Gass "l; A '^D Book - T^ ( A SELECTION OF ^ ^ntiiKUdmn AND HISTORICAL NOTES^ BY K. 0. JENOWAY EDINBURGH PRINTED FOR W. STEWART, Gl, SOUTH BRIDGE; OGLE, DUNCAN, AND CO. LONDON; \ J. R. GRIFFIN & CO. GLASGOW. 1823. .3^ .0 ^ TO r^ ^t^ALEXANDER HAMILTON. M. D. F. R. S. E. ET F. A. S. etc. ONE OF THE PHYSICIANS TO THE EDINBURGH GENERAL LYING-IN HOSPITAL, AND SURGEON TO HIS MAJESTY'S FORCES, IN ADMIRATION OF HIS TALENTS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AS THE PHYSICIAN, THE SCHOLAR, & THE GENTLEMAN, THIS LITTLE WORK IS DEDICATED, BY HIS SCHOOLFELLOW AND FRIEND, THE AUTHOR. NOTICE TO THE READER. 1 HE following compendious selection of Antiquarian and Historical Notes, is offered to the Public — not with the presumptuous expectation that it will supply the place of other works of greater learning and research — but, simply with the hope that it may answer the purpose of a reference book to the scientific reader. At the same time, while it thus refreshes the memoiy of those who are more deeply conver- sant with each particular subject, it may, perhaps, in some degree — by saving a toilsome application to more laboured and diffuse sources — serve to excite the curiosity, and direct the attention of those who possess more general information, to many a circumstance of interest and amusement, which, otherwise, might, probably, have escaped their notice. It is almost superfluous to say that so vast and comprehen<- sive a subject, might easily have been extended to an almost indefinite length. But, it has been the object of the writer to select — as far as his prescribed limits would admit of— only what was at once curious, entertaining, and useful, and interspersing occasional remarks, where elucidation was con- sidered requisite, to throw each article into as condensed a form, as justice to so extensive and important a matter would permit. ANTIQUARIAN AND HISTORICAL NOTES. (JTSSitlCSf* The common structure of a Gothic castle was, as follows : The whole site of the castle was sur- rounded by a deep and broad ditch, sometimes filled with water, and sometimes left dry, called the fosse. Before the great gate, was an out-work, called a bar- bican, or antimural, which was a strong and high wall, with turrets upon it, designed for the defence of the gate and draw-bridge. On the inside of the ditch, stood the wall of the castle, about eight or ten feet thick, and between twenty and thirty feet high, with a parapet, and a kind of embrazures, c^ed crennels, on the top. On this wall, at proper distances, square towers, of two or three stories high, were built. On the top of this waU, B k 21 and on the flat roof of the buildings, (designed for the various offices of the castle,) stood the defenders of the castle, when it was besieged ; and discharged arrows, darts, and stones. The great gate of the castle stood in the course of this wall, and was strongly fortified with a tower on each side, and rooms over the passage, which was closed with thick folding doors of oak, and with an iron portcullis, or grate, let down from above. Within this outward wall, was a large open space, or court, call- ed, in the largest and most perfect castles, the outer bayle, or ballium, in which commonly stood a church. On the inside of this outer bayle, was another ditch, wall, gate, and towers, enclosing the inner bayle or court, with* in which, the chief tower, or keep, was built. This was a very large square building, four or five stories high, having small windows in prodigiously thick walls, which rendered the apartments within it, dark and gloomy. This great tower was the palace. Under ground, were dismal dark vaults, for the confinement of prisoners. In this building, also, was the great hall, in which the owner entertained his friends and followers. About the middle of King Stephen's reign, castles were erected in ahnost all parts of the kingdom, by the several contending parties ; and every owner of a castle was a kind of petty prince, who coined his own money, and exercised sovereign jurisdiction over his people. (!r£((JUir0, the armour-bearer, or attendant upon a Knight. The indiscriminate use of this title, now be- come so general, is totally without foundation upon any known law, or source of honourable distinction. Cam- den tells us that this title properly appertains to only four classes of gentlemen. First, the eldest sons of Knights, and their eldest sons, in perpetual succession. Second, the eldest sons of the younger sons of Peers, and their eldest sons, in like perpetual succession; both which species of Esquires, Sir Henry Spelman entitles, Armegeri Natalitii. Third, Esquires created by the King by letters-patent, who wear a coUar of S. S, of silver. These were formerly called white squires, and their eldest sons bore the same title. Fourth, Esquires, by virtue of their office ; such, for instance, are justices of the peace, and others, whb may bear any office of trust under the crown. To these may be added the Esquires of each Knight of the Bath, three of whom are constituted at his installation. Esquires and gentlemen are con- founded together by Sir Edward Coke, who observes that every Esquire is a gentleman, and a gentleman is defined to be one aui arma gerit, the grant of which, adds gentility to a man's family. Blackstone says, it is a matter somewhat unsettled, what constitutes the dis- tinction, or who is a real Esquire ; for, it is not an estate, however large, that confers this rank upon its owner. Persons enjoying places under the crown, in the appointment to whichj they are styled Esquire ; or offices of municipal administration, as Mayors of Towns, Com- missioners of the Customs and Excise, Comptrollers, Counsellors at Law, and other officers of note, are entitled to this addition, and none others. ^Et^Si were in very general use amongst the Greeks and Romans. The. most extravagant expenses were in- curred in building and ornamenting them; for, there were several apartments to each, adapted to summer and win- ter, with porches, walks, groves, and halls. After bathing, it was customary to be rubbed and anointed with the most costly perfumes. Lucian gives the following de- scription of a bath, which was built by Hippas, a cele- brated architect. At the entrance of the building, was a spacious porch, into which the bathers ascended insen- sibly by broad stairs. Through this, they passed into a large hall, which would hold all the servants very conve- niently. On the left hand, were chambers for pleasure ; then, there were apartments for persons of note, having on their sides, wardrobes to undress in. In the middle, was a very lofty and spacious room, where three baths of cold water were placed ; and this apartment was adorn- ed with statues of marble. From this room, they went into another of an oval form, where the bathers felt a grateful heat. To the right, they passed into another, to anoint themselves, which had private closets on both sides, to receive those that came from the exercises. Farther on, was another apartment, more beautiful and convenient than all the rest, to lie down, or sit in. Then, there was a hot antichamber, lined with Numidian stone, which led into the last apartment, that shone on all sides. Here were three baths of hot water, whence they might pass into the cold baths, through a stove, mthout returning through the places by which they entered. SlrtOn 3$UrneI, in Shropshire. Here a parUa- ment was held in the reign of Edward the First; at which, the ' Statute Merchant' was made, for the assurance of debts. The Lords sat in the castle, and the Com- mons in a barn ! A great part of the castle,— once a very magnificent structure, — still remains, with fine battle- ments, and rows of windows, curiously carved. ^UUlttrKt ^^^ punished, during the Saxon hep- tarchy, by publicly whipping the woman. In 1301, under Canute, the first King of the Danish race, the punishment was changed to cutting ofi" the nose and ears. On the 14th of May, 1650, an act passed the Commonwealth — par- liament making this crime and incest capital for the first offence. At the same time, a bill was brought into the house against painting, patches, and other immodest dress of women ; but, it did not pass. By the Roman laws, if the husband were so far transported by his just resentment, as to revenge the disgrace, by killing the man who had debauched his wife, or even his wife her- self, the fault was pardoned, and neither he, nor Ms slaves was punished as murderers. Bantr of 0mtlt\nm'^tn^iona:^, were first instituted by Henry VIII. who ordained 50 gentlemen to be spears, each having an archer, demilance, castrell, and three great horses, to attend him, at ^^50 per annum each, apparelled and trapped in gold cloth, &c. Having been discontinued, they were revived in December 1539. In the sixth year of the reign of Edward VI. on the l6th of May, 1552, the household, in bands of horsemen, mustered before him in Greenwich park, each under his banner, as follows : Fifty in ordinary ; 100 gentlemen at arms ; each pensioner, two horses and a gelding, well armed; some with feathers, staves, pencils of their colours, sleeves, half-coats, and bands ; all fair, and great horses, with a leader to most of them ; many of the common riders clothed in velvets ; and the whole ranked as follows, BANNERS. 1st, Lieutenant - - - The King's - - - . 250 Men at Arms. 3d, Mr Household - - "White Lion & ragged stafF 150 Do. 2d, Household Treasurer Falcon 100 Do. 5th, Unicorn in the Star - 100 Da 100 Men at Arms. 100 Do. 50 Do. 50 Do. 50 Do. 150 Do. 50 Do. 50 Do. 50 Do. 100 Do. 8 BANNERS. 5th, Lord Privyseal - - Goat - - , - . 6th, Household Chamberlain Maidenhead - - - 7th, Mr Horse - - - - White Lion - - 8th, Black Bull's Head 9th, Peacock - - - . 10th, Captain General - Green Dragon - . 11th, Yeoman Guard - - Maiden's Body - . loth, Lord Admiral - - Anchor - - - . 12th, Lieutenant General - Saracen's Head - 14th, Warden of the 5 ports Rose and Sunbeams The band of gentlemen-pensioners at present consists of 140, who have ag^.lOO a year each, for attending the king on solemn occasions. The post is obtained by purchase. 3[l0Sii)tirj>|, Buckinghamshire, was a town in the time of the Saxons. William the Conqueror gave several yard-lands here, on condition that the owner should find litter, or straw, for his bed, whenever he came that way. William of Alesbury held by this charter, with this ad- dition, that he should hkewise straw the King's chamber, and provide him three eels, if he came in the winter ; but, if in summer, besides straw for the bed, he was to provide two green geese. This he was to repeat three times a year, if the King came so often that way. 9 SlltariS, were instituted about the year 117. The first christian one erected in Britain, was in A. D. 634. The custom of consecrating them, was not introduced before the year 1334. ^|)i)0g« At the dissolution of the abbeys in Eng- land, under King Henry VIII. 190 were dissolved, of from £.200 to £.35,000 a year ; amounting to an aggregate sum of 2,853,000 pounds per annum. The principal buildings of an abbey, were, first, the church, differing little from one of the cathedrals of the present day. Attached to one side of the nave, commonly the southern, was, secondly, the great cloister, which had two entrances to the church, at the eastern and western ends of the aisle of the nave, for the greater solemnity of processions. Over the western side of the cloister, was, thirdly, the dormitory of the monks ; a long room, divided into se- parate cells, each containing a bed, with a mat, blanket, and rug, together with a desk and stool, and occupied by a monk. This apartment had a door, which opened im- mediately into the church, on account of midnight offices. 10 Attached to the side of the cloister, opposite to the church, was, fourthly, the refectory, where the monks dined ; near to which, was the locutorium, or parlour, an apartment answering to the common room of a college, where, in the intervals of prayer and study, the monks sat and conversed. Beyond, was the kitchen and its offices ; and, adjoining to it, the buttery, &c. On the eastern side of the cloisters, was, in the centre, the chapter- house, where the business of the abbey was transacted ; and near it, the library, and scriptorium, where the monks employed themselves in copying books. On this side, also, was the treasury, where the costly plate and church ornaments were kept. The abbot and principal officers of the convent, had all separate houses, to the eastward of the cloister ; in which part of the building, were usually the hostery and question hall — rooms for the entertainment of strangers ; and, also, the apartment for novices. Westward of the cloister, was an outward court, round which was the monks' infirmary, and the almery. An embattled gate-house led to this court, which was the principal entrance of the abbey. The whole was sur- rounded with a high wall, including in its precincts, gardens, stables, granary, &c. ^ Some of the great abbeys 11 — as Glastenbury, and Furness — covered sixty acres of ground. The situation chosen for the site of an abbey was as different from that of the castle as the purpose to which it was applied. The one meant for defence stands boldly on the hill ; the other, intended for meditation, is hid in the sequestered valley. The abbots were origi- nally laymen and subject to the bishop. BearflS ^tnXl. off this head-land, it is a me- morable historical fact that the French fleet defeated the EngUsh and Dutch fleet, A. D. 1690. CJUrfft WinV^tnS, are of considerable anti. quity. They are elected yearly, in Easter week, in every parish. Their office is, to look after the church, church-yard, and the things belonging to them. They were first appointed in 1127. S93nCj^# Their first descent on the English coast, was at Portland, in the year 787 ; their second, in North- umberland, in 794 ; when they were repulsed, and perish- ed by shipwreck. They landed on Shepy Island in 832 ; and in Cornwall, in 8S6 ; but, were defeated by Egbert. They again made a descent at Charmouth, in Dor- setshire, from 35 ships, in 837, and stood their ground. They defeated Ethelwolf in 840 ; landed at the mouth of the Thames, and took Canterbury and London, in 851 ; were subdued by Ethelwolf, at Okely, in Surry, in 853 ; and again they invaded Northumberland, and seized York, A. D. 867. They defeated Ethelred and his brother Alfred, at Basing and Merton, in 871 ; sur- prised Warham castle, and took Exeter, in 876 ; but, in the following year, 120 of their ships were wrecked, at Swanwich, Dorsetshire. In 878, Adam, earl of Devon, overthrew them, and 1205 of them were killed. In the year 894, their whole fleet was destroyed by Alfred, at Apuldore. They invaded Anglesea, A. D. 900 ; but, submitted to Edward the elder, in 921. They again made a descent in Dorsetshire, in 982, and Essex, in 991 ; but, were bribed to leave the kingdom. Fresh in- vasions by them took place at Bristol, and in Kent, in 998 ; but, in consideration of £.24,000, they agreed to leave the kingdom. On November 13th, 1002, great 13 numbers of them were massacred by order of Ethelredll. They continued their ravages, nevertheless ; and, at Ips- wich defeated the English, in 1110. The following year, they took Canterbury, and put nine out of ten of the in- habitants to death, A. D. 1011. They setded in Scotland about the year 1020 ; were expelled England, in 1041 ; but, landed again at Sandwich, in 1047, and carried off great plunder to Flanders. In 1069, they joined the Northumbrians, burnt York, and slew 3000 Normans, and again invaded the kingdom in 1074, but, were compelled by William the Conqueror to quit it. ^SnptrOlIt a cap with a pad, and a pointed tail, han^ng behind, which was in use only a few centuries back, 25O]rt0J), in Kent. Here was the famous wooden figure, called the rood of grace ; the lips and head of which, moved on the approach of its votaries. It was broken to pieces in 1538, by the bishop of Rochester, who shewed the credulous people the springs and wheels by which it was moved. 14 zBtUttij^^ were the priests and ministers of religion amongst the Britons, Celtic Gauls, and Germans. They were the interpreters of the gods, and the supreme judges in all causes, whether ecclesiastical, or civil ; and whoever refused to acquiesce in their decisions, was reckoned im- pious, and was excommunicated. Caesar, in the fourth book of the war with the Gauls, speaking of them, says, " It is thought that their institution came from Britain ; <* and those who desire a perfect knowledge of their mys- " teries, travel into that country. They never serve in " war, are exempt from all taxes, and are not subject to " slavery. They must learn by art a great number of '' verses, for, it is forbidden to write them, either in *' order to exercise their memory, or lest they should pro- " fane the mysteries, by publishing them; wherefore, they «' sometimes remain twenty years at college. One of the *' chiefest points of their theology, is, the immortality of *' the soul, a profitable belief, that inclines men to virtue <' by inspiring them with a contempt of death." Tacitus, in his annals, relates that Suetonius Paulinus was oppos- ed in his attempt on Mona, by the army of the Britons ; and that, after he had defeated them, he destroyed the 15 sacred groves of the Druids. Tiberius forbade, or abolish- ed Druidism among the Gauls ; and Pliny considers man- kind greatly indebted to the Romans for this act. Strabo describes the Druids as either burning their human vic- tims surrounded with hay, or fastening them to trees, and then piercing them with arrows. The veneration which the religion of the Druids inspired for trees, espe- cially for the oak, distinguished it from others ; hence, a strong doubt may be entertained of the fact of Stone- henge — which is situated in a plain, where there is every reason to suppose very few trees ever grew — having been of their erection, at least for a temple dedicated to the performance of religious rites. The great enemies of the Romans, were the Druids, who encouraged and animated the Britons, and induced even their women to brave the most imminent dangers, " running along the Hnes, in mourning attire, with fire- " orands in their hands, Hke furies." They were, how- ever, at last, obliged to submit to the superior genius of the Roman legions; and, retreated to the woods and caverns with which Wales abounds. 16 Copper SlOneB, was first used in Scotland and Ireland in 1340 ; in France, in 1581 ; and in England, in 1609. COtOnatlOllSf* The quantity of provisions con- sumed at the feasts given by some of our early Kings, was extraordinarily great. For that of King Edward I, February 10th, 1274, the different sheriffs were ordered to furnish butcher meat at Windsor, in the following proportions :— Oxen. Swine. Sheep. Fowls. Sheriff of Gloucester, - 60 101 60 3000 Bucks and Bedford 40 66 40 2100 Oxford - - 40 67 40 2100 Kent - - 40 67 40 2100 Surry and Sussex 40 67 40 2600 Warwick & Leicester 60 98 40 3000 Somerset & Dorset 100 176 110 5000 Essex - - 60 101 60 3160 Total, twelve counties - 440 744 430 22,460 In the year 1307, King Edward II. issued an order to the senechal of Gascony, and constable of 17 Bourdeaux, to provide a thousand pipes of good wine, and send them to London, to be used a,t the approaching coronation. The purchase and freight were to be paid by a company of Florentine merchants, who farmed the T^venues of Gascony. The coronation oath was first taken by Ethelred II. A. D. 979; that now used, in 1877. It was amended in 1689. The first coronation sermon was preached in lO^il. The following statement of the prices given for seats, to obtain a view of passing objects during the coronations of former times, may^ perhaps, prove interesting :— The price of a good place at the coronation of William the Conqueror, was a blank ; at that of his son, William Rufus, the same. At Henry I.'s, it was a crocard ; at Ste- phen's, and Henry II.'s, it was a pollard* At Richard's, and King John's, it was a jfusMn. It rose at the Sd Henry's, to a dod-Jcin, In the reign of Edward, the coin begins to be more intelligible ; and we find that, for a seat, to view his coronation, a Q was given, or the half of a ferling, or farthing, the fourth part of a ster- ling, or penny. At the 2d Edward's, it was a farthing ; and at his son's, Edward III* a hal^enny. At Richard II.'s it was Si penny, and continued the same to that of c 15 Henry IV. inclusive. At the 5th Henry's, it was two pennies; and similar prices were paid at the corona- tions of Henry VI. Edward IV. Edward V. Richard III. and Henry VII. At that of Henry VIII. it was a gros- suSp or groat ; and the same was paid at that of Edward VI. and Queen Mary's. At Queen EHzabeth's, it rose to a tesfoon, or tester. At those of James I. and Charles I. a shilling' was given ; which was advanced to hal/^- crown, at those of Charles II. and James II. At King W'illiam's and Queen Anne's, it was a crown; and the same at that of George I. At George II.'s, half-a-guinea, and, afterwards, at George III.'s, a guinea was the com- mon charge. But, at that of His present Majesty, as high 2i^ forty guineas were given for a single seat. Sift ttf OntoaK^ The castle in this town was first built by an Earl of Chester, in the reign of William I. was destroyed in the time of Stephen, and rebuilt by Edward I. It is one of the finest structures in Wales. ^t« SllbnUSi, Hertfordshire, was a free city un- der the Roman dominion ; and is supposed to be more ancient than London. It arose from the ruins of the an- 19 clent city of Verulam ; and receives its name from a monastery dedicated to St. Alban. In it were buried several royal personages ; and, amongst the rest, the fa- mous Duke Humphrey, whose body was discovered only a few years ago. ^9illCt« The trade was a brotherhood in England in the reign of Henry II. The white bakers were in- corporated in 1307, by Edward II. ; and the brown, in 1685, in James II.'s time. 38aiintrrt* TMs order of Knighthood takes prece- dence next to Knights of the Bath. It is never bestowed but for some heroic action ; and, formerly, was conferred only by the Sovereign on the field. In 1764, Sir Wil- liam Erskine, on his return from the continent, was made a Knight Banneret, in Hyde Park, by his late Majesty, in consequence of his distinguished conduct at the battle of EmsdorfF. The ceremony of investment with the order, took place between the two standards of the 15th Light Dragoons. It was also conferred on Captain Trollop, R. N. for his services off the Texel, in 1797. to ^^Vttt^t^i formed no part of the ancient Grecian or Roman dress. They were introduced into England instead of trunk hose, about the year 1654. (iTdtSi* All antiquaries are agreed that the CeJts formed part of the original inhabitants of Europe ; but, they differ with respect to the districts which are now occupied by their descendants. About 500 years before Christ, the Scythians, or Goths, who inhabited the most northern parts of Europe, attack- ed the Celts, and, after nearly exterminating them, drove, and confined the remainder of them to the western ex- tremity of Gaul ; where, in tiie'niauntains of Wales, and Scotland, and in some districts of Ireland, the small remains of their posterity are still to be found. That the Celtic Language was at one time spoken over ^11 Scot- land, is evident from the names of places in almost every diatrict iBSmt^ was ©riginaUy applied to a person who was mistress of a family, and of noble birth j as it is still us^d in law. ^^t ^afllfj was the standard ef the ancient Ro-; liians. Every legion had an Eagle of gold, or silver, gr^^p-' mg ia thunderbolt in its talohs, and fixed on the top of a' sjpfeiar. The reli^ous care which the soldiers took of theit Eagles, was extraordinary ; for, they worshipped thatij' Bwore by them^ and incurred the penalty of death if they lost them. ^flBPtt the kingdom of, is supposed to have beien • founded by Misraim, the sbh of Ham, the second son of Noah, 2188 years before Christ. It is described by an- cient authors to have contained 20,000 towns or cities ; and its Kings are said to have had armies of 300,000' men, and to have executed those prodigious works— the pyramids, the labyrinth, .the obelisks, temples, and pompous palaces^ the lake Moeris, and the vast canals. The extent of country appears very disproportionate to the great populatioii which it must have contained, i£ the amazing fertility of the soil be not considered to have rendered the produce equal to the consumption. It was conquered by the Turks in the year 1517; and, since that time, has been governed by a Bashaw, who resides at Cairo. The present population of the country is com- puted at 2,300,000 souls^ consisting of four different races of people ; the Turks, the Arabs, the Cophts — who are descended from the first Egyptians, who became chris- tians— -and the Mamlouks who were originally Circassian and Mingrelian slaves, and are now the only military force of the country. The largest of the pyramids takes up ten acres of ground, and, like the others, is built upon a rock. Externally, it is chiefly constructed of large square stones ; and it rises about 700 feet in height. Within these and in their vicinity, catacombs are found, containing mummies, or embalmed dead bodies, which are three or four thousand years old. In 1798, the French, with an army of 40,000 men, took possession of this country after a feeble resistance from the natives ; but, on the 8th of March, 1801, a British army effected a landing, and after several hard-fought battles, succeeded in compelling the French, then commanded by General Menou, to ca- pitulate for the evacuation of the country. SttllC* This title was first conferred in England, in 1336. It is created by patent, cincture of a sword, mantle of state, imposition of a cap and coronet of gold on the head, and the placing of a virge of gold in the hand. His 23 title is Grace ; and, in the style of the Heralds, he is called most high, potent, high-born, and noble Prince. Their eldest sons are, by the courtesy of England, styled Marquises ; and their youngest. Lords, with the addition of their christian names. SI jStlt courts a village in France, rendered famous by a battle fought near it on the 25th of October, 1415, by Henry V. of England, with 10,000 men, and a French army of 60,000 men, who were completely overthrown, with the loss of 92 Barons, 1500 Knights, 8000 gentlemen of family, and several thousand privates left dead on the field ; besides 14,000 prisoners, including the Duke of Orleans, and many other personages of dis- tinction. The loss of the English, including the Duke of York, the fifth son of Edward III. — and the Earl of Suffolk, who were killed, did not exceed 100 men. MpSinSiS^^ a settled portion of lands, formerly as- signed by the Kings of France to their younger sons, which reverted to the crown on the failure of male issue of that branch. 24 IB(9itt9^ So great a one existed in England and France, in 1094, that a quarter of wheat was sold for a sum equal to £.6 of our present currency. The years 1193, 1194, 1195, and 1222, were likewise remarkable for great scarcity of provisions. In 1251, also, wheat sold as high as 40s. a quarter, which is equivalent to £.8 in the present day. In 1315, wheat brought £.S a bushel ; and the poor were reduced to the necessity of eating horse-flesh, and dogs. In 1316, another dearth was ex- perienced, owing to the rains ; and^this calamity was again felt in 1348, 1353, and 1438, when, in many places, bread was actually made of fern roots, and ivy berries ! CfFSrL This title, although the third rank among the nobility of the present day, was anciently the highest in the nation. It was first conferred on Alfred, afterwards Kmg of England. CSinnOlt^ were originally made of iron bars, sol- dered together, and strengthened with strong iron hoops. At first, stone balls were thrown out of these cannon ; and only a small quantity of powder was used, on account of 2S their weakness. When they were first made, is un- certain. The Venetians employed them at the siege of Chioggia, in 1866. They were brought thither by two Germans, with some powder, and leaden balls. In the battle of Cressy, 1346, King Edward III. had four pieces of ordnance, planted on a height, which caused the greatest confusion in the French army. Formerly, cannon were dignified with uncommon names. In 1508, Louis XII. had twelve brass ones cast, and gave them the names of the twelve peers of France. The Spanish and Portuguese named them after their Saints. A60-pouh- der at Dover castle, is called Queen Elizabeth's pocket pis- tol. An 80-pounder, in the tower of London, formerly in Edinburgh castle is called Mount's Meg. There are two leather field pieces in the Tower; and one at Malta. Cafimet Council, was first instituted in Eng. land, A. D. 1670. $(|ant, a coin of pure gold, of an uncertain va- lue, struck at Byzantium, in the time of the Christian Emperors. Hence, the gold offered by the King at the altar is called Bezant. 26 Cl?H£itn\ The word used to denote this season, has no relation to the solemnity of celebrating the resurrec- tion of Christ from the grave ; but, took its rise from JEaster, the name of the Saxon deity or goddess, whose festival was celebrated about this time of the year ; and, after its abolishment, the name was retained, having been first observed about the year 68. J^OUtH-^SS^UQt&y were first given to the King's servants, in 1629. CtlllOilen^iHtlir, Invemess-shire. Here the Duke of Cumberland gained a decisive victory over the rebels, April 1 6th, 1746. The graves where the slain were buried, are yet visible, and are covered with short, rich grass, much eaten by the sheep.— All around, is a wild and barren heath. It is a well-known fact that the unfortunate Prince Charles, after his disastrous overthrow in this celebrated battle, owed his life and safety to the hospitality and faithful attachment of a band of notorious thieves. The names of those men were Kennedy ; and though aware of 27 the reward offered for his head, served him with fidelity, often robbing for his support, and even going to Inverness in disguise to buy food for him. A considerable time af- terwards, the father was executed "^r liftin o^ a cow.'''* Regularly, every day, they mounted guard upon the Prince, placed their sentries at the head and foot of the glen, and had a foraging party of two, to fetch provisions. The heroic courage and trusty conduct of these poor fel- lows, deserve the greatest admiration. The Prince staid -with the banditti five weeks and three days, betwixt the braes of Glcnmorriston and Glen Strath-Ferrar. Hugh Chisholm, one of the party, was in Edinburgh many years afterwards, and to many people related his story. With some of those who gave him money, he shook hands, hoping, he said, they would excuse him giving his left hand, as, when he parted with the Prince, he got a shake of his Royal Highnesses hand, and was resolved ne- ver to give his right hand till he saw the Prince again. On Prince Charles landing in the Isles, government issued a proclamation, offering a reward of ^.30,000 for his head, alive, or dead. In opposition to this, the following curious paper was issued by the Prince and his council, which, Mr Beloe says, " is so rare, that I never 28 heard of any other than that which accident lately depo- sited in the British Museum :'' ^ ■'■' " Charles, Prince of Wales, &c. " Regent of the Kingdoms of Scotland, Fraiice, Atid Ireland, and the Dominions thereunto belon^ng, ' « Whereas, we have seen a certain scaiidalous and nla- Hcious paper, published in the style and form of a pro- clamation, bearing date the 1st instant, wherein, under pretence of bringing us to justice, like our Royal Ancestor, King Charles I. of blessed memory, there is a reward of J'SOjOOO sterling promised to those who shall deliver us into the hands of our enemies, we could not but be mov- ted with a just indignation at so insolent an attempt : and though, from our nature and principles, \^e abhor and detest a practice so unusual among Christian Princes, we cannot but, out of just regard to the dignity of 5ur person, promise a like reward of .£'.30,000 sterling to him, or those, who shall seize and secure till our further orders, the person of the Elector of Hanover, whether landed, or attemptmg to land, in any part of his Majesty's dominions. Should any fatal accident happen from hence. . ](&t( the blame be entirely at the dooa* of those wjio first set the infamous example. Charles, P. R. i!:i^it€© at our Camp, at Kinloqkeill, August 22, 1745. .M;-, .' J3y Jlis Highnesses Command. John Murray.'' The project of this rebellion was concerted by Cardinal Tencin, who had succeeded Fleury, as prime-minister of France. He had been recommended to the purple by the Chevalier St. George, and was warmly attached to the Stuart family. jBdint^Cl^ originally used for a young gentlewoman, or lady of distinction— an attendant of the higher ranks. ISUttfCtinllttg^ was remarkable for its mag- nificent abbeyj and a royal palace, in which King Charles the I. was born. The ruins of the abbey are still to be ^een. In the upper part of a wii^dow of the room in which this Prince is said to have been born, there is a carving in stone, representing the Annunciation. The execution of this piece of sculpture, is far from inelegant ; but. 30 wonder, is excited by the date, which is 1100, in Ara- bic figures. This is undoubtedly the oldest date, in Arabic figures, in Scotland. — It has been ascertained that there are two in England still older. Very recently, still greater interest has been attached to this abbey, in con- sequence of the coffin containing the body of King Ro- bert' the Bruce, having been unexpectedy discovered there. 3St90tl^ in Europe, is the punishment of those nobly bom; and was first introduced into England in 1074. In China, on the contrary, it is the punishment of the lower ranks of society ; those of the superior orders, are hanged, by way of distinction ! ^^il-SKSattlneSitiaB, the first day of Lent, on which, in the primitive church, notorious sinners were put to open penance, in the following manner : They appear- ed at the church door bare-footed, and clothed in sack- cloth, where, being examined, their discipline was propor- tioned to their offences ; after which, being brought into the church, and the bishop, singing the seven penetential , psalms, they prostrated themselves, and, with tears, begged m absolution — the whole congregation having ashes on their heads, to signify that they were ail mortal, and deserved to be burnt to ashes for their sins. 'IBrtl'HlCltt were first appointed in London in 1556. (IDy lbEirjJ# The objects of this institution, were, to check the insolence of overgrown oppressors, to vindicate the helpless, especially females, and to redress grievances. Knighthood was esteemed more honourable than Royalty itself; and Monarchs were even known to receive it from the hands of private gentlemen. As valour, gallantry, and religion, equally entered into the character of a true KNIGHT, it is believed that the spirit of chivalry had a great share in refining the manners of the European na- tions, during the twelfth, and three following centuries. The combatants, fighting more for glory than for revenge, or interest, became eminent for magnanimity and heroism. The heroes who had signalized themselves in the Cru- sades, anxious to acquire fame at home, entered into the bonds of chivalry, for redressing -wrongs, and protecting widows and orphans. Female beauty— -which 32 makes the deepest impression on the benevolent— Kjaine to be the capital object of their protection : every ceremony regarding tournaments, was contrived to honour the ladies. Accordingly it belonged to them to inspect the arms of the combatants, and to distribute the rewards. In 1414, John, Duke de Bourbonnois, caused it to be proclaimed that he intended an expedition to England, with 16 Knights, in order to combat an equal number of Enghsh Knights, —for glorifying the angel he worshipped. Instances of this kind, without number, stand upon record. James IV. of Scotland, in all tournaments, professed himself the Knight to Anne, Queen of France. She afterwards sum- moned him to prove himself her true and valorous chan^-i pion, by taking the field in her defence, against Henry VIII. of England ; and, accordingly, James declared war against his brother4n-law. ., The court of chivalry, or Marshal's court, the judges of which, were the Lord High Constable and Earl Marshal, formed part of the aulo, regis, established , by William the Conqueror. To their decision, were referred all matters of honour and arms ; and, when Edward I. new- modelled our judicial polity, the same officers were ap- pointed to preside over the court of chivaky, with ju- 33 risdiction to try iTi^^tters of arms and war, — such as the bearings of coat-armour, the right of place, and prece- dence : but, they could only give reparation to the party injured in point of honour, and not by an award of da- mages. As to matters of war, they had the marshaling of the King's army, and kept a list of the officers and soldiers of which it was composed. Preparatory to a war, they were charged with drawing up rules and orders for the due observance of discipline ; and the offences and miscarriages of soldiers, were subject to their trial and judgment. '3B33Ptjl0^ an instrument known to the Greeks, as appears from a piece of Grecian sculpture, preserved at Rome, which represents a bag-piper playing on his instrument, exactly like a modern highlander. It is said to have been introduced into Britain by the Danes. There are two varieties ; the one, with long pipes, the bag being inflated with the mouth ; the other, with short pipes, and distended with a bellows. It has long been a favourite instrument among the Scotch. (0ttj9[l9[ltu^ was invaded by Julius Caesar, 54 years before Christ ; and was completely subdued by Agricola, 85 years after our Saviour. To this, however, the west- ern parts of the island were an exception; for, there, many of the Britons retired, and carefully avoided all intermixture with foreigners. Their language, in fact, still remains to the present day — with the introduction of a few words of Latin origin — a monument of their former independence. The Romans kept possession of England till the year- 410. About the year 450 — the nation being ravaged by the Picts and Scots — their King, Vortigen, called in the Angles to their assistance, a people inhabiting a tract of country on the continent, between the Saxons and Jutes. These auxiliaries, however, soon became mas- ters of the whole country ; and, having repelled the incursions of the Picts and Scots, divided it into seven kingdoms, which they called the Heptarchy ; and, from their own origin, the appellation of Angle was given to the whole country. Being infidels, they brought a num- ber of idols with them, after whose names, they gave appel- lations to the several days of the week ; and, from these, the present days derive their names. In 8^7, Egbert S5 united the heptarchy into one kingdom — The nation was conquered by the Danes in the year 877 ; but, recovered by Alfred in 880, and divided into counties and hun- dreds in 886. It was invaded by the Scots in 921 ; by the Welsh in 984 ; by Sweyn, king of Denmark, in 1003, and 1013 ; and by William. Duke of Normandy, in 1066, who, defeating Harold at the battle of Hastings, ascended the throne. This signal victory was accomplished with the slaughter of the principal nobility of the island. The Anglo-Saxons now formally made their submission ; and it is to be observed that, unlike the Britons, they lost their language and their liberty at the same time ; for, William ordered that their children should not be in- structed in their mother tongue, but, in Norman only ; so that, by the latter end of Henry II.'s reign, the Saxon language had fallen into disuse. In the dialect of Lan- cashire, Cheshire, and the oldest English authors, many words of Anglo-Saxon derivation, are, nevertheless, still to be met with. In 1069, the Irish, joined by the sons of Harold, invaded the country. Malcolm, King of Scotland, made irruptions into the kingdom in 1071, 1091, and 1093. It was again invaded by David, King of Scotland, in 1136 ; by the Welsh, in the same year ; and by the Scots m in 1183. It was put under an interdict by the Pope in 1206. The whole country rose up in arms in 1915, and obtained a reformation in government, by King John signing Magna Charta. TSStirSHT^ d yearly festival of the Turks, which they keep after the fast of Ramadan. It is concluded with a solemn prayer against the infidels— -to extirpate christian princes, or to arm them against one another ; that they may have an opportunity of extending their law. 'IBllJ-Slf, in our ancient customs, denotes the invi- tation of friends, to drink at some poor matfs house, who, in return, expects some contribution for his relief. (JTclIUinrtj the pipe of peace, among the Indians of North America. The bowl of it is made of red mar- ble, and the tube, of a %ht wood, three or four feet long, curiously painted with hieroglyphics in various colours, and adorned with the feathers of birds. Every nation has a different method of decorating these pipes, and they can tell, at first sight, to what tribe any of them belongs. It is respected as a safe conduct amongst 37 all the allies of the nation that has given it. It is used with great solemnity at the commencement of all counsels, and at the making of treaties. CSttiinSL This title had its rise about the year SOO, under Pope Sylvester, by which appellation, was meant the chief priests of a parish, and next in dignity to a bishop. This rank, however, became of more impor- tance afterwards ; and gradually arrived at its present splendour. ^tCJ^trj)* The bow and arrow were the first arms made use of by man ; as appears from the ^Ist c. Genes. V, ^0. It is pretty certain that the inhabitants of Britain did not employ this weapon in battle, at the time that Julius Caesar first invaded this country ; for, it is not enumerated among the arms of the natives, in the minute description given of them by that author. It is probable, indeed, that it was the Romans themselves who introduced the bow as a military weapon into Britain ; as archers often formed a great part of their foreign troops. About the year 448, the Saxons entered Britain to succour the na- tives against the ravages of the Picts and Scots. These auxiliaries used both the long, and the cross-bow. The Danes were accustomed to archery in battle ; for, it is frequently taken notice of by our early chronicle-writers, at the period of the incursions of that warlike people. It is well known how successfully William, the bastard, used it at the battle of Hastings. It was disused immediately after the conquest, but, revived by the Crusaders. The state of Westminster, 13. Edward I. ordains that every man, between the age of 15 and 20, shall be assessed and sworn to account, accorditig to his goods, &c. (after de- scribing the weapons of the times, in respect to their gra- dation of expense,) and that all others shall have bows and arrows. In 1417, (Edward V.) it was ordered that six wing-feathers, to be plucked from every goose, for arrows, should be paid to the King. By stat.SS. Henry VIII. it is forbidden to shoot at a standing mark, unless it be for a rover, where the archer is to change his mark at every shot ; and any person above ^4 years old, is forbidden to shoot with any prick-shaft, at a mark of eleven score yards or under. The former was a provision for making a good marksman at sight ; the latter, forgiving strength and firmness. Louis XII. 39 of France was the first who abolished the use of the long-bow, introducing in its stead, the halbert, pike, and broad sword. Sf , 3(6, or Slfef^ At the beginning, or end of the name of a place, is the Saxon word Ac, which signifies an oak ; as, Acton, is synonymous with Oak-town ; and Austins ac, with Austin's oak. The names of persons, with a similar termination, are derived either from the places of their birth or from some achievement done there. (i^&tVlUQt^ in our old customs. Knight's ser- vice, by which the tenant was bound to follow his lord to the war, at his own charge. It also implies a sum of money paid to the lord, in lieu of such service. Commi^J^iOn^ Ot ^nag, were authorities issued to experienced officers, to draw out and array the 40 fittest men for service in each county, and to march them to the sea coasts, or to such other quarters of the country as were judged to be most in danger. Of these commis- sions of array, there are many in the French rolls in the tower of London, from 36. Edward III. to the reign of Edwaril IV. They were attempted to be revived again by Charles I. but, voted by the parharaent ta be illegal and unconstitutionaU MlltiinnSS^ were first introduced in the reformed service of the English church, at the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. 2S0ilJ,was introduced into the Roman army, about 218 years before Christ ; and has been the most universal of all the weapons, employed either in hunting, or in war ; for, it was made use of even amongst the most bar- barous and remote people, who had the least communi- cation with the rest of mankind. It continued in use in England till 1640. Bows were of two kinds; the long bow, which was made of yew, and in the use of which, the old English archers excelled those of every other na- tion ; and the cross-bow, which was the favourite weapon 41 of the French in the eleventh century. Richard I. of Eng- land, was killed by a cross-bow, at the siege of Chains. ^tnt^^ the principal arms of the ancient Britons, were, hatchets, scythes, lances, swords, and bucklers. The Saxons brought in the halbert, bow, arrows, and cross-bow. By the ancient laws of England, every man was obliged to bear arms, except the judges and clergy. Arms of parade, or courtesy, were those used in the an- cient justs and tournaments, which were commonly un- shod lances, swords without edge or point, wooden swords, and even canes. Arms of offence or defence, formerly consisted of stone and brass, before iron and steel were applied to that purpose. iSttflOU^^ the provincial judges among the ancient Irish, by whom justice was administered, and controver- sies were decided. The laws observed by them, called Brehon laws, were abolished in 1604. TBCttlttSit^R^ The sovereignty of this kingdom was formerly elective ; but, in 1660, it was rendered here- ditary and absolute-^partly, by consent of the people, 4g partly by force. The modern Danes have very few laws, and those are so plain, that they have little need of lawyers. They allow of only one apothecary in a town, except at Copenhagen, where there are two ; and their shops are visited once a week by the physicians, and all the damaged drugs are destroyed. In 1522, the inha- bitants embraced the Protestant faith, of the confession of Augsburgh. JSUU^dTlQjlt^^ succeeded the practice of tourna- ments, in 1560. 0ll)lOn^ or Britannia. Caesar gives the following description of this country. The interior part of Bri- tannia is inhabited by the natives of the country ; but, on the coasts, by the Gauls. The island is well peopled, and their houses resemble those of the Gauls. They have numerous herds of cattle. They use copper money, or iron rings, by weight, for want of silver. AH sorts of wood grow there, as in France, except beech and fir. The people scruple to eat hares, geese, and hens, although they breed them for pleasure. The air is more tempe- rate than in Gallia, and the cold less violent. Ireland is 43 not half so large as England. Between them, lies the Isle of Man, or Anglesea, where some say there are thirty days, during which, the sun never rises in winter ; , but, I found no such thing ; only I have observed, by water-clocks, that the nights are shorter in those parts, than they are in Gallia. The most civilized people in Britain are those of the county of Kent, which lies along the coast. Most of the inhabitants live upon milk, and the flesh of their flocks, and wear their skins for clothing. All the British paint their bodies with woad ; which makes them of a bluish colour, and renders them more formidable in battle. Their women are conunon to ten or twelve men ; but, their children belong to those who married them. Tacitus, in the life of Agricola, says, the origin of the inhabitants (of Britain) is not known— whether they are indigenag or strangers. The Scots, in the colour of their hair, and in their stature resemble the Germans. Those who dwell on the side next Spain, have curled hair, and are of a tawny colour. The rest are like the Gauls, to whom they are neighbours. CSpttdbtnSS^ monks of the order of St. Francis, who are clothed in brown, or grey; are always bare- 44. footed ; never go in" a coach ; and never shave their heads. 35HUfett^, first became an occupation, in this coun- try, about the year 1645. The first public bank was at Venice, in 1550. The bank of England was estabhshed in 1693. In 1696, their notes were at 20 per cent, dis- count. The old Scotch bank was established in 1695 ; and, in 1745, made their payments in silver, for the ex- press purpose of delay. 33mUuiOVl)^ Dorsetshire, is styled a borough in ancient records, hut, sent representatives to parliament only twice, viz. S3. Edward I. and 22. Edward III. At a small distance from the further extremity of the town, stood a remarkable oak tree, called Damery Oak. In 1747, this tree measured 75 feet in height, and the branches extended over a space of ground 72 feet in di- ameter. The trunk was no less than 12 feet in diameter, at 17 feet above the ground. The circumference, at the surface of the ground, was 68 feet ; and its diameter 23. This extraordinary tree was hollow ; and the cavity, at the bottom, was 15 feet wide, 17 in height, and could 45^ contain nearly 20 men. During the civii war, and till after the restoration, an old man sold ale in it. Srrt^tttl* The ancient records of the history and antiquities of this kingdom, were destroyed by the Danes, during their frequent invasions in the 9th and 10th centuries. And whatever writings or monuments, had, by chance, or care, remained to a later period, they were, by the shameful policy of our ancestors — from the first invasion of Henry Plantagenet, down to the reign of James I.— diligently sought for, and destroyed ; the perusal of such works being thought likely to keep aUve the spirit of the natives, and, by reminding them of the power, independence, and prowess of their ancestors, excite and maintain their disposition to rebellion. Of all the glory, however, and chivalry, and boasted im- provement, of the early Irish, not a vestige remained at the aera of the English invasion ; and, therefore, we are fairly left to doubt if they ever did exist at all, except in the imaginations of Irish antiquaries. In the year 1156, Pope Adrian, by a Bull, yielded all Ireland to Henry II. ; enjoining him to go over and root out the foul wickedness of the Irish, and not forgetting 46 to exact Peter'*s pence in behalf of the holy see. The Irish, reluctant to pay this tax, or recognise the autho- rity of Henry, resisted their invaders ; but, with so little success, that the English established themselves with such firmness, as to be never afterwards expelled. For very many years after the conquest, the English exercised a most savage authority over the natives. In fact, to kill one of whom, was accounted no crime ; and every pretext was used to encourage the extirpation of that unhappy race of people. The Englishmen of the pale — the district which they occupied being so denominated — was allowed to put to death every thief, or liar, or mere Irishman — for, the names were used promiscuously — that he met with. The custom of shaving the upper lip being confined to the English, the native was imme- diately discovered, and generally expiated the oifence of wearing mushtachoes, by the loss of his head.* The mutual hatred of the two nations, and the ferocious spi- * By an old act of parliament, 28. Henry VIII. called the Glib Act, it was directed that the Irish gentry, who were of English, or Norman ex- traction, should forfeit the privileges of their original country, if they did not shave their upper lip, whilst, to the old Irish, this was altogether forbidden* 47 rit of the Irish chieftains, which alternately led them to submit and to revolt, had, for centuries, kept ahve incessant hostilities between them and their conquerors of the pale. At the same time, the reformation in the church added religious animosity to the other dissensions with which this ill-fated country was torn, and thus rendered the evils incurable. It now became the war of a Catholic colony against its Protestant government ; and the whole island seemed to be armed in defence of the faith of St Patrick. The Kings of England, it may be remark- ed, were first called Lords of Ireland till 1542, when Henry VIII. took the title of King. The discontents of civil war were aggravated during the reign of Elizabeth, by a severe system 'of religious intolerance, under which, the sufferings of Ireland are not to be excused upon any principle of justice, or neces- sity. The bitter fruits of this oppression, appeared in the horrible massacre of the Protestants in 1641. Re- ligious diiferences during Charles I.'s unhappy reign, were the foundation of continued murders and rapine ; and the peace of Ireland was sacrificed to the influence of the Irish priests, and the fulminations of the Pope's Nuncio. 48 The British revolution of 1688, brought distressed Ireland only a code of penal laws of unparalleled oppres- sion — the effects of national hatred towards a conquered people, not proceeding from the fears of the victors, but, from their security. By the total reduction of Ireland in 1691, the ruin of the native Irish, and, in a great measure, too, of the first race of the English, was ac- complished ; and a new interest of families, — constituting the firm consolidation and sway of the English party in Ireland, — was settled with as much stability, as can possibly be looked for in human affairs. From this time, the Churchmen and Presbyterians drew more nearly and cordially to each other, and opposed themselves to those whom they considered as their common enemies-^the Catholics. Popery, in fact, still continued to be dreaded in Eng- land, when it might have been securely despised ; and, therefore, in the reign of Anne, laws of the severest kind were enacted against it. It has been asserted, indeed, that, so late as 1723, an act was passed by the parliament of Ireland, for catching, and emasculating all Irish priests ; as if those unhappy men had been capable of perpetuating their faith and their species by the same means ! 49 It was not till the tolerating dispositions of George II. and his minister, Walpole, that the Catholics of Ire- land began to experience a milder system of government. About this time, (1747,) the English in Ireland began to be domiciliated, and to feel that it was their own country which they inhabited; and this interest at length openly and boldly became an independent feeling, as truly aUve to what affected its prosperity, as could ever be experienced by the native Irish. The indepen- dence of Ireland was established in 1782 ; and the union with England took place in 1801. The actual population of Ireland is supposed to exceed six millions and a half. Its productive land has been computed to amount to 13,445,375 acres : — there are, consequently, little more than two acres to each in- habitant. ^O^nhMnVVin^ti. Henry VIII. was mar- ried to every one of his wives, according to the ritual of the church of Rome. His example, in this respect, was followed by his daughter, Mary, who was married to Phi- lip, Prince of Spain, at Winchester, in July, 1554, by Bishop Gardiner ; Archbishop Branmer being then in E 50 prison. Janaes I. was married, several years before he came to England, to the Princess of Denmark, at Up- stors, in Norway ; the ceremony being performed, in the French language, by Mr David Lindsay, Minister of Leith. The marriage of Charles I. was solemnized at Paris ; the Duke of Chartres being his proxy. Charles II.'s Queen scrupling to perform the offices of the church, he only took her by the hand, in the presence- chamber, at Portsmouth, and said the words of the matri- monial service in the common prayer book ; " I, Charles, take thee, Catherine," &c. the queen declaring her con- sent, and Dr Sheldon, Bishop of London, standing forth, and declaring them man and wife, in the name of the father", &c. The first marriage of James II. — (then Duke of York) — which was to Lord Chancellor Claren- don's daughter, was a private one, performed at Worces- ter-house, 3d September, 1660, by Doctor Browther, the Duke's chaplain ; the second, to the Princess of Mo- dena, was performed at Dover, in November, 1673, on the day of her arrival, by Doctor Crewe, then Bishop of Oxford, and, afterwards, of Durham. George I. and George II. were married before they came to the throne. George III. married the Princess Charlotte Sophia, 51 second daughter of the Duke of Mecklenburg Strelitz ; and the ceremony took place at the royal chapel, St James's, on the evening of the 8th September, 1761. His present Majesty was married to CaroKne, Princess of Brunswick, on the 8th of April 1795. ^J^ftt^fiUrg, Dorsetshire, Camden says, ««was <^ undoubtedly built by Alfred ; for, Malmsbury, the *' historian, has told us there was an ancient stone in his *' time removed out of the ruins of the wall of the city, <« into the chapter-house of the nuns, which had this in- " scription : — * Anno Dominico Incarnationis JElfredus Rex, fecit 'banc urbem DCCCLXXX. Regni sui VIII.' '* Leland says, ' There was an inscription on the right ' hand, entering the chapter-house, set up by King Al- ' fred in knowledge that he repaired Shaftesbury, destroyed ' by the Danes.' It is certain that, in the Saxon age, it was a place of great note, on account of its monastery, and the translation of the body of St Edward the Mar- tyr hither. King Athelstan fixed here two mints, which, 52 in the time of Edward the Confessor, were increased to three. In 1278, John Packham, Archbishop of Can- terbury, excommunicated Sir Osbert Gifford, Knight, for steaUng two nuns out of the nunnery at Wilton ; but, absolved him on these conditions, that he should never come into a nunnery, or into the company of nuns; that he should, for three Sundays together, be whipped in his parish church of Wilton, and as many times in the market and church of Shaftesbury ; and fast a certain number of months ; and not wear a shirt for three years ; and not take upon him the habit or title of a knight ; but, wear apparel of a russet colour, till he had served three years in the Holy Land. The monastery at Shaftes- bury was a nunnery of the Benedictine order, at the time of its institution. It was the only one of that order in the church of Rome, and gave origin to all the rest. Leland says, it was founded by King Ethelbald ; and that his brothers, Ethelbert, Ethelred, and Alfred, were all considered as founders. Asser Menevensis, who lived about this time, says that ' Alfred founded, by the east * gate of Sceftasburg, a monastery for nuns, wherein he ' placed, as abbess, his own daughter ^thelgeof.' In Doomesday Book, we have this account of the I 53 town : — <^ In Borgo Sceptesberie, tern Reg. Edw. were " 104 houses in the King's demesne. This veil gelded " for 20 hides ; viz. two marks of silver to the king's ^^ huscarles. Here were three minters, each of which " paid one mark of silver, and 20 shillings when money " was coined. Here are now 66 houses, 88 having been <« destroyed from the time of Hugh, the Sheriff, to the " present In that part of the town belonging to the «' Abbess T. R. E. were 158 houses, now but 111, 47 *' being destroyed. She had here 156 burgesses, 20 " empty dwelling houses, and one garden, val. GSs.*" ^tUait-^aj} er^^ The acquisition of these docu- ments, which, as connected with our history, may be con- sidered as invaluable, was made under the following circumstances :— It is only a few years ago that their existence was ascertdned, by Mr Watson, a Scotch gentle- man, having had the good fortune to discover them at Rome. M. Cosarini, the Auditor of the Pope, was the executor of Cardinal York, the last male descendant of James II. The executor did not long survive the Cardinal; and his successor, M. Jassoni, became his representative as executor of the Cardinal York. To M. Jassoni, then, ap- plication was made for leave to examine the papers. It was granted ; and the purchase of them for an inconsi- derable sum, soon followed. Their incalculable importance soon became known ; as Mr Watson considered himself under no necessity of conceahng the value of property bought from a competent vender. But, under a despotic government, right is no protection. The archives of the Stuarts were seized, by an order of the papal gove rn- ment, in the apartments of the proprietor. The Koman government, on reflection, saw that the measures which it had adopted could not be justified, and, in this di- lemma, it sought refuge in the expedient of offering the property to the Prince Regent of England as a present. The British government, however, wisely recognised Mr Watson's right in these memorable papers, and agreed with him for the purchase of them. They have since been pubHshed by his Majesty's directions. iL0tttVtC)^4 If the antiquity of a practice could justify its existence, lotteries might claim peculiar reve- rence. The Romans, we are told, used to enliven their Saturnaha with them, by distributing tickets, all of which gained some prize. Augustus instituted lotteries, that 55 consisted, however, of things of little value. Nero also established lotteries, for the people, in which 1,000 tickets were daily distributed, and several of those who were favoured by fortune got rich by them. The first lottery of which we find any record in our annals, was in the year 1569, which, according to Stowe, consisted of 40,000 lots, at 10s. each. The prizes were plate ; and the pro- fits were to be applied to the purpose of repairing the havens of the kingdom. This lottery was drawn at the west door of St PauPs cathedral ; and began on the 1 Ith July, 1569, and continued incessantly, day and night, till the 6th May following. The tickets were three years in being disposed of. In the year 1612, King James granted a lottery to promote the plantation of English colonies in Virginia, which was also drawn at St PauPs. ISOllmg to BtatJ* one Rouse, who had at- tempted to poison Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, who was afterwards murdered in his 77th year, (by Henry VIII.) — was actually boiled to death in Smithfield, for his offence. The law which thus punished him, was after- wards repealed. 56 (BViQin Ot MnV^iUQ. The Dandies and Exquisites of the present day, may be amused with the following extract from old Stowe, respecting the intro- duction, into England, of this now indispensable luxury. It is a subject that merits to be treated with historical dignity. What would a ball room be ? — what would the beaux of Almack's, Bond-Street, or Princes Street, become without starch ? '* In the year 1564, Mistris Dinghan Van den Plasse, '* born at Haerlem, in Flaunders, daughter to a worship- <' ful Knight of that province, with her husband, came " to London, for their better safeties, and there pro- " fessed herself a starcher, wherein she excelled; unto '' whom her own nation presently repaired, and paid her «' very liberally for her own worke. Some very few dam- *' sels, and most curious wives of that time, observing the *' neatnesse of the Dutch, Jbr whitenesse and fine wearing " qfUnen, made their cambricJce ruffs, and sent them to " Mistris Dinghan to starche **** and then they began " to send their daughters and nearest kinswomen to " Mistris Dinghan, to learne how to starche.'''' Sfv .^{iCtfiOtltt* Dorsetshire, was of great note and antiquity in the Saxon age, when it was called Scirehurn ; from the Saxon words scire, clear, and burn, a spring or fountain. The celebrated Asser Menevensis, who wrote the life of Alfred, and assisted him in his Hterary pur- suits, was Bishop of Sherborne. In the year 1 075, the See was removed to Old Sarum. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the manor of Sherborne was granted to the celebrated -Sir Walter Raleigh ; but, after his attainder, the manor passed from his family to Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset, on whose conviction of being accessary to the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury, it was granted to Sir John Digby. In the year 1685, twelve persons were executed here, for being concerned in the Duke of Mon- mouth's rebellion ; and, in 1688, the Prince of Orange being here, was joined by the Dukes of Ormond and Grafton, Lord Churchill, George, Prince of Denmark, and other persons of quality, who deserted King James at Salisbury. The castle of Sherborne was one of the strongest in this part of the kingdom. It was built in form of an oc- tagon, was moated round, and, over the moat, were m several draw-bridges, and, to the north, a subterraneous passage into the adjacent valley. Leland says, " the cas- tle of Sherebourne is in the east end of the town, upon a rocky billet. Roger le Poure, Bishop of Saresbyri, in Henry I.'s time, builded this castle, and caste a great dyke without it, and made a false mine without the dyke. There be four great towers in the castle wall, whereof one is the gate-house. Every of them hath three lod- gyngs yn height. The great lodgying is in the middle of the castle court, very strong and full of vaulters. There be few peaces of worke in England of the antiqui- ty of this, that standeth so whole and well couched. One Bishop Langton made, of late tyme, a new peace of worke, and lodgyngs of stone at the west end of the haul : other peaces of memorable work was none since the first building. There is a chapel in a little close without the castle, by est. There lyeth at the end of the castle a moat, that sometime hath been much larger than it is now." In the civil wars, this castle was one of the first that was formally besieged by the parliament, and was among the very last that held out for the King. It was at Length reduced by the parHamentary forces, under Sir 59 Lewis Dives, an active and resolute general, in August, 1645, after a siege of 16 days. On the 16th August, the soldiers kept a great market with their booty. The parliament du-ected the castle to be demolished ; an or- der which was complied with in October following. CStl^tina^ Bag, from the Latin, Christi Mis^ sa, the Mass of Christ. About the year 500, the obser- vance of this day became general in the Catholic church . Much of the festivity of this season, which formerly gladdened the hearts of the old and yonng, has now dis- appeared ; a refinement of manner, perhaps, little to the amendment of the heart, has, in a great measure, abohshed the hospitality of our forefathers. In the south of Eng- land, little is known of the usages of our ancestors, except to professed antiquaries ; but, in the north, we not only hear genuine specimens of their language, but, we meet with many examples of old English festivity, lovers of old English pleasures, as well as freedom ; — lovers of manly and rural sports ; of the song and dance ; of so- cial intercourse and mutual happiness ; of the Christmas carol, and minced pies, which by some is supposed to be typical of the offerings of the wise men who came from m afar, to worship, bringing spices, &c. Indeed, this is one of the few observances of our forefathers, that is not likely soon to be forgotten ; as, in this respect, our gor- mandizing propensities materially assist our memory ! The following Christmas carol, is held to be the most ancient drinking song now extant : — " Lordlings ! from a distant home. To seek old Christmas, are we come, Who love our minstrelsy : And here, unless report mis-say, The grey-b^ard dwells ; and on this day Keeps yearly wassel, ever gay. With festive mirth and glee. Lordlings list ! for, we tell you true ; Christmas loves the jolly crew. That cloudy care defy. His liberal board is deeply spread With manchet loaves and wastel bread ; His guests with fish and flesh are fed, Nor lack the stately pie. 61 Lordlings ! it is our hosf s command, ^ And Christmas joins him hand in hand. To drain the brimming bowl ; And III be foremost to obey : Then pledge me, sirs, and drink away. For, Christmas revels here to day. And sways without control." 3tOi)0 WO^tU^* Between two and three centuries , it was the custom, as stated in the old chronicles, *« for enamoured maydes and gentilwomen " to give to their fa- vorite swains, as tokens of their love, little handkerchiefs, about three or four inches square, wrought round about, often in embroidery, with a button or tassel at each cor- ner, and a little one in the centre. The finest of these favors were edged with gold lace, or twist ; and then, being folded in four cross folds, so that the middle might be seen, they were worn by the accepted lovers in their hats, or on their breast. Tokens were also given by the gentlemen, and accepted by their fair mistresses. They are thus described in one of Beaumont and Fletcher's plays:— 63 *'^ Given ear rings we will wear, *' Bracelets of our lover's hair ; " Which they on our arms shall twist, " (With our names carved) on our wrist." COlte^CaiStle, in the Isle of Purbeck. The ruin of this once beautiful fabric extends about half a mile in circuit ; is of an oval form ; and its walls are twelve feet thick. The outer gate is very large, and has a round tower on each side. The first ward has towers. Passing a second bridge of one arch, you enter the second ward, which, probably, was the spot, where the cruel murder of King Edward was committed. In this ward are the ruins of five towers. The third, and principal ward was on the highest part of the hill, where stood several buildings now in ruins, built on vaults, for store rooms, &c. Here a platform was erected, for five pieces of cannon, in 1586. The fourth ward had in it a small garden. It is said that in this part of the castle was situated the house of Elfrida, the widow of King Edgar, who, during her residence here, occasioned the murder of her son-in-law, Edward, a transaction, so fully recorded by all our historians, as to render any farther notice. 63 here superfluous. In the year*1327, the unfortunate Ed- ward II. after he had surrendered his crown, was a short time confined in this castle ; being removed hither by- order of the Queen and Mortimer, from Kenelworth castle. He was taken from the latter place, first, to Bristol, and, afterwards, to Berkeley castle, suffering all the way, every hardship and indignity that the brutal temper of his two keepers, Sir John Maltravers, and Sir Thomas Gurney, could inflict, in hopes that such fa- tigue and ill-treatment would shorten his days. Being disappointed, however, in their expectations, they con- ducted him to Corfe castle, where he was put to death in a most cruel and unheard of manner. No one can view, without horror, the dungeons which remain to this hour in some of the towers, if he call to mind the diaboli- cal cruelty of King John, by whose remorseless order twenty-two prisoners, confined there, were inhumanly starved to death. Matthew of Paris says that many of those men, were among the first of Poitien nobility. In the time of Charles I. the lady of Sir John Bankes became illustrious, from the gallant manner in which she defended this castle against the attacks of the parlia- mentary forces. In the years 1645, and 1646, Corfe 64 castle was again besieged by the parliamentary army, and taken by them, through the treachery of Lieut.-Colonel Pitman, an officer of the garrison. Upon this event, the parliament ordered the castle to be demolished ; which was accordingly done. The ruins are allowed to be the noblest and grandest in the kingdom, considering the extent of ground on which they stand. The vast frag- ments of the King's tower, the round towers leaning as if ready to fall, the shattered walls, and vast pieces of them fallen down into the vale below, form an awful scene of havoc and devastation. iLllJCUr^* In former times, there was much eating, with httle variety : — at present, on the contrary, there is great variety, with more abstemiousness. Barbarous nations are fond of large joints of meat. A wild boar was roasted whole, as a supper dish of Anthony and Cleopatra; and was stuffed with poultry and wild fowl. The hos- pitaUty of the Anglo-Saxons was sometimes displayed, for instance, by roasting an entire ox. This practice pre- vailed even among the Romans : — ^for, it is related that it was a favourite dish at Rome ; and was termed a Tro- jan boar, in allusion to the Trojan horse. William of Malmsbury, who wrote in the time of Henry II. says "that the English were universally addict- ed to drunkenness; continuing over their cups day and night ; keeping open house, and spending the income of their estates in riotous feasts ; where eating and drinking were carried to excess, without any elegance.*" Hollin- shed, writing of Henry VTH.'s time, says, "heretofore, there hath been much more time spent in eating and drinking, than commonly is in these days ; for, whereas, of old, we had breakfasts in the forenoon, beverages or muncheons after dinner, and thereto rear-suppers, when it was time to go to rest ; now, these odd repasts, thanked be God, are very well left, and each one contenteth him- self with dinner and supper only.*" He remarks, " that claret and other French wines, were despised, and only strong wines in request. The best," he says, " were to be found in monasteries ; for, the merchant would have thought his soul would go straightway to the devil, if he should serve monks with other than the best."*' In early times, the people were very plain in their household furniture. At the beginning of the 16th cen- tury, substantial farmers slept on a straw pallet, with a log of wood to rest their head on— a pillow being only F e6 thought fit for a woman in child-bed ! Indeed, if a man, in the course of seven years after marriage, could pur- vhase a flock bed, and a sack of chaff, as a substitute for a bolster, he thought himself as well lodged as the lord of the town. Wooden trenchers and wooden spoons were generally used about the same period, pewter vessels being accounted great luxuries, and prohibited from being hired, except on Christmas, Easter, St George''s day, and Whitsunday. By an act of parliament in Scotland, passed in the year 1429, none were permitted to wear silks, or costly furs, but Knights and Lords of 200 merks yearly rent. But^ by another act, of 1457, the same dress was permit- ted to aldermen, bailies, and other good worthy men within burgh ; and, by a third act, it was granted to gentlemen of jB.lOO yearly rent. As strongly illus- trating the singular manners of the time, the following anecdote i& related :— James I. British monarch, was, during his infancy, committed to the Dowager Countess of Mar, who had been educated in France. On one oc- casion, the King being seized with a colic during the night time, his household servants flew to his bed-cham- ber ; but, the women as well as men were in a complete 67 state of nudity, nay, even the Countess herself wore no- thing but her chemise ! HolUnshed exclaims against the luxury and effeminacy that prevailed in his time. " In times past,'' says he, " men were contented to dwell in houses builded of sallow, willow, plumb-tree, or elm ; so that the use of oak, was de- dicated to churches, religious houses, princes' palaces, no- blemen's lodgings, and navigation. But, now, these are rejected, and nothing but oak any whit regarded. And yet, see the change ; for, when our houses were builded of willow, then, had we oaken men ; but, now that our houses are made of oak, our men are not only become willow, but, many, through Persian delicacy crept in among us, altogether of straw, which is a sore alter- ation." ffil^tOrg (0nSll£i6* The reign of Henry VII. affords a field of much speculation. To his regulations and policy, may be traced the unlimited power exercised by the Tudors, and the liberties wrested afterwards happily from the Stuart family ; so that although tyranny was the immediate effect, liberty was the ultimate result. The ge- neral improvement in all arts of civil Hfe in the succeeding as fifty years, a period of tranquillity, and of literature in particular, were causes sufficient to produce eJfFects of the utmost importance. There is not a more fertile period of our history, than that between the year 1640, and the death of Charles II. We may view the kingdom under almost every va- riety of circumstances. Religious dispute ; political contest, in all its forms and degrees, from the honest exertions of party, to the corrupt intrigues of faction, violence, and civil war ; despotism, first, in the person of an usurper, and afterwards, in that of an hereditary King ; the most memorable and salutary improvement of the laws ; the most abandoned administration of them ; in fine, whatever can happen to a nation, whether glorious, or calamitous, makes a part of this astonishing and in- structive picture. (iTOffliltSSt of stone, were sometimes used by the Romans, and frequently by the Anglo-Saxons. From the Saxons to the reign of Henry VIII., stone coffins appear to have been very generally made use of in all parts of England.— Coffins made of lead, and of wood, are also believed to have been employed by the Romans 69 in Britain, and by the Anglo-Saxons. But, the earliest recorded instance of the use of a wooden coffin, in this country, is that of King Arthur, as noticed by Giraldus ; who describes it as having consisted of the entire trunk of an oak, hollowed to receive the body. In some few instances, stone coffins have been used much later than Henry VIII.'s reign. Sir William Dugdale and his lady are buried in stone coffins, each composed of two pieces. S^UrjJ^ Trial by. At what period it was first in- troduced into the English laws, cannot now be exactly ascertained, although it is certainly referable to the Sax- on aera. Its origin may be traced to a principle in use at a very early date. When a man was accused of any crime, it was a judicial custom of the Saxons, that he might clear himself, if he could procure a certain number of persons to swear that they believed him guiltless of the allegation. These persons, so produced, were called com- purgators, and the veredictum, sworn to by them, so far determined the case as to acquit the prisoner. That the trial by jury existed at the time of the conquest, is not disputed. 70 (iiSbtmlltU, a tenure of lands, supposed to be the most important Druidical legal remains. It exists principally in the county of Kent. The distinguishing properties of this tenure, are, that the tenant is of age to alienate his estate, at fifteen ; that the estate does not escheat in case of execution for felony ; and that the lands descend not to any one son only, but to all the sons together ; a course of descent formerly the most usual throughout the whole of England. CrttaC and iSrtgaC The differences between the Celtse, or original colonists of Britain, and the Belgse, was not great. They both constructed their edifices in the same manner, used the same stated pieces of brass or iron bullion for money, had the same fondness for keep- ing poultry and hares about their houses, and the same aversion to seeing them on their table. Both nations painted their bodies ; both threw off their clothes in the hour of battle ; suffered the hair of their heads to grow to a great length ; shaved all but the upper lip ; had wives in common ; and prosecuted their wars on the same principles. The only distinction between them was 71 one, which, after all, in reality, constituted no actual' difference, in their manners, namely, that the Celtae, [or Britons, being dislodged from that side of the island which was immediately contiguous to Gaul and Spain, and the only part of it that was visited by foreign traders, were no longer able to pursue the foreign commerce which they had previously carried on, and were obliged to re- sign it up to the Belgas. <0tOn College, was founded by King Henry VIII. in 1440, for the maintenance of a provost, ten priests, four clerks, six choristers, twenty-five poor gram- mar scholars, and twenty-five poor men. At present, however, there are seldom less than 300 scholars here, besides those on the foundation. The annual revenue of this pubUc school is little less than ^£^.5000. The scholars, after being three years at King's college, Cam- bridge, are entitled to a fellowship. ^lUernt31T» in the Saxon acceptation, implied a person proper to assist his Prince with his advice, as a privy counsellor. The three estates of the kingdom were divided into Atheling, which included the nobili- 72 ty ; Alderman, the second rank ; and Thane, the last- In Athelstan's time, the term Earl, or Count, was first instituted. ^UitinQi^ is one of the Cinque ports, and not- ed for being the place where William the Conqueror landed. Near the town, in 1066, was fought the most memorable battle in the annals of this country, between Harold II. King of England, and William, Duke of Normandy, in which the former lost his life and king- dom. Of the Normans, there fell nearly 15,000 men ; and a much greater number of the English were killed in the pursuit. Hastings was formerly obliged to fit out 21 ships for the King's service, within 40 days after notice, and to maintain the respective crews at the charge of the town, 14 days after which, the expenses of their ships were to be defrayed by the King. (!P)Cf Ij^t, the duty of, was first granted to King Charles II., in 1660, for his life, in England and Wales ; and has been continued by parliament ever since, and extended to Scotland. This tax is so hateful to Eng^ 73 lishmen, that the common exclamation is still used, ' Liberty, property, and no excise.' SOlUlllirciU^, an order of monks, called in France, Jacobins, and, in England, Black Friars, or Preaching Friars. This order, founded by St Dominic, a native of Spain, was approved of by Innocent III. in 1215. ^tiJitl^tVQf in Germany, has a celebrated Uni- versity, the library of which was rifled by Marshal Tilly, and the M. S. conveyed to Italy ; amongst which, was St Chrysostom's Epistle to Caesarius, opposing the doc- trine of transubstantiation. G^JCfOmmUttlCatlOn, a penalty, or censure, whereby persons guilty of any notorious crime, are sepa- rated from the church, is of very ancient origin. It was the most rigorous punishment inflicted by the Druids, among the Gauls, as we learn by this passage in Caesar, lib. 6. « When a man," says he, (speaking of the Druids,) " will not submit to their judgment, they exclude him from partaking of their mysteries. And those who are struck 74 with this thunderboh, are accounted wicked and impious men ; every one shuns their meeting and conversation ; if they have any business, they have no justice done them ; they are not allowed to possess any office, or dignity ; and die without honour and reputation." In the ancient Christian church, the consequences of excommunication were very terrible. The person ex- communicated, was avoided in all outward civil commerce and conversation. No one was to receive him into his house, or eat at the same table with him ; and, when dead, he was denied the solemn rite of burial. In the present day, excommunication disables a person from doing any judicial act ; such, for instance, as suing in an action at law ; being a witness, &c. ^linSn^^^ in Spain, famous for a defeat sustained here by the English and Portuguese, 25th April, 1707, in which they lost 6000 prisoners, besides a great num- ber killed and wounded. The enemy were commanded by the Duke of Berwick, natural son of James II. who, by the gallantry of the Irish Brigade, turned the left flank of the Allies. 75 ?ierrUlaiTeiim, an ancient city of Italy, near Naples, totally destroyed by an eruption of Mount Ve- suvius, A. D. 79. In the years 1689, and 1711, some traces of this city were discovered ; and, in 1713, some labourers, diging for a well, struck upon a statue on the benches of a theatre. In 1738, fresh attempts were made ; and, since that time, a prodigious number of mo- numents of every kind have been discovered, such as paintings, statues, busts, furniture, utensils, &c. and a great number of manuscripts, some of which have been enrolled. The city lies at the depth of from 70, to 112 feet from the surface. iSaUt)* The lawyer^s band was first used under James I. ; the clergyman's, with the puritan'^s, under Cromwell. The gown and cassock were introduced in Charles II.'s reign. JPtrStluV^, comprehends the knowledge of what relates to solemn cavalcades, and ceremonies of corona- tions, the creation of peers, nuptials, funerals, &c. as well as to the bearing of arms; the assigning of those that belong to each particular individual ; the regulating 76 of their right and precedence in point of honour. The institution of heralds in Scotland is not traced to an ear- lier period than the close of the 14th century ; and, with respect to the jurisdiction and powers exercised by the Lyon and his brethren, nothing is known till the 16th century ; of which time, the original register or matricu- lation-book of the armorial bearings of the nobility and barons of Scotland is still extant, by Sir David Lindsay, then Lyon king at arms. The first legislative act that bestowed upon the Lord Lyon a jurisdiction in matters of arras, is, the statute of 1592, c. 127 ; and, by another statute of 1672, c. 21. all persons bearing arms, are enjoined to send them within a year to Lyon king at arms, that he might distinguish the same with suitable differences, and register them ; and, also, declares that he may give arms to virtuous and well-disposed persons. Lion's office in Scotland, and Ulster king of arms of Ire- land are distinct and independent of the Heralds' college of London, but which from its priority of time, and im- portance, is often caQed upon to sanction their grants. ^I(il£it3tlt« A bishopric in Franconia, celebrated for a curious piece of workmanship, called the sun of 77 the holy sacrament. It is composed of massy gold, of great weight, and is enriched with 350 diamonds, 1400 pearls, 250 rubies, and other precious stones. dSiX^inttY* This word is of modern date in Eng- land, and was first used about the year 1650, when, one Captain Thomas Rudd had the title of Chief-Engineer to the King. In 1600, the title given to engineers, was. Trench-masters ; and, in 1622, Sir William Pellam, and after him. Sir Francis Vere, acted as Trench-masters in Flanders. In the year 1634, an engineer was called Camp -master-general, and, sometimes. Engine-master ; being always subordinate to the Master-general of the Ordnance. wtjCp^^lW, in Northumberland. Its church, which contains many ancient tombs, bears considerable marks of Saxon grandeur ; and it was formerly famous for an abbey. On the screen, at the entrance of the choir, are some strange monastic paintings, called the dance of death. Hexham is believed to have been formerly a Roman station, and the neighbourhood abounds with speculative matter for an antiquary 78 (SrUS^t^U^ This word is very ancient, being used by the Greeks as well as Romans, both in their foot and horse. The common ensign of the Roman legion was an eagle of gold, or silver, fixed on the top of a spear, grasping, and, as it were, hurling a thunderbolt from its talons. Xenophon informs us that the royal ensign of Cyrus, was a golden eagle, spread over a shield, and fastened on a spear ; and that the same was still used among the Per- sian Kings. j^gty C, one of the Cinque ports. There is a very remarkable pile of dry bones in this town, 28 feet long, 6 feet broad, and 8 high. They are preserved in a vault under the church, like books in a library, and consist of several thousand heads, arms, legs, thigh bones, &c. some of which are of a gigantic size ; and appear by an in- scription, to be the remains of the Danes and Britons, killed in a battle near this place. ^liJ0 Ox ItSiltU^^ was such a quantity of land as might be ploughed with one plough, within the compass of a year, or so much as would maintain a family. Some call it 60, some 80, and some, 100 acres. 79 (SVf in the middle, or end of words, especially those which signify the names of places, comes from wer, or were, (Sax.) a man, and signifies, when joined to common nouns, an agent, or, when joined to appellatives, or the names of places, an inhabitant. Thus, singer, from sing and er, or wer, (Saxon) a man, denotes a singing man. Londoner, from London, and er, or wer, (Sax.) a man, signifies a native, or inhabitant of London. ll^Oltt either at the beginning or end of the name of a place, signifies that it is, or has been, a wood — holt being the Saxon term for a wood. — Sometimes it may come from hoi, (Sax.) hollow, especially when the name ends in turn and dum. W^IK5 tUii^ is noted for several remains of old forti- fications, one of which, called Turris Munimentum, is an old stone wall, with a small turret on its centre. There are also some Druidical antiquities in its neighbourhood. Under the mountains that overhang the town, is a large cavern in the rock, supported by natural pillars, and called the parliament house. It is accessible only by boats, and the tide runs into it. 80 0^\Ot^tVU^ Shropshire. Before the reign of Ed- ward I. this part of England was termed the Marshes, debatable lands, and hunting grounds ; and was governed, like those of Scotland, bj a Lord Warden, who was here more generally styled Lord President ; kept his court at Ludlow castle; and, down to the reign of Charles IL, lived in a state of splendour little inferior to royalty. Though national contention had long since ceased, this officer was still considered as absolutely necessary to quell petty disturbances, and to adjust trifling differences, such as frequently occurred in consequence of the quarrels, that arose at drinking and hunting parties. Wi^l)tn tnan^ a "^nig^t anlr Mvon "bol^, TOtl^OjS^ namc& iarnc'^ am^U li^t envoUctn, i^^j^o^crjt t^eiv ^U^e^ to ^tetft^* This town was formerly called Maserfield ; and was a place of great consequence in the time of the Saxons. It is situated on an eminence, between Wans and Offa's dyke, which run parallel with one another, at about two 81 miles distance, and are vestiges of that cautionary de- fence, which the ferocity of the times once required. On an artificial mount at the outside of the town, are the remains of a castie, now httle more than a confused heap of rubbish. " The Britons and Saxons," observes Penant, " gave to their fortresses this species of elevation.'' The Normans, when using their own discretion, were by far the best castle-builders. They erected their edi- fices on the firm and natural soil of the earth, or rock. After the execution of Edmond, Earl of Arundel, in the reign of Edward II. the Queen obtained the grant of Oswestry castle, for Mortimer, a nobleman for whom she had a great partiality. COniS!60rOUfl6 €U^tlt, situated about five miles from Doncaster, is one of the most ancient, and, also, most perfect remains of antiquity in the kingdom. The earliest mention that has been found concerning it, proves it to have been a fortress of Hengist, the Saxon general. In the year 487, Aurelius Ambrosius defeated Hengist, and forced him to take refuge in this castle , and, after- wards, in 489, again defeated him, took him prisoner, and beheaded him at the northern gate of the citadel* 82 Near the entrance to the castle, is a tumuhis, supposed to be the tomb of Hengist. William the Conqueror gave this castle, with all its privileges, &c. to William de Warren; and, in the reign of King Edward III. John, Earl of Warren, gave it to his mistress, Maud de Nereford. It was afterwards the property of Richard, Duke of , York, who was named De Conmgsburgh, be- cause he was born here. Through his son. King Edward IV. it remained with the crown, till James II. granted it to Lord Dover. It now belongs to the Duke of Leeds. The strong keep, or tower, is almost entire, although more than 1300 years have elapsed since it was erected. iinifl^tSS of Wiinti^OV, This order, or in- stitution, was founded by King Edward III. " from the *' great regard he had to military honour, and those *' who had bravely behaved themselves in the wars, yet, " after, chanced to fall to decay," being a provision for their relief and comfortable subsistance. The stated num- ber, at first, was 24 ; but, shortly afterwards, upon his instituting the order of the Garter, two more were added. Henry VIII. settled lands and manors upon them. Ed- ward VIII, also, in the first year of his reign, bestowed 8S several lands on the institution ; and, in the reign of Philip and Mary, buildings for their residence within the castle were commenced ; and, on Elizabeth coming to the crown, she completed the buildings, and confirmed her sister'^s grants. She also made several statutes and ordinances in their favour, which still remain in force, and by which, the number was limited to thirteen Knights of Windsor ; it was likewise ordered that, for the future, none should be admitted unless he were a gentleman by birth. The present establishment consists of eighteen military, and seven naval Knights. Their income is somewhat less than £.50 a. year : But, they are allowed a good house. They are appointed by the Secretary of State for the Home Department. The only duty required of them, is, to attend in St George''s chapel, during divine service, once every day for four months in the year, or pay a fine of Is. 8d. unless prevented by bad health. Jlgme, or iLfitttt aeieSlSi, Dorsetslilre. The liberties of a haven and borough were granted to this town by Edward I. In the reign of Edward III. it furnished four ships, and 62 mariners, for the siege of Calais. During the civil wars, in the reign of Charles 84 I. the siege of Lyme was one of the most remarkable that occurred, for the obstinacy of its defence. It was at this place that the unfortunate Duke of Monmouth land^ ed, in the year 1685. JSlOman ^tntiOn&. The proofs of a Roman station are to be derived from a Roman name, remains of the buildings, tiles, bricks, or mosaic pavements of that people ; or, their coins, especially if preserved in urns, in which those of the latest date will nearly indi- cate the period at which they were concealed. To these indications we may also add the words, Chester, Burgh, and Sratton, and any affinity between the Roman and Saxon names, either in sound, or sense : For the Saxons generally built on Roman foundations. The situation, also, ought to be attentively considered ; if, for instance, it be on, or near a Roman road, or near the confluence of two rivers, with which they particularly delighted. We are likewise to remember that there were the Castra stativi^ or mnter quarters ; and, consequently, the Castra cestwc6, or summer quarters, are to be expected in the same neighbourhood ; as we find at Maiden-castle, near Dorchester ; Woodbury-hill, near Bere-Regis ; and Badbury, near Winburn. These stations were formed', and the roads, carried forward, in proportion as the' Romans extended their conquests. Slfi&Ot^btirg, Dorsetshire. This name is deriv- ed from an ancient abbey, founded by Orcusor Arkeis, Stewart to Canute, the Dane, for secular canons ; but, in the reign of Edward the Confessor, they were removed, and Benedictines placed in their stead ; who remained undisturbed till the general dissolution of monasteries, in the reign of Henry VIII. The abbey stood parallel with the present parish church, on a rising ground. South of the town, is a large gate-house, on the side of which, is a portal, where the last abbot is said to have' been confined, and starved to death. Near this gate, to the left, is another large gate, by which you enter the precincts of the monastery. Ancient MmintV^ of the Italians. About the year 1238, the food of the Italians was \'ery mo- derate, or, rather, scanty. The common people had meat only three times a week. Their dinner consisted of pot-herbs, boiled with meat ; their supper, the cold 86 meat left from dinner. The husband and wife eat out of the same dish ; and they had but one or two cups in the house. They had no candles made of wax or tallow ; but, a torch, held by one of the children, or a servant, gave them light at supper. The men, whose chief pride was in their arms and horses, wore caps made with iron scales, and cloaks of leather, without any other covering. The women wore jackets ofstuflP, with gowns of linen, and their head-dresses were very simple. Those who possessed a very small sum of money, were thought rich ; and the homely dress of the women required only small marriage portions. The nobles were proud of living in towers ; and thence, the cities were filled with those for- tified dwellings. 3BOi*(5(^t0l*t is supposed to have received its name from the Saxons, by whom it was called Doncaster, from the British Dun, or Dwyr, which signifies water, and the Saxon Cheste?-, a corruption from the Roman Castrum, a camp. The ancient walls ; the Via Jceniana, on which it stands ; the several diverging roads that issue from it; the coins and other pieces of antiquity found here; all prove it to have been a place of great consideration 87 with the Romans. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, several popish priests were executed here ; and, inlG85, it was the theatre of the cruelties of the infamous Judge Jefferies. Of St Peter's church in this town, the following tra- ditionary lines have been handed down, as having oiKe been inscribed on its walls -. — " Geoffery Van With his wife Ann And his maid Nan Built this church."" •#antt IBagl^^ The heathens were delighted with the festivals of their gods, and were unwilling to part with those ceremonies ; therefore, the first christian teachers, to facilitate their conversion, instituted an- nual festivals to the Saints and Martyrs; hence, the keeping of Christmas with joy, feasting, plays, and sports, in place of the Bacchanalia, and Saturnalia; the celebrating May-day with flowers, in room of the Floralia ; and the festivals of the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, and other apostles, instead of the solemnities as observed at the entrance of the sun into the signs of the Zodiac, in the old Julian calendar. ^OV&t^^ The different sorts of horses in use among the nobility and others, may be collected from the following entry in the Northumberland household- book , first printed in the year 1768. It is entitled the regulations and establishment of Algernon Percy, the Earl of Northumberland, 1512. '' This is the ordre of the chequir roul of the nom- '' bre of all the horsys of my lordis and my ladys, that *' are apoynted to be in the charge of the hous yerely, '* as to say, gentill hors, palfreys, hobys, naggis, cloth - '* sek hors. *' First, gentill hors, to stand in my lordis stable, six. *^ Item, palfreys of my ladys, to wit, one for my lady, *' and two for her gentiU-women, and oone for her cham- ^^ berer. Four hobys and naggis for my lordis oone ** saddiU, viz. oone for my lorde to ride, oone to led for '* my lorde, and oone to stay at home for my lorde. '* Item, chariot hors to stand in my lordis stable yerely : " Seven great trottynge hors to draw in the chariott, and " a nagg for the chariott-man to ryde, eight. Again, S9 ** hors for my lorde Percy, his lordis sonne. A great " doble trottynge hors to travel on in winter. Item, do- " ble trottynge hors, called a curtal, for his lordship to " ryde on out of townes. Another trottynge gambal- " dyn hors, for his lordship to ride upon when he comes '' into townes. An amblynge hors, for his lordship to '' journey on daily. A proper amblyng little nag, for his *' lordship when he gaeth on hunting or hawkin. A gret " amblynge gelding to carry his male." The gentill horse was one of superior breed, so called in contrast to such as were of ordinary extraction. Palfreys, were an elegant and easy sort of horses, used upon common occasions by Knights, and others, who reserved their great and managed horses for battle and the tournament. Hohys, were strong, active horses, of rather a small size. They are said to be originally natives of Ireland. Nags, were of the same description. Clothseck, was a cloak-bag horse ; as a male horse was one that carried the portmantua. Horses to draw the chariots, were waggon horses; from the French word charrette, whence, the Enghsh word cart A great doble trottynge horse, was a tall, broad horse , 90 whose best pace was the trot, being* too unwieldy to be able to gallop. A curtail was a horse whose tail was cut, or shortened. A gamhaldynge horse, was one of shew and parade ; a managed horse. An amhlynge horse, received this appeUation, from the ease and smoothness of its pace. In former times, almost all saddle horses were broke to perform it. H^ntutlO^ Hertfordshire. This manor was in pos- session of the Saxon monarchs, till King Edgar gave it to the monks of Ely. William de Hatfield, second son of King Edward III. was bom in this town, in the year 1335 ; and both King Edward VI. and Queen Elizabeth, were conducted from the royal palace of Hatfield, to take possession of the throne. The Bishop of Ely sold the manor to Queen Elizabeth ; but, King James I. on his accession to the throne of England, having slept one night at Theobald's, the mansion of Sir Robert Cecil, the youngest son of the great Lord Burleigh, was so struck with the beauties of the place, that he obtained it of Sir Robert in exchange for Hatfield. 91 Cental of %Uliii&' in the reign of James I. estates in England sold for no more than 14 years pur- chase. The rental of all England was computed at about 10 millions a year; and the value of all the landed property at 140 millions. Interest of money was 10 per cent, at this time. In the year 1668, the average rent of lands in England, was computed to be 6s. 2d. per acre. In 1812, the whole surface of England and Wales was reck- oned at 17s. 2d. per acre ; Leicester and Somerset — (the most fertile, Middlesex excepted) — were calculated at 28s. per acre ; and the total rental of land in England and Wales, amounted to £.29,476,852, ^0Ual iLab)^« Hanging is a punishment, says Sir William Dugdale, as ancient as King Ina. William the Conqueror did not, however, adopt this legal penal- ty in his code of penal laws, but, made use of more severe punishments, such as cutting off the hands and feet, putting out the eyes, emasculation, &c. Beheading criminals of rank, was first introduced in the eighth year of his reign. Hanging was first used as a punishment for theft and robbery, under Henry I. To kill a stag. 92 was as criminal as to murder a man. False coining was a very common crime in this reign ; and nearly fifty cri- minals were, at one time, hanged, or mutilated, for it There is a code, which passes under the name of Henry I., but, the genuineness of which is doubted. It is, how- ever, a very ancient compilation, and not a little instruc- tive with respect to the manners and customs of those times. Henry granted a charter to London, which seems to have been the first step towards rendering that city a corporation. By this charter, they were empowered to hold the farm of Middlesex at ifi'.SOO a year ; and many other privileges were granted them. Henry II. enacted severe penalties against robbery, murder, false coining, and burning houses. The pecuniary commuta- tion for crimes — a false and preposterous lenity — appears to have been entirely abolished at this time. The super- stitious trial by water ordeal, still subsisted, however, although Henry ordained that any man accused of murder, or heinous felony, by the oath of the legal Knights of the shire, should, even although acquitted by the ordeal, be obliged to abjure the realm. Trial by duel, or battle, was still allowed ; but, either of the parties was admitted to challenge trial by an assize, or jury of twelve m freeholders, which method of trial seems to have been very ancient in England, and was fixed by the laws of King Alfred. In the reign of King John, justice was so much corrupted, that even the Barons of the Exchequer were not ashamed to insert in their records that the county of Norfolk, paid a sum that they might be fairly dealt with ; as likewise the borough of Yarmouth, with many more instances. (See Madox's history of the Ex- chequer.) In this age, two dogs suffered death, for assaulting one of the lions in the Tower, on the princi- ple of its being treason against royalty ! 23ltttlCl* titt 2SlO£j0. This expression arose from the wars between the houses of York and Lancaster, called the contention betwixt the two Roses. In this conflict, the opposite adherents wore, as badges, the cogni- zance of their different parties. They swore by the red, or the white rose ; and these opposite emblems were dis- played as the signs of two taverns ; one of which was by the side of, and the other opposite to, the Parliament-house in Old Palace Yard, Westminster. Here the retainers and , servants of the noblemen attached to the Duke of York, and Henry VI. used to meet. Here, also, as distur- 94 bances were frequent, measures, either of defence, or annoyance, were taken, and every transaction was said to be done under the Rose ; by which expression, the most profound secrecy was imphed. vE'OKCn^S* In the year 1653, private persons had the hberty of coining pennies, halfpennies, and farthings, with their own device upon them, for the convenience of trade. Tokens issued by cities or villages, generally ex- pressed the name of the place, and value of the piece, on one side, and, on the other, the arms of the city or town, or some other device. When, however, they were coined by private individuals, they expressed the town, or street, where the proprietors lived, together with their sign or trade. They were of different sizes and forms ; and in general, shamefully light. They continued current till the year 1672, when the King's copper half-pence and farthings took place of them. i33rtl£i« After the fall of the Druids, there arose amongst the British this order of men; but, whether before the mission of Melitus, and the consequent con- version of the Saxons by him and his associates, has been 95 doubted. By becoming the historians and minstrels of their country, they obtained as powerful an influence over the people, as had been exercised by their prede- cessors. Their learning, ingenuity, and sacred character, for, they exercised the ofRce of religious ministration, rendered them of the utmost importance with the people. Though the Druids never departed from theological so- lemnity, the Bards frequently mingled secular, and even convivial aspirations with the music of their lyre, and by that means rendered their influence over the passions of the people unbounded. ^OPttlSttOtt OF Europe. Britain most proba- bly received its first population from the opposite coast of Gaul; Iceland, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden are of the Gothic race. France was peopled by the Belgse and Celts. Nothing can be decided respecting the original population of Greece, or the conquest of it by the Scythians. Italy most probably was peopled from Greece. Spain received its first population from Africa. From the second Go- thic invasion, which destroyed the Roman empire, no doubt can be entertained that the present population of Spain and Italy is partly Gothic. The Slavi, who invad- 96 ed the north-west of Europe, after the destruction of the Roman empire, were an Asiatic tribe ; and the present in- habitants and languages of Russia, Bohemia, Poland, and Dalmatia, are derived from them. The Laplanders seem to be the aboriginal savages of that part of Europe which they now possess. The present inhabitants of Hungary are not Huns, but are descended from the Fins, who conquered that country. ^VCJ^ltf rtUrt* The species of architecture that produce the most picturesque effect, are the Roman, and the Gothic. To the lovers of the sublime, the awful ruins of towers, and monasteries, abbeys, and castles, present a much more gratifying spectacle, than the ele- gant erections of Greece. Amid the wild and untameable scenes of nature, the rudeness of the British, the greatness of the Roman, the circular tower of the Saxon, and the pointed arch of the Anglo-Norman styles, assimilate beautifully with the romantic scenery of a surrounding country. The first specimens of Gothic architecture which we possess, are Lincoln, and York cathedrels ; indeed, they are amongst the proudest monuments of ecclesiastical mag- 97 nificence that any country can boast of. However, in the latter, there is more elegance than in the former ; and the architecture is lighter and more airy ; in fact, one cannot walk under its lofty roof, without a feeling of amazement that such small and delicate pillars should be able to support so stupenduous a covering. Houses in the country, in the last centuries, were ge- nerally built in the bottom of vallies ; perhaps, for the conveniences of making fish ponds there, or, for the sake of shelter from the bleakness of an uninclosed country. Accordingly, they have, in general, a very dull appear- ance ; and the pecuharity of their situation must render them very unwholesome. 3$3UtlOlC0r, a large leathern belt, thrown over the shoulder, and hanging down under the left arm, worn by the ancient musketeers, both for supporting their fire- arms, and for the carriage of their musket-charges, 'which were contained in twelve wooden cases, coated with lea- ther. CatilOlifJJ* By the acts of Pope Clement XI. tome 2. p. 179. pubHshed in folio, at Rome, 1742, it is H declared that all promises whatever, or stipulations, made in favour of protestants, are utterly null and void, when- ever they are prejudicial, in any manner, to the Catholic faith, the salvation of souls, or to any rights of the church; even though such engagements have been often ratified and confirmed by oath ! ! IS^ttSitn^ is practised by all professors of the Christian religion, except the Quakers. It was performed by immersion, till the year 100. Sponsors were first insti- tuted in the time of the persecution, A. D. 130. Godfathers and godmothers were forbidden to marry, A. D. 721. (JITSitdiPJPtdetn^ a piece of heavy defensive armour, formed of cloth or leather,* fortified with iron-scales, or links, with which, sometimes only the breast, sometimes the whole body, and, occasionally, the horse, too, was covered. ^t(t£( and ^(Ot£S« The original Picts were tribes of the Gael, or Celtae, inhabiting the southern and eastern parts of Scotland ; the Caledonians were tribes of the same race, inhabiting the mountainous regions. The 99 term Picts was not known as a national name, until the Romans began to advance towards the north ; nor that of Scots, until their power began to decline. Picti, or Picts, seems to have been an epithet of reproach, equiva- lent to savage, or barbarous, thrown out by the provincial Britons, who had submitted to the Roman yoke, and had adopted their modes and customs, against such of their brethren as adhered to their ancient usages, and refused to submit to the Roman power, but, remained in tribes contiguous to the Roman provinces. The Cale- donians are the Gael Dun, or the Gael of the mountains. Thus, the terms Picts, and Caledonians, expressed the distinction known at this day between Lowlanders and Highlanders. The term Scots, or Scuits, seems to have been applied by the provincial Britons to both Picts, and Caledonians, when they plundered the Roman provinces. It means wanderers, or, rather, robbers. Accordingly, we do not hear of the Scots until the decline of the Roman power, when the provincial Britons were exposed to their merciless incursions. That this name was confined to those tribes which lay contiguous to the province, appears from this, that, in the interior of the Highlands, the people do not call themselves Scots, but, Gael Albinich, 1^ or Gauls of Albion. Hence, the Scots could not, as has been supposed, have acquired their name in Ireland, and, afterwards, have brought it with them to Argyleshire, and the West Highlands. The progress of the Roman conquests, would naturally suggest the necessity of these tribes uniting under a common chief, and would pave the way for the establishment of monarchies ; one, of the Picts, on the east of the island ; the other, of the Caledo- nians, afterwards Scots, on the west. From favourable situation, the Picts would soon begin to understand, and to -practice agriculture ; while the Caledonians of the mountains, would depend chiefly on pasturage and hunt- ing. Accordingly, the people of the interior Highlands, know no more of the Picts, than of the Scots of our anti- quaries. The people whom we term Picts, they call Drin^ nach, or labourers ; thereby denoting their agricultural occupations. The modern Lowlanders, they term Sassa- nach, Saxons ; which shews that they do not consider them to be of the same race with the ancient Picts, or DrinnacK (E^b3lt(t% a knight, gentleman, or soldier, who rides on horseback, and is of a brave, generous, polite. 101 carriage ; but, used by the writers of King Charles's time for a disdainful, haughty, and arrogant behaviour. ^iCt& W&iUlh This work was begun by the Emperor Adrian, on the northern boundaries of England, to prevent the incursions of the Picts and Scots. It was originally built of earth, A. D. 12S, and, in 420, Atius, the Roman general, rebuilt it of brick. It stretched 200 miles, from the Irish to the German sea, or, from Car- lisle to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, with watch towers, properly garrisoned, at the distance of one mile from each other. It was ruined several times by the Picts, and restored as often by the Romans. It was 8 feet thick, and 12 feet high. Some small remains of it are still left. Roman coins and other antiquities, are frequently found near it iiTtl^nnOUy* Master of the ceremonies, is an officer, first instituted by James I., for the more honourable re- ception of ambassadors and strangers of quality. He wears about his neck a chain of gold, with a medal, un- der the crown of Great Britain. His salary is .^^.300 a year. He has an assistant, and marshal, under him. 102 35aib0t£(* This trade was brought to Rome from Sicily, 299 years before Christ. The barbers were incor- porated with the Surgeons' Company in London, 1540, and again separated, A. P. 1744. JBCttingClt, a village on the Rhine, where the British gained a victory over the French, in 1743. George II. rode between the first and second lines, with his sword drawn, encouraging his troops by his presence and ex- ample, and exposing his person to a severe fire of cannon and musketry. His son, the Duke of Cumberland, made his first military essay in this battle, and exhibited uncommon proofs of courage. He was^shot through the calf of the leg. The French horse charged with great impetuosity, and some regiments of British cavalry gave way ; but, the British infantry behaved with such steady intrepidity, under the eye of their Sovereign, as soon determined the fate of the day. (iTBpttbCj^* The Romans generally loaded their prisoners of war with chains, and placed them near their colours. The captive Kings had their heads shaved, and 103 were sent to Rome, to augment the splendour of the triumph. iSarnarll Cattle, Durham, is a large structure, situated on a rock, near the river. It was built by Bernard Baliol, great-grandfather of John Baliol, King of Scotland- ©antr^®2airitinS» Henry VII. wrote a strong hand, but, as if he seldom had a good pen. The bold, hasty, and commanding vehemence of his character con- veyed itself into his writing. Edward VI, wrote a fmr, legible hand. His diary, written by himself, is preserved in the British Museum. Queen Elizabeth wrote an upright hand, something like the Italian. Ro- ger Ascham had taught her all the elegancies of the pen. James I. wrote a poor character, all awry, and not in a straight line ; a slovenly scrawl, indicative of that personal negligence, which he carried into all the httle tilings of life. Charles I. wrote a fair, open, Italian hand, and more correctly, perhaps, than any prince we ever had. Charles II. wrote a little, clear, running hand, as if he wrote in haste, or was uneasy till he had done. James 104 II. wrote a large legible hand ; and he was a detailer of occurrences, with a business-like genius. Queen Anne wrote a plain round hand, without any alteration of man- ner from that which had been taught her by her master. Cardiff Cajitle. Here Robert, Duke of Nor- mandy, brother to William Rufus, and Henry I. was confined for upwards of 26 years, and deprived of his sight, by command of his cruel brother. This castle was besieged by Oliver Cromwell ; who, in a book of his own writing, called the Flagellum, says he should have found greater difficulty in taking it, had it not been for a de- serter from the garrison, who, as soon afs the garrison surrendered, was hanged for his treachery, by order of Cromwell. 3SHt*nCt« On Gladmore common, near this town, a severe battle was fought, 5th April, 1468, between Ed- ward IV. and the Earl of Warwick, which lasted five hours, when victory declared for the King, the Earl being slain. 105 a curiDusi Manuscript it is said that the Earl of Massareene has in his possession an ancient M. S. concerning our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is the record of an Epistle to the Roman Senate, from Publius Lentulus, the president of Judea, in the reign of Tiberius Caesar. It was the custom of the Roman governors to inform the Senate of such material circum- stances as happened in their respective provinces. The Epistle is as follows :— ' There has appeared in our days, a man of great virtue, named Jesus Christ, who is yet living amongst us, and of the Gentiles accepted for a prophet of truth ; but, his disciples call him- the Son of God. He raiseth the dead, and cureth all manner of diseases; a man of stature, somewhat tall and comely, with a very reverend coun- tenance, such as the beholder may both love and fear. His hair is of the colour of a chesnut, full, ripe, and plain to his ears, whence downward, it is more orient, curling and waving about his shoulders. In the midst of his forehead, is a stream, or partition of his hair, after the manner of the Nazarites. His forehead is plain and very delicate. His face is without spot or wrinkle, beau* 106 tiful, with a lovely red. His nose and mouth, are so formed, as nothing can be reprehended. His beard is thickish, and, in colour, like his hair, not over long, but forked. His look is innocent and mature. His eyes are grey, clear, and quick. In reproving, he is terrible ; in admonishing, he is courteous and fair-spoken ; and plea- sant in conversation, mixed with gravity. It cannot be remembered that any have seen him laugh, but, many have seen him weep. In proportion of body, he is most excellent. His hands and arms, are most delectable to behold. In speaking he is very temperate, modest, and wise ; a man, in short, of singular beauty, and surpassing the children of men.' CnrmtlitC^, or white Friars, one of the four orders of mendicants, who pretend to derive their origin from the prophets Elijah and Elisha. They debarred themselves from ever possessing property; they never tasted animal food ; they habituated themselves to ma- nual labour ; were constantly engaged in oral, or mental prayer; and continued in religious silence, from the hour of vespers to the third portion of the succeeding 107 day. The Popes Eugenius and Pius considerably miti- gated the rules of this order. IS^rOlt^ a term which formerly included all the greater nobility, under the title of Thane, but is now used to designate the junior title of nobility. It was first conferred by patent in England, 1388. The Barons attended parliament in armour, in the reign of Henry III. They had no coronet, till Charles II. gave them a gold one with six pearls. UlSitOriCal CrattSJ in Fea>jce. The follow- ing anecdotes of the government of France, have been drawn from the most respectable authorities :— At the death of Cardinal Mazarin, Louis XIV. an- nounced that he intended to be his own minister. He persuaded himself that he was perfect ; and, from that moment, he wanted no advice : But, he yielded con- stantly to the seductions of his mistresses — and to the artifices of his ministers and confessors. A saying of Louvois will shew to what extent Louis was governed by those about him. Trianon was building, Louvois at- tended the King, who amused himself with those build- 108 ings. Louis observed that one of the windows was wider than the others, and, on Louvois presuming to differ with the monarch, Louis treated Louvois harshly before all the workmen. The minister humbled, retired to his friends, the two Colberts, Villacarp, and others ; and, bursting with rage, said — ' I am lost — if I do not give employment to this man. — Nothing but a war will keep him from those buildings ; and, with the bless- ing of God, he shall have it.' — Louvois kept his word. The coalition of Augsburg might have been prevented by a prudent policy ; but, he irritated the allied Sove- reigns, and Europe was set on fire, because a window was too wide ! There was a suggestion of a new tax of a tenth. The proposal was made to Louis ; he hesitated, and was me- lancholy. The Jesuit Tellier, his confessor, assured him that he was the real proprietor and master of all the property in the kingdom. — « You have satisfied me,' said Louis. — « Me viola tranquille / and the tax was imposed. The Jesuits were every thing at court, and held Louis in the greatest subjection. It was their influence that obtained the revocation of the edict of Nantes.— Louis, by divine right, and the decision of the Jesuits, 109 pretended to reign over the conscience. They told him that there ought to be but one God, one King, and one Religion. Three millions of men were, therefore, pro- scribed, their' goods confiscated, and civil war was kin- dled. The property of the protestants once confiscated, the lords and ladies of the court partook of the spoil. Such was the profligacy of the court of Louis XIV. that, when Madame de Montespan deserted her husband for the Monarch, on his murmuring, he was banished for the offence, without the tyrannical act exciting any surprise. At the first convalescence of Louis XV. there were daily fetes, and the gardens of the Thuilleries were never empty. Marshal de Villeroi took his august pupil from one window to another, — ' Look,' said he, ' behold, my master, all these people are yours ; they have nothing which does not belong to you— you are the master of all that you see.' The avowed and disgusting influence of this King's mistresses, and the national disasters which they occasioned — together with the bold and vigorous spirit displayed in the writings of Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau, created a general feeling of discontent, and contempt for the government ; and prepared the 110 way for the Revolution that broke out in the following reign. CarnarbOn^ in the castle here, in a small dark room, not 12 feet long, or 8 broad, was Edward II. born, in the part called the Eagle-tower, the walls of which are still nearly entire. iSarOHCtt a degree of honour next to a Baron, cre- ated by James I. in 1611, to raise troops for the effectual reduction of Ireland. Each of them was to maintain 30 soldiers in that country, for three years, at the rate of 8d. a day for each man. They have the precedence of all Knights, except those of the Garter, Bannerets, and Privy Coun- sellors. Baronets of Scotland were created in 1625. By the original order, none were to be admitted to this dig- nity, unless, at the very least, he were descended from a grandfather, by the father's side, who had borne arms ; and had, also, a clear revenue of JB.IOOO a year. ilffVO^a* In the year 1683, there was one of the severest frosts ever known in Europe ; it continued from November to March. In France, it was so very intense, that Ill the hares and rabbits came into the principal towns, an^ took shelter. In Holland, there had been a violent flood but a short time before, to which the frost succeeding, the whole country bore the appearance of a sea of glass. A prodigious number of poor were starved to death in Germany, France, Britain, and Ireland. In England, the feathered tribe suffered so considerably, that but few birds were seen the ensuing summer. Wild ducks and other water-fowl dropt down dead in the streets. Vegeta- bles perished in the ground ; and all the corn was ex- pected to be destroyed ; but, contrary to that opinion, the ensuing harvest of 1684 was the earhest and most plen- tiful, that had been known for many years. ^OQdinT^ Cambridgeshire. Near this place is Spin- ney abbey, where Henry Cromwell, second son of OHver, spent the latter part of his life. He had been appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland by his father, and so conti- nued till his brother Richard quitted the Protectorate, when he also resigned the regency of Ireland, and retired, first, to Chippenham, in the same country, and, lastly, to Spinney abbey, passing 'his time in the occupations of husbandry, in which King Charles II. found him employed, in an excursion he made — (for the purpose of seeing him) — ^from Newmarket, in the month of Sep- tember, 1671. €:8c #riflinal JSltie^iSeartr, was the fa- mous Gilles, Marquis de Laval, Marshal of France, and a General of great intrepidity. He greatly distinguished himself in the reigns of Charles VI. and VII., but, tar- nished his glory, by the most cruel murders, and licenti- ousness of every kind. His revenues were princely— but, his prodigalities were sufficient to render an Empe- ror a bankrupt. Wherever he went, he had in his suit, a seraglio, a company of players, a band of musicians, a society of sorcerers, packs of dogs of various kinds, and above two hundred horses. Mezery, an author of high repute, says, that he encouraged and maintained men, who called themselves sorcerers, to discover hidden trea- sures ; and corrupted young persons of both sexes to attach themselves to him, and, afterwards, killed them for the sake of their blood, which was requisite to form his charms and incantations. He was, at length, for a state crime to the Duke of Brittany, sentenced to be burned alive in a field in Nantes, 1440 ; but, the 113 Duke of Brittany, who was present at his execution, so far mitigated the sentence, that he was first strangled, and then burned, and his ashes buried. CJe 2SvtfOlinatlOn* one of the first exer- tions of constitutional Hberty, on the increasing power of the Commons, by their acquisition of lands, was, perhaps, the signal act of justice procured at the accession of Hen- ry VIII. on Empson and Dudlay, who had been the plunderers and oppressors of the people during the latter years of the preceding reign. The second was still more remarkable, in the overthrow of ecclesiastical tyran- ny, by the accomplishment of the reformation ; in which, whatever might be the King's true motive, the people had certainly no other view, than to obtain an independence in religious matters, which originated in their ideas of right to civil liberty, justly conceiving that reli- gious tyranny is the surest and best support of civil despotism. But, in this great change, the English did not discern that, in their anxious zeal to get rid of the authority of the Pope, they were throwing too great a weight into the regal scale at home, and, by that means endangered, their liber- I ty : For, Henry, after uniting the supremacy of the church and crown in his own^'person, was enabled to exert the greatest despotism in the exercise of the powers of both. Rehgious faith, he was continually altering by his will, and enforcing obedience by the most despotic acts. At the same time, he raised his civil authority to the high- est pitch by the passing of a law, which gave to his proclamations all the force of acts of parliament. Soon after Henry's death, the protestant religion became established, and the law which the parliament had been constrained to pass in favour of regal despo- tism, was regularly repealed ; from which time, the power of the Commons was gradually increased, as is evident from the many popular commotions that happen- ed in the successive reigns of Henry's immediate issue. Religious liberty now went on extending, and civil freedom naturally kept pace with it. SbtbUrj), Wiltshire, is noted for a Druidical circle of stones, a single, broad, high, flat stone ; and, a little to the north of that, a barrow, set round with large stones. This is supposed to be the remains of the family chapel of an Arch-Druid. 115 dSVtttVf was a British settlement long previously to the Roman invasion. Camden says, " This city is called, by Ptolemy, Isca; by Antoninus, Isca Dunmonium, for Danraoniorum ; by others, falsely, Augusta, as if the Legio, II. Aug. had been stationed there. The castle, anciently called Rougemont, was once the seat of the Sax- oa kings ; and, afterwards, of the Earls of Cornwall. When Isca became subject to the Romans, does not certainly appear."" — It seems, however, to have been somewhat considerable under the Antonines ; for, hither, and no further, Antoninus carries his itinerary in these parts. It was not until 4<65 years after the arrival of the Saxons in this Island, that Athelstan drove the Britons out of the whole city, forced them across the Tamar, and fortified the city with rampartsv It appears from Doomsday-book, that, at the time of the conquest, the King had in this city 300 houses ; and it paid 15/. a year. Forty-eight houses were destroyed after the King came to England. Leland says, " The town of Exeter is aigood mile and more in compass, and is right strongly waulled and mainteyned.'"' The city of Exeter was visited by Richard III. in 1483. He was nobly entertained 116 by the corporation. Oir seeing the castle, he commended it highly ; but, hearing it was named Rougemont, which, from the similarity of the sound, he mistook for Rich- mond, he suddenly grew sad, saying that the end of his days approached ; a prophecy having declared that he should not survive the sight of Richmond. SKlTCtttfOtiJj Middlesex. Here Edward Ironsides obtmned a great victory over the Danes under Ca- nute ; and Charles I. after the battle of Edgehill, beat two of the best regiments that the parliament had. In the half- acre, New Brentford, the members of parliament for the county are elected. ISUtl^Sm? the present Cathedral was finished in 1M% The Deanery was founded in 1541. It was made a county-palatine in 1552. The town was incorporated in 1576 ; and an act passed to enable the city and county to send members to parliament, in 1672. The earliest his- torical notice of this city is contained in the monkish l^end of St Cuthbert, from whose votaries, Dunholme, as it was then called, acquired all its celebrity and riches. In the early wars between the Scotch and English, Dur- 117 liam was a considerable post on the frontier, and often the residence of the English Kings, during their preparations to invade Scotland. On the north side of the palace- green, is situated the castle, now the residence of the Bishop, when he is here. It is very favourably situated for defence, and was, probably, a fortified post before tte Norman Conquest. The most ancient part of this struc* ture is the keep, or tower, which is supposed to have been of Norman construction : It is now a mere shell. (iTOlti^tdOlCi^t ^^ hundreds and franchises, were ordained in the 13. Edward I., for the preservation of the peace, and the view of armour, by the statute of Win- chester, which appointed that two should be chosen in every hundred. SlpOtSC^^tSi, the deification of great men after their death, a ceremony used by the Greeks and Romans ; which was performed in the following manner : After the body of the deceased had been burned with the customary- solemnities, an image of wax, representing him, was pla- ced on a couch, where it lay for seven days, and was visited by the Senate, and by persons of the first quality, 118 in mourning ; and then, the young Senators and Knights bore the bed of state through the Via Sacra to the old Fo- rum, and thence to the Campus Martins, where it was deposited upon an edifice of a pyramidical form, sur- rounded with spices and combustibles, round which, the Knights made a procession in solemn measure ; after •which, the new Emperor, with a torch in his hand, set fire to it ; whilst an eagle was let fly from the top of the building, and, mounting in the air, was supposed to convey the soul of the deceased to heaven among the gods, from which circumstance, he was considered as one of them. iSriUtr^* Bribing parliaments, was first introduced into England in 1554. Lord Chief Justice Thorpe was hanged for bribery, under Edward III. ^PplCib^t is situated on the Roman miUtary way called Aballaba, which crossed this country. A vene- rable castle belonging to the Earl of Thanet, at the upper end of the town, is kept in excellent repair. From old English statutes, parliaments have been holden here. U9 • (JSTOinftBt^, first appointed, judicially, in Gaul about the year 500. William the Conqueror introduced them into England. The first decision by combat was made in 1096 ; and is still a part of our laws, though obsolete. A trial by combat was appointed in England A. D. 1547, under the inspection of the Court of Com- mon Pleas ; and, although Queen Ehzabeth interposed her authority, and enjoined the parties to compound the matter, yet, in order to preserve their honour, the lists were marked out, and all the forms, previous to the com- bat, were observed with much ceremony, (See Spelman's Gloss.) In the year 1631, a judicial combat was ap- pointed between Donald, Lord Rea, and David Ramsay, Esq. by the authority of the Lord High Constable, and the Earl Marshal of England; but, that combat terminated without bloodshed, being accommodated by Charles I. Another instance occurs seven years later, (See Rush- worth on the Statutes.) Law, however, soon obtained the entire ascendancy, and judicial, or private combats, were not only laid aside, but, were strictly forbidden. The military character alone, seems to have retained a sort of innate privilege to make appeals to the sword, in 1^ cases where the nice sensibility of the heart breaks through the trammels of legal disquisition, and establishes points of honour which can only be determined by per- sonal exposure. dfUltS* About the beginning of the eleventh cen- tury, and, perhaps, even earlier, trade was principally carried on by means of Fairs. Many marts of this sort were established by William the Conqueror, and his successors. The merchants, who frequented them in numerous companies, used every art to draw the people together. — Hence, the custom of jugglers, buffoons, &c, assembling at these places. S[tf]^aitj3[rt, the passage to, through the North Sea, was first discovered by Captain Richard Lane, in 1533, his ship being separated from the fleet of Sir Hugh Willoughby, then on an expedition to discover a N. E. passage to China. Sir Hugh perished in Lap- land ; Lane wintered here. On the English first entering the White Sea, the people never having seen a ship before, fled from it in the greatest consternation. From the time of Elizabeth, to the death of Charles I. tjie English 121 enjoyed the sole privilege of trading here, and the other northern ports of Russia ; but, ^since that time, it has been thrown open to all nations. (!tOtttin0rf0» The Romans protected commerce through their extensive empire, but, did not seek to monopolize it within their own possessions. During the middle ages, commerce was principally carried on by the Italians and Germans. At the beginning of the 16th century, after the discovery of America and the Cape of Good Hope, the commerce of the East was chiefly en- grossed by the Portuguese, and that of the west by the Spaniards. An hundred years afterwards, their glory was eclipsed by the English, and Dutch ; and, since the French Revolution, England has been without a rival in commercial importance. iSrOtflrtjJ, were allowed in London in 11 62 ; sup- pressed, in 1545 ; and tolerated in France, A. D. 1280. Pope Sextus erected one at Rome, in 1471, and the prostitutes paid him a weekly tax ! ! 122 Comprehension, m English church history, denotes a scheme for relaxing the terms of conformity in behalf of Protestant dissenters, and admitting them into the communion of the church. It was attempted in 1667, and 1674 ; and again, immediately after the Revo- lution, but, always failed. SSOlOIISfl <2?ngllS|), a customary descent of lands in certain ancient boroughs and copyhold manors, by which, they descend to the youngest, instead of the eldest son ; or, if the owner have no issue, to the younger, in- stead of the elder brother. This custom originated from a presumption that the youngest is least able to provide for himself. (E0nri!t)!ncl3^> was, in former times, considered a kind of legal contract ; and was deemed neither sinful, nor dishonourable. A charter of King Edmund to West Mailing Abbey, A. D. 1107, is witnessed by the King's brother, and mother, two Archbishops, several priests, and Elfgede, '^ Concubin Regis.'''' Concubines were allowed to the clergy in 1206 ; but, were denied chris- tian burial, nineteen years afterwards— viz. in 1^25 I iSO^tDOttflt Leicestershire, is remarkable for a battle fought near it, on the 22d August, 1485, between Richard III. and the Earl of Richmond, afterwards Henry VII. in which, Richard was slain, and the Earl of Richmond crowned on the field. The battle lasted only two hours. A stone, with the following beautiful inscription, has been placed by the Rev. Doctor Par, in the field where this battle was fought, AQUA. EX. HOC. PUTEO. HAUSTA. SITIM. SEDAVIT. RICARDUS. TERTIUS. REX. ANGLIC. CUM. HENRICO. COMITE. DE. RICHMONDIA. ACERRIME. ATQVE. INFENSISSIME. PRAELIANS. ET. VITA. PARITER. AC. SCEPTRO. ANTE. NOCTEM. CARITVRVS. XI. KAL. SEPT. A. D. MCCCCLXXXV. 124. vETOnUdtttOltt. is a name given to an extraordi- nary assembly of parliament, or the states of the realm, held without the King's writ ; which was the case with the convention of the estates, who, upon the retreat of King James II. came to a conclusion that he had abdi- cated the throne, and that the right of succession devolv- ed to King William and Queen Mary. This was also the name of the Assembly in France, which, on the 21st September, 1792, abolished royalty, and founded a Republic. i%Ctlll£$« That there was a period at which the inhabitants of Britain were ignorant of the art of work- ing metals, is evident from the numerous instruments, formed of stone and flint, which have been found in many parts of the island. But, the mineral treasures which nature had plentifully deposited in various districts of the country were early discovered by the Britons. Tin, long esteemed the most valuable production of this island, was exported by the Celtic Britons, many ages before the Belgas established themselves on the southern coast. The discovery of this valuable metal 125 led to a commercial intercourse with foreign merchants, highJy important in the early annals of Britain. The first nation that opened a trade with the inhabitants of this island was undoubtedly the Phoenicians. They are supposed to have traded with Britain about 500 years before the Christian era. At length, the, Phoenicians reluctantly admitted the Greeks to a participation of this traffic. Brass^ or Copper^ was the favourite metal with the Britons, whether of Celtic, or Belgic extraction. It was entirely imported by them, although they understood the art of working it, and constructed from it various implements. That their military weapons, — swords, battle-axes, spears, and arrow-heads— were chiefly form- ed of copper, or brass, is manifest from the relics found in different parts of the island. From these, it appears that they frequently mixed a great quantity of lead with the primary metal. (£SSfttt^ was introduced into England by Mr Daniel Edwards, a Turkey-merchant, in the year 1652, who brought with him a Greek servant, to make his cdFee. This man, named Pasquet, was the first person who set 126 up a coffee-house in London. In 1660, a duty of 4d. a gallon was laid on all that was sold ; and, in 1675, coffee- houses were ordered to be shut up, as places encouraging political dissentions. dminillC^* It is in vain to search into the history of time for an account of any family, much before the eleventh century. The taking of sirnames, was unknown in Britain before the Conquest ; and, this practice having been but recently adopted on the continent, it is probable that the followers of WilUam were the first of their fami- lies that did so, an example which was followed, in the succeeding reigns, by the Anglo-Saxon gentry, as it came to be looked on as disgraceful in persons of rank, not to have a second name. The christian names of their Nor- man masters were also adopted, as William, Richard, Henry, &c. instead of Egbert, Ethelred, Alfred, Edgar, and others. Gentility, and the advantages resulting from good birth, may be as fairly laid claim to by a person, whose family have lived on their estate, in affluence and independence, for the space of nearly a century and a half, as if they could produce a pedigree from Noah ; but, in a shorter period than one century, they undoubt- 127 edly could not lay claim to it. An eminent writer has said, ' The corrupted heart, the interested sentiments, the debased, however acute understanding, of a low man grown great, are too apt to throw a tincture over his family, for, at least, a century ; whereas, that race, which hereditary affluence has long placed above what is low, servile, and meanly ambitious, have a greater pro- bability of being distinguished by elevated ideas, and pure and independent souls.' 0Otf)iC SlreSitertUre, can support an im. niense vault upon the slightest pillars. The elevation of it is so wonderful, that, although it seems ready to fall, it is perforated, and full of windows, in every part, and though it stands, as it were, suspended in air, it, nevertheless, sub- sists for centuries, and almost always proves more durable than regular buildings, |l|3ir* Long hair was esteemed an honour by the ancient Gauls, but, held odious in this kingdom in 1096. False hair was worn by the Greeks and Romans. The first peruke was made at Paris, 1620 ; and worn here soon after the restoration of Charles II. 1S8 (JTOin^S^ were first used in Britain 25 years before Christ. The first sterling money was coined in 1216, before which time, rents were p^d in kind. The chief instrument used in coining, until the introduction of the mill and screw-piece, (in 1662), were, a hammer, and steel-dies, upon which, the device was engraved. The metal, being previously prepared of the proper fineness and thickness, was cut into longitudinal slips, and a square piece being cut from the slip, it was afterwards rounded and adjusted to the weight of the money to be made. The blank pieces of metal were then placed between the two dies, and the upper one was struck with a hammer. This money was, necessarily, imperfect, from the inequa- lity of the force employed. The die used for coining, was first invented in 1617, and received into England in 1620. In ancient times, the right of coinage was some- times usurped by the more powerful Barons. But, Henry II. appears finally to have suppressed this abuse. Since his time, the crown has, at different periods, delegat- ed the right of coining to certain great corporations: But, this practice has been entirely abolished since the reign of Edward VI. 129 dTSiirfOttlt Gloucestershire, is celebrated for the glass windows, curiously painted with Scripture history, in its spacious and beautiful church, executed from the designs of Albert Durer. The colours are so lively, especially in the drapery, and the figures are, in general, ^o well drawn, that Vandyke affirmed, the pencil could not exceed them. The glass was taken in a ship going to Rome. The church is a very fine specimen of the style of architecture that prevailed about the close of the 15th century. T^Slvtt^t^ was formerly named the Danish axe, be- cause it was borne first by them ; from this people, it was borrowed by the Scots, from whom it came to the English, and from us to the French. (0tttl^^Otollei\ The invention of, is usually ascribed to one Schwartz, a Francisian monk, of Friburg, about the year 1320, and it is said to have been first used in war by the Venetians against the Genoese, in the year 1380. It was first made in England about the year 1561. When Mahomet II. besieged Constantinople, in the year K 130 1453, he battered the walls with stone bullets ; and somr 5f his cannon were of the caliber of 1200 lb. but, they could not be fired more than four times in the 24 hours, and they often burst. The French first used brass can- non, mounted on carriages, drawn by horses, in their wars in Italy, in the 15th century. The Indians of Virginia having seized a quantity of gun-powder belong- ing to the English colony, sowed it for grain, expecting to reap a plentiful crop of combustibles by the next har- vest, in order to blow away the whole colony. Siring* The first standing army in modern times was estabUshed in 1445. A British standing army may be stated to have taken its rise from the first establishment of the Yeomen of the guard, who were instituted 30th October, 1485, by Henry VII., to attend his person. Originally, they were 50 in number, but, they have been augmented and lessened at different periods since. In 1529, Wolsey discharged 84 yeomen of the guard, from is., to 6d. a day. In the expedition which Henry VIII. made into France in 1544, as the Ally of Charles V. ; he had in his army 400 soldiers, who had charge of the like number of dogs, '' all of them garnished with good ISl iron collars, after the fashion of their country. They were used as sentinels in the night, as well as combatants in time of battle. Queen EHzabeth had, at one time, 200 yeomen of the guard in ordinary, at 2s. a day ; and 20T extra, at 6d. a day. On the 2d of June, 1560, the pay was raised from Is 4d. to Is. 8d. a day, for nine months in the year ; and 2s. a day, for July, August, and Sep- tember, the remaining three months. James I. raised the pay from 2s. 2d. to 2s. 6d. per day. During the Pro- tectorate of Cromwell, they were discontinued, but, re- formed, on the restoration of Charles II. Their pay at present is 3s. 9d. a day. It is a place held for life ; and, though they all purchase their post at about the price of ^.350 each, they cannot transfer, or sell it again, but, must allow the vacancy to fall in at their death. They are dressed after the manner of King Henry VIII.'s time. Their present establishment, is, one Captain, with the pay of d^.2000 a year ; one Lieutenant, £.500 per annum ; and one Ensign, ,^.300 per annum. 100 privates are kept on duty, and 70, off. Eight are called ushers, and have ^.10 a year more than the other yeomen. Prior to the accession of the Stuarts, armies were raised by the cap- tains contracting to serve the King, with such a number 13^ of men, raised by himself, for such a time. The Captain made his contract with the soldiers, who were called his retinue, and received the pay for himself and them. Dur- ing the Stuarts' reign, the army was formed of pressed men, and volunteers. The following is an authentic sketch of the costume and establishment of the Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, on duty at the coronation of King James II. April 23, 1685. Colonel, the Earl of Craven ; Lieut,-Colonel, Edward Sackville; Major, John Hutson ; ten Captains, thirteen IJeutenents, and twelve Ensigns. Dress of the Musketeers, Grenadiers, and Pike-men : Large coats, of red broad cloth, lined and faced with blue ; breeches, of red broad cloth ; stockings, of red worsted ; Tery large slouched hats, turned up on one side, laced round with blue galloon, and decked with a profusion of red ribbands. The Grenadier caps were lined and faced with blue shaloon, and laced with gold galloon, and em- broidered, on the frontlets, with the King's cypher. The Pikemen had all of them sashes of white worsted, with a deep fringe. Every Ensign carried an enormous large Colour, each difejing in its device. 133 The dress of the Horse Guards, consisted of very large hats, turned up on one side, and edged with broad silver lace, and ornamented with very large knots of broad blue taffeta ribband. The heads of the horses W€re also adorned with large branches of blue ribband. The car- bine-belt was made of blue velvet, five inches broad, and bordered with silver galloon, edged with narrow gold- lace. By a list of King James's array, as it lay encamped «n Hounslow-heath, 30th June, 1686, it consisted of more than 10,000 privates, and, at the time, was styled " an invincible army ! !" (KOHCyt^, a French invention, introduced into England in 1589, by the Earl of Arundel. Till this pe- riod, saddle-horses and carts, were the only methods of conveyance for all sorts of people. Even the Queen herself rode behind her Master-of-the-Horse, when she went in state to Saint Paul's, attended by the Nobility of both sexes on horseback. In 1601, an Act of Parliament was passed to prevent men from riding in coaches, as be- ing considered an effeminate practice. Hackney coaches were first licensed in 1683. 134 jFttttial-tirtntttt, an estate in land, given by the Lord to his vassals in lieu of wages, upon condition of their assisting him in his wars, and other services. At first, the feudal estates were held at the will of the Lord ; but, afterwards, they were made hereditary ; and Duchies, Earldoms, Baronies, &c. were granted absolutely, upon he condition of fealty and homage. About the year 990, Hugh Capet made these estates hereditary — and the French Nobility began to take their surnames from their principal manors. William the Conqueror was the first who introduced these tenures into England. He divided all the lands of England, with very few exceptions, besides the royal demesnes, into Baronies, which he conferred on the most considerable of his adventurers, reserving stated services and payments. These great Barons, who held imme- diately of the crown, divided a considerable part of their lands among other foreigners, who were denominated Knights, or vassals ; obliging them to appear in the field upon their Lord's summons, to follow his standard, to protect his person, and never to desert him, upon the score of danger, and to pay aids and taxes ; upon non- 135 perfonnance of which the estate was forfeited. The whole Kingdom contained about 700 chief tenants, and 60,215 Knights fees ; and, as none of the native English were admitted into the first rank, the few who retained their landed property, were glad to be received into the second, and thus placed under the protection of some powerful Norman, to retain those estates, now charged with burthens, which their ancestors had once held free of all such encumbrance. The decay of political govern- ment throughout the Kingdoms of Europe, consequent to the extension of the feudal system, occasioned]^ the uni- versal division of countries into baronies, and these into inferior fiefs, during the 12th century ; a change quite destructive of the independence and security of that part of the population called the people, a great portion of which were reduced to serfs, and lived in a state of ab- solute slavery, the other inhabitants paying their rents in services, which were, in a great measure, arbitrary. The towns were situated either within the demesnes of the King, or the lands of the great Barons, and were almost always subject to the absolute will of their master. Many concurring causes gave the feudal government so strong 1S6 a bias towards aristocracy, that the Royal authority was almost eclipsed, in all the European states ; in many of which, the Barons seizing every opportunity of encroach- . ing on the rights of the crown, and liberties of the people. In England, we find the force of the feudal system nearly dissolved at the close of the fourteenth century, when, by the various divisions and mixtures of property, a man's superior coming to live at a distance from him, and thus no longer giving him shelter, or countenance, the tie between Baron and vassal became more fictitious, than real ; protection was now sought by voluntary ser- vices, and attachment to some great man. The practice of erecting corporations endowed with privileges, and a separate municipal government, which gave them pro- tection against the tyranny of the Barons ; and the relaxation of the feudal tenures, bestowed an independ- ence on vassals which was unknown to their forefathers. Even the serfs, although at a later period than the other orders of the state, made their escape from villenage ; the last remains of which, expired in Queen Elizabeth's reign. — For a commission from this Sovereign for the manumission of certain bondmen, see Rym. Fsedera. 13T (©rampian^llin^, in Scotknd, take their name from the Mons Grampius of Tacitus, a single hill, where Galgacus waited the approach of Agricola, and where a battle was fought, which proved fatal to the Caledo- nians. CItrgg* The Clergy of the Church of Rome are divided into Regular, and Secular. The regular clergy- consist of those monks, or religious, who have taken upon them holy orders of the priesthood, in their respec- tive Monasteries. The secular clergy are those who are not of any religious order, and have the care and direction of parishes. The protestant clergy are all secular. The privileges of the English clergy, by the ancient statutes are very considerable. By an estimate, made at the latter end of William III.''s reign, of the value of the revenue Qf the church of England, it appeared that, if equally divided among the Livings, it would have averaged jP.110 a year for each of them. (BoXti and ^llbtt* It is believed that these me- . tals were not known to be natural productions of this 138 Island, when it was first visited by Cassar ; but, these mi- nerals must have been discovered soon afterwards, as Strabo and Tacitus mention both of them among the riches which Britain possessed to reward her conquerors. T^nUObtC* Princess Sophia of, was mother to George I. youngest daughter of EUzabeth, Queen of Bohe- mia, who was the daughter of James I. and, of course, first cousin to JamesII. In the year 1609, Charles IX. of Swe- den sent two Ambassadors to London to propose a mar- riage between his son Gustavus (the Great) and this prin- cess ; but, she was pre-engaged. Her husband, Prince Pa- latine of the Rhine, was elected King of Bohemia, but, after a mock reign of 18 months, the decisive battle of Prague unkinged him. He died at Mentz, aged 37 years, leaving ten children. His daughter, the Princess Sophia, married Ernest Augustus, Duke of Hanover, and Bishop of Osnaburgh, in the palace of which bishoprick, George I. of England, was born. The princess Sophia was declared heir of the crown of England in the year 1700. Hano- ver was created the 9th Electorate in Germany in the year 1692 ; previously to which time, the house of Hano- 139 ver had never been accounted of much consequence in the Empire. For several curious facts, respecting its inter- course with England in former ages, see Rymer's Faedera, vol. 15. The house of Brunswick Lunenburg, was erected into a Duchj in 1235. The Duchies of Zell, and Saxe Lawenburg fell to the Elector of Hanover, on the death of his brother, William, Duke of Zell, in 1715. The re- venue of the Electorate, at the accession of George I. to the crown of England, did not exceed £.300,000 a year. Bremen, belonging to the Electorate, was formerly sub- ject to the Swedes, but, was conquered, by the Danes in 1712, who transferred it, together with Verdun, to the Elector of Hanover, in 1715, for 700,000 rix dollars ; and, in 1719, the crown of Sweden renounced all the rights and appurtenances of the two Duchies, in favour of the Elector, George I. of England, for a million of rix dollars. George I. married his Couzin, the Princess of Zell, who afterwards, however, was separated from His Ma- jesty, and died in seclusion. George I. died at Osnaburg in the very room in which he was born. He was not the King that made the 140 greatest figure in Europe ; but he was, perhaps, the only Monarch who experienced on a Throne the pleasures of friendship -and a private life. He passed his time with a few old Courtiers, with whom he lived in great familiarity. At the general peace of 1814, His Majesty, George ly. raised the Electorate into a Kingdom. 3^1*0 n* Small quantities of this metal were import- ed from the continent, both by the Celtic, and Belgic Britons, until a short time before the descent of Caesar, when some mines were opened, and worked by the latter people. (EyOal^f were first used in London in the reign of Edward I. who forbade the use of them A. D. 1273. The mines at Newcastle were discovered about 1300, and €oals from them first brought to London in 1381. (0iab£Seiltl. In the reign of Richard II. the French and Spaniards came up the Thames, plunder- ed this town, and carried away most of the people. For its security, Henry VIII. raised a block-house, with a 141 platform for guns, to the east of the town. In the year 1522, the Church-wardens having neglected to ring the bells, as a mark of respect to the Bishop, (Fisher), on his visitation to them ; he prohibited the celebration of Di- vine Offices in the church of Gravesend, but, on their submission, the interdict was removed. ^SUtJ^^vE^OiDlt^^ a confederacy of several sea-port towns of Europe, the design of which, was, their common defence against Pirates. For a time, this association was much encouraged by the different governments of Europe. In the year 1200, there were seventy-two cities in the list of the Hans-towns; but, from the 14th to the 16th century, they grew so formidable, as to give umbrage to several Princes, who commanded all the different cities, within their jurisdiction, to withdraw from the union. This separated the cities of England, France, Spain, and Italy, from the Hans-towns. These, on the other hand, excluded several others, and put themselves under the protection of the Empire, making a decree that none should be admitted into their society, but such cities as stood within the limits of the German Empire. At last, 142 the confederacy was reduced to Bremen, Liibeck, Ham- burgh, and Dantzic, each of which cities afterwards car- ried on a separate trade for itself. (i[ri3Jj[in0rt^ a great two-handed sword, formerly in use among the Highlanders, two inches broad, and double edged ; the blade being 3 feet 7 inches long, the handle, 14 inches; with a plain transverse guard of 1 foot ; the whole weighing 6| lb. These swords were the origi- nal weapons of the English, as appears by the figure of a Soldier, found among the ruins of London, after the great fire in 1 666, (^OllWC^ an ornament, worn by Knights of several military orders, hanging over the shoulders on the man- tle, and generally consisting of a gold chain enamelled with cyphers, and other devices, and having the badge of the order suspended at the bottom. 0tttnU^0Vtttt^ is a village in Dumfries-shire, a few miles from the EngUsh borders, near the bottom of the Solway Frith. This place has long been famous for the clandestine marriages which have been celebrated 143 at it. They are performed by several persons, none of whom are clergymen ; but, the greatest part of the trade has been monopolized by a blacksmith, a man whose life is a continued scene of debauchery. This traffic in connubial engagements began about the year 1738, since which, there have been, upon an average, upwards of sixty annually ; the fees of which are estimated at 15 guineas each, and, therefore, produce more than £.94:5 per annum. The ceremony, when any is used, is that of the Church of England, and the certificate is signed by the pretended parson, under a fictitious name. In Scotland, it is held a legal marriage, if a single man call a single woman his wife, in the presence of a third person; the mutual appellation of husband and wife, in presence of a witness, being declared sufficient, by Scotch law. (ILVtSStyi^ a village in France, famous for a great vic- tory gained there by Edward III. of England, on the 26th August, 184J6 — in which, he killed 30,000 of the enemy's infantry ; besides cavalry, including the King of Bohemia, the Count of Flanders, and eight other Sovereign Princes, 80 Bannerets, 1200 Knights, 1500 Gentlemen, 4000 Men- 144 at-Arms, with the Duke of Alengon, and other great men, the flower of the French nobiUtj. The Enghsh army was drawn up in three hnes. The first consisted of 800 Men-at-Arms, 4,000 English Archers, and 600 Welsh foot ; commanded by Edward, Prince of Wales. The second hne, composed of 800 Men-at-Arms, 400 Halberdiers, and 2,400 Archers, was led by the Earls of Arundel, and Northampton. The third line, or body of reserve, in which were 700 Men-at-Arms, 5,300 Billmen, and 6,000 Archers, were ranged along the summit of a hill, and conducted by the King in person. The French Forces consisted of more than 120,000 men, who came on to the attack in tumultuous disorder, whilst the army of England, though small, was compact and well ordered. Lord Berners, who was governor of Calais during the reign of Henry VIII. gives the following account of this memorable battle : — " When the French King saw the Englishmen, his blood changed, and he said to his Mar- shals, ' Make the Genoese go on before, and begin the battle in the name of God and St Dennis.' There were of the Genoese about 15,000 Cross-bow-men ; but, they were so weary of going a-foot that day, six leagues, that they said to their Constables, * We be not well 145 ordered to fight this day ; for, we be not in the case to do any great deeds of arms ; we have more need of rest' These words came to the Earl of Alengon, who said, * A man is well at ease to be charged with such a sort of rascals, to be faint and fail now at most need.' At the same time, there came on a great thunder storm, after which, the sun broke out f^ and bright, the which was right in the Frenchmen's eyen, and on the Englishmen's back. When the Genoese were assembled, and began to approach, they made a great leape, and crye, to abash the Englishmen ; but, they still stood still, and stirred not for aU that. Then, the Genoese again, the second time, made another leape and a fell cry, and stepped for- ward a little ; and the Englishmen moved not one foot. Thirdly, again they leaped and cryed, and went forth till they came within shot ; then they shot fiercely with their Cross-bows. Then, the English archers stepped forth one pace, and let fly their arrows so wholly and thick, that it seemed snow. When the Genoese felt these arrows, which pierced their arms, heads, and through their armour, some of them cut the strings of their Cross-bows, others flung them on the ground, and all turned about and retreated. When the French King L 146 saw them flee away, he cried out ' Slay these rascals ; for^ they stop up our road without any reason.^ Then ye should have seen the Men-at-Arms dash in among them, killing all they could of these run-a-ways ; and ever stiil the Englishmen shot where they saw the thickest press ; the sharp arrows fell among the horsemen, who were sumptuously equipped, and, killing and wounding many, made them caper and fall among the Genoese, so that they were in such confusion they could never rally again. In the English Army there were some Cornish and Welshmen on foot, who were armed with large knives ; these fell upon the French when in this confusion, and murdered many Earls, Barons, Knights, and Squires, (who, being dismounted, were unable to rise, from the weight of their armour,) at which, the King of England was afterwards much displeased." ll^UVVi^ttV^f were first appointed by Edward I. in 1291. They are now licensed by the Lord High Chancellor. It is the modem practice for Barristers to advocate any cause for which they are hired. This, how- ever, has not always been the case. It is recorded that Sir Thomas More, even when still a young man, never 147 could be tempted, whatever fee was offered him, to un- dertake any cause that he deemed a bad one. Lawyers may sophisticate on this point as much as they please ; but, disinterested men at once perceive the ill effects of the present practice. (SarJJe^ Xm COrpeiS, under the old French regimen, consisted of a certain number of Cavaliers, whose immediate duty it was, to attend the King's per- son. The senior company was called the Scotch-company; having been first formed by Charles VII. in 1423, for the purpose of shewing the great confidence which he placed in the Scots, and as a mark, of distinction for the service they had rendered the French in 1421, under their countryman, LordBuchan, at the battle of Baage, in Anjou, where the English army was completely routed. The Swiss Guards in the French service, prior to the Revolution, received double the pay which was given to the French Guards. It is somewhat remarkable that, 103 years after the regular establishment of this Regi- ment as Guards, this brave body of men should have fallen victims to their attachment for the monarchy of France. On the 10th August 1792, they defended the 148 palace of the Louvre against an infuriated populace, until almost every man of the Corps was killed. The French Guards were raised in 1563, by Charles IX. In the Revolution of 1789, they took a very active and leading part. Their attachment to the new order of things, got the better of the loyalty they owed to their Sovereign. It is a well known fact, that no small por- tion of the Duke of Orlean's wealth, went towards corrupting them. (KTOUnt^ a Nobleman who ranks between a Duke and a Baron, and bears on his arms a coronet, adorn- ed with three precious stones, and surmounted with three large leaves, of which those in the middle and extremities, advance above the rest. In England, the title of Earl is equivalent to that of Count in foreign countries. MOOWi^tiU^^^OO^, or book of the survey of England, begun in 1080, and finished in 1086, is kept in the Exchequer, and still exists in a fair and legible character. This precious relic of antiquity consists of two volumes, a greater, and a lesser. The greater, com- 149 prehends all the counties of England, except Northumber- land, Westmoreland, Cumberland, Durham, and part of Lancashire, which were never surveyed. Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk, are contained in the lesser volume. The intention of this book, was, to form a register of the te- nures of the estates in the Kingdom ; the quantity of pas- ture, wood, and arable land, which they contained ; and, in some counties, the number of tenants, and cottages, and the slaves that lived upon them. The commission- ers appointed for performing this survey, were six years in making it, and every particular was taken on the ver- dict of a jury. This book was composed after two old exam- ples of the same kind in the times of Ethelbert and Alfred, and was laid up, as sacred, in the church of Winchester, and, for that reason, Sir William Temple says, was called Liber Domus Dei, and, by abbreviation, Doomsday-book. By this valuable record, the question, whether land be ancient * An Abbey was founded here in 1043. The Earl of Mercia, Lord of the place, for some provo- cation which the inhabitants had given him, loaded them with heavy taxes, but, being importuned by his lady, Godiva, to remit them, he consented, upon condition that she would ride naked through the town, which she per- formed in the year 1057 ; having, however, enjoined the citizens, on pain of death, not to look out as she passed. But, tradition records the fate of a poor tailor, who— his curiosity being stronger than his fears — ventured to take a peep, and was struck blind ; whence, he was ever after call- ed < Peeping Tom.' The window through which the tailor is said to have gratified his curiosity, is still shewn, with his effigy in it. Edward IV. disfranchised this city for dis- loyalty ; but, was afterwards reconciled to the citizens, and held the feast of St. George in it. The Cathedral was destroyed by order of Henry VIII. The only vestige of 151 k now remaining, forms part of a private house. This city had once very strong walls, with 32 towers, and 12 gates ; but, having, during the whole of the civil w^rs, aded with the parliament, Charles II. in 1661, issued an order to the Mayor for the demolition of them, in consequence of the disloyalty of the citizens. The church of Saint Michael has one of the most beautiful spires in Europe. In the Town''s-books of Coventry, is the follow- ing entry : * 1567, this year, the Queen of the Scotts was brought prizoner to Coventry, and was kept in the Ma- risse'*s parlor, and from thence went to Titbury !' jBVta* Party-coloured coats were worn in the reign of Henry I. and cloths of gold and silver, in 1376 ; but, in 1429, no one was permitted to wear silks or furs in Scotland, unless he were of high rank. No. 4217 of the Harleian collection, in the British Museum, contains a description of the wardrobe of King Henry VIII. within the Tower of London, and his manor of Greenwich. (BltlXtOt* The valley of, in Argyllshire, noted for the military execution of the Clan M'Donald, by a party of English Soldiers, in 1691^ in consequence of an order. 152 signed by King WiDiam in council, for that purpose. This barbarous massacre, excited the strongest sentiments of horror and aversion towards the government ; which all the arts of the Ministry could never totally remove. Their design was, to have butchered all the males, under the age of seventy, that lived in the valley ; but, about a hundred and forty out of two hundred, escaped. Their houses, however, fell a prey to the flames, as did their cattle and property, to the Soldiery, ((LXt&tf a device, or ornament, worn on the top of the helmet, in the adorning of which, the Roman soldiers took great pride. From the beginning of the 15th Century, they became in general use in British Heraldry. No crest, properly speaking, should appear without a helmet ; and only such as are entitled to bear arms, are privileged to bear a crest. Women do not bear crests ; but, wear their arms in a lozenge-shield. Married women, arid wi- dows, bear the same arms as their husbands; but, the latter ought unquestionably to lay aside the helmet and crest, as well as the motto, and supporters. 153 ^VOi^UtUfi* Several circumstances contributed to give rise to these expeditions ; such as, a desire of visit- ing Palestine, an opinion that the end of the world was approaching, and the hardships which were suffered by Pilgrims in the Holy Land. The first Croisade was begun in 1095, being principally instigated by Peter the Hermit. The last of the Croisades was expelled by the Turks, in the 13th century, leaving no other advantage from these expeditions, than their having tended to the civilization of Europe. (barter* The military order of Knighthood of the Garter, is the most ancient and noble of any lay order in the world. It was instituted by King Edward III. The origin of this order is differently related. The common ac- count, is, that it was instituted inhonour ofagarterof the Countess of Salisbury, which she dropt when she was dancing with King Edward, and which he picked up ; but, our best antiquaries think it was instituted on ac- count of the victory over the French at Cressy, where the King ordered his garter to be displayed as the signal of battle. 154 In KastaPs Chronicle, under the life of Edward III. is this curious passage ! — ' About the 19th yere of this Bynge, he made a solemyne feest at Wyndesore, and a greate justes and tournament, where he devysed, per- fy ted substanegally the ordre of the Knyghtes of the Gar- tre : howe be it, some afferme that this order began fyrst by Kynge Rycharde, Cure de Lyone, at the sege of the citye of Acres, wher, in his grete necessy tye thene, were but 26 Knyghtes that fynneJy and surely abode by the Kynge, where he caused all theme to were thonges of blewe leyther about theyr legges : And afterwarde they were called the Knyghtes of the blew thonge.' Hence, it is affirmed that the origin of the Garter is dated from Richard I. but, that it owes all its splendour to Ed- ward III. ^InlUtCltt ^^ Northumberland, boasts of a fine old Gothic castle, in perfect repair, which is justly consi- dered as one of the most magnificent specimens of a great Barional-castle now in existence. It has been in the possession of the Percy family ever since the year 1S09. In this town, William, King of Scotland, was taken pri- soner, A. D. 1174), and carried to Henry II. of England, 155 who exacted d6.1 00,000 for his ransom. The castle was besieged by Malcolm, King of Scots, in 1097, who was stabbed by a soldier, who pretended to deliver up the keys on the point of his spear. His son Edward, endea- vouring to avenge his death, was here slain, and his army routed. (EVOiDmttU^ Lincolnshire, was formerly celebrated for its Abbey of Black Monks, founded by Ethelbald, King of Mercia, of which, little now remains except the North Aisle, which is finely vaulted, and is used as the parish church. The shell of the fine window still remains, beneath which, is the grand entrance ; and, over it, in a quatrefoil compartment, the history of St Guthlac is sculptured in bas-relief. The middle side of the nave is in part entire, and presents an interesting specimen of the pointed architecture. iS^tu^ Knights of the Bath, a military order, of uncertain origin. By some writers, it is said to have been instituted in the Saxon times. Others, however, assert that it was founded by Richard II. ; while others, agsun, say Henry IV, Nor is the occasion that gave rise 156 to this order better known. In the latter King^s reign, their number was increased to 46 ; and, after having been many years extinct, the order was revived by George L and their number limited to S6. They wear a red rib- band ; and their motto is, ' Tria juncta in uno,'— alluding to the three Cardinal Virtues, which every Knight ought to possess. In 1815, his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, be- ing desirous of marking his sense of the eminent services of the British Army and Navy during the late wars, was pleased to direct that a considerable augmentation should take place in die number of the Knights of ibe Bath. It was, accordingly, ordained, by Statute, that the Order should ia future be divided into three classes : The first class to consist of sixty Military, and twelve Civil-Knights, to be styled Knights Grand Crosses of the Order of the Bath : The second class to be composed of 180 Military Knights, exclusive of ten foreign Knights in the British Service, and fifteen Knights, officers in the East India Company's Army, to be styled Knights Commanders of the Order of the Bath : The third class, of an unlimited number of subordinate officers in the British Army and Navy, to be styled Companions of the Order of the Bath. 157 Appropriate decorations were assigned to be worn by each class, ^InC^^ a small island near Gloucester, celebrated for the single combat fought on it, between Edmund Ironside, and Canute the Dane, for the whole Kingdom, in sight of both their armies ; in which, the latter, being wounded, proposed an agreement. Accordingly, the Kingdom was divided between them ; the south part fall- ing to Edward, and the north, to Canute. (^attltning* very little is known of the state of horticulture in Britain, previously to the time of Henry VIII. when the London Market was supphed with vege- tables from Holland. This Monarch's gardener introduced various fruits, salads, and pot-herbs, and cultivated them in the garden of the Palace of Nonsuch, in Surry, which, according to an account taken during the Usurpation, was surrounded by a wall, 14 feet high, and contained 212 fruit trees. The only native fruits of Britain, are, the wild plumb or sloe, the currant, bramble, raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, black, red, and white heather berries, elder berries, roans, haws, hips, hazel-nuts. 158 acorns, and beach-mast. Of our culinary vegetables, only celery, beet, asparagus, sea-kale, and mushroom, are natives ; most of the others having been introduced either by the Romans, or, by the monks, and religious houses, from the 10th to the 15th century. Turnips and carrots are thought to be indigenous roots of France ; cauliflowers are from Cyprus ; our artichokes, from Si- cily ; the cherry and filbert are from Pontus ; the citron, from Media ; the chesnut, from Castanas, in Asia-Minor ; the peach and the walnut, from Persia ; the Plumb, from Syria; the olive fig, apple, and pear, from Greece, though the two latter are foimd wild in France, and even in England. In 1557, Tusser''s " One hundred points of good hus- bandry,'' appeared, in which, he gives a list of fruits and vegetables then known; enumerating more than 150 species, besides adding a copious catalogue of fruits, which, with the exception of the fig, orange, and pome- granate, introduced a few years afterwards, the musk- melon, about the end of the 1 6th century, and the pine- apple, about the beginning of the 18th century, include all the species at present cultivated in British gardens. Towards the middle of the 18th century, a visible 159 change took place in our system of gardening ; the straight gravel walks were bent into meandering curves, the screens of Yew and Holly, were swept away ; the long lines of ancient oaks, which formed so fine an approach to every old mansion, were levelled ; even the very sun- dials were not spared; and the ruins of the alcoves served to fill up the sunk fences. Instead of a garden furnished with all the richest caprices of art, the houses of the gen- try are now surrounded with grounds, which only seem to form a portion of their parks. (iTr^ptSS* The purpose for which these gloomy vaults were constructed beneath many ancient churches, has given rise to various conjectures. That of their having been originally designed for Sanctuaries, appears the most probable one. In the Danish and Saxon times, they were much more frequently formed, than in later times. In the barbarous ages of the Saxon times, persons of consequence would take refuge in these Sanctuaries from the rage of an injured party, until their crimes were atoned for. In confirmation of this opinion, it may be remarked, that these buildings are often found to be enriched with ornamented arches, supported by pil- 160 lars, with grotesque devices. In subsequent times, the chancel of every church became a sanctuary ; and, in the reign of Henry VII. even the church-yards protected, for a time, persons accused of any crime except treason. This privilege was not abohshed until the reign of James I. That Crypts, after ceasing to be a convenient sanctuary for culprits, were used as cemeteries, is very probable ; but that it was their original destination is by no means so. SlttSltlS^ an ancient German nation, originally a branch of the Suevi, who, after various migrations, set- tled in that part of Denmark and the Duchy of Sleswick which is stiU called Angel, and of which, the city of Flensbourg is the capital. Here they were known in the time of Tacitus by the name of Angli. To this na- tion the Britons applied for succours against the Scots and Picts. 3SattCl ^65 tg t Sussex, was built on the field where William the Conqueror overthrew Harold and his Peers^ 14»th October, 1066. The high altar was erected on the spot where King Harold's body was found. The monks 161 were of the Benedictine Order, and were- brought oter from the Abbej in Normandy called Major, or the: Greater. William conferred upon this Abbey very extra- ordinary privileges and immunities; ordaining it to be a' sanctuary, and commanding, that if any murder should be committed in its environs, within the distance of a league, no one should make inquisition respecting the deed, but the Abbot and hi& monks. William offered up in the chapel the robe .and sword which he wore at his coronation : The monks used to shew them as curio- sities, witii a table of Norman gentry, who came into England with him, which was called Battel- Abbey-roll. The gate-way of this Abbey is one of the most magnifi- nt in the kingdom. ^llgfeS^ta, was called by the Ancients, Mona, d.was liie final retreat of the Druids, of whom there 11 remain several monuments of a highly interesting iture, similar to those at Stonehenge. It was reduced by gricola, A. D. 76. M^UViXtXOniUni^ a party in Scotland who sepal' rated firom the Presbyt^ians in 1666. They took their M J6« denomination from Richard Cameron, a famous field- preacher, who headed them in an insurrection, in which* he was killed. They never were entirely reduced till the Revolution, when they voluntarily submitted to King WiUiam, if?-; r)^.35tttial^^IaCtSi, were first consecrated A. D. 210. The first Christian one in Britain, was formed A. D. 596. Burying in Churches, was introduced in 750. Vaults were first made in the chancel of Churches about the year 1075. ^ltnatCS!# First fruits, or a year's income of a spiritual living. In ancient times, they were given to the Pope throughout Christendom, on the decease of a Bishop, Abbot, or Parish Clerk; and paid by his suc- cessor. In England, the Pope claimed them, first, of those foreigners, on whom he conferred benefices ; but,^ afterwards, they were demanded of all other clerks, on their admission to benefices. Queen Anne restored them to the church, for the augmentation of poor hvings. 163 iE^UlUi^f was taken by King Edward III. and was lost in Queen Mary's time, A. D. 1557. It was bombarded by the English in 1696, without doing much damage. iSranCepetJ^ilaSitlr, Durham. TMs and. ent castle was long in the possession of the Nevilles, Earls of Westmoreland, but, was forfeited to the crown in the reign of Elizabeth ; and has since been successively in the possession of Sir Henry Bellasyee, Earl Faucon- berg, and John Tempest, Esq., and, still more recently, Russel, Esq. who, a few years ago, placed in this anci- ent castle a beautiful painted window, representing the famous battle of Neville-Cross, in the immediate vicinity, fought in the reign of Edward III. against David, King of Scotland. Ct)Cl£i0a« This noble Hospital for disabled and superannuated Soldiers of the British Army, is built on the site of one originally founded for theological dispu- tations, by James I. in 1609, which, falling to decay, the present one was begun by Charles II. at his restoration. James II. made considerable additions to it during his 164 reign ; and it was completed by William and Mary. The pensioners admitted into it are Veterans, who, unless under very pecuhar circumstances of bodily injury^ must be 60 years of age, and have served his Majesty twenty years. (^^ntlCntHtt^ in its strict meaning, is one whose ancestors have been freemen, and have owed obedience to none but thfe Prince. In common use, however, the term is applied to all above the condition of a yeoman, and, as such, bearing arms. Richard II. made one of the name of King a gentleman by creation. Henry VI. sent per- sons through many of the counties of England, to collect the names of the gentry in each ; and these lists are still preserved. The luxury of the age, in the reign of James I. induced the Gentry to quit their gloomy Mansions in the Country, to indulge in the excesses of thb capital ; which proved fatal both to their fortunes, aiid their consequence. In George I.'s reign, an ill-judg- ed Rebellion, speculative schemes, with the extension of commerce, and the additional imposition of taxes, com- pletely ruined the minor gentry, and drove their families into Cities, for the purpose of engaging in traffic, Previ- 165 ously to this period, individuals of one or t^o hundred pounds a year, had lived in independence, brought up their chiHreii with respectability, and were enabled ta bequeath their estate to their eldest Son. Such families, however, were a source of great inconvenience to the nation ; for, they were proud, supercilious, and, generally speaking, ill educated. (See Esquire.) ISttlHl^ near Northallerton. The Roman cause- way leading from Richmond to Barnard's-castle, passes through this place. This Roman road, for twenty miles together, is called Le ming-lane. ^^t)0£itOl^* A sort of fossil stone, which may be split into fine brittle silk threads, of from one, to ten inches in lengdi. It has the wonderful property of re- maining unconsumed in the fire ; and was made by the Ancients into a cloth, in which they wrapped the bodies of their dead, who were to be burned, in order that they might the better collect the ashes. Cfilltern ?&ttnS3lttlS, are a chain of hUls, forming the division of the counties of Bedford, and 166 Herts, and running through the middle of Bucks, to Henley-upon- Thames, Oxfordshire, which were made Hundreds by Alfred, and are now annexed to the Crown, although they still retain their particular courts. The Stewards of these courts,''are appointed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and their salaries are £>^0 a year. This sum, however, small as it is, being derived from an office under the crown, the acceptance of it by a Mem- ber of Parliament, enables him to vacate his seat, when he deems such a measure expedient. (BtfifEltCr, was thought to be impregnable ; but, in 1*704, it was taken, by the Marines of Sir George Rook's fleet, under the command of the Prince of Hesse D'Armstadt. The day happened to be a festival, and the inhabitants were engaged at their devotions, at a cha- pel, out of town. The garrison were few, and not on their guard. The French and Spaniards attempted to retake it the same year, and, in the night time, four or five hundred of them crept up the rock, which covers the town, but were driven down headlong the next morning. In 1727, the Spaniards besieged it again, with a force of 20,000 men. They even attempted to blow up the rock. 167 which they found impracticable, and were, at length, obliged to raise the siege. In 1781, the Spaniards again besieged it ; but, their ever memorable attack, on the 13th September, 1782, with floating batteries of 212 brass cannon, in sliips of from 1400, to 600 tons burden, ended in the destruction of all their ships, and most of the assailants in them. ^General Elhot, the governor, was created Lord Heathfield, for his gallant defence, and ,by the army was long called the Cock of the Rock. -^ . 3BeJj^Ci)ain6er, Lords of, are ten in number. They attend a week at a time, in their turns, in the King's bed-chamber, and wait on him whenever he eats in private. ^The senior Lord is called Groom of the stole. ^^i^ This animal is mentioned in the history Bf this country as early as the time of King Ethelred, and, afterwards, in the rdgn of Henry III. ; but, it was lost in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and was probably introduced again in the succeeding reign. C^tCll, Clerk or the, in the King's house- hold, has the control of the Yeomen of the Guard, and 168 all the Ushers belonging to the royal family. He, or his deputy, jtakes, cognizance of those who are to watch in the court, and sets tiie watch, &c. (Ptp£ilC^« The singular customs, language, and tparti^julaT; complexion of the Gipsies, have occasioned considerable enquiry respecting so extraordinary a peo- ple. The name is a corruption of the word Egyptian, and coKiflaon fame ha$ assigned them an eastern origin. They are said to be descendants from the people called Zinganees, in Turkey, who were banished from Egypt after the Sultan Selimus had conquered that Kingdom in 1517, about which period, they appeared, almost at the same time, in Greece, Hungary, Poland, and Germany. But, there is reason to assign them a much earlier origin th^n this : For, in an old French journal of the remark- able occurrences that took place in Paris, at the begin^ ning of the 15th century, is an entry, dated August ITth, 1427, stating the arrival of a dozen of Pencmcors, (doers of penance), all on horseback, who pretended to be very good Christians, and affirmed that they and their follow- ers came from Lower Egypt, whence they had been driven by the Saracens. A story, well calculated to gain a fa-« 169 vourable reception from Christian Princes. The whole body of their people did not consist of more than 100 persons, (though they eaid they were upwards of 1000 on leaving their own country,) whom the Magistrates lodg- ed in the suburbs, not allowing them to enter Paris. Both Men and Women kept their heads uncovered, had long black hair, and a single garment, or shift, tied upon the shoulder with a linen string or cord, and a short cloak, were their only clothing. They had Sorceresses amongst them, who, by looking into people'*s hands, pre- tended to inform them of all that either had, or would hap- pen them ; by which means, they often sowed dissension in families, for they say to the husband, " Thy wife has played thee a slippery trick." These practices, at length, drew on them the Archbishop of Paris's anger, and led to their expulsion from the City. The existence of this peculiar people in Europe about this time, is apparent, also, from Albert Crantz, who, in his History of Saxony, says, ' In ^ the year 1417, certain men began to shew themselves ' upon the coasts of the Baltic sea, swarthy, tanned with ' the sun, clad in rags, filthy and slovenly in all their ^ fashions, egregious thieves; chiefly the women of their * company. The common people call them Tartars, and 170 < the Italians, Ciani, They have a captain, whom they all ' follow. The chiefer sort are mostly well apparelled, and ' keep hounds ; but, they have not a foot of ground to ' hunt any beast in, if it be not by stealth. Their women ' are carried upon jades, with their children, and stuff. ' It is found that they are a sort of rascally beggars, idle ' loiterers, without country or place to go to, living * on that ; their wenches steal, leading their lives like « beasts, without care or exercise of religion, gadding ' from one country to another.' The first statute passed against them in England, was in 1580. They were banished from France in 1560, and from Spain in 1591. It is strange that such uncertainty should exist re- specting the origin of the Gipsies, and the cause of their emigration. It must certainly have been the con- sequence of some defeat, or distress, that took place at a period of darkness and ignorance in the emigrants. That they were of Asiatic origin, the little that can be traced of their route leaves no room to doubt ; and, though they remain to this day, separated from the inhabitants of every country in which they have established themselves, yet, in no country has it been so entirely the case as in 171 this. In Spain, Poland, and some other parts of Europe, the Gipsies have not only taken a considerable share of the business of society, but, have also blended, to some extent, with the people. The British Gipsies have nei- ther learning or religion, nor any system of government or law among them, and are associated merely by the bonds of nature, and custom, which last preserves them in a state of separation from the people among whom they sojourn. ^ttt^aSnttV^ a Yeoman of the Guards. Their office, formerly, was, to attend the King at meals. Cib^^^Unt? Herts. Here Richard Cromwell, the son of the Protector, under the assumed name of Clarke, spent many years of a venerable old age, in obscu- rity, and peace. After the Restoration, he went to France, and continued some years in secluded retirement at Paris. Upon a rumour of a war between France and England, he removed to Geneva. About the year 1680, he returned to England, and resided in a house near the Church in this town, till the time of his death in 1712, in his 86th year. 172 33f3UlW^, devout societies of young women in Flanders, leading a middle kind of life, between the secular and the religious, but, making no vows. ^CllliS^ were first introduced into Churches by Paulinus, Bishop of Nola, in Campania, about the year 400. In England, they were first hung up at Crowland Abbey, Lincolnshire, in 945 ; and, about 1080, it had become customary to baptize them. The Turks have a very great aversion to them, and prohibit their use in Constantinople ; pretending that the sound of them would be troublesome to the souls of the departed. 4#>P0rtSi^ In 1616, the Book of Sports was publish- ed, giving leave for innocent recreations after evening prayers on Sundays ; and in 1633, the King issued a pro- clamation, renewing this permission, by which the clergy were enjoined to read in their churches. It enumerated as lawful amusements on these evenings, dancing, for either men, or women ; archery, for men ; leaping, vaulting, or May-games, Whitsun-ales, and Morris-dan- ces; but, bear, and bull-baiting, and interludes, were 173 prohibited ; and the play of Bowles for the meaner sort of people was at all times forbidden. CiUQUC-^Ort^, five havens, that lie on the east- em coast cf England, towards France, thus denominat- ed by way of distinction, on account of their superior importance ; having been thought by our Kings to merit a particular regard, for their preservation against in- vasions. ^UVUtttl^f the general name of a people celebrated some centuries ago, who originally came from the deserts of Arabia. They were the first disciples of Mahomet ; and, within sixty years after his death, conquered a con-f siderable part of Asia, Africa, and Europe. They in- vaded France, and kept possession of Spain till the. yeaif 1511, wheji they were finally expelled. They also maintained a war in Palestine^ a long time, against the Western Christians', and, at length, drove them entirely out of it; but, now there are no people, of that name; for, the descendants of those who conquered Spain, 9XQ called Moors. 174 i^OiU) in ancient military history, a kind of cover- ed shed, fixed on wheels, under which^ the besiegers filled up, and passed the ditch, sapped, or mined the wall, and sometimes worked a kind of ram. It had its name frop, its being used for rooting up the earth like swine. (STlStCrClSinSi^ a religious order, founded in the 11th century by St Robert, a Benedictine. They became so powerful, that they governed almost all Europe, not only in spiritual, but, in temporal affairs. Cardinal de Vitri, describing their observances, says, that they wore nei- ther skins, nor shirts, nor ever eat flesh, except in sickness; and abstained from fish, eggs, milk, and cheese. They laid upon straw beds, in their tunics and cowls. They rose at midnight to prayer, and spent the day in labour, reading, and prayer ; and, in all their exercises, observ- ed a continual silence. The habit of their order is a white robe, of the nature of a cassock, girt with a wool- len girdle. The Nuns wear a white tunic, and a black scapulary and girdle. 175 ^CSib^S^^ ^ *°^^ ^^ custom, anciently exacted by Mayors, Sheriffs, and Bailiffs, of cities, and towns corpo- rate, from merchant-strangers, for wares exposed and offer- ed to sale within their liberties : But, it was prohibited by 19th Henry VII. (ilTtt^UCl^ a Fort raised on the most advantageous ground about a city, with the view of commanding it, in order to defend the citizens, if they continue in their duty, and to punish them, if they revolt. It is distin- guished from a Castle, by being built with bastions; generally, five or six in number. ^t^tt of ^OClrtB IN FORMER TIMES. The Gentry in the 15th century drank little wine ; they had no foreign luxuries ; they rarely kept male servants, except for husbandry ; their horses were indifferent ; and they seldom travelled beyond their own county. An income of ;*^.10 or £.20 a year, was reckoned a competent estate for a gentleman ; at least, the lord of a single manor could seldom have enjoyed more. A Knight, who possessed ^.150 per annum, passed for being extremely rich. Yet, 1T6 relatively to the value of commodities, this sum was not equal to £A000 of our present money. Such an income, however, was comparatively free from taxation, while the expenses of the possessor were diminished by the service of his villains. Sir John Fortesque speaks of £.5 a year as ^ a fair living for a yeoman,' a class of whom he is not at all incUned to lessen the importance. When, however, we read of Sir William Drury, one of thp richest men in Suffolk, bequeathing, in 1493, fifty merks to each of. his Daughters, we must not imagine that this was a le- gacy of greater value than four or five hundred-pounds^ at this day, but call to mind the family pride, and want of ready money, of that period, which induced country gentlemen to leave their younger children in poverty. Or, if we be told that the expense of a scholar at the Univer- sity, in the year 1514, was but £.5 annually, we should err in supposing that he had the liberal accommodation, which the present age deems indispensable ; for^ we ought to consider how little could now be afforded for about £.60> a year, which will not be far from the relative proportion between the value of money at the two perioda. What, in fact, would a modern lawyer say to the following en- try in the church-wardens- account of St. Margaret;, 177 Westminster, in 1476 ?-^" Also, paid to Fylpott, learned in the kw> for his counsel-giving, 3s. 8d. with four peiice for his dinner.'''' Though fifteen times the fee might not seem altogethei" adequate at present, five shillings would hardly furnish the table of a barrister, even if the fasti- diousness of our manners would admit of his accepting such a dole. Fleetwood tells us that, in 15S3, it was enacted that butchers should sell their beef and mutton hy^ weight ; beef, for o. half-penny the pound, and mutton, for three fo/rthings. In 1457, a gallon of ale vr2iB one penny. In 1540, 126 gallons, or a pipe of claret, was dfi'S, 4s. 8d. red wine, 126 gallons, £A ! Some idea may be formed of the profuse and magni- ficent style of ancient living, from that venerable vestige of old hospitality, Westminster Hall, which, we are told, was built by William Kufus, for his dining-room. Hugh Despenser, the elder, in the reign of Edward II. in the petition presented by him to Parliament, enumerates, amongst the contents of his larder, 600 bacon-hogs, 80 carcases of beef, and 600 sheep, of which he had been despoiled by the depredations of his enemies. During the reign of Richard II. 10,000 persons sat down to N 178 table every day, in the royal household ; And, of Rich- ard. Earl of Warwick, it is related that, when he came to London, his retinue was so considerable, that six oxen were eaten by them for a breakfast f The first Toll in England for mending the highways, was imposed in the reign of Edward III. It was that for repairing the road between St Giles's and Temple-Bar. Little specie was in circulation during this reign. Rents were paid in kind ; and what money they had, was locked up in the coffers of the great Barons. Pieces of plate were bequeathed even by Kings of England, of so trifl- ing a value, in our estimation, that a Gentleman would be ashamed to mention them in his Will. The following extract from a M. S. Steward's account, belonging to some family of note in the county of Kent, bearing date 1671, may afford some amusement, by ex- hibiting a comparison between the prices of various articles of domestic use at the above period, with those of the present time : — 1671. ^- *• ^' Jan. 12. To Good wyfe Newman, for 6 weeks for her boy, and dyett, . 3 ^4. Item, for 8 bottles of Claret, . 8 £. s. d. 10 6 15 1 4 5 3 ^8 179 1671. Jan. 25 For keeping 3 oxen 3 weeks, Item, for ploughing the 3 acres, . 31. To Goodwyfe Dunke, for 8 weeks dyett for John Morris, then ended To John Dunkin, for a load of straw, Feb. 4. To John Newman, 1 year's wages, . 28. To George Mace, for 40 quarters of barley, March 2. For thrashing 7 quarters 4 bushels of barley, at Is. 2d. per quarter, .089 For foddering cattle a fortnight, in the snow, .... June 2. For 6 pound of cherries, 30. Paid for my Mrs Manteau gown For making Mrs's coat . . . For a couple of rabbits. For a quarter of tobacco. For two pair shoes for master, July To Goodwyfe Ballard, 8 days tying Hopps and weeding Wheate, For a fat Lamb, For 23 lb of veal and a call's head. 2 1 9 1 1 4 9 8 4 4 5 3 180 In the time of Solon, an ox was sold at Athens for five drachma,'as we learn from Plutarch. A hog, in the time of Aristophanes, was worth three drachma, as ap- pears in one of his comedies, called * the Peace.'' A drach- ma, accbrding to Arbuthnot, was equal to 7|d. of our money. A hundred drachma made a mina, orJBS. 4s. 7d. In the time of Solon, com was reckoned at a drachma the medumnus, or 4s. 6d. the quarter. A soldier's daily pay, 'was a drachma. The price of a seat in the|Theatre, was no more than two oboii, or S^d. The following is a summary of the changes effected in the state of society, in the reigns of several of our Kings :— Edward III. raised England to a high pitch of glory and wealth. Trade was encouraged by every possible means ; and the commerce of England was not more extensive, than her valour was celebrated. Surnames, which had been gradually adopted by the gentry, in imitation of the nobility, now descended to the lower or- ders ; and, in this reign, had become almost general. The reign of Richard II. was disgraced with strange, and often indecent tenures, contrived and established chiefly by John, Duke of Lancaster. The splendid reign of Henry V. gave nse to a num- 181 ber of great families, who were enriched by the plunder of France, and the ransom of Princes; and all who had fought on the plains of Agincourt, were allowed what Arms they pleased to assume ; but, the Heraldic body were commanded to degrade aU future pretenders, and usurpers of arms. The title of Esquire became more common, and, an inferior race of gentry arising, they were distinguished by the additional epithet of Gentleman. In Henry VI.'s reign, the distinction of yeoman was first observed ; being men who resided upon, and occupied their own lands. The gentlemen had arms ; but, these had not The reign of Edward IV. proved very fatal to the an- cient famihes, in consequence of the domestic wars ; for, it was his policy to spare the common people, but, to cut off the gentry. By attainders, landed property underwent a prodigious change, so much so, indeed, that the gentry, whose surnames were taken from places in England, and who had always written their names with the article de prefixed to them, now entirely laid aside that dignified addition, as their family seat was possessed by others. Henry VII. took every opportunity of abridging the 182 privileges of the ancient nobility ; leaving them mere shadows of their former greatness, depriving them of their attendants, and emptying their purses. In return for this, they had permission to dispose of their Baronial Lands ; a circumstance which has caused a vast change in the landed property, and a more equal distribution of it among the various classes of society. Henry VIII. was literally a most dread Sovereign. He drove out the Clergy, Monks, and Nuns ; and cut off the ancient Nobility. With the funds arising from their possessions, he enriched new-raised Peers, and Gentry, taken sometimes from the lowest situations. The Yeomen, by cultivating their paternal inheritance, became truly respectable ; their eldest sons were placed in the van of the army, and their younger ones filled the parochial pulpits. During this reign, fashionable people breakfasted at seven in the morning, and dined at ten in the forenoon. Under Edward VI. the nation evinced the greatest anxiety to shake off the feudal yoke, by their industry, and endeavours to acquire wealth, which, at last, broke in upon that distinction of orders, that had been previously kept up with the nicest care. In this reign, a new set of 183 families sprung up in consequence of the dergy being no longer restricted from marrying. In Elizabeth's reign, the last remains of villainage and slavery expired. The price of necessaries is computed to have been doubled during her reign. The strewing of a floor, with straw or rushes, was still in general use, not excepting the Queen's presence-chamber. During this reign, the nobility dined at 11 in the forenoon, and sup- ped between 5 and 6 in the afternoon. In James I.'s reign, luxury made great changes in the condition of the people. Citizens, from a spirit of extra- vagance, consumed their estates, and entered into many desperate enterprises : whilst the Courtiers lived at great expense, with respect to clothes, and food. Ancient customs were abandoned, and that strictness and severity of manners, which had formerly been characteristic of the nation, were despised : And persons under the titles of Roaring-boys^ Bravadoes, Coneventors, Quarterers, and such like, were allowed to exist, and commit depredations, unnoticed. Under Charles I., the English first began to relish architecture, sculpture, and painting. The Parliament would not acknowledge the honours which he had be- 184 -^wed during the Civil-wgr ; but, the Restoration con- firmed them. The CiviUwar ruined many of the Gentry, aJod en- riched a number of adventurers ; and, of course, property underwent great changes. In Charles II.'s reign, the custom of taking titles from surnames, and not from places, first came into use. Under William Til. the different orders of society became more blended together. Those who had been the defenders of Monarchy, during the Civil-war, were treated with neglect ; and all who had been the avowed friends of those principles which had deprived Charles I. of life, were honoured and trusted. The votaries of commerce in George II.'s reign, gain- ed a profusion of wealth ; and the lower classes became mpre respectable. Under George III. the condition of the lower ranks of sppiety was greatly improved, and their importance in- creased. With the higher classes, hereditary distinctions were more generally sought for, than at any former pe- riod ; the title of Baronet alone, being possessed by no less than 800 individuals ! 185 d8tl'^ttC0U)C, the second King-at-Arms, so called from the Duke of Clarence, son of Edward III. who first bore this office. He marshals the arms, and disposes the funerals of all the lower Nobility on the south side of the Trent; and is, therefore, called Surroy, i. e. South- roy, or, South King. iSd^SfCt Caesar found the Belgae in the south of Britain, as well as in part of Gaul, from the latter of which they had expelled the Celtae. The Belgae do not seem to have been of old standing in Britain, and it is probable that those whom he calls ' Naios in insula ipsdy were the Celtas, or first settlers, whom the Belgse had previously driven from the Continent. It is natural to suppose that the Celtae would first pass over from the opposite shores of the Channel, where the British coast was in their view ; the Belgae next ; and then, other tribes, from Germany, and the North, in proportion as the knowledge of navigation was extended. When men live by hunting, it requires a great tract of country to support a few inhabitants. Hence, they would spread rapidly over the country, swarm following swarm, until 186 they found" themselves confined by an opposing ocean ; and then, would feel the necessity of betaking themselves to pasture and agriculture. Jfltt^ This instrument is of great antiquity, and was used in the English Army till the time of James I. when it was discontinued till the year 1747, when it was re- sumed in the Foot Guards by the Duke of Cumberland, at the Siege of Maestricht. In the reign of Elizabeth, the fife is supposed by some to have been curved, from the expression in Shakespeare, " the wry-necked fife ;" but, this, perhaps, might allude to the position of a man whilst playing the fife. ^Ittf nftUtlt* Kent. At the Red Lion in this town, a gentleman of the name of Norwood, treated King Henry V. and his retinue, on his return from France ; when wine was but 2d. a quart, and every thing else was so cheap, in proportion, that the whole entertainment cost but 9s. 9d. iSSi^Onttt is said to have been invented by the people of Malacca, and was first used on quitting the 187 pike. According to others, it was invented by a citizen of Bayonne, and thence named. It was first employed in the French service, in 1 693, in the battle of Turin. iTirf-ltOClt?* were first introduced in 1690, when match-locks were universally disused. At what period they were invented is not known, though it is thought to have been by the Dutch. ^yOt&f after the manner now worn, were first made in the year 1633 ; and buckles to them came into fashion in the reign of Charles II. iS(9[rtl# In Rome, the young men did not begin to shave themselves till they were twenty years of age, which was the case with Nero, and Caligula ; Augustus, however, did not shave till he was 25 years old. After they were 49 years of age, says Pliny, it was not allowed to be done. The Philosophers permitted their beards to grow very long, without ever either cutting, or shaving them. Beards were worn in England in the 10th century ; after the Conquest, they grew out of fashion. In the reigns of Edward VI. and Mary, they were much in use'again ; and 188 appear to have been more or less worn through the fol- lowing reigns, to the time of the Revolution. In the 15th century, upon the introduction of more courtly manners in France, the Beaux cut their beards into particular shapes, and curled their whiskers. This custom produced a whim- sical effect, and men of gravity left off beards ahogether. Indeed, by a regulation of the University of Paris, A. D. 1534, the professors were forbidden to wear beards. The Chinese are very fond of long beards ; but, nature having been sparing to them in this respect, they look upon Europeans as very great men, on account of this ad- vantage. dTlOiOtlElJ, in Northumberland. Near this place, a battle was fought between the English and Scots, in 1513, in which, twelve Earls, thirteen Lords, five eldest sons of noblemen, a vast number of Barons, and 10,000 men fell, with James IV. King of Scotland. The English lost upwards of 5,000 men, but, no personages of note. The Earl of Surrey, who commanded them, was restored by Henry VIII. (1514), to the title of Duke of Norfolk, which had been forfeited by his father, for engaging on the side of Richard III. 189 ^ttSiP'IBtaSOlt, a Christmas play, or amuse- ment, of obscure antiquity, in which brandy is set on fire, and raisins thrown into it Those who are un- used to the sport, are afraid of taking them. This, however, may be safely done, by snatching them out, and putting them blazing into the mouth, which, by being closed, at once extinguishes tlie flame. With our Sires of did, at tliis season, " It was merry in the hall " When beards wagged all." •dTOtttntO^^ a village of Hainault, near which, in May 1745, the English and their Allies, under the Duke of Cumberland, were defeated by the French, un- der Marshal Saxe. The English were at first successful, and confident of victwy ; but, through the misbehaviour of the Dutch, were obliged to quit the field of battle with considerable loss. The Irish Brigade in the French ser- vice, contributed greatly to our defeat. Dillon, their Co- lonel, was killed in the act of leading them on ; They lost on that day, one third of their men, and one fourth of their office's. 190 ^OtiOVf SL little village in Columbkill, one of the western isles of Scotland, near that of Mull. It was formerly a Bishop's See, which comprehended all the Islands, including the Isle of Man ; for which reason, the Bishop is still called the Bishop of Sodor and Man. S^Otnan 3^0at(£S* The miUtary roads of the Komans, were constructed with considerable ingenuity and labour, and may be described as a causeway, ten or twelve feet wide. They stretched in a direct line from one town to another, which was seldom a greater distance than 15 or 20 miles. The materials used in their con- struction, were generally taken from the neighbourhood through which they passed ; such as flint, in the chalky districts ; and stone, where it abounded ; and, in some instances, pebble, or gravel. The Roman roads in Britain, were first begun in the year 415. iffOVVt&f a town of Murrayshire, near which, is an ancient column, 25 feet in height, sculptured with sol- diers, on horseback, and on foot ; supposed to have been erected in memory of the defeat of the Danes, near this 191 spot, in the year 1008, by Malcolm II. before their final retreat from Scotland. It is called King Sweno's stone, or the Danish pillar. ^tSmfOttl^ Lincolnshire, was formerly much more considerable than at present ; as, at one period, it contained 14 churches, which, in Camden's time, were reduced to seven, and, at present, to five. It had for- merly, as some affirm, a University, or, at least, two Colleges ; called Black-Hall, and Brazen-Nose. Some remains of these edifices are still visible, and, particularly, the gate of the latter, on which there is a brazen-nose, and a ring through it. The custom of Borough-English prevails here. In the Church of St. Martin, is a splen- did monument to the memory of Cecil, Lord Burleigh, Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth. I^CgitnCnt^^ The military were first thus mar- shalled, in France, in the year 1558 ; and, in England, in the year 1660. The oldest Regiment in Europe is the first, or. Royal Scots corps. The men of this Regiment originally left Scotland, in the year 1 420, under John Stewart, Earl of Buchan, second son of Robert, Duke of Albany, Regent of Scotland, during the captivity of his Nephew, King James I. to assist France against the con- quering arms of Henry V. of England. They bore a conspicuous part in the French army in the battle of Bauge, in Anjou, fought on the ^M of March 14S1. On Charles I. being crowned at Edinburgh, in the year 1638, a division of the Scotch Guards landed from France ; and, from that period, the First, or Royal Scots Regi- ment, which, no doubt, formed a part of those who had been formerly sent to that country, bears date on the British establishment, and has aa uninterrupted list of Colonels down to the present time. ^illi of (0]Cr5anS0t were first invented about the year 1160. An act passed to prevent sending money from England in any other way, in 1^1. i^lSnSiUIIti^^ One of the finest remains of these successors to the great Baronial Castle, is to be seen in Haddon-Hall, Derbyshire, a very curious specimen of the ancient castellated house, few of which buildings are met with in the present day. But, it is now fallen great- ly to decay. This venerable mansion, with, its lofty 193 turrets and embattlements, when viewed from a distanee, assumes the appearance of a strong and regular fortress. On a closer inspection, however, these indications of power- ful defence are found to be fallacious, and to be intended merely for ornament. The whole of the structure is open to approach, and is designed, through all its interior, for the purposes of family accommodation, and rude, generous hospitality. The buildings surround two paved, quad- rangular courts. The great hall, situated in the princi- pal, or outward court, was evidently the public dining room of the mansion, and has a raised floor at the upper end, for the Bai'onial Family, and their most distinguished guests. The rooms appropriated to the higher domestics of the family, were few, and of a dreary character. But, it had a vast assemblage of offices, and chambers, for the retainers of the establishment. All the principal rooms were hung with arras; and the doors were invariably concealed behind the hangings. This species of Mansion comprised within their courts a chapel, having two side aisles, in one of which were placed long oaken benches, for the servants. Two large high pews, on each side of the body of the structure, and 194 reaching from the middle nearly as far as the Altar, were exclusively used by the family themselves. Amongst the few remaining buildings which partake of the above character, the Mansion termed Hampton Court, ranks with the most perfect. It was erected in the reign of Henry IV. It surrounds a quadrangular court, having a grand tower of entrance in the centre of the principal front, and a smaller tower at each extre- mity. This Palace gives us an idea of the magnificent style of building, considered desirable for an Episcopal Palace, by Cardinal Wolsey. The most sumptuous parts of Wolsey's structure, are no more; but, it is evident that the gloomy character of the ancient castellated house was studiously avoided in their arrangement ; and that the halls and galleries, designed for state and festivity, were calculated to display, with advantage, all the splen- dour of domestic decoration. ^)!(£{^« The first commission to press seamen for the King's service, was granted in the year 1355, in the reign of Edward III. In 1596, 1000 men were pressed for the land service. 195 WiOtCt^ttV. On September 3d, 1651, King Charles II. at the head of a Scotch army, was defeated in, and near this city, and the vanquished were almost all ei- ther killed, or taken prisoners, and sold to the American plantations. The city was plundered by the Parlia- mentary troops. In the year 1797, the body of King John, which had been interred in the Cathedral here in 1215, was found in Lady's Chapel, and, after being seen, for a part of two days, by some thousands of people, was restored to its coffin, and closed up as before. ^ladl^'^Otl^ so called from his black-rod, with a Golden-Lion at the top. He is usher of the Order of the Garter, and attends the King's chamber, and the House of Lords. ^f C£(tOttt Lancashire, is a place of great antiquity, having risen out of the ruins of Ribchester, a celebrated Roman Station, to the east, and about six miles distant from the present Town. Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, son of Henry III. founded a College of Grey Friars here; and thence, the derivation of the name of the town from 196 Pries fs4own. It has the privilege of holding, or cele- brating, a guild^merchant every twenty years, which is resorted to by all the people of fashion in the county. It is held in August. The last Guild took place in the year 1822, and some of the dresses worn by the Ladies there, were said to be worth more than £.10,000. This Guild was instituted in the reign of Henry III. This town has, at various periods of civil commotion, been an important military post. In 1648, the English and Scotch combined army, under the Duke of Hamilton, and Sir Marmaduke Langdale, was defeated, as they were advancing to the assistance of Charles I. The battle was fought on Ribbleton-moor, to the eastward of the town, and, also, at the pass of the bridge. The Parliamentary forces were commanded by Cromwell, and Lambert, and were much inferior in point of numbiers. In the year 1715, the Rebel-army, under General For- ster, got possession of the town, which they fortified. ^General Wells marched against them, with six regiments of horse, and a battalion of foot, which were further rein- , forced by three regiments of Dragoons, and the Rebels ;were invested on all sides. The Highlanders declared that rth% would make a sally^, sword in hand, and either out 197 their way through the King's troops^ or perish in the at- tempt ; but they were over-ruled, and prevailed upon by their Chiefs to lay down their arms ; and they were then put under a strong guard. Four Officers wete tried as deserters, and executed. Lord Charles Murray, son of the Duke of Athol, was likewise condemned for the same crime, but, reprieved. The rest were confined in diffe- rent goals, in the Kingdom. The first mention of periwigs in English history, is met with in the account of Prince Charles, and the Duke of Buckingham, appearing in disguise, at a ball in Paris, on their way to Madrid. Wigs were but little used in England, till after the restoration of Charles II. iSOOft^ The most ancient materials of books, were, the leaves of the palm tree, and the papyrus ; then, lea- ther, and, afterwards, parchment. Books anciently con- sisted of rolls, the several sheets being joined together at the ends. In the days of William the Conqueror, books were extremely scarce. Grace, Countess of Anjou, paid for a collection of Homilies, two hundred sheep, a quarter of 198 wheat, another of rye, and a third of millet, besides a number of martin skins. ^COtnStttt the highest rank among the plebeians of England. In common acceptation, a free-born English- man, who may spend out of the revenue of his own free land, at least forty shillings a year. ^reSftOlt'PanSi* in the Rebellion of 1745> General Cope''s army, consisting of 3,000 Infantry and Dragoons, well supported by Artillery, was defeated near this village, by the Rebels ; whose forces were nearly of the same number, but, composed of undisciplined and half- armed Highlanders, without either cavalry, or artillery. 2!S%0lb(£(« King Edgar effected the extirpation of these ravenous animals in England, which, in his time, were very numerous, by changing the tribute of gold, silver, and cattle, paid him by the Welsh, for 300 wolves^ heads annually ; and also granting a pardon to criminals, on condition of their bringing to him a certain number of wolves' tongues ; so that, in a few years, there was not onc'of these savage animals left. 199 iSOintl^S!^ was given by the Portuguese to Charles II. with Tangers, in Africa, as a dowry with the In- fanta, in 1662 ; and was granted to the East India Com- pany by WiUiam III. in 1688. ^tttSS^tS* The Teutonic ord^r had supreme power in Prussia, for about 300 years ; after which, Prussia was added to the dominion of the electoral house of Brandenburgh ; and, in 1704, it was raised to a king- dom by the Elector Frederic, who, with his own hands, put the crown on his head, and on that of his consort, at Koningsburgh. ^ The art of. The means of attack and defence appear to have been among the first essays of human invention, and to have called forth the powers of the mind in a greater degree, than any of the arts of peace. To the club, and the dart, succeeded the bow and arrow. The employment of iron was of later disco- very. The earliest fortifications, were, trees interlaced with boughs ; to which succeeded the wall, with holes left for missile weapons. The Battering-Rara was oppos- 200 ed to the wall, by Pericles, the Athenian. To meet this invention, parapets were introduced, which were coun- teracted by covers^ pushed close to the walls, to secure, in their turn, the assailants. This was again rendered ineffectual, by deep and broad ditches ; which drove them to the necessity of inventing machines, for throwing wea- pons from a distance ; and these engines again, suggested the mode of fortification that enables one part to flank another, and led to the construction of towers on the sa- lient angles of the walls. The invention of cannon, creat- ed a great revolution in military architecture. To resist their force, bastions, horn-works, crown-works, half- moons, &c. were adopted; but, the art of attack having, at least, kept pace with that of defence, these inventions have been rendered of little service. ^nttt^n^* This rehgious sect made their first appearance in Queen Elizabeth's time ; and, on account of their extraordinary sanctity, were called Puritans. The controversy that gave rise to their separation, began in Edward VI.'s reign, on occasion of Bishop Hooper re- fusing to be consecrated in the Habits then worn by the Bishops. Among the first of this sect, it was the cus- 201 torn, on their marriage, for the Bride and Bridegroom to stand hand in hand before the pulpit, while the preacher harangued them for, perhaps, two hours, upon the ma- trimonial duties. wUCllni^^ was Authorised before the Normans came into England ; but, the practice was not so frequent as it became after the Conquest, when it came to be a part of the jurisprudence of the country, and was authorized on many occasions by the Magistrate, as the most pro- per method of terminating questions relating to property, or the perpetration of crimes. These appeals to the jus- tice of the Supreme Being — as they were considered to be — were regulated according to prescription of law, and with judicial form. Men accustomed to this method of decision, were naturally led to apply it to personal and private quarrels, without the appointment, or interference of judicial authority ; and such is the dominion of fashion, that neither the terror of penal laws, nor a reverence for religion, has been able to abolish the practice. ^CiD* Before the use of fire-arms was known, every parish in England was obliged to have Yew-trees in its 202 Church-yard, the branches of which were made into bows. To this circumstance it is owing that, in many of those places, we find Yew-trees still growing. dfTOtuCuCrSiy a religious order of St Francis, who wear a coarse grey cloth, with a little cowl, or cloak, of the same cloth, and a rope-girdle with three knots, from which they take their name. They are enjoined to live in common. Those who are admitted into the order, are first to sell all they have, and give it to the poor. ^ OntCf f 9i(tt Yorkshire. The castle here, now in ruins, has been the scene of various tragical events in English history. Richard II. after being deposed, was starved, or tormented to death here; and here too, Anthony, Earl of Rivers, and Sir Richard Grey, were murdered by order of Richard III. All that remains of the Castle, at present, are the lower story, with horrible dungeons, winding stairs, and a well. ^^fifttfiJ* The towers in Cathedral churches were not always intended for bells. In early times, they were built open almost to the covering, at the four sides, for the purpose of containing a lantern with a light, for the direction of the traveller, or to serve as a sea-mark at night. The church of All-Saints at York, has this kind of stone lantern-tower, which tradition says had ancient- ly a large lamp hung in it, which was hghted in the night time, to guide travellers, in their passage through the immense forest of Galtres to this city. Stow says that the Steeple of Bow-church, in Cheapside, finished about the year 1516, had five lanterns ; namely, one at each corner, and one on the top, upon the centre of the arches. It seems that the lanterns on the top of this steeple, were meant to have been glazed, and to have lights placed in them every night during the winter ; by which, travellers to the city might have better view of it, and not lose their way. — Survey, p. 542. iS^ttlC^if have ever been the last resource of good Generals. Chance and accident often overturn the most prudential arrangements. Superiority of numbers by no means ensures success. A good general, in fact, never commences a battle, without a clear necessity for so doing. To fight because the enemy is near, or there is no other concerted plan of operation, is often a fatal method of 204 making war. Darius lost his crown and his Ufe by such injudicious rashness ; Harold of England did the same ; and Francis I. at Pavia, lost at once both the battle and his liberty. King John of France fought the battle of Poicters, though ruin would have attended his enemy even if he had not fought at all. The Russian and Prus- sian campaigns against Buonaparte in 1806, and 1807, are strong illustrations of this truth. 4P0lTUS9l« This country was conquered from the Moors by Alfonso, in the year 1147, with the assistance of a great fleet from England, which was bound for the Holy Land, under the command of WiUiam Longspear — Alfonso became the first King. When the Portuguese, at the close of the 14th century, were engaged in hosti- hties with the Castilians, who had possessed themselves of the greatest part of the Kingdom, the English went to their succour in great numbers, and were distinguished for their valour. Edward the Black Prince, John of Gaunt, John Chandos, and Sir Edward Knowles, fought in that country, against Bertram of Clesquy, and the flower of French Chivalry, who composed the van of the Spanish army. Such an insolent superiority was exercised by 205 the English, at this time, over their Allies, that, upon occasion of some discontent, they erected the Pennon of Saint George, as a signal of revolt ; elected Sir John Soltier, a natural son of the Black Prince, their captain, and proclaimed themselves, " Friends to God, and ene- mies to all the world;'''' nor had the King any other mode of saving his country from pillage, than by complying with their demands. Portugal appears to have owed her security, at this period, from the ambitious projects of her martial allies, to very different sentiments from those that influence their descendants. The following description of this country was given by the English at that time : — ' The Englishmen found the wines so strong, ' hot, and burning, that it corrupted their heads, and * dried their bowels, and burnt their lights and livers ; ' and they had no remedy ; for, they could find little * good water to temper their wine, nor to refresh them ; ' which was contrary to their natures ; for, Englishmen, * in their own cpuntriess, are sweetly nourished ; and there / they were burnt, both within and without.' To the Portuguese, in the 15th century, is due the lofty praise of having widely extended the sphere of hu- man knowledge, by a spirit of discovery, which never 206 since has been surpassed by any age or country. In 1580, there was a failure in the Royal line, and Philip II. of Spain, got possession of the throne. In 1640, a revolution took place, John, Duke of Braganza, obtained the crown, and* his descendants continue to enjoy it. tE^9[tnl!DCItt]^9 Staffordshire, was once the Royal seat of the Mercian Kings. An ancient castle here, was possessed by the Marmions, hereditary Champions to the Kings of England. The Church contains some antique monuments ; it has two great Saxon arches, and was for- merly collegiate. (2^nUL The land between the Alps and the Py- rannees, the Mediterranean sea, the Ocean, and the river Rhine, is, properly speaking, Gaul, called by Caesar Transalpina, because it is beyond the Alps, as regarded 'from the city of Rome. It was divided into two parts, that lying nearest to Italy, was called Provincia ; the other part, which Caesar subdued to the Roman empire, he term- ed Gallia, and divided into three portions, one inhabit- ed by the Belgi, the other by the Aquitani, and the third by the Celti, whom the Romans called Galli or Gauls. 207 l^Ot^tOC^y were first imported into Europe in 1565, by Hawkins, from SantaFe in South America. They were first introduced into England, on the western coast, by the accident of a vessel which contained some of these vegetables, being wrecked at a village near Formby in Lancashire, a place still famed for good potatoes. Ge- rard, an old English Botanist, mentions that he received seedlings of the potatoe about the year 1570, and that it grew as well in his garden as in its native soil. Sir Wal- ter Raleigh first planted them in Ireland, where he had an Estate. In a M. S. account of the household expenses of Queen Anne, wife of James I. written about the year 161S, the price of potatoes is stated at Is. a pound. Previously to 1684, the cultivation of the potatoe in England, was confined to the gardens of a few of the Nobility and Gentry. iETSuCtnSi^ have a claim to high antiquity. Edward III. in the year 1340, granted the Vintners a charter, in which they are described as wine-merchants and ta- vern-keepers. In fact, this description of houses was often frequented by the nobility of that, and subsequent times. 208 Henry V. whilst prince of Wales, was a constant visitor at the Boar's head. East-cheap. ►lilt J) titter* From its having been founded in a chalky soil, was called Gaer Gwent, or the White City : By the Romans, it was styled Venta Belgarum. Some of their coins, particularly those of Constantine the Oreat, and a pavement of Roman brick-work, were dis^ covered in digging the foundation of the Royal Palace. Under the Romans, this city became a very considerable place. Here they manufactured cloth for the Emperor, and the Army, together with all sorts of linen ; ajid here, too, they kept their pubhc archives and records. On the dissolution of the Saxon Heptarchy, in the year 828, Winchester became the capital of the Kingdom, and the residence of its Prince. Egbert, after having reduced the whole Kingdom under his authority, convoked a Witten- agemote, or great council here, in which he was crowned ■King of all England. On the death of William Rufus, Henry I. attended a great Assembly of the Barons then sitting in this city, and claimed the Crown of England. During this reign, Winchester arose to the summit of her glory, having a stately castle, high and strong walls, 209 and magnificent structures, and being occasionally the Royal residence. When Richard I. returned from the Holy Land, he was crowned in this city, although that ceremony had been performed several years before at Westminster. King John frequently kept his court here ; and his son, Henry III., who was born in the cas- tle, was called Henry of Winchester. In the reign of Edward III., Winchester was constituted one of the fixed markets for wool. Richard II. also, was crowned here ; and, in the year 1392, held a Parliament in this city. During the latter part of the reign of Charles II. he made Winchester his constant residence, when busi- ness did not require his presence in London. He pur- chased the site and remains of the ancient Castle, and began to erect a magnificent palace ; but, it was never finished. King James II. returning from his expensive tour through several parts of England, slept at the palace here. Upon this occasion, the Mayor and Corporation determined to address his Majesty, on the honour done them by his presence ; but, as the Mayor could neither read, nor write, it was agreed that the Recorder should act the part of his prompter. Accordingly, upon being p £10 introduced into the Royal presence, and every thing being ready for the ceremony, the Recorder, by way of encouraging the Mayor, who appeared embarrassed, gently touched his elbow, and, at the same time, whis- pered in his ear, ' Hold up yoUr head ; look like a man.' The mayor, mistaking this for the beginning of the speech, stared the King boldly in the face, and, with a loud voice, repeated, ' Hold up your head ; look like a man.' The Recorder, amazed at this extraordinaiy exclamation, again whispered, < What the devil do you mean !' The Re- corder, chagrined at this, and fearing his Majesty's dis- pleasure, still whispering in the Mayor's ear, continued, * Zounds, Sir, you'll ruin us all,' which the Mayor think- ing to be a continuance of the speech, and still staring the King in the face, with a louder voice than before, repeated, ^ Zounds, Sir, you'll ruin us all !' The King, on this, finding himself thus rudely addressed, rose with some anger ; but, being informed of the cause, his Majesty was pleased to pass it over with a smile, WtHCfii* It appears that vines were formerly cul- tivated in this Kingdom to much greater extent than at present, and that great quantities of wine were made. In \ 311 Doomsday Book, it is stated tliat, at Rogona, in the < hundred of Rochford, there is a vineyard, contmn- * ing siiv arpents^ which, when it thrives, yields twenty ^ modii of wine.' From many places in London bdng named Vine Street, Vine court. Vine Yard, &c., it is, evident that the Vine was much cultivated in that quar- ter of the Kingdom. CJrOtomfl t%t ^tOrttfUfl* An andem custom, still practised in some parts of the country, on the bridal night. ** Wi%tn i^trttonjBi ^ote> ** ^t ^&it to UXi, ^* Wf^t fitX ba0 an t^tit obn." Clbe iSrittfi!]^ Con£(tttQtton, iike almost every other European constitution, is of Gothic deriva- tion, the original of which was of a free and legal nature ; the regal, aristocratical, and democratical rights being all happily blended, and equitably secured. Wild, there* 212 fore, and unlettered as the founders of our constitution were, it was certainly the most perfect and secure model of government, that human wisdom and virtue could be capable of framing. The want of science and literature itt the first stages of its progress, in all countries" in which it was adopted, deprive us of any authentic [and satisfactory accounts of its early changes. This, how- ever, we do know, that our constitution was much reform- ed and strengthened by the wisdom of oiir Saxon King Alfred. Our Danish and Norman Kings acted chiefly as conquerors, and governed by prerogative, although several of them pretended to acknowledge and restore to the people the rights of their Saxon constitution. At length, the Saxon line of Kings obtained the sovereign power, and brought back with them their former go- vernment, though it was considerably weakened by Nor- man regulations. jEowevejr, the constitutional struggles that ensued for a considerable time afterwards, principal- ly took place between the Crown and Barons, concern- ing the legal ^nd a;ristocratical rights. They were con- tii^ued even tp the .reign. of H^nry VII. Nevertheless, iidward I. and Ecjward III, favoured the democrate iifM-f^f^s^, by pa^ng .some-wise law3, notwithstanding which, the Commons, except in the great cities artd chartered towns, were considered as little bettier than Villains, or Vassals of the Lords, even not excluding the order of Knights or Gentlemen, who were bound to great subjection, by the nature of their military, tenures. ^'j From the Conquest down to the reign of Henry VII. the fundamental principles of our constitutioU were fre- quently recurred to, and the spirit of it was often asserted, and enforced, by explanatory laws, miany of which were obtained by the last and desperate expedient, a recourse.tot arms. But, as Lord Bolinbroke observes, « the consti*^ tutional and commercial faces of public affairs greatly altered in Europe during the time of Henry VII. par- ticularly with respect to England, France, and Spain ; principally by the power gained by the Commons of Eng- land from the permission that was then given to the Barons, for alienating their land ; the uniting of the great fiefs, or sovereign principalities, to the crown of France; and the discovery of America by Spain, with the great supplies of riches that followed thereon.' The Stuart family, on tlie other hand, endeavoured to crush privilege by prerogative, and to set the royal will 214 above the law ; hence, the calamities which they afterwards suffered, are entirely to be ascribed to this cause. To our ancestors having resolutely recurred to the original prin- ciples of our government, and having asserted them by an open appeal to force, we owe the happy preserva- tion of our constitution. dUmrg a^aiU Essex, is supposed to be the place where the Emperor Claudius crossed the Thames, in pursuit of the Britons. In this parish is a field, call- ed. Cave-field, in which is a horizontal passage to one of the spacious caverns in the neighbouring parish of Chad- welL Of these, Camden has given a sketch, in his Britannia. 9!29i]^lll(£(* Blackstone states, as an ancient per- quisite of the Queen, that, on the taking of a whale — ^which is a royal fish — on the coast, it shall be divided between the King and Queen, the head only being the King's share, the rest, the Queen's. The reason assigned by the ancient records, for this division, was, to furnish the Queen's wardrobe with whalebone. 215 WObU(C0f was first discovered by the Spaniards in the island of Jamaica, about the year 1520 ; introdu- ced into France in the year 1560 ; and into England, by Admiral Drake's fleet, which returned from their attack on the Spanish West India Islands, in the year 1586. It was afterwards cultivated in many parts of England, but, prohibited by an act of Parliament in the reign of Charles II. tlTOrtUrf, was occasionally inflicted in England, «o late as the year 1558 ; and was not entirely disused in Scotland till about the year 1690. (JTOrttlDSilL The copper mines of, are both numer- ous, and rich in ore, as are, also, those of tin. For the sake of these metals, its coasts were visited by the Phoeni- cians and Greeks, in very remote antiquity. They were known several centuries before the Christian era ; and have been worked ever since. As this county was one of the places to which the ancient Britons retreated, the Gaelic or Celtic language was long retained here, and has become only lately extinct. The miners have peculiar 216 laws and privileges, and all matters relating to them are determined in Courts, called Stanary Courts, with a progressive appeal to the Vice-warden and Lord-warden pf the Society of Tinners ; and from the latter, to the Duke of Cornwall in council. ^grSntttlSS OF Egypt. These surprising monu- ments of antiquity, which baflSe the researches of the deepest antiquary to fix their origin with precision, are built upon a rocky bottom, at the foot of the high moun- tains which run along the ancient course of the Nile, and separate Egypt from Lybia. Various have been the conjectures how, and when, they were built ; but, it is generally supposed that they were raised fully 1200 years before the Christian era. There is no account, how- ever, in any author of credit, to explain the precise pur- pose for which they were erected. It may be presumed that they were intended for the tombs of their kings^ especially, since the indefatigable Belzoni's recent reseaches have, at length, discovered an entrance into them. There are many of these edifices, at a stUl greater distance with- in the desert, of which, very little notice is taken by travellers. 217 ^ttStntf a writ which lies against a jury for giving a false verdict. In such case, the ancient law- was, that the Jurors'* meadows should be ploughed up, their houses thrown down, their woods grubbed up, and their lands and tenements forfeited to the King ; but, if the complainant should be cast, he was to be imprisoned and ransomed at the King's pleasure ; by statute, how- ever, the severity of this law was mitigated. dSrjPtnSl* For 2000 years, and upwards, this country has been governed, almost without interruption, by its own native Princes ; and with little deviation, in attire, morak, laws, customs, or manners. When, the King of France iiltrodueed silk stockings, which, about 18 years afterwards, were adopted by EUzabeth of Eng- land, the peasantry of the middle provinces of China, were clothed in silks from head to foot. At this period, scis- sors, needles, pen-knives, and other little appendages to the toilet, were unknown in Europe ; and rude and ill- polished skewers usurped the place of pins. In China, however, the ladies had their paint boxes, their trinkets of ivory, of silver, of mother of pearl, and of tortoise-shell ; 218 and, whilst the nobility of England slept on straw, a pea- sant of China had his mat and his pillow, and the man in office enjoyed his silken mattress. Their language has no alphabet ; but, they write in characters which stand for words, or, rather, ideas. The revenues of the crown, are computed at 21 millions sterling yearly ; and their forces are said to consist of five millions of men in time of peace. (^I3£i^« The manufacture of glass was known very early ; but, glass, in a perfectly transparent condition, was reckoned so valuable, that Nero is said to have given ^.50,000 for two cups with handles. When the exca- vations were made in the ancient city of Pompeii, which was buried by an eruption of Vesuvius, A. D. 79, the windows of some of the houses were found glaeed -with a thick kind of glass, which, however, was not transpa- rent In others, talc was substituted, split into thin plates. Glass windows were first introduced into Eng- land from France, about the year 1 180. In the begin- ning of the 14th century, from the Fabric-roll of Exeter Cathedral, it appears that both plain and coloured glass was brought from Rouen in Normandy, at the charge 219 of 8d per foot for the stained, and 4d. for the white glass. Bottles of glass were first made in England about 1557 ; and the first plate-glass manufactory in England, was established at Lambeth, 1674. ^t* ^HtriCfe^jiTHE ORDER or, was instituted in the year 1783, and is the only order belonging to Ireland. It is the most magnificent in Europe. The installation takes place in the Cathedral of St. Patrick of Dublin. The robes of the Knights of the order are splendid, and the badge is three crowns united together on a cross, with a motto, Quis separabit, fastened by an Irish harp to the Crown Imperial. A star of eight points attaches it to the coat. ^UCttOnSS* The first book-auction in England, of which there is any record, was in 1676, when the library of Doctor Searnan was- brought to the hammer. Prefixed to the catalogue, there is an address to the rea- der, saying , ' though it has been unusual in England to make sale of books by auction, yet it had been practised in other countries to advantage. For general purposes, this mode of sale was scarcely known till 1700. 220 \SUuf or (!ril, (Saxon), in compound words, and radig- in the simple, denote happiness or blessedness. Thus Eadward, Edward, is a happy preserver ; Edgar, happy power. • (§Ia£it01lI)tU'Bt Somersetshire. It is said ma- sons first came into England A. D. 60, and built the Mo- nastery here. It was the first Christian church in Britain, and, after being rebuilt in 1120, it was looked upon as the most magnificent Abbey in the world, and its do- mains and revenue were immense. It was anciently called Avalonia, or the isle of Avalon, into which no person whatever, not even a Bishop, or a Prince, was allowed to enter without leave from the Abbot, to whom this power was granted by Canute the Dane. There were 61 Ab- bots, who sat among the Barons in Parliament, and go^ viemed it successively for nearly 600 years. Richard Withing, the last Abbot, having refused to surrender his Abbey to Henry VIII. and acknowledge his supre- macy, was condemned at Wells, and carried, with two of his monks, on a hurdle, to the Tor, or St Michael's Tower, a high hill in the neighbourhood, where he was 221 hanged in his robes. His head was afterwards stuck up over the gate of his Abbey, and his body was quartered, and exposed in Hke manner at Bath, Wells, Bridgewater, and Ilchester. Extensive ruins of this immense range of buildings are still remaining. The curious structure, called the Abbot's kitchen, is yet entire, and is of a veiy unusual contrivance ; being built of stone, without any combustible material. The walls that remain, are overgrown with ivy ; and the aspect of the whole, is at once melancholy, and venerable. $atltamenti$« The parliament of England was instituted about the year 1215. From this period, the first dawn of our free constitution is to be traced. This memorable event took place on the occasion of Henry III. being made prisoner by the Barons and Clergy; who, unwilling to trust to a stipulation with him, and determined to secure their own power, and, at the same time, render their public treaty with him more permanently binding, called on the people of each county to send four Knights, as their representatives, for the pur- pose of new-modelling the Constitution. A Speaker was not appointed till the year 1259. Some suppose that this 222 officer did not exist earlier than 1317. Nothing is sjud of the Commons till 1265, nor is express mention made of the Lords and Commons earlier than 1337, when they were assembled at Eltham. The duty of a Mem- ber was long held to be a burthen, both by the electors, and the elected ; the latter always stipulating for a re- muneration for his trouble, the nature of which may be collected from the following ancient indenture, as com- municated to the Royal Antiquarian Society, in the year 1 755 : — * Thys bill indentyed, mead the VIII. day of Aprille, in the thridde yer of Kyng Edwaixi the fowrte, betwyn Thomas Peers and John Strawnge Esquyer, Wetness- yeth that the sayd John Strawnge grauntyth by these presents to been oon of the Burgeys for Donewch, at the Plement to be holyden at Wesmt. the XXIX. day of the sayd Mony th of Aprille, for the gwhych, gwehdyr it holde long tyme or schortt, or gwhedye it fortune to been Progott, the sayd John Strawnge grauntyth no more to takyn for hys wagys then a cade full of Heryng tho' to been dylivid be Xtenmasse next comyng. In Wetnesse hereof eythyr part to others Indentur inter Chawnxubilly her setys han sett day and yer above sayd.' I - Members of the House of Commons, originally receiv* ed wages from their constituents, the rate of which, in the reign of Edward III. was established at 4s. a day for a Knight of the Shire, and 2s. for a citizen or a burgess, which was psdd for the number of days the Parliatnent sat, including an allowance for their going from, and returning to, their respective homes, according to the distance ; and was continued to be received at so late a period as the Parliament after the Restoration. Two shillings a day, the allowance to a Burgess, was so con- aderable a sum in ancient times, that there are many instances where Boroughs petitioned to be excused from sending members to Parliament ; representing that they were unable to bear the expense ! From the 33d year of the reign of Edward III. and uniformly through the five succeeding reigns, the She- riffs of Lancashire returned to the writs of summons to Parliament, ' that there were not any cities or boroughs in the county of Lancaster, of which there were any citi- zens, or burgesses, who were accustomed, or ought to come to the said Parliament, neither could they by rea- son of their debility, and poverty.** The journals of the Lords were commenced in the 2M teign of Henry VIII. A. I). 1509 ; but, those of the Commons, not till Edward VI.'s time. The Parliament in Ireland, by general representation, was first held in 1613. In 1649, the Commons in Parliament abolished the house of Lords, as unnecessary ; and were violently dissolved themselves, by Cromwell, on the 20th of April, 1653 : A part of them, however, met again on the 8th May, 1659, and it was called the Rump-parliament. The sufirages of Parliament do not appear to have been influenced by secret pensions, till the reign of Charles II. In November 1694, a bill passed for a triennial parliament ; but, this was changed in the year 1716, to septennial ones. The following particulars of the forms of proceeding in parliament, may, perhaps, prove interesting :— The house of Commons meets between three and four o''clock in the afternoon, and prayers are immediately read by the Chaplain. As soon as there are forty mem- bers in the house, the speaker takes the chair; but, if, at four o'clock, there be not that number, he immediately adjourns the House. In the house of Peers, three Lords make a house; and, very often, there are no more present, viz — The Lord Chancellor, the Chairman of S25 Committees, and the Junior Bishop, who reads prayers. When a proposition is submitted to the House by the Speaker, it is called « putting the question/ The practice is, that a member, who has a proposition to make, shall put it in writing. He reads it, therefore, and dehvers it to the Speaker. When this motion is seconded, it is proposed by the Speaker to the House, and, till it is agreed to, or negatived, no other motion can be discussed, with the following exceptions — 1st, a motion to adjourn ; 2d, to read the order of the day; 3d, for the previous question ; 4th, for an amendment on the motion pro- posed. A motion for adjournment may be repeated any number of times. When a motion is made that the order of the day be read — that is, the Ust of the pro- ceedings which have been ordered to be taken into con- sideration on that day — ^it is employed to get rid of any proposition, to which the House may not wish to give either an affirmative, or a negative. When the previous question is moved, it implies that, on any proposition being submitted to the House, any member may demand that the House shall first decide whether, " the question be now put,**' (which is called moving the previous ques- tion) ; and, if the House decide " that it be now put,** ^26 the original motion falls to the ground. An amendment may be proposed on any question. The Speaker reads the original motion, and states that an amendment has since been proposed, and puts the question that the words proposed to be left out, or the words proposed to be in- serted, stand out of the question ; which is put to the vote. The mode of coming to a decision, is, by the Speaker desiring those who are for the motion, to say Aye ; those who are of the contrary opinion, to say No. He then asks ' which has it ?"* If any member contradict this, the House proceeds to a division. All Strangers are now ordered to withdraw ; two tellers are appointed for each side ; the Ayes are ordered to go into the lobby of the house, the Nos remaining : One teller of each party counts the numbers of those who remain in the house, the other two count those who went out, as they return through the door of the house. The numbers are then reported at the table ; and, in case of a difference, the House is counted again. If the numbers should be even, the Speaker has the casting vote. Augmentation. The court of, was erected 27th Henry VIII. when, by the suppression of the Monasteries 227 the revenue of the crown was augmented, and the office still remains, in which are many curious records, though the court has been long since dissolved. (iSU^It0ri^# This highly respectable religious sect was founded by George Fox, in the year 1664 ; and, in the same year, sixty of them were transported to Ame- rica by an order of Council. But, in 1696, theu' affirma- tion was allowed by Act of Parliament to be received, in certain cases, instead of an oath. In the year 1698, John Archdale, a quaker, being returned a member to Par- hament, the election was declared void, for his refusing to take the oaths. airmOrial MtUVilXQ^. The origin of the he- raldic science of blazoning coats of arms, has occasioned a difference of opinion among the learned ; some of whom have chosen to give them an antediluvian origin, while others derive them from the circumstance of the IsraeHtes' retreat from Egypt. Many other surmises have been advanced on this subject ; but, they are not of sufficient weight to overturn the fact that, of the seals, coins, and medals of all nations, from the earliest antiquity down to 228 the eleventh century, not one instance has been found of any piece exhibiting a device that could be termed a coat of arms ; nor, prior to that time, does any author allude, in the slightest degree, to the blazoning part of Heraldry. The armour of all nations of antiquity was calculated rather to display, than to conceal the person. In fact, it was not till the IGth and 11th century, when the Cru- saders, by annexing to the helmet, a beaver and vizard- covered the face, and this rendered heraldic devices, to point out the leaders of the different troops, absolutely neces- sary ; for, cased in complete steel, it was impossible they could have been otherwise known in the field, or distin- guished in the tournament. Sir Henry Spelman observes that the English had no Coat-armour till the eleventh century, after the reign of William the Conqueror. From the symbols assumed by the higher order of those who had enlisted under the banner of the Cross, and which were exhibited on their buildings, their glass windows, and in every place where they could be rendered conspi- cuous, have their posterity derived their armorial-bear- ings. In the reign of Henry VI. an inquisition was made of the Gentry throughout the Kingdom ; and a list of the names, then recorded, is preserved in the 229 Heralds' College. All such persons were then allowed the privilege of assuming armorial bearings ; but, the Yeo- men, and Franklins, or Freemen, were not. Coats of Arms must be hereditary, and not assumed ; or, they must be granted by the Earl Marshal of England, Lion King at Arms of Scotland, or Ulster, King of Arms for Ireland. By a Statute of the Scotch parliament, 1672, whoever shall assume arms without a regular title thereto, shall pay d£^.1000 to Lyon, and escheat to the King such goods as shall be marked with the same. ^CCr^S^* ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ between the Houses of York and Lancaster, most of the great famihes Avere destroyed, or attainted ; and, on Henry VII.'s accession, only thirty Peers were left ; so that little opposition was made to the ambition of him or his son. In 1603, the peerage consisted of one Marquis, sixteen Earls, two Viscounts, and forty Barons. From this defect, flowed the subsequent ascendancy of the Commons in the reign of Charles I. 3^^tnutCi^« Here a memorable battle was fought between the Allies, under the Duke of Marlborough and I £30 the Marshal D'Auverquesque, and the French, under Marshal Villeroy and the Elector of Bavaria, in the year 1706. The Enemy lost all their baggage and ar- tillery, about 120 standards, 600 Officers, and 6000 pri- vate soldiers, besides about 8000 killed and wounded. Our loss did not exceed 3000 men. ^HlU^322t Huntingdonshire, formerly famous for its wealthy Abbey, and hence called ' Ramsay the Rich.** Part of the gate-house yet remains, with a neglected statue of Aluin, the founder; the epitaph of whose tomb is reckoned one of the oldest English monumental inscriptions now extant. Aluin is there styled kinsman of the famous King Edward, Alderman of all England, and the founder of this abbey. ^llgStr, is a production of the East. Some plants of the sugar-cane were brought from Asia to Sicily in the 12th century, and thence transported into Spain, whence, from the experiment of their cultivation failing, they were carried to the Canary and Madeira Isles ; and, at length, into the New World. Before salt was in use, sugar was eaten with meat, in 231 order to correct its putrescency. Hence, probably, the custom of eating sweet apple-sauce with pork and goos^, and currant-jelly with hare and venison. BomeiStic ^tructart^. The following cha- racteristics of tliese buildings from the commencement of the reign of Henry VIII. to the end of that of James I. are worthy of attention. The brick buildings of the age of Henry VIII. may be distinguished, by being chequer- ed with glazed bricks, of a darker colour than the rest of the fronts, which were generally built with bricks of a deep red, very hard and well burnt. The window- frames were sometimes of stone, but, very often of bricks moulded on purpose, and covered with strong plaister of stucco, imitating stone. During the reigns of Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, the ornaments of Grecian and Gothic architecture were frequently imitated in burnt clay, and placed in the front of the houses, and on the shafts of the chimnies. In James I.'s time, these ornaments began to fall into disuse The buildings of this period, were, in general, very badly executed, many of the walls being little better than rubbish, between two thin shells of brick : Some of them were filled with small 232 rough stones, mixed with clay instead of mortar, and others with turf or peat. The most satisfactory examples of the prevailing modes of building in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and James I. may be seen in Hardwicke-Hall, Derbyshire ; Audley House, Essex; Longleat, Wiltshire; and Holland-House, Middlesex. i^ltltnS^ a district of a county. This term is a corruption of the old Saxon word (rithing, which, in that law, is said to be a third part of the province. The ex- isting division of the county of York, fully answers this definition. ^lUltlCrlSintl^ The inhabitants of this country were converted to Christianity by the Irish monks, Co- lumbanus, Gallus, and others, at the beginning of the 7th century. About the year 1030, the provinces, which now constitute Switzerland, began to be regard- ed as part of the German Empire. About the year 1300, the Emperor Albert appointed them an Austrian gover- nor, one Griesler, who, in the wantonness of tyranny, ordered the natives to reverence his hat set upon a pole ; 233 which, being, with proper spirit, refused by one William Tell, a noted marksman with the cross-bow, he was sentenced to be hanged, if he did not, at a certain dis- tance, shoot an apple from the head of his own son. Tell hit the apple with one of two short arrows ; and, being asked what the other was intended for, he answer- ed, * for the tyrant^s heart, if I had killed my son.' He was ordered to prison ; but escaped ; and, with some others, brought about a revolution, which produced the several independent states of the Helretic nation. 2SlOC5CiStCl% in Kent. There is an Almshouse here for six poor travellers, who are suppHed with a sup- per, a bed, a breakfast, and four pence to carry them on their journey ; but, they are to stay no longer than one night : And it is remarkable that an inscription over the door, intimates that ' rogues and proctors are ex- cepted.' From the vicinity of Rochester to the great Waiting-Street road, which goes from ShooterVhill to Dover, there is reason to believe that the Romans pur- sued this course in their journies from the sea coast to London. A ferry was probably their mode of convey- ance across the Medway, as there is no evidence of their 234 having been a bridge at Rochester for many centuries aft^r they left Britain. The present narrow stone bridge was built in the reign of Edward III. chiefly at the expense of Sir John Cobham, and Sir Robert Knolles, out of the spoils they had taken in France. The Castle, a fine venerable ruin, stands on the spot, where, most likely, the Romans had a fortress ; as there can be no doubt that Rochester was one of their stipendiary stations. A great variety of Roman coins has, at different periods, been dug up within the district. ®i) tVlfCd of counties, were first nominated in the year 1709. The present mode of appointing them has been followed since about the year 1461. Anciently in England, ladies were sheriffs. Fifty Sheriffs of London were appointed in one day, in the year 1734, thirty-five of whom paid their fines. ^tltlvUrS^ was one of the first seats of the Flemings, who were brought over by Edward III. to teach the EngUsh the art of manufacturing their own wool. It became, in consequence, very populous. 235 ^nbC^^tlC^^^ large portable hurdles, behind which, the archers and bow-men were formerly posted. According to Froissart, these hurdles were used long be- fore the reign of Philip Augustus, King of France. ^fpuUftral Moniimentsi. Few, if any, of these monuments now remaining in this country, are of an earlier date than the Norman Conquest. The number is not considerable of those which occur between that era and the time of Henry III. They become more frequent in the reigns of the two first Edwards, and are very numerous in the reign of Edward III., continually augmenting as we approach the present period. The earliest Tombs of persons of consequence were formed by the stone coffin in which they were interred, the bottom part of which being only sunk in the ground, the lid, or covering-stone, was seen above, on which were carved rude figures, according to the state of the arts at the time : These were often half-lengths, or only heads. To this custom, succeeded the table monument, supporting Effigies, probably first introduced in the 13th century. Next, succeeded tombs with arches over them, designed to shield from injury the costly sculpture they covered. 236 This was probably introduced about the beginning of the 14th century. The sculpture usually placed on tombs during this and the succeeding century, generally consisted of images of the individual, and his wife, and children, with Saints and other objects, on the sides, upon which, much painting and gilding were bestowed, even although the material was marble, or copper. In process of time, it was found that these arched monuments took up too much room, even in the most spacious Cathedral, on which a method was devised for palliating the incon- venience, by annexing Chapels to the churches, for the purpose of containing such monuments. These Chapels had doors which led out of the side aisles ; but, they were only separated from the Church by iron work. Monu- mental stones, inlaid with brass, and sometimes elaborately worked, were extremely common, from the 14th century, to the time of James I. After the reign of Edward VI. we find, in the inscription on these plates, the old Gothic square letter changed into the Roman round hand. Monuments that were either let into, or fixed against, the pillars of Churches, appear to have come into use after the Reformation. Recumbent figures on tombs, con- tinued in fashion until late in the 17th Century. 237 In considering ancient monumental commemorations, the locality is an object deserving of attention. The porch was frequently the spot appropriated to the sepulture of the founder of a religious structure. Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and his Countess, Godiva, were buried in the porch of the Abbey-church at Coventry, which they themselves had founded. It was a customary act of devotion, in the ancient Religion, for all persons, on their entrance into churches and religious houses, to pray for the souls of the founders and benefactors. The heads of the religious houses were generally buried in their chapter-houses, or their cloisters ; and Rectors or Vicars, in the close vicinity of the altar, or in the chancel of the church to which they belonged. Lords of Manors and Patrons were often interred in the chancel, and sometimes within the r^ls. Funeral inscriptions on the tombs of the Dead were used by the Greeks, merely with the intention of giving the name of the deceased, with the simple addition of Goodman, or Good-woman, The Athenians gave only the name of the dead, to which was added that of his Father and his Tribe. The Romans placed at the top of their Epitaphs, ' Diis Manibus,' which was sometimes expressed S38 only by halves. The oldest funeral inscription that has been found in England, is one of King Arthur, on a leaden plate, which was discovered in his coffin. A few inscriptions of a similar kind, have been met with, dated in the 11th and 12th centuries. It was customary, in the reign of Henry III., to fasten plates of lead, with inscriptions, on the breast of the parties interred. Among the most remarkable monuments in English Churches, may be noticed those which represent, on an upper story of an altar tomb, the deceased, and in the lower compartment a skeleton, or emaciated human body. Such moral sepulchral devices, were chiefly raised to ecclesiastics. A monument adorned with armorial bearings, cannot be older than the latter end of the 11th century ; as arms were not used in England before that period. In fact, the first instance of quartering arms by any subject, was given by John Hastings, Earl of Pembroke, who followed the example of King Edward III. Indeed, few persons in England quartered arms before the year 1328. Monuments, with supporters to coats of arms, mark them to be of date subsequent to the time of Richard II. ; that prince being the first who used them. 239 Till the time of Henry III., the heads of the Peers were not adorned with coronets. John of Elthara, se- cond son of King Edward II., who died A. D. 1334, and is buried in Westminster Abbey, wears a coronet with leaves, which is the most ancient of its kind. Where the arms of France contain only three fleurs de lis, the monument has been erected since the reign of King Henry V. ; for, before that time, they were semee with those flowers. iSlOman (S^mptre, comprehended Spain, Por- tugal, France, Saxony, Switzerland, England, the Elec- torates of the Rhine, Leige, Luxenburgh, Hainault, Flanders, Brabant, Italy, Naples, the Mediterranean isles, Bavaria, Austria, Lower Hungary, Selavoma, Turkey, Thrace, Macedonia, Greece, Asia-Minor, Lyria, Phoenicia, Palestine, and the western parts of Africa, a vast tract of country, extending above 2000 miles in breadth, and fully 3000 in length ! Constantine, the founder of Constant nople, was the first Christian Em- peror : Theodosius was the first who professed his belief in the Trinity. The Senate and the people acknowledged Charlemagne, King of France, as Emperor of the West ; 240 and he surrendered the city of Rome to the Pope, reserv- ing the sovereignty to himself, A. D. 800. The Popes afterwards made themselves and the city independent. 2!2iapentafee, a hundred, being the Saxon divi- sion of the districts in a county, containing ten tithings, or a hundred men, who were under an Alderman ; and, on swearing to follow him faithfully, and to serve their Prince with fidelity, accompanied the act, by each of them touching his spear, or weapon ; whence, the name. dTnuOlirjJ, constituted the principal amusement of our Ancestors. In that day, a man of rank scarcely went out without being attended by his Hawk ; and they were generally drawn with their favourite bird perch- ed on their hand. In the reign of Edward III. it was made felony to put a hawk to death ; and to steal the eggs, imprisonment for one year. In the time of James I. Sir T. Monson is said to have given £.1,000 for a cast of hawks. So expensive, indeed, was this amuse- ment, that it was confined to Royalty, and men of high distinction. ^41 ItttttertoOrtft, Leicestershire. John Wicklitf; the famous reformer, was rector of this parish. He died in the year 1385, and was buried here ; but, his bones were taken out of his grave, and burned, forty years afterwards, by order of the Council of Constance. The pulpit in which he preached, is still preserved in its church. The Roman Waiting-Street, runs on the west side of the Town. •^ffliOnCQ* The study of coins and medals is of great importance to history. The Roman imperial coins, are, in particular, worthy of attention. The series begins with Caesar; and, of brass, there are three sizes, the large, the middle, and the small. The large forms a series of great beauty and vast expense ; as, from the great size of the portraits, and figures, it is the most im- portant of all the Roman coinage, and even exceeds the gold in value. The middle brass exceeds the former in number, but, does not present such elegance of execution ; hence, it is of much less value. In both series, there are many coins which relate to Britain ; such as the triumphal arch of Claudius, inscribed * De Britann ;* the coin of Hadrian, R 2491 Antoninus Pius, Commodus, and Severus, inscribed, • Victoria Britan.' The small brass series abounds with curious coins. Till the time of Valerian, and Gallienus, they are gene- Fall y scarce, but, afterwards, extremely common in the former periods. Portraits of tlie Emperors are rare in small brass. Some, however, are found among them, which occur in no other series. The series of large and middle brass are of two fixed and known sizes; the former, about that of our crown piece, the latter, of our half-crown ; although, after Severus, they gradually became smaller. But, the small brass takes in all the parts of the As ; and every brass coin not larger than our shilling, belongs to this series. The coins of Julius Caesar, in this size, are of peculiarly fine workmanship. They bear his portrait, and, on the re- verse, that of Augustus, or a crocodile, with Egyta capta. The latter are very rare and fine. Of Mark Antony, there are several ; and some with Cleopatra. Augustus occurs, with the reverse an Eagle, or a Temple, * Rom. et Aug.' Tiberius appears with the same reverse as Augustus^a temple, « Rom et Aug.' Caligula has Ti- berius, or Germanicus, for the reverse. Some of his 24S coins have no portrait, but, only a cap of liberty, and S. C. Nero is particularly rich in small brass coins of five different sizes, all bearing his portrait. One of exquisite beauty, has for the reverse, a table ornamented with griffins, a laurel, and a beautiful vase, of which, the embossed human figures are so minute, and finished so surprisingly, as to stamp these coins the most exquisite of the ancient mint. The legend is, * Certam 28. I. N. Q. Rom. CO. sc' Another of Nero, has an owl on an altar, the reverse, a palm-branch — a most minute coin, highly finished. Another bears Apollo, or one of the Muses. After Nero, no small brass coins occur that can be attribut- ed to any particular Emperor, or traced with any degree of certainty, till the time of Vespasian, when we meet with some of that great man, with a portrait, and the reverse a caduceus. Others have for the reverse, a globe, and a helmet on the obverse. Others bear shields and spears, and on the reverse, a trophy ; or a palm tree, with the reverse, pontifical instruments. Titus appears with the reverse, a caduceus ; and another with Julia, his daugh- ter sitting, < Julia Augusta,' of Domitian ; one has his head, reverse a caduceus ; another a cornucopia ; one, the head of Mercury, reverse a caduceus ; another, dou- 244 ble the size of this, has Mars ; reverse a Coat of MaiL There are three sizes with the head of Minerva ; reverse an owl. One obverse gives a griffin holding a wheel ; reverse a tripod and kettle. Domitia, wife of Domitian, vies with her husband in the number and curiosity of her small coins. Some bear her head ; reverse a hamper of corn ; others, ears of wheat ; reverse poppies. Some a parrot, sitting on a palm-branch ; some a ship; others a tripod and serpent. Those of Nerva have a hamper of corn ; reverse a caduceus. Trajan occurs in two sizes with ' S. C Some bear an eagle ; reverse a thun- derbolt. Of Hadrian, the best has a ship, < Felicitati Avgvsti ;' others a table, vase, wreath, or harp ; or Sa- bina, his Empress. Pius has for reverses an eagle, an owl, and peacock, a club and caduceus crossed. Marcus the head of Jupiter Ammon. Varus, a captive, bound. Pertinax, the Emperor, sacrificing at an altar. After this, there are no real small brass coins, except those of ' Tra- janus Decius ;' reverse. Mars standing, * S. C. and Emili- an ;' till they become frequent under Valerian. Those of Julian II. and Constantine I. are exceedingly common. Of the silver imperial coins, very few Emperors are scarce, and the series is as complete, and much cheaper, than any of the brass ones. 245 Of English money, the series of silver pennies extends almost without any interruption, from Egbert to the present reign. The Kings, that are wanting, are, John, and Richard I. Of the former, there is only Irish money ; of the latter, only French. This set is the most length- ened sequence of one species of coins in the world. The Saxon penny weighs about S4 grains. From the Con- quest to the time of Edward I. the general weight of the penny is 22 grains ; so that a pound of silver was a pound both in weight and value. Silver half-pence and farthings were first struck by Edward I. about the year 1280. The farthings ceased with Edward VI. the half- penny, with the Commonwealth. Until nearly two centuries after the Conquest, these silver coins were the only money of British Manufacture. Henry III. towards the end of his reign, coined a few gold pieces, which were so little circulated, that, until an accident brought the fact to light, in the year 1732, Edward III. had always been supposed the first of our Kings who coined gold money. The gold penny of Henry III. was of fine gold, and weighed two stirlings. In 1314, he struck gold florins, then worth 6s. but, now, intrinsically equal to 19s. in consequence of the 246 increased value of gold. During the same year, the No- ble was coined of 6s. 8d. In 1465, Edward IV. issued the Angel, stamped with the Angel Michael, and the Dragon, at 6s. 8d. and the Angelet, at 3s. 4d. The Noble having been reduced in size, Henry VI. restored it, increasing its value to 10s. under the new name of Royal. In 1485, Henry VII. issued the Sovereign of 20s. and the double Sovereign of 40s. In 1527, Henry VIII. coined Sovereigns of 22s. 6d. and Ryals of lis. 8d. Angels of 7s. 6d. and Nobles of 6s. 8d. The gold crown of this King, is about the size of our shilling, and the half-crown, of a sixpence, but, thin, as all hammer- ed money was. The first gold coins which Edward III. issued, were thought to be overvalued, and, therefore, refused ; and, though a new coinage was made, in which the gold was undervalued, still, the people, unaccustomed to that metal, refused them, and they were ordered to pass only in large payments. In the year 1354, Edward III. coined groats, and half-groats of silver. Henry VII. coined shillings in 1503, and Henry VIII. first coined the crown of silver. The half-crown, sixpence, and three-pence were issued by Edward VI. Elizabeth, in 1558, coined three-half-penny, and, in 1561, three-far- SI47 thing pieces ; but, they were dropped in 1582. She also coined farthings of silver — for there was no brass, or copper money coined in England, before James. I. Henry VIII. debased the money of the Kingdom to the extent of 66 per cent. All his f^ll-faced money is of this description, but, his side-faced, or first coined, is good. The side-faced coins of Edward VI. are bad ; and his full-faced good ; being the last full-faced heads stamped upon English coin. Edward's base coin of 1547 is the first English money bearing a date ; and after this period, they are dated, James I. coined Rose-ryals of 30s. Spur-ryals of 15s. Angels of 10s. and Angelets of 5s. The gold crown and half-crown continued to this prince inclusive, and the crown, to his successor. Charles I. issued the same denomination of coins which his Father had done. The crown piece has the King on horseback, with his sword in his hand. He was the first Sovereign who placed the garter round the shield of his arms. The X. and XX. shilling pieces of silver, are peculiar to this King, and exhibit his Majesty's figure on horseback, like the crown piece. The Commonwealth struck 10s. and 5s. in gold ; and a copper farthing, with St. George's cross under a garland, 'England's Farthing ;' reverse < Foa S!48 NECEssABY CHANGE.* Cromwell employed Simon, the most celebrated engraver of his time, to execute the dies for his crown, half-crown, shilling, sixpence, and farthing; a series of coins, which, in the execution, have never been equalled, and sell at very high prices, particularly the crown. In the year 1672, Charles II. issued copper half-pence and farthings, to a considerable amount. In the last year of his reign, were coined tin farthings, with a small piece of copper in the centre ; having upon the rim, * NuMMORUM Famulus, 1684.' This King was the first who coined guineas, and half-guineas. James II., issued farthings and half-pennies of tin, with his head, < Jacobus secundus.' His Irish half-pence are of copper. After he landed in Ireland in 1689, old brass guns, and other metal, were coined into money, to pay his troops with. William and Mary's coins have both their Ma- jesties' heads. They coined half-pence and farthings of tin, as well as copper. Queen Anne's coins by Croker, take precedence, next to Simon's, in the cabinets of col- rectors. Of her copper farthings, so few were struck, that they are preserved as great rarities. On one side, is her Majesty's head, ' Anne Dei Gratia ;' on the re- verse, 'Britannia,^ with the year 1713, or 1714, in both of which, they were issued. M9 The most ancient Scottish money that has yet been found, is, the silver penny of Wilhara the Lion : And from his time to that of David II., no higher denomination of money was coined. David II. coined groats, haif-groats, pennies, and half-pennies in silver ; which denominations were in use till the death of James V. Mary coined Royals of 30, 20, and 1 shillings. James VI. coined money of the same denomination as the last reign ; together with merks, half-merks, quarter-merks, nobles, and half-no^ bles. The coins of Charles I. were nearly the same as those of his father. After the restoration, Charles II. coined a four-merk-piece, two merks, and half-merk ; and a dollar, 56 shillings value, a half-dollar, quarter- dollar, half-quarter, and the 1 6th of a dollar. The coins of Charles II. are milled money, and finely executed. James II. coined 40, and 10 shilling pieces. Those of King William were the same. Queen Anne coined only two sorts, a ten, and a five shilling piece. It is generally allowed that there was no gold coined in Scotland before 1371, when, three different sorts, called St. Andrew's, were issued. James coined lyons and half-lyons. The lyon weighs 52 grains. James III. coined unicorns, and half-unicorns. James IV. had pieces called ryders, from 250 the impression of the King on horseback being on it. James V. issued pieces, minted from gold found in Craw- ford-muir, impressed with his effigy, wearing a bonnet on his head, and thence denominated bonnet pieces. Queen Mary'*s gold coins were the lyon, testoon, and the half- testoon; those of James VI., the rose-noble, the ryder, the angel, the half-angel, the jacobuses, the double-crown, and the thistle crown. Charles I. coined money of the sime denominations. Neither Charles II., nor James VII., coined any gold in Scotland. William III. coined pistoles and half-pistoles, from gold sent home by the Darien company, and thence called Darien pistoles. Copper money, generally known by the name of black money, was introduced into Scotland a century and a half before it appeared in England. The copper money of James II. III. IV. and V. were probably issued as groats, and half-groats, the largest of which pieces, is about the size of a shilling. Queen Mary coined placks, or four pennies ; and James VI. coined bodies, or two-pennies ; and hard- heads, or three-pennies. Charles I. did the same. Charles II. coined pennies, bodies, placks, and bawbees; the latter being dated 1677, 1678, and 1679 ; the others are seldom dated. William and Mary coined bawbees and 251 placks. It is to be remarked that tlie value and deno- mination of the ancient Scottish coins, are by no means accurately ascertained ; and, where the denomination is the same with the coins of England, the value, or cur- rency, was not the same, but agreeable to the standard in Scotland, before the union of the two Kingdoms. jL^t a very frequent termination in names of places. It is derived from leag^ Sax. a field or pasture. When it forms the termination to an adjective, or adverb, it is de- rived from Uck^ Sax. implying likeness, or the same nature or manner ;.as heaiily^ of the nature of a beast. ^nttttlUS^ this art was brought from Greece to Italy, where it was much encouraged in the time of the Republic, and during the reign of the first Emperors. The art of painting in oil was not known till the beginning of the 14th century, when a Flemish painter, named John Van Eyck, discovered it. The first picture, executed in this manner, was an Ecce Homo, 1455 ISrttlSSfi ;ffilttgCtim, It appears, from a re- turn laid before the House of Commons, that, since the 252 foundation of this national museum in 1755, the sums granted by Parliament for the purchase of works of art, of science, and of literature, have been laid out princi- pally in the following manner— 1753. For the Sloan collection, . £.9J0,000 The Harleian ditto . . 10,0000 1772. The Hamilton collection of vases, . 3,410 1805. The Townley collection of Statues . 20,000 1807. The Lansdowne manuscripts . 4,925 1810. The Greville minerals . 13,727 1813. The Hargreave Library . . 8,000 1814. The remainder of the Townley collection, 8,200 1815. The PhigaUan marbles, . , 15,000 1816. The Elgin marbles. . . 35,000 1818. The Burney Library, . . 13,500 The donations of individuals have been also most libe- ral and extensive. Of the Library of this Museum, the Cottonian M. S. relate principally to the history of this country, and eonsist of chronicles, chartularies, histories, &c. from the dissolved Monasteries; many of which are written in 253 the Saxon character. The Harleian M. S. contains topo* graphical descriptions, treatises on the antiquities, Jaw, and customs of this cou^-lry ; and general history of the prin- cipalities of Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. Sir Hans Sloane's collection is chiefly on Philosophy, Medicine, and Natural History. The papers of Dr Birch consist principally of extracts made from original works, and in- tended to illustrate many interesting parts of English his- tory, and biography. Wadox's extracts from records, in different public archives and libraries in England, de- signed to furnish materials for composing a feudal history of England, from the earliest period. Tomlinson's col- lection of pamphlets are composed of more than 2000 volumes, published between the years 1640 and 1660, consisting of public orders, and relating to all subjects connected with that turbulent period of our history. These magnificent collections also contain a great variety of other matters, such as rare editions of the scriptures, theological works, ancient ballads, and plays. In 1757, George II. presented the Museum with 9,000 volumes, collected by his Royal predecessors, from the time of Henry VII. The Royal library, collected by George III. and most munificently presented to the nation by 254 his present Gracious Majesty, is singularly complete in all branches of science and literature, but principally in Classics, English history, Italian, French, and Spanish lite- rature, and scarce early-printed books of the 15th century. It is distinctly classed, and fully catalogued in 13 folio vols. The number of books in this library amount to about 65,250, exclusively of 888 cases of pamphlets. The library of the museum already contained about 125,000 volumes, yet, they are so different from those presented by His Majesty, that, after all, there will not be above 21,000 duplicates. Strangers desiring admission to the reading rooms, as students, must send their applications in writing to the principal librarian, who, no objection occurring, obtains admission for them for a term not exceeding six months. Readers are allowed to take one or more extracts from any printed book, or M. S. but, no whole, or greater part of a manuscript is to be transcribed, without par- ticular leave from the trustees. (i^ltCi^Sini^ Rutlandshire. The first time any Peer of the realm comes within the precinct of this lordship he forfeits a shoe from the horse he rides on, to the lord ^55 of this manor, unless he commute it for money ; and it is worthy of notice that several horse shoes, some of them gilded, and of curious workmanship, are nailed on the Castle hall door, stamped with the names of the donors, and made very large in proportion. ^SeiD^paperSi. The first Newspaper published in England, was entitled the English Mercurie, and is dated, July 28. 1568, one of which is preserved in the British Museum. The Gazette was first published at Oxford, August 22. 1642. They were published by Royal proclamation in 1680 ; and first subjected to a tax in 1713. One of the earliest country Newspapers was printed by a man named Moggridge, who used to insert the intelligence from Yorkshire under the head of Foreign News. There is no doubt that we were the first nation in Europe who adopted this means of infor- mation ; and that, to the wisdom of Queen Elizabeth, and her Minister Burleigh, at the epoch of the Spanish Arma- da, mankind is indebted for this source of gratification. im9ilpmQtt0t> famous for a great victory gained on the 11th September 1709, by the Allies, under the ^56 Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene, oyer the French, commanded by the Marshals Villars, and Bou- flers. In this battle, the Prince of Hanover greatly dis- tinguished himself. The French army amounted to 120,000 men. They were in a fortified camp, with triple intrenchments, which were covered with hedges and trees laid across, and brisled so thick with cannon, as to render all approach to them almost impossible. The Alhes were nearly the same in number, and, favour- ed by a thick fog, erected batteries on each wing, and in the centre. At about eight o^clock, the weather clearing up, they commenced the action. The left of the Enemy was attacked with such vigour, that, in^ less than an hour, they were driven from their intrenchments by the Duke of Argyle ; but, on the right, the French fought the Dutch troops, under the Prince of Orange, for more than two hours, with an obstinacy that bordered on despair; but, seeing their left and centre had given way, and their General Villars dangerously wounded, they made an excellent retreat. This was the dearest victory the allies had ever purchased. About 20,000 of their best troops were killed in the action ; whereas the Enemy did not lose half that number, and retired at leisure. 257 ^^rt^tl* England was first divided into parishes by Honorius, Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 636 ; and the boundaries of them, as marked in Dooms- day Book, agree very nearly with the present division. (!FP tVU^ took its rise in England from the masks ; an entertainment usual in the reign of James I. The Opera was Italianised in the reign of Queen Anne, and, by the exertions of native and foreign Singers and Come- dians, has been continued ever since. ^CtDOUt^^ Berkshire, Here a severe battle was fought between the forces of King Charles and those of the Parliament. The town was formerly eminent for the clothing manufacture. Jack of Newbury was a famed character as a clothier, in the time of Henry VIII. He is reported to have employed upwards of 100 looms for the weaving of broad cloth only. On the breaking out of the war with the Scots, he armed and clothed a regi- ment for the King at his own expense. iMUSiSrt* The Spaniards were the first who armed part of their Infantry with Muskets. At first, they s 258 were made of a ponderous size, and could not be fired without a rest. They had match-locks, and did execu- tion at a great distance. They were introduced very generally into our army about the year 1521, and were continued in use with the rest and match-lock, so late as the commencement of the Civil-wars. ^StipCt* The first act of Parliament relating to Paupers, was passed in the reign of Henry VII. They subsisted on private benevolence till the time of Henry VIII. The present laws on this subject, are formed on the statutes passed in the S9th and 48d year of Queen Elizabeth's reign. (!5r{tn0K2^« ^^^ principal of these islands is called Pomona. The Town of Kirkwall is situated nearly in the centre of it, and is a very ancient place. The ruins of the Earl's and Bishop's palace are very superb ; and the Cathedral of St. Magnus is a fine Gothic building. These islands, in all probability, received their first inha- bitants from the North of Scotland ; who, perhaps, would 259 be drawn over to them for the purpose of hunting and fishing; and then form permanent settlements on the different islands. aaetoca^tle-ujpon-tirBne. Through this town ran part of that wall which extended from sea to sea, and was built by the Romans, to defend the Britons against the incursions of the Picts, after all their trained youth had been drawn from the Kingdom, to recruit the Roman armies. The castle, which is old and ruinous, overlooks the whole town. In 1239, King Henry III. granted the townsmen the first charter for digging for coal ; but, in 1306, the use of coal for fuel was prohi- bited in London by proclamation. This interdiction, however, was not of long continuance. In the year 1640, Newcastle was besieged by the Scots, under the command of Sir John Lessley, who addressed the following truly unique and characteristic letter to Sir Thomas Riddell of that town : — < Sir Thomas, Between me and God, it maks my heart bleed bleud, to see the warks gae thro' so trim a garden as yours. I have been twa times wi' my couzin the general, and sae ^60 shall I sax times mare afore the wark gae that gate : but, gin Si this be done, Sir Thomas, ye maun make the twenty pound threety, and I maun hae the tag'd tailed trooper (horse) that stands in the staw, and the little wee trim gaeing thing (clock) that stands in the neuk o"* the ha', chirping and chiming at the noon tide of the day, and forty bows of bear to saw the mains witha'; and as I am a chevalier of fortune, and a limb of the house of Rothes, as the muckle maun kist in Edinburg auld Kirk can weel witness, for these aught hundred yeres by- gaine, naught shall skaith your house within or without, to the validome of a twa penny chicken. I am your humble Servant, John Lessley, Major-General and Captain over sax score and twa men and some more ; Crowner of Cumberland, Northumberland, Mur- ^ ray land, and Fife ; Bailie of Kircaldie ; Governor of Burntisland and the Bass, Laird of Libertine, Tilly, and Wolley ; Siller Tacker of Stirling ; Constable of Leith ; and Sir John Lessley, Knight, - to the boot of a' that!' ^61 iJ^HtltlC OF HONOUR. In the days of Chivalry^ the robe of honour was the greatest ornament that could be worn bj a Knight, when he was not armed. It waa of a bright scarlet hue, was very long, and was lined with ermine. When any gentleman was knighted, he received this robe of honour from the King himself. ^0lt6» Before the reign of James II. in 1437, the Kings of Scotland generally resided at Perth, as the metropolis of the kingdom. ^£itltr# The word Ostler, which now signifies only an attendant on horses, is derived from the French word Hosteller, a person who kept a house of entertain^ ment; and not, as some maintain, from oat-stealer, alluding to the propensity of those gentry to defraud the horses of their allowance. jMnlt^f is mentioned by Homer in his Odyssey, under the name of Hyperia. In process of time, it was taken possession of by the Greeks, from whom it passed successively into the hands of the Carthagenians, Romans, 262 Vandals, and Goths, Arabs, Normans, Germans, French and Spaniards, with whom it remained till the year 1530, when the Emperor Charles V. gave it to the Knights of St John of Jerusalem. (See Knights of Malta.) pOlCtlCrflf. In 1356, Edward the Black Prince gained a decisive victory over the French, near this town, taking King John and his son, Philip, prisoners, whom he afterwards brought over to England. ©jrfOrU* The University is said to have been founded by Alfred, but, is generally supposed to have been a seminary of learning before his time, although it owed its revival and consequence to his liberal patron- age. About the middle of the 12th century, public lectures were read in the civil law, not more than ten years after a copy of Justinian's Institutes had been found in Italy. In the reign of Henry III. there were said to be 15,000 scholars, if they deserved that name, the sole object of many being only to read and write, while the greater number attained to neither, and the most learned acquired nothing beyond bad Latin and logic. 263 Mobility^* This word is understood to signify illustrious descent, and dignity of ancestors, with a succession of arms, conferred by the Prince, on some former individual of it, and descending from him to his family. In England, those only are called Nobles, who have the title of Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Lord, or Baron ; which titles either descend to indivi- duals from family-right, are gratuitously conferred on them by the Prince, or are obtained by purchase. The hereditary tenure becomes equally firm in all these in- stances, although not equally estimable. i^(inOr« By the introduction of the feudal system every individual held his lands of some other person. The lesser gentry, for instance, were Lords of Manors, who, in their turns, also, had others depending upon them; so that a regular gradation down to the lowest proprietor of land was established ; and these estates were inalien- able. Respecting the origin of Manors, it seems that, in the beginning, an allotted compass, or circuit of ground was granted by the King to men of distinguished worth, as a place of future residence for them and their heirs, with the privilege of exercising a certain jurisdiction with- 264 in its limits. It is to be observed that neither Manors, nor Copyholds, are known in Ireland or Wales. i©3ty* Swearing on the Gospels was first used A. D. 528, and were first administered in this country judicially, by the Saxons in the year 600. The words, * So help me God, and all saints,' were introduced on administering an oath in this country, about the year 1550. ^^UnnO^ in Sicily. At about a mile distance from this City, is a celebrated Monastery of Capuchins, in which there is a vault made use of as a receptacle for the dead. It consists of four wide passages, each forty feet in length, into which the light is admitted by windows, placed at the ends. Along the sides of these subterra- neous galleries are niches, in which the bodies are placed upright, and clothed in a coarse dress, with their heads, arms, and feet bare. They are prepared for this situa- tion by broiling them six or seven months upon a grid iron, over a slow fire, till all the fat and moisture are consumed. The skin, which looks hke pale-coloured 265 leather, remains entire, and the character of the counte- nance is, in some degree preserved. iaOrinSittSjjft ^^^ ^^^* settled by a people of Denmark and Norway, who, having entered France under Rollo, obtained the grant of this country from Charles the Simple in the year 912. Rollo, was the first Duke, and held it as a fief of the crown of France, and several of his successors after him, till William the Bastard con- quering England in 1066, united it to the English throne. i^^nttCt^^ ANCIENT. The pride of our Ances- tors distinguished them from the vulgar, by a dignified taciturnity, and a gravity and solemnity of aspect, that were intended to denote wisdom, and importance. In Ben Jonson's play of ' Every man in his humour,' a country squire sets up for being high-bred, by resolving to be ' proud, melancholy, and gentleman-like.' ^SOtttngSant, takes its name from the Saxcm Snottengaham, or house of Dens, so called from the spa- cious vaults dug in the rock, in which the ancient Britons 266 are supposed to have resided. In one of these caves, Edward III. and his friends contrived to seize Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, who resided here with the Queen. dTramliUflliam, an old town of SufFolk, with a castle supposed to have been built by some of the Kings of the East Angles. The walls, yet standing, are 44 feet high, and 8 thick, with thirteen towers above them. Here the Princess Mary retired before her elevation to the crown, on the death of her brother Edward VI. It is noted for a large and stately church, built of black flint. ^rOtlnttll* The advancement of Monarchy was retarded, and the reign of the feudal aristocracy prolonged in this Kingdom, beyond the period at which they pre- vailed in England, partly by the rugged and inaccessible nature of the territory, which surrounded every great Baron with a sort of natural barrier ; and partly, by the slow progress of those arts and manufactures, which were to raise his retainers into independence. The early history of the Scottish Parliament is involved in consi- 267 derable obscurity. For a period of two centuries, it was composed of the Barons, who sat there in their own right; of the dignified clergy ; and of a small number of bur- gesses. Never having been divided into two houses, the Barons possessed the whole legislative authority ; and though the institution of the ' Lords of the articles,' had a tendency to subject it to Royal influence, they treated their sovereigns in a rude and imperious manner. James I. revisited Scotland after he sat on the throne of England, and was, on his arrival, presented with 10,000 Scottish marks, in a silver basin. Charles I. visited his Scottish do- minions, and was led, in his better days, in great pomp, through streets hung with carpets, &c. Charles II. arrived from the Hague, not to enter in triumph, but, to be embroiled with the clergy about the Covenant. Nearly a century and a half had elapsed from this time to the period of his present Majesty's visit. ifft^lXCtf was conquered by the Romans 25 years before Christ. The Franks, from whom the French are derived, occupied part of Brabant 130 years before the reign of Clovis. Its first King was Pharamond, who began to reign A. D. 418. Clovis was the first Christian 268 King. In 481 , it was over-run by the natives of Ger- many, who crossed the Rhine. The Assembly called the States General, first met in 1302, and continued till 1614. The English crown lost all its possessions in France between 1341 and 1359. S!%9HS£j^3ll^ a liquor made of roasted apples, sugar, and ale, with bowls of which, our forefathers were used to welcome in the new-year. '* TOiajSjQJatK ! ^llCaiSisatl ! aH oUv t|)e toJun, ^^ O^ttt* toasst it t'jgi bi&tU> our aU it i^ iirolon ; ^^ OPuv X)o£dI tt t'lS me^tat of a tnajilm tvtt, '' imu U goDtr mioh>^ a« : 3£ ^xinix to V^te:' WinihtV^ititfi, The universities of Oxford and Cambridge were first allowed to send Members to Parlia- ment by King James I. They were invested with the presentation of benefices belonging to Papists, in the year 1689. The University of Oxford was founded about the year 886 ; Cambridge, in 915 ; St Andrew's, in 1411 ; Aberdeen, about 1477. The University of 269 Glasgow, in 1450; of Edinburgh, in 1580 ; and that of Dublin, in 1591 drraitCl^Cain^, a religious order of St Francis, founded by him in the year 1209. Before they are ad- mitted into the order^ they are obliged to sell all that they have, and give it to the poor ; they are to perform a novi- ciate ; and, when admitted, never to quit the order on any account. They are to fast from the feast of All Saints, to the Nativity. They had 63 Monasteries in England, 2l2S||lt!^Untttl0* Its original name is Whittentide, the time of choosing the wits, or wisemen, for the Witten- agemote. Each village, in the absence of the Baron at the Assembly of the nation, enjoyed a kind of Saturnalia. The vassals met upon the common green, around the May-pole, and indulged in all manner of rustic sports. The May-pole was then the English tree of liberty. idFttlt(l*3l£i* Funeral orations were customary among the Romans, and in use among the Greeks. The Roman custom, was, to have the funeral orations deli- vered in the Forum Romanum, where the funeral-parade 270 stood. The speech began with expatiating on the great- ness of the deceased's ancestors ; the antiquity of Ms family ; his liberality, and the services he had rendered to the Commonwealth, both in time of peace, and in war. Augustus, when only twelve years old, made a public speech in praise of his Grandmother ; and, even when Emperor, pronounced another oration in praise of his Nephew, Germ aniens. Tiberius, after being raised to the imperial dignity, delivered a funeral speech in praise of his son. 8!!3H^U^« The ancient inhabitants of England, hav- ing been driven before the conquering Saxons, took re- fuge in Wales, where they and their descendants sturdily maintained their rights and independence for ages. This circumstance has contributed not a little to exalt their notions of family grandeur, and to render them boastful of their birth. Wales was the name given to the country by the Saxons, after they had driven the Britons there. The Welsh call their country Cymry, and their language Cymreag. They term the English Saisons, i. e. Saxons. Their last Prince, Lewellin ap Griffith, lost his life in de- fence of his country, when Edward I. conquered it, A. D. 271 1283. It is impossible to contemplate without applause the heroism of the gallant defenders of this principality. Destitute of all succours, spurning foreign alliances, and without a naval power, they maintained their indepen- dence for more than 800 years, and often poured de- struction upon the Kings of England, whether of the Saxon, or the Norman race, many of whom had attempt- ed to subdue them with forces infinitely superior in num- bers to any, that they could bring against them. It appears, from Tacitus, that the Consuls Censonius Pcetus, and Petronius Turpilianus, met a complete over- throw in their attempt upon the Silures, (the inhabi- tants of South Wales) ; and that, although Suetonius Paulinus turned his arms against the ordevices ; (North Wales), and conquered Mona, he found it a task of con- siderable difficulty to retain his conquest. It was not till the reign of Henry VIII. that all the laws contrary to those of England, were abrogated by Act of Parliament. The number of Members to be sent to Parliament, and the circuits for administering justice, were also settled in that King's reign. Among the ancient Welsh, was an order of men, call- ed bards, who composed songs, relating the actions of 272 their heroes and other illustrious characters. Edward, very cruelly, however, caused them all to be put to death. ^0tlDlC&^ was taken from the Scots, and annexed to England, in 1333. It was retaken by the Scots, in 1354; by the English, 1356; by the Scots, 1378; by the English, same year ; by the Scots, 1384 ; by the Enghsh in the following year. It surrendered to Crom- well in 1648, and was secured by General Monk in 1659. The language and laws of the Town are a mix- ture of Scotch and English. 35trb)lCfe ^20tt5, in the county of Haddington. Near this place. General Cope was defeated by the Re- bels in 1745, and made his escape to Berwick-upon- Tweed. The ancient castle of Tantallan, is situated about two miles from the town. ^ablSatlOtt* To the Phoenicians is attributed the glory of having made the first progress in Navigation. By then: fleets which they created, they rendered mari- ners Princes, and the barren rock of Tyre, the empo* 217a rium of the world. Their navies visited Cyprus, Crete, Italy, Spain, Gaul, and the British Islands. The Greeks received from them their first ideas of naval affairs, and the form of the Argo, or long ship. The Romans form^ ed their navy from witnessing that of Carthaginia ; and the Portuguese copied from the Caravels of the Italian States. 3$ll)u« The translation of it was begun very early in this kingdom. Some part of it was done by King Alfred. Adelmus translated the Psalms into Saxon, in 709. Other parts were done by Edfrid, or Egbert, 750 ; the whole, by Bede. In 1357, Trevisa published the whole in English. TindaPs translation appeared in 1834 ; was revised and altered in 1538 ; published with a preface of Cranmer's, in 1549, and allowed to be read in churches. In 1551, another translation was pubHshed, which, being revised by several Bishops, was printed with their alterations in 1560. In 1613, a new translation was published by authority, which is that in present use. There was not any translation of it into the Irish lan- guage till 1685, The Pope did not give his permission for the translation of it into any language till 1759. T ^U: Kl/OtlXt^&f Devonshire, is 3upposed to be one of the most ancient towns in the kingdom. The Roman fossway, extending from north to south, through Devon- shire a«d Somersetshire, began here^ > ^tOltfjPtttSf^ a remarkable monument of anti- quity, situated on Salisbury Plain, and generally sup- posed to have been a British temple, in which the Druids' officiated. The whole structure was composed of 140 stones. The upright stones are from eighteen to twenty feet high, from six to seven feet broad, and about three feet in thickness ; and, being placed at the distance of three feet and a half from each other, were joined at the top by others laid across, thus uniting the whole into one circular range. The stones are supposed to have been brought from Marlborough Downs ; but, the dif- ficulty of bringing them hither, and especially, laying them one upon another, is inconceivable ; as scarcely any mechanical powers now known, would be sufficient to raise those that lie across, to their present extraordinary situation. ms^ i!£l3C&(m(til^ in Montgomeryshire. Here Owen Glendour, in 1402, accepted the crown of Wales, and assembled a Parliament. The house in which they met, is still standing, and is divided into tenements. (i!^iO(U« The first pendulum clock made in Eng- land, was constructed in the year 1622, by Fromantel, a Dutchman. Repeating-clocks and watches were invented about 1676. Till about 1631 , neither clocks, nor watches, were very general. tlTOtttnaiinttttSf, an exercise of honour, in which Princes and gentlemen, in former times, gave ^ public display of their dexterity and courage. They were well mounted on horseback, clad in armour, and accoutred with lance and sword. They first tilted at one andther, and then, drew their swords, and fought hand to hand : But, the points of the lances and swords were broken off, to prevent any fatal accident. Notwithstanding this precaution, frequent mischiefs occurred, in conse^- •quence of which, the Pope prohibited all sorts of tour- p^ments, under pain of excommunication. They were ^16 finally abolished in France in the year 1560, and, with them, fell the ancient spirit of chivalry. Between the »ge of Edward III. and Henry VIII. chivalry had languished in England, but, with the latter, Tournaments were renewed with the greatest splendour. The elegance, the pomp, and circumstance of war, fascinated the youthful ideas of Henry VIII. The most accomplished cavalier in this country, was, the Duke of Suffolk. This gallant Nobleman had been successful in several Tournaments, fead enchanted Princesses, had been raised from the sta- tion of Squire-of-the-body to the King, to the highest dignities. He had shone with uncommon lustre in the courts of France, and Flanders ; was the principal object ki the splendid masks, tilts, and revels, that were given in England ; and possessed that romantic passion, that kifid of superlative gallantry, which rendered him the thfeme of universal admiration. It is little to be won- dered at, therefore, that Henry should become attached to him ; and still less so that his sister, the Princess Mary, should conceive a most intense pasaon for him feng before she was made a political sacrifice to Louis XII. King of France. Violent, it has been said, was the I'esistance, which the Princess made to this match. In 277 favour of her lover, she braved the fury of her relentless brother. But, here she was foiled. She was opposing a man whose attachment to his own opinion is well known ; and, although the spirit of the lovely Mary was nearly equal to his own, y€t, after having goaded the Monarch almost to madness, she at length reluctantly yielded to Jiis wishes. The last article which she insisted on, was, that Suffolk should attend her. To this, however, Henry, —who knew the man, and, indeed, the woman too — pe- remptorily withheld his consent. In consequence of this refusal, the Duke stole away in disguise, and followed .his beloved Princess to France, in spite of the denuncia- tions which the enraged Monarch sent thundering after him. The Duke's enemies now endeavouredito alienate the affection of his Sovereign from him : But, their machi- nations had little effect ; for, Henry declared that he thought Charles had done a very spirited thing, and that if he had been in his situation, he should have acted just the same himself! When the Duke arrived at Paris, he still continued his disguise, and appeared at the magnificent Tournament that was celebrated at St, Dennis, on the joyful occasign 278 of the Royal nuptials. As a stranget Knight, in black armour, he was known to no person but the Queen, who recognised him by a small white scarf which he wore on his arm : For, this scarf she herself had worked for him, and had presented to him. Glowing with all the anima- tion which the sight of the lovely object, the desire of vengeance, and his jealousy inspired, the Duke of Suf- folk was irresistible. He flew like lightning against the Due de Vendome, whom he overturned in an instant ; the Count de St. Pol shared the same fate ; and accla- mations are said by the French historian, to have rent the skies. The Due d'*Angouleme himself next ap- proached ; but, expectation had scarcely time to respire before he was unhorsed ; at the same instant, however, his conqueror^ was discovered. Whether accident or vanity induced Suffolk to raise his beaver, is uncertain ; but, the moment he was known, he was conducted to the Queen, to receive the prize which his valour had most indisputably obtained. This was a trying moment for Mary ; and, accordingly, she is said to have fainted. She, however, recovered sufficiently to introduce him to the King, who received him with the greatest politeness and respect. S^79 Louis XII. had, in the former part of his reigiij Ac- quired great glory ; but, was at this time, advanced in years. At all events, he was certainly more than twice the age of his wife. Yet, he possessed a strong constitution, not- withstanding which, he only survived this wedding eighty days, a considerable part of which, the Duke of Suffolk had passed in attendance on the Queen. Whether the Due d'Angouleme, afterwards Francis I. judged of others by himself, or, had any real cause for suspicion, Mezerai asserts that he took care Suffolk should be nar- . rowly watched, lest he should give the King a successor. Two months after the death of the Monarch, his young and beautiful widow was led to the altar by the gallant Suffolk. Henry stormed at the indelicacy of their conduct, as he termed it, and threatened Suffolk ; but, the lovely Duchess boldly opposed his rage, and averred that if there were any blame in the case, it ought to be laid to her charge, for, it was she who had absolutely courted the Duke. [^ in Lower Saxony. In the Ca- thedral of this city, is a superb mausoleum of Otho the Great The town was t^ken by storm in 1631, by the 280 imperial General Tilly, who burnt it, and put almost all the inhabitants to the sword : For, only 800 escaped out of 40,000. During this horrid massacre, many young women actually plunged into the Elbe, to escape violation. dTOtfjCriltflagt Northamptonshire. Here are the ruins of a very ancient castle, in which King Richard III. was bom, and in which the unfortunate Mary, Queen of Scotland, was confined, and beheaded, on the 18th Feb- ruary, 1587, in the presence of four noblemen, and 400 spectators. By order of James I. the castle was so com- pletely demolished, that only the earth-works remain. ^Cbtn« Carnarvonshire. Here Edward I. in 1284, on the conquest of Wales, held a round table, in imita- tion of King Arthur, and celebrated it with a Dance and Tournament. The concourse was prodigious ; for, not only the chief nobility of England, but, also numbers of others from foreign parts, graced the festival with their presence. iMaSna CSarta, the great charter of the laws and liberties of England, Although former charters 281 had been obtained from Stephen, Henry II. and King John, the one understood by this term was granted in the 9th year of Henry III. and was confirmed by Edward I. with remarkable solemnity ; and excommuni- cations denounced against the infringers of it. dfUrttC^Si^ Lancashire. A Roman road is still to be seen in its course through Furness, and, at present, is named Red Lane. This continued the only great road through Low Furness, till the dissolution of Monasteries, when, hospitality ceasing at the Abbey — of which stately ruins still exist, not far from it — a new road was made from thence to the sands. Upon the enclosure of lands in the neighbourhood of this Roman road, the fences in some places were made with the stones of the pavement. The situation of the Abbey was very convenient for its ascetic residents. The roads to it in ancient days being little frequented, secured the country, in some measure, from the devastations of war, and the intrusion of free- booters, who lived on the frontiers of England and Scot- land ; whilst those Abbeys that were founded in an open country, especially on the north of the Humber, and Severn, were, on every rupture between the two nations, 282 subject to pillage. The site of the Abbey is gloomy and romantic, in the centre of a deep narrow vale, which stretches from north to south. The buildings extend the whole breadth of the valley, which is so covered by the high grounds and eminences that surround it, that it cannot be seen at a distance. For the space of four centuries, it had been improving, by the labour of the monks, and the encouragement shewn to their tenants and vassals ; but, their dissolution over-cast all these pleas- ing scenes. The large demand for provisions of all kinds, occasioned by their hospitality, and the crowd of people resorting there, instantly ceased. iSatlOnal Scfit The first debt contracted on Parliamentary security, occurs in the reign of Henry VI. The present debt commenced, and, was five millions, in the year 1697. iHattli^tOnt^ in the time of the ancient Britons was reckoned their third city, having been a station of the Romans. Here is a manufacture of Linen Thread, first introduced by the Flemings, who fled from the Duke of Alva's persecution. . 283 ^CttllC£it were first made in London by a negro from Spain, in the reign of Queen Mary ; but as he died without teaching the art, it was lost, until a German in- troduced it again in the year 1566. IPOl^toCU, Flintshire, takes its name from the famous well, called St Winifred's, the story of which is related in the Golden Legend, printed by Wynken de Worde in the year 1512. Over the spring, there is a chapel, built by the Countess of Derby, mother of Henry VII. which stands upon pillars ; and, on the windows, is painted the history of St Winifred's life. The cold bath, is covered with a beautiful Gothic shrine. By a decree of the Court of Chancery, the Holy-well is thrown open to the public. S^SlCOulUCt a white Friar, a name given to those persons who, at the commencement of the French revo- lution, formed themselves into a club, which met at the church of St Jacob in Paris. S^Ottl^ (from hJqfordj Sax. a giver of bread ; ^ alluding to the hospitality of our ancient nobles, after- 284 wards written Iiford, and thence contracted into lord, from hlqf, Sax. a loaf of bread, and Jbrd, Sax. to supply)^ a person invested with sovereign power over others : a master. This title of honour is given to those that are noble, either by birth, or creation, and invested with the dignity of a Baron. By courtesy, it is applied to all sons of a Duke or Marquis, the eldest son of an Earl, persons in honourable offices, and, in ancient times, to one that had a fee, and, consequently, could claim homage of his tenants. fll^ti^^ were invented at Paris by a Swiss, in 1404, and first worn in England in the time of Henry VII. The custom of taking off the hat, in our present mode of salutation, originated in the days of chivalry, from the Knights taking off their helmets before the ladies. In Queen Elizabeth's reign, very high-crowned hats were in vogue. 3^t^jEitK♦ A number of Roman antiquities and remains of Druidical temples are still visible in this island. The Chateu de Llslet or Queen Elizabeth's castle, Crowray or Mont Orqueil Castle, and Notre Dame Chapel, 285 are fine Gothic structures. In 1781, a body of French troops landed on this island, surprised the Lieutenant Governor, and compelled him to sign a capitulation ; but Major Pierson, the commander of the English troops, refused to abide by this forced capitulation, and attacked the French in the town of St Hilary. The French were compelled to surrender prisoners of war ; but, the gallant Major was killed in the moment of victory. iLOUb^in^ a large city in Germany, which once boasted of a celebrated University. The walls of this place are nearly seven miles in circumference ; but, within them, are a great number of gardens and vineyards. The University consists of sixty small colleges, much admired for their situation and architecture ; but, they are not sumptuous. In its castle— built originally by Arnulph, to defend the country against the Normans, and called, at first, Loven, and, afterwards, Caesar's cas^ tie— the Emperor Charles V. and his sisters were brought up till the year 1510. It is now in ruins. ^OnitittU'tH, Northumberland^ is noted for the ruins of Roman altars and statues, which have been 286 dug up here in great quantities. From this place i§ the best view of the Roman wall. On chapel hill, at a short distance from it, the Romans had a temple, where frag- ments of Doric capitals have been found, with many broken columns, and several altars ; and, in an adjoining field, the foundations of streets and buildings are still visible. 3(CSUtt0^ a religious order, of which Ignatius de Loyola, a Spanish Officer, was the founder. In the year 1538, he assembled ten of his companions at Rome, and made a proposal to them to form a new order ; when it was agreed to add to the three ordinary vows of chas- tity, poverty, and obedience, a fourth, which was, to go into all countries whither the Pope should please to send them, in order to make converts to the Romish Church. Ignatius was created general of the Order, which, in a short time, spread over all the countries of the world, while he staid at Rome, from which he go- vemed the whole society. By their arts and intrigues, they rendered themselves obnoxious to all the govern- ments of Europe, and were suppressed in England, in 1604 ; Venice, in 1606 ; Portugal, in 1759 ; France, in 287 1764 ; Spain and Sicily, in 1767. At last, they were totally suppressed and abolished by Pope Clement XIV. in 1773. Pope Pius VII. however, after the re-establish- ment of the papal power in 1814, restored this order to all its ancient privileges and immunities. itUtllOiDt Shropshire. Arthur, Prince of Wales, and son of Henry VII. held a court, and died here ; and here, Henry VIII. established the counsel of the Marches, the Lord Lieutenant of which used to keep his court here, till they were disused in the reign of William III. who ap- pointed two Lord Lieutenants of North and South Wales. The castle here was originally very strong ; having been, built in the year 1130 by Roger de Montgomery. In the year 1634, the castle was inhabited by the Earl of Bridgewater, (Lord President), and family, at which time, Milton's masque of Comus was performed. At present, all the apartments, halls, and rooms of state of this an- cient and venerable structure, are lying open, and falling to decay. The parish church is a very ancient structure, and the inside is well worth seeing, especially that ad- mirable piece of sculpture, the tomb of Sir John Bridg-, man. 288 ©03tlint* This word was formerly used to signify a casque or helmet. It covered the whole of the face, ex- cept the eyes, which were protected by small iron bars, laid cross-ways. The heaume is still preserved in he- raldry, and is a distinguished mark of nobility. In Tour- naments, the helmet was presented as a prize of honour to the most active champion, because it was the princi- pal piece of defensive armour ; but, a sword was given to the assailants, as that was an offensive weapon. 3>0h)£{# * Some authors,* says TacituSy * report that * the Jews came from Candia : Others say that they * were a multitude of Assyrians, who, not being able to « live in their own country, possessed themselves of a part * of Eg3rpt, and afterwards built the town of Judea. * Moses, one of their leaders, the better to gain their < affection, and ensure their fidelity, instituted a religion * and ceremonies amongst them, contrary to those of all < other nations : For, all that is holy amongst us, is ac* * counted profane by them ; and all that is forbidden to * us, is lawful to them. These Jews never dwell, nor * eat with any men, but those of their own religion, and 2S9 * abstain from foreign women, though they are much * given to luxury. They have invented circumcision, for * a distinction from other nations ; and those who embrace ' their Religion, are tied to the observation of that cere- * mony. They bury their dead standing, after the exam- * pie of the Egyptians, instead of burning them, like other * nations. The Jews adore but one God, in Spirit, ac« * counting all those Idolaters that represent him like a * man. They believe him to be eternal and immutable, < and will not suffer any image in their city, nor in their ' temple. Some fancied that they adored Bacchus ; but ' their ceremonies are quite different from those of the < worshippers of Bacchus, which are attended with mirth, * feasting, and rejoicing ; while, the ceremonies of the Jews, < are filthy and absurd.' The Jews are a people that have, in all ages, been despised by other nations, as the Assyrians, the Medes, Persians, and the Macedonians amongst the ancients ; nor have they been happier in the reception they have met with in modem times. They are now dispersed throughout all the nations of the world, without any head or political existence. They first made th^ appearance in England in the time of William the 290 Conqueror. 12,000 of them were slain in Germany, by the Crusaders, in the year 1096. In the year 1255, 202 Jews were apprehended for crucifying a child at Lincoln, 18 of whom were hanged, and the rest heavily fined. In 1277, 267 Jews were hanged for clipping money. In 1287, all the Jews in England were apprehended in one day, their goods confis- cated, and 15,060 banished, an interdiction of them that continued for 364 years. In 1317, a general massacre of them was commenced at Verdun, inFrance, bythePeasants, upon which, 500 took shelter in a castle, and defended themselves to tl^ last extremity, when, for want of other weapons, they threw their children at the enemy, and then killed each other. In the year 1394, they were driven out of France ; and in 1492, 150,000 of them were driven out of Spain. • In 1753, an Act of Parliament passed, naturahzing them in this country ; but, from the clamour raised on the occasion, it was repealed the following year. The French government, under Napoleon, allowed them the rights of citizens ; and, in 1807, a return of the number of Jews in difierent parts of the globe, on a strict inquiry, was made to Bonaparte, as follows : — 291 In the Turkish Empire, . . . 1,000000 Persia, China, and India, . . . 300,000 Europe, Africa, and America, . . 1,700000 Total, . . 3,000000 illtttrgj)* The English Liturgy was first com- posed, approved, and confirmed in Parliament, in the year 1548 ; the offices for the morning and evening prayer being then in the same form as they stand at present, excepting that there was no Confession and Absolution,'the office be- ginning with the Lord's Prayer. In the communion, the ten Commandments were omitted ; the offertory was made with bread and wine mixed with water ; and, in the prayer offered for Christ'^s church militant, thanks were given to God for his wonderful grace declared to his Saints, in the Blessed Virgin, the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs ; and the Saints departed, were re- commended to God's mercy and peace. To this, the con- secratory prayer, now used, was joined as a part, only with some words now left out, petitioning that the bread and wine might be to us the body and blood of Jesus ; the beloved Son, &c. In baptism, besides the sign of the cross made on the child's forehead, another was made on his breast, with an abjuratbn of the devil ta go out of him ; after which the child was dipped three times m the ft)Bt, if well, but, otherwise, only sprinkled. Besides these, some other ceremonies were omitted in the office for the sick, as is supposed in 1551, when the form was altered a,t the solicitation of Calvin. The last review of the Li- turgy topk place in 1661, and the last act of uniformity, fnjoining the observance of it, is 13 and 14 of Charles IL d^ap. 4. T^^UvCtK^ a texture of steel ringlets, or rings, in* terwoven, forming a coat of mail, that sat close to the bpdy> and yielded to every motion, SUd^fOltn^ a small island in the Frith of Forth. Here are the ruins of a once celebrated Monastery, founded mllS^hy Alexander I. in gratitude for his escape, when drivenon the island,! a a violent tempest, where he was hos- pitably tJ?eated for three days, by a hermit. It was of the ^der of St Augustine, and dedicated to St Columba. iLinilt^ was first made in England by Flemish weavers, in the year 1,253. Till then, woollen shirts were J worn. The staining of Linen was first made known here in 1597 ; and the trade was introduced into Ireland hy: Lord Wentworthj about the year 1634. 3nttVt^t of iHOneg, has fluctuated greatly at different periods. In 1307, the rate of Interest wstk 45 per cent. ; in 1546j it was established at 10 per cent. ; in 1604, at 91, 16s. per cent. ; in 16^2, at 8 per cent. ; in 1660, at 6 per cent, i and in 1714, it was reduced to 5 per cent. ^O^if were first introduced into England m the year 1524, and in 1528 the Parliament petitioned against them as a wicked weed. ILttlf 0ln^ was ofice tt Roman station. The Mstle wiis built by William the Conqueror to over-awe the inhabitants, the ruins of which are highly admired, as venerable pieces of antiquity. John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, held his court here, with regal pomp, and had a mint. The Castle is much reduced from its former extent and splendour^ when it contained 5% parish churches, 294 and was one of the most populous cities in England, ac- cording to William of Malmsbury. Here are many antique buildings. The Cathedral, a stately Gothic pile, one of the largest in England, is its greatest boast, and is particularly admired for its interior architecture, which is in the richest and lightest Gothic style. The famous great bell, called Tom of Lincoln, requires, at least, fifteen able men to ring it. The Roman north-gate still remains, under the name of New-port gate. It is a vast semi-circle of stones, of very lai'ge dimensions, laid without mortar, and connected only by their uniform shape. There are likewise a great number of monastic ruins in this city, most of which are now converted into stables, outhouses, &c. d^ttl^ttCCl^ OF Assize, are such as are sent by special commission into the country, to hold assizes. Jus- tices in Ayre^ or itinerant Justices, are so called, from erre, Fr. a journey ; and were formerly sent by commis- sion, into different counties, to try such causes, particu- larly, as were termed pleas of the crown. (©Itirr of tj^e IHOlg 650£it, the principal military order in France, instituted by Henry III. inl569. It consisted of 100 Knights, who were to make proof of their nobility for three descents. The King was the Grand- master, or Sovereign, and, as such, took an oath, on his coronation-day, to maintain the dignity of the Order. The Knights wear a golden cross, hung about their necks by a blue silk ribband, or collar : But, before they received this order of the Holy Ghost, that of St. Mi- chael was conferred, as a necessary degree ; and, for this reason, their arms are surrounded with a double collar. jLfpHtOU) a town of Turkey in Europe, built on a mountain in the form of a sugar loaf, on the top of which is a castle. Near this town, Don John of Austria obtained a very great victory over the Turkish fleet on October 7th, 1501, in which he took 161 of their galleys, and burnt or sunk 40, besides several other smaller ves- sels. The number of Christians killed in this sea-fight, amounted to about 7566, and of the Turks to about 20,000. 3J£iliP, Oxfordshire. The Chapel, in which Ed- ward was baptized, at a small distance from the church, is now converted to the meanest uses of a farm-yard. It 296 was desecrated during Cromweirs usurpation, and built of stone, 15 yards long, and 7 broad ; and retains traces of the arches of an oblong window at the east end. At present, it has a roof of thatch, and is still c^led the King''s chapel. The manor was ^ven by Edward the Confessor to Westminster Abbey, to which it still be- longs. It has also some remains of an ancient palace, said to have belonged to King Ethelred. fl|nnii)ICtlOn9 in Northumberland. Here is an intrenchment called Green Castle ; and on Humbledon Hugh there is a circular intrenchment, with a large bar- row. The sides of the Hill are cut into terraces, 20 feet wide, formed with great exactness one above another. In the plain below, is a stone pillar, denoting the ground where 10,000 Scots, under Earl Douglas, in the reign of Henry IV. were defeated, on Holy rood Day, by Henry Lord Percy, and George, Earl of March. JLOtti Lieutenants of counties, were first appoint- ed in England in the reign of Edward VI. 1549 ; in con- sequence of insurrections, occasioned, in various parts of the country, by the suppression of Monasteries, and other 297 proceedings of the Reformation, then vigorously carried on by the Protector Somerset. ^^XiiiUVit^* This word signifies new militia. They consist chiefly of christian children, that have been taken in war ; or of debauched Turks, who are ignorant of their birth or connexion. Whenever any one dies, he leaves what little he possesses, to his mess-mates : The conse- quence of which is, that the chamber, or mess, become extremely rich, and their wealth is frequently put out to interest, at 25 per cent. To this it must be added, that the Grand Senior directs, that every thing which is supplied to them shall be at a lower rate, than to the rest of his subjects. Their superior mode of living to the Troops of other nations, therefore, is easily accounted for. When any commotion or disaster happens in the empire, these Janisaries take occasion to demand an increase of pay^ threatening, in case of refusal, to pillage the town, a threat which they have often put into execution. Small crimes and misdemeanours among the Janisaries, are punished by the bastinado, which is performed by striking repeated blows upon the sole of the foot ; but, when the guilt is capital^ the Aga orders the culprit to be strangled, or to 298 be sewed up in a sack, and thrown into a pond or river ; but, he never gives directions to have a Janisary punished in open day, lest the sight of their suffering comrade, might create a disturbance among the rest. l&UUtmgUOn, called by the Saxons, Hunter's Down, was once a very large town, having 15 churches, which in Camden's time, were reduced to four, and now to two. There was formerly a castle here, belonging to David, Prince of Scotland, with the title of Earl ; but, Henry VIII. gave it and the title to George Hastings. This town was the birth place of Oliver Cromwell, A. D. 1599. ILnUrttSij certain pieces of gold, coined A. D. 1619, with the head of James I. encircled with laurel. The 20 shilling pieces were marked with XX. ; the 10s. piece, with X. ; and the 5s. piece^ with V. StlSitlf t^ OF THE Peace, were first instituted in 1344,|and settled as at present in 1590. They are ap- pointed by the King's commission, to keep the peace of the county in which they reside. Some of these are 29P called Justices of the Quoram ; and, without the presence of one of these, no business can be transacted. ?8imSi, (HOtft^, and S^antJillS!, barbarous tribes that inhabited the various provinces of Germany, which had never been subdued by the Romans, or were scattered over those vast countries in the north of Europe, and north-west of Asia, which are now occupied by the Danes, the Swedes, the Poles, the subjects of the Rus- sian Empire, and the Tartars. V^titt^ttXf in the Saxon heptarchy, was the see of a bishop, and the chief city of the Mercian King- dom. Here are the ruins of a Roman wall, composed of rag-stone and Roman brick, and imagined to be a rem- nant of a temple of Janus, erected on this spot 2000 years ago. There is also in this town a Roman millia- rium, the oldest known in Britain, and containing the first inscription mentioned in this island, which was found near Thurmaston in 1771. This memorable relic of antiquity, now forms the centre of an obelisk, in one of the principal streets, surmounted with a lamp. The hall and kitchen of the ancient castle of Leicester are still soo entire, a prodigious building, where the great Duke of Lancaster held his court, and added 26 acres to it, which he enclosed with a brick wall. The former is lofty and spacious, and the assizes are held in it One of its gate- ways, with a very curious arch, and the tower over it, are in good preservation. Richard III. stopt at Leicester, the day before the battle of Bosworth field. He put up at the sign of the Blue Boar, his own standard, which, after his overthrow, was almost every where replaced by the Blue Bell. His army entered with great pomp in two divisions ; the first marched five in a rank ; then, followed the baggage ; next, the King georgeously apparelled, mounted upon a large white courser, richly caparisoned, and attended by his Body Guard. The few horse he had, formed the wings of his army, and were stationed in the centre. 3(ttiSftipttOn^« Pliny assures us that the first public monuments were formed of plates of lead ; and that the treaties of confederacy, made between the Ro- mans and the Jews, were written upon plates of brass ; in order, says he, that the Jews might have something to SOI put them in mind of the peace and confederacy conclude ed with the Romans. ?&ar£St CajJtU, Hampshire, built by Henry VIIL It is seated on the extreme point of a neck of land, which shoots a mile and a half into the sea. Here Charles I, was confined previously to his being brought to trial. iLCCllt in Staffordshire. In the church-yard of thia Town, are the remains of a Danish cross, now upright, and ten feet high from the ground, beneath which are three steps, ^t« S^ailtflft Knights of, a military order in Spain, first instituted in the year 1170, by Ferdinand II. King of Leon and Galicia. The greatest dignity, belonging to this order, is that of grand master, which has been united to the crown of Spain. The Knights are obliged to make proof of their descent from families that have been noble for four generations, on both sidesi^ They must also make it appear, that their ssdd ancestors have ndither been Jews^ Saracens, nor heretics, nor have ever been called in question by the inquisi^on. 302 ^OX^t^M^OmWa, a body of cavalry, so called in the days oF Cromwell. At the battle of Naseby, 14th June, 1645, which decided the fate of Charles I. tlie associated horse were posted in the rear of the right wing of the republican army, and formed a part of the reserve. There were troops of the association likewise stationed in the rear of the left. Oliver Cromwell com- manded the cavalry on the right of the whole ; and the associated horse were under his immediate orders. iLC^tOlt^ in Roman antiquity, a body of foot, which consisted of ten cohorts, or 5000 men. The number of legions kept in pay at the same time, was different ac- cording to the various times, and occasions. Augustus maintained a standing army of S3 legions ; but, in after times, we seldom find so many. 3J8lbrtin^ a spear of five feet and a half long, the shaft of which was wood, with a steel point. Every soldier in the Roman armies had seven of these, which were very light and slender. The Vilites, or light armed troops, among the Romans, were armed with javelins. They were two cubits long, and one inch thick. 303 |^Dl£itCtlT« It has been observed that the Hoi- steiners are more like the English, than any people of Europe. Lord Molesworth notices this similarity ; and a Traveller who was at Ransburgh in 1 6S2, says, among other things, ' I put myself to mark the carriage of the * Holstein gentlemen, as they were going in and coming * out of the parliament house, and observing well their * physiognomies, their complexions, and gait, I thought ' verily I was in England ; for, they resemble the English < more than either Welsh, or Scot, (though cohabiting < upon the same island), or any other people that I saw * yet ; which makes me verily believe that the English < nation came first from this lower circle of Saxony. And < there is one thing that strengtheneth me in this belief, < that there is an ancient town hard by, called Lunden, < and an island called Anglia.' This remark is confirmed by the most diligent inquirers, who place the country of our Saxon ancestors in the Cimbric Chersonese in the tracts of land since known by the name of Jutland, Ange- lan and Holstein. SUn^BameSf ♦ The « BuU and Gate," and « BuU and Mouth,*" are well known corruptions of " Boulogne Gate,^ and «< Boulogne-mouth,'' but, that of the « Bag of Nails," at Chelsea, is still more curious, being derived from " Bacchanals ;" the Bell Savage Inn was once the property of Arabella Savage, and familiarly called " Bell Savage's Inn," probably represented by a bell and a sa- vage, which was a rebus for her name. On any extra- ordinary occasion, the tavern keepers have not been back- ward to commemorate it on their sign posts. At the Union with Scotland, the crown with the rose and thistle adorned our taverns ; and, on the accession of oui? present royal family, the white horse of Hanover prevailed. The Boar's-head tavern in East-cheap, London, makes a conspicuous figure in Shakespeare's plays ; and was stand- ing in the latter part of the last century : Under the sign was written. This is the oldest tavern in London. There are extant among the small pieces called Trades- men's tokens^ some used for change in this tavern; and are probably of the date of Elizabeth, antecedent to the copper coinage. ?l|tttltrjBi* This name is given to seventeen large stones, set in a kind of square> near St. Clare, in Corn- wall, from an old tradition that they aire the bodies of 305 petrified, for profaning the Sabbath, by playing at hurl* ing balls; but, whoever has seen Stonehenge, or read Wormius's dissertation on the Danish antiquities, wouM smile at the simplicity of the relaters, and easily see that these stones are some funeral monument. Hurling was formerly one of- the most favourite diversions of the na- tives of Cornwall ; but, it is now fallen into disuse. The game consists in throwing, or hurling, a ball of wood, about three inches in diameter, and covered with plates of silver, inscribed with a motto. Success depended on catching the ball dexterously, and conveying it away, notwithstanding all the opposition of the adverse party, to.an assigned goal. .;^iSit(}tll£i^ a tide of honour, given by letters pa^ tent to a person who holds a middle rank, between the. dignity of a Duke and that of an Earl. This word, like: Margrave, is derived fiom the high Dutch, or from the French Marche'i a limit. The titie was first known imder Charlemagne. King Richard II, first introduced it among u$y by creating Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford, Marquis of; Dublin ; but, it was a title, without any office annexed to.it.. 306 iSvaintj^fliatfea^ Siberia. The true kamtscha^ dales are a peopleof very remote antiquity, and have, for miany ages, inhabited this peninsula. There are at present very few idolaters amongst them ; the Russians having bestowed great pains, and been very successful, in converting them to Christianity. The Russians first dis- covered their country in the year 1697 ; and, in 1699, sixty Russian soldiers, with as many Cossacks, penetrat- ed into the heart of the Peninsula, levying a tribute of furs in their progress. Their government, considered as a military one, is mild in a high degree. iffiltrrg^^lnllrCtD^ This appellation for a buf- foon, or person who endeavours to raise laughter in others, arose from one Andrew Borde, a droll itinerant physician, who, about the year 1547, attended markets, and ha- rangued the people. ilamfif tS#alare, has been the residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury ever since the year 1109. It contains stately and magnificent apartments ; its gal- lery is well furnished with the portraits of all the arch- bishops, and other eminent personages; and its noble library is filled with M. S. of great value. m ^^itt^ Otii&t^f a term formerly applied, in !f ranc6, and other countries, to certain polemic doctors, for their peculiar method of defending Popery against the Protes- tants ; but, what we now understand by this common appellation is the sect founded, about the year 1728, by John and Charles Wesley. i^lUSStftOOlJt is a military institution of the Ro- mans, and was first instituted in England in the year 540. During the Heptarchy, it was conferred by the Priest at the altar. This custom, however, was sup- pressed, A. D. 1100. In the year 1254, all persons, possessed of an income of =£'.10 a year, were obliged either to be knighted, or pay a fine. Among the Ro- mans, a Knight was a person of the second degree of nobility, following immediately that of the Senators. At the ceremony of conferring this honour, he had a ring, and a horse given him, which was kept at the public charge, and with which he was to serve in the wars. The ceremonies observed on conferring the order, have been various ; the principal were, a box on the ear, and a stroke with a sword on the shoulder. They likewise put on him a shoulder-belt, a gilt sword, spurs, and other mill- 308 tary aceoutrements. Camden describes the manner cf making a knight bachelor among us, to be thus : The person kneeling, was gently struck on the shoulder b the Prince, and accosted in these words : ' Rise, and be a Knight, in the name of God.' ILStttU^iE'Sjr^ was collected at a very early period of our history,^in tenths, fifteenths, scutages, &c. but, sj^l^tled, as it now stands, in the year 1692, i^iltt!S!ttCl£$, were originally pipers, appointed by the Lords of Manors to divert their ccpyholders, whilst thesy were at work for them ; a custom which was continu- ed till about the year 1500. Harpers always preceded the o^^ts of the Welsh in battle. Edward I. on the eonr qpest of Wales, forbade the use of that instrument. It was, usual in Ireland, in former times, for one or two harps tp, be hung up in the hall of every great house, free to all travellers, who were the more caressed, the more they e3^(^^lle4 lA music. iLStttnCCSitOtlt. Comwall, Leland says, was wall- edj ijj, hi^ time, and was a mile in circumference. It had 809 formerly a monastery, and a noble castle, which, oil ac- count of its strength, was called Castle-Terrible. The lower part of this ancient edifice is now used for the goal. The parish church is built with square blocks of granites every one of which is enriched with very singular carved ornaments. :SiSiOXtWC^f the use of mortars is thought t6 be of more remote date than that of cannon ; for, they were employed in the wars of Italy, to throw balls of red-hot iron, and stones, long before the invention of shells. It is generally believed that the Germans were the first in- ventors of this warlike engine ; and that they were em- ployed at the siege of Naples, in the year 1435. i^tril* The Irish infantry were formerly distinguish- ed by this appellation. The men in those days were armed with a sword, and a dart, or javelin, which was tied to a small cord, so that, after they bad thrown it at the enemy, they could instantly recover it, and use it in any way they thought proper. The javelin was called Skene. 310 ^a}C£itj>* This title was first given to Louis XI. of France. Before his time, the Sovereigns of Europe had been merely styled Highness, or Grace. In Eng- land Henry IV. received the title of < Grace ;' Hen- ry VI. that of ' Excellent Grace ;' Edward IV. that of < High and Mighty Prince C Henry VII. was styled ' Highness ;"" Henry VIII. ' Majesty,' and was the first and last who was styled * Dread Sovereign ;' James I. was called *' Sacred,' or Most Excellent Majesty, 3L32^3$rOt60r# This term was originally given to an invalid soldier, whom the heads of religious houses and monasteries in France were obliged to receive, and to support, during the remainder of his days. The monks generally agreed to take one ; but, the number seldom exceeded two. These living' remains of military glory, led a melancholy life, in the midst of their fat and pamper- ed masters. Louis XIV. rescued them from this unplea- sant dependance, by establishing the Hoiel des Invalides in Paris. JSlOllfe^* There was a distinction between the Monks and Friars, which caused the latter to become 311 the object of hatred and envy. Both the monastic, or regular, and parochial clergy, encouraged the attacks made upon them. The monks were, by most of their rules, absolutely forbidden to go out of their monasteries, and, therefore, could receive only such donations as were left to them. On the contrary, the Friars, who were professed mendicants, on receiving notice of the sickness of any rich person, constantly detached some of their members, to persuade the sick man to bequeath alms to their convent ; thus, often, not only anticipating the Monks, but, likewise, the parochial clergy. Besides, as most of them were professed preachers, their sermons were frequently compared with those of the Clergy, and, in general, not to the advantage of the latter. In these sermons, the poverty and distress of their order, were topics that, of course, were neither omitted, nor slightly passed over. Considering the power of the Church, be- fore the Reformation, it is not to be supposed that any of the Poets, as Chaucer, &c. would have ventured to tell those ridiculous stories of the Friars, with which their works abound, had they not been privately protected by the superior clergy. 312 i^CnSlttStOtL Among the groups tliat decorate the grand stair^case in this palace, is a portrait ofil/a- hovtet the Turl^, who was valet de chambre to his Majes- ,ty George I. This worthy man, whom the King brought .from Hanover, was highly esteemed for his benevolence ; J^aying, in the space of three years, discharged from the Prisons in and about London, more than 300 poor debt- ors confined for i^naall sums. ifflaVaUlJtnjS, is derived from a Count de Merode, a brutal and licentious officer in the 30 years war. He was a bold and enterprizing Spanish partizan of some distinction, who, in his incursions, disregarded the com- mon laws of war. He afterwards fell a victim to his own rashness ; being killed in a drunken quarrel by John de Wert. From this man''s predatory and ferocious habits, a plunderer and a ravisher, received the epithet of Mero* dista from the Spanish and Italian soldiers. iLHttrf* This weapon was much used by the French in former times, particularly by that class of military gentlemen called chevaliers, and by the gensdarmes. It 31J has also been used by the English, and other naticrs. Lances were made of ash, being a wood of tough qua- Hty, and headed with a sharp iron, or blade, to which was attached a sort of banderole or streamer. The use o£ the lance was discontinued in France, in the reign of Henry FV. but, the Spaniards retained the use of that weapon as low down as the days of Louis XIII. and, in our own time, it has been revived as a favourite weapon of the Guerillas of that country, and also of the Poles, serv- ing in the French armies. Indeed, it has latterly been introduced even among our own cavalry. iKad!)£>rOlIg|), Wiltshire. Camden mentions 101 ancient custom here, viz. that every freeman, at his admission, gave to the mayor a couple of greyhounds, two white capons, and a white bull. Ss^ttljjjt^ OF Malta, or Knights hospitallers, and sometimes called Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. Of all the institutions to which the crusades gave rise, this order exhibited the most heterogeneous mixture of chris- tian humility and temporal pride ; the most singular attempt to reconcile the possession of rich benefices and 314 luxurious indulgences, with vows of poverty and pro- fessions of self .denial. This order was instituted towards the close of the eleventh century, and was originally composed of a few charitable individuals, who established a house at Jerusalem for the reception of the sick and wounded crusaders. The Pope invested them with the or- der of St. Augustin; and, from that time, their successors have been required to take the vows of chastity, obedience, and poverty. Extending their cares beyond the mere recovery of their distressed guests, they obtained permis- sion to take up arms in their aid, upon which occasion, they took an oath to defend the holy sepulchre, to the last drop of their blood, and to combat the infidels, wher- ever they should meet them. In the year 1310, they attacked, and took the island of Rhodes, where they set- tled for upwards of 200 years, and were called. Knights of Rhodes ; but, being expelled from thence by the Turks, who attacked the island in 1522, the Emperor Charles \. gave them the island of Malta, which the Knights retained till the year 1798, when Bonaparte, then on his way to Egypt, took-i^t . . In process of time, the Kniglits agreed to divide them- selves into seven different lan^ages, of which the three 315 first were French, and the four others were those of Italy, Aragon, England, and Germany. The head of each language, was styled grand Prior. That of England was abolished at the Reformation. The order was di- vided into three classes. The first consisted solely of such as could bring indubitable proofs of their descent from noble ancestors. The second class comprehended the priests of the order. The members of the third, were such as come under the denomination of Esquires. (ESillCClI^C, the lattice work, by which the chancels were formerly divided from the body of the Church ; and hence their appellation. From this circumstance, too, the court of Chancery, and the Lord Chancellor take their names ; that Court being enclosed with open work of this kind. On the same principle, to cancel a writing, is to cross it out with the pen, which naturally makes something like the figure of a lattice. i^EintnS^ was invented by the Lydians, when un- der the pressure of a great famine. To divert tliemselves from dwelhng on their sufferings, they contrived dice, balls, tables, &c. It is added that, to endure their cala- 316 mky the better, they used to pky a whole day without iivterruption, in order that they might not be racked with the thoughts of food. This invention, originally intended as a remedy for hunger, is now a very common cause of thait ^vil. COff00-SOUjS0£>, were first known at Oxford. One of the earliest in London was kept by a barber^ named James Farr, near the Inner-Temple-Gate, in the year 1657. It was viewed with great jealousy at that time ; and, indeed, was presented as a nuisance by the Inquest of Saint Dunstan's in the west ; but, with little success, we suppose; as such houses rapidly increased from that period. 3BlOgaI 3BlOi)CiS* a work published in 1583, gives us the following information : — In times past, Kyn- ^ ges, as olde Historiographers in ther Bokes yet extant * doe recorde, would not disdaine to wear a paire of hosen * of a noble, tenne shillynges, or a marke price, with all ^ the rest of their apparell after the same rate ; but, bow, * it is a small matter to bestow twenty nobles, tenn < poundcj 20 pounde, yea 40 pounde of one paire of * trunk hose> and yet it is tliought no abuse neither.'-^^ ' The Anatomy of Abuses^ by Stubbes, 1583. PtntattUCft^ There is a Manuscript of this Sa- cred Law of the Jews, in the Library of the Athenoeum in Liverpool, beautifully written on a roll of fine vellum, four inches wide, aaid upwards of forty^fiv£ feet long. It is, attached at each end to a roller of i^sory, and the whole is enclosed in a crimson case of velvet. Hats, 284 298 Hauberk, 292 Heidelberg, 73 K. Herculaneum, 75 Heraldry, ib. Kamschatka, 306 Hexham, 77 Kern, 309 Heaume, 288 Kensington, 312 History, English, 67, 321 Knights of Windsor, . 82 Historical Iraits, 10? Holt, 321 of the Rith 155 219 294 79 ih. nf St Patrick Holy-head, the Holy Ghost Horses, 88 of St. James, 301 329 Knights of Malta, . Page 313 Manners, 265 Knighthood, 307 Mackinleth, 275 Magdebourg, 279 L. Magna Charta, 280 Lambeth Palace, Land Tax, 306 308 Maidstone, Marquis, Majesty, 282 305 310 Laurets, Launceston, Lay Brother, 298 308 310 Marauding, Marlborough, Metals, 312 313 124 Lance, 31^2 Merry Andrew, 306 Lepaton, 295 Methodists, 307 Leicester, 299 Mill, 318 Leek, 301 Minstrels, 308 Legion, 302 Monuments, 235 Lights, ib. Money, 241 Liturgy, 291 Mortars, 309 Linen, 292 Monks, 310 Lincoln, 293 Museum, British, 251 Lord Lieutenants, . 296 Musket, 257 Lotteries, 54 Love Tokens, 61 Lord, 283 N. Louvain, Lutterworth, 285 241 National Debt 282 Ludlow, Luxury, Lyme, or Lyme Regis, Ly, 287 64 S3 251 Navigation, Needles, Nevin, Newcastle, Newbury 272 283 280 259 257 Newspapers, 255 M. Nobility, 263 Manuscript, 105 Normandy, 265 Mansions, 192 Malplaquet, 255 0. Maiden, 261 Mantle, ib. Oath, 264 Malta, ib. Okeham, 254 Malmsbury, 263 Opera, 257 Manor, ib. Orkneys, 258 330 Page Page Oswestry, 80 Regiments, 191 Ostler, 261 Riding, 232 Oxford, 262 Royal Marriages, 49 Roman Stations, 84 P. Rochester, 233 Rose, under the. 93 Painting, 251 Roman Roads, 190 Palermo, 264 Roman Empire, 239 Parish, 257 Royal Robes, 316 Pavesades, 235 Pauper, 258 S. Parliaments, 221 Peerage, 229 Saint Albans, 18 Penal Laws, 91 Saint Days, 87 Pentateuch, 317 Saracens, 173 Perth, 261 Scavage, 175 Picts and Scots, 98 Scotland, « 266 Picts' Wall, 101 Shaftsbury, 51 Population of Europe, 95 Sherborne, 57 Pontefract, 202 Shoes, 187 Portugal, 204 Sheriffs, 234 Potatoes, 207 Sittenburn, 186 Poictiers, 262 Snap Dragon, 189 Press, 194 Soham, 111 Preston, 195 Sow, . . . 174 Prestonpans, 198 Sodor, 190 Prussia, 199 Sports, 172 Puritans, 200 Stuart Papers, 53 Pyramids, 216 Starching, 56 State of Society, 175 Q- Stamford, 191 Stonehenge, 274 Quakers, 227 Sugar, 230 Sudbury, 234 E. Switzerland, 232 Ramilies, 229 T Ramsay, 230 ji • Rental of Lands, 91 Tamworth,. 206 Reformation, 113 Taverns, 207 Page Page Throwing the Stocking 211 Wapentake, 240 Tilbury, 214 Wassail, 268 Tokens, 94 War, 199 Torture, 215 Whale, 214 Tobacco, ib. Whitsuntide, 269 Totness, 274 Wig, 197 Tournaments, 275 Winchester, 208 Worcester, 195 U. V. Wolves, 198 Universities, 268 Vines, 210 Y. W. Yeoman, 198 Wales, 270 Yew, 201 THE END. Wm. Bayne, Printer, James's Court, Edinburgh. Errata, Page 15. for orands, read brands. 58. for state, read stat. 49. for Branmer, read Cranmer. 60. for waste], read wassail. 15. for enrolled, read unrolled. 82. Heniy VIII. read Henry VII. and for Edward VIII. read Henry VIII. 111. /or country, read county. 134. /or he, read the. 147. /or Baage, read Bauge. 166. for 20i. a year, read 20s. 212. /or democrate, read democratic. 255. for Helretic, read Helvetic- Waiting Street, read Watling Street. 241./or ditto read ditto. 255. for Wadox, read Madox. LH6My?9