Page:History of the University of Pennsylvania - Montgomery (1900).djvu/464

LXXVI.

One of the Bachelors of 1763, Isaac Hunt, the son of the Rector of St. Michael's Church, Bridgetown, Barbadoes, unsuccessfully applied for his Master's Degree, but his com- plicity in several scurrilous and scandalous Pieces, unworthy of a good man or Per- son of Education ; some of them highly reflecting on the Government of this Province, as well as on this College itself where he had received his Education and his former Benefactors in it; in proof of which the original copies of two Numbers of an infamous Publication, entitled ' ' Exercises in Scurrility Hall," were produced, with some of his own Handwriting in one of them; and it was also asserted that he had been concerned in the pub- lication of several other Pieces of the like nature, as well as the "Letter from Transylvania," all which, the Printer of these Pieces, Mr Armbruster was ready to prove, were sufficient condemnation of his hopes. He was in waiting in another room to hear the judgment of the Trustees, who deemed " him at present unworthy of any further Honors in this Seminary," which Dr. Smith communicated to him, when he "did not deny his having written the Letter from Transyl- vania, nor his having made some corrections in some of the Exercises in Scurrility Hall, but that he was not the author of any of them." Thus the father of Leigh Hunt lost his Master's Degree in course in the Philadelphia College. Isaac Hunt and Benjamin West married sisters, and both found their homes in England. He took orders in the Church of England and was ordained 4 March, I/77- 1 1 Hunt aspired to contest for the Sargent Medal and wrote to Dr. Frank- lin, " would be glad to be honored with your sentiments when you have read both Performances, which I propose sending you by the Packet. This much I would beg leave to observe that I could not expect to receive Honors from Men to whom I am so obnoxious. This is evident from the ill usage I have very lately received. Accord- ing to custom I made application for my Master's Degree, an Honor which I had not forfeited, and was therefore entitled to. The Trustees after sending for my Prin- ter, and strictly examining the poor ignorant Man with respect to the Political Pam- phlets I had wrote, without hearing what I had to say, rejected my Application and refused to give me my Master's Degree. There are no Honors for me, this Side the Water unless your patriotic Endeavors for a change are crowned with success. Had I not so great and sincere a Friend as you are, good Sir, I candidly confess that my Ambition would have been greatly checked by this cruel Behavior cruel because it