Letter; therefore, you must excuse my not having sooner thanked you for your most agreeable one, with the Verses relating to Hebe, which, without any flattery to you, are exceedingly pretty, and not only thought so by myself, but by every body that has seen them. My Model-maker was in town a little before I received your Letter, and told me of the error in the Model of the Arches of the Temple not being the same breadth, but that he would rectify it. I am sure they were right in the plan.

"Before I conclude, I must mention Hebe again: I want to know her birth-day; and I think you could contrive to find that out for me but you must not appear in it yourself, and I beg that you will not let any body whatsoever know that I asked this of you; and you will very much oblige, &c. MONTAGU." "Saturday, 2 o'clock, July 18, 1746.

"As your man tells me you are not so bad as to be confined to your chamber, I flatter myself that, as the Mountain cannot come to Mahomet, it will not be troublesome if Mahomet should go to the Mountain; and as I want to get some information from you, as well as to have pleasure to see you, Mr. Barton and I propose to dine with you to-morrow, but I beg, entreat, and insist, that you will not think of making a feast, but let us have the family dinner only, as a Philosopher ought to have; if you do otherwise, I shall seriously take it very ill of you. It is very fine weather to-day; I hope it will be so to-morrow; and I will come to you, unless it should be an abominable bad day; if it should, we will come on Monday. I once more beg, and insist, it may be only the family dinner, which will oblige MONTAGU."

"SIR, London, Nov. 12, 1747. "I must beg pardon for not having writ to you, though I have received two Letters from you; but, if you knew how abominably I hate writing, you would easily excuse me. As to the first Letter, I return you many thanks for the receipt of the Usquebæ. And, as to the second, about the Prebendary of Worcester, it is not in my power to do you any good:- but what is in my power to do for you myself, I will do with the greatest pleasure, if it be agreeable to you.-I remember that a few years ago you had a mind to have St. John's Chapel, which I could not then do. At this time, not only the Prebend of Worcester is vacant by the death of Dr. Green *, but the living of St. George, Queen-square, also, which is in my gift. In the valuation of my living, it is called two hundred pounds a year; but I am assured, by those who should know, that it is considerably more.

"If it is what you should like, it is very much at your service. I have had a good many solicitations for it, but I shall wait for your answer and I will tell you one thing in relation to it, which I desire you will keep to yourself absolutely, whether I

* Samuel Green, of Queen's College, Oxford; M. A. 1711; B. and D. D. 1733; Prebendary of Worcester 1731. Dr. Green had also some Church Preferment in Hampshire. He died in 1747.

am in the right of what I think or not; which is this:-This Living of St. George's was taken out of the Living of St. Andrew's about twenty-five or thirty years ago; and is not a Living in what they call the King's books; and consequently, I believe, may be held with any other Living, though out of distance; and I have been assured that Doctor Green had another living in Hampshire; if this be the case, you can hold it with the other things you have. Now the reason why I would have you keep this to yourself is, that you know I have a good many people who hold livings of me, and some pretty good ones, who would not, may be, care to exchange what they have for this; but, if they were aware, which I do not find any body as yet is, that they could hold what they have and this into the bargain, I should have them all upon my back for it; and they would think it a great hardship were I to refuse complying with their request. I am your most humble servant, MONTAGU."

Letters of Dr. STUKELEY and Sir HANS SLOANE.

"WORTHY AND DEAR SIR,

Grantham, Dec. 6, 1726.

"The real pleasure I always took in the business of my profession was one cause of my quitting London, because I could not meet with it there in such manner and measure, and upon such terms, as were agreeable to my humour. The passionate love I ever had for the country, where true happiness only is to be met with, and the very agreeable situation I am now in, engages me absolutely to abandon any thoughts of returning thither; therefore I have been casting about in my mind to lay a scheme for such sort of business as may best reward me, and encourage my pains in being useful to the world in practice. I have at present a prospect of being chiefly concerned in the best families. The Duke of Rutland is not yet engaged to any Physician; and I beg of you, as I perceive you now and then write to him, to take an opportunity to put in a word for me, which I apprehend will no way interfere with your correspondence. My brother is at present his Apothecary.

"At the Duke's seat lately, in an old stable which was the Chapel of the Monastery, they dug up a considerable piece of antiquity, the Coffin of the Founder of the Family, the Castle, and the Monastery; and I wish you would desire of the Duke to have it preserved some way or other, for it is wholly exposed. The inscription on the top is this: ROBERT DE TODENEI LE FUNDEUR. His bones lie in the stone trough underneath *.

* See Itin. Cur. vol. I. p. 49.-The Coffin was afterwards engraved in the "History of Leicestershire," vol. II. p. 23, with several other curious fragments, in consequence of a visit which I paid to those remains, with my late truly excellent Friends Mr. Gough and Mr. Schnebbelie.

He

He was one of William the Conqueror's concomitants. There are other such stones on both sides, but not yet uncovered.

"I am just preparing my instruments for observation of the weather, and quantity of rain, &c. I shall send you my memoirs of them when ready. I wrote to Dr. West, to know how I must ward off a foolish pretence they have got here of sessing me to the tax for my office, as they call it, meaning my practice; but I have not yet had his answer; and I would not suffer the profession to lose of its privileges through my neglect. --- I am, Sir, with wishes of your health,

"Your most obedient humble servant, WM. STUKELEY."

"SIR,

May 2, 1728.

"I have perused both yours to his Grace the Duke of Ancaster, and the Letter of his Grace's Housekeeper since the date of yours. I think you did very well, in the circumstances of the young Lord*, to bleed him, and blister; and not to purge, which I have always observed to do more harm than good. I think you should keep him from being bound; which, perhaps, may be done with taking a quarter of a pint of asses milk in a morning. I would also recommend to you a tea made of sarsaparilla china and a little eyebright, which will have no bad taste, especially if there be added to it some cow's milk; and these remedies are easily taken, and very beneficial. If you add to the collyrium I directed a little mucilage of seeds of psyllium, and make use of it to his eyes by way of eye-water, it will be of advantage. You do well not to meddle with the speck on his eye that was hurt, for it is a scar from the wound, which will, by being touched with sharp medicines, receive harm rather than good. If the inflammation should continue, you must bleed again with leeches, and have an issue made in his left arm, though it be a pity to put him to that trouble if it be not necessary to preserve his sight. I cannot see how it can be a doubt whether he sees with his hurt eye; for sure his favourites about him may, with great ease, cover his other eye, and, by presenting objects to that, know whether he can distinguish them. I am sorry to hear that this disorder continues, and advise you the best I can, which is left to your liberty, who are upon the place, to change or proceed with as you see best. Your most obedient servant, HANS SLOANE."

"HONOURED AND DEAR SIR, Grantham, Aug. 26, 1729. "The following inscription was given me lately. It is cut on the back side of a large silver plate of Roman work in basso-relievo, found by ploughing in Risley Park, in Derbyshire, June 6, 1729: EXSUPERIUS EPISCOPUS ECCLESIÆ BOGIENSIS DEDIT.

The Plate (they tell me) is an oblong-square, 12 inches long,

* Peregrine Bertie, the young Marquis of Lindsay (afterwards third Duke of Ancaster), who at that time was dangerously ill. He died Aug. 12, 1778.

+ Of this Silver Plate Dr. Stakeley printed an explanation, with an engraving, in 1736. See "Literary Anecdotes," vol. V. p. 503.

about

about 8 broad. It is high raised, and thought to have been enameled, being now decayed by time, and rendered brittle as glass. It weighs seven pounds. The sculpture or work on it represents a hunting, one man naked, another with a loose garment on; one has a sword, the other a spear. Two dogs seizing on a lion lying under a tree; a lioness at a distance running away. It was found standing on an edge, but two inches under-ground, and, no doubt, was deposited there in order to be taken away again by the same person. It was within a mile of Dale Abbey. There is an embossed border runs round the outer edge, charged with variety of figures, sheep, goats, men, some on foot, some mounted without bridle or saddle. I suppose these are of a less form than the other and principal work. There are fawns, a temple, and many other grotesque figures. The outermost rim is set round with little knobs, somewhat bigger than peas. The inscription is set round the foot, at the bottom; I suppose like that of a salver, and probably put on in later times, that it might serve for administration of bread at the sacrament, for which purpose it was given to the church (Bogiensi t). It may originally have been a Roman votive table. I know not the Church †, nor the Bishop. We have not hooks in the country to inform us of such things.

"Next week I expect Mr. Gale here, with whom I shall have the pleasure of drinking your health, and our friends at the Greeks. I am, Sir, with hearty prayers for your health, "Your most obliged and obedient servant, WM. STUKELBY." Grantham, Sept. 24, 1729.

HONOURED AND DEAR SIR,

"I received yours. I have not been unmindful of observing the superfice and the bowels too of the Earth since I came into the country; and have collected a good deal in relation to a theory thereof, and a confirmation of what I advanced in the beginning of my 'Itinerary,' of a visible proof of the Earth's rotation on its axis from view of its surface; but you know well, Sir, there is nought to be done by way of publication unless one be in town. I design to be there two months in every year when I get any preferment in the Church; for then I shall abandon practice; for now, though I have all the business within ten miles round and more, which you will allow to be fatigue enough, I assure you I do not make above 50l. per annum of it.

"I desire to know if you have in your Collection a Coin of Claudius, the reverse CERES AVGVSTA; a modius, or the like, reating to corn. I have one, on which I have written a dissertation, shewing it to belong to the famine in Claudius's time, mentioned by St. Luke, Acts xi.

"At this time the Living of Allhallows in Stamford is near vacant; the incumbent Mr. Rogers is in the last stadium of a dropsy, and cannot live a quarter of a year. It is worth near 150l. per

+ Bourges.

Exsuperius, called St. Swithin, Bp. of Thoulouse about the year 205.

annum.

annum.

I should be well pleased to have it. I guess there will be great application; it is in the gift of the Crown. I beg, dear Sir Hans, you will exert your interest, which I know is very great, in my favour. I guess the only way to secure it, is to be time enough. I dare say you will be denied nothing either of the Court or Courtiers. I design to come up to town in a very little time; but would have you speak first, to prevent others. I shall watch the opportunity as nicely as is in my power.

"I am, with heartiest prayers for your health, dear Sir, your most obliged and most obedient servant, WM. STUKELEY." "GOOD SIR HANS, Stamford, Aug. 14, 1730.

;

"I am desired by Mr. Wesley *; a Clergyman in our County, to beg the favour of you to lend his son, the bearer of this, Don John de Castro's description of the Arabian Gulf. His father is upon a most excellent Work, an Edition of the Book of Job, with large Criticisms and Dissertations, it being a Book as most antient, so full of all kinds of knowledge of those early ages, will be very acceptable to the learned world. Your book would be very safe; and I shall take it as a favour, added to, good Sir, Your most obedient and most humble servant, WM. STUKELEY." "HONOURED AND DEAR SIR, Stamford, Oct. 19, 1730. Among the proofs of the Deluge of Noah visible to this day, whereof there are infinite numbers in your admirable Museum; this stone likewise before me is one, of which I send you enclosed the exact drawing. The sight of the stone, and the day, put me in mind of that great judgment, which God Almighty brought upon our globe as on this day, whereof the stone is a monument. The appearances which you see in the cavity of it are, perhaps, a parcel of fruits like hazelnuts, promiscuously jumbled together, and turned into stone though they are pretty much like nuts, yet I suspect they are some other fruit. You, that are the great oracle of all natural knowledge, will probably at first sight resolve the doubt: and for that purpose I have drawn underneath two of them in their true shape and bulk. The fruits themselves are very distinct, the texture of the coat, rind, or shell of them, is like that of our hazel-nuts and pistacho's, and of the same bulk. There is in some of them a bit of the pedunculus or stalk; in others, the cavity, from whence it is dropt off, is very plain. This stone, among others full of shells, was taken out of a quarry near Aynho in Oxfordshire, and sent to Dr. Mead by the Rev. Mr. Wasse, minister there, about nine years ago. There were several small cornua ammonis, and other fossil shells, dug up in the same place, and are frequently so The Doctor gave them to The stone is ten inches long between the two corners. A shell left in the stone, and there are other shells on the back of it. It is commonly known that, upon digging in our fenny *Father of the celebrated Methodists, John and Charles. This Letter is directed, "To the Rev. Mr. Samuel Wesley, Dean's-yard, Westminster."

me.