CHAP. XVIII.

of Bristol. Thomas Newton was the author of a book
(‘Dissertations on the Prophecies') which long enjoyed
popularity with those who seek incitement for their piety,
with no severely critical judgement as to the scope and
meaning of the Prophecies, the truth and relevancy of the
historical events which they suppose to be shadowed forth
in those dark oracles. Newton had the vanity (his dis-
claimer of vanity strengthens rather than weakens the
manifest influence of that motive) to write an autobio-
graphy, a curious and amusing book, characteristic of the
man and of the times. Newton was a London clergyman,
an acceptable preacher, with popular manners, skilful and
successful in recommending himself to the good graces of
the great men of the day. His first patron was Pulteney,
Earl of Bath, long the powerful, it was supposed, to be
the triumphant rival of Sir Robert Walpole. Pulteney, in
Newton's pages, stands out much more highly than in
history; but perhaps Newton may be justly heard in his
favour. The second part of Newton's 'Life' is still more
curious as representing faithfully the manner in which
Church preferment was distributed in those times. No
astronomer ever watched the stars, no speculator the rise
and fall of the funds, with more keen and anxious vigilance
than Newton the vacancies in and the appointments to all
the great prizes in the Church. This is singular language
to be addressed to Newton, by a prime minister: Mr.
'Grenville said that he considered bishoprics of two kinds
-bishoprics of business, for men of abilities and learn-
'ing, and bishoprics of ease, for men of family and fashion.
Of the former sort he considered Canterbury, and York,
and London, and Ely, on account of its connection with
'Cambridge. Of the latter sort, Durham, and Winchester,
́ and Salisbury, and Worcester.' Newton on more than

Life of Newton, p. 154.

PROPOSAL FOR THE DECORATION OF S. PAUL'S. 471

6

8

one occasion believed that he missed London, but his ambition settled happily down on Bristol, with the Deanery of S. Paul's. His health was not good, and he was no frequent attendant (on account of the intolerable cold), as he should have wished, in that 'conspicuous' churchthe more as he was very fond of the choir service as it is usually performed at S. Paul's. Dean Newton was a man of letters, but singularly unfortunate in his prophetic estimation of books. He speaks almost with contempt of Gibbon's History,' carelessly about Johnson's 'Lives of the Poets.' He was an accomplished man, fond of pictures and prints. This taste in the Dean, if it did not suggest, may have encouraged the proposal made for the decoration of the Cathedral, one of the few important events in the annals of S. Paul's during that century. The young Royal Academy was ambitious of displaying its powers. The president, Sir Joshua Reynolds, and some of the leading members made overtures to execute paintings on the walls of the Cathedral. I confess that I shudder at the thought of our walls covered with the audacious designs and tawdry colouring of West, Barry, Cipriani, Dawe, and Angelica Kaufmann. Their paintings would assuredly long ago have utterly faded, or been overlaid with a black covering of smoke. But it might have been embarrassing to efface them. Even Sir Joshua himself, though everything from his hands would have been precious, was never very successful in religious art, and might have been tempted to some of those caprices as to his pigments which so sadly mar the exquisite beauty of some of his works of this period. Happily the pious alarm of Bishop Terrick prevailed, and S. Paul's escaped being the vile body on which this experiment was to be tried. The Dean, Newton, made a more sensible and modest

Life of Newton, p. 169.

CHAP.

XVIII.

XVIII.

472

6

DEATH OF DEAN NEWTON.

CHAP. proposal, that Sir Joshua Reynolds and West should fill two compartments over the doors near the Communion Table, 'Mr. West's design being the Giving the Two Tables of 'Stone to Moses from the Cloud of Glory, the people all standing beneath; and Sir Joshua's design was the 'Infant Jesus lying in the Manger, with the Shepherds surrounding, and the light flowing all from the Child, as in the famous Notte of Correggio.' 99 But even this scheme was overruled by the same timorous authority. Sir Joshua wrought his design into a picture, for the window at New College; West went no further than a drawing. I have no sympathy with the motives of Bishop Terrick, and almost regret that they interfered with this humbler plan; yet I cannot but be grateful for his discouragement of the decoration of the Cathedral according to the more ambitious project.

Newton died in the Deanery, which he had much improved, with his closing eyes on the dial of S. Paul's. He was buried in the south aisle crypt. He had designed to have a pompous monument in the Church. His brethren ungraciously interposed, and Newton's monument (I contemplate its fate without jealousy) adorns or incumbers the church of S. Mary-le-Bow.

Newton was succeeded by Thomas Thurlow, 1782, whose title was, that he was brother to the Chancellor; Thurlow by George Pretyman, February 28, 1787-the tutor of Pitt, who held with the Deanery, not the meagre Bishopric of Bristol, but the rich one of Lincoln. Here, however, I pause. Dean Pretyman lived long into the nineteenth century; and I must decline to sit on the seat of judgement upon those who have been almost my contemporaries (I was confirmed as an Eton boy by Pretyman, as Bishop of Lincoln). I break off my slight biographies of

• Life of Newton, p. 195, and Northcote's Life of Reynolds.

our Bishops and Deans with the commencement of the nineteenth century.

After the accession of the House of Brunswick and the procession of George I. to S. Paul's, the royal presence was not vouchsafed for more than seventy years in the Cathedral. George II. never entered S. Paul's, certainly not in kingly state. The early part of the reign of George III., though glorious under Chatham, gave no opportunities for pious celebrations of national victory. But the piety of George III. would not leave without public thanksgiving his recovery from the grievous malady with which he had been afflicted. On April 25, 1789, there was a solemn procession. The nation, with whom the sorrows of the King had rendered him highly popular, beheld him, with the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, and others of rank, in royal state, along the streets. There was the usual ceremony at Temple Bar, the Lord Mayor and the civic authorities performing their usual functions. The King, followed by his family, drove through the area, was received at the west door and conducted up the nave by the Bishop, Porteus, and the Dean, Pretyman. Both Houses of Parliament were in attendance; the Peers filled the body of the choir, the Commons the stalls. The sermon was preached by the Bishop of London. With the choir were the charity children (6000), who joined in some part of the service.

A second time George III. went in procession with all the royal family, December 19, 1797, in thanksgiving for the naval victories. Both Houses of Parliament were present. The distinguishing and imposing part of that ceremonial was the bearing the French, and Spanish, and Dutch flags captured in the several actions (as yet the victories of the Nile, Copenhagen, Trafalgar, were to come). The French flag taken on June 1 was

CHAP.

XVIII.

XVIII.

CHAP. borne by Admiral Caldwell, with eight Admirals and Captains Sir Thomas Pasley, Sir Roger Curtis, Admiral Bazely, Admiral Gambier, Lord Hugh Seymour, Captain Payne, Captain Domett, Captain Elphinstone. Admiral Goodall, with three others, Linzee, Young, Holloway, bore the flag of March 14, 1795. Sir Alan Gardner, with Admiral Hamilton and four others, that of June 23, 1795. Sir Charles Thompson that of February 14, 1797. Admiral Waldegrave that of February 18, 1797, at the head of others hereafter to enter S. Paul's funeral porch; Sir Horatio Nelson and with him six Captains. Captain Douglas bore the flag of Admiral Lucas taken August 17, 1796. Then appeared the Dutch trophies of Camperdown, October 11, 1797; Lord Duncan bearing the flag of De Winter, Sir Richard Onslow that of Admiral Reintjies. Ten Captains of the fleet followed.

But before these ovational pomps S. Paul's had witnessed a peaceful, civil funeral procession, to which nevertheless her gates were readily opened. Not indeed for the first time did her vaults then receive an Englishman renowned for eminence in the fine arts. Already in the place of honour, the extreme east of the

crypt, reposed

the mortal remains of Sir Christopher Wren. On a black marble slab are the following simple words: