m the originals by R.
Flexman (who had been a pupil of Aynsworth) in 1768. The transcriber's
account is as follows:--

"After Mr. Aynsworth's death, these letters remained in the
possession of his daughter, and at her decease passed into the
the hands of the Rev. Mr. Upton, the then vicar of Cornhampton;
by him they were lent to my brother John Baker, of Grove Place,
in Hampshire, who lent them to me. It will be perceived that the
ten printed letters are not given as they were written, every
thing of a private nature being omitted, and passages only given
of other letters, just as the editor judged proper."

R. Flexman has made some remarks illustrative of the letters at the end
of his transcript, and added some particulars relating to Lord
Shaftesbury. He justly says,--

"I think these letters will show his lordship in a more
favourable light with respect to the Christian religion than his
_Characteristics_, which, though they may be condemned on that
account, will ever remain a lasting monument of the genius of
the noble writer. It is certain, too, the friends of
Christianity are obliged to him for the publication of one of
the best volumes of sermons that ever appeared in the English
language. They are twelve in number, by Dr. Benjamin Whichcote.
These sermons (as well as the preface, which is admirable)
breathe such a noble spirit of Christianity, as I think will
efface every notion that his lordship was an enemy to the
Christian religion. In this preface he calls Dr. Whichcote (from
his pleading in defence of natural goodness) the 'preacher of
good nature.'"

What follows will, I think, be acceptable to your correspondents C H.
and C. R. S.

"I have heard that the way in which Lord Shaftesbury got
possession of the manuscript sermons was this:--Going one day to
visit his grandmother, the Countess Dowager, widow of the first
Earl, he found her reading a manuscript; on inquiring what she
was reading, she replied, that it was a sermon. His {34}
lordship expressed his surprise that she should take so much
trouble as to read a manuscript sermon when there were such
numbers in print. She said, she could find none so good as those
she had in manuscript. Lord Shaftesbury then requested the
favour of being allowed to peruse it, and having done so, he
inquired of the Countess