Mr. Jones, of Welwyn, relates, on the authority of Old Mr. Bunburry,
of Brazen-nose College, that Bishop Kennett, when a young man, being
one of the Oxford Pro-Proctors, and a very active one, about James the
Second's reign, going his rounds one evening, found a company of
gownsmen engaged on a _drinking bout_, to whom his then high church
principles were notorious (though he afterwards changed them, sided
with Bishop Hoadley, and obtained the _soubriquet_ of _weather-cock
Kennett_.) When he entered the room, he reprimanded them for keeping
such late hours, especially over the bottle, rather than over their
studies in their respective colleges, and ordered them to disperse.
One in the company, who knew his political turn, addressed him with,
"Mr. Proctor, you will, I am sure, excuse us when I say, we were met
to _drink prosperity to the church_, to which _you_ can have no
objection." "Sir," was his answer, with a solemn air, "we are to
_pray_ for the church, and to _fight_ for the church, not to _drink_
for the church." Upon which the company paid their reckoning and
dispersed. There is a curious print in the Library of the
Antiquarians, of an altar-piece, which the rector of Whitechapel, Dr.
Walton, caused to be painted and put up in his church, representing
Christ and his twelve apostles eating the passover, wherein Bishop
Kennett (the "Traitor Dean," as his siding with Hoadley caused him to
be designated) is painted as _Judas_.
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