World, both at home and abroad, defervedly has in great Veneration for his excellent Writings. Here was now the noblest opportunity of Improvement for this young Man, that himfelf could have defired, or his Friends could have wifht. For, befides the advantage of a free access to a Library full of the choiceft and beft Books, and the benefit of fo Learned and fo Communicative a Converfation, this learned Perfon was then employed in compiling that elaborate Work of his, called Hiftoria Literaria. A Work which required Such vaft Pains in reading, digefting and reducing into order fuch an infinite number of the ancient Monuments of Learning, as it could hardly have been brought to the Perfection wherein it now appears, in the Age of any one Man, without the affistance of Friends, of whom therefore the learned Doctor thought it not in the least Derogatory from his own Performance to make a most grateful mention in his Prolegomena. Wherein alfo he is pleas'd to obferve, with its due Praife, the more than ordinary affistance which he received from Mr. Wharton in compofing that Work: And then acknowledges the Appendix of the three last Centuries, to be almost wholly owing to him, which do therefore deservedly bear his Name; himfelf being then afflicted with a dangerous Sick

nefs,

nefs, which binder'd him from profecuting his Defign any further at that time.

While he lived with this Excellent Perfon, partly that he might be further affifting to his great and learned Friend, and partly for the fatisfaction of others, that were very defirous of having him enter into Holy Orders, who was likely to prove fo great an Ornament of the Church, in the Year 1687, he went into the Holy Order of a Deacon.

At the Commencement in July following, he proceeded Mafter of Arts by the help of a Proxy; which Favour was by the Univerfity. indulg'd to him, he at that Time lying ill of the Small Pox at Iflington, which Danger he very hardly escaped.

About this Time, the Reputation which he had gain'd upon several Accounts, recommended him to the particular Notice of Doctor Tenifon, the then worthy Vicar of St. Martin's, and afterwards moft Reverend Archbishop of Canterbury: Who having in his hand a Manufcript concerning the incurable Scepticifi of the Roman Church, written in Latin,. and after a Scholaftical Manner by Mr. John Placet of Hamburgh, defired Mr. Wharton to Epitomize it in a plain way of Argumentation, and to tranflate it into English, which was in a very fhort Time performed by him.

Not

Not long after this, he was by the fame Eminent Perfon recommended to the Lord Arundel of Trerice, as a fit Tutor for the Education of his only Son. In which Trust he acquitted himself to the great Satisfaction of that Noble Lord, who gave him a very bonourable Allowance while with him, and ever after retain'd a particular Efteem for him as long as he lived; though he was pleas'd, at the request of the most Reverend Archbishop Sancroft, to part with him to be his Chaplain.

Next came forth a Treatife called Speculum Ecclefiafticum, writ by a Papist Soldier, which Mr. Wharton confidered, and refuted the falfe Reasonings and Quotations of it, with that quickness, that in the space of one Day only, he both begun and finished that Difcourfe: Adding thereto, by way of Preface, two further Anfwers; the first to the Defender of the Speculum, (for having got a view of the Defence while it was in the Prefs, his Anfwer to it came out as foon or fooner than the Book it felf;) and the Se cond to the half Sheet against the Six Conferences.

Times now grew warm, and the Papists began to be very confident of their Caufe,

infomuch

infomuch that there was a fear, and accordingly Care taken about fome Choice Manufcripts, Left they should unhappily fall into the Enemies Hand. Hereupon in November, 1687. Mr. Wharton was requested by feveral eminent Divines in London, to go down to Cambridge, and tranfcribe fuch Manufcripts as were of better Note: Which, fo far as the time permitted, he perform'd by the Affistance of the Worthy Mr. Cory and Mr. Sagg, two of the then Fellows of Corpus Christi College, and of the Learned Mr. John Laughton the University Library-Keeper.

At his return from thence he printed one of them, Intituled, The Rule of Faith, writ before the Reformation (about the Tear 1450.) by Reginald Peacock, Bishop of Chichester, to which he joyned a large and learned Preface, proving the Holy Scriptures to be the adequate Rule of Faith.

After thefe came out his own Treatise, Of the Celibracy of the Clergy, wherein he fbewed fuch fharpnefs of Wit, clearness of Reafoning, and vastness of Reading, as mightily rais'd his Esteem among all. The Learned especially had extraordinary thoughts of him, that a Perfon fo young, having hardly yet exceeded Twenty three years of

Age,

Age, should be able to compofe fuch exquifite Works, and to write fuch excellent Difcourfes as he had done.

This and his other ingenious and learned Performances extorted Commendations of him even from the Romanifts themselves, who took no Small Pains to bring him over to their fide. To this end, Mr. Matthews the Prieft (who privately faid Mafs in Windfor Castle) had a Conference with him, and was, or at least might have been convinc'd, by his Difcourfe, that he was not likely to make him a Profelyte.

Others in like manner tried their Skill, and the most excellent of the Popish Pieces were fent him out of France, in hopes to prevail upon him, but he remain'd immoveable. For, (to use his own Expreffion) Quo magis, fays he, Pontificiorum Scripta pervolvi, eo leviora ac futiliora illorum argumenta mihi femper vifa funt; the more I have read their Writings, the more weak and vain, the lighter and more trifling did their Arguments always appear to me.

What their weaker Arguments fail'd in, his own more folid perform'd, reducing one of excellent Parts to our Communion, which he had in his younger Tears been unhappily prevail'd

upon