Sot 
‘serted at the bottom of almost every 
“~pege, from the most valuable authors 
«who have written on Scottish history or 
antiquities, some emendatory, others 
illustrative and explanatory. 
The reader who canunderstand the ob- 
solete Scots idiom of the reign of Charles 
II. will meet with many curious and in- 
‘teresting particulars from the labours of 
the industrious Sibbald, who wrote 
many other works of value besides this 
history. 
Of the author and this work, the editor 
gives the following account. 
«© The style of Sibbald is inferior to his 
matter. Both in his Latin and English 
avorks, it is very often embarrassed and slo- 
wenly, to a degree that surprizes in a literary 
character of such eminence. He evidently 
wrote in haste, and was attentive in general 
‘rather to ascertain and state facts, than stu- 
dious about the language employed in com- 
‘municating them. Of his works, the History 
of Fife is one of the most esteemed. To the 
subject he was naturally partial, and on the 
illustration of it he bestowed more than com- 
mon labour. He seems to have examined every 
Arr. VII, Memorabilia Cantabrigie: or, an Account of the different Colleges in Cams 
bridge ; biographical Sketches of the Founders and eminent Men; with many original — 
Anecdotes ; Views of the Colleges, and Portraits 
Esq. 8vo. pp. 358. 
THERE has ever existed some degree 
of rivalship and jealousy between our 
two national universities. This has 
been strongly displayed in the contention 
about their respective claims to anti- 
quity. Yet the unsophisticated page of 
history is sufficiently decisive to impar- 
tiality. ‘Those who have written ex- 
pressly about Cambridge university, 
(though very few) have thought they 
gave consequence to their subject, by re- 
ferring its origin to a very early period. 
That it occupies the site of a Roman 
station, or castrum estivum, of that people, 
is more than probable, but that its first 
college was erected and endowed pre- 
vious to any at Oxford is a subject we 
submit to the investigation of those who 
have particularly studied the subject. 
Oxford has certainly many advantages 
ever her sister university; and her his- 
‘tory and antiquities havé been more 
eopiously and satisfactorily developed. 
Among the writings connected with that 
university is, Wood’s Athenz Oxonienses, 
awhich contains anecdotes and memoirs 
of all the learned and celebrated men, 
bor or educated there. ‘To imitate 
thet work in a humble degree is the 
alee 
BRITISH TOPOGRAPHY AND ANTIQUITIES. 
authority, printed and manuscript, within 
his reach, which was likely to throw light 
on any branch of his work. And there is a 
preiasien of extracts in Latin, copied at — 
ength into the text, which, though it gives 
his pages a deformed and matley appearance, 
manifests his fidelity. In the modern part 
of the history, his own personal knowledge 
of the county, and his opportanities of ob- 
taining information from his numerous 
friends and relations, who lived in it, and 
the exactness with which he has described 
such objects as are permanent, or that have 
happened to remain, give us perfect, confi- 
dence of bis general accuracy. ‘Two editions 
of this work were printed at Edinburgh, in 
the author’s life-tume; and from the most 
correct of these, in 1710, the present one is 
carefully taken. It was thought proper (ex- 
cept where there is obviously an error of the 
press) to preserve the original spelling, which 
is by no means correct or uniform, as a 
mark of the unfixed state of this branch of 
literature in Edinburgh in the beginning of 
the 18th century.” 
The volume is embellished with four 
neatly engraved plates by R. Scott. 
of the Founders. By Josrru Witson, 
object of Mr. Wilson, in this Aasty little 
volume. 
_ The author very humbly appeals to 
his readers, by stating, 
~ 
fy 
«« It is net without the greatest diffidence 
that I submit this work to the public eye. 
I am fully aware that an Athen Cantabri- — 
gienses would have been too arduous a task 
for me to have attempted, notwithstanding 
the abundance of materials which may be 
fétind for such a work, in the voluminous — 
collections of Mr. Baker, Mr. Cole, &e-; © 
and the MSS. of Mr. Drake Morris, in the © 
Harleian library, which seem tolerably com- 
plete, so far as relates to the archbishops and: 
bishops who have finished their education at 
this university. That such a work, consi- 
dering the copious fund of amusement and 
instruction it would affords if properly exe- 
cuted, has never appeared, may indeed excite 
much surprize and regret; as no university 
has possessed a greater number of members _ 
more fully adequate to such an undertaking © 
than. Cambridge. That Dr. Richardson, 
Mr, Baker, and Mr. Cole had the idea, is | 
evident from their collections, and it must 
ever be lamented that nen so eminently qua- © 
lified did not live to complete it.” | 
Knowmg the vast mass of biogra-— 
phical materials collected, and left by” 
Sa 
