those of Apollo and the Muses, whom a person, not otherwise
Oct. 1779.] JOURNAL.
variety.
The large pieces of water interspersed give a fresh beauty tothe whole.
Yet there are several things which must give disgust to any person of common sense :—l. The buildings, called Temples, are most miserable, many of them both within and without.
Sir John Vanbrugh's is an ugly, clumsy lump, hardly fit for a gentleman's stable.
2. The temples of Venus and Bacchus, though large, have nothing elegant in the structure ; and the paintings in the former, representing a lewd story, are neither well designed nor executed.
Those in the latter are quite faded, and most of theinscriptions vanishedaway.
3. The statues are full as coarse as the paintings, particularly those of Apollo and the Muses, whom a person, not otherwise informed, might take to be nine cook-maids.
4. Most of the water in the ponds is dirty, and thick as puddle. 5. It ischildish affectation to call things here by Greek or Latin names, as Styx, and the Elysian Fields.
6. It was ominous for My Lord to entertain himself and his noble company in a grotto built on the bank of Styx; that is, on the brink of hell.
7. The river on which it stands is a black, filthy puddle, exactly resembling acommon sewer.
8. One of the stateliest monuments is taken down,—the Egyptian Pyramid; and no wonder, considering the two inscriptions, which are still legible ; the one,—
Linguenda tellus, et domus, et placens Uxor: Neque harum, quas colis, arborum Te preler invisas cupressos, Ulla brevem dominum sequetur !
The other,— Lusisti satis, edisti satis, alque bibisti:
Tempus abire tibi est: Ne potum largius equo Rideat, et pulset lasciva decentius ctas.*
Upon the whole, I cannot but prefer Cobham gardens tothose at Stow: For, 1. The river at Cobham shames all the ponds at * The following is Boscawen's translation of these verses from Horace :—
Thy lands, thy dome, thy pleasing wife, These must thou quit ; 'tis naturc's doom :
No tree, whose culture charms thy life, Save the sad cypress, waits thy tomb.
Of meat and drink, of pleasure and of play, You've had your fill: 'Tis time you steal away,
Lest you be jostled off by that brisk race Whom sports become, and wanton revels grace.—EDIT.
REY. J. WESLEY'S
[Nov. 1779.
Stow.
2. There is nothing at Stow comparable to the walk near the wheel which runs up the side of a steep hill, quite grotesque and wild.
3. Nothing in Stow gardens is to be compared to the large temple, the pavilion, the antique temple, the grotto, or the building at the head of the garden; nor to the neatness which runs through the whole.
But there is nothing even at Cobham to be compared, 1. To the beautiful cross at the entrance of Stourhead gardens.
To the vast body of water.
3. The rock-work grotto.
4. The temple of the sun.
5. The hermitage.
Here too every thing is nicely clean, as well asin full preservation. Add to this, that all the gardens hang on the sides of a semicircular mountain.
And there is nothing either at Cobham or Stow which can balance the advantage of such a situation.
On this and the two following evenings I preached at Whittlebury, Towcester, and Northampton.
On Saturday I returned to London.
Mon. 18.—I set out for Sussex; and after visiting the societies there, returned to London on Saturday, 23.
I was in hopes, by bringing her with me, to save the life of Miss as, of Ewhurst, far gone in a consumption.
But she was too far gone: So that though that journey helped her for awhile, yet she quickly relapsed, and soon after died in peace.
Sun. 24.—I preached a charity sermon in Shadwell church.
I spoke with all possible plainness.
And surely some, out of an immense multitude, will receive the truth, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Mon. 25.—I set out for Norwich.
Fuesday, 26. I went on to Yarmouth; on Wednesday to Lowestoft ; on Friday to Loddon.
Saturday, 830. I came to Norwich again.
Mon. November 1,—I crossed over to Lynn, and settled the little affairs there ; on Wednesday, 3, went on to Colchester : and on Friday, to London.
Saturday, 6. I began examining the society, which usually employs me eleven or twelve days.
Sat. 13.—I had the pleasure of an hour's conversation with Mr. G., one of the members of the first Congress in America.
He unfolded a strange taleindeed!
How has poor K. G. been betrayed on every side!
But this is our comfort: There is One higher than they.
And He will command all things to work together for good.
The following week I examined the rest of our society ; but
Nov. 1779.] JOURNAL.
did not find such an increase as I expected.
Nay, there was a considerable decrease, plainly owing to a senseless jealousy that had crept in between our Preachers ; which had grieved the Holy Spirit of God, and greatly hindered his work,
Mon. 22.—My brother and I set out for Bath, on a very extraordinary occasion.
Some time since Mr. Smyth, a Clergyman, whose labours God had greatly blessed in the north of Ireland, brought his wife over to Bath, whe had been for some time in a declining state of health.
I desired him to preach every Sunday evening in our chapel, while he remained there.
But as soon as I was gone, Mr. M'Nab, one of our Preachers, vehemently opposed that; affirming it was the common cause of all the Lay Preachers; that they were appointed by the Conference, not by me, and would not: suffer the Clergy to ride over their heads; Mr. Smyth in particular, of whom he said all manner of evil.
Others warmly defended him.
Hence the society was torn in pieces, and thrown into the utmost confusion.
Tues. 23.—I read to the society a paper which I wrote near twenty years ago on a like occasion.
Herein I observed, that 'the rules of our Preachers were fixed by me, before any Conference existed," particularly the twelfth : ' Above all, you are to preach when and where I appoint." By obstinately opposing which rule, Mr. M'Nab has made all this uproar. In the morning, at a meeting of the Preachers, I informed Mr. M'Nab, that, as he did not agree to our fundamental rule, I could not receive him as one of our Preachers, till he was of another mind.
Wed. 24.—I read the same paper to the society at Bristol, as I found the flame had spread thither also.
A few at Bath separated from us on this account: But the rest were: thoroughly satisfied.
So on Friday, 26, I took coach again, and. on Saturday reached London.
In this journey I read Dr. Warner's History of Treland, from its first settlement to the English Conquest ; and, after calm deliberation, I make no scruple to pronounce it a meresenseless. romance.
I donot believe one leaf of it is true, from the beginning to the end. I totally reject the authorities on which he builds: I will not take Flagherty's or Keating's word for a farthing.
I doubt not, Ireland was, before the Christian era, full as barbarous as Scotland or England.
Indeed it appears from their own accounts, that the Irish in general were continually
REV. J. WESLEY'S
[Dec. 1779. plundering and murdering each other from the earliest ages to that period: And so they were ever since, by the account of Dr. Warner himself, till they were restrained by the English.
How then were they converted by St. Patrick? Cousin-german to St. George!
To what religion?
Not to Christianity.
Neither in his age, nor the following, had they the least savour of Christianity, either in their lives or their tempers.
Sun. 28.—I preached a charity sermon at St. Peter's, Cornhill.
Monday, 29. I visited the societies in Kent, and returned on Saturday.
Sunday, DecemBer 5.—In applying those words, " What could I have done for my vineyard which I have not done!" I found such an uncommon pouring out of the convincing Spirit, as we have not known for many years.
In the evening the same Spirit enabled me strongly to exhort a numerous congregation, to "come boldly to the throne of grace ;" and to "make all their requests known unto God with thanksgiving."
Tues. 7.—I preached in Redriff chapel, a cold, uncomfortable place, to a handful of people, who appeared to be just as much affected as the benches they sat upon.
Thur. 9.—In speaking on those words, " Sct thy house in order ; for thou shalt die and not live,' I took occasion to exhort all who had not done it already, to settle their temporal affairs without delay.
Let not any man who reads these words put it off a day longer!
Mon. 13.—I retired to Lewisham, and settled the societybook.
Yifty-seven members of the society have died this year; and none of them "as a fool dieth.?
An hundred and seventy have left the society.
Such are the fruits of senseless prejudice.
Sat. 25.—We began the service at the new chapel, as usual, at fourin the morning. AfterwardsI read prayers and preached and administered the Lord's Supper at West-Street.
In the afternoon I preached at the new chapel again; then met the society ; and afterwards, the married men and women.
But after this I was no more tired than when I rose in the morning.
Wed. 29.—Mr. Hatton, lately come from America, gave us an account of his strange deliverance. He was Collector of the Customs for the eastern ports of Maryland, and zealous for King
George. Therefore the rebels resolved to dispatch him ; and a party was sent for that purpose under one Simpson, who owed
Dec. 1779.] JOURNAL.
him five hundred pounds.
But first he sent him the following note :— «Sir, "We are resolved to have yon dead or alive.
So we advise you to give yourself up, that you may give us no more trouble.
"T am, Sir, "Your obedient servant."
Mr. Hatton not complying with this civil advice, a party of rifle-men were sent to take him.
He was just going out, when a child told him they were at hand, and had only time to run and get into a hollow which was under the house.
The maid clapped 'o the trap-door, and covered it over with flax.
They searched the house from top to bottom, opened all the closets, turned up the beds, and, finding nothing, went away.
He was scarce come out, when another party beset the house, and came so quick, that he had but just time to get in again; and the maid, not having flax enough at hand, covered the door with foul linen.
When these also had wearied themselves with searching, and went away, he put on his boots and great coat, took a gun and a rug, (it being a sharp frost,) and crept into a little marsh near the house.
A third party came quickly, swearing he must be about the house, and they would have him if he was alive.
Hearing this, he stole away with full speed, and lay down near the sea-shore, between two hillocks, covering himself with sea-weeds.
They came so near that he heard one of them swear, "If I find hin, I will hang him on the next tree."
Another answered, "I will not stay for that: I will shoot him the moment I see him."
After some time, finding they were gone, he lifted up his head, and heard a shrill whistle from a man fifty or sixty yards off.
He soon knew him to be a deserter from the rebel army.
He asked Mr. H. what he designed to do; who answered, "Go in my boat to the English ships, which are four or five and twenty miles off." But the rebels had found and burnt the boat.
So, knowing their life was gone if they stayed till the morning, they got into a small canoe, (though liable to overset with a puff of wind,) and set off from shore. Having rowed two or three miles, they stopped at a little island, and made a fire, being almost perished with cold. But they were quickly alarmed, by a boat rowing toward the shore.
Mr. Hatton, standing up, said, " We have a musket and a fusee.
If you load one, as fast as I discharge the other, I will give a good account of them
REV. J. WESLEY'S
[Feb. 1780. all."
He then stepped to the shore, and bade the rowers stop, and tell him who they were; declaring he would fire among them, ifany man struck another stroke. Upon their answering, he found they were friends, being six more deserters from the rebel army.
So they gladly came on shore, and brought provisions with them to those who before had neither meat nor drink.
After refreshing themselves, they all went into the boat, and cheerfully rowed to the English ships.
. Fri. 31.—We concluded the year at West-Street, with a solemn watch-night.
Most of the congregation stayed till the beginning of the year, and cheerfully sang together,—
Glory to God, and thanks, and praise, Who kindly lengthens out our days, &c.
Sun.
January 2, 1780.—We had the largest congregation at the renewal of our covenant with God, which ever met upon the occasion; and we were thoroughly convinced, that God was not departed from us.
He never will, unless we first depart from him.
Tues. 18.—Receiving more and more accounts of the, increase of Popery, I believed it my duty to write a letter concerning it, which was afterwards inserted in the public papers.
Many were grievously offended; but I cannot help it: I must follow my own conscience.
Sat. 22.—I spent an hour or two very agreeably in Sir Ashton Tever's museum.
It does not equal the British Museum in size ; nor is it constructed on so large a plan ; as it contains no manuscripts, no books, no antiquities, nor any remarkable works of art.
But I believe, for natural curiosities, it is not excelled by any museum in Europe; and all the beasts, birds, reptiles, and insects, are admirably well ranged and preserved: So that if you saw many of them elsewhere, you would imagine they. were alive! The hippopotamus, in particular, looks as fierce as if he was just coming out of the river ; and the old lion appears as formidable now as when he was stalking in the Tower.
Sun. 23.—In the evening I retired to Lewisham, to prepare matter (who would believe it?) for a Monthly Magazine. Friday, Frsrvuary 4, being the National Fast, I preached first at the new chapel, and then at St. Peter's, Cornhill.
What a difference in the congregation!
Yet out of these stones God can raise up children to Abraham.
Thur, 17.—1 preached at Dorking, and could not but