EPISTRES FRANCOISES

Des Personnages illustres et doctes a Mons Jo seph Juste De la Scala mises en lumiere: Par Jaques De Reves. Harderwyck. 12mo. 1624.

THIS is esteemed among the very rare books by Vogt, who quotes Morhoff as his authority. It consists of Epistles to Scaliger, which were published after Scaliger's death. Morhoff thus speaks of him :

Sunt et Epistolæ Gallica Lingua ad Scaligerum scriptæ, Liber ille rarissimus est, atque multa continet singularia de libris et viris eruditis. Editus est post mortem Scaligeri.

Morhoff. Poly-Hist. Lit. v. 1. p. 286. For an account of this edition of J. De Reves, consult Niceron. v. 30. p. 30.

The following letter from James the First, of England, to Scaliger, is extracted from this volume.

MONSIEUR Scaliger le Sieur de la lessée Maistre des Requestes de Mad. de France estāt venu en ce Royaume, y a demeuré quelque espace de teps aupres de nous, pendant lequel nous avons eu pour tresagreable sa cognoissance, ensemble les bōs fruicts de son estude c'st pourquoy nous n'avons voulu permettre que

partat d'icy en deliberatio de passer en Holl. il s'ēallast au lieu de vostre residēce, sans vous faire la presente qu'il vous donnera avec asseurance de l'extreme amitie que nous portons aux gens de scauoir & de merite, & principalement à vous qui avez attainct ce beau degrè avec une si louable reputatio. Ce sera aussi pour vous prier de la favoriser de vostre part & de vos meilleures cognoissancs ce qué pourroit seruir à l'honneste. curiosité qu'il a d'estre honoré de la bienveuillance des hommes verteux. De nation il nous est & voisin & comme patriote. Et nous aussi, qui ne desnierons jaimais les effects de nostre singuliere affection à ses semblables, serons grandement satisfaicts si ceste nostre sincere recommendation ne luy est point inutile en vostre endroict. Sur ce nous supplierons le Createur vous augmenter. Monsieur Scaliger, en parfaicte santé & longue vie la rarité de ses graces. De nostré chasteau de Lefco, ce 15, Apuril 1597.

Vostre tres affectionné amy

JAQUES R'.

Among these letters are some from Henry the Fourth, of France; from Theodore Beza, Henry Stevens, John Barclay, Diodati, Thuanus, and others the most distinguished individuals of their time.

WITCH

WITCHCRAFT.

The following curious letter is copied from a manuscript preserved in the British Museum: From Mr. Manning, dissenting teacher at Halstead in Essex, to

SIR,

J. Morley, Esq. Halstead.

Halstead, August 2, 1732.

THE narrative w I gave you in relation to witchcraft, and which you are pleased to lay your commands upon me to repeat, is as follows: There was one master Collett, a smith by trade, of Haveningham in the County of Suffolk, formerly servant in Sir John Duke's family, in Benhall in Suffolk, who, as 'twas customary with him, assisting the maide to churne, and not being able, (as the phrase is) to make the butter come, threw an hot iron into the churn under the notion of witchcraft in the case, upon which a poore labourer, then employed in carrying of dung in the yard, cryed out in a terrible manner, they have killed me, they have killed me; still keeping his hand upon his back, intimating where the paine was, and died upon the spott.

Mr. Collett, with the rest of the servants then present, took off the poore man's cloathes, and

found, to their great surprize, the mark of the iron that was heated and thrown into the churn, deeply impressed upon his back. This account I had from Mr. Collett's own mouth, who being a man of an unblemished character, I verily believe to be matter of fact.

I am, Sir,

Your obliged humble servant,

SAM. MANNING.

Harleian Man. 1686.

COMMON PRAYER BOOK.

In the third year of the reign of Edward the Sixth, the compilers of the Common Prayer Book were

Dr. Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Dr. Goodrick, Bishop of Ely.
Dr. Skip, Bishop of Hereford.
Dr. Thirlby, Bishop of Westminster.
Dr. Day, Bishop of Chichester.
Dr. Holbeck, Bishop of Lincoln.
Dr. Ridley, Bishop of Rochester.
Dr. May, Dean of St. Pauls.
Dr. Taylor, Dean of Lincoln.

Dr.

Dr. Heyns, Dean of Exeter.

Dr. Redman, Dean of Westminster.
Dr. Cox, Almoner to King Edward vi.
Dr. Robinson, Archdeacon of Leicester.
March 4, 1694.

Harleian Ms. 6866.

The above is inserted principally to direct the reader's attention to a book not so well known as it deserves, the lives of the above distinguished characters by Samuel Downes.

THEALMA AND CLEARCHUS,

A Pastoral History in smooth and easie Verse, written long since by John Chalkhill, Esq. an acquaintant and friend of Edmund Spenser. London: Printed for Benj. Tooke, at the Ship, in S. Pauls Church Yard. 1683.

THIS is a book of extreme rarity. It is rendered remarkable by having been published by Isaac Walton, who highly commends the author. Chalkhill is said to have been a friend of Spenser.

Isaac Walton has inserted two Ballads, written by his friend, John Chalkhill, in his Complete Angler. One is called Corydon's Song; the subject

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