instruments by his father, George Jeffries, steward to the Lord Hatton, of Kirbie, in Northamptonshire, organist to Charles the First at Oxon." Wood. Let the reader think of these abominations! An organ and harpsichord at the University of Oxford, in the godly times of Cromwell, Chancellor, and Dr. Owen, Vice-Chancellor! Where was Prynne, that he did not sit down and write three volumes in folio, on the "Ungodliness of Harpsichords!" How might Tertullian, and those of his school, have declaimed on the portentous catalogue of sinful Citharædists! Satis canticorum! satis vocum! (De Spectaculis.) Here is the son of the steward of the descendant of Sir Christopher Hatton, a minuet-dancing statesman, running fugues on the harpsichord, and described as son of the organist of CHARLES THE FIRST! 16. "Richard Rhodes, another junior student of Christ Church, a confident Westmonasterian; a violinist, to hold between his knees. These did frequent the weekly meetings." Rest you merry, reader, with this detail. I trust I shall be excused for having dwelt somewhat longer on it; as it is not only curious in itself, shewing the relaxed spirit of fanatical puritanism, but also, as it first introduces to our notice the young scholar of New college, afterwards so eminent. * A. Wood, Life by himself, pp. 12 et seq. Respecting this harmonious club we may observe, that “Ken, of New college, junior," alone is without any instrument-" only singing his part;" but it is probable that he, following the examples of so many instrumental performers, not long afterwards took up the lute-his companion through life. This musical instrument seems more accordant with his character. I would not omit to observe another circumstance. On looking over the enumeration of the INSTRUMENTS there wanted one; for where was the BASS? unless the "violinist, to hold between the knees," was a kind of violincello. The academical band would indeed have been complete, could we have added, to keep Crewe in countenance, my friend Boulter, junior, of Trinity college, fagotto obligato! And who would not rejoice if, hoping "he did not intrude," like Paul Pry, he could "just look in” upon the performers, observe Crewe tuning his restive fiddle, and hear the modest "Ken, junior," singing his part. How such a set could meet, without academic censure, for such a purpose, in such a place, and at such a period,* is worthy of remark; and it is more worthy of remark, that when "silk and satin divines," and the ungodly vanities of geer, were among abominations and sins, at this very time the "red boots and long knee-strings" of Dr. Owen himself should escape censure; for * Cromwell died the latter end of this year. Prynne was living, who hated the Independents, and might have written four volumes on the "ungodliness" of "red boots" and " knee-strings!" and, according to Wood, Owen always appeared in his doctorial costume, without any fear of the "Divine justice !" + But the most important and the most interesting circumstance connected with Ken's residence at Oxford, was the commencement of that friendship, which endured through every change of fortune, and was the source of all that remained to him of worldly comfort and happiness to the end of life. I allude to the first formation of that friendship with Lord Viscount Weymouth, which led, in the reverses of his lot, and the evening of his days, when he had no home upon earth, to the asylum, in that noble mansion, where he closed his eyes. I had been mistaken in considering this affectionate and confidential intercourse as having had its commencement in school days, at Winchester; it may therefore be more incumbent on me to obviate the misconception, and to shew its origin at Ox * How exactly, through all ages, may the same spirit be traced from Tertullian to our days: Prynne's "Histrio-mastix," and "Ungodliness of Lovelocks," exactly answering Tertullian's "De Spectaculis," and "De velandis virginibus!" written after he became a Montanist. + "Red boots" are the statutable costume of Doctors in the University, but they have a dispensation. ford. I shall take the opportunity of adverting to some incidental and interesting circumstances. Thomas Thynne was among the young noblemen and gentlemen educated at Christchurch, under the care and tuition of Dr. Fell, after the Restoration. Turning to Collins's Peerage to ascertain whether there was any account of his previous education, I found that, instead of his having been educated with Ken at Winchester, he was placed, in the time of the Protectorate, under William Burton, known as the translator of Antoninus. In addition to this information, we find that the learned and pious Henry Hammond, and Dr. I. Fell, of Oxford, were subsequently the chief directors of his studies.* This amiable young man, Thomas Thynne, afterwards Lord Viscount Weymouth, was born in 1640. Hammond had been expelled by the Parliamentary Visitors from the Canonry of Christchurch in 1647, together with Morley, Canon, and Fell, the Dean-father of Dr. Fell, afterwards Dean and Bishop. Now Hammond, ejected from his Canonry in 1647, died just before the Restoration, and therefore it was a matter of inquiry how the * Collins's Peerage. The visitation was in December. Morley was ejected by violence in March 1648. Mrs. Fell, it is well known, refused to remove, and the soldiers took her scolding in her chair into the quadrangle! Mrs. Reynolds, at the Restoration, refusing to budge, was treated in the same manner! future possessor of Longleat could have received any part of his education from Dr. Hammond, who, having been expelled from Oxford, resided in domestic retirement till his death, with a private family in a distant county. We shall here observe, that, when the loyal Clergy had "fallen on evil tongues and evil days," under the infamous and calumnious name of "scandalous and malignant ministers,”—and such were Hammond, and Jeremy Taylor, and Sanderson, and Chillingworth, in the Parliamentary vocabulary, — they were obliged to seek what Wood calls LATEBRÆ, places of retirement, where they could worship God according to their CONSCIENCE, and possess their PRAYER-BOOKS in peace, at the time when the tyrannical edicts of Puritanism forbade the use of our beautiful ritual, not only in public, but in private houses. A greater testimony to the piety and virtues of these defamed men cannot be given, than the fact of so many generous bosoms sympathising with them of many hospitable houses being opened to them, in their day of deprivation and poverty for conscience-sake. The same kind of asylum which Ken received from his early friend Lord Weymouth, the virtuous, and learned, and holy Hammond, received from Sir John Packington, possessor of that noble seat and park, the residence of my Oxford friend, the present Sir John Packington, Westwood Park, Worces |