PREFACE.

In submitting to the public this Life of Bishop Warburton, an attempt to accomplish a design which I have long had in view, I would beg leave to say that I have neglected, as far as I know, no means by which light might be thrown on Warburton's career and character, and that I have made due acknowledgments, by references at the foot of the page, to all sources from which I have derived information or assistance.

To the Rev. Francis Kilvert's Selections from Unpublished Papers of Bishop Warburton,' and 'Life of Bishop Hurd,' I ought to express my obligations for a few letters of Hare, Sherlock, Jortin, Towne, and two or three of their contemporaries. Bishop Warburton's own letters, it is well known, were almost wholly destroyed, except those addressed to Hurd, which were preserved and printed by him, and published after his death under the title of 'Letters from an Eminent Prelate to one of his Friends.'

Among the publications to which, in the prosecution of my task, I was obliged frequently to have recourse, were the numerous pamphlets put forth, for or against Warburton, in his own time. The consultation of these was a portion of my labour attended with no great pleasure or satisfaction; for they are, with a few exceptions, very poor performances, reiterating, in trite phrase, well

worn theological doctrine, with little argument, much railing, and occasional scraps of flattery. Those who may have the benefit of what they have supplied, will hardly conceive from among how many dry and dreary pages it has been gathered.

If it be thought that the extracts from letters, and from some of the more obscure publications, are somewhat copious, the intention of such liberality has been, that Warburton, and his assailants or supporters, might, by being allowed to speak in their own words, show themselves as they were, and that the reader, being furnished with literal citation, might be haunted with no suspicion of misrepresentation from abridgment.

Inquiries at Newark, Brant - Broughton, and other places with which Warburton was connected, have elicited no information respecting him beyond what was already in print.

The edition of Warburton's works, to which references are made, is the octavo, in twelve volumes, of 1811.

J. S. W.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

WARBURTON'S EARLY YEARS.

Warburton's Family - His Birth and Education-His apparent Dull-

ness in Boyhood — Is articled to an Attorney

-

Begins to manifest

a love of Reading-His Aspirations-Determines to enter the Church

Is ordained Deacon at York - His First Publication dedicated

to Sir Robert Sutton-Specimens of his English Prose and Verse-

Specimens of his Latin Composition - Is ordained Priest, and pre-

sented to a Living by Sir Robert Sutton-Becomes acquainted with

Concanen, Theobald, and other Literary Characters - Solicited to

assist Theobald in his 'Shakspeare'-Letter to Concanen - Corres-

ponds with Theobald His Second Publication, the 'Enquiry into

Prodigies and Miracles'-Remarks on it - Warburton's Account

of its Appearance, and subsequent Anxiety to suppress it. PAGE 1

CHAPTER II.

LITERARY MATTERS. CONCANEN. THEOBALD.

-

Notice of Concanen-His Literary Performances-His Praise of Pope

-His Appointment in Jamaica, and Death Whether Warburton

conspired with Pope's Enemies - Listened with complacency to

Theobald's exclamations against Pope - His concern in 'The Legal

Judicature in Chancery Stated '-Made one of the King's Masters of

Arts at Cambridge - Presented by Sir Robert Sutton to the Living

of Brant-Broughton- His application to Study - His Acquirements

-Is in no haste to publish - His assistance to Theobald in his

'Shakspeare'- Theobald's Merits - Unduly depreciated - Speci-

mens of his Emendations-Estrangement between him and Warbur-

ton, and Reconciliation-Theobald's Death- Warburton's Apology

for Sir Robert Sutton'-His Letter to Pope on Sir Robert's Character

-Pope erases Sir Robert's Name from his Satires
. 27

CHAPTER III.

VELLEIUS PATERCULUS.'

'ALLIANCE BETWEEN CHURCH AND STATE.'

SIR THOMAS HANMER.

Warburton's First Work of Importance, 'The Alliance between Church

and State Summary of its Contents-Bishops Horsley and Hare

pleased with the Book-Its Reception by the Public— Hare's desire

to serve Warburton Warburton's desire to edit Velleius Pater-

culus'. Dissuaded from the undertaking by Hare and Middleton

Specimens of his proposed Emendations- Visits Sir Thomas

Hanmer about Shakspeare-Disagreement between them. PAGE 49

-

CHAPTER IV.

THE DIVINE LEGATION.' LOWTH.

'The Divine Legation of Moses' projected-Its Object-Warburton's

Reasoning-His Proposition that the Doctrine of a future State was

not taught by the Jews-Opinions of Grotius, Episcopius, and

Bishop Bull-Warburton's Notions of the Book of Job; supposes

that it was written by Ezra- His Arguments in support of this

Hypothesis His interpretation of the Text, I know that my

Redeemer liveth'. Lowth's opposition to Warburton's assertion,

that Ezra was the Author of the Book of Job-Style of Ezra-Job

probably an Idumæan — The Author of the Book of Job probably

a Jew

68

CHAPTER V.

6 THE DIVINE LEGATION.'

Consideration of other Passages in the Old Testament that seem to

indicate that the Jews looked forward to a Future State; whether

merely as a state of Existence of the Soul apart from the Body, or

as a state of Rewards and Punishments-Texts in Books of Moses;

in the Psalms; in the Book of Ecclesiastes-Fanciful Interpretations

Examination of the Texts in the New Testament that seem to

favour the belief in a Future State among the Jews-Texts addressed

to the Sadducees- Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus -

Answer to the Lawyer

-

The

. 82

-

BAYLE. MORAL OBLIGATION.

Whether a Society of Human Beings can subsist without a Belief in a

Future State Bayle's Conjectures regarding a Community of

Atheists Warburton's Arguments in opposition to Bayle- His

Sophistry - A reasonable Being must act reasonably-Burlamaqui

on External and Internal Obligation - Warburton contradicts

himself Objections to Paley's definition of Virtue Bayle left

unrefuted.
PAGE 96

CHAPTER VII.

ANCIENT MYSTERIES.

SIXTH BOOK OF THE ENEID.

Variety of subjects discussed in "The Divine Legation'- Lowth's

Remark upon it-' Fable of the Bees '-Observations on the Ancient

Mysteries-Mysteries had their origin in Egypt-Less and Greater

Mysteries Warburton's Hypothesis as to what was taught in them-

Concealment of what was suggested to him by Le Clerc - His sup-

position that Virgil's Account of Æneas's Descent into Hell was a

figurative Description of Initiation into the Eleusinian Mysteries—

His Arguments in support of this Hypothesis Gibbon's Assault

upon it Summary of Gibbon's Arguments against it- Jortin's

'Dissertations' — Why Æneas and the Sibyl were sent out at the

Ivory Gate- Suppositions of Jortin, Gibbon, and Heyne on the

point

-

-

107

CHAPTER VIII.

ATTACKS ON WARBURTON. WEBSTER. MIDDLETON.

JORTIN.

'The Divine Legation' liked by Hare and Sherlock - Letters from

them-Many others disapproved - Attack on Warburton by Dr.

Webster-Notice of Webster-'Letter from a Country Clergyman'

in the Weekly Miscellany '-Letters from Hare and Sherlock, who

advise Warburton to reply- Warburton thought by many to have

spoken too favourably of Middleton Substance of Webster's

Letters-Warburton's 'Vindication' of himself—Quotation from

Pope, and Eulogy of him - Hare's approbation of The Vindication'