Letter 0455

[fol. 333] Dear Sr. I am extreamly oblig’d to you for yr kind letter of ye 18th past & for yr [?] to Mrs Bulifon, they have been to thank me for my recomendations & I hope they will be serviceable to you at their return. As to what you mention of books I have so few besides for my own diversion yt its not worth while to send you a Catalogue, what there is in double you may comand, but ye Prima Della Catholica has had most of them in Botany, from you whom I have to comision to buy all I can lay hands on, & I am willing to spur him on to that study. besides ye Catalogue of his garden printed last year he has above 600 plants graced towards Panphyton diculum, wch I hope shortly to see. had I known what you wanted in voyages whilst in Italy I coud probably have added some to yr numerous & curious collection, having seen severall on yt subject in Italien, Spanish & Portuguese. As to plants I have few in double, having track’d in all places I have found opportunity & made severall presents in hopes of returns; besides the trouble of carriage has very much discouragd me in yt affair I design what I have wth my fruits seeds & books for a publick yse. it is not worth while to think of selling them, nobody will pay ye trouble much less ye charges wch have been considerable had I such thoughts I coud find ten times more for them in this country then in Engld where exoticks bear an extravagant rate. I hear from Mr Bobert yt father Boccones new book is expected from Dantsick; had not I subscribd for 50 copies & furnishd him part of ye money before hand it had not been printed, [?] desire by yr means those of my friends that are not very much pressd to stay till mine arrive, wch I hope will be as soon as those from Dantsick; tis a trick ye father has put upon me after having promised not to send any hither or into Engld he promis’d not to send any hither or into Engld he promised also not to print more then 250 copies but I hear from a freind at venice he has drawn of 400. I had a letter lately from Dr Tournefort who is very busy abt ye traduction of his Elements 2 vol. in 4 to wch he promises me as soon as finishd… Catalogue of ye garden of Montpellier by Mr Magnol as soon as he has finishd this he will print his voyages & then think of others. take this paragraphe of his letter: je viens de recevoir une petite dissertation de Mr Rai qui n’est pas de mon sentiment sur bien de choses. j’espere qu’il sera plus satisfait de l’edition latine, et je me rejouis de ce qu’il ne m’a pas fait de plus fortes objections. Pray any service to Dr. Robinson w’n you see him, if he remembers in what garden he gather’d ye Abies pinum referens &c Plukenet he would oblige me to let me know, I can hear nothing of it here, neither do I find his other Abies fol. subtus viridibus wch ye Dr says is as comon as ye other in ye gardens of Holland. I writ to Mr Petiver some time since about some books, but have not yet heard from him, pray my service to him I should be glad to have an Answer at his leisure. if you have occasion [fol. 334] of Muntings new edition in folio: Historia et Icones Plant. rariones Hort Aursterodad comelini or Dodart memoires in fol. 1676 (for wch Liers asks 50 Gelders) let me know, I shall have occasion of buying 4 of each & perhaps by yt means may have them some thing cheaper then ordinary. if I can serve here you know how to direct & I hope you’ll take ye same freedom with me yt I do wth you on all occasions Il’ll assure you none is more entirely than I yr most faithfull oblig’d serv’t W.Sherard Hague 16th July 97