I felt nothing of it myself as I walked in the ftreet, nor do I find that many who were walking did, but that I impute to the noise and fhaking of the carts and coaches.

Our worthy prefident of the Royal Society had fome gentlemen with him at his house in QueenSquare, who were all furprised with something falling, as they imagined, with a great noise, and at the inftant, the house seemed to heave up, then to fink down again, and totter fideTwo coaches ways, till it seemed to fettle. waiting at his door, the coachmen found themfelves lifted up, and almoft tumbled from their feats other people took notice alfo of this rifing and finking. In Weftminster-Hall both the judges and pleaders thought the hall would tumble on their heads, and the judges, whofe feats are contiguous to the wall, felt it shake from its foundation. Doors were opened, pewter and other things thrown down in many houses, and fome chimnies fell.

This day fortnight, a most extraordinary light appeared in the fky towards the fouth eaft, between fix and feven in the evening, and furprised the whole town, with the apprehenfion of a great fire; for the sky appeared of a fiery redness at the beginning, and then feemed to form a line of dark red fire of about fifteen degrees in width, which continued for fome time, then diffused, and left a remarkable lightness in the fky during the whole night after.

One

One cannot I think, let fuch uncommon phanomena pass unheeded: if these terrors of the Almighty will not excite reflection, furely nothing will. I hope, therefore, this short account will prove acceptable, and that you will excufe my great omiffions towards you for a long time past, which I affure you have often given me fome uneafinefs.

I have feveral times been thinking of the two inftances you mentioned, when I faw you laft, of the effect fome wounds have on the jaws and nervous fyftem, by locking up the mouth as it were, and thereby bringing on death. As fuch cafes are very little known, and we have none of them among the many papers fent to the Royal Society, you would oblige us much, by an account thereof, especially of the laft cafe; which happening in your own house, you can more particularly fpeak to; and if you fhall not judge it proper to mention the gentleman's name, if you call him only a young gentleman, it will be (from you) fufficiently fatisfactory.

I have just received a letter from Dr. Miles, informing me that the earthquake was felt at Tooting, though not by his family: it was felt pretty strongly at Greenwich, and at Darking in Kent, at Hampstead, at Kilburn, at Richford, and Kingston in Middlefex, and alfo at Enfield. Other places I am as yet uncertain of. A line from you will always give me unspeakable fatisfaction, and I hope you will do me the juf

tice

tice to believe, that I am, with the moft cordial wishes for the profperity of you and yours, in which Mrs. Baker and my fons join most heartily, Dear Sir,

Your most faithful and most affectionate

LETTER

humble fervant,

H. BAKER.

CXXXVIII.

DEAR SIR,

WH

FROM THE same.

London, Oct. 6, 1750.

HEN I faw in our news papers, an account of a violent fhock of an earthquake at Northampton, on Sunday laft, I was greatly concerned for the fafety of you and your family; and take this first opportunity to make an affectionate enquiry after the welfare of you all: begging the favour of you (when your time will permit) to fend me all the particulars that come to your knowledge, concerning this convulfion in nature, that I' may in your name lay them before the Royal Society, to be depofited among their records of this wonderful year. We fhall be glad to learn the ftate of the weather before, at, and after the fhock: whether it was attended with any noife, lightning, or fulphureous smell: what kind of motion it seemed to be, whether a heav

ing up and down, or a vibration from fide to fide, and how long it continued in what manner yourself and other people of judgment were affected by it, at what time it happened, how far it extended, and (if any) what mifchief it has done. I hope you will kindly excufe my being thus troublefome; but indeed I do not take all this liberty on a prefumption of my own intereft with you, for Mr. Folkes fends you his fervice, and defired me to afk this favour of you.

Though I rejoice at your having fuch multitudes of friends wherever you go, for every body who is a friend to piety and virtue muft be your friend, I could have wished that fome of them, when you were last at London, would have fpared me a little more of your company: though I am very thankful for the little of it I had, and fully fenfible it was more than I deferved, after having been fo long without paying you my due refpects. I received the impreffion of what I take to be an unknown production: it seems to approach nearest to fomething of the cones of the fir-kind, but then it would have fome curvature. Pray my thanks to Mr. Shipley for it, and the hairs that came with it, and I am obliged to you for fending them. I am,

Dear Sir,

Your most faithful and obedient fervant,

H. BAKER.

LETTER

LETTER

CXXXIX.

SIR,

UPO

FROM GILBERT WEST, ESQ.

Wickham, March 14, 1747-8.

I

PON my going to town fometime ago received from your bookfeller, by your orders, a prefent of your Memoirs of Colonel Gardiner, for which mark of your regard for me I return you my particular thanks, over and above those which are due to you from every

one,

* The character of Mr. Weft (as one obferves) was truly amiable and excellent. In him the chriftian, the scholar, and the gentleman were happily united. His works exhibit fufficient evidence of his learning; and the influence of his piety hath, it is to be hoped, been extended far by his Obfervations on the Refurrection, and would doubtlefs have reached farther, had he lived to complete what he had for fometime meditated, the evidences of the truth of the New Teftament. His private virtues and focial qualities were fuch as juftly endeared him to his friends and acquaintance. In his manner of life he was regular and exemplary. He read the prayers of the publick liturgy every morning to his family; and on Sunday evening he called his fervants into the parlour, and read to them first a fermon, and then prayers. Crafhaw (as Dr. Johnson obferves) is now not the only maker of verfes to whom may be given the two venerable names of Poet and Saint. See Cowley's verfes on the death of Mr. Crafhaw, which begin thus:

Poet and Saint! to thee alone are given

The two moft facred names of earth and heaven.

Select Works of Mr. A. Cowley; in two volumes : vol. I. p. 121.