DISCOURSE,

BY WAY OF

GENERAL PREFACE

TO THE

WORK S

OF

BISHOP WARBURTON;

CONTAINING

SOME ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE, WRITINGS,

AND CHARACTER,

OF

THE AUTHOR.

THE

LIFE

OF THE

AUTHOR:

FIRST PRINTED IN

1794.

WILLIAM WARBURTON

WAS

descended from an antient and very con siderable family in Cheshire, at the head of which is the present Sir PETER WARBURTON, baronet, of Arley, in that county.

I leave the rest to the Genealogist; and go no farther back in his pedigree than to his Grandfather, of the same name, who distinguished himself in the civil wars of the last century. He was of the Royal party, and shewed his zeal and activity in that cause, by serving under Sir George Booth at the affair of Chester. I mention this little circumstance chiefly for the use I shall make of it elsewhere. All that I know more of him, is, That he married Frances, daughter of Robert Awfield, of Etson in the county of Nottingham, by whom he had three sons; the VOL. I. second

B

second of whom, GEORGE, was Mr. WARBURTON'S father.

It seems probable, that upon this marriage he removed into Nottinghamshire. His residence was at Shelton, a village about six miles from Newark, where he died.

Mr. George Warburton, the second son, as I observed, of William Warburton, Esq. of Shelton, was bred to the law. He settled at Newark, where he practised as an attorney, and was particularly esteemed for his integrity in that profession.

He married Elizabeth, daughter of William Hobman, Alderman of Newark, and had by this marriage five children, George, William, Mary, Elizabeth, and Frances.

George died very young. WILLIAM (the subject of this memoir) was born at Newark, Dec. 24, 1698. He was first put to school there under Mr. Twells, whose son afterwards married his sister, Elizabeth : but he had the chief part of his education at Okeham, in Rutlandshire, under Mr. Wright. Here he con

tinued till the beginning of the year 1714; when his cousin, Mr. Warburton (who also bore the name of William), being made head master of the school at Newark, he returned to his native place, and was, for a short time, under the care of that learned and respectable person, of whom more will be said presently. I only now add; that he was father to the reverend Mr. Thomas Warburton, the present very worthy Archdeacon of Norfolk, to whom I am indebted for the particulars here mentioned, concerning his family.

I cannot, I confess, entertain the reader of this narrative with those encomiums which are so com

monly

monly lavished on the puerile years of eminent men. On the best enquiry I have been able to make, I do not find that, during his stay at school, he distinguished himself by any extraordinary efforts of genius or application. My information authorizes me to go no further than to say, That he loved his book, and his play, just as other boys did. And, upon reflexion, I am not displeased with this modest testimony to his merit. For I remember what the best judges have thought of premature wits. And we all know that the mountain-oak, which is one day to make the strength of our fleets, is of slower growth than the saplings which adorn our gardens.

But, although no prodigy of parts or industry in those early years, with a moderate share of each, he could not fail of acquiring by the age of sixteen (the time when he left school) a competent knowledge of Greek and Latin, under such masters, as those of Okeham and Newark.

It had been his misfortune to lose his father very early. He died in 1706; and the care of his family devolved, of course, upon his widow; who, as we have seen, gave her son the best school-education; and, in all respects, approved herself so good a woman, as well as parent, that her children paid her all possible respect: her son, in particular, (all whose affections were naturally warm), gave her every proof of duty and observance, while she lived, and, after her death, retained so tender a regard to her memory, that he seldom spake of her but with tears.

The circumstances of the family could be but moderate; and when Mr. Warburton had now finished his education at school, he was destined by his friends to that profession, which is thought to qualify men