twifted elm, the moffy cove and primrose bank, are pretty ob jects in paftoral life; but correfpond not with the gaiety of the great fuch are the beauties of Streatlam.'

The GREAT, however, may be pleafed with fuch a rural retreat, which they can find methods of enlivening, when they think proper. We will not ftay to difpute on this fubject with the Writer (whofe defcription will be read with pleasure by thofe who are fond of paftoral feene-painting), but proceed to an object very differently fituated.

The Caftle of Bishop-Auckland is erected on a lofty eminence, at the confluence of the rivers Wear and Gaundless. It is well known to be the palace of the Bishop of Durham; an agreeable refidence in a pleafant part of the country. If the Jaft-mentioned caftle is deemed too much confined and folitary, this appears to be fufficiently open and expofed.

6

Auckland, we are told, was anciently a manor-house of the Bishops of Durham, and, according to Leland's Hiftory, firft gained the denomination of a caftle in the time of Bishop Anthony Beck; but the name of the original founder is not known, or when it first became the poffeffion of the Bishops of Durham. No part of the ancient edifice remains, Bishop Coufins having fuch an abhorrence of the memory of Sir Arthur Hezelrigg, who had poffeffed himfelf of the place, and made it his chief refidence, that as being the houfe of fanaticism and iniquity, he rafed it to its very foundation, and erected a new palace after his own plan.'-If it was defigned to honour the memory of Bishop Coufins, this laft anecdote might have been fpared, as it difcovers a degree of prejudice, and party-attachment, highly unfuitable to the character of a man of fenfe, learning, and Christian piety.

The print with which the defcription is accompanied is pleas ing, but it wears fo much foliage that the caftle, which we fuppofe intended for the principal object, is almost concealed from the view.

The portraits of the celebrated Mary, Queen of Scots, are not very rare. We meet with a print in this volume ' engraved from a drawing taken from an original picture now in the church of St. Andrew in the city of Antwerp. It is communicated by Mr. Bulman, who, a few years ago, received the following account of it from a Flemish gentleman refiding at Antwerp.

Barbara Mowbray, and Elizabeth Curle, both ladies of the bed-chamber to Mary Queen of Scots, and faithful companions of her various fortunes, were permitted to retire hither, and to take the head of their mistress with them, which they interred near a pillar oppofite the chapel of the Holy Sacrament, by the entrance at the grand door of the church of St. Andrew, the

spot

fpot they had chofen for their own fepulture. On the pillar they placed the portrait of the Queen ;-it is in an oval frame, and is about twenty inches high, well executed, the face extremely beautiful, and much differing from any other I have feen; her hair is reprefented as bright flaxen. It is faid this portrait was painted in France foon after the first became a widow. Under it, on a tablet of black marble, is an infcription in letters of gold.'

The ftory of the head is no doubt fabulous, and nothing of that kind appears in the infcription; but Mr. Bulman informs us that Mr. Aftle gave him the fight of an original letter containing an account of the jewels, plate, &c. of Mary, Queen of Scots; by which it appears that Elizabeth Curle had in her cuftody, befide other valuable effects, a book of gold, enamelled, containing the pictures of the Queen, her husband, and fon. Poffibly,' it is added, the original from whence that on the monument was taken.'

Many are the Articles in these volumes which we have not enumerated: fome are as follow,-An account of the life of Abraham Cowley, with a good print engraved from a picture painted by Mrs. Mary Beale: An ancient French poem faid to be written in the reign of Edward the Third, and preferved in the island of Guernsey: An account of money received and expended for rebuilding of St. Paul's church: The fiege of Karlaverock in Scotland, an ancient heraldic poem, in antiquated French, with a tranflation into English; it is very long, and forms feveral Articles; it enumerates the Barons, Knights, &c. who attended King Edward the Firft to the fiege abovementioned: Welch regulations concerning cats: Rules obferved by ancient fculptors in ornamenting fepulchral monuments: The charter of Withred, King of Kent, whereby he gave lands to the church of Liming in that county: Life of Thomas Hatfield, Bishop of Durham: The ftatutes of Eltham, made by Henry VIII for the government of his privy chamber: Alfo of Edward VI. and Queen Mary; together with the oath adminiftred by Drue Drurye, Gent. Ufher to the privy chamber of Queen Elizabeth: A tranfcript from the records of the expences of William Myngham, the first Mayor of Rochester, for fuppers, dinners, &c. in the year 1460, when the citizens obtained a charter of Edward VI. empowering them to have a mayor instead of a bailiff: A fabulous or legendary account of Ireland contained in the Speculum Regale, a book fuppofed to have been written about the middle of the twelfth century, by a minister to one of the early kings of Norway, for the use of his fon: Appointment for the coronation of King Richard III. and Queen Ann his wife: Account of an illuminated manufcript written before the fuppreffion of the monafteries, and dif covered

6

covered in 1776 by a farmer's fervant who was removing fome ftraw at Burnham Abbey, Bucks, now in the poffeffion of Mr. Jofeph Trone of Maidenhead.

Befide the above, there are many other Articles, fome of them more, fome lefs curious, which we cannot particularly enumerate, but our Readers may form fome judgment from what we have mentioned. We fhall add an account of the prints in the fecond volume, which have not yet been particularized.

The bridge at Shrewsbury; Font of Alphington church, Devonshire; St. George's gate, Canterbury; Tomb of Jenkyn Wyrrall in the church-yard of Newland, Gloucefterfaire; Harrow on the Hill; Bar Gate, Southampton; Stanwick in Yorkfhire, the feat of Earl Percy; New Bridge at Edinburgh, with part of the caftle; Monument of Sir Anthony Brown, in the church of Battle, Suffex; Woodstock; Dunbarton caftle; Rumfey church; St. Donat's castle, Glamorganfhire; Belvidere in Kent; Tomb of Thomas Hatfield, Bishop of Durham [ornamented, fays Mr. Pennant, with as many coats of arms as would ferve any German prince]; Pembroke caftle; Tomb of Anaftafia Venetia, Lady Digby, which ftood in Christ Church, London, and was deftroyed by the great fire; Sheffield place, Saffex; Mannorbeer caftle, Pembrokeshire; A Figure in Trompington church; Palace of Enfield; Little Saxham church, about four miles from Bury St. Edmund's; Hunting tower at Chatsworth; The Bower of Mary Queen of Scots, Chatfworth; Another view of Mannorbeer caftle; The old bell called, Great Tom of Westminster; and fome mifcellaneous plates,

The prints are accompanied by fome defcriptions or hiftorical details, though not always fo full and accurate as might be wifhed-but the volumes, on the whole, will afford the reader confiderable entertainment and inftruction.

This publication is ftill continued, periodically; and we apprehend, from the advertisements, that another volume is nearly completed.

ART. V. A Complete Hißory of all the religious Houfes in the Counties of Devon and Cornwall, before the Diffolution. Extracted from the molt authentic and original Records now extant. By the Rev. William Jones, A. B. Small 8vo. 2 s. 6d. Smerdon and Underhill.

TH

THIS performance contains a dry, and, in general, a moft infignificant detail of the names, but fcarcely any thing of the history, of the founders of abbies and priories in Devon and Cornwall. But perhaps the indefatigable affiduity of a Dugdale and a Tanner could rescue nothing more from oblivion than their bare names;-with a few items of the fame "poor

and

and beggarly account" as those which principally figure in the annals of the faints.

Mr. Jones calls this performance a Complete History,' &c. We know not what ideas this Gentleman may entertain of a Hiftory. In our view it scarcely bears one feature of it-except in the enumeration of dates, and fuch circumstances. Had he called it an Index, we should have commended his modefty: and had he offered his performance to the Public for fix-pence, instead of half a crown, we should not have charged him with impofition.

All that looks like Hiftory in this work is the very edifying account which is now and then given of the motives which induced fome godly men to erect and endow those venerable receptacles for holy indolence. Thus, for inftance, the pious founder of the abbey of Tavistock was induced to perform this extraordinary act of devotion, by a vifion which appeared to him, directing him to a spot marked out by four twigs, on which he should build an abbey; and at the fame time affuring him, that this inftance of his obedience to the Divine Commands would be a fufficient expiation for all his fins.' This was worth recording as an hiftorical circumftance of fingular moment at this time of day, when we need something out of the common track to engage our great ones even to go to a church. What vifions and revelations then would be neceffary to incline their hearts to build one!

The priory of St. James, without the walls of Exon, was founded, we are informed, by Baldwin, Earl of Devonshire, in the year 1157; which priory he very liberally endowed for the benefit of his own foul, and the foul of Adeliza his wife; the fouls alfo of his fons and daughters and his friends; and for the foul of Henry I.' Thus alfo Judael of Totness gave to the priory of Barnstaple for the health of his own foul, and the fouls of his father and his mother, and all his relations and friends, two parcels of land called Pilton and Pilland; together with the mill of Barnstaple, and the exclufive right of grinding.'-But the jolly Monks of Barnstaple, notwithstanding fo much grift was brought to their mill, wanted to fee their cup overflow, and their table fpread with dainties; and Judael, who had been taught that the pampering their bodies would be the faving of his foul, annexed the church of St. Peter, and the chapel of St. Salvius, and whatever to them belonged, to the priory and moreover he granted them a fifth of the tythe of Fremington, and the whole tythe of fish.'-And now the Holy Fathers might faft to fome good account!

The Editor of this little manual of monkish antiquity informs us, that he was encouraged by his friends to make it public, as it might anfwer fome good and valuable purposes.' Thefe good

and

and valuable purposes are comprised under two heads: the first (which we prefume is the good purpose) respects the gratification of the curious antiquary, and particularly of perfons who live near the fcite of thofe old religious houfes. The fecond (which muft, doubtlefs, be the valuable purpose) refers to the ancient privileges and immunities of thofe houses, which were afterwards transferred to lay-patentees (fuch as the abbey of Taviftoke to the Earl of Bedford) by virtue of the ftatutes of the 27th and 31ft of Hen. VIII. at the diffolution of the mo nafteries, and the alienation of the lands that, by various royal grants, and other free devifees, had been annexed to them.

But we beg leave to obferve to Mr. Jones, that time, more than royal prerogative, is the criterion of right of poffeffion, and the beft fecurity, under the prefent conftitution, to the inheritors of the abbey lands. If the conftitution fhould be changed, and Popery fhould fo far gain on the indulgence which hath been lately fhewn to it, through the fingular lenity of our wife and gracious rulers, as to recover its former establishment— (and ftranger revolutions have been effected by folly in league with wickedness)-it will be in vain for the poffeffors of the lands of the Church to urge their claims from time or prerogative. Nothing in the opinion of the Romish Church can fanctify facrilege! Affaffinations, confpiracies, violations of treaties are, in comparison with church-robbery, venial crimes. Touch her intereft in this tender point, and she would efteem even forgiveness a fin. She will cry aloud and spare not. The enormous rent-roll-the records of her former poffeffions in England, will be drawn from the archives of the college of Doway; and "the mother of harlots"-even the "fcarlet whore, who rideth upon the beast with seven heads and ten horns," will, by the laws of her own chancery, enter on the premises, nor will fhe quit them "till he is paid the uttermoft farthing."

We cannot conclude this Article without remarking that the Editor, whether from great modefty or great ignorance we pretend not to determine, hath transcribed the orthographical errors of the various authors from whom he profeffeth to have taken his accounts. He may plead the ancient method of fpelling the names of perfons and places. But, as his Complete History is defigned for the moderns, he should have adopted their mode of orthography to render it intelligible. Who, unverfed in the topographical antiquities of Devon and Cornwall, would have readily discovered that Dunheved means Launceston, the county town of Cornwall; Hertitone, Harton, near Hartland-point in Devonshire; Kadele, Cadley; Boddele, Budleigh; Lowpitte, Luppit; Rughburgh, Roborough? Thus alfo by a scrupulous adherence to his old accounts, of which he gives no fort of ex

planation,