In Henry the Seventh's Chapel, when you lift up your eyes, you will find a great number of figures at length, in variety of habits, as prophets, kings, evangelists, apostles, patriarchs, fathers, saints, &c. at length. Turning up the seats of the stalls, you will find an admirable piece of workmanship, taken notice of by very few. The pavement in the high altar is not to be paralleled in Europe; it was made at the cost of William de Ward, alias Warrin, then Abbot of Westminster, afterwards Lord Treasurer of England (he being buried before the high altar). He brought with him from Rome certain workmen called lapidaries, and rich stones, as porphyry, lapis lazuli, jasper, &c. of which that excellent piece of workmanship was composed, with several Latin verses. See Weever's "Funeral Monuments," p. 232. He died A. D. 1283. That most ingenious gentleman, Mr. Talman, hath lately drawn and coloured it, in order to preserve it to posterity. He also made St. Edward the Confessor's shrine about the same time, in Mosaic work, the like rarely to be seen, though I have seen several pieces of serpentine stone taken up at the West end of St. Paul's, when they dug for the foundation, which were wrought into several forms for a pavement, though a great deal bigger, and was without doubt a part of a pavement to some chapel in ancient times, I mean since Christianity. I have seen several pieces, but all serpentine, and the pavement was in knotwork, as appears by the several forms, some half-round, oblong, triangular, &c. &c. About the year 1690 lived a Mr. John Conyers, a great antiquary, especially in those things that related to London. At the beginning of its re-building he made it his business to inquire of the labourers who dug foundations what they found, and gave them encouragement to save them for him, especially old money, many weapons, &c. In St. Paul's, at the West end, he had a great Roman utensil; also in Goodman's Fields; and a collection well stored with antiquities both in art and nature, and was one of the first in that way. He purchased whatever was out of course that came to his hands; and sometimes those that sold old iron, furnished him with a rarity not to be seen in an age. He had his circular walks about London, and visited the booksellers' shops, and collected many rare MSS. as well as printed books. He also inspected most of the gravel-pits near London, to please his curiosity with Nature's variety in the different sorts and shapes of stones. About the year 1689, in a gravel-pit not far from the sign of Sir John Oldcastle, he discovered the carcase of an elephant, and I saw part of it dug out, and what remained he bought of the workmen. This he was of opinion had not lain there ever since the flood, but since the Romans; for in the time of Claudius, as mentioned by the learned Selden on Drayton's Polyolbion, and near this place, a battle was fought between the Britons and Romans; for in the same pit he found the head of a British spear, not of metal, but fint, which is now, amongst other rarities, in the possession of the Rev. Dr. Charlett, master of University College in Oxford. Out of Mr. Conyers's collection have been raised some others of great value, being much improved in many respects. Of these Mr. Kemp's was the principal. It was the first that was publicly shewn in London. This collection was deposited near the Hay-market, and consisted, in brief, of the following articles: A vast variety of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman antiquities, both artificial and natural. His coins in gold, silver, and brass, were very valuable, not only for the number, but the scarceness of them, and his great judgment in distinguishing counterfeits from originals. He had several ancient Egyptian Gods in metal, divers sorts of stones and artificial earth, two ancient mummies in their wooden coffins, the heads of a man and woman carved on the outside of the coffins. You might discern the folds of the linen, their painted hieroglyphicks, and several of their seals some thousand years old. He had great variety of Grecian antiquities, as their gods, inscriptions on marble, and others. Several marble statues of the Roman Gods; others in brass, and thirty-four marble inscriptions, originals; rare marble urns, curiously carved; variety of others in glass and brass, enamelled, and in several sorts of earth, and divers shapes and fashions. In his presses were variety of instruments used by the ancients in their sacrifices and burials, as lamps, fibulæ in brass, seals and rings of divers fashions. And a good collection of books, particularly on chemistry and mineralogy; some Oriental MSS.; with the whole of Mr. Gaillard's collections, and part of Lord Cartwright's. The beginning of a century forms an epoch in the annals of Science and the Arts. The present has been fertile in improvements. We now verge towards its conclusion; and the acquisitions to the general stock of learning are no where more perceivable than in your useful Compilation. There, as in a graduated scale, we plainly discern the various degrees of refinement in human knowledge; and rise, as it were, to the perfection of the present period by the most pleasing ascent. May you continue your labours for the benefit of mankind, and, keeping pace with time, only end with the existence of matter! 1790, Oct. H. L. CXX. Curious Tenure at Chingford, Essex. MR. URBAN, Sandwich, April 19. IN turning over some old family papers of my grandfather Bunce's (many years ago rector of Chingford cum Pitsey, in Essex), I found the inclosed MS. If it contains any thing worth notice, make what use of it you please. To whom this was addressed I cannot say, but plainly to some person then compiling the history of that county. Yours, &c. W. BUNCE. SIR, Chingford, Nov..., 1721. "Being an absolute stranger to you, you must excuse me if I treat you not in character; but understanding that you are publishing a History of Essex, I think it my duty to transmit to you an account of somewhat extraordinary, and perhaps particular. There is in my parish of Chingford a farm, of about twenty pounds a year, for which every proprietor is to pay the rector homage once at his instance. Mr. Haddon, the present owner, shewed me proofs of it from Queen Elizabeth's time, inclusive, to my time, according to the subjoined form: which notice you would have had from me sooner, but that Mr. Alexander of the Commons undertook to transmit a copy of what I now send you. I am not certain whether it was last summer, or the summer be fore; but, not knowing whether he has done it or not, you will excuse my troubling you with this. I must be so just to Mr. Alexander, as to let you know, that when some warm people in the company objected against giving you any assistance, upon the score of your being a Dissenter, he handsomely maintained that that had no relation to history. "I have taken the freedom to entertain both the preceding and present Bishop of London with my private conjecture about the origin of such a custom; which is, that Henry VIII. might have taken that farm from the ancient glebe, and, giving it to his falconer or huntsman, might, by way of atonement, have put this feather in the church's cap; for Henry VIII. was not without a seat or two in this parish. The farm joins to a glebe grove, and the homage carries all the air of a falconer or huntsman. If you think fit upon this, or any other account, to write to me, please to direct to Mr. Haslewood, at Mr. Bendysh's, against Princes-street, in Bedford-row, London. I am, Sir, your humble servant, FRANCIS HASLEWOOD, Rector ibidem.” "Bee it remembered, that the three-and-twentieth day of October, in the yeare of our Lord 1659, came Samuell Haddon, and Mary his wyfe, Edmond Cotster, his manservant, and Martha Walle, his maide-servant, to the parsonage of Chingford, at the commaund of Thomas Wytham, Master of Artes, and rector of the said parsonage. The said Samuel Haddon did his homage there, and paid his reliefe in maner and forme as hereafter followeth, for one tenement at Chingford that is called Scottes Mayhewes, alias Brendwood, which was lately purchased of Daniell Thelwel, Esq. First, the said Samuell did blowe three blastes with a horne at the said parsonage, and afterward received of the said Thomas Wytham, a chicken for his hawke, a peck of oates for his horse, a loafe of bread for his greyhound, and afterward received his dinner for himselfe, and also his wyfe, his man, and his maide. The maner of his cominge to the said parsonage was on horseback, with his hawke on his fist, and his greyhound in his slippe. And after dinner blew three blastes with his horne at the said parsonage, and then paid twelve-pence of lawfull money of England for his reliefe, and so departed. All these seremoneyes were donne for the homage and reliefe of the said tenement at Chingford Hatch, called Scottes Mayhewes, alias Brendwood, as before hath beene accustomed to be donne time out of mind. "Witnesses to the performance of the seremoneyes aforesaid, 1790, Sep. "Ralphe Delle, "John Woodward," 1 CXXI. Expences of Fox-hunting in the Thirteenth Century. MR. URBAN, MANY gentlemen fox-hunters being doubtless readers of the Gentleman's Magazine, it will, I imagine, contribute to their amusement, to apprize them of the style and expence of their favourite diversion almost five hundred years ago; and the account of the Comptroller of the Wardrobe of King Edward I. anno Domini 1299 and 1300, will afford them much information. This account, with prefatory observations, and a glossary subjoined, was printed not long since at the charge of the Society of Antiquaries; and the four ingenious and learned members, who were desired to superintend the transcribing and publishing of this curious manuscript, executed their commission with fewer mistakes than could well have been expected in so difficult a task. A translation of the articles which relate to fox-hunting is inclosed; and, to accommodate the curious, the original Latin shall be subjoined. P. 308. Paid to William de Foxhunte, the King's huntsman of foxes in divers forests and parks, for his own wages, and the wages of his two boys to take care of the dogs, from Nov. 20th to the 19th of Nov. following, for 366 days, it being leap year, to each per day twopence Paid to the same, for the keep of twelve fox-dogs belonging to the King, for the same time, each dog per day, a halfpenny Paid to the same, the expence of a horse to carry the nets, from Nov. 20th to the last day of April, 163 days, three-pence per day £.9 3 0 £.9 3 0 £.2 0 9 *In the Observations, p. xlv. it is suggested that the allowance was a halfpenny for the keep of each for; and it is one of the very few errors that can be imputed to the respectable quartetto above-mentioned. They may have fallen into it from being in the habit of hunting a bag-fox; but it is apprehended that, in the year referred to, foxes were so numerous in England, that (in order to be sure of a chace) it was not requisite to use this precaution, or that of Sir Roger de Coverley, who owned to his confidential friends his having turned foxes about the country, that he might ignalize himself in their destruction. |