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been unfatisfactory 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 Bradfhaw too, in the Doctor's "opinion, being perfons of more honour "than to be guilty of putting fo 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:
F 4

* It

"It is highly improbable that Milton "and Bradfhaw fhould make Hills their "confident unneceffarily in fuch an affair; "and laugh in his prefence at their im"pofing fuch a cheat upon the world; "or that he fhould conceal it during the "life of the former, who furvived the

It is objected, to the testimony of Hills, that he turned papift in the reign of James II. and we find him characterized by Dunton, Popifh Hills ftationer to James H. He made an atonement, however, after the Revolution, by printing feveral 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. Taylor late Chancellor of Lincoln, in the poetical part of his mufic-fpeech, delivered at the public commencement at Cambridge, in 1730, has the following couplet :"

Then moulds his fcanty Latin and lefs Greek, And Harry Hills his parish once a week.

"Refto

"Restoration fo many years. So that "fuch a teftimony from fuch a perfon "is not to be admitted against a man "who, as his learned and ingenious edi"tor [Bp. Newton] obferves, had a foul "above being guilty of fo 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.. Wagftaffe, who published the Vindication. of King Charles the Martyr, &c. the third edition of which appeared in 1711. We have been inform ed, that he attached himself to the old preten der, in quality of chaplain to his proteftant nonjuring adherents. We fuppofe it was his fon who officiated in that capacity at the Santi. Apoftoli, and died at Rome about 1774 or 1775.

This

latter

&c. that "the Regicides immediately "feized Dr. Juxon, imprifoned him,' "and examined him with all poffible

latter had fo warm a zeal for orthodoxy, and against fchifmatics, that he refused, though much intreated, to read the burial-fervice over the corpfe of a Danish gentleman, a proteftant, 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 burialfervice over his corpfe. When Wagstaffe himself died, he was carried to the unhallowed cœmetery of heretics, where it was expected by the British attendants that the fervice would be read over the deceased by his fellow loyalift Mr. Murray, his compatriot, and of the fame church. The worthy old gentleman (for worthy he is known to be), for fome reafon or other, declined the office, faying 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 fcraps and par"cels *."

All this is manifeft forgery. Bp. Juxon was neither feized nor imprifoned, nor fearched for any papers; nor were any papers required of him but one; of which we have the following account in Fuller's Church History:

"His Majefty being upon the fcaffold, "held in his hand a fmall piece of pa

66

per, fome four inches fquare, contain

"ing heads whereon in his fpeech he in"tended to dilate; and a tall foldier, look

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❝ing over the King's fhoulders, read it,

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as the King held it in his hand. - His

*Birch, folio, p. lxxxii..

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