Percy has fully recovered her health, and most sincerely wish you both all possible comfort and happiness. Your friend Mr. Pitt of Prior's Lee died lately at Bath; the fortune he has left behind him is said to be about 20,000l. I am, my good friend, yours most faithfully and affectionately, E. BLAKEWAY."

Rev. Dr. SAMUEL SALTER*.

1769-1774.

Memorial to his Grace the Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND from the Master of the Charter House.

"Feb. 14, 1769.

"The Master of the Charter House (Dr. Salter) received this day, (14 February, 1769,) a short letter from a Mr. James Jefferson, dated from the clerk of the peace's office in Chancery-lane, notifying to the Master that he was put into the commission of the peace for Middlesex and Westminster, and making a tender of his service in taking out the dedimus, &c. The Master has written what was necessary to Mr. Jefferson; and begs leave to address a short memorial to his Grace the Duke of Northumberland, relative to this matter.

"The Masters of this Hospital have usually been in the commission; but have seldom or never acted. The present Master, who came in seven years ago, never solicited that honour; as for other good reasons, so particularly because he conceived the tumultuous and irregular resort to an acting and active justice of peace was scarce consistent with the safety, certainly very detrimental to the quiet and retreat, of his boys and old men in the hospital; who keep very early hours, ought not to be disturbed without necessity, and should not, if possible, even know aught of those disorderly proceedings which come so frequently before the magistrate for animadversion and punishment.

* Of Dr. Salter, see Memoirs in Literary Anecdotes, vol. III. pp. 221— 225.; VII. 367-689; IX. 787. Bishop Percy seems to have entertained a contemptible opinion of Dr. Salter. In a letter to Mr. Nichols, March 25, 1789, he calls him, "that shallow prater, poor Salter, one of the weakest boasters I ever knew, who was always affecting to retail anecdotes of great men." See p. 79 of this volume.

"The Master, therefore, as he neither desired this office for himself, nor could have accepted it if offered him, so was heartily sorry to find that one of his colleagues, Mr. Colepeper, was gotten into the commission. He observed the manifold inconveniences of this to the Hospital in various instances, and received many complaints of it. But, unwilling to interpose in a matter of this sort, which might displease his neighbour and schoolfellow, he continued to bear this very great nuisance, which, however, appeared so insupportable to the late Archbishop of Canterbury, that his Grace, having received a written complaint of the like kind, reproved the Master for his silent acquiescence, and ordered him immediately to put a stop to it, by a message from his Grace to Mr. Colepeper. This message was delivered, and promised to be obeyed; but the nuisance still continues notwithstanding.

"The Master hopes his Grace of Northumberland will pardon him, not only for declining the honour intended him, but also for requesting humbly, on account of the Hospital he presides over, that Mr. Colepeper may not be in this new commission; nor any other person whose habitation is within the Charter House walls.

"SAMUEL SALTER."

Answer drawn up by Dr. Percy in the name of the Duke of NORTHUMberland.

"Northumberland House, Feb. 23, 1769. "The Duke of Northumberland presents his compliments to Dr. Salter, and desires to inform him, that it has been usual to insert the name of the Master of the Charter House in all commissions of the peace for Westminster and Middlesex; and the Duke would not omit this opportunity of testifying his attention and regard for Dr. Salter; but that the Doctor is not expected to act as a magistrate, unless it should be entirely agreeable to himself.

"As for Mr. Colepeper, his name having been inserted in former commissions of the peace for these thirty years past, it was necessarily continued in this; it is not usual to leave out the name of any gentleman who has once acted as a magistrate."

"SIR,

To the Rev. Dr. PERCY.

Charter-house, 27 September, 1773.

"It is within these very few days only that I learned,

VOL. VIII.

M

I forget where, that you have lately published a very curious book, taken from the Northumberland papers, and that it is not to be had but from yourself, or from the noble family. I have not the honour to be at all known to them, nor have I much pretence to apply to you. I can only say, with great truth, that I shall be glad to see whatever has been authentically published, or shall be, of them, and whatever you have introduced, or may hereafter introduce, to the public. I am, with very great and sincere respect, Sir,

"Your most obedient humble servant,
"SAMUEL SAlter."

"SIR,

Norwich, July 7, 1774.

"I was this morning favoured with yours of the 5th, and am very glad that I had it in my power at once to oblige you, and to accommodate a quiet and orderly pensioner, without departing from the stated and established rules of the Hospital. I am afraid I cannot comply with your present request, not that I have any immediate objection to Edwards, or predilection for any other person; but, you must understand, our old men, according to the spirit and temper of the times, are very impatient under every degree and any sort of restraint; and, because they are to have no women attending them but such as are put in by the Master for that purpose, they choose rather to go without than to employ any one of his appointment, though there are twelve of them, and they are quite free to take any of them. Edwards was brought in by some two or three irregular persons, without my knowledge I would say, rather than in contempt and defiance of my authority; and though, as I have no complaint against her, I can connive at her stay amongst us, and will do it very cheerfully rather than Mr. Percy should be made at all uneasy by the loss of Harrison, yet we must not reward any one for being irregular, nor give any open countenance or encouragement to such as have come in amongst us without authority, and continue amongst us in a sort of opposition to authority.

"Having thus, I hope satisfactorily, given an answer to your application, I am to beg your pardon for my neglect, in not having thanked you for the curious book you were so good as to send me. I could not do it in a proper manner when the messenger delivered it from you, but

fully designed, as I told him, to do it very soon, either in person or by letter. I suppose the company I then, and for some time after, had in my house, and my journey hither at the end of May, prevented my waiting upon you; but what prevented my writing to you I do not recollect, nor know how either to excuse or to account for. I can now only apologise to you for my carelessness, and make what amends I am able, by assuring you that you may very safely assure Mr. Percy of my entire disposition to tolerate Elizabeth Edwards, while her stay in the house, and attendance on him, gives him comfort, and contributes to his happiness in any degree.

"I am, Sir, with very real and great respect, your most obedient humble servant,

"SAMUEL Salter."

"Rev. Dr. Percy, Northumberland House."

1772.

Dr. PERCY to Dr. DUCarel.

"Northumberland House, Jan. 13, 1772.

"Dr. Percy presents his best respects to Dr. Ducarel, and is extremely obliged to him for a sight of the curious letter and specimen with which he favoured him. Dr. Percy has seen many former specimens of the same verses, and heard a great deal of the history of the discovery; which, when he has the pleasure to see Dr. Ducarel, he will relate at large: at present he can only say, that their genuineness is rather doubted till the original MS. can be produced."

Mr. LOCKYER DAVIS † to Dr. PERCY.

"June 1, 1772.

"Lockyer Davis presents his respects to Dr. Percy, who has not yet favoured him with the Introduction to the Key to the New Testament.' Mr. Davis, some time since, supplied Dr. Percy with duplicate sheets of that part of the work.

"As Dr. Percy makes no secret of his name, as author of the Key,' would it be improper, or disagreeable to

* Chatterton's MSS.

† See memoir of Lockyer Davis in Literary Anecdotes, vol. VI. p. 436; and notices of him in vol. VII. pp. 104, 549.

him, to add the initials of it, either to the Dedication or Preface?

"Dr. Percy has received Dr. Hurd's Book, and Mr. Bowyer's.

"Dr. Percy would have received the Letters that accompany this long since, had Mr. Davis been able readily to have turned to them; viz.

"Letters of Hawkesworth; of Dean Swift; of Lady Betty Germaine; of James Stopford; of Mrs. Barber; and Duchess of Queensberry's answer to the King and Queen."

1773.

Rev. Dr. SAMUEL PEGGE* to Dr. PERCY. "DEAR SIR, Whittington, June, 1773. "I perceive that in the second volume of the Archæologia, p. 100, are printed my Observations on your account of the Minstrels among the Saxons, the Council not being aware that they had been replied to in the second edition of your Essay. But candour, and a love of truth, oblige me to acknowledge that you have removed my doubts in a very satisfactory manner, by that larger and more full discussion of the subject which you have been pleased to give in your last edition. I sincerely wish you all imaginable success in your literary labours for the public service; and am, Sir,

"Your truly affectionate and most obedient Servant, "SAMUEL PEGGE."+

1774.

Dr. PERCY to RICHARD GOUGH, Esq.

"Northumberland House, March 3, 1774.

"Dr. Percy presents his compliments to Mr. Gough. He is just come to town, and finds a very obliging card from Mr. Gough, informing him that he has sent him the Copy of Vincent on Brooke, with Sir Wm. Dugdale's MS. Notes; but as Dr. Percy does not find the book here, he hopes that Mr. Gough has it still in his possession; in

* Ample Memoirs of Dr. Pegge, by his Son, are printed in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1796, and reprinted in the Literary Anecdotes, vol. VI. pp. 224-258. See also vol. VII. 314, 646. Literary Illustrations, General Index.

† Archæologia, vol. III. p. 310.

See Literary Anecdotes, vol. VII. 154, 577; Literary Illustrations, General Index.