To the AUTHOR of the LONDON MAGAZINE.

SIR,

R

EADING fome very pertinent remarks in your laft Magazine upon a conceflion or two of Dr. Jortin, I could not but call to mind an excellent book which lately fell into my hands entitled The Confeffional. Were the truly proteftant fentiments of this judicious and learned writer, more prevalent and active, not only the offences observed by your correfpondent, but many others equally injurious to the honour and intereft of religion would be annihilated. The book is not at prefent by me, but the fubjects of which it treats are, I think, fuch as thefe:

1. That the facred fcriptures being a compleat and only authentic treafury of chriftian knowledge, as well as rule of chriftian difcipline and worfhip, it is both the duty and the right of all who can have access thereto, to inform themfelves the bett they can, of what as chriftians they are concerned to believe and do.

2. That whoever shall prefume to impofe their fenfe of the writings, as a common ftandard of chriftian orthodoxy, do therein evidently invade this common right of Chrift's fubjects, and lay the veryfoundation and ground. work of popery itlelf.

3. That in fact fome few leading bishops, foon after the reformation, did fo far depart from thefe original and truly proteftant principles, as to frame and impofe thirty-nine articles of religion, as a national ftandard of orthodoxy, and procured a law (till in force) to establish and give sanction to them accordingly.

4. That the plain tenor of these articles is not Athanafian but Calvinifical, August, 1966.

which, if it were otherwife difputable, is put beyond all doubt by the well known fact, that thefe were the prevalent faith of the times, and the only fyftem which was not generally condemned and execrated, as popifh, heretical and antichriftian.

5. That long fince this, divines, of the greatest abilities and worth and after them their inferiors, have feen reafon, as they think, to adopt quite different fentiments; and have fallen, as appears by their fermons, &c. into that very diverfity of opinion which it was the intention of their fathers to exclude and condemn. But,

6. It being now as neceffary as it was then for the enjoyment of all benefice with cure, they are ftill oblig'd tofubfcribe to the old exploded fyftem, and to declare, as in the prefence of God, their unfeigned affent thereto as agreeable to his word-Wherefore,

Lastly, it were much to be wished, both for the honour of this church as truly proteftant, and of her clergy as men of honour and integrity in their profethion, that fo perfectly useless and ennaring a law were repealed or amended.

If these things are fo (of which, in my opinion, no one who reads this performance can entertain the leaft doubt) I am at a lofs to conceive how any good man can be against eafing at fet of gentlemen of this ridiculous bondage; which can anfwer no other purpofes, but those of expofing their characters to contempt, giving pain to men of fenfe and virtue, and affording papifts and infidels abundant matter for fatire and triumph. Our f great reformers themselves, to confefs the truth, were pitifully overfeen in this whole affair. An unfortunate coincidence of circumstances as this writer has amply fhewn us, engaged them in a very unproteftant measure, D dd 2

and

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and prevented their feeing, that to lay claim to an authority of interpreting the fcriptures not only for themselves but for others, was retaining the very heart and foul of the popifh fyftem, and in effect justifyingany eftabliment whatever, that not excepted which they had fo zealously and juftly withftood. It was, in fhort, reprefenting the very idea of reformation as abfurd and contemptible. But if this was rather their misfortune than their fault, all things confidered, what circumftances have we now to entitle us to the fame excufe? Or, if our fathers made a flip, must we for that reafon blunder on for ever? I pretend not, however, to enter deep into the argument; it is already in excellent hands.

A

7, 1765.]

CCORDING to your defire, I have fent you the cafe of the locked jaw I lately had under my care. On Saturday June 2, in the afternoon, I was fent for to a poor woman, who an hour or two before had been taken with an oppreffion at her breast, attended with a flight pain in her fide, and at the fame time complained of a foreness in her jaws, and a little difficulty in fwallowing; as I then took it to be only a common cold, the had fourteen ounces of blood drawn off, and fome nitrous medicines fent her. Upon vifiting her the next morning, I found her relieved as to her breast and fide, but her jaw was fixed, and almoft clofed, with a very great difficulty of fwallowing. Upon a further enquiry, and fhort reflexions, I was foon convinced, the had, that terrible symptom, a locked jaw. As this diforder is more frequently theconfequenec ofexternal injuries than from internal caufes, I enquired whether he had any kind of wound, or cut; and was told, that about eight days before a rufty nail had run into the bottom of her foot, and though the wound was painful for two or three days, yet it was cured by their own applications,

Auguft

and had been well four days before the was taken with the above complaints.

I therefore examined the foot, and found it quite whole, though upon preffing the tendons of the foot fe expreffed a little uneafinefs. I now endeavoured to relieve this terrible malady; as the blood drawn the preceeding day, was of a firm texture, and her pulfe full and tenfe, I took away fourteen ounces, which proved fizy; and having procured fome ftools, gave her an anodyne of forty drops of T. Thebaica, in a very fmall vehicle, which the fwallowed with great difficulty. I then applied a large blifter to her back, but without any relief. Soon after the was feized with frequent convulfions, which for the time deprived her of her fenfes; and though, in the intervals, they were quite perfect, and her jaw not quite fo fhut, but a little might be put into her mouth by a tea spoon ; yet fo great were the fpafms, that the never after could fwallow any thing; and in this manner the continued, with short remission of the spaíms, till two o'clock the next day, Monday, 4th. when death put an end to her mifery. I have been fince told, that an hour before fhe died, fhe could open her jaw, at which the feemed to be greatly rejoiced; but it was of a fhoit duration, the convulfions again returning, and a univerfal one carried her off.

Give me leave to make an observation on the cafe, which I fubmit to your better judgment. That a locked jaw fhould often be the confequence of an external wound, is nothing new, feveral cafes having happened that put it beyond doubt; but that fymptoms fhould come on, after a flight contufed wound that had been cured for four or five days, and make fuch a rapid progrefs as to carry off the patient, in little more than forty-eight hours after the first appearance of the fymptoms, is very remarkable. We are certainly much in the dark, in regard to the nervous fy ftem; but I think it a ftrong prefumption, that from the firft impreffion of the nail, the nerves were fo peculiarly affected, that though the irritation was not fufficient to binder the external wound from healing, yet it might be fufficient to difpofe them to fuffer those violent agitations which ended fo fatally.

On the other hand, is there any reafon to conclude, that it was from an

1766.

inward affection of the nervous fyftem; the wound being well, and the woman able to walk about and manage her family matters ?

If the above cafe is worthy of your mature reflexions, it will be a great fatisfaction to, Yours, &c.

The following was published, on occafion of an intended Addrefs to the Members for the County of N-h-p-n, from the High Sheriff, &c.

To the High Sheriff, Grand Jury, and Freeholders of the County of N-h-p-n. Gentlemen and brother freeholders, T was with equal indignation and grief I perufed your intended addrefs to our members on the fubject of the land tax, now lying in the hands of Mr. Smythe.

IT

In this time of public diftrefs, when the infurrections of the manufacturers and poor fhew their cafe to be truly desperate, when the weight of taxes, added to the dearnefs of provisions, makes it even difficult for the moft induftrious and frugal among them to fupport their miferable beings; in this time of public distress, is it not infulting and grievous to the highest degree, to fee the rich and opulent freeholders of the county of N-h-p-n, with their high fheriff and the gentlemen of the grand jury at their head, addreffing their members for a reduction of the land tax, and to have part of that burthen thrown upon the already expiring trade and manufactures of the kingdom?

It seems to be the general fenfe of the nation, that the money raised by our taxes and excife falls too much upon the trading and lower clafs of people; and that an equal and an advanced land tax is a thing most devoutly to be wifhed for, as an expedient that would make the wealthy proprietors of the foil contribute, in a larger degree than they do under the prefent partial taxation, to the fupport of government. But the freeholders of the county of N-h-p-n are manifeftly of a contrary opinion, and think that they already pay too much; though fo greatly are their eftates improved in value, that it is certain they do not pay half fo much as they ought to the land tax, according to the fpirit, intent, and true meaning of that act.

But let us attend a little to the

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ftrength of your arguments. In your addrefs you fet forth, that neceffaries of all kinds being very dear, you would be glad to have the land tax reduced; and defire your members to use their utmost endeavours to obtain you that redrefs; thereby, gentlemen, feeming extremely defirous to give the finishing stroke to trade, and by the impofition of a million, or a million and a half per ann. more on it, to re

duce our freeborn artizans and manufacturers to a state of diftrefs never endured by the Spartan Helots, and unknown even to the most wretched of the human race-the negroes of our Weat Indian iflands: The intereft of their mafters, it is prefumed, fecures a subfistence to the latter; but you, gentlemen, would willingly preclude the former from a poffibility of fubfifting by the utmost induftry; many of whom I have the unhappiness to believe, have it not in their power, even now, with the greatest frugality and labour, to procure an abfolute fufficiency for themfelves and families.

But allowing the freeholder's cafe to be as deplorable as you represent it, what must be the case of those that have no freeholds? And if their cafe is already worse than yours, not having your eftates to fupport them under the preffure of times, how very deplorable will it be, indeed, when they are obliged to carry your burthens alfo. For fhould part of the land tax be remitted to you, the weight will fall heavier upon them-the benefit will be all your

own.

I blush for your HS, and every perfon above the bare qualification of a voting freeholder, whose name is fixed to focontemptible a scroll, and moft heartily defpife their cruel and felfish fpirit.-May they meet with the contempt they deferve. Par tial taxations and peculiar privileges (which are fo many infringementsofthe natural rights of mankind) have been the ruin of many empires. How often did the juft refentment of the Plebeians, bring the Roman ftate to the brink of deftruction? and to the fame cause may be attributed the change in the Danish conftitution from limited to abfolute monarchy, anno 1660.

But the N-h-pt-fhire freeholders, provided they can get a reduction of a fhilling or two in the pound of the land tax, will be utterly regardless of

what

1766,
of mankind-the virtuous and diffinte-
refted. I am, gentlemen,

Your very humble fervant,
A FREEHOLDER.

A Succinct, but accurate Account of ALDGATE WARD, with a correct PLAN of that Ward. (See Alderfgate Ward, p. 174-)

TH

HIS ward takes its name from theeaft gate of the city called Aldgate (or Ealdgate.) Its principal freet, called Aldgate high street stretcheth weft from where Aldgate lately stood, to the pump (formerly a well) and from thence, dividing in two, runs on the fouth fide of Leadenhall ftreet, to Lime street corner, and half down that street on the left hand. In the midway, on that fouth fide betwixt Aldgate and Lime-treet, is Angel-alley, a thoroughfare into Fenchurch-treet, and another alley (antiently called Sprinklealley, from a holy water-pot, which ufed to hang there) now called Sugarloaf-alley. Near this ftood formerly a diffolved priory. A little further was the house of Sir Nicholas Throgmorton,of lare the African house, now pulled down to enlarge the Eaft-India companies warehoufes in Billiter-lane. Somewhat more weft is Balzeter's lane, commonly, Billiter-lane; and betwixt this lane and Lime-street three new houfes were built in the year 1590, in a place where, before, was a large garden plat, inclofed from the street by an high brick wall, upon taking down which wall, to dig for cellerage, a wall of tone was found under the brickwall, with an arched gateway of ftone, and gates of timber to be closed in the midt, towards the ftreet; the timber of the gates was confumed, but the hinges, of iron, were then remaining, on their staples, on both fides. this wall were fquare windows, with bars of iron, on both fides the gate. It was about two fathoms deep under ground, fuppofed to be the remains of great fires, more probably the ruins of fome houfes, burnt in the reign of King Stephen, when a fire began in the houfe of one Aelward, near London-itone, and confumed caft, to Aldgate. By this incident, it may be feen how greatly the ground hath been raifed in that place.

In

On the north fide this ward ftretches to the welt corner of St. Andrew's

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church, and then turns towards the north, by St. Mary-Ax-freet, on the eaft fide of St. Auguftine's church, which stood in the wall, and by Bury's, vulgo Bevis, marks again, or about by the wall, through Shoemaker's row, to Aldgate. The way towards the fouth, from the pump aforesaid, is called Fenchurch-street, down which this ward reaches to Culver or Fishmonger's-Alley, what is on the weft fide of Ironmongers hall. Again, from Aldgate, out of the principal street, close by the gate and wall of the city,. runneth Poor-jewry-lane, fouth to Crouched-Friars, thence to Woodrofe-lane, and fo to Tower hill. And out of this lane, weft is a ftreet called Hart-ftreet, which, in that ward, ftretcheth to Sydon, or Seethinglane, by St. Olave's church: One other lane, more weft from Aldgate, goeth by Northumberland houfe, towards Croffed, or Crouched Friars; then, on the fame fide, is the north end of Mark Lane, and Blanch Appleton, where the ward endeth. The particular streets, lanes, courts, alleys, &c. in this ward, being all exprefied on the plan, we shall not repeat them, but proceed to mention such remarkable, antient, or modern buildings as we find in the ward. Fletcher's-hall is at the north end of St. Mary Ax, and at the fouth corner the parish church of St. Andrew Underthaft. In Allen's court, in Leadenhall-street, is the fcite, on which formerly stood the houfe of Sir Thomas Allen. the eaft fide of Lime-ftreet, before the fire of London, there was a large house and garden, extending further eaft, and opening into Fenchurchftreet, on whofe fcite, after the fire, were built thirty houfes, by Sir Tho mas Cullum, which defcended by fale from Sir Jafper Cullum, to Mr. Mus fel, father of the late Ebenezer Muffel Efq; who poflefled the eftate. The cellar of one of thefe houses, fome years fince, giving way, there was difcovered an arched room, ten feet fquare and eight feet deep, with feve ral arched doors round it, flopped up with earth. This was on the fcite of the old manfion houfe. Bianch Appies ton court, in Mark-lane, was part of the manor of Blanch-Appleton, corruptly Blind-chapel-court, belonging to Sir Thomas Roos, of Hamike,

On

kut.