THAT nothing may reſt uncommunicated to this Court, of what goes from me to that of Chriſt-Hoſpital; any more than, by your Allowance, I with-hold from Them, ought of what I offer You: I here tender you a Copy of a Letter of mine thither, of the 25. of January.

The Contents of which bearing my Farewel to Them, as with all reſpect my purpoſe is in this to You; I cannot but recommend the Peruſal thereof to this Court; as carrying with them ſuch a Repreſentation of the periſhing State of that Houſe, in ſome freſh Particulars eſſential to the Well-being of it, as render it a thing little leſs than hopeleſs for me (by ordinary Means, at leaſt) any longer to think of ſaving it: After finding my ſelf put to above ſeven Months Labour, in compaſſing only its Treaſurer's Signing that one Article of his Account, which you had before had from him Ʋnſign'd; and more than ten, in finding Paſſage only, through this Court thither, to my late Report of the State of the ſame.

And What it is that may be look't-for from it, even now it is there, with a Committee of few leſs than forty, and of them the Majority ſuch, as will find little Work for them in it, but Self-Arraignment; I ſubmit to your Lordſhip and this Court.

Eſpecially, when you ſhall be pleas'd to reflect upon the preſent Circumſtances of that Houſe's Government; viz. ƲNDER the Guidance of a Preſident, equal indeed to the worthieſt of his Predeceſſors, both in his general Virtues, and ſpecial Munificence to that Place. But One, whoſe Piety has out-liv'd his Strength for being otherwiſe perſonally aidful to it, in any of the Weightier Duties of that Charge. ƲNDER a Treaſurer, who (beſides what you have elſewhere before you concerning him) was alſo pleas'd to declare himſelf unable both in Mind and Body, for the longer Execution of his Office; and therefore made his formal Reſignation of it, and had it as formally accepted-of from him in Court there, above two years ſince. ƲNDER the Direction of Gentlemen acting indeed as Governours, and to whom as ſuch I have for more than 23. years had the Honour of reckoning my ſelf a Fellow-ſervant; but are ſaid to ſtand reported to You at this day by your Learned Council, not to be ſuch, nor capable of being ſo, without (what they have never yet had) the Confirmation of this Court. And laſtly, ƲNDER an Adminiſtration alſo on the part of your Lordſhip and your Honoured Brethren, ſo Gentle; as to have ſuffer'd your Orders thither, even in Points the moſt important, to lye 7. Months together wholly neglected, and your Authority as openly renounc'd; without having yet thought fit to have ought done (within my Notice at leaſt) in Aſſertion of it.

A Reflection, My Lord, as hard to be accounted-for, as in it ſelf Grievous.

Foraſmuch as, If after ſo uninterrupted a Juriſdiction, as has been always exercis'd by this Court, and with a Submiſſion as conſtantly paid thereto from theſe Hoſpitals; If after ſo long a Succeſſion of Gifts and Bequeſts to them, and thoſe to great Values, in reliance upon the Credit and Authority of this Court alone for their Security; If after ſo eſtabliſh'd a Veneration acquir'd to it, as Guardians of theſe Foundations, and particularly as the Moral Fathers of the Orphans of this Houſe, when in your Eaſter and other Solemnities, They, as Your Children, bear no ſmall part in the Honour of your Proceſſions; And laſtly, If after what in my particular I have been endeavouring herein for Your Service, and for the Service of the Poor; this Court ſhall appear to have been all this while thus credited and thus obey'd, without Authority at this day, under the greateſt of their Miſcarriages, to viſit and reform Them; for ſo alſo your Learned Council are ſaid to have determin'd. What muſt be thought of this miſtake? And particularly, How will the Pious Credulity of our Princely Founders and paſt Benefactors be to be lamented; and what more to be either hop'd or wiſh'd-for of Them, on theſe Terms, in time to come? What muſt the Apprehenſions now be of Thoſe, whoſe Subſiſtence reſts upon the Authority only of this Court, for the Payments that Houſe ſtands charg'd with to their Ʋſe, out of the larger Benevolences of their Charitable Aunceſtors? Or Theirs; whoſe Debts of more modern Date, lye unpaid (many Thouſand Pounds deep) by that Hoſpital at Intereſt, upon no other Security? What is there to be rely'd-on of Fruit from the Retroſpections ſaid to be now on foot there, or thoſe lying before your Lordſhip and this Court, from my Report ? Or in a Word; What to be hop'd-for either of Satisfaction for ſo much of our Poor's Stock and Benefactor's Bounties as has already miſcarry'd; or of better Proviſion in time to come, for ſecuring the Remainder?

What, I ſay my Lord, muſt the Reſult of all this be, and how to be anſwerd-for; ſhould this Court be ſo unhappy, as knowingly to permit ſuch a Foundation and its Revenue to reſt one day longer, in Hands no otherwiſe qualify'd-for, nor better intitled to the Truſt of it? While by a Reſolution of its own, not yet 16. Months old, you have been pleas'd to declare your ſelves ſtanding Governours of the ſame, and (as ſuch) required your being (as anciently) ſummon'd to every of its Courts, and accordingly have ever ſince been ſo, and now are: To the entitling Your ſelves (I fear) to a nearer Concernment in the Fate of it, than may have been yet ſufficiently reflected-on; and poſſibly, to an Accountableneſs with Them, for the good or bad Events of their Managements there.

A Conſideration I am the more willingly your preſent Remembrancer in, from the freſh Endeavours ſaid to be now on foot there, for reſuming their Old Liberty of taking-in Children, while unprovided of a Bit of Bread for thoſe they now have, otherwiſe than by running into new Debt, or length'ning their Score of Intereſt upon the Old; Beſides ſacrificing the Innocence of ſo many freſh Infants, to the Diſſoluteneſs of Manners now reigning, among thoſe they are to be there mixed-with. The Evil of whoſe Contagion, and Preſſure of which Debt, I take to be no otherwiſe removable, than by a total Stop to be for ſome time put, to the Occaſions of Both.

An Expedient, that I well know will at the firſt hearing be thought as Impracticable, as in other Reſpects Extraordinary.

But the Caſe is Extraordinary too; and conſequently, to reſtrain its Remedy to Ordinary Methods only, is little other, than to leave it Remedy-leſs. Which I cannot think any Gentleman, who hath the Honour and Truſt of a Governour there, will contentedly ſit-down with, while furniſh'd with any thing to offer towards the Saving it, as (for want of better) I do this: And yet with an Opinion ſo far from deeming it Impracticable, as to reckon it a Work neither of Length nor Difficulty; if, in Atonement for that Miſconduct of ours, by which, from the Proſperity this Houſe was in while under the Care but of 16. Governours with 500. Children, it has been brought into the Condition it now lies with 400. Governours (little more or leſs) and but 400. Children; if (I ſay) in Atonement for that Miſconduct, we would improve the Opportunity of this nearneſs in our Numbers, to the eaſing the Houſe at once of the Whole, by every Governour's taking to himſelf One: Thereby leaving the Income of it entirely free to the Diſcharge of its Debts, doing Right to its Founders and Benefactors, and that being done, to the ſetting-out afreſh, with a Revenue clear'd, its Diſcipline reform'd, and Proviſion made for its future better Conduct through the Whole. And this I lay with all Deference before your Lordſhip and this Court, as that without which, or ſome other Aequivalent, I muſt avow my Deſpair of ever ſeeing this unhappy Houſe in the State it ought to be; and therefore would be glad, with your Concurrence and the Concurrence of the Gentlemen of that Body, to be doing my part, either in this or any other Effectual Propoſition, towards it.

I am well aware, My Lord, of the Cenſure this Fervor of mine may expoſe me to, as One overpreſſing in a Cauſe, wherein Others neither leſs intereſted nor leſs diſcerning than my ſelf, are pleas'd to ſhew ſo little of the Diſſatisfaction I do; and without any ſurpriſe on my ſide at it, as well remembring how little different my own Sentiments were of it, while my Knowledge thereof (like theirs) had no other Direction, than the Information of Others. Whereas no ſooner was I engaged in the cloſer and more deliberate Enquiries apply'd thereto of my own, but that Indifference of mine was awaken'd to the Degree of Concernment I now profeſs; and which, on like Conviction, would be no leſs in any other, whoſe Morals (like mine) know no middle, in matters of Truſt at leaſt, between ſcrupulouſly Iuſt, and down-right the contrary. Or to ſpeak more plainly; between mixing my own Hand in the Ruin of this Religious Houſe, and ſitting ſilently within View of its being brought-about, by the Vanitie, Supineneſs, Prodigality, or Self-intereſt of Others.

Indulge me therefore, My Lord, the Liberty of this One only cloſing Note to Your Lordſhip upon this Subject. Namely, That as the Direction of the Hoſpitals, has in all times hitherto been undeniably exerciſed by your Honourable Predeceſſors, in this Place; and as uninterruptedly ſubmitted-to. So is it no leſs evident, that however an Occaſion has now (after ſevenſcore years Practice) been adminiſtred to the queſtioning it; Your ſaid Predeceſſors, (the Lord Mayor, Commonalty, and Citizens of London) upon Covenants firſt by Them entered-into with K. Edward VI. for the good Government of Them, were by his ſpecial Charter of Incorporation as Governours thereof, furniſhed with all the Powers requiſite to the enabling them to make-good thoſe Covenants.

In conſideration of which, and in Duty to Your Lordſhip, to the City, to this Court, and to the Poor, I cannot (as a Servant to all) but moſt earneſtly pray; that this Matter may without delay, be laid for Remedy before that Body Corporate, where-ever it now reſts; in order to the preventing, if poſſible, any unneceſſary recourſe to Methods Extraordinary, for what ſhould be thought attainable by Ordinary. Eſpecially while, Sitting a Parliament, with ſo many of your own Number, and of the Hoſpital's, Members therein, and with a Bill already (I take it) before Them, relating to Charitable Uses ▪ no reaſonable Supplement ought to be doubted from it, to that Ordinary Power: If any ſuch can be judg'd wanting, after ſo illuſtrious a Proof, as I have ſometime ſince given you, of the iſſue of his Lordſhip, the preſent Lord Chancellor's Proceeding in the late Memorable Caſe of St. Katharines 〈◊〉 Proceeding I cannot but remind you of; as well as of the Check put but few years before at the Great Seal, to a Viſitation then offered-at, in a Method leſs regular, in the Caſe of St. Thomas's.

To conclude, My Lord, this Calamity of ours in our Hoſpital-concernment is a Spot not to be cover'd in our Feaſts of Charity, once the Glory of this City. And a Spot not at the worſt neither, but daily ſpreading, and daily deepening too, through every part of it. Witneſs its Appearance (where leaſt to have been lookt-for) in the very laſt act of our Treaſurer's ſigning this Account; as giving you therein, his own Hand in Evidence againſt the Truth of what you had had before from him Ʋnſign'd; and in which, as in all other its former Editions, to my ſelf, to the Hoſpital, and from thence to the Lords of the Treaſury, there had been ſuppreſs'd in the ſingle Article of Sea Wages, a Sum no leſs than 1400 l. beſides others of greater Moment yet behind. And this too, notwithſtanding repeated Cautions to them concerning it; and particularly in my laſt, whereof this brings you a Copy. And ſince which (as freſh at it is) they have nevertheleſs adventur'd to ask, and actually received more than 700 l. upon that very Head on which the Treaſurer has ſo lately own'd his having twice that Sum of the King's in his Hand, yet to be accounted-for.

Be pleaſed therefore to think of ſome ſpeedy Prevention to the Growth of this our Reproach. And towards it, permit me only to ſay; That as uneaſy as the Ʋndertaking may appear to others; I ſee no Cauſe of apprehending any thing of more difficulty needful towards it (whether as to the due animadverting upon what is paſt, or better providing for what is to come) than a Right Choice of a very few Hands to be aſſign'd thereto, ſupported with an Authority ſuited to the Work, and Powers requiſite to the rendring their Labours and Determinations therein Effectual.

Which being adjuſted, and that only; I ſhould with great aſſurance of ſucceſs, both readily and gladly pay the utmoſt of my perſonal Service to the Gentlemen ſo commiſſion'd; as well in detecting the Errors of my own Calculations (and which for the Poor's ſake I could wiſh more, than I dare yet hope them to be) as ſuggeſting and applying adequate Remedies, to what thoſe Gentlemen in their happyer Enquirys may find truly needing the ſame.

But if after all (which God avert) it ſhould be our Infelicity, even with the aid of that Charter, not to have wherewith of our own to help our ſelves herein. The Cauſe nevertheleſs is too ſacred, both in it ſelf, and as it is the King's, to be permitted to ſink, while within the ſupport I have ſo often mention'd, of his Own Soveraign Viſitation; And more particularly in what relates to Himſelf within our Care in the Mathematical Foundation; by tranſlating it, from the Hands in which it now languiſhes, to thoſe he is pleaſed to intruſt with that of his Own later Erection, to the ſame Royal Purpoſe in the Advancement of Navigation, within his Own Palace and Inſpection at Greenwich.