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1797.] Hutton's Remarks on Caractacus, Crofs Hour, &c. 1083'

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Upon the great turnpike-road from Shrewsbury to Holyhead, 10 miles beyond Corwen, and 3 fhort of Cerniogg, is the pleafant village of Kerrig y Druidion (the abode of the Druids), but nothing belonging to that domineering order of men is now feen. Upon the firft hill Eaft of this village, and one mile diftant, is Pengweryn, where the Antiquary will be pleafed with the fmall remains of a caftle belonging to the celebrated Cara&tacus, the refidence of a leading man in British History, but neglected by the hiftorian.

As the travelier approaches the top of the hill, which is of eafy afcent, he firft comes to a trench about 36 feet wide. A fmall part of the foil having been thrown up on the outfide conftitutes a mount three feet high; but the greater part being difcharged on the inner fide, forms a rampart about 15 feet high from the bottom of the trench. This rampart circles the upper part of the hill, rather of an oval form, is every where vifible, in fome places nearly perfect, and inclofes fix or feven acres.

Afcending 60 or 70 feet, he next meets with the foundation of the wall, about fix feet thick, which furrounds the upper area in a circle regular with the trench, and inclofing four or five

acres.

As one part of the area is rather higher than the other, it points out the exact spot where the castle flood, nothing of which remains. The whole is a pafture. The fituation is on a confiderable hill, but not a mountain; the profpects extenfive, but barren; and its affinity to Carrig y Druidion, proves that the prince and the priests were upon friendly terms. We are told, when this great man was routed by the Romans, whether at Caer Caradoc, Cair Ditches, or the Wreken, is uncertain, that he retreated to this cafle for fafety, but was, with his whole family, betrayed to the enemy by Queen Cartifmunda, fent prifoner to Rome, where he delivered that famous fpeech mentioned by all our hif

torians.

CROSS HOUR.

While Wales was governed by a multitude of princes, war, defolation, and blood, was the confequence. As: a houfe divided against itself cannot ftand, neither can a nation. Allow a common figure; while two contend for a bone, a third runs away with the prize. Some have thought conqueft difgraceful; but it cannot be that which elevates the conquered to an equality with the conqueror, The men converfant in hiftory will find, many fuch inftances.

Howel, king of North Wales, was a tyrant. He had two uncles; Iago,. who married Helen, whom upon a tri fling pretence he imprifoned; and the other, Edward Vychan, he murdered, Conftantine the Black (Cyflenyn Dhu) the fon of Iago, incenfed at this treats ment to his father and uncle, raised an army in 979 of Welth and Danes, in-y vaded his coufin's dominions, and ra vaged Anglesea.

Returning through, Carnarvon tos wards Feftiniog, his mother Helen led the van, and he clofed the rear. At the distance of eight miles he had to pafa a defile bounded by two mount tains, Caftil Cedwm on the right, and Moel Elian on the left, which Mr. Pennant calls one of the guards to the entrance of Snowden. These two mountains are fo near each other, as to leave but a narrow road for the tra veller, and a bare paffage for the river. which runs from the lake Cwellyn..

As Conftantine was paffing this defile, Howe! unperceived let fly an ar row from the top of Caftil Cedwm.. "Are you wounded ?"—" Yes." "Then you are a dead man; for the arrow was poisoned."

The news of his death foon reached his mother in the van, about ten miles diftant; upon which the exclaimed, "This is a crois hour." The fidegate at which the food still retains the name of Crofs Hour.

For want of a guide-poft to direct the ftranger, I lost my way, October 1, 1797, between Tan y Bwich and Beddkelart. Suspecting myself wrong, I made enquiries, but could not get an English answer. Instead of travelling by land, I found I was go ing into the fea at a place called Treath Mawr, I was given to understand, that I might ride over the fands, provided I knew the way, and the tide

would

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1084
would allow; but I chose to procure a
guide to conduct me by land; when,
after lofing two hours, travelling feven
miles in vain, and being thrown into
the night, he brought me into the
W. H.
turnpike-road at Cross Hour.

Anecdotes of Mr. Brewster.-Lorenzo di Medici. [Supp.

Mr. URBAN,

TH

Dic. 11.

HERE are fome mistakes in your account of Mr. Brewster, of Dean-freet, Soho, who thot himfelf in the month of October (fee p. 985). The truth of the following circum flances may be depended upon, as I was intimately acquainted with him. Humphrey Brewster, efe of Wrentham-Hall, Suffolk, was defcended from one of the oldest families in the kingdom; it appearing from the parish register of Wrentham, and from the monuments in the church, that the Brewers had been poffelled of the manor and hall in that parish ever fince the reign of Edvard VI. The hall is a remarkably fiue old manfion, and built in the Gothie tyle. Mr. Brewfter had by no means lived in a generous manner, having chiefly refided in lodgings, or in a fmall houfe, in London. He kept up no establishment in the country, Wrentham-half being inhabited only by an old female fervant; and Mr. B. when he hap pened to be there conftantly dined at the neighbouring inn, probably from a motive of parfimony. He was al ways fingular in his manners, and was confidered by those who knew him as rather affected with infanity. His perfonal property (which confifted of about 6000l.) defcends to Mrs. Mea dows, of Halesworth, Suffolk; and his real property, confifting of about tocol. a year; defcends equally to the abovementioned Mrs. M. and John Wilkinfon, efq. of Halefworth, a gent eman who, he knew, in cafe of his dying inteftate, would inherit a confiderable part of his property, and to whom he had a particular averfion. His remains were, a few days after His death, conveyed to Wrentham for interment in the family-vault. R. B.

Mr. URBAN,

Dec. 23.

HE elegant author of the "Effay

Pope" gives it as his opinion, that the
pathetic exclamation of the dying Jane
Shore, "Forgive me! but forgive me!"
far exceeds the most pompous fenti
thents of Cato,

How oppofite to the above quotation
beauties of Nature which at prefede to
is the negligent contempt of the fimple
ftrongly prevails! Aggravated and
hyperbolical characters, acting under
circumftances which furpafs all poffi-
bility, and affailed by terrors fuch as
no human being has ever felt, are now
the ufual fources of literary entertain-
ment; whilft probability is cenfared as
inefficient and uninterefting, and the
language of real life as flat and un-
poetica!.

I have not, however, met with a
greater inftance of falfe taste than in a
critiquewhich appeared in September on
a drama, published fome months ago,
intituled, Lorenzo di Medici." As
this little piece has afforded mech de-
light, not only to me, but to many
others, whofe judgement is far fuperior
to mine, I fatter myfelf that you wilf
permit me, through the medium of
your liberal Work, to recommend it
to thole of your readers for whom
Nature ftill has charms.

To enter into a critical exantination
of its merits would be intruding too
much upon your time. I fhall, there-
tore, only obferve, that the expreffions
of Laurent la to her brother, “after he
has murdered the duke her bafband,
by whom the is enjoined to conceal his
alfaffin, are in my opinion natural and
pathetic. The contending, yet fup,
preffed, paffions of her agonized mind
demen of the Analytical Review at
deftroy her reafon; and, had the gen-
tended to the following fpeech, and
recollected to whom Lautentilla ad-
dreffes it, they would, I think, have
been lefs fevere on a conduct which
they call cold and unimpaffioned.

LAURENTILLA to LORENZINO.
There is a fafe and secret paflage yonder
Whencewe may pals unnoticed--Iforgot→
Your knowledge is of elder date than mine:
Within the palace you had boundless (way,
And were in all entrusted by my lord.
[that were:
Said I, my ford ?—I meant not to reproach
My lord!-My busband!-Thefe are terms
One kifs-and thus I tear myself away,
Alas! I have no sight to use thêm now!
Departed fpirit of my well-beloved!
If I have feemed to patient of thy lofs,

you

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And view me with the forrow angels feel
When they look down on frail humanity.

The foliloquy of Lorenzino may to kill the duke from any paflion but alfo be defended. He is not impelled.

mbition.

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1797.] Frinfham Church.-Curious Horfe-fhos. -Sak-fellars. 1085

ambition. With that, but newlykindled in his foul by a revengeful woman, he wishes to fortify himself against the tender impuffe of grateful friendship, which has ever bound him, even more than duty, to the Sovereign whom he is going to murder. The fpeech certainly difcovers the fate of his mind, in which rage has no place. He is irrefoluté, and confequently deliberaves; and, whoever can read his remorte after the fatal deed is done, and the interefting expreffions of the deranged Laurentilla, with an unaltered voice, or an unfeeling heart, must have more apathy in their difpofirions than commonly belongs to huM. J. Y..

man nature.

Mr. URBAN,

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08.20. Tis fituated at the South-weft anHE extenfive parish of Frinfham gle of the county of Surrey, on the borders of the counties of Hampshire and Suffex, in the hundred of Farnham, and on the confines of the forefts of Holt and Wilmer. The village confifts of a few mean ftraggling houfes, pleafantly fituated on a dry fandy foil between gentle rifing grounds, forming a little valley.

The church (Pl. II.) is a low build ing, having an antique appearance, containing a nave, chancel, a veftey room adjoining the North fide of the chancel, and a fquare tower at the Weft end. In the veftry-room hangs a caldron, well known in the neighbourhood by the legendary tales related concerning it, and fuppofed by Antiquaries to have been brought from the neighbouring abbey of Waverley, In the South wall of the chancel is a Gothic niche with a pifcina (fig. 2.); hear it, towards the angle of the wall, a fmall fquare recefs, probably a repofitory for the eucharift preferved for the ufe of the fick. The font (fig. 3.) is a fquare fand-tone ftanding on a central column, with fmaller ones at -the angles. The feats are antient, and frongly built with oak, low, and open; the fronts ornamented with arefoils. The prefent rector is the Reverend Manfell. On the heaths, about half a mile from the church, is an extenfive piece of water, called Frinham Great Pond, reported to be three miles in circumference, the haunt of wild fowl in the winter months. The foil in general is poor and fandy, except near the church,

where it is of a richer quality. The
parish contains a great extent of wate
heath land, part of which is capable
of improvement,
S.

Mr. URBAN,

Dec. 5.

SEND you an accurate fketch of horfe-fhoe (fig. 4.) of remarkably fine iron, with the counter-funk parts for the heads of the nails, dug out of one of the new cuts on the river Oufe lower navigation, at a place called Poollar, in the levels about a mile to the South of Lewes, in Suffex, at the depth of nine feet below the furface of the land. There were two of thefe fhoes found about a mile apart, one fize larger than this, but much word. Yours, &c.

Mr. URBAN,

C. R.

Sept. 15. HAVING in my poffeffion a number of large falts of the kind which were ufed by our ancestors, when the falt was placed in the middle of the table, I fend you an imperfect ketch (fig. 5. 6.) of their make and figure, before they are configned to ob livion, and diffolved into a bar of that metal whence they were originally formed. The falt-fellar, ftanding in the centre of the table between the top and the bottom, formed a barrier of dignity; and fitting above or below the falt denoted the rank of the occupier of that part of the table. The fize of thefe veffels denotes they were ufed in a different manner from the fmall one which has fucceeded them. but whether our ancestors dipped each his morfel of meat in the falt, or re moved a portion of the falt to his own plate or trencher, I am unacquainted.

Those which I am about to defcribe to you weigh from 34 to 48 ounces each, are shaped like the foot of an antient falver, or rather two placed to gether with a neck between them. They are an fcroll-pattern feet very little raifed; and, had they not from tradition been termed falts, I should certainly have taken them for ftands on which a flat plate, or waiter of fome fort, was to have been placed. The height is 8 inches; height of the feet 2 inches. There is a mall rifing in the bottom plate, defcribed by the dot ted line in the profile, to about the height of an inch and an half. The diameter of the lower plate is generally less than the upper by about an inch. Diameter of the top, so inches, the

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