Notes.

INEDITED LETTER FROM THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY, AUTHOR OF THE "CHARACTERISTICS," TO LE CLERC, RESPECTING LOCKE.

[We are indebted to our valued correspondent Janus Dousa, for a transcript of the following important letter—the original of which is preserved in the Remonstrant Library of Amsterdam—and for which our correspondent acknowledges his obligations to the great kindness of Prof. des Amories van der Hoven.]

"St. Giles's, in Dorset, Feb. 8-13. 1705.

"Sir,—Having once writt to you in my own Language, I continue to use the same Privilege. I am sorry that I am in no better a condition to acquit my self of my Promise to you. My Recovery has been so slow, that I am scarce yet got up: and I have been unable to hold any Correspondance with my Friends in Town. Mr. King promisd to send me the Papers I mention'd to you of Mr. Lock's; who, it seems, had begun some Memoires of his own relating to my G^d Father. These however imperfect, yet as being Mr. Lock's own I should have been glad to send you with what supplement I could make myself: But Mr. King's Engagements in the Publick affaires has made him delay this so long, that according to the account you have given me of the shortness of your Time, I must wayt no longer: but content my self with giving you what I can out of my own head, without other Assistance.

"After this Cure, Mr. Lock grew so much in esteem with my Grand-Father that as great a Man as he had experienc'd him in Physick; he look'd upon this but as his least part. He encourag'd him to turn his Thoughts another way. Nor would he suffer him to practice Physick except in his own Family and as a kindness to some particular Friend. He put him upon the studdy of the Religiouse and Civil affaires of the Nation with whatsoever related to the Business of a Minister of State: in w^ch he was so successfull, that my G^d Father begun soon to use him as a Friend, and consult with him on all occasions of that kind. He was not only with him in his Library and Closet, but in company with the Great Men of those times, the Duke of Buckingham, Lord Hallifax and others, who being men of Witt and Learning, were as much taken with him. For together with his seriouse, respectfull and humble Character, he had a mixture of Pleasantry and a becoming Boldness of Speech. The Liberty he could take with these great Men was peculiar to such a Genius as his. A pleasant Instance of it runs in my Mind: tho' perhaps the relation of it may not be so pleasing to another.

"At an appointed Meeting of two or three of these Great-Men at my G^d Father's House, more for Entertainment and good company than for Business, it happen'd that after a few Compliments the Cards were called for, and the Court-Fashion prevailing, they were engag'd in Play before any Conversation was begun. Mr. Lock sate by as a spectator for some time. At least taking out his Table-Book, he began to write something very busily: till being observd by one of the Lords, and ask'd what he was meditating; My Lords (sayd he) I am improving my self the best I can in your Company: for, having impatiently wayted this Honour of being present at such a meeting of the wisest Men and greatest Witts of the Age, I thought I could not do better than to write your Conversation: and here I have it, in substance, all that has pass'd for this hour or two. There was no need of Mr. Lock's writing much of the Dialogue. The great men felt the ridicule, and took pleasure in improving it. They quitted their Play, and fell into a Conversation becoming them: and so passed the remainder of the Day.

"When my G^d Father, from being Chancellor of the Exchequer, was made High Chancellor (w^ch was in the year 1672) he advanc'd Mr. Lock to the Place of Secretary for the Clergy: and when my G^d Father quitted the Court and began to be in Danger from it, Mr. Lock now shard with him in Dangers, as before in Honours & Advantages. He entrusted him with his secretest negotiations, and made use of his assistant Pen in matters that nearly concerned the State, and were fitt to be made publick, to raise that spirit in the Nation which was necessary against the prevailing Popish Party.

"But of this part of his Life, you need no Information.

"Thus far I have made mention of Mr. Lock as to his station in Publick affaires, under my Grandfather. Now as to his Service in private affaires, and the Concerns of a Family, w^ch was, in every respect, so happy in him, that he seem as a good Guardian Angel sent to bless it.

"I could wish that my Time and Health would permit me to be longer in this Account of my Friend and Foster-Father, Mr. Lock. If I add any thing as you desire, concerning my Grandfather himself, it must have a second place: this being a subject more selfish and in w^ch I may justly suspect my self of Partiality: of w^ch I would willingly be free: and think I truly am so in this I now send you. But I fear least this (such as it is) should come too late, and therefore hasten to conclude with repeated Assurances of my being your Oblig'd Friend and humble Servant

"Shaftesbury.

"Such was my Grandfather's Call: who was far from delivering his Vote or Opinion in this manner, either as a Councillor or Peer, or in his Place in Parlement: where he carryed on a direct opposite Interest: he being allready in open Enmity with the Duke of York and his Party that carryed on that Warr, in so much that he was at that very time suspected of holding a Correspondence with Holland in favour of the Commonwealth-Party in England. However it be, it is no small Comfort to me that that wise Commonwealth of Holland, the Parent and Nursing-Mother of Liberty, thought him worthy of their Protection when he was a sufferer for the common Cause of Religion and Liberty: and he must ever remain a noble Instance of the Generosity of that State, and of that potent Head of it, y^e City of Amsterdam; where yourself and other Great Men have met with a Reception y^t will redound to their Honour.

"But I must end: least I fail this Post."

The superscription is:

MR. GOUGH'S TRANSLATION OF THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE.

In vol. vi., p. 266., of Nichols's Literary Anecdotes, "Memoirs of Mr. Gough," is the following anecdote of Mr. Gough's precocious talents—

"At the very early age of eleven he commenced a task that would have reflected credit on any period of life; which, by the indulgence of his mother, appeared in print under the title of 'The History of the Bible, translated from the French by R. G., junior, 1746. London: Printed by James Waugh in the year 1747.' Of this curious volume, consisting of 160 sheets in folio, not more than twenty-five copies were printed, as presents to a few particular friends and when completed at the press, it is marked by way of colophon, 'Done at twelve years and a half old.'"

Mr. Nichols in his notes says, that the French edition was printed at Amsterdam, in 2 vols. folio, with plates, 1700. That by the generosity of Mr. Gough's worthy relict, he had a copy of the work with Mr. Gough's corrections in maturer age; and in a note at p. 642. of this volume of the Literary Anecdotes Mr. Nichols further states, that

"By a singular chance, at a sale of the library of Dr. Guise in January, 1812, he met with two copies of Mr. Gough's juvenile translation of the History of the Bible; and at the end of one of the volumes were ten sheets of Mr. Pickering's Dictionary, perhaps the only copy of them in existence."

The Rev. Roger Pickering was Mr. Gough's tutor until he was admitted at Bene't College, Cambridge, July, 1752, being then in the 17th year of his age. This Dictionary was compiled on the plan of Calmet, but left unfinished.

Mr. J. B. Nichols, son of the late venerable octogenarian, having recently presented me with a copy of Mr. Gough's scarce volume, I am anxious to learn by whom the original French work was written, and where a copy may be purchased. It is one of much erudition; sound in doctrine and principle; pleasing and familiar in its language, and would, I should think, well repay the publisher of a new edition, after a careful correction of a few deficiencies in composition, incidental to the early period at which Mr. Gough translated it. There is nothing in the preface, or in any part of the volume, to indicate the name of the original author. Should Mr. J. B. Nichols still possess Mr. Gough's more matured and corrected copy, he might perhaps discover some reference to the author.

J. M. G.

Worcester, Jan. 1851.

FOLK LORE.

Lammer Beads (Vol. iii. p. 84.).—If L. M. M. R. had taken the trouble to consult Jamieson's Etymological Dictionary,—that rich storehouse of curious information, not merely in relation to the language, but to the manners and customs, and the superstitions of North Britain,—he would have found interesting notices connected with his inquiry. See the word Lammer, and the same in the Supplement. We might accept, without a moment's hesitation, the suggestion of a learned friend of Dr. Jamieson's, deriving Lammer from the French, l'ambre, were it not that Kilian gives us Teut. Lamertyn-steen, succinum. In Anglo-Saxon times it was called Eolhsand (Gloss. Ælfr.), and appears to have been esteemed in Britain from a very early period. Amongst antiquities of the Anglo-Saxon age, beads of amber are of very frequent occurrence. Douglas has collected some interesting notes regarding this substance, in his Nenia, p. 9. It were needless to cite the frequent mention of precularia, or Paternosters, of amber, occurring in inventories. The Duke of Bedford, Regent of France, purchased a most costly chaplet from a Parisian jeweller, in 1431, described as "une patenostres à signeaux d'or et d'ambre musquet." (Leber, Inventaires, p. 235.) The description "de alba awmbre," as in the enumeration of strings of beads appended to the shrine of S^r William, at York Minster, may have been in distinction from jet, to which, as well as to amber, certain virtuous or talismanic properties were attributed. There were, however, several kinds of amber,—succinum rubrum, fulvum, &c. The learned professor of Copenhagen, Olaus Worm, alludes to the popular notions and superstitious use of amber—

"Foris in collo gestatum, contra fascinationes et nocturna terriculamenta pueros tueri volunt; capitis etiam destillationibus, et tonsillarum ac faucium vitiis resistere, oculorum fluxus et ophthalmias curare."

By his account it would seem to have been received as a panacea, sovereign for asthma, dropsy, toothache, and a multitude of diseases.

"In summâ (he concludes) Balsami instar est, calorem nativum roborans et morborum insultibus resistens."—Museum Wormianum, p. 32.

Bartholomaeus Glanvilla, in his work, De Proprietatibus Rerum, has not overlooked the properties of amber, which he seems to regard as a kind of jet (book xvi., c. xlix.).

"Gette, hyght Gagates, and is a boystous stone, and never the les it is precious."

He describes it as most abundant and of best quality in Britain of two kinds, yellow and black; it drives away adders,—

"Is contrary to fendes,—helpeth for fantasies and ayenste vexacions of fendis by night.—And so, if so boystus a stone dothe so great wonders, none shuld be dispisid for foule colour without, while the vertu that is within is unknowe." (Translation by Trevisa.)

Albert Way.

ON CATALOGUES OF BOOKS.

A series of notes on the utility of printed catalogues of public libraries may seem to be a superfluity. It may be said, Who ever denied it? Relying on a official document, I can assert that it has been denied—in defiance of common sense, and the experience of two hundred and fifty years!

At such a time, it behoves every lover of literature to declare himself, and to furnish his quota of facts or arguments corrective of this upstart paradox. It is under the influence of that sentiment that I submit, for consideration in the proper quarter, some short extracts from my bibliographic portfolios.

Bolton Corney.

"The forwardness of your CATALOGUE [of the public library at Oxford] is very good tidings.... I would intreat you to meditate upon it, how it may be performed to both our credits and contents."—Sir Thomas Bodley to Tho. James, c. 1604.

Habes, benigne lector, catalogum librorum, eo ordine dispositum, quo in celeberrima Oxoniensi bibliothecâ collocantur; opus diu multumque desideratum, et jam tandem editum."—Thomas James, 1605.

"Quamprimum benignis academicorum suffragiis in bibliothecarium electus essem, viderémque justum bibliothecæ publicæ catalogum ab omnibus desiderari, ego ut gratiis litatum irem, me protinùs accinxi ad conficiendum proprio marte novum catalogum."—Thomas Hyde, 1674.

"The general use of catalogues of [of books], and the esteem they are in at present, is so well known, that it were to waste paper to expatiate on it."—Gerard Langbaine, 1688.

"Quelles obligations la république des lettres n'a-t-elle pas aux Anglais, d'avoir donné les catalogues des livres que renferment leurs bibliothèques! Celui d'Oxford est d'une utilité reconnue, par le grand nombre de livres qu'il contient, et par l'ordre alphabétique qu'on leur a donné."—Jourdan, 1739.

Catalogues of books are of great use in literary pursuits.... We mean not here to enter into all the conveniencies of a more improved catalogue, for it would require a volume to display them."—William Oldys, 1745.

"Solebat [sc. Ruhnkenius] haud exiguam subsecivæ operæ partem tribuere perlegendis catalogis librorum, sive per auctiones divendendorum, sive in bibliothecis publicis servatorum; unde factum est, ut rariorum cognitionem librorum, jam in Bergeri disciplina perceptam, continuo augeret."—Dan. Wyttenbach, 1799.

"Le premier besoin de l'homme de lettres qui entreprend un ouvrage, est de connoître les sources auxquelles il peut puiser, les livres qui ont traité directement ou indirectement le sujet qui l'occupe."—S. Chardon de la Rochette, 1812.

"La bibliothèque [savoir, la bibliothèque royale établie à Bruxelles] aura deux catalogues: l'un alphabétique, l'autre systématique. Dans l'intérêt de la science, le catalogue sera imprimé, en tout ou en partie."—Léopold, roi des Belges, 1837.

"Le catalogue est l'inventaire en le véritable palladium d'une bibliothèque. L'impression des catalogues est toujours une chose utile, sinon indispensable.... La publicité est, en outre, le frein des abus, des négligences, et des malversations, l'aiguillon du zèle, et la source de toute amélioration."—L. A. Constantin, 1839.

"La publication d'une nouvelle édition complète du catalogue de la bibliothèque du roi [de France], serait, sans doute, le plus grand service qu'on pût jamais rendre à l'histoire littéraire; et nous ne regardons pas cette entreprise comme impraticable."—Jacques Charles Brunet, 1842.

"M. Merlin pense avec moi, et c'est quelque chose, que les justes plaintes formées contre l'administration de la bibliothèque royale [de France] cesseront dès l'instant où l'on aura rédigé et publié le catalogue géneral des livres imprimés."—Paulin Paris, 1847.