DR. WATERLAND'S LETTERS

TO

THE REV. DR. ZACHARY GREY,

BROWNE WILLIS, ESQ.

AND

THE REV. DR. WILLIAMS.

THE six following Letters were transcribed from the original manuscripts, which form a part of Mr. Cole's Collections deposited in the British Museum. They occur.in vol. xxx. pp. 170, et seq. and in vol. xxxii. p. 225, of those Collections.

I OUGHT sooner to have acknowledged your last kind letter; but happening to write Mr. Chapman, soon after I begged of him to make my compliments to you, and to give my answer in part. If Mr. Baker's friend succeeds so far as to get the Vice-Chancellor's hand, with the hands of some other Heads, he may be sure of mine, if wanted, to fill up the number. Please to present my most humble service to Mr. Baker.

Mr. Peck has written to me on the affair you mentioned. I will write about it to our President, (now at Cripplegate,) in order to have the sense of the Society upon it. I am for encouraging all public works; and I believe there will be no difficulty in the affair, provided there be no danger of giving offence to Mr. Pepys's relations b. For, since it was his own handy-work, perhaps

a Mr. Cole, in a note subjoined to one of the following letters, says, "Dr. "Waterland was uncle or cousin to my brother-in-law, Mr. John Chapman, " formerly of Magdalene College, and afterwards of Moulton, in Lincoln"shire."

b This probably relates to the collections Mr. Peck was making for his Desiderata Curiosa, the first volume of which appeared in 1732. Mr. Pepys had been President of the Royal Society, and Secretary to the Admiralty; and bequeathed his library (containing many rare and curious collections) to Magdalene College, Cambridge. (See Nicholls's Liter. Anec. vol. i. p. 509. and vol. iv. p. 550.) It appears from this letter, that Dr. Waterland