Copy 1, Volume 1

M0012684: Illustration of the Gray's Inn Paleolith

Date:
August 1952
Reference:
WT/D/1/20/1/113/38
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: M0012684: Illustration of the Gray's Inn Paleolith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    77/440 (page 69)
    Poffeffion Leland's Antiquities of London, and for want of Learning moft grievoufly mangled the Work on Pur pofe to make it his own. . 'T'his Hint I. have taken partly from the benefit of your laft Converfation, when you was pleas'd to read to me what Leland has faid upon the.fame Subject, and partly from my own Reflexion upon the Qualifications of Stow, who certainly was not capable of making fuch a Col- have been beholden to Leland; which I think is likewife confirmed from hence, that in his S Survey of London he makes very little mention of Leland, altho' in his Annals he often takes notice of him. I bad for merly a much greater Venera- tion for Stow, before you acquainted me that Leland had wrote the Antiquities of this City, (of which he was a Na- tive,) under the Britains, Romans, Saxons, Danes and Nor- mans, and fo down to the time himfelf liv'd in : by which Work we might have feen what Difcoveries he had made from ancient Authors, (moft of which are fince loft,) and might likewife have had the Benefit of divers ufeful Remarks, grcanded upon his own Obfervations, on the ancient Build- ings of the Romans in this famous City, which Remarks could not be exípe&ed from Mr. Stow, who was little ac- quainted with the Coyns and other Antiquities of. the Ro- mans. Phe beít Account we have from him is that re- lating to /Monumental lufcriptions in Churches ;, which brings to my mind a Fol. MS. (I have feen) of thofe in Chrift- Church formerly the Gray-Fryers) within New-gate, which were not inferted in the £irít Imprefüion of theSurvey. 1I ga- ther from the Hand, that thjs very Book was coliected by Leland, and it happened therefore very luckily that the In- Ícriptions in it were afterwards added in the Edition fet out by How. Tis moreover matter of wonder to me that Stow fhould omitt Stepney Parifh, that he fhould be fo very barren in defcribing Weftminfter, and, in fhort, that he fhould throughout his whole Work fo rarely mention any Antiqui- fles of the Romans. Butall this is to be refolv'd into the little fkill he had in Affairs ofuthis Nature. By your publifh- ing a Collection of Mr. Leland's Works thelearned will have After this Digreffion, let us return to the City, where be- fides what I have mentioned above ,was a Roman Temple ear the Still-Yard (a place not far diftant from the Camp I diefex, who from Geffry of Monmouth obferves that it was a Roman Temple, where they offered Sacrifice to theic currence,