At Mr. Ames's expence was engraved, on a scale one third of the original, a Greek inscription, in honour of Crato, the musician of Pergamus, erected in the reign of Eumenes, King of Pergamus, 150 years before the Christian æra, brought from the village of Segucque, in Asia Minor, between Smyrna and Ephesus, by Captain Thomas Morley, 1732, and preserved at the house of Mr. Timothy Tennant, in Wapping; and at the sale of Mr. Ames's coins and antiquities purchased by General Campbell. The plate is dedicated to the Society of Antiquaries. Mr. Ames was also possessed of the antient marble pillar from Alexandria, with the Cufic inscription, purchased since by the late Mr. West, and the late Gustavus Brander, esq. with all the letters from Dr. Hunt, Mr. Costard, and Mr. Bohun, illustrating it; and it was by him presented to the Society of Antiquaries, and engraved and published in their Archæologia, vol. VIII. pl. I. p. 1. Mr. Ames (as has been observed) married April 12, 1714, Mary, daughter of Mr. Wrayford, merchant of London, who died Aug. 12, 1734; and by whom he had six children. Only one daughter, Mary, survived her mother. She was born Nov. 21, 1759; and married, after her father's decease, to Edward Dampier*, late commander of the Sea-horse East Indiaman, which he quitted in 1772, and was appointed deputy surveyor of shipping to the East India Company . *This memoir of Mr. Ames is taken principally from the biographical account of him by his highly valued friend Mr. Gough, prefixed to the "Typographical Antiquities." + He descended from, or was related to, the Voyager of that name. JOHN JOHN ANSTIS, esq. was born at St. Neot's in Cornwall, Sept. 28, 1669, being son of John Anstis, of that place, by Mary his wife, daughter and coheir of George Smith. He was admitted at Exeter college, Oxford, 1685; and three years after at the Middle Temple; represented the borough of St. Germain's 1702, 1703, 1704, in Parliament, where he distinguished himself against the bill for occasional conformity, for which he got ranked in the list of the Tackers, printed about that time. He was appointed Deputy-General to the Auditors of the Imprest, 1703, which office he never executed; one of the principal Commissioners of Prizes, 1704, Garter King at Arms, 1714*; in which place he died on Sunday, March 4, 1743-4; and was buried the 23d following, in a vault of the parish-church of Dulo in Cornwall. In an epigram by Prior (English Poets, vol. XXXI. p. 258) our Herald is thus introduced: "But coronets we owe to Crowns, And sons of Anstis by election." Mr. Anstis published, in 1706, "A Letter concerning the honour of Earl Marshall," 8vo; in 1720, "The Form of the Installation of the Garter," Svo; in 1724, "The Register of the most noble Order of the Garter, usually called the Black Book, with a Specimen of the Lives of the Knights," 2 volumes, folio; and in 1725, "Observations in * "I have a certain information that my affair [it does not appear what] would be ended forthwith if the Lord Treasurer would honour me by speaking to her Majesty at this time; which, in behalf of the Duke of Norfolk, I most earnestly desire, and humbly beg your Lordship's assistance therein. If it should be delayed for some days, I shall then be back as far as the delivery of my petition. I am obliged to attend this morn¦ ing at the Exchequer, about the Tin-affair, and thereby prevented from waiting on your Lordship. With all duty, I am your Lordship's most obedient and faithful humble servant, Joнx ANSTIS. MS Letter to the Lord Treasurer, March 14, 1711. In a copy of this book, sold at the sale of George Scott, esq. of Wolston-hall, near Chigwell in Essex, were many MS letters of Mr. Anstis to Dr. Derham. troductory troductory to an historical Essay on the Knighthood of the Bath," 4to, intended as an Introduction to the History of that Order, for which the Society of Antiquaries had begun to collect materials. His "Aspilogia, a Discourse on Seals in England," with beautiful draughts, almost fit for publication, of which Mr. Drake read an abstract to the Society in 1735-6, and two folio volumes of drawings of Sepulchral Monuments, Stone Circles, Crosses, and Castles, in the three kingdoms *, were purchased, with many other curious papers (particularly a good collection of epitaphs and other inscriptions in England, and many in Wales, all facsimiles), at the sale of Mr. Anstis's library of MSS. 1768, by Thomas Astle, esq. F. R. and A. S. S.— Besides these, he left in MS. two large folio volumes on the Office, &c. of Garter King at Arms, and of Heralds in general; memoirs of the Talbot, Carew, Granville, and Courtney families; the Antiquities of Cornwall; "Collections relating to the parish of Coliton in Devonshire," containing matters relative to the tithes of that church (of which his son George Anstis was vicar), in a dispute before the Court of Exchequer in 1742, marked in the printed catalogue of his MSS. No. 62, which in 1780 was in Dr. Ducarel's library; and also large collections relative to All Souls college, Oxford, by whom they were bought. In Gutch's "Collectanea Curiosa," vol. II. p. 186, is a very curious History of Visitation Books, under the title of "Nomenclator Fecialium, qui Angliæ & Walliæ comitatus visitârunt, quo anno & ubi autographa seu apographa reperiuntur, per Johannem Anstis Garter. Principal. Regem Armorum Anglicanorum," from a MS. in the library of All Souls college. Sixty-four pages of his Latin answer to "The Case of Founders Kinsmen" were printed in 4to. with many coats of arms. His "Curia Militaris, or a Treatise of the Court of Chivalry, in three books," (of which Mr. Bindley has Le Neve's copy, with his MS corrections, containing only the intro * Extracts from which are printed in the Archeologia, vol. XIII. p. 208. duction duction and contents, the whole possibly which was ever published, if published at all), was printed in 1702, 8vo. In an unpublished letter of his to Mr. Wanley, dated Easter Sunday, 1713, I meet with this memorandum: "What I mentioned to you about the probability of the author of the poem of the deposition of R. II. was from the Annotations on the History of Charles VI. p. 746. Berry Herault de Roy Charles VII. esleu à Roy d'Armes des François a fort particulierement descrit la deposition & mort de ce Richard Roy d'Angleterre.' I do not remember whether your poem contains the deposition and death of the King." 66 SIR, The following is addressed to Samuel Gale, esq. July 12, 1721. Mortlake. "I return you many thanks for your kind letter about Ferdinard I. King of Naples. Mr. Howell is right in the main: he was born at Valentia, in Spain, and at the request of the nobility of Naples, declared Duke of Calabria on March 2, 1442, and successor to that Crown, being legitimated by Pope Eugenius the IVth, and on the 4th of the Ides of November 1458, advanced to that Throne, receiving investiture from Pope Pius II, and died at the age of 60 years on January 25, 1494. My enquiry is confined to his titles before he was declared Duke of Calabria, but I know not in what manner to come at the knowledge of them, The reason is that under Edw. IV. the Count de Montgrison of Naples is named as one of the Knights of the Garter, and I could never yet find any person of that kingdom with that title; and I could not therefore be certain, but that might be his first title, and by reason of a dispute touching the right of that, this appellation might be given him as the titles of York and Lancaster here. His name occurs only once in our Register in 7 Edw. IV. Domino. Principi, Regi Neapolitano, et Domino de Montgryson Apuliæ jam ante dilectis ad illustrissimum ordinem sedes reservatæ sunt. I had forgot to acquaint your brother that I could not find his VOL. V. Saint SS Saint Alkilda, Alguia was the nearest in sound in my book. I am, with all respect, Your most obliged servant, JoHN ANSTIS." "To your Treatise of Horns you will add that of Mortimer, to be found in Dugdale's Baronage, Vol I. P. 149." His eldest son, JOHN ANSTIS, esq. who had been educated as a gentleman commoner at Corpus Christi college, Oxford, was, at the revival of the order of the Bath, in 1725, joined to his father in the office of Garter, and had the additional office of genealogist and registrar of the Bath. At the opening of Dr. Ratcliffe's Library, 1749, he was, with several other members of that University, created LL. D. He died a bachelor, Dec. 5, 1754; and was succeeded in his estate by his brother George above mentioned, besides whom he had another brother in holy orders. He possessed a well-chosen collection of books, and numerous MSS. on heraldic subjects by his father. MR. HENRY BAKER, an ingenious and diligent Naturalist. Of his family, and the accidental determination to a pursuit which subsequently became one of the principal employments of his life, and proved highly beneficial to himself and others, he has left the following brief memorial. "My Father William Baker had a seat in the Six Clerks Office, and was one of the Clerks in Chancery. He was the son of William Baker, the son of John Baker of Shrewsbury.My Grandfather married Amey, daughter of Charles Powel, a gentleman of Cardiganshire; by whom he had two sons, William and James-William was my father.-The coat of arms borne by my father, is, Sable, a griffin rampant Argent and Ermined, gorged with a ducal coronet Or, armed and membered Gules-and I find a Coat like this assigned to John Baker of Shrewsbury, by Sir William Segar.-About the year 1694 my father married Mary, daughter of Aaron Pengry, esq. who was then Comptroller of the Petty Bag Office. |