of Lincolnshire, taken in 1604, by an eminent hand. 7. History of all the Gilds and Chanteries in the County, taken 1 Edw. VI. by order of Sir William Cecil, from the original.* If you can oblige me with any thing relating to these matters, you will add a further obligation to your civilities shewn already to, Sir, Your very humble Servt. FR. PECK. What you are at present upon does not seem to promise much for my purpose, I mean the Scotch Chronicle; when you publish any of English affairs, I shall be glad to subscribe. * Peck's "Antiquarian Annals of Stamford" appeared seven years after the date of this letter. The laborious and ingenious author was born in 1692, completed his education at Trinity College, Cambridge, and died in 1743, as appears by the following epitaph in Godeby Church, Lincolnshire, where he was buried. H. S. E. FRANCISCUS PECK, A.M. Excessit è vita nono Julii, anno Salutis humanæ MDCCXLIII. Illi Mors gravis incubat, SIR, LETTER CXXXIII. R. GALE to Dr. CHARLETT.. Cardinal Wolsey's Papers. Lond. April 2, 1720. I HAVE ordered the bookseller to wait upon my Lord of Chester and Mr. Clarke, as you directed; he tells me he has procured a friend to get Mr. Bowles, your library-keeper, to be at the trouble of receiving subscriptions for him at Oxford. I will send for Asserius Menevensis into Yorkshire next week, but it will be this day month before he can get to town. I believe there is little of Cardinal Wolsey at York, beyond the common Acts of his time, he having never been there; when his effects were seized at Whitehall by Harry the VIIIth, all his papers were carried into the Exchequer, where, in the Tally Court, are still great bundles of them remaining, particularly letters relating to foreign affairs: this certainly would be the best place of materials for Dr. Fiddes; the Doctor is so well known at York, that upon writing thither he may know if any thing is to be had at that place for his pur pose: I have not yet seen his title page, and suppose it is printed at the Theatre. Mr. Strype is so well that he preached last Sunday. I am, Sir, Your most humble Servt. R. GALE SIR, LETTER CXXXIV. Dr. JOHN THORPE to T. HEARNE. Textus Roffensis. I was yesterday at Mr. Barrell's house, at Sutton, near Dartford, and looked upon the "Textus Roffensis." The Title only of the 30th Chap. is in Latin, the Chapter itself is all Saxon. In the margin at the beginning of this Chapter some person has writ the following note: "Habentur fere omnia quæ sub hac rubricâ sequuntur in Chronica Jo. Brompton Latinè Hist. Angl. Scriptores X col. 852." Mr. Barrell told me, that being lately with the Dean of Rochester, the Dean seemed apprehensive that publishing the Textus would make the Rochester MS. less valuable, and spoke as if he designed to enter a claim at Stationers' Hall in order to secure to the Dean and Chapter their property in the Copy. To obviate which Mr. Barrell wrote yesterday to the Dean, and acquainted him that it was the opinion of himself, and other Prebendaries, that printing the Textus would no ways lessen the value of their MS. that they were rather desirous that it might come abroad, and as correct and compleat as possible; and that therefore they hoped he would desist from entering any claim as he proposed, and would give leave (if you desired it) either to collate edition with the MS. or to supply you your with any thing out of it that you should have occasion for. It is hoped that the Dean will acquiesce with this letter. However, as matters stand with us at present, Mr. Barrell advises, if you are desirous of any help from the Rochester MS. that you would please to write to the Dean for his consent. You may direct to him thus: To the Revd. Dr. Prat, Dean of Rochester, at Windsor. We wish your transcript had been a compleat copy of the Textus:* to make amends for which deficiency perhaps it may not be improper to print the Heads or Titles of such chapters as are wanting, with references to the Authors or Books where they are already extant in print. If it should be in my power any ways to serve you, I shall be very ready to do it. I am, Sir, Your very humble Servt. Rochester, May 17, 1720. JO. THORPE.† * Hearne printed the "Textus Roffensis" from a MS. in the library of Sir Edward Dering, Bart. Oxford. 8vo. 1720. † Dr. Thorpe communicated "The Antiquities of Oxford, by Leonard Hutten," from an original MS. LETTER CXXXV. Dr. GIBSON (Bishop of Lincoln) to Dr. CHARLETT. Parish Registers. Bugden, Aug. 13, 1720. THE more things are entered in the Registers the better, and particularly of the kinds which you speak of in your letter; but as the Canon considers it no further than a Register of Marriages, Christenings, and Burials, we can enjoin no other entries. In the course of my parochial Visitation in Surrey, it was one special part of my care, to see that the Registers were duly kept in all respects; the titles to estates ofttimes depending on them, besides many other incidental conveniences in the course of men's lives, and it being so very reproachful to the clergy, when Registers are exhibited in the Courts of Law, with the slovenly figure and entries, which we see in so many parishes: besides that be a question whether they are any evidence at all, unless it appear that they have been kept and managed as the Canon directs. it may 1 |