Not of Bishop Wilson could it be said, as it was said of another, that
he "flattered princes in the temple of God." One day, when he was coming
to Court, Queen Caroline saw him and said to a company of Bishops and
Archbishops that surrounded her, "See, my lords, here is a Bishop who
does not come for a translation." "No, indeed, and please your Majesty,"
said Bishop Wilson, "I will not leave my wife in her old age because she
is poor." When Bishop Wilson was an old man, Cardinal Fleury sent over
to ask after his age and health, saying that they were the two oldest
and poorest Bishops in the world. At the same time he got an order that
no French privateer should ever ravage the Isle of Man. The order has
long lapsed, but I am told that to this day French seamen respect a
Manxman. It touches me to think of it that thus does the glory of this
good man's life shine on our faces still.