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"interlined in many places with Mr. Hooker's own character, as owned by him."

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Dr. John Spencer, Prefident of Corpus Chrifti College in Oxford, folicitous to preferve every document, every fragment of the writings of his friend, commifsioned Mr. Henry Jackfon, a fellow collegian, to form a tranfcript of all the papers which were left. This tranfcript was bequeathed by Dr. Spencer to Dr. John King, Bishop of London, on whofe demife it devolved upon his fon the Bifhop of Chichester, by whom it was placed in, the Archbishop's library at Lambeth. The dreadful devaftation made of that library by Hugh Peters, and the other Goths and Vandals of the age, leaves us no reason to think, that the tranfcript, whatever it contained, efcaped the general wreck. But there is no proof that it actually comprifed the books in queftion. A particular defcription of it is given. by Dr. Spencer himfelf in the advertisement prefixed to the fixth edition of the Five Bocks of Ecclefiaftical Polity. He afsures us concerning thefe three laft Books, that "fome evil"difpofed minds, whether of malice or covetoufnefs, or wicked "blind zeal, it is uncertain, as if they had been Egyptian mid"wives, as foon as they were born and their father dead, fmo"thered them, and by conveying away the perfect copies, left "unto us nothing but certain old unperfect and mangled draughts, "dismembered into pieces, and scattered, like Medea's Absirtus, no "favour, no grace, not the shadows of themselves almost remaining "in them." If he ever arranged these papers with a view to publifh them as the finished works of Mr. Hooker, he feems to have altered his defign, from a decided conviction that they had no claim to be acknowledged in that light *.

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He intimates, in the advertisement above quoted, that there is a purpose of setting forth the three laft Books alfo, their father's posthumi. It may be afked, what hindered this purpofe?

i Mr. HENRY JACKSON, born in the city of Oxford, was admitted Probationary Fellow of Corpus Chrifti College, Sept. 5, 1612. He was a great admirer of Mr. Richard Hooker, and of Dr. John Reynolds; whofe memories being moft dear to him, he did for the fake of the firft, induftriously collect and publish fome of his fmall treatifes, and of the latter feveral of his epiftles and orations. See "Wood's Ath. Ox.” Vol. II, col. 291.

We learn from a letter, written by Mr. Henry Jackfon, and preferved in Fulman's papers, in the library of C. C. C. that Dr. Spencer actually intended to publish the Eighth Book. "Puto præfidem noftrum emif "furum fub fuo Nomine D. Hookeri Librum octavum à me planè vite "restitutum. Tulit alter honores." What pains were taken by Mr. Jackfon to render this Eighth Book as perfect as pofsible, and how doubtful he was whether it really deferved the public light, appears from another letter: "Si totus non efsem in poliendo libro ociavo D. Richardi "Hooker de Ecclefiafticâ Politiâ, quem præfes collegii noftri mihi commendavit, aliquid ad te mififsem, ut tuum expifcarer judicium an lucem necne mereatur."

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Nothing certainly, but an afsurance that the papers found by Mr. Henry Jackfon were in fo mangled and mutilated a condition, that they could not appear without manifeft injury to the reputation of their author. When it is remembered that Dr. Spencer furvived Mr. Hooker fourteen years, we must conclude that his refpect for the dignity of his friend's character deterred him from obtruding any work on the public which he did not confider as indifputably authentic.

It has been already remarked, that a copy of the three laft Books is faid to have been placed in Archbishop Ufher's library. If that learned and fagacious man had deemed the copy authentic, is it pofsible to fuppofe that he would have withheld it from the public eye? In fact, his anxiety to preserve and make known the genuine writings of Mr. Hooker, appears from the care with which he selected three fhort treatifes written with the hand of that excellent perfon, and published by Dr. Bernard, with the Primate's marginal notes, in the "Clavi Trabales:" "Of gold," fays Bishop Sanderson, in a preface to this publication, "quævis bracteola the very filings are precious; "and our blefsed Saviour, when there was no want of provi"fion, yet gave it in charge to his difciples, that the offall "fhould not be loft."

Mr. Ifaac Walton informs us, that the three perfect Books were loft, and that the wife of Mr. Hooker did not pay much attention to his memory after his death. She permitted Mr. Charke and his companion to ranfack his study. These two men, profefsedly hoftile to the Church of England, burnt and tore many of his written papers, afsuring her that they were writings not fit to be feen. Thus the invaluable treasure was irrecoverably gone, before Mr. Henry Jackson entered on his commifsion. Nothing remained for him but the reliques of their favage plunder. Yet Mr. Neale, in his "Hiftory of the Puritans," Vol. I. p. 571, afserts with his ufual boldness, that "the three laft Books were not published till many years after "the author's death, though they were deposited in the hands of "Archbishop Abbot, from whose copy they were printed about the "beginning of the civil wars." Not to remark the inaccuracy of his obfervation, for the Seventh Book first appeared in 1662, after the Restoration, we are led to infer from this afsertion, that the three Books in their prefent itate as corrected, revised, and prepared by Mr. Hooker for the prefs, were placed in the library at Lambeth, and there carefully preferved; when it is clear from the best authority, that of Dr. Spencer, that nothing was left but certain old unperfect and mangled draughts, "difmembered into pieces, and fcattered like Medea's Ab"firtus."

The excellent Dr. Jeremy Taylor confirms the fufpicion, that the three Books are not genuine. In the dedication of his celebrated work, entitled "Ductor Dubitantium," to King Charles II. he obferves, that " thofe cafes that concern the

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"power, and offices of ecclefiaftical Superiors and Supreme, were, though in another manner, long fince done by the in"comparable Mr. Hooker, in the Seventh and Eighth Books of "Ecclefiaftical Polity, or the learned Archbishop of Spalato: "but their labours were unhappily lost, and never saw the light." He adds, "Though I cannot attain to the ftrength of thefe cham"pions of David, yet fince their portion of works is fallen into 66 my hands, I have heartily endeavoured to fupply their lofs,"

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