BISHOPS BARROW AND FLEETWOOD.

203

withstanding his perfections, but beyond all example charitable, giving unto all, preserving nothing but his books, to continue his learning and himself."

ISAAC BARROW, uncle of the famous Isaac Barrow, was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge; he became one of the Fellows, but was ejected by the Presbyterians in 1643. He then went to Oxford, where he was made one of the chaplains of New College. On the surrender of Oxford to the parliamentary army, Barrow, like others of the English clergy, underwent great troubles and privations, being obliged to shift from place to place, and seek a temporary refuge from the arrest and imprisonment with which he was threatened. After the Restoration he was replaced in his Fellowship at Peterhouse; and on the 12th of July, 1660, he was made a Fellow of Eton College. In 1663 he was made Bishop of the Isle of Man, and was in the next year made by the Earl of Derby, Governor of that island. He resided there for several years, during which time he was a great benefactor to the inhabitants. He gave or procured endowments for the clergy of the isle, and obliged each of them to open a school in his respective parish, for which a stipend was paid by the Bishop himself. He was made Bishop of St. Asaph in 1669, and conferred many benefits on that diocese. He died in 1680.

BISHOP FLEETWOOD was of the ancient family of the Fleetwoods of Lancashire. He was born in 1656. He was at Eton for some years prior to 1675, the date when he became a scholar of King's. He was appointed one of King William's chaplains soon after 1688, and he also was preferred to the rectory of St. Austin's in the City, and the rectorship of St. Dunstan's in the West.

In 1691 he published a collection of ancient Pagan and Christian monumental inscriptions, entitled "Inscriptionum Antiquarum Sylloge." In 1692 he published a "Plain Method of Christian Devotion," translated from Jurieu. This work proved so popular that it ran through twenty-seven editions in little more than half a century.

About 1703 Fleetwood resigned all his preferments in London, and retired to a small rectory which he held in Buckinghamshire. In this retirement he pursued the study of antiquities, drew up his "Chronicon Preciosum," containing an account of English money, and the price of corn and other commodities for the preceding six hundred years.

204

BISHOPS WADDINGTON AND HARE.

On the death of Beveridge, in 1706, Fleetwood was elevated to the see of St. Asaph, but he was not consecrated until June, 1708. Upon the death of Bishop Moore, in 1714, he was translated to the see of Ely, in which he continued till his death in 1723. Fleetwood left behind him the reputation of a good scholar, an accomplished antiquary, and an eloquent preacher. One of his best known publications is his "Vindication of the Thirteenth Chapter to the Romans."

BISHOP WADDINGTON left Eton for King's in 1687. He afterwards returned to Eton as a Fellow in 1720. He was one of George the First's chaplains, and was promoted to the see of Winchester in 1724. He retained his Fellowship, holding it in commendam. He died in 1731.

FRANCIS HARE, who became a scholar of King's in 1688, is said to have been celebrated while at Eton for the brilliancy of his scholarship, and particularly for the beauty of his Latin verses. After he had become a Fellow of King's, the Duke of Marlborough made him private tutor to his only son, the Marquis of Blandford. Marlborough afterwards made Hare Chaplain-General to the English army.

By this connexion with the Great Duke, Hare was led to turn his thoughts to politics, and to defend his patron from the calumnious attacks which grew so frequent against him, when Queen Anne's favour began to fail the Whigs, and Harley and Bolingbroke were struggling to repossess themselves of office. Hare first appeared, as an author, in defending the war and the measures of the Whig administration. His writings on these subjects were chiefly published before the year 1712. He wrote "The Barrier Treaty vindicated," and also a treatise in four parts, entitled "The Allies and the late Ministry, defended against France and the present Friends of France." These tracts were serviceable to the war interest, in opposition to the strictures of Swift and the efforts of the Tory party. Tindal often refers to them in his continuation of Rapin, as valuable historical documents respecting that period.

In the discharge of his official duties, Hare followed the army to Flanders; but how long he remained there, or when he resigned his station as Chaplain-General, does not appear. Soon after the publication of his political pieces, we find him advanced to the Deanery of Worcester, and engaging with great warmth as the

coadjutor of Sherlock, Potter, Snape, and others, in the famous Bangorian Controversy. Hoadly singled out Hare from among the throng of his adversaries, and the conflict between these two was carried on with acrimony.

In the year 1727 Dr. Hare was advanced to the Bishopric of St. Asaph, having been previously removed from the Deanery of Worcester to that of St. Paul's. He was translated to the see of Chichester in 1731, which, together with the Deanery of St. Paul's, he retained till his death.

During his residence at the university, and for some time afterwards, a warm friendship subsisted between him and Dr. Bentley. When he went into Holland as Chaplain-General of the army, Bentley put into his hands a copy of his notes and emendations to Menander and Philemon, to be delivered to Burmann, the celebrated professor at Leyden. Bentley also dedicated to Hare his "Remarks on the Essay of Free-thinking," which essay was supposed to have been written by Collins, formerly Hare's pupil, but with whom neither Hare nor any other member of the Church could feel any possible sympathy.

Hare was much gratified by the compliment paid him by Bentley, and for some time a warm friendship existed between these two learned men, which was at last broken off and converted into the usual "Odium literarium" in consequence of their both editing the same author, and quarrelling over their notes and readings.

Bishop Hare was a profound Hebrew scholar; and the work on which he probably bestowed more pains than on any other, was his system of metres in Hebrew poetry, first published in connexion with the Hebrew Psalms, divided in conformity with his notion of their measures.

Bishop Hare was the first English scholar who entered deeply into the text question of the presence or absence of metre in the poetic parts of the Old Testament. Bishop Lowth opposed Hare's theory in a work in which he did ample justice to Hare's learning and ability. He says of Hare's hypothesis, that "the arguments advanced in its favour appeared so conclusive to some persons of great erudition, as to persuade them that the learned prelate had fortunately revived the knowledge of the true Hebrew versification, after an oblivion of more than two thousand years, and that he had established his opinion by such irresistible proofs, as to place it beyond the utmost efforts of controversy."

206

BISHOP MONCK AND PROVOST ROUS.

Lowth is generally considered to have completely refuted Hare on this subject, though the opinions of the latter have since found a few adherents.

Bishop Hare died in 1740.

His works were collected and

published in 1746, in four volumes octavo.

He was a man of exemplary personal character, and of undoubted zeal for the promotion of piety and religious knowledge. Nor can the eulogy of Blackall on him be deemed exaggerated, who thus sums up his character, 'He was a sound critic, a consummate scholar, and a bright ornament of the Church and nation.' (Cunningham's Biography.-Chalmers's Biog. Dict.)

BISHOP MONCK, brother to the celebrated General of that name, was Provost of Eton for about a year after the Restoration. He had been educated at Wadham College, Oxford, and had been rector of Plymtree in Devonshire, and Kilhampton, Cornwall. He was made Bishop of Hereford in the same year in which he received his Provostship; but he only filled his high station for a twelvemonth, dying in December, 1661. He was honoured with a funeral in Westminster Abbey.

Eton, and its sister foundation of King's, had their share of the troubles which overspread England from 1640 to 1660. But, though individuals suffered, the College escaped without permanent injury. Generally speaking, the Etonians seem to have been on the side of royalty, and "Killed in battle for the King" is a common affix to the names in the Registrum regale in the early part of the century. Eton probably owed her immunity from spoliation to the exertions of THOMAS ROUS, who was made her Provost in 1643. Rous had been educated as a commoner at Broadgate Hall, (now Pembroke College,) Oxford. He sat in the House of Commons as member for Truro for thirty years. He was Speaker of the notorious Barebones Parliament. It is recorded to his credit, that he acted with liberality and kindness to his ejected predecessor, and to several other clergymen of the English Church.

:

Rous is noted by Walker in his "History of Independency," as among the more prominent of the Independents who obtained preferments he received, Walker observes, the Provostship of Eton, worth 8007. a year, and a lease from the College worth 600l. a year more. He had, therefore, substantial reasons for endeavouring to preserve the College; and happily, he had influence enough to

preserve it. He was appointed one of Cromwell's council, and placed at the head of the board of "Tryers." When Cromwell created an "Upper House," Rous was one of those he called to a seat in it. Rous was greatly disliked by the royalists, by whom he was styled-as Wood mentions-the "Illiterate Jew of Eton." But their epithet was a mere term of unreasonable abuse, as Rous was a very learned man, and had published several works, which, if deficient in taste and questionable in doctrine, showed certainly abundance of erudition. Rouse founded three Scholarships, now worth 307. per annum, to be supplied from superannuated Eton Scholars, should none of his own kin apply within fifty days. He died Jan. 7, 1658.

There are two more Etonians who became distinguished during the civil troubles of this country, whose names I will mention. The biographical notice affixed to one of them in the Alumni Etonenses is worth quoting, both for the singularity of the incidents which it narrates, and for the quaintness with which it narrates them.

" HENRY BARD, son of George Bard, Vicar of Staines in Middlesex; while he was yet scholar of his college, he went to Paris, without the knowledge of his friends. Afterwards he travelled into France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Palestine, Egypt, and Arabia, and sent a long account of his travels to his contemporary and fellow-collegian, CHARLES MASON. After his return he lived expensively, as he had done before, without any visible income, and gave a fair copy of the Alcoran, which he had brought from Egypt for the purpose, to King's College Library. He is supposed to have taken it from a mosque in Egypt, which being valued but at 201., he remarked that he was sorry he had ventured his neck for it. His person was robust and comely, and on the eve of the Rebellion, retiring to King Charles the First at York, and recommending himself to the notice of the Queen for his knowledge of the languages, he had the commission of a Colonel given him; and was afterwards Governor of Camden House, in Gloucestershire, and then of Worcester; the former of which he burnt when he left it. On the 22nd of November, 1643, he received the honour of knighthood, and was soon afterwards created Baron of Bombry, and Viscount Bellamont in Ireland, July 8, 1645. He was afterwards taken prisoner in an unsuccessful battle; and wrote to the Parliament, telling them that he had not taken up arms for