The Gentlemen's Society
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’ The Gen tlem en s Society a t Spa ldi ng . N order to form a correct idea o f the c i rcu mfia n ces under which ’ The Gentlemen s Society a t fir fi efi a bli fhed i t Spalding was , will be n ec e ffa ry to mark the p rogr efs which the had been made , at that period , by learned ’ of the i n v e fti zition men this country , in g and ud f fi y o an tiquities . In the earlier part of the reign of ween z a of e rfon s Eli abeth , number p , who were i mpreffed with the obvious importance of en ’ deav ouri ng to collect and p refer v e the V a ft number of Records and o ther valuable docu men ts which had been (ca ttered abroad by the of the Mon a fier i es t t pillage , held heir mee B ’ Tba Gen t leman s Soci ezjy for of i n for ings , the mutual communicating thefe fub eéts hou fe o f mation upon j , at the the t Sir Robert Cotton , under pa ronage of A rchbi fho ro ef of t t p Parker . In p c s ime hey had it in contemplation to apply to the Q1 ?” for t a charter ; reciting in their peti ion , in {h ow of d efi n order to the importance their g , - t a ~Fi rfi hé was h t King Edward the , when fea rc hi n g for proofs of his title to the crown of r Scotland , orde ed diligent inquiry to be ’ made in the libraries of the Mona fter i es ; and t the f W n tha Henry the Eighth did ame , he he was d efirous to bring evidence aga i n fi the ufur a ti on s the 1 1 p of Pope . This pet t on was fi n ed tt g by S ir Robert Co on , Sir John Dod d erid e hether i t w t g , and Sir James Lee ; but f e was ever p re eht d is a matter of doubt . The ’ ex i fc for S c , , c o iety however ontinued to thirty. years , having numbered among its members in that period the names o f Sir Walter Ra leigh , Sir Philip Sidney , Lord Burleigh , of the Henry Earl Arundel , two Herberts , of Bi fho Earls Pembroke , Sir Henry Savile , p t Andrewes , John S owe , and William Cam I i fi f i den . ts d ffolu ti on was owing to the i p ’ n of Fi rft f i cio s policy James the , who is a d el f fl Spa Zdi g . 3 f the of acce f to have been a raid , at time his fion ft thefe t fh ould , le prying an iquaries get i n fi ht the n o f ft an g into arca a kingcra . In 1 6 1 u n fuccefs ful tt for 7 , an a empt was made t o f the fa its revival , hrough the mediation ' h v ouri te B uc ki n a m . u d iftur b ed , g D ring the “ fi a te of i n t the country , the civil wars , cer ain eminent fc hol a rs purfued their r efea rches in f t W private , requen ly communicating ith each other but not bolding fi a ted meetings . Among thefe W D odfwor th ere Dugdale , , Somner , ’ D Ewes U fher Afh Spelman , Selden , , , and Afhm ol e ' i n f mole . his diary mentions ome of m ufieri n W t kind g hich hey had , about the ’ of R eftora ti on time the , called the Antiqua and after this the learned body fe em to have been dormant for nearly half a century . 1 0 We fin d f m tom s of In the year 7 7 , y p fii rri n . A few t t g among them . gen lemen , wi h ’ the intention of p rofecu ti n g i nv e fciga ti on s into ’ hi fior of t t the ancient y Grea Bri ain , began to ” h the Cofiee-f old weekly meetings at various Origin of the SOCie‘ Of h fin d Y oufes . 1 1 0 near the Temple In 7 , we An tiqua ries of o two G al es t Maur ice ohn the names Br wne Willis , the , l i on to be i ts ohn fon . A b a an S tukeley , Rymer, and Maurice J Li r ri . ’ Ti mGen t eman s Soci ez 4. l fy flce tch of the different heads under which they propofed to carry on their refearches is fiill 1 1 them fel v es extant . In 7 7 , they formed i t re fid en t into a regular Society , elec ing a p and Prev i oufl fee s other offi c ers . y to this it m to ” d f s have been agree , that as oon as their fund ' “ {h ould prove fufii ci en t to enable them to buy ohn fon fh ould books , Maurice J be appointed their librarian . ‘ ohn fon r e Maurice J , however , was now frorri foci e t of moved the congenial y London , to his native town of Spalding . He had ex ‘ ’ o f s changed the company wits , at Button ‘ Cofiee- Hou fe - of a the and ntiquaries , at ‘ h — of Addifon Temple C ange the company , —of Gay,and Steele , Willis , S tukeley and the —for foc i e t of Gales , the ordinary y a country f ni n town . And o great was his love of l ea r g a nd fc i enc e t , hat he at once entertained the ’ bold d efign o f efcabli fhi n g a Literary Society f in the very heart o the fens of Lincoln . It ' “ fa id v er t a n was , as he y ruly , endeavour new , ' ” ‘ n r i e f n a d u n t d b efore . The per o s to Whom “ he looked for aid were unacc ufi om ed to fuch ” e a mode of {pending an evening . H was “ ’ him felf only j uft arrived at manhood ' a t 5 and all his a d vi fer s and encouragers were at ” d i fia nce . refol ve a great Yet did he well , f and man ully perfevere . Taking care not t o alarm t he country gen tlemen by any prema t e of a nti uities e ur mention q , he end avoured at ‘ firft to allure them into the more flowery paths f of t . 1 0 o litera ure In 7 9, a few them were Spalding So ci ety i n i ts i n t ofi - ff brough together every p day , at the Co ee fan cy . hou fe in the Abbey Yard ; and after one of ’ - the . party . had read aloud the laft pnbli fh ed “ n of the t to umber Tatler , hey proceeded t fub e h f l v talk over he j ct among t em e es . Thus ” the of fen fe f were men and letters , he ays , drawn i n fen fibly in to a foc i able way of con ” “ ” .v erfin ft t g . A er a while the Spec ators were read in like manner ; and now and then a new poem , by Gay or Parnell , was brought » f e Ha u on fo m e - fub orward , or an y or letter p Thef j ecl: of polite literature . e papers were f refer v ed the care ully p , and attention of the gentlemen was turned to the formation of a . I n 1 1 2 (0 fa ti sfied library 7 , well were they of ft with the proceedings the la three years , that it was de termined to place the1 r meet n ings upon a foo ting of perma ence . Propo ’ “ fals were i fiued for the e ftablifhi ng of a ’ 6 Tba Gehtlemen s Soci ety of for the fu or ti n of Society Gentlemen , pp g n t t mutual benevole ce , and heir improvemen ” in the liberal fci en ces and in polite learning . refiden t t { o f A p was elec ed , and a hort code ’ laws was i q ed for the regulati on of their meetings their founder mod efily u n d er ta k 1n the fub ordi n a te office of fecr e ta r a t g y , and once commencing the Minutes of their tra n f ’ fir ft fub eé t of t actions . The recorded j heir ’ examination was the fk etch of an ancient mo n um e n ta l Pr i n fc ri ti on Pe terb o one and p , in he r . At t rough Cathed al the next meeting , ’ fecreta r e i ftles y communicated two poetical p , on e f n the in Latin , rom a gentleman at Eto f 1 the t E n lifh U n to his r end ; o her in g , po the departure of the Duke of Marlborough to t the of ake command the Allied Forces , in ' H e f Germany .