The Oxford Laureat; in which, after many claims had been made and re-f jected, Yaldem is reprefented as demanding the laurel, and as being called to his trial, instead of receiving a reward,

His crime was for being a felon in verse, And prefenting his theft to the king; The firft was a trick not uncommon or

But the laft was an impudent thing: Yet what he had ftol'n was fo little worth

ftealing,

They forgave him the damage and coft; Had he ta'en the whole ode, as he took it piece-mealing,

They had fin'd him but ten pence at

moft.

The

The poet whom he was charged with P robbing was Congreve.

He wrote another poem on the death of the duke of Gloucefter.

In 1710 he became fellow of the college; and next year, entering into orders, was prefented by the fociety with a living in Warwickshire, confiftent with his fellowship, and chosen " lecturer of moral philofophy, a very honourable office.

On the acceffion of queen Anne he wrote another poem; and is faid, by the author of the Biographia, to have declared himielf of the party who had the honourable diftinction of Highchurchmen.

1

In 1766 he was received into the family of the duke of Beaufort. Next year he became doctor in divinity, and foon after refigned his fellowship and lecture; and, as a token' of his 'gratitude, gave the college a picture of their founder.

He was made rector of Chalton and Cleanville, two adjoining towns and be

nefices in Hertfordfhire; and had the

prebends, or finecures, of Deans, Hains, and Pendles in Devonshire. He had be

fore been chofen, in 1698, preacher of Bridewell Hospital, upon the refignation of Dr. Atterbury.

From this time he seems to have led a quiet and inoffenfive life, till the clamour was raised about Atterbury's plot.

Every loyal eye was on the watch for abettors or partakers of the horrid confpiracy; and Dr. Yalden having fome acquaintance with the bishop, and being familiarly converfant with Kelly his fecretary, fell under fufpicion, and was taken into cuftody.

Upon his examination he was charged with a dangerous correfpondence with Kelly. The correfpondence he acknowledged; but maintained, that it had no treasonable tendency. His papers were feized; but nothing was found that could fix a crime upon him, except two words in his pocket-book, thoroughpaced doctrine. This expreffion the ima-gination of his examiners had impreg nated with treafon, and the doctor was.

en

enjoined to explain them. Thus preffed,

he told them that the words had lain unheeded in his pocket-book from the time of queen Anne, and that he was afhamed to give an account of them; but the truth was, that he had gratified his curiofity one day, by hearing Daniel Burgess in the pulpit, and those words was a memorial hint of a remarkable fentence by which he warned his congregation to beware of thorough-paced doctrine, that doctrine, which, coming in at one one ear, paces through the head, and goes out at the other.

Nothing worse than this appearing in his papers, and no evidence arifing against him, he was fet at liberty."