no means of improving our fortunes at all, but shall be fixed to a certain unimproveable income, which may be diminished, but cannot be enlarged. These particulars deserve some consideration. I would not have you think from what I have said, that I am going to draw in my horns, or mean to change my design of resignation of my living, or removing from it; for I fully purpose to do both; and shall set out on that account the week after Easter. The estate I shall be glad to purchase will be such an one as is proper for a gentleman that intends to live upon 500. or 600l. per annum. Set the estate or rent at 100l. to expend 500L and I shall still have some left for others.-On Sunday last I received a letter from Mr. Lindsey in answer to one I lately sent him to dissuade him from his present scheme of erecting a new Church, lest it should obstruct the Dissenter's cause; but it seems he is determined upon it, and as he is countenanced by the Dissenters, I pray God to prosper his and every attempt to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ to original purity.

"I think to be in town the beginning of the second week after Easter. I shall be rambling on the first week, and shall with the greatest pleasure wait upon you, whose friendship and esteem I shall always endeavour to deserve and retain.

"Pray present my best respects and unfeigned regard to the learned Dr. Price, and to all the reverend gentlemen of your cloth, who deign me worthy of their notice. HUM. PRIMATT." "DEAR SIR, Kingston-upon-Thames. [Undated.] "It is a matter of great concern to me that I have not had the pleasure of seeing you for a long time. As I live near to town, when business calls me to the city I endeavour to dispatch my affairs in a few hours, that I may return to Kingston by night. This hurry deprives of the opportunity of calling on my friends, as when I used to stay in town some weeks; but I have called upon you twice, and you were not at home. However, give me leave to assure you, that you shall always meet with a kind and friendly reception at Kingston whenever it suits your convenience or health to breathe the country air; and a letter from you, if you come not, will always be acceptable.

"I take the liberty by Mr. Browne to beg the favour of you to send me the Norwich woman's letter, which I lent you when at Kingston, to shew to Dr. Priestley. If you have not taken a copy of it, and desire it, I will take the trouble off your hands, and transcribe it and send it to you.

Pray let me know whether the fourth volume of Dr. Priestley's Institutes' is yet published. I thank you much for procuring meEpaphras's Gospel Defence,' and the other pamphlets, though the Hints and Essays' are not quite to my taste. I have heard our new minister Mr. Moody, and believe he will be a good preacher when mellowed by time. I repeat that a letter will be acceptable, but your company most desirable.-I have lately had at my house a visitor, a Member of Dr. Price's congregation, who informed me that the Doctor is in Wales. H. PRIMATT."

From

From GRANVILLE SHARP *, Esq.

"SrR, Old Jewry, March 3, 1777. "The favourable opinion of my labours, which you was pleased to express in your kind and obliging letter of the 12th of August last, certainly demanded a much earlier acknowledgment; but I was very much engaged at that time, and was obliged to content myself with sending a verbal message by the West Indian mulatto from Dominica in whose behalf you wrote; and I hope he delivered it, together with a book (intituled, 'The Law of Retribution'), of which I then desired your acceptance; and I now request your acceptance also of four more tracts sent herewith as a further acknowledgment of my esteem for a gentleman whose sincere regard for the natural rights of mankind is so fully declared in the above-mentioned letter of the 12th of August last. I am, with respect, &c. GRANVILLE SHARP."

From the Rev. Dr. JOSHUA TOULMIN †.

"REV. AND dear Sir, Taunton, Oct. 5, 1772. "I return you my sincere thanks for the testimony of your friendship yours of March 14 affords me, and the hints it gives me. I am greatly encouraged to pursue my design by finding it meets with your approbation, and that of some of the gentlemen to whose judgment I owe much deference. Some of my acquaintance, I understand, rather wonder what I propose by a Life of Socinus. A mere account of his sentiments, life and death, &c. they say will be of no service to the literary world, and will not be desired by the generality; an interesting life will require great pains, and needs the use of a large library. I apprehend your opinion, and that of those to whom I have communicated my plan, is very different on this matter; and therefore I am inclined to pursue my design without attempting a work merely calculated for the Literati, and yet something that may to the generality be interesting and new; not so much a critical as a popular Life of this injured person, with a view to hold him forth to esteem and imitation. I have made some little progress in it, and have read what I have done to our friend Dr. Jeffries. I am so happy as to give him pleasure by it, and to receive his desires that I would go on. My other engagements have much drawn my attention from it; and I have rather been slackened by several charges which lie against him, and which are grounded on his own language-as the severity with which he treats the Semi-Judaizers.

"I am not without the pleasing hope that a more exact examination of the places from whence such quotations are bor

Of whom see the "Literary Anecdotes," vol. I. p. 443.

+ Minister of the Gospel at Taunton, in Somersetshire. He published a Volume of "Sermons, principally addressed to Youth, 1770;" and several single Sermons. He was also the Author of the "The Life of John Biddle, 1789;" and of "The History of the Parish of Taunton,” 1791; and died July 23, 1815, in his 76th year. See some Memoirs of him in Gent. Mag. vol. LXXXV. ii. p. 473; and see also the General Index to the Magazine, vol. III. p. 412.

rowed,

rowed, and which Mosheim also refers to, will, if not exculpate Socinus, yet soften those apparent improprieties and harshness of sentiments and spirit. I have met with a vindication by Socinus himself, in his Works, of his character from the charge relative to the death and imprisonment of Francis Davidis. It appears a more difficult matter to clear him from being not entirely free from intolerant principles.

"It is easy indeed to observe, that he carried his moderation and sentiments on liberty, as appears from what precedes this quotation, much farther than was usual in those days; that he was but a man, and that his defects in point of liberality of sentiments must be ascribed to the influence and prevailing notions of the times. But your opinion on these points, if your other business will allow you to give it, will greatly oblige me. I acknowledge with gratitude your kind disposition to assist me with the inspection and use of the proper books; and regret my distance from you, and the difficulty of coming at them in my situation. I have particularly sent for the Dictionaire de Heresies,' and Dictionaire Antiphilosophique,' but without success. If you could direct my brother Mr. Smith to procure them for me, I should be glad. The other books you refer to, I suppose, are too voluminous and expensive to purchase merely for the sake of consulting them on one article; and perhaps a journey to London will give me an opportunity to look into them, and transcribe from them. What is the size of the Bibliotheque des Ecrivans Antitrinitaires ?` If it is one volume, 12mo or 8vo, I could wish it was in your power to assist my worthy Brother to get it for me with the rest. I have by me 'Bibliotheca Antitrinitarionem a Sandio,' lent me by Mr. Merivale, in which there is an abridged History of the Socinians. I suppose the French is a translation of this, and I want to number either that or the original amongst my books. The Unitarian Tracts were lent me by the same gentleman. I find these books difficult to be procured, as they are very scarce. I have received the Life of Socinus,' with which you have indulged me: it is a translation of Pzircovius's Life of this great man. Since your book came to hand, I have been so fortunate as to meet with the Cracovian Catechism in Latin, a neat copy and good Edition. I think it would make a useful publication by itself, and has no immediate connection with the Life of Socinus. It would, in my opinion, prove a very serviceable manual of polemical divinity to common readers, if printed so as to be sold and dispersed at a low price. I could prepare an Edition for the press soon, whilst my other work stood still, to which I would wish to give time. I have requested Dr. Jeffries to take your's and Dr. Kippis's sentiments on this head. Your's indeed I hope to have from your own pen. You can also direct me where I can meet with the clearest and justest 'Account of Sabellianism.'

"But it is time to release you from this long scroll, and these

tedious

tedious questions. In my situation there are few with whom I can converse on these points, or from whom I can receive much intelligence. This makes me more desirous to engage the assistance and benefit of Dr. Calder's extensive enquiries and communicative temper; and more so, as your friendship here flatters my vanity: my pride is gratified by the connexion; and I hope the indulgence is not so vicious but you may contribute to it. I am, with greatest esteem for your character and learning, and with warmest wishes that Divine Providence may assist and succeed all your useful labours to, dear Sir, &c. J. TOULMIN." "REV. AND DEAR SIR, Taunton, Aug. 7, 1773. "Mr. Smith acquaints me that you had seen on a stall a book which you apprehended would be very proper for my use in drawing up the Life of Socinus. He searched for it, but in vain, as he was greatly hurried before he left town, and had not taken the directions for it with sufficient accuracy. Give me leave therefore to request the favour of you to buy it if it is not gone, and will not interfere with your time, or draw you too far from your usual walks. I am afraid to risk the waiting the opportunity of my brother-in-law's return to London, least it should be laid hold of in the mean time. It would greatly oblige me if you meet any time with the single pieces of Socinus, or any thing that you apprehend would be materially serviceable to me, and the price does not run above twenty shillings, if you would not lose the opportunity of purchasing it on my behalf.

"I wish I could indulge the hope of a line in answer to the queries I was so free to trouble you with. In the expectation of being favoured with your's and Dr. Kippis's sentiments, I have purposely kept back my Work for some months, and done scarcely any thing to it; but I am not insensible to your engagements. The above book, or any future purchase will reach me if committed to Mr. S.'s care. I confide in your benevolent temper to execute my repeated freedoms; and am, with great esteem and respect, dear Sir, your humble servant, JOSHUA TOULMIN."

From the Rev. DAVID WILLIAMS *.

"DEAR SIR, Great Russel Street, Bloomsbury, Feb. 4, 1789. "I am very unfortunate in being so much indisposed by an inflamed throat, as not to be permitted to leave the house. Going to the Clubt yesterday after a series of engagements which have distressed me, quite laid me up. I hope I shall soon have it in my power to pay Mrs. Calder and you a visit, and to congratulate you on your prospect of happiness. In the mean time, if you should come to town, I hope you will not forbear calling on me. I have a guinea of your money, which I want to return to you. I beg my compliments to Mrs. Calder, and to the cheerful and agreeable party which will visit you. D. WILLIAMS."

* The well-known benevolent Founder of the Literary Fund. He died July 29, 1816. See Gent. Mag. vol. LXXXVI. ii. p. 86.

A select Literary Society, established in 1779; out of which emanated in 1790 the Literary Fund.

Dr.

Dr. CALDER to Mr. NICHOLS.

"MY DEAR FRIEND, Lisson Grove, July 12, 1814. "During my confinement to the fire-side, and an illness for more than nine months, I am indebted to you for much relief, information, and entertainment, which I have had from your rich treasure of pleasing knowledge, The Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century.' Now that the weather gets warmer, I get better, but very slowly, and now that I could venture into the open air, I am so weak that I cannot take the benefit of it by walking out, as usual, and can only amuse myself a little in my garden. I am very deaf, which greatly unfits me for conversation, but I lament much more the failure of my memory, by which I soon lose the intelligence I would fain retain, and am become so forgetful, that with all the recollection in my power, I have but little remembrance of things with which I had taken pains to become acquainted. After all, I cannot be sufficiently thankful to the Gracious Giver of all Good, that I still enjoy my sight unimpaired, and a pretty copious collection of books on all branches of science, which I can use from morning to night, so that my life is not uncomfortable. I am constrained by the importunity of my Brother to give you, who are ever busy, this trouble. He has fallen in love with your 'Anecdotes,' and is going out of town, and requested me to apply for a copy.

"Reluctant as I am to write letters, I complied with his request to me, the rather as I have been for some time desirous to apply to you for a favour to myself. It would be a great addition to my many obligations to you, if you could conveniently indulge me with a sight of the interleaved copy of the Sacred Scriptures with MS notes, for ever so short a time, which I learned from your invaluable work you gave to Mr. Pridden.

They

"Very many of Mr. Jones of Welwyn's MS papers were safe in Dr. Williams's Library when I had the care of it. were all sealed up carefully, and under the stipulation when deposited of not being inspected for twenty years, long since ex pired. The reason commonly alledged for this restriction, was that they related to many in the Established Church who were writers in the 'Candid Disquisitions,' and desirous of alterations and reforms in it, who were still alive and adherents to it, whose desire and temporal interest it was, that nothing of such inconsistency should be publicly known till after their deaths. Whether this was precisely as I have stated it to have been the case, I cannot inform you, having never inspected any of these MSS. since the time of their concealment expired, and they have been unsealed and open to examination. I wish to know whether you have ever seen them, or inserted in your Literary Anecdotes' any thing from them. It is more than thirty years that they have been open to public and general inspection.

"Mrs. Calder joins cordially with me in the best wishes for your healths and prosperity here and hereafter. Your kindness to me I shall never forget as long as I have any memory. I am, my dear friend, yours affectionately, JOHN CALDER."