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 ori ginally. 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 uncomfortably, 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 Sta 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 Moiyre, 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. Al 1

qfIn 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 school master's, dafed 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. Grin dal'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 y 5 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. M

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 Bio graphical 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 Lincolur; and after he was promoted to the

See of Lichfield and Coventry, he married one of the Townshend family, and on the death of Abp. Secker, was appointed to suc ceed him."

26. Francis Cole, Trinity College, 1641.

"The Prologue and Epilogue to a Comedie, presented at the entertainment of the Prince his Highness, by the schollars of Trinity College in Cambridge, in March last, 1641. By Francis Cole. London, 4to. Printed for James Calvin, 1642.

"It is a small thing of only four leaves, including the title page. On the back of the prologue is a print of the author, probably in a wooden cut, being a young man in a band, holding a paper in one hand, and round hat in the other, with his long robe or gown flung over one of his arms, in short boots and spurred. At the end of all is an humourous little Poem called

The Echo.

Now, Echo, on what's Religion grounded?

Round Head.

Whose its professors most considerable?

Rabble.

How do these prove themselves to be the godly?

Odly.

But they in life are known to be the holy.

O lye!

Who are these preachers, men or women-common?

b. Do they not learning from their doctrine sever?

What do you call it then? To fructify?

Aye.

What church have they, and what pulpits?

Pits.

But now in chambers the conventicle

Tickle.

The godly sisters shrewdly are belied.

Belly'd.

The godly number then will soon transcend.

End.

As for the temples, they with zeal embrace them.

Rase them.

What do they make of Bishop's hierarchy ?

Archy.

Are crosses, images, ornaments, their scandall?

All.

Nor they will leave us any ceremonies.

Monies.

Must even religion down for satisfaction?

Faction.

How stand they affected to the government civil?

Evil.

But to the king they say they are most loyal.

Lie all!

Then God keep King and state from these same men.

Amen."