840 



The Literary Treasures of Longleat. 



as a memorial of my gratitude for his signal and continual favours ; T leave to 

 the Library of the Cathedral at Wells, all my books of which my Lord Wey- 

 mouth has the duplicates and of which the Library there has not : or, in case I 

 outlive my Lord, I leave to the Library aforesaid (Wells) to make their choice 

 of all of which they have not duplicates ; and the remainder of my books not 

 chosen for the Library, I leave to be divided between my two nephews, Isaao 

 Walton and John Beacham, excepting those books which I shall dispose of to 

 others .... I bequeath to the Library at Bath all my French, Italian, 

 and Spanish books." * 



According to an old catalogue preserved in the library the number 

 of books, pamphlets, &c, now there, that had belonged to the bishop, 

 is nearly one thousand. 



There is a large collection of Civil War tracts, and a great num- 

 ber of old geographical works of voyages and travels descriptive of 

 the world as then known. Also many valuable works on antiquities, 

 coins, and the like, such as are now seldom met with in private 

 houses ; fine and costly volumes, the like of which indeed are not often 



•Printed in Bowles's Life of Bishop Ken, vol. ii., p. 306. 



I may take this opportunity of printing a letter upon this subject, which I discovered at Longleat, 

 ■written by Mr. Hawkins, the Bishop's executor, to Thomas, Viscount Weymouth. 



" My Lord. Knowing certainly of the account Mr. Ord gave yr. Ldship concerning the death of 

 my Ld. Bp. Ken made me presume on pardon for omitting the giving it myself at that time Doth of 

 hurry and affliction and being now unable to give farther particulars than are known to yr. Ldship. 

 I shall only add that by his Will now in my custody (and which I shall copy from), he gives to 

 your Ldship all his books of which your Ldship has not the duplicates as a memoriale of his grati- 

 tude for your signall and continued favours, wh. Will, if yr. Ldship gives leave 1 shall show you 

 when I can wait on you : in the meantime and because the remainder of his books are to severall 

 I have ventured to lock his Dore, of which Mr. Ord has the key and I myself have lockt on a pad- 

 lock. 1 am as in Duty bound so with great respect, My Lord, yr. Ldship's most obedient servant, 



Will. Hawkins. 



Sarum Close, 



March 27, 1711. 

 To Bt. Hon. Thos. Ld. Vist. Weymouth, 



St. James's Square, London." 



I also discovered at Longleat, thirteen original letters in the handwriting of the Bishop himself, 

 Which were quite unknown to his biographers. 

 The following account of the Bishop's death is from a letter by.Hilkiah Bedford to Thomas Hearne. 



"May 17, 1711. 



Bp. Ken died at Longleat March 19, 1710-1, a little after 5 in the morning, and was buryed about 

 the same hour on the AVednesday follow ing in the parish (Frome) Chuich-yard. His last illness of 

 about 8 days continuance, mostly a difficulty of breathing, call'd by the Physicians a nervous Asthma. 

 Siez'd first in Januaiy last abt. 5 in the morning wth. violent coughing at Mrs. Thynne's at Lewston 

 in Dorcetshire. About a week af$er he was again early in the morning taken with a dead palsey in 

 his left side, wch. lasted a day or 2, but the hand remain'd useless to his death. About a fortnight 

 after that, be was siez'd with spitting blood, yet he was well enough to remove to Longleat 9 days 

 before he dyed, and design'd in 3 or 4 days after he got thither to go to Bathe." 



" Jun. 19, 1711. 



Bp. Ken was hury'd before 6 in the morning by his own appointment, for the more privacy : atten- 

 dtd to the grave unly by my Lord Weymouth's steward (I think) and 12 poor men that carried him 

 by turns and had 5s a-picce for it, : the coffin cover'd with a few yards of black cloth instead of a 

 -Pall, and that given to the Minister of the Parish for a gown." 



