The important paper on Abury, in the fourth volume of the Magazine (No. XII, published January, 1858), was illustrated by numerous lithographic plates and woodcuts, the considerable cost of which was most liberally defrayed by the author, William Long, Esq., M.A., of Bath.

Among the more curious of these illustrations, were the plates Nos. II. and III., pp. 315, 317, exhibiting, on a reduced scale, the earliest plans known to have been made of the extensive works and circles at Avebury ; viz. those by the Wiltshire antiquary, John Aubrey, and which had remained unpublished for nearly two centuries.

Early in the last year, on a minute comparison with the originals in the Bodleian Library, by the Rev. Canon Jackson, it was ascertained that in copying the original of the first of these plates, — the "Survey of Aubury," the Oxford artist had unfortunately omitted three of the stones therein shown, and had somewhat misplaced a fourth. This coming to Mr. Long's knowledge, he at once decided to have fac-simile drawings, of the full size, made ; and to present them when lithographed, to the Members of the Society. Through Mr. Long's zeal and liberality, we have now the gratification of adding the two new plates, as a sequel to the paper on Abury.

t is necessary to point out, that of the stones omitted from the "Survey," one is on the right of the avenue in the "way to Kinnet;" a second is in the "grasse" or ditch to the right of the entrance to the great circle; and the third is on the right side of the "southern circle." The stone misplaced is the one immediately adjoining that lust referred to : it was shewn too much to the north, instead of forming part of the segment of a circle with the five stones adjoining. One or two other more trifling inaccuracies maybe observed, on a comparison of the facsimiles with the former plates.

This correction of the plate involves a corresponding alteration in the first column of the table at p. 326 ; in which the number of stones of the southern circle standing in 1663 should be 22, in place of 21.

Two or three passages in Aubrey's account of Avebury were also omitted, in the transcript taken of it and its accompanying preface, for Mr. Long's paper. This omission was detected by Dr. Thurnam, on an examination of the MS. volume in the Bodleian Library, in June 1860. The first is an entire paragraph of the preface, which should have followed that ending — " he commanded me to put in print." (Magazine vol. iv. p. 313.) Here, Aubrey continues:

"But considering that the hinge of the Discourse depends upon Mr. Camden's Kerrig y Druidd: and having often been led out of the way, not only by common reports but by bookes, and for that I had scarcely seen hitherto any antiquitie which did not either fall short of Fame or exceeded it, I was for relying on my own eye- sight ; and would not sett forth this Treatise (commit this Discourse to the presse), till I had taken a journey into North Wales to con- sider that and another called Kerrig y Drewen. But I never had the opportunity to undertake that journey: but lately (169 j) my worthy friend Mr. Edward Lhuyd, Custos of the Museum in Oxford, hath made accurate Observations of the Antiquities in Wales, which I have quoted out of his Annotations to Camden's Britannia. Also I expected an account of such Temples in Scotland, by the help of Sir Robert Moray ; but his death did put a stop to the Edition ; till the yeare 1672 I had the happiness to correspond with the learned Dr. James Garden, Professor of Theologie at Aberdene."

This passage is important, as showing that the curious "preface," in which Aubrey gives the "storie" of his first "sight of the vast stones " of Avobury in 1G48, and of the visit of Charles II. in 1GG3, was one of the latest productions of his pen. Aubrey died in Juno 1697, and Bishop Gibson's edition of Camden (to the publication of which he here refers) appeared in 1G95. In this preface he says ; — "The first draught (of the 'Description' of 'Aubury') was worn out with time and handling, and now, methinks, after many years lying dormant, I come abroad, like the ghost of one of those Druids."

In the preface there are other indications of its late date ; and, altogether, it would appear that it was written within two years of Aubrey's death ; or about thirty-three years after the " Discourse" to which it is prefixed. It was possibly composed during his retirement at the Earl of Abingdon's, at Lavington, in the summer of 1695.¹ It might have been later, by a year or so, but could scarcely have been written earlier.

The preface, (as will appear from what follows) belongs, not to the " Monumenta Britannica " as a whole ; nor yet alone to the " Description of Aubury ; " but is properly introductory to the first and more valuable part of the "M. B.," called "Templa Druidum ; " which, towards the close of his life, when this preface was written, Aubrey had some thoughts of printing separately.²

In the original MS., the preface with its concluding salutation,

" Vale, John Aubrey,"

is succeeded by the following sentence, now for the first time printed.

"I shall proceed gradually, a notioribus ad minus nota, that is to say, from y^e Remaines of Antiquity less imperfect to those more imperfect and ruinated; which brings me first to discourse of that vast and ancient monument at Aubury in Wiltshire."

Note 1. Britton's Life of Aubrey, p. 72.

Note 2. Ibid p. 90.