ACCOUNT OF THOMAS PHILLIPS, AUTHOR OF THE LIFE OF CARDINAL POLE. FROM an ancient and respectable family, this gentleman derived his erigin. His great uncle, in the laft century, was William Joyner, an author, who wrote on the fame fubject, viz. the life of Cardinal Pole, as this his rephew did, though with lefs eclat. His father was of the Roman Catholick perfuafion, who had been converted by the converfation and example of his mother's brother, who lived in the family. This change was fo difpleafing to the grandfather of our author, that though he left the inheritance of his fortune to his fon, he deprived his off fpring of it for ever, unless they returned to the worship their father had quitted t. Our Author was the eldest fon of feveral children, and was fent very young to what he calls a venal fchool, where through a common diforder, the want of skill in the inftrutor, he paffed Tome years with little improvement; He had then an uncommon thirft of knowledge, and a very teachable difpeation; but, whatever was wanting on the part of his teacher, with respect to the beginning of that chriftian tha. tafter which ought to be formed in us, was fupplied by the pleafute he took in reading The Imitation of Christ, and Introduction to a Devout Life." He had, as he fays, fuch lively transports of devotion, and fuch a conviction that there was nothing defirable in the world, but what made us approach near er to God, that he often withdrew him. felf from his companions to dwell at leifure on thefe truths. On reading the lives of fome of the primitive Saints, te deliberated about privately leaving the fchool, and retiring into fome diftant folitude, to devote himself wholly to contemplation. He alfo read the Adventures of Telemachus, until he knew them almost by heart. His father, perceiving that his pro grefs was by no means answerable to the hopes he had conceived of him, refolved to remove him to a place celebrated for the inftruction of youth, in a neighbouring kingdom, where he con tinued or rather began his ftudies, which he pursued with unremitting diligence and fuccefs, until he had compleated a courfe of polite learning, during which he obtained the first prizes in all the trials of genius and industry by which emulation is kept up in the minds of youth. The fanre fuccefs attended him at the University, in thofe sciences which form the mind to a more juft, extenfive, and useful knowledge, and from Preface to the Life of Cardinal Pole, 2 vols. 8vo. 1767, p. 11.- -William Joyner, alias Lyde, was born in Oxfordshire, the latter end of the reign of Charles the First, and was educated at Magdalen College, where he obtained a fellowship, which he kept until he changed his religion, on which he made a voluntary refignation of it; and, being fond of reprement, remained undisturbed until the scheme of new modelling the University, in King James's time, took place, when he was for a fhort time restored to his former fituation in the College. The Revolution fucceeding, he betook himself to folitude in an obfcure village in Buckinghamshire, where he lived many years in the most retired manner until the 14th of September 1706, when he died. He wrote a tragedy called “ The Roman Empress,” 4to. 1671; and the above mentioned tract, entitled “ Observations on the Life of Cardinal Reginaldus Polus," Svo. 1686. In the church of St. Mary Magdalen, Oxford, is buried Edward joyner, alias Lyde (probably father of the foregoing), who is faid in his epitaph to have been born at Cuddefdon, of an honourable and wealthy family, educated at Coventry, from whence he was removed to Wadham College, and thence to the Inner Temple, where he cultivated poetry along with his profetñonal labouts. On the breaking out of the civil war he fided with the royal party, and on the deftruction of royalty he retired to his native town, where he continued the rest of his life. He died in 1702, aged 83 years. See Monumental Inferiptions, at the end of Pethall's Antient and Prefent State of the City of Oxford, 4to. 1773, P. 24. †This circumftance, with many more facts in this account, is taken from a pamphlet called "PHILEMON,” by Mt. Phillips, printed in 1761, and containing a sketch of tie thief in dents of his own life. A very few copies of this pamphlet were printed, and after a fmall number had been given away it was suppressed. thence have their denomination of Logic, Natural and Experimental Philofophy, and Ethics. Here he felt a defire of becoming a member of the Society of Jefus, and was accordingly admitted to the probationary ftate which precedes fuch engagements, but foon found himfeif by no means fuited to that kind of life: He therefore defifted from the under taking. Soon afterwards he mentions that his progrefs in piety and virtue fuffered fome interruption. "I fuffered," fays he, "humour and a neglect of duty to gain every day a greater afcendant: all my good refolutions difappeared; and each caprice in its turn difpofed of me. The pure and fublime relifh of truth and virtue, which hitherto had rather foreftalled than withstood any contrary impreffions, was vanished like a pleafing dream. I was no longer that modeft and docile young man, brought up in the school of piety and learning; but borne down by appetite and licenti oufnefs, like a fhip without pilot or fteerage, I had given up my conduct to the waves and wind." This deviation from the rule of right did not continue long; he returned to his former atten. tions to piety and virtue; be refumed his ftudies, and made himfelf mafter of ancient and modern hiftory, especially of that which concerns religion; he also became acquainted with the prin ciples of the civil and ecclefiaftical law, and of theclogy in all its denominations. "I drew this knowledge," fays he, "from the pureft fources of antiquity, and from thofe authors amongst the moderns, who have treated it in a manner becoming this divine fcience; that is, with reverence, perfpicuity, and elegance. A noble fimplicity appeared to me the genuine characteristic of fuch writings, and I confidered the fastleties, intricacies, and endiefs enquiries, with which they are fe often encumbered, as no lefs foreign to theology, than the barbarous language and alter cations, which have difgraced it. Ali beral and ingenuous turn of mind made me foon difcover that methods were defigned to help our advancement, not to hinder or retard it; whien when they did, we were to lay them afide." He had at this time contracted an intimacy with a perfon about his own years, and engaged in the fame ftudies; A young Jefuit of the name of Lawes. enced him to quit the Society of Jefuits. a perfon to whom he appears to hate been much attached, and who was fuddenly fnatched away in a few years by a fever. In union with this his affo ciate, he grew diffatisfied with fome of his fuperiors in the University, as mea wanting the principles of natural genius, who, by the precepts of art and great industry, were rendered men of reading, but not of knowledge; who were pe dants, not fcholars. These fentiments were foon difcovered. Both the friends were accufed of prefuming to blame what custom had established, they werz charged with valuing themselves on being fingular, and in confequence were mifreprefented and decried, and their fituation by that means rendered far from agreeable to them. After the death of his friend, he became defirous of adding to the improve. ment derived from reading and retire ment, the advantages of a more enlarged fociety, by which he might acquire a freedom of thought and behaviour, and a certain univerfality of mind, which a ftudious life is very apt to contract. He therefore travelled through, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Italy, during the course of which, he vifited perfons eminent for learning and piety; he allifted at the academical exercifes; he looked over the principal libraries, and confidered the productions of the polite arts, and above all the reft thofe magnificent ftructures which ancient and modern piety had raifed and dedicated to public worship. He ob. ferved the different face and product of each country, and that endless variety of manners which feems merely or principally to arife from climate and education. He did not truft his remarks to memory alone, but committed them briefly to writing; but whether they are now exifting, we are unable to afcertain. Having finished his travels, he determined to devote himself to the miniftry. and accordingly was admitted into or ders, by a prelate not lefs conspicuous for his amiable character, than for the high rank he held in the Hierarchy. Soon afterwards his father died, but his perfeverance in his religious fentiments deprived him of the ellate he would otherwife have enjoyed: Thus, though au eldeft fon, he had no other provision but what the frugality of his parents The lofs of this friend is faid to have indu had had made for him. This however was fomething more than mediocrity, and placed him above dependance. The preceding account is extraded from our Author's Pamphlet, printed in the year 1761. We now proceed to add fuch further circumstances concerning him, as have come to our khowledge. In 1756, he published "The Study of Sacred Literature, fully ftated and confidered in a Difcourfe to a Student in Divinity," a fecond edition of which appeared in 1758, and a third in 1745. This work is entitled to confiderable praife; but his principal performance, which obtained for him the greatest celebrity, was, "The Hiftory of the Life of Reginald Pole, 2 vols. 4to. 1764, reprinted in 2 vols. 8vo. 1767. It cannot be denied that this work, though penned with no small degree of fpirit and elegance, contains uch matter of an exceptionable nature, many of the facts diftorted, and many of the characters introduced in it viru lently abused. It excited on the proteftant fide a general alarm, and met, as might be expected, with a firm oppofition; many anfwers + foon made their appearance, from feveral eminent hands, and the mistakes and improprieties of our author's performance were pointed out and expofed. He published how. ever, in 1767, an Appendix to the Life, with fome remarks on the chief objections which had been made to it, and at the end of the third edition of his Ey on the Study of Sacred Literature, he added fome ftrictures on his opponents and fome corrections of mistakes. As to any mistakes with which," fays he. he has been taxed not as a mem. her of the community, but as a writer; those who have advanced them are very welcome to enjoy their own thoughts, This was the Rev. Mr. John Jenison, who died at Liege, 27th Dec. 1793, 1. A Letter to Mr. Phillips, containing some Observations on his Hiftory of the Life of Reginald Pole. By Rich, Tillard, M. A. 8vo. 1765, 2. A Review of Mr. Phillips's Hiftory of the Life of Reginald Pole. By Glocefter Ridley, L.L.B. 8vo. 1766. 3. Animadverfions upon Mr. Phillips's Hiftory of the Life of Cardinal Pole. By Timothy Neve, D. D. Rector of Middleton Stoney, Oxfordshire, Svo. 1766. To this are added, fome Remarks by Dr. Jortin. 4 Re marks upon the History of the Life of Reginald Pole. By Edw. Stone, Clerk, A. M. and late Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford, 8vo. 1765. These remarks were first printed in the Publick Ledger. 5. The Life of Cardinal Reginald Pole, written originally in Italian, by Lodovico Beccatell, Archbishop of Ragufa, and now fuit tranflated into English, with Notes Critical and Historical. To which is added an Appendix, &tting forth the Plagiarisms, falfe Tranflations, and falfe Grammar in Thomas Phillips's History of the Life of Reginald Pole. By, the Rev. Benjamin Pye, L.L.B. 8vo. 1766. and authors, fufficiently indicated throughout the whole work." The defence, however, was not fufficient to restore the credit of the work, which has fince been condemned to oblivion. Mr. Phillips, after he entered tuto holy orders, obtained a difpenfation to quit the Jefuits; and this ftep is faid to have been taken in confequence of fome diffatisfaction and difference with his fuperiors and professors, by whom he would not fubinit to be guided and ton. trolled in his theological ftudies. From Liege, where he took his difmiffion, he went to Rome, and there obtained, by the intereft of the Pretender, a Prebend in the Collegiate Church of Tongres, but was difpenfed from refidence on condition of ferving the English miffion, and for many years lived in the fainily of the late Earl of Shrewsbury, and afterwards in that of Mrs. Berkeley, of Spetchley, near Worcester. In the decline of life he retired to the Engli college at Liege, with the defign, which he could not effect, of re-entering into the Society he had withdrawn himself from, for which he retained a tender regard and affection. During the laft four or five years of his life he was afficted with epileptic fits, and, as his temper was naturally eager, his friends were cautious not to engage him in converfation upon his paft ftudies or literary fubje&s, by which they obferved his in. firmity was increafed. He was, we are told, a man of eminent picty, and always appeared Atrongly affeéted with the idea of the prefence of God, parti. cularly in his last nefs, which hap. pened at Liege in the year 1774: He had a fifter Elizabeth, who be. came Abbefs of the Benedi&ine Nuns at Ghent. On her entering this reli gious order Mr. Phillips addreffed the following fpirited lines to her, which, as they were never published, we fhall here prefent to our readers. To the Right Reverend and Religious DAME ELIZABETH PHILLIPS, on her entering the Religious Order of ST. BENE'T, in the Convent of ENGLISH DAMES of the fame Order at GANT. WHEN graceful Judith, confcioys of her The hoftile army fought and brav'd their arms, The with'd event with wavering minds attend, And, doubtful of her fate, their joy suspend ; But when return'd, and glorying in her might Atonce the gladden'd and surprised their fight, When free from harm, with hottile (poils array'd, Victorious and untouch'd they view'd the maid; In gath'ring throngs the joyful fquadrons wait, The lift to enter, and the laws embrace; My Mufe confenting with the Heav'nly Quire Approv'd your choice, and fann d the faced fire; Tho', aw'd by pious fear, her cautious lays Rather inform'd your mind than fung your praife. But fince refolv'd, and steady to your truft, Inflexible to change and obftinately just, Above the world with gen'rous warmth you rife, Contemn its greatness, and its joys defpife, And (pring exulting to the destin'd prize, Joyful the triumph of her voice the brings, Difplays your glories, and your praises fings; While the glad notes o'er Scaldis' waves rebound, And diftant hills the pleasing theme refound, Such cor ftarcy your tender years expreft, When early virtue warm'd your infant breast, Form d to religion in your native air, You fon furpass d your parents timely care; Thence far from hope, to foreign realnis convey'd, Your rifing virue brighter beams display da There five years spent amidit a virgin train, Your ardour cherish'd and improv'd your Aune : And when, constrain'd to leave your lov'd re t eat, You crofs'd the main to feek your native featą Nor wourly charms, nor parents stronger love, The feady purpose of your foul could move But hearing forward with undaunted force, And urging as the goal approach'd your course, Fix'd and folved the noble race you run, But as he mounts, encreasing fplendors rife, While ope and fear by turns poffefs their Till by degrees the op'ning air refines, breaft, And the bright orb in full perfection shines. |
