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The Famous Mather Byles

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THE FAMO US MATHER BYLES THE NOTED BOSTON TORY PREACHER P D OET, AN WIT 1 707-1 788 ARTHUR WENTWORTH HAMILTON ILLUSTRATED WITH um ENGRAVINGS F RO" ORIGINAL P BY OPLEY T H P I-R A MS A INTING S C , E E AND O TBRRB BOSTON W . A . BUTTERFIELD 1 91 4 CO NTENTS THE FAMOUS MATHER BTLES D T N BIRTH, E UCA IO , JO URNALISTIC WRITINGS ORDINATIO N AND FIRST MARRIAGE EVENTS IN EARLIER MINISTRY PASTORATE AT HO LLIS STREET CHURCH DO C TO R BYLmAS A PO ET ’ DO CTO R BTLmS HUMO UR D ISMISSAL FRO MHIS CHURCH TRIA L BEFO RE THE TOW N SOCIA L STANDING . FRIENDSHIPB LAST YEARS THE BYLES FAMILY NOTES CHIET PUBLISHED WRITINGS MANUSCRIPT LETTERS INDEX ILLUSTRATIO NS Dr Math r B l . e y es Frontispieoe Fro mthe o ri inal aintin le g p g by Co p y. 1 774, in he ssession of illiamB lmn t o W ru A o . ce Es M . p . q , D N FAG! PLO. v n a Mather Re . I cre se Fromthe o ri inal aintin b Vander r e g p g y sp i t. 1 088. in the possession of the Massachusetts Historical Society. n Mather b eter ha v . tt o el m Re Co , y P P ravin Froman eng g by Peter Pelham. nc ons than Belcher b R His Excelle y J , y . Phillips m m in n Fro a en ot t e graving by Faber. Province Ho use ma drawin . P. Fro g by M Kenway. B l Dr. Mather y es romthe o ri inal aintin Peter Pelham F g p g by . in e ion of Mr. eri a the poss ss Fred ck Lew is G y. Hollis St . Church ’ Fro mBonner s ma of Boston 1 709. p . mas Hollis b James Hi hmore Tho , y g Alexander Pope. by Arthur Pond Froman w a ving by Houbrsken. Dr. Iss ac Watts Froman w n i b h o tter 1 788. a ng y . n A Cano o f 6, words by Dr. Byles ro tbe l S ur h F m o tbe HoliS t . 1 Recordn l Ch c . 770. Tho mas Prince b ohn G Rev . y J reenwood l . Frommmp aving by T . B. We ch Dr. Mather Byles mthe r inal aintin b o le 1 707 in the Fro o ig p g y C p y. n r i a . possessio of Mr. Me ick Lew s G y Mather B les Jr. Rev . y . Froman originalpainfing in the posaealion olllr. Frederick le wis Gs y. P Fro mtbe originalpsinting by Henry elham. View of Bosto n Co mmon l ll 1 780. Frommengn ving by Samue Hi . THE FAMOUS MATHER BYLES CHAPTER I THE FAMOUS MATHER BYLEB FROMthe shadows Of pre-Revolutionary Boston no single figure emerges in whom sympathetic historians find a greater variety Of interest than in the Tory re her h ris ho a p ac , poet, and umou t, w p pears commonly in o ur annals as the ” “ ” famous o r celebrated Doctor Mather Byles . In days when religious discus sion w as acrid and local political feeling ran high and vituperation o f opponents ’ was en in r i i r h B les s Oft c ed bly b tte , Mat er y witticisms kept Boston laughing im der i n mo ately fo r at least a generat on, a d no doubt tended no t a little t o the soften in ri i s in h r i d g of aspe t e t e popula l fe, an a l 2 THE FAMOUS MATHER BYLES ’ it is naturally as o ne of New England s earliest humourists that Byles has been most conspicuously mentioned in periodicals d an books . But the man has an interest “ ” i e ne far w d r than that of a punning divi , the age through which he lived w as the most dramatic in o ur annals and his o wn life lacks no single element that gives the i i r en hi e e n t me p ctu esqu ess, w l th aloof ess from politics he persistently maintained puts himout of the category of those who in the fierce Revolutionary struggle actively helped or hindered the great cause to which the majority of his fellow townsmen gave h ir e r t e ard nt suppo t . That no o ne has hitherto taken the trouble to write the life of Mather Byles He nds n is no t strange. was a gra o of h n Mh r Increase and a nep ew of Cotto at e , r i n i i i and his st ik ng perso al ty , h s keen ntel i h r r in i e lectual g fts , and is p olific w it gs g v hima worthy place beside those remarkable me h i ed hr h the Revo lu n, but e l v t oug THE FAMOUS MATHER BYLES 8 tion and in that momentous conflict gave he in countenance to t los g side, and among the Congregational ministers o f New Eng n ith the a ri s ener la d , as w P t ot g ally, he r hi i n stood for the est Of s l fe, a d his name continued to stand when he w as n i dead , as a syno ym fo r d sloyalty and r h r h as ind . t eac e y Of t e b est k Moreover, at the evacuation Of Boston his only living s n Mh r e i r e o , at e Byl s, Jun o , w nt to Halifax ’ e nd in t e with Howe s fl et, a h Anglican r t . in h n n chu ch Of S Paul t at tow , a d in ri h r h . hn T nity C u c , St Jo , New Bruns wick, later, pursued the ministry which he had previously exercised at Christ h r h s n and hen h i C u c , Bo to , w e d ed , all his des endan s ere i i c t w l v ng, as most o f in them have s ce lived , under the British fl ag. Mather Byles has lately been brought r nd i before us pictu esquely, a probably n n r a rather truthful w ay, i that cha ming r h h imaginative brochu e, that as ad wide 4 THE FAMOUS MATHER BYLES ’ re in r er i ad g, Ea l P cy s D nner Table. I ha e fin im n n t t book, w d h duri g the i e n n s eg of Bosto , amo g British Officers in s ar e ni an d or in c l t tu cs d gol lace, the blue ’ ni r s Hi M u fo m of s ajesty s Royal Navy, and rich gentlemen merchants of the town in si and n lk brocade, in velvet a d lace, ie enan - e in i L ut t Colon l John Gunn g, Franc s ’ o r n n L d Rawdon ; Lo rd Holla d s son, Ho . e r rd in e H n y Edwa Fox, Capta Evelyn of th ’ in i K g s Own, the young Cuthbert Coll ng i n wood , Major John Pitca rn, Colo el Isaac ff i in is Royal , and Roger Shea e s pp g h n r n in port, a d th owi g the company to fits “ of laughter by his witty sallies o n the holy hypocrisy which is ruining the prov in r ce, o r o n much less impo tant personal ’ he e E r n t m s . But a l Percy s Din er Table is only the latest writing in which Doctor Byles figures: no faithful chronicler of Rev “ o lutionary Boston but exploits his per ” “ ” is n r i r i r i i s te t To y sm , o h s irrep ess ble w t , and no conscientious reviewer of early New THE FAMOUS MATHER BYLES 5 England literature but has something to say about the poetry and the published dis courses Of this brilliant descendant Of the a M rs n n f mous athe , a d e thusiastic disciple h of t e poet Pope. For more than forty years Doctor Byles ’ w as the faithful pastor Of Boston s Hollis e i h an i Str et Congregat onal C urch , d h s i h n striking g fts as a preac er, a d the close relationship he bore t o the Mathers and n himan i r n re in Cotto s, make mpo ta t figu New England ecclesiastical annals . But he w as besides a literary man Of much i i E ab l ty, and reviewers Of early New ng and r n i n l p ose a d poetry, wh le o t always enthusiastic in praise Of his literary pro du i r i ed a e e ct ons, have neve fa l to t k r spect ful notice Of his work .
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