. 684 
hasty pudding, or Mr. Whiston’s snuff of — 
a comet, will carry the day, I cannot 
foresee. Dr. Arbuthnot has well ob- 
served, that.a successiul theory musi be 
built upon many nice enquiries, aud not 
forwardly advanced on the encourage- 
ment of a few likely phenomena. ‘To 
this purpose | shall be ever ready to as- 
sist any master-builder, by bringing im 
clay and mortar; and that is all I can 
pretend to. 
me that he could not, for the reasons 
mentioned, be of my opinton, that there 
was any such thing as Sea-Coralline in 
this mass, I desired to know what then 
he would have me to call it: but he has 
not yet been pleased to gratify me. Pos- 
sibly I was too presuming in asking ques- 
tions of a person, who has given us no- 
tice to wait for the solution of all our 
scruples in his larger work. He has 
kindly let me see, that a great many of 
the objections I offered against his theory 
were already answered in his essay, if 
I had observed it might; and the rest I 
must expect, will be as effectually an- 
swered hereafter. I suppose you are 
under no such reserve, and therefore, 
pray, what is your opinion in the matter ? 
Here séems to be a mighty jumble of sea- 
bodies, without the ceremony of taking 
their places according to the rules of 
specific gravity. The bank wherein they 
are fyand (at Stainton near Penrith) is 
twenty miles from the sea. You will 
find, amongst the rest, some of the Star 
Entrochi which you prized so highly; 
and several resemblances of shells which 
TI cannot fellow with any that I have yet 
found on our shores. 
“« Tam, &e. Won 
«P,S. My letter to Wormuius is sent 
to Oxford.” 
“49. To Mr. Tuwatres. 
“ Sir, * March 11, 1697-8. 
“ ] thank you for the picture of good 
Mr. Junius, which I am glad to see pre- 
pared for the uses you mention. Were 
it fit to give judgment of the performan- 
ces of such masterly bands as Van Dyke’s 
and Mr. Burger’s, yet 1 am no ways able 
to do it in this case. My acquaintance 
with that worthy person was very short, 
and mm his-last days, when he was near 
ninety. He came to Oxford only im the 
latter end of 76, and died in the year 
following at Windsor. I was indeed fre- 
quently with bim, during his stay there ; 
but, alas! Ican remember little more 
of him than, that he was very kind and 
communicative, very good, and very old. 
“ Yours, &ec. Pes Fp 
When Dr. Woodward told ' 
Retrospect of Domestic Literature—Miscellanies. 
“6204. From Mr. WILKINS. 
* Oxford, Dec..10, 1716. 
‘¢ My Honoured Lord, 
* T finished last week my new Version 
of the Saxon Laws, according to Lam- 
barde’s and Whelock’s edition; and am 
now upon gathering what remains in © 
Speiman’s first volume of Councils, and 
Dr. Hickes’s Thesaurus, to my purpose, 
to give them a new translation. As soon 
as that is done, I shall think upon my 
Annotations ; and, if his Grace of Can- 
terbury does not want me, I design to 
go from hence to Cambridge about the 
Jatter.end of February, to collate Benet 
College MSS. to my purpose. From 
Cambridge I shall go to London, to col- 
late what relates to my design out of the 
Cotton Library. I hope I shall get Tex. 
tum Roffensem to London, to save my 
journey and expences. M. Solicitor 
General has got all Wr. Elstob’s labours 
upon the Saxon Laws; he was pleased to 
give me hopes of having them. Your 
Lordship’s intercession for it will effec- © 
tually procure me the use of what I 
should absolutely have towards com- 
pleting my edition. I-have not, heard 
from Dr. Canon yet; but I hope, when 
he does remember me, that he will pay 
M. Chamberlayne the quarter, as I have 
desired him. Wr, 
*‘ If I can be serviceable where I am, 
and whither I go, I humbly beg your 
Lordsbip would be pleased to command, 
my honoured Lord, ~ 
* Your Lordship’s 
“ always dutiful son, 
“ and obedient servant. 
«< 1), WILKINS.” 
The collection of letters here printed, 
appears to have been preserved by the 
learned Primate himself with peculiar 
attention; ana were purchased by the 
present editor, in 1808, at the sale of the 
library of the Rev. Edward Marshall, 
formerly of Clare Hall, Cambridge. 
Among the correspondents are the well- 
known names of Archbishops Sharp, . 
Dawes, Wake, Blackburn, and Boulter; 
Bishops Gibson. Kennett, Atterbury, Ro- 
binson, and Tanner; together with those 
of Hickes, Charlet, Pearson, Thoresby, 
Lhwyd, Woodward, Thwaites, Wilkins, 
Madox, &c. Of the greater part of whom 
biographical memoirs, in many mstan- 
ces from materials entirely new, are given 
in the notes. . 
Immediately following the preface are 
some brief memous of Archbishop Nicol- 
son himself, 
HALF. 
