their details may be relied upon as representing the scene over which he presided in person, sitting under the "shell," when Atterbury and Prior were among his favourite scholars, and the inspiring name JOHN DRYDEN stood conspicuous among old Westminsters of a departed generation, carved by himself on one of the benches.

CHAPTER II.

OXFORD, AND "THE CHRIST-CHURCH WITS."

Christ Church College, Oxford, a Nursery of Humorists-Will of Jasper Mayne-Dr. William King-Dean Aldrich-Dr. Smalridge" Old Westminsters" oppose Obadiah Walker's efforts to Romanize the University-Francis Atterbury writes a Defence of Luther-Penn the Quaker-Arthur Mainwaring-John Locke-Thomas Deane-Dr. Thomas Smith's Interview with James II.-The King's arbitrary Conduct towards the Universities-Dr. Radcliffe and Obadiah Walker-Literary Productions of Francis Atterbury at College His Latin Translation of Dryden's " Absalom and Achitophel"-His Remarks on Translation-His Admiration of Milton-Oxford during the Crisis-Atterbury and his Father His Pupil the Hon. Robert Boyle-The Epistles of Phalaris The Controversy with Dr. Bentley-TempleSwift-Dr. William King-Atterbury's Share in the Controversy-"The Battle of the Books "and "Tale of a Tub ". Waller-Atterbury's Preface to his Poems-Lord Roscommon-John Phillips-Lowth-Addison-Steele-Locke's "Reasonableness of Christianity"- Creed - Atterbury marries-Leaves Oxford.

CHRIST CHURCH COLLEGE, Oxford, was full of facetious traditions of former students and canons, who appear to have cultivated a taste for humour, occasionally not unlike that for which Rabelais was famous amongst his countrymen in a preceding age. Jasper Mayne was a writer of much divinity and talker of much profanity, a royal chaplain, canon of Christ Church, and Archdeacon of Chichester, who died December

VOL. I.

3

18

DR. WILLIAM KING.

6th, 1672, leaving a will in which he mentioned an old servant, whose bibulous propensities he appeared to encourage by bequeathing him a box containing something that would induce him to drink after the testator's decease. The man heard the will read, and hurried to take possession of the promised provision, anticipating nothing less than the run of the cellar, or unlimited credit at the tavern. He burst open the box and found—a red herring.

The community of this College acquired a particular recommendation, being known in the University as "The Christ Church Wits." One of them, Dr. William King, left Westminster School in 1681. At college his severe application has been exaggerated into reading and annotating twenty-two thousand volumes; nevertheless there is no doubt he was an excellent scholar. He also possessed humour and satire in no ordinary degree.*

While enjoying the reputation of a wit, he endeavoured to gain estimation as a critic and a divine, by an able reply to Varilla's attack upon the first and greatest of English reformers of the Church of Rome. This appears to have been published in the year 1688, when he took his M.A. degree. He then devoted himself to the study of civil law, with a view to the profession of an advocate in the ecclesiastical courts.

* See among numerous facetiæ his poem "Molly of Mountown," the heroine being a red cow of his, when he ruralized, instead of fulfilling important duties in Dublin, to which he got appointed about the year 1702. Much more amusing was his satire on Sir Hans Sloane, entitled, "The Transactioneer."

Reflections upon M. Varilla's History of Heresy, Book I., tom. I., as far as relates to English matters, more especially those of Wickliffe.

ROMANIZING AT OXFORD.

19

Another "old Westminster," Henry Aldrich, was a canon in 1681, and soon after took his degree of Doctor of Divinity. He was one of the ablest tutors in the University, and became Dean of Christ Church, moreover was an intimate friend of Francis Atterbury. He came forward prominently against those enterprising Roman Catholics who were encouraged to attack the Church of England. Burnet published a high opinion of him.*

George Smalridge left Westminster School for Christ Church, May 17, 1682. He possessed a singularly amiable disposition, with much application, and soon gave evidence of superior attainments. His classical knowledge was fully appreciated at the University, and he lived to be one of her most celebrated scholars; but he distinguished himself in other labours that were equally esteemed. It had been constantly and confidently rumoured, since James had succeeded to the throne, that conversions to the Catholic faith were multiplying so rapidly that the Romanizing of the entire kingdom might soon be looked for. The universities were specially referred to as centres of this alleged movement, and the Oxford converts were reported to be in extraordinary abundance. Dr. Obadiah Walker, however, was not permitted to make such statements unchallenged. The old Westminsters lost no time in taking counsel on the critical state of

* "He examined all the points of Popery with a solidity of judgment, a clearness of arguing, a depth of learning, and a vivacity of writing, far beyond anything that had before that time appeared in our language." History of his Own Time. In the year 1687, Dr. Aldrich published his "Reply to two Discourses [by Walker] lately published at Oxford, concerning the Adoration of Our Blessed Saviour." Obadiah Walker animadverting on this, he wrote a "Defence" of it in the following year.

20

ATTERBURY'S DEFENCE OF LUTHER.

the Church of England, and resolved to do battle in her defence.

In May, 1687, the Popish master of University College having issued a pamphlet advocating the opinions James was endeavouring to bring into fashion, the following month Smalridge attacked it, and exposed the fallacy respecting the pretended extensive secessions. In August, this opening of the controversy was followed by his friend Atterbury, in a spirited defence of Luther-the first attempt of the kind that had been made by any member of the Anglican Church.* These productions eminently excited Protestant zeal, awakening the more apathetic Churchmen to a proper sense of their duty. It was not Oxford alone that engaged in the contest thus commenced. Every Anglican minister in the country, as well as every member of his congregation, were profoundly concerned in the issue; though probably few felt a deeper interest in it than the incumbent of Middleton Keynes.

The Roman Catholics taunted the Protestants with deriving their religion from a foreigner, oblivious of the fact that there were Church Reformers in England before Luther was born, and that their writings had inspired the reformation which had spread from Bohemia into Germany.† Atterbury does not seem to

"An Answer to some Considerations on the Spirit of Martin Luther, and the Original of the Reformation." The Considerations bore the name of Abraham Woodhead, though written by Walker. In the answer the author asserts, "Let the spirit of Martin Luther be as evil as it is supposed to be, yet the proof of this would not blast any single truth of that religion he professed; though upon a faithful enquiry it will be found that his life was led up to those doctrines he preached, and his death was the death of the righteous."

The subject is treated fully in the Author's "Lives of the English Cardinals."