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to you, and requesting, with Mr. Gough's permission, that when the sheets of his new edition of "Camden's Britannia" relative to Norfolk are printed off, I may be favoured with a proof to examine them respecting those additions which I made, and which Mr. Gough honoured with his approbation.

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I would have written to him on this occasion, but concluding that at this time of the year, you see him almost every week, I thought that my addressing this to you would answer that purpose, and likewise enable me to thank you for the very great pleasure and, in various instances, information I have received from your entertaining and useful publication of " Anecdotes of Mr. Bowyer." Had I known the plan of your work previous to its publication, it would I believe have been in my power to have added a trifle or two to your Anecdotes and lives of literary men. Should a second edition be intended, what little I can add shall be, at any time on proper notice, at your command.

"Just as I had written thus far I received the Gentleman's Magazine. I have not had time to examine it, but as I have always found great entertainment from it in its sixpenny state, I make no doubt but its increased price will afford me a proportionable increase of pleasure. I am, &c. JOHN FENN."

11. Mr.GoUGH to Mr. FENN.

[1784.]

"DEAR SIR, "In looking over your excellent Chronology of our Society, it has occurred to me that you have made a provision for the insertion of honorary members, both foreign and native, but not for a regular list of others, which some of our brethren concur with myself in wishing could be introduced with a few biographical anecdotes of each. I believe I formerly mentioned to you that I had furnished myself with materials for such a design, which I hope to have the pleasure of communicating to you here in the course of the winter. R. GOUGH."

12. Sir JOHN FENN to Mr. GOUGH. "DEAR SIR, East Dereham, Oct. 18, 1789. "I yesterday received the favour of your letter, and any observations you will make on my publications will not only be thankfully accepted, but will likewise do me honour.

"My intention always has been, at the close of the original Letters, to give some account of the Paston Family, for which I have all along been endeavouring to get together materials; but I always considered the life of Sir John Fastolf to have been so copiously detailed in the " Biographia Britannica," that the few

alterations or additions I could have made would have been of little consequence; besides that work is now in such hands that will, in due alphabetical order, give, I am sure, a much better life of that great inan than I could presume to do.

"I should, however, receive any materials relative to him with pleasure, and endeavour to use them in the course of my work.

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"My stay in London during the last spring was very short, and of that short time I was obliged to dedicate a portion to an old friend in the neighbourhood, who had then lately been left a widower with ten children; this prevented my paying my repects to you, and Mrs. Gough, to whom pray deliver my compliments, and believe me, your's most sincerely, John Fenn."

13. To the same.

"DEAR SIR, East Dereham, Nov. 8, 1789. "Since I received your last letter, I have lead over the life of Sir John Fastolf in the " Biographia Britannica," and I own it appears to me in a different light to what it did when I read it some time ago, before I was so intimately acquainted with the original. I certainly thought better of it than I now do. I may perhaps endeavour to patch together my own memoranda, and any others I may be so fortunate as to receive.

"I have lately been very idle, in the book-making way I mean, though I have found time to fill up my Chronological Tables relative to the Antiquarian Society, to the present time, as well as my distance from Somerset House would give me leave.

"I have not yet seen the ninth volume of the Archæologia; if you would take it for me at the Society, and ask the favour of Mr. Cobb to send it to Mr. Bedwel Law's, booksellerin Ave Marialane, directed to me at East Dereham, "by Mr. Barker's parcel," he would put it into that, and I should receive it safe here.

"I did not know, till I received your letter, that Dr. Kippis had given up the management of the new " Biographia;" since, I see it likewise mentioned in the Gentleman's Magazine.

"I think you took a Chronological List of the Members of the Antiquarian Society from the time of our incorporation; I hope you intend we should see it in print*.

Is Craven Ord returned to town? has he been busy in our way this vacation? Pray, when you see him, remember my best respects to him; you and Mrs. Gough will accept the united compliments of my wife, and your sincere friend, JOHN FENN."

14. To the same.

"DEAR SIR, East Dereham, Dec. 17, 1789. "I was from home when your letter arrived. I have looked over some papers since my return in expectation of finding some old Churchwardens', &c. Accounts, but, after a long search, I recollected that what papers I had of that kind, I had sent to our common friend the late Sir John Cullum. If I had had any, Mr. Nichols should have been welcome to the use of themt.

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"I have nothing like a glossary of the terms of dress, furniture, &c. May not a partelet of velvet" mean a velvet garment composed of different coloured velvets? a kersteyning towel, a

This List was published by Mr. Gough in 178.; but is now extremely scarce, and a new edition of it, continued to the present time, is very desirable.

For the Illustrations of the Manners and Expences of Antient Times in England;" published by Mr. Nichols in 1797, and now exceedingly scarce.

christening towel? and fawle wood, felled or underwood? I give you these merely as conjectures. Of printed inventories of that kind I do not recollect any.

"The ninth volume of the Archæologia came safe; but the two prints Mr. Cobb took back again, as Mr. Law was fearful of sending them by his parcel, he thinking them too large, and did not choose to double them. As soon as Mr. Frere comes to town I will desire him to have them sent to his house.

"I have been very idle hitherto: I intend going hard to work after Christmas, during the twelve days of which we have here a good deal of old-fashioned visiting amongst our friends and neighbours, which I much approve. Indulge me then in concluding with the old-fashioned, but sincere, wish that both you and Mrs. Gough may experience a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.' Yours, &c. JOHN FENN."

"DEAR SIR,

15. To the same.

East Dereham, March 10, 1790. "I wish it was in my power to give you any information respecting the present condition of the Holy Sepulchre, mentioned by Mr. Blomfield in his History of Northwold. I never was in that parish, unless when passing in a carriage some years ago from Swaffham to Brandon; how far, therefore, it would answer the expence, &c. of a draughtsman to come down to take a drawing of it I can be no judge. Blomfield's description of it is curious, and if it now should answer that account, a drawing of it would be estimable. It is in a part of this county with which we here have very little communication. There is a coach runs from Lynn to London, but where it inns there I know not-a Directory will easily ascertain that. In its way from Brandon to Lynn, the coach must pass through or very near the parish of Northwold, and the fare thither must be somewhere between 22 and 25 shillings. There are no cross country coaches from Lynn coast wise; his conveyance to the Felbriggs, &c. would be, therefore, uncertain, both as to manner and expence.

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'I have been solicited to be, and have accepted the office of Arbitrator in a cause which has, by its expences in the Courts of Law, I believe, tired both Plaintiff and Defendant. The arbitration, I suppose, will come on sometime during this or the next month. Till that shall be fixed and determined I cannot call myself master of my own time; when I shall therefore visit London is uncertain. Should this Sepulchre, or any other antiquarian pursuit, bring you into Norfolk I hope I need not say, that I should be happy to repay some of the many civilities I have received at Enfield. Yours sincerely, JOHN FENN."

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"DEAR SIR,

"In answer to your enquiries respecting John Long, Esquire, late of Baconsthorpe, the following are all I can at present give

you, but I have applied to a gentleman, who has connections in that neighbourhood, and of what I may hear from him you shall be informed whenever I receive his information.

"The account I can give you at present is the following:

"John Long died old several years ago, and, I believe, a widower. However, he certainly left no children; but gave his estates at Baconsthorpe, Kelling, &c. to the Rev. Zurishadai Girdlestone, who, since dying, gave them, charged with younger children's fortunes, to his son Zurishadai Girdlestone, Esq. a Justice of the Peace for this county. This gentleman, about four or five years ago, sold the Baconsthorpe estate to Mott, Esq. who is since dead, and it now belongs to his son a minor. The Girdlestones were connected with the Longs by a fe male branch of the family, I believe. This is all I know. Since I wrote to you before, I have found the following memorandum in T. Martin's hand-writing, concerning Northwold Church :

"On the north side of the chancel is an antient monument of curious fretwork, &c. supposed to be a representation of our Saviour's sepulchre, from the dormant figures carved at the lower part of it. I went to take a draft of it. I am told there's another such in the neighbouring church of -.' He has here left a blank which I cannot fill up.

"I had a farmer from Northwold with me last week, on some justice business, from whom I hoped to have procured some information, but he knew nothing about any curiosities in the chancel. Dr. Hinton is the clergyman, and resides there; perhaps he could give you some satisfactory account of that, and of the church in which T. Martin mentions another.

"Mr. Frere informs me by letter, that he has never received the roll of prints, which you mentioned (March 7) as safe in his custody. Law told him the man who brought them to him carried them back to Somerset House. Cobb says he never had them there; nor could Mr. Frere have any tidings of them. "I am this minute summoned to dinner. "Believe me yours most sincerely,

JOHN FENN."

17. To the same.

Sept. 29, 1790.

"DEAR SIR, "I am happy that my sketch of the monument or sepulchre at Northwold, raised your wishes to possess an accurate drawing of it. If Mr. Schnebbelie could have made it convenient, I should have been very glad to have received him at Dereham, and to have shewn him any civilities in my power.

"I shall have pleasure in hearing from you the history of his expedition into Norfolk, and what monuments and other antiquities he found here worthy of his pencil.

"When you send the missing plate of Herbert's Typography, I shall be still more obliged to you if you will take for me the 'Household Account,' and send it to Law's, in Ave Maria-lane,

directed to me by Barker's parcel. The prints last published by the Society, I have gotten.

"Mr. Frere has the 3rd vol. of Herbert's Ames, which he will return to you on your order as soon as he comes to London, which I suppose will be about November.

My Chronological Tables are continued up to this time, and when I have had the Household Account,' to Easter, will be complete to July last, when the Society broke up for their summer vacation.

"I do not know whether Judge Laken was buried in a Norfolk or Suffolk church.

"I hope the late favourable weather has dispersed your rheumatism, and that, commencing the winter well, you will continue to enjoy your health during the cold weather, if we should have any this year.

"I saw Mr. Craven Ord's brother last week; he told me Craven was well and deeply engaged in Botany. He is to be in London by the 5th of November.

"The Norfolk part of your Britannia I received from the printer some years ago, but without the map or plate of antiquities; if you have any of those, I should be obliged to you to send me one of each, that my Norfolk may be complete. "Believe me yours, with great sincerity,

18. To the same,

JOHN FENN."

"MY DEAR SIR, East Dereham, March 4, 1792. "I fear that you and my other friends will accuse me of neglect, and think I have forgotten them; not so I hope. I may say I have almost forgotten myself; if being called from my usual routine of reading, from my books and my papers, into a bustling sphere of action could have done it, I had completely done so. I received my writ of discharge a few days ago, and I hope now to return with a double relish to my former placid, quiet way of life; I say hope, because I have found myself so drawn from my desk and great chair, that even now when I sit down, I feel myself fidgetty and unsettled.

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You know perhaps that I was High Sheriff of Norfolk last year, an office which in this large and opulent county has a great deal of real business, and a great deal of etiquette belonging to it. The company you are obliged to receive, the visits you must pay, have been a constant tax upon my time; my whole summer passed in that way; in the winter my friends and neighbours kept me more agreeably engaged indeed, but even then I looked upon myself as always in my best coat. You know, I dare say, how a man feels in that situation.

My Letter must be a Letter of enquiry only, of what is going forward in the literary and antiquarian world, for I assure you I am as unacquainted with every movement of that kind as if I had been out of the Kingdom.

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