JAMES PARSONS. Dr. Parsons's library was sold by Mr. Paterson, June 7, &c. 1769, and his fossils June 22, &c. the same year; both under the title of "an eminent Physician, who, on account of his health, is retiring into the country." His widow, Mrs. Elizabeth Parsons, died Aug. 8, 1786, aged 86; and was buried at Hendon *. RICHARD RAWLINSON, an eminent Antiquary, and great benefactor to the University of Oxford, was the fourth son of Sir Thomas, and younger brother of Thomas Rawlinson, esq. another eminent Antiquary. Richard was educated at St. John's *See a character of her, Gent. Mag. 1786, vol. LVI. p. 715. lapapers + In Mr. Price's possession is a collection of loose belled "Nomen Rawlinsonianum, ex MSS. Cod. erutum," chiefly in Dr. Richard Rawlinson's own hand-writing. 80. For whom Mr. Addison is said to have intended his character of Tom Folio, in the Tatler, No. 158, but with infinitely too satirical a vein. He was a great collector of books; and himself a man of learning, as well as patron of those who were Maittaire has dedicated to him his edition of Juvenal: and Hearne's publication, intituled, "Aluredi Beverlacensis Annales, &c." was printed from the original MS. in this gentleman's possession. Very numerous indeed were the communications that Editor received from Mr. Thomas Rawlinson; for all which, to do him but justice, he takes every opportunity of expressing While Mr. Rawlinson lived in Gray's Inn, he his gratitude. had four chambers so completely filled, that his bed was removed out into the passage. He afterwards removed to Londonhouse, the antient palace of the bishops of London, in Aldersgate-street; where he died, August 6, 1725, aged 44; and was buried in the church of St. Botolph Aldersgate. In London-house his immense library was sold after his decease; and there also lived and died his brother Richard; who left a portrait of his brother Thomas in crayons, another of himself, and another of Nicholas Salmon, LL.D. the Antiquary, to the Society of Antiquaries, all His MSS. took 16 days to sell, from afterwards revoked. March 4, 1733-4. (See some of them in Brit. Top. vol. I. p. 117, 216, 217, 239, 337, 338, 425, 451, 642. vol. II. p. 317, 407, 426, 429, 789.) The Catalogue of his library consists of nine parts. The amount of the first five parts was 24091: 1st part, Dec. 17, 1721, price ls. 2d part, March 1721-2, price 1s. 4th part, April 1723, price 18. sold by Tho. Ballard; 6th part, at Londonhouse, Aldersgate-street, March 1726, by Charles Davis, 2s. 6d. ; 9th part, at Paul's Coffee-house, October 1727, and 19 following days, by Tho. Ballard, 1s. Other parts, by Thomas Ballard and C. Davis, 1727-8, took 22 and 23 days; 1729, 26 and 30 days; 1732, college, Oxford, where he was admitted gentleman commoner; proceeded M. A. and grand compounder 1713; and was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Civil Law, by diploma, 1719. He was F.R.S.; and became F.S.A. May 10, 1727. He was greatly accessary to the bringing to light many descriptions of Counties; and, intending one of Oxfordshire, had collected materials from Wood's papers, &c. had many plates engraved, and circulated printed queries, but received accounts of only two parishes, which in some degree answered the design, and encouraged him to pursue it. In this work were to be included the Antiquities of the city of Oxford, which Wood promised when the English copy of his "Historia et Antiquitates Oxon." was to be published, and which have since been faithfully transcribed from his papers, and much enlarged and corrected from antient original authorities. All Dr. Rawlinson's collections for that County, chiefly culled from Wood, or picked up from information, and disposed by Hundreds in separate books, in each of which several parishes are omitted, would make but one octavo volume. But he made large collections for the continuation of Wood's "Athenæ Oxonienses" and "History of Oxford," and for an account of "Non-compliers" at the Revolution; which, together with some collections by Hearne, and Note-books of his own travels, he bequeathed by his will to the University of Oxford. "The Life of Mr. Anthony Wood, Historiographer of the most famous University of Oxford, with an account of his nativity, education, works, &c. collected and composed from MSS. by Richard Rawlinson, gent. commoner of St. John's college, 1782, 18 and 26 days. Mr. Charles Marsh, late bookseller at Charing Cross, used to say, that the sale of Mr. Thomas Kawlinson's library was one of the first events he remembered upon engaging in business; and that it was the largest collection at that time known to have been offered to the publick. * Hearne's Diaries were purchased by Dr. Rawlinson for 100 guineas, of the widow and executrix of Dr. William Bedford, to whom they had been given by Hearne, of Oxon," was printed in London in 1711; and a copy this life, with MS additions by the Author, is in the Bodleian Library*. He published Proposals for an "History of Eton College, 1717;" and, in 1728, "Petri Abælardi Abbatis Ruyensis et Heloissæ Abbatissæ Paracletensis Epistolæ," Svo, dedicated to Dr. Mead. The books the publication of which he promoted are supposed to be, the "History and Antiquities of Winchester," 1715," 8vo; " History and Antiquities of Hereford, 1717," 8vo; "History and Antiquities of Rochester, 1717, 1723," 8vo; "Inscriptions on tombs in Bunhill-fields, 1717," Svo; History and Antiquities of the Churches of Salisbury and Bath, 1719, 1723," Svo; "Aubrey's History of Surrey, 1719," 5 vols. Svo; "Norden's Delineation of Northamptonshire, 1720," 8vo; "History and Antiquities of Glastonbury, Oxford, 1722," Svo: all which were published by Mr. Edmund Curll. 66 In 1728, he translated and printed Fresnoy's "New Method of studying History, with a Catalogue of the chief Historians," 2 vols. 8vo. But his principal work was, "The English Topographer, or, an Historical Account of all the Pieces that have been written relating to the antient Natural History or Topographical Description of any Part of England, 1720," 8vo; the plan of which was afterwards so much augmented and improved by Mr. Gough in his two editions of "Anecdotes of British Topography." In 1750, he gave, by indenture, the yearly sum of 871. 16s. 8d. the rents and profits of various estates which he inherited under the will of his grandfather, Daniel Rawlinson, to the University of Oxford, for *Historical Passages collected by him from Wood were printed as a Supplement to Wood's Life, Oxford, 1772, vol. II. p. 249. + " My friend Mr. Richard Rawlinson hath just published "Abelardi et Heloise Epistolæ," Svo. It is dedicated to Dr. Richard Mead; and said to be printed in London, yet the first part was printed at Oxford, and this first part is the best done." Ballard's Collection of MS Letters in the Bodleian Library, LXV. 162. From an elder brother of Mr. Daniel Rawlinson, the late Sir Thomas Rawlinson, knt. alderman of London, sheriff in the year 1748, lord mayor of London in 1754, and president of St. Bartholomew's hospital, deduced his pedigree. Of this I was informed * the maintenance and support of an Anglo-Saxon lecture or professorship for ever. To the Society of Antiquaries he gave, by will, a small freehold and copyhold estate at Fulham, on condition that they did not, upon any terms, or by any stratagem, art, means, or contrivance howsoever, increase or add to their (then) number of 150 members, honorary foreigners only excepted. He also made them a considerable bequest of dies and matrices of English seals and medals; all his collection of seals, charters, drawings by Vertue and other artists, and other antiquities; ten walnut-tree book-cases, which had been given to his late brother Thomas by the then Earl of Pembroke, and four mahogany presses, all marked P, all his English prints of which they had not duplicates, and a quit-rent of 51. per annum informed by his only son, the late Sir Walter Rawlinson, knt. of Stow hall, in the county of Suffolk. In St. Dionis Backchurch, Fenchurch-street, a handsome monument of white marble is thus inscribed: "H. S. E. sub marmore propè posito, in expectationem beatæ resurrectionis, corpus DANIELIS RAWLINSON, civis et œnopola Londinensis, si animo agitata, præmaturâ morte abreptus est. Margareta uxor, Daniel filius natu maximus, Elizabetha filia, Maria filia, quæ fuit uxor Johannis Mazine, armigeri, et Rawlinson Mazine infans, nepos, et unica Mariæ proles. Monumentum hoc, patris memoria sacrum, P. P. THOMAS RAWLINSON filius, superstitum natu maximus." *To the Saxon Professor, Mr. Gough has since been a considerable literary benefactor. + See his Seals enumerated in the British Topography, vol. I. pp. 465, 482; vol. II. pp. 40, 96, 134, 177, 291: his plates, vol. I. pp. 390, 419, 454, 464, 492, 494, 508, 515, 537, 544, 552, 553, 641, 717; vol. II. pp. 50, 89, 141, 150, 164, 166, 237, 295, 209, 381, 474, 476, 689,702, 715: drawings and MSS. vol. I. pp. 188, 337, 339, 421, 499, 510, 529, 534, 602, 615; vol. II. pp. 59, 75, 85, 95, 106, 155, 286, 468, 761, in Norfolk, for a gold medal, for the best dissertation on any English, Saxon, Roman, or Greek coin, or other antiquity not before treated of, or in print; but, resenting some supposed want of deference to singularities and dictatorial spirit, and some reflexions on his own and his friend's honour, in an imputation of libeling the Society in the public papers, he, by a codicil made and signed at their house in Chancery-lane, revoked the whole *, and excluded all fellows of this or the Royal Society from any benefit from his benefactions at Oxford, which, besides the Anglo Saxon endowment, were extremely considerable, including a number of books with and without MS notes, all his English and foreign seals, his antique marbles, and other curiosities; his copper-plates relative to several counties, his antient Greek and Roman coins and medals, part of his collection of English medals, his series of medals of Louis XIV. and XV. a series of medals of the Popes, which Dr. Rawlinson supposed to be one of the most complete collections in Europe; and a great number of valuable MSS. which he ordered to be safely locked up, and not to be opened till seven years after his decease†. * One reason, among others, which he gave for this, was, that their then Secretary, Mr. Gordon, was a Scotchman. † Dr. Taylor was persuaded that this precaution was taken by the Doctor to prevent the right owners' recovering their own.He supposed that Dr. Rawlinson made no scruple of buying all that was brought to him; and that, among the rest, the MS. and printed copy of Demosthenes, which was lost on the road, and the detainer of which he had cursed very classically, would be found among the spoil. The MS. belonged to James Harris, esq. of Salisbury, by whom it was sent to Cambridge; but, to use the words of Dr. Taylor, "in itinere, malà quorundam fide, interceptus est, et ex eo tempore diù frustráque à me quæsitus; sive imprudentiâ, sive consilio et dedità operâ sit discerptus. Hunc SI QUIS adhuc, nec prece nostrâ nec pretio delinitus, domi in PLUTEO CONCLUSERIT, vel quovis modo FRAUDEM FAXIT, DEÆ FIDEI SACER ESTO." I quote this passage, as I can contradict the supposition it has given rise to: "I remember the note you refer to in Taylor's Demosthenes: it is the last article of his Syllabus of the books and MSS. which he perused for his edition of the third volume. But I never could learn what be came |