Page:The battle of the books - Guthkelch - 1908.djvu/194

120 I sent to Mr Bennet, my bookseller in London, to get the manuscript, and desired him to apply himself to Dr Bentley, in my name, for the use of it, not doubting in the least a ready compliance with such a request from one of his station and order, and who besides was at that very time in a lecture of some honour and profit that had lately been set up by one of my family, especially since the book which I desired to borrow was of so little importance that it had scarce been a favour to have lent it me if I had not asked it. After an expectation of many months, Mr Bennet sent me at last a collation of part of the manuscript with this account: that he had with a great difficulty, and after long delays, got the manuscript into his hands; that he had it but a very few days, when Dr Bentley came to demand it again, and would by no means be prevailed upon to let him have the use of it any longer, though he told him the collation was not perfected; and that he denied this request in a very rude manner, throwing out several slight and disparaging expressions, both of me and the work I was about.

This I had reason to take very ill of Dr Bentley, and therefore in that part of my Preface where I gave