long as they retain their scholarships, which is a guard against negligence, and a spur to proficiency; and the trial of their fufficiency and progrefs is made by no lefs perfons than the vice-chancellor, the provost of King's, and the mafter of Trinity college.

Before our author took his first degree, I conceive I have heard him acknowledge that he was one of the public moderators at philofophical difputations; which office is now conftantly fupplied by a Mafter of Arts and this bears teftimony that he was remarkable for his academical, as his examination when candidate for the Ruftat fcholarship vouched for his claffical, learning.

After this I find no particulars of his conduct till Anno 167, Nathanael Spinckes, col. Jef. Art. Bac. And His letters of ordination fhew, that he was made Deacon by Dr. Henry Compton Bishop of London, in the chapel of London boufe, on the twenty-firft of May 1676, in the first year of his translation.

Anno 1677. Nathanael Spinckes, coll. Jef. Art. Mr. Regr. Acad. So that he took his degrees of Batchelor and Mafter of Arts regularly; but I do not know whether he had any other favours beftow'd upon him in the University. I incline to think that his fame, friends, and fortune in life, powerfully call'd him into the world very early; and his firft landing was, as I conceive, at Sir Richard Edgcomb's of Mount Edgcomb in Devonshire, whofe chaplain he was for fome time but I can't afcertain the date of his reception or stay with that worthy family.

On the twenty-fecond of December 1678, he was admitted into Priefts orders by Dr. Thomas Barlow Bishop of Lincoln, in the church of St. Margaret, Weftminster : as appears from his letters of orders. And now the city fet on an bill cannot be bid: his judgment and application, affifted by his talent of memory in an upcommon degree, prepar'd the fky to dawn forth into 2 bright day. For

Early

Early in the following year we find our author placed at Petersham near Richmond; which I collect from this title under his own hand: A Practical Expoficion of the Church-Catechifm, begun at Petersham, May 25, 1679.' And again an year after, from an indorlement upon his Priefts orders: Exhibit. in triennali vifitatione domini Georgii, Winton. Epifcopi, tenta 25 Maii 1680. Rob. Chapman regr, deput.'

I am the more circumstantial in these particulars for two reafons, which I shall briefly mention. This Expofition of the Church-Catechifm, undertaken a very few months after he was in Priefts orders, discovers a masterly judgment, and great extent of reading: our author appears, from this performance, as I may fay, in his minority, to be an excellent claffical scholar, to have digefted all the Greek and Latin writers of the church, theological, critical, and hiftorical, down to Lactantius, and to have extracted and realized to purpose the best of our English divines: A circumference which a worthy industrious man may not be able to draw at an advanced age. I intend for the common intereft of religion, and in justice to our author, to make the world judge of this performance, if I can perfect it from his own papers; which hitherto I have not been fo fortunate to effect.

Again, in this ftage of our author, while at Petersham, he is made chaplain to the duke of Lauderdale, and, which was his great felicity at his entrance into public life, fellow-chaplain with the moft learned and reverend Dr. George Hickes; between whom there continued, fo long as life lafted, that harmony of affections, and that zeal and unity of counfels for the glory of God, and welfare of mankind, that they might be faid to be lovely and pleafant in their lives.

Our author's gratitude to Heaven appears thro' every period of his lite in ftrong colours: for he does not forget to fay thus about 1682: I had an escape in a coach, with Mrs. Hickes and Mrs. Stone on Madamscourt-bill, when our horfes ran away with us, and

• had almost thrown the coachman out of his box, yet ftopped themselves in the middle of the hill.' Such memoranda as thefe, like the Jewish phylacteries, were frequently in his fight: and every devout perfon of common understanding will recollect their use.

After the death of the duke of Lauderdale, his patron, in 1682, he feems to have made no long stay at Petersham; for I find him officiating at St. Stephen's, Walbrook, in London, 1683, 1684, 1685.

In Sept. 1635, the dean and chapter of Petersburgh gave our author the rectory of Peakirk cum Glynton, in the county of Northampton. The See of Petersburgb being then vacant, I prefume the jurisdiction or spirtualities belonged to Dr. Sancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury; who confequently granted inftitution to our author. The barbariím, at least inaccuracy, of many of the forms of inftitution and other public inftruments relating to ecclefiaftical affairs has frequently given offence, and even been improved to banter and reproach upon fome of the order. To remedy this inconvenience, and to wipe off the duft and rubbish which was fettled upon them in tract of time, this great and good Archbishop, having refolv'd upon a reform, call'd in to his affiftance perfons of the best literature and nicest judgment in the laws, that while he was adorning the front, he might not weaken the foundation. This defign I prefume he compleated; and I conceive, were the public inftruments in the later part of this Arch. bishop's time collected, they would in perfpicuity, beauty, and force, excel any that ever appear'd in the Christian world. The fubftance of this account I receiv'd many years ago, from that worthy and very great man, in his profeffion especially, Sir Richard Raines, Judge of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, who was the principal of thofe confulted by the Archbishop on that occafion. However, I fhall need no apology for fubjoining the form of our author's inftitution, carefully copied from the original; which at once preferves the memory of his benefactors, and may

likewife

likewife be a touchstone to examine the truth of what I have advanced :

WILHELMUS Providentia Divina Cantuarien Archiepifcopus, totius Angliæ Primas & Metropolitanus, ad quem omnis & omnimoda jurifdictio. ⚫ fpiritualis & ecclefiaftica, quæ ad Epifcopum Petriburgenfem fede plena pertinuit, ipfa fede jam vacante notorie dignofcitur pertinere, Dilecto nobis in • Chrifto Nathanaeli Spinckes Clerico, in Artibus Magiftro, Salutem, Gratiam, & Benedictionem. Ad • Rectoriam Ecclefiæ parochialis de Peakirk cum Glyn⚫ton Diœcefeos Petriburgenfis noftræque Cant' provinciæ jam vacantem, ad quam per Decanum & Capitulum Ecclefiæ Cathedralis Petriburgenfis, veros • & indubitatos (pleno jure) patronos ejufdem, nobis præfentatus exiftis, Te primitus non folum de agnofcendo Regiam fupremam authoritatem & poteftatem in caufis ecclefiafticis & temporalibus, ac de refutando, recufando, & renunciando omni & omnimoda jurifdictioni, poteftati, authoritati, & fuperioritati foraneis, ac de fidelitate & allegiantia eidem Regiæ Majeftati præftandis, juxta vim, formam & effectum ftatuti parlamenti hujus inclyti Regni Angliæ in ea parte editi & provifi, necnon de legitima & canonica obedientia Nobis & fuccefforibus noftris Archiepifcopis Cantuar' & Epifcopis Petriburgen' pro tempore exiftentibus in omnibus licitis & honeftis per Te præftanda & exhibenda, verum etiam quod, nulla fymoniaca conventione feu pravitate fuperveniente, Te ad dictam Rectoriam promoveri procurâsti, seu Et fciente vel affentiente alius quifpiam procuravit juxta Canonem in ea parte editum & provifum; Ad fancta Dei Evangelia rite juratum admittimus, Teq; • Rectorem ejufdem, ac in & de eadem, cum fuis juribus, membris, & pertinentiis univerfis, inftituimus canonice & inveftimus, curam & regimen animarum omnium parochianorum ibidem Tibi in Domino committentes, & committimus per præfentes, juri

• bus

[xx]

bus Archiepifcopalibus Cant' & Epifcopalibus Pe⚫ triburgen' & ecclefiæ cathedralis & metropolitica < Chrifti Cantuar' & ecclefiæ cathedralis Petriburgen' dignitatibus & honoribus in omnibus femper falvis. • Jň Tujus Rei Teft:monium figillum (quo in hac parte utimur) præfentibus apponi fecimus. Dat' decimo feptimo die menfis Septembris Anno Domini Millefimo Sexcentefimo Octogefimo Quinto, nof træque Confecrationis anno Octavo.

t

Radulphus Snowe
&

Edmundus Sherman

Tho. Pinfald, Surr.

Registrarii.

Our author married Dorothy, the daughter of William Rutland, citizen of London, fome time after he was rector of Peakirk, and before he was prebendary of Sarum. With her he had 1000l. and the good qualities of a fenfible, obliging, and induftrious wife.

July 21, 1687, after the refignation of the reverend Mr. Timothy Morton, our author obtain❜d a prebend in the church of St. Mary Sarum, called MAJOR PARS ALTARIS: during the indifpofition of Seth, Bishop of that See, the inftitution, or inveftiture, is given by Robert Woodward, L.L.D. and vicar-general of the Bishop, afterwards dean of that church. Accordingly our author was inftall'd four days after, on July 25, Dmnibus ad quos hoc præfens fcriptum pervenerit. SciATIS quod venerabilis vir Nathanael Spinckes inftallatus fuit Præbendarius Præbenda MAJOR IS PARS ALTARIŞ in ecclefia cathedrali beatæ MARIE virginis Sarum, ab antiquo fundata, vicefimo quinto die menfis Julii, anno Dom. 1687. Ita teftor, Geo. Frome, Not Publ', &c.

On the 24th of September 1687, our author was inftituted to the rectory of St. Martin, Sarum, in the county of Wilts, by Dr. Woodward aforefaid; the patron who prefented was Francis Hill, Efq; Mr. Spinckes feems to have been inducted October 10 following.

On