tion and notes. In the same year he was chosen president of Zion college, and
preached the customary Latin sermon. In 1786, he was elected one of the
vice-presidents of the antiquarian society, and in the month of March of the
following year, he was elected one of the trustees of the British museum. In
September, 1787, ho was made bishop of Carlisle. In 1788, he succeeded to
the Deanery of Windsor, for which he vacated his residentiaryship of St Pauls,
and in 1791 he was translated to the See of Salisbury. And having reached
the 86th year of his age, lie died on the 18th of May, 1807. He was buried
in one of the vaults of St George's chapel in Windsor Castle, and was attended
to the grave by the duke of Sussex.
Mr Douglas had the honour to be a member of the club instituted by Dr Johnson, and is frequently mentioned in Boswell's life of the lexicographer; he is also twice mentioned by Goldsmith in the "Retaliation." We are told by his son that his father was an indefatigable reader and writer, and that he was scarcely ever to be seen without a book or a pen; but the most extraordinary feature in the career of this reverend prelate is his uniform good fortune, which makes the history of his life little more than the chronicle of the honours and preferments which were heaped upon him.[1]
DOUGLAS, Robert, an eminent clergyman, is said to have been a grandson of Mary queen of Scots, through a child born by her to George Douglas, younger of Lochleven, while she suffered confinement in that castle. Nothing else has come to our knowledge respecting his parentage and early history. It would appear that he accompanied, in the capacity of chaplain, one of the brigades of auxiliaries sent over from Scotland, by connivance of Charles I., to aid the protestant cause under Gustavus Adolphus, in the celebrated thirty years' war. Wodrow, in his manuscript Analecta, under date 1712, puts down some anecdotes of this part of Douglas's life, which, he says, his informant derived from old ministers that had been acquainted with him.
"He was a considerable time in Gustavus Adolphus's army, and was in great reputation with him. He was very unwilling to part with Mr Douglas, and when he would needs leave the army, Gustavus said of him that he scarce ever knew a person of his qualifications for wisdom. Said he, 'Mr Douglas might have been counsellor to any prince in Europe; for prudence and knowledge, he might be moderator to a general assembly; and even for military skill,' said he, 'I could very freely trust my army to his conduct.' And they said that in one of Gustavus's engagements, he was standing at some distance on a
- ↑ The following is a list of bishop Douglas's works: "Vindication of Milton from the charge of Plagiarism, adduced by Lauder,' 1750. "A letter on the criterion of miracles," 1754, principally intended as an antidote against the writings of Hume, Voltaire, and the philosophers." "An apology for the clergy against the Hutchinsonians, Methodists, &c." "The destruction of the French foretold by Jizekiel," 1759. This was an ironical defence of those he had attacked in the preceding pamphltt. " An attack on certain positions contained in Bower's history of the Popes, &c." 1756. " A serious defence of the administration," 1756, being an attack on the cabinet of that day for introducing foreign troops. "Bower and Tiilemont compared," 1757. "A full confutation of Bower's three defences." "The complete and final detection of Bower." "The conduct of the late noble commander (lord George Sackville, afterwards lord George Germain) candidly considered," 1759. This was the defence of a very unpopular character. "A letter to two great men 011 the appearance of peace," 1759. "A preface to the translation of Hooke's Negotiations, 17(50. "The sentiments of a Frenchman on the preliminaries of peace, 1762. "The introduction and notes to captain Cooke's third voyage. "The anniversary sermon on the martyrdom of king Charles, preached before the house of Lords," 1788. "The anniversary sermon preached before die Society for the propagation of the Gospel," 1793. Besides these, bishop Douglas wrote several political papers in the public Advertiser in 1763,-66,-70,-71. He also superintended the publication of lord Clarendon's Letters and Diary, and assisted lord Hard wick and Sir John Dalrymple in arranging their MSS. for publication, and he drew up Mr Hearne's narrative, and finished the introduction.
