SHERLOCK, who was defirous to obtain the Bishopric of Bristol for his Brother-in-law Dr. Gooch, he was at Length prevailed on to accept the Propofal, and was confirmed Bishop of Oxford in the Month of May 1737. Towards the End of the fame Year died Queen CAROLINE, and the Sunday following Bishop SECKER preached a Sermon on that Occasion, at St. James's Church, which the Princeffes defired to fee, and showed it to the King, who read it. It was afterwards published in the Second Volume of his Occafional Sermons, which appeared in his Life-time.

When the unfortunate Breach happened betwixt the late King and the Prince of Wales, his Royal Highness having removed to Norfolk-Houfe, which is in the Parish of St. James's, attended Divine Service constantly in that Church. The firft Time he came there, the Clerk in Orders, Mr. BONNEY, inadvertently begun Prayers with his ufual Sentence of Scripture, I will arife and go to my Father, &c. This quickly became the Subject of much Conversation; and an Addition was made to it, that the Rector preached on the Fifth Commandment, Honour thy Father and thy Mother, &c. which was fo pofitively afferted, that Bishop SHERLOCK could only defend

C 4

Turn.

defend him, by faying that he must certainly have been in a Courfe of Sermons on the Commandments, and therefore could not help preaching upon that particular one in its But the Truth was, he preached on a quite different Text, The Lord is good to all, &c. and the whole Sermon was on that Subject. The Prince was pleafed to fhew his Lordship feveral Marks of Civility and Condefcenfion. He had the Honour of baptizing all his Highnefs's Children, except two; and though he did not attend his Court, which was forbidden to all those who went to the King's, yet on every proper Occafion he behaved with all the Submiffion and Refpect due to his illuftrious Rank. In Confequence of this, his Influence with the Prince being fuppofed much greater than it really was, he was fent, by the King's Direction, with a Meffage to his Royal Highness; which not producing the Effects expected from it, he had the Misfortune to incur his Majefty's Displeasure; who had been unhappily perfuaded to think that he might have done more with the Prince than he did, though indeed he could not.-For this Reafon, and because he fometimes acted with those who oppofed the Court, the King did not fpeak to him for a great Number of Years.

In February 1742-3 a Bill was brought into Parliament to take off the high Duties on fpirituous Liquors, and to lay on others much lower in their Room. As this Alteration was thought likely to have a most pernicious Effect on the Health and Morals of the common People, it met with a vigorous Opposition in the House of Lords, efpecially from the Bench of Bishops, all of whom voted, and feveral spoke, against it. Amongst the latter were Bishop SHERLOCK and Bishop SECKER: And when it paffed, the Bishop of Oxford entered his Diffent. Mr. SANDYS was then Chancellor of the Exchequer, and this was confidered as his Bill; yet foon after, on the Death of Bishop HOUGH, he very generously endeavoured, without Dr. SECKER'S Knowledge, to obtain for him the See of Worcester. It was in the Courfe of the fame Year that his Lordship received a Letter from Dr. WISHART, Provoft of Edinburgh College, recommending to him his Brother and Mr. WALLACE, Deputies from the established Clergy of Scotland, to promote a Bill in Parliament for providing a Maintenance for their Widows and Children, which many of them imagined the Bishops would oppose. Dr. SECKER paid them all the Civility, and did

them

them all the Service he could.

None of the

Bench opposed their Bill either publicly or privately, and it was moved for by a Bishop at each of its three Readings in the House of Lords.

About the Middle of October, in the following Year, died SARAH, Duchefs Dowager of Marlborough, She was buried at Blenheim, by Bishop SECKER, whom she had appointed one of her Executors. For this Choice she could have no other Reason than the high Opinion fhe entertained in common with the rest of the World, of his Understanding and Integrity; for he never paid the leaft Court to her, either by private Adulation, or by accommodating his public Conduct to her Grace's political Sentiments. On his being made Bishop of OXFORD, fhe paid him fome common Civilities of Neighbourhood, and defired, by Lord CORNBURY, to fee him, When he had vifited her a few Times, the requested him to be one of her Executors, and read to him the Claufe in her Will relating to them, in which he had given each of them.2000, and indemnified them from any Miftakes which they might honestly make. Before he gave his Confent, he confulted Lord Chancellor HARDWICKE upon it, who ad

vifed him to accept the Truft. After this he vifited her Grace occafionally every Winter. She never asked him any Questions, nor gave him any Hints, about the past or future Dispofal of his Vote in Parliament. He always spoke his Mind to her very freely, how much foever it differed from hers, and fhe bore it, for the most Part, patiently. He blamed her for leaving fo much of her Eftate to Perfons not related to her, and particularly for giving any Thing to himself, who, he told her, was as rich as her Grace. These Remonftrances fhe did not feem to take well, and never faid any Thing more to him about her Will. He therefore concluded that she had ftruck him out from being one of her Executors, but it proved otherwise. She gave each of them an additional £.500. None of her Money ever came into his Lordship's Hands to be difpofed of by him in her Life-time. But he had good Reafon to think that she gave away large Sums in Charity, to the amount of several Thousands every Year.

Some Time before this, the Nation began to be alarmed with the Appearances of a Rebellion. About the middle of February, 1743-4, the King fent a Meffage to both Houses of Parliament, acquainting them, that

the