THE EUROPEAN MAGAZINE, AND. LONDON REVIEW, For the EUROPEAN MAGAZINE. An ACCOUNT of Dr. JONATHAN SHIPLEY, Bishop of St. Afaph. [ With a PORTRAIT of HIM. ] OF the Prelate whofe Portrait graces the prefent Magazine, it has been faid, that he poffeffes learning without pedantry, patriotism without faction, and politeness without affectation. Should this eulogium to fome appear overcharged, it ought to be recollected, that the virulence of party, even when it had attained its greatest height, paid a particular respect to the character of his Lordship. When, at the fame time, it is remembered, that his talents were acknowledged on all fides; and whilft one party triumphed in his affiftance, the other wished for his fupport; it can be no flattery in a Literary Journal to repeat the public opinion, which certainly afcribes to him the qualities we have above enumerated. Dr. JONATHAN SHIPLEY was born, as we conjecture, about the year 1714. His education was liberal, and at a proper age we find him at Chrift Church, Oxford, where, while he was Bachelor of Arts, he exhibited a talent for poetry, which with cultivation might have arifen to excellence. On the death of Queen Caroline, he wrote some verses in the Oxford Collection, and it is but small praife to fay, they are the best produced on that occafion*. On the 24th of April 1738, he took the degree of Master of Arts, and in that year wrote the following lines on the death of a friend who died on his travels : LANGTON, dear partner of my foul, Accept what pious paffion meditates To grace thy fate. Sad memory, And grateful love, and impotent regret, Shall wake to paint thy gentle mind, Thy wife good-nature, friendship délicate And sprightly fancy; fweet artificer The noble thirft of knowledge and fair fame Detain'd thee vifiting the laft remains Of theatres. In deep thought rapt Of old renown, thy mind furvey'd the scenes Stern Cato, and the patriot mind Of faithful Brutus, beft philofopher. Unfeen opprefs'd thee, far from home, A helpless stranger. No familiar voice, No pitying eye chear'd thy last pangs. O worthy longeft days! for thee shall flow The pious, folitary tear, And thoughtful friendship fadden o'er thine urn. He foon afterwards entered into holy orders, and obtained a living. On May 27, 1743, he was installed a Prebendary in the Cathedral Church of Winch fter; and in March 1745 was appointed Chaplain to the Duke of Cumberland, to attend him abroad. * Thefe verfes are printed alfo in The Union, and in Nichols's Collection of Poems. On October 14, 1748, he took the degree of Doctor of Divinity; and on January 28, 1749, became Canon of Christ Church in Oxford. In the year 1760 he was advanced to the Deanery of Winchester, and at the fame time was permitted by difpenfation to retain the Livings of Silchester and Chilbolton. His laft preferment took place in the year 1769, when he was promoted to the Bishopric of St. Afaph, in which See he has ever fince remained. When it is recorded, that Dr. Shipley gave an early and decided opinion against the coercive measures fo fatally adopted towards America, his receiving no further advance. ment will create but little furprize. In the year 1774 he published " A Speech intended to have been fpoken on the Bill for altering the Charters of the Colony of Massachufett's-Bay," 8vo. ; a performance which Mr. Mainwaring, in the Introduction to his Sermons, page 28, 8vo. fpeaks of in the following terms: If it were allowable for "a moment to adopt the poetical creed of "the antients, one would almost imagine, "that the thoughts of a truly elegant writer 66 were formed by Apollo, and attired by the แ "Graces. It would feem, indeed, that lan guage was at a loss to furnish a garb adapt"ed to their rank and worth; that judge"ment, fancy, tafte, had all combined to "adorn them, yet without impairing that "divine fimplicity for the want of which nothing can compenfate." And in a note on this paffage he fays, "Amongst all the "productions, antient or modern, it would "be difficult to find an inftance of more "confummate elegance than in a printed "Speech intended to be spoken in the House "of Lords." It is to be lamented, that the benevolent fuggeftions of the Bishop of St. Afaph in this Speech were at that, time unattended to. A different system was adopted, and the event is too well known. During the whole American war his Lordship continued to be an opponent of Government. Dr. Shipley is the author of two or three Sermons on public occafions; but we are not informed of any other pieces. He is the father of the Dean of St. Afaph (whofe profecution lately occafioned fo much controverfy both in the political and legal world), and of the Lady of Sir William Jones. For the EUROPEAN MAGAZINE. ORIGINAL LETTER relative to the DISCOVERY of MEXICO, and [ NOW FIRST PUBLISHED. ] May it pleafe your Lordship, MY laft was by Henry Davis of the 9th of this prefent month, fince when a corere is arrived here from Vienna, having bro a very good report of Sr Robert Anftruther together with the copies of his propofitions concerning the Palatinat whereof the Conde hath fayd nothing to me as yet but from others I am told that the Emperor hath complained that his Majefty's fending of fupplies of foldiers to the King of Sweden is the cause he cannot bring that King nor the Princes of Germany to any reafon which otherwife he doubted not to do. Some years paft the Fryers of the Order of St. Francis difcovered in America that land which lies Northward of New Spain and Weftward of Florida, which is fince planted with Colonyes of Spanyards and is called New Mexico. The Fryers have ever fince continued theyr refort to that Country from whence (with the laft fleet that came from New Spain) the Provinciall and another Frier came to give an account to the King of the ftate of that Country and to demand a fupply of Reli gioufe Men and an increafe of mainte nance. Among other propofitions tha he hath made he hath propounded it (as I am told) to the Counfell of the Indies that for as much as that plantation runs Northwardly and muft at length come to the Weftward of Virginia it will be neceffary for the fafety of the plantation and to them to pafs to it by the neereft way to root out the English from that Continent. This I am told is refolved on in the Counfell of the Indies but whe ther Order be given therein to Don AnArmada or whether it fhall be done tonio de Oquenda who went with the laft by the next that goes or whether they intend to do it by a Fleet fet out from the Indies I cannot informe your Lordship but am ufing dilligence to know it. The Infante Cardinal going into Flanders is frefhly reported here, and at the Pallace they wod have it believed for the Conde himself broke occafion to tell me that his paffage is refolved on by the way of Italy. The Queen Mother of France hath written to the King acquainting him that the caufe of her efcape was her ill ufage in in the time of her reftraint; and that obferving by the defigns of the Cardinal that fhe was invited there unto, fhe doubted if the fho not lay hold thereof the fho" be ufed worfe; the protefts never to have had it in her thoughts to treat with any foraine Prince to the prejudice of her Son's the King's Eftate and that the never meant more than to do the part of a mother in reconciling her two fons. This Letter is eftcemed here very reasonable and fo (as I am told) the is entreated to ftay at Mont and there is affigned for her expence 10000 Ducats a month. The Duke of Terra nova is named for Embaffad to go to her who intending therein to do a fervice to this Queen hath undertaken it at his own charge and is preparing to do it verynobly. letters that came out of Italy we underftand that nothing is really done in performance of the Treaty on neither fide and it is certain that the Duke of Lerma remains with his forces in Valtolime fo as I believe the next news we fhall have concerning that bufinefs will be a proteftation of the Emperor's against the inveftiture as being conditionall for of that there is already a whifpering. There is a fleet of towards twenty fhips fetting out from the Groine for which there is yet no other fervice known but to tranfport 2000 foldiers to Dun. kerque. I fhall trouble your Lordship with no more but humbly kifs your Lordship's hand and wait your Lordfhip's most humble fervant St. n°. ART. HOPTON. Concerning the bufinefs of Italy I fee no cause to vary from what I acquainted Madrid Aug: 22 1631 your Lordship in my laft for although the inveftiture be given by the Emperor to the Duke of Manteua yet by the laft To the Lord Viscount Dorchester. To the EDIT OR of the EUROPEAN MAGAZINE. SIR, The following LETTERS are copied from the ORIGINALS, and are at the fervice of your very pleafing and ufeful MISCELLANY. I am, Sir, &c. C. D. WORTHY SIR, (COPY.) I TOLD you I would turn my Papers to fee if any thing could be met with oncerning Mr. Spenfer not extant in nis printed Life which I have fince done to no great purpose. His age (of which there is fome doubt) may be pretty nearly determin'd by his admition in the University. Edmund Spenfar Aula Pembr. (Quadrantarius) admiffus in Matriculam Academie Maii 20 1369 at which time we may suppose a Man of his ripe parts to have been about fixteen years of age. You fee by his admiffion he was only fizar and confequently in no very opulent condition from the beginning. Somewhat may be found concerning him in his friend Gabr. Harvey's English pieces not very easy to be met with, unlefs by a man of your uncommon knowledge in Books. One thing I remember I told Mr. Strype when he published Arch BP. Grindall's Life that our poet bemoans the fall of that Prelate in his Shepherd's Calendar month of July under the name of Algrind the Bishop's name (Grindal) in Cambridge Febr. 25th. verted but as Mr. Strype did not feem to think it worth his notice, So it is much lefs worth my Lord's. The Moral, as it always pleafed me, fo I hope it will not difpleafe my Lord. -But I am taught by Algrind's Ill, To love the low degree, &c. This the firft editor of Spenser's works did not understand, as appears by his notes. The late ed I have not by me. But tho' I have little to add to his Life yet fomewhat there fayd, I can contradict upon pretty fure grounds viza the Competition betwixt Mr. Spenfer and Mr. Andrews. Mr. Ifaackfon of BP Andrews's own College, and afterwards his Domeftic, has wrote his life and gives an account of his being elected Fellow, the competition lay betwixt him and Mr. Dove (afterwds Bishop of Petr:) who acquitted himself fo well, that tho' there was roome for no more Fellows then one, to which the College elected Mr. Andrews, yet they chofe Dove Tanquam Socius and nothing is fayd of any other Competitor, |