I

rections, to Mr. Simpson, and defired him to endeavour his reception into your number, that you might print his introduction, and join in the common concern. When I was in London a fecond time, I asked him what was done in it? He faid that he had attempted it by a third person, and that he found fome of you were averfe to it, having made proceedings already another way. was once or twice at your shop, but not finding you at home, my own business called me away, and fo put a stop to this. But fince you feem defirous of thefe directions, I will give them you as briefly as I can. If you do follow them, I will engage to get you subscriptions by my own acquaintance in thefe parts, and fir William Temple's directions, and the goodness of the method, will get you more. If you do not, I shall defire you to keep the directions private, and not to make use of sir William Temple's name. He is of opinion that the best and readiest way to compile a good General Hiftory of England will be to take in all thofe parts of it which have

already

already been written by any approved and esteemed authors; and to write nothing new besides those parts which have not yet been touched by authors of name and eftimation. And he thinks the variety of the feveral hands and ftyles may render it yet more agreeable to the readers than if it were all written by the fame pen; which would perhaps be a greater undertaking than any man believes, before he engages in such an attempt. Therefore he thinks, that, after the end of the introduction, and William the Conqueror's reign, the lives of William Rufus, and the fucceeding kings, to the end of Edward III, may be inferted as they are written by Daniel*, who is an author of good judgment, and no ill style. He thinks he has feen, many years ago, the life of Richard II, written well, and by a good hand, as he was then informed, though

Samuel Daniel, efq; the most eminent poet and hiftorian of his time, poet-laureat to queen Elizabeth, and afterwards one of the grooms of the privy-chamber to the queen-confort of James I. His hiftory was first published in 1613.

published

published without a name. But this will be your part to inform yourselves; and if it be fo, this may fucceed after Edward III. The lives of Henry IV, V, and VI, must of neceffity be written by a new hand, and will deferve a very good one, fince, if well collected and digefted, though out of common authors, they will comprise the noblest part of the Hiftory of England. After thefe may fucceed the lives of Edward IV, Edward V, and Richard III, written, as he remembers, by fir Thomas More, if they are still extant *. And if fo, it will be but justice to his memory to infert them, without any alteration, how different foever his ftyle and manner of writing may be from what is in ufe at prefent. The fame honour will be due to fir Francis Bacon's Henry VII, which may fucceed the other, and

* Sir Thomas More's life of Edward IV, if written, has never been printed. His hiftories of Edward IV and Richard III, (the latter unfinished) were both printed feparately, at London, in 1651.

+ First published in 1622.

be

be followed by lord Herbert's Henry VIII *; but this ought to be abridged, though it will require a very judicious hand to chufe what part may be left out, without injury to the ftory. Sir John Hayward's Edward VI may follow of course, but may likewife bear fome abridgment in fome parts lefs neceffary.

Queen Mary's life may be drawn out of Hollinfhed, who lived near her timet, and is more pertinent, or lefs tedious, in that life, than in any of his others. This may be

Firft published in 1649.

+ One of the hiftoriographers of Chelsea-college, and LL. D. His "Life and reign of king Edward "VI" was printed at London in 1630. He alfo published the "Lives of the three Norman kings of

England, William I, William II, Henry I,” and the ift part of the "Life and reign of king Henry "IV." On account of the latter, he was imprisoned (in 1599) by queen Elizabeth.

હું

↑ His "Chronicles" were first published in 1577"He died," fays bishop Tanner, "in 1580."

followed

followed by Camden's Elizabeth *, which may conclude the first volume of the General History of England +.

This elaborate work was begun, at the instance of lord treasurer Burleigh, in 1597, and printed in 1625.

†The above plan feems in a great measure to have been purfued in the "Complete History of England,” published in 1706, of which the two firft volumes were compiled by Mr. Hughes, who alfo wrote the general preface ;" and the third volume, with "particular preface," was written by Dr. (afterwards bishop) Kennet, as all the lives above recommended are adopted, with thefe exceptions only: the hiftory before William the Conqueror is by Milton; that of William I (as well as his ten fucceffors) is by Mr. Daniel; the reigns of Richard II, Henry IV, V, and VI, are new-written in Mr. Daniel's method; that of Edward IV is by William [mifprinted John] Habington, efq; Lond. 1640; the life of Richard III by fir George Buck, (together with that by fir Thomas More) is inferted, and the annals of queen Mary are translated from bishop Godwin, by Mr. Hughes. Excepting the life of James I, by Arthur Wilfon, efq; (first published in 1653) all the subsequent lives are new-written by Dr. Kennet.

Thus