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MEMOIR

OF THE

Kight Rev. Reginald Heber, D.D.

SECOND BISHOP OF CALCUTTA.

AMONG the distinguished men of the present age, | The next year he gained the chancellor's prize the late Bishop HEBER, of Calcutta, deserves a at the university, by his Latin verse, "Carmen high rank, as a most accomplished poet, as an Seculare." In 1803, when but little more than acute, discriminating, pious, and learned divine; nineteen years of age, occurred one of those happy as a traveller possessing the talent of accurate ob- coincidences which occasionally make the paths of servation and perseverance in a very high degree; duty and of pleasure the way to enduring fame; but, especially, as a most disinterested and devoted a prize subject, for English verse, was that year Christian bishop and missionary, he has left behind assigned, which awaked "all that was within him an imperishable memory. him,"-Palestine. Upon this theme he wrote, REGINALD HEBER was the second son of the and with signal success. It was recited, as usual, Rev. Reginald Heber, and was born on the 21st in the theatre, with much diffidence on the part of of April, 1783, at Malpas, in Cheshire, England, the author, to a greatly admiring audience, among where his father then held a pastoral charge. His whom was his aged father, whose feelings were so mother was Mary Allanson, daughter of the Rev. overcome by the applause bestowed upon his son, Dr. Allanson, of the same county. So that he that, immediately after the recitation, he mounted may be said to have been of Levitical descent: a his horse, and returned to his home. The poem circumstance which, probably, was not without produced a great sensation. It procured the prize, influence upon his mind from a very early period. was set to music, and brought to its author public The earliest dawnings of his mind are said to have and universal praise. The knowledge it displays given promise of those christian graces, with which of Scripture and of the Holy Land, its copious he was, through all the stages of his illustrious life, and flowing language, its beautifully diversified so richly endowed; and of those talents, which figures, and the exact discrimination, accurate coneventually gave him an eminent rank among the ception, and pure taste which it displays throughliterary characters of the age. In his childhood, out, have given it a deservedly high rank among the eagerness with which he read the Bible, and the literature of the age. It has been said by an the accuracy with which he treasured up large English critic, that this is almost the only univerportions of it in his memory, were such as to ex-sity poem that has maintained its honours unimcite observation; and this first application of his paired, and entitled itself, after the lapse of years, powers undoubtedly laid the foundation of that to be considered the property of the nation. In masterly knowledge of the Scriptures, which he 1805, Mr. Heber obtained a third prize for an subsequently attained; and to the perfecting of English essay, On the Sense of Honour. which, almost all his reading was made, directly Shortly after this, he left England in company or indirectly, to contribute. His literary education with Mr. John Thornton, to make the tour of the was commenced at the grammar school of Whit- eastern parts of Europe. The war, at that time church, pursued under Dr. Bristowe, a teacher prevailing between England and France, excluded near London, and was completed at Brazen-nose English travellers from a large portion of the concollege, Oxford, where he was entered in 1800. tinent. Mr. Heber and his friend were, therefore, "At the university," said his early friend, Sir only able to visit some parts of Germany, Russia, Charles Grey, at the time of his decease Chief- and the Crimea. He made a copious journal of justice of Calcutta, “he was, beyond all question his travels; but as he did not think proper to preor comparison, the most distinguished student of sent his observations to the public in his own his time. The name of Reginald Heber was in name, when Dr. E. D. Clarke sent his volume of every mouth; his society was courted by young travels through Russia, Tartary, and Turkey, to and old; he lived in an atmosphere of favour, ad- the press, he allowed him the free use of his jourmiration, and regard, from which I have never nal, of which Dr. Clarke availed himself to a conknown any one but himself, who would not have siderable extent in the form of notes to his work, derived, and for life, an unsalutary influence." by which its value was certainly largely increased.

Dr. Clarke, in his preface, and in various parts of he added another poem of a few lines, on the pashis volume, pays a well merited tribute to "the sage of the Israelites through the Red Sea. zealous attention to accuracy which appears in He returned from the continent in 1807, and every statement" of Mr. Heber. Of the closeness' soon afterwards was admitted to holy orders, and and discrimination of his observations, the vivid inducted into his patrimonial preferment of Hodrecollection of Russian buildings, language, and net in Shropshire, estimated at 3000l. per annum, incidents, which appear in his Indian journals, comprising the estate of his ancestors, which had written nearly twenty years later, afford very strik- been held by his father during the last years of his ing proofs. What he saw in Hindoostan is repeat- life. The patronage of this living had become edly compared with what he recollected to have vested in his family by a marriage with an heiress seen in Russia. He seems, at times, almost con- of the Vernon family. He now married Amelia, vinced that several Indian practices must have had the daughter of Dr. Shipley, Dean of St. Asaph, a Russian origin, and he frequently detected him- and thenceforward willingly devoted himself to the self in mingling Russian words with Hindoostanee enjoyment of the domestic charities, and to the when addressing the natives of India. It was discharge of those unobtrusive duties which fill up during this journey, and while in the city of Dres- the life of a country clergyman. He was here surden, that he began a poem on Europe, which, rounded by his relatives, and an intelligent and however, he did not complete till after his return, agreeable society. He possessed as many of the and which he published in 1809. In the same year he published his poem of Palestine, to which

We may introduce here Mr. Heber's account of a visit which Mr. Thornton and himself paid to the celebrated Plato, archbishop of Moscow, taken from Dr. Clarke's travels, to which it is annexed as a note.

"There is a passage in Mr. Heber's journal very character

ingredients which make up the sum of human happiness as he could desire. The love of fame, however valuable in the eyes of most men, appears never to have had any strong hold upon his feelings, and, at this period, probably had none whatever. His society was indeed courted by the world which he was so well qualified to attract and gra

istic of this extraordinary man. Mr. Heber, with his friend tify; but he had set before himself, in the spirit

of the truest and noblest ambition, a course of.seMr. Thornton, paid him a visit in the convent of Befania; and, in his description of the monastery, I find the following cret virtue and self-denying diligence, in pursuing account of the archbishop. "The space beneath the rocks is which, he rightly estimated, that it was the way occupied by a small chapel, furnished with a stove, for winter to the purest earthly happiness, and that its brildevotion; and on the right hand is a little, narrow cell, con- liant termination would be richly worth every sataining two coffins, one of which is empty, and destined for

the present archbishop; the other contains the bones of the crifice, should he be called to any, which he could founder of the monastery, who is regarded as a saint. The make for it. Devoted to his profession, he consioak coffin was almost bit to pieces by different persons afflicted dered it his most honourable distinction to become with the tooth-ach, for which a rub on this board is a specific. the friend, the pastor, the spiritual guide of those Plato laughed as he told us this; but said, 'As they do it de whose spiritual interests had been committed to bon cœur, I would not undeceive them.' This prelate has

been long very famous in Russia, as a man of ability. His his charge. "He laboured to accommodate his piety has been questioned; but from his conversation we drew instructions," says one of his friends, "to the coma very favourable idea of him. Some of his expressions prehension of all; a labour by no means easy to a would rather have singed the whiskers of a very orthodox mind stored with classic elegance, and an imagiman; but the frankness and openness of his manners, and the nation glowing with a thousand images of subliliberality of his sentiments, pleased us highly. His frankness

on the subjects of politics pleased us highly. The clergy mity and beauty. He rejoiced to form his manthroughout Russia are, I believe, inimical to their govern-ners, his habits, and his conversation, to those who ment; they are more connected with the peasants than most were entrusted to his care, that he might gain the other classes of men, and are strongly interested in their suf-confidence and affection of even the poorest among ferings and oppressions; to many of which they themselves his flock; so that he might more surely win their are likewise exposed. They marry very much among the daughters and sisters of their own order, and form almost a caste. I think Buonaparte rather popular among them Plato seemed to contemplate his success as an inevitable and not very alarming prospect. He refused to draw up a form of prayer for the success of the Russian arms. If,' said he, 'they are really penitent and contrite, let them shut up their

souls to God, and finally, in the day of the last account, present every man faultless before his presence with exceeding joy. He was, above all, singularly happy in his visitation of the sick, and in administering consolation to those that mourned;

places of public amusement for a month, and I will then cele- and his name will long be dear, and his memory brate public prayers.' His expressions of dislike to the nobles most precious, in the cottages of the poor, by and wealthy classes were strong and singular; as also the whose sick beds he has often stood as a ministermanner in which he described the power of an emperor of ing angel." "His sermons," says another of his Russia, the dangers which surround him, and the improba friends, "were very original-sometimes expandbility of any rapid improvement. It would be much better,'

said he, 'had we a constitution like that of England. Yet I ing into general views of the scheme and doctrines suspect he does not wish particularly well to us in our war of revelation, collected from an intimate acquaintjance, not with commentators, but with the details

with France."-Icter's MS. Journal

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