been unsatisfactory to Birch himself, by its being left out of his Life of Milton, prefixed to the quarto edition of Milton's profe-works.

Lauder however affirms, that, "in Dr. "Birch's opinion, Milton was not guilty " of the crime charged upon him; Mil"ton and Bradshaw too, in the Doctor's "opinion, being persons of more honour " than to be guilty of putting so vile a "trick upon the King *."

Lauder perhaps had this declaration from Dr. Birch's own mouth; it is confirmed however by the following reflection, in the quarto edition of Milton's Life by Birch, p. xxxiii.

* Lauder's Vindication, p. 37.

"It is highly improbable that Milton "and Bradshaw should make Hills * their "confident unnecessarily in such an affair; " and laugh in his prefence at their im" posing such a cheat upon the world; " or that he should conceal it during the "life of the former, who survived the

* It is objected, to the testimony of Hills, that he turned papist in the reign of James II. and we find him characterized by Dunton, Popish Hills ftationer to James M. He made an atonement, however, after the Revolution, by printing several fingle fermons of the most eminent preachers of that time, many of them against: Popery, on vile paper and print, for pence a piece, to the great comfort and convenience of minute divines in country churches.. Dr... Tay.lor late Chancellor of Lincoln, in the poetical part of his music-speech, delivered at the public commencement at Cambridge, in 1730, has the following couplet:

Then moulds his scanty Latin and less Greek, And Harry Hills his parish once a week.

"Refto

" Restoration so many years. So that " fuch a testimony from fuch a perfon " is not to be admitted against a man "who, as his learned and ingenious edi"tor [Bp. Newton] observes, had a foul "above being guilty of so mean an " action."

But let us examine this tale on another fide:

Wagstaffe * affirms, on the authority of the writer of Clamor Regii Sanguinis,

&c.

* We are uncertain what became of Mr.. Wagstaffe, who published the Vindication of King Charles the Martyr, &c. the third edition of which appeared in 1711.. We have been informed, that he attached himself to the old preten der, in quality of chaplain to his protestant nonjuring adherents. We suppose it was his son who officiated in that capacity at the Santi Apoftoli, and died at Rome about 1774 or 1775. This latter &c. that "the Regicides immediately "seized Dr. Juxon, imprisoned him, " and examined him with all possible

latter had so warm a zeal for orthodoxy, and against schismatics, that he refused, though much intreated, to read the burial-service over the corpse of a Danish gentleman, a protestant, who died at Rome about the year 1762 or 63, and left that office to be performed by a worthy clergyman, chaplain to an English nobleman then at Rome, from whom we had this account. It is customary, when any English Proteftant dies at Rome, for any of his acquaintance, though a layman, of the fame religion, to read the burialservice over his corpfe. When Wagstaffe himself died, he was carried to the unhallowed cemetery of heretics, where it was expected by the British attendants that the service would be read over the deceased by his fellow loyalist Mr. Murray, his compatriot, and of the fame church. Thê worthy old gentleman (for worthy he is known to be), for fome reason or other, declined the office, saying to the grave-digger, Cover him up, Cover him up. This Mr. Wagstaffe is faid to have been a man of letters, and to have left behind him a collection of curious and valuable books.

" rigour, " rigour, and searched him narrowly for "all papers that he might have from "the King, even to scraps and par" cels *."

All this is manifest forgery. Bp. Juҳon was neither seized nor imprisoned, nor searched for any papers; nor were any papers required of him but one; of which we have the following account in Fuller's Church History:

66

"His Majesty being upon the scaffold, " held in his hand a small piece of paper, fome four inches square, contain"ing heads whereon in his speech he in"tended to dilate; and a tall foldier, look"ing over the King's shoulders, read it, " as the King held it in his hand. - His

* Birch, folio, p. lxxxii.

"speech