houfes, to be fupported and maintained by voluntary country affociations and contributions, were once properly inftituted, and to become general, many good confequences, and few bad ones, would refult from it. Of any yet untried scheme it might be rafh to fay more. The perfons moft liable and likely to become poor would again find themfelves, as was formerly the cafe, wifely fubjected to an happy train of depen dences and expectations, which would all tend to excite in them more exertion, and more care to avoid becoming burthenfome, and alfo thas bind them over, as it were, to a better behaviour. And, if poverty was thus prevented, crimes, and thofe numerous public executions, which are the reproach of our country, might and would alfo, at leaft in fome degree, be prevented. The rich too, releafed from a burthenfome tax, which is much aggravated by their being fenfible that it does little or no good, would then find a pleafure in being liberal and charitable. At any rate, fuch an experiment might perhaps make things a lit tle better, whilst it is hardly poffible they could be made worse.

Sarah Steer (a review of whofe life fuggefted thefe reflexions) was a ftriking inftance in favour of this fcheme of unenforced charity. In the day of her profperity he had behaved well, and, of courfe, when the evil days came upon her, the was not forfaken. Every body was happy in having an opportunity to be kind to old Mother Steer. From the

table of one gentleman in particular (who is of no ordinary rank in the Republic of Letters), he has, for feveral years, daily received a comfortable dinner and fupper; and, from others, fuch other kindnefles as the wanted, and they could afford; fo that he has often been heard to acknowledge, with heart-felt gratitude, that, amidst all the evils incident to extreme old age, he had never yet known what want was; fhe had always had fuch food and raiment as were convenient for her, and the was contented.

Let me not be deemed tire fomely prolix, if I yet add of this old woman, that, though in a low fphere of life, the could read, and, as long as her eyes lafted, the did read; and the read with judgement, for the read the Bible. Hence, the was, and always had been, a religious woman, and, becaule reli gious, therefore chearful and happy, even when poor, old, and blind, and

confined to her bed. It may seem a flight thing to add, that he was alfo loyal. Old age is naturally garrulous; mother Steer had a large collection of old ftories, which the often told with glee; and was fometimes not a little proud of what he had feen. Of all her fatisfactions in this way, the boast and pride of her life was, that many and many a time he had had the king (God bless bim!) in her arms. Of this fentiment, all that needs be faid is, that 1 do not envy the man who does not honour her for it. The father of our prefent gracious king (of whom I too, moft heartily, fay, with mother Steer, God bless him), long ago, lived for fome time at Epfom; and mother Steer and her husband, who was a carpenter, were employed in their household.

Mr. URBAN,

TH

J. B.

Jan. 8. HE petulant corrections of your correfpondent R. S. (vol. LXII. p. 1088), would, from me, as far as concerns myfelf, rather have met with pity than any other notice. But an attack, in its nature public, calls for a public defence; and I yield to a public duty that, to which the perfon who charges me with ignorance can, on his own account, have no pretenfions.

It is probable the perfon who has undertaken the Hiftory of Derbyshire was not ignorant that fome of Bp. Tanner's MSS were lodged in the Bodleian library; but, having had opportunities

of

examining the MS Collections of perfons whofe abilities, induftry, and diligence, as Antiquarics, do not yield the palm to thofe of Bp. Tanner, highly as the Bishop's literary reputation is venerated; and knowing that the Col lections of fome fuch Antiquaries, afferted in publications of good credit to be in the hands of particular perfons, are diftributed amongst perfons by whom they are not publicly known to be poffelfed; I conceive it cannot justly be charged as a proof of ignorance in the enquirer, that, in his anxiety to lay hold on every poffible clue to information, he should enquire for the manufcripts of Bishop Tanner.

Will R. S. affert, that Bishop Tanner had no MS Collections, from which the Notitia Monaftica was compiled, other than fuch as are now lodged in the Bodleian library?

That R. S. always thought, with the British Topographer, Bp. Tanner's MS Collections were in the Bodleian library

at

at Oxford, would convince fome people he did not think much when he wrote; for. I thould hazard a laugh from your readers at my own expence, Mr. Urban, were I to tell them I thought twelve months ago it rained in Derbyshire laft night.

Those who are anxious to fee an Hif tory of Derbyshire would have no great caufe of concern on that account, had Bp. Tanner's Collections never been made, or if they did not now exist. It is not my defign to cite the authority of any printed book, where the evidences from which it appears to be compiled are acceffible; and in the diftricts of Derbyshire, which are to be included in that part of the Hiftory of the County of Derby for which i am pledged to the publick, there are no material proofs in Bp. Tanner that I fhould not have examined as matters of course.

I do not defign to truft to any perfon's extracts from records; though, before I undertook the Hiftory of Derbyshire, I had a collection of fuch extracis, of no inferior kind, taken by perfons well killed in records, and of good local knowledge; the latter a circumftance very effential to the undertanding of antient evidences. It has not been the fortune of Derbyshire to be much spoken of in literary publications by perfons poffeffed of local knowledge. In the topographical works extendiag to the whole kingdom, there is no county that bas received a more feanty pittance of attention.

R. S. feems defirous to establish a new kind of Review; to which the greated severity of all Reviewers who have preceded him would, by comparifon, be merciful. His Review is of things unfeen; and is like the fecondfight of the people of Scotland, which precedes the first. To condemn, either direally or indirectly, that of which we have no knowledge, cannot be called ignorance. Let him, who has been guilty of fuch condemnation, in his candour give it a name; and permit me to indulge myfelf in the hope that he will hereafter "moft candidly," and in his "moft fincere compaffion," correct the embryo county hiftorians, not in his anger, left he bring them to nothing,

the Elder is conftantly reprefented in the habit, and with the diftinguishing marks, "the cockle-hat and staff,” of a pilgrim.

The reafon, why pilgrims themselves wore a cockle-fhell on their hats, probably was to denote their coming from, or their intent of travelling to, places beyond the fea; the very name pilgrim, from pellegrino, denoting a traveller from diftant countries.

The dreffes and characteristic attributes of faints have a reference to fome particular action of their lives, er to the manner of their deaths; therefore, I am led to fuppofe that, as this Apoftle is faid to have travelled from Jerufalem into Spain, it may have been imagined that he performed this journey on foot, after the manner of pilgrims, and therefore is reprefented in their habit.

Another reafon may be fuggested; which is, the great resort of pilgrims to Compoftella, the fuppofed burial-place of St. James; but this feems to be no fufficient caule why the faint should be reprefented in the habit of those who vifited his fhrine.

Ribadeneira being the only book on this fubje&t which I have been able to confult, in which I have found nothing fausfactory, I shall be much obliged if fome of your numerous and intelligent correfpondents will favour me with their opinion. C. S.

I

SENT you in 1787, p. 789, a paper refpecting our antiquities at Clare, and then mentioned my intention of continuing the subject, which I have neglected doing, having no authentic documents refpecting the building of our parish-church, which is a beautiful structure, and without fome account of which any antiquarian history of this place mutt be imperfect; and my friend Mr. Walford having taken much pains to collect notices of this place, I communicated fuch as I poffeffed to him. But, as an amende for not keeping my promife, I have fent you a fmall antiquarian fupply for the Gentleman's Magazine.

1. An exact fac fimile of a gold coin (plate III. fig. 2.), the weight of it 101 grains; it was dug up in the year 1787, in a field called Mill-field, in the parish of Haverhill, in this county, about half a mile North-Eaft of the middle of the principal fireet; about fifty were found together loofe, but icemed to have been wrapped

that learned and excellent book, intituled, Sacrofanéta Regum Majeftas, vou attribute it to the late Archbishop of Armagh, as the author thereof; the two letters J. A. fubfcribed to its dedication, having been by many judgd to fignifye Jacobus Armachanus. The book, I affure you, was written in Oxford, and there firft printed in the time of the late Ufurpation; I was there all that time, and knew it full well, and that a moft learned man of the Scottish nation was author of it. His name was Maxwell, he had been Bishop of Roffe in Scoland,' but then was Bp. of Killalla in Ireland, in Latine Epifcopus Alladenfis, for fo it is called in thofe learned difquifitions written by Sir James & Hibernia et Antiquitatibus ejus, p. 76, fo that J A. ftands for Jebanner Alladenfis. He was a perfon much of your ftature, but

fomewhat more fquare, and wore a very large beard, of a browne colour and broad. Be confident that this man was the author of it, for there are many yet living who know it as well as myself.

"It is no new thing to fee how current a vulgar report, though erroneous, paffeth in the world; as was that of Humphrey Duke ef Gloucefter, who was commonly fayd to be buryed in St. Paul's Cathedrall in Londen, in the South ifle of the body of that churche, the tombe of Sir John Beauchampe (younger fon to the Earl of Warwick) being taken for his tombe, though he lieth buried in the abby church of St. Alban's, as appeareth by his monument yet remayning there.

"Likewife that excellent picture in the Privy Gallery at Whitehall neare the chimBey; it is com'only taken for K. Henry VII riding in ftate into Builloine (his going thither being in the 36th yeare of his reigne) whereas in truth it is his riding into Ghines, in the 12th year of his reigne, in order to his interview with Frances the firit K. of France, who was then at Ardes; and the interview in the middle way betwixt these two places. "From an erroneous conceipt of fome antient lawyers, I fuppofe, therefore, it is, that many of that profeflion do hold that William Duke of Normandy made no conqueft here (though he flew K. Harold in battle) as Mr. Petty and thofe of his pack would have it, for I finde that Sir Edward Littleton, the Solicitor, in his argument against Mr. Hampden in that cate of the skip-. money pofitively affirms as much *, and fo doth Mr. Hollerne (a learned lawyer, afterwards alfo the late King's Solicitor) in his argument for the fame perfon exprefsly, the like doth the Lord Chief Baron Davenport in his argument †.

"Sir, finding the cole-fmoake ayre of London fo deftructive to my health in winter

* Annals, K. James and K. Charles I. printed A 1681, p. 521. ↑ Ibid. p. 598.

(I being entered upon the 80th yeare of my age) I refolve to keep here this winter; if it lie in my power to serve you in any thing, if you direct a letter to me at the Herauldsoffice in London, my fon being there will fcon convey it to me.

"So heartily wishing you good health, hoping to fee your next volume out this terme now at hand, I reft your most affestionate friend, and very humble fervant,

"WILLIAM DUGDALE.

Mr. URBAN,

Blytheball, near Colefbill, Warwickshire." Yours, &c. THOMAS RUGGLES. Jan. 17. STRONGLY fufpect the genuinenes of the original letters to Queen Elizabeth, LXII. 1071. There is a copy of the fecond in Hakluyt's Principal Voyages and Discoveries of the English Nation, printed in 1589, which, the au thor living at the time, I doubt not is a true one. To tranfcribe the whole letter would encroach too much on the plan of your Mifcellany; therefore I hall give only the first paragraph, and two laft lines, you having inferted no more. Hakluyt thus prefixes:

"The letters font from the Imperiall Mufulmanlike Highneffe of Zuldar Murad Chan, to the Sacred Roga!! Masloftie of Elizabeth, Queene of England, the afteenth of March, 1579.

in greatneffe and glorie most renowned Elizabeth, meft fiered Queene, and noble prince of the noft mightie worthippers of Jefus, moft wife gouernor of the causes and attires of the people and familie of Nazareth, the cloud of most pleasant raines and fweetest fountaine of noblereffe and vertus, ladie and heire of the perpetual happinetle and glorie of the noble reaime of England (whom all fortes fecke unto and fubmit themselves) we with mort profperous fuc cefle and happie ends to all your actions, and we offer unto you fuch pleafures and curtefies as are worthy of our mutuall and eterall familiaritie: thus ending (as beft befeemeth us) our former falutations.

"Given at our citie of Conftantinople the fifteenth day of March, and in the yeare of our most holy prophet Mahomet † 937." EVERARD.