Bishop Berkeley, in early life, was tall and robustly formed; but his intense application to study prematurely wore down his personal graces and strength. His countenance was highly expressive and benign. Pope has summed up his moral character in one line, in which he ascribes "to Berkeley every virtue under heaven." His intellectual powers were very great; but he had, perhaps, too large a proportion of enthusiasm and imagination in him for the strictly philosophical temperament.

Simon Browne.

BORN A. D. 1680.-DIED A. d. 1753.

THIS learned protestant dissenter was born at Shepton-Mallet in Somersetshire. While yet a very young man he became minister to a considerable congregation at Portsmouth. In 1716 he accepted a call from the congregation assembling in the Old Jewry, London. Here he laboured for seven years with great acceptance, but at length became incapacitated for office by a most extraordinary mental hallucination, brought on by grief for the loss of his wife. He imagined that God, by a singular exertion of Divine power, had, in a gradual manner, annihilated in him the thinking principle, and utterly divested him of consciousness; and that thus, though he retained the human shape and the faculty of speech, in a manner even that appeared to others rational, he was, nevertheless, utterly unconscious of a single idea. Though fully possessed by this singular fancy, he saw no inconsistency in applying himself diligently to study, and even preparing some works for the press. A friend once called upon him, and found him engaged compiling a Greek and Latin dictionary. He expressed his satisfaction at perceiving his friend so fully employed; but Browne replied, "I am doing nothing that requires a reasonable soul; I am only making a dictionary. But you know, Sir," added he, "thanks are due to God for every thing, and we should even praise him for dictionary-makers."

Browne's publications are pretty numerous, and some of them display a great variety of knowledge and considerable argumentative powers. To his 'Defence of the Religion of Nature and the Christian Revelation,' he prefixed a singular preface to Queen Caroline, which was suppressed by his friends, but first printed by Dr Hawkesworth in the Adventurer,' No. 88. It is as follows:

"MADAM,-Of all the extraordinary things that have been tendered to your royal hand since your first happy arrival in Britain, it may be boldly said, what now bespeaks your majesty's acceptance is the chief. Not in itself indeed; it is a trifle unworthy your exalted rank, and what will hardly prove an entertaining amusement to one of your majesty's deep penetration, exact judgment, and fine taste. But on account of the author, who is the first being of the kind, and yet without a name. He was once a man, and of some little name, but of no worth, as his present unparalleled case makes but too manifest; for by the immediate hand of an avenging God, his very thinking substance has for more than seven years been continually wasting away, till it is wholly perished out of him, if it be not utterly come to nothing.

None, no not the least remembrance of its very ruins, remains; not the shadow of an idea is left, nor any sense that, so much as one single one, perfect or imperfect, whole or diminished, ever did appear to a mind within him, or was perceived by it. Such a present from such a thing, however worthless in itself, may not be wholly unacceptable to your majesty, the author being such as history cannot parallel; and if the fact, which is real and no fiction, nor wrong conceit, obtains credit, it must be recorded as the most memorable, and indeed astonishing event in the reign of George the Second, that a tract composed by such a thing was presented to the illustrious Caroline; his royal consort need not be added; fame, if I am not misinformed, will tell that with pleasure to all succeeding times. He has been informed that your majesty's piety is as genuine and eminent as your excellent qualities are great and conspicuous. This can, indeed, be truly known to the great searcher of hearts only. He alone, who can look into them, can discern if they are sincere, and the main intention corresponds with the appearance; and your majesty cannot take it amiss, if such an author hints that His secret approbation is of infinitely greater value than the commendation of men, who may be easily mistaken, and are too apt to flatter their superiors. But if he has been told the truth, such a case as his will certainly strike your majesty with astonishment, and may raise that commiseration in your royal breast, which he has in vain endeavoured to excite in those of his friends; who, by the most unreasonable and ill-founded conceit in the world, have imagined that a thinking being could, for seven years together, live a stranger to its own powers, exercises, operations, and state, and what the Great God has been doing in it and to it. If your majesty, in your most retired address to the King of kings, should think of so singular a case, you may, perhaps, make it your devout request, that the reign of your beloved sovereign and const may be renowned to all posterity by the recovery of a soul now in the utmost ruin, the restoration of one utterly lost at present amongst men. And should this case affect your royal breast, you will recommend it to the piety and prayers of all the truly devout, who have the honour to be known to your majesty; many such doubtless there are; though courts are not usually the places where the devout resort, or where devotion reigns. And it is not improbable, that multitudes of the pious throughout the land may take a case to heart, that under your majesty's patronage comes thus recommended. Could such a favour as this restoration be obtained from heaven by the prayers of your majesty, with what a transport of gratitude would the recovered being throw himself at your majesty's feet, and, adoring the Divine power and grace, profess himself,-Madam, your majesty's most obliged and dutiful servant."

Bishop Wilson.

Born a. d. 1663.—died a. d. 1755.

THIS excellent prelate was born at Burton in Cheshire, in 1663. He received his first education at a private school in the city of Chester. He then went to Dublin and entered Trinity college, where he took his

degrees in arts, and remained till 1686, when he was ordained deacon by the bishop of Kildare.

Towards the close of that year he came over to England, having accepted of a curacy in the parish of Winwick in Lancashire, under his maternal uncle, Dr Sherlock. The income of this curacy was only £30; but the young incumbent managed to devote a considerable part of it to charitable purposes. In 1689 he obtained priest's orders; and in 1692 became domestic chaplain to the earl of Derby, and preceptor to that nobleman's son, Lord Strange.

In 1697 he was, to use his own words, "forced into the bishopric of the isle of Man." He would have declined the dignity; but the archbishop of Canterbury would not listen to his representations of unfitness and dread of responsibility. Although his episcopal revenues did not exceed £300 per annum, yet he contrived not only to support the dignity of his station, but to rebuild the palace at an expense of £1,400,to erect a chapel at Castleton,-to establish parochial libraries,—to improve the agriculture of the island, and to relieve many of the distressed among its inhabitants. Shortly after his appointment to the bishopric, he was offered by his patron, the earl of Derby, a rich living in Yorkshire, which he might have held in commendam with his see; but, being hostile to pluralities and non-residence, he declined to accept it.

In 1699 Bishop Wilson published a small tract, in Manx and English, entitled, The Principles and Duties of Christianity for the use of the Island.' This was the first work ever printed in the vernacular dialect of the isle of Man. Some years afterwards he had the churchcatechism printed for popular use in the same manner. Meanwhile, the diligence with which he applied himself to the discharge of his episcopal functions was most exemplary. Both by exhortation and example he laboured to animate his clergy to the regular and faithful discharge of their pastoral duties; with this view, he had them frequently assembled in convocation at his palace, to consult with them as to the state of their respective charges, and the best means of rendering their ministry efficient and operative upon the rude and ignorant islanders. Soon after his arrival on the island, he drew up a set of ecclesiastical constitutions for the regulation of his diocese, with which Lord-chancellor Kinghimself a zealous student of ecclesiastical antiquities, and a zealous advocate for the restoration of primitive discipline-was so highly gratified, that he declared, that "if the ancient discipline of the church were lost, it might be found again, in pretty nearly its original purity, in the isle of Man."

We lose sight of the good bishop for several years, until we find him, in January, 1721, adopting very decided measures against the introduction of 'The Independent Whig' into his diocese. He denounced it as a dangerous and immoral publication, and even caused several copies of it to be seized. His zeal in this affair certainly exceeded the bounds of prudence, and placed him in hostility to the civil governor of the island. A copy of The Independent Whig' had been sent as a present to the public library. The bishop ordered the keeper to put it aside, and not allow it to appear in the library. Complaint was made against the keeper to the governor, who took up the case warmly, and committed the keeper to prison. The bishop remonstrated, and

urged that he had the king's commands to suppress every thing of an irreligious tendency throughout his diocese. The governor replied, that in this matter the bishop was stepping beyond his jurisdiction, and reminded him that he had omitted to use the form of prayer composed in the time of the rebellion of 1715, though that was a duty equally enjoined upon him by his majesty's commands. The issue of this affair was, that the book was produced, and the keeper set at liberty. Soon after this a more serious altercation betwixt these two high dignitaries took place. The governor's wife had been found guilty of defamation, but declining to make an apology to the parties, was pronounced contumacious, and interdicted by the bishop from church privileges. His archdeacon, however, who was also chaplain to the governor, admitted the lady to the communion-table, whereupon the bishop suspended him. The governor now thought himself entitled to interfere, and, irritated at the affront offered his wife, fined the bishop and his two vicars-general for neglect of duty; and, upon their refusing to pay the fines, sent all the three to prison. The islanders, who loved their bishop, it would appear, more than their governor, now rose en masse and threatened some acts of violence, from which they were only dissuaded by the exhortations of the bishop himself, addressed to them from the grated window of his prison. The case was heard before the lords-justices in July, 1723, when the proceedings of the governor were declared illegal, and his sentences reversed. The king promised to defray the bishop's expenses out of the privy purse; but the promise was never fulfilled, and the bishop was left to defray the greater part of them himself. He was indeed offered the bishopric of Exeter as a solatium, but he could not be prevailed upon to leave his beloved islanders; and he rejected several very flattering offers with equal constancy. This af fair with the governor kept the bishop in London for above a year and a half, during which time he won golden opinions from all ranks, and was honoured with many marks of royal favour.

On the death of the earl of Derby, without issue, in 1739, the lordship of Man, as a barony in fee, became the property of the duke of Athol, who threatened to deprive the clergy of their livings by claiming the whole impropriations. This measure was, however, defeated by the bishop, who, after a most laborious search, succeeded in bringing to light the deeds of conveyance by a former earl of Derby to Bishop Barrow, who had purchased a third of the impropriations for the support of the clergy.

Bishop Wilson attained his ninety-third year, in the possession of all his mental faculties. He died, in consequence of the effects of a cold, in March, 1755; leaving it to his successor to complete the translation and publication of the Scriptures in the Manx language, which he had begun, but of which he had only accomplished the translation of the four gospels, and the publication of Matthew's gospel.

Bishop Wilson was one of the most nearly apostolic men that ever wore a mitre. His life was entirely devoted to the promoting of the spiritual interests, and the overlooking the temporal welfare also of the Manx population. His manners were simple and unaffected, and his benevolence unbounded. It is believed that he gave away the greater part of his very moderate revenues in charity.

Bishop Conybeare.

BORN A. D. 1691.-DIED A. d. 1755.

THIS prelate was born at the vicarage of Pinhoe, near Exeter, ou the 30th of January, 1691. His father was the incumbent of that place. He entered Exeter college, Oxford, in 1707, and was admitted a probationary fellow, upon Sir William Petre's foundation, in 1710. In June, 1714, he was chosen prelector, or moderator, in philosophy.

Having taken orders, he entered upon the curacy of Fetcham in Surrey, but was obliged to resign that charge in a short time on account of delicate health. He now returned to his university, and became a tutor in his own college. In 1722 he published a discourse on The Nature, Possibility, and Certainty of Miracles,' which was very favourably received. In 1724 he published another discourse with this title, The Mysteries of the Christian Religion credible.' This piece was also very highly thought of, and recommended him to the attention of Bishop Gibson, who obtained for him the appointment of Whitehall-preacher. Soon afterwards the lord-chancellor presented him with the rectory of St Clements, Oxford. In 1725 he published a visitation-sermon, preached before the bishop of Oxford. It was entitled, The Case of subscription to Articles of religion considered,' and was frequently referred to during the pending debate on that subject, in which some of the keenest controversialists of the day were engaged. Conybeare's position in this discourse is, that "every one who subscribes articles of religion does thereby engage, not only not to dispute or contradict them, but his subscription amounts to an approbation of, and assent to, the truth of the doctrines therein contained, in the very sense in which the compilers are supposed to have understood them."

Dr Conybeare succeeded Dr Hole, in the headship of Exeter college, in 1730. In 1732 he published his famous 'Defence of Revealed Religion,' in answer to Tindal's work. Warburton thought very highly of this performance; and it is perhaps the best of the four best answers which Tindal received.1

On the death of Dr Bradshaw, bishop of Bristol, and dean of Christ church, Oxford, Dr Conybeare was appointed to succeed him in the latter dignity; but it was not till the latter end of 1750 that he attained the mitre. On the translation of Dr Butler to the see of Durham, Dr Conybeare was appointed to the bishopric of Bristol. He did not, however, long enjoy his new dignity, dying on the 13th of July, 1755.

The other three were:- - Forster's Usefulness, Truth, and Excellency, of the Christian Revelation; Leland's Answer to a late book, entitled, Christianity as old as the Creation; and Simon Browne's 'Defence of the Religion of Nature, and the Christian Revelation.'

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