76 MEMOIR OF 



positions at which the observations were severally 

 taken." 



In the October of this year, Mr Willughby 

 received the following letter from Bishop Wilkins, 

 preserved in the Philosophical Letters,* requesting 

 his assistance in the formation of his work, " Real 

 Character and Philosophical Language.** 



OctoberlQ, 1666. 



Sin, I venture this letter, not without some 

 doubt whether it will be likely to find you at 

 home or not. 



I thought it fitting to inform you that the late 

 fire hath destroyed all the impression that was 

 wrought off, namely, forty-two sheets of the 

 book I was printing, f excepting only one copy 

 of each sheet, which was sent to me from the 

 press, which I had with me in the country, besides 

 the written copy of the whole second book, and 

 the Dictionary from the beginning of the letter R, 

 which I had. likewise sent entire to the press, the 

 renewing of which will be no small trouble and 

 difficulty to me. But I am not hereby discou- 

 raged from the thought of beginning again ; only, 

 before I set about it, I must desire your best 

 assistance for the regular enumeration and defining 

 of all the families of plants and animals. I thought 

 to have found great benefit in this kind, by Dr 

 Merret's late book, but it hath not answered my 

 expectation ; nor do I know any person in this 



* Page 366. 



t Note to this letter " This was his Real Character- 



