continued on terms of the most friendly intercourse till his death *. Some time before 1730, Mr. Lewis, who had himself collected materials for such a subject, suggested to Mr. Ames the idea of writing the History of Printing in England. Mr. Ames declined it at first, because Mr. Palmer, a printer, was engaged in a similar work, and because he thought himself by no means equal to an undertaking of so much extent. But, when Mr. Paliner's book came out, it by no means answered the expectations of Mr. Lewis or Mr. Ames, or those of the publick in general. Mr. Ames, therefore, at length consented to apply himself to the task; and, after 25 years spent in collecting and arranging his materials, in which he was largely assisted by Mr. Lewis and other learned friends, and by the libraries of Lord Oxford, Sir Hans Sloane, Mr. Anstis, and many others, published in one volume, 4to, 1749, his Typographical Antiquities, being an Historical Account of Printing in England, with some Memoirs of our antient Printers, and a Register of the Books printed by them, from the Year 1471 to the Year 1600; with an Appendix concerning Printing in Scotland and Ireland to the same Time." What was his own opinion of this work, may be seen by his words in the Preface: * Mr. Oldys, in his British Librarian, published in 1737, p. 874, returns many thanks to Mr. Joseph Ames, member of the Society of Antiquaries, for the use of one antient relick of the famous Wicliffe." This was an illuminated MS. on vellum, called "Wicliffe's Pore Caitiff." Mr. Oldys goes on to acknowledge his obligations to Mr. Ames, whom he styles "a worthy -preserver of antiquities," and to "his ingenious friend Mr. Peter Thompson, for the use of several printed books, which are more scarce than manuscripts; particularly some, set forth by our first printer in England; and others, which will rise, among the curious, in value, as, by the depredations of accidents or ignorance, they decrease in number.” + See before, vol. II. p. 28-31. "I do also ingenuously confess, that, in attempting this History of Printing, I have undertaken a task much too great for my abilities, the extent of which I did not so well perceive at first; but though it is not so perfect a work as I could wish, yet, such as it is, I now submit it to the publick; and hope, when they consider in what obscurity and confusion Printing in its infancy was involved, they will acknowledge that I have at least cleared away the rubbish, and furnished materials towards a more perfect structure." The opinions of others may be seen in the "Nova Acta Eruditorum," for 1754, p. 523, et séq.. The work was inscribed to Philip Lord Hardwicke, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain. Mr. Ames was then fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies, and secretary to the latter of these learned bodies. He was elected F. S. A. March 3, 1736; and on the resignation of Alexander Gordon, previous to his going to settle in Carolina, 1741, was appointed secretary. In 1754, the Rev. William Norris was associated with him; and on his decease became sole secretary till 1784. The Minutes of the Society in the earlier periods of it were barely outlines of the proceedings of each meeting*; for no secretary, before Mr. Norris, had an idea of giving abridgements of papers, however indispensably necessary, before the finances of the Society enabled them to print the memoirs themselves. This office gave Mr. Ames farther opportunities of gratifying his native curiosity by the communications as well as conversation of the Literati ; and these opportunities were farther enlarged by his election into the Royal Society, and the particular friendship shewn to him by Sir Hans Sloane, then president, who nominated him one of the trustees in his will. The circumstances of Mr. * A copy of the Minutes of the Society of Antiquaries, from 1717 to 1750, in two volumes folio, was bought by Mr. Walpole, at Mr. Ames's sale, for fifteen guineas. Ames's death are thus related by his friend Sir Peter Thompson, in a short account of him, from whence the principal parts of this life are extracted: "After he had dined heartily with Sir Peter, Oct. 7, 1759, he went to Mr. Romelo's, in Basinghall-street, to see some curiosities, drank some coffee, and stayed there till past seven o'clock, when he and another friend, an ironmonger in St. Clement's-lane, whose name is not mentioned, departed to their respective homes. As they passed by the Royal Exchange, Mr. Ames was seized with a violent fit of coughing, which brought on a profuse perspiration, and lasted near a quarter of an hour. When he had recovered himself, his friend asked him to come into his house in Clement's-lane, and sup with him. Mr. Ames complied with his invitation, in order to rest himself, and sat himself down on the first thing which presented itself in the shop. His friend desired him to remove into a chair in the counting-house, which he had no sooner done, than he expired without a sigh or groan. He was immediately put into a warm bed, and medical assistance called in; but without effect. He was removed to his own house the next day; and from thence to the church-yard of St. George in the East, Oct. 14, 1759, where he was deposited, at the depth of eight feet, in virgin earth, in a stone coffin, on the lid of which was the following inscription, by his friend and neighbour the Rev. Dr. Richard Flaxman: Antiquariorum Secretarii, qui, Antiquitati, * Mr. Ingham Foster, an eminent collector of antiquities. per per annos viginti quinque accuratè edidit. Tussi correptus violentâ subitò sed placidè Nonis Octobris, A. D. 1759; æt. 71." Over the grave was placed a ledger-stone, having on the under side the following inscription, drawn up by another friend, Mr. William Massey: "Hic conditæ jacent reliquiæ mortales JOSEPHI AMES, Regia Societatis Londinensis Sodalis, et Societatis ibidem Antiquariorum Secretarii; Antiquitatibus exquirendis studiosissimè deditus A. D. 1759, suæque æt. 71. Αποθανων έτι λαλείται. Heb. xi. 4.” And on the upper side of the ledger-stone this in English: "Here lie interred the mortal remains of Mr. JOSEPH AMES, F. R.S. likewise Fellow and Secretary to the Antiquarian Society of London, author of the History of Printing in Great Britain, who died Oct. 7, 1759, aged 71. He being dead, yet speaketh." The The following paragraph, inserted in the Public Advertiser the Tuesday after his decease, contains his real character: "Last Sunday evening died, after a violent fit of coughing, Mr. Joseph Ames, author of the History of Printing in England, fellow of the Royal Society, and Secretary to the Society of Antiquaries, for which station he was eminently qualified by an inquisitive genius and assiduous application. His judicious taste in manuscripts, medals, and other curiosities, will be submitted to the public decision by the large and valuable collection he has left behind him. His amiable simplicity of manners, exemplary integrity, and benevolence in social life, greatly endeared him to all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance." Mr. Much as we are indebted to the eccentric Mr. Mores for his account of our Founders, we cannot forbear noticing his harsh censure of Mr. Ames as an "arrant blunderer," supposed to have made English of the Wetsteins, and called them the Westons. Mr. Bagford committed a similar error in changing Wenceslaus Hollar into William Hillier. Mores adds more truly, Mr. Ames "was unlearned, yet useful; he collected antiquities, and particularly old title-pages and heads of authors, which he tore out, and maimed the books: for the first of these crimes he made some amends by his Typographical Antiquities;' for the second by his Catalogue of English Heads,' taken from the collection of Mr. Nickolls. This performance is not to be despised." Mr. Mores proceeds with a just invective against portrait-fanciers, compared with whom Mr. Ames was but one sinner among many. Mr. Ames's collection of coins, natural curiosities, inscriptions, and antiquities, were sold by Mr. Langford, Feb. 20 and 21, 1760. His library of books and manuscripts and his prints, May 5-12, 1760, by the same auctioneer. Many of the books had notes by him; and among the MSS. besides a number |