Comprising:
1. Grammar Made Familiar and Easy. Being the First Volume of the Circle of Sciences, &c. Published by the King’s Authority. The Fourth Edition. 1776
2. Arithmetic Made Familiar and Easy. Being the Second Volume […] The Fourth Edition. 1777.
3. Rhetoric Made Familiar and Easy, and Illustrated with Orations from Demosthenes, Cicero, Sallust, Homer, Shakespear, Milton, &c. Being the third Volume […] The Fourth Edition. 1777
4. Poetry Made Familiar and Easy, and Embellished with a great Variety of Epigrams, Epitaphs, Songs, Odes, Pastorals, &c from the best Authors. Being the Fourth Volume […] The Fourth Edition. 1776.
5. Logic Made Familiar and Easy: To which is Added a Compendious System of Metaphysics, or Ontology. Being the Fifth Volume […] The Fourth Edition. 1777.
6. Geography Made familiar and easy to Young Gentlemen and Ladies. Being the Sixth Volume […] The Fifth Edition. 1783.
7. Chronology Made Familiar and Easy to Young Gentlemen and Ladies. To which is added, a Table of the most memorable Events from the Beginning of the World. Being the Seventh Volume […] The Fourth Edition. 1778.
First announced in 1745, Newbery’s Circle of Science comprised these seven volumes, which were issued over the next three years and then in multiple editions. Volumes on Criticism, History and Philosophy were advertised, but no editions are known to exist. There were also two supplementary works, An Easy Introduction to the English Language and A Spelling Dictionary of the English Language, but these are not regarded as part of the series. Newbery’s name was dropped from the imprint in Vol VI, although he signed the dedication to the Marquis of Blandford. The other volumes are dedicated to the young Prince William Henry, Prince Edward Augustus, Prince George, Princess Augusta, the Marquis of Tavistock (later Duke of Bedford) and the Earl of Euston.(later Duke of Grafton).
An entirely unsophisticated set of educational books for children owned by the 15-year old Charlotte Mary Porten (1776–1827) with her inscription in the seventh volume: “Charlotte Mary Porten / her book / Feb^ry^ the 27 1791 / Palace / Kensington.” Porten was the niece (and joint heir with her brother) of Edward Gibbon who described her as, “one of the most amiable, sensible young creatures I ever saw”, and offered, after her father died, to adopt Charlotte (he also seems to suggest that he would take her as live-in companion). Gibbon suggested that he had, “conceived a romantic idea of educating and adopting” Charlotte, noting (Pygmalion-like and now rather uneasily to a modern reader) that he wished to “model” her “as a piece of soft wax.” Given the subject of these books and the date of the inscription it is quite possible that these volumes were given to Charlotte as a preparatory stage in moulding her into the educated woman Gibbon wished her to be.
Charlotte Mary Porten (1776-1827) was the daughter of the British government official and diplomat Sir Stanier Porten (1716-1789) whose youngest sister Judith married Edward Gibbon of Buriton, Hampshire whose eldest son, Edward Gibbon spent a great deal of time with the Porten family and Gibbon was later cared for by his aunt, Catherine Porten. Stanier Porten died at Kensington Palace, where the family resided, on 7th June 1789 and it was after this that Gibbon floated the idea of adopting the young Charlotte as a companion for his old age.
In the Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (Vol II, 1753-1794 ed. Rowland E. Prothero in 1896), Gibbon wrote to Lord Sheffield from Lausanne on 25th July 1789):
“Sir Stanier Porten is just dead. He has left his widow with a small pension, and two children, my nearest relations: the eldest, Charlotte, is about Louisa’s age, and one of the most amiable, sensible young creatures I ever saw. I have conceived a romantic idea of educating and adopting her; as we descend into the vale of years, our infirmities require some domestic female society: Charlotte would be the comfort of my age, and I could reward her care and tenderness with a decent fortune. A thousand difficulties oppose the execution of this plan, which I have never opened but to you; yet it would be less impracticable in England than in Switzerland….” (p. 201).
In a further letter to Lord Sheffield on August 7th 1790, Gibbon wrote:
“…sometimes, in a solitary mood, I have fancied myself married to one or other of those whose society and conversation are the most pleasing to me; but when I have painted in my fancy all the probable consequences of such an union, I have started from my dream, rejoyced in my escape, and ejaculated a thanksgiving that I was still in possession of my natural freedom…My plan of Charlotte Porten is undoubtedly the most desirable; and she might either remain a spinster (the case is not without example) or marry some Swiss of my choice, who would increase and enliven our society; and both would have the strongest motives for kind and dutiful behaviour. But the mother has been indirectly sounded; and will not hear of such a proposal for some years. On my side, I would not take her, **but as a piece of soft wax which I could model to the language and manners of the Country: I must therefore be patient.”** (p. 221).
Charlotte’s mother, no doubt wisely, remained firm and Charlotte married the Rev. Henry Wise (1768-1850), rector of Charlwood in Surrey on 7th February 1798. They would have one son and four daughters. Gibbon had died on 16th January 1794 and in his will left the bulk of his property (“thought by Edmond Malone to be in the region of £26,000” ODNB) to Charlotte and her brother Stanier James Porten.
This set is in the original publishers’ binding, in a style unique to Carnan and Newbery publications, of quarter vellum with labels printed with the abbreviated title and volume numbers. Vols 1, 3, 4 and 6 conclude with advertisements for books printed for Carnan and Newbery. Vol.4 offers “Grammar and Rhetorick: Being the First and Third Volumes of the Circle of the Sciences: considerably enlarged and greatly improved. Price 3s. bound in the Vellum Manner”. A group of five volumes from The Circle of Sciences, 1776-78, similarly bound in quarter green vellum (with blue paper sides), with the same labels is illustrated as fig.3.1 in Stuart Bennett’s Trade Bookbinding in the British Isles 1660-1800.
