"Doubtless many of my subscribers have thought me very unmindful of the promise I made them in my printed proposal, in which I undertook to publish my poem out of hand. Ill health has been the sole cause of my disappointing their expectations. A fever of the nerves ... for these four years, has rendered me incapable.... In my original proposals I undertook to publish this work in two books. [In the introduction he says, as I have just quoted, _one_ book.] Poetical {215} matter hath increased upon me to such a degree, in the genial climate of Languedoc, as to have enabled me to compose several more books on this interesting subject, all which I purpose presenting my subscribers with at the original price of half a guinea.... Many months ago this Second Book was printed off; but on my arrival in town from Montauban (whither I purpose to return), I found there were so many faults and blunders in it throughout, that I was under the necessity of condemning five hundred copies to the inglorious purpose of defending pye bottoms from the dust of an oven.... Profit, my Lord, has not been my motive for publishing: if it had, I should be egregiously disappointed, for instead of gaining I shall be a considerable loser by the publication; and yet many of my subscribers have _given me four, five, and six times over and above the subscription-price for my Poem. How even the remaining books will see the light must depend entirely upon my pecuniary, not my poetical abilities_. The work is well nigh completed; but not one solitary brother have I throughout the airy regions of Grub Street who is poorer than I. It is not impossible, however, but when _some of my partial friends shall know this_, they may _enable me by their bounty_ to publish out of hand." This leads me to doubt whether the third book was ever published, for I think the most "partial" of his friends--those who had given "four, five, and six times over and above the subscription price"--must have had enough in two books. If it were not published, it is a curious fact that, in a poem called _The Battle of Minden_, the battle of Minden is not mentioned; though not more extraordinary perhaps than the omissions of the "Explanation of the Apocalypse" in his previous work. I come now to the question, Why did Junius speak so passionately and disrespectfully of Swinney, and what are the probabilities that Swinney had never before (July) 1769 spoken to Lord G. Sackville? These I must defer till next week. T. S. J. * * * * * MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTION IN PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL. The following Notes occur on a fly-leaf at the end of a copy of Gunton's _History of Peterborough Cathedral_, and appear to have been written soon after that book was printed: