Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 11.djvu/395

 10 S. XL APRIL 24, 1909.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

323

DODSLEY'S FAMOUS COLLECTION OF POETRY.

(See 10 S. vi. 361, 402 ; vii. 3, 82, 284, 404, 442 ; viii. 124, 183, 384, 442 ; ix. 3, 184, 323, 463 ; x. 103, 243, 305, 403 ; xi. 62, 143.)

THE REV. EDWARD LITTLETON was born on 17 Feb., 1697/8, at Stoke St. Milborough, Shropshire, but no entry of his baptism occurs in the register of the parish church. On 28 July, 1712, he was placed third out of seventeen on the indentures for a scholar- ship at Eton College, and succeeded to a vacancy on 23 March, 1712/13, being then fifteen years old. Dr. Snape, the then head master, is said to have encouraged his talents. His school exercises were much admired, and he went to the University with a great reputation.

Littleton was placed on 25 July, 1715, eleventh out of twelve on the indentures for a scholarship at King's College, Cambridge, and on 16 July, 1716, was third out of twelve. His place at Eton was declared vacant on 15 Jan., 1716/17, and six days later he was admitted to a scholarship at King's College. He became a fellow of that college on 21 January, 1719/20, and took the degrees of B.A. 1720, M.A. 1724, LL.D. (by royal letters granted in 1728) 1729. No college office was held by him at Cambridge, and he returned in 1720 to Eton as an assistant master, where he became very popular with the boys under his charge. He was in priest's orders in the term ending at Christmas, 1725 ; and his fellowship at King's College ceased soon after the close of the term to Midsummer, 1726.

In 1 726 Littleton was elected to a fellowship at Eton College, and on 16 July in that year was inducted into the vicarage of Maple- durham, a living in the gift of the college. Vol. IV. of the manuscript ' Skeleton Collegii Regalis Cantab.,' by Anthony Allen, which is at King's College, says that

" through unaccountable remissness he neglected to take the oaths to the Government, whereby his Fellowship was become forfeit. The Provosi and fellows, to prevent another's being obtrudec on them, met privately in Eton Chappel and re- elected him, and after, to make all safe, sued ou1 his pardon under the Great Seal ; but it has been questioned whether the King can pardon such an omission and forfeiture thereon, and his sincere attachment to the present happy establishmeni was never the least questioned."

The last statement is corroborated by the fact that on 9 June, 1730, he was made chaplain in ordinary to the King.

Allen proceeds to remark that Littleton's succession so early to a fellowship at Eton need not necessarily be attributed to his merits, as

" Dr. Sleech looked on him as a very good match 'or one of his numerous issue (but without just ncouragement on Littleton's part), and won a >romise of it from Mr. Provost, of which he witted Littleton not so prudently on his marry - ng a daughter of one Mr. Barnham Goode,"

was for several years under master at Eton. This marriage to Frances Goode ook place on his appointment to Maple- durham.

Littleton died from fever at Mapledurham r ' between the hours of Four and Five o'Clock in the afternoon " of 16 Nov.,. L733, and was buried in the parish church on 19 Nov. He left a widow and three infant daughters. As they were penniless,, hey were allowed by the Rev. John Burton,. D.D., his successor at Mapledurham, to remain in the vicarage. A neighbouring
 * lergyman, calling one day, found Mrs.

Littleton engaged in shaving Dr. Burton. The visitor expressed his disapproval of bhis arrangement, with the result that Burton, in November, 1736, married the widow. Two volumes of Littleton's ' Sermons upon Several Practical Subjects ' were pub- lished it is said under Burton's editorship in 1735, " by subscription, for the benefit of his widow and children." The publication was encouraged by Queen Caroline, and the dedication to her was signed by the widow, Frances Littleton.

A second edition of these volumes came out in March, 1736, and a third in 1749. To the last were added some of Littleton's poems and a brief memoir of him by the Rev. Thomas Morell. The volumes did not include his sermon before the House of Commons at St. Margaret's, Westminster, on 30 Jan., 1730/31, which was published in 1731.

The two poems of Littleton which are printed in Dodsley (vol. vi. pp. 290-94, 298-9) are entitled ' A Letter from Cam- bridge to a Young Gentleman at Eton School ' and ' On a Spider.' Both of them are in the poetical collection Addit MS. 28,101 at the British Museum, but the former is erroneously called ' Letter from a Young Gentleman at Oxford to his Friend in Town.' The other pieces " by Mr. Littleton " in that manuscript collection are by George, afterwards Lord Lyttelton.

These poems, are said by Morell to " have surreptitiously crept into Miscellanies in a very imperfect condition. . . .Names have