Mr. OGILBY's Design For Carrying on His BRITANNIA.
HIS Majesty having been graciously pleas'd to grant the Undertaker Authority for a General and Actual Survey of the Kingdom of England and Dominion of Wales, and to refer the Consideration and Inspection of the Deligh to [...] Privy Council; upon whose Report of the Computation of the Charge to 14 thousand Pounds, and the possibility of perfecting it in good time by a general Subscription, His Majesty was farther graciously pleas'd to be the first Royal Example, by Subscribing 500 l for His Royal Self, and 500 l. more for his Royal Consort.
The Author seriously considering that whatever of this nature has been hitherto attempted, comes infinitly short of the Perfection the Importance of the Subject requires; whether Respect be given to the Historick Part, in which not a Tenth, and sometimes a Twentyeth Part of the Towns have been so much as mention'd; nay, oftentimes the very Hundreds wholly omitted; or the Geographick Part, wherein, as Mr. Norden complains, No Actual Dimensuration was ever perform'd, but a Computation of Distances, by a Cursery Perambulation, made up the Original Work, from whence, whatever Mr. Cambden, Speed, or of late one Blome have since done, are but onely Copy'd, with this ill Fate, That as the Original Errors were not onely transferr'd to, but augmented by the additional ones of the later Mapps; so now lastly, the very Performance it self rendred much worse than the meanest of what was before Extant.
This has oblig'd our Author to take new Measures, to lay a Foundation worthy so Eminent a Structure, even such an one as may stand a perfect Model to succeeding Ages; not doubting but by an Encouragement suitable to the worthiness of the Undertaking, to compleat within the space of two Years, a WORK whereof it may be modestly said; That considering the Actual Survey of the Kingdom, the Delineation and Dimensuration of the Reads, the Prospects and Ground plots of Cities, with other Ornamentals, nothing of this Nature requiring so vast a Charge, and such indefatigable Labor and Enquiry, was ever yet attempted either at Home or Abroad. And this according to the following Method,
By dividing the WHOLE into Six fair Volumes. The Four first comprehending the Historical and Geographical Description of England, with the County-Maps truly and actually Survey'd, viz.
The first Volume containing the South Part of the Kingdom, or the Seventeen Counties of Essex, Kent, Sussex and Surrey; Hampshire, Dorsetsh. Wiltsh. and Glocestersh; Hertfordsh, Middlesex, Berksh. Bedfordsh. Buckinghamsh. and Oxfordsh.; Somersetsh. Devoush. and Cornwall.
The Second containing the midle Part of the Kingdom, or the Sixteen Counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge, and Huntingdon; Northampton, Rutland, Leicester and Warwick; Worcester, Hereford, Salop, Chester and Stafford; Derby, Nottingham, and Lincoln.
The Third containing the North Part of the Kingdom, or the Six Counties of York and Lancaster, Westmerland, and Cumberland, Northumberland, and the Bishoprick of Durham.
The Fourth containing the Principality of Wales, viz. Auglesey, Fliut, Denbigh, Carnarvan, Meri [...]neth, and Montgomery, in North-wales: Cardigan, Carmorthen, Pembrook, Radnor, Brecknock, Glamergan, (and Monmouth, now English) in South-wales.
The fifth containing an Ichnographical and Historical Description of all the Principal ROAD-WAYS in England and Wales, in two Hundred Copper Sculptures, after a New and Exquisite method.
The Sixth containing a New and Accurate Description of the Famous City of LONDON, with the perfect Ichnography thereof, according to It's Six and Twenty Wards, in a fair large Volume, Illustrated with the Scenography of all Eminent Buildings and Places belonging thereunto.
The whole WORK attended, with Four large Maps of the Kingdom of England, each containing between Twenty and Thirty Sheets of Royal Paper, according to the Four first Volumes of the BRITANNIA, and Two other Maps of the like Size of the Cities of London and Westminster, curiously and accurately perform'd beyond whatever has been yet attempted for any City of the Universe.
PROPOSALS for Subscribing.
WHEREAS the Lords Referrees computed the Charge of the BRITANNIA and Book of ROADS (to be compris'd in two single Volumes onely) to fourteen Thousand Pounds, the Encouragers may please to take Notice, That upon the present Design of six Volumes, and six large Maps, the whole Charge will amount to twenty Thousand Pounds. Whereby the Intrinsick Value of the Books and Maps will be
- BRITANNIA the four Volumes Consdering the Actual Survey &c l. 12 s. 00 d. 00 l. 34 s. 00 d. 00
- The Volume of the ROADS Considering the Actual Survey &c l. 05 s. 00 d. 00 l. 34 s. 00 d. 00
- The Description of LONDON Considering the Actual Survey &c l. 05 s. 00 d. 00 l. 34 s. 00 d. 00
- The four Maps of ENGLAND Considering the Actual Survey &c l. 08 s. 00 d. 00 l. 34 s. 00 d. 00
- The two Maps of London and Westm Considering the Actual Survey &c l. 04 s. 00 d. 00 l. 34 s. 00 d. 00
- I. To such Honorable and Worthy Persons as are pleas'd to Subscribe for the Whole; whereof to advance 5 l. for the Support of the vast Charge of the Survey; at the Receipt of each Volume, to pay 30 s. and of each Map 20 s.
- II. Those that please to Subscribe onely for the first Volume of BRITANNIA and the Book of ROADS; To advance 40 s. and at Receipt of each Volume 30 s.
- III. For the first Volume of BRITANNIA singly, to advance 20 s. and at Receipt of their Book 40 s.
- IV. [...] of their Book 40 s.
- V. For the Book of LONDON singly to advance 20 s. and at Receipt of their Book 40 s.
- VI. For the first great Map of the Southern Part of ENGLAND to advance 10 s. and at Receipt of the said Map 20 s.
- VII. For the great Mapp of LONDON, to advance 10 s. and at Receipt of the said Mapp 20 s.
- VIII. For the Specimen-County of ESSEX, to advance 5 s. and at Receipt of the said Specimen, 5 s.
- IX. Those that please to have their Arms inserted, to deposite 10 s.
- X. Those that please to have their Descent Registred, 20 s.
- XI. Those that please to give a Prospect of their Seat in a half Sheet, 50 s.
- XII. Those that please to bestow a Prospect of their Seat in a whole Sheet, 5 l.
For the Ichnography and Prospects of Cities or other Eminent Places, according to the proportionable Merit of the Work, from 20 to 50 l.
Advertisememt.
TO such Persons of Honour and Eminency as shall be pleas'd to give the Undertaker extraordinary Encouragements, according to their Dignity and Quality, the Author will make Honorable Presents of the foresaid Volumes, upon Imperial Paper, designing a Hundred of each onely for Returns of this kind.
WE whose Names are hereunder written, are pleas'd to encourage the Undertaker in this so worthy a Design, by Subscribing to
- Proposal, I.
- Prop. II.
- Prop. III.
- Prop. IV
- Prop. V.
- Prop. VI.
- Prop. VII.
- Prop. VIII.
- Prop. IX.
- Prop. X.
- Prop. XI.
- Prop. XII.