Page:Life of Edmond Malone.djvu/237

Rh adopt any inscription without seeing and approving it, and as you might possibly not choose to submit it at all to their inspection unless upon a certain assurance of its being adopted, I thought it right to state the circumstance to you before you transmitted the epitaph. The persons I allude to are, Mr. Burke, Mr. Windham, Sir Joseph Banks, Mr. Metcalf and Mr. Boswell, who together with myself are nominated as curators of the monument, and who are all extremely indebted to you for your exertions on the present occasion.”

Dr. Parr writes, at the same moment, that he will soon be in town. Malone replies by inclosing a proposal from Sir William Scott, implying some difference of opinion as to the language employed, which produced cessation of correspondence for more than a month. Malone then resumes his pen at greater length, fortified by the opinion of the club, that certain alterations should be made in order to suit the general views:—

“May 21, 1795. “,—Some very pressing business of my own has prevented me a long time from obeying Sir William Scott’s desire, who being entirely occupied by the business of the term, requested me to convey to you our joint sentiments on the subject of the two letters with which you favoured us. I may add, that I felt myself very unequal to the task, as indeed I have nothing more to say respecting the epitaph than what I have said already.

“However, as in a question of this sort authority may be of some weight in a matter where the appeal