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THE

HISTORY

OF THESE

MEMO IR S.

T

HE following Memoirs, and accounts of Anticks and other curious things; are a Supplement to a work which the author began many years ago for his own amusement, and afterwards endeavored to compleat for the Public The Thing was called,

The antient and prefent State of Great Britain, and more particular Obfervations of what is remarkable in Nature, Art, and Antiquity, than have been yet communicated to the Public.

The whole interfperfed with the Lives and Characters of many eminent Perfons; Accounts of Writers, Books, MSS, Notions and Converfations; Hiftorys of many extraerdinary and uncommon Things and Occurb 2 rences;

rences; and several Difquifitions, Philofophical, Moral and Political.

This Journal the writer intended to have published fome years ago, and to that purpofe advertised it two or three times; but by a variety of strange accidents and untoward incidents, he was not permitted to execute his defign, nor could he fee at last when it would be in his power to produce the thing. He was vifited one day by an unexpected friend, who is learned in antiquities, and in our civil and natural history, beyond most of the Men of his time, and by this gentleman informed, on a perufal of the MS, that the journal appeared to want very great amendments, and to be deficient in various matters, which ought to be brought into a work of the kind. He layed his finger upon a thoufand defects. He fhewed the author many mistakes. He made him a present of a great number of new and very curious things, by him obferved in his rideings, and collected in our books, and rendered it evident to the writer's own understanding, that not only all these corrections and additions must be made, but that it was even neceffary, to go over a great Part of the ground again, and review and re-examine every thing on the spot. Here was a labor. Here was an almost intire new plan, and one as large

again as the original scheme: Many hundred miles to be rejourneyed: A thousand fresh things to be conveyed per intus fufceptionem to be distributed in a juft proportion through the whole mafs. The author did not like the thing; but it must be done, or burn all he had written, or print to fill the waftepaper merchant's rooms. Away then he goes. He traverfes the land. He reviews. He got a heap of fresh materials by this means, and he layed them by those he had received from his friend. He then fat down to work, and began to ftrike out and put in. He made all poffible dispatch, and resolved to have a first part out this winter, if irresistible obftruction did not come in his way.

The intended volume was an introduction to his defign, and contained a fummary of his country's story ecclefiaftical and civil; an abridged account of its conftitution and church; its laws and monarchs; and the great men in each reign, who were friends to liberty and property, or flaves to the tyrants who have oppreffed with intolerable fervitude this land; a defence of the prefent happy establishment, and the glorious revolution on which it fubfifts; with free remarks on all the English hiftorians, from Afferius Menevenfis, and Ingulphus, down to Meffeurs Ralph and Salmon; and a few thoughts on the relation

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between English fovereigns and English fubjects. A large quarto volume on these subjects the author writ, and called it a Preliminary Discourse to a hiftory of antient monuments, works of nature, Art, Sciences, etc, He fpared no pains to render it as perfect as he was able.

Thus far all was well, and a day fixed for fending this book of a guinea price fewed to the prefs. But there is no certainty in human things. Misfortune entered the author's chamber, and in a few minutes put an end to the defign. One night, juft after he had lain down, he took the MS volume into his hand, and continued reading for fome time fuch chapters of it as treated of the deformity of imperial, the beauty of legal power, and thewed how that miferable prince, Charles the First, ceafed to be invincible and amiable, by an obftinate departure from the original conftitution, and the laws by it inftituted; laws which must ever be the strength and strong hold of an English king;

how this beadftrong monarch, commonly called The Martyr, in conjunction with a queen who was another Margaret of Anjou, (a) arbitrary in principles, and a zealot for popery, and with a Romifb cabal that had Laud and Wentworth at its head, did endeavor to enslave Eng(a) Wife of Henry VI.

land,

land, and ruin Britons by foreign politics; to determine the being of parliaments, and alter the form of government; these things the author continued reading, till flumber overpowered him, and his candle thereby fet his book on fire; the blaze then feized the curtains of the bed, and by a fignal favor of providence, he awaked juft time enough to escape with life from the furrounding flames. The book was consumed, and likewise the second volume in MS of the work, which he had placed on the chair to raife the first. This put an entire stop to his publishing the intended thing. It must alfo delay it for years, fuppofing the author should live to compofe thofe volumes over again from his confused note-book, and loofe sheets of memorandums.

But notwithstanding this fad affair, to print he was determined, fince he had promised a book at this time, and that many had long waited for fomething or other from his hand. The author had made more antique and na tural enquiries than he could poffibly, find room for in his work, and had befide become acquainted, in his travels over Eng land and Scotland, with feveral ingenious and excellent women, who are glorious on account of their virtue and piety, and to be for ever admired for their literary accomplish ments. Those illustrious perfonages, and thefe

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