have become a member of that Society, for which he was extremely well qualified, by his great knowledge and skill in heraldic matters.

In 1759 he circulated Queries for a Parochial History of Berkshire *, but made no considerable progress.

He retired about 1760 to Low-Leyton; in which village he had resided some time before, and, while he

sister in the Lord. The end we aim at is the same, though the means we use to attain that end in some things differ. May the blessing of God be upon you and your holy house! Amen.

From Leyton in the county of Essex,

the day of the decollation of

St. John the Bapt. 1768."

2. "Matronæ venerabili sororum hospitalar. sodalitatis S. Josephi, in civitate Rothomagens. Superiori, Edoardus-Rowe Mores S. "Lætabar admodum et gratias rependo maximas, insignissima Matrona, quod filiam meam peregrinam, ignoti parentis prolem, ex desideriis meis in sodalitium cooptare vestrum dignata es. Adaugetur mihi mentis oblectatio quod in camerâ Superiori vicina novitia diversetur hospes-quanto magis vicinia tibi propinqua sit, Reverenda, tanto magis in literaturâ propinqua sit, et in moribus, et in virtute omni. Tot inter versata pietatis exemplaria fieri vix potest ut in delictum cadat: advena autem cum sit, et externæ gentis, et exteris assuefacta moribus, inscitè labescenti concedatur delicti venia: sin autem hosce supergrediatur limites, et vel apud te, vel apud aliquam, in offensu magis sit, ut certior sim factus obsecro; neque paterna deerit ad corrigendum auctoritas. Lætitiam verò meam nonnihil diluit, Rev. epistolium futile satis et ineptum W*** meæ, vobis, vestrisque jure devinctissimæ (datum ab entheâ quadam nostræ gentis ut conjicere est), insciente te dictitatum: vestram etenim vestrasque alias esse censeo quam quæ sic ineptè blaterarent. exinde discimus de religione cum puellulà fuisse actum. ægrè profectò fero, et præter fidem mihi præstitam arbitror, quod in inessem meam alter ingerat falcem ægriùs, quod cum tutissima natam meam fidei commissain crederem, spreta sentire videar præcepta mea. ex votis erat meis ut de rebus hujusmodi ætati teneræ minus idoneis omninò conticeretur, ex mandatis verò ut cum Anglicis sociaretur nullis. idem repetimus votum; mandatum iteramus idem.-ut in iis edoceatur quæ statuimus olim, Rev. exorare liceat. Cætera mihi curæ sunto.

:

Valeas, et (ignotum licet) ames me.

"e Leytona in com. Essex. postridie concept. 1768."

* His collections on that subject were purchased by Mr. Gough,

and added to the " History of Coxwell."

was

was churchwarden there, considerably improved the church. Here, on an estate left him by his father, he built a whimsical house, called Etlow Place, on a plan, it is said, of one in France.

The Equitable Society for assurance on lives and survivorship by annuities of 100l. increasing to the survivors, in six classes of ages from 1 to 10-10 to 20-20 to 30-30 to 40-40 to 50-50 to the extremity of life, owes its existence to Mr. Mores. It had been first suggested and recommended in lectures in 1756, by Mr. James Dodson, mathematical master at Christ's Hospital, and author of "The Mathematical Repository," who had been refused admission into the Amicable Society on account of his age; but he dying, November 23, 1757, before his design was completed, except the plan of reimbursement to him and his 54 associates, Mr. Mores undertook to apply for a charter, in 1761; but, failing of success, he, with 16 more of the original subscribers, resolved to persevere in establishing their Society by deed. It was hereby provided that Mr. Mores should be perpetual director, with an annuity of 100l. He drew up and published, in 1765, "A short Account of the Society," in 8vo. (of which a seventh edition with additions was printed in 1767), "The Plan and Substance of the Deed of Settlement," "The Statutes," "Precedents of sundry Instruments relating to the Constitution and Practice of the Society, London, 1766," Svo. The "Deed of Settlement, and the Declaration of Trust, 1768," "A List of the Policies and other Instruments of the Society, as well general as special," Svo; but, some disputes arising between Mr. Mores and the original members of this Society, he separated from them that year. There were printed, "Papers relating to the Disputes with the Charter Fund Proprietors in the Equitable Society, by Order of a General Court held the 3d day of November, 1767, for the Use

of

of those assured on the Lives of others, who shall apply for the same, 1769," 8vo. This Society still subsists in a high degree of credit and respectability: and their office is in Bridge-street, near Black-Friars bridge; to which it was removed from Nicholas-lane, Lombard-street, 1775*. All Mr. Mores' papers on this subject came into the hands of Mr. Astle.

In the latter part of his life, Mr. Mores (who had long turned his thoughts to the subject of early Printing) began to correct the useful publication of Mr. Ames. On the death of Mr. John James of Bartholomew Close (the last of the old race of letter-founders), in June 1772, Mr. Mores purchased all the curious parts of that immense collection of punches, matrices, and types, which had been accumulating from the days of Wynkyn de Worde to those of Mr James. From these a large fund of entertainment would probably have been given to the curious, if the life of Mr. Mores had been prolonged. His intentions may be judged of from his valuable "Dissertation on Typographical Founders and Founderies;" and as no more than 80 copies of that pamphlet were printed, it will always be a typographical curiosity. The Editor of these Anecdotes bought the whole impression, at the sale of Mr. Mores' curiosities; and, after subjoining a small Appendix, gave it to the publick.

Mr. Mores was a most indefatigable collector, and possessed great application in the early part

"It assures any sums or reversionary annuities on any lives, for any number of years, as well as for the whole continuance of the lives, at rates settled by particular calculations, and in any manner that may be best adapted to the views of the persons assured: that is, either by making the assured sums payable certainly at the failure of any given number of lives, or on condition of survivorship, and also by taking the price of the assurance in one present payment, or in annual payments, during any single or joint lives, or any terms less than the whole continuance of the lives. The plan of this Society is so extensive and important, that, if due care is taken, it may prove a very great public benefit." Dr. Price on Reversionary Payments, 1771, p. 128, who proposed some improvements on this plan.

+ His few corrections on that book were communicated to Mr. Herbert by the Editor of these Anecdotes.

VOL. V.

D D

of

of his life; but in the latter part gave himself up to habits of negligence and dissipation; which brought him to his end, by a mortification, in the 49th year of his age, at his house in Low Leyton, Nov. 28, 1778. His large collection of curious MSS. and his valuable library of books were sold by auction, by Mr. Paterson, in August following. Of the former, his "History and Antiquities of Tunstall in Kent" (the only papers that were completed for the press, and for which he had engraved a set of plates out of the many drawings taken at his expence) was purchased at the sale by Mr. Nichols, who printed it in 1780 as a specimen of Parochial Antiquities, which served to shew the ideas of this industrious Antiquary, and his endeavour to make even the minutest record subservient to the great plan of National History.

Several books of English Antiquities with his MS notes, and the most valuable part of such of the MSS. and scarce tracts as relate to our local antiquities, were purchased by Mr. Gough; and, by his bountiful bequest, now enrich the Antiquaries Closet in the Bodleian Library.

* Mr. Mores died of a mortification in his leg, which he suffered to reach his vitals, sitting in an arm-chair, while the workmen passed through the room to repair the next. He would not admit physician or nurse; and scarcely his own mother, who constantly resided with him after she had lost an annuity of 100l. His daughter had been some time married, and was dead; and his son had been sent to Holland for education. -Mr. Mores would be chosen churchwarden of Leyton; and, to let him bring in another, the parish were obliged to choose two more. He once took it in his head to read the service in that church; and, being cited before the Bishop's visitation to settle his accounts as churchwarden, replied, "he came there only for that purpose, and would say nothing to the irregularity."- He walked about in his academical habit, calling himself a Dominican friar." Mr. Gough, MS.

Several Visitations of Kent, with large additions by Mr. Mores, were purchased by Mr. Hasted.

Among these last were imperfect alphabetical lists of incumbents in Canterbury and Rochester dioceses, some corporation rentals for Salisbury; some other collections for which place, and several rolls of antient deeds, were bought by Mr.

Topham:

Mr. Astle purchased his Epitome of the Registers of the See of Canterbury, preserved in the Archiepiscopal Library at Lambeth, beginning with the first Register called Peckham, A. D. 1279, and ending with that of Archbishop Tenison in 1710; and his "Excerpta ex Registris Cur. Prærog. Cantuar." 3 vols. 8vo; vol. I. containing Extracts from Wills in the Prerogative-office, from 1385 to 1533; vol. II. extracts from 1533 to 1561; vol. III. extracts from 1592 to 1660. To the first volume is prefixed a learned and curious dissertation concerning the authority of the Prerogative Court, with the names of the several Registers. Mr. Astle had also his catalogue of the Rolls preserved in the Lambeth Library, made in the year 1758; his collections for the History and Antiquities of the City of Salisbury, containing several curious particulars and transcripts of records, &c. with some short Annals of the University of Oxford, from 1066 to 1310; and a MS. in Latin intituled "De Elfrico Archiepiscopo Dorovernensi Commentarius. Auctore Edwardo-Rowe Mores, A. M. Soc. Antiq. Lond. Soc." This last MS. is in the hand-writing of Mr. Mores, and seems to have been intended for publication *.

It

Topham: the original of Batteley's "Antiquitates Rutupinæ," Ballard's "Memoirs of illustrious Ladies," &c. Among the former, Browne Willis's "Mitred Abbies," and Dr. Tanner's "Notitia Monastica."

* His zeal for Saxon Literature will appear by the following Letter to Dr. Ducarel:

"DEAR SIR, Queen's Coll. Oxon. Jan. 13, 1753. "The drawings you mention are not in our Library, but in the Bodleian, in the MS Cadmon which we have so often talked about. What we have lately discovered at our College is an index drawn up by Junius to his edition of Cadmon, which in the Bodleian Catalogue is said to have been stolen; but we suppose that, as Junius's MSS. were formerly kept in a closet in the School-gallery, Mr. Thwaites might borrow it from thence; and, it being afterwards found in his study, was, with his other papers, inadvertently reposited in our archives. The Dean of Exeter is very desirous that this index should be printed, and annexed to the drawings; which he says he proposed to the Antiquarian Society, to be engraved at their expence; but without success. I did myself at first think that this work might be published by our Society; but, for some reasons which have since