Page:Life of Sir William Petty 1623 – 1687.djvu/14

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LIFE OF SIR WILLIAM PETTY

Petty, presented to the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Munich by Mr. W.L. Bevan, which as yet is only privately printed, but deserves a wider circulation.

The references to Evelyn's 'Memoirs' are to the edition of 1854, published by Colburn; and those to Pepys's 'Diary' refer to the edition of 1893. The references to the 'Bodleian Letters' are to the work generally known as 'Aubrey's Lives,' published in the second volume of the 'Bodleian Letters' (London, 1813).

I have received valuable assistance in the course of my work, which I desire to acknowledge, from Mr. G. Bickley and Mr. Jeayes, of the MS. Department in the British Museum; from Mr. Hubert Hall, Deputy-Keeper of the Record Office; from Mr. Wrix, of the Royal Society; from Mr. E. Nicolson, Librarian of the Bodleian Library; from Mr. George Scharf; from Mr. Charles Heberden, M.A., Principal of Brasenose; from Mr. A. C. Peskett of Magdalene College, Cambridge; and from Mr. C.H. Firth and Mr. Archibald Bence-Jones.

Through the kind permission of the Marquis of Bath I have been allowed to consult a MS. at Longleat containing some interesting details as to Sir William Petty's death and copies of some of his papers.

I desire to express my obligation to Mr. W.S. Taylor, the editor of 'England under Charles II.' in the 'Series of English History by Contemporary Writers,' published by Messrs. Nutt, for the references in that book to 'Rugge's MS. Diary' and the 'Secret History of Whitehall.'

In the Appendix is printed a complete list of Sir William Petty's Works, found in his own handwriting at Wycombe Abbey, and transcribed by Lord Shelburne in the last century