I had just reason for retaliation, and he thought it better that the affair should pass over in silence on his part.

In the mean time my pamphlet went through two full editions, and I had every reason to believe the judgment of the public was in my favour. I entitled it "A Letter to the Right "Reverend the Lord Bishop of O—d, con"taining some animadversions upon a charac"ter given of the late Doctor Bentley in a let66 ter from a late Professor in the University of "Oxford, to the Right Reverend Author of "the Divine Legation of Moses demonstra"ted."-To this I subjoined, by way of motto,

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Jam parce Sepulto.

The following paragraph occurs in the 9th page of this pamphlet, and is fairly pressed upon the party complained of" Recollect, my Lord, the warmth, the piety, with which you remonstrated against Bishop W's treatment of your father in a passage of his "Julian:-It is not, (you therein say) in be66 half of myself that I expostulate, but of 66 one, for whom I am much more concerned, "that is my father.

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་

These are your lord

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'ship's words-amiable, affecting expression! "instructive lesson of filial devotion! alas,

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my lord, that you, who were thus sensible "to the least speck, which fell upon the repu"tation of your father, should be so inveterate

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against the fame of one, at least as eminent "and perhaps not less dear to his family."

I had traced his caprimulgas aut fossor up to its source in one of the most uncleanly samples in Catullus, and in that same satire I was led to the character of Suffenus, who seemed made for the very purposes of retort. My uncle Bentley stood clear from all suspicion of being guilty of the pamphlet, with the exception of one old gentleman only, Mr. Commissary Greaves of Fulbourne in Cambridgeshire, a man of fortune and consequence in his county, who had ever professed a great esteem. for the memory of my grandfather, with whom he had lived in great intimacy, and to whom I believe he acknowledged some important obligations. This worthy old gentleman had made a small mistake as to the merit of the pamphlet, and a great one as to the author; for he complimented the writing, and sent a handsome present to the supposed writer.

When this mistake was no longer a secret from Mr. Greaves, and I received not a syllable on the subject from him, I sent him the following letter, of which I chanced upon the copy, for the better understanding of which I must premise that he had sent me notice, through my relation Doctor Bentley of Nailstone, of a present of books, which he had designed for me, when I was a student at college, amounting in value to twenty pounds, but which promise he excused himself from performing, because there had been a wet season, and some of his fen lands had been under waterMy letter was as follows

"Dear Sir,

af

"When in the warmth of your "fection for the memory of my grandfather you could praise a pamphlet written by me, "and address your praises to my uncle, as "supposing him to be the author of it, I am "more flattered by your mistake, than I will attempt to express to you. You have ever "been so good to me, that had your commen"dations been directed rightly, I must have "ascribed the greater share of them to your "charitable interpretation of my zeal, and the

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rest I should have placed to the account of your politeness.

"When I was an Under-graduate at Tri

nity-college, you was so obliging as to let "me be informed of your intention to encourage and assist me in my studies, and though "circumstances at that time intervened to postpone your kind design, you have so abundantly overpaid me, that I have no greater ambition now at heart than that I may continue so to write as to be mistaken "for my uncle, and you so to approve of what

you read, as to see fresh cause of applauding

him, who is so truly deserving of every favour you can bestow."

"I have the honour to be," &c.

"To William Greaves Esquire,

"Fulbourne."

Before I quite dismiss this subject I beg leave to address a very few words to my friend Mr. Hayley, who in his desultory remarks, prefixed to his third volume of Cowper's Letters, has in his mild and civil manner made merciless and uncivil sport with Doctor Bentley's character. I give him notice that I meditate to wreak an exemplary vengeance upon

him, for I will publish in these memoirs a copy of his verses, (very elegant in themselves, and extremely flattering to me) which I have carefully preserved, and from which I shall derive two very considerable advantages—the one will be the credit of having such a sample of good poetry in my book; the other the malicious gratification of convincing my readers, that Mr. Hayley, with all his genius, does not know where to apply it, praising the grandson, who is not worthy of his praise, and censuring the grandfather, whom, as a scholar of the highest class, he of all men living ought not to have treated with flippancy and derision.

And now methinks since I have vowed this vengeance, I will not let it rankle in my heart, neither will I longer withhold from my readers the verses I have promised them, which, though entitled an impromptu by their elegant author, I have not suffered to vanish out of my possession with the rapidity, that they have probably slipt out of his recollection. If he shall be angry with me for publishing them, I desire he will believe, there is not a man living, who would not do as I have done, when flattered by the muse of Hayley: if the following