204 RICARDUS CORINENSIS. 



the Custodian of the Eoyal Library, and the fittest of all men in 

 Copenhagen to certify to the genuineness of the professed discovery. 

 At least one more Latin epistle from the same lettered dignitary 

 followed; and then came the news of his death: before Dr. Stukeley 

 had become sufficiently "solicitous about Richard of Westminster" 

 to ask for extracts from his Roman treatise. 



But when the English antiquary's curiosity was fairly roused, he 

 did his best, according to the light of that uncritical age : strove to get 

 hold of the original MS. ; proposed to purchase it for the British 

 Museum; and, on failing in this, obtained a transcript of the whole. 

 That Dr. Stukeley should have been content with this and the excuses 

 of Bertram for witholding the original, — lame as they now appear, — can- 

 not greatly surprise any one who fully estimates all the circumstances. 

 But that Bertram was able to put off the Royal Librarian in the same 

 fashion, and induce him to write to a distinguished foreigner about a 

 MS. only known to him by the vague report of an undergraduate, is 

 inconceivable. If there ever was a manuscript, genuine or manufac- 

 tured, Herr Gramm must have seen it. One of the rarest and most 

 precious of ancient historical works, not only unknown, as Dr. Stukeley 

 wrote to him, in any British Library, but seemingly unique, lay ready 

 for easy acquisition by the Copenhagen Royal Library. It had been 

 the subject of elaborate Latin correspondence with the learned secretary 

 of a foreign society, and its worth had been set forth in the strongest 

 terms. Yet, if such a MS. ever existed, instead of being secured for 

 the Royal Library, it was allowed to pass into the possession of Bertram, 

 and when enquired for by English scholars immediately after his death, 

 was no where to be found. 



Bertram was a humble friend and protege of his Majesty's privy 

 councillor and chief librarian. Under such circumstances Herr Gramm 

 might command his services in any needful correspondence with Dr. 

 Stukeley about genuine or apocryphal manuscripts; but Bertram could 

 have no influence over the learned Librarian's pen. Can we, then, 

 avoid the inference that he was in some degree particeps criminis in 

 the earlier proceeding,?, by means of which Bertram successfully palmed 

 on English scholars the mischievous imposture which has more or less 

 affected the historical and antiquarian literature of Europe, for a whole 

 century, in reference to the Anglo-Roman period of British History? 



At the same time, it must not be overlooked that the first " little 

 extract," and the '' imitation of the hand-writing " of the wondrous 



