resolved I shall never have any thing here. And fata, you know, non sunt demulcenda. But as I expect no preferment, so I thank God I can be contented without it. Only if my friends in the University, particularly yourself and the worthy Warden of All Souls, would be so kind as for my sake to shew some kindness to my son (who is almost ready to come thither) in giving him their assisting hand towards the procuring of a fellowship, I should accept the favour very thankfully, and think the pains sufficiently rewarded which I have bestowed to serve the public. Sir, it is not my talent to solicit for preferment; nor am I at all forward to do it, but having bred one of my sons a scholar (and a pretty good one I think he is for his age) and not being able out of my little income to afford him a maintenance for the finishing his education, I am forced to bespeak the favour of my friends in his behalf, and I hope I am not immodest or unreasonable in such a request. If I am, I hope you will, however, pardon the boldness and freedom of;

Honour'd Sir,

Your obliged and very humble servant,
J. NORRIS.*

Bemerton, April 9, 1707.

* John Norris was born about 1657, his father being a respectable clergyman, at Aldbourne, Wiltshire. He was educated at Winchester, and thence removed to Exeter College, Oxford. In 1680, he was elected Fellow of All Souls'

LETTER LX.

Mr. HEARNE to Dr. SMITH.

Dr. Wallis's Notes concerning Printing.

REVEREND SIR,

I HAVE sent you, as I promised in my last, Dr. Wallis's notes about printing, which I believe might be of use to Mr. Bagford,* provided he would compare them with the book

College, and entered into holy orders in 1684. In 1689, he obtained the rectory of Newton St. Leo, Somersetshire, married, and consequently resigned his fellowship. About the year 1691 or 2, he was presented to the rectory of Bemerton, Wiltshire, where he afterwards resided, till his decease, which happened in 1711, at the age of 54. He was a writer of great repute, and published several Treatises on Divinity and Philosophy. His Miscellanies are still read and applauded.

* John Bagford was originally a shoe-maker, then became a bookseller, in which capacity he collected for Bishop Moore, of Ely, who obtained him an admission into the Charter House. He intended to publish" An Essay towards a Historical Treatise on that most universally famous, as well as useful, Art of Typography, from the first invention of it at Harlem, by Coster, with molds or blocks of wood," for which work he published proposals in folio. The original draught of these proposals was given by Dr. Mead (with several other of Bagford's papers on the same subject) to Hearne, and ist now in the Bodleian, MS. RAWL. Misc. 396. It is written in his usual style and orthography.-" First," says he, “you shall haue the story of the seuirall bookes with picktures as

itself in which they are entered, or with some other copy of the same impression, for as I take it, he designs, amongst other things, to give us an account of the stamps or impressions upon the first paper; and any thing of Dr. Wallis's will be acceptable to curious men, at least he should not let slip the least notice he can meet with from such hands.

Oxon, Apr. 14, 1707.

Some notes concerning Printing by Dr. Wallis, transcribed from a copy of St. Jerom's (or rather Rufinus's) Expositio in Symbolum Apostolorum in the Schools' Tower, printed at Oxon, in 1468, given to that place by Moses Pitt, 31 Jan. 167980. There is another copy of this book in the Publick Library, amongst Bp. Barlow's book's,*

ye A, B, C, &c."-In order to obtain materials for this work, he travelled to Holland, from which country he wrote several letters, now in the volume above-mentioned, (where also is his MS. life of Caxton in eight pages) and collected several very valuable specimens of early typography, which he sold to Lord Oxford. He died, aged 65, in 1716. The great mass of his collections are now among the Harleian MSS. in the British Museum, some are at Cambridge, and the re mainder in the Bodleian. RAWL. Misc. 396. 398.

* At the beginning in Dr. Barlow's hand, "Lib. T. Barlow, Coll. Reg. Oxon. Socij, ex dono reuerendissimi in Chō Patris Gul. Guxon, Episcopi Londinensis, et summi olim Anglia Thesaurarij, Julij xxx1, ciɔ ɔc vn." The title of

with some MS. notes at the beginning by the Bp.'s own hand. *

Primus omnium liber qui vulgo perhibetur fuisse impressus, est, Ciceronis Officia, Moguntiæ, Anno Domini 1465.

Hic autem, qui dicitur Hieronymi in Symbolum Apostolorum, (sed est Ruffini potius) impressus et finitus Oxoniæ, Anno 1468, 17 Decembris, (non nisi triennio postquam ille primus ;) Baker, in Historia sua, perhibet artem typographicam, Londinum advectam esse anno 1471, et in Abbatia Westmonasteriensi primo exercitam fuisse, à Caxtono quodam (eodem cujus opera Oxonium pridem advecta fuerat, et qui Curcelleum quen

this very curious book cannot be unacceptable: Jncipit exposicio sancti Jeronimi in simbolum apostolor; ad papaz Jaurētiū. It then commences,

"m Jchi quidem fidelissime papa
laurenti ad scribendum animus

ta non est cupidus qua nec ido

neus scienti non esse abq3 periculo multo
ru iudicijs ingeniu tenue et exile commit
tere-" &c.

Dr. Barlow underscores "Sancti Jeronimi," and writes in the margin, "Ruffini est hæc Expositio, nō Hieronimi." There are several marginal references in a hand considerably older, throughout the volume.

* At the end are several notes by Barlow, but they are chiefly titles of early printed books. It may be added that the Bishop was of opinion, that it is an authentic production, with an authentic date.

dam typographum ab Harlemo huc invitaverat.) Nescio tamen an ullus extet antiquior codex Londini impressus quam est Caxtoni Chronicon, Anno 1480.*

Jo. WALLIS, Cust. Archiv. Univ. Oxon.

This book, (the outer margin being cut away more at the side than at the top and bottom; and because it hath eight leaves in one signature, or letter, as A, B, C, &c.) appears like a large octavo; but is indeed a small quarto, with two sheets in one signature, and one sewing; as appears both by the rules in the paper, which do not ly from top to bottom (as in folios and octavos,) but cross the page, from side to side, (as in octavos and decimo-sextos:) and by the mark of the paper, which is to be seen (near to the sewing,) not at the top of the page (as in octavos) but near the middle of it, as in quartos. As for instance, in the leaves signed, a i. a iii. b i. b iiii. c ii. c iii. c iiii. dii. and (those which answer to them) a S. a 6. b 8. b 5. c 7, c 6. c 5. d 7. (whence also it appears to be printed by half sheets: for c hath the mark oftener, and d seldomer than for

* Dr. Wallis's typographical knowledge was not, as it seems, very extensive. Caxton's earliest book was the French Recueil des Histoires de Troyes, printed abroad, between the years 1464 and 1467. His earliest work, with a date, at London, or rather Westminster, is The Game and Playe of the Chesse, 1474.