434 CORRESPONDENCE OE RAY. 



retarded in expectation, which I hope you will take effectual 

 care that it be not. As for the ' History of Insects,' I 

 am advised by some friends not to engage myself in it. 

 And, indeed the sad pains and infirmities I labour under, 

 threatening the approach of death, incline me to listen to 

 their counsel, though I am not yet resolved what to do. 

 No more at present, but that I am. 



Sir, 

 Your faithful friend and servant, 



John Ray. 



Black Notley, Sept. 1, 1703. 



Mr. Eay to [Mr. Petivek?]. 



Sir, — I received yours of Sept. 9th, and am very glad 

 to understand thereby that you are in so hopeful a way 

 of a perfect recovery from so long-continued an indispo- 

 sition, I give you thanks also for your readiness to 

 communicate your exotic insects to be by me described 

 for my intended history of those animalcules, with what 

 you know of them. But truly they are so numerous, and 

 I so crazy and infirm, that I am not resolved Avhether to 

 attempt such a work or not. But yet to cut short and 

 facilitate it, I intend not to insert more exotics than are 

 to be found in the cabinets of the curious in England, 

 and which I myself shall see and describe, the most of 

 which (as I before told you) are in your and Dr. Sloane's 

 hands, so that I shall not concern myself with those 

 published and to be published by the Lady Marian, as 

 neither with those of Goedartius, Hoefnagell, Hollar, 

 Aldrovand, any further than to take out of them synonyma 

 of our British ones, and such exotics as shall be seen to 

 [be] described by me. 



I cannot but wonder you should have such a great 

 number of diurnal exotic Papilios ; by diurnal ones I 

 understand with you such as have antenna clavata. 



