I OBSERVE in your Minor Correspondence an inquiry, from a "Subscriber for Twenty Years," relative to the arms and name of De Bernay. The arms are not described, but the name, I may tell him, is historically known by a single bearer of it-Alexander de Bernay, born about the year 1150, in the town of Bernay in Normandy, now the " Département de l'Eure." He largely contributed to various poems, but particularly to the "Roman d'Alexandre," an imitation of Quin tus Curtius-but understood to be a translation of an old Latin Romance. "Liber Alexandri Magni de Præliis." The poem of Alexandre had been previously commenced by an unknown writer, who first used, it would appear, the heroic verse, called Alexandrine, from the subject of the work. An abridgment was published in the sixteenth century, and appeared at Paris and Lyons under the title of "Histoire du tres noble et tres vaillant roy Alexandre le Grant, jadis roy et seigneur de tout le monde," &c. Or, as in another old edition, Cy comence lhystoire du tres vaillant et noble preux et hardy roy Alexadre le grāt.' De Bernay (also called Alexandre de Paris) co-operated with an Englishman, Thomas de Kent, in another poem-"Li Roumans di Tote Chevalerie, ou la Geste d'Alexandre, par Thomas de Kent,"-of which men tion will be found in the Duc de la Vallière's manuscripts in the Royal Library, No. 2,702. Its origin is thus expressed. "D'un bon livre en latin fis cest translatement, Qui mun nom demande, Thomas ai nom de Kent." The language, says the late M. Roquefort, is the Norman French, even then, though used in our courts of royalty and law, much corrupted. * Our former correspondent furnished us with an impression of the arms on the book of prayers. As far as they can be ascertained, they are as follow: Quarterly of four 1. three dogs courant, two and one; 2. a lion passant guardant crowned; 3. a lion rampant; 4. defaced. On an inescutcheon, three bars, apparently fretty. The shield surmounted by a helmet, affrontée, with open bars, as usual abroad, but here confined to the sovereign; without any crest.-EDIT. At this moment the works of a modern poet, Camille Bernay, are passing through the Parisian press; but he is as yet little known. The "Roman Catholic Book of Prayers," found by your correspondent, is doubtless one of the Hora, which, shortly after the invention of printing, replaced the previous manuscripts, and, like them, were generally on vellum, with various decorationsarabesques, &c. arabesques, &c. so attractively described in Dr. Dibdin's Decameron, (Second Day.) The chief printers were Simon Vostre, who began about the year 1486, Antoine Verard, Thielman, Kerver, Hardouin, Eustace, &c. in Paris; and a few proceeded from the provincial presses. Missals, Breviaries, Preces Pie, with other devotional volumes, received similar embellishments; but no effort of the press has equalled some of the preceding elaborations of the pen and pencil, such as the celebrated Bedford Missal, which, a few years since, cost Sir John Tobin of Liverpool about 1,2007. (including charges,) and others. Yet even that beautiful specimen of industry and art is, I think, surpassed by a magnificent Missal in the possession of my neighbour, Ed. Roche, esq. of Trabolgan, the father of our county representative, Ed. Burke Roche, esq. It was obtained at Florence, by the late Colonel Roche, from a convent, during the French invasion in 1796. I have never seen any thing more splendid of the kind, though I carefully inspected the Bedford article. But I particularly advert to the exquisite paintings that adorn the work, less numerous, indeed, because the volume is of slenderer dimensions, than those which enrich its celebrated compeer. It is a small and rather thin folio. Many years, however, have passed since my old friend, Colonel Roche, shewed it to me for examination. He was a gentleman of taste and fortune; while the inmates of, or rather refugees from, the Florentine Monastery, were fortunate in finding such a purchaser for their property, possessed and cherished for ages, in place of its forcible transference, with the numerous other spoils of conquest, to Paris, by Bonaparte, at that period. Yours, &c. J. R. OXNEAD HALL, NORFOLK. It was in the year 1809 that I made I likewise inclose a sketch of the Fountain formerly at Oxnead, which had for more than half a century been half concealed among the rubbish in Blickling Park; it was lately restored, and placed in the flower-garden adjoining to Blickling Hall. the Ground-plan. The portion marked L was erected by the first Earl of Yarmouth to receive King Charles II. and his attendants, who visited Oxnead in 1676; it was a lofty building, with sash-windows, called the Banquettingroom. Underneath this was a vaulted apartment, which was called the Fris ketting room, probably from the Italian "frescati," a cool grotto. Wiliam Paston, the second Earl of Yarmouth, and last of his family, died in 1732, leaving his estates to be sold for the payment of his debts. They were purchased by the celebrated Lord Anson, (it is stated by Mr. Dawson Turner in his recent History of Caister,) after his return from his voyage round the world." This was in 1744. The greater part of this magnificent mansion was shortly after taken down. Oxnead Hall is now in the possession of Sir Edward Hardinge Stracey, Bart. It was for many years occupied by my late uncle, John Repton, esq. who died in 1809. The only remains of this formerly magnificent mansion are the offices at the east end, and the barn, with three noble stacks of chimnies; each stack contained four shafts, of which only the bases remain, but, from a single brick with a cross on the edge, which References to the Plan. A. The entrance through the stablecourt with the porter's lodges, and four recesses for benches at B. B. B. B. for the poor. C. C. the barns. D. The stables, with a horse-passage through the house, E. E. F. Kitchen and offices, &c. G. The great Hall, with a screen. (The remains of the screen are now in one of the stables.) H. The Chapel. I. Apartments. K. Dining-room, with a ball-room over. L. The Banquetting-room, built to receive King Charles II.; with a screw stair case. M. The upper terrace, with a statue of Cerberus, which was afterwards removed to Thorpe, near Norwich. was N. The lower terrace. O. The parterre-garden, which formerly ornamented with a fountain and several statues. (The fountain is now in the flower garden at Blickling, and the statues in the park.) P. and Q. Two oaks, still remaining. There were formerly three great avenues ; the principal one extended from the centre of the hall northward towards Skeyton, about half a mile in The second avenue began at length. the east end of the barns, and reached |