Bath in its relatipti to Literature. 123 



showing how in those days the intellect of the nation was 

 led and who were the leaders ; — but at all events preserve 

 the library in its distinctness for the city as one of its his- 

 torical treasures. 



With modern circulating libraries Bath has 

 *Libraries^ been well supplied ; better probably sixty or 



seventy years ago than lately. People now 

 subscribe to Mudie and buy- serial publications. But early 

 in the century men of kindred tastes became mutually ac- 

 quainted, in comfortable reading-rooms, and there discussed 

 the topics of the day. In Bath " The Grove " and " The 

 Parade," Mr. Peach remarks, were as famous in their time 

 as " The Pantiles " at Tunbridge Wells were in that of Dr. 

 Johnson. Mr. Monkland gives a pleasant picture in a Paper 

 read at the Bath Literary Club. He remembered well when 

 as a youth he used to go for a book to Bull's Library seeing 

 the httle knot who were wont to assemble there : Dr. Haring- 

 ton, in his curule chair, in his fulUbottomed wig and three-cor- 

 nered hat, one leg crossed over the other ; Dr. Falconer 

 pacing up and down, portly and erect of form, together with 

 others who were known as "The Intellectuals" of Bath. 

 The two whose names are given were well worthy of being 

 remembered. Dr. Harington, then quite blind, and approach- 

 ing his ninetieth year, was a versatile and voluminous writer. 

 His musical compositions were above the average, while he 

 shone in paths so different as those of poetry, mechanism, 

 mathematics and theology. Dr. Falconer was also remark- 

 able for considerable learning and industry, a contributor of 

 no less than forty-five works to the literature of Bath. Mrs, 

 Piozzi, the centre here of a large literary circle, was accus- 

 tomed to say, when she and her friends could not settle a 

 disputed point, " we must ask Falconer.'' 



