HISTORY OF AUBREY 8 WORK. VU 



describing its origin and progress. He states elsewhere that on the 21st of April 1686, he "finished 

 the last chapter," and in the same year he had his portrait painted by " Mr. David Loggan, the 

 graver," expressly to be engraved for the intended publication. 



On the 18th of August 1686 he wrote the following Will : " Whereas I, John Aubrey, R.S.S., 

 doe intend shortly to take a journey into the west ; and reflecting on the fate that manuscripts use to 

 have after the death of the author, I have thought good to signify my last Will (as to this Naturall 

 History of Wilts) : that my will and desire is, that in case I shall depart this life before my returne 

 to London again, to finish, if it pleaseth God, this discourse, I say and declare that my will then 

 is, that I bequeath these papers of the Natural History of Wilts to my worthy friend Mr. Robert 

 Hooke, of Gresham Colledge and R.S.S., and I doe also humbly desire him, and my will is, that 

 the noble buildings and prospects should be engraven by my worthy friend Mr. David Loggan, 

 who hath drawn my picture already in order to it." This document * shews at once the dangers 

 and difficulties which attended travelling in Aubrey's time, and also that he seriously contemplated 

 the publication of his favourite work. 



Neither his fears of death nor his hopes of publication were however then realized : probably 

 the political disturbances attending the Revolution of 1G88 interfered with the latter. In the 

 November of the year following that event Aubrey's friend and patron Thomas, Earl of Pembroke, 

 was elected President of the Royal Society, which distinguished office he held only for one year. 

 During that period the author dedicated the " Natural History of Wiltshire " to his Lordship ; and 

 there is little reason to doubt that the fair copy, now in the Society's Library, was made by the author, 

 and given to it in the year 1690. About the same time he had resolved to present his other manu- 

 scripts, together with some printed books, coins, antiquities, &c., to the Ashmolean Museum at 

 Oxford; and most of them were accordingly deposited there. He however appears to have 

 retained his original manuscript of the "Natural History," in which he made several observations 

 ill the year 1691 ; that being the latest date attached by him to any of the additions.! 



On the 15th of September in the same year Aubrey sent this work to his learned and scientific 

 friend, John Ray, for his perusal. The latter made a number of notes upon various parts of 

 the manuscript, which he retained till the 27th of the ensuing month; when he returned it with the 

 very judicious letter which will be found printed in this present publication (p. 7.) He had 

 acknowledged the receipt of the work in a previous letter, in which he says : " I have read it over 

 with great pleasure and satisfaction. You doe so mingle utile duld that the book cannot but take 

 with all sorts of readers: and it is pity it should be suppressed; which, though you make a 

 countenance of, I cannot persuade myself you really intend to do:" and then proceeds to criticise a 

 few pedantic or " new-coyned " words, and also the contents of Chapter VIII. (Parti.) It was 

 probably soon afterwards that Evelyn perused and added some notes to the manuscript ;} and in 

 February 1694 Aubrey also lent the work to Thomas Tanner (afterwards Bishop of St. Asaph), 

 at his earnest request. He seems to have become acquainted with his fellow county-man, Tanner, 



* It has been already printed in my Memoir of Aubrey. A note attached to it shews that the author intended to incorporate 

 with the present work some portions of his MS. " Monumenta Britcmmca ;" which was also dedicated to the Earl of Pembroke. 



) Some of these additions of 1691 Aubrey afterwards transcribed into certain blank spaces in the Royal Society's copy. 



J Perhaps in May 1692 ; when he is known to have examined another of Aubrey's works, " An Idea of Education of Young 

 Gentlemen." Evelyn's notes to the " Wiltshire" are thus referred to in a memorandum by Aubrey on a fly-leaf of the manuscript : 

 " Mdm. That y e annotations to which are prefixed this marke [J. E.] were writt by my worthy friend John Evelyn, Esq. R.S.S. 

 'Twas pitty he wrote them in black lead ; so that I was faine to runne them all over againe with inke. I thiake not more than 

 two words are obliterated." 



