THE following Letters were transcribed from a folio volume in Rawlinson's Collection of MSS. in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. The Letters not having been copied in chronological order, and some of them having no date, considerable difficulty was found in properly arranging them. But this difficulty, it is hoped, has been so far surmounted, as to remove any perplexity that might otherwise occur, in referring from one Letter to another, for the elucidation of any particular subjećt. To facilitate also the reader's researches, a short Table of the Contents of each Letter is prefixed to this Volume. The twelve first Letters were written in the years 1724 and 1725, and relate chiefly to the life and writings of Bishop Pecock. The remaining Letters relate almost entirely to a history of the English translations of the Bible, and were written in the years 1728 and 1729. The Notes inclosed between brackets are in the original manuscripts. The other references are by the Editor. LETTERS то THE REV. MR. LEWIS, MERGATE, KENT. No. I. I REVEREND SIR, HEARTILY thank you for the favour of your papers, containing Cursory Remarks on my Critical History a. I am very desirous of any hints that may contribute to the correcting or improving any part of that work and some yours will be serviceable; while the rest show your kind and friendly endeavours towards me. of Sir Francis Kynaston's observation relates to the division of the day into four equal parts, where prime has a particular sense; how justly I do not say. My sense of prime is founded upon another division of the day, into twelve equal parts, or hours, and is certainly right with respect to the subject I am upon. As to Beleth, I am not sensible of any slip. He is an evidence of the Creed's being commonly ascribed to Anastasius in his time, which he judges to be wrongfully done, (falso,) ascribing it himself to Athanasius. The word licet is indeed dropped in my quotation, by some accident b; or if I designedly left it out, there should have • Waterland's Critical History of the Athanasian Creed; the first edition of which was published in 1723, the second in 1728. It is inserted in the second edition, p. 45. |