The English historical library, or, A short view and character of most of the writers now extant, either in print or manuscript which may be serviceable to the undertakers of a general history of this kingdom / by William Nicholson ...
About this Item
Title
The English historical library, or, A short view and character of most of the writers now extant, either in print or manuscript which may be serviceable to the undertakers of a general history of this kingdom / by William Nicholson ...
Author
Nicolson, William, 1655-1727.
Publication
London :: Printed for Abel Swall ...,
1696.
Rights/Permissions
To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
Subject terms
Great Britain -- Church history -- Bibliography.
Great Britain -- History -- Bibliography.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A52335.0001.001
Cite this Item
"The English historical library, or, A short view and character of most of the writers now extant, either in print or manuscript which may be serviceable to the undertakers of a general history of this kingdom / by William Nicholson ..." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A52335.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 13, 2025.
Pages
descriptionPage [unnumbered]
THE
PREFACE.
WHen I was first perswa∣ded
to publish this Hi∣storical
Library, I
easily foresaw some of the many Diffi∣culties
to which such an Adventure
would expose me. I knew the little I
had to say would fall very far short of
being a just Treatise on so copious a
Subject: And I was also sensible that,
even in that little, there was too much
that would give Offence. This was
the general Notion I had of the Under∣taking;
which was so natural and ob∣vious,
that 'twas impossible I should be
mistaken. I confess, in Particulars,
descriptionPage ii
my Conjectures have very much fail'd
me. I have been cavill'd at, and
buffeted by a couple of Gentlemen,
whom (above all Mankind) I thought
I had oblig'd. One of these is lately
dead; and therefore my Answers to
his Reflections (which, I think, were
never made very publick) shall be bu∣ry'd
with him. The other attacks me
in the Face of the Sun; and what he
objects shall be particularly reply'd to,
as soon as that Author and his Book
are out of the Clouds; Till when, it
will be sufficient to acquaint the Rea∣der
that I have here amended whatever
he has truly observ'd to be amiss in me.
If these two Persons had known and
consider's that I have been fifteen Years
(which Tacitus justly callsa 1.1gran∣de
mortalis aevi spatium) a Mem∣ber
of a Church and Diocese at a very
descriptionPage iii
great distance from our Universities and
Publick Libraries, they would have
overlook'd a few little Failures; and
have given some grains of Allowance to
a Writer in my Circumstances. Not
that I, who am so insolent as to censure
every body, either do or ought to beg
Quarter of any. No. Let each
Man that's offended chastise me in his
own way; provided his stripes make
me wiser: For 'tis indifferent to me
whether my Informations come wrinkled
or smooth; whether I have 'em in plain
English, or in rough (balderdash)
Latin. I was as much surpriz'd with
the different and more acceptable Enter∣tainment
which my former Book met
with amongst a great many eminently
learned Men; who were pleas'd, to∣gether
with their kind Remarks on the
Omissions and Mistakes in it, earnest∣ly
to request the publishing of this Se∣cond
Part. 'Tis to their unexpected
descriptionPage iv
Goodness that I owe a great share of
the following Emendations; which
strongly oblige and encourage me to pro∣ceed
in the Attempt, hoping for the like
Assistance and support from them here∣after.
I must also acknowledge my
self extremely indebted to the late accu∣rate
b 1.2 Catalogue of the Manu∣scripts
in Sir John Cotton's Library;
which has effectually clear'd a great
many of my Doubts, rectify'd my Mi∣stakes,
and furnish'd me with a much
better Light than I could have hoped for
from any other hand: So that, if it shall
be the good Fortune of this Work to ap∣pear
in a second (and more entire) E∣dition,
it may possibly prove more ser∣viceable
to the English Reader than
ever its Author had the Confidence to
think it would.
The first Error, that's to be taken
descriptionPage v
notice of, is of a very large Extent;
and wherein the Printer and I are joint
Faulters. The Index, 'tis observ'd,
is too scanty: and the repeating of no
less than Twenty Pages (from p. 99.
to 108. and again, from 185. to
194. inclusive) causes great Confu∣sion
in some of the References. This
latter Failure is remedy'd in the follow∣ing
Additions, by marking the repeated
Pages thus, 99. *, 100, *. &c. and
the Reader is desir'd to correct the first
Index after the same manner.
'Tis to be noted, that in this addi∣tional
Index References are not only
made to the Book it self, but also to
the Preface, which is suppos'd to be
Paged from the Title-Page. The o∣ther
Errors and Defects are thus to be
corrected and supply'd.
P. 2. l. 13. Reckoning: Nor
ought any thing that has been transcrib'd
from them by Strabo or Pomponius
Mela, by Solinius or Pleny, to car∣ry
any higher Value.
P. 4. l. 26. Most of them. I,
descriptionPage xi
Leland,d 1.3 says he, once saw in the Li∣brary
at St. Paul's, a Description of Eng∣land
written in the Saxon Tongue by
Coleman; who (if he be the the same
Man with Colemannus, Monk of
Worcester, the Writer of St. Wulstan's
Life) may justly challenge a Precedence.
Otherwise, Gyraldus, &c.
P. 13. l. 6. This Nature. With
this fancyful Treatise let me join Mich.
Drayton's Poly-Olbion; which af∣fords
a much truer Account of this
Kingdom, and the Dominion of Wales,
than could well be expected from the
Pen of a Poet. The firsta 1.4 eigh∣teen
of these Songs had the Honour to
be publish'd with Mr. Selden's Notes;
the otherb 1.5 twelve being hardly capa∣ble
of such a respect.
P. 15. l. 11. and Speed. Mr.
Ogilby design'd a most Noble De∣scription
descriptionPage xii
of England in Three Vo∣lumes;
the first whereof (which only
isc 1.6 publish'd) contains an Ichnogra∣phical
and Historical Account of all
our great Roads, on 100 large Cop∣per
Cuts. The second was to have gi∣ven
us the like View of our Cities; and
the third should have afforded us a To∣pographical
Description of the whole
Kingdom.
P. 16. l. 7. Library. Sir John
Marsham, Junior (lately deceas'd)
took good Pains in writing an Histori∣cal
List of all the Burroughs in Eng∣land,
which send Members to the
Parliament. This Work was just fi∣nish'd
upon the Death of its Author;
and is now (ready for the Press, in
the hands of his Brother Sir Robert
Marsham.
P. 18. l. 8. Performance. There
descriptionPage xiii
are two small Tracts about our English
Mastiffs, and other extraordinary A∣nimals
(as well as Plants) written by
Dr. Caius; which are printed with
his Treatised 1.7de Libris propriis.
P. 25. l. 13. before mention'd:
In which Work he told us he design'd a
more complete History of these, and
that he had made Collections in order to
it. These Collections are now in his
Musaeum at Oxford; where there
are also very considerable Materials
(of his own gathering) for a General
History of Berkshire.
P. 26. l. 5. Kingdom. A Cata∣logue
of the indigenous Plants of Cam∣bridgeshire
was long sincea 1.8 pub∣lish'd
by the learned Mr. Ray; aug∣mented
afterwards by Mr. Stone-street
and Mr. Dent. There is also
a Manuscript-History of this County, by
descriptionPage xiv
Mr. Laire of Shephred near Roy∣ston;
whose Son intends to deposite it
in some of the College-Libraries at Cam∣bridge.
P. 31. l. 13. Jones. There's a
MS. in the Musaeum at Oxford,
which bears the Title of Phil. Kyn∣der's
Natural History of Derbyshire:
But 'tis only (as the Author himself
there calls it) a short Prolusion to an
intended future History, and has little
in it worth the consulting or looking
after.
P. 34. l. 12. Wantner; who,
meeting with those Discouragements
that were suitable to the Man's busie
medling in things beyond his Sphere,
was content to enjoy, &c. Nor is
Corbet's Book worth the mentioning.
P. 37. l. 4. County. But the
late learned Publisher of Sir Robert's
descriptionPage xv
b 1.9 Life, says, 'tis only probable (from
the great store of Collections that he had
made out of Doomsday, &c. to that
purpose) that he had projected such an
History. He does not believe that he
ever finish'd any thing of that Nature.
P. 50. l. 19. Spelman; and
was long since printed with the first
Edition of his Treatisec 1.10 de Furo∣ribus
Norfolciensium Ketto Duce.
Sir Symonds D Ewesa 1.11 thought
of making a Survey of Norfolk out of
Original Deeds; but we know not what
Advances he had made in it.
P. 51. l. 9. Mr. Peter le Neve,
one of the Pursuivants at Arms, is now
b 1.12 preparing an accurate Description
and History of this County; which we
hope to see published ere long. Ibid.
l. 10. Augustine Vincent.
descriptionPage xvi
P. 52. l. 20. For the Anonymous
Author, &c. Read, Ralph Gardi∣ner
in his England's Grievances,
&c. Ibid. In the Notes (d) 40.
Lond. 1655.
P. 57. l. 1. Bathoniensibus; as
did alsoc 1.13 Dr. William Turner,
a famous Physician in the beginning of
Queen Elizabeth's Reign.
P. 59. l. 12. Oxford. A kind
Friend of mine could not meet with them
there: But he tells me (what is much
better worth the hearing) that Dr. Bat∣tely,
the present Arch-deacon of Can∣terbury,
has made a good Progress in
the History of the Town and Abby of
St. Edmondsbury. I wish this Di∣scovery
of it may be a means to hasten its
publishing.
P. 68. l. 21. The late Recorder
of Heddon, Mr. Christopher Hild∣yard;
descriptionPage xvii
which is now enlarging by
Mr. Forr, a Gentleman of good Indu∣stry
and Abilities suitable to the Work.
P. 79. l. ult. Historical Ballads.
Be that Matter as it will, we ought here
to observe that Sam. Beaulanius or
Britannus was (as himself owns) Scho∣lar
to Beaulanus Presbyter, who was
the Genealogist; and that neither of 'em
liv'd in the beginning (or perhaps any
part) of the Seventh Century. Bri∣tannus
as we shall see anon) did cer∣tainly
write Notes upon Nennius; and
therefore must have flourish'd after him.
'Tis likewise very improbable that he
never medled with any of the Saxon
Genealogies: since, in one of those
Notes, he says expreslya 1.14Cum inu∣tiles
Magistro meo, id est, Beau∣lario
(it should be Beaulano) Pres∣bytero,
visae sunt Genealogiae Sax∣onum
descriptionPage xviii
& aliarum Genealogiae Gen∣tium,
nolui ea scribere, &c.
P. 81. l. 2. or nothing. The most
learned of the British Antiquaries agree,
that this Myrdhyn ap Morvryn
(call'd from the Country wherein he
liv'd Caledonius, and Sylvestris,
from his Humour of leading a retir'd
Life in the Woods) wrote a Poem call'd
Avalleneu, or the Apple-Trees, to his
Lord Gwendholen ap Keidio; who
was slain in the Battel of Arderith, in
the Year 577. Some Fragments of this
Poem were found at Hengwrt in Mei∣riondyshire,
the last Summer, by
Mr. Lhwyd; who very probably
conjectures that from hence he had the
Surname of Avalonius. If so; there's
a happy Discovery made of one of the
many foolish Impostures of the old Monks
of Glassenbury: who, to secure this
famous Prophet to themselves, have
made King Arthur's Tomb, and their
descriptionPage xix
own Monastery to stand in Insulâ A∣vallonia.
P. 82. In the Notes, (d) 80.
Lond. 1525. Basil. 1541. 120.
Lond. 1568. Inter Orthodoxogra∣pha
Patrum, &c. & Angl. 120.
Lond. 1638.
P. 84. l. penult. Mervini Regis.
Though here also there seems to be some
Mistake: For the first Mervinb 1.15
dy'd in the Year, 843. and the second
did not begin to reign till 885.. It's
therefore most probable that the Words
ought to be read. Anno 828. Anno
40. Mervini Regis.
P. 85. l. 10. to Gildas. John
Leland mentions an ancient Copy of this
History, which (he says) he borrow'd
from his Friend Thomas Solme Se∣cretary
for the French Tongue to King
descriptionPage xx
Henry the Eighth; in the Margin
whereof were the Additions of Sam.
Beaulanius, or Britannus. He has
a 1.16 transcribed several of these Mar∣ginal
Annotations; which (it appears)
were afterwards inserted in the Body of
the History, and are so publish'd by
Dr. Gale. The Doctor indeed, in
his Notes, mentions Samuel as the
Scholiast upon his Bennet Copy: but
Leland has a great many other things,
as Excerpta out of Beulanius, which
are not there observ'd to be only in the
Scholion. There is also in Bodley's
Library a MS. of this Nennius,
which cannot be less than 500 Years
old; wherein the Prefaces, and all
those Interpolations, which are by Le∣land
said to be this Samuel's, are
wanting.
P. 88. l. 11. His Reign. It
descriptionPage xxi
appears indeed from the Preface of this
Hoel's Laws (in most of the Latin
andb 1.17Welsh Copies) that Ble∣gorede,
or Blegwrt, was one of the
Commissioners appointed to draw up that
Code or Abstract; and 'tis also probable,
seeing he was the only Ecclesiastick a∣mongst
them, that he penn'd it: But,
whether he did it in the Latin, or Bri∣tish
Tongue, is wholly uncertain.
Ibid. l. 17. Augusto 1600. Sir
William Dugdalec 1.18 reckons up se∣ven
Manuscript Collections of the old
British Laws, besides those we have
aloeady mention'd: As, 1. Kyfnerth
ap Morgan. 2. Gronu vab Mo∣reddig.
3. Lhyfr hen y tuy Gwyn.
4. Gwair mab Ruon. 5. Lhyfr
Prawf. 6. Prawfyneit; a Colle∣ction
(he says) out of the four first.
descriptionPage xxii
7. Lhyfr Kyghawssed. The third
of these is undoubtedly the same with
Howel's Dha's; as will easily appear
from the Title of those Laws. All the
rest (whereof the fifth and sixth seem
to be the same) are now at Hengwrt;
except only the fourth, which is sup∣pos'd
to be (in the hands of Sir Wil∣liam
Williams) amongst Mr.
Maurice's MSS. There we are like∣wise
to enquire for that eminent Anti∣quary's
Dedhf-grawn, or Thesaurus
Juridicus; wherein are the various
Readings of above thirty ancient Copies
of the British Laws. To which we
may possibly add the Liber Cardiffe;
being a Treatise upon the ancient Cu∣stoms
of Wales, in the Welsh Lan∣guage.
P. 96. l. 6. Sheringham; who
is always very loath (if it, &c.
descriptionPage xxiii
P. 99. l. ult. same Subject. J.
Balea 1.19makes Will. Caxton write
King Arthur's History in no less than
One and twenty several Books; which,
if they could have been found, might
have sav'd Rich. Robinson the trou∣ble
of translating Leland's Assertio
intob 1.20 English.
P. 100. l. ult. Williams. The
foremention'd learned Primate made also
some choice Collections, in his Retire∣ment
at St. Donate's, relating to the
British Antiquities; which were after∣wards
in the handsc 1.21of Dr. Parr,
his Grace's Chaplain: And, from the
like Helps in the Library at Llantar∣nam,
Mr. Percie Enderby collected
hisd 1.22 Cambria Triumphans, or,
Ancient and Modern, British and Welsh
Histories from Brute to Charles the
descriptionPage xxiv
First. Nic. Allen's Britanneis (ten
Books whereof are now in MS. in Bod∣ley's
Library) comes no lower than the
Conquest.
P. 107. l. 4. from the time of
Claudius to that of Valentinian (a∣bout
five hundred [he should say four
hundred] years) the, &c.
P. 104. *. l. 20. Bodley's Li∣brary:
But the Transcript of it (in
eleven Volumes, at the Charge of the late
pious Bishop Fell) is not in the Mu∣saeum
Ashmoleanum, asa 1.23Dr.
Hickes was inform'd.
P. 111. l. 20. Laur. Nowel.
P. 121. l. 19. the matter: But
I do know that there was a short Life
of this great Kingb 1.24publish'd by
R. Powel, a Lawyer; who has been
at no contemptible Pains to make up a
descriptionPage xxv
Parallel betwixt Aelfred and Charles
the First.
P. 128. l. 12. put together. A
short Chronicle of our English-Saxon
Kings, from Hengist to the end of the
Heptarchy, was written in Latin byc 1.25 Dan. Langhorn;c 1.26whose chief
Authors are those publish'd by Sir Hen.
Savil, and Sir Roger Twisden. He
hadd 1.27formerly given us the Antiqui∣ties
of this Island, previous to the Ar∣rival
of the Saxons; wherein (a∣mongst
other Remains of those dark
Times) we have a Catalogue of the
Pictish King. 'Tis said that the
Continuation of this History ise 1.28
much desir'd by Learned Men:
And 'tis pity but the Author, if yet li∣ving,
should be prevail'd with to gra∣tifie
them.
descriptionPage xxvi
P. 139. l. 15. Wormius's use;
P. 140. l. 14. own Nation.
Some part of this fell happily into the
hands of (Tho. Bartholine's Friend)
the Bishop of Scalholt; who took
care to have it printed, A. D. 1689.
P. 152. l. 23. Galfredi. But
in this I dare not be positive. Leland
saw this Author's entire History; which
ended, Anno 29 Hen. 1. He has
made Collections out of it: wherein
(as in some other Passages cited by R.
Higden) there are several things not
found in Jeoffrey. Which (consider∣ing
withal that Aelfred may probably
be reckon'd as early a Writer as himself)
is one of the most cogent Arguments, as
far as I know, to prove that this Mon∣mouth
was not the first Author of the
whole British Story.
P. 159. l. 17. Judgment enough.
So much Encouragement we have to look
after the whole, that we are sure Le∣land
descriptionPage xxvii
had the perusal of an entire Copy;
the Prologue whereof he hasa 1.29 tran∣scrib'd,
as likewise many following Pas∣sages
relating to the Affairs of the Bri∣tains
and Saxons.
Ibid. l. ult. Blockhead. 'Tis to
be fear'd we shall hardly meet with this
History, till we find the Historian him∣self
(which is more than either Bishop
Godwine, or Mr. Wharton could
do) amongst the Bishops of Durham.
P. 161. l. 3. temporum Indices.
And indeed Leland himself was after∣wards
of the like Opinion: For (in his
Bookb 1.30 de Scriptoribus) he says
nothing of his being a Plagiary, but
gives him this great Character—Mor∣tuo
Henrico [Rege sc. ejus nominis
secundo] omne studium suum ad
Historiam scribendam contulit; in
descriptionPage xxviii
quo Negotio si diligentiam, si An∣tiquitatis
cognitionem, si sanctam
fidem spectes, non modo quotquot
seculis rudibus quidem praecesse∣runt
Scriptores, verum etiam seip∣sum
superavit.
P. 163. l. 3. Library. This
British Chronicle is probably the same
that's printed bya 1.31Dr. Gale; and
seems to be wholly transcrib'd out of the
Works of a former Author, whom he
calls Brome. This may be the same
with Jo. Bromius or Bramus, quoted
sometimes by Dr. Caius andb 1.32 Franc.
Thynne; but must be different from
Jo. Bramis the Friar of Gorleston
(with whom he is confounded by Bale and
Pits) because the Friar did not flourish
till 1440. and the Historian must live
before Ralph de Diceto, and was
descriptionPage xxix
moreover (as Thynne observes) a
Monk of Thetford.
P. 164. l. 19. the Fourth. Here
likewise notice ought to be taken of Joh.
Wallingford's Chronicle, publish'd by
c 1.33 Dr. Gale; if the Abbot of St. Al∣bans
of that name (who dy'ds in the
Year 1214.) was, as the learned Edi∣tor
guesses, the Author of it. But he
seems to be a different Person from the
Historian; who carries down his Work
forty years after the Abbot's Death.
The Doctor indeed makes R. Wendo∣ver
Author of the latter Part of that
History: But if he had look'd into the
next Treatise to this Chronicle (in the
Cottonian MS. from whence he had
it) he would have met with another
John Wallingford, who was made
Monk of St. Alban's in the Year
1231. and so might bring down the
descriptionPage xxx
History till 1258. without the Assi∣stance
of Wendover.
P. 172. l. 15. flourish'd. Or,
it may be, thed 1.34 Chronicle that was
written by John de Taxston a Monk
of Bury, which ends at the Reign of
Edw. 3. is the same thing with these
Annals. John de Oxenedes (a
Monk of Hulm, mention'd bye 1.35
Mr. Wharton) liv'd about the same
time.
P. 175. l. 7. Years more. 'Tis
probable the Chronicle of Joh. Londi∣nensis
(who liv'db 1.36 about the same
time) is still extant: For 'tis quoted in
Lambard's Preface to his Archaio∣nomia,
and among R. James's Col∣lections
there are several things extra∣cted
out of it.
P. 184. l. 21. To these we may
descriptionPage xxxi
probably add the Author of the MS.c 1.37Eulogium; who begins his Work
at Bru••e, and ends at the Year 1367.
The beginning of the Book ('tis likely)
may be Nennius's: but the rest seems
to have been penn'd by a Monk of Can∣terbury,
by his calling St. Thomas
Becket his Patron.
P. 194. l. 23. the Year 1530.
P. 185. *. l. 15. their Countrey.
Baled 1.38 reports that Sir Brian Tuke
wrote a Chronicle, purposely to vindicate
the Honour of the English Nation, a∣gainst
those Aspersions which Virgil
had cast upon it in this History.
P. 190. *. l. 2. and others. To
these we may add two Poetical Histori∣ans
of this Age; Chr. Ocland, who
wrotee 1.39Anglorum praelia in La∣tin
Verse; and Will. Warner (an
descriptionPage xxxii
English Rhimer) Author of the Ro∣mantick
Story off 1.40Albion's Eng∣land
in twelve Books, containing the
Occurrences of our Land from No∣ah
to the 39th of Queen Elizabeth.
P. 194. *. l. 19. Queen Eliza∣beth.
Cotemporaries with these were
John Clapham, Edward Ayscue
and Will. Slatyer; the first whereof
left us thea 1.41 History of Great Bri∣tain;
the second that of theb 1.42 Wars,
Treaties and Marriages, with Scot∣land;
and the third hisc 1.43Palae-Al∣bion,
in ten Books of Latin and English
Verse.
P. 198. l. 9. Arms, &c. 3.
Dr. R. Brady's Completed 1.44 Histo∣ry
of England; wherein he endea∣vours
to prove (and no Man ever did
it more effectually) that all our adored
descriptionPage xxxiii
Liberties are deriv'd from the Crown,
and owing to the Concessions of our
Princes. He shews that the Normans
themselves (weary of the Tenure of
Knight-Service, and other Drudgeries
of the Feudal Law) rais'd all our old
Civil Commotions in England: And
that no ancient Rights and Properties of
the Subject were any part of the true
Controversie. He very well illustrates
many dark Passages in our English-Saxon
Laws; by comparing them with
those of the old Germans, Francs,
Lombards, &c. His Preface to the
Norman History largely accounts for
the Customs of that People; and shews
what sort of Government and Laws
they brought with them into this King∣dom.
Afterwards we have a good view
of the seven first Reigns after the Con∣quest.
His chief Author is M. Paris,
well epitomiz'd; and confirm'd and en∣larg'd
with authentick Evidence from
descriptionPage xxxiv
Records, a great many whereof are
printed (at large) in his Appendix.
He has also publish'd an Introduction to
the English History; which (treating
chiefly of Matters of Law and Govern∣ment)
shall be consider'd elsewhere. 4.
Let me add, &c.
P. 202. l. 17. great Man. Sir
John Hayward'se 1.45 History of the
three Norman Kings was undertaken
at the Request of Prince. Henry, who
hardly liv'd to read it, and not to requite
the Author's Pains. He calls his Lives of
these Monarchsa 1.46Descriptions ra∣ther
than Histories: And so indeed
they are; being only short Portraictures
of 'em, in such a witty and humour some
Style and Method, as might better
serve to divert the young Prince than
instruct him. I shall give the Reader
but one Instance of the Care he took of the
descriptionPage xxxv
Chronological part of his Story. He
b 1.47 says, Hen. 1. was crown'd the
second of August; which is the same
day whereon (he acknowledges) King
William II. was slain, a little before
Sun-set, in the New-Forest. A small
Fragment of the Conqueror's History
is among Cambden's Anglica, Nor∣mannica,
&c. and some Particulars
relating to the Reigns of this, and the
two following Kings, may be pick'd out of
Guil. Gemeticensis, and others pub∣lish'd
by the learnedc 1.48And. du
Chesne. But above all, &c.
P. 203. l. 21. the second. There's
an old English History (in Saxon
Letters) of the Transactions of some few
years of his Reign, after 1123, ind 1.49
Sir John Cotton's Library.
P. 204. l. 3. voluminous Author.
descriptionPage xxxvi
In Du Chesne's Collection there's a
pretty large Life of this King; whose
Author, though Anonymous, seems to
have flourish'd in the latter end of this,
or the beginning of the next Reign: And
Pits assures us that Ralph de Diceto's
Annals of King Stephen are in the Li∣brary
at Bennet-College.
P. 205. l. 18. Benedictus;
whose Book (we aree 1.50 since told) is
full of notable and politick Remarks, and
is much follow'd by Hoveden and
Brompton. Pet. Blesensisf 1.51 cer∣tainly
wrote his Life; tho' we know not
what's become of it. Tho. May (the
Translator of Lucan) has given us
sevena 1.52 Books, in English Poetry, on
this Subject: to which is annex'd his
Character in Prose, with a short Sur∣vey
of the Changes in his Reign,
descriptionPage xxxvii
and a comparative Description of
his two Sons, Henry and Richard.
P. 207. l. 5. Antiocheis.
P. 208. l. 8. But perhaps he's mi∣staken
in that Conjecture; since Rich.
Devisiensis was certainly a Monk of
Winchester. However, to make up
the Number, the Reader is to know
that an old printedb 1.53 Life of this Ceur
du Lyon, is in English Meeter; tho' I
cannot inform him who was its Author.
P. 211. l. 15. several Parts.
Peter de Langetoft, who drew up an
Epitome of ourc 1.54 Chronicles in old
French Rhimes, bestows one whole Book
upon Edward the First.
Ibid. l. 21, 1320. The Annals of
the greatest and best part of his Reign
(from 1307. to 1323.) were digested
byd 1.55John de Frokelow a Monk;
descriptionPage xxxviii
as the History of his Treaty of Peace,
in the Sixteenth Year of his Reign, with
Robert King of Scots, was by Hen∣ry
de Blaneford. Walter de He∣minford's
Life of Edw. II. is said to
have been in the Library of Bennet-College;
which we are not so sure of
as that his Life of Edw. III. is in that
of Magdalene-College in Oxford, as
well as ine 1.56 Sir John Cotton's at
Westminster.
P. 212. l. 22. Deleantur I doubt
whether, &c. us{que} ad Old Manuscript
Historians, p. 213. l. 7. inclusivè.
P. 214. l. 11. a Friend. R.
James, in some Volume of his MS.
Collections, reports that Rob. Aves∣bury,
(Registrary of the Archbishop of
Canterbury's Court wrote Mirabilia
gesta R. Edwardi III. post Conque∣stum,
procerúm{que} suorum, tractis
descriptionPage xxxix
primitùs quibusdam gestis de tem∣pore
Patris sui D. Edv. II. quae in
regnis Angliae, Scotioe, & Franciae,
& in Aquitaniâ & Britanniâ, non hu∣manâ
sed Dei potentiâ contige∣runt.
Tho. May (the Poet) has
likewisea 1.57 some English Raptures
upon this King's Life: Nor ought I
to forget that Sir John Froissard is
said to have written two Books on that
of Queen Philippa, the first glorious
Patroness of Queen's College in Oxford.
Above all; Mr. Joshua Barnes has
diligently collected whatever was to be
had, far and near, upon the several
Passages of thisb 1.58 great King's
Reign. His Quotations are many;
and (generally) his Authors are as
well chosen as such a Multitude can be
suppos'd to have been. His Inferences
descriptionPage xl
are not always like a Statesman; and
sometimes his Digressions are tedious. His
deriving of the famous Institution of the
Garter from thec 1.59 Phaenicians is
extremely obliging to good Master Sam∣mes:
But came too late, it seems, to
Mr. Ashmole's Knowledge; or o∣therwise
would have bid fair for a choice
Post of Honour in his Elaborate Book.
In short, this industrious Author seems
to have hasten'd his Work too much to
the Press, before he had provided an
Index, and some other Accoutrements,
which might have made it more service∣able
to his Readers.
P. 215. l. 6. untimely Death. De∣leantur,
which (it may be) contains the
whole Chronicle. Et adde, Richard
Maidstone (a learned Carmelite)
wrote also in Latin Versed 1.60Con∣cordiam
inter Ricardum II. & Cives
descriptionPage xli
Lond••nenses: And Henry Knigh∣ton's
History of his Deposition is among
the Decem Scriptores, as another
short History of his Reign (by an anony∣mous
Monk of Evesham) it in the
a 1.61Co••tonian Library. Amongst
later Pamphlets on this Subject, theb 1.62Idol of Clowns (or the Insurrection
of Wat Tyler, as a Parallel with some
Occurrences in our late Days of Rebel∣lion)
may balance thec 1.63Exact Ac-Account
of the Articles and Pro∣ceedings,
&c.
P. 216. 1. 5. those Reigns. There
is an old French MS. in Verse, which
treats of the Affairs of this Reign; the
Title whereof, in a hand more modern
than the Book it self, is this: Histoire
du Roy D' Angleterre Richard,
traictant particulierement la Re∣bellion
descriptionPage xlii
des sus Subjects, & prinse
de sa personne, &c. Composée par
un gentilhomme François de
Marque, qui fut à la suité du dict
Roy, avec{que} permission du Roy de
France. At the end, in a hand as old
as that of the Book, is written: Ce
livre de la prinse du Roy Richart
d' Angleterre est à Monseigneur
Charles Damon Conte du Maine
& de Mortaing, & Gouverneur de
Languedoc. This was lately in the
Possession of the learned Dr. Hickes;
who (finding many Passages in it not
touch'd on by other Writers, and others
differently related) had once Thoughts of
publishing it, with a Translation and
Notes of his own: But, being after∣wards
acquainted that Dr. Brady had
written the Life of this King; and
knowing that nothing could escape the
Diligence of that Historian, he lay
those Thoughts aside. Here (rather
descriptionPage xliii
than it should be wholly forgotten) let
me put the Reader in mind of the ele∣gant
History of our old Civil Wars;
written in Italian by Sir Francis Bi∣ondi
(of the Bed-Chamber to King
Charles the First) and translated into
a 1.64English by the Earl of Mon∣mouth.
Ibid. l. ult. too Dramatical.
This Piece is certainly the least liable to
that Censure of any this Author ever
wrote; being the most elaborate of all
his Works, and what looks like a part of
what he design'd for a just History. But
the little that'sb 1.65 published should ra∣ther
be entitl'd the Reign of Richard
the Second; since it reaches no farther
than his Death, and the Settlement of
his Successor in the Throne.
P. 218. l. 14. their hands. There's
descriptionPage xliv
a very fair Ms. in Bodley's Library,
entitl'd a Translation of Titus Livius's
Life of K. Hen. V. dedicated to Hen.
VIII. But 'tis more truly a History
of that Prince's Life, compiled out of a
French Book call'd Enquerrant (which,
of all the French Chronicles, is said to
treat most copiously of the Wars betwixt
England and France) and out of Ti∣tus
Livius: To which Book (says the
Author or Translator in the Prologue) I
have added divers Sayings of the
English Chronicles, and to the
same Matter also divers other O∣pinions
that I have read of the Re∣port
of a certain Honourable and
Ancient Person—and that is the
Honourable Earl of Ormond. There
are likewise two several Lives of this
King inc 1.66Cotton's Libary; where∣of
descriptionPage xlv
the one was written by Tho. Elm∣ham
(Prior of Lenton) and the o∣ther
by an Anonymous Author. Fran.
Thynne (in the Conclusion of Ho∣linshead's Chronicle) mentions one by Roger Wall, a Herald.
P. 220. l. 10. Original. Dr. John
Herd was employ'd by the great Lord
Burleigh to write the History of Eng∣land,
during the Reigns of Edw. IV.
V. Rich. III. and Henry VII. which
he did in Latin Verse, and his Book
is still extant in several hands.
P. 222. l. ult. his Client. They
that are dissatisfyd with any Passages in
this Book, may have recourse to a Copy
a 1.67 corrected and amended in every
Page.
P. 223. l. 7. Throne. He is
mightily extoll'd by Bern. Andreas of
Tholouse, his Poet Laureat and Hi∣storiographer;
descriptionPage xlvi
who has writtenb 1.68 two
good Volumes on the most eminent Trans∣actions
of his Reign.
P. 228. l. 20. do it. A slender
historical Account of Wiat's Rebellion
was publish'd by onec 1.69John Proctor
School-Master of Tunbridge; who
(for any thing I have yet learn'd) must
be look'd upon as the only particular
Historian of this Reign.
P. 232. l. 5. good value. There
are several other Treatises which will be
useful in furnishing out a complete View
of her long and prosperous Reign; As,
1. Eliza,d 1.70 or the Life and Trou∣bles
of Queen Elizabeth from her Cra∣dle
to her Crown, by Tho. Heywood.
2. Elizabetha,e 1.71 or a Panegyrick
on the most considerable Occurrences of
her Reign, in Latin, Verse, by Chr.
descriptionPage xlvii
Ocland. 3. The Felicity of her
Time,f 1.72 by Sir Francis Bacon.
4. Sir Dudley Digge's Compleatg 1.73
Ambassador; containing all the Letters,
Instructions, Memoirs, &c. relating
to the French Match with that Queen.
5. Some good Materials may be had
from the Itinerary of F. Moryson;
Secretary to the Lord Montjoy, Gene∣ral
and Governour of Ireland. They
are given us in that useful Method, which
is now generally allow'd to be the most
pleasing and instructive;* 1.74 giving us at
large all those Original Evidences, where∣by
the Author justifies his Narrative.
6. Sir John Haywarda 1.75 acquaints
us likewise that he presented Prince
Henry with some Years of this Queen's
Reign, drawn at length and in full pro∣portion:
But these, I think, were never
descriptionPage xlviii
publish'd. 7. Dr. Barth. Clerke,
Dean of the Arches, wasb 1.76 put upon
the writing of her History by my Lord
Buckhurst; and he seems to have been
every way fit for the Undertaking: But,
whether he might not afterwards be pre∣vented
by Death, or Mr. Camden's
engaging in the same Design, I know not.
These are the chief of those Errors and
Defects that have either been remark'd
by others, or hitherto observ'd by my self,
in the former part. There are several
others, of lesser Note, which an intelli∣gent
Reader will easily correct, without
my Directions: As (particularly) the
frequent References to some following
Chapters, which are here digested in a
different manner than was at first pro∣jected.
They that have any Acquain∣tance
with the Drudgery of preparing
Books for the Publick View, know
descriptionPage xlix
very well how apt an Undertaking of
this kind is to grow upon the Author's
hand; and how little 'tis we see of our
Work, when we first begin to engage in
it. With these I shall need no Apolo∣gy,
and the rest must excuse me, if I
make none. I am now in haste: And
can only stay to tell them that I have
as many Papers that treat on our Law-Books,
Records, &c. so far as they
are serviceable to History (all which I
once thought to have crowded into a
Chapter or two), as will furnish out a
Third Part; if they and the Bookseller
think it worth their while to call for it.
For the present, I am resolv'd to keep
my self within the Verge of the Church;
and shall only (in this Second Part)
give the Reader the best Account I can
of our Ecclesiastical Historians, in the
following Chapters:
descriptionPage l
1. Of the Affairs of the British
Church.
2. Historians of the English-Saxon
Church; from the
coming in of Augustine the
Monk, to the Conquest.
3. Church-Historians from the
Conquest to the Reforma∣tion.
4. Histories of the Reforma∣tion,
and our Church-Affairs
to the End of Queen Eliza∣beth's
Reign.
5. Accounts of our Bishops in
general; and their several
Sees.
6. Lives of particular Bishops,
descriptionPage li
and other eminent Church-men.
7. Histories, Chronicles, Car∣tularies,
&c. of our Ancient
Monasteries.