonant with the spirit of the age, and the
views of his own party. The Serjeant's zeal so far
outran his prudence, that his case, even in matters
of fact, was palpably overstated ; and he omitted to
observe, that in practice, where the statutes could
not be literally fulfilled, their spirit was generally
attended to. But the intolerant and even tyrannical
measures, which he recommended to answer the
purposes of a faction, must have prejudiced candid
minds of every party against such a reformer. A
considerable portion of the book is devoted to Trinity
College, and to such an attack upon the Master and
his adherents as might be expected from Miller's
exasperated feelings.
This performance of the Serjeant came forth im- Feb.
mediately after the meeting of Parliament. But the n is gene
intended measures of reform, whatever they might je,',f„ed"
416 LIFE OF
CHAP, have been, were not brought forward, owing to the
^"' schism among the Whig leaders, and the struggle for
power between the two parties in the cabinet. Among
all friends of the Church and Universities the book
excited the utmost indignation : Colbatch and the
petitioning Fellows of Trinity felt how injurious it
was to their cause to be associated with a person
whose views were so hostile to the Establishment ;
and from that moment studiously renovmced all con-
Miiiercen- fcdcracy and connexion with him. Miller being
sured. Deputy High Steward, the Heads of Colleges ap-
plied to the Earl of Manchester, the High Steward,
to eject him from that office : the Earl complied
with the request, and the Senate ratified his act in a
grace which styled the Serjeant's publication Libel-
lum quendam famoswn, contra lionorem et privilegia
A ca demice scrip turn .
Humbieand Two mouths prcvious to this exposure, the affairs
pre1enta^"of Trinity College had been brought before the
public by another author, who succeeded in keeping
his name concealed : his pamphlet, which he styles
' An Humble and Serious Representation of the
Present Slate of Trinity College in Cambridge,'
urges against the Master a complaint of rapacity and
oppression. The tone is strong, though not pas-
sionate ; the topics, those with which the reader is
already acquainted : Bentley is accused of neglecting
the revenues and discipline of the place, of tergiver-
sation in politics, and of indecorum and violence in
ejecting Miller by means of constables. The writer,
who professes himself a Whig, and has an intimate
knowledge of the transactions, laments the apparent
disposition of Government to screen the Doctor from
a visitation.
Bentley, convinced that this attack proceeded from
some one of his Fellows, resolved to meet it with a
tion-
an address
to the
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 417
prompt and decisive step : on the day after the book chap.
was received at Cambrido'e, he summoned a Colleije- ,' , '
meeting, read some passages, and drew up an order, =====
declaring the work to be ' a false and malicious libel
upon the good government and flourishing state of
the College,' and denouncing the utmost statutable
punishment against any member of the society who
should be convicted as the author. Colbatch hap-
pening to be absent, the Master obtained the sig-
natures of all the eight resident Seniors to this
decree, which he immediately inserted in the news-
papers, as a sufficient reply to the ' Humble and
Serious Representation ^^'
Among the occurrences in this busy year of his life, Bentiey
we find Dr. Bentiey distinguishing himself in the field Sh^s'enate*'
of politics, as an active partizan of the Government,
Upon the suppression of the Rebellion an address of *'"°"*^-
congratulation to the King was proposed to the Senate
at Cambridge : this was the production of the Master
of Trinity, with whom Waterland, the Vice-chancellor,
acted, during his year of office, in strict confederacy.
By the constitution of the University, no measure can
be brought before the two Houses of Congregation
until it has been approved by a committee termed the
Caput, consisting of the Vice-chancellor and five other
2^ December the I4th, 1716.
" Whereas a pamphlet, lately printed at London, with the title of An
Humble and Serious Representation of the Present State of Trinity College
in Cambridge, was laid before us, and several passages were read out of it;
resolved by the Master and Seniors, that the said pamphlet is a false
malicious libel, traducing and misrepresenting the good government and
flourishing state of the College ; and that if any member of this Society
be duly convicted to be the author of it, he shall be proceeded against with
the utmost severity of the statutes."
Rich. Bentley. Wm. Ayloffe.
George Modd., Ja. Brabourn.
Edw. Bathurst. John Hacket.
Abr. Jordan. John Baker.
Matt. Barweli-
VOL. I. EC
418 LIFE OF
CHAP, persons, each of whom possesses a negative voice.
When the grace for sealing and presenting the address
was brought before this body, two of them, Dr. Tyson
t\% reject- ^^^ ^^ King, piit their veto upon it. Whether these
gentlemen acted from Jacobite feelings, or, as they
alleged, from dislike of particular expressions in the
proposed address, cannot be ascertained : but the .
effect was, to spread an opinion of the disaffection of
the University among all who were unacquainted with
the peculiarity of its constitution. Dr. Bentley, in
the course of his conversations with Lord Townshend,
explained the true state of the case, vindicated the
body from the imputation of disloyalty, and took
upon himself to promise the Premier that an address
on the suppression of the Rebellion should yet be pre-
sented by the University. This undertaking was
sufficiently bold : during the continuance of that year's
Caput, it was evidently impracticable ; and the pre-
vailing party held, that due expressions of loyalty
might with propriety be postponed till the return of
his Majesty from his long visit to Hanover ; and that
the expense of two addresses was a needless call upon
the academical finances. But Bentley having pledged
himself for the result, took private measures to influ-
ence the appointment of a Caput for the ensuing year.
This body, which is considered to represent the in-
terests of the whole Senate, consists of a Doctor in
each of the three faculties of Divinity, Law, and
Physic, and a member of each of the two Houses of
Congregation. They are chosen annually, on the
12th of October, by the Heads of Colleges, the Doc-
tors, the Proctors, and the Scrutators : but their
appointment, being considered as a matter of routine,
Bentiey's comuiouly cxcitcs little attention. His aim was to
procure tlie return of himself and his two friends
Doctors Brookbank and Ashenhurst, to represent the
manoeuvres.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 419
three faculties. This scheme, could it have been kept chap.
secret, would probably have succeeded ; but it took ^^^^
wind, and business was resumed after the lono-- — ==
vacation with a resolution to oppose the intrigues of
Dr. Bentley. This displayed itself on the first day of October lo.
term, when Mr. Witton, a junior Fellow of Trinity,
and particular favourite of the Master, being nomi-
nated as one of the Pro-proctors, a sudden and unusual
opposition was started in the Regents' House, where
he was rejected by the votes of twenty-five against five :
and the majority, to mark more strongly their adverse
feeling towards Bentley, immediately chose Mr. Fare-
well, the person who had distinguished himself by his
exertions to procure a hearing for the College Petition.
At the election of the Caput he was again defeated in October 12.
all his nominations ; and much triumph was felt at
the overthrow of his schemes : but his adversaries
were not yet aware of the extent of the resources with
which they had to contend. A Congregation being Address
held on the 16th of October, when all was security, posed.'^and
and no business of moment expected, only one member '=^"'^'^-
of the Caput besides the Vice-chancellor happened to
be present. The Master of Trinity now brought for-
ward his Address, which, being publicly read by the
Vice-chancellor, the Caput was summoned for its con-
sideration. The statutes enact that in the absence of
any member of this body, the senior person present in
the same faculty acts as his substitute. So well were
Bentley 's measures laid, that he himself became repre-
sentative of the theological faculty, while two other
places were supplied by Dr. Ashenhurst and Mr.
Laurence Eusden, a junior Fellow of Trinity, much
patronized by the Master, who ere long obtained the
post of Poet Laureate ^^. This committee having ap-
2* Eusden, who seems to have been an eleve of the Master, addressed
to him a copy of panegyrical verses on the opening of Trinity Chapel,
E e 2
■N
420 LIFE OF
XII
1716,
CHAP, proved of a grace for sealing and presenting the
Address, it was regularly put to the vote in the after-
noon. The surprise w^as complete, and the result
surpassed even the hopes of the contriver. The
Address was of course supported by all the Whig-
party ; several of the Tories joined them, to avoid the
suspicion of disloyalty to King George ; while others
of that party kept aloof, disliking the coup-de-ma'm,
and res^ardino' the measure as a device to serve the
interests of Bentley and Waterland. Thus the ques-
tion was carried in the Non Regents' House by 36
against 15; and in the Regents' by 34 against 14:
and the opposition, not mustering more than 29,
afforded Bentley a greater triumph than if they had
suffered it to pass in silence.
Address TYiQ Vice-cliaiicellor and Master of Trinity imme-
presented ^t. "^
Court. diately posted to lown, and, attended by a numerous
body of the University, presented the Address at the
Prince of Wales's court. The composition is remark-
able for its strength and clearness, and is an historical
document of some interest. This affair excited much
sensation in the public mind ; the undivided credit of
the achievement was given, both by his friends and
foes, to Dr. Bentley ; who had now completely ac-
quitted himself of his promise to the Minister, and
was regarded in the great world as a person of
influence and importance. Nor did his enemies, by
charging him with manoeuvring and management,
diminish his reputation as a political partizan'
,25
after it had been refitted by his exertions. His fame as a poet stands very
low ; but it is his principal misfortune, that the subject of almost all his
pieces is disastrous to genius ; being unqualified panegyric, and sometimes
devoted to not very desei'ving characters. His verses are smooth and
polished, and display no inconsiderable command of poetical diction.
•'=■ Hampton Court, October 22. This day the following Address to his
Majesty was presented to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, by the
Vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge, attended by several of
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 421
On returnino; from their mission, Waterland and chap.
XII
Bentley found the Tory party at Cambridge inflamed '^^^^
w ith resentment, of which the latter was the principal ===
er di-
object : they were provoked at being so completely ^"s,
out-manoeuvred ; they were galled at the imputation against
of disloyalty, and perhaps equally so at the assertion '^'^ ^^'
of the weakness of their numbers. Speaking of their
behaviour, in a letter to Dr. Clarke, he says : " The
tlie Heads of Houses and Members of the said University, introduced by
the Right Honourable the Lord Viscount Townshend, one of his Majesty's
Principal Secretaries of State.
" The Humble Address of the Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars of
the University of Cambridge :
" Most Gracious Sovereign,
" As we once had the peculiar honour to attend your Majesty with our
thanks for a most eminent instance of your Royal favour and beneficence ;
so we had been among the earliest messengers of the common joy and
congratulation for your victory over rebels, had not our intention been
frustrated by an unforeseen and unexampled impediment, which being
removed, we take the first opjjortunity to show to your Majesty and the
world, that it was not the want of our duty or affection, but our misfortune
and calamity.
" This we hope will excuse and justify our impatience, that we wait not
for your Majesty's return to Great Britain, but hasten to address you, even
while absent. And indeed we can scarce esteem it absence, while you
only cross your own seas to visit your own hereditary countries ; while we
see the influence of *your mind and counsels pervade and animate aU your
dominions at once ; while you still seem to reside among us, in that lively
image of your person and virtues, as well as of your sovereign power, liis
Royal Highness, your son.
" 'Tis with diflfidence that we now mention to you a rebellion so speedily
suppressed, subdued, and extinguished, and which your princely magna-
nimity and clemency seems already to have forgot. But our own concern-
ments, our late fears, and present joys oblige us to remark, that as no
rebelUon, in all our annals, appeared in its designs and consequences more
terrible and destructive, so none ever went off and vanished in shorter
time, with less detriment, and more propitious event; serving only to
display your Majesty's superior wisdom and fortitude, the weakness and
rashness of your infatuated enemies, the firmness of your Ministry, and
the faithfulness of your people. For even the few wicked actors, and just
sufferers in it, that were not professed Papists, have done the justice to
the Church Established, to declare they first deserted her communion,
before they could imbibe the principles of treason and rebellion.
" In an age of such distraction, such unaccountable folly as may seem
rather imputable to the anger of Heaven than to the passions and interests
422 LIFE OF
CHAP, fury of the whole disaffected and Jacobite party here
1716 against me and Mr. Waterland, is inexpressible ;
' one would think that the late Address had given
them a mortal blow, by the desperate rage they are
in." The feelings of the party themselves are told in
a letter from Conyers Middleton to the Earl of Ox-
ford, then a prisoner in the Tower under the charge
of high-treason, explaining the conduct of those friends
of the disgraced Minister, who had opposed the Ad-
dress. This, he assures him, resulted from no dis-
affection to the King and the Hanover Succession, but
from a belief that it was uncalled for till his Majesty's
return, and that the measure was only intended to
' procure preferment for Waterland, and impunity for
Bentley^*^,' It appears also, that the Heads were
offended at the Address not having been submitted to
them, according to custom, before it was offered to
the Senate. This omission was probably defended
on the ground of their having already approved a
of men, your University dare not answer for every individual. But in the
whole, we crave leave to assure your Majesty of our heartiest endeavours,
both by precept and example, to instill into our youth the warmest senti-
ments of loyalty and allegiance, of veneration and gratitude to your Royal
Person and Family ; to inculcate to them, that whatever is dear to the
good, or valuable to the wise, our religion and literature, our possessions
and liberties, do principally subsist (under God) upon the present happy
Establishment.
" May the same good Providence that has hitherto protected and guarded
you, and has bound up the fate of the whole Reformation with the fortune
of yovir illustrious House, bring your Majesty back to us in peace and
safety, with increase of your health, and new acquests to your glory ; and
(if we may aspire to so high a wish) accompanied with your beloved
grandson, that third security and pledge of Great Britain's felicity."
This Address is in the London Gazette, and other publications of the
day. It is omitted in the University Register, either from the negligence
of Mr. Grove the Registrary, or from some scruple about the variations in
the copy given to him from that which had been actually read and voted in
the Senate.
2« Tliis letter, without a name, but in the hand-\vriting of Middleton, is
preserved in the Harleian collection.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 423
XII.
1716.
similar one in the preceding April ; but the truth chap.
was, that secrecy was indispensable, or the stratagem
for its passing the Caput would have miscarried.
The first proof of ill-humour showed itself in a refusal
to pay the expenses of those who had carried up
the Address to the Throne : it was discovered that
some alterations (probably of an unimportant nature)
had been made by the Vice-chancellor, or the Master
of Trinity ; and thereupon it was contended that the
Address, not being the same as that voted by the
Senate, had no claim upon the academical purse '^^
In the midst of this ferment the Vice-chancellor's Election of
year of office terminated. The person who ought, ceiior.
according to the usual cycle, to have succeeded, was
Dr. Bradford, the Master of Corpus Christi College,
a theological author of reputation, who became ere
long a member of the episcopal bench. He was
believed to be on terms of close friendship with Dr.
Bentley. At the nomination he and Mr. Grigg, Nov. 3.
Master of Clare Hall, being proposed, Dr. Lany, m^nated." *
Master of Pembroke Hall, one of the Tory party,
unexpectedly added to their names that of the Master
of Trinity ; and the majority of the Heads immediately
nominated Bentley and Grigg as the two persons of
27 Dr. Kennet, the Dean of Peterborough, in a letter of Nov. 24, 17 16,
preserved in the Bodleian Library, says :
" The University of Cambridge are in a great ferment upon their late
Address. The Caput, as they call them, complain much of a breach of
their privilege, that it was not laid before them preparatory to its being laid
before the Senate. But when the Vice-chancellor and Dr. Bentley came
back to demand the usual expenses of the journey, it was denied in the
Senate ; and a reason given by Mr. King, that it was not the same Address
which had passed the University seal, but that the said bearers of it had
altered it on the road : a fact which, it seems, could not be denied ; for
Dr. B , with consent of the Vice-chancellor, had, as upon second thoughts,
expunged some passages, and amended others."
The Dean here falls into the common mistake of confounding the Caput
Senatus with the Heads of Colleges.
424 LIFE OF
XII
1716
CHAP, whom one was to be chosen Vice-chancellor bv the
Senate. This, Bentley says, ' was designed as a slur
on him ; ' a notion which could hardly be correct ; for
when it was resolved to set aside Dr. Bradford, the
Master of Trinity came regularly on the cycle for
nomination, being the senior of those who had not
twice filled the office. But an example being now set
for breaking through the routine, it occurred to Bent-
ley and his friends that an opportunity was opened
for electing him chief magistrate. What followed
shall be told in his o\Yn words: "The news being
received by my friends with a great deal of mirth, and
the blind horse's health (the nick-name of Dr. Lany)
passing at dinner through all our Vice-master's table
in the College-hall, it alarmed and scared the party
so much, that they first broke the statute by calling
a Congregation on the third, not for the fourth day,
Sunday, as usual, but for the fifth ^^ ; and sent mes-
sengers for all their outliers, within twenty miles of
Cambridge, to come at the election. The humour
was well carried on by my friends to keep the fright
up ; and the enemy knew nothing but they were in
earnest, till they were in the Schools ; when above
fifty friends appeared, and laughing at the others'
fears and new faces, went out of the Schools, as I had
privately desired them, without voting at all. Thus
ended the farce and the fantom of their own raising ;
2s Atwood's account in his Diary coincides with this statement. " The
congregation was deferred to the fifth, (having ahvays been on the fourth,
as far as any one now remembers) by the Proctors, in consideration of the
persons who had cures (the fourth being Sunday) to defeat the intrigues
of Dr. Bentley." It does not appear, however, to have been suspected
that the breach of statute, tlius committed by the postponement of the
election of the chief magistrate beyond the prescribed day, was liable to
the serious consequences which lawyers, I believe, denounce ; namely, the
vitiating the election, as well as every act done imder the presidency of a
person so chosen, or luider any authority emanating from him.
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 425
which they now boast of abroad as a legitimate vie- chap.
tory, and as a just revenge for making and managing j^^g
the late address."
' The farce,' however, did not end here ; for ' the Nov. 5.
party' having come prepared for contest, resolved to
have a poll, though there was no opposition : ac-
cordingly two votes being given for Dr. Bentley, one
hundred and six voted for Mr. Grigg. This fact,
which he omits, was the real ' slur' designed for
him. He soon afterwards wrote the letter just men- Nov. is,
tioned to his friend Dr. S. Clarke, a divine much
acquainted with the great, and, above all, honoured
by the special regard of the Princess of Wales, who
had already begun to obtain considerable influence.
He represents the state of University affairs, and the
necessity for Government openly countenancing those
who had incurred so much odium and resentment by
embarking in their cause. " If," says he, " the
proposal In usum Piincipis Fredeiici goes on, and is
finished on the King's return, and either a prebend
or a living in the King's patronage is given to Mr,
Waterland, I dare undertake that the Court shall
hear no more of the Jacobite party here. On the
contrary, as all eyes are now open here, and gaze
with expectation, if Mr. Waterland and I are neglected
above, and exposed here below to the malice of
an enraged mob of malcontents, no person henceforth
in this place can or will stir one foot to bear up against
the stream. Even now had Miller been turned out,
and the Royal answer given to the College, I could,
had I pleased, have made myself Vice-chancellor in
spite of all their posse. But at present several
neuters are in uncertainty, apprehensive that we act
without commission, reproached as beggars of pre-
ferment, but our performances slighted."
The Government at this time felt considerable Non
1
iiiing
Clergy,
426 LIFE OF
CHAP, uneasiness at the supposed disaffection of a portion of
j-jg the parochial clergy, a valuable and exemplary body
==== of men, who naturally possess much influence over
their flocks. Many of them, although peaceable in
their demeanour, declined to take the Oaths to the
new establishment : an opinion was prevalent with
some, that the permanent tranquillity of the kingdom
could only be secured by the restoration of the lineal
heir : many clung to the vain idea, that the Pre-
tender might be restored with such conditions and
securities as would ensure the preservation of the
Constitution in Church and State during his life-
time, and that his posterity might be educated in the
established religion. These delusive notions, as well
as certain favourable reports of the exiled prince,
were propagated by the writings of the celebrated
Mr. Leslie. It must be confessed, that a belief of
the King's predilection for his German dominions,
and indifference to his new throne, the conduct of
the Hanoverian favourites and mistresses, the pro-
scription under which the majority of the landed
gentry were placed, and the triumphant language
held by the dissenters, were circumstances ill cal-
culated to conciliate the clergy. Nevertheless, as
they were unquestionably ready, like their predeces-
sors in 1688, to encounter any dangers rather than
give admission to the religion of the Pretender, it
was plain that their want of regard for the Protestant
Succession was the mere effect of delusion. To
remove this cloud from the eyes of his brethren was
now attempted, with his characteristic decision, by
Dr. Bentley.
Dr. Hickes. Dr. Gcorgc Hickcs, the deprived dean of Worcester,
who was regarded as the head of the Non-juring
clergy, being lately dead, the publication of his
papers revealed the intentions of his party respecting
RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D. 427
the Church, whenever the Stuart line should be chap.
restored. They held, that all the conforming clergy j^j^'
were schismatic ; and pronounced the invalidity of ^
orders conferred by the Bishops made by usurping
monarchs ; consequently all baptisms performed by
those schismatic divines were deemed to be illegal ; and
it was resolved that neither one nor the other should be
acknowledged, until the parties had received fresh
ordination or fresh baptism from the hands of their
own part of the Church, which had never bowed the
knee to Baal. The tendency of these purposes was
obvious, and it was important that they should be
generally known. On this ground Dr. Bentley, as
Archdeacon of Ely, summoned the clergy of that
diocese, among whom were believed to be many
Jacobites, to a Visitation in the unusual and incon-
venient month of December ^^.
In his Charge he urged upon his brethren the Bentiey's
duty of giving support at this time to the Protestant his aI-cIi-
establishment, exposing the delusiveness of the views dTc^Ti^*
with which some friends of the Church fancied that
she could enjoy security under a Popish monarch.
29 The Visitation Sermon on the first day (Dec. 11) was preached by
Mr. John Heylin; and on the second day (Dec. 13) by Mr. Arthur
Ashley Sykes, the zealous champion of the Low Church, who held the
living of Dry Drayton, near Cambridge. The last discourse was on a
similar topic with his friend Bishop Hoadly's celebrated sermon preached
shortly afterwards, which gave birth to the Bangorian Controversy. It
was printed, and an analysis of it may be seen in Disney's Life of Sykes,
p. 42. Being intended as an attack upon Church Government, it was of
course agreeable to the ruling party. As a sample of the reception it
experienced from the opposite side, I wUl cite the following extract from
the Journal of Mr. Rud, who was then curate of St. Michael's, the parish
church in which it was preached :
" Dec. 11, 1716. Dr. B. the Archdeacon held his Visitation; and Mr.
Heyhn, late of our College, preached a very fine sermon."
" Dec. 13. Mr. Sykes, late of Bene't, preached such a scandalous
sermon with relation to the Church and the Clergy, as perhaps the like
was never heard before in any place, much less at a Visitation."
428 LIFE OF RICHARD BENTLEY, D.D.
CHAP. Availino- himself of the discovery made from Hickes's
XII.
1716. papers, he showed how absolutely the preferments,
~~ and even the spiritual character of the majority of
them would, in case of the restoration of the Stuarts,
be placed at the mercy of people in power, or their
rapacious partizans. These and other arguments are
pressed with his usual clearness of reasoning and
strength of expression ; and being addressed to per-
sons who had embraced their opinions with sincerity,
they were more calculated to produce a good effect
than the harangues and writings then in fashion,
which loaded the Non-juring party with every vil-
lainous imputation.
This Charge, the only one of his writings that can
be termed political, being printed in different periodi-
cal publications, procured for the Archdeacon high
reputation and great applause from the friends of
GovernniQnt ^". Oldmixon, the Whig historian, after
giving a long extract from it upon the subject of lay-
baptism, extols Bentley to the skies, and attributes
the opposition in his College, as well as the ' Humble
and Serious Representation,' to the malice of a poli-
tical party ^\ On the other hand it raised extreme
indignation among the partizans of the Pretender ; if
we may judge from the language of a very devoted
one, Thomas Hearne, the antiquary, who abuses the
production in unmeasured terms, and declares that
' it shows Dr. Bentley to be (as he certainly is) a
rascal, and an enemy to the King and all the King's
friends ^^'
30 See The Political Stale, for December 1716, vol. xii. p. 628.
3' Oldmixon's History of the Stuarts, vol. ii. p. 629.
32 Hearne's Diary in the Bodleian Library, Jan. 11, 1716-17-
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