"William Parslow, M. A. whose promotion to the Vicarage of Yardley, Herts, is announced in the newspapers, is, I conclude, the son of my contemporary Thomas Parslow, of Bene't-college, of snuff-taking memory. To whom of the Chapter, if not to the Right Rev. the Dean of St. Paul's, is the young man indebted for this presentation? It is not mentioned that he is a Fellow of the old House, and it may therefore be presumed that he has not a title to this appellation *."

9. "DEAR SIR,

Wilmington, Feb. 11, 1793. "The names of the benefactors to Lambeth parish, with numerous references to vouchers, not legible without some difficulty, were among my father's papers, and a fair transcript thereof into a book was sent by me to Dr. Porteus. From my father's notes the tables of benefactions were formed, which are mentioned in the History of Lambeth in Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica; and I conclude that the tables in Shoreditch Church were compiled from my father's MS. which has fallen into your hands.

"Partly from my wishing to minute divers passages in Mr. Clarke's observations on stone seats, and partly from my waiting for some additional remarks which he had promised, a delay has ensued in transmitting to you the book and drawings; but I am now prepared to catch the first safe conveyance that shall offer. Not a doubt have I of your concurring in opinion with me, that thankful acknowledgments are due to Mr. Clarke for his valuable communications.

"Is it new to you that Mr. Thorpe has left to Mr. Meggison's eldest son all his books, prints, drawings, and papers? flattering himself, it may be presumed, that the stripling would have the like bent to antiquities as had his grandsire and great-grandsire. In consequence of such a bequest it is probable that the collection will be locked up for years in cases and boxes †.

"I remain, dear Sir, yours sincerely,

S. DENNE."

10. "DEAR SIR, Wilmington, Nov. 15, 1793. "Most willingly do I consent to Mr. Carter's taking a copy of the Talbot portrait, in the MS. Collection of Devotions which possibly belonged to the nobleman represented; and you are welcome to review, at your leisure, the contents of that book. The drawings on the margins of the Calendar are certainly curious and very amusing; and often have I regretted that one month should be missing.

"The Dean of Rochester being elected F. A. S. will not, I

* Mr. Parslow was of Corpus Christi-college, Cambridge, B. A. 1788, M. A. 1791; he died at Yardley, July 22, 1827, aged 61.

+ This library was sold by auction, by Leigh and Sotheby, in the year 1811. Thomas Dampier, D. D.

trust, be what the mercantile folks term a sleeping partner. In his letter to me dated, Durham, October 14, are some inuendos which show he has a strong bent to antique lore.

"Since I wrote last (he says) I have been employed for some days in our treasury with a gentleman from the Register-office at Edinburgh, in searching for Scotch records, some of which he supposed might be found among the many belonging to that Kingdom, which he had heard were in our possession. Though he was disappointed in his main object, his trouble was fully repaid by the sight of the greatest number of old charters and records that are any where deposited. Our Scotch MSS. are those of the Abbey of Coldingham in Berwickshire, heretofore dependent on this; and contain charters of the Kings of Scotland, from Duncan to the Reformation, in general very well preserved, particularly as to their seals, some of which were not noticed by Anderson. If the Diplomata was in our library, I would see what was wanting there, and get drawings made of the most curious; nor are the records of our own Church less numerous, they begin with the Conqueror. The contents of the first are rather curious. In a small strip of parchment he confirms to the Prior his privileges, and particularly that of sitting in sinistra parte chori. This is the Dean's seat at present, the Bishop sitting, when at Church, on the right, till the second service on Sunday mornings, when he goes up to the throne. The seals here too are most perfect; one of a late comparative date is a most beautiful specimen, it is appendant to a grant of Henry Earl of Northumberland (temp. H. IV.), and shows his greatness and pretensions in assuming a broad seal. As the place where these valuables are kept is inconvenient, we talk of having them removed and newly arranged, which will enable me to see every one of them. You know that we have originals of Magna Charta and de Foresta.'

"I am, dear Sir, truly yours,

11. "DEAR SIR,

S. DENNE."

Jan. 10, 1794.

"After you moved from Wilmington Vicarage, often did I regret that the sinking of the quicksilver in my antique barometer did not discourage you from mounting your steed, for a deplorable day it was for that exposed method of travelling. I trust, however, that pleasure will ensue from mortification; because, as the weather did not admit of your visiting Lullingstone, I am willing to flatter myself that you will, in a more propitious season, take another trip to satisfy your curiosity, and that I shall then be favoured with a longer visit.

"In answer to your inquiry about the successors in the manor of Famingham since the publication of Mr. Hasted's first volume, I am somewhat inclined to believe that it may not yet have been alienated by Lord Coleraine. With the great house near the

bridge I am apt to suspect no more land was parted with than was requisite to encourage bidders for that mansion. It is now vested in Mr. Fuller, a substantial yeoman of that parish; and Mr. Warre is only sub-tenant under a lease granted to the late Henry Thoyts, a corn-factor and under-writer, who acquired more money than discretion, and agreed to pay a most enormous rent for it; but the rent is lowered to Mrs. Warre, and a nephew of Henry Thoyts is answerable to the landlord for the difference. That is not, however, the manor-house, for this was taken down some years ago; it stood on the opposite side of the road, and some part of the wall which inclosed the court, &c. are remaining. The present shewy building was begun (for there have been sundry additions to it) and first inhabited by a man of the name of Crakelt. He dealt largely in wool, and was growing rich apace; but being detected in clandestinely running that staple commodity, the Court of Exchequer squeezed him so hard, that at his death this ill-gotten pelf was very much decreased.

"Sir Thomas Hyde Page, with his many rolls and books, was doubtless the gentleman who apprised you of his having printed, in 1784, Considerations on the State of Dover Harbour, a tract I have seen. As the History of Dover Castle, published in 1788, and compiled by Mr. Lyon, may be new to you, I have inclosed it for your perusal. It was, you see, dedicated to the Rev. Mr. Byrche, F.S.A. and no F.S.A.

"With thanks I return 'Objections to the War examined and refuted,' a title which promised much more than is to be found in the pamphlet. And the writer has clearly shown in the last four pages how lamentably he was mistaken as to the glory, and the lustre, and the numberless advantages that were to accrue from that superlatively impolitic plan, the acquisition of Toulon.

"Concerned am I to find, that the Society of Antiquaries are in so craving a way. I now transmit to Mr. Director a morsel, with Mr. Clarke's drawing of the grotesque relief on the porch of Chalk Church. Not discovering in the indexes to the volumes of Archæologia the word giveale, I thought it expedient to offer copious authorities for the surmise I have suggested; but I have entered them in a separate paper, that Secretary Wright may or may not, as he finds most convenient, read the notes with the text.

"Decisive, in my opinion, are the evidence and the arguments offered in your memoir of Sir John Fastolff, to show that Shakspeare had not any intention of calumniating that brave warrior, by assuming the name of Falstaff when he found it requisite to drop that of Oldcastle in his Plays of Henry IV.; and on the perusal of that part of your note in p. 4, in which you observe, that the Poet might mean to express a trait in the character of the lying Knight by styling him Falstaff, it occurred to me that in the Merry Wives of Windsor the like notion is implied.

The passage I mean is at the conclusion of Act. I. sc. 1, when to the question asked by Shallow, Let us see, honest Page, is Falstaff there?' the answer of Sir Hugh Evans is, Shall I tell you a lie? I despise a liar as I despise one that is false; the Knight Sir John is there.' Qu. Is there not here an indirect allusion to the first syllable in Falstaff? "I am, truly yours,

S. DENNE."

12. "DEAR SIR, Wilmington, Feb. 10, 1794. "Mr. Todd's publication has not been yet seen in Dartford, which, though a market town in which an abundance of grain is vended every Saturday, has not in it a shop that can be called a Bibliopolium; and as by master Gillman's figuring in the Gazette, with a Whereas prefixed to his name, the elder Fisher, who was his principal assistant in the book way, has left Rochester, I cannot, with the same ease as I was wont to do, obtain tracts and papers from the eastern part of our county; however, I shall make it my business to inquire after a volume that has your approbation. Of Mr. Todd I have no other knowledge * than what I learnt from Mr. Wall, who was the friend I applied to for information concerning Bishop Warner's Font; and, if I did not mishear Mr. Wall, he was chiefly indebted to Mr. Todd for the description of it. He was a Minor Canon of Canterbury Cathedral, through the interest of Dean Horne, afterwards Bishop of Norwich; and I have understood that he is the descendant of a Dr. Todd, who was a great Canon at Carlisle. Mr. Wall had told me of its being Mr. Todd's purpose to publish some memorials of the Deans of Canterbury; but I hardly thought of his having had sufficient time to collect materials.

"Mortified am I with your report of the antiquarian corps being, in one instant, so extremely necessitous; and I fear it will not be in my power this Session to contribute another mite towards their relief, being much engrossed in winding up the Addenda to the Histories of Lambeth Palace and Lambeth Parisht. Notwithstanding Dr. Ducarel's too free correction of Parkinson, I have not a doubt in my mind of old Tradescant's having lived at Canterbury before he settled at South Lambeth ; and I think I can trace by whom, and in what spot, he was employed as a gardener in the vicinage of that city.

"That there were two Spring Gardens in Lambeth is also clear to me; I do not, however, mean the two so denominated by the inaccurate Maitland, but I am guided by a passage in Aubrey's Surrey, which evidently alludes to two. When Dr.

*The Rev. Henry John Todd is now universally known from his numerous highly important publications, and as universally respected.

+"Historical Particulars of Lambeth Parish and Lambeth Palace," were published by Mr. Denne in 1795. This is a most accurate and curious book; and, from the greater part of the impression having been destroyed by fire, has become remarkably scarce.

Ducarel noticed the grant of Copthall-house (improperly called Vaux-hall) I wonder he did not apprise the reader, that Samuel Moreland most probably had it from Charles the Second, as a reward for his services on the eve of the Restoration,

"It is mentioned by Mr. Lysons that Archbishop Abbot was the preacher at the funeral of Sir Noel Caron. If the Sermon was printed (which probably it was not) the perusal of it would afford some occurrences in the life, and traits in the character, of a man of rank, concerning whom very little is known, though he was a resident in England upward of twenty-eight years, and, as it were, naturalized himself to the country; for that he was ever naturalised by an Act of the Legislature I am not aware.

"When I had the pleasure of seeing you, I hinted to you that a Kentish Monthly Register had been started by the printers of the Kentish Gazette; for a reason already assigned not a single number of it has yet travelled to Dartford, but I find by that newspaper and by the Maidstone Journal, that it continues upon what the editors deem an improved plan. A copy of the advertisement I have inclosed for your amusement *; and shall only remark upon the first plate with which they have favoured the public, that, unless there be a surprising alteration in Dene, they exhibited the view of a mansion that has nothing in it picturesque or striking.

"The proofs of Mr. Clarke's paper on Episcopal Chairs and Stone Seats † may as well be submitted to the correction of the writer, as I have not some of the books he has cited. There has

* Advertisement copied from the Maidstone Journal, Jan. 18, 1794. "The Kentish Register, improved and embellished with engravings for January 1794; embellished with a very elegant view of Dene in East Kent, one of the seats of Sir Henry Oxenden, Bart.

"In the design of embellishing the Kentish Register with engravings, the object is not merely ornament, but information. Whatever, therefore, in particular belongs to an historical repository of the County seems to form the most desirable series of plates; on this account a draughtsman and engraver, peculiarly conversant and well known in this line, is employed, by which we shall, in a course of time, introduce such a collection of Seats, Towns, Ruins, Religious Buildings, Remarkable Scenes, and other local subjects hitherto unengraved, as will render our publication as it advances not only more valuable, but we hope of no small estimation to Persons of Curiosity in Topography, Antiquities, and History, throughout the Kingdom; subjects, indeed, of general and interesting curiosity, which one circumstance of the times may point out, will by no means be excluded, whilst that which is peculiar to the County of Kent must be the leading feature of the work.

"One engraving at least will be given with every subsequent number, and without any advance in the price of the work. Our sale hitherto, and without plates, has extended to 750 copies. The proposed embellishment will be a heavy and continued expense; but we are confident that the public patronage will keep pace with our exertions to deserve it. Printed by Simmons, Kirkby, and Jones."

It was observable that the words in italics, noticing the number of copies sold, were omitted in the Kentish Gazette of the same date. + In Archæologia, vol. XI. pp. 317-374.