University, says, 'He was careful of its profits and emoluments, being a special means of procuring to it from the Parliament the Lambeth Library, which of right fell to us*: and, from a noble Knight †, both a yearly stipend for a Mathematic Lecturer, and also large sums of money for fitting of the Public Library, that it might be of public use, which others do not more desire than he endeavoured; for the accomplishment whereof the University is more ways than one his debtor." To the Rev. Dr. Mason, Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. "Oct. 4, 1760. "Q. What year did Dr. Hill procure the Lambeth Library from the Parliament ? "Q. What year was the said Library returned to Archbishop Sheldon; and the date of Dr. Hill's death, and of the Sermon ?" To Dr. DUCAREL. "SIR, Trinity College, Oct. 8, 1760. "Such answers to your queries as I can at present get, I have sent you; if more minuteness be required, it must be done at times, just as materials come to hand. 1. The Sermon was preached December 22, 1653, and printed 1658. The day of his death I have not yet met with. We have no historical account kept about the Library; but, from the old account-books of the Vice-chancellors, I find, that in the year 1647 several sums were paid on account of the Lambeth Library, and also workmen's bills for repairs and work done at the Greek Schools (so was the room called in which the Lambeth Library was placed); some of these bills were dated Jan. 26, 1646. Now, as the Bishops' lands were ordered to be sold by an ordinance, dated November 16, 1646, I suppose the grant for the books followed soon after, which perhaps may be found in the journals of the house. In 1662 and 3, I find mention made of expences, and of a treaty with the Archbishop about them; but the particular time of their return I have not yet found. "It may be some help to this, if you will consult, in the British Museum, Mr. Baker's Collections, vol. I. p. 103, vol. XIX. p. 130, where he recites benefactions to the Public Library, if they have dates to them; for some of these, particularly Dr. Holdsworth's, were given to help to fill up the vacancies made by the removal of the Lambeth Library. "In the same Collection, vol. XVI. art. 8, there is a copy of Archbishop Bancroft's will, referred to in the Sermon. "This is the best account I can give you at present; if any thing more particular occurs, you shall hear of it from "Your servant, By Archbishop Bancroft's will. CHA. MASON." Sir John Wollaston, Alderman of the City of London. To To the Rev. Dr. MASON. "REVEREND Sir, Doctors Commons, Oct. 11, 1760. "Being last Tuesday accidentally looking into Dr. Wilkins's Life of Selden, vol. I. page xl. I there found the dates of the two Orders of the House of Commons for removing the Lambeth Library to Cambridge, and two Letters from the said University to Mr. Selden, well worth your reading. Since that, Sir, I am favoured with your kind letter of the 8th instant. It is a full answer to all my queries, and I am greatly obliged to you for it ; and remain, with great esteem, Sir, "Your obliged humble servant, A. C. DUCARel." Letters of the Rev. Dr. T. LELAND and Dr. DUCAREL To Dr. DUCAREL. "SIR, Hertford-street, Lord Charlemont's, May 23, 1771. "My intention (as I had the honour of explaining it to you) of publishing a History of the Affairs of Ireland from the Reign of Henry the Second, makes me naturally solicitous to inspect the valuable Collection of the Carew Manuscripts in the Library of Lambeth. I know how much I shall be indebted to your good offices, if with permsssion of his Grace the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, I may be indulged with such a singular favour. As I wait in London only for the arrival of the person joined in commission with me to invest his Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester with the Chancellorship of the University of Dublin, and as I would trespass as little as possible upon your goodness, I should confine my researches to the volumes marked in your Catalogue M. CCC. and GGG. I trust entirely to your favourable dispositions to promote every literary pursuit, and shall hope, if my request be not entirely improper, to obtain permission to inspect these volumes. It must be my part, with the sincerest gratitude, to acknowledge a favour so considerable conferred on, Sir, your most obedient humble servant, THO. LELAND." "SIR, To the Rev. Dr. LELAND. Doctors Commons, July 6, 1771. "I take the liberty of troubling you with this, to acquaint you with some things which your sudden departure from hence prevented my mentioning. "I presume your Civil History of Ireland' is almost ready for the press; if so, you must give up all thoughts of any assistance from the Rolls of Parliament' (now printing) which will not be published these two or three years. "The Catalogue of the Chartæ Antiquæ,' I told you of, will be published early next winter. Upon enquiry I find it will make 2 N 2 make a quarto volume, of about 60 sheets. These I will send you (under Mr. Tisdall's cover) as soon as they appear. "As to modern transactions in Ireland, have you in your College Library a complete collection of the London Gazettes ? They begin in 1665, and are continued to this time;-for dates and facts you cannot have a better authority. This material question I forgot to ask you. "I presume you examined, in the Bodleian Library, the four volumes of Sir George Carew's MS Collections relative to the Affairs of Ireland. There are some other of his MSS. reposited in the Library of Earl Ferrers, at Staunton Harold in Leicestershire. His other MSS. are in the Lambeth Library; and some few (as I hear) in the Harleian Library. These should be examined; and I intended to have acquainted you therewith. I hope this will find you in perfect health; and am very happy that your voyage here procured me the honour of your acquaintance. Favour me with a line as soon as you conveniently can; who remain, Sir, Yours truly, A. C. DUCAREL." "SIR, To Dr. DUCArel. July 15, 1771. "I request you will accept of my sincerest thanks for your obliging letter, added to all your other favours. I was called into Ireland by business, which, when I arrived, I had the mortification to find did not require so speedy a return. And now I can only regret that I did not enjoy more of your company, and derive more advantages from the information which you were ever most obligingly ready to communicate. "The work in which I am engaged has already taken up too much of my life, and is in itself of too little consequence, to be suspended so long as two or three years. But in my researches at Oxford, among other things you mention, I found a record of the 49th Edward III. that I am confident is the very same you mentioned to me, and which I was so desirous of seeing. It contains a compleat account of Representatives summoned from Ireland to Westminster, the reluctance of the subjects, their protest, their compliance, &c. "The Catalogue of the Chartæ Antiquæ will be most welcome. We have a complete collection of Gazettes here; and it is amazing what a large collection of materials are deposited in Dublin, either the originals of what have been copied into your Libraries, or transcribed from your papers. "May I, without presumption, entreat you to mention me to my Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, as one deeply sensible of his Grace's condescension at St. James's, and who must ever remember his goodness to me with the most respectful gratitude. "I hope soon to have an opportunity of conveying to you a few books, relative to this country, that you expressed a desire of seeing. In the mean time, I beg you will believe me, with sincere esteem, dear Sir, "Your faithful and most obedient servant, THO. LELAND." Το To the Rev. Dr. LELAND, at Dublin. "SIR, Doctors Commons, July 23, 1771. "I was yesterday favoured with your very obliging letter of the 15th instant. Though in mine I mentioned that the Rolls of Parliament would not be published these two or three years, it was not with a view to retard, but to advance, your work-my intention being to persuade you, on account of the distance of that publication, that it ought not to be delayed; and, since you have met with that remarkable record of 49 Edward III. you may be pretty sure that such an event could not happen twice in any one reign; and, therefore, what you will mention on that subject, from the Oxford MS. will hereafter be fully confirmed by the Parliament Rolls; and, as this astonishing fact is almost unknown, it will do you great honour to be the first Author who hath made it public. "The Chartæ Antiquæ will appear the beginning of next winter. You may be sure that I will send them to you as soon as they come out; and before any person hath time to think of examining the originals. "I thank you for your intended present. I hope my books you had for your University Library are arrived, and proved acceptable. Fail not, I pray you, to insert in your work the former marks and present numbers of Sir George Carew's MSS. in the Lambeth Library. It may be of use to future Historians; and will save me, and my successors at Lambeth, a great deal of trouble. A letter from you will at all times give me great pleasure. I have the honour to remain, with great esteem, "Your obedient humble servant, A. C. DUCAREL." Letters of the Rev. WILLIAM CLARKE, Canon Residentiary of Chichester, to Dr. DUCAREL. "SIR, Jan. 11, 1755. Willis ; and "I had last night the favour of a letter from Mr. as he has given me no directions where to write to him, I do, for the greater dispatch, take the liberty of sending my answer to you. He desires me to send you such a List of Chancellors, &c. as have at present occurred to me. If I had had more leisure, or indeed more light, I might probably have sent you, what I could meet with here, some time ago. But my eyes are so bad, that I cannot look upon an old Register by candle-light, to make any thing of it; and, betwixt the avocations of business and ceremony, there is so little time left, that I make but a very slow progress; and I was obliged to return to my Living last month, which hindered me much. I have now sent you what I met with, from A. D. 1478, the 18th of Edward IV. "I began with our own Act-books, and went backwards. As far as they carry me, viz. to A. D. 1572, I am very exact, except in two instances, Newell and Chaworth. For these I depend upon upon Mr. Willis; for we have neither Act-books nor Registers from 1618 to 1660, viz. 42 years. "All these from Worley downwards were Vicar-Generals or Chancellors. From the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign upwards, the practice in this Diocese of appointing Vicars General, Principal Officials, or Commissaries, was different at different times. I met with only one Vicar General, which was Cloos, probably made so by Bishop Story, the first year of his translation. From that time we have no Registers till 1438; and I find that Bishop Praty heard all his own causes, of every kind, himself; that he had only occasional Commissaries, to visit Religious Houses, when he could not conveniently attend and, most probably, the two Archdeacons were Commissaries in each of their Archdeaconries, and executed the necessary business of Inductions, Probate of Wills, &c.-because I find this method revived again under Bishop Sherborne, and, indeed, before him by Bishop Fitz-James: for Horsey, Norberry, Worthial, were only Commissaries in their Archdeaconries; though Worthial was at last Principal Official. And the practice was much the same, from the end of Henry VIII. to Queen Elizabeth; there was in that short period so many changes, and such a fluctuction of authority, that nothing seemed well settled. "If I meet with any thing in the remaining part of Bishop Praty's Register, and those of his Predecessors, I shall acquaint you with it; and am, Sir, your most obedient humble servant, WILLIAM CLARKE. "I find I have said Registers before Bishop Praty's; but we have only one Bishop, Robert Read's. All Patrington's, Ware's, Kemp's, Poldon's, Rickingale's, and Sidenham's Registers are wanting; which are all the Bishops between Read and Praty." Chichester, Jan 16, 1755. now looked over all our Registers, and have only two more to add to the former list, viz. Robert Neel, Vicar General.. Walter Eston, Licentiate in Law, Principal Official.... A. D. 1400 1439 Neel is mentioned without any degree; and I take the reason of it to be, because his Patent was before that Provincial Constitution, which made degrees necessary for all persons that exercised any ecclesiastical jurisdiction, Eston's Patent was some years afterwards; and, therefore, as he might possibly have left the University before that Constitution, he is made Licentiate in Law to qualify him for his office. There appears to be often no difference between a Vicar General and a Principal Official, except merely in the style of the Patent. The powers are (sometimes at least) as extensive in one case as the other. I am, Sir, "Your most obedient humble servant, WILLIAM CLARKE. "P. S. I forgot in my last to excuse the mistake of my first address. My friend Mr. Willis had not given me proper information." |