Page:The battle of the books - Guthkelch - 1908.djvu/28

 He knew as a customer (he says himself 'as a friend') Richard Bentley, who in the previous year (1692) had delivered in St. Martin's Church the first course of Boyle Lectures (founded by the great-uncle of Charles Boyle), and who had written in 1690 a Latin Letter to Dr Mill on the Chronicle of Malelas, which showed him to be one of the greatest classical scholars in England. There were rumours that Justel was about to resign his post and that Bentley would take his place. Accordingly Bennet asked Bentley if he would get the MS. for him, and Bentley seems to have promised to do so. It is clear that Boyle ought not to have expected to get the MS. merely by a request made through a third person, for Bentley knew nothing of Boyle, except that he was a relation of the great scientist who had founded the Lectureship which he had recently held: but this reason for not lending the MS. was not mentioned until later, and Bentley never suggested that it had influenced him in any way.

Despite his promise, Bentley did not get the MS. for Bennet, although Bennet reminded him frequently of the matter when he came to the shop: but