whole Mintage having been lost; and the latter seems a proper reason for favouring himself, and uttering the Coin under a feigned name, a name of protection, rather than that of the Archbishop himself, especially under a name that was regarded with the highest superstition by the vulgar, that of Saint Nicholas the Boy-Bishop, though at the same time it had the Archiepiscopal Mitre as a sanction for its Coinage. Or Stigand might hope, if he, Gyrth, was able to support himself in his claim, that on the day of St. Nicholas he might be crowned, and reserve the whole impression to be dispersed on that day; but his affairs taking a different turn, the whole was destroyed, and made away with. These are the only conjectures I have as yet been able to make about it; and should think myself much obliged to you for your observations upon it, and for any further correspondence that you are pleased to favour me with, and you may always depend upon the best information I am able to give you of any enquiries you are pleased to favour me with.

"I have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient and humble servant, GEORGE BURTon."

"SIR,

Doctors Commons, April 30, 1757. "Your very obliging Letter, dated so long ago as the 21st of February now lies unanswered before me; I hope you will excuse this delay when I acquaint you that a multiplicity of business has prevented my writing to you sooner. A friend of mine has your coin, IE SVIS DE NATON.' Several Antiquaries who have seen it being entirely of my opinion, I shall say nothing more about it. The Coins Nos. 1 and 2 in your Letter are only French base Coins, and the first is struck in Burgundy. No. 3, which you take to have been struck by Stigand, evidently appears to be an old Danish Coin, from SANCTVS NICOLAVS,' which frequently occurs upon some of the antient moneys of Denmark.As to Lewine or Girth's not being killed in the Battle of Hastings, this notion is not only contrary to all History, but likewise to the most authentic monument of English History now extant in Europe-I mean the famous Tapestry preserved in the Cathedral Church of Bayeux in Normandy, which represents the Conquest of William the Norman, in which is contained not only every incident mentioned by every French and English Historian, but also many others not taken notice of by either.

"I went on purpose to Bayeux to see this fine Tapestry in 1752, and very carefully examined every part of it. I there find these words, HIC CECIDERVNT LEVVINE ET GVPÐ FRATRES HAROLDI REGIS.'

"This, Sir, is I think an answer to your conjecture on that Coin; and, as to Carte's History of England, very little regard is had to any thing he says, unless supported by good authority. "I shall at all times be glad to give you any information in my power relating to English Antiquities; and beg leave to subscribe myself, Sir, &c. AND. COLTEE DUCAREL." 66 Достов,

Elden, July 21, 1765.

"DOCTOR, " I some time since had the pleasure of a correspondence with you in the Antiquarian style, which I have often, and always shall reflect upon with satisfaction. I have just left our friend Mr. Montgomerie, by whose advice, with the concurrence of many other friends, I have printed Proposals for the Publication of an Essay on the Numbers of Daniel, and am flattered with the hopes that I have made the discovery of a Prophecy, which may be of great service to Religion. My friends have already, through their great indulgence, procured a subscription for me from his Grace the Archbishop of York, some Temporal Lords, and several persons of the first rank. I have even met with some hints, that his Grace of Canterbury, upon seeing the Proposals, made use of this general expression: "That, provided he could be assured of the true intent of the Work, or could converse with any one that had perused the Manuscript, and it answered his wishes; not only his Grace would subscribe, but all his Friends: An introduction this to the publick, such as you who know life so well cannot blame me for being anxious to succeed in; since it would effectually raise the attention of the publick, and at once answer my main end in a publication, the advancement of true Religion. I consulted Mr. Montgomerie upon this occasion, who kindly informed me of the great interest you have with his Grace; and my own experience of your candour has taught me to hope you will not think it too much to ask of you to present the inclosed Plan of the Work to his Grace, with my most humble duty, which, with your friendly introduction of it to his Grace, will, I doubt not, procure an event in my favour; an obligation I shall ever acknowledge with the deepest sense of gratitude. I should be obliged to you for his Grace's answer, as soon as convenient, since, out of respect to the above declaration of his Grace, I deferred sending the first sheet to the press till I have his Grace's answer *.

"There has lately been found in my parish a large piece of gold, of about three ounces and a half weight, seemingly the handle of a sword, or some such thing, very antique and perfect. I know not whether I sent you any account of two amulets in bone, that were found some years ago, of great antiquity; if I did not, upon a line of notice, I shall send you an account, and a draft of them, which I sent some years since to the Royal Society, by the late Dr. Stukeley.

"If his Grace is desirous of a further account of the MS. I can, upon a line of notice, send you a Letter returned to me from a worthy Doctor of Divinity in this neighbourhood, after a fortnight's perusal of a rough draft of the MS. by which his Grace will be better able to judge of the true design of it. Mr. Montgomerie desires me to add his compliments to you when I wrote. "I remain, Sir, your humble servant, GEORGE BURTON." Which see hereafter, p. 497. Mr. Burton's Essay was printed in 1767, and an explanatory Supplement in 1769.

The

The Rev. JOHN STRYPE to the Rev. THOMAS BAKER †, at St. John's College, Cambridge.

"REVEREND AND DEAR SIR, Low Layton, May 18, 1728. "Our long silence, I hope, hath not lessened our esteem one of another. I have taken occasions, as they have offered, to enquire after you; and do hope God hath continued you in good health, to do Him, and the state of Learning and Religion, good service. And next to this friendly cause of my writing, the other is to acquaint you that now, after this long and culpable delay of those concerned in it, the Third Volume of my Annals may be soon expected, Mr. Simons the undertaker lately by his letter assuring me that at the end of three weeks after the holidays it should be published, and that so I might satisfy my Friends and Subscribers, and among them I esteem you,-and therefore I write you this information. There will be an Index of Matters of Remark contained in all the three volumes, added at the end of this (which, I suppose, you know), that will plead some excuse for keeping the book so long from the publick.

"I have been so handled in the English Translation of Courayer's Book of the Validity of the English Ordination, that I have made it the main matter of my Preface to the third volume to vindicate myself. And against those censures of me in that book I have been fain to declare there what better opinion many dignified and other learned men of our Church have had of me and my labours; 1 have made use of a character you once gave of me in a private letter, for which liberty of so doing I must beg your pardon.

"I am much decayed by reason of my great age, and the distemper of the strangury chiefly, and therefore am forced to keep at home, and to be as free from study (which hath been my delight) and all other business as I can; though I do often divert myself in looking over my vast collections. But I have done writing books; and, I pray God, what I have done may be of use to the Church and true Religion. I should be exceeding glad to hear from you; and, when you see Dr. Samuel Knight, pray give my hearty respects to him. And thus I end, being, dear Sir, your very humble servant, JOH. STRYPE."

* Of this learned and venerable Historian, see the "Literary Aneedotes," vol. I. p. 10. In Ballard's Collection of Letters in the Bodleian Library are several by Mr. Strype: About the Life of Abp. Parker, MSS. Ball. Lett. XV. 31, 33. Life of Cardinal Wolsey (solicitous about), 32. Life of Whitgift, and a new edition of Stowe's Survey, 34. His opinion of the Puritans, 35, 36. His care of the Annals of the Reformation, 37. Displeased with Mr. Hearne for abusing John Fox; gives Fox a great character; in possession of his MSS. 39. Favours Queen Elizabeth in the affair of Mary Queen of Scots, ibid.

+ Of whom see the several references in the "Literary Anecdotes," vol. VII. pp. 18, 508.

From the Original, in my possession.

Dr. THOMAS TANNER, Bishop of ST. ASAPH.

To the Memoir given of this learned Prelate in the "Literary Anecdotes*, vol. II. pp. 161-163, may be added the following particulars, from Dr. Rawlinson's MSS. in the Bodleian Library:

"He died at Christ Church, in Oxford, after seven days indisposition, of a bloody flux, on Sunday, Dec. 14, 1735; and was buried in the Cathedral on the 26th.

"In a pamphlet, intituled, ‘A true and genuine Relation of the good and bad Effects of Dr. Ward's Pill and Drop, exhibited in Sixty-eight Cases; by Joseph Clutton;' it is said, in a letter from Oxford, that Bp. Tanner took one of Ward's Pills' about a fortnight before his illness, which agreed very well; about a week before his death he took another, which had so violent effect on his bowels as to produce the complaint of which he died.'

"Bp. Tanner was buried, according to his own directions, without any funeral pomp. He ordered his body to be wrapt up in the coarsest crape, and his coffin to be covered with serge, not cloth; the pall-bearers to have each one of Baskett's Folio Bibles; the Undertakers each a 'Sherlock upon Death.' He left to the Dean of Christ Church 57.; to the eight Canons 50s. each; Sol. to buy coats for as many poor men; and 100l. to the College, towards the Library, which was then building. He also left 100l. towards the endowment of poor Vicarages; and 100l. more to the repairing of the Episcopal Palace of St. Asaph, in case his Successor should add 2007. more. All his MSS. and also his Printed Books that were wanting there, he gave to the Bodleian Library."

*The Latin verses in the " Literary Anecdotes," vol. VIII. p. 162, were by Mr. T. Foulkes, Student of Christ Church.

VOL. III.

2 D

Letters

Letters from Mr. (afterwards Bp.) THOMAS TANNER to Dr. ARTHUR CHARLETT*.

"HONOURED MASTER,

All Souls Coll. Oxon. Nov. 24, 1695. Yesterday at dinner-time Mr. Wood sent for me. When I came, I found Mr. Martin and Mr. Bisse of Wadham with him, who had (with much ado) prevailed upon him to set about looking over his Papers; so to work we went, and continued tumbling and separating some of his MSS. till it was dark. We also worked upon him so far as to sign and declare that sheet of paper which he had drawn up the day before, and called it his Will; for fear he should not live till night. He had a very bad night of it last night, being much troubled with vomiting. This morning we three were with him again; and Mr. Martin bringing a form of a Will that had been drawn up by Judge Holloway, we writ his Will over again as near as we could in form of Law. "He has given to the University, to be reposited in the Museum Ashmol. all his MSS. not only those of his own Collection, but also all others which he has in his possession, except some few of Dr. Langbain's Miscellanea, which he is willing should go to the Public Library. He has also given all his Printed Books and Pamphlets to the said Museum which are not there already. This benefaction will not perhaps be so much valued by the University as it ought to be, because it comes from Antony Wood; but truly it is a most noble gift, his Collection of MSS. being invaluable, and his Printed Books most of them not to be found in town. And, that the University may not be defrauded of this treasure by his Relations, he was willing this article should be inserted Item, I will and desire that all my Books, Pamphlets, and Papers, both printed and MSS. be immediately after my decease delivered by my Executrixes into the custody of Dr. Arthur Charlett, Mr. Bisse of Wadham College, and Mr. Tanner of All Souls, or any two of them, to be disposed by them according to this my last Will and Testainent. So that I could wish you were in town, for fear any disturbance should be made by his Relations about them: but Mr. Bisse and I will endeavour to secure them as well as we can. He has conjured us to look over all his MSS. before they are exposed to the public view, to see that there are no loose foolish papers in them, that may injure his memory. Merton College people are mighty officious, sending him notes and paying him visits, either in hopes to suppress any thing that he has writ (as they falsely imagine) to the scandal of their College, or else to prevail with him to give something to their Library. He seems to be very sensible that his time is short, though truly he spends his spirits more in setting his Papers in order, than in preparing for another world.

:

* Transcribed, partly by the Rev. Charles Coates, but principally by the Rev. John Gutch, from the Originals in the Bodleian Library.

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