"In a letter, Feb. 20, 1782, from Mr. Nichols, is this- I thank you, Sir, for your information about Cleveland, which leads me to be still further troublesome. The Dean of Carlisle has sent me this MS. note from Oldys.

[Upon Cleveland's Poem, called The Mitred Assembly, see Wm. Lilly's Merlin for 1654, in which he sets it flying most extensively abroad. Whereupon Tho. Gataker, one of the Assembly of Divines, in his Discourse Apologetical, 1654, has made some animadversions both on Lilly and Cleveland, the author of the satire.'] So the MS. note.

"Qu. Is Lilly's Merlin, 1654, or Gataker's Discourse Apologetical, in Mr. Cole's collection? If so, an extract from either or both would be a favour to Dean Percy or me."

23. Wm. Colman, Master of C. C. C. C.

"Vice Chancellor 1778.

"It is an ancient name, though it has the appearance of a modern one. V. Liber Niger Scaccarii, p. 319, where mention `of Herevicus Coleman holding a Knight's fee under William de Vesci in Yorkshire, temp. Hen. II. I write this, 1779, March 10, when I am a little dissatisfied with him, as to-morrow it will be exactly a month since he called upon me; and Feb. 20 I sent him a note with Mr. Walpole's book about Chatterton, but have 'never heard from him since. Certainly I have no right to expect him, or any one else to call here, as I call upon no one, hardly ever stirring out since the gout has so crippled me: but what makes it singular is, that he regularly used to call upon me two or three times in a week, in his ridings out, being obliged to take them on account of his asthma; and I know he has hardly ever missed going out since he was here, it being necessary to him, and we have had the finest weather that ever was remembered all the winter; more like spring than winter. I am rather afraid that he may have taken something amiss: God knows I am ignorant of it: but perhaps I may have said idly something which may have

been reported to him by malicious, envious, and mischief-making persons, such as Cooke of King's, with whom, I suppose, as a brother Head, he may have made an acquaintance. Though I am not conscious of ever saying any thing disrespectful of him to any one, but to my servant, Thomas Wood, to whom I say any thing, knowing it is as safe with him as in my own breast: besides that, I had a good opinion of him: what is the matter I know not: but Heads of Colleges, as well as Bishops, claim a privilege of shaking off such acquaintances as interfere with their ambition or designs. He called here, March 15, 1779, and told me he went to town on Wednesday, March 17, to meet the Vice Chancellor of Oxford, who had written to him about their press: they used to let the moiety for 800 7. per annum, and now only bid 2007. for it. The late Vice Chancellor told me that our press lost 5007. num lately. They apply for the printing of almanacks: Dr, Plumptre mentioning it to me on the 18th, the next day, being left deputy Vice Chancellor, and calling on me, I told him, I hoped the Universities would gain their point: Mr. Deputy, being a zealous whig and patriot, said, as a member of the University, he hoped so too; but, as a man at large, he thought it a monopoly, and an abridgement of the rights of mankind. I answered him in these words, That I was no liberty-monger, and dreaded the power of those that were, for fear that they should take it into their heads to think that my private property in land and furniture, and my living, were monopolies and abridgments of the common rights of mankind, which ought to be free and common to all the world.

per an

"June 8, 1779, the Vice Chancellor calling here told me he was born Jan. 6, 1728; so that his birth-day is now the 17th, and he 52 years

of age.

July 25, 1779, drinking tea with me, he said that he went to school at Gillesborough, under Mr. Horton, a good scholar: the school founded by the raiser of the Langham family, and built on the site of the founder's mother's house." *

Dr. Colman died Dec. 27, 1794.

24. John Colson, Sidney College, Professor Plumianus. A. M. F. R. S. and Vicar of Chalke in Kent.

"I don't know that he was regularly of either University originally. He was a very worthy, honest man; an old bachelor when he was first brought to Cambridge through the interest of Dr. Smith, Master of Trinity College, when he had chambers in Trinity College, and read lectures there in the mathematics. He was a humourist and peevish, and afterwards removed to an house in Jesus Lane, where a sister lived with him very uncom fortably, as their tempers did not suit. Before he came to Cam bridge he had translated for the booksellers; and he, with Mr. Sam. D'Oyley of Trin. Coll. Fell. and A. M. and Vicar of St. Nicholas in Rochester, translated in conjunction, The historical critical, geographical, chronological, and etymological Dictionary of the Rev. Father Dom. Augustin Calmet, Benedictine, and Abbot de Senones, with occasional remarks.

"In Professor Sanderson's Elements of Algebra, is prefixed his Palpable Arithmetic decyphered by Mr. Professor Colson, Cambridge edit. 1740, in 2 vols. 4to.

"I remember Mr. Colson to have had the care of Chalke Church near Gravesend in Kent, but whether in his own right or not, I am ignorant. I think he was of neither University: a plain, honest man, of great industry and assiduity; but the University was much disappointed in their expectations of a Professor that was to give credit to it by his lectures. He was opposed by old Mr. De Moivre, who was brought down to Cambridge, and created M. A. when he was almost as much fit for his coffin: he was a mere skeleton, nothing but skin and bones, and looked wretchedly, not unlike his mezzotinto print which I have of him. Mr. Colson died at Cambridge, Jan. 1760, Rector of Lockington in Yorkshire.

"In 1779 Mr. Knight, son of my worthy friend, Mr. Archdeacon Knight, Prebendary of Ely, lent me a vast collection of original letters from various persons to Mr. John Strype, the Ecclesiastical Historian: among the rest are several from one Francis

Colson, written in an excellent hand, neat and plain like a schoolmaster's, dated from Lichfield, where he seems to have belonged to the Cathedral; probably a verger, or a choir man: calls Mr. and Mrs. Strype uncle and aunt, and says he is much afflicted with the gout and sciatica. The occasion of the correspondence was this: the widow of Abp. Tillotson had given the option of Tarvin Prebend in the Church, then filled with Mr. Hutchinson, a very old man, but hearty and strong, though sometimes goutified, to Mr. Strype, who was solicitous to know how soon he was likely to succeed: Mr. Colson gave him a regular account, though very unsatisfactory, as that old gentleman, who balked Mr. Strype of the option, did not die till 1712-13, when Abp. Tenison bestowed it upon Edward Tenison, afterwards Bp. of Ossory, though the Bp. had given Mr. Strype, a year or two before, the sinecure Rectory of West Terring in Sussex; probably with a view of his merits with Abp. Tillotson and himself for dedications to them both; and to the public, for his worthy publications; yet proba bly hastened by Mr. Strype's political publication of Abp. Grindal's life, when the trial of Dr. Sacheveral was coram judice, in his favour, (viz. Grindal's) though he was then engaged to the public, by subscriptions for the life of Abp. Parker, which ought to have preceded it. I am doubtful about Professor Colson's age at his death in 1760: I should suppose it could not be much short of 80: and then about 1696, he might be 16 years old.

"In a letter from Mr. Francis Colson, dated Oct. 14, 1696, Lichfield, he tells Mr. Strype, after he had communicated his real business, that when his son was at London, he called at Low Leyton, but did not meet him at home, But how poor Rebecca does, we cannot tell she is turned away from her aunt's, and is at my sister's.' P. 406, of my collections of Strypeian letters.

"In another, June 30, 1696, That Mr. Hutchinson had been very ill, but was then well. When you see my friend and patron, Mr. Thomas White, Minister of Bow, I desire my respects to him, the same to uncle and aunt Welsh,' &c. This letter preceded the former, p. 406.

"A 3d from Lichfield, June 7, 1697, That Mr. Hutchinson had been given over in the spring, but was recovered, and is at

present at Moxhall with his brother-in-law, Sir Andrew Hackett? after which follows a long account of his aunt Welsh's ill treatment of his daughter, and of his son, who lives with a lady now at Bath, who got her last servant a good place in the exchequer, and hopes she will do as much for this, having great interest there. This letter is in the first vol. of the collection of Mr. Strype's letters, which I returned to Mr. Knight, who is now at London; so that I take this from slight extracts of them at p. 408, in my volume: when he returns, I may ask to look at it again, if I think of it. Mar. 8, 1779.

"In the Memoirs of the Life of David Garrick, Esq. by Thomas Davies, in 2 vols. 8vo. 1780, at p. 9, 11, 13, are two letters from Mr. Walmsley, Registrar of Lichfield, (of whom such honourable mention is made by Dr. Samuel Johnson in his Biographical Prefaces to the English Poets, in the article of Edmund Smith) to Mr. Colson, in 1737, recommending both Dr. Johnson and Mr. Garrick to the care and encouragement of Mr. Colson, then at Rochester: the latter to board with him, and be instructed by him in mathematics, philosophy, and human learning."

25. Hon. Frederic Cornwallis, Abp. of Canterbury, 1769, Fellow of Christ's College.

"This worthy nobleman and prelate was educated at Eton school, and afterwards Fellow of Christ's College, where I had the honour of being much acquainted with him; being my school-fellow and cotemporary at the University, where no one was more beloved, or bore a better character than he did all the time of his residence therein: during which time, towards the latter end of it, he had the misfortune to have a stroke of the palsy, which took away the use of his right hand, and obliged him to write with his left, which he did very expeditiously; and I have often had the honour to play at cards with him, when it was wonderful to see how dexterously he would shuffle and play them. He was Prebendary of Lincoln; and after he was promoted to the