dean sent him a letter full of bitter sarcasm and reproach, to which the bishop returned an answer that marks a superior command of temper; but it appears from the life of the rev. Philip Skelton, that his lordship deserved much of what Swift bad imputed to him.'

STERNE (RICHARD), archbishop of York, the son of Simon Sterne, was descended from a family in Suffolk, but was born at Mansfield in Nottinghamshire in 1596. He was admitted of Trinity-college, Cambridge, in 1611, whence, having taken his degrees of A. B. in 1614, and A. M. in 1618, he removed to Bene't-college in 1620, and was elected fellow July 10, 1623. He then took pupils with great credit to himself and to the college, and proceeded B. D. the following year, and was incorporated in the same degree at Oxford in 1627. He had been appointed one of the university preachers the year before, and was in such high reputation, that he was made choice of for one of Dr. Love's opponents in the philosophical act, kept for the entertainment of the Spanish and Austrian ambassadors, and fully answered their expectations. In 1632 he was made president of the colleges and upon Dr. Beale's translation from the mastership of Jesus to that of St. John's college soon after, was put in his room in March 1633. His promotion is thus noticed in a private letter: "One Stearne, a solid scholar (who first summed up the 3600 faults that were in our printed Bibles of London) is by his majesty's direction to the bishop of Ely (who elects there) made master of Jesus." This occasioned him to take the degree of D. D. in 1635, and he then assumed the government of the college, to which he proved a liberal benefactor, and it was by his means that the north side of the outer court was built. In 1641 he was nominated by a majority of the fellows to the rectory of Harleton in Cambridgeshire; but some contest arising, he did not get possession of it till the summer following. He had, however, from March 1634 enjoyed that of Yeovilton in the county of Somerset, through the favour of archbishop Laud, one of whose chaplains he was, and so highly esteemed, that he chose him to do the last good offices for him on the scaffold. On the breaking out of the rebellion, he incurred the fiercest anger of the usurper for having

1 Harris's edition of sir J. Ware.-Nichols's edition of Swift's works; see Index.-Skelton's Life.

conveyed to the king both the college plate and money, for which he was seized by Cromwell, and carried up to London. Here, after suffering the severest hardships in various prisons, he was ejected from all his preferments. Few men indeed suffered more cruel treatment; and it was some years before he was finally released, and permitted to retire to Stevenage in Hertfordshire, where he kept a private school for the support of his family till the restoration. Soon after that event, while he was carrying on the repairs of the college, he was appointed bishop of Carlisle, and was concerned in the Savoy conference, and in the revisal of the book of Common-prayer. On the decease of Dr. Frewen, he was translated to the archiepiscopal see of York, over which he presided with becoming dignity, till the time of his death, Jan. 18, 1683, in the eightyseventh year of his age. He was buried in the chapel of St. Stephen in his own cathedral, where an elegant monument was afterwards erected to his memory by his grandson Richard Sterne, of Elvington, esq.

His character has been variously represented, as we have repeatedly had occasion to notice in the case of persons of eminence who lived in his disastrous period. Bishop Kennet informs us, "He was promoted to the bishopric of Carlisle, on account of his piety, great learning, and prudence, as being indeed not less exemplary in his notions and conversations, than if he himself had expected martyrdom, from the hour of his attendance upon his patron archbishop Laud." Baxter says, Baxter says, " Among all the bishops there was none who had so promising a face. He looked so honestly, and gravely and soberly, that he thought such a face could not have deceived him;" but then he adds, "that he found he had not half the charity which became so grave a bishop, nor so mortified an aspect." Notwithstanding this charge, he was one of those bishops who shewed great lenity, charity, and respect, in their treatment of the nonconformist clergy. The only substantial charge against him is that advanced by bishop Burnet, who censures him for being too eager to enrich his family. For this there seems some foundation, and Browne Willis allows that he would have deserved a larger encomium than most of his predecessors, if he had not demised the park of Hexgrave from the see to his son and family. His many benefactions to Bene't and Jesus colleges, to the rebuilding of St. Paul's, and other public and charitable purposes, show that if he was rich, he was also liberal.

As an author, besides some Latin verses, in the "Genethliacon Caroli et Mariæ, 1631," at the end of Winterton's translation of the Aphorisms of Hippocrates in 1633, on the birth of a prince in 1640, and others in "Irenodia Cantab. ob paciferum Caroli e Scotia reditum, 1641," he was one of the assistants in the publication of the Polyglot; published a "Comment on Psalms eiii." Lond. 1649, 8vo; and wrote an accurate treatise on logic, which was published after his death, in 1686, 8vo, under the title of "Summa Logicæ, &c."11

STERNE (LAURENCE), said to be great-grandson of the preceding, was the son of Roger Sterné, a lieutenant of the army. He was born at Clonmel in the South of Ireland, Nov. 24, 1713. It has been thought that his affecting story of Le Fevre was founded on the circumstances of his father's family, which had long to struggle with poverty and hardships on the slender pay of a lieutenant. As soon as Lawrence was able to travel, his father and family left Ireland and went to Elvington near York, where his father's mother resided, but in less than a year, they returned to Ireland, and afterwards moved from place to place with the regiment, until Lawrence was placed at a school near Halifax in Yorkshire. In 1731 his father died.

Lawrence remained at Halifax till about the latter end of the above year, and in the following, was admitted of Jesus-college, Cambridge, where he took his bachelor's degree, January 1736, and that of master in 1740. During this time he was ordained, and his uncle Jaques Sterne, LL. D. prebendary of Durham, &c. procured him the living of Sutton, and afterwards a prebend of York, and by his wife's means (whom he married in 1741), he got the living of Stillington. He resided, however, principally, and for above twenty years, at Sutton, where, as he informs us, his chief amusements were painting, fiddling, and shooting. Here, however, he must have employed a considerable part of his time in reading, as some of the works which he afterwards published plainly evince the study of many voluminous and neglected authors. He had also before he quitted Sutton, published in 1747, a charity sermon for the support of the charity-school at York, and in 1756 an assize sermon, preached at the cathedral, York.

1 Masters's Hist. of C. C. C. C.-Le Neve, vol. II.-Walker's Sufferings of the Clergy. Barwick's Life.-Burnet's Own Times.-Kennet's Register and Chronicle.-Willis's Cathedrals.

In 1759 he published at York the first two volumes of his Tristram Shandy," and in 1760 took a house at York. The same year he went up to London to republish the above volumes, and to print two volumes of his "Sermons;" and this year also lord Falconbridge presented him to the curacy of Coxwold. In 1762 he went to France, and two years after to Italy. In 1767 he left York, and came to London to publish the "Sentimental Journey;" but his health was now fast declining, and, after a short but severe struggle with his disorder, he died at his lodgings in Bond-street, March 18, 1768, and was buried in the new burying-ground belonging to the parish of St. George Hanover-square.

His principal works consist of the "Tristram Shandy," the "Sentimental Journey," and some volumes of "Sermons." Several letters have been published since his death, which partake much of the style and manner of his other works. Were a judgment to be formed of his character from these, it would appear that, with more laxity of morals than becomes the clerical character, he was a man abounding in the tenderness and delicacy of humanity; but there were many well-known circumstances in his life which proved, that he was more an adept in the language than the practice of these virtues.

The works of few men, however, attracted more notice than those of Sterne during their publication from 1759 to the time of his death. He appeared an humourist of great originality, and became the founder of a school of sentimental writers which may be said still to flourish. Certainly no man ever delineated the feelings of a tender heart, the sweetness of compassion, and the duties of humanity, in more elegant or striking colours, although he was grossly deficient in that practice which is above all language and all expression.

As an original writer, Sterne's merit has been lately disputed in an article which originally appeared in the Manchester memoirs, and has since been published in a separate form by Dr. Ferriar. This ingenious writer has incontestably traced many very striking sentiments and passages from our author's works, to Burton's "Anatomy of Melancholy," bishop Hall's works, and other books not generally read. Yet with these exceptions, for exceptions they certainly are, enough will remain the exclusive property of Sterne, to prove that both in the language of

sentiment and the delineation of character, he was in a very high degree original, and altogether so in those indecencies which disgrace his most popular writings. '

STERNHOLD (THOMAS), an English poet and psalmodist, was born, according to Wood's conjecture, in Hampshire, and, as Holinshed says, at Southampton; but Atkins, in his History of Gloucestershire, expressly affirms, that he was born at Awre, a parish about twelve miles from Gloucester; and adds, that his posterity turned papists, and left the place. He studied for some time at Oxford, but not long enough to take any degree. By some interest that he had at court, he was preferred to the office of groom of the robes to Henry VIII. which he discharged so well that he became a personal favourite of the king, who by his will left him a legacy of an hundred marks. Upon the decease of king Henry, he was continued in the same employment by Edward VI. and having leisure to pursue his studies, he acquired some degree of esteem about the court for his poetical talents. He was a man of great piety, in his morals consequently irreproachable, and was a stedfast adherent to the principles of the Reformation. Being offended with the immodest songs, which were then the usual entertainment of persons about the court, he undertook to translate the Psalms into English metre, hoping the courtiers might find in them a proper antidote and substitute for their licentious songs: but he died in 1549, without completing the work. His will was proved Sept. 12th of that year, and in it he is styled groom of his majesty's robes; and it appears that he died seized of lands. to a considerable value in Hampshire and Cornwall.

He lived to versify only fifty-one of the Psalms, which were first printed by Edward Whitchurch in 1549, with the title "All such Psalms of David as Thomas Sterneholde late grome of the kinges majestyes robes, did in his lyfetyme drawe into Englyshe metre." This book is dedicated to Edward VI. by the author, and seems therefore to have been prepared by him for the press; but Wood, and his followers, are mistaken, in saying, that Sternhold caused musical notes to be set to his Psalms, for they were published, both in 1549 and 1552, without notes; the first edition with notes did not appear until 1562 *. Sir John

! • Ames takes notice of another work by Sternhold, "Certayne chapters of the Prouerbs of Solomon drawen into metre," printed in 1551.

'Life prefixed to his Works.