Volume 1
Desiderata curiosa: or, a collection of divers ... pieces relating chiefly to matters of English history : consisting of choice tracts, memoirs, letters ... etc / Transcribed ... and illustrated with ample notes ... By Francis Peck.
- Francis Peck
- Date:
- 1779
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Desiderata curiosa: or, a collection of divers ... pieces relating chiefly to matters of English history : consisting of choice tracts, memoirs, letters ... etc / Transcribed ... and illustrated with ample notes ... By Francis Peck. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![a gentleman to whom the world is much indebted for preferving the MS. remains of his worthy father in law the late Right Reverend Richard Cumberland, Lord Bifhop of Peterborough; as alfo for publilhing fome of them. And I hope he will give us yet more pieces of that great Sc truly learned prelate. 27. The XXX. Number of the laid fifth book, came to my hands among the late Reverend Mr. William Forfter’s papers, when I was writing the Annals of Stanford. As did alfo the XV. & XVI. of the fixth book. 28. The I, II, III, VI & VII. Numbers of the fixth book were all very freely com¬ municated to me by my abovementioned worthy friend the very reverend & learned Mr. Thomas Baker. 29. The IV. containing an account of the laft ficknefs Sc death of Sir Robert Cecil, Earl of Salifbury, & Lord High Treafurer of England in King James I. time, I tranfcribed from a MS- of that age given me (with another MS.) by the Right Hono¬ rable Theophilus Earl of Huntington. And I here beg leave to renew my humble thanks to his lordlhip for them, & for his very kind entertainment at Caftle Donnington. 30. The Numbers VIII, IX. (being Mr. John Knewftub & Mr. Henry Sands epi¬ taphs) were copied out of a MS. book of epitaphs, lent me by my good friend the before mentioned Dr. Samuel Knight. 31. The Numbers X, XI. (being two original letters of the famous Mr. Thomas Hobbes of Malmefbury) were given me by that very learned & polite gentleman the Reverend Dr. William Standfaft, M. D. reftor of Clifton in com. Nottingham. 32. Number XII. was wrote out for me, many years ago, by a gentleman of good learning, the Reverend Mr. Andrew Borradale, recfor of Mercat Dieping in com. Lin¬ coln. 33. The Numbers XIII. & XIV. (being the one an original of Oliver Cromwell, & the other another original of General George Monck) were given me by my very kind friend, the truly reverend & learned Mr. William Bridges, B. D. & redtorof Gotham, in com. Nottingham. 34. The Numbers XVIII. & XX. were communicated by my near neighbour & friend, the reverend Sc learned Mr. Thomas Mafon, B. D. redtor of Colfterwor-th in com, Lincoln. 35. Thus I have at length laid before my readers a brief account of the following colledlion, & of all thofe friends who helped me to any part of it. Upon the mufter of whofe names, I cannot here forbear from once more repeating my thanks to them all, or from intreating their farther affiftance, or from thinking, that, with the alteration of one word only, I may truly fay with Horace, Multa [affiftentium] veniet manus, auxilio, quce Sit mihi. 36. I fhall only add, that the Lord Burghley’s epitaph, & his father s, being already printed in my Annals of Stanford, I thought it needkfs to reprint them here. And that, as to my defcription of Burghley houfe, I am fenfible it falls infinitely fhcrt of what that noble palace is in reality. But my Lord Exeter, I hope, will forgive me that fault. What I have faid about it was wrote purely to entertain a young gentle¬ man of curiofity who miffed feeing of it; Sc that many years after I had feen it my felf. In Italy they have a little book at every remarkable houfe or town which they put into ftrangers hands who come to fee the curiofities there. And I only defire, that ’till fomebody elfe writes a better, this may ferve for Burghley. Vol. I. c CONTENTS](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b3045637x_0001_0025.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
