Memoria Wilsoniana. Or, Some dues unto the memory of the truly Reverend & renowned…

S. 20. There is a certain Little Sport of Wit, in Anagrammatizing the Names of Men; which was used as long ago at Least as the Days of Old Lycophron: and which sometimes has afforded Reflections very Monitory, as Alstedius by his just Admirers changed into Sedulitas, or very Satirical, as when, Satan Ruleth me, was found in the Transposed Name of a certain Active Persecutor: and when, Lo, a Damned Crew, was found in the Name of One that made a Figure, among the Popish Plotters against the Nation. Yea, Tis possible, that they who affect such Grammatical Curiosities, will be willing to plead a Prescription, of much Higher and Elder Antiquity for them; Even the Temurah, or, Mutation, with which the Jews do Criticise upon the Oracles of the Old Testament. There, they say, You'll find the Anagram of our First Fathers Name Ha adam, to express Adamah, the Name of the Earth, whence he had his Original. An Anagram, of a Good Signification, they'll show you [Gen. 6.8.] and of a Bad one [Gen. 38.7.] in those Glorious Oracles; and they will Endeavour to persuade you, that Maleachi in Exodus is Anagrammatically ⟨p. 38⟩grammatically Expounded Michael, in Daniel. But of all the Anagrammatizers that have been Trying their Fancies, for the Two Thousand years which have Run out, since the Days of Lycophron, yea, or for the more than Five Thousand, since the Days of our First Father, I believe there never was Man, that made so many, or so nimbly, as our Mr. Wilson; who, together with his Quick Turns, upon the Names of his Friends, would Ordinarily Fetch, and rather than Lose, would even Force, Devout Instructions out of his Anagrams. As once, upon Hearing my Father Preach a Sermon about, The Glories of our Lord Jesus Christ, Mr. Wilson immediately gave him that Anagram upon his Name, Crescentius Matherus, Anagr. En! Christus Merces tu• : So, there could Scarcely occur the Name of any Remarkable Person, at least, on any Remarkable Occasion unto him, without an Anagram Raised thereupon; and he made this Poetical, and Peculiar, Disposition of his Ingenuity, a Subject whereon he Grafted Thoughts far more Solid and Solemn and Useful, than the Stock it self. Wherefore methoughts, it Looked like a Piece of Injustice, that his Own Funeral produced (among the many Poems afterwards Printed) no more Anagrams upon his Name, who had so often thus Handled the Names of Others;