In justice to Mr. Holloway, whatever might be said against him, it must be said for him, that he was a sound classical scholar, who had gone farther than most men into the mysteries of the Greek Philosophy; and to an attentive study of the Christian Fathers had added great skill in the Hebrew and Arabic languages; such as qualified him to take up and maintain the cause of the Hebrew Primavity against its opponents. Confined as he was to the solitude of a country parish, if he found himself out of practice in the writing of Latin, he used to renew it occasionally by reading over the Moria Encomium

of

Divine Legation, and other works of that fanciful but very ingenious projector of unfounded theories. Though I honour the character of Bishop Hurd, and admire every thing he writes, my opinion of the usefulness of the works of Dr. Warburton is very little changed by what I have seen. I am still persuaded, that neither religion nor learning will ever derive much benefit, nor the Christian world any considerable edification, from the works of that famous writer: neither will they probably derive any great harm; because it is apprehended, the reading of Bishop Warburton's books will hereafter be much less than it hath been. The Methodists despised him for a part of his Christian character, as much as he despised them for a part of their character; and both had equal reason. His learning is almost as much unlike to Christianity, as their Christianity is unlike to learning. I forbear to indulge any further reflections on so critical a subject.

of Erasmus, which never failed to reinstate him and I am persuaded the anecdote may be of use to other scholars when in danger of losing their Latinity.

Mr. Holloway was first induced to take notice of Mr. Horne, on occasion of some verses which he had addressed to his friend Mr. Watson. They expressed the ardor of his gratitude, and discovered a poetical genius *.

The Rev. Mr. Welbourne of Wendelbury near Bicester in Oxfordshire, whom, from the monastic spirit of a single life, and a remarkable attachment to the study of Antiquity, Mr. Horne delighted to call by the name of Robertus Wendelburiensis, was very much respected and beloved, and often visited by Mr. Horne so long as he lived. Educated at Westminster and Christ-church, he was a scholar of the liter class; and a deep and skilful student in the Scripture, of which he gave a specimen in an interpretation of the last words of David from the Hebrew. He went farther in this, and

D 4

op

* It was rather officious to give them to the world, as somebody hath done since Dr. Horne's death. Our opinion of a great and good man, who has finished his course, ought to be gathered from the hasty and ardent productions of his youth.

and with better success, than the learned and ingenious Dr. Grey, the versifier of the Book of Job, after the manner of Bishop Hare's Psalms, with whom he had been acquainted. He wrote well in English and Latin, and composed several learned works, which had their exceptionable passages, from a visible inclination toward some of the peculiarities of the Church of Rome. He had lived several years in strict friendship with Dr. Frewen, the physician, in whose house he always resided when he made a visit to Oxford; also with the Reverend Sir John Dolben, of Finedon in Northamptonshire, the learned, accomplished, devout, and charitable father of the present worthy Sir William Dolben, member for the University of Oxford; and also Mr. Counsellor Gilpin; to the last of whom he left his collection of Grecian and Roman coins; which, if I am rightly informed, is now in the new library at Christ-church *.

Another excellent friend of Mr. Horne was

the

* The complexion of this good man's character may be distinguished in the last letter I received from him, about two months before his death, of which I had an account from Dr. Horne.

the late Dr. Patten, of Corpus Christi College; a gentleman of the purest manners and unquestionable erudition. On re-considering the state of the question between Christians and Infidels, and seeing how absolutely necessary it was to speak a plain language in a case of such importance to the world, he gave to the University of Oxford a discourse which he called the "Christian Apology;" and which the Vicechancellor and Heads of Houses requested him. to publish. It went upon true and indisputable principles; but it was not relished by the rash reasoners of the Warburtonian school; and a Mr. Heathcote, a very intemperate and unmannerly writer, who was at that time an assistant-preacher to Dr. Warburton at Lincoln's Inn, published a pamphlet against it; laying himself open, both in the matter and the manner of it, to the criticisms of Dr. Patten; who will appear to any candid reader, who shall review that controversy, to have been greatly his superior as a scholar and a divine. Dr. Patten could not with any propriety be said to have written on the Hutchinsonian plan; but Mr. Heathcote, in aid of his own arguments, found it convenient to charge him with it, and suggest to the public that he was an Hutchinsonian

Hutchinsonian; which gave Dr. Patten an opportunity of speaking his private sentiments, and doing justice to those gentlemen in the University of Oxford, who were then under the reproach of being followers of Mr. Hutchinson *.

The Rev. Dr. Wetherell, now Dean of Hereford, was then a young man in the College of which he is now the worthy Master: and such was his zeal at that time in favour of Hebrew literature, that Mr. Horne, Mr. Wetherell, and Mr. Martin (now Dr. Fairfax) and a fourth person intimately connected with them all, sat down for one whole winter, to examine and settle, as far as they were able, all the Themata of the Hebrew language: writing down their remarks daily, and collecting from Marius, and Buxtorf, and Pagninus and others,

what

On occasion of this paragraph, I have re-considered. Dr. Patten's Discourse and the Defence of it; and am persuaded it might be of much service, if every young man were to read them both, before he takes holy orders. His picture of fashionable Christianity is very alarming, and I fear it is not exaggerated. Another Discourse preached before the University, and from the same pen, published also by request, intitled "The Opposition between the Gospel of "Jesus Christ, and what is called the Religion of Nature," deserves to be noticed here.