The queftion was put, and the Houfe divided, 211 to 124, and the bill was read and paffed. April 28. The Houfe refolved itfelf into a committee on Mr. B-ke's bill; and firft took into confideration the claufe for a bolishing the office of the Great Ward-A robe, the office of the removing Wardrobe, the office of Mafter of the Robes, the office called the Jewel Office, and all the places and charges dependent on them, except thofe of one houfe-keeper, and one wardrobe-keeper in each of his Majefty's palaces and houses. Thefe reforms to take place after the decease of the prefent poffeffors. houfe-keeper to any of the royal palaces was, generally speaking, a mere finecure; which, however, fo long as it was beftowed on ladies of condition only, should receive no fhock or violence from him. The reft of the claufes went to the abolition of the offices already mentioned. The claufe was oppofed, as tending to interfere with his Majefty's domeftic concerns, and to break in upon the old eftablifhments of the ftate. Ld N-g-nt obferved fhrewdly on what Mr. B-ke had faid of the painter; that if he had asked the man who he was, Band what he was about, he would have told him he was a reformer, and that he was attempting to alter and improve those paintings, the work, he could not but acknowledge, of a much greater master than himfelf, and the admiration of the best artifts for a great number of years. And now, Cfaid he, juft as the painter's attempts to correct the pictures of Rubens had ftruck the hon. gentleman, did the hon. gentleman's bill ftrike him. It was an attempt to reform, alter, and correct the conftitution; the work of the old fchool, the work of thofe mafters whofe univerfal excellence and fkill had been long established by the fanction and approbation of admiring ages; he cautioned the hon. gentleman therefore to beware how he proceeded. Mr. B-ke opened the debate, by rifing to inform the committee, why he had forborne to meddle with the houfe-keepers of the royal palaces, fome of which, he faid, were real, and fome virtual. On examing the Red-book, he found at the head of the lift of houfe-keepers Lady Mary Churchill, and the was followed by a long train of petticoats. He declared he thought it right, that there should be fome refpectable eftablishment for ladies of condition and family; and thereforeD imagining that the places were all held by ladies, as well out of his natural refpect for the ladies, as for the real feelings of his mind on the occafion, he determined not to attempt to difplace one of them. To confirm him in this idea, he had received, he faid, no less than eight letters, requesting him not to move for the abolition of the places of houfe-keepers to the roval palaces; and among others one After going over the old arguments the claufe was rejected, as was that for abolishing the Board of Works, by a E great majority. MR. URBAN, July 14 from Haverford West, stating, that John Y 28 correfpondent Scrutator afferts (p. Manners, Efq. was houfe-keeper at Whitehall. He again had recourfe to the Red-book, for before he imagined it F to be an error, and that it had either meant Lady John Manners, or Joan Manners; however, after brushing afide the crowd of hoop-petticoats which almoft concealed him, he efpied John Manners, Efq. He went conftantly to Whitehall, which he found to be one of the ideal G palaces, without retinue, or any accom. modations for the reception of 1oyal refidents. All he faw there were feveral paintings of nudities in the banquetinghoufe by Sir Peter Paul Rubens, and a painter bufy about them, who,according to, the modern fashion, was employed in correcting and improving the works of that great mafter. He faw, however, no housekeeper, nor any occafion for one, though five hundred pounds a year and more, were paid to John Manners, Efq. for holding that office. He mentioned this, he faid, only to fhew, that the office of 266) that Abdollatiph's Compendium of the Hiftory of Egypt has been published by Michaelis. It is true that Michaelis published in 1776 Abulfeda's Geographical Defcription of Egypt. Abdoliatiph has never been printed, but has been prepared for the prefs, I am informed, by Mr. White, Laudian profeffor of Arabic, and will go into the Clarendon prefs within fix weeks. This edition will contain a tranflation of the Arabic text; whether English or Latin, I have not heard. OXONIENSIS. A Correfpondent wishes to be inform ed, whether the title of ESQUIRE is with propriety annexed to the name of a Peer's fon where that of HONOURABLE precedes; and informs us, that Mifs Louifa Grenville (now HLady Mahon, fee p. 146) is daughter to the Hon. Henry Grenville, youngest brother to the Earl, and uncle to the prefent Earl Temple. The want of room, and not of inchnatin, obliges us to poftpone the many favours of our valuable Correspondents; who are partienlarly requested to direct their Letters either to J. Nichols, printer, in Red Lion Paffage; cris Mrs. Newbery, the Corner of St. Paul's. MR. URBAN, YOUR Hiftory of Medals on the So •P. 75, vereignty of the Narrow Seas*, ended with thofe ftruck by Charles the Firft, whofe broils with his fubjects prevented his keeping up the dignity of his crown in the face of Europe His fon attempted to maintain the spirit of the claim on the current coin of the king dom. The laft pattern pieces were the QVATVOR MÁRIA VINDICO farthings; to which were alfo added, for the first time, halfpence alfo: there are fome pieces called Ld Lucas's farthings, not because he was concerned as a proprietor in the coinage, but on account of a fpirited fpeech made by him in parliament. Thefe were what had the preference to all others, and the fame as those coined by authority 1672, only putting the word BRITANNIA round the reverfe, inftead of QUATUOR MARIA VINDICO, to oblige the King of France: and taking the date 1665 from under the head, and placing it in the exergue on the reverfe, where the word Britannia ftood before. On one of the farthings the king's head is adorned with a larger flowing head of hair than on the other; and there is one with this head which is fomething broader than common, and which has the date 1676 under the head; but with what intent this could be ftruck I cannot think, as the currency of the other farthings has been established for four years. There is a little difference likewife on the reverfe, as the fpear of the Britannia but jft touches the bottom of the letters in the legend. I have never feen this piece in any other metal than filver. The QUATUOR MARIA farthings are much commoner in this metal than in copper, but not the halfpence. Snelling's Copper Coinage, p. 34. from which I have copied fig. 18. in his VIth Plate, (No 1.) and Pl. IX. 1. 3. (N° 2, 3.) The firft copper halfpence coined by authority in the reign of Charles II. was in 1665, having the king's buft laureate looking to the left, and the date under it CAROLUS A CAROLO; reverfe Britannia fitting on the globe, holding in her right hand an olive branch, and in her left a fpear and thield, whereon appeared croffes of St. George and St. Andrew interlinked. QUATUOR MARIA VINDIco. Exergue, BRITANNIA. These were by fome called Ld Lucas's farthings, from his noted fpeech on that occafion, but were foon after called in to please a neighbouring monarch': they are therefore not common, efpecially the halfpence. (Steph. Martin Leake's History of English Morey, p. 371 ) The fpeech referred to was made in the houfe of peers, Feb. 22, 1676, and has the following paffage, and was printed at Middleburg 1673, p. 3. "It is evident there is a fearcity of money, for all the parliament money called Breeches (a fit ftamp for the coin of the Rump) is wholly vanished: the king's proclamation and the Dutch have fwept it all away, and of his now majefty's coin there appears but very little; fo that in effect we have none left for common use, but a little old lean-coined money of the late three former princes. And what fupply is preparing for it, my lords? I hear of none, unless it be of copper farthings, and this is the metal that is to VINDICATE, according to the infcription, THE DOMINION OF THE FOUR SEAS." A In Dr. Mead's fale a copper pattern of this farthing fold in a lot with others for five guineas and a half another, with a halfpenny of the fame, &c. for only 11. 8s. In Mr. Granger's fale 1766, three of thefe farthings fold for 10s. pattern in filver, given by Mr. Slingsby, mafter of the mint, to Sir Roger Beckwith, and by him to Ralph Thoresby ; another copper coin; a 3d, a pure copper farthing, as they were originally defigned, defcribed in Thoresby's Mufcum, p. 378. were bought at his fale by Mr. John White for 14s. 6d. Four, in a lot with others, fold at lord Oxford's fale, 21. 25. The other figure on the plate reprefents an ancient brafs horn in Dover Caftle with an infcription, which may be read thus, Agia Gobaenes de Alemaine me fecit. This horn is ftill ufed o funmon the freemen to the election of barons in parliament, mayors, &c. The RELIGION of a PROTESTANT. From CHILLINGWORTH, Chap. 6. Sect.56. DY the Religion of Proteftants, I do not BY understand the doctrine of Luther, or Calvin, or Melanthon; nor the confeffion of Augufta, or Geneva; nor the catechism of Heidelbergh; nor the articles of the Church *On which we take this opportunity of obferving, that we are fince convinced the vari ation in N° 5. arofe only from the inattention of Valloon's engraver, who copied it unfaithfully from No 3. EDITOR. GENT. MAG. July, 1781. of of England; no, nor the harmony of Proteftant Confeffions; but that wherein they al lagree, and which they all fubfcribe with a greater harmony, as a perfect rule of their faith and actions, that is, the BIBLE. The Bible, I fay, the Bible only is the Religion of Proteftants. Whatfoever elfe they believe befides it, and the plain, irrefragable, indubitable confequences of it, well may they hold it as a matter of opinion, but not as matter of faith and religion; neither can they with coherence to their own grounds believe it themselves, nor require the belief of it of others, without moft high and most fchifmatical prefumption: I, for my part, after a long, and (as I verily believe and hope) impartia! fearch of the true way to eternal happiness, do profefs plainly, that I cannot find any reft for the fole of my foot, but upon this rock only. I fee plainly, and with my own eyes, that there are popes against popes, councils against councils, fome fathers against others, the fame fathers against themselves, a confent of fathers of one age against a confent of fathers of another age, the church of one age against the church of another age. Traditive interpretations of Scripture are pretended, but there are few or none to be found. No tradition but only of Scripture can derive itself from the fountain, but may be plainly proved either to have been brought in in fuch an age after Chrift, or that in fuch an age it was not in. In a word, there is no fufficient certainty but of Scripture only for any confidering man to build upon. This, therefore, and this only, I have reafon to believe. This I will profefs, according to this I will live, and for this, if there be occafion, I will not only willingly, but even gladly lofe my life, though I thould be forry that Chriflians fhould take it from me. Propofe me any thing out of this book, and require whether I believe it or no; and feem it never fo incomprehenfible to reafon, I will fubfcribe it with hand and heart, as knowing no demonftration can be ftronger than this; God hath faid it, therefore it is true. In other things I will take no man's liberty of judgement from him, neither fhall any man have mine from me. I will think no the worfe man, nor the worfe Chriftian; I will love no man the lefs for differing in opinion from me. And what measure I mete to others I expect from them again. I am fully affured that God does not, and therefore that men ought not to, require any more from any Iman than this, to believe the Scripture to be God's Word, to endeavour to find the true fenfe of it, and to live according to it. Lady." That excellent Biographer acknowledges that he "can tell no more than he has learned from Mr. Ruffhead, who writes with the confidence of one who could truft his information." The fource of Ruffhead's information was, beyond a doubt, the Life of Pope by Ayre; from whom therefore the story is here tranferibed at length: "This lady feems to have been a particular favourite of our poet: whe ther he himself was the perfon the was removed from, I am not able to say; but whoever reads his verfes to her memory, will find she had a very great fhare in him. This young lady, who was of quality, had a very large fortune, and was left under the guardianship of an unkle, who gave her an education fuitable to her title, for Mr. Pope declares fhe had titles, and fhe was thought a fit match for the greatest peer; but very young the contracted an acquaintance, and afterwards fome degree of intimacy, with a young gentleman, who is only imagined, and, having fettled her affections there, refufed a match propofed to her by her unkle. Spies being fet, it was not long before her correfpondence with her lover of lower degree was difcovered, which, when taxed with by her uncle, the had too much truth and honour to deny. The uncle finding that the could not nor would strive to withdraw her regard from him, after a little time forced her abroad, where he was received with all due respect to her quality, but kept up from the fight or speech of any body, but the creatures of this fevere guardian; fo that it was impoffible for her lover even to deliver a letter that might come to her hand. Several were received from him, with promifes to get them privately delivered to her; but thofe were all fent to England, and only ferved to make them more cautious who had her in care. "She languished here a confiderable time, went through a great deal of fickness and forrow, wept and fighed continually, and at laft defpairing quite, the unfortunate lady, as Mr. Pope july calls her, put an end to her own life, having bribed a woman fervant to procure her a fword. She was found dead upon the ground, but warm. The foverity of the laws where the was placed denied her chriftian burial; and the was buried without folemnity, or even any to wait on her to her grave, except fome young people of the neighbourhood, who faw her put into common ground, and firewed her grave with flowers, which gave fome offence to the priesthood, who would have buried her in the highway, but their power did not extend fo far." Such is the narrative of Avre; and from this account," fays Dr. Johnfon, "given with evident intention to rate the lady's character, it does not appear that the had any claim to praife, nor much to compaffion. She feems to have been impatient, violent, and ungovernable. Her unkle's power could |