appear, that they were warm friends to Christianity; and so little inclined to infidelity, that they could hardly believe that any thinking man could really be an Atheist, unless he could bring himself to believe, that he made himself; a thought which pleased the king exceedingly; and he repeated it several times to the queen. He asked whether any thing had been written against me. I spoke of the late pamphlet, of which I gave an account, telling him, that I had never met with any man who had read it, except one quaker. This brought on some discourse about the quakers, whose moderation, and mild behaviour the king and queen commended. I was asked many questions about the Scots Universities: the revenues of the Scots Clergy; their mode of praying and preaching; the medical college of Edinburgh; Dr. Gregory, of whom I gave a particular character, and Dr. Cullen; the length of our vacation at Aberdeen, and the closeness of our attendance during the winter; the number of students that attend my lectures; my mode of lecturing, whether from notes, or completely written lectures; about Mr. Hume, and Dr. Robertson, and Lord Kinnoul, and the Archbishop of York, &c. &c. His Majesty asked what I thought of my new acquaintance, Lord Dartmouth? I said there was something in his air and manner, which I thought not only agreeable, but enchanting, and that he seemed to me to be one of the best of men; a sentiment in which both their Majesties heartily joined. “They say that Lord Dartmouth is an enthusiast,” said the king, “but surely he says nothing on the subject of religion, but what every Christian may, and ought to say.” He asked whether I did not think the English language on the decline at present; I answered in the affirmative; and the king agreed, and named the “Spectator” as one of the best standards of the language. When I told him that the Scots clergy sometimes prayed a quarter, or even half an hour at a time, he asked, whether that did not lead them into repetitions? I said it often did. “That” said he, “I don’t like in prayers; and excellent as our liturgy is, I think it somewhat faulty in that respect.” “Your Majesty knows,” said I, “that three services are joined in one, in the ordinary church service, which is one cause of those repetitions.” “True,” he replied, “and that circumstance also makes the service too long.” From this he took occasion to speak of the composition of the church liturgy; on which he very justly bestowed the highest commendation. “Observe,” his Majesty said, “how flat those occasional prayers are, that are now composed, in comparison with the old ones.” When I mentioned the smallness of the church livings in Scotland, he said, “he wondered how men of liberal education would chuse to become clergymen there,” and asked, “whether in the remote parts of the country, the clergy, in general were not very ignorant?” I answered, no, for that education was very cheap in Scotland, and that the clergy, in general, were men of