[From Letters of Bishop Hildesley]

Letter LXXXIV

Bishopscourt, Jan. 14, 1771.

The contents of the letter from my Fidus amicus that came by the returm of Mrs Watt's servant unhappily served to remind me of his leaving me at Sherburn, which I now learn to know was but a prelude of what was to follow, viz., inclination to part with me, once for all; by acceding or tending to accepting a proposal for changing his present situation and quitting his country and Bishopscourt friend, for a dependence on a provision by voluntary contributions during life, from better friends in a foreign land, surrounded and abounding with different persuasions in religious matters, established by law. "A very alluring offer," truly! and I am preparing my mind to consent to it, for if you are come at last after fifteen years intimacy to balance your friendship for me with those at Air (148), it must naturally raise my indifference to the retaining so precursious a friendship, by compulsive methods. I have therefore N.B. no objection to your accepting the "alluring offer" in case you are so disposed to furnish Air with a "shewy man,'' the Rev Philip Moore. To be taken care of during life! Charming prospect of dependence, to be revered and rejoiced in! "Food and raiment," and even that by courtesy: What can Manks land, or Manks Bishop bestow more themeable than this?

A Manks Bishop once offered a fixed reception for you at his home in case you would have chosen to quit the labour of Douglas School; which was declined, and very properly, as a little independent cott: of one's own, at your time of life, so long used to one, would be more desirable than aliens incumbere menae (149), for a constancy, though from as good and generous a friend as can be found.

Mr John Christian, of Air, and Mark Hildesley, of Mona, are in the balance in the scale, and I am at no loss now to see which way by inclination the cast of weight will turn.

And if by afterthought: you should remain where you are, yet I have the sentiments of your heart, which way you are tending and pointing, and if you go as was the case of your flight from Sherburn, your heart smote you before you got many got many leagues toward the "competent provisions" offered at Air. I had more in my view than the pleasure of your company when I took you to Sherburn, though that was one desirablemotive; but I was in hope to have found opportunity to present you to, but to ingratiate you in the favour and good liking of my princely patron the Bishop of Durham, and which I had gained a promising entrance to, and had you stayed to have accompanied me on my return and been with me some days at Auckland, where the Bishop is more detached from business and interruptions, my end I had reason to hope would have been completed—equal to any offer at Air. And is Mr Moore gone'? says the Bishop: what more he added will be of no service of you now to relate. I only wish for your own sake you had not given. him occasion to start that question.

I have lately had very respectful mention of you from sundry Durham friends. Archdeacon Dickens, Mr Rotheram, Mr Wilkinson, and Mr Drakes. The Archdeacon, after saying something handsome about the great work of giving the Manx Christians the Manx Gospels, etc., writes as follows:—"While I am upon this subject I must beg you to commend me to your fellow labourer m this good work, the worthy Mr Moore, whose unaffected chearfulness and good nature, whase good sense and good heart must render him respectable to every good man; and to your Lordship he must. be a most valuable friend who are(sic) intimately acquainted with all worth."

It is almost worth taking a journey to Durham if but to fetch so particular an eulagium from a man of Archdeacon, Dickens' sense and character, and if you had staid to have been better acquainted with him as well as the Bishop of the Diocese, it would have done you no harm, even if you missed the alluring offer at Air, by your stay among us a few weeks longer. But what now must Mr Archdeacon. think or say when I am to inform him that this same respectabie valuable friend and fellow-labourer of mine, of whom he speaks and thinks highly, is upon the balance with himself whether he shall not accept a proposal to leave his Bishopscourt friend and all the remains of the work he justly had the praise and public credit of, to take care of themselves by committing them to the hands of Providence. "Something very extraordinary to Mr Moore's advantage sure it must be that can induce him to leave such a work and such a friend, as by what we have heard him say of his Bishop he so esteemed will be said by all the Durhamites from the Bishop downwards. Oh my Lord and gentlemen, I should say, if you did but. know how "alluring the offer is" that has been made him; you would think he would scarce accept a living of moderate value in the Bishop of Durham's gift, in preference to the good things he proposes to enjoy at Air in Scotland.

I now propose to omit in my letter to Banker Christian anything about the impractability of their having Mr Moore, but shall leave that door open for him to fly out at, if his mind should continue to look that way.

I only would be glad, sir, that before your emigration takes place, you would do me the favour or rather the justice to send me a list of the dates and sums I have paid of Mr Thompson's charity since I commenced paymaster and that you will ask the like for me of our Brother of Braddan and indeed it is chiefly that list that I most want to see, of the receipts and not of the disbursements for I am far from clear that I have not paid more than I have received, and I make no doubt you have both been punctual in entering what from time to time has been paid by me. My chief trouble and perplexity is about Braddan portion, especially of the arrears ; wardens coming in haste and importunate and not able to write their names, I know not whether I have not paid some without taking vouchers.

The trouble of trusteeships and stewardships it is vain to complain of, as it is hardly possible to avoid being engaged in them wherever one lives —unless perhaps in Antigua or Nova Scotia, That "Mr Banker Christian should be acquainted before anything be determined ultimatum."

Why what do I write to him for but to propose to his choice whether he would like to accept Mr Clucas; without thrusting him upon him at all events; for then he might return him and say: "I expected Mr Moore."'

If Miss Younger was so short of judgment as to think I was in concern about my money commission as to return to it before she returned herself to Douglas, my worthy agent might have been well enough to have placed it to account, wthout sending it over. I was more solicitous in my enquiry about the poor girls health, than about my half-crown, and neither her father nor she haye vouchsafed to take any notice of that enquiry.

I am sorry to hear my two last letters for England are still in the office at Douglas.

I don't apprehend that: my brother trustee wants any account of what is past, but a list of the candidates previous to the distribution in future. I don't know any directions of mine were sent to you or Mr Woods, further than by signifying what were the Governor's proposals. And these I thought had been complied with. And if the papers now sent to him contain anything more, I believe they will be superrogatory.

Stout as you may think me to be , . .

(Letter incomplete).

(148)—The Rey. Philip Moore was offered a chaplaincy at Ayre in Scotland, where there was a small Manx colony.

(149)—"To trouble other tables," i.e., to live upon other people.