conduct in the High Commission Court, proposed to the Prince of Orange to resign his bishopric in favour of Dr. Burnet, on condition of an allowance of 10007. per ann. out of it's revenues; but Burnet refused to accept it upon those terms.

His services, however, did not long remain unrewarded; for William had not been many days on the throne,* before he was advanced to the see of Salisbury in the room of Dr. Seth Ward. In the House of Lords, he distinguished himself by declaring for moderate measures with regard to those of the clergy, who scrupled to take the oaths to William and Mary, and by exerting his abilities in promoting a legal toleration of the Protestant Dissenters.

In 1689, a passage in his Pastoral Letter to the Clergy of his Diocese, concerning the Oaths of Supremacy and Allegiance to King William and Queen Mary,' which seemed to ground their title to the crown on the right of conquest, gave such offence to both Houses of Parliament, that they ordered it

* He was consecrated March 31, 1689. From his biogra pher we learn, that "little anxious after his own preferment, he solicited this see in favour of his old friend Dr. Lloyd, then Bishop of St. Asaph; but William coldly assured him, he had another person in view,' and the next day nominated Burnet himself: " and he himself informs us, the King used terms more obliging than usually fell from him, and the Queen expressed her hopes that he would now put in practice those notions with which he had taken the liberty often to entertain her!'" Archbishop Sancroft (he adds) for some days seemed determined to venture incurring a præmunire, rather than obey the mandate for consecration: but at last he granted a commission to all the Bishops of his province, or any three of them, in conjunction with the Bishop of London, to exercise his metropolitical authority during pleasure."

to be burned by the hands of the common hangman.*

Upon the close of the session, he went down to his diocese, where he was scrupulously exact in the discharge of his function; particularly in the conferring of orders, and admitting to livings.

His attendance in parliament was constant every winter; and during the summer-seasons he resided, chiefly, at Salisbury. He never failed, however, to hold annual visitations at all the principal towns in his diocese, when he strictly investigated the conduct of the clergy, and took great pains to have youth instructed in Christian principles, looking upon confirmation without previous catechising as an idle ceremony. He even instituted at his own expense a small seminary for students of divinity at Salisbury; but this he discontinued on the suggestion, that ‘it might be deemed a virtual censure upon the mode of religious education pursued at the Universities.'

To pluralities of livings, except where two churches lay near each other and were poorly endowed, he was a warm and constant enemy. But whenever non-residence was the consequence of a plurality, he used his utmost endeavours to prevent it, and in some cases even chose to hazard a suspension, rather than give institution. In his Charges, indeed, he exclaimed against pluralities, as a sacrilegious robbery of the revenues of the church; and his zeal upon this subject is recorded, in one instance, to have produced a signal effect. Upon his first visitation at

* One of a similar tendency, by Charles Blount, was justly consigned, at the same time, to the same fate.

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Salisbury, he urged the authority of St. Bernard, who being consulted by one of his followers, Whether he might not accept of two benefices?' replied, "And how will you be able to serve them both?" "I intend," answered the priest, "to officiate in one of them by a deputy." "Will your deputy be damned for you too?" asked the saint. "Believe

me, you may serve your cure by proxy, but you must be damned in person." This expression so affected Mr. Kelsey, a pious clergyman then present, that he immediately resigned the Rectory of Bemerton, worth 2001. per ann., which he then held with one of greater value. Nor was this act of self-denial without it's reward; for though their principles in church-matters were totally opposite, Burnet conceived such an esteem for him from this action, that he not only persuaded the Chapter to elect him a Canon, but likewise made him Archdeacon of Sarum, and gave him one of the best prebends in the church.

In respect to residence, likewise, he was so strict, that he would not permit even his own Chaplains to attend upon him, after they had once obtained livings. He considered himself indeed, as pastor of the whole diocese, under the same obligation; and would never be absent from it except during his attendance on the parliament, from which, as soon as the principal business of the nation was despatched, he instantly returned to the duties of his episcopal office. And though his Majesty, upon his going over to Ireland or Flanders, always injoined him to attend the Queen, and assist her with his counsel in all emergencies; he would not on such occasions accept of lodgings at Whitehall, but hired a house at Windsor, in order to be within his own bishopric, and yet near enough

to the court to attend twice a-week, or oftener if business required it.

With William and Mary, though the former is said to have been occasionally offended with his freedom of speech, he continued in great favour during their whole reign. He did not, however, make the ordinary use of court-influence; for though he obtained many employments and gratuities for others, in no instance, it is said, did he solicit a favour for himself or his family: on the contrary, he declined offers of high preferment.

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In 1692, he published his Pastoral Care;' and in 1693, upon doctrinal points, Four Discourses to the Clergy of his Diocese.' The year following, in a Funeral Sermon on Archbishop Tillotson, he vindicated the memory of that illustrious Prelate from the attack made upon it: and the death of Queen Mary, in 1695, drew from him An Essay on her Character,' in a high strain of eulogy.

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In 1698, when it became necessary to settle the Duke of Gloucester's family, William sent the Earl of Sunderland with a message to the Princess Anne, acquainting her, that he placed the whole management of her son's household into her hands, but that he owed the care of his education to himself and his people, and therefore would name the persons for that purpose.' Accordingly, the Earl of Marlborough was nominated his Governor, and Bishop Burnet his Preceptor. The latter, however, who had then retired into his diocese (having lately lost his second wife by the small-pox*) although

*He soon supplied her place by a third, the widow Berkeley, a lady of great respectability, and authoress of a Method of Devotion.'

he was assured that the Princess had testified her approbation of the royal choice,' entreated the Earl of Sunderland and Archbishop Tennison to use their interest with the King deprecating the appointment. But his Majesty being extremely solicitous that he should accept the post, and his friends earnestly pressing him not to refuse a station in which he might ren der his country such signal service, he waited upon William at Windsor, to signify that he was willing to take upon him the trust in question; but as the discharge of it must detain him constantly at court, he desired leave to resign his bishopric.' The King was much surprised at this proposal, and would by no means consent to it. Finding however that Burnet persisted in it, he consented that the Duke of Gloucester should reside all the summer at Windsor, and that the Bishop should have ten weeks allowed him every year to visit the other parts of his diocese.'

In this high office, he took great pains with his pupil's education; though the good effects of his care were unhappily intercepted by the untimely death of his royal pupil. "I took to my own province (says he, in his History of his Own Times') the reading and explaining the Scriptures to him, and instructing him in the principles of religion and the rules of virtue, and the giving him a view of history, geography, politics, and government. I resolved, also, to look very exactly to all the masters, that were appointed to teach him other things." In another place, speaking of the Duke's death, he observes, "I had been trusted with his education now for two years, and he had made an amazing progress, I had read over the Psalms, Proverbs, and Gospels with him,