—————————— ee ™”SSS——: 
72 
fa the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
Am a conftant reader cf your Month- 
ly Magazine, and mu own I am 
much pleaied with the journal of Mr, 
Housman; but IF am forry he fhould 
fo far riifiead your, readers, oe ftating in 
your Magazine for January, 1798, that 
adjoining the road trom Birmingham to 
Wolverham pton, he awa number of. Gres 
burning in a field of eats; and that the 
works for forging iron in that neighbour- 
kook belong to Mr. W: LKINSON: ot pis 
true that Mr. W. has large'works there, 
but thougn he has expended perhaps 
60,0001. 3 in His erections, there are many 
works Inthe vicinity of Wolverhampton 
which make more iron than he does. J] 
have attended Mr. Housman hitherto 
with eS: as I know moft of the 
f am, Sir, 8c: 
Me he {peaks Oi. 
JAS. LoxDALE. 
Dexce, 
Near Wolverkampton, 
zd March, 1798. 

To the Editor of the Monthly Magawine. 
SIR; 
NDERSTANDING that confider- 
able doubts have arifen refpecting 
the authenticity of the manufcripts of 
the late: Rev. Mr. “Yopliady, (which 
came into my hands, as his executor, and 
whick I have fince communicated to Mr. 
Row, fer pubhieation, ) I feel myfelf 
called wpon to ften forward, and vindicate 
them fem the cha were Beene. Thofe 
pert fans who fuppofed them to be furrepti- 
fous, muf have trate fo from a knowledge 
af that claufe in Mr. Y’s will, which di- 
vets all the manufcripts of, andin his 
ewn hand-writing, to be conmmed by 
fire, within one week after his inter- 
= ent.” It muft however be obierved, that 
Mir. T. little thought, atthe time of his 
mz raking. his will, that he fhouid perform, 
in part, this fad office himielf, which he 
actually aid, affifted by me. 
twe days eceupied in the bufinefs E and 
thofe few writings, which have efcaped 
the flames, woul id dou! rttefs have fhared 
the fame faté as the re! ear at had? net 
been for the intervention ef the late Dr. 
Gifford, andthe Rev. Mr. Ryland fe- 
mioY, is Nox vthampt on, who calicd'to fee 
Sir. Yoplady, uring his iilnefs, and 
foie himein the very act cf deitroying 
his papers. ‘They exprefted their fincére 
regr et at this oie se te endeavoured 
te divert him from/the'f 
of his purpofe. 
atter repeated expoltylations, at lenoth 
reluctantly confented. Then, turning to 
= 
_knewledge of the content 
WwW VC. WG e 
Fther execnticn ~ 
Te hig Mri Toplady A 
Authenticity of Mr. Toplady’s Poftbummous Works. 
me, he faid, ‘* My dear friend, “you” ‘ate 
at liberty to do whatever you pleate wit 
the reit,”? which denjaita tabi has Virtually: 
done away. the injunction laid upon me 
by his will. 
And here I cannot but lament, the lofs_ 
which the religious and ‘literary world” 
have futtained, “trom the fer upulous deli-- 
cacy of Mr. T’s mind. “The anfwers 
he afligned to me for this part ef his con-— 
duct, were, that ‘*fome paflages might © 
be twifted from their mtéended meanmes, 
which, when dda he fhould not be able 
todetend.’’ I perceived, among the MSS. 
which were committed to the flames, 
nany works of tafté and genius, parti- 
cularly a very voluminous *¢ A7fery of 
England;? nearly completed. “Phere are, 
however, among: the namifcripts which 
have been refcued, a Efjey towards a 
concife Ch ronolegical DiGicnary,” and, 
&¢ An Fijftor y of the Ancient State of Bi 
tciz,”> in dixteen letters, addrefied to the 
Tate Mrs. Catherine Maéaulay, which 
I doubt not will confirm his reputation 
as awriter. TI underftand Mr. Row de- 
figns fhortly to publith them. 
“I cannot conclude this letter without 
improving the opportunity of returning. 
my fincere thanks to Mr. Rew fof the very 
liberal manner in which he has condutted 
himfelf, and the ample juftice he has ren- 
dered, at an enormousexpence, tothe pub- 
entice of the books of my dear deceaied — 
friend. Iam confident; the public feel” 
themfelves equally indebted to his exer- 
tions in the caufe of religion. J haye 
only to add, that I have given up all the 
manuferipts I have found to Mr. Row, 
ho will publifh them in” feventh vo- 
Hee as ioon as a fufficient number of. 
fub{cribers fhall be for a From my 
, 1 can aflure 
the public, that for afefalnelsy fentiment, . 
and language, they are not inferior to 
thofe publithed in Mr. Toplady’s Tife- 
time. If any perfons fhould ftill entertain 
doubts of Pcie autherticity, they may, 
by reference to Mr. Rew, Great Marl- 
borough-fireet, fee the “MS.° in ‘the 
hand-writing of Mr. Toplady himfelf, or 
upon application to me; I will give them. 
every {atisiaction im my power. “T remain’ 
2 

your 7S Been WILLIAM HUSSEY, 
Kenfingten Gore, March, 1798. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. ~ 
SIR, 
Wy = begin to read, with delight, 
VOY. thefe works of genins, eh 
which German. hiterattre 1s now richly 
itorca . Metiwe fail moe to” remark “im 
‘ them, 
