10_th July_ 1723.--"There are two fairs a year at Wantage, in Berks, the
first on 7th July, being the translation of St Thomas a Becket, and the
second on the 6th of October, being St Faith's day. But this year, the
7th of July being a Sunday, the fair was kept last Monday, and 'twas a
very great one; and yesterday it was held too, when there was a very
great match of backsword or cudgell playing between the hill-country and
the vale-country, Berkshire men being famous for this sport or
excercise."
The following account makes one inclined to sympathise with Hearne's
avoidance of travelling:--
21_st Sept._ 1723.--"They wrote from Dover, Sept. 14, that the day
before, col. Churchill, with two other gentlemen, arrived there from
Calais, by whom they received the following account, viz., that on
Thursday morning last, Mr Seebright and Mr Davis being in one chair, and
Mr Mompesson and a servant in another chaise, with one servant on
horseback, pursuing their way to Paris, were, about seven miles from
Calais, attacked by six ruffians, who demanded the three hundred guineas
which they said were in their pockets and portmanteaus. The gentlemen
readily submitted, and surrendered the money; yet the villains, after a
little consultation, resolved to murder them, and thereupon shot Mr
Seebright thro' the heart, and gave the word for killing the rest: then
Mr Davis, who was in the chaise with him, shot at one of them, missed the
fellow, but killed his horse; upon which he was immediately killed, being
shot and stabb'd in several places. Mr Mompesson and the two servants
were likewise soon dispatched in a very barbarous manner. During this
bloudy scene, Mr John Locke coming down a hill within sight of them, in
his return from Paris, the ruffians sent two of their party to meet and
kill him; which they did before the poor gentleman was apprized of any
danger; but his man, who was a Swiss, begging hard for his life, was
spared. This happening near a small village where they had taken their
second post, a peasant came by in the interim, and was also murdered.
They partly flead, and otherwise mangled, the horse that was killed, to
prevent its being known; so that 'tis believed they did not live far from
Calais. The unfortunate gentlemen afore mentioned, not being used to
travel, had unwarily discovered at Calais what sums they had about them,
by exchanging their guineas for Louis d'ors, which is supposed to have
given occasion to this dismal tragedy."
27_th July_ 1726.--"This is the day kept in honour of the Seven Sleepers,
so called, because in the reign of Theodosius the second, about the year
449, when the resurrection (as we have it from Greg. Turon.) came to be
doubted by many, seven persons, who had been buried alive in a cave at
Ephesus by Decius the emperor, in the time of his persecution against the
Christians, and had slept for about 200 years, awoke and testified the
truth of this doctrine, to the great amazement of all."
In the following passage Hearne shows (as in some other instances) a
certain antagonism to Sir Isaac Newton. I hope, however, that he was
impressed by what he quotes from the _Reading Post_, viz. that "six noble
peers supported the pall" at the funeral.
"Sir Isaac Newton had promised to be a benefactor to the Royal society,
but failed. Some time before he died, a great quarrel happened between
him and Dr Halley, so as they fell to bad language. This, 'tis thought,
so much discomposed Sir Isaac as to hasten his end. Sir Isaac died in
great pain, though he was not sick, which pain proceeded from some inward
decay, as appeared from opening him. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
Sir Isaac was a man of no promising aspect. He was a short well-set man.
He was full of thought, and spoke very little in company, so that his
conversation was not agreeable. When he rode in his coach, one arm would
be out of the coach on one side, and the other on the other."
25_th April_ 1727.--"Mr West tells me, in a letter from London of the
22nd inst., that being lately in Cambridgeshire, he spent two days in
that university, both which times he had the pleasure of seeing my friend
Mr Baker, who was pleased to walk with him, and shew him his college, the
library, etc. What hath been given to the library by Mr Baker himself,
is no small addition to it; Mr Baker being turned out of his fellowship
for his honesty and integrity (as I have also lost my places for the same
reason, in not taking the wicked oaths), writes himself in all his books
_socius ejectus_. His goodness and humanity are as charming, to those
who have the happiness of his conversation, as his learning is profitable
to his correspondents. The university library is not yet put into any
order."
25_th June_ 1728.--"The Cambridge men are much wanting to themselves, in
not retrieving the remains of their worthies. Mr Baker is the only man I
know of there, that hath of late acted in all respects worthily on that
head, and for it he deserves a statue."
3_rd Aug._ 1728.--"Yesterday Mr Gilman of St Peter's parish in the east,
Oxford (a lusty, heartick, {46a} thick, and short man), told me, that he
is in his 85th year of age, and that at the restoration of K. Charles
II., being much afflicted with the king's evil, he rode up to London
behind his father, was touched on a Wednesday morning by the king, was in
very good condition by that night, and by the Sunday night immediately
following was perfectly recovered and hath so continued ever since. He
hath constantly wore the piece of gold about his neck that he received of
the king, and he had it on yesterday when I met him."
I hope that Oxford, which had treated poor Hearne so ill, was impressed
by the facts recorded on 10th June 1730:--
"On Thursday, June 4th, the earl of Oxford (Edw. Harley) was at my room
at Edm. hall from ten o'clock in the morning till a little after twelve
o'clock, together with Dr Conyers Middleton, of Trin. coll. Camb., and my
lord's nephew, the hon. Mr May of Christ Church, and Mr Murray of Christ
Church."
7_th Aug._ 1732.--"My friend the honble. Benedict Leonard Calvert {46b}
died on 1st June 1732 (old stile) of a consumption, in the _Charles_,
Capt. Watts commander, and was buried in the sea. When he left England
he seemed to think that he was becoming an exile, and that he should
never see his native country more; and yet neither myself nor any else
could disswade him from going. He was as well beloved as an angel could
be in his station; (he being governour of Maryland); for our plantations
have a natural aversion to their governours, upon account of their too
usual exactions, pillages, and plunderings; but Mr Calvert was free from
all such, and therefore there was no need of constraint on that score:
but then it was argument enough to be harrassed that he was their
governour, and not only such, but brother to Ld. Baltimore, the lord
proprietor of Maryland, a thing which himself declared to his friends,
who were likewise too sensible of it. And the same may appear also from
a speech or two of his on occasion of some distraction, which tho' in
print I never yet saw. I had a sincere respect for him, and he and I
used to spend much time together in searching after curiosities, etc., so
that he hath often said that 'twas the most pleasant part of his life, as
other young gentlemen, likewise then in Oxford have also as often said,
that the many agreeable hours we used to spend together on the same
occasion were the most entertaining and most pleasant part of their
lives. As Mr Calvert and the rest of those young gentlemen (several of
which, as well as Mr Calvert, were of noble birth) used to walk and
divert themselves with me in the country, much notice was taken thereof,
and many envyed our happiness."
5_th July_ 1733.--"One Handel, a foreigner (who, they say, was born at
Hanover), being desired to come to Oxford, to perform in musick this Act,
in which he hath great skill, is come down, the Vice-Chancellor (Dr
Holmes) having requested him so to do, and, as an encouragement, to allow
him the benefit of the Theater, both before the Act begins and after it.
Accordingly he hath published papers for a performance to-day, at 5s. a
ticket. This performance began a little after five o'clock in the
evening. This is an inovation. The players might be as well permitted
to come and act. The Vice-Chancellor is much blamed for it."
16_th Sept._ 1733.--"Mr Sacheverel, who died a few years since, of
Denman's Farm (in Berks) near Oxford, was looked upon as the best judge
of bells in England. He used to say, that Horsepath bells near Oxford,
tho' but five in number, and very small, were the prettiest, tunablest
bells in England, and that there was not a fault in one, except the 3d,
and that so small a fault, as it was not to be discerned but by a very
good judge."
3_rd Oct._ 1733.--"I hear of iron bedsteads in London. Dr Massey told me
of them on Saturday, 29th Sept. 1733. He said they were used on account
of the buggs, which have, since the great fire, been very troublesome in
London."
17_th Jan._ 1733-34.--"Mr Baker of Cambridge (who is a very good, as well
as a very learned man, and is my great friend, though I am unknown in
person to him) tells me in his letter of the 16th of last December, that
he hath always thought it a happiness to dye in time, and says of
himself, that he is really affraid of living too long. He is above
seventy, as he told me some time since."
10_th March_ 1733-34.-- . . . "On the 7th inst. Ld. Oxford sent me the
chronicle of _John Bever_. He lends it me at my request, and says he
will lend me any book he hath, and wonders I will not go to London and
see my friends; and see what MSS. and papers are there, and in other
libraries, that are worth printing. I could give several reasons for my
not going either to London or other places, which however I did not
trouble his lordship with. Among others, 'tis probable I might receive a
much better welcome than I deserve, or is suitable to one that so much
desires and seeks a private humble life, without the least pomp or
grandeur."
2_nd May_ 1734.--"Yesterday an attempt was made upon New college bells of
6876 changes. They began a quarter before ten in the morning, and rang
very well until four minutes after twelve, when Mr Brickland, a
schoolmaster of St Michael's parish, who rang the fifth bell, missed a
stroke, it put a stop to the whole, so that they presently set them, and
so sunk the peal, which is pity, for 'twas really very true ringing,
excepting five faults, which I observ'd (for I heard all the time, tho'
'twas very wet all the while) in that part of the Parks which is on the
east side of Wadham college, where I was very private; one of which five
faults was the treble, that was rung by Mr Richard Hearne, and the other
four were faults committed by the aforesaid Mr Brickland, who 'twas
feared by several beforehand would not fully perform his part. . . ."
2_nd May_ 1734. . . . "When I mention'd afterwards my observations to ye
said Mr Smith, he told me, that tho' he rung himself, yet he minded the
faults also himself. Upon which I asked him how many there were? He
said three before that which stopp'd them. I told him that there just
five before that, at which he admired my niceness."
14_th Oct._ 1734. . . . "Dr Sherlock, now bp. of Salisbury, was likewise
of that little house (Cath. Hall), and they look upon it as very much for
the honour of that little house, that it has produced two of our
principal prelates (Dr Sherlock and Hoadly, at Salisbury and Winchester).
The last has usually (and regularly) gone to an Oxford man, as Ely to
Cambridge."
31_st Dec._ 1734. . . . "But having been debarr'd the library, a great
number of years, I am now a stranger there, and cannot in the least
assist him, tho' I once design'd to have been very nice in examining all
those liturgical MSS., and to have given notes of their age, and
particularly of Leopric's Latin Missal, which I had a design of printing,
being countenanc'd thereto by Dr Hickes, Mr Dodwell, etc."