will not ftay long enough at Torbay, to put your Lordship upon the neceffity of taking a journey to wait on him.

Dr. Edisbury will take care to have a copy of the difpenfation as foon as it comes to the faculty-office; and then we will go to counfel, unless your Lordship orders us to go before.

He thinks of one Mr. Ward, who is a very good lawyer of his age, and he is a Tory. I had fome thoughts of going to Mr. Broderick, though he be whiggish, because he is one of the best lawyers at the King's Benchbar, and a particular intimate with the Attorney-General. But perhaps it will not be

fo proper for your Lordship to confult him. I am your Lordship's most dutiful humble FR. ATTERBURY.

fervant,

"lose but very little time, does yet make it fo "reafonable to haften our preparations for this "year's fervice; that, though I am very fenfible of "your zeal in forwarding all things relating to "mine and the public fervice, yet I cannot but "take this occafion to defire you, with all earnest"nefs, that you would give the greateft difpatch to "the bufinefs of this feffion ftill depending, which "is to neceflary for the good of the common in" tereft."

*See p. 67.

LET

LETTER LVIII.

To Bp. TRELAWN Y.

Chelfca, Feb. 3, 1703 4.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR LORDSHIP,

D

R. Lake* died yesterday. We passed

our grievances to-day, prepar te for to-morrow, without a divifion, or any great ftruggle: fo that I hope to be able to give your Lordship a very good account oft hem I am your Lordship's ever faithful and most dutiful humble fervant,

FR. ATTERBURY

The Bishop of Bath and Wells's congé d'elire hath been returned three or four days; o hat his confirmation will be fuddenly.

* Edward Lake, D. D. Prebendary and Archdeacon of Exeter, Rector of the united parishes of St. Mary Hill, and St. Andrew Hobbart, London, and elder brother of the collegiate Church of St. Catharine near the Tower of London. He died Feb. 1, 1703-4, in his 63d year, and was buried at St. Catharine's. An elegant epitaph in memory of him, and his wife (who died in 1712), is printed in Dr. Ducarel's History of that collegiate Church, Appendix, p. 10.

LETTER LIX.

To Bp. TRELAWNY.

Chelfea, Feb. 5, 1703-4.

I

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR LORDSHIP,

CANNOT yet learn when the Bishop of Bath and Wells's matters come to a conclufion. The Archbishop is ill of the gout: and, for that reafon, I suppose, the Confirmation is delayed. But Dr. Edisbury *, who is nearer to that tranfaction than I, hath promised to watch it carefully. We paffed our grievances yesterday in the Lower House : we did not part with one of them. Some faint oppofition was made to them by the creatures of our late leader; but they found it to no purpose, and foon went in roundly with us. Archdeacon Drewe, at the beginning of the debate, in a very grave speech, proposed a previous queftion, about stinting ourselves in the number of the grievances we were to carry up; and expreffed a mighty concern left we should fo far exhaust our

John, LL.D. Chancellor of the Diocese of Exeter, Advocate in Doctors Commons, and Commiffary to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster.

felves,

felves, as to have nothing to do next winter. But he was interrupted pretty roughly in the debate, by "No, No, No," from all quarters; and fo gave out. The Archbishop fent a commiffary to adjourn this feffion; so we could not lay them before them yesterday, but have ordered them to be carried up on Friday next, when we meet again. It was three o'clock yesterday before we got through all the articles in the paper of general grievances; fo the House, being weary, was willing to put off the reading of another paper, containing a claim of rights relating to our own body, till Friday next; when it will, I think, surely pafs also. If it doth so, it will cast a deep reflection on the manager of our House, who would never, while he fat there, fuffer thofe rights to be claimed; and will be a proof to the world, that we wanted nothing towards doing as we ought to do but his being removed from us. Mr. Burscough's letter to Fisher worked; and he came to me, and declared himself very ready to come into all the grievances. But there was no need of him for they durft not venture a division with us.

:

*

* Peter Fisher, Clerk, one of the Proctors in Convocation for the diocese of Exeter,

Arch

Archdeacon Lake was buried on Monday night at St. Catharine's.

I am your Lordship's ever dutiful and moft faithful fervant,

FR. ATTERBURY.

I am afraid, I fhall never more be in Archdeacon Drewe's graces, becaufe of the oppofition I have given him.

LETTER LX.

To Bp. TRELAWN Y.

Chelsea, Feb. 5, 1703-4.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR LORDSHIP,

INCE I fent a letter, which I wrote your Lordship this day, to the post, I received one from Mr. Blackburne*, which gives me an occafion of troubling your Lordthip with a fecond. He tells me, that the Dean'

*See above, p. 124.

of