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he does not state the fund out which this is to be supplied, when it is compared with regard to small livings and curacies: - nor does he state whether distinct orders should appear in distinct dresses; the cassock is now

found to be by far the most effectual barrier in the cause of our venerable Establishment. Yours, &c.

Mr. URBAN,

worn under the coat by Bishops only: ON

those of inferior orders may wear it, but a Deacon may not: the gown of a Master of Arts seems to be the lightest, but as it flows loosely behind the person, it would be continually torn if adopted for general use ;— surely nothing could be so preposterous as the common use of the band, or any of the linen vestments ordained for the worship and for the administration of the Sacraments.

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Finally, let me ask why Sigismund is not satisfied with the mode of dress hitherto adopted, when the Minister has finished his services, and again mingles with his fellow citizensplain sober suit of black cloth, made like theirs, but not of their various colours? Some Clergymen are willing to distinguish themselves from the rest of the people, who are often clothed in black, by wearing a hat shaped like a winnowing shovel, whieh has not yet subjected them to any the smallest personal insult, but it never fails to acquire them the denomina. tion of a high priest.

Upon the whole, let me venture to assure Sigismund that this is not the time to revive Roman Catholic habits and as the Church has very generally petitioned the Legislature against the universal toleration of the Catholics, if his plan was adopted at present it would be an outward sign that the Clergy in general did not accord with the sentiments expressed in their petitions, and wished to place themselves and the Roman priesthood upon a level.

Professors of all Religions may be truly exemplary if they accustom themselves to that state of mind and habits of life and manners in which the honour and service of the God whom they acknowledge are the supreme objects of all their serious actions; and the more consistently they pursue this course, for which the English Clergy are peculiarly respected, the more will they secure respect to their faith, respect to their Church, and respect to themselves; this exterior garb, the result of inward piety and rectitude, will ever be

A. H.

Nov. 25. N my journey from Scarborough lately, in passing through the town of Beverley, a very sensible pleasure was afforded me by an opportunity of noticing the extreme neatness and elegance with which every part of the venerable Abbey Church there is preserved highly creditable to the parties concerned, and affording an admirable example to Deans and Chapters, as well as Churchwardens and Parish Vestries. A circumstance so gratifying to the contemplative traveller may not unfitly be made a subject of communication to the Gentleman's Magazine.

After viewing with admiration this beautiful specimen of Gothic Architecture-its "long-drawn ailes, and fretted" vaults - its, "storied windows," and rich screen, &c. my attention was particularly engaged by a very magnificent monument by Scheemaker, erected in memory of Sir Michael Warton, of Beverley Park: the figures of Religion with the Sacred Volume, and of Eternity with her emblem, the snake with its tail in its mouth, executed with amazing boldness and effect. Sir Michael Warton is represented in armour, kneeling at a desk, with sword, spurs, &c. and with a long beard and lank hair. He died Oct. 8, 1655, aged 82, and is reported to have left 6000l. to the town of Beverley; 40007, to repair the Minster; 1000l. to the Hospital; 500l. to certain schools; and 2007. to be dis tributed to the poor at his death.

There is an antient painting on pannel of King Athelstan delivering the Charter of Foundation to John de Beverley, and on the scroll which the Monarch holds in his hand are the words,

"Als fre makes the
As hert may thynke
Or Egh may see.”

In a nich, inclosed with iron-rails, is a monument for "Sir Charles Hotham, of Scarborough, bart. Colonel of the King's own Royal Regiment of Dragoons, Brigadier-general of his Majesty's Forces, and twenty years one of the Representatives in Parlia ment for this Borough. He married

Bridgett,

Bridgett, daughter of William Gee, of Bishop's Burton, esq. by whom he had issue Charles Beaumont, Elizabeth, Philippa, and Charlotte: and secondly, Lady Mildred Cecil, youngest daughter of James Earl of Salisbury, and widow of Sir Uvedale Corbet, of Longnore, in com. Salop, bart. by whom he had one son, who died an infant. Sir Charles died 8th January, 1722, aged 60."

Early in the last century, in laying the floor of the North Transept, an antient monumental statue was discovered, which is now placed against the wall. It is the recumbent figure of a lady in a long robe, bordered with coats of arms, and having a lion couchant at her feet; said to represent one of the Percy family, and

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(Continued from VOL. LXXXVIII. 1. p. 488.) Mr. URBAN, Crosby-square, July 10. T

may be generally assumed

supposed to have been of the period I that public institutions, whe

of the 13th century. On the remnant of a brass-plate inserted in a brown tombstone, in a little chapel or oratory on the South side of the choir:

"Roberti Leedes, quod erat

Et quod futurum sperat.”

On another brass, in the floor of the North Transept, below the name of

"Richard Carrant: One thousand five hundred and three

score,

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ther of an ecclesiastical or eleemosynary nature, are conducted in a manner agreeable to popular feelings, and are free from palpable abuses, so long as they continue to attract the tide of public munifi cence; and it may be considered as a silent admonition that they are no longer worthy of respect and confidence, when this unequivocal testimony is withdrawn. Such an hypothesis, applied to the religious communities, which, under the ancient Church Establishment possessed for ages the sole direction of national benevolence, will sufficiently account for their influence and their decay. The Government was for a time compelled to purchase their favour by conniving at their irregularities, and they were thus enabled to frustrate the intentions of their founders, to violate their statutes with impunity, and to set public opinion at defiance; till a general burst of indignation enabled a more powerful Monarch to seize upon those endowments which had been already desecrated, and to destroy whilst he affected to reform. The Conventual Church of Ely was founded in the 7th century. It was nearly destroyed in the Danish invasion, and was restored by King Edgar for a Society of Benedictine Monks, who were at that time the chief supporters of Literature, and the only patrons of the Arts. Whatever corruptions might be introduced among them in the course of eight centuries, their rules were formed on

principles

never occur in our Church, we, relying on the fidelity and diligence of the Bishop of Ely for the time being, do appoint him Visitor of our Cathedral Church, requiring him to watch and be vigilant, that these Statutes and Ordinances be inviolably observed. All which their obvious and grammatical sense." we will have understood according to

The Statutes were revised by Queen Elizabeth, and again, after the Restoration, by Bishop Wren, under the sanction of the reigning Monarch; and as these modified Statutes are the latest which have been promulgated by Royal authority, and vary in some particulars from those of Henry VIII, I may be permitted to insert at length those which relate to the subject under enquiry *

*:

principles of the most exalted piety, and the sublimest virtue. With the exception of a few hours for necessary repose and sustenance, their statutes enjoined them to devote their whole time to manual labour or to study, to their religious ceremonies and meditation, to the relief of the destitute, and the instruction of the ignorant. For these purposes a large tract of waste land was granted to the Monks of Ely: they drained the fens, they cultivated the desert, they built churches and schools, they raised a flourishing city, and collected round them a prosperous tenantry. The Abbey of St. Ethelburga existed in great splendour from the reign of Edgar to the Norman Conquest, and the Conventual School was selected for the education of King Edward the Confessor. Ely was converted into an Episcopal See A. D. 1109; and the Cathedral Church has been fortunate in a succession of generous Prelates, and no less so in an Historian to record their liberal donations for the increase of hospitality and the advancement of learning. The School of the Cathedral, under their fostering care, continued in a flourishing state to the reign of Henry VIII. And the reformation commenced by that Monarch was here, at least, unmarked by the cruelty and rapacity which stained his subsequent conduct. The revenues of the Priory were almost entirely restored to the Protestant Cathedral; the Prior was continued in the There is no provision for an Orgovernment, under the name of Dean; the superior Members of the Sociganist in the Statutes of Henry VIII. ety were admitted as Prebendaries, and eight of the junior Monks as Minor Canons. Such as were old and infirm were allowed to retire with ample pensions. The King reestablished the School on a more liberal scale, and gave to the reformed Establishment a Code of Statutes compiled under his own immediate inspection, wherein he appoints the Bishop of Ely Special Visitor:

"No work," observes the King, "is so piously undertaken, so prosperously executed, so happily completed, which may not be easily undermined and subverted by negligence and want of care. No statutes are made so strict and holy but that, in process of time, they sink into contempt and oblivion, if not watched over with the constant vigilance of piety and zeal. That this may

"DE CHORISTIS ET EORUM MAGISTRO. "We appoint and ordain that in our aforesaid Church there shall be eight Choristers, chosen and appointed by the Dean (or, in his absence, the Sub-dean and Chapter); boys of tender age, with clear voices and musical talent, who shall attend, minister, and sing in the Choir. For instructing these boys, and instilling into them modesty of behaviour no less than skill in singing, we will that a proficient in music, of good conduct and character shall be appointed, who shall carefully employ his time in the performance of Divine Service, and in the instruction of the boys. But if he prove idle or negligent in teaching the boys, let him, after a third admonition, be deposed from his office."

of the Cathedral in those of King but he occurs among the Members

Charles. The Master of the Choferior to the High Master, and takes risters, in point of emolument is inprecedence of the Minor Canons and

second Grainmar Master.

"DE PUERIS GRAMMATICIS. "That piety and literature may for ever flourish and increase, we ordain

that there be always in our Church of ELY, elected by the Dean, or in his absence the Sub-dean and Chapter, 24 poor boys, for the most part destitute of friends, as far as may be of a good capacity for learning, who shall be maintained out of the revenues of our Church.

* Harl. MS. 6885, mis-printed in the Index 6805. The Ely Statutes, with a translation, were printed by Barnard and Farley, 1817.

Whom,

Whom, moreover, we will not have admitted among the poor boys of our Church before they can read, write, and are moderately versed in the first rudiments of grammar, according to the judgment of the Dean, or in his absence the Sub-dean and principal SchoolmasAnd we will that these boys shall

ter.

be maintained at the expense of our Church until they shall be moderately skilled in the Latin grammar, and shall have learned to speak in Latin and to write in Greek, for which purpose the space of six years shall be allowed, or, if the Dean and principal Schoolmaster think fit, seven years, and no more. But we will that no one (the Choristers excepted) shall be elected a poor scholar of our Church, who hath not completed the 9th, or hath exceeded the 15th, year of his age. And we will that no one, after he hath completed his 18th year, shall remain any longer in our School.

"But if any boy be remarkable for dulness of apprehension, then, after a long probation, we enjoin that he shall be expelled and sent elsewhere, that he may not like a drone devour the honey of the bees.

"And we charge the consciences of the Masters that they use the utmost diligence that all the boys make progress in learning, and not suffer any one who is noted for indolence to loiter unprofitably among the rest."

The conclusion of the Statute is similar to the corresponding Statute of Durham, already published *.

By the regulations of Henry VIII. the candidates for admission as grammar-scholars must be "poor friendless boys;" but in those of Bishop Wren the expression is qualified, and a greater latitude of choice is given to the Dean. "24 pueri pauperes, & amicorum ope, ut plurimum destituti." In the election of Choristers there is no intimation of poverty in either instance.

By the Statute of Elizabeth it is appointed that the boys shall be maintained at the expense of the Church until they have acquired a fine handwriting, a moderate knowledge of the science of musict, and of the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew grammars; and also have learned to speak and write in Latin, and to compose Greek and

*Gent. Mag. Vol. LXXXVIII. ii. 104. + In the copy printed from the Harl. MS. the word numerica has been erroneously substituted; but the original is obviously artis musicæ.

GENT. MAG, July, 1819.

1

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As you have inserted (in vol.

now

LXXXVII. Part ii. p. 305) at my request, a Tour of a late respectable Kentish Divine, in 1796, transcribe his Journal of another tour in the following year. N. R. S. Journal of a Tour in the Summer of 1797.

June 13. To London by coach: an agreeable fellow traveller. He was the architect who refitted Maidstone Church; and has just finished the very elegant new spire at Faversham.

June 16. By coach to Oxford, where I staid till Monday. At Lincoln College; on enquiring of the porter when the Chapel opened, I porter there, and he said 48 years. asked the man how long he had been Eight and forty years! then you must remember Mr. Parsonst; yes, that I do, Sir, and you too, now I look at you. At Baliol College. Sighed over On Sunday to St. Mary's Church; the the memory of Ridley and Latimer. sermon by Dr. Finch. He warm. clusion, and reprobated by name ed very much towards the conPriestley, Gibbon, and Plowden. Oximproved since I was in it in 1779. ford is a beautiful place, and much Two evenings were delightfully passed in the walks at Magdalen and Christ Church, the latter of which abounded with company, and the adjoining river swarmed with boats.

June 19. Left Oxford a little before nine to Faringdon; while the chaise was preparing, walked into the Church, in which there are some elegant monuments, and an organ in an odd situation, as it seems supported by two long beams, between the

* Bentham's History of Ely Cathedral. + Robert Parsons, of Lincoln College, M.A. 1782.

body

body of the Church and the Chancel. To Fairford; in this Church are 28 windows full of painted glass; it is in general very beautiful, but so much injured by time, though many of the colours are strong and brilliant, and the historical figures extremely expressive. To Cirencester; the place seems large and rich, and the appearance of the Gothic foundation of the steeple singular and grand. From this place the road for nine miles together was very remarkable, and evidently a Roman work. It was perfectly strait, very wide, and highly elevated this continued to a village called Birdlip, at the end of which, the driver dismounting, and seeming very busy about his wheels-is any thing the matter, friend, said I? what are you about? Chaining the wheels, Sir; for what? because we are going to descend an hill about two miles long. He remounted and went on; in a few minutes such a scene opened upon me! how shall I describe it? On the left, I look down upon and over an extensive valley, abounding in woods and in pastures; and on the right, look up to towerings and cliffs very near and very high. This domestic view continued nearly to the end of the hill, within about six miles of Gloucester, where I arrived about six o'clock, and drove to the King's Head. After tea walked to the Cathedral, and then to the Quay, where I was much disappointed. The Severn, of which I had heard and read so much, appeared here a mean river, with a small stream creeping between very steep banks; and the quay presented a dirty coal-dust scene, with a few stranded small vessels on the shores, and ordinary buildings about it. I learned afterwards that my disappointment arose from the time I was there. The case is very different at the seasons of the new or full moon; then the river soon fills its steep banks, and the tide rolls up with an unexpected swell, and a roaring noise, which may be heard at a considerable distance; and the quay is filled with ships that come up with the tide.

June 20. Walked before breakfast to see a noble building, which proved to be the county jail. After breakfast, to a pin-maker's, and was shewn the whole process of the work, from the first wire to the finishing the pin. At eleven to the Cathedral, and ex

amined it at leisure. It is a fine building; and, among the monuments, that of Mrs. Morley is particularly beautiful and affecting. After tea, as the rain abated, took the opportunity of walking through the principal streets, and round by the county. I cannot leave Gloucester without noticing the great civility of the lower sort of people, of which I met with many instances. "If you like en, take en, Sir," said a poor woman with a flower in her basket, which I admired: nor will I omit to note the inn where I slept; where the attendance was obliging and ready, while the bill was the cheapest and most reasonable I ever met with.

June 21. Left Gloucester a little before ten to Rodborough, intending to go by Tetbury and Malmesbury; but the mistress of the inn strongly recommended nie to go by Pettit France, and through the Duke of Beaufort's park at Badminton. I agreed, and went that road to Chippenham, and to Devizes for the night. Why the landlady pointed out this road, I do not understand, for Pettit France was nothing but a pitiful inn, the road to and through the park ordinary, the park nothing extraordinary, and the view of the Duke's house distant and contracted. But a prospect on this road was particularly pleasing; it was at the village of Nailsworth, where, on ascending a steep hill, a scene like fairy ground presented itself. Look down on the right hand observe a river gliding at the bottom, on the rising banks of which you see a delightful intermixture of numerous white buildings, among tall and thick trees; and at the summit a quantity of red and white flannels stretched on frames, which seem to serve as borderings to this enchanting picture. The slow motion of the carriage up the steep ascent, allows full leisure to contemplate the scene. Dined at Chippenham, which is large, neat, and elegant: reached Devizes at five; walked into two of the Church-yards in the evening, which are gravelled round, and shaded with lime trees: in the ramble, entered a workshop, and saw the whole process of making and dressing.

;

June 22. Left Devizes at nine for Salisbury. Soon came to the Plain, which though it is very long and has a great deal of sameness, was yet occasionally

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