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68
The Autobiography of Archbishop Thomas Seeker
On Easter Tuesday. Apr. 5 the Bishops dined at Lambeth. I was not
at Dinner: but sat with them before & afterwds I recommended it to
them to make Lists of their resident and non-resident Clergy: partly
because such Lists had lately been called for by the Parliament in
Ireland; & partly because one Mr Wegg, a Lawyer, & a good but warm
man, had a little before sent me a manuscript, addressed to the Society
for promoting Christian Knowledge, & exhorting them to prosecute, as
a Body, Non-residents. This he intended to print: but I wrote a long
FOLIO 94 Letter, which see, to dissuade him; & prevailed on him for
1768 the present. I also, having got from the House of Lords the
Totals of Papists in the several Dioceses, amounting to
somewhat less than 68,000, desired the Bishops to furnish me with the
totals of the Archdeaconries or Deaneries; which they promised. Asking
the totals of each Parish I thought would be too much. The Bishop of
Chester proposed that we shd publish in the News Papers the abovementioned
total amount of near 68,000. And I approved it: but the
Bishops did not.
About this time Dr Ridley published the last of his three Letters to
the Author of the Confessional. I wrote a great part of each of them: &
furnished him all the Help that was in my power. And some things
having been published against him in the News Papers on account of
them, I defended him in two publications in the London Chronicle, one
anonymous, the other signed Oxoniensis.
I got an Order from the King in Council last Spring or Summer for
the Vaudois Brief. How it came not to be granted immediately, I know
not: but I pressed Mr Majendie often to get it forwarded. In April 1768
he brought me a Paper which he had drawn up, to be carried about with
the Brief in Recommendation of the Charity. I shortend the Language,
& added to the Matter, & made it almost quite new. And he tells me, that
he
FOLIO 95 hath adopted all my Alterations.
1768 This Summer I have been most grievously afflicted
with a rheumatick Pain in my Hip, constant excepting
when I lie along. And it hath prevented me from entring things
regularly Dr Stedman, Prebendary of Canterbury, dying, I have given
his Prebend to Dr Berkeley, who will resign Acton at Michaelmass, by
the Favour of the Bp of London to Mr Philip Cocks, Nephew to Ld
Hardwick. And I have consented that Mr Talbot shall exchange his
Living of All Hallows with Mr Yorke Dean of Lincoln for his Living in
Reading.
I have sent this Summer 20* 1 to one Steuart at Bremen who was
Head of a Scotch Popish College, but hath quitted it. See the Papers.