Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 9.djvu/8

 .'NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. ix. JAN. 3,

I send here inclosed a second Bill of Exchange, case the first I sent you in my last hath mis- rry'd : So, my dear Nephew, I embrace you with

in case ca

both my Arms.

On the strength of the latter sentence Mr. Knight, differing from W T arton, thought that a relationship by blood or marriage existed between Howell and Baron. The terms of Baron's Letter of Dedication of his book are strongly against any such thino 1, while Howell's pedigree (Harl. Mb. 4 18lT disproves it again. We must suppose that the bill of exchange either represented a wift made by the elder man in considera- tion of the Dedication, or represented Baron's own money, and Howell had under- taken to dispatch it to Paris. Howell seems to address more than one of his young friends as " nephew."'

As to the part played by Baron in Howell's ' Epistolae Ho-eliaiise,' there is room for creat doubt, Apart from the letter ad- dressed to him by name, from which I have quoted, there are four letters which might plausibly be supposed to be addressed to him, viz.

(1) 3 Aug., 1645, "To Master R. B." Book II. xxxvii. ; Jacobs, p. 429.

(2) 3 July, 1640, "To Mr. R. Br." Book II. xxxv. ; Jacobs, p. 428.

(3) 26 July, 1646, 'To R. B., Esquire, at Grundes-

burgh." Book III. xi. ; Jacobs, p. 534.

(4) 15 Aug., 1646, " To Mr. R. B. at Ipswich."

Book II. xxxii. ; Jacobs, p. 425. Mr. Knight assumes that (1) was addressed to Baron, while Mr. Jacobs, admitting that (3) might be addressed to Baron, believes that more probably its recipient was (an unknown) Richard Blois, and that the other letters were addressed to Mr. Robert Brown- rigg, who was a Counsellor of Law, married a Mary Bloss (which name Mr. Jacobs considers as Blois, though it existed inde- pendently in Suffolk), and died at Bexley in 1669 (Page's ' Suffolk,' p. 484).

The question seems to be too much en- tangled to unravel. One can only point out that Howell in (1) says he had received a letter from his correspondent " by Master Bloys," and refers to his correspondent's ' ; sweet blossoms of ingenuity," on which it were not amiss " if some foreign air did blow " ; that the heading of (2) is " To Mr. R. Br./' which suggests "Brownrigg" rather than " Baron," while Howell seems to be addressing the same man as before when he says " I hope you persist in your purpose for foreign Travel," and "I have already discovered such .... parts of in genuity in you," &c. ; that the heading of

R. B., Esquire, at Grundesburgh " ; that Howell implies that his correspondent is 'a- new; friend, calls him "my dear Nephew," and says " I am glad you are so well return'd to your own family " one can hardly imagine that this could be Baron ; and that (4) is headed " To Mr. R. B. at Ipswich." Howell refers to his correspondent's having visited him, and says :

' I presume you are constant in your desire to- travel. I shall be glad to steed you in anything

that mav tend to your Advantage ; for

ra anyi

take

(3) differs from the others in being " To

much contentment in this inehoation of Friendship^

If you meet Master R. Brownrig in the Country,.

I pray present my very kind respects to him : for 1 profess myself to be both his and Your most affectionate Servitor/'

Mr. Jacobs considers even this letter to be written to Mr. Robert Brownrigg, and that the " Master R. Brownrig " whom it men- tions was another man of the same name. I am inclined to think that of the four letters this one, at any rate, was addressed to Baron. Mr. Jacobs was probably not aware that there was any tie between Baron and Robert Brownrigg. The latter had,, however, been admitted to Gray's Inn on 10 May, 1645 (a year and a half before Baron), " son of Matthew Brownrigg, of Clopton, Suffolk, clerk," and verses of his ' To his much respected and learned friend Master Robert Baron ' are prefixed to ' The Cyprian Academy.' It was possibly through Brownrigg that Baron introduced himself to Howell.

After his Letter of Dedication Baron in- serts a letter ' To the Ladies and Gentle- woemen of England,' in which he modestly refers to his work as "this babe." Then follow commendatory verses from " William Beversham of Grayes Inne Esquire," " Ro- bert Brounrigg of Grayes Inne Gent.," " J: Hall, e Soc : Gray. hosp. Gent,," " Tho : Brad- ford," "Henry Bold Fell. N.C. Oxon,' r "John Gleane Cantabri.," " Christophoru& Baretus Londinensis. Coll. Cere [=Corp.] Chr. Cantb.," "Joh. Quarles ex sede S* Petri Cantabridg.," " Carol. Cremer, Coll. Corp~ Christ. Cantabr.," " Wil. : Smith Gent.," and " Jos. Browne Gent."

Of these William Beversham was called to- the Bar on 19 May, 1647 ; John Hall, after making a reputation at St. John's College,. Cambridge, as an essayist and poet, had left Cambridge in 1647 for Gray's Inn, where he had already been entered on 10 May, 1643 ; Thomas Bradford had been admitted to Caius in 1643 from Norwich School, of which he eventually became Master (1667) ; Henry Bold was a poet, soon to be ejected' from his fellowship at New College (1648) ;