doth Witlesey, the monk of Peterborough, call it in the 37th leaf of his book, saying, In provincia Lincolniæ non sunt Hidæ terræ, sicut in aliis provincüs; sed pro hidis sunt carucatæ terræ, et tantum continent, quantum Hidu, &c.

CAMDEN.

WILLIAM CAMDEN, the eminent English antiquary and historian, was born at Litchfield, in Staffordshire, in 1551; but his father, who was a painter-stainer, removing to London, he spent the first years of his education at Christ's Hospital, and afterwards at St. Paul's School. In 1566, he entered as servitor in Magdalene College, Oxford ; though he afterwards removed to Broad-gate-Hall, now Pembroke College, and then to Christchurch, being patronised and even supported by Dr. Thornton, canon of Christ-church.

He quitted Oxford in 1571, and repaired for the present to London ; but soon after travelled over the greater part of England. To quote his own words—“Relictâ academia, studio incituta satis magnam Anglia partem fide ocu

latâ obiri.” On his return to college in 1575, he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Two years after, by the interest of dean Goodman, or as some say, of sir Philip Sidney, he was made second master of Westininster school, which he held till the resignation of Dr. Grant, whom he succeeded as head-master in 1592-3. Prior to this, however, he obtained the prebend of Ilfracomb, bestowed upon him by Dr. John Piers, bishop of Salisbury. In 1597, at the instance of sir Fulk Greville, he was created by queen Elizabeth, Clarenceaux, king at arms; and the day before was made Richmond Herald ; as the being a herald is rendered by the constitution an indispensible pre-requisite to the office of king at arms. He died in 1643, in the 74th year of his age.

1. The first and greatest work of Camden is his Britannia; of which the full title is Britannie, sive Florentissimorum, Regnorum Anolia, Scotia, Hiberniæ, et Insularum adjacenă tium er intimá antiquitate, chorographica Descriptio. London, 1586, 8vo. i.e.“ Britain, or a Chronologieal Description of the flourishing Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland, with the adjacent Islands, from the most remote antiquity." The work was much en

66 5. 1600,

larged and improved in subsequent cditions ; a complete list of which I extract from Mr. Beloe's Anecdotes, recently published; and which may be depended upon (he says) as accurate,

“1. 1586, printed by R. Newbery, 12mo. « 2. 1587,

12mo. « 3. 1590,

G. Bishop, 8vo. « 4. 1594,

4to.

4to. « This is the first edition of Camden which was published with maps.

“ 6. 1607, printed by G. Bishop, folio. « 7. 1610,

folio. “ All the above-mentioned editions of Camden were in Latin. The first edition in English was in 1610, and in folio.

“ This was translated by the indefatigable Philemon Holland, who was supposed to have been assisted by Camden himself. “Therefore,' observes Mr. Gough, 'great regard has been paid to his additions and explanations. But what is very extraordinary, and indeed unaccountable, in an author of Mr. Gongh's accuracy, he is, in the passage referred to, (Life Camden, p. 20.) called Philip Holland.

“ The eighth edition, in 1617, was a Latin abridgment by Lirizæus, in 12mo.

“9. 1637, folio, Philemon Holland's second edition. With this edition, says Mr. Gough, Holland has taken unwarrantable liberties. Mr. Wanley thinks that this edition was published after Holland's death.

“ 10. 1639, a second edition of Lirizæus's abridgment, in 12mo.

“ 11. 1695, folio. This was the first edition by bishop Gibson.

“ 12. 1722, 2 vol. folio.
“ 13. 1753, 2 vol. folio.
“ 14. 1772, 2 vol. folio.
" 15. 1789, 2 vol.
“ This was Mr. Gough's edition.

“ The following memorandum from one of Heaine's Diaries, preserved in the Bodleian, forms no unimportant appendage to the above catalogue.

“There is in the Ashmolean Museum, amongst Mr. Ashmole's books, a very fair folio MS. handsomely bound, containing an English translation of Mr. Camden's Britannia, by Richard Knolles, the same that writ the History of the Turks. This book was found locked up in a box, in Mr. Camden's

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