Dec. 28. The celebrated Count Byron, Duke of Courland, at Mit

tau.

Mrs. Skinner, lady of William Skinner, Efq; of Grofvenor fquare, fecond daughter of the late Sir Peter Warren, Knight of the Bath.

Mrs. Jennetta Barton, a maiden lady, who acquired a fortune of upwards of 50,000l. in the South Sea Scheme, by means of a near relationship to one of the

then directors, whofe own fortune was taken away by parliament, and he afterwards lived on the bounty of his fifter, who purchased him an annuity of 1000l. per annum for life.

31. At his houfe at Whitehall, after a few days illness, Sir Richard Glyn, Bart. member for Coventry, alderman of Dowgate-ward, London, and prefident of Bridewell and Bethlem Hospitals.

APPENDIX

The humble Petition of certain of the clergy of the Church of England, and of certain of the two Profeffions of Civil Law and Phyfic, and others, whofe names are hereunto fubfcribed.

THA

Sheweth, HAT your petitioners apprehend themselves to have certain rights and privileges which they hold of God only, and which are fubject to his authority alone. That of this kind is the free exercife of their own reafon and judgment, whereby they have been brought to, and confirmed in, the belief of the Chriftian religion, as it is contained in the Holy Scriptures That they efteem it a great bleffing to live undera conftitution, which, in its original principles, enfures to them the full and free profeffion of their faith, having afferted the authority and fufficiency of Holy Scriptures in-"All things "neceffary to falvation; fo that "whatsoever is not read therein, " nor may be proved thereby, is "not to be required of any man that it fhould be believed as an

"tion." That your petitioners do conceive that they have a natural right, and are also warranted by thofe original principles of the reformation from Popery, on which the church of England is conftituted, to judge in fearching the fcriptures each man for himself, what may or may not be proved thereby. That they find themfelves, however, in a great measure precluded the enjoyment of this invaluable privilege by the laws relating to fubfcription; whereby your petitioners are required to acknowledge certain articles and confeffions of faithand doctrine, drawn up by fallible men, to be all and every of them agreeable to the faid fcriptures. Your petitioners therefore pray, that they may be relieved from fuch an impofition upon their judgment, and be restored to their undoubted right as Proteftants of interpreting Scripture for themfelves, without being bound by any human explications thereof, or re quired to acknowledge, by fubfcription or declaration, the truth of any formulary of religious faith and doctrine whatsoever, be fide Holy Scripture itself.

That your petitioners not only are themselves aggrieved by fub fcription, as now required,( which they cannot but confider as an en croachment on their rights, competent to them both as men and as

members

members of a proteftant establishment) but with much grief and concern apprehend it to be a great hinderance to the; fpreading of Chrift's true religion: As it tends to preclude, at least to difcourage, further enquiry into the true fenfe of Scripture, to divide Commu; nions, and caufe mutual diflike between fellow Proteftants: As it gives a handle to unbelievers to reproach and vilify the clergy, by reprefenting them (when they obferve their diverfity of opinion touching those very articles which were agreed upon for the fake of avoiding the diverfities of opinion, as guilty of prevarication, and of accommodating their faith to lucrative views or political confiderations: As it affords to Papifts, and others difaffected to our religious eftablishments, occafion to reflect upon it as inconfiftently framed, admiting and authorizing doubt ful and precarious doctrines, at the fame time that Holy Scripture alone is acknowledged to be certain, and fufficient for falvation: As it tends (and the evil daily increafes) unhappily to divide the clergy of the establishment themfelves, fubjecting one part thereof, who affert but their Proteftant privilege to question every human doctrine, and bring it to the teft of Scripture, to be reviled as well from the pulpit as the prefs, by another part, who feem to judge the articles they have fubfcribed to be of equal authority with the Holy Scripture itfelf. And lastly, As it occafions fcruples and embarraffiments of confcience to thoughtful and worthy perfons in regard to entrance into the ministry, or chearful continuance in the exercife of it.

That the clerical part of your

petitioners, upon whom it is peculiarly incumbent, and who are more immediately appointed by the ftate,. to maintain and defend the truth as it is in Jefus, do find themselves under a great reftraint in their endeavours herein, by being obliged to join iffue with the adverfaries of revelation, in fuppofing the one true fenfe of Scripture to be expreffed in the prefent established fyftem of faith, or elfe to incur the reproach of having departed from their fubfcriptions, the fuípicion of infincerity, and the repute of being ill-affected to the church; whereby their comfort and usefulness among their refpective flocks, as well as their fuccefs against the adverfaries of our common Chriftianity, are greatly obftructed.

That fuch of your petitioners as have been educated with a view to the feveral profetiions of Civil Law and Phyfic, cannot but think it a great hardship to be obliged (as are all in one of the Universities, even at their first admiffion or matriculation, and at an age fo immature for difquifitions and decifions of fuch moment) to fubfcribe heir unfeigned, aflent to a variety of theological propofitions, concerning which their private opinions can be of no confequence to the public, in order to entitle them to academical degrees in thofe facal ties; more efpecially as the course of their ftudies, and attention to their practice refpectively, afford them neither the means nor the leifure to examine whether and how far fuch propofitions do agree with the word of God,

That certain, of your petitioners have reafon to lament, not only their own, but the too probable misfortune of their fons, who, at

an

"

an age before the habit of reflection can be formed, or their judgment matured, muft, if the prefent mode of fubfcription remains, be irrecoverably bound down in points of the highest confequence, to the tenets of ages lefs informed than their own.

That, whereas the first of the three articles, enjoyed by the 36th canon of the Church of England to be fubfcribed, contains a recognition of his majesty's fupremacy in all caufes ecclefiaftical and civil, your petitioners humbly prefume, that every fecurity, propofed by fubfcription to the faid article, is fully and effectually provided for by the paths of allegiance and fupremacy, prefcribed to be taken by every Deacon and Prieft at their ordination, and by every Graduate in both Universities. Your petitioners, nevertheless, are ready and willing to give any farther teftimony which may be thought expe dient, of their affection for his majefty's perfon and government, of their attachment and dutiful fubmiffion in church and state, of their abhorrence of the unchristian fpirit of Popery, and of all thofe maxims of the church of Rome, which tend to enslave the consciences, or to undermine the civil or religious liberty, of a free Proteftant people.

Your petioners, in confideration of the premises, do now humbly fupplicate this Honourable Houfe, in hope of being relieved from an obligation fo incongruous with the right of private judgment, fo pregnant with danger to true religion, and fo productive of diftrefs to many pious and confcientious men, and useful fubjects of

the ftate; and in that hope look up for redress, and humbly fubmit their caufe, under God, to the wisdom and juftice of a British Parliament, and the piety of a Protettant King.

And your petitioners fhall

ever pray, &c. 、 Sir William Meredith moved to bring up the above petition: but Sir Roger Newdigate objected to the receiving of it, as it came from perfons who had done that which they reprefented to be wrong, and which they wanted to undo. Lord John Cavendish wifhed the petition to be brought up, and examined with temper. Lord North objected to it, as tending to revive the flames of ecclefiaftical controverfy; and wifhed never in that houfe to pro ceed to the difcuffion of orthodoxy. On a divifion it was rejected, Yeas 71, Nays 217.