’Advices from Oxford say, that on the 29th of June, 1719, one Nicholas Amhurst of St. John’s College was expelled for the following reasons;

’Imprimis, For loving foreign turnips and Presbyterian bishops.

’Item, For ingratitude to his benefactor, that spotless martyr, Sir William Laud.

’Item, For believing that steeples and organs are not necessary to salvation.

’Item, For preaching without orders, and praying without a commission.

’Item, For lampooning priestcraft and petticoatcraft.

’Item, For not lampooning the government and the revolution.

’Item, For prying into secret history.

’My natural modesty will not permit me, like other apologists, to Vindicate myself in any one particular, the whole charge is so artfully drawn up, that no reasonable person would ever think the better of me, should I justify myself ‘till doomsday.’  Towards the close of the dedication, he takes occasion to complain of some severities used against him, at the time of his being excluded the college.  ’But I must complain of one thing, whether reasonable or not, let the world judge.  When I was voted out of your college, and the nusance was thereby removed, I thought the resentments of the holy ones would have proceeded no further; I am sure the cause of virtue and sound religion I was thought to offend, required no more; nor could it be of any possible advantage to the church, to descend to my private affairs, and stir up my creditors in the university to take hold of me at a disadvantage, before I could get any money returned; but there are some persons in the world, who think nothing unjust or inhuman in the prosecution of their implacable revenge.’

It is probable, that upon this misfortune happening to our author, he repaired to the capital, there to retrieve his ruined affairs.  We find him engaged deeply in the Craftsman, when that paper was in its meridian, and when it was more read and attended to than any political paper ever published in England, on account of the assistance given to it by some of the most illustrious and important characters of the nation.  It is said, that ten thousand of that paper have been sold in one day.

The Miscellanies of Mr. Amhurst, the greatest part of which were written at the university, consist chiefly of poems sacred and profane, original, paraphrased, imitated, and translated; tales, epigrams, epistles, love-verses, elegies, and satires.  The Miscellany begins with a beautiful paraphrase on the Mosaic Account of the Creation; and ends with a very humorous tale upon the discovery of that useful utensil, A Bottle-Screw.

Mr. Amhurst died of a fever at Twickenham, April 27, 1742.  Our poet had a great enmity to the exorbitant demands, and domineering spirit of the High-Church clergy, which he discovers by a poem of his, called, The convocation, in five cantos; a kind of satire against all the writers, who shewed themselves enemies of the bishop of Bangor.  He translated The Resurrection, and some other of Mr. Addison’s Latin pieces.