Letters of Edward Hasted to Thomas Astle

( 136 ) LETTERS OE EDWAED HASTED TO THOMAS ASTLE. MR. R. COOKE of Detling, to whom we were indebted for the transcript of the Hasted Autobiographical Memoirs printed in our last Volume, has kindly sent copies of the following letters addressed by our Kentish historian to his friend Thomas Astle. Astle, who had a considerable reputation in his day as a paleographer and antiquary, was engaged on the Catalogue of the Harleian MSS. in the BritishMuseum library, and was also—with Sir Joseph Ayloffe and Dr. Ducarel— employed by the Government to draw up a report on the public records at Westminster and Whitehall. Hence he was particularly well placed for rendering assistance to the industrious friend who was so busily employed in gathering materials for his County history. Hasted was evidently fully alive to the value of Astle's friendship, and his advances seem to have been met with considerable generosity, though judging from the single extant letter in reply from his pen, Astle's correspondence was not marked by the same effusiveness. When the first volume of the History of Eent appeared in 1778 with its dedication to Eing G-eorge HI . Hasted had hopes that "something would come of it," and was not a little disappointed when, after the ponderous volume was safely deposited in the Royal library, no further notice was taken of its author, and the vision of a knighthood, on which Astle had apparently rallied his friend, melted away. When the third volume was ready, in 1791, Hasted's affairs were already on the down grade, and to Astle was entrusted the disagreeable task of informing the Royal Librarian that LETTERS OF EDWARD HASTED. 137 if delivered the volume must be paid for. In the later letters Hasted adopts a far less familiar style, the "Dear Sir " or " Dear Astle " gives place to the more formal" Dear Sir "; nevertheless, there is abundant evidence to shew that Astle, even in the days of his complete downfall, was Hasted's very good friend, and it was to him that he turned for assistance when his misfortunes had brought him to the King's Bench prison (No. 31). Astle succeeded Sir John Shelley as keeper of the public records in the Tower in 1784, and died in 1803 (four years before Hasted removed to Corsham), bequeathing his extensive collections to the Marquis of Buckingham. In 1849 they were sold to Earl Ashburnham. The following letters were purchased by Mr. Cooke from a London bookseller in 1902, and doubtless came from the Ashburnham sale. From their pagination Mr. Cooke is of opinion that the letters once formed part of a bound book, and expresses the hope that their publication may lead to the recovery of the remainder of the volume. A few notes have been added by the Editor. No. 1. Eoman Camp at Heppington, Co. Kent [1763], DEAB SIK, I have often wished much to write to you, but since my being in East Kent, I have kept so close to MSS. and Antiquities, that it has not been in my Power to furnish materials for one. But I have broke from them for a little while, and last week spent my time most agreably with Bryan Posset,* when most of our Time, Indeed all that we could spare from the Ladies, was spent In his study, or in sallying out to find Homan Camps, Tumuli, etc. This we properly Dressed for, and had you seen us, you would certainly * The Eev. Bryan Paussett of Heppington near Canterbury, born 1720, was an antiquary of such high repute in his day that he was oalled by his contemporaries " the British Montfaucon." The late Mr. C. Roach Smith, in 1856, edited for Mr. Joseph Mayor, Paussett's Journals relating to field work in East Eent, under the title of Inventorium Sepulchrale, whioh contains a few references to Hasted, but does not mention the work at the "Roman Camp " referred to in the above letter. Its site was probably that of the well-known earth-work in Iffln's Wood. 138 LETTERS OP EDWARD HASTED have taken us for Robinson Crusoe and his man Friday. We found a fine Roman Camp, about 2 miles from him [sic'], Heppington in Kent, containing 8 acres and a Double Vallum, and The Preetorium Way very Entire, 3 or four feet above the Ground, but quite Covered with Bushes and Brambles, and he is very soon to have it very clean and nice. Without the outermost Vallum is a plain intrenchm' of the Britains, and this we conjecture to have been the place where the Romans kept their Oastra cestiva, whilst Canterbury Served them for their Winter Quarters, from Which it is Distant about 2 miles and an half. In our Progress homeward on the Roman Road, Which goes on Each side it, about 2 fields from Mr. Posset's house we thought we found a Large & certain Tumulus, about 22 yards Diameter, & getting 5 or 6 hands together, we set them all to Work, & Mr Fosset got himself his hollow Trowel and Tools proper for the purpose. We dug a Trench about 2 ft. wide, thro' the middle of it as Low as we perceived the Earth to have been laid by art, about a foot below the surface We found a Compact Pavement Circumflex, as the shape of the Barrow Way, all of flints curiously cut with the chissel to fit one with the other, near the out sides they were smallest, about the size of a Pidgeons Egg, & as they Came nearer the Crown of the Tumulus, they Increased Larger, to the Size of about Three Inches by one & an half, but all so close and Compact that no Tool Could Penetrate them Struck downright on them, but by undermining them on the outside, we made shift to get them up ; under this was a Laying of clay, then another of the Common Earth of the Place, and then another thick Pavement the same as the other, & about Two feet Underneath it. Under this another Stratum of CJay, then one of Mould, & under it Chalk for about 2 feet deep. I was obliged to Leave the same Afternoon, Heppington on my Return home, so that I do not know what he has done in it since, but I shall very soon, and then I shall Let you know What it has turned out, for we Were both of us In great Doubt whether it was British or Roman, and Mr Fosset Was greatly Inclined to think it was more likely to be the Latter, but We found no signs of any one buried there. We found a Square flint about 3$ Inches Square & i Inch thick cut very nicely with the chisel, and on one side of it, it Was much Blackt With the remains of having had a fire on it, it is on the fioman Road from Canterbury to the Portus Lemanis, about Three miles from the former and about a mile from the above Camp, from which there comes quite up to it, a hollow Way and the Road divides at it, running then on Each TO THOMAS ASTLE. 139 side and Joins Immediately as it Ends, again. I should be very much obliged to you If you would be so kind to look into the visitations of Berkshire, In the Museum, if you can find there any of the name of Hasted, I have by me a confirmation of a Coat of Arms Granted by Segar, Garter, to Laurence Hasted, my Gt Gt Grandfather, of Sunning in Berks, in the year 1628, viz: Gules an Eagle Displayed Ermine, Beaked and Legged or, and a Chief Ohequer or and ae.* li you could find any Information for me of them, either there or any Where else I should be very Much obliged to you. Nov. 4,1763. I hope much to see you in this Country to make a Tour together with S1' Joseph Ayloffe & Dr Ducarel, to both whom I beg my respects When you see them, and I hope they Will not forget me when they find any Matters relating to Kent. I hope I shall have the pleasure of hearing from you often, which I assure you Will be a very great one to me. I am, D1' Sir, Your Much obliged humble Servant, Throwley, near Faversham, EDWAED HASTED. Novr 4th, 1763. No. 2. 23 Nov. 1763. Hasted to Astle. Giving an account of the progress of his " History." DEAE SIE, I received your most obliging favour, and return you many thanks For the trouble you take In Continually thinking of me. Tou Judge very right that the MSS. & Drafts you mention Will be very acceptable, Indeed they Will, There is no satisfying an Antiquarian's Appetite, the more you feed him, the more Kavening he Grows. Those or anything you Can procure for me, I shall receive With many thanks to you, and any little matters (if any should fall in your Way that Cannot be procured for a small time) I shall gladly pay the Expence of, if you will be so kind to trouble yourself to get y"1 Copyed for me. I should be very Glad of * Hasted was probably descended from a purely Kentish ancestry. His greatgrandfather, Moses Hasted, or Harsted, was a yeoman in the neighbourhood of Canterbury at or about the date of the grant referred to, and there is not the least reason to suppose that he was in any way oonneoted with the Hasteds of Berkshire. 140 LETTERS OP EDWARD HASTED any thing relating to ye Pedigrees or Arms of any body relating to this County, perhaps M1 Edmondson may have some which you Could procure for me, you know I am not Long In Going thro' them, & Will return them Within any limited time. The Drawings I shall be In hopes of, as soon as you Can Conveniently send them. All parcels Will Come safe to me by any of the Canterbury Machines, directed for me To be Left at the Roe Buck in Ospringe, and I beg a line at the same time by the same Post that I may send & Enquire after them and prevent their being Lost. I am much ashamed of Asking you these favors, but I must trust to your Good Nature for my Excuse in it. Whatever is or shall be In my Power, you May always freely Command. I should Wish for much from your Augmtn office, but I am afraid my seldom seeing London, & my small stay when there, Will prevent my Ever profitting by such valuable Records & your Great Kindnesses In Laying them open to me. I do assure you I Work very hard from Morning to Night, and I have The Good Luck to have some very valuable MSS. Pour in frequently. I have Just finished The Materials Dr Plot Left for his " Natural History of Kent," and am now about those which Warburton, Som* Herald, had Collected for a History of this County. I shall be very glad to Wait on you, if you Come to Surrenden at Xmas. Besides the pleasure I shall have in seeing you I shall have an Opportunity of seeing the Surrenden Library, for tho' I Was very Well acquainted With the late S1' Edwd Dering, I am not at all known to the present Gentn . It will give me Much pleasure to hear from you often, for I am so far from Town now, that What is out of Date with you is great news to me. One thing I enjoy much here, Which Induces me to stay at Throwley, I enjoy my Time & Leisure Without the Interruption of too many visitors, with which I was Pestered at Sutton. Tou will be so kind to make my Compts to Sr Joseph Ayl[ofE], and if I have not the pleasure of seeing him, the Dr, and you[rself] before, I shall claim his promise next Summer, & I dare [say] to make it a most agreable Antiquarian Tour. I am, Dr Sir, Tour much obliged & most obedient Servant, Throwley, near Feversham, EDWAED HASTED. Novr 23d, 1763. [Addressed'] To Mr Astle at the British Museum. TO THOMAS ASTLE. 141 No. 3. DEAE SIE, I received a Letter a Day or Two ago from Mr Brian Fosset of Heppington, in Which he gave me an Account, that on his being at the Antiq11 Society, when last iu Town, the secretary was reading the Account I sent you of the Tumulus, that he & I had been trying to open. That he desired the President to pay no further regard to it, and promised to send a true Account of it. There is no doubt, but had I thought that Letter Would have been read at the Society I should have put it in better Dress, but as I think M1' Posset's behaviour has attacked the Truth of it, I t is Incumbent on me to assert the truth of the facts there mentioned, and to declare there they are litteraly & minutely true. As to the Conjectures they are but Conjectures, but are such as he or myself then made, and both acquiesced in at that time. I may perhaps have mistaken his Words, but as you Were present I hope you Will Let me know your thoughts of it, & if there is Occasion, that you Will vindicate I t at your meeting, for if It is Consistent With the Rules of your Society and they thought the Materials Worth their hearing, I should Insist on its being read there and a Proper Regard had to it, for I would sooner forgive any man's accusing me of almost anything Whatsoever rather than of an Untruth*— I will say no more of this, but I hope very soon to hear from you more of it, which I shall expect With much Impatience. I work so hard at my favorite design, morning, noon, and night, that I know nothing of the World, but what my Correspondents & the Newspapers Inform me of. I hope to do so much this winter in the Transcribing Part, that when the fine Weather Comes In Summer I shall have nothing to prevent my viziting Every Parish in the County Without Which I can never Compleat my Work, and I should be very Unwilling to print it before I had made use of your kind offers of the Augmentation office & Museum, for which I must allot 4 or 5 months in London, but when that Can be I cannot fix, as my materials Increase beyond my utmost Expectations, and tho' the further I proceed the more labour I find still to go thro', yet I am more & more Convinced Every day, that I shall * It is pleasant to relate that this early instance of the Odium Archmologicum between rival antiquaries, whioh is still far from being extinct, was not allowed to rankle. Hasted in a letter to Dr. Ducarel in 1780, written after Eaussett's death, describes the latter as " Our late friend Bryan Faussent, who was I do think as capable and learned a man in that way as this country ever had or will produce" (Inventorium Sepulchrale, Appendix, p. 215). 142 LETTERS OP EDWARD HASTED be able to make it a History tolerably Compleat; At Least Infinitely [more] so than any yet made Public, but I find that I must next summer get a young man somewhere, to live with me [as] Amanuensis, for I shall have full Employment for him, and myself too, and I shall spare neither Trouble nor Expence in it. I wish much for an opportunity of seeing London, In hopes I may then have the pleasure of spending some hours with you. I had some hopes of seeing you in Kent this Xmas, but I find the time is now past without it which is no small Disappointment to me, Who am, Dear Sir, Tour much obliged & most obedient Servant, Throwley, near Feversham, EDWAED HASTED. Jany. 17th, 1764. No. 4. 1764. March 17th. [Black Prince, Houmout.] DEAE SIE, Had I not been in Weekly Expectation of being Called To London, I should have answered yours Long before now, Which bears a Date so Long ago as January. I find this Will not be, till after my return to Sutton, about the Middle of next month or beginning of May, for the summer, When I hope I shall have the pleasure of seeing you frequently both there and in Town. The Last time I Wrote to Dr Ducarel (to which I have not yet been favored With an Answer), I begged the favor of him, to acquaint me where I Could order my entrance money to be paid to the Antiq" Society, what it was, and by what time it ought To be paid. If May Would do, I could then pay it myself, or If more Proper before, I would order it Immediately, & I should be much obliged to you to Inform me of it. I have lately been Very Laborious In Heraldry, & have Collected 3 volumes With pretty Good Authoritys, and about 2000 Coats of Arms, Which, though at first it Cost me some pains & Trouble as Well in the Blazon as Colours, yet I go on now tollerably Well & quick, but I find I want the Treasures of the British Musoeum, In this Branch especially, Very Much Indeed. As to the Drawings, If you Will favor me When I come to Town With an Introduction to the Gentleman, I Will Gladly Wait on him & beg a sight of them, and then only, I Can be a Judge of What Will be useful In my Design, & I can then take the Account of Dover Castle back With me. TO THOMAS ASTLE. - 14 3 I congratulate you much on your Discoveries & I think you very happy in them, they Could not have fallen into Better hands, who either would or Can improve them more than yourself. If you go on thus a few years your Collection will be a very valuable one Indeed. In my observations on the Monument of Edwa The Black Prince, at Canterbury, I observe over the Coat of Arms of the Eldest son of England, a Label With this Word HOUMOUT ; what it means I cannot possible Conjecture, & a Learned Antiquarian Friend of mine tells me he has a Grant of this Prince's, wherein he signs himself Houmout. I wish among your Acquaintance you Would mention this, especially to the Dv & Sc Joseph, who will perhaps be so kind to give me their Thoughts on it—as I cau find no title at that given to him, Whereby I can form any hint to myself of it. My next Labour will be to Attack Dugdale's Monasticon & Carefully to Extract out of him Whatever relates to Kent. The more the Antiquarian toils the more he sees beyond him to Encounter ; it is Well they prove So pleasant to us, for as there is no End to them, We should otherwise soon tire & Stop the pursuit, But I think this Will never happen to you or me. Pray make my Compts. to Sr Joseph Ayloff & D1' Ducarrel and I am, Dr Sir, Tour most sincere humble Servant, Throwley, EDWAED HASTED. March l l f t , 1764. As it is Impossible to be an Antiquarian without having a Particular Attachment to the Ladies, at Least I Judge so, from those I have the pleasure of being acquainted With, and you are a young Man, Why Cannot you take a ride to our Assize Ball, Wednesday sennight; If you are fond of Dancing you Will have an Exceeding Good one, and In all likelyhood your Flame Will be there. I would Induce you If I could, in the 1st place for your own sake, & in the next, that I may have the pleasure of meeting you there. I dont question If you Were to give Sr Joseph Two or three Items of our Kentish Lasses, if he would not Leave Even the Charms of the British Musoeum for those of a Beautifull Lass of Seventeen. Adieu. 144 LETTERS OP EDWARD HASTED No. 5. DEAE SIE, I should not have troubled you so soon with another Letter, Especially as it is to ask a favor & Trouble of you, but your offers of Kindness have Incouraged me to it. It is to beg you to get me an Exact Copy Verbatim of a Grant of Arms in your Musoeum, markt as follows:—Vol. 2d, No. 4900, 10, To John Dorman—as this, by the name, In all likelyhood nearly concerns me.* If it Will not be too much trouble I should be very Glad to have it, and as soon as you Can conveniently. I hope you Will not forget the Tour you talked of making With sr. Joseph & D1' Ducarrel into East Kent this spring. If you do, I hope I shall have the pleasure of accompanying you & them. I shall be always Glad to have the pleasure of hearing from you, and any trifles of Antiquarian fare Will be a Rich repast to me at all times. I am, Dear sir, your much obliged & most obedient Servant, Throwley, EDWAED HASTED. Ap11764. [In another hand.—] A Grant from Thos. Wriothesley, Garter, to John Dowman of Pokelington, Com. Tork, LL.D., 20 July 1526. No. 6. [Roman Tumuli near Canterbury.] DEAE SIE, I wish it had been Iu my Power to have met you at Tunbridge, had I been at Sutton I certainly should, but from hence the Distance is so great, that it put it entirely out of my Power. When your Letter Came I was gone to disturb some Bones of the old Bomans on Ohartham Downs near Canterbury. The Tumuli there are upwards of 100, of different Sizes. We opened four: the first was one of the Smallest. In this we found: 1st the * Hasted had married Anne, daughter of John Dorman of Sutton at Hone, in 1755; his efforts to find a Coat of Arms for his wife were apparently unsuccessful. TO THOMAS ASTLE. 14 5 skeleton Entire of one, Whom We Judged, by the Size of his Bones, to have [been] a man in the Prime of his youth, his teeth Were remarkably firm & strong. Close under this We found another .Skeleton, which from Several Circumstances, We Judged to have been a Woman's; no Armour, Urns, or Least thing besides was found, tho' we Emptied the Grave entirely. The next Was much Larger (about 30 yards over). In this We found the Skeleton of a very youth, With the remains of a Box or Coffin, In Which he had been buried, & no one thing else remarkable, Except that In turning over the Earth, Which had been thrown on, at the raising of the Barrow, We found many Pieces of Broken Urns, and the Antler (as We Judged) of a Calfe, Which seemed, as if it had been Burnt. The next We open'd Was not far distant, tho' not quite so large: here we found nothing: the Bones being Entirely decayed, as they Were in the next, Which was of the Smallest size. I think the above proves this place, Contrary to the opinion of most, if not all, our former Antiquaries, to have been, not the place only Where a Battle has been fought (if any Ever Was there) but in after times a Common Burial Ground to their Garison at Canterbury, from Which it lyes but three Short miles; but I intend this summer to have another Day's trial here, What I then discover I will Let you know. I am much obliged to you for your kind offer as to the Society's money, but that is finished by Dr Ducarrel's Kindness. I do not overlook your very kind promises of assisting me as to Kent. I shall gladly thank you for Every little trifle you Will put down on Paper for me, & I shall very Willingly return it with any thing In my Power. I shall be always Glad to hear from you, tho' now franks are abolished I must sound the Inclinations of my Correspondents, before I put them to the charge of Postage, for What Was not worth the Expence of time it took them up before, in reading only, but I must measure the Intervals of mine to them, from theirs to me. I am, with Compliments to Dr Ducarrel & Sr Joseph Ayloffe, & With My sincere Wishes of our meeting soon together In Kent, Dr sir, your most Sincere humble servant, Throwley, EDWAED HASTED. A pi. 29«', 1764. VQIi. XXVII, Ii. 146 LETTERS OP EDWARD HASTED No. 7. DEAE SIK, I received your kind favor by the D1' and the Extract With it from the Bolls, it is quite as full as I could Wish it to be & Will be of as great use to me, as any thing I have as yet met With from my friends. If there are any manors of a Different name from the Parish, it Would save me much trouble to name the Parish too & the tenure of the estate Especially. I am quite ashamed of this Trouble you give yourself for me. If it is Ever in my Power I shall always return it With many thanks, as I shall for any Materials you Can at any time oblige me in. The Last Week has been most pleasantly & agreably spent, & Wanted nothing more than yourself & Sr Joseph to make it more so. I shall trouble you With another Letter Very Soon, for at present I write In the midst of Pipes, Tobacco, on Bad Paper, Worse Pens & Ink, & Every Inconvenience of a Tavern. I am, Dr sir, Tour Much obliged friend & sert., Ospringe, EDWAED HASTED. May 19th, 1764. To Mr Astle At the British Museum. No. 8. DEAE SIE, How often I have Intended thanking you for your last kind favour I need not tell you. I will not think that you Suppose me so void of Gratitude, or even common civility, not to have acknowledged it, had I not been prevented by many Concurring circumstances. I have Expected Every Week to have made myself happy With you In London. This M1S Hasted's Condition has prevented & kept me Confined at home. I received your kind note from Rochester, & did think I should have seen you In your return, I own, as I did not, I thought you Were still at Surrenden, till yesterday, when I heard of your return & that you are angry With me. Tou must not be angry With me—you shall not—When I have never Intended a Cause for it, but Day after Day, Week after Week, has stole ou, not one Without uneasiness to my self in not. having Wrote to you, & still thinking I should get to you almost as soon as my Letter, as it has run on to this Length of time, I am TO THOMAS ASTLE. 147 Convinced (tho' not Intended) it is Wrong and deserves your Anger, as such I submit to your friendship, and know your generous sentiments Will not Let me long be in suspence, that you forgive me. I own I greatly admire your good Qualities & Esteem your friendships, and as I highly value them both, I shall be much hurt to Lose you, more so by any unintended act of mine, but of this I will now say no more, hoping to see you at the Augmentation office next Tuesday or Wednesday, when I hope you Will not deny me your Company for a Day or Two as I shall not return till the next Evening. I hope sr Joseph & Dr Ducarrel will be kind Enough to Let me have the pleasure of being With them as much as they Can. I dont, Indeed I cannot often meet With such pleasure, such Happyness I may Call it, I have thought it such—since I have been favored with their & your friendships; my best respects attend them both. I must have a Line from you this Week (however unreasonable) to tell me you think no more of being angry; my best Wishes attend you always, Who am, Dear sir, Tour most Affectionate friend & sert. Sutton, EDWAED HASTED. July 31st, 1764. [Addressed] To Thos. Astle, Esq., at the British Museum, Bloomsbury, London. His n-eace is fiade No. 9. DEAE ASTLE, I Wrote you a Letter the other Day directed to the Treasury which I suppose you had, I knew nothing then of our Assembly Ball, Which is to be at Dartford next monday, Where I hope you Will be, and Indeed I claim a promise of it from you, made Soon after your Dis-appointing me at the Last. I shall hope to see you, if you can, on the Sunday, and hope, if you have any friend, that it will be agreable for you to bring with you, that you Will not Come alone; and I shall Expect you accordingly Without any Excuses. I have a near friend, whose Interest I have much at heart, who Would reap great Benefit from founder's Kin at New College. I think I heard you say you had a Descent to Sr Edwd Dering from L 2 148 LETTERS OP EDWARD HASTED Wickham—If you have or Can procure it for me, it Will oblige me much; all the knowledge I want at present is, by What Means & by Whom the Descent Came to the Derings, to whom of them & at what time. I shall Make no Excuse for the Trouble, as you know how Much I am obliged to you for this & many other favors and how ready I shall be at all times to Serve you to the Utmost of my Power, not only in return for these, but out of the Sincere value & friendship I bear to you. I beg my best respects to Sr Joseph Ayloffe & Dr Ducarrel, & I remain, Dr sir, Tour Much obliged Friend & Servant, Sutton, EDWAED HASTED. March 6*, 1765. [Addressed] To Thos. Astle, Esqr, at the Treasury, Whitehall, London. No. 10. DEAE ASTLE, It is With the greatest Concern, I heard as I was just Leaving Town on friday, that you had been so very 111, I was but a few hours in Town, and I imagined you had been in Staffordshire, as you hinted to me in your last, I should otherwise have Certainly made my way to South Lambeth, as it would have given me great pleasure to have found you recovered from so dangerous an Illness, which from your own Letter I took to be but very slight. Was I your Physician I should-advise you change of Air at Some Small distance, an Easy Journey, and should prescribe a Week, at least, at Sutton. My Chariot Will be in Town on Wednesday Evening Next and return home on Thursday, you would Make us both happy if Mrs Astle and yourself would fill it hither, it should be at your Command at any hour by leaving a Line at my Mothers before that time, I need not tell you, I dare say you Will believe me that We Will do all We can to forward your recovery, and you know here your time and the method of filling it up is entirely at your own disposal. Mrs Hasted has lain in of a Girl the Week before last, so that she now gets about again. She has a great desire to Ask MrB Astle to be one of the Godmothers if it Would not be disagreable to her, This you Will tell her without Ceremony, and we Will suit the time according to your Own Convenience from a TO THOMAS ASTLE. 149 Week to three weeks hence, but I Wish and hope to see you here, when I can talk of it to you myself. I Corrected the sheet you sent Me and told the Printer to send the others to me, but I have not heard from him Since, by What you sent me I think there remains Much of the Letters unprinted. There is a Paragraph in the first 10 Lines of the life, Which I must alter before it is printed off, if I can do it in the Proof sheet. Tou Will be so kind to let me have it for that purpose, when ready. M1'8 Hasted Joins With me in our best Compliments to Mrs Astle & yourself, and I am at all times, Believe me, Dr Sir, Tour Sincere friend & Servant, Sutton, Sept1' 1st, 1766. EDWAED HASTED. [Addressed] To Thos. Astle, Esq., at the Treasury, Whitehall, London. l d No. 11. DEAE ASTLE, I received the favor of yours on Sunday, With a very Impertinent Letter to you from Dodsley* on the back of it. I have no great opinion of the merit of the Letters myself, and yet I think I have seen more Insignificant than these Published, trifling as they are, he must be a most Impudent Puppy to offer to write such a one to you, a Stranger to him. I am very Sorry you have had so much trouble in managing of it, and did I not know your own Worthy Disposition and the pleasure you take in Serving your friends, I Should return you a Sheet full of Complaints for it, Which I shall change into my Sincere thanks to you, not only for this, but the many other Acts of Friendship I have so often received from you. The Least trouble I think Would be to Let Griffin have it, clearing himself Every Expense, and if any Profit should accrue from it, he should have the half of it; If he thinks that too much, then Let him take the Whole—in either Case; that we should have 6 or 7 Copies a piece half Bound gratis—and that the Title shall be approved by us before it is printed and neither of our names Mentioned in or about it—as Editors or otherwise—and * James Dodsley, younger brother of the more celebrated Robert Dodsley, dramatist, printer, and bookseller. We are unable to disoover the nature of the publication to whioh Hasted refers. 150 LETTERS OF EDWARD HASTED if you Will be so obliging to see this Done, the sooner We get rid of it the Better—for the time for the Sale of such things Wears off apace. I hope to have the pleasure of Waiting upon you very soon in London, but I have a close attendance at the Assizes here, and When they Will permit me to return I cant yet tell. My best Compliments as Well as Mrs Hasted's attend you and Mrs Astle and our best Wishes for the Health of your Little Gentleman, and I am, Dr Sir, Tour Ever Affectionate friend, Maidstone, EDWAED HASTED. March 16th, 1767. I beg my Respects to Sir Joseph Ayloffe and Dr Ducarrel. Whatever you agree With Griffin make him Sign his name to it. [Addressed] To Thos. Astle, Esq., at the Treasury, Whitehall, London. [Seal]. No. 12. DEAE ASTLE, ^ I should have answered your obliging Favors before now, but I was in great hopes of seeing you in Town today ; This I am prevented of by the Weather, Which tho' very happy, Warm, Seasonable, yet is so very Wet that It would be a folly to Attempt it. I am very Well pleased With your Agreement about the Letters, I hope by this time you have quite Compleated the Whole of it. I thank you much for the Trouble you have had in it; Which I shall be Glad to repay by any like good turn in my Power. I have Wrote Sr E. Dering a Letter of Thanks for his MSS. & Letting him know that I had Sent the Whole of them to you. I hope I shall be able Some time Within this Fortnight to Call on you, by Which time I hope you Will have Settled the time of your Tours this Summer into Kent. M1B Hasted Joins With me in Compliments to Mrs Astle & Tourself, & I remain, Dear Sir, Tour Sincere friend & humble Servant, Sutton, EDWAED HASTED. Apl. 23d, 1767. [Addressed .as before.] TO THOMAS ASTLE. 151 No. 13. Jan. 8,1774. DEAE SIE, I cannot omit the first opportunity of returning you my best thanks for the Honor you have been so kind to procure for me, which I assure you I receive With all due Eespect & Gratefullness. If there should be any Letter Written, any Notice or other kind of Acknowledgment taken of it by me, you Will be so kind to Instruct me in it, & I shall be happy in the doing it. What return further than my thanks I can make to you I know not. I can only assure you that should you, as I know you Make Excursions in Summer into the Country, favor us With a visit at Canterbury I shall do all in mj Power to make this Place & its Environs as agreable to you as I possibly Can, & Mra Hasted Will be happy to see Mrs Astle & renew her former friendship With her, & I hope you will believe this to be really meant & not designed as an Empty Compliment without the Hopes of its being put in Execution. Mrs Hasted Joins With me in Compliments & the Wishes of many happy years to yourself & Mrs Astle, & I remain Dear Sir, Tour much obliged & most obedient Servant, Canterbury, EDWAED HASTED. Jany. 8th, 1774. To Thos. Astle At South Lambeth in Surry. No. 14. [Rough draft of Hasted's dedication of his history to King George IIL] To THE KING. SIE, It is with the highest veneration and gratitude that I return your Majesty my most humble thanks for the permission which you have been graciously pleased to allow me, of dedicating to you [the First Vol. of—pen struck through] my History of the County of Kent, which, besides the honour thereby confered on my labours, affords me the opportunity of personally testifying how much I am your Majesty's most dutiful Subject and Servant. 152 LETTERS OE EDWARD HASTED No. 15. Thomas Astle to Edward Hasted. SIE, On the other side I send you the Draught of the Dedication & the Letter to Mr Dalton, to whom the Vol. shoa be sent. I mentioned Mr Barnard when I saw you, but I have since considered that as his Majesty was pleased to communicate to me his leave of dedicating the Book by Mr Dalton I think it will be more proper for that Gentleman to lay it before him. As for the Dedication, I have considered it, & I think it is better than if it was longer. Tou will observe I have used the word Sir, which I think more proper than Sire, for the latter word wod in my opinion be improper unless you was writing in French or speaking of a Stallion. However, I shall be glad to know if you think any alterations necessary. I am very truely, March 6th, 1778. Sir, &c, T. ASTLE. No. 16. To Frederick Barnard, Esq1, Librarian to His Majesty. SIE, His Majesty having been graciously pleased to allow me the Honor of dedicating to him my History of Kent, I beg the favour of you to take the earliest opportunity of laying the volume which you will receive herewith before his majesty, & to present my humble duty to Him. I am, Sir, your most faithful and obedient Servant, E. H. [Endorsed] Dedication to the K. of E[asted's Hist, of Kent. March 6,1778. TO THOMAS ASTLE. 15 3 No. 17. DEAE SIB, I duly received your kind favor with the Dedication the same Evening I Wrote to you to beg the favor of it, and I should have acknowledged the Receipt of it sooner, but I waited for the size of the vigniette to be prefixed to it to Judge how it would fill the remaining space of Paper. I approve of it very much, but find I shall Want a Couple of Lines more to make it answer my Purpose, Which I have transcribed on the other side, & hope they will meet your approbation. When my Book is ready, Which Will be the latter End of May, I propose Coming to Town myself with it, & hope then you will do me the honor of going with me to Mr Dalton, by which means I shall hope to gain the opportunity of seeing the King's Library. In the mean time, I remain, with my best thanks for all your kind favors & Civilities, Dear [sic], Tour most obliged & most Affectionate humble Servant, Canterbury, EDWAED HASTED. March 150l,l778. No. 18. To THE KING. SIE, It is with the Highest Veneration and Gratitude that I return YOUE MAJESTY my most humble Thanks for the Permission Tou have been graciously pleased to allow me of Dedicating TO Touu MAJESTY My History of the County of KENT, which, besides the Honour conferred by it on my Labours, affords me amore particular opportunity of testifying My Duty to TOUE MAJESTY. That Providence may preserve your Royal Person as a Blessing & Continuance of Happiness to the British Empire is the Earnest Prayer of TOUE MAJESTY'S most dutiful & most faithful Subject and servant, Canterbury, EDWAED HASTED. May 1st, 1778. To Thos. Astle as before. 154 LETTERS OE EDWARD HASTED No. 19. DEAE SIE, As the first Volume of my History will I trust be ready for publication by the middle of next Week, I am again under a Necessity of troubling you for your advice in relation to my presenting to the King his Copy. Por if you think it will be any advantage for me to Come to Town purposely to Carry it to his Library, I will, tho' Inconvenient at present, certainly Come up on Monday 23d just for it, & will With your leave Wait on you the next Morning as you shall please to appoint, but I must of necessity return before the End of the Week, and in that Case you will be so kind to direct me how to proceed in it in the mean time. But if a Letter Will do as Well, and your being so kind to deliver the Book for me, & to take the trouble of managing for me What ought to be on this Occasion, Will be equally as Well for me in every Respect. I should take it as an Infinite favor if you would be so kind so to do, and I will send the Book directed for you that Day to be left Wherever you shall order, & I Will likewise Write such Letter as you will be so kind to dictate for me to the proper Gent" on the Occasion to go with it. I sincerely beg your Pardon for this Liberty in giving you so much trouble, but I rely on your Continued friendship & kindness to me to excuse it. I hope to have the favor of hearing from you at your Earliest leisure, & remain, With many thanks to you for Every Civility, Dear Sir, Tour most Sincere most obedient Servant, Canterbury, EDWAED HASTED. June 8th, 1778. If you chuse that your Copy should be sent up in the same Box you will let me know, & I will take Care of it. The general publication will not be till such time after the Delivery of the King's as you direct me. No. 20. T. Astle to E. Hasted. DEAE SIE, If you send the Book on Tuesday I will deliver it to Mr Dalton on Wednesday, & the general Publication may be as soou after that day as you may think proper. I sent you a dr of TO THOMAS ASTLE. 155 a Lre. to Mr Dalton, which you may send with the Book. I shall be glad of my Copy at the same time. Be pleased to direct the Books to the paper office, & when you come to town I will wait upon you to the Royal Library. [ Unsigned.] No. 21. DEAE SIB, By yesterday's Coach I sent to London to Mr Johnson's, Bookseller in S4 Paul's churchyard, a parcel directed to you at the Treasury, Containing 2 sets of some reprinted sheets for the first volume of my History, to replace others in it which have some Errors I wished to have Corrected. I beg your Acceptance of one of them, & hope you will do me the favor of transmitting the other to Mr Dalton, or whom you think more proper, for his Majesty's Copy. I dont know much of the Custom of dedicating Books to his Majesty, but I wish to know if what has already past is all the notice I am to Expect he will take of me or my book. If it is usually so I am quite content, but in that Case I think I could have found out a more gracious Patron. I should be much obliged to you for a few Lines on this head, & in the mean time, thanking you much for all your very kind Instances of friendship) & regard, I remain, With my best Compliments to M1S Astle, in which M1S Hasted joins, & to yourself & family, Dear Sir, Tour most obliged & most obedient Servant, Canterbury, EDWAED HASTED. NoV 20th, 1778. Mr Beauvoir* has just Called in & dying to be remembered to you. [Addressed] Thomas Astle, Esq., Battersea Rise, Surry. * The Rev. Osmund Beauvoir, Head Master of the King's School, Canterbury, from 1750 to 1782, where he had a great reputation as a teacher. He was also Vioar of Littlebourne, and of Milton next Sittingbourne. On his retirement from the King's School he was created a D.D. by Arohbishop Moore, and was shortly afterwards elected a Pellow of the Sooiety of Antiquaries. See Nichols' Literary Anecdotes, vol. ix., and Literary History, vol. iii. 156 LETTERS OE EDWARD HASTED No. 22. DEAE SIB, I duly received your last kind favor and immediately wrote to Mr Johnson, Stp Paul's church yard, to know What he had done concerning the reprinted Sheets I sent to him, directed for you at the Paper office, Treasury, Whitehall, To which I received for answer, that The parcel for Mr Astle was sent agreable to the direction some time since. As this is the Case, I must beg the favor of you to send some one to Investigate this matter, both at the Treasury, & at M1' Johnson's, & to find whom it was Carried by, and by whom delivered. There were in the parcel 2 sets of the reprinted sheets, Large Paper, put between 2 thick Paper Boards, & then Inclosed in a Covering of paper tyed up, & directed as above. Dr Ducarrel & other Gents had parcels of a like nature, Which all Went safe. I would not put you to this Trouble Could I replace them for you, but I printed but 6 sets of these sheets ON LAEGE PAPEB answerable to THE 6 COPIES OE THE Volume, so that I cannot replace them again, and I should be very sorry that the 2 Copies they were Intended for should be Imperfect on this Account, as they must be if they are not recovered. I thank you for your Information relating to my Expectations from the King, pecuniary ones I never dreamt of—I only wished to know if there might not be usually some notice taken on this Occasion more than has been—as I fare the same as others I am quite Content. Tou are quite mistaken as to Mrs Hasted's not being surprised at my receiving the Honor of being Dubbed, nor should I receive it at any rate till I had Consulted my good friend, Apothecary, Mayor of Maidstone, now the Worshipfull Sir Thos. Bishop, Knight, which I shall take the first oppoi .unity of Doing, as I Expect Every postboy that I see to find him a Messenger to fetch me up for this glorious purpose. I hope you have not Deceived me by flattering Tales—if you have, Heu Qmntd de spe decidi. Tou are very kind in offering me your kind friendship and assistance in relation to my 2d volume. I shall not wish for anything further from you in it than the Continuance of your kind friendship & your giving my Work that approbation to the World, Which from your known Character among all Lovers of Literature, will do more to stamp a sterling value on it, in the esteem of the Public, than that of any other that I kuow of, & I request this Instance of your friendship to it, & hope that you will favor me with any thoughts that may Occur to you, or that you may hear of, relating to any future TO THOMAS ASTLE. 157 Improvement I Can make in the progress of it, in any shape Whatsoever, for I am happy in being always open to Conviction, & in being taught by others, for I am but too Conscious how little I know in Comparison of what is still further to be known. I shall be much obliged to you to let me have a line when you have Enquired after the lost parcel. In the mean time M1'8 Hasted Joins with me in Compts. of the Season, & the return of many hapjjy years to Mrs Astle, yourself, & family, With Which I remain, Dear Sir, Tour obliged faithful servant, Canterbury, EDWAED HASTED. Decr 28"', 1778. [Addressed as before.] No. 23. DEAE SIE, When 1 was in London the other Day I was in great hopes to have had time to have Waited on you, but having only from 10 in the morning till 6 in the Afternoon between my Coming there & going from thence, I found it utterly impracticable. I wished to have asked the favor of your Assistance. Could you have done it With propriety in procuring me, among your Literati friends, an Engraving for the 2d vol. of my History of the Buins of the Antient AECIIIEPISCOPAL PALACE OP CHAEING, which, if I remember right, you & I once took a view of together. They are stately ruins, & will furnish matter for an Exceeding rich plate. Godfrey is to Come down this summer to take some Drawings of Seats in the Neighbourhood of Charing & Could both take the view of it & Engrave it, or only the former, as it suited the kind Donor of it. Tou may perhaps think I have not payed that proper attention to that kind friendship I have ever found from yourself in not requesting this favor of you, but I have trespassed so much on your goodness already that I cannot in Common Decency Incroach further on your kindness to me. Indeed it hurts me much to be obliged to trespass so much on' the Liberality of my friends, as I am Continually forced to do in the progress of my work, but it is 158 LETTERS OE EDWARD HASTED beyond my Ability to Carry it forward Without them, & I hope for their pardon in Whatever I have requested of them, & in particular from yourself, Especially in the subject of this Letter, Which Will be an additional obligation to, Dear sir, Tour sincere & faithful humble Servant, Precincts, Canterbury, EDWAED HASTED. April 25th, 1779. Mvs Hasted Joins in best Compliments to M1'8 Astle & yourself. [Addressed as before.] No. 24. MY DEAE SIE, I have Just received Mr King's* Circular letter To the Members of the Antiq" Society. His Expressions of the open dishonor intended to be Cast on him are very high, & more so to one Who am Wholly unacquainted With the proceedings & Intrigues of the Conclave. I wish much to be informed of as much about the matter as may direct my choice & behaviour on S* George's Day With propriety as Well in regard to the Society as those friends I always Wish to go with there. I hope you will do me the favor of letting me know this, sub sigillo Confidential, according to Which I shall take my ride on Friday towards London or not. If I do I shall hope to assure you there how much I always am Tour most faithfuU servant, Canterbury, EDWAED HASTED. April 17th, 1785. [Addressed] Thos. Astle, Esq., Battersea Rise, Surry. [Endorsed] W Hasted, April 1785. Antiq. Election. No. 25. DEAE SIE, By Mr Simmons, Printer of Canterbury, I understand you have received from him my 3d volume, L. P. Copy, Which I directed him to send to you. My 2 first volumes of the same size I presented to the King for the permission you so kindly procured of dedi- * Mr. King was a candidate for the Presidentship of the Sooiety, and had memorialized the fellows iu his favour. He was not elected. TO THOMAS ASTLE. 159 eating my Work to him, and had not some very unpleasant Circumstances happened in my affairs since, I should certainly have done the same by the present 3d volume. But, tho' I would not deprive the Royal Library of it, I cannot, in my present situation, afford to give it. May I request the favor of your friendship to inform the Librarian of this, to make the proper application for me, that He may send for it to White in Fleet Street (Where I will order it to be sent the beginning of next Week), & to pay the same price for it that has been paid for the 2 others, L. P. Copies, which I have sold, viz., five Guineas & at half the price fixed by Payne, Newsagent, on it, as he Will Inform you. Tour serving me in this particular & that at your Earliest Leisure Will oblige Me Very Much. I need not I hope repeat to you, that had not my present situation made it unavoidable for me to ask this, I should by no means have done it, but that being so, there Can need no further Excuse, nor I should hope any further entreaty to you to accomplish the end I wish for in it, WhiclrWill add to those many Acts of friendship you have already shewn to, Dr sir, Tour most obedient & obliged Humble servant, • Calais, EDWAED HASTED. August 1701, 1791. I beg the favor of a Line from you in answer to the above directed to me at Dover, Kent, Which Will be sent to me here. I have finished great part of my next