From T. STEPHENS to J. Denne. "Bene't-college, Feb. 16, 1748-9. I am now trembling with the thoughts of the Second Tripos, which falls to my share. My subject is, Inclinatio Axis Telluris ad Eclipticam in melius mutari nequit.' I should be extremely obliged to you if you would send me what poetical thoughts occur to you on that subject." From T. STEPHENS to J. DENNE, after the publication of the Second Tripos. "I am much obliged to you for the good opinion with which you was prepossessed in regard to my poetry; but although it gives me pleasure in one sense, viz. as I perceive it arises entirely from your friendly prejudices in my favour, yet in another respect it gives me concern, as I have great reason to fear that upon the perusal your opinion is much altered, for I own to you they savour greatly of the school-boy. I did intend to have addressed them to Lord Anson; and had accordingly made an introduction, in which I endeavoured to pay him a compliment upon the success of his voyage; but on reading it over carefully, I found the verses by no means equal to the subject, and therefore thought it more advisable upon the whole to say nothing of his Lordship than, "Laudes egregias Culpa deterre ingent. "I have scarce read any thing since I came down but what has related to poetry, so that mathematics and philosophy have been in a manner quite laid aside; and, indeed, were I not convinced of the necessity of gaining some sort of knowledge of those sciences, I should not be persuaded to leave the more agreeable studies of the classics." Remarks by the Rev. SAMUEL DENNE addressed to Mr. GOUGH. "The names of Ds. Crayford and Ds. Denne, among two of the B. A.'squibus reservatur senioritas in Prioribus Comitiis,' Feb. 25, 1747, would perhaps have been deemed a sufficient reason of itself for sending the Tripos to Enfield, even though it will be accompanied with an extract of a letter from S. Denne, in which he complains of his being obliged to work against the grain in order to obtain this academical honour; but there is one of the two Poems that seem to me to be entitled to notice for a special reason. Graham, of King's, the ingenious and elegant Bard, who chose to expatiate on Mundus non fuit ab æterno,' was, I imagine, the Graham of Lincoln's-inn, who was rising in practice at the Bar, and who, had he not been removed by a premature death, was expected to be one of the first men of his days in the law line. Robinson, of Trinity-hall, is a brother of the ingenious and learned, but very eccentric, veteran, Lord Rokeby *. "IsInsula Tiniana' new to you? Tom Stephens, the writer, is mentioned in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1781, p. 366, note, and I think it not unlikely that the account might be communicated to Master Urban by Duncombe †. Till I met with letters from Stephens to my brother, from which extracts are inclosed, I was not aware that the island of Tinian was not designed primarily to be the Thesis. Not having duplicates of either of these Tripos's, you will be pleased to return them at your leisure. Stephens, the in statu pupillari Usher of Westminster-school, was one of the best, if not the best young man I was ever acquainted with; and this notwithstanding his being trained in that perilous seminary, and his being intimately acquainted with and esteemed by some of the bucks his contemporaries. Gilpin, I have a notion, has published in his Poems a humourous copy of verses upon the Powder Plot; and at Bene't, in 1748 or 1749, when it was the practice to have verses by the lads hanging in the Hall near the Fellows' table on that gala, Stephens tendered a copy of a humourous cast that was much admired. It was a translation into Latin, rather paraphrastically, of the vulgar begging lines of Pray remember the fifth of November; but, unfortunately, a copy of the same was not preserved. He also sported a copy in which he drew the characters jocosely of four of his fellow-collegians, viz. Lynch, Denne, Knowles, and Herring, of which the two first lines were, "Stat, quâ Camus agros torpenti flumine lambit, Antiqua antiquo nomine nota Domus ; and the old House is still its proper name, maugre the wishes and the attempts of the lately departed Historian to have a new building upon any plan that shall be thought advisable by the best architects. "Most probably there are among Mr. Masters's collection, sundry letters, and other papers, written by my father, and I am possessed of several he wrote to his coadjutor in this work; and I find in some of them that the Historian complains, and I think not without cause, that he was not encouraged so much as he * Of the Rev. William Robinson see a memoir in the Gentleman's Magazine, vol. LXXIII. p. 1192. + The following particulars are derived from that source. Thomas Stephens was the only son of the Rev. Thomas Stephens, Fellow of Bene'tcollege, Rector of Sherfield in Hampshire, and Lecturer of the New Church in the Strand, by Winifred, niece and heiress of the Rev. James Johnson, D. D. Chancellor of Ely (of whom there is a long memoir in Gent. Mag. at the place referred to in the text). Thomas was "a very deserving youth, educated at Westminster school, and made one of the Ushers there before the time of taking a B. A. degree. But he was almost immediately cut off, by consumption, at the age of 20, Dec. 25, 1750." His mother was re-married (after the death of her husband in 1747) to the Rev. Joseph Sims, Prebendary of St. Paul's and Lincoln, Rector of St. John's, Westminster, and Vicar of Eastham; of whom see the "Literary Anecdotes," vol. III. p. 631; vol. V. p. 515. ought to have been, not only by the Benedictines, but also by members of other colleges, and by persons of the antiquarian cast; and I think it is to be regretted that collections at least for the Histories of other Colleges, are not made by some judicious and assiduous member of each Society. A list of the members of each, from the earliest time, would be a considerable acquisition; and is the more wanted at Cambridge, because the oldest Register of Graduates in the University is modern in comparison, and consequently there is no scope for an A. Wood to publish Athenæ et Fasti Cantabrigienses. S. DENNE." ARCHBISHOP HERRING to the Rev. Mr. HEATON, &c. " GENTLEMEN, Lambeth, June 16, 1750. "As you have been pleased to apply to me for my advice on a very important occasion, I will give it you as becomes a friend. In this view, and in this view only, agreeably to your 3d, 5th, 8th, and 14th statutes, I would recommend to your choice,—as the fittest person to succeed your late excellent Master,—the Rev. Dr. Green, of St. John's college, Regius Professor of Divinity. "Dr. Green knows nothing of my design; and no consideration whatever but that of his character has induced me to name him to you on this occasion. The goodness and integrity of that, his distinguished learning, the dignity of his situation in the University, his faithful attachment to the King and his Royal Family, and the great excellency of his temper, joined with prudence, are the qualities which concur to recommend him to me; and I have the best hopes that, under the conduct of such a Head, if you think fit to choose him, the interest of the old House, and the credit which I observe with singular pleasure it maintains at present, will be supported and augmented, and the affairs of it conducted with unanimity in the best and most prudent order. "May it please God to bless and direct you. You may be assured that, on all occasions which should call for any help from me, I shall be ready to afford it to the college with the zeal and fidelity of a true friend, THO. CANTUAR." "The 'Cappadocian' members of the old House (remarks Mr. Denne) resigned their freedom of election to the Pope of Lambethhouse, and were so mean as to consent to be governed by a foreigner, who had as many Yorkshire tricks as most of his countrymen. Had it not been for my brother, I am confident he would never have been chosen Master of Bene't; but after he was seated in a lodge that probably prepared the way for his elevation to the Episcopal Bench *, he did not remember Joseph, alias John, but forgot him, and never conferred upon him the smallest favour. Often do I hint to my poor brother, that he merited such treatment because he was a Cappadocian!"' * Dr. Green became Bishop of Lincoln in 1761; he has very frequently occurred in the "Literary Anecdotes;" see the Index, vol. VII. pp. 161, 581. 1. The Rev. JOHN GREEN, D. D. to the Rev. J. DENNE. "DEAR SIR, Cambridge, March 29, 1753. "I take this opportunity of sending you, which indeed I should have been earlier in making, my sincere congratulations on two late happy events, your recovery from the small-pox and your preferment. I hope the latter is likely to place you in a situation that is agreeable to you; and which I find you are very soon to enter upon. This I shall be much rejoiced to hear, as I shall always find a great and sensible pleasure from any instance of good succees that befalls you. I think of seeing London soon ; and shall be glad of waiting upon you, if the duties of your parish do not call you away before that time. It is, I dare say, a great satisfaction to you, and does much credit to the old House, that your brother* has acquitted himself so much to his honour in taking his degree. Two or three of our number are shortly leaving us, so that we are likely to be the next year a thin Society. You will be pleased to pay my respects to Mr. Archdeacon. I am, dear Sir, "Your very faithful humble servant, J. GREEN." It 2. "DEAR SIR, Barrow, Oct. 20, 1754. "I was favoured lately with a letter from your father, which contained a very obliging message from you; and for which I send you, as I ought, my most thankful acknowledgments. was that you were ready to put the resignation of your fellowship into my hands when I should think it convenient.' This mark of your regard and friendship obliges me to give you my sentiments freely on this subject. Ds. Herring † is, I have reason to suppose, disposed to return to College soon, and to make some stay with us; this I apprehend he would do with more pleasure if he had a settlement with us, and a nearer relation to the Society. This he cannot have before the vacancy of your fellowship without slurring, and finally rejecting one three years his senior; and, as far as I know, of an unexceptionable character, which I should look upon as a hard thing. As the year is now concluded, the income of your fellowship, while you have a right to keep it, will be inconsiderable; no fines are set yet, nor do I hear of any who talk of renewing but one, and I much question whether that will soon take place. But you would be offended with me for dwelling longer on this topic, when I further tell you, that the giving up this small portion of your right to facilitate and quicken the election of Herring, would, I have reason to suppose, be doing an acceptable thing to his Grace of Canterbury. I dare say I need not suggest anything more, either to dispose you to, or satisfy you about, the propriety of this measure. If, therefore, you are pleased to send me your authority *The Rev. Samuel Denne. + One of the Archbishop's nephews, either Henry or Thomas, who were both Fellows of Bene't. to vacate your fellowship, it is probable that I may make use of J. GREEN." Mr. DENNE's remarks on this letter to Mr. GOUGH: “Dr. Green's contrivance in electing Herring into the Fellowship that became vacant by the resignareen's Yorkshire tricks.' tion of Denne, was properly termed by Dr. Denne, one of Dr. Gosen Master, he deThe case was, immediately after he was cho did not reside in clared that no scholar should be elected wing and Samuel the winter terms, in consequence of which Herraduates; and Denne did reside, as if they had been Under-g fathers to large must have been the expenses incurred by theut to be. defray this useless plan of regulation as it turned or, ought For Ingram did not reside a day; and Herring, the seniom, had to have been elected into the Fellowship filled up by Ingramplithe Master been really in earnest about paying a proper comy ment to Herring and to the great man at Lambeth. father perceived how shuffling Master Green was, he prudent Whentis determined that his son Samuel should not run any risk of losinį a Fellowship hereafter by Fellow John's hastily resigning his Fellowship, and therefore kept possession for months, notwithstanding clergymen of rank (S. Denne has a notion an English and an Irish Bishop) might be employed to procure his resignation; and the plea urged by them was that the Archbishop had a right to expect that a becoming mark of respect to him and his family should not be withheld. The drift of the Master was, however, clearly understood by the Archbishop, and he did not interfere. The manner in which he endeavoured to prove that J. Denne, by ceasing to be a Fellow, and becoming a Scholar, would sustain a loss so trivial, that it ought not to have any weight in the scale, considering the especial purpose for which he was solicited to accommodate Herring, will not stand the test of an inquiry. For, had he kept his Fellowship to the day of his marriage, as by the statute of the college he might have done, it is clear there would have been in his favour a considerable difference. With the clue here offered, Mr. Gough may read and understand the Jesuitism of a Master of Bene't; and it is the opinion of S. Denne that he would have made a distinguished figure among the disciples of Loyola." |