twelfth added in 1767. The articles, Simon Ockley, Dr. Robert James, Queen Elizabeth, Madame de Maintenon, Dr. Thomas Burnet, Dr. Jortin, &c. belong particularly to him. He had also a considerable sum from the booksellers for several new articles in the edition of 1784; and in a letter I received from him in 1791, he says, "Methinks, I should like to correct it for another edition; such an employment would suit my time of life.” He published in 1767 "A Letter to the Honourable Horace Walpole, concerning the Dispute between Mr. Hume and Mr. Rousseau," 12mo; which, in some of the Reviews, was supposed to be by Mr. Walpole himself. In 1775, he was the author of "Memoirs of the late contested Election for the County of Leicester: or, a new Triumphal Arch erected in honour of Victory obtained from that Contest by the True Old Interest. By a Freeholder of Leicester." This little tract was printed apparently to amuse and divert a few friends, and without any determined purpose of being published; but getting abroad, and coming to be universally known of by a pamphlet published against it by the Rev. Mr. Greenaway, Dr. Heathcote judged it expedient to send it forth at large. He prefixed, however, an advertisement, by way of apology for so doing; stating "that the Memoirs, drawn up as soon as the contest they treat of was ended, were designed, partly by way of re * Two answers to this pamphlet were published the same year; one by Mr. Greenaway, the other by Dr. Parry. The late Rev. Charles Dickinson of Somerby also, speaking of Dr. Heathcote and his pamphlet, in a MS note, observes, "This gentleman, though undoubtedly a learned man, was pleased to stigmatize the whole County of Leicester as Boeotians; adding, when in a strange country, he was ashamed to own himself a Leicestershire man; and all this owing to his friend Mr. Pochin of Barkby losing his election for the County of Leicester in the year 1775; a gentleman of a most unblemished character; and who was sorry to find his clerical advocate endeavouring, as much as in him lay, to set the County again in a flame, when all were so desirous that every thing should be buried in oblivion." N. prisal upon the conquerors, who had shewn an intemperance in their rejoicings, which was thoughtto border upon insult; and partly to amuse and divert the conquered, by retorting a little mirth and pleasantry upon their adversaries. Some copies, accordingly, were distributed amongst individuals, but without any determined purpose to publish them: and if such purpose was ever in deliberation at all, it was very soon laid aside; and they were left to depart silently into that non-entity, from which indeed they had scarcely emerged. Unluckily, however, they have become an object of attention to the publick: many have enquired with eagerness after them; and some have affected to speak of them even seriously. Hence it was deemed necessary to send them forth at large; lest, from not being sufficiently known, they should pass for something which they are not; should, perhaps, be imagined to breathe a spirit unrelenting and vindictive, while they are really little more than a jeu d'esprit: a mere sally and sport of wit, rather calculated to make ridiculous electioneering in general, than to serve the purpose of any particular electors.-The Compiler had much rather be esteemed an honest and humane man, than either a wit or a scholar: he wishes to be believed when he declares, that he hath a perfect goodwill and kindness towards all men: that nothing merely notional, no difference of opinion in either politics or religion, can destroy one grain of his affectionate regard for the well-meaning of all persuasions and parties; that, how ready soever he may be to ridicule the absurd, and chastise the insolent, he is equally ready to serve all men whatever; and that he would deem it a severer reproach, than the petulant tongue of Slander hath ever cast upon him, if he could justly be charged with neglecting this service, when it was in his power to perform it." In 1777, he made a trip to Holland, in company with his worthy friend Isaac Reed, esq. of Staple Inn. In 1779, having consulted him on the subject of Mr. Mr. Bowyer's "Conjectures on the New Testament," I received the letter printed below *. . His Irenarch, the Dedication, and the Notes, are now all scattered up and down, but without alteration, in "Sylva, or the Wood; being a Collection of Anecdotes, Dissertations, Characters, Apophthegms, Original Letters, Bon Mots, and other Little Things" and are, indeed, much properer for such a miscellaneous collection, as being no way connected with one another. The first volume of "Sylva" was published in 1786; and a second edition in 1788+.. * "SIR, Charlotte-street, Soho, Aug. 4, 1779. "I should be very happy to contribute to the very excellent work Mr. Nichols has in hand (for a very excellent one it is); but I have never made the text of the New Testament a particular object, or have any thing of consequence to the purpose among my Adversaria. There are, I remember, among Dr. Jortin's papers, which I have looked over, some criticisms in this way; but I think they are not original criticisms, as I may call them, on the text, but only observations upon other commentators. But Mr. Nichols surely need not be solicitous about more materials, who is already possessed of so ample a Thesaurus. Mr. Nichols wants no assistance about revising and correcting, every thing hitherto seeming to be very accurate; else I should be very happy to do any thing in my power. However, I am at present upon the wing, and shall (I suppose) leave this town within a fortnight; but desire Mr. Nichols to believe, that, whenever opportunity may permit, I shall be extremely ready to concur in my endeavours with a person so able, and apparently so willing, to do service in the Republic of Letters, as himself. I am, Mr. Nichols's very obedient humble servant, RA. HEATHCOTE." +"This work," the Author says, "is not so much intended for the mere illiterate English reader, as for men who have been liberally trained, and are not unacquainted with languages; men who may wish to have some pabulum mentis, or mental fodder, always at hand, but whose professions and situations in life do not permit leisure to turn over volumes." "Our work having met with with a far better reception, than the now prevailing taste for books and reading gave any reason to expect; it hath seemed good unto us to revise and reprint it. We have said in the title-page, that it is enlarged and corrected: enlarged it is, in the Text as well as Notes; but the corrections extend no farther than to the language, unless the transposition of an article or two, and the insertion or omission of here and there a sentence, may be called such. Nothing fundamental, nothing respecting doctrine, notions, or sentiment, is changed in the least. In short, we have endeavoured, by a few addi He used to say, and it was true, that he had materials for half a dozen such volumes in his commonplace book; and actually began in 1789 to print a volume of Miscellanies;" including, 1. "The Irenarch;" 2. "Miscellaneous Reflections upon Laws, Policy, Manners, &c. &c. in a Dedication to Lord Mansfield;" 3. "Morality and Religion essential to Society," (the Assize Sermon of 1756); 4. "A Discourse upon the Being of a God; against Atheists (the Boylean Lecture); 5. " Fidei Fundamentum Ratio" (the Concio ad Clerum of 1759); 6. "An Account of Simon Ockley;" 7. "Some Account of R. H. D. D. 1789" (the Memoirs here transcribed). The copies of this volume were in the possession of Mr. Payne, Bookseller in Pall-mall. In 1791, I received the note below from him, as Vicar of Sileby *. On the North side of the church-yard of the Cathedral at Southwell, a tomb placed over Mrs. Heathcote is thus inscribed: "Desuerunt esse mortales ΑΛΛΗΛΟΥΣ ΕΦΙΛΗΣΑΝ ΣΥΓΗ. Theocritus." Under a stone by the side of the above are deposited the remains of Dr. Heathcote, with this inscription: "RADULPHUS HEATHCOTE, S. T. P." tions, to be a little more useful, and a little more entertaining; yet are far from being elated, or sanguine in our expectations." * "Dr. Heathcote is just now favoured with Mr. Nichols's address; and wishes him success. The countenance of a man of seventy, and who will probably be no more ere the History of Leicestershire' appears, can avail but little. Dr. Heathcote knows nothing particular about the parish of Sileby: he is little there, Southwell being his place of constant residence: however, he will deliver Mr. Nichols's queries to his curate. Dr. Heathcote had a correspondence some years ago on the subject of this publication: he has sent it as underwritten to Mr. Nichols.". [See the Third Volume of the History of Leicestershire, p. viii.] THE THE STATIONERS COMPANY. IT appears from the most authentic records, that the Company of "Stationers, or Text-writers, who wrote and sold all sorts of books then in use; namely, A. B. C. with the Pater-noster, Ave, Creede, Grace, &c." to large portions of the Bible, even to the whole Bible itself, dwelt in and about Paternosterrow*. Hence we have, in that neighbourhood, Creedlane, Amen-corner, Ave-Maria-lane, &c. all places named after some Scripture allusion. "There dwelled also Turners of Beads; and they were called Paternoster-makers, as I read in a Record of one Robert Nikke, Paternoster-maker and Citizen in the reigne of Henry the Fourth." The Company of Stationers is of great antiquity. By the authority of the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen, they were formed into a Guild, or Fraternity, in the year 1403, the 4th year of King Henry IV; and had then Ordinances made for the good government of their Fellowship. Thus constituted, they regularly assembled, under the government of a Master and two Wardens. Their first Hall was in Milk-street§; but, notwithstanding all the endeavours that have been made, no privilege or charter has yet been discovered, under which they acted as a corporate body. . Some of the earliest Printers, however, were not Freemen of the Company; nor does it appear that any Book was printed in this kingdom till 1464, when William Caxton (Citizen and Mercer) opened a shop at the Sun in Fleet-street. * Stowe's Survey, 1618, p. 648. + Ibid. This appears by a Memorial presented by the Company of Stationers to the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen in 1645; in which they state that their Brotherhood, or Corporation, had then been governed by wholesome Ordinances for the space of 240 years. Records of the Company, Book A. p. 153. § The Company still possess two houses in Wood-street, and three in Frier's-alley and Clement's-court in Milk-street, built, after the Fire of London, on the site of their original Hall. VOL. III. N N Wynken |