Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/155

Rh enjoying while there the advantage of a tutor in the person of Dr. John Jebb, a man of profound learning and a zealous advocate of civil and relig- ious liberty, with whom he corresponded till the doctor's death in 1786. In March, 1766, Mr. Pro- voost, having previously been admitted to the order of deacon by the bishop of London, was ordained at King's chapel, Whitehall, by the bishop of Chester. In June of the same year he married Maria, daugh- ter of Thomas Bousfield, a rich Irish banker, resid- ing on his estate near Cork, and sister of his favor- ite classmate, afterward a member of parliament. The young clergyman, with his accomplished wife, sailed in September for New York, and in Decem- ber he became an assistant minister of Trinity par- ish, which then embraced St. George's and St. Paul's, the Rev. Samuel Auchmuty rector, the Rev. John Ogilvie and the Rev. Charles Inglis assistant min- isters. During the summer of 1709 JNIr. and Mrs. Provoost visited Mrs. Bousfield and her son in Ire- land, and spent several months in England and on the continent.

Early in 1774 Provoost severed his connection with Trinity, the reason assigned being that his patriotic views of the then approaching contest with the mother-country were not in accord with those of a majority of the parish, and removed to a small estate in Dutchess (now Columbia) county, where he occupied himself with literary pursuits and in the cultivation of his farm and garden. He was an ardent disciple of the Swedish Linnaeus, and he possessed, for that period, a large and valuable library. (See book-plate on page 130.) Provoost was perhaps the earliest of American bibliophiles. While far away from " the clangor of resounding arms," he occasionally filled the pulpits of churches then existing at Albany, Catskill, Hud- son, and Poughkeepsie. He was proposed as a delegate to the Provincial congress, but declined, as also an invitation to become chaplain of the con- vention which met in 1777 and framed the present constitution of the state of New York. After the British burned Esopus, on the Hudson, he joined his friends the Livingstons, and other neighbors, in their pursuit. Mr. Provoost was proffered the rectorship of St. Michael's church, Charleston, S. C., in 1777, and five years later that of King's chapel, Boston, where his patriotic principles and practice were strong recommendations ; but he de- clined both calls. When the colonies had gained their independence and New York was evacuated by the British, he was unanimously elected rector of Trinity church, 13 Jan., 1784, immediately re- moved with his family to the city, and entered upon the duties of his office. Before the close of the year he was made a member of the Board of re- gents of the university, and when the Continental congress removed from Trenton, N. J., to New York, he was, in November, 1785, chosen as their chaplain. In the summer of 1786 he was elected first bishop of New York, and three weeks later received from the University of Pennsylvania the degree of D. D. In November of the same year he sailed for England in company with Dr. William White, where they were consecrated in Lambeth palace, 4 Feb., 1787, by the archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the bishops of Petersborough and Bath and Wells. The centennial anniversary of this event was appropriately celebrated in Lambeth palace, London, in Christ church, Philadelphia, and in the Chicago cathedral.

On his return, Bishop Provoost resumed his du- ties as rector of Trinity, the two positions being then filled by the same person. He was one of the trustees of Columbia college, and under the present constitution was elected chaplain of the U. S. senate. After his inauguration as president, Wash- ington, with many other distinguished men, pro- ceeded on foot to' St. Paul's church (see illustra- tion), where Bishop Provoost read prayers suited to the occasion. The first consecration in which he took part was that of the Rev. John Thomas Claggett, for the diocese of Mary- land, being the earliest of that or- der of the minis- try consecrated in the United States. It occurred at Trinity church, 17 Sept., 1792, dur- ing a session of the general con- vention. As the presiding bishop Dr. Provoost was the consecrator, Bishops White, of Pennsylvania, Seabury, of Con- necticut,andMad- ison, of Virginia, joining in the historic ceremony and uniting the succession of the Anglican and Scottish episcopate. Mrs. Provoost died, 18 Aug., 1799, which, with other domestic bereavements and declining health, induced the bishop to resign the rectorship of Trinity, 28 Sept. of the following year, and his bishopric, 3 'Sept., 1801. His resignation was not accepted by the house of bishops, by whom, however, consent was given to the consecration as assistant bishop of Dr. Benjamin Moore. Provoost was subject to apoplectic attacks, and from one of these he died suddenly at his residence in Greenwich street. His funeral at Trinity was attended by the leading citizens of New York, and his remains were placed in the family vault in Trinity church-yard. In person Bishop Provoost was above medium height. His countenance was round and full and highly intellectual, as may be seen in the accompanying vignette, copied from the original by Benjamin West. He was stately and dignified in manner, presenting, in the picturesque dress of that day, an imposing appearance. He was a fine classical scholar and the master of several modern languages. He conversed freely with Steuben and Lafayette in their own tongues, and had several Italian correspondents, including Count Claudio Ragone. He translated Tasso's " Jerusalem Delivered." but it was never given to the world, nor any of his occasional poems in English. French, and German. His sermons were characterized by force and felicity of diction. He was learned and benevolent and inflexibly conscientious, fond of society and social life. Under his administration as rector of Trinity for seventeen years, the church was rebuilt on the same site. During his episcopate of fourteen years the church did not advance as rapidly as during the same period under some of his successors. It must not, however, be forgotten that those were days of difficulties and depression in the church, and that the people of Pennsylvania threatened to throw their bishop into the Delaware river when he returned from England in 1787. The Episcopal church was only tolerated, and many Protestants fiercely opposed prelacy, having but recently " escaped from kings and bishops." While it cannot be claimed that