THE REMAINS OF THOMAS HEARNE, M. A., OF EDMUND HALL, BEING EXTRACTS FROM HIS MS. DIARIES, COLLECTED WITH A FEW NOTES BY PHILIP BLISS, LATE FELLOW OF ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE, NOW PRINCIPAL OF ST. MARY HALL, OXFORD: PRINTED FOR THE EDITOR, BY JAMES WRIGHT, PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY. M. DCCC. LVII. July 24. Mr. Lewis assures me, that my lord Bullingbrooke is a great villain, and that king James turned him out of his court for being a spy, and betraying his secrets. Indeed, as Mr. Lewis said, he went over, by Marlborough's contrivance, purely to be a spy, and tho' he opposed Oxford in England, yet it was only out of pretence of being on king James's side, not out of honesty; Oxford indeed being rather of that king's side, which is the true reason, it may be, why Bullingbroke so much hated him. But these are secrets. 'Tis certain Bullingbroke's father is great in George's court, which 'tis believed would not be, were his son for king James. Aug. 25. Mr. Prynn's books, having been made use of for wast paper, begin now to be scarce, and to be got into curious hands, purely for this reason, because he commonly cites his vouchers for what he delivers, and thereby gives his reader an opportunity of examining the truth of them. Mr. Baker, of Cambridge, believes his study hath more of Mr. • John Lewis was a bookseller in Covent-garden, and a papist. He was for many years servant to king James the second in France, and afterwards to the pretender, with whom he sailed for Scotland in queen Anne's time. Soon after Hearne saw him at Oxford, Lewis was brought into trouble for causing a pamphlet, entitled Vox Populi Vox Dei, to be printed. This was judged to be a treasonable production, and the printer being compelled to disclose his employer, Lewis left off trade, and retired into Denbighshire, his native country, where, I fancy, he ended his days. The printer, Matthews, was tried, and being convicted of high treason, was hung at Tyburn, 6th Nov. 1719. The author of the pamphlet in question was supposed to be Mr. Brewster, a barrister, and formerly a member of Balliol college, who died about the time that Lewis absconded into Wales. |