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at pleasure to read the infcriptions, which were fo obliterated as to be illegible without it, was the practice of every curious traveller. A great part of the ornamental and delicate work was by accident, and, too often, by wantonnefs deftroyed. Part was found buried in the rubbish, but the greater part entirely loft. An indulgence alfo of a bad cuftoin, which all the children in the parish claimed as a privilege, of playing in the church on Shrove-Tuesday (always a day of riot) contributed not a little to this devastation.

"In 1783, the Rev. William Mounfey, then curate of Bottesford*, not fuppofing himfelf equal to any thing more, undertook to clean them from mofs, dirt, &c. and fix up fuch fmall articles as could be found. Led on from fmaller things to greater, he renewed, in the antient manner, all the carving that had been deftroyed, made new. things appear old, furmounted every difficulty, and completed the repair. To preferve them as much as poffible for the future, he guarded with iron a greater number of monuments than had been defended before, which he was enabled to do without expence, from the exceffive mafly weight of the old iron. In this work he employed a confiderable part of his leifure time for more than three years; and by this laudable exertion has merited equally of the noble furvivors, and of the lovers of our national antiquities.

"The entrance into the vault (the duke's prefent burial-place) is a curious Gothic door, entirely of cedar, brought hither in 1789, at the expence of the Duchefs, in compliance with the wishes of the late duke, who had ordered it in his life-time.

"No monumental inscription is yet placed in memory of either of the four dukes of Rutland, or the great marquis of Granby, who are, all buried at Bottesford with their ancestors." P. 103.

In the account of the lordship of Little Dalby, we find the following remarks on its natural hiftory, by Profeffor Martyn, who was tutor to Mr. Hartopp, of that place.

"This lordship is remarkably hilly, being thrown about in fmall fwellings, in fuch a manner, that, in the greater part of it, it is difficult to find a piece of flat ground. The largeft portion of it is an ancient inclofure; and none of the inhabitants know when it took place. I thought at first to have discovered the date of it, from the age of the trees in the hedge-rows; but none of them, which I had an opportu nity of examining, are more than about 120 years old; but if the inclofure went no farther back than this, we should have learnt the date of it from tradition. I then fearched the parish-regifter, to find whether any depopulation had taken place fince the time of Elizabeth; but could find none, and therefore concluded, that the inclosure was at leaft as early as her reign. That there has been a depopulation, I conclude, not only from the natural confequence of inclofing, but from the foundations of buildings which are difcovered in the clofes near the church.

* And now vicar of Sproxton and Saltby, in this county. Rev.

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BRIT. CRIT. VOL. VII. MARCH, 1796.

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"The whole lordship is in pafture, except here and there a fmall piece, which the landlords permit the tenants to break up occafionally, when it becomes very molly; but then this is laid down again ufually at the end of three or four years. There are no woods; but there are fome small plantations of oak, afh, and elm, of no very long date. There is abundance of afh in the hedge-rows, and fcarcely any other tree. The foil is a frong clay; there is no wafte ground in the lordship; but it is not cultivated, in my opinion, to the best ad. vantage. They depend chiefly on their dairies: they breed, however, very fine fheep, famous for the whitenefs of their fleeces, which weigh from feven to nine pounds: they breed alfo fine horned cattle; but the lordship, in general, is not good feeding ground.

"This lordship is remarkable for having first made the best cheese perhaps in the world, commonly known by the name of Stilton-cheefe*, from its having been originally bought up, and made known, by Cowper Thornhill, the landlord of the Bell-inn at Stilton. It began to be made here by Mrs. Orton about the year 1730, in fmall quantities; for at first it was fuppofed that it could be made only from the milk of thofe cows which fed in one clofe, now called Orton's Clofe; but this was afterwards found to be an error. In 1756, it was made only by three perfons, and that in fmall quantities; but it is now made, not only from one, but from almoft every clofe in this parish, and in many of the neighbouring ones. It is extremely rich, because they mix among the new milk as much cream as it will bear. It requires much care and attendance; and, being in great requeft, it fetches rod. a pound on the fpot, and is. in the London markets.

"There is no itone, gravel, or fand, in this lordship, except a little fand ftone on the fide of Barrow-hills: it is moftly a strong blue clay, and in fome parts of it is a good brick earth. There is only one fpring, and that a chaly beate: it lies high, in a clofe belonging to the vicar, known by the name of the Spring-Clofe; it runs over a great part of the year, and discharges itself into the valley where the village lies. Nobody ever attempted to fink for a well in this parish, till, in the winter of 1777 and 1778, Edward Wigley Hartopp, Efq. dug, and fucceeded. He penetrated through a bed of ftiff blue clay, and, at the depth of 66 feet, the water guthed in, when, I apprehend, the workmen were coming to the limestone rock, by their having thrown out fome fragments of blue ftone. To the depth of 10 feet were frequent nodules of chalk; at that depth the clay was full of fmail fele nites. At 30 feet deep the clay was found to be full of pectens and other fhells, very perfect, but extremely tender. Nodules of Luðus Helment were interfperfed; ammenites of different fpecies in great quantities, gryphites, and other fhells; and plates of a clear foliaceous mica, refembling Mufcovy glass. I am informed that the water did not prove good, and that little or no ufe is made of this weil.

I have not found any natural productions, either animal, vegetable, or foffil, but what are common in other places. There is neither wood nor walte ground in the parish; and we know, that where man

• See a more particular account at p. 5 of the fame volume.

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has completely fubdued the foil to his own ufe, he permits nothing to feed or profper but what is ferviceable to his private interest.

"The air here is dry and healthy; fogs are not frequent, and clear off early when they happen. The inhabitants are happy, and many of them live to a good old age.

"Their fuel here is pit-coal, which they have chiefly brought from Derbyshire, and fome from Lord Middleton's coal-pits near Nottingham. The carriage being heavy, and the roads bad, it ufed to coft them 15d. or 16d. per hundred weight; but, fince the navigation has been completed to Loughborough, they get it for 1od. or 11d. per hundred.

"No great road leads through the parish; but the turnpike-road, from Oakham to Melton, paffes within a mile by Leefthorp; and they come upon it in going to Melton, at about the fame diitance before they come to Burton.

There is not any river that runs through the parish, or comes near ir; and only one inconfiderable brook, which is fometimes dry. This joins another more confiderable, that comes from Somerby by Leefthorp; and both, proceeding jointly by Burton Lazars, fall into the river Eye, between Brentingby and Melton." P. 160.

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Croxton Abbey, and the priory of Kirkly Beler, are well defcribed; whence the author paffes, through the intermediate parishes, to Melton Mowbray, the principal lordfhip in the county. Under the article of Stapleford, a capital account is given of the ancestors of the Earl of Harborough, who, we are told, "communicated a fplendid pedigree of the Sherrards, and enriched the work with eight fine plates of the memorials of his ancestors at Stapleford, and of their monuments in the church rebuilt by his munificence." The church and manfionhoufe, at this place, are objects highly interefting; and, in the former, the charitable donations of the family of the Earl of Harborough, do the greatest honour to the former and prefent poffeffors of the title. We are glad to learn that the beauties of Caftle Donington, and the fine remains at Afhby, are likely to form capital embellishments in a future volume. The muniments of the family of Haftings, will doubtless furnish alfo various interefting particulars. The work is enlivened throughout by many biographical anecdotes, fome of which we could extract with pleasure, would it not carry us too far. We may particularly obferve, that much new light is thrown on the memoirs of Bathop Sanderfon, Sir Charles Sedley, Mr. Peck, Orator Henley, and many others.

Here we may properly conclude, for the prefent, our account of this valuable work, a work of fuch magnitude, variety, and extent, as to require no common perfeverance: we confequently truft, that the author will receive the reward he fo well deferves. One portion of this (and that portion too, if we

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know

know him, as we think we do) he will most highly value, he may expect without fear of difappointment, namely, the approbation, eftcem, and good wishes, of all the friends and promoters of antiquarian learning.

ART. X. Efays, historical and critical, on English Church Mufic. By William Mafen, M. A. Precentor of York. 12mo. 264 pp. 35. 6d. Robfon. 1795.

THAT the ambition of compofers, and more frequently of voluntary players, is found occafionally to counteract inftead of promoting the folemn purposes for which music is admitted into divine fervice, muft be acknowledged; and the tafle and judgment of Mr. Mafon are very laudably employed in attempting to define the rules of propriety by which thefe matters should be regulated. There is undoubtedly much of reafon and good fenfe in the following propofitions concerning Church Mufic, which the author lays down in an early part of his first effay.

"Ift, If it be adopted only as a preparative to devotion, in order fo far to affect the minds of the congregation, as to bring them into a compofed, and therefore a proper ftate for the due performance of that duty, the Mufic employed ought to be of a kind, which experience has proved to be moft efficacious in foothing and tranquilizing the fpirits.

"2d. If it fhould be thought expedient to accompany, or make a part of the act of devotion itfelf, and for that purpofe have a choir to take the lead in the performance of this fervice, it is neceffary that the Mufic be fuch, as will not perplex or bewilder the general congregation; but fo fimplified, that the fupplications and thanksgivings, then expreffed vocally in mufical ftrains, may both be distinctly heard, and clearly underfood.

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3d. If, divefted of a choir, Mufic fhould be held fo useful an acceffary to devotion, that all the congregation fhould audibly, or at leaft mentally, join in that office, a fpecies of melody fo very amply conftructed, that the generality may cafily learn and perform it, ought to be exclufively adopted." P. 21.

Of the four effays comprifed in this volume, the three first refer refpectively to thefe three pofitions; the first to inftrumental Church Mufic only; the fecond to that in Cathedrals, in which the organ accompanies the Choir; the third to parochial Pfalmody. The fourth effay is upon a fubje&t occafionally touched in the former, namely, the caufes of the prefent imperfect alliance between Mufic and Poetry. The fecond of thefe was originally prefixed to a collection of Anthems

in 1782, but has fince received fome additions. The first effay is prefaced by an account of Mulical Rhythm and Accent, as analogous to thofe of verfe; which has a general reference to the whole book. Then follow fome hiftorical notices of the progress of the organ towards perfection, referable particularly to that eflay. The author confiders all the early Mufic, from the invention of Counterpoint to the middle of the prefent century, as diftinguifhed from that now in ufe, by depending upon harmony and modulation only, without that rhythm and accent which now form the bafis of what is called expreffion. The voluntary, though the time of its introduction cannot be exactly ascertained, having arifen under the reign of Counterpoint, we may affure ourselves," fays Mr. Mafon, “ that it breathed only harmonical ftrains, and was therefore what I have called fimple Mufic; for in this term I combine harmony however complex, and modulation however recondite, provided it be devoid of Pathos." To this explanation it is necellary to attend, left the meaning of the author fhould be misapprehended. This kind of Mufic he does not think would be fo agreeable to hearers, in any degree accuftomed to Air, as to put them into the ftate which is to be fought on these folemn occafions; and as the organift is, on the other hand, but too likely to be feduced by the prevailing tafte for brilliant and rapid execution, his conclufion is the wifh,

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"That in our established Church extempore playing were as much discountenanced, as extempore praying; and that the Organist was as closely obliged, in this folo and feparate part of his office, to keep to fet forms, as the officiating Minifter; or, as he himself is, when accompanying the Choir in an Anthem, or a parochial Congregation in a Pfalm. Of these musical fet forms however he might be indulged with a confiderable quantity, and, if he approached in fome degree to Rouffeau's high character of a Preluder, he might be allowed to difcant on certain fingle grave texts, which Tartini, Geminiani, Corelli, or Handel, would abundantly furnish, and which may be found at least of equal elegance and propriety in the Largo and Adagio Movements of Hadyn or Pleyel." P. 68.

Mr. Mafon is averfe to the mixture of ftringed and wind inftruments, thinking that, "by their diffimilarity of tone and temperament, they miferably injure one another." The Organ, therefore, above all, the finelt of wind inftruments, because it can imitate them all, he would always preferve in its own fimple dignity. In confirmation of this opinion he adduces authorities and examples, but particularly the following, the ftriking nature of which in a manner compels us to tranfcribe it.

"My

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