was called on to make the first visit—­and so the treaty ended; and so I bought the books.  There was another work, I think in two volumes, which was their Diary of Their Tour, with a few slight views.  Bishop Lyttelton proposed them to me, and engaged to get them for me from Mr. Lethueillier’s sister for ten guineas.  She hesitated, the Bishop died, I thought no more of them, and they may be what Lord Bute has.  There is another assertion in Mr. Gough, which I can authentically Contradict.  He says Sir Matthew Decker first introduced ananas, p. 134.  My very curious picture of Rose, the royal gardener, presenting the first ananas to Charles ii. proves the culture here earlier by several years.

At page 373, he seems to doubt my assertion of Gravelot’s making drawings of tombs in Gloucestershire, because he never met with any engravings from them.  I took my account from Vertue, who certainly knew what he said.  I bought at Vertue’s own sale some of Gravelot’s drawings of our regal monuments, which Vertue engraved:  but, which is stronger, Mr. Gough himself a few pages after, viz. in p. 387, mentions Gravelot’s drawing of Tewkesbury church; which being in Gloucestershire, Mr. G. might have believed me that Gravelot did draw in that county.  This is a little like Mr. Masters’s being angry with me for taking liberties with bishops and chancellors, and then abusing grossly one who had been both bishop and chancellor.  I forgot that in the note on Sir Charles Frederick, Mr. Gough calls Mr. Worseley, Wortley.  In page 354, he says Rooker exhibited a drawing of Waltham-cross to the Royal Academy of Sciences—­pray where is that academy?  I suppose he means that of painting.  I find a few omissions; one very comical; he says Penshurst was celebrated by Ben Jonson, and seems Perfectly in the dark as to how much more fame it owes to Waller.  We antiquaries are a little apt to get laughed at for knowing what every body has forgotten, and for being ignorant of what every child knows.  Do not tell him of these things, for I do not wish to vex him.  I hope I was mistaken, and shall hear that you are well.  Yours ever.

Letter 202 To The Rev. Mr. Cole.  Berkeley Square, Nov. 24, 1780. (page 259)

I am sorry I was so much in the right in guessing you had been ill, but at our age there is little sagacity in such divination.  In my present holidays from the gout, I have a little rheumatism, or some of those accompaniments.

I have made several more notes to the new Topography, but none of consequence enough to transcribe.  It is well it is a book only for the adept, or the scorners would often laugh.  Mr. Gough speaking of some cross that has been removed, says, there is now an unmeaning market-house in its place.  Saving his reverence and our prejudices, I doubt there is a good deal more meaning in a market-house than in a cross.  They tell me that there are numberless