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    ruin the usefulness of the whole book , by correcting them now , and perhaps bring further and false suspicions on my present opinions ? Besides , I might tell you , that of all the books I have written , that particular copy is not mine . I sold it for a trifle to Mr .

    Laurence near thirty years ago , and his posterity make money of it to this day , and I can scarce claim a right to make any alteration in the book which would injure the sale of it . **

    Mr . Palmer , it is true , Sir , has not failed of informing his readers that the Doctor allows some things in the Hymns , &c « might be mended , but that he could not claim a right to alter

    the copy which he had sold . Had this gentleman stopped here , I would not have animadverted upon bis note . Surely , however , the quotation with which I have just presented you , is much mote favourable to Mr . Belsham s

    conclusion , that Watts would gladly have introduced alterations , if he had been permitted by the proprietors of the copyright , than to Mr . Palmer ' s , that he expresses

    his satisfaction in letting things remain as they were . To remove the fact beyond all doubt , I shall now produce a conversation between Mr . Grove and Dr . Watts

    concerning the book of Hymns , which Mr Palmer himself ( Notes , &c . 28 ) heard Dr . Amory relate u It was as follows : " < c Mr . Grove remarked to the Doctor , that several of the Hymns laid the stress of our redemption on the compassion of Christ , rather than on the love of God , and

    expressed his wish that he would alter them in this respect , and make them more conformable to

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    the scripture doctrine . The Doc * tor replied , that he Should b glad to do it , but it was out of his power , for he had parted with the copy , and the bookseller would not suffer any such alter * ation . "

    Unquestionably , Mr . Palmer must have lost in 1813 , the recollection of what he wrote in 1785 . Nevertheless , though I cannot always adopt his reasoning , I esteem him as a credible witness

    of what he professes to have seen or heard . For instance , I believe that he has faithfully reported Dr « Amory ' s statement of the conversation between Grove and Watts : yet , were I inclined to scepticism in this case , how easily might I

    urge presumptions against it , as plausible and cogent as those insisted on by Mr . Palmer against the testimony of Lardner ! Thus , to begin witb the very words of this gentleman ( Letters , &c . Note , 6 , 7 ) , I might argue that u if Dr .

    Watts had been v as greatly dissatisfied with the Hymns , as has been supposed , he might , and indeed he ought , to have left a copy corrected according to his last sentiments . " I might ask ( Ib . pp . 15 , 16 ) , what were the

    specific subjects of his dissatisfaction f Not only so : I might appeal to his orthodox phraseology in sub * sequent publications ( 34 , &c . )« Or to Mrs . Abney ' s , the Rev ; Thomas Tayler ' s , and Mr . Joseph

    Parker ' s ignorance of the existence of any such copy or conversation ! ( 25 , &c . )—Or to Dr . Gibbons's Narrative , Dr . Stennett ' s Communication , or the epitaph upon Watts ' s tomb-stone ( 27 , &c ) . This , Sir , I repeat , might bo done : nor perhaps would there

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    Strictures on a recent Publication of Mr . Palmer ' s . JVo . IJL 771

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Dec. 2, 1813, page 771, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2435/page/19/