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Lord Charles Somerset, to whom he paid unremitting attention the whole time they were under his care; nor in the discharge of the important duties of his office, have we ever heard of an instance in which he did not unite the character of friend with that of tutor, and make himself as much beloved by his affectionate concern for the interests of those committed to his charge, as he was respected by them for his superior endowments.

He very early commenced his theological studies, nor did he give them up on taking orders, as is too commonly the case, but pursued them with increasing ardour; the effect of a real attachment to his profession. In consequence of the fame he had acquired in this respect, he was appointed Bampton lecturer in 1790, we believe at an earlier age than usual; and the University had no reason to be sorry for their choice.

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"His sermons (to use the words of a respectable critic,) are intended to support the orthodox system of doctrine maintained by our established church, against the insinuations or direct attacks of Dr. Middleton, Mr. Gibbon, and Dr. Priestley, His labours commence with an apology for the fathers of the church, whose characters as historians, as learned men, and as faithful depositaries of the true doctrine of the gospel, he defends with great zeal and animation. opposition to the animadversions of Mr. Gibbon, he vindicates the apologies of the primitive Christians, and corrects the misrepresentations which Mr. G. had given of the causes which contributed to the propagation of the Christian faith. Mr Kett afterwards undertakes to discuss and refute the leading principles in Dr. Priestley's History of the early opinions concerning Christ. The concluding sermons of the volume are employed in establishing the authenticity and inspiration of the books of the New Testament, and in tracing an analogy between the primitive church and the church of England, on which he bestows a warm and elegant eulogy. From the perusal of these sermons we have received a high degree of pleasure, although we have frequently found ourselves obliged to differ from the learned author in his construction of the

sense of ecclesiastical history in his reasonings and deductions. We think him, however, entitled to very respectful attention, from the unquestionable marks of learning and ingenuity which he discovers, which are likewise recommended by great manliness, perspicuity, and elegance of style."

"His sermon on the earliest martyrs of the Christian church is written (say the critical reviewers) in a style of eloquence which we have seldom seen surpassed;" and the learned and pious Mr. Jones, well known by his numerous theological and philosophical works, in his Life of Bishop Horne, commends Mr. Kett "for his very useful and learned Bampton Lectures."

But it was not only in the defence of the doctrines of Christianity that Mr. Kett distinguished himself; he was equally solicitous to show that their precepts influenced his practice. About the period of his being Bampton Lecturer, he exerted himself, in conjunction with other friends, in rescuing Dr. John Uri, a native of Hungary, one of the best oriental scholars in Europe, from indigence and distress. This gentleman had been sent for from the University of Leyden to Oxford, and had been employed, during the vigour of his faculties, in taking a catalogue of the oriental manuscripts in the Bodleian library; but growing infirm and old, without relations or friends in his own country, he was discharged by the delegates of the press. By the benevolent interference, however, of Mr. Kett, Mr. Agutter, (now Secretary of the Asylum), Mr. Smith, (afterwards Master of Pembroke College), and Dr. Parr, a handsome subscription was raised for his support; and the venerable scholar was placed in a situation of comfort in Oxford, where he passed the remaining part of his life.

In the year 1787, we find Mr. Kett engaged with Mr. Munro, formerly of Magdalen College, and Dr. Horne, afterwards Bishop of Norwich, in a periodical publication, under the title of Olla Podrida, to which several other distinguished scholars contributed. Their essays were re-published in a collected form, and are replete with humour, good sense, and acute observation.

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In 1793 he published a small collection of "Juvenile Poems," stating "most of the verses in this collection have appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine." However meritorious these trifles of his muse appear, the author was afterwards very desirous to suppress them, and so sedulous to effect that intention, as to increase the value of this little volume above the usual proportion of modern publications. When the poems first appeared, the playful muse of Mr. Thomas Warton supplied the following epigram:

"Our Kett not a poet!

Why how can you say so?

For if he's no Ovid,

I'm sure he's a Naso." *

On the 13th of July, 1793, Mr. Kett took the degree of B. D.; and in October he was a candidate for the Poetry Professorship against the Rev. James Hurdis, Fellow of Magdalen, but lost his election by a majority of 20, polling 181 against 201.

Alarmed at the rapid progress of infidelity, and wishing to awaken in the minds of the public a due sense of the importance of religious truth, by the most striking arguments, derived from the divine predictions, in the year 1798 Mr. Kett published "History, the Interpreter of Prophecy; or, a View of Scriptural Prophecies, and their Accomplishment in the past and present Occurrences of the World." This work is written in a popular style, displays the most extensive reading and observation, and met with the approbation of persons of the first eminence for piety, judgment, and erudition. Dr. Tomline, the present Bishop of Winchester, in his Elements of Christian Theology, called it "a very interesting work, penned with great judgment, and which he recommends to all who are desirous of becoming acquainted with the prophecies of the Old and New Testament, especially those which relate to the present times." Vol. ii. p. 61. But the

See Mr. Kett's characteristic portrait by Dighton, entitled, "A View from Trinity College," which is no unfavorable likeness of this amiable man.

approbation of Dr. Porteus, Bishop of London, was much more distinctly expressed, and his recommendation more warmly urged, in the following passage of his eloquent Charge to his Clergy, in 1799:

"This great and momentous truth, that the course of human affairs has ever been, and still is, (notwithstanding the present appearance of confusion and disorder in the world) under the guidance and the controul of an Almighty and Allrighteous Governor, directing them to these important purposes designated in the prophecies of holy writ, (more particularly in those relating to the rise, progress, and establishment of the power of Anti-Christ) the reader will find most ably elucidated and confirmed in Mr. Kett's View of Scriptural Prophecies, and their Accomplishment in the past and present Occurrences of the World.' This very ingenious, and in several parts original work, is, in these times of general anxiety and dismay, peculiarly interesting and seasonable; as furnishing the best grounds of belief and confidence in a divine superintendence, the most awful and animated warnings to the infidel and libertine, and the most substantial consolation and support to the sincere Christian, to whom is held out this most encouraging assurance, that whoever, or whatever church or nation, shall continue firmly attached in faith and practice to the Lord and Saviour of the World, in an age when he is crucified afresh, and put to open shame; and whoever shall resist the enticements of deceit, the sword of terror, and the torpor of indifference, shall come forth as silver that is tried in the furnace: for he that endureth unto the end, the same shall be saved."

This work went through several editions, and had a wide circulation. The application of prophecy to what Mr. Kett calls the infidel power of Anti-Christ is very ingenious. It has frequently happened that authors have, for various reasons, flung a veil of mystery over their works. Such was the case with respect to the Letters of Junius, and the Pursuits of Literature; and such was the case with respect to "History, the Interpreter of Prophecy." Mr. Kett acknowledged ob

ligations to some concealed coadjutor, and probably he had one, in the plan of the work at least.

The journal of" A Tour to the Lakes of Cumberland and Westmoreland, performed by Henry Kett, B. D., in August, 1798," was published by Dr. Mavor in his British Tourist. It is not very long, occupying only forty duodecimo pages.

This was one of several similar tours which Mr. Kett was accustomed to make during the long vacation. At the beginning of the revolution he visited France, intent on observing the changes then in progress, which made a deep impression on his mind.

In 1802, appeared "Elements of General Knowledge, introductory to useful Books in the principal Branches of Literature and Science, with Lists of the most approved Authors, including the best Editions of the Classics; designed chiefly for the junior Students in the Universities, and the higher Classes in Schools." This work, which was the result of Mr. Kett's studies for many years, contains much valuable information compressed within a moderate compass, and is by far the most useful book of the kind. It is adapted, indeed, for readers of almost every description, though more peculiarly suited to young academics, by whom it is still held in deserved estimation.

"In docti discant, et ament meminisse periti."

It went rapidly through several editions, and, to adopt the language of Johnson on another occasion, "that tutor may be said to be deficient in his duty who neglects to put it into the hands of his pupil." It reflects, indeed, no small credit on the abilities of Mr. Kett, that Dr. Barrow, the acute and elegant author of an Essay on Education, should decline to treat a subject which falls within his consideration, because it had been discussed by our author. "I found my intended observations on foreign travel so ably anticipated in the Elements of General Knowledge, that I must have been under the necessity either of transcribing Mr. Kett's elegant pages, or of

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