Letter 17
21
February 1772
NLS: MS 25295, ff.
152-153
Grosvenor Square Feb. 21^ 1772
My dear
Lord,
I have this moment received the honour of your obliging
Letter of the 17^. I am but too sensible there
is a detestable set of men crept in, into the Scotch
ministry, who, as usual, are always ready to give
themselves a good name, tho'
their principles be destructive of Revelation.
Whatever morals they may have, I am sure they are
not Christian Morals: and, therefore, very unfit for
the Ethical Chair, in a Christian Country. Scotland,
I hope, may be
yet so called;
whatever title England may deserve. Nor do I know
any one so compleatly qualified for it as Mr
Beatie;
[45] whose books I have read
with infinite pleasure; and not only I, but the most
respectable of my profession, as well as of the Law;
especially those two incomparable Persons who honour
me with their Friendship, my Lord Mansfield, and the
Late Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, 1st Earl
[deletion] Wilmot. The latter of whom having lately
had occasion to go to Oxford, advised the heads of
Houses, to have it in their care, that all the Youth
committed to their trust, should be directed to
study Mr Beatie's book. It was but the other night
that I had much talk with Lord Mansfield on this
subject. He is truely sensible of this learned
person's merit; and the service he has done to
Religion and good letters, in the confutation of the
Impiety and the Sceptical Nonsense of the unhappy
man he confutes. I shall press his Lordship all I
can to exert what interest he may have amongst those
who have the disposition of this professorship in
their power, in favour of Mr B[e]atie. I am glad to
find it is not in the disposal of the King's
Ministers ∧here.∧ For speaking of them,
in favour of a clergyman of our church who is most
deserving the King's notice & distinction, Ld
M[ansfield]. replied, that the situation of affairs
is such, that the King cannot get more than
one out of
ten of his own Preferments at his own
disposal. I said I was glad to find his Ministers so
modest, that as he was yet owned to be the Head of
the English Church, they did him so much justice as
to give him the
Tyth. To be
serious, I shall religiously keep your Secret: tho'
I am confident my application must lose much of its
force, by not being permitted to tell him th[r]ough
what channel it derived.
The Anecdote in your Lordship's P.S. is a most curious
one, and I am much obliged for the communication of
it. The Baillifs of Glasgow acted with the dignity
& good sense that does honour to a Parliament,
and the Parliament of 1646 degrade themselves by
sinking into the low Character of a City
Baillife.
I have, my Dear Lord, the honour
to be your
Lordship's most faithfull
and affectionate
humble Servant
W. Gloucester
