their sight a repetition of the vision, by concealing their heads beneath the bed-clothes; and so they laid till morning; when, upon rising, they were shocked to behold, lying cold and dead at the foot of their bed, the unfortunate invalid; who, without doubt, finding herself worse in the night, had made her way into the ladies' chamber, and then, unable to ask for the medicine and assistance she required, had expired in the attempt. Blame, however, must not be attached to the Misses G. for superstitious terror having in this instance prevented their rising, to aid the presumed ghost of their servant, since their humane dispositions are generally known and appreciated; and, as it does not appear that they heard anything of her after she had seemed to vanish, it is probable that when the poor woman sank down at the bed's foot, the spark of life was already extinct. Great Marlow, Bucks. M. L. B. THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. THE historical treatment of the noble fraternity of the Temple is by no means creditable to its writers. They are reviled by way of record, as they were tortured by cruel persecutors. The Order was instituted about the year 1117 or 1118, and they were called Templars, says an heraldic manuscript in the British Museum, "for that they were placed in a house adjoining to, or near to, the Temple of Jerusalem, by vow and profession to bear and wage war against the Pagans and Infidels, and keep from spoil and profanation the sacred Sepulchre of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, attempted by Turks, Saracens, and Argarins, and other barbarous miscreants, pursuing, with malice and hostility, Christians, and infesting Palestine, or the Holy Land, with cruelty, homicide, and bloodshed." The fraternity was instituted by two Crusaders, who were at first joined by seven other persons only; but eventually the brotherhood increased to such a degree, and became so renowned for valour, that the most illustrious nobility in Christendom deemed it an honour to be admitted into their Order. Matthew Paris must not be numbered with their friends, for he remarks that though they at first lived upon alms," and were so poor that one horse served two of them (as was apparent from their seals) yet they suddenly waxed so insolent, that they disdained other orders, and sorted themselves with noblemen. (Seal of the Knights Templars.) Their standard, also represented in the Cut, was black and white. In the reign of Stephen, the Templars established themselves in London, and they afterwards formed Preceptories, as their houses were called, in various parts of the kingdom. One of these Preceptories, at Swinfield, and another at Hackney, will be found in early volumes of our Miscellany. Hundreds of our London readers who in passing through Fleet-street, have noticed the Agnus Dei over the portal of the Temple may not be aware that the Order exists to this day according to Mr. Mills, it "has now its grand master, Bernardus Raymundus Fabré Palaprat, and there are colleges in England, and in many of the chief cities in Europe." Mr. Mills observes, in a note, "The Templars find no favour in the eyes of the author of Ivanhoe, and Tales of the Crusaders. He has imbibed all the vulgar prejudices against the order; and when he wants a villain to form the shadow of his The Topographer. OLD WINDSOR. ASSOCIATED as is the town of Windsor with some of the early established events of British history, it is called New, that it may not be confounded with the village of the same name, but of higher antiquity, about two miles distant, adjoining the parish of Egham, and called Old Windsor. In the Domesday-book, this village is said to consist of one hundred houses, twenty-two of which were exempted from taxes. Previous to the Conquest, it is reported to have formed a strong pass, and to have been the seat of several Saxon kings; but, from the period when the Conqueror fixed his seat on the neighbouring hill, (the present site of Windsor Castle,) it gradually decayed; the new town, which sprung up under the protection of the fortress, having superior attractions. The village retains its picturesque character beside its more showy neighbour. Its sur church is a venerable structure: its walls bear the hatchments of many honoured names, and near the altar is an interesting memorial-an old monument, inlaid with effigies engraven on brass plates, to the memory of Humphrey Michell, Esq. " vayor of Queene Elizabeth's castle of Windsor," his wife and son, who died respectively in 1598, 1613, and 1621. The churchyard has much of that sombre and pensive beauty which befits a resting-place for wearied nature. The principal approach is through an avenue of majestic elms; and yew and cypress trees lend a "behovable" air of peaceful solemnity to the scene. The memorials of celebrated individuals are neither few nor far between. Withered age and faded beauty together lie sleeping here. All that now remains of the blooming Mrs. Robinson, once the reigning toast of a royal table, lies in a narrow cell of this hallowed ground. Alas! "get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must come." The latter part of Mrs. Robinson's life was as gloomy as her youth had been brilliant: the canker-worm of care spoiled her personal attractions, and she became dropsical; her love was "turned to folly," she lost the use of her limbs, died in 1800, neglected and poor at Englefield Green, (within sight of the paternal palace of her protector,) and was interred at Old Windsor. Here, to the left of the avenue, a plain monumental tomb has been raised upon her grave, and the following lines enlist the sympathy of the lingering reader: Of Beauty's isle her daughters must declare She who sleeps here was fairest of the fair; May Glory's fadeless crown her soul adorn! Mrs. Robinson died in the prime of life: her age, as well as that of her daughter, interred with her, was but forty-three years. Beneath a similar tomb, beside an aged yew tree, lies the widow of R. B. Sheridan. Plea sure, with her motley and gilded train, we know, shuns the meditative melancholy of a churchyard: but many a powerful appeal may be made, and perchance with lasting effect, by a visit to the cemetery of Old Windsor. In this parish is Grove House, built by Mr. Bateman, uncle to the celebrated Lord Bateman. He travelled much, and especially delighted in visiting the monasteries on the continent. On his return home, he fitted up the above villa in the monastic style; the bed-chambers being contrived like the cells of monks, with a refectory, and every other appendage of a monastery, even to a cemetery and a coffin, inscribed with the name of a suppositious ancient bishop. Some Gothic chairs, bought at a sale of the curiosities in this house, are now at Strawberry Hill. Near the churchyard, on the bank of the Thames, is Old Windsor Manor House, a large brick mansion partly moated, and presenting the complete similitude of an ancient manorial residence. Adjoining the grounds is Old Windsor Priory. New Books. CIVIL WAR IN 1642. [IN Miss Aikin's Memoirs of the Court of King Charles the First, just published, we find the following interesting account of the circumstances and dispositions of Charles and his Parliament towards the close of the first campaign of civil war, and of the eventful year 1642:] In the early part of September, the Earl of Essex quitting Northampton, put a garrison into Coventry and took possession of Warwick, whence he advanced to Worcester. Before his arrival, however, Rupert had attacked and defeated, in the immediate neigh. bourhood of that city, a body of parliamentarians, under Colonel Sandys, who fell in the action, leaving to the prince the trophy of prisoners and colours, by which the spirits of the royalists were much elated, and their opponents inspired with a formidable idea of himself and his troops. It was at Chester that intelligence of this success reached the king, who had gone thither for the double purpose of securing that city and the adjacent parts of North Wales in his favour, and of countenancing the feeble attempts of the Earl of Derby to make head against the parliamentarians in Lancashire. On his return to Shrewsbury, he was attended by a number of gentlemen, who offered to raise both horse and foot at their own expense. To defray the charges of his increasing host, Charles now establish ed a mint at Shrewsbury, which was supplied with silver to a considerable amount by college plate sent from Oxford, and the family-plate of the noblemen and gentry attached to the royal cause. He was likewise persuaded to ask a loan from the Roman Catholics of Shropshire and Staffordshire; which, after some difficulties, was obtained. By all these means he very suddenly grew in strength, "almost beyond what himself could hope, or the parliament suspect."* The greatest difficulty which at present pressed upon the king was to find arms for his soldiers: few had yet arrived from Holland, and the deficiency was to be supplied partly by compulsory loans from the trained bands, partly from the ancient armouries of noblemen. Clarendon thus describes the equipment of officers and men : "The foot, all but three or four hundred, who marched without any weapon but a cudgel, were armed with muskets, and bags for their powder, and pikes; but in the whole body there was not a pikeman had a corselet, and very few musketeers who had swords. Among the horse, the officers had their full desire, if they were able, to procure old backs and breasts, with pots, with pistols, and carabines, for their two or three first ranks, and * May's History of Long Parliament, swords for the rest; themselves, and some soldiers by their examples, having gotten, besides their pistols and swords, a short pole-axe." The numbers of the royal army at this foot formed three brigades, under Sir Jacob time are apparently not recorded; but the Astley, a good officer, and major-general to There were also two or three regiments of the Earl of Lindsey, commander-in-chief. dragoons, besides the cavalry which was uncommand by General Ruthven, afterwards der the orders of Rupert, assisted in the Earl of Forth and Brentford, who bore the rank of a field-marshal. The king's troop of guards, commanded by Lord Bernard Stewart, was chiefly composed of persons of rank and quality. Sir Philip Warwick, who was of their united rentals at not less than 100,0007. the number, informs us that they calculated per annum. It was at the head of this force, and very slightly incumbered with baggage, that the king quitted Shrewsbury, about the middle of October, and directed his march upon London, by Bridgenorth, Wolverhampton, and Birmingham, to Kenelworth, then a royal castle. The Earl of Essex, who had Worcester, in a state of inactivity, put himbeen lying for some time with his army at self in motion on the news of the king's adVance, and set forth to meet him in Warwickshire, leaving his artillery to follow. The approach of the royal army gave a severe dispatched members, as deputy-lieutenants, alarm to the parliament, which immediately into several counties, to forward all levies to the army, and to make additional ones; preparations were likewise actively made for the the trained bands, erecting fortifications, on defence of the capital itself, by calling out which the whole population, men, women, and children, zealously laboured, and planting pletely the aspect of affairs was changed! cannon in the city and suburbs ;-so com had reached the village of Kineton, in War- their numbers or valour than in the justice of his cause, and his rights, derived from God himself, whose substitute he was. A kingat-arms was present in the action with a long train of heralds and pursuivants; and the royal host was additionally swelled and encumbered with an unarmed train, consist ing of the ministers of state, the household officers and their followers, to the number, in all, of more than twelve hundred. Events were sufficiently balanced in this first day of battle between Charles and his people to enable both parties to lay claim to the victory. The royal troops suffered considerably by the superior artillery of their op ponents; on the other hand, Rupert's impetuous charge of cavalry carried all before it; but by pursuing the fugitives too far from the field, and suffering his troopers to busy themselves in the plunder of the enemy's baggage, he gave opportunity to Sir William Balfour, with his regiment of horse, to break in upon the royal infantry, making great slaughter, and nearly to disperse it. On his return to the scene of action, Rupert found the king and his two elder sons with a small retinue only surrounding them, and the field in utter confusion. Each party now occupied itself in collecting its scattered and discomfited troops: neither was disposed to renew the combat; but the parliamentarians occu pied the field of battle during the night, whilst Charles retired to his post on the hill. From the report of burials made to the king by the rector of Kineton, it appears that little more than thirteen hundred men fell on both sides in this action, though the common accounts raise the numbers to five or six thousand. It seems probable that the greater loss in private men was on the parliament's side; and Ludlow honestly confesses that theirs were slain flying, the king's as they stood. In persons of note, however, the royal army suffered by far the most. It is a striking fact, supplied by the royal historian, that whilst supplies of all kinds were readily furnished by the peasantry to the parliament's camp, they carefully concealed or carried away from the king's troops all provisions for man or horse; and that "the very smiths hid themselves, that they might not be compelled to shoe horses, of which in those stoney ways there was great need." This proceeded, he affirms, less from any radical dislike to the cause or person of the king, than from an opinion industriously spread among the people, which he treats as a calumny, that the cavaliers were of a fierce, bloody, and licentious disposition, and that they committed all manner of cruelty upon the inhabitants of those places where the came, of which robbery was the least." He states, that in consequence of this feeling, on the arrival of the royal army at Edge hill, “there were very many companies of common soldiers who had scarcely eaten bread in eight-and-forty hours before;" and that after the battle, many of the men who straggled into the villages for refreshment were knocked on the head by the inhabitants. Judging from the results, the king would appear to have been the real victor of this field. Essex, whose characteristic, however, it was to err on the side of caution rather than of enterprise, though reinforced immediately after the combat by Hampden with three fresh regiments, relinquished for the present the important design of placing himself between the royal army and the capital, and turned aside to Warwick. The king, after resting a day, and appointing General Ruthven to succeed to the command of the Earl of Lindsey, marched on to Aynho, to make a survey of the defences of Banbury Castle; and such was the terror he inspired, that this fortress, garrisoned by the parliament with eight hundred foot and a troop of horse, was yielded to him without a blow, and many of the soldiers entered his service. From Banbury, Charles proceeded to his palace of Woodstock, and to Oxford; which city having been left undefended by the par liament, received him gladly, and remained firm to him ever after. The university omitted no testimonies of its loyalty;-by pecuniary aid from the different colleges, he was enabled to recruit his troops, in which many Catholics were enlisted, whilst his sick and wounded were received in comfortable quar ters. After a halt of only three days, he marched onwards as far as Reading, which was deserted by its garrison at his approach. Rupert preceding him with his cavalry, entered Henley, Abingdon, and other small, defenceless towns in the neighbourhood, committing "strange violences and insolences,"* and bringing away a great booty. The parliament, roused by the approach ing peril, sent in haste an order to Essex to march up his army for the defence of London: he obeyed, and by the beginning of November, cantoned his troops in the west of Middlesex: on the 7th of the month, he came himself to Westminster, where he was honourably received by both houses, and presented with a gratuity for his not very emi. nent services. The London apprentices were enticed to enlist by an ordinance proclaiming them free on that condition; and the Scotch were invited to come to the assistance of their English brethren, by the assurance of a more speedy and effectual proceeding in the long-promised church-reform, by which the English establishment was to be closely assi milated to that of Scotland. Having thus provided and exhibited their resources for a renewal of the war, should it prove inevitable, the parliament regarded it as no derogation to dispatch a messenger to *Whitelock. the king at Reading, desiring a safe conduct for a committee of two lords and four commoners to attend his majesty with a humble petition from the two houses. The prayer of their petition was, that his majesty would appoint some convenient place, within a small distance of Westminster, where he would please to reside until commissioners from the parliament should wait upon him with propositions for a settlement of all differences. With many professions of his readi. ness to treat at any place, and his anxious desire, as father of his people, to put an end to their sufferings, Charles accepted the proposal, and named Windsor Castle as the residence which he should choose, provided the garrison thrown into it by the parliament were withdrawn. The next morning, this answer being read to both houses, Essex rose and demanded whether he was now to pursue or to suspend hostilities. He was ordered to suspend them, and Sir Peter Killigrew was dispatched to require a like cessation on the king's part; but on reaching Brentford he found the war renewed. Without regard to the pending treaty, the king had continued to advance, and taking advantage of a fog, had fallen by surprise on a part of Hollis's regiment, quar tered there, thinking to overpower it without difficulty; but the brave resistance of this small body, of which many were slain, and many driven into the river and drowned, gave time for the regiments of Hampden and Lord Brook to come up, which for several hours supported alone the charge of the royal army. The startling report of cannon was heard in London, whilst the cause remained unknown. Essex, at the sound, rushed forth from the house of lords, which was sitting, mounted his horse, and hastened with such force as he could collect to the rescue of his men. The action had ceased on his arrival. After suffering themselves to be nearly cut in pieces, night coming on, the remains of the regiments had quitted the field, and the king occupied Brentford, which his troops plundered; but he had halted, and showed no disposition to advance. The common danger united all parties in the metropolis. During the whole night the city poured out men towards Brentford: the trained bands were ordered to incorporate with Essex's army; and they marched forth cheerfully under Skippon, their able leader, who encouraged them, not by a formal oration, but with short speeches-now to one company, now to another, as they went along, to this effect: "Come, my boys, my brave boys, let us pray heartily and fight heartily; I will run the same fortunes and hazards with you; remember the cause is for God, and for the defence of yourselves, your wives, and children. Come, my honest, brave boys, pray heartily and fight heartily, and God will bless us."* The whole army, four-and-twenty thousand strong, was drawn up on Turnham Green, about a mile from Brentford. They were arrayed chiefly by the Earl of Holland, who appeared to take great pains and to possess great skill in martial affairs. He was accompanied by the Earl of Northumberland, and most of the lords who remained with the parliament, and by many members of the lower house; and all were armed. "The general Essex likewise took great pains in the field, and accompanied with the lords and commons with him, rode from regiment to regiment, encouraging of them; and when he had spoken to them, the soldiers would throw up their caps and shout, crying, Hey for old Robin !" The two armies stood many hours thus facing one another. It was then debated whether the parliament's army, which had greatly the advantage in numbers, should advance to the attack, which was the opinion of most of the members of parliament who were officers; but, in the language of a contemporary historian, "God was not yet appeased towards this nation," so as to permit this sad war to be concluded at a stroke. The soldiers of fortune, who had already, from very equivocal motives, caused a movement to be recalled by which the royal army would have been completely surrounded, opposed this proposition also, as did the Earl of Holland, never very hearty in the cause; and before the consultation was ended, the king was observed to begin drawing off his carriages and ordnance. "The city goodwives and others," says Whitelock, "mindful of their husbands and friends, sent many cart-loads of provisions and wines, and good things to Turnham Green, with which the soldiers were refreshed and made merry-and the more when they understood that the king and all his army were retreated. Upon this there was another consultation, whether we should pursue them, which all advised but the old soldiers of fortune."These held it too hazardous, and Essex was of their opinion, and remained quiet; but some of the king's party afterwards confessed that they had not at this time bullet enough to have held fight for a quarter of an hour; that this was the cause of their retreat, and that if pursued, they would have been in all probability entirely broken. So many hazards had the king incurred! His army retired for the night to Kingston, and he lodged himself at Hampton Court. The next day they retrograded to Reading, in which having placed a garrison, his majesty, about the end of the month, returned to Oxford, "unsatisfied" says Clarendon, "with the progress he had made, which had likewise raised much faction and discontent *Whitelock. + Ibid. |