The New Hampshire Gazette

The British Clergy. -It is a well known fact that the standard of morals among gentlemen of the clerical profession in Great Britain, is not exactly the same as that which those of the same vocation in this part of the world deem it their duty to observe. We have no reason to believe, that, since the days or Jonathan Swift and Lawrence Sterne, there has been any material change in the habits or principles of that class of the British gentry ; that is to say,there are probably as many fox-hunting, card-playing, and swearing parsons in the United Kingdom of England, Ireland and Scotland, at this present moment, as at any former period. At least it is now no unusual matter in that country to meet with a bishop fond of the break-neck enjoyments of the chase, with a curate habitually prone to gaming, or a clergyman of almost any, denomination,addicted to brandy and naughty language -vulgarly called profane swearing.

Indirectly, through a professional gentleman recently from London, we.have obtained some facts in the premises, which fully justify all that is above advanced. But from a mass of details, whereupon we might draw. if so disposed, we shall merely select a single anecdote that may serve to elucidate the subject. In a certain provincial town, not many miles from the English capital, dwells a very eminent and popular divine, who, while he attends scrupulously to all the spiritual ministrations of his charge, is at the same time ardently devoted to those sports of the turf, of the gaming table,and other "fantastical delights," which are apt sometimes to involve a devotion to the bottle and the use of rude oaths. The thing is altogether overlooked by his congregation, by reason of its long established fashion.-In this part of the world we stare at such matters--but there, it is expected—it is a matter of course, like any other species of gentility. This reverend personage is often called from the labors of the field to those of the church, and has been known on many occasions to come reeking from the pursuit of the hare, clad in his sporting habiliments, including white breeches, top boots and spurs. for the purpose of reading the funeral service. after having covered his secular dress with the surplice and stole, and"made broad his phylacteries."

One day, a parishioner having lost his help mate by death, requested the attendance of his reverence,in order to perform the customary obsequies. "I have services of different kinds, for which I receive different fees," observed his worship; "they are all the way from half a guinea to five guineas : from your situation in life, your wife having been a plain sort of body, not much given to display, I should imagine a two-guinea service to be amply, sufficient." "But," askedthe applicant, "of what quality may be that of the highest price ?" "O, you will not understand it," replied the priest-"there is a great deal of Greek and Latin introduced." "And," remarked the man; " I am curious to know what may be the nature of the service you render, for only one half a guinea." "Why," rejoined the parson, "it is very poor fit only for paupers : in plain English, it is full of the d-dest nonsense you ever heard."