Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	county_n	sir_n	william_n	10,508	5	8.2906	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52335	The English historical library, or, A short view and character of most of the writers now extant, either in print or manuscript which may be serviceable to the undertakers of a general history of this kingdom / by William Nicholson ...	Nicolson, William, 1655-1727.	1696 (1696)	Wing N1146; ESTC R9263	217,763	592

Reader as short and as methodical an Abstract of a great many larger Collections on the same Subject as I could readily furnish him with I know there have been Catalogues of this kind made heretofore by Men of better Acquaintance with our English Libraries and Manuscripts than I can pretend to Such is Joh. Josceline's Commentary cited by Mr. Wharton and the Hypercritica frequently referr'd to by the Oxford Antiquary Tho. Fuller had also composed something of the like Nature under the Title of A Library of British Historians to which he sometimes refers his Readers as a piece wherewith he intended suddainly to bless the Publick P. Heylyn began an Examen Historicum but carry'd it no farther than the works of a couple of his Cotemporaries who very well deserv'd to be lash'd 'T is seldom that the Censures and Remarks of single Men go any greater lengths than this just as far as they are push'd on by private Resentment and Pique Whereas a General Examen a sort of an Vniversal Index Expurgatorius that points at the mistakes and errors of every page in our several Historians is what we chiefly want and what must be the Result of the joynt Labours of a Society of English Antiquaries and Historians as well as the General History it self For most of our Printed Histories have been miserably abused either in transcribing or at the Press besides their native blemishes the falsities and blunders of their Authors tho' some few have had the good fortune to fall into better hands which have sent them abroad beautifull and well dress'd The first Person of my Eminence and Learning that was so kind to this Kingdom as to procure a correct Edition of some of our best Historians was Archbishop Parker who furnish'd us with Matthew of Westminster M. Paris Tho. Walsingham and Asserius Menevensis After him the Lord William Howard of Naworth publish'd Florence of Worcester as did likewise Sir Henry Savile his Scriptores post Bedam and Camden his Anglica Normannica c. These were four very Great Men And what they had begun singly and severally was with like accuracy and success carry'd on by a Confederacy of Learned Worthies Archbishop Usher Sir R. Twisden and Mr. Selden during our late Civil Wars To them we are eternally indebted for the noble Edition they gave us of the Decem Scriptores and they had certainly further oblig'd us had not the Iniquity of the Times and the Inconstancy that attends all humane Affairs prevented them What they left unfinish'd was in a good measure perfected by that mighty Supporter of Learning Dr. John Fell the late excellent Bishop of Oxford who took care to publish some of the Treatises which they had prepared for the Press and had been at a great charge in procuring others of 'em which he did not live to finish Of these a more particular account will be given hereafter in their proper places To repair as much as was possible the inexpressible loss we had by the Death of this worthy Prelate the like good service to the Publick was happily undertaken by the Industrious and Learned Dr. Th. Gale who has kindly obliged us with Twenty of our old Writers in two Volumes The former of these tho' last Printed contains fifteen pieces of our most ancient Historians as Gildas Nennius Asserius c. transcribed out of old Manuscripts with the various Readings where any variety of Copies was to be had To which he has added a large Appendix of such fragments of Antiquity as are justly to be call'd Prime-Primitive out of Ptolemy Antoninus's Itinerary the Notitia Dignitatum c. Vpon some of these he has given us his own excellent Notes together with Surita's upon the Itinerary so far as it relates to Britain It were to be wish'd the Printer had perform'd his part as well But the Doctor 's great Distance from the Press and the usual negligence of Correctors has occasion'd several Errata which yet will be easily rectify'd by an Intelligent Reader In the second Volume we have Five Historians of Note who make us acquainted with many considerable Transactions in the first eight Reigns after the Conquest The Publisher's Design in this part would not allow him to descend any lower than to the Reign of Edward the First and therefore although Wikes and the Annals of Waverley carry him a little beyond his Bounds as ending soon after yet he tells us he has reserv'd a good share of Hemmingford for the more regular Prosecution of his Method in some other Volume which he encourages us to hope for from him hereafter To these as he observes there ought indeed to be added a Third Volume perhaps a Fourth and a Fifth of our MS. Historians from Hen. III. to Hen. VIII And that would complete the Collection which he has with so great Pains and Judgment begun For since Printing came in fashion nothing of History has been penn'd worth the Common View which is not effectually published and easy to be had except only some few choice Papers that are still monopoliz'd by such private men of slow thought as do believe they wrong themselves whenever they communicate these hidden Treasures In both Volumes we have most exact and full Indices which exceedingly add to the value of the Work The like good Services have been done to the Ecclesiastical History of this Kingdom by H. Wharton who has publish'd two Volumes of Writers on that Subject and seems to intimate that some time or other we might have hoped for a Third and Fourth Volume of the same sort of Collections from him Had he improv'd the Opportunities he once had of fitting out all these for the Press before the misfortunes of his Patron had spoil'd both his Design and Prospect his kindness to the Publick would have been doubled and perhaps other occasions might have been offer'd him of communicating his elaborate Notes on the Succession of some of our Bishops His other Ornamental Discourses which seem to have robb'd us of a deal of his Time and Pains might have been spard At least they would have taken no harm if he had kept them within Doors a little longer since some of 'em look as if they were sent abroad too early and before they were come to their full growth and perfection For instance That about the two Aelfrics which he values himself upon as his master-piece is founded on a gross mistake in A. Wheloc's wrong Translating an expression in the Saxon Chronicle which carries no such sense as he puts upon it Some body I fansy had made him sensible of this Error and therefore in his Addenda he endeavours to gain his point by a fresh Argument assuring us that the Codex optimus Cottonianus ends the Chronicle at the year 975. Had the rest of our Libraries been as well search'd as that at

Abilities sufficient to go through with any Undertaking wherein his singular Modesty will allow him to engage Mr. Beaumont ought also to be reminded of the thoughts he once had o● setting forth a particular Tract to this purpose No Man being better qualify'd for such a performance Mr. Ray has put our Botanists upon daily searches after new Plants since his Synopsis has told them what numerous Discoveries have been lately made by Mr. Lhwyd in Wales Mr. Lawson in the Northern Counties of England c. The like Encouragements our Naturalists have from his and Mr. Willughby's Ornithology to make further Enquiries after the many hitherto undiscover'd Species of Birds since 't is easily observable that the Authors of that Work having had the greatest Assistance from Mr. Johnson and Mr. Jessop both Yorkshire Men there are in it more Discoveries of new kinds from the North than any other Quarter of the Kingdom To all these must be added the many Ingenious Informations communicated from most parts of the Nation in our Philosophical Transactions especially from some of the forementioned chief Naturalists of this Age Dr. Plott Dr. Lister and Mr. Ray. Some general Accounts have been given of our English Policy and Frame of Government wherein our Historian ought to be well vers'd and conversant especially in those that are written by Statesmen and such as may be presum'd to have well understood the Affairs they treat on Sir Thomas Smith's Commonwealth of England has met with good Applause having been frequently printed both in English and Latin There was also another small Treatise entitul'd The Authority Form and Manner of holding Parliaments lately publish'd in his Name but some have question'd whether it be rightly father'd Upon this latter Subject we have a printed Account of the Opinion of Mr. Camden together with those of J. Doderidge Arthur Agard and Francis Tate Sir Walter Raleigh has likewise written as he used to do on all other Subjects most judiciously and acutely upon the Prerogatives of our Parliaments and Sir Robert Cotton's Posthuma are full of Learning on the same Topick Dr. Chamberlain's present state of England has been so well receiv'd as to admit of a new Edition almost yearly ever since 't was first publish'd It has been indeed of late very coursly treated by a nameless Scribler of Observations on the Times But he seems to have been hir'd to the Drudgery of penning such unmannerly Reflections by a Gentleman who had newly publish'd another Book much fuller of Mistakes under the like Title As to what concerns our Nobility and Gentry all that come within either of those Lists will allow that Mr. Selden's Titles of Honour ought first to be well perus'd for the gaining of a general Notion of the Distinction of Degrees from an Emperour down to a Country-Gentleman And after this the three Volumes of Sir William Dugdale's Baronage of England which gives an Account of the Lives and Prowess of all our English Nobility from the coming in of the Saxons down to the Year 1676. Whatever relates to the Knights of the most Noble Order of the Garter is completely shewn us by Mr. Ashmole in his most elaborate and perfect Work on that Subject For inferiour Ranks we have 'em in the Books of Heraldry that have been publish'd by Wyrley Brooks Vincent Dugdale and especially Guillim of the two last Editions of whose Book 't is observ'd that R. Blome has so disguis'd and spoil'd it that if the Author or Authors of it were living they could scarce know it What is missing in these will be abundantly supply'd out of the great Treasury of MS. Collections in the Heralds Office at London wherein are innumerable Inscriptions Arms Epitaphs Pedigrees Lists of Precedence at Coronations and Funerals c. CHAP. II. Of particular Descriptions of Counties with their Cities and great Towns 'T IS so much the general Humour of Mankind to be fond of their Native Soil and Places of chief Residence and Abode that Historians must not pretend to be so far of a different Composition from their Neighbours as not to be subject to the common Frailty They are as liable to discover their Dotage in this Particular as other ordinary Mort●ls and thence it comes that Ingulfus's History is so full of Crowland W. Neubrigensis's of Yorkshire M. Paris's of St. Albans c. whenever any shadow of an opportunity is offer'd 'T is from the same Principle that we have sew Counties in England whose Records have not been carefully sought out and Endeavours used to preserve them by some of their Sons who have usually prov'd more happy in such Undertakings as having gone about them with most hearty Zeal and Application than any of our more general Writers Those that I have met with of this kind are here drawn into Order and Rank according to the following Alphabetical Lists of our several Counties BARKSHIRE has not hitherto that I know of had its general Antiquities nor it s Natural History collected by any Body Only the Castle and Chapel of Windsor have been at large treated on by the excellent Pen of Elias Ashmole Esquire in his History of the Knights of the Garter before mention'd BEDFORDSHIRE is under the like Misfortune tho' the History of Dunstable of which in its proper place and other Records are not wanting to furnish out Materials for such a Work BVCKINGHAMSHIRE has had the happiness to have some of its Borders about Ambrosden c. curiously describ'd and its Antiquities preserv'd by the Ingenious Mr. Kennet CAMBRIDGESHIRE A little of both the Natural History and Antiquities of this County is touch'd on by Sir William Dugdale in his History of the Imbanking and Dreining of divers Fenns and Marshes both in Foreign Parts and in this Kingdom Dr. Hickes in the Appendix to his Saxon Grammar mentions a Manuscript in Sir John Cotton's Library entitul'd Statuta de Gildâ quâdam in Cantabrigiâ which seems to relate to the Town of Cambridge The Writers upon the Affairs of the University belong to another place CHESHIRE was long since describ'd by Lucian a Monk soon after the Conquest whose Work is cited by Camden as a piece of great Rarity and good Value S. Erdeswick the great Antiquary of Staffordshire seems to have written also something of the History of this County as is intimated by his MS. Book in the hands of several Gentlemen of Staffordshire which begins thus Having disposed with my self to take a further View of the Shires of Staffordshire and Chester c. A third Description of this County Geographical and Historical was written by W. Smith Rouge-dragon Pursuivant at Arms and left in the hands of Sir Ranulph Crew sometimes Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench whose Grandchild Sr R. Crew afterwards publish'd it A Fourth was compil'd by W. Webb M. A. and sometime Town-Clerk of