POCKET ALMANACKS AT RENISHAW. 



195 



Gallen's " Pocket Almanack," 1687, owned by George Sitwell 

 Rider's " British Merlin," 1690, „ ,, 



Gallen's "Pocket Almanack," 1691, ,, ,, 



Rider's " British Merlin," 1693, „ ,, 



Goldsmith's Almanack, 1694, ,, 



1698, 



1699, 



1700, ,, 



1704, 

 1709, 



William Sacheverell. 

 George Sitwell. 



Goldsmith's Almanack, 



Goldsmith's Almanack, 



Goldsmith's Almanack, 



Goldsmith's Almanack, 



Goldsmith's Almanack, 



Rider's " British Merlin," 



Rider's "British Merlin," 1713, ,, 



Rider's " British Merlin," 1715, ,, 



Rider's "British Merlin," 1720, ,, 



Rider's "British Merlin," 1721, „ 



Rider's " British Merlin," 1777, ,, Francis Sitwell. 



Of the thirteen earliest, no copies exist in the library of the 

 British Museum, and it is possible that some of them are unique ; 

 but it is not to the printed text that I wish to draw attention. 

 The MS. notes which they contain, though they cannot be said 

 to throw the least glimmer of light on the important events of the 

 time, yet form an interesting record of the trifles which made up 

 the life of a Derbyshire squire at his own home, and during his 

 visits to London ; of his arrangements with his neighbours for 

 procuring gazettes and newsletters, his payments to the footpost, 

 the evening post, and Doncaster post, his work as a justice of the 

 peace; of the number of his "linens," and the cost of his wigs, 

 the way in which he rubbed his teeth with salt, pohshed his 

 shoes with neat's-foot oil, and blacked them with sizeing and lamp- 

 black, cured his corns, made his coffee, and gave a flavour to his 

 ale. The almanack for r7r5 shows that its owner paid a hurried 

 visit to London to buy carabines, carbine belts, buckets, swords, 

 powder flasks, and bullet moulds, and that he supplied himself 

 with a " full and Authentick Narrative of the intended Horrid 

 Conspiracy and Invasione." Most unfortunately the almanack 

 for 1688 is wanting, and I have, therefore, no direct evidence to 



