his portrait. This document would
have been better inserted, in point of chronological order,
in part V., but, as the Editor did not receive it till long
after that part was printed, he trusts it will be thought
better late than never.

THE DIRECTION.

[Illustration: [handwritten]

To
Mr John Mann
at the Hand in Hand
Fire Office in Angel Court
on Snow Hill
[illegible]
in
London]

Exeter, 21st March, 1738.

Dear Sir,

I take the liberty presuming upon the Intimacy of our
Acquaintance to employ you in a pretty troublesome Affair.
Fletcher Gyles, Bookseller in Holbourn, with whom I had some
Dealings about two years ago, has lately sent me Down a
Catalogue of a Library which will begin to be sold by
Auction at his house next Monday Evening. As I have scarce
laid out any Money in Books for these two years past, the
great number of Valuable Books contained in this Collection,
together with the tempting prospect of getting them cheaper
in an Auction than they are to be had in a Sale, or in any
other way whatsoever, has induced me to lay out a Sum of
mony this way, at present, which will probably content my
Curiosity in this kind, for several years to come. Mr. Gyles
has offered himself to act for me, but as I think 'tis too
great a Trial of his Honesty to make him at the same time
both Buyer & Seller, & as Books are quite out of my
Brother's Way, I have been able to think of no Friend I
could throw this trouble upon but you. I propose to lay out
about L60 or L70, and have drawn up a List of the Books I am
inclined to, which you have in the First Leaf, with the
Price to each Book, which I would by no means exceed, but as
far as which, with respect to each single Book, I would
venture to go; though I am persuaded upon the whole they are
vastly overvalued. For my Valuation is founded in proportion
upon what I have been charged for Books of this kind, when I
have sent for them on purpose from London, and I have had
too many proofs that the Booksellers make it a Rule to
charge near double for an uncommon Book, when sent for on
purpose, of what they would take for it in their own Shops,
or at a Sale. So that, though the Amount of the Inclosed
List is above L120, yet, when Deductions are