To DALRYMPLE 21 DECEMBER 1761 77 to me by his having preserved copies in the writing of his secretaries— but in general his compositions might as well remain in hieroglyphic. I have been with Lord Granville, the grandfather of Lord Wey­ mouth,6 on purpose to gratify your curiosity about papers relating to Sir Henry Vane,? in possession of the latter. Lord Granville says, there are many papers at Longleate;8 that he never examined them with any care, but believes they are only of the time of Sir John Thynne,9 the founder of the house, and consequently antecedent by many years to the period you demand; nor does he know, he says, how any MSS of consequence during the reigns of James or Charles should have ar­ rived at Longleate.10 The young possessor and his brother11 are no persons of curiosity, yet if I can obtain any fuller information in this or any other point for your satisfaction, Sir, I will spare no pains, as nobody is more, Sir, Your obliged and zealous humble servant, HOR. WALPOLE 22d. [PS.J Since I finished my letter, Sir, I have received another of your parcels, and if I was pleased before, I am now proud, finding such hon­ ourable testimony borne to my Catalogue of Authors.12 In the present proof, I think, Sir, there are two omissions; in p. 19, line 5, an law should I suppose be any law;13 and in p. 28, line four, do (you) mean of, seems to want you.1* The affair of Peacham1* is very curious; I do not in the hand of a secretary' (Conway Letters, (1776) and was cr. (1784) Bn Carteret of ed. Marjorie H. Nicolson, 1930, p. xiii). Hawnes. 6. Thomas Thynne (1734-96), 3d Vet 12. In a note on Henry Howard, 1st E. of Weymouth, 1751; cr. (1789) M. of Bath; sec­ Northampton, Dalrymple observes, 'There retary of state 1768-70, 1775-9; KG- is a lively and just character of this re­ 7. Sir Henry Vane (1589-1655), the elder; markable personage in Mr Walpole's Cata­ secretary of state 1640-1. logue of Royal and Noble Authors, Article, 8. Longleat in Wilts, the seat of Lord Northampton' (Memorials and Letters, Weymouth. Reign of James I, p. 22). 9. Sir John Thynne (d. 1580). He built 13. It appears as 'any law' in Memorials Longleat House 1567-79 (J. P. Neale, Views and Letters, Reign of James I (2d edn), p. of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen, 25- 1818-29,v - [2g])- 14. It appears as 'do you mean of' in 10. There were numerous 17th-century ibid. p. 58. MSS at Longleat, but the Elizabethan col­ 15. Edmond Peacham (d. 1616), Puritan lection was much larger. The Longleat rector of Hinton St George, was arrested in papers are described in Hist. MSS Comm. 1614 for his seditious sermons against James 3d R., App., 1872, pp. 180-202. I, and later was tortured for the purpose 11. The Hon. Henry Frederick Thynne of extracting information relative to a sus­ (1735-1826), who took the name of Carteret pected conspiracy, but nothing was drawn .