to attend the public prayers without being misunderstood.[1] It is singular, that this Letter should have been written to Hickes, the man who laboured more than any other to prevent the closing of the breach, after Lloyd's death.
It appears, that even Lloyd himself had some such thoughts, on the death of King William; for he wrote, begging Ken to repair to London " in this nice conjunction of affairs," to assist them with his counsel.[2] Subsequently, when Ken actually resigned to Hooper, he was much censured by some of the party. "The Jacobites at Bristol," says he, "fomented by those at London, are thoroughly enraged against me for my cession to one, whom all mankind besides themselves have a high esteem of." It seems that some one had previously solicited Ken to adopt clandestine consecrations. "If I should produce the frequent letters, a certaine person wrote to me, for near two yeares together, to importune me to consent to clandestine consecrations, they would discover the temper of the man, and the zeal he shewed to make the schism incurable, which I was always for moderating, forseeing how fatall it would prove."[3] This was written to Lloyd, who then approved of the step taken by Ken, though he afterwards endeavoured to retract his approval. In a subsequent Letter, Ken, alluding to the conduct of the Bristol people, says, "Though you are pleased to tell me, that others kindled this fire, and not yourself, I must take the freedom to tell you, that it is you yourself have most contributed to it. For it is still vehemently
