and powerful empire; and that it may long remain under the fame happy aufpices, is the fervent hope of

tinent, never shook the Quakers from their attachment. They fuf fered imprisonment and death in fupport of their loyalty, for death with them was preferable to a breach of conscience or fealty. It is well known that a refpectable Quaker, dunder the compulfion of General Howe's army, pointed out a road on the Schuykill for the paflage of the army to Philadelphia. After the retreat of the royal army, Reade celebrated himfelf as a member of the American Congrefs for the anfwer returned to Lord Carlile, one of the commiffioners who was fent to America to attempt the adjuftment of differences, "that the bribe he offered was not only infufficient to induce him to betray his truft, but likewife the whole property of the British nation." When he arrived at the head of the province of Penfylvania, brought up as he was to the bar, he exerted every engine of power in the profecution of this Quaker, who expiated his loyalty on the igno. minious nig gallows. The people, however, viewed this execution with execration, and at the funeral 1200 refpectable citizens evinced their refpect to his memory and unblemished character. Alas! poor Reade afterwards became the un happy fufferer. Imagination no longer prefented pleafant pictures to his anxious mind, and he died lefs lamented than the victim whom he had configned to the gallows. But, allowing that the Quakers have ever evinced undeviating loy alty to their Sovereign, it infers no merit, because it is the indifpenfable duty of every fubject; and when a prince is diftinguifhed, like our gracious king, with the public and private virtues which add luftre to the fceptre he fuftains, obedience becomes a more grateful obligation; it rifes even to a kind of pride and ambition, when great mental endowments are united with thofe mild virtues of domeftic life which adorn the illuftrious perfonage on the throne of this united, happy,

PHILANTHROPOS.

** The following truly Apoftolical Prayers will be read with pleafure many years after the calamitous occafion which has excited them fhall have paffed away.

1.

all the Nations of the Earth, Almighty God, who ruleft over and on whofe gracious Providence they depend evermore for prefervation and thine accustomed goodness to the peoprofperity extend, we befeech Thee, ple of this Kingdom; who, looking up to Thee, as the Author of all Bleflings, and their fure Safeguard and mighty Deliverer in all dangers and difficulties, do now implore Thy watchful care and protection. Vouchfafe to guide us continually with Thy Connfel, to ftrengthen us with Thy powerful Arm, and to deavours against the unjuft attempts of crown with fuccefs our neceflary enour Enemies, through our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. Amen.

2. O Almighty God, Maker of the Univerfe, and Sovereign Difpofer of the Affairs of Men, at whofe command Nations and Empires rife and fall, flourish and decay: We thine unworthy fervants moit humbly imWe flee unto Thee for fuccour, in this plore Thy gracious aid and protection time of Peril and Neceflity, when, in defence of our Liberty, our Laws, and our Religion, we are expofed to the dangers and calamities of War, and threatened with Invafion by a fierce and haughty Foe, who would fwallow us up quick, fo wrathfully is he dif

pleafed at us: for that we alone among violent and unjuft Ambition. Vouchfafe, we befeech Thee, thine efpecial Bieffing and Protection to our most gracious Sovereign Lord, King George. Go forth with his Fleets and Armies; and let the mighty arm be with his Chiefs and Captains, as it was of old with thy Servants, Judas*, and Jongthant, and Simon t, when they valiantly withstood the wicked Tyrants of and the Oppreffors of thy People. Di their times, the Enemies of thy Truth, rect His Counfels, profper all His meafures for the Welfare of this King

the Nations are found to withstand his

dom, and the prefervation of our Church, and of our Civil Conftitution. And let no internal Divifions, nor any other Sins and Provocations of this Nation, obftruct His Defigns for the Public Good, nor bring down thy judgements upon us. But fpare thy People, O Lord, fpare them; and, by thy Grace, fo unite us in a Spirit of Obedience to thy Law, Zeal for thy Truth, and Loyalty to thine anointed Servant, whom thy good Providence. has fet over us, that we may evermore rejoice in thy Salvation, through thy Son Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.

3. O Lord God of our Salvation, in whofe hands are the Iffues of Life and Death, of Good and Evil; without whofe aid the Counfels of the Wife, and the Strength of the Mighty, are weak and vain; incline thine ear to the carneft fupplications of Thy Servants, who not confiding in the multitude of their Hofts, the abundance of their Wealth, nor the weapons and accoutrements of War, do humbly flee unto Thee, O Lord, for fuccour, and put their Truft under the fhadow of thy wings. Be Thou to us a Tower of Defence, and blefs the arms of Thy Servant our Sovereign, in the maintenance of His juft and lawful rights, against the affaults both of Foreign War and Domeftic Treafon. Give grace, we hefeech Thee, to his rebellious Subjects in Ireland, to fee and confefs the wickednefs of their ways. Bring them to. a due fenfe of the enor mity of their crime, in rifing in open rebellion against the Crown of their lawful Sovereign, forgetful of the Bleflings they have enjoyed under His mild and equitable government: That fo returning to their Duty, they may become Objects of Thy Mercy and forgivenefs. And give us all Grace, to put away from us all rancour of Religious diffention, that they who agree in the effentials of our moft Holy Faith, and look for pardon through the Merits and Interceffion of the Saviour, may, notwithflanding their differences upon points of doubtful opinion, and in the forms of external Worship, ftill be united in the bonds of Chriftian Charity, and fulfil thy bleffed Son's Commandment, of loving one another, as He hath loved them. These things we beg, O merciful Father, for Jefus Chrift's Sake, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

Almighty God, who haft dif

pofed the heart of our Sovereign to unite us this day in prayer and upplication for the pardon of our Sins: Thou haft commanded us to love our Enemies, and to pray for them that perfecute us. Youchlafe to accept now our Prayers, for the Repentance and Converfion of men, who have caft off their Faith in Thee; and, following the vain imaginations of reprobate. Minds, have plunged themfelves into Crimes and Impieties, which, aftonish the Nations of the Earth. Open their eyes, O Lord, that they may fee and confider, with deteflation and horror, the ravages of their cruelty. Strike them, in Thy Mercy, with remorse and compunction, before they fill up the meature of their Iniquities; and grant, O God, unto us thy fervants Grace, whilft we behold with compaffion the miferies they have inflicted upon the objects of their fury, to recollect the many calamities from which We, by Thy merciful Providence, have been hitherto exempted. Continue to us, we befeech Thee, O Lord, Thy merciful protection, and fhield us from the arms of the Deftroyer. And in all feafons, whether of fuccefs or adverfity, profperity or tribulation, give us hearts to be truly thankful for Thy Goodness, fearful of Thy Difpleasure, and fenfible of Thy Prefence; that, at all times putting our whole truft and confidence in Thee, we may fo pafs through things Temporal, that we finally lote not the things Eternal. And to all thofe, who may be ordained to fuffer for Thy fake, impart, O merciful Lord, fuch plenti ful Succours of Thy Holy Spirit; pour into their Souls fuch Contempt of Pain and Death; kindle in their hearts fuch Love of Thee, and Zeal for Thy Truth; fill them with fuch animating Hope of Immortality, that, after the Example of the bleffed Saints and Martyrs of the primitive Ages, they may so feadily confefs Thee before Men, that, having glorified Thy Name by their Sufferings upon Earth, they may obtain of Thee an Everlafting Crown of Glory. And grant, to us all, fuch a denial of Ungodliness and worldly Affections, that we may be able to look forward with hope to the Confummation of all Things, and to the glorious appearance of the great God and our Saviour Jefus Chrift; to whom with Thee, O Father, and Thee, O Holy Ghoft, be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

Mr.

Mr. URBAN,

Feb. 10. S O early as the year 764, when the county of Kent is fuppofed to have been divided by the Medway into two provinces, under the contemporary princes Herbert and Sigered, Frændef Lury appears to have been a place of fome extent and confequence Offa, king of the Mercians, with the bonfent of Herbert, who was, perhaps, then tributary to him, and Sigered, who ftyles himfelf king of the half part of the province of the Kentish men, are both recorded to have grauted land in this parish to the fee of Rochefter*.

Such in brief is the account Hiftory gives of the edifice, a North-caft view of which is exhibited in Plate I. The prefent appearance of the chancel, wherein may be obferved the circular heads of three fmall lancet windows, leaves it beyond doubt that it is either the fame erected by Paulinus in the 12th century, or a part of the ftill more antient edifice, conftructed before the defcent of the Normans. The walls of this chancel are three feet in thickness; and the prefent Eaft window, as well as thofe in the fide walls, divided by munnions (which are evidently cut through the walls), are, perhaps, the fame which Richard Young made, who was bishop of Rochester from 1404 to 1418, and whofe portrait was remaining in one of them when Lambafd wrote his Perambulation.

Against the claim of this chancel to high antiquity, the authority of Regif trum Roffenfe, above referred to, may not be deemed decifive by thofe who are aware how common it was in the monkith times, and even fince, to record a fubftantial repair to a facred edifice under the defcription of a building. A remarkable infance of *Mr. Denue, in Bibl. Top. No. VI. p. 45• Gent. Mag. Odløber, 1808.

new

daily expect the downfall thereoff; which ruynes are fo great, as that the repaire thereof, with fuch neceffary enlargements as are fit as well for the ftrengthening of the building as for the receipt of the parishioners, being many in number, will amount to the fum of 15001. at the leaft."

On the authority of the two first cited documents, both the Hiftory of Ro chefter, and Mr. Hafted, in his Survey of the county, allert the re-edification of St. Nicholas's church in the 17th century but a curfory view of the prefent edifice will, I doubt not, fatisfy every intelligent obferver, that all the walls, the richly-divided Gothic windows, and projecting buttreffes, are remains of the church built fome time before 1418, for the reception of the altar of St. Nicholas, till that time ftanding in the North tranfept of the adjoining cathedral. A new tower, roof, and pews, together with a trifling alteration of the pillars, and an entire new glazing, appears to comprize the whole extent of the repair which was performed in virtue of this brief, and much better correfponds with the efti mated expence than the re-building from the ground of fo large an edifice. Yours, &c. T. FISHER. Mr.