[From Bullock's History of IoM, 1816]

CHAP. VII:

Bishops occupying the See from the Accession of the House of Stanley to the present Time; with a particular Account of the Life of Bishop Wilson, and the various Improvements effected by him during his Episcopacy.

Not to detain my readers with an uninteresting legend of names and dates, I shall give the Succession of the bishops in as few words as posstble.

The first diocesan appointed by the house of Stanley was,

Evan or Huan . . Date unknown.
Hugh Hesketh . . Died 1490
Robert Ferrier . . 1554.
Bishop Salisbury . Date unknown.
Thomas Stanley . . 1573
John Meyrick . . 1577 this is the bishop mentioned by Camden, from whom he procured his account of the island, published in the Britannia.
George Loyd . . 1600, translated to Chester.
Bishop Forster . . 1605.
John Phillips. . . 1635; he translated the Bible and Common Prayer into Manx, though of the former no copy is extant: he was eminent for goodness and charity, and a very celebrated preacher in his day.

Dr. Richard Parr was inducted 1637 , and sat during the civil wars: it was during his residence that many oppressive ordinances and practices of the clergy were reformed in consequence of a great resistance of the people, and by the interference of James, Harl of Derby, {See page 98.}

Samuel Rutter was a long time archdeacon, and also tutor to Charles Lord Strange. He was the friend and companion of the great Earl of Derby, who, on many occasions, expressed his high sense of his worth, particularly in his letters to his son, in which he recommends Mr. Rutter as a sure guide, and most valuable adviser. He only sat as Bishop two years, from 1661 to 1663, when he died, and was suceeded by

Dr. Isaac Barrow. To this respectable divine, the Manx are indebted for the first gleam of learning, that irradiated the long darkness which had overshadowed the island. He founded parochial schools; he also made a collection in England, with which he purchased the impropriations, and added to them two valuable estates of his own gift, towards the establishment of a free-school, for the education of young men intended for the ministry. He also obtained for the poor clergy, a share of the royal bounty, and though he only sat two years, he crowded into that short space, an almost incredible number of benefits, which are still felt throughout the island. He was then promoted to the see of St. Asaph, and

Dr. Henry Bridgeman, Dean of Chester, occupied his place to 1671 ; after whom, Dr. John Lake, who was also, at an early period, translated to Chester, and was one of the seven bishops imprisoned for a libel against James II. After him, followed

Dr. Baptist Levinge, an amiable and worthy prelate, who died 1693, and the see remained vacant five yeats, when, to the inexpressible benefit of the inhabitants of Man,

Dr. Thomas Wilson was promoted to the government of the church; but, as the life of this bishop is intimately connected with the state of the island and its history during a period of sixty years, in which all the energy of his capacious mind, and all the virtues of his excellent heart, were devoted to benefit, and improve his charge, I cannot pass him over, as I have done others, with a brief notice, believing no particulars of a life so exemplary, can be uninteresting to my readers. I shall, therefore, make a large extract from the history of this apostolic divine, as it was published, under the authority of his son, in 1787.

Dr. Thomas Wilson was born at Burton, in Cheshire, September 20, 1663, and, as he himself says, in his diary, of honest parents, fearing God. After a preparatory education in his own country, he was sent to Trinity College, Dublin.

His first design on entering at the University was, to devote himself to the study of physic, in which he made some progress; and even after having yielded to the advice of his friend, Archdeacon Hewetson, to dedicate his services to the church, he still continued to pursue, at intervals, the study he had originally set out with, which aterwards proved of essential service to the people of his diocese; and, what was of the utmost importance to Mr. Wilson himself, greatly extended his sphere of usefulness.

He continued at College till the year 1689, when he was ordained deacon; of which event, he, ever after, kept the anniversary, as a season of particular devotion. The exact time of his leaving Dublin is not known; but soon after his return to England, he was licensed curate of New Church, in the parish of Winwick, Lancashire, of which his maternal uncle, Dr. Sherlock, was rector; and here, out of a stipend of £30, per annum, he. devoted one-tenth to charitable uses. On the 20th of October, 1690, he was ordained priest, on which occasion, he formed certain solemn resolutions, from which he never swerved throughout the course of his life.

The first, that no temptation should induce him to occupy two livings at one time.
2d. That whenever he should obtain a cure of souls, he would, on no account, dispense with constant residence on the scene of his duty.
3d. Never to give a bond of resignation, or to make any contract or promise, merely to obtain church preferment.

It was not long: before his religious deportment and amiable manners in private life, recommended him to the notice of the Earl of Derby, who, in 1692, appointed him his domestic chaplain and tutor to Lord Strange, with a salary of £30. per annum, to which was soon after added £20. more, for the superintendance of the alms-houses at Latham; on which occasion, he increased the sum set apart for the use of the poor, from one-tenth to one-fifth of his income,

The manner in which he made this dedication is worthy of record; on the receipt of all monies, he regularly placed the portion designed for charitable uses, into the drawer of a cabinet, with a note of the value to be kept sacred for the poor; and in this sacred repository, first a tenth, then a fifth, then a third, and, at last, one half, of his revenues were placed; and whenever he deposited the poor man's portion, It was with the same reverence as if it had been an offering to heaven.

Mr. Wilson's resolutions, as before stated, being entered into, from a conviction of their propriety, were ever after considered as matter of religious obligation, from which no motive could induce him to depart; as he fully proved, when, soon after Lord Derby offered him the valuable living of Baddesworth, in Yorkshire, his Lordship intending that he should still continue with him as chaplain and tutor to his son ; but he refused to accept it, being inconsistent with his resolves against non-residence,

The same regard to the dictates of conscience influenced his whole behaviour, and it was not long before he gave his noble patron a proof that no selfish motives could deter him from pursuing the path of duty, or restrain his zeal in a good cause. In consequence of an extravagant expenditure, and great inattention to his affairs, Lord Derby had become deeply involved, and the tradesmen about his estates were many of them most seriously injured by the state of his accounts. Mr. Wilson beholding with equal concern the ruin of his patron's property, and the distress of his dependents, determined to hazard a respectful remonstrance, which, however, he was fully sensible was a step replete with danger to his hopes of preferment; yet, being unable to dispense with what he considered to be his duty, he waited on his Lordship in his dressing-room, and, after a short conversation, left with him a letter, which is remarkable for the simplicity, good sense, and integrity, it pourtrays.* {See Appendix, 2} The result of this unusual proceeding was equally honérable to the noble patron, and his upright dependant. The earl, convinced of his chaplain's probity, was aroused to a serious investigation of his affairs, in the arrangement of which, he received his most willing assistance, and by the measures thenceforward adopted, Mr. Wilson was made the happy instrument by which the reputation and property of his patron was retrieved, and many of his tradesmen, by this timely arrangement, saved from bankruptcy.

Nor did his zeal and integrity miss of their reward ; for, in the ensuing year, the earl offered him the bishopric of the Isle of Man, which had been vacant since the death of Dr. Levinge in the year 1693.

This offer, however, Mr. Wilson at first declined, believing the charge too great for his talents and strength, and thus the matter rested, till complaint bemg made to King William, that an incumbent had long been wanting for this diocese ; and, in consequence, Lord Derby fearing the patronage would lapse to the crown, if an immediate nomination did not take place, he insisted on his chaplain accepting the preferment ; and thus Mr. Wilson was, to use his own expression, forced into the bishopric.*{Appointed Bishop of Sodor and Man, Anno 1698} But however modest might be his estimate of his own abilities, it is certain, the history of human nature hardly presents an example where intellectual worth has been carried higher, or accompanied more completely, by the most admirable christian virtues. The rules laid down for his self government at his outset in life, were maintained with undeviating strictness; his considerations were not directed to what would make his sojournment on earth pleasant, but to what would render his transition to heaven certain ; and to this great end, all his labors for his own conduct, or the benefit of his fellow-creatures were made to conduce. :

To comprehend the nature of the sacrifice he made, when he became bishop of Man, one must take into consideration, the state of the country to which he was banished, and contrast it with the society he renounced. On the one hand, he beheld a people depressed, and almost brutalized by poverty and neglect, with whose language he was unacquainted, and who were prepared to receive him with dislike and suspicion; and for this hopeless association, he had been compelled to resign the ease, elegance, and distinction, of a nobleman's mansion, where, from the lord to the lowest servant, all regarded him with respect and affection. Happily for Dr. Wilson, the first few years of his residence in the Isle of Man were cheered by the society of a woman, who seems to have been formed on the same model with himself, and to have participated in all his laborious acis of charity with equal interest and readiness. The difficulty respecting the language was of no long existence, he was soon able to deliver his paternal exhortations in their own tongue, and by convince his flock how much their real good was his sole object, he secured the affection and respect of the whole body, with the exception only of a very few whom interest or jealousy taught to oppose him.

When he first took possession of the see, he found the residence appropriated to him in ruins, the churches throughout the diocese in a falling state, the clergy sunk in ignorance and vice, the people not merely untaught and rustic, but greatly debased by the illicit trade, then almost their sole pursuit, and which naturally led to a commerce with the worst characters of the adjacent countries ; whilst the most extreme ignorance of religion, or even morality, pervaded all classes, or rather, the one great class ; for, with the exception of the officers sent over by Lord Derby, to occupy the posts of government, the residue of the population were alike subject to the sudden influx of abundance, or as sudden depression of poverty.

The only sources of circulation were derived from fishing or smuggling, and the money thus acquired was almost invariably spent in intoxtcation, or vulgar dissipation, under the idea, that the same channels of gain were still open to them. It was to correct these fundamental errors, that Bishop Wilson strove to divert their attention to agricultural pursuits ; and, as a first and most material step, in concert with the keys, he prevailed on Earl James, in the first year of his succession, to grant the act of settlement already mentioned. Whilst this question was under consideration, the bishop also occupied himself in restoring the dilapidated state of the revenues of the see, and rebuilding his house at Kirkimichael, as well as in repairmg the churches, and renewing the discipline of the parochial schools. From the beginning he exacted his tithes, not with severity, but certainly with sufficient strictness ; and this unquestionably from a conscientious design to protect the dues of the church, and not to suffer that, which should be set apart for sacred purposes, to be diverted into other channels.

His house he enlarged, and rendered capable of receiving several young men, whom he educated under his own eye, and by his example, in order to have a succession of clergy, who might walk in the way he set before them; and thus he laid a solid foundation for the extension of knowledge, and practice of piety, in the next generation. In repairing the parish-churches, he always set the example of a large subscription from his own purse, and exerted his influence where he knew there was ability in others, so as to obtain his end without exactions from the necessitous; nor were his exertions confined to these public acts; by frequent visits, he acquired a patriarchal influence in nearly every family in his diccese, and acquainted himself with the character and circumstances of each individual, to whom he administered aid, council, or reproof, as the case demanded ; and so tempered his wisdom or severity with kindness and condescension, that he was soon regarded as a ministering angel, and his presence believed to produce a blessing wherever he came. His charity was unwearied; at his door the indigent were sure of relief, for he scrupulously observed the Scripture precept,—never to turn his face from any poor man,' so that it was said of him, — he kept beggars from every house but his own.' For a long time there was no medical man in the island, and he was in the constant habit of giving advice and medicines to the sick of all ranks; but when, at length, some persons in that line established themselves there, he willingly relinquished to them the care of the wealthy, but still afforded his aid to those who had nothing but prayers and blessings to give in return.

Soon after his accession to the bishopric, Dr. Wilson was united to Mary, the daughter of Thomas Patten, Esq. of Warrington, and in the year 1699, she accompanied him to the island. This most amiable woman was, in every respect, the companion best fitted for him, pious, humble, and charitable, as himself. By her he had four children, only one of whom (a son) arrived at maturity; the period of his connubial happiness was very short, Mrs, Wilson, at the end of five years, fell into a languishing complaint, in which she lingered nearly twelve months, and then resigned her pure spirit to her Maker.

This afflictive trial was borne as Bishop Wilson bore all the dispensations of Providence ; situated as he was, a greater bereavement can hardly be conceived! he had lost the only one who could participate both in his pleasures and his troubles, and his loss was irremediable ; but, notwithstanding his keen sense of the affliction, he knew how to bless the hand that chastised him; he felt like a man, but ¢ not like one without hope;' his prayers during her sickness, and on her death, are amongst the finest examples of devout resignation; and in his meditations he drew such a character of the deceased, as, while it must have aggravated his regret, was yet calculated to elevate his hopes.*{See Appendix, 3.}

The annual return of his episcopal revenues in money, did not exceed £300. some necessary articles, and some particular objects of charity, could only be purchased or relieved in specie ; but the poor of the island were fed and clothed, and the house, in general, supplied from his domains; those who could weave and spin, found at Bishop's court, the best market for their commodities, where they bartered the produce of their industry for corn.

Taylors and shoemakers were kept constantly at, work in the house, to make into garments the cloth or leather* {The Manx then generally wore a shoe of untanned leather, laced on the foot, called Carcens.} which his corn purchased, and these were distributed as gifts, or at low prices, according to the measure of thei wants, to all who applied for them. He considered himself as the steward, not proprietor, of the revenues of his see, being resolved, from his first acces- sion, not to heap up wealth for his children from a source, which the strictness of his religious principles led him to believe, ought not so to be appropriated {See his Address on this subject to his Children, in the Appendix, 4.}. He kept a register of all the poor in his diocese, in which he entered the names and circumstances of his pensioners, and this he called 'Matricula Pauperum.'

During fifty-eight years of his pastoral life, he never, unless visited by sickness, omitted to perform some part of the church duty on every Sabbath day. In the year 1703, he framed those ecclesiastical constitutions, of which it was said by Lord Chancellor King, that — if the ancient discipline of the church was lost elsewhere, it might be found in all its purity in the Isle of Man.' In September, 1708, he consecrated the chapel at Douglas, to which he had been a principal contributor. In 1709, the library at Castletown was finished, derived almost wholly from the same source. In 1711, he went to London, to settle some excise business relating to the lord and people of the island, when he was greatly distinguished by Queen Anne, who offered him an English bishopric, which he declined, because, as he said, he 'felt that, with the blessing of God, he could do some good in the little spot where he then resided, whereas, should he be removed to a large sphere, he might be lost, and forget his duty to God, and to his flock.'

His paternal care of this favoured people, appears in the various annual exhortations delivered by him to the clergy, in which it was his custom to comment upon the events of the past year, to admonish the negligent, and encourage the diligent; he insisted strenuously on the du- ties of visiting and catechising the uninformed, and furnished each parish with books of instruction and devotion; but, above all things, required from his clergy the most scrupulous regard to their own character and conduct, as the only means of giving efficacy to their doctrine.

Nothing could more strongly evince his anxiety on these subjects than the prayers composed by him for the use of all the churches in his diocese, when certain persons lay under sentence of death for violations of the laws. Hle treated these events as national calamities, -and employed. his utmost exertions to render the examples thus necessarily made, of public utility to warn and awaken his whole flock. His own deep concern on these occasions must have been to the last degree impressive, and could not have failed to operate forcibly on the minds of the people.

So also on occasions of scarcity, which frequently occurred in those times, he evermore led the sufferers to God. He taught them to endure with patience whilst the chastisement lasted, nd when the trial was at an end, he joined them in such fervent thanks as created in his Nearers a perpetual sense of the superintendence of providence, and rendered even want and deprivation eventual blessings.

"Those who have not lived as I have done on the scene of Bishop Wilson's apostolical exertions, who have not heard his praises after the lapse of a whole century, still the theme of every tongue, and seen the still unfaded monuments of his benevolence, may be inclined to think these praises are exaggerated ; but I may safely appeal to the inhabitants of the Isle of Man, to say, whether I have not curtailed and omitted numberless instances of his piety and charity".

It is with imfinite pain that I have now to change the scene, and from exhibiting the man of God in the delightful performance of his duty, followed by the praises and love of his people, and secure in the respect of all ranks, to describe him as persecuted, insulted, and even imprisoned. Whether his extraordinary piety, combined with his deserved popularity, had excited the jealousy of his contemporaries in office, cannot now be known; but it seems more than probable some such predisposing cause must have existed; as the alleged ground of quarrel between him and Governor Horn appears so trifling, that it is hardly possible to believe it should have been suffered to disturb the peace of a man, whose exemplary character had at that time secured him the applause of persons of the first distinction in all parts of Europe.

A story is current in the island, which offers a kind of solution to these difficulties, but being unnoticed by the historian of Dr. Wilson, or any other writer since his time, I can neither venture to insert as an unquestionable fact, nor can I wholly pass over what is universally believed, where every particular relative to the bishop 1i

It is said (and in this particular the author of his life concurs) that when he took possession of the see of Man, he found the revenues in a state of dilapidation; the tithes in particular had been suffered to lapse from the neglect of former incumbents; and a practice had crept in of wholly reserving the estates of the principal civil officers from this species of taxation ; which exemptions, founded only on custom, were termed prescriptive rights, and at length came to be set up as indefeasible. The first efforts of the bishop for the improvement of the impoverished revenues of his church, were directed against these powerful opponents.

In the prosecution of this matter, much animosity was engendered on both sides ; and there are some documents extant, which certainly bear out the relation. That a man of the bishop's upright and independent spirit should have set himself to abrogate claims merely founded in power on one side, and admitted from weakness on the other, is very highly probable, that he should also have gone resolutely to the source of the evil, is consistent with his whole course of acting and living; but that he should have con- ducted this matter with the asperity sometimes ascribed to him, I find it difficult to believe. According to the ecclesiastical laws of the island, a process may be commenced in the bishop's court, which does not even require a hearing on both sides, or a notice to the defendant ; and on an exparté statement, an order inay pass against a person complained of, which if not implicitly obeyed, subjects them to imprisonment during the pleasure of the court, or till an appeal is accepted to the metropolitan; and it is said, that under authority of this law, (certainly existing, but not often acted upon,) Bishop Wilson in consequence of the resistance of the then Clerk of the Rolls to the payment of his tythe, issued his precept, and committed him close prisoner to the dungeon at Kirk Germain. In confirmation of this statement, a petition appears on record from the Clerk of the Rolls, complaining of such treatment, and praying to be heard in person against the demand; to which petition the answer, signed by the bishop's own hand, was, that such hearing was not customary, nor would be granted.

In what manner this affair ended I have not been able to ascertain ; but as most of these prescriptive rights were annihilated, in all probability the bishop obtained a victory, as in justice and reason he ought to have done: for the iniquity of assessing the poor and exempting the rich, must be obvious to all. In the present times, when the indefeasible rights of man are so well established, perhaps we may wish that what it was perfectly just and proper to do, had been done with more regard to those rights; we are naturally shocked at the idea of claims, however well founded, being arbitrarily established ; and, perhaps, we must also admit that if there was a blemish in the character of Bishop Wilson, (and what human creature is without one,) it consisted in an attachment, approaching to bigotry, to the canons of the church; in exacting conformity to ecclesiastical laws, he followed both the spirit and the letter. It was enough that the church had decreed point to render even debate on the subject a sacrilege in his eyes. He shrunk with horror from every question that might by possibility disturb the faith either of himself, or his flock ; in his dread of the incursions of infidelity, he even excluded discussion.

It is well known that he suspended a clergyman in the island, for hazarding a doubt, in one of his discourses, whether the power of granting absolution for sin had really devolved from the apostles to their successors in the ministry.

But after all, these mistakes, if such they were, sprung from a mind zealously devoted to the cause of genuine religion. Dr. Wilson had settled his belief on conviction, as his whole course of acting through a long life evidently proved; he knew the consequences of agitating doubt in ignorant minds, such as he had to govern ; he saw that to give efficacy to his doctrine, he must follow the example of his Saviour, and "teach as one having authority ;" and according to the character of the times in which he lived, he could admit of no compromise. Controversy was not then as now, under the control of moderation or even good manners, it was a species of warfare, in the prosecution of which, all means, whether of insult or injury, were considered as lawful weapons ; and such in all probability had been the conduct of his opponents in the difference arising on the subject of tythes. In the lapse of time all that is not upon record is lost, and we see only a severe infliction, with- out knowing any of the aggravation that led to it, or the circumstances which might make it necessary. One thing, however, is obvious, that had the bishop exceeded his authority, the means of obtaining redress against him were open and easy, and that this was never attempted. The use he made of the improved revenues of his see, are also a proof, written in unfading characters, of the disinterested purity of his motives; and at any rate the course of retaliation adopted against him, if such it was, was wholly unjustifiable, as being founded neither in law or equity; besides which, the number of years that had elapsed from the time when Dr. Wilson established these offensive claims, and the changes which had taken place in the governing power, leads one to doubt whether the extraordinary persecution he afterwards underwent could have originated in this source.

The history of this affair, as it may he gathered from his life, is as follows: In 1719, Mrs. Horn, the wife of the governor, having some quarrel with one Mrs. Puller, she carried her resentment so far as to charge her opponent with a criminal intimacy with one Sir James Poole, then also resident in Castletown ; and had so much influence with the archdeacon Horrobin as to prevail on him to refuse the sacrament, to the supposed offender, on account of this accusation, Mrs. Puller, mortified and exasperated by this public disgrace, had recourse to the mode pointed out by the ecclesiastical constitutions to establish her innocence, namely, by oath ; which she and Sir James Poole tendered before the bishop, with compurgators of the best character: and no evidence being produced by their accusers to establish the charge, though repeatedly called on to this purpose, they were in consequence cleared of the imputation, and sentence passed against Mrs. Horn, as inventor of the calumny, for which she was required to ask pardon of those she had traduced: but far from complying with this moderate requisition, the governor's lady peremptorily refused obedience ; and openly expressed the utmost contempt both for the bishop and the censures of the church. For this indecent disrespect to the laws, which her elevated situation rendered the more offensive, she was in her turn banished from the altar, till atonement should be made. Notwithstanding which, the archdeacon out of pique to the bishop, or for some other unworthy motive, received her to the communion.

An insult to himself the bishop would have had no difficulty to forgive, but disobedience to the church he could not consistently overlook ; and after some further discussion, he was compelled to suspend the archdeacon; who in a rage, instead of referring the matter to the Archbishop of York, the proper judge in ecclesiastical affairs, threw himself on the civil power, where he was assured of support in his contumacy.

In the interim, the bishop had appointed the Rev. Mr. Ross to officiate in the chapel at Castletown, during the archdeacon's suspension; but the governor refused to deliver the keys to him, and kept the chapel shut up altogether. On which the bishop made a strong remonstrance at the Tynwald court against this entrenchment on the spiritual authority. This document, which is dated June 25, 1722, being addressed to the governor at the Tynwald,*{* See Appendix, 5.} was not noticed but at the conclusion of the meeting, and when nearly all the keys and most of the council had retired, Captain Horn, with those who remained, made an order, in the name of the whole, that the bishop should be fined 50l. and his two vicars 20l. each, for illegal and extra-judicial proceedings in supending archdeacon Horrobin, And on the 29th of the same month, on their refusal to pay the penalty, they were all three committed to Castlerushen. The laws of the island must have been in a most indeterminate state, when such proceedings as these could be carried into effect, on a sentence actually disavowed by "nearly all the persons pretended to be concurring in it, and of which no previous notice had been given to the defendants, to afford them an opportunity of rebutting the charges brought against them. "

The concern of the people on this insult being offered to their beloved pastor, amounted to agony. They assembled in crowds round the prison walls, and it was with infinite difficulty they were prevented levelling the governor's house with the ground; nor was it preserved at last but by the exhortations of the bishop, who being permitted to address them through a window of his prison, entreated their forbearance and submission, telling them he would "appeal unto Ceesar," (meaning the king,) " and had no doubt he would vindicate his cause, if he had acted right." But though he restrained them by his influence from open violence, nothing could allay their anxiety. All business through- out the island was at a stand, one sole object attracted the attention of the whole community, and nothing but personal and almost dieu. viction of his safety, could satisfy the individual apprehensions of his flock, who resorted from all parts in hundreds to the walls of the castle ; nor would they depart without his benediction and council.*

{* The bishop afterwards declared, that he never governed his diocese so well, or instructed his people with such effect as from the walls of his prison.}

With what sensations governor Horn must have beheld these sceries of public distress and gratitude, it is not difficult to conceive ; but it is wonderful that it should have produced no effect on his conduct; for so far was he from relaxing any part of the perscution to which he had subjected these divines, that he actually detained them two months; and during that time dictated every possible aggravation of their sufferings, refusing admittance either to friends or servants, and treating them in all respects as persons confined for high treason.

The case meanwhile was fully stated by the bishop in a petition to the king in council, which was, however, dismissed on the ground of informality, inasmuch as it should have been addressed to the Earl of Derby ; but it was recommended by the law officers of the crown, that the bishop and vicars should deposit the fines as a means of procuring their release, under an assurance that such compliance should not prejudice their appeal; and accordingly they did pay down the money, and being then set at liberty, they immediately repaired to England to prosecute the affair before the proper tribunal.

In a subsequent petition, the bishop states that his reasons for not appealing to the lord of the isle, in the first place, were, that as the prosecution agaiust him was conducted by the earl's attorney, he did suppose it was with his lordship's concurrence, more especially as the fines, if legally assessed, would have belonged to his lordship also.

That the bishop judged right in believing the matter was to a certain extent countenanced by the earl, is rendered evident by what followed : and the only justification, or rather apology, to be offered is, that Lord Derby must have been deceived by misrepresentations, which however ought not for a moment to have counterbalanced the high and well established reputation of the bishop. However, on finding it necessary to carry his appeal through this channel, the bishop and his vicars went into Lancashire, and repeatedly presented themselves at the mansion of ; the earl, who nevertheless refused them all access to his person, nor would he even ra into the nature of their complaint; but after keeping them in attendance from August to November, he at last peremptorily refused to accept the appeal on any terms. On which they were obliged to resort to London, and offer a third petition to the king.

The Attorney General then gave a regular notice to Lord Derby of the proceedings, and demanded from him if he had any knowledge of the affair, or any thing to object against the appeals being entertained. To which his lordship returned an answer in substance as follows ; "That not having had any previous intimation of the proceedings from any of the constituted authorities in the Isle of Man, he could give no answer as to the complaint; but that he believed the persons complained of to be honest and well meaning men; and had no doubt, the matter in the bishop's petition was misrepresented."

The result of this iniquitous business, after two years prosecution, attended with heavy expenses and much personal vexation, was, that the whole proceedings were declared to be illegal, and the fines were in course reversed ; but for recovery of damages against the governor and officers, or even of costs of suit, no provision was made; but these matters were to be referred to a fresh suit at law, to which the bishop had no inclination to resort. All personal offences or losses he could easily forgive and overlook ; his sole object had been to establish the discipline of the church, and having succeeded in that, he had no further resentment to gratify. The suspension of Archdeacon Horrobin was taken off by him after proper submission ; but whether Mrs. Horn submitted to the terms enjoined, I have never been able to discover. I conclude, however, that the bishop would not relinquish a point of such importance to the established discipline of the church.

One cannot contemplate the issue of this extraordinary proceeding, without sensations of regret, that the principal actors in it should have escaped without due punishment. Nor can I help reverting to the case of Captain Christian, wherein a course so decidedly different was pursued by the court of England. In his affair an irregular appeal was received in the first instance ; though offered by a person {* The deemster Christian, who had fled to England to avoid being a party in the judgment} having no personal interest in the prosecution ; and on that petition a reprieve was granted. In asubsequent stage, the judges who had passed an illegal sentence were fined and imprisoned, and full restitution made, with all costs and charges to the heirs of the sufferer; but here in an instance admitted injustice and tyranny, exercised on a man rendered sacred both by his functin and the virtues of a long unblemished life, the court declares itself unequal to the task of redressing his grievances, beyond the reversal of a paltry fine, and leave all the rest as they found it, with hardly a slight reprimand to the offenders. In considering this outrage, a natural comparison arises between the times when such misconduct could be so passed over, and the present, when notwithstanding the violent cry raised against existing defects in the government and breaches of the constitution, I think no one will deny, that if such a scene was enacted in one of our remotest dependencies, and on the person of the most obscure individual, it would raise a clamour which nothing but the fullest redress to the injured, and punishment of the delinquents, could pacify or allay.

Bishop Wilson felt the consequences of the rigors he had undergone during the remainder of his life, having contracted a rheumatic disease from the dampness of the prison, which disabled the fingers of his right hand. The expenses also fell very heavy on him, being in the whole more than 500l. of which he received 800l. in a subscription, set on foot without his knowledge, to assist in carrying on the cause.

In the year 1739, the clergy of the island were thrown into great trouble by the death of the Earl of Derby, who leaving no issue, the lordship of Man devolved to the Duke of Athol ; and by this event they were nearly deprived of their subsistence. Their livings consisting of one third of the impropriations, which had been purchased from a former earl, in the episcopate of Dr. Barrow; an estate belonging to the Derby family in Lancashire having been collaterally bound as security for the payment of the annual returns. On the separation of the island from the earldom, the Duke of Athol claimed the impropriations as an inseparable appendage to his estate and royalty. The deed of conveyance was unfortunately missing from the records, nor could any title be made out either to the original purchase or the collateral security. Under this alarm the clergy would have taken a very small sum in lieu of their claims; and the bishop mentions in a letter to his son, how much they were troubled to find proper persons to serve in the ministry ; people being entirely discouraged from bringing up their sons to the church. But at length by the unceasing industry and perseverance of the diocesan and his son, the original deeds were discovered to have been lodged in the Rolls Chapel, London ; and being immediately exemplified under the great seal of England, the security of the impropriations was established to the great relief of the parties concerned,

In 1740 a severe scarcity occurred in the island, where in fact the corn raised being al ways far short of the consumption, whenever (as it happened at, that time) an embargo was laid on the English ports, great necessity was sure to ensue. The bishop distributed his own grain as far as it would go, and bought up an additional quantity at a high price, to sell out at a reduced one, but all his efforts were inadequate to relieve the pressure of distress. — To increase the cala-mity, an epidemic disease broke out, and as he was the: only physician in the island, his bodily fatigues must have been incessant. In this deplorable state, a petition*{* See Appendix, 5, for the petition.}was preferred to the king in council, by the bishop's son (who was chaplain to George II.), that the embargo might be taken off to a certain extent; a supply of corn was, at length, obtained just in time to save the whole people from starvation. The Duke of Athol also exerted himself for their relief, and received due acknowledgment from the keys on the occasion.

In 1743, the bishop wrote a letter of thanks to his Majesty personally, for the distinguished honor he had conferred on his son, in making him a prebend of Westminster. {See Appendix, 6, for the letter to the king, and also one to his son, on the same occasion.}The bishop's Apostolic character had, at this time, secured him the veneration of all ranks; and the most exalted personages in various parts of Europe, bore testimony to his virtues. In the Isle of Man, the people were so strongly persuaded that a larger portion of the blessings of heaven attended on him, that they never began their harvest till he did, hoping to participate, through him, in these advantages: and if by chance he passed near any field where they were at work, their labours were suspended for a moment, whilst they asked his benediction; and then re- newed, under an increased conviction, that for one day, at least, they would be prosperous.*{* The same reverential regard obtained even in the great City of London, where, during his last visit, crowds would flock around him, with the cry of " Bless me, too, my lord."}

At the advanced age of eighty, he gives the following account of his daily labors in a letter to his son.

"I bless God I am pretty well. I preached on Palm Sunday; administered the sacrament on Easter Eve ; preached and administered the sacrament on Easter Day at Peele; the next Sunday at Kirkmichael; and last Sunday at Jurby, when I performed the whole service."

In 1744, he purchased some land, which he added to the living of Jurby. In 1755, his solicitations, added to those of his son, obtained a renewal of the royal bounty to the clergy, which had been suspended for several years. He continued to ride on horseback till the year 1749. In 1751, he wrote a letter to the new governor, in which he apologized for his neglect of personal attendance, under the plea of his great age ; indeed, the scene of his earthly existence was now drawing to a close, and with what delight he must have contemplated the prospect of transmission from time to eternity,

May be partly conceived, when we review the events of a life uniformly devoted to the service of God, and the good of his fellow-creatures. The immediate cause of his death was a cold, caught in walking in his garden in very damp weather. His end was easy and tranquil, it was like his life, devoted to prayer and praise, till he fell asleep to wake in heaven.

Words are inadequate to paint the anguish of his flock, when thus deprived of their beloved pastor. Ele was attended to his grave by the Whole population of the island, without a single exception, unless of those who, by age or sick- Wess, were incapacitated. 'The tenants of his hearest, demesnes were appointed to bear him to his last earthly home; but at every resting place a contest ensued amongst the most respectable persons present, and happy were they who could perform this last sad office for their friend and benefactor. Ele was interred in Kirkmichael church-yard, at the east end near the chancel, and over his grave, a square tomb-stone was placed, surrounded by iron rails, on which is the following inscription :

On the sides, .

Sleeping in Jesus, here lieth the Body of Thomas Wilson, D. D. Lord Bishop of this Isle, who died March 5, 1755, aged 93, and in the 58th year of his Consecration,

At the ends,

This. Monument was erected by his Son, THOMAS WILSON, a native of this Parish, who, in obedience to the express commands of his father, declines giving him the character he justly deserved, Let this Island speak the rest."

On the decease of Bishop Wilson, the patronage of the see being vested in the Duke of Athol, his Grace paid a compliment to his memory, most honorable to himself. From a conscientious desire that the benefits effected by the late excellent incumbent, should proceed under the auspices of his successor, he waved his right of nomination, and, disregarding the many claimants who were, no doubt, looking up in hopes of a prize, now rendered both valuable and honor- able, he referred it to the bench of bishops, requesting them to point out a man worthy of wearing the mitre, which Bishop Wilson had adorned,

In consequence of which request, Dr. Mark Hildesley was unanimously recommended by them, and appointed by his Grace, being consecrated Bishop of Man, April 25, 1755. On coming to his diocese, his sentiments were thus expressed : "I know it is sometimes said, that 'a person succeeds with disadvantage to an office which has been filled by a predecessor of remarkably eminent qualities.' I must take leave to think the reverse as nearer truth ; at least, with respect to the instance I am about to refer to, namely, my coming after the great and good Dr. Wilson, to this see of Man; forasmuch as I see many excellent things done and established to my hand, in regard to the government of the church, besides the example which, by the traces he has left, his Lordship still lives to shew, and which I will endeavour, as far as I am able to follow, though I am sensible it must be — non passibus nequis.' "

The first great work Dr. Hildesley set himself to complete was, the translation of the Scriptures into Manx, begun by Dr. Wilson, who, at his own expence, had printed the Gospel of St. Mathew, and prepared the other Evangelists, and the Acts of the Apostles; and this, with the assistance of the clergy, he was happy enough to finish. It might, indeed, be truly said of this good man, that he had caught the mantle of the prophet as he ascended to heaven, though he had but just completed the great work above- mentioned, when he was called to give an ac- count of his stewardship, having often been heard to declare, that he only wished his existence might be protracted till the Scriptures were finished in the native language; and it is extremely remarkable, that he received the last part of the Bible from his publisher on Saturday, November 28, 1772, on which occasion, he emphatically sung his Nune Dimmittis in the pre- sence of his whole family ; and next evening, after family prayers, he read a lecture on the uncertainty of human life, observing, that many people were in a moment deprived of their senses and existence; and thus, in a prophetic manner, foretelling his own decease, for, on the following Monday, he was seized with a stroke of the palsy, which deprived him of his perception; and in this situation he lingered till that day week, when he died, and was buried according to his own directions, by the side of Bishop Wilson, that he might be united in death with that man, whose example he had endeavoured to imitate whilst living.*

{* When Dr. Hildesley was at Scarborough in 1764, the following lines were stuck up in the Spa room, which, being taken down by his sister, were found amongst his papers - after his death, with these words written on them by the bishop: —
" From vain-glory in human applause,
Deus me liberat et conservat.
If to paint folly till her friends despise,
And virtue till her foes would fain be wise ;
If angel-sweetness, if a godlike mind,
That melts with Jesus over all mankind-
If this can form a bishop - and it can,
Though lawn were wanting - Hildesley is the man.}

On the death of Dr. Hildesley, the Rev. Dr. Richmond obtained promotion to the Isle of Man; but, on the period of his episcopacy, I take no pleasure in expatiating, the unbending haughtiness of his disposition formed so decided. a contrast to the characters of his predecessors, that he excited a general sentiment of aversion in the minds of his people, which must have defeated the efficacy of his doctrines, however pure. He died, and was succeeded by

Dr. George Mason, who sat till the year 1785, The last part of his life was disgraced by a scene of necessity, and derangement of circumstances, utterly inconsistent with his station. In his hands were placed the funds subscribed towards building the church dedicated to St. George, on an elevation above Douglas, and by his insolvency and death, the persons employed in that erection, were actually deprived of the sums due to them, to their great injury, and, in one or two instances, their complete ruin.

The last incumbent was, the Rev. Claudius Crigan, a man of simple and unostentatious manners; but, from the absence of all energy of mind or character, not very well calculated to sustain his dignity, or embellish his office. He sat twenty-eight years, and then resigned his life and his see, without exciting any considerable regret in the minds of his flock.

The present bishop is a gentleman of distinguished rank and polished manners; he is a son of the late highly respectable and Rev. Lord. George Murray, bishop of St. David's. At the death of. Dr, Crigan, the bishop elect being under the age at which, by the canons, he might assume the pall, the see was held unoccupied for twelve months. He has now been consecrated about two years. It would appear too much like flattery of a living character, if I was to express the sentiments of hope and expectation which are entertained by all ranks in the Isle of Man, from the commencement of his career.