There are two very long letters of Feb. 12th and March 16th, 1647—too long to quote in full—from which I have thought it worth while to make extracts.
Concerning the subject of the Charitas Patriæ, "I cannot" he says, "rejoice at foreign powers being at peace" that there might be "forces vacant for the reduction of England,"—but he appeals to Earle for "advice and direction; upon whose judgment, discretion, and conscience I do so much depend that I do really suspect my own when I find it at all differ from yours." He speaks too of Earle's company being so comforting to his fellow-exiles. Jersey Feb. 12th.
In the letter of March 16th, speaking of possible deterioration of character—of "innocence destroyed," of "wiping out the old loved prints," he adds that the "shame of communicating his thoughts" to Earle [in case of his (the writer's) falling away] will, he hopes, keep him from any "alteration." In the same letter there is another reference to what Earle had written about Lord Falkland—no such work I understand survives—"I would desire you at your leisure to send me that discourse of your own which you read to me in the end of your Contemplations upon the Proverbs in memory of my Lord Falkland: of whom, in its place, I intend to speak largely—"so far from being an indecorum (it will be) no less the business of history than the truth of things."
Anthony Wood's opinion [Bliss's reference to Wood is very brief] of Earle may be added to Clarendon's testimonies: "This Dr. Earl was a [EP]very genteel man, a contemner of the world, religious, and most worthy of the office of a Bishop." He is elsewhere styled by him "learned and godly,"—but the epithet "genteel" gives an extra touch that we should be loth to lose. In reference to his Latin Translation of Hooker's Ecclesiastical Polity he adds: "He was only the fit man to make the learned of all nations happy." Of the Hortus Mertonensis he tells us that it was one "of several copies of his ingenuity and poetry that were greedily gathered up" at the University.
I have said in the Preface that nothing is known to Earle's disparagement. It is true that Ludlow says[EQ]: "Dr. Earle told me that by abolishing episcopacy we took away all the encouragement to learning; for that men would not send their sons to the University had they not some hopes that they would attain preferment." And he is very severe on "this sordid principle and consideration." That it was not the recommendation of learning to Earle is abundantly proved by the Microcosmography—but he might well think the University ought not to lose the advantage of any material inducements such as might appeal to ordinary men.
Earle, moreover, was a humourist, and may have amused himself with arguments which seemed good enough for his audience. Lord Macaulay must not be supposed indifferent to learning because he told his nephew to "get a good degree at College and become a Fellow—for then he would have almonds and raisins for the rest of his life for nothing!"
My interleaved copy of Bliss has on the fly-leaf the words "the castrated title and leaf are preserved, with the addition of a proof title page with Dr. Bliss's name omitted." The copy is announced in a catalogue slip pasted in at the end of the book as containing[ER] MS. notes by Joseph Haslewood and Dr. Bliss. The words above the title—Ex dono editoris (altered to impressoris)—have the initials J. H. below them. There are also three advertisements of Bliss's book, "published this day," two of them on coloured paper pasted in the beginning; the third is supplemented by a notice from the Monthly Review, Feb. 1812, which runs as follows:—"We recommend the perusal of this work to every class of readers, since it is in truth a store house of wit and wisdom ... The old fashioned dress in which these acute strictures on human life appear, while it takes little or nothing from their intelligibility, adds much to their force and liveliness. The lovers of proverbial wit, for many of these characters are strings of judicious adages, are therefore greatly obliged to Mr. Bliss for his pleasing republication of so pregnant a volume. The notes are instructive without prolixity: the index is extremely useful, for it is really astonishing[ES] how large a quantity of good matter is scattered up and down the present duodecimo (the advt. calls it octavo), and the appendix contains an ample store of black-letter information, and will introduce almost every reader to some new acquaintances, who have singularity at least, if nothing else to recommend them. The Life of the Bishop, and the list of his works are particularly interesting."
All readers of Cowper will remember what a weight of authority the criticism of the Monthly Review carried with it, and the pathetic appeal of the Author to the Editor—"but oh!, dear Mr. Griffith, let me pass for a genius at Olney."[ET]
The notes and illustrations which Dr. Bliss did not make use of in his edition are as follows.[EU]