To fay, that our archbishop was born at Kinfale in Ireland; that his father was a major in the army, and we believe of an Irish family that his grace was made vicar of Boxley in Kent 1765, and improved the parfonage house, which he refigned in 1770, and was fucceeded in this parish by Dr. North, the present bishop of Winchefter, and younger fon of the earl of Guildford, can afford no entertainment to the public. We would rather point out the most obfcure birth or defcent, productive of a train of those benevolent actions, and that bright exemplary conduct, the reading of which might excite others to go and do likewife. At the fame time we announce to our readers and friends, that Dr. Markham was preceptor to the prince of Wales and bishop of Ofnaburgh in 177!; that he was tranflated to the archbishopric of York in 1776; and that his fee is valued in the king's books at 1610l. it would, doubtless, afford both them and us, a much greater pleasure to know, that the archbishop of York has devoted a well-fpent life to the duties of his facred function, by instructing the most ignorant of his diocefe, and by the employment of his excellent abilities, not for his own preferment, but the glory of God. Not that it is our intention, by faying this, to intimate, that Dr. Markham has done little towards the converfion of finners to Christ. We have already confeffed our ignorance both of his talents, attainments, and hiftory of his life; fo that, for aught we can fay to the contrary, all that is attractive, great, important, and beneficial, may center in his grace; and we know, in one refpect, the archbifhop of York has been useful to fociety; for we hear his grace has had fix fons at Weftminster school; of whom, three are there now, another in the East India fervice, one in the navy, and one at Chrift VOL. II. No. 114 church, Oxford. It has also been faid that the archbishop of York, who was chaplain to the king, is a very learned man, having pub. lifhed two or three fingle fermons, (one of them preached at Bow church) among which is one in Latin. It is not in our power to contradict, nor can we by any authentic vouchers, confirm the truth of this report. We frankly confefs the learning of his grace to be fo deep, that it has been out of our power to fathom it; for after the moft diligent fearch from Avemaria-lane to College-ftreet, Weftminster, we could not obtain one fingle literary morceau, for the entertainment or fatisfaction of our friends and the public. We fhould, therefore, think ourfelves very happy if, in this dilemma, his grace would kindly fupply our defects under this article, by taking upon himself the arduous tafk of writing memoirs of his own life. And though partiality, natural to one's felf, might tempt the writer to varnish over fuch parts of his conduct as might render his fame lefs glorious, yet that intimate knowledge, which he must have of the fubject, would fully compenfate for a little felf-applaufe, and our disadvantages; ftrike the reader with greater force, and make him enter more feelingly into the intereft of one who is both the actor and the writer, than the lefs animated performances of fuch infignificant compilers as we are (we mean in the opinion of his grace, not our own) can poffibly do. Who could have wrote the actions of Julius Cæfar with a thousandth part of that eloquence and fpirit he himself does in his admired commentaries? Or who could have made us follow Xenephon with his ten thousand Greeks, with fuch eager anxiety and attention, in that mafterly retreat which they made through a vast tract of country amidst every difadvantage and dif B ficulty, qua ficulty, as he himself has done, in his Anabafis, with no lefs fkill than he conducted the enterprize. Cardinal de Retz, that great genius, who pushed headlong into affairs and intrigues of every kind, by the active impetuofity of his difpofition, has drawn, in his memoirs, one of the strongest portraits of the most extraordinary characters in the world. By fairly laying before us both his good and bad lities; by expofing his own foibles more freely than any one elfe could have done, he hath made his faults ufeful to the world, and pointed out the dangers and vexatious confequences, which attend that head-ftrong ambition, which can. throw every thing into confufion; but knows not how to compofe or quiet the ftorm when raifed. There are a great many other memoirs, in all languages, which are extremely amufing, and make us acquainted with the characters of feveral great men in a way that comes neareft to perfonal intimacy. For thefe reafons it is our fecond requeft, in which, we doubt not, the public in general will join, that his grace of York will be pleafed to make himself, the hero of his own tale, and by a narrative of his own good actions, form the heart to a love of generous principles, prefenting at the fame time to the world (through the channel of this Magazine) an excellent pattern of a wife and virtuous conduct. But fhould it be our hard lot, (which fome croaking demon whispers will be the cafe) to meet with a SECOND difappointment, we confefs a refufal will not much affect us, as it will not expofe us to the painful neceflity of not gratifying the warm expectation of our numerous friends. We have been informed that prior to Dr. Markham's being appointed head master of Westminfler fchool, that Mr. Pearfon Lloyd having been 30 years under-mafter (the father of Robt. Lloyd, the intimate of Charles Churchill, Bonhill Thornton, John Wilkes, &c. author of the Actor, and many other poems of merit) had a tolerable claim to the place; however being involved from the extravagancies of fome of his family, Dr. Markham gave him, as it was then faid, two thousand pounds to relinquish his claim. Major Markham and his fon, the doctor, then propofed the building a fquare near the fchool, which plan was begun but never completed; and from thence the doctor was called at Weftminfter Square Markham. At Westminfter he was remarkable for his conftant attendance at levee more than at fchool. His grace has been generally eficemed a high flyer in divinity and politics. The fee of Canterbury, we are told, was lately given to Dr. Moore, in preference to him, becaufe it has been, and very justly, the rule to appoint a tolerating and moderate man to that important charge, in order that the Diffenters may not be molefted in the free exercife of their fentiments according to law. We fhall conclude with laying before our readers our fecond letter which our publisher, by our defire, fent to his grace, in North Audleystreet, the 31st of May laft, and we are induced the more to print a copy of this letter in this place, that his lordship may not plead ignorance, by faving it never came to his hands, through the neglect of his fteward, chaplain, &c. you could have no objection, the intention being obviously fair and honourable. The purport of that application was to acquaint your lordship, that the Editors, who are a felect number of reipectable Clergymen, had undertaken, to gratify and furnish their numerous readers and the public, among a variety of other curious and interefting matter, with memoirs and anecdotes of the family, preferments, &c. (of which the public in general are at this time defirous) of all the present bishops, accompanied with their portraits accurately taken from the original paintings;-That in Number I. of that work, are already given memoirs of Dr. Lowth, bishop of London, and in Number II. thofe of Dr. Porteus, bishop of Chefter, whofe portraits were actually taken from the originals in St. James's-fquare, and Great George-freet, Westminster ;- -That an account of Dr. Hurd, bishop of Worcester, is given in Number III. and embellished with his likeness, copied from an original painting, exhibited lait feafon at the Royal Academy, and now at the Queen's palace-That Numbers IV. V. VI. &c., are embellished with the portraits of Dr. Hinchliffe, Dr. Law, Dr. Thurlow, and other prelates of our church;-That an account of your lordship's preferments, &c. was intended for an enfuing Number, and as we wished to do full justice to the fubject, without mifreprefenting a fingle circumflance, I was defired to apply to your lordfhip perfonally (as we should to all the other bishops in turn) for fome leading hints, as materials for the arricle;-That the Editors were already poffeffed of many valuable anecdotes, (fuch as you could by no means object to feeing inferted) but they wished to enrich them with fuch neceffary particulars relative to your preferments, degrees at college, &c. as your lordship would pleafe to communicate, that the whole might be as authentic and May 31, 1783. P. S. The materials already in hand being kept back from the prefs, on account of this fecond application, your lordship's anfwer is again requested, and will be efteemed a particular mark of condefcenfion and humility. ANTIENT S ANTIENT CHRISTIAN BIOGRAPHY, MEMOIRS OF SIR JOHN BARNARD, TRUE PATRIOT, A WORTHY CITIZEN, AND A GOOD CHRISΤΙΑΝ, IR John Barnard's firft appearance on the public ftage, on which he afterwards made fuch a diftinguished figure, was in the year 1722, when he was chofen one of the reprefentatives in parliament for the city of London; a truft, which he continued to enjoy during the fix fucceeding parliaments, and which he always difcharged with equal integrity and ability. In 1725, he received the thanks of the common council, for oppofing a bill, introducing a change in the method of conducting elections in the city of London. In 1727, he was chofen alderman of Dowgateward, in the room of John Crowley, Efq. deceafed, who had enjoyed that office but a few months. Next year he prepared and prefented to the commons a bill for the better regulation and government of feamen in the merchants fervice, Violent In 1730, the court of Vienna having begun a negociation in EngJand for a loan of 4c0,000 pounds, a bill was propofed and enacted, prohibiting all his majesty's fubjects from lending any fum of money to any foreign prince whatever, without licence obtained from his majelly, under his privy-feal, or fome greater authority, oppofition was made to this bill, by a great number of members; among whom Mr. John Barnard (for the dignity of knighthood he obtained afterwards by his own merit) made no inconfiderable figure. He obferved that if the bill fhould pass in its prefent form, it would, in his opinion, open a channel for the Dutch to carry on a very lucrative branch of bufinefs to the prejudice of England: that the bill ought abfolutely to name the emperor as the power prohibited to borrow for that, otherwife, all the other ftates of Europe would think themselves equally affected by this act, which would give it the air as if England was at war with all the world: that he was, by no means, for making the exchequer a court of inquifition; he conceived it to be equally odious and unconftitutional, that fubjects fhould be obliged to accufe themfelves, and thereby incur the most fevere penalties; he knew, indeed, there were fuch precedents already, but that was fo much the worse; precedents could not alter the nature of things; and he thought the liberties of his country of more confequence than any precedents whatever. In the debate upon the famous excife fcheme, projected by Sir Robert Walpole, in 1733, Sir John fhewed himself not more zealous for the trade of his country, than jealous of the honour of those, by whom it is principally conducted. While this affair was depending in parli ament, the merchants of London, having been convened by circular letters, repaired to the lobby of the house of commons, in order to folicit their friends to vote against the bill. Sir Robert Walpole, piqued at the importunity of thefe gentlemen, threw out fome reflections against the conduct of thofe, whom he fuppofed to have been the means of bringing them thither; and at the fame time infinuated, that the merchants themfelyes could be confidered in no other light, than that of sturdy beggars. This expreffion was highly refented by all thofe in the oppofition, and parti cularly cularly by Sir John Barnard, who made the following answer: "I know, faid he, of 'no irregular or unfair methods that were ufed to call people from the city to your door. It is certain that any fet of gentlemen, or merchants, may lawfully defire their friends; they may even write letters, and they may fend those letters by whom they pleafe, to defire the merchants of figure and character, to come down to the court of requefts, and to our lobby, in order to folicit their friends and acquaintance against any fcheme, or project, which they may think prejudicial to them. This is the undoubted right of the fubject, and what has been always practifed upon all occafions. The honourable gentleman talks of sturdy beggars: I do not know what fort of people may now be at the door, becaufe have not lately been out of the houfe; but I believe they are the fame fort of people that were there when I came last into the house; and then I can affure you, I saw none but fuch as deferve the name of fturdy beggars as little as the honourable gentleman himself, or any gentleman whatever. It is well known, that the city of London was fufficiently apprized of 'what was this day to come before us: where they got their information, I know not, but I am very certain, that they had a right notion of the scheme, which has been now open to us; and they were fo generally and zealously bent against it, that, whatever methods may have been used to call them hither, I am fure it would have been impoffible to find any legal methods to prevent their coming hither." In a word he made fo ftrenuous an oppofition to this unpopular and unconftitutional fcheme, that, in conjunction with other members, he obliged the miniftry entirely to lay it afide, In 1735, he moved for leave to bring in a bill to limit the number of play-houses, and reftrain the licentioufnefs of players, which was now increafed to an amazing degree; and though the bill mif carried at that time, it was yet, about two years after, enacted into a law, which ftill continues in force. In 1736, he ferved with his brother in law, Sir Robert Goodfchall, knt. alderman of Bifhopfgate-ward, the office of sheriff of the city of London and county of Middlesex. Next year, he formed a fcheme for reducing the intereft on the national debt; a project, which, though it did not, at that time, fucceed, was, nevertheless, afterwards carried into ex, ecution, to the great emolument of the trading part of the nation. In 1738, he ferved the high office of lord mayor of London. During his mayoralty he had the misfor tune to lose his lady, who was buried in a very grand manner at Clapham-church: the children belonging to Chrift's-hofpital, of which he was many years prefident, attending the funeral through the city. Upon the death of Sir John Thompson, knt. in 1749, he removed, pursuant to act of commoncouncil, and took upon him the office of alderman of Bridge-ward without, and then became in name, as he might already be confidered in reality, the father of the city; and in July 1758, to the inexpreffible regret of his brother aldermen, and of all his fellow citizens, he refigned his gown. In the fame year, upon the mo. tion of Sir Robert Ladbroke, then father of the city, the thanks of the court of aldermen were given to Sir John Barnard, and expreffed in the following terms: "It is unanimously agreed and ordered, that the thanks of this court be given to Sir John Barnard, knt. late one of the aldermen and father of this city, for |