curt, and pays a fourteenth in the proportion of 513 parts to the land-tax. The air of this county is mild and wholfome; and, tho' the coaft is fubject to vapours, yet they are not attended with the bad effects, as are experienced in other counties, on the like occafions.

The foil is rich, and the county affords plenty of corn, cattle, wood, hops, honey, bacon, and a great abundance of fish. The sheep are remarkably good, both as to their flesh, and wool; the honey, except that which is gathered upon the heaths, bears a large price; and their bacon is reputed the best in England. There are fome cloth manufactures, but the chief are kerfies and ftuffs.

The principal rivers (and they are not very large) are the Avon, the Teft, the Store, and the Itching. The Avan rifes in Warwickshire, enters the county at Charford, and, taking its fouthern courfe, by Ringwood, difcharges itfelf into the fea, below Chriftchurch.-The Teft fprings up in the northern part of Hampshire; runs alfo fouthward; forms feveral islands at Stockbridge; pafles by Rumfey; and falls into the arm of the fea, called, Southampton-water.

The principal towns are, Winchester city, Southampton, Portsmouth, Lyming ton, Chrifi-church, Petersfield, Stockbridge, Andover, Whitchurch. Parliamentary boroughs, Kingfclear, Odiam, Bafing fake, Alton, Alresford, Rumfey, Bubaltham, Fordingbridge, Farnham, Navant, and Ringwood.

The Representatives for the county are, at prefent, the Right Hon. Lord Harry Powlett, of Eddington, near Hungerford, Wilts, brother to the Duke of Bolton, and Lieutenant of the Tower; and Francis Whithed, of Southwick, in this county, Efq;

If we enter this county, by the road from London, and furvey the northern part of it, from the N. E, point, the firft market-town is Odiam, which was formerly the refidence of a King, under the Saxon heptarchy; and defended with such a strong cafle, that

thirteen men were able to defend it, for 15 days, against the Barons army commanded by Lewis, the Dauphine of France, in the 18th of K. John, A. D. 1216. David II, King of Scots, was kept prifoner here by K. Edward III. and here was born the English Grammarian, Mr. William Lilly, who died mafter of St. Paul's fchool, London, A. D. 1522.

The town is but fmall, and has a market weekly, on Saturdays; and an annual fair, on the 7th of July; and another on the Saturday before Mid lent-Sunday.

Bafingfioke is the next, and a good market-town. It is a great thoroughfare, in the western road, from London. It is governed by a Mayor, Recorder, feven Aldermen, feven Burgeffes, &c. and has a great market, on Wednesdays, for corn, efpecially barley; because its inhabitants are many of them maltfters, and fome of them the richeft in England; and, of late years, the manufactures of drug gets, fhalloons, and fuch flight goods, have been carried on here with good fuccefs. There is alfo a fair on Michaelmas-day, and another on White fun Wednesday, yearly.

Upon the top of a hill in this town, is a curious chapel, dedicated to the Holy Ghoft, and built by the first Lord Sands, in the reign of Henry VIII. whofe roof is moft elegantly adorned with painting, representing the Prophets, and Chrift with his Apostles. Here are alfo three charity-fchools; in one of which 12 boys are taught, cloathed, and maintained, by the Skinners company in London.

Near this town is a brook, famous for plenty of good trouts, and a spot of ground, remarkable in history for a moft bloody battle, fought A. D. 871, between the Saxons and the Danes: but it has been more famous, in later times, for the neighbouring feat, called

I

Bafing-house, built by William Pawlet, made Lord St. John, of Bafing, by K. Henry VIII. and Earl of Winchester, by K. Edward VI, of whom we are told

E 2

this

this story, That, having spent his fortune, he went to court upon truft; and got into fuch favour, that he ferved King Henry VII. K. Henry VIII. K. Edward VI. Queen Mary I. and Queen Elifabeth, in the high offices of Comp troller and Treafurer of the houfhold, Lord Chancellor, &c. being, (as he faid of himself, when he was afked, How he preferved himfelf in favour, thro' fo many, and extreme changes of government?) not an Oak, but an Ofier. This houfe was wonderfully magnifcent; and, at 95 years of age, the founder left it to his fucceffors; one of whom, William, his second son, and Marquis of Winchefter, made it a garrifon for King Charles I. in the beginning of the civil wars. In which ca. pacity it much diftreffed the Parliamentforces, by the command it had on the western roads; infomuch, that it was feveral times befieged by them, but in vain, till Cromwell came, with his victorious troops, and took it by form, and great flaughter, on the 14th of October, 1645. And the rebels, having plundered it, and divided, to the tune of 300l. to each common foldier, burnt that fpacious and beautiful palace to the ground.

And now, before we proceed weftward, let us view the remains of the ancient Vindonum, which stands upon the outmost point of this county, northward; we call it Silcefter; the ancient Britons, if we may credit Nennius, called it Caer Segonte, i.e. The chief city, or metropolis, of the Segontians. By what he adds, concerning the interment of Conftantine the Great, in this place, he must either mean fome other Confiantine, than the Emperor of that name, who certainly died, and was buried in the Eaft; or, he only intends to inform us,That, according to the cuftom of the Romans, the foldiers had erected an honorary fepulchre or Barrow, in memory of their Emperor Conftantine, after his death, and performed their folemn exercifes yearly round it here, in honour of the dead, thereby reprefented.

What we are more inclined to be

lieve, is, That our celebrated King Arthur was crowned in this city; and that it was foon after demolished, either in the Saxon wars, or when Athėlwolfe, affifted by the Danes, rebelled against his brother, K. Edward, and ravaged all the country, as far as Bafingfiske.-We are told that the walls are ftill to be seen, and that they are about two Italian miles in compafs, and, that out of them, in fome places, grow oaks, of fuch a bignefs, incorporated, as it were, with the ftones, that they are in admiration to all that behold them. On the weft fide of the walls, where it is level, there runs a long ridge, caft up for the defence of the place, containing about 80 acres of land, a good fat foil, now divided into fields, with a little grove towards the weft; and eastward, near the gate, ftands the only remains of the celebrated Vindonum, a farm-house, with a fmall church, of modern building. The foil of this town is generally fertile and rich; yet, the husbandmen remark, That their corn will not grow fo well in fome places, as in others. From whence they conclude, that the streets of the old city ran formerly

where there is least thrift.

British tiles and Roman coins are commonly dug up here. The common people call the coins Onion-pennies, from one Onion, fuppofed by them to have been a giant, and Lord of Vindonum. !

Amongst other infcriptions found here, we have one very fair, recorded in thefe words:

the foreft of Chute, delightful for its fhady walks, pleasant hunting, and plenty of game.

King/clear has alfo been a place of great repute, in ancient times; and the refidence of the Saxon King, that governed this part of the island. It is ftill a well frequented market-town, and the capital of a hundred of the fame name. The market is kept weekly on Tuefdays.

In this neighbourhood a little to the N. W. is a village called Burgh-clear, at the bottom of a hill: on the top of which is a military camp (fuch as our ancestors called a Burgh) furrounded with a large trench. On this hill, from whence is commanded an extenfive profpect of the adjacent country, they used, in cafe of an invafion, or danger of an enemy's approach, to fet up a beacon, made of piles of wood, or barrels filled with pitch, and fet on a pole, which by its flame gave notice to all neighbouring parts to put themfelves in a pofture of defence; and much in ufe in the Saxon heptarchy, and during the civil wars. More weftward at Westwoodhay, on the very edge of Berkshire, is yet difcoverable, upon Corn-hill, a camp four-fquare, fuppofed to be a Roman or British work.

Whitchurch was fo mean in the days of the great antiquarian Cambden, that he makes no mention of it, in his furvey of this county. At prefent it is governed by a Mayor, has a market on Fridays; and three annual fairs, viz. on the third Thursday in June; on Whit-monday, and on October 28; and it enjoys the privilege of fending two members to ferve in Parliament, who now are John Selwyn, jun. Efq; fon of Col. John Selwyn, and Treafurer to the Duke of Cumberland and the Princeffes: the Hon. Charles Wallop, Efq; fon to the Earl of Portfmouth.

Andover, called by the Saxons Andeafaran, i. e. the ferry or ford over the river Ande, is pleasantly fituated on the fide of the Downs: lies on the western road from London, and is not

only delightful and populous, but healthy and thriving in trade. The government of this town is in a Mayor, Recorder, Aldermen, Bailiffs, and Common-council men: and it has the privilege of fending two Reprefentatives to Parliament, who at prefent are the Right Hon. John Wallop, Lord Viscount Lymington, fon and heir to the Earl of Portsmouth: John Pellen, of this borough, Efq; a Welch Judge.

Here is a great market on Saturdays, and two fairs, on May 1, and November 16; befides Weybill fair, kept near this town on Michaelmasday, which is accounted the greatest fair in England for fheep; the farmers coming out of the fouth, north, and eaft, to buy the Dorfetfhire ewes here. It is alfo a great hop and cheefe fair, the firft being brought out of Kent and Suflex chiefly, and the latter out of Wiltshire, Cloucefterfire, and Somerfetfaire. Nor does it come behind any other fair in thefe dominions for many other commodities.

In the road from hence to Stockbridge, we país by Wherwell, where Queen Elfrich built a monaftery, to expiate (according to the fuperftition of thofe times) for her heinous crime in vowing to kill her fon-in-law King Edward, and to attone for the murder of her former husband, Earl Athelwold, whom King Edgar murdered in this place, as they were hunting, be caufe he had artfully impofed upon him in a love intrigue, and feduced this Lady Elfrith, who was reputed the greatest beauty of her age.

Stockbridge, or Stokebridge, is a borough by prefcription, and no doubt was anciently diftinguished by the privilege of fending members to Parliament, on account of its flourishing condition in those days; tho' now it has dwindled into a low and, fome fay, fo mean a condition, as to have been threatened with the lofs of their charter, for bribery at elections for Reprefentatives, in 1693.

The ingenious Sir Richard Steele once ftood a candidate for this town, and, tho' he was powerfully oppofed,

yet