receiving as a present, from the King of Sweden, a superb gold medal *. * This Medal is engraved in the Gentleman's Magazine, LXXI. 497, accompanied by the following particular extracted from Sir Herbert's Letter to the Princess Royal of England: "Mankind have been saved by the unexampled firmness and greatness of mind of a single individual-by that turn of mind which was so universally admired in Hyde-park, and in Drurylane theatre, on the 15th of May 1800. This publication, for the purpose of recording that greatness of mind, suggested itself to me from a letter I was writing to a dear and most able friend, Ambassador from the King of Sweden in Germany, Chevalier Peyron, respecting the event of the 15th of May, 1800; so similar to that of the 17th of March 1792, lamented ever since by all Europe. May I be permitted, without indecent breach of confidence to that valued friend, to relate in this place a speech of the young Monarch, whom he and I so sincerely revere, and who was deservedly named Gustavus Adolphus? In these days of democracy, it is criminal to conceal such anecdotes of royalty as the following, and as those which are the subject of this publication. "In 1798 the King of Sweden condescended to make the author of these pages a present of a superb gold medal, struck upon his Majesty's birth in 1778; which does equal credit to the mind of his great father and to that Monarch's patronage of the arts. On giving it to the Ambassador, his Majesty, then only 19 years of age, was enough of a hero to say-' You will deliver this to your friend with what I have directed you to tell him ; but add, as you remember the dispatches you read to me yesterday from England respecting my convoy's being detained, that I send this proof of my good-will to an Englishman the day after I have received the news of a great injury which has been done me by his country.' "Much may be expected from such a character by his own subjects and by Europe. But the sublime medal of the father devoted him, on his birth, to God and his country (Deo et patria); and the son, in his famous declaration as member of the German Empire, has already manifested his Royal wishes to render himself a worthy offering. "In a publication calculated to bring the future historian acquainted with the singular magnanimity displayed by one Monarch and his Royal Consort, this anecdote of another King will not appear misplaced. The British reader will admire it; Mr. Pitt will, whatever may be thought of the Swedish convoy; and one of the first to admire it will, I am sure, be the wise judge who condemned the convoy, Sir Williain Scott, whom I am proud to have had for my College-tutor, the brother of him whom I do not fear to pre-entitle the great Lord Eldon.” In 1799 he addressed a long letter to Mr. Nichols on the subject of what he considered an unprovoked attack made upon him during his absence from England by Mr. Southey on the subject of Chatterton's Papers. This letter, which is inserted in the Gent. Mag. vol. LXX. p. 99, was followed by an answer from Mr. Southey in the same volume, p. 226; a continuation of Sir Herbert's letter may be seen in pp. 222, 323. His subsequent publications were "Hints for History respecting the Attempt on the King's Life, May 15,1800, published in the h opes of increasing the fund for the erection of a Naval Pillar, 1800," 8vo. "A Sermon preached at Prittlewell in Essex, on the 20th of September 1801, upon the Prayer of Thanksgiving to Almighty God, for the late abundant Crop and favourable Harvest, first directed to beused Sept. 13, 1801." "A Sermon upon the Peace, preached at Prittlewell, Oct. 18, 1801," 8vo. Some neatly pointed Verses by Sir Herbert, addressed to a daughter of the present Biographer, are here given. To Miss N., with two Whist-markers. With these, score up the times, if any, H. C. On the first return of the Royal Family to Paris, Sir Herbert Croft published from the press of M. Didot, "Consolatory Verses, addressed to her Royal Highness Madame Duchesse of Angoulême; and dedicated to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent of England; Paris, 1814, 4to." "Réflexions soumises à la Sagesse des Membres du Congrès de Vienne, et à tous ceux pour le Bonheur desquels ils sont rassembles; à Paris, 1814," 8vo. Sir Herbert Croft married, first, Sophia Cleeve, daughter and co-heiress of R. Cleeve, Esq. by whom he had three daughters, Sophia, Mary-Anne, and Elizabeth. This lady dying Feb. 8, 1792, he married, secondly, Sept. 25, 1795, Elizabeth daughter of David Lewis, Esq. and sister to the Lady of Wilbraham Tollemache, Esq. (who in 1799 succeeded his brother as Earl of Dysart) and also of Henry Greswold Lewis, of Malvern in Worcestershire, by whom he had no issue. The Rev. Sir HERBERT CROFT, to Mr. NICHOLS. 1. "DEAR SIR, Saturday night, [April, 1782.] "The other day, in a Letter sent by a friend, I begged the pleasure of your company here, if only for a day or so, that I might open to you at length a matter of much consequence, on which I have been hard at work these two years. Pray answer me by the bearer, and say you will come some day next week. I would come to you about it; but unless I brought three wheelbarrows full of manuscripts, books, and papers, you would not understand me. Pray believe that, besides this business, to have the pleasure of your company will be a great satisfaction to, "Dear Sir, yours most truly, HERBERT CRoft." 2. "DEAR SIR, Holywell-street, Oxford [May 3, 1782]. "Allow me to congratulate you on seeing the end of your great labour *. Mine goes on, and prospers; which I am sure you will be glad to hear. I do not forget your civilities about it; and I shall quote your book in my Dictionary, where I shall give a character of it. Few things would please me more than an opportunity of proving myself, dear Sir, "Your obliged humble servant, HERBERT CROFT." *The first edition of the "Anecdotes of Mr. Bowyer." 3. "DEAR NICHOLS, Sunday, Feb. 6, [1786]. "One of Sheridan's 'damned good-natured friends,' as he calls them in 'The Critic,' is saying much more of me, continually, in the St. James's Chronicle, than I could wish. The malignity of the letter which appeared in Thursday night's paper must strike you, because you well know Johnson did not alter a syllable, as also why he thought my life too long. But I hope I shall never depart from a resolution I have religiously formed after Hume, not to answer any one while I live. Malice and Ignorance united I certainly never shall. However, I wish you could procure me the MS. of Thursday's letter, as I suspect there is as much villainy as can be in such a trifle. At any rate, you can beg the Editor, neither to paragraph nor epistolize a man, who only wishes to be left as quiet as he leaves others; by doing which, and writing me word you have done it, you will oblige, yours ever, HERBERT CROFT." "Those plates of the Tradescants *, which I got for you, after all, reached you, I hope. 4. "DEAR SIR, May 15, 1786. "Thus long I have waited for a Friend's going to town, that I might thank you, without putting you to any expence, for your very friendly visit the other day. This I do most sincerely, I assure you; and Mrs. Croft desires me to say, that you can only make any future visit more agreeable by bringing Mrs. Nichols in your hand. The short time I had to open my budget to you, especially as I did not expect the pleasure of finding you here, prevented my thinking of all I had to shew you and mention to you, respecting my great work; but I trust you saw enough to convince you that I am not in joke. Worthy Dr. Adams † has changed his opinion since that evening, as to the practicability of it; but Priestley, or some such mau, should decide on what requires so much diligence and activity. Five men out of four are asleep. All I can say is, if our family title, my worthy mother-in-law's death, or any preferment whatever, were all to happen to me to-morrow, I think I know my self well enough to be confident I should remain devoted to this work. He "Mr. Fush, of Pembroke, called the day you went. says, Dr. Adams knows what he is doing, and advises him to go * Plates kindly lent by the Trustees of the Bodleian Library, to illustrate the " History of Lambeth Parish" in the "Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica," 1786, No. XXXII. + Dr. Richard Adams, Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, a man of polite manners and extensive learning, and an able controversial writer, will be long more particularly remembered as the friend of Dr. Johnson, with whom he once studied in this College, and whose last days he frequently cheered by his hospitality. Of Dr. Adams a separate article will be given in a future page. An ingenious young man, the Author of a series of Essays called “The Trifler," printed in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1786. See p. 213. VOL. V. P on. He is a decent unaffected young man; and I mean to show him some countenance, which I think they who employ themselves well, so early in life, deserve. Take an opportunity, pray, to tell your friendly Elmsly that I shall bring his relation t acquainted with Burgess. "C. T. O., in your Magazine, I find, stands for Coll. Trin. Oxon. The author is Mr. Headly, of Trinity, who had published "Invocation to Melancholy," and some Miscellaneous Poems, in 4to, a promising young man, but poetical from top to toe. The magnetism of Tom Warton draws many a youth into rhymes and loose stockings, who had better be thinking of prose and propriety; and so it is with his brother Joe. At school I remember we thought we must necessarily be fine fellows if we were but as absent and as dirty as the Adelphi of poetry. 7 May 16. Now I am to thank you for a very obliging letter, dated the thirteenth. Fletcher says he thinks he can find me a Cadmon of the date in Edwards's catalogue as he published it. Those engravings are from the plates Mr. Gough has. "At present I am undetermined whether I shall print Cædmon, translating it into English, by itself, or as part of a miscellaneous, occasional publication, in numbers, to consist only of Saxon matters, or what relates to them, beginning with Mrs. Elstob's grammar, which I have enlarged. Do you think such a work as I mention, once a quarter or so, would pay itself? My object is to perfect myself in the language, &c. for my Dictionary, and to bring Saxon Literature a little into fashion again. At any rate mention what you like of me and my intentions to your friend Mr. Gough, and procure me, if you can, the use of those plates (see your Anecdotes of Bowyer, 4to, p. 131); by which he would confer a very great obligation on me. Pray think of this directly. Atterbury and Welsted I shall not forget. As you see what use I make of you, let me beg you will make the same of me; but, above all, that you will think me, "Very truly yours, 5. "DEAR SIR, HERBERT CROFT." [May 20, 1786.] The whole is stand "Behold a specimen of what I intend §. ing yet, and will be so till you send the paper; so you, or any one to whom you show it, may suggest any alteration. Cross, the printer, calculates three perfect bundles a volume, for the thickness of Mrs. Barbauld's books, and 1000 copies as you said. But you must direct us about thickness, price, number of copies, and every thing. As I may do a good many, if they should Peter Elmsley, the bookseller. See "Lit. Anecd." vol. VII. 124. + Peter Elmsly, afterwards D. D. and Principal of St. Mayy Hall See "Gent, Mag." vol. XCV. i. 374. Of whom see the " Literary Anecdotes," vol. VIII. p. 157. § This was the first proof sheet of a little work which was to be printed at Oxford, and which I had engaged to publish on our joint account in London; but the plau, as the conclusion of the letter shews, was abandoned. |