Mr Locke was at this time meditating a voyage to Holland; and Sir Isaac Newton's first purpose was, that he should take these papers with him, and, through the medium of some literary acquaintance, procure the translation and publication of them there in the French language. He wished in this manner, without bringing himself personally before the public, to ascertain the feeling and judgment of Biblical critics, as to the subjects of his work. Then, "after it had gone abroad long enough in French," he "might," he states, "perhaps put it forth in English."

Mr Locke having postponed or abandoned his design of revisiting Holland, forwarded the papers to his friend M. Le Clerc, with instructions to have them translated and published. Sir Isaac Newton was not apprized of this circumstance, but, knowing that Mr Locke had not quitted England, concluded that they were still in his possession. In the second letter, written fifteen months after the first, he expresses his regret at learning that this was not the case, and entreats Mr Locke to countermand the translation, it being his design to suppress the work. In the third letter, written three months later, he merely says, he was "glad the edition was stopped." There exist no letters of Mr Locke's to indicate what steps he took towards the execution of Sir Isaac Newton's commission. This deficiency is, however, partially supplied by the letters, still among his papers, addressed to him by M. Le Clerc. The subject is first mentioned in a letter dated April 11th, 1691, in which M. Le Clerc thus writes :

"Dès que j'aurai quelque loisir, je traduirai, ou en Latin ou en François, le petit Historical Account, &c., qui mérite de voir le jour. Je crois pourtant qu'il pourroit être meilleur si l'Auteur avoit lu avec soin ce que M. Simon a dit du sujet, dont il parle dans la Critique du N. T. p. 1."

In a letter dated July the 31st, in the same year, referring to a preceding communication, probably the letter already quoted, M. Le Clerc writes:

"Je vous y disois quelque chose du MS. sur le passage corrompu. Je n'en ai encore rien fait, à cause de diverses occupations que j'ai eues, mais j'espère d'avoir occasion de le publier avec quelques autres dissertations, étant trop petit pour paroître tout seul. Un trop petit livre se perd; il faut tâcher de le grossir un peu si on veut qu'il subsiste."

The next letter in which the tract is mentioned, is dated Jan. 20th, 1692, and was written after a further communication had been received from Mr Locke. "J'aurois soin," says M. Le Clerc, "d'inserer dans la dissertation sur le passage de S. J. l'addition que vous m'avez envoiée, et de traduire l'autre, pour les publier toutes deux ensemble en Latin. Si je n'étois pas engagé dans un autre travail qui demande tout mon temps, j'entreprendrois de composer, ou de traduire en Latin, quantité de dissertations Anglois, ou François, ou Italiennes, sur des sujets de littérature, qui sont peu connues, et que leur petitesse fait perdre. Je les donnerois de temps en temps au public, comme la Bibliothèque; ou les Nouvelles de la Rep. des Lettres; et je le ferois à mes dépenses, parce que les libraires sont ici si avares, et de si mauvais goût, qu'ils veulent tout avoir pour rien, et méprisent les meilleures choses lorsqu'on les leur offre. Mais je suis à present trop occupé pour cela."

M. Le Clerc's next letter is dated the 11th of April, 1692. He had by this time received Mr Locke's instructions to stop the publication. From the terms of M. Le Clerc's answer, it may be conjectured, that the fears of the author of the tract that he might be recognised, even through the disguise of a translation, had been alleged as the cause of its suppression; and this conjecture is strengthened by the language of the subsequent letter.

"C'est dommage," writes M. Le Clerc, "que ces deux dissertations MSS. que j'ai, demeurent supprimés. Je ne crois pas que l'on put reconnoître qu'elles sont traduites, à moins qu'on ne le dit. Dans une matière de cette nature, où je ne saurois manquer de prendre le sens de l'auteur, j'y donne un tour d'original qui ne sent point du tout la traduction. Je n'avois pas encore conclu pour cela avec l'imprimeur, qui faisoit difficulté à cause de la petitesse de l'ouvrage; et depuis votre lettre, je ne lui en ai plus parlé."

In the next letter, July 15, 1692, M. Le Clerc thus expresses himself:

"Je garderai fidèlement les deux dissertations que j'ai, jusqu'à ce que vous me marquerez ce que l'Auteur veut que j'en fasse. Je puis bien dire, que ni cela, ni autre chose qui seroit publié ici, ne feroit aucune affaire à personne, pourvu qu'on n'en sût rien d'ailleurs de-là la mer. Il faut hazarder

quelque chose pour decrasser beaucoup d'honnêtes gens, qui ne pêchent que par ignorance, et qui desabuseroient les autres s'ils étoient désabusés."

On the 5th of December, in the same year, M. Le Clerc observes :-"Vous aurez oui parler du dernier Tome de la Critique du P. Simon sur le Ñ. Testament. Il y a encore quelques éclaircissemens sur le passage de S. Jean, sur lequel M. Arnaud avoit fait diverses remarques dans ses Objections à M. Steyaert. Cela meriteroit d'être examiné par l'Auteur de la dissertation."

No further notice of these papers occurs in this correspondence, which continued to the year 1704, when Mr Locke died. There can be no doubt that the manuscript remained in M. Le Clerc's hands up to this period. He had been enjoined not to publish the dissertations, and he appears to have faithfully acted up to his instructions. He was fully competent to appreciate their value: the most favourable and inviting opportunities offered of making them more extensively known through the press. His Bibliothèque, which had been discontinued about 1693, to afford him leisure to prosecute works of more research and greater importance, was resumed in December, 1703, and continued till about 1730; and yet, in none of the volumes, although presenting so convenient a channel for their publication, are they introduced or named. In the absence of more decisive information, we may receive, as probable at least, the statement of the anonymous editor of the edition of 1754, that M. Le Clerc deposited the manuscript in the library of the Remonstrants, from which, through the medium of a friend, he alleges that he received his copy.

The title of the edition of 1754, "Two Letters from Sir Isaac Newton to M. Le Clerc," is conjectural and inaccurate. The tract having been in M. Le Clerc's possession, being written too in the epistolary form, and the first leaves with the title-page having been lost, the editor concluded that the author had actually addressed them to the Remonstrant professor. It is now clear that Sir Isaac Newton had no direct correspondence with this gentleman on the subject, all the communications having been made through Mr Locke. There is also good reason to believe that Mr Locke had on no occasion divulged to his correspondent the name of the writer,

who was anxious to remain unknown. If the letters were really addressed to any one, it must have been to Mr Locke, to whom the papers were transmitted as they were composed. The probability however is, that the epistolary form was adopted by the author merely as a matter of taste or convenience. The title given to the tract by M. Le Clerc himself, in acknowledging the receipt of the manuscript in the first extract inserted above, is not that of "Two Letters," but" Historical Account," &c., which corresponds with the beginning of the title of the copy inserted in Bishop Horsley's edition of Newton's Works, viz:- "An Historical Account of two Notable Corruptions of Scripture, in a Letter to a Friend."

Sir Isaac Newton tells Mr Locke, "I have no entire copy besides that I send you." At a later period, he must have written many other copies, without introducing any very material alterations. Bishop Horsley performed a valuable service to Biblical literature, by the publication of one in the author's own hand, in the possession of Dr Ekins, Dean of Carlisle. From the catalogue of the Newton Manuscripts at Lord Portsmouth's, at Hurstborne, it would appear that there are some copies there; but whether in a perfect state or not, cannot be ascertained until that collection shall have been examined by some competent person, less influenced by theological and ecclesiastical biases, than the learned and Right Reverend editor of Sir Isaac Newton's Works.

"DEAR SIR,

MR SOMERS TO MR LOCKE.

"Oxon, Wednesday, 5th March, 1689.

"Since you have wished so kindly to my election, I cannot but think it my duty to give you an account that yesterday morning my old partner, Mr Bromley, and myself, were chosen at Worcester without any opposition. I know you will be pleased to hear that my Lord Bellamont has all the reason in the world to be assured of being elected at Droitwich, and I hope the next post will bring you a certain account that it is so, to-morrow being his day. This day was the election for the county of Worcester, and I doubt not but

Mr Foley and Sir Fr. Winnington were chosen, which may be looked upon as good fortune, for there would have been danger from any pretenders, as far as I can find, by the sense of the county. I was very willing to get out of the town as soon as my election was over, and so got into the circuit at this place, from whence I shall go back to Worcester, where I hope you will make me so happy as to let me receive another letter from you, in which I will beg your advice (for by this time you have an account of the bulk of the elections), whether you think I may go on in the circuit or not; what you write shall be my rule in this point. If I could hope to be useful, I would not fail to be at the opening of the Session; but if there be no hopes of it (and that the Gazette inclines me to believe), I would take the advantage of the whole circuit, since I am now engaged in it. letter I beg from you by Saturday's post; and when I have the satisfaction of seeing you, I will beg your pardon for this freedom, which nothing but your kindness to me upon all occasions, as well as my dependence upon your judgment, could have drawn me to. I am earnest in expectation of your thoughts in this and greater matters, and shall be often wishing for the coming of the post to Worcester on Monday next. I am, Sir,

Your most faithful, humble servant,

J. SOMERS.

This

"I am so unfortunate as to have forgot the name of the gentleman at whose house you lodge, and therefore direct this to the Earl of M (onmouth)."

"SIR,

MR SOMERS TO MR LOCKE.

89

"Worcester, Sept. 25, 1698.

"I ought to be out of countenance for being so long in making my acknowledgments for your two favours, which I really value so much; but as I had nothing to write from this place which was fit for you to read, so I wanted a proper address to you, till I learnt it from my friend Mr Freke, in his last letter. The country, generally speaking, is extremely well-disposed in relation to the Government; but some few