Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 4.djvu/392

of the reasons, why he was guilty of so many mistakes in the first volume of his History of the Reformation? his excuses are just, rational, and extremely consistent. He says, he wrote in haste, which he confirms by adding, that it lay a year after he wrote it before it was put into the press. At the same time he mentioned a passage extremely to the honour of that pious and excellent prelate, archbishop Sancroft, which demonstrates his grace to have been a person of great sagacity, and almost a prophet. Doctor Burnet, then a private divine, desired admittance to the Cotton library, but was prevented^[1] by the archbishop, who told sir John Cotton, that the said doctor was no friend to the prerogative of the crown, or to the constitution of the kingdom. This judgment was the more extraordinary,

1. It is somewhat remarkable to see the progress of this story. In the first edition of this introduction, is should seem "he was prevented by the archbishop," &c. When the introduction was reprinted a year after with the history, It stands: A great prelate had been before hand, and possessed him sir John Cotton] against me — That unless the archbishop of Canterbury would recommend me — he desired to be excused — The bishop of Worcester [Dr. W. Lloyd.] could not prevail on the archbishop to interpose." This is somewhat less than preventing: unless the archbishop be meant by the great prelate which is not very probable, 1. Because in the preface to this very third volume, p. 4, he says, "It was by archbishop Bancroft's order he had the free use of every thing that lay in the Lambeth library." 2. Because the author of Speculum Sarisburianum, p. 6. tells us, "His access to the library was owing solely to the recommendation of archbishop Sancroft, as I have been informed (says the author) by some of the family." 3. Because bishop Burnet in his History of his Own Times, vol. I, p. 396, says it was, "Dolben, bishop of Rochester [at the instigation of the duke of Lauderdale], that diverted sir John Cotton from suffering him to search his library."

because