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EDITED AND ARRANGED BY STAMFORD RAFFLES FLINT. B.A. UNIV. COLL., OXON. TRUKO: PRINTED BY NETHERTON & WORTH. 1883. Only One Hundred Copies Printed. rlUIKU: PHINTEU BY NETHERTON AND WORTH, IRMON STREKT. I TO MY MOTHER THIS RECORD OF HER ANCESTORS. I PREFACE. HE notes in the handwriting, for the most part, of Mr. Richard Rosdcw of IJecchwood, from which I have gained much information, have been placed at my disposal by my father. I have confined myself, as far as possible, to arrang- ing and transcribing the matter before me; hence the archaisms in phraseology, which occur on the earlier pages. As the sources of information relative to the subjects of these memoirs arc limited and scanty, the following lines do not profess to be more than sketches. Such as they are I commit them to the press, and I do so respectfully, ever mindful of the memory of those whom they record. I beg to express my thanks to Dr. Ginsburg for his seasonable advice, and for the loan of some valuable mezzotint proofs, and to all those from whom I have received assistance ; and I beg further to acknow- ledge my obligations to the late Mr. Alfred Mudge, for the pains he took with the proof of the genealogical table. In conclusion, I must add that it is with deference I put forward this book, so unskilfully handled, and intended originally for those to whom it would be of family or personal interest, trusting that whoever *akes it up will treat it with leniency and consideration. Nansawsan, 1883. ris^f*^ CONTENTS. Iniroduction Zachariah Mudue . Thomas Mudge . Richard Mudoe John Mudge William Mudge Zachariah Mudge Richard Zachariah Mudge . Genealogical List Index Table of Portraits . Pedigree . xiii I 67 79 121 '57 241 255 259 260 4 PORTRAITS. ZACHARIAH MUDGE, Prebendary of Exeter ... Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A., 1766. THOMAS MVDGE Nathaniel Dance, R.A., 1772. JOHN MUDGE, M.D. ••• •■■ ••• Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A., 1753. JOHN MUDGE, M.D James Northcote, R.A., 1787. JOHN MUDGE ••• ••• ••• Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A,, 1758. WILLIAM MUDGE, Major-General, R.A James Northcote, R.A., 1804. ZACHARIAH MUDGE, Vice-Admiral John Opie, R.A., 180-. to face pag i> c I 33 79 » 107 M ri6 n 121 INTRODUCTION. MM HE name of Mudge was originally Mugge; both spellings occur ;n a pedigree of the 15th century, which is recorded in one of the early Visitations of Surrey, to be found in the Harleian MSS. 1561, fol. 7, and 143 1 1, fol. 139. in the British Museum. additional MSS The pedigree is as follows :— John Mugge = Mudge I Stephen Mugger GalA-idtu Mugge Thomas Mugge = Johanna fil et colieres Walter Broke, Michael Mugge= . Walter Mugge = ,IoIianne (of Guildford, co. Surrey. Agnes. Daniel Mudge=l8abell dau. and ob. 8.p. heir, of Jolm Hill, alias Hull of Spridelston, and widow of Thomas Engler. Margaret, ux Sir (Jhristojiher More, of Ixwoly, CO. Surrey, Kuight, Remenilirau- cer of the Exchtsquor temp. Henry viii, (issue). Anne, ux John Allen. Jane, ux= Jones. Thomas Junes. XIV INTRODUCTION. The will of the Walter Mugge mentioned in this pedigree, made on the 9th of February in the year 1494- 95, was proved on the ist of April following. In it he bequeaths his lands in Surrey to his wife Johanna for life, with remainder to his son Daniel. His lands in Devon- shire he leaves to his executors on trust. The will is specially interesting, on account of the description it con- tains of the Mudge Arms. He directs his executors to erect within the Church at Guildford, where he desired to be buried, two stones of marble over the graves of Thomas Mugge, his father, Geffrey Mugge, and Walter Broke and Alice his wife. On these stones pictures of these persons were to be engraven, and also their arms, which he particu- larly describes. Those to be engraven on the Broke monu- ment were to be ' three red lions with a chevron sable, the field silver;' the arms to be cut on the Mudge stone were to be 'three cockatrices in sable and the field silver.' In the pedigree of Sir Christopher More, in ' Le Neve's Baronets,' the alliance with Mudge, as above, is stated, and the arms of the family are given, also 'Argent, a chevron between three cockatrices sable,' which agree with those described in the will. I am indebted to M:. Alfred Mudge' for bringing these facts under my notice, which I have however verified for myself. ' Memorials, being a genealogical, biographical, and historical account of the name of 1 .adge in America from 1638 to 1868, by Alfred Mudge. Boston: printed by Alfred Mudge & Son, for the family. 1868. INTRO D UCTION. XV Other wills bearing the name of Mudge are as follows : WALTER MUGGE, Clerk, dated November 2nd, 1565. proved 4th of May, 1566. JOHN MUDGE, of Thorn Falcon, in the county of Somerset, dated the 6th of April, proved the 3rd of May, 1571- ROBERT MUDGE, citizen and ' clothworker ' of London, dated the 12th. and proved the 17th of September 1593- EDMUND MUDGE^ citizen and wax chandler of London, dated 21st of November, proved the 14th of December, 1603. HAMLET MUDGE, of Milton near Gravesend, dated loth of March, 1630-31, proved 3rd of April, 1632! WILLIAM MUDGE, oi Badbury, in the parish of Chiseldon, Wilts, dated loth of May, 1604, proved 9th of February, 1604-5. ANTONY MUDGE, of Kingsteignton, in the county of Devon, letters of administration dated 8th of October 1630. THOMAS MOUDGE, of Alborne, in Wiltshire, dated the 13th of March, 1632-33, proved the 6th of [ulv 1633. ^ ^' ELIZABETH MUDGE, of Stroud, in the county of Kent, dated loth of June, 1639, proved 12th of iVIarch, 1640-41. XVI INTRO D UCTION. JOANE MUDGE, of the parish of St. Nicholas, in the county of Devon, widow, dated the 29th of January, 1650-51, proved the 13th of May, 1654. WALTER MUDGE, of North Curry, in the county of Somerset, dated the 30th of November, 1659, and proved the 4th of December, 1660. GILBERT MUDGE, of Shad well, in the county of Middlesex, i8th of March, 1679-80. JOHN MUDGE, of Radclifife, county of Middlesex, 20th of December, 1692. Wills proved in the City of Exeter : — THOMAS MUDGE, of Litde Walsingham, county of Norfolk, dated June 4th, 1527, proved June 26th, 1527. THOMAS MUDGE, of Paignton, dated March 4th, 1598-99, proved July 6th, 1599. THOMAS MUDGE, of Blackdon, in the parish of Paignton, dated December 28th, 1595, proved January 6th, 1592-96. SIMON MUDGE, of Deane, dated April 14th, 1605, proved May i6th, 1605. THOMAS MUDGE, of Morvale, dated May 29th, 16 1 3, proved May 31st, 16 13. ROBERT MUDGE, of Instow, dated August 19th, 16 1 6, proved September 7th, 16 16. s INTRO D UCTION. xvii JOHN MUDGE, of Bishop's Blagdon, in the parish of Paignton, dated April 17th, 1628, proved October 2Tst 1628. The name of Mudge is to be found in the register books of many a Devonshire parish, and is still comnfon in the west of England. Of the derivation of the name, there have been many conjectures; it may come from the Anglo-Saxon Mod. courage; though the ancient spelling of the name Mugge.' would suggest rather its affinity to the name Miigge, whi^ch is often met with in Germany, and points more cTrtainly to a Teutonic origin; or it may be derived from the Old English Mugge, Mug, to hide or conceal. A word or two with regard to the following pages. They are the records, not of men who have risen to any special distinction in the history of their times, but of men who have made the most of small means and common opportunities. Opportunities all men have ; but it is those who make full use of them in the line of their calling and according to the natural bent of their genius, who are enabled to rise above the common level of mankind. It is the glory of our country that men such as these should have in all periods abounded, not all equally distinguished, but men XV HI INTRODUCTION. % penetrated with the spirit of excelling in the sphere of life in which they found themselves. With the subjects of our memoirs, these spheres were those of a clcrj^^yman, a physician, a mechanician, a soldier who had little to do with the din of battles, and a sailor. It may be said that there have been many such characters; I trust there have been, but all such records are interesting' and useful, and bring with them lessons of cncouraijement for those who follow after them. One without any social advantag"es made for himself his position by his own ability, a man of powerful intellect, who is acknowledged to have exercised a per- manent influence on the mind of Sir Joshua Reynolds. Another devoted his lonir life to the course his (jenius directed ; and his perseverance enabled him to overcome the obstacles which prevented his inventions receiving for a long period their just acknowledgment. A third showed the superiority of a mind, attuned by discipline, over bodily pain; and though for many years a martyr to disease, made such use of the hours of relaxation from the duties of his profession, as to be able to complete an invention, requiring laborious experiments, which received the approval of the scientific world. Again another by steady application to his work, brought topographic and geodesic art to an excellence hitherto unattained in this country, and prepared the way for the further improvements which later years have developed. To say no more on what will be gathered better from the Records themselves, all 1 would here say INTRODUCTION. XIX is this, that each h'ttic (and in many cases it may bo v(Ty little) of what is good and nol)le. that a man does, in any way making use of the great and varied quahties bestowed upon him, developing his talents, or benefiting his fellow- men-cach little helps to bring us nearer that perfection which IS the true destiny of man. " I too rest in faith, That man's perfection is the crowning (lower Toward which the urgent sap in life's great tree Is pressing,— seen in hving blossoms now, Jjiit m the world's great morrows to exjiand With broadest ])etal and with deejiest glow... The faith that life on earth is being shaped To glorious ends ; that order, justice, love. Mean man's completeness, mean effect as sure As roundness in the dew-drop -that great faith Is but the rushing and expanding stream Of thought, of feeling, fed by all the past." George Eliot. " Old times, old friends, and old events recalling, With many a circumstance of trivial note, 1() memory dear, and of importance grown." Charles Lamb, I ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 1/'*. i^ s^-* , *-'« '.u ' i';i t- -r* > r ^■» 1 ^ ' ' i. • . r i' » «- ■J ■ ' '. ■1.' !■■ kl. -(•7'l \' '.'.-■ iir f. ; I ij. I'M ' :, W ;t<;!| i V ) 1 i..ii< ir n -..a..auwwiPiM 11 ! THOMAS MUDGE. THOMAS MUDGE. " A man that fortune's bufTets and rewards " Hast ta'en with equal thanks.'' Hamlet. HOMAS MUDGE,! the second son of the Rev. Zachariah Mudge, was bom in Exeter, in the month of September, 171 7. Soon after his birth his father removed to the Grammar School at Bideford, in North Devon, where under his immediate care, he received his education. At a very early period of his life, Mr. T. Mudge gave strong indications of that mechanical genius, by which he afterwards became so eminently distinguished; for while he was yet a school boy, he could with ease take to pieces a watch, and put it together again, without any previous instructions. At the age of fourteen he was ' Vide Universal Magazine, 1795, p. 311. 34 MEMOIR OF bound apprentice to Mr. George Graham, watchmaker, opposite Water-lane, Fleet-Street, a distinguished philo- sopher as well as the most celebrated mechanic of his time. He afterwards succeeded to Graham, as Graham succeeded Tompion, making, as it was said, the grandfather, father, and son, of watchmaking. Mr. Mudge soon attracted the particular attention of his master, who so highly estimated his mechanical powers, that upon all occasions he afterwards assigned to him the nicest and most difficult work ; and once in particular, having been applied to by one of his friends, to construct a machine new in its mechanical operation, his friend, some time after it had been sent home, complained that it did not perform its office. Mr. Graham answered, that he was very certain the complaint could not be well founded, the work having been executed by his apprentice, Thomas, and it appeared upon examination that Mr. Graham was fully justified in this implicit confidence in his apprentice, the work having been executed in a very masterly manner, and the supposed defect arising entirely from the unskilful management of the owner. On the expiration of his apprenticeship, Mr. Mudge took lodgings, and continued to work privately for some years. About the year 1757, he married Miss Abigail Hopkins, the daughter of a gendeman at Oxford. The circumstance which, as it were, first rescued him from obscurity is somewhat remarkable ; Mr. Ellicot, who 1 n it' A^s,f!i\>msmm.j, u.,. m vmnirm^ mmmm 42 MEMOIR OF ; { which time it went with great accuracy, it was then com- mitted to the care of Dr. Maskelyne, as Astronomer Royal, to be tried by him at the observatory at Greenwich, in the course of the years 1776 and 1777. After it had been under his care a considerable time, the Board of Longitude, by way of encouraging Mr. Mudge to make another, so as to become properly a candidate for the specific rewards of the Act of Parliament, thought proper to give him ^^500 ; for it was expressly required by the Act, that two time-keepers should be made upon the same principles, and both tried at the same time, that if each should go with the required degree of exactness, it might with the more certainty appear to result from the perfection of the principles upon which they were constructed and not from accident. It was asserted at the time, that this resolution of the Board of Longitude was not made in conformity to the wishes and representations of the Astronomer Royal, whose treatment of Mr. Mudge's time-keepers while under his care, it was further said, was neither fair nor proper. Be this as it may, Mr. Mudge was much annoyed at the treat- ment he received from Dr. Maskelyne, both at this time and on later occasions, though from the natural modesty and integrity of his character, and his high sense of honour, he refrained from taking any practical steps, to defend himself and the soundness of his inventions. One day, Dr, Maskelyne asked him, whether he intended to follow THOMAS MUDGE. 43 the example of Mr. Harrison, and write against him, Mr. Mudge assured him that, whatever might be the ultimate fate of his time-keepers, he certainly would not.' Though unwilling to defend himself he found, however, an active champion of his cause, in his son, who brought the charge above mentioned against the Astronomer Royal in " A Narrative of facts relative to the time-keepers con- structed by Mr. Thomas Mudge." Dr. JNIaskelyne published a vindication of himself in " An Answer to the Narrative of Facts," and Mr. Thomas Mudge, jun,, published "A Reply." 2 The first time-keeper, after it had been tried by the Astronomer Royal, was in possession of M. de Zach, Astronomer to the Duke of Saxe Gotha, from May 1786, to July 1788, during which time he carried it from London to Gotha, thence to Hyeres, thence by sea to Genoa, thence by land to Pisa, Milan, and back to Hyeres, At the end of about a year's absence from Gotha, to which place he returned by Genoa, after having travelled over several thousand miles, he found that it had preserved the same regularity of going, which it had when it first came into his possession ; and by its very great accuracy, he was enabled to ascertain the longitude of several places, with a greater degree of precision, than ever had been done before. In the years 1784 and 1785, this time-keeper was carried on two voyages to Newfoundland by Admiral m III ' Reply to Dr. Maskelyne, p. 17. » 1792. 44 MEMOIR OF I Campbell, and in each voyage went so well, as to determine the longitude within one mile and a quarter, on the first voyage, and to six miles and an eighth on the second. In consequence of this, the Admiral, a man of great scientific knowledge, and accuracy of observation, repeatedly declared that in his opinion, such time-keepers were capable of answering every nautical purpose that could be required of them. After Mr. Mudge had received the ;^500, instead of making only one more time-keeper, which would have been sufficient to answer the purpose of the Act, he immediately set about making two ; the more fully, if they went well, to shew by the number made, that it was to the principle of their construction, and not to chance, that they were in- debted to the accuracy of their going. When these were completed, they likewise in pursuance of the requirements of the Act, underwent a trial at the hands of the Astron- omer Royal. These two time-keepers are known by the names of the Green and Blue ' Chronometers, and were tested in 1779-80, 1783-84, and finally in 1789-90. While they were in the hands of Dr. Maskelyne for the first trial, those interested in their success, evidently suspected some mis- management or unfair treatment of them. In a letter of Mr. Mudge to his friend, Mr. Dutton, dated Dec. 28th, * In possession of the Rev. William Mallock. S THOMAS MUDGE. 45 1779, he says: "You give me but a bad account of the watches at Greenwich. I am resolved not to suspect the integrity of those under whose care they are, till I have some glaring proof of unfair dealing ; though I assure you, that which I have here (meaning the first time-keeper) though nothing has been done to it except putting some oil to it, when you sent it down two years ago, goes incom- parably better. I have been obliged to make use of it as my regulator for eight weeks past, and I found by a transit of the sun two days ago, that the observed error differed only about ten seconds, from the error computed from its rate of going." In July 1790, the year's trial required by the Act expired, about a fortnight previous to which a Board of Longitude was held, when Dr. Maskelync's report of the going of the time-keepers was so favourable, that it was declared, that directions should be given at the next board, to apply to the Admiralty for a ship, in which they might be sent to sea in further compliance with the Act. At the meeting of the next Board, however. Dr. Maskelyne pro- duced certain calculations, in order to prove that neither of them had gone within any of the limits of the Act ; and therefore, at the Board, held towards the close of 1790, in consequence of the Doctor's Report, It was determined that no further trial of them should take place. It is a somewhat remarkable fact however, that in the face of this official censure on the instruments, these r ' liiJ. f ! i J -V'\ ! 46 MEMOIR OF time-keepers went, even under the most unfavourable cir- cumstances, so very much better, both before, and after Dr. Maskelyne's trial of them, with Dr. Hornby and Mr. Dutton, than they did while in possession of the Astronomer Royal. Dr. Maskelyne also, is stated to have said, after the year's trial had closed, that both the time-keepers had gone within the limits of the Act, that one of them had gone within the stricter^ limits appointed, and the other within the most extended limits. This was the immediate cause of the controversy before mentioned, and one or two extracts are introduced here, from the " Reply to the Answer of Dr. Maskelyne." Speaking of the excellence of his father's work, Mr. Mudge, junr., says : "There are no time-keepers in existence made by Mr. Arnold, Mr. Earnshaw, and Mr. Emery, or by any other person which have been in use for several years, and still preserve so great a degree of perfection as to go generally within half a second a day; a degree of excellence which not only the two time-keepers that were last rejected, and are now with Mr. Dutton, continue to possess; but also the first, which was made about eighteen years since, and is now going in the hands of his excellency Count Bruhl. As I am at present speaking of the actual merit of my father, in comparison with that of other watchmakers, I will mention one proof of his superiority, which to my mind is incontrovertible, which is, that the natural vigour of his THOMAS MUDGE. 47 genius enabled him to strike out at once those principles of construction of his time-keepers which were calculated to impart the greatest excellence co them ; and it is a fact that though Mr. Arnold and other time-keeper makers, have been continually altering the construction upon which they have made their time-keepers, because they found from time to time, that they were not to be depended upon, my father has never made any alteration in the construction or invention of his, but they are exactly the same now as they were in the year 1774, when he finished the first he made; and in consequence of this certainty in their principles, they have not gone, some well and some ill, but all the three successively, which he has made, have invariably arrived at a great degree of perfection."' In another place he says. " I have always been led to consider my father's case, and Mr. Harrison's, to be similar ones, from an opinion that they were both men of genius, whose abilities have been en- gaged in the pursuit of the same object, in which pursuit, both have met with the same opposition from a prejudiced individual (Dr. Maskelyne), with this only difference, that in the end Mr. Harrison, when he was near eighty years of age, got ^20,000 as a reward for his labours ; though my father, whose genius and merits, may by his friends be thought equal to Mr. Harrison's (for he does not pretend to superiority) who has made time-keepers which have been • Reply, p. 73- i/i 48 MEMOIR OF i found to possess a degree of perfection many times greater than those of Mr. Harrison, and who like Mr, Harrison, has spent the greater part of a long life in the pursuit of objects of public utility, after having attained the same age, has, for his labours, received as yet but ^500, and is now by increasing age and infirmities at last deprived of the power, however strong his inclinations may be, to attend to them any longer."' " In referring to the comparative rate of going between my father's time-keepers and that made by Mr. Harrison himself, it will be found that one of them has gone with seven times, and the other with nine times the perfection, Mr. Harrison's did. "2 The following passage shows the simplicity and in- tegrity of Mr. Mudge's character. "When Mr. Harrison's time-keeper was tested at the Observatory, precautions were taken that one of the two keys of the case in which the watch was, should be kept by one of the officers of Greenwich Hospital, who had to attend the daily observation, and see the watch wound up. Mr. Mudge, however, took no such precautions with regard to his, and was frequently condemned by Admiral Campbell, for his imprudence in leaving his time-keepers so entirely to the Doctor's mercy, without check or control whatever. The ' Reply, p. 77. = p. 87. THOMAS MUDGE, 49 case was this that Mr. Mudge felt the influence of a con- scious pride, which is not unfrequently found to attend the minds of men of true genius, and in contradiction to what the world would reckon proper attention to the dictates of prudence, and a due regard to his own interest, was deter- mined, that, if, when he had done what he was satisfied was of considerable benefit to the public, the public would not take care, that fair and proper measures were pursued to determine the merit of his labours, he would not take it upon himself, to describe the restrictions necessary for the purpose."' Mr. Mudge's case seems specially a hard one, for, when he set to work to make the improvements he so well carried out, the Act of Queen Anne was still in force, and in view of the rewards, offered in this, he devoted his time and labour, but when however, the first time-keeper was com- pleted and ready for trial, the new Act was passed with its more stringent regulations under which it had to be tested. And whatever doubts there may be about his being entitled to the rewards under the last Act, there can be no doubt entertained, but that he would have gained the highest rewards offered under the Act of Queen Anne. One more passage must be inserted, in which his son speaks of the assiduity and skill with which Mr. Mudge carried out his work, even when advanced in years. ■ Reply, p. lOO. * II M 50 MEMOIR OF I) " The first of my father's time-keepers was completed in somewhat less than three years, and as it was then quite a new invention, much time must have been necessarily employed in making a variety of experiments, in order to ascertain the precise effect of the principles intended to be made use of, and the most proper method of applying them ; added to which it is likewise to be recollected, that my father was even then sixty years of age. The two last were made in about tv/o years, and of the time that since elapsed, much has been taken p in various public and private trials ; my father also lost a considerable time by sickness, and other unavoidable interruptions of different kinds. Indeed old age had at last so entirely disqualilied him for employments of this kind, that I have frequently heard him and his friends speak of his having finished some nice part of his work, merely by the touch, his eyes having so far failed him, that even with the assistance of glasses, they were not in this instance of any service to him."' In June 1791 Mr. Thomas JVIudge, junr., presented from his father, a memorial to the Board of Longitude, stating, that although his time-keepers, during the time of their public trial, had not been adjudged to go within the limits prescribed by the Act of Parliament, yet, as the Board were of opinion, that they were superior to any that had been hitherto invented, and were constructed on such prin- I ! ' Reply, p. 157. THOMAS MUDGE. 51 ciples as would render them permanently useful ; as the memorialist moreover had employed near twenty years to bring them to the perfection they possessed; and as the first time-keeper made by him, had been going upwards of sixteen years, with such an uniform degree of excellence, as evidently to prove, that the principles upon which his time- keepers were constructed, were permanent in their nature ; therefore the memorialist trusted that the Board would exercise the powers vested in them by Parliament, and give to him, on his making a discovery of the principles upon which his time-keepers were constructed, such a sum of money as his invention and great labours should appear to deserve. This memorial being unsuccessful, Mr. Mudge in 1792 presented a petition to the same effect to the House of Commons. Nothing could be done that year, on account of the lateness of the session ; but in the next, a committee of the House was appointed to consider the value of the invention, of which Mr. Windham was chairman, and Mr. Pitt, Mr. Elliott, afterwards Lord Minto, Mr. Bragg, Mr. Bathurst and others were members, and these were assisted by a committee of men of science, philosophical instrument makers, and watchmakers, including among their number, Atwood, Ramsden, Troughton, and De Luc. The com- mittee reported so highly on Mr. Mudge's work, and ad- mitted on all hands, that he was one of the first watchmakers which this country had produced, that notwithstanding all i m 3 i ■:f . 52 MEMOIR OF ' ' n Lii ' - i 1 the opposition of the Board of Longitude, the merits of Mr. Mudge, from the testimony of so many men, of high rank in talents and science, appeared so conspicuously to the House, that it was pleased to vote him in the most honour- able manner, and by a great majority, the sum of ;;^2,5oo, which, with ;^5oo given him before by the Board of Longi- tude, made in all ^3000.' Although this sum was con- fessedly inadequate to the just claims of Mr. Mudge, and far inferior to what Harrison had received, yet the grant in itself was a great public recognition of his labours, when it is considered, what a strong official opposition he had to contend with, and also, that the application to the House was made at a period, when the expensive demands of a war caused all private applications for grants of money to be ill timed, however just the claim of the petitioners might be. ' The Report of the Committee was presented to the House of Commons by Mr. Windham, June li, 1793. June 17, "It was resolved: "That an address be presented to His Majesty; humbly representing to His Majesty, that Thomas Mudge, Watchmaker, having em- ployed many years and much pain and labour in endeavouring to improve the principles of his art, had succeeded so far in his said endeavours as to be the author of an invention likely to be of the greatest advantage in the construction of time-keepers ; and humbly beseeching His Majesty that, in consideration of the merit of the said invention such as it now appears upon examination to this House, and without precluding the said Thomas- Mudge from any further reward, which from future experience of the value of his in- vention, he may appear to be entitled to, His Majesty will be graciously pleased to grant to the said Thomas Mudge upon his making a discovery of the principles of his inven- tion to such persons .as His Majesty may think proper to appoint, a sum not exceeding ^■2,500; and to assure His Majesty that this House will make good the same." His Majesty's answer was received by the House, June 19, 1793. THOMAS MUDGE. 5a Mr. iMudgcdid not long' survive this honourable, though tardy testimony to the utility of his mechanical labours. In the year 1789, on the death of his wife, he had given up housekeeping, and resided sometimes with his eldest son in London, and sometimes in the country, with his other son, John Mudge, Vicar of Brampford Speke, near Exeter. He died on the 14th of November 1794, in the seventy eighth year of his age, at the house of his eldest son Thomas, in Newington Place, Surrey. A few days after this sad event his son wrote to Mr, Richard Rosdew of Beechwood, !:li "Dear Rosdew, "You will have learnt by my brother's letter, that on Friday last, we lost our father ; as it related to him, it was an event, that had long been desirable, for, having survived his powers of enjoyment, and suffering much infirmity both of mind and body, he had been accustomed to look forward to death, as a friend that would release him from his sufferings. In this state, I was very far from wishing the continuance of his existence; nevertheless, death is in itself so very serious an event, that it cannot take place without affecting our feelings, and it has now given to my mind a melancholy regret, as being separated from a parent, for whom I had the most lively affection. I would most readily have buried my father in the spot you mention, had he not expressed a wish to me, about 6 weeks ago, to be t- \\ \- if r i 54 MEMOir. OF buried at St. Dunstan's, and I am sure you will think with me, that such a desire supersedes eve*";' other consideration. "To you my good friend I am persuaded, any memorial of my father will be considered as possessing some value, and as the only work of his, which reuiained in his pos- session at his deach, was his striking clock,' (which indeed is the last of his performances) my brother and myself request it as a favou. that you will accept it, and that you will consider it as a token, as well of the sense we both ha / e of the .nany kindnesses for which we are indebted to you, as for the high estimation in which you were held by my father. As it wants cleaning, I will not send it to you, until I have got it cleaned, and then unless you would wish it conveyed in any other manner, I will have it packed in a box, and send it to Plymouth by the waggon. I am much concerned to hear of the illness of Mrs. Rosdew, but I hope it will soon be got the better of; and your brother who dined with me on Sunday, has given me much satisfaction in informing me, that he thinks there is nothing serious to be apprehended. All my family unite in best wishes for you and Mrs. Rosdew, Dear Rosdew, Your sincere friend, THOMAS MUDGE. New Inn, i8 Nov., 1794. ' In possession of the Rev. W. C. Raffles Flint. I THOMAS MUDGE. 55 The allusion in this letter to the place of burial selected for j\Ir. Mudge, refers to a suggestion made by Wr. Rosdew, that his remains would most fittingly be laid by the side of those of his great predecessors In the stud}- of watchmaking, Tompion and Graham, In Westminster Abbey. He was buried, according to his desire, in St. Dunstan's. To speak of Mr. Thomas Mudge in general terms only, as the first watchmaker of his age, would be unjust. He excelled not only In scientific ability, but also In practical workmanship, so much so, that few men have since been found equal to the construction of his time-pieces with the same degree of perfection ; for his Inventions were fully equalled, if not surpassed, by the execution of his work. Besides his superior merits, in bringing time-keepers to a greater degree of perfection than had been hitherto ai:tained, he did the mechanical world no small service, by the invention of a scapement for pocket watches ; which was one of the most considerable Improvements that had been made upon them :br a great number of years. We caanot bring to a close this sketch of Mr. Mudo^e's life, more suitably than in the words of Count Bruhl. "I3r. Maskelyne speaks of my great attachment to Mr. Mudge. To that charge I must plead guilt)^ and bear with resig- nation any blame or reproach, arising from my partiality for a man, whose superior genius as an artist, united with the liberality of a mind replete with candour, simplicity, mo- desty, and integrity, deserves the highest admiration, and \ < v: 56 MEMOIR OF \\ ^ respect ; whose name will be handed down, to the remotest posterity, with the same veneration, which attends the names of his predecessors in the same line, Tompion, Graham, and Harrison, who, while living were admired by their contemporaries, and whose fame adds to the splendour and glory of this great nation." ' Two anecdotes still remain to be recorded as striking proofs of Mr. Mudge's great mental powers. Count Bruhl, when he first came to England in his diplomatic capacity, brought an ingenious watch from Paris, made by the cele- brated Bertoud, intending it as a present to the king. This watch, however, not performing its offices, was sent back to to the inventor in order to be rectified. After its return, it still continued imperfect, and on further applications to M. Bertoud, that artist acknowledged with groat candour, that although he thought the principles on which his watch was constructed were good, he was himself unable to carry them into effect. The Count then applied to ]\Ir. Aludge, re- questing him to undertake the task ; but deeming it an indelicate circumstance, to interfere with the inventions of another artist, Mr. Mudge expressed his reluctance on the occasion. The importunity of the Count, however, added to the regard he had for his esteem, iiiduced Mr. Mudge at last, to waive his objections ; and he had the satisfaction to be completely successful in setting the watch to rights. » A short explanation of the most proper methods of calculating a Mean Daily Rate by the Count de Bruhl, p. 15. THOMAS MUDGE. 57 The other anecdote relates to a large and complicated watch belonging to his Majesty the King, which had long gone so ill, that it had been repeatedly put into the hands of the most distinguished watchmakers; all of whom, though confident in their own abilities to give it the requisite perfection, had been obliged to abandon the watch as incapable of amendment. It was then put Into the hands of Mr. Mudge, who happily succeeded. This circumstance gave His Majesty a very high opinion of his superiority over every other watchmaker. In 1777, as has been already mentioned, he appointed him his watchmaker, and often honoured him with conferences on mechanical subjects. Her Majesty Ocicen Charlotte likewise expressed a great esteem, not only ior his talents as an artist, but liis character as a man. At one time, she presented him with 50 guineas, for only cleaning a watch; and it was through her recom- mendation to the Lord Chancellor, that his second son obtained the living of Brampford Speke. We conclude this sliort life of Mr. Mudge by append- ing one or two letters addressed by him to Count Bruhl. Sir, Plymouth, April 17, 1772. I received the letter your excellency did me the honour to write me, and it Hatters me not a little, that you should think anything t/ mine, so much worth your trouble. The reason of my troubling you now is, to acquaint 8 U if'i i ' li III ti ■ <. K I i 4 ;!i 68 MEMOIR OF you that the bearer (Mr. Townley) has appHed to me (he says at the request of several friends of mine) for my con- sent, to his taking a copper plate' from the picture you did me the honour to have done of me, by Mr. Dance. I am myself entirely indifferent about it, and leave it therefore wholly to you, to do what you think proper. The gentle- man, Mr. Townley, I know very well, but am an entire stranger to his ability as an engraver; that you will be able to judge of by the specimens he will bring with him, when he delivers you this, which he desired as an introduction to you, I have enclosed to you the letter he wrote to me upon this occasion. I know not well how to express the sense I have of the honour their Majesties do me, in condescending to remember and inquire after me. I assure you, it sits warm at my heart, and I do not know two (independent of their station) that I would sooner wish to be remembered by. To your excellency i owe that pleasure. I am, Sir, your most obliged — obed-'^nt servant, THOMAS MUDGE." Plymouth, March i, 1776. *' Dear Sir, I write a line or two, rather because I have been long in your excellency's debt, than that I have anything in ' For description of the engraving see Smith's British Mezzotint Portraits, pt. i, p. 189, No. 50. THOMAS MULJE. 69 particular to say. The observations you were so kind as to make of my watch, I have mentioned to Mr. Dutton, with my reasoning upon them ; which, I find he has communi- cated to you, as I intended he should. I now begin to wish to know, how it has behaved since it has beei in his Majesty's possession, which is near a month. I must confess, what Mr. Dutton told me, gives no great hopes.. He says, that except the first day or two, it has gone very well ; but that exception destroys all the rest, as I do nol see if it goes ill a day or two, what security there is agc.inst its going ill for a longer time, unless that going ill arises from apparent causes, and such as may be remedied. I did not know with certainty who the Mr. Pitt was, that was so kind as to offer to lend a helping hand to the further prosecution of it, if it should be found right to do so, till Mr. Dutton told me, it was the Mr. Pitt of this country; for I cannot boast the honour of being acquainted with him, although my brother is intimately so ; nor did I know that he had ever been acquainted with my having made such a watch, or that he was at all curious, or interested himself, in any branch of mechanism. I am THOMAS MUDGE." id ii Mr. Pitt, afterwards Lord Camelford, proposed to Count i a,' 60 MEMOIR OF Bruhl, that they should jointly be at the expenses of Mr. T. jMudge's machine, in order that he mig-ht be properly qualified to be a candidate for the public rewards. Plymouth, December 15th, 1776. " Dear Sir, To day I was honoured with your excellency's favour of the 1 2th instant, to acquaint me diat I was appointed watchmaker to his Majesty, in the room of the late Mr. Lindley. To you, Sir, I entirely owe it, and am sorry I cannot make a better return for your good offices, than by barely acknowledging, and most gratefully thanking you for them, which I very sincerely do. I must confess my pleasure was much heightened by the warmth with which my Lady Egremont interested herself in my behalf, I have it from Mr. Dutton, for which her Ladyship will please to accept my sincere and hearty thanks. I have a letter also from my friend Mr. Dutton, to whom I am under the greatest obligations, acquainting me with the same circum- stance, and to tell me, as you do, that it is necessary for me to come to town, either immediately, or at the meeting of Parliament, after the holidays, the sooner he says the better, to be sworn into the office, a ceremony that I did not before know was necessary. I shall certainly comply with your injunctions, but must confess should wish it to be pustpont^d till after Christmas, for many rcuMonfl. If I am BO far indulged, 1 will certainly be in town, by the time \ \ THOMAS MUDGE. 61 the Parliament meets ; but this shall depend upon the instructions I shall receive from you or Mr. Dutton, which, if necessary, you will be so good as to give, as soon as you conveniently can. Mr. Maskelyne, Mr. Dutton tells me, has changed his tone much of late, whether he has any end in it, I knew not ; however, as so much depends upon him, it is more encour- agement to go on, than to be constantly upon the hunt for something to depreciate my watch, which has been, I think pretty evidently the case. If I am permitted to put off my coming to town till after Christmas, I shall bring your excellency's little clock with me, I hope with the satisfaction of having clone everything that can be done to better it, and indeed everything that is necessary ; the going of it since the last alteration seeming to promise so much. I am THOMAS MU 3GE." THOMAS MUDGE, eldest son of Mr. Thomas Mudge, whose life we have just recorded, was born Dec. 6th, 1760. He practised as a Barrister in London for some years. As the advocate of his father's cause, with regard to the excellence of the Chronometers sent by the elder Mr. Mudge to the Observatory at Greenwich, he was engaged in a controversy, with Dr. Maskelyne, the Astronomer I ,1 i I' »,5 i 1 62 MEMOIR OF 1^ ?' Royal, and published two books on the subject, entitled "A narrative of facts, relative to the time-keepers con- structed by Mr. Thomas Mudge," and, "A reply to the answer of Dr. Maskelyne." His advocacy, as we have seen, was successful in pro- curing for his father some public recognition of his labours, in the vote of the House of Commons. * As soon as the reward was voted, Mr. T. Mudge, junr. started a manufactory of the time-keepers on Mr. Mudge's plan. He accordingly employed two workmen, and was able to complete one instrument under the advice of his father, who lived just long enough to see it finished, ten months after the manufactory was opened. He applied to the Admiralty for a contract, and eventually supplied six time-keepers for the use of the Navy. He sold also some chronometers to the Spanish and Danish Governments. The cost however of the time-keepers was greater than he expected, as they took a longer time to construct than was anticipated; the consequence was, that Mr. T. Mudge in a few years determined lo abandon the scheme. He gives an account of this in a book he published in 1799. "A des- cription with plates of the time-keepers invented by the late Mr. Thomas Mudge, to which is prefixed a narrative by Thomas Mudge, his son, of measures taken to give effect to the invention, since the Reward bestowed upon it by the House of Commons." To this is added Mr. Mudge's Tract, and a series of letters addressed to Count Bruhl between I THOMAS MUDGE. 63 1773 and 1787. After this Mr. Mudge seems to have gone to Jersey, wliere he resided for many years. He returned to England in 1830, and resided at Chelcompton, near Bath, where he died Nov. loth, 1843. He married Elizabeth Kingdon, by whom he had several children.' There are two or three letters of Thomas Miidge extant, written from Battersea and addressed to James Northcote, R. A. In one dated Dec. 17, 1813, after alluding to the proposed sale of the portraits of John (Master) Mudge, and Tom Mudge, he concludes, " As you wished to have my lines written on the High Rocks, Tunbridge Wells, I send them to you. " The works of man their feeble powers display, Which mark their weakness and their quick decay; But this great work of Nature proudly shows The Power supreme, whence all its greatness flows ; Whose High Behest creation's wonders framed, And thus in mighty deeds His Name proclaimed. " For your amusement I add my Epigram on Brunei's Block Invention. " A symbol oft a Block is made To show an empty brainless head : But here a block, with little pains Displays a head that's full of brains." In a letter dated Sep. 28, 18 15, in which he regrets » Her sister Sophia, married Sir Mark Isambard Brunei, and was mother of Isambard Kingdon Brunei the celebrated Engineer. .li^ ri I:' 64 MEMOIR OF Northcotc's inability to paint a portrait of his son, he adds some further verses. " I send you at the foot of my letter, my lines on the death of poor Hod '/ Photographic Sciences Corporation V^> 33 WBt r>.iAlN STREiT WiBSTH.N.Y. USM (716)t72-4S03 '^ o"^ S».:- RICHARD MUDGE, M.A., Pern. Coll. Oxon. : Rector of Bedivorth. i ««««««»«« ICHARD MUDGE, third son of the Rev. Zachariah Mudge, was born at Bideford in 1 718, and baptized on December 26th of the same year. He was educated with his brother Thomas, under the care of his father, at the free Grammar School at Bideford. He went afterwards to Pembroke College, Oxford, and took his degree in 1739 or 40. In 1741, he was ordained to the Curacy of Great Packington, in the neighbourhood of Bir- mingham. There is a very little known of his life, which has been left on record, from the fact no doubt, that the part of the country in which he settled down, was far removed from the west of England and the members of his family. Mr. Mudge was promoted after a time to a chapel in \ :j: i.l !i m 68 MEMOIR OF \ I Birminjj^ham, where he became a popular preacher, and was highly distinguished moreover as a musician. In 1756, he was presented to the valuable living of Bcdworth by Lord Aylesford and was inducted October 28th; here he resided till his death, April 5th, 1773. He died at Bedworth, and was buried by the Communion Table, in Bedworth Church. He was a man eminently skilled both in metaphysics and theology. He acquired also considerable proficiency both in the science and art of music, and published some sonatas. He was a friend of Handel. An anecdote is related of Handel coming into the room on one occasion where J\Tr. Mudge was playing one of his compositions, he immediately exclaimed, "that must be Mudge for no other man could play my pieces so." There are two of his letters preserved, which he wrote to his father, one while he was an undergraduate at Oxford, the other soon after he had taken Orders. They shew him to have been a man of considerable thought and talent, who had caught somewhat of the philosophy of his father; and they give us moreover an insight into his character. They are introduced at length. April loth, 1739, Pem. Coll. Oxon. Honoured Fr: I take the pleasure to tell you by Mr. Baker, that your compliments on my last letters are all my own. The notion I! RICHARD MUDGE. 69 of the Divine Nature consisting in Being, and the de- duction of the Attributes from that Idea, I had of you ; more tnan that I am obHged to no one for. F'or I did not borrow the least "tie or hint, either in thought or ex- pression, from Dr. Chadworth or the Archbishop, one of whom I never saw, and had but just begun the other. I'll just tell you an observation of mine own on that notion, that is apt to sound odd enough at first. While I was th' other day looking over Dr. Clarke's attributes, I accidently turned to that page, where he quotes the Proposition, upon which he founds the Aphorism of Spinoza ; which seems to me to be so very much the same with some thing I asserted in my last, that Dr. Clarke probably would, nay must, have condemned me, for as rank an Atheist as the other. The Proposition I mean is this, "Procter Deum nulla dari neque concipi potest substantia," which, I think expresses, not one jot more than. Being is absolutely everything, which really is, in opposition to mere privation, and negation of entity. In what sense Spinoza meant that proposition, I can't say; but, I think, taken and explained rightly, 'tis a necessary demonstrable trudi. For consider it thus. The Divine Natur*^, i.e. (according to me) Being, is infinite reality; according to those who choose to conceive it, under the notion of absolute perfection, is infinite or all perfection. This, Dr. Clarke and everybody else must allow. Now I would only ask any one, what he means by infinite Reality or Perfection ? For Dr. Clarke seems to II 70 MEMOIR OF it think there may be infinite Perfection or Reahty, (which are the equivalent at the bottom, for degrees of Perfection, and can mean nothing more than degrees of positivity or reahty, in opposition to privation,) and quite distinct from other little finite Perfections or Realities not comprehended in it, indeed, created by that Infinite, but however quite distinct from it; this to me is absolutely inconceivable. I can no more conceive little finite perfections quite outside and distinct from Infinite Reality and Perfection, than I could little spaces or durations, outside and distinct from, those comprehended in Infinite Space and Duration. I conclude therefore, that no reality, or, which is the same, Substance, (for the Idea of Substance includes reality) can be conceived, hut God ; i.e. but what, as it were, belongs to and is inside infinite Reality, or God. But here Dr. Clarke cries out; what then ? Matter, for it is a Substance, according to you, is God ; senseless, stupid, passive, ex- tended solidity! But Matter, as senseless, stupid, passive, extended, and solid, is far from having anything of Per- fection or Reality, and consequently of substantiality in it. The three first qualities are totally privations of reality; the two last are nothing outside us, but entirely relative to our sense. So that matter is really Being, variously ex- hibited to sense ; and those qualities rather owe their being to man, than God. I have not time to prove what I've a">serted, nor indeed, to express myself clearly, tho' I hope \ have not done it so ill, but you will see my meaning. RICHARD MUDGE. 71 What Spinoza meant, I said before, I could not tell ; but if Dr. Clarke is arguing against the Proposition, as a false one in itself; I think he did not understand it. I will only add that upon the same principle, our Pow'r, our Wisdom &c., are the Pow'r and the Wisdom &c. of God, so far partici- pated. This seems to open a fine scene of things, which I have neither leisure, nor capacity to enlarge upon, tho' I apprehend it. Tho' what I've said, and the whole system of Metaphysicks, which goes upon the same first found- ations of Nature, (which I have a confused notion of now in my head) be perfectly the truth of things ; yet 'twill be a very difficult matter, to make proselytes to it ; for it requires a true metaphysical head, than which nothing is more rare. There are many here in Oxford who are thought, cittd think themselves to have very good heads that way, who in my opinion are perfect blunderers, and have never had one peep through the curtain, into the first Principles of Natur^, So that a true Philosopher, is like one placed in the most delicious spot of all nature, with the noblest and most beautiful prospect about him, attended with this misfortune, that the air is too thin and fine for the constitution of any one besides himself, excepting perhaps two or three. The notion of the Divine Essence consisting in Being, will turn into a demonstrable truth, what Dr. Clarke has been pleased to reject with disdain as a contra- diction, and a mere unintelligible absurdity ; viz., that the Eternity of God Is not to be conceived by a successive \ 73 MEMOIR or duration without beginning or end ; which I thus demonstrate. Durp-,:on is not applicable to the Essence of things, but only to the Existence of anything, as distinct from its Essence. Those things are therefore, the only subjects of duration, whose Existences and Essences are distinct, which is true of ev'ry Nature but the Divine, whose Existence is his Essence, to which therefore duration cannot be with any sense applied. And if men can't help attributing duration to God, and imagining Him older this moment than He was a thousand years ago, 'tis because they have not at that time a true conception of the Deity, and consider His Existence like that of other things, distinct from his Essence, which it is not. For if this was not the case, they must immedi- ately see the absurdity of it. For who would bear to hear himself say, that the Essence of a square is older now, or has dured longer than a thousand years ago ? Successive duration therefore is absurdly applied to God, because His Essence and Existence are individually the same. Dr. Butler is not received so cordially here as you would imagine ; which I take to be a reflection on the metaphy- sical heads of this place, rather than on the book. As for the young fellows of my own acquaintance, I have had hard struggles with them ; but finding it to no purpose to argue with them, who think that must be obscure and unin- telligible which they don't easily undersand, I content myself with desiring 'em not to judge without apprehending, or censure without judging. You must know that the fault ' i / RICHARD MUDGE. 78 they charge him with is obscurity ahnost impenetrable, Indeed it is not very strange, if one considers that metaphy- sicians have left the world this good while, and, soaring above the sphere of men and things, have look'd for the supports of natural, and revealed religion in the abstract world. For which reason, when they are brought down here among us, and desir'd to look before 'em, they are in the utmost confusion, can't distinguish the tendencies of Nature, from the perversions of it, nor the general rule from the exception, without which it will be no easy matter to understand Ur. Butler. They seem to be pretty much in the same case with those in Plato's Republick, who were brought down from the upper light of the sun into the subterraneous cave, or the Philosophers that descended from the empyreal sphere, where they had been contem[)lating the good and fair, to find it out in the administrations of men. Besides, Dr. Butler argues with a view to a whole system of things, which is very uncommon, and out of the way to the generality of reasoning heads. There are two different species of reasoning metaphysical heads, one which divides things, the other which compounds 'em ; or, in other words, the first reasons by minutely considering particular things, and nicely distinguishing : the last by taking in, in one comprehensive view, a whole scheme of things. That has sharp discerning eyes, but is close- sighted ; This requires eyes that are strong, and can take in objects all around at a great distance, and is by far, I 10 \i t, I t 74 Af/=:.UO//? OF think, the finest, and most nohic way of thinkini^, and very rare; one may, for distinction's sake, call the former micro- scopick, the latter tclescopick Philosophers. There is too a way of talking, which results from a fine sense of things, which very few are capable of fully relishing, and seeing the whole beauty and strength of. For this reason you hear a thousand panegyricks upon Cicero's Philosophy, and scarce ever a hearty commemlation of Plato ; this sets Woollaston far above Buder, for this reason too the whole force of your sermons, which are full of that way of thinking, will fully be possessed but by a few. My duty to my mother, to whom my hearty thanks for her present. My love to my brother, and service to Mr. Herring. I have i expecting your letter, which I hope will not be now Vo -^ a coming. I am. Your most dutifull son, RD. MUDGE. r / Honoured Sir, I find by your last that I have offended the Bishop by drinking the Church's prosperity, as you did last election by voting. You'll excuse my putting together two cases so unparallel. But methinks there is some pleasure in the I I RICHARD MVDGE. 79 reflection that tin; matter of the crime is somewhat alike, tho' not the manner of it. I was L,^'ly, and in liij^li spirits indeed, when I committed that misdemeanour, but since 'tis carried to his Lordshij), and I have lost my interest by it, it is some satisfaction to me to think it was not without a mixture of indignation, an indi^niation certainly very justifi- able and ri^ht in the heart, tho' possibly it was imprudent to express it. I am not eag^er for preferment on my own account, and therefore if I had only myself to consider, should not be at all disturbed at this accident ; at pn^sent I am but little ; at least I am sure of this, I had rather lose the Bishop's best living by the offence, than gain it l)y the information. I doubt not P was the sycophant, the smiling villain that betrayed me ; I wish I could be sure of it, that I might have the pleasure to let him know how much I despise him and his malice. But I will say no more of the matter : I'll endeavour to be contented and wish the best ; I shall still however drink the Church, and let those who expect to find their account in it Tr^joTrn'traiffoi'. I have expressed myself pretty warmly, you see ; and it is with some restlessness and impatience that I look upon the mean usaL^e I have met with from the informer, whoever he be; and at the same time 'tis with a kind of indignant concern, that I reflect on the badness of the times, which could afford any opportunity for a Bishop to be affronted with me drinking the Church. However, I would not have you r ( 76 MEMOIR OF think it a principle with mc, that as nothinj^ but thn Truth should be spoke, so that should never be suppressed. I know very well, times will never be so perfect, but there will be always need in some proportion for the wisdom of the serpent, some share of which I will endeavour to be master of, for I am apt naturally to be imprudently warm. I have received your bill (which I return you my thanks for) and my box safe. As to your question as to how my ministerial function sits upon me, I find nothing- wanting, so much as a voice; I am told that it is low. I dc'ivc»- the Prayers and my Sermons pretty handsomeljr, I diink. considering how few there are who perform that part tolerably. I pronounce with better spirit, than I thought I could have done in so short a time ; but I cannot raise assurance enough to attempt action. I've often endeavoured it, but I feel my hands de- pressed with a weight, that I cannot remove. How faithful my courage would be to me, were I to mount a pulpit in a more numerous and better mix'd audience I don't know ; for I have not try'd. I have no acquaintance yet, that can furnish me with an opportunity ; nor indeed am like to have. When we look'd at Packington and the neighbouring great towns from so great a distance as Plymouth, nothing seem'd easier than to contract a familiarity with some persons in each : which I fancy, was owing to this, that the remoteness of the point, from whence we viewed, brought the objects nearer together to the mind, than they really are, and so RICHARD MUDGE. 7T facilitated in our conception that which depends upon nt^ir- ness. But now I am here, five long miles appear so much, and is a vast chasm between me and a town, to which I have not the least thintj to call me. Besides I live in a sini^lc house, which therefore allows no other opi)ortunity of getting accju lintance than thro' Lord Guernsey, who dislikes most of the clergy about him, either as Ixul men, or opposers of his party and its interest. At Lnmingham, 9 miles off, I know one or two of the clergymen where I will endeavour one day or other to see how I can bt;hav< in a large assembly. I am obliged to send you this letter inifranked, for Lord Guernsey is from home. We expecled him to night (for he is this day 25 years of age) or to-morrow at farthest ; which made me defer writing so long. But news canio from him to da}', that he should not be here till some time next week, and I thought you had rather pay for a letter, than be ex- pecting one so long. I am sorry to hear that my brother's affairs are like to be more expensive than you expected. I can say I was entirely without suspicion. I know his temper well. He is too much in a hurry, hasting away to the end, if he likes it, without considering much the means : and, I think. Sir, he is more solicitous to appear a man in the world than to be one. I know him the better, because I have known myself. I hope time will correct that puerility of temper, that emptiness of mind, emptiness, considering him as one that is to act, and bear a part in the world. I wish my apprehensions were false, but, I fear, they are in 78 RICHARD MUDGE. 1 III:' IS part at least true. I have but just time to send him my affectionate love, and hearty wishes he may go on with suc- cess any where out of the Hospital. My best services wait on Mr. Herring. I am yr's and my mother's most dutiful son, R. MUDGE. November 26th, 1741, Great Packington. My services, if you please, to all who ask for me. Ij : 10' 1 ?. f JOHN MUDGE M.D. i JOHN MUDGE, M.D., F.Ji.S. I *******