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subscription the History of the Mallardians," treating them as a set of stupid bon vivuns; at least he may be presumed to have contributed the prints of a cat said to have been starved in their library, and of two antient grotesque busts carved on the South wall of the College, the plates of which were in his possession.

When Mr. Mores left the University, he went abroad, and is reported to have actually taken orders; but whether this tradition has any better foundation than his affectation of wearing his academical habit, and calling it that of a Dominican friar, we do not pretend to vouch. It has been said that he entered into deacon's orders in the Church of England, to exempt himself from serving civil offices; but it does not appear that he received ordination from the Bishop of London.

In the original warrant for letters of administration granted to his son, on his dying intestate, and in the bond given on that occasion (which I have seen in the Prerogative-office), he is styled " The Reverend Edward-Rowe Mores, late of the parish of Leyton, in the county of Essex, Doctor in Divinity." When, where, or how, he came by this degree,, is extremely unaccountable; nor would this have been inserted, had I not been assured by a very intimate friend of his, that Mr. Mores received the honorary title of D. D. in consequence of

*The Rev. William Ellis, M. A. and master of the grammarschool at Alford, Lincolnshire; author of 1."A Summary of the Roman Laws; taken from Dr. Taylor's Elements of the Civil Law; to which is prefixed, a Dissertation on Obligation," Svo. -2. "A Treatise on Government, from the Greek of Aristotle," 4to.-3. "A Collection of English Exercises, translated from the Writings of Cicero only, for school-boys to re-translate into Latin; and adapted to the principal Rules in the Compendium of Erasmus's Syntax, 1782," 12mo.-4. "A Translation of Cicero's Dialogue on Friendship, adapted to the Exercise Book, 1782,” 12mo.--He had in 1781 an intention of preparing for the press the "Public Orations of Demosthenes, in Greek, with useful explanatory notes in English, together with a Greek and EngJish Lexicon, in the manner of Henry Stephens's Greek Thesaurus, and full as copious."

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a literary favour which he had conferred on some foreign Roman Catholic Ecclesiastics*, who wished

*From what University in particular this degree was received, though I have inquired wherever I thought it likely to gain intelligence, I cannot precisely ascertain. In the original information given me by Mr. Ellis, he says, "I cannot at this distance of time speak positively to its being them [the Society of the Sorbonne], though I think I am not mistaken. This I am sure of, that the degree given was a Doctor's of Divinity, of the Sorbonne. Whether or no they have it in their power to confer degrees I know not: but this I am sure of, that it was procured by the interest of those Ecclesiastics, whom Dr. Mores had obliged. I remember, when he told me of this affair, he added, I could show you my diploma; but,' says he, smiling, I question whether I could do it safely, for I do not know whether there are not some things in it which might subject me to a Præmunire.' The discourse unluckily happened to take another turn, which prevented my requesting to see it. I heartily wish that you could meet with the diploma itself; and that a matter of this consequence should not be delivered to posterity upon hearsay evidence. I dare to say the correspondence which passed between him and those gentlemen is preserved, which would throw further light on this matter."

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Desirous of ascertaining the precise fact, I made the following application to our very learned countryman Dr. Hooke, who had long done honour to the Professor's chair of Astronomy in that illustrious Body: "It is believed that the Rev. Edward-Rowe Mores (who died in November 1778 at Leyton in Essex) had the honour of being a Doctor of the Sorbonne. A friend to his memory wishes to ascertain this fact, as his Life will be recorded in the Biographia Britannica. Mr. Flores was a man of great learning, and is said to have conferred some literary favour on the Society of the Sorbonne, and to have refused any pecuniary reward; he is said also to have requested the honour of admission into that illustrious body, who obtained for him the degree of D. D. and admitted him as a Doctor of the Sorbonne.-If this turns out to be fact, query, 1. What was the literary favour? 2. What was the date of the diploma, and can a copy of it be obtained? 3. Have the Sorbonne, as a body, a power of bestowing literary degrees? 4. Is it usual, or has it ever been practised, to bestow such degrees on a Protestant Divine? It should be observed, however, that Mr. Mores, though a member of the Church of England, had very peculiar notions of Religion, and professed himself to his friends to be of the Religion of Erasmus. If Dr. Hooke would take the trouble to answer these queries, he would do an essential service to English Biography. It would do still a greater service, if he would have the goodness to communicate any Memoirs of his excellent Father, the admirable Historian of Rome."-These queries almost immediately produced the following polite and satisfactory answer: "Paris, à la

to repay him by a pecuniary acknowledgment, which he politely declined accepting. Mr. Mores was as ambitious of singularity in Religion as in other pursuits; and if he could be said to be a member of any particular church, it was that of Erasmus, whom he endeavoured to imitate. He thought the Latin language peculiarly adapted to devotion, and wished, for the sake of unity, that it was universally in use. He composed a Creed in it, with a kind of Mass on the death of his wife, of which he printed a few copies, in his own house, under the disguised title of "Ordinale Quotidianum, 1685. Ordo Trigintalis;" beginning "Susanna Mores," &c. Hymnus, "Cœlos vidimus," &c. Of his daughter's education he was particularly careful. From her earliest inBibliotheque Mazarine, ce 13 Avril, 1781. Sir, The letter you honoured me with bears no date, so I cannot judge how long it may have been on the road to Paris : but I do not defer an instant returning you an answer, and giving you all the satisfaction in my power. It never was customary in the Sorbonne to bestow the degree of Doctor on any person who had not studied in Paris, and taken all the inferior degrees according to the statutes of the University; nor is there upon record one example to the contrary. Besides, I can attest, that for these forty years past there has been no literary correspondence between the Society of the Sorbonne and the Rev. Mr. Rowe Mores; for, having never been absent during all that time from the said Society, I should certainly have been privy to it.-As to Mr. Hooke, the author of the Roman History, he lived always a very private life, distinguished by no peculiar or remarkable event. It can furnish, therefore, but few materials for history. I am, with great regard, Sir, your very humble and obedient servant, HOOKE."

On the preceding testimony of Dr. Hooke, another Friend remarks, "May there not be that distinction between an honorary degree, and a regular one, in the Sorbonne, that there is in our Universities? The one, we know, cannot be taken without having gone through the previous degrees, and performed the usual exercises; but the other may. The one is claimed as a right, the other given as a favour. As to its not being upon record, they might not choose that, to prevent its being made a precedent of. With respect to Dr. Hooke's not being acquainted with any correspondence between Dr. Mores and the gentlemen of the Sorbonne, it is no proof that there was none; for, though his situation in the Society might enable him to know particularly what they did as a body, yet surely it could not give him an opportunity of being privy to whatever letters any of them might write as individuals."

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fancy he talked to her principally in Latin. The gentleman from whom I received this information dined with Mr. Mores when his daughter was not more than two years old. Among other articles they had soup, with which the child had soiled her lip. Absterge labium, said the father. The child understood the Latin, and wiped her upper lip. Inferius, said Mr. Mores, and she did as he meant she should. She was sent to Rouen, for education; but without the least view to her being a Roman Catholic on the contrary, he was much displeased when he found she had been perverted. Two ori ginal letters to the Superior of the House under whose care she was placed, which are printed below, contain a sufficient refutation of the report of his being himself a member of the Church of Rome. They are carefully transcribed from an original copy delivered by Mr. Mores himself to the gentleman who communicated them to me, without any material alteration even in the punctuation *.

* In my former edition both these letters were printed in the original Latin. A translation of the first of them is now first printed from Mr. Mores's own hand-writing.

1. "To the worshipful Matron the Superior of the Convent of S. Joseph at Roüen, Edward-Rowe Mores greeting: "We commit, worshipful Madam, our only daughter to your keeping and management: and the more willingly for that, besides the strict discipline of your house, we understand that none others of our Nation are at present with you.

She is a child of a ready wit, an acute judgement, and of a temper not unamiable; docile and tractable: but, being deprived of her mother (who whilst living was afflicted with almost continual illness) and being too much loved and indulged by me, and entrusted rather beyond what her years might justify, and being in some respects superior to the generality of her age and sex, she refused obedience to all command but mine; who, being busied about many things, had not nor have sufficient leisure to superintend and direct her conduct.

Nevertheless she comes to you, most venerable Matron, from her father's house; brought up and fostered there (and only there) from the first moment of her existence, not transporting with her from any female school of ours (all which I detest and hate) any spot or blemish to your sacred flock; but pure and blameless,

On his return to London, Mr. Mores resided some years in the Heralds' College, intending to

blameless, and innocent from the corruptions of the world: and I trust that in the same purity and blamelesness and innocence she shall with the blessing of Providence be restored to us again. Touching works to be performed by a needle, and how far it may be proper for her to be exercised therein, as they are matters out of my knowledge, I leave them to the women who accompany her.-Let them be useful, not trifling; accommodated to the purposes of domestic œconomy.

Touching other works which more properly fall within my direction and judgement-let her be well instructed in the arts of writing, drawing, and arithmetic.

We place her in the upper order of pensioners; not that upon that account the reins may be let loose to indolence or idleness, or that the most rigid discipline exerted amongst the nuns of your house and order may in any wise be infringed or relaxed. Though in station she is superior, yet in obsequiousness and duty let her be as the lowest; and though she is lay, let her be as religious. By no means, upon any pretence whatever, let her go into the city, or pass the walls of the convent, or form any acquaintance but with the nuns of your own house. With them let her dine; with them let her sup; and with them let her be a companion: for, having been trained hitherto with grown persons, we would not have her now associated with children. Let her diligently attend the service of the church; matins I mean and vespers. Let her rise early and go to rest early, and with sedulity perform the businesses allotted to her. And by how much the more, reverend Madam, you shall enforce obedience in these particulars, by so much the more will you rise in our respect and estimation, and claim the tribute of our obligations and thankfulness.

All letters directed by the child to me, and all letters directed by me to her, I wish to pass unopened. As to any others, if any such should be, which I believe not, let them be opened, let them be read, and do with them according to your discretion.

Nearly the same request I am to make as to the books which she brings with her. Let her be permitted to read them in her chamber. Not any of them concern Religion but the Bible.

And having said thus much, most excellent lady, I might commit both you and her to the protection of the Almighty; but I cannot fail to add, that as I, a Divine of another church, have committed my daughter to your care, I must expect the same indulgence and the same fidelity as I myself should shew were your daughter committed to my care. Your dictates I should strictly obey, your directions observe in all things. And as we are both devoted to the same service, the glory of God and the salvation of souls, bear in mind the affinity which is betwixt us; and consider me as your brother, even as I consider you as my

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