[]A TOUR Through the ISLAND of GREAT BRITAIN.

LETTER I. A DESCRIPTION of Part of the County of ESSEX, and of the County of SUF⯑FOLK, &c.

I SET out from London on my firſt Journey, Eaſtward; and took a Cir⯑cuit down by the Coaſt of the Thames thro' the Marſhes or Hundreds, on the South ſide of the County of Eſſex, to Malden, Colcheſter, and Harwich, thence continuing on the Coaſt of Suffolk to Yar⯑mouth; thence round by the Edge of the Sea, on the North and Weſt-ſide of Norfolk, to Lynn, Wiſbich, and the Waſh; thence back again on the [2] North-ſide of Suffolk; thence into the County of Cambridge; and ſo to the Weſt-part of Eſſex, end⯑ing it in Middleſex, near the Place where I began: reſerving the Middle or Centre of the ſeveral Coun⯑ties to ſome little Excurſions, which I made by themſelves.

Paſſing Bow-Bridge, where the County of Eſſex begins, I came firſt to the Village of Stratford, which is greatly increaſed of late Years in Houſes and Inhabitants, every Vacancy being filled up, in a manner, with the Addition of two little new-built Hamlets, as they may be called, on the Foreſt-ſide of the Town; namely, Maryland-Point, and the Gravel-Pits, one facing the Road to Woodford and Epping, and the other that to Ilford. As for the Hither-part, it is almoſt joined to Bow, in ſpite of Rivers, Canals, Marſhy-grounds, &c.

The ſame Increaſe of Buildings may be ſeen proportionally in the other Villages adjacent, eſpe⯑cially on the Foreſt-ſide; as at Low-Layton, Lay⯑ton-ſtone, Walthamſtow, Woodford, Wanſted, and the Towns of Weſt-Ham, Plaiſtow, Upton, &c. and this, generally ſpeaking, of handſome large Houſes, from 20l. to 50l. a Year; being chiefly the Habitations of the richeſt Citizens, ſuch as are able to keep a Country, as well as a Town Houſe, or ſuch as have left off Trade altogether. This is ſo apparent, that they tell me, there are no leſs than Two hundred Coaches kept by the Inhabitants within the Circumference of the few Villages named above, beſides ſuch as are kept by accidental Lodgers: the Cauſe of which I ſhall inlarge upon, when I come to ſpeak of the like in the Counties of Middleſex, Surrey, &c. where there will be ſtill more Occaſion to take notice of it.

There have been diſcerned within theſe few Years, in the Bottom of Hackney-Marſh, between Old-ford and the Wyck, the Remains of a great Stone Cauſe⯑way, [3] which is ſuppoſed to have been the High⯑way, or great Road, from London to Eſſex, inſtead of that which now leads over the Bridge between Bow and Stratford.

That the great Road lay this Way, and that the great Cauſeway continu'd juſt over the River, where now the Temple-Mills ſtand, and paſſed by Sir Henry Hickes's Houſe at Ruckholls, is not at all doubted; and that it was one of thoſe famous Highways made by the Romans, there is undeniable Proof, by the ſeveral Marks of Roman Work, and by Roman Coins, and other Antiquities found there, ſome of which were collected by the late Reverend Mr. Strype, Vicar of Low-Layton.

From hence the great Road paſſed up to Layton⯑ſtone, a Place by ſome known now as much by the Sign of the Green-Man, formerly a Lodge upon the Edge of the Foreſt; and croſſing by Wanſted-houſe, the noble Seat of Earl Tilney, (of which hereafter) went over the ſame River, which we now croſs at Ilford; and paſſing that Part of the great Foreſt, called Henault-Foreſt, came into the pre⯑ſent great Road, a little on this ſide the Whalebone, a Place ſo called becauſe a Rib-bone of a large Whale, taken in the River of Thames the Year that Oliver Cromwell died, 1658. was fixed there.

According to my firſt Intention, of effectually viewing the Sea-coaſts of Eſſex, Suffolk, and Norfolk, I went from Stratford to Barking, a large Market-town, but chiefly inhabited by Fiſhermen, whoſe Smacks ride in the Thames, at the Mouth of Bark⯑ing Creek; from whence their Fiſh are ſent up to London, to the Market at Billingſgate, in ſmall Boats.

Theſe Fiſhing-Smacks are very uſeful Veſſels to the Publick upon many Occaſions; as particularly in time of War they are uſed as Preſs-ſmacks, run⯑ning to all the Northern and Weſtern Coaſts to pick [4] up Seamen to man the Navy, when any Expedition is at hand, that requires a ſudden Equipment. At other times, being excellent Sailors, they are Ten⯑ders to particular Men of War; and on an Expe⯑dition, they have been made uſe of as Machines, for the blowing up fortified Ports; as formerly at St. Malo, and other Places.

The Pariſh of Barking is very large; and by the Improvement of Lands recovered out of the Thames, and out of the River which runs by the Town, the great and ſmall Tithes, as the Townſmen aſſured me, are worth above 600l. per Annum. This Pariſh has two Chapels of Eaſe, viz. one at Ilford, and one on the ſide of the Foreſt, called New-chapel.

A little beyond the Town, on the Road to Da⯑genham, ſtood a great old Houſe, where, Tradition ſays, the Gunpowder-Treaſon was contrived, and where all the firſt Conſultations about it were held.

This Side of the County is rather rich from the Nature of its Land, than from the Number of its Inhabitants, which is occaſioned by the Unhealthi⯑neſs of the Air; for theſe low Marſh Grounds, which, with all the South-ſide of the County, have been gained, as it were, out of the River Thames, and the Sea, where the River is wide enough to be called ſo, begin here, or rather at Weſt-Ham, by Stratford, and extend themſelves from hence Eaſt⯑ward; growing wider, till we come beyond Til⯑bury, when the flat Country lies ſix, ſeven, or eight Miles in Breadth, and is both unhealthy and un⯑pleaſant.

However, it is very good Farming in the Marſhes, becauſe the Landlords let good Peny-worths, tho' the Land is rich; for it being a Place where every body cannot live, thoſe that venture it, will have Encouragement; and it is but reaſonable they ſhould.

[5]In paſſing from Barking to Dagenham, we ſaw the Place where was the famous Breach, that laid near 5000 Acres of Land under Water; but which, after near ten Years Inundation, and the Works being ſeveral times blown up, was at laſt effectually ſtopped by Captain Perry, who for ſeveral Years had been employed in the Czar of Muſcovy's Works, at Veronitza, on the River Don.

Great Part of the Lands in theſe Levels, eſpecially thoſe on this ſide Eaſt-Tilbury, are held by the Farmers, Cow-keepers, and Graſing-butchers, who live in and near London, who generally ſtock them with Lincolnſhire and Leiceſterſhire Wethers, (which they buy in Smithfield, in September and October, when the Graſiers ſell off their Stocks) and feed here till Chriſtmas or Candlemas; and tho' they are not made much the fatter here, than when bought in, yet very good Advantage accrues by the Differ⯑ence of the Price of Mutton between Michaelmas, when cheapeſt, and Candlemas, when deareſt; and this is what the Butchers call, by way of Excellence, right Marſh Mutton.

At the End of theſe Marſhes, cloſe to the Edge of the River, ſtands Tilbury-fort, which may juſtly be looked upon as the Key of the City of London: It is a regular Fortification, the Deſign of it was a a Pentagon, but the Water-baſtion, as it would have been called, was never built; the Plan was laid out by Sir Martin Beckman, chief Engineer to King Charles II. who alſo deſigned the Works at Sheerneſs. The Eſplanade of the Fort is very large, and the Baſtions the largeſt of any in England. The Foundation is laid upon Piles driven down two an end of one another, ſo far, till they were aſſured they were below the Chanel of the River, and that the Piles, which were pointed with Iron, entered into the ſolid Chalk-rock adjoining to the Chalk-hills on the other ſide.

[6]The Works to the Land-ſide are complete; the Baſtions are faced with Brick. There is a double Ditch, or Moat, the innermoſt of which is 180 Feet broad; a good Counterſcarp, and a Covered Way marked out, with Ravelins and Tenailles; but they have not been completed.

On the Land-ſide there are alſo two ſmall Re⯑doubts of Brick, but the chief Strength of this Fort on the Land-ſide conſiſts in being able to lay the whole Level under Water, and ſo to make it im⯑poſſible for an Enemy to carry on Approaches that way.

On the Side next the River, is a very ſtrong Cur⯑tain, with a noble Gate called the Water-gate in the Middle, and the Ditch is paliſado'd. At the Place where the Water-baſtion was deſigned to be built, and which by the Plan ſhould run wholly out into the River, ſo to flank the two Curtains, on each ſide, ſtands a high Tower, which they tell us was built in Queen Elizabeth's Time, and was called the Block-houſe; the Side next the Water is vacant.

Before this Curtain, above and below the ſaid Va⯑cancy, is a Platform in the place of a Counterſcarp, on which are planted 106 Cannon, generally carry⯑ing from 24 to 46 Pound Ball; a Battery ſo terrible, as well imports the Conſequence of that Place: be⯑ſides which, there are ſmaller Pieces planted between, and the Baſtions and Curtain alſo are planted with Guns; ſo that they muſt be bold Fellows who will venture in the biggeſt Ships to paſs ſuch a Battery, if the Men appointed to ſerve the Guns, do their Duty, as becomes them.

From hence there is nothing for many Miles together remarkable, but a continued Level of un⯑healthy Marſhes, called The three Hundreds, till we come before Leigh, and to the Mouth of the Rivers Chelmer and Black-water, ſaving that the Towns of Horndon, Rayley and Rochford, lie near [7] the Sea-coaſt, extending in the order I have named; but are of no Note. The above Rivers, united, make a large Firth, or Inlet of the Sea, which our Fiſhermen and Seamen, who uſe it as a Port, call Malden-water.

In this Inlet is Oſey or Oſyth Iſland, ſo well known by our London Men of Pleaſure, for producing ſuch vaſt Numbers of Wild-Ducks, Mallards, Teals and Wigeons, that the Iſland ſeems covered with them, at certain Times of the Year, and they go from Lon⯑don for the Pleaſure of Shooting; and often come home very well loaden with Game; and ſometimes too with an Eſſex Ague on their Backs, which they find a heavier Load than the Fowls they have ſhot.

On the Shore, beginning a little below Candy Iſland, or Leigh Road, lies a great Shoal or Sand, called the Black Tayl, which runs out near three Leagues into the Sea due Eaſt; at the End of it ſtands a Pole or Maſt, ſet up by the Trinity-houſe of London, as a Sea-mark: this is called Shoe-beacon, from the Point of Land, where this Sand begins, which is called Shoeberry-neſs, from a Town of that Name, which ſtands by it. From this Sand, and on the Edge of Shoeberry, before it, or South-weſt of it, all along, to the Mouth of Colcheſter-water, the Shore is full of Shoals and Sands, with ſome deep Chanels between; all which are ſo full of Fiſh, that the Barking Smacks are well employed here, and the Shore ſwarms, beſides, with ſmall Fiſher-boats, belonging to the Villages and Towns on the Coaſt, which come in every Tide with what they take: and ſelling the ſmaller Fiſh in the Country, ſend the beſt and largeſt upon Horſes, which travel Night and Day to London Market.

On this Shore alſo are taken the beſt and moſt reliſhing, tho' not the largeſt, Oyſters in England: The Spot from whence they have their Appellation is a little Bank called Woelfleet, in the Mouth of the [8] River Crouch, called Crookſea-water; but the chief Place where theſe Oyſters are now had, is from Wyvenhoe, and the Shores adjacent, whither they are brought by the Fiſhermen, who take them at the Mouth of Colcheſter-water, and about the Sand they call the Spits, and carry them up to Wyvenhoe, where they are laid in Beds or Pits on the Shore to feed, as they call it; and then being barrelled up, and carried to Colcheſter, which is but three Miles off, they are ſent to London by Land, and are from thence called Colcheſter Oyſters.

They take alſo here fine Soals, which generally yield a good Price at London Market: alſo ſome⯑times middling Turbut, with Whitings, Codling, and large Flounders.

In the ſeveral Creeks and Openings, on this Shore, are alſo other Iſlands, but of no great Note, except Merſey, which lies between the two Openings of Malden-water and Colcheſter-water; and is a Place of ſuch difficult Acceſs, that 'tis thought a thouſand Men might keep Poſſeſſion of it againſt a great Force, whether by Land or Sea. On this account, and becauſe if poſſeſſed by an Enemy, it would ſhut up all the Navigation and Fiſhery on that Side, a Fort was built on the South-eaſt Point of it; and gene⯑rally, in a Dutch War, a ſtrong Gariſon is kept there to defend it.

At this Place may be ſaid to end, what we call the Three Hundreds of Eſſex, which include the marſhy Country, viz. Barſtable Hundred, Rocheſter Hundred, and Dengy Hundred.

One thing deſerves mention here; which is, That all along this County it is very frequent to meet with Men that have had from Five or Six, to Fourteen or Fifteen Wives; and I was informed, that in the Marſhes, over-againſt Candy Iſland, was a Farmer, who was then living with the five-and-twentieth; and that his Son, who was but Thirty-five [9] Years old, had already had about Fourteen. In⯑deed, this Part of the Story I only had by Report, tho' from good Hands: but the other is well known, and will be atteſted, about Fobbing, Curringham, Thunderſly, Benfleet, Prittlewell, Wakering, Great Stambridge, Crickſea, Burnham, Dengy, and other Towns of the like Situation: the Reaſon, as a merry Fellow told me, who ſaid he had had about a Dozen, was this, That they being bred in the Marſhes themſelves, and ſeaſoned to the Place, did pretty well; but that they generally choſe to leave their own Laſſes to their Neighbours out of the Marſhes, and went into the Uplands for a Wife: That when they took the young Women out of the wholſome freſh Air, they were clear and healthy; but when they came into the Marſhes among the Fogs and Damps, they preſently changed Complexion, got an Ague or two, and ſeldom held it above half a Year, or a Year at moſt: And then, ſaid he, we go to the Uplands again, and fetch another. So that marrying of Wives was reckoned a kind of good Farm to them. Nor do the Men in theſe Parts hold it out, as in other Countries; for we ſeldom meet with very ancient People among the Poor; inſomuch, that hardly one half of the In⯑habitants are Natives of the Place; but ſuch as come from other Parts for the Advantage of good Farms.

From the Marſhes and low Grounds, being not able to travel without many Windings and Inden⯑tures, by reaſon of the Creeks and Waters, I came up to the antient Town of Malden, ſituate at the Conflux of two principal Rivers, the Chelmer and the Black-water, where they enter into the Sea. It is built in the Form of a Croſs, is a Liberty in itſelf, and has a convenient Haven for Ships; it conſiſts of one Street near a Mile long, beſides Lanes, &c. It is governed by Two Bailiffs, Aldermen, Steward, Re⯑corder, &c. Here is a good publick Library, for [10] the Uſe of the Miniſter and the Clergy of the Hun⯑dreds adjoining to the Sea, and any Gentleman may borrow a Book, upon depoſiting the Value of it.

The Chanel called Malden-water is navigable to the Town; where, by that means, is a great Trade for carrying Corn by Water to London; the Coun⯑ty of Eſſex being (eſpecially on that Side) a great Corn Country. King Edward the Elder reſided here whilſt he built the Town and Caſtle of Witham in this County, and alſo Hertford Caſtle.

Malden was a Roman Colony, which Camden diffidently conjectures to be the antient Camalodunum. But Mr. Salmon will have it to be the Villa Fauſtini, which has been ſo long attributed to St. Edmund's-bury: but however that be, it was here the Bri⯑tons, under the valiant Queen Boadicea, cut in Pieces the tenth Legion, killed above 80,000 Ro⯑mans, and deſtroyed the Colony; but ſhe was after⯑wards overthrown herſelf in a great Battle, 60,000 Britons ſlain, and herſelf and Daughters moſt in⯑humanly treated and diſgraced, by thoſe great Re⯑formers of the World, who, in her Caſe, forgot not only the Honour due to the Sex, but that which the truly Brave ſhew to the Brave in Misfortune.

Being obliged to come thus far into the Uplands, I made it my Road to paſs thro' Witham, built, as I mentioned, by Edward the Elder. 'Tis a pleaſant, well-ſituated Market-town, in which, and in its Neighbourhood, are many Gentlemen of good For⯑tunes and Families.

Nearer Chelmsford, hard by Boreham, is the fa⯑mous Seat of Beaulieu, in which King Henry VIII. very much delighted. It is the largeſt Edifice in the County next Audley-end, where lived the late Lord Viſcount Barrington, who had the Advantage to be twice made Heir to the Eſtates of Gentlemen not at all related to him, at leaſt one of them, as is mentioned in his Patent of Creation. He changed [11] the Name of Shute for that of Barrington, by an Act of Parliament, and had the Dignities of a Baron and Viſcount of Ireland conferred on him by K. Geo. I.

The Product of all this Part of the Country is Corn, as that of the marſhy feeding Grounds is Graſs, where their chief Buſineſs is breeding of Calves, which I need not ſay are the beſt and fatteſt, and the largeſt Veal in England, if not in the World.

Kelvedon, or, as it is commonly called, Keldon, lies within three Miles of Witham; which, as it is ſaid, derives its Name from Kill-Dane, the Maſſacre of the Danes being begun here by the Women; but as neither Mr. Camden nor any Author of Credit mentions it, I think the Story is not to be heeded.

Colcheſter, the Iciani of the Romans, according to Mr. Salmon, is pleaſantly ſituated upon an Emi⯑nence above the River Coln. It is a large and populous Town, adorned with handſome Streets, and, tho' it cannot be ſaid to be finely built, yet there are abundance of good Houſes in it. In the Concluſion of the late Civil War it ſuffered a ſevere Siege; which, as it made a reſolute Defence, was turned into a Blockade, wherein the Gariſon, and Inhabitants alſo, ſuffered the utmoſt Extremity of Hunger, and were at laſt obliged to ſurrender at Diſcretion; when their two chief Officers, Sir Charles Lucas, and Sir George Liſle, were ſhot to Death under the Caſtle-wall.

The battered Walls, the Breaches in the Turrets, and the ruined Churches, ſtill ſhew Marks of this Siege, except that the Church of St. Mary (where they had the Royal Fort) is rebuilt; but the Steeple, which was Two-thirds battered down, (the Beſieged having a large Culverin upon it, which did much Execution) remains ſtill in that Condition.

The Lines of Contravallation, which ſurrounded the whole Town, and the Forts of the Beſiegers, remain very viſible in many Places.

[12]The River Coln, which paſſes through the Town, encompaſſes it on the North and Eaſt; and ſerved, in Times of War, for a complete Defence on thoſe Sides. There are three Bridges over it, and it is navigable within three Miles of the Town, for Ships of large Burden; a little lower it may receive even a Royal Navy: and up to that Part called the Hithe, cloſe to the Houſes, it is navigable for Hoys and ſmall Barks; for which it is indebted to three Acts of Parliament paſſed for that purpoſe, one in the Reign of King William III. one in that of King George I. and the other in that of King George II.

This Hithe is a long Street, paſſing from Weſt to Eaſt, on the South-ſide of the Town, and is ſo po⯑pulous towards the River, that it may be called, The Wapping of Colcheſter. There is one Church in that Part of the Town, a large Quay by the River, and a good Cuſtom-houſe.

The Town chiefly ſubſiſts by the Trade of making Bays, tho' indeed all the Towns around carry on the ſame Trade; as Kelvedon, Witham, Coggſhall, Brain⯑tree, Bocking, &c. and the whole County, large as it is, may be ſaid to be employed, and in Part maintained, by the Spinning of Wool, for the Bay-Trade of Colcheſter, and its adjacent Towns.

The Town of Colcheſter has been ſuppoſed to con⯑tain about 40,000 People, including the Out-vil⯑lages within its Liberty, of which there are a great many, the Liberty of the Town being of a large Extent. The Government is by a Mayor, High-Steward, a Recorder or his Deputy, Eleven Alder⯑men, a Chamberlain, a Town-clerk, Aſſiſtants, and Eighteen Common-council-men.

There are in Colcheſter Eight Churches, beſides thoſe which are damaged, and Five Meeting-houſes, whereof two for Quakers; beſides one Dutch, and one French Church. Its other publick Edifices are,

[13]1. Bay-hall, where the Goodneſs of the Manufacture of Bays made in this Town is aſcertained by a Corpo⯑ration eſtabliſhed for this Purpoſe, conſiſting of a Set of Men, called Governors of the Dutch Bay-hall.

2. The Guild-hall of the Town, called by them the Moot-hall; contiguous to which is the Town-gaol.

3. The Work-houſe for the Poor, which has been inlarged of late Years.

4. A Grammar Free-ſchool; which has good Al⯑lowance to the Maſter, who is choſen by the Town.

5. The Caſtle of Colcheſter is a Monument of the Antiquity of the Place, it being built, as the Walls of the Town alſo are, with Roman Bricks; and the Roman Coins dug up here, and ploughed up in the Fields adjoining, confirm it. The Inhabitants boaſt much, that Helena, the Mother of Conſtantine the Great, firſt Chriſtian Emperor of the Romans, was born there: but it would be hard to make it out; and indeed, were it our Buſineſs, we could produce ſtrong Proofs to the contrary. Mr. Camden ſays, That this Caſtle was, in his Time, ready to fall with Age; and yet it has ſtood above 120 Years ſince, and perhaps is not much worſe than it was then, altho' it received ſeveral Cannon Shot in the laſt Siege of the Town, which made no Impreſſion upon it, as the Beſiegers found, and therefore left off firing againſt it, and the rather, as the Gariſon made no great Uſe of it againſt them. The Queen's Head in the Market-place, and the Stable, are alſo Roman Buildings. There was likewiſe a Roman Military Way from Colcheſter, by Braintree, Dun⯑mow, and farther that Way.

There are two CHARITY-SCHOOLS ſet up here, and carried on by a generous Subſcription, with very good Succeſs.

From Colcheſter I took a Turn down to the Coaſt. The Land running out a great way into the Sea, South, and South-eaſt, makes that Pro⯑montory [14] of Land, called the Naſe, well-known to Seamen who uſe the Northern Trade. Here one ſees a Sea open as an Ocean, without any oppoſite Shore, tho' it be no more than the Mouth of the Thames. This Point, called the Naſe, and the North-eaſt Point of Kent, near Margate, called the North-Foreland, make the Mouth of the River, and the Port of London, tho' it be here above 60 Miles over.

But as it is pretended by ſome, that according to the preſent Uſage of the Cuſtom-houſe, the Port of London is not allowed to extend ſo far; 'tis thought proper to inſert the Clauſe taken from the Act of Parliament, eſtabliſhing the Extent of that Port.

‘"To prevent all future Differences and Diſputes, touching the Extent and Limits of the Port of London, the ſaid Port is declared to extend, and be accounted from the Promontory, or Point, called the North-Foreland, in the Iſle of Thanet, and from thence Northward, in a right Line, to the Point called the NASE, beyond the Gunfleet, upon the Coaſt of Eſſex; and ſo continued Weſt⯑ward throughout the River Thames, and the ſeve⯑ral Chanels, Streams and Rivers falling into it, to London-bridge; ſaving the uſual and known Rights, Liberties and Privileges of the Ports of Sandwich and Ipſwich, and either of them, and the known Members thereof, and of the Cuſtom⯑ers, Comptrollers, Searchers, and their Deputies, of and within the ſaid Ports of Sandwich, and Ipſwich, and the ſeveral Creeks, Harbours and Havens, to them, or either of them, reſpectively belonging, within the Counties of Kent and Eſſex."’

Notwithſtanding which, the Port of London, as in Uſe ſince the ſaid Order, is underſtood to reach no farther than Graveſend in Kent, and Tilbury-point [15] in Eſſex; and the Ports of Rocheſter, Milton, and Feverſham, belong to the Port of Sandwich.

In like manner the Ports of Harwich, Colcheſter, Wyvenhoe, Malden, Leigh, &c. are ſaid to be Mem⯑bers of the Port of Ipſwich.

This Obſervation may ſuffice for what is needful to be ſaid upon the ſame Subject, when I come to ſpeak of the Port of Sandwich, and its Members, and their Privileges with reſpect to Rocheſter, Milton, Feverſham, &c. in my Circuit thro' the County of Kent.

At Walton, under the Naſe, they find on the Shore Copperas-ſtones in great Quantities; and there are ſeveral large Works called Copperas-houſes, where 'tis made with great Expence.

On the North-Foreland is a new Mark, erected by the Trinity-houſe Men, at the publick Expence, being a round Brick Tower, near 80 Feet high. The Sea gains ſo much upon the Land here, by the continual Winds at South-weſt, that within the Memory of ſome of the Inhabitants, above 30 Acres of Land have been loſt in one Place.

From hence we go back into the County about four Miles, becauſe of the Creeks which lie between; and turning Eaſt again, come to Harwich, on the utmoſt Eaſtern Point of this large County.

Harwich is a Town, ſtrong by Situation, and may be made more ſo by Art. The Harbour or Road is one of the ſecureſt in England, and covered at the Entrance by Landguard-fort, and a Bat⯑tery of Guns to the Seaward, juſt as at Tilbury, and which ſufficiently defend the Mouth of the River. Tho' the Entrance or Opening of the River into the Sea is very wide, eſpecially at High-water, at leaſt two Miles, if not three, over; yet the Chanel, in which the Ships muſt keep and come to the Harbour, is deep, narrow, and lies only on the Side of the Fort; ſo that all the Ships [16] which come in, or go out, muſt come within Gun⯑ſhot of the Fort.

The Fort is on the Suffolk Side of the Bay, but ſtands ſo far into the Sea, upon the Point of a Sand or Shoal running out towards the Eſſex Side, that, in a manner, it covers the Mouth of the Haven; and our Surveyors of the Country affirm it to be in the County of Eſſex. The making this Place, which was formerly no other than a Sand in the Sea, ſolid enough for the Foundation of ſo good a Fortifi⯑cation, coſt many Years Labour, frequent Repairs, and a prodigious Expence; but 'tis now ſo firm, that neither Storms nor Tides affect it.

The Harbour is of a vaſt Extent; for the River Stour from Maningtree, and River Orwel from Ipſwich, empty themſelves here; and the Chanels of both are large and deep, and ſafe for all Weathers; and where they join, they make a large Bay, or Road, able to receive the biggeſt Ships of War, and the greateſt Number that ever the World ſaw to⯑gether. In the Dutch War, great Uſe was made of this Harbour; and there have been 100 Sail of Men of War with their Attendants, and between 3 and 400 Sail of Colliers, all riding in it at a time, with great Safety and Convenience.

Harwich is the Port where the Packet-boats be⯑tween England and Holland, go out and come in: the Inhabitants are far from being famed for good Uſage to Strangers, but on the contrary, are eſteemed a little extravagant in their Reckonings, in the Pub⯑lick-houſes; this has encouraged the ſetting up of Sloops, which they now call Paſſage-boats, to go directly from the River of Thames to Holland: tho' the Paſſage may be ſomething longer, yet the Maſters of the Sloops are ſaid to be more obliging to Paſſengers, and more reaſonable in the Expence, and the Veſſels good Sea-boats. Harwich has been a Sufferer on this Account.

[17]The People of Harwich boaſt, that their Town is walled, and their Streets paved with Clay, and yet that one is as ſtrong, and the other as clean, as thoſe that are built or paved with Stone. The Fact is indeed true; for there is a ſort of Clay in the Cliff, between the Town and the Beacon-hill adjoining, which, when it falls down into the Sea, where it is beaten with the Waves and the Weather, turns gra⯑dually into Stone. But the chief Reaſon aſſigned is from the Water of a certain Spring or Well, which riſing in the Cliff, runs down into the Sea among thoſe Pieces of Clay, and petrifies them as it runs; and the Force of the Sea often ſtirring, and perhaps turning the Lumps of Clay, when Storms of Wind may give Force enough to the Water, cauſes them to harden every-where alike; otherwiſe thoſe which were not quite ſunk in the Water of the Spring, would be petrify'd but in part. Theſe Stones are gathered up to pave the Streets, and build the Houſes, and are indeed very hard. 'Tis alſo remarkable, that ſome of them, taken up before they are thoroughly petrify'd, will, upon breaking them, appear to be hard as a Stone without, and ſoft as Clay in the Middle; whereas others, that have lain a due time, ſhall be thorough Stone to the Centre, and full as hard within as without. The ſame Spring is ſaid to turn Wood into Iron: but this I take to be no more or leſs than the Quality, which (as I mentioned of the Shore at the Neſs) is found to be in much of the Stone along this Shore, of the Copperas Kind: and 'tis certain, that the Copperas-ſtone (ſo called) is found in all that Cliff, and even where the Water of this Spring has run; and I preſume, that thoſe who call the hardened Pieces of Wood, which they take out of this Well, by the Name of Iron, never tried the Quality of it with the Fire or Hammer; if they had, it is not unlikely, that they would have given ſome other Account of it.

[18]On the Promontory of Land, which they call Beacon-hill, which lies beyond or behind the Town, toward the Sea, is a Light-houſe, to give the Ships Direction in their ſailing by, as well as their coming into the Harbour at Night.

This Town was formerly fortify'd; but in the Reign of King Charles I. the Fortifications were demoliſhed. It has ſince been ordered to be fortify'd again, and Ground has been bought accordingly, to the King's Uſe, by Act of Parliament: but there is nothing more done in it yet; and indeed it is many Years ſince the Government, having a better Secu⯑rity in the Britiſh Shipping, have had Occaſion to fortify Towns to the Landward.

It was incorporated in the 13th of Edward II. The Harwich Men pretended a Grant from Edw. III. to take Cuſtom-duties for Goods coming into the Haven, till on a Complaint made by the Town of Ipſwich, that it was an Infringement upon their Li⯑berties, an Inquiſition was appointed by that Prince at Ipſwich in the 14th of his Reign, by which it was determined againſt Harwich, in favour of Ipſwich.

Harwich, after all, may be ſaid to be a neat, clean, well-built Town, enjoys a good Maritime Trade, is governed by a Mayor, &c. has a Market every Tueſ⯑day and Friday, and two annual Fairs, one on May-day, the other on October the 18th.

Landguard-fort was built in the Reign of King James I. and was a much more conſiderable Forti⯑fication than at preſent; having had four Baſtions, named the King's, the Queen's, Holland's, and Warwick's, mounted with 60 very large Guns, par⯑ticularly thoſe on the Royal Baſtion, where the King's Standard was diſplay'd, which would throw a 28 Pound Ball over Harwich; and it had a con⯑ſtant Gariſon, with a Chapel and many Houſes, for the Governor, Gunners, and other Officers. But it has been demoliſhed, and a ſmall Platform made inſtead [19] of it by the Water-ſide; but yet, as the particular Current of the Chanel, which Ships muſt keep in, as I have ſaid, obliges them to paſs juſt by the Fort, the Harbour is ſufficiently defended on the Sea-ſide from ſudden Invaſion.

And now, being at the Extremity of the County of Eſſex, of which I have given you ſome View, as to that Side next the Sea only; I ſhall conclude this Part of my Circuit, by telling you, that I will take the Towns which lie more towards the Centre of the County, in my Return by the North and Weſt Part, that I may give you a few Hints of ſome Towns which were near me in my Rout this way.

On the Road from London to Colcheſter, before I came into it at Witham, lie four good Market-towns at near equal Diſtance from one another; viz. Rumford, Brentwood, Ingatſtone, and Chelmsford. Rumford ſtands firſt, and is noted for two Markets, one for Calves and Hogs, the other for Corn and other Proviſions, moſtly bought up for London Market.

At the farther End of this Town, in the Middle of a ſtately Park, ſtood Guldy-hall, vulgarly Giddy-hall, an antient Seat of one Sir Thomas Coke, Lord-Mayor of London Anno 1462. in the Reign of Edward IV. whoſe great Riches being his principal Crime, expoſed him in bad Times to ſo great Suf⯑ferings, that tho' he was acquitted, by the In⯑tegrity of his Judge, of the Crimes laid to his Charge, yet he was fined to the Value very nearly of his whole Eſtate. It is ſince pulled down to the Ground, and there now ſtands a ſtately Manſion-houſe, built upon the Spot by Sir John Eyles, lately Lord-Mayor of London.

Brentwood and Ingatſtone are two others, and are large thorough-fare Towns, full of good Inns, chiefly maintained by the Multitude of Carriers and [20] Paſſengers, conſtantly paſſing this Way to London, with Droves of Cattle, Proviſions and Manufactures.

Chelmsford is the 4th, chiefly ſupported by the fame Buſineſs. It is the County-town, where the Aſſizes are often held, and ſtands on the Conflux of two Rivers, the Chelmer, whence the Town derives its Name, and the Cann; and has a good Free-ſchool belonging to it.

South-eaſt of Brentwood lies Billiricay, a pretty conſiderable Market-town.

Near Chelmsford ſtands a Seat of the Right Ho⯑nourable the Earl of Fitzwalter, which is ſeen on the Left-hand of the Road, juſt before you enter the Town. The Houſe is large, and hath been lately new fronted, ſo that it makes a handſome Appearance. There are alſo ſeveral new Planta⯑tions about it, and in time, if his Lordſhip con⯑tinues his Deſign of improving it, it will become a fine Seat.

I ſhall take notice, in my Return through theſe Parts, of the noble Seat of the Lord Petre, and his Lordſhip's great Improvements in this County.

At Lees, or Lee's-Priory, as ſome call it, is to be ſeen an antient Houſe, in the Middle of a beautiful Park, formerly the Seat of the Duke of Mancheſter; but after the Death of the Duke it was ſold to the Ducheſs Dowager of Buckinghamſhire, and ſince purchaſed by Mr. Hoare.

Five Market-towns fill up the reſt of this Part of the Country; Dunmow, Braintree, Thaxted, Hal⯑ſted, and Coggſhall; all noted for the Manufacture of Bays. But Dunmow I muſt particularly mention, on account of its famous old Story of its Flitch of Bacon; which is this:

One Robert Fitzwalter, a powerful Baron in this County, in the Time of Henry III. inſtituted a Cuſtom in the Priory here; That whatever married Man did not repent of his being married, or differ and [21] diſpute with his Wife within a Year and a Day after his Marriage, and would ſwear to the Truth of it, kneeling upon two hard pointed Stones in the Priory Church-yard, ſet up for that Purpoſe, in Preſence of the Prior and Convent, ſuch Perſon ſhould have a Flitch of Bacon.

This has been actually claimed and received, as appears by Record there; but the Priory being diſ⯑ſolved, there is an End of the Flitch; and it were well, if no worſe Conſequence had attended the Diſ⯑ſolution of Religious Houſes. For as there was no Danger of many Claimants, there were the fewer to regret the Loſs.

Of Braintree and Bocking I ſhall take notice in my Return to London.

Formerly, 'tis thought, the Foreſts of Epping and Henault took up all the South Part of the County; but particularly we are aſſured, that it reached to the River Chelmer, and into Dengy Hundred; and from thence again Weſt to Epping and Waltham, where it continues to be a Foreſt ſtill.

Probably that of Epping has been a Weald or Foreſt ever ſince this Iſland has been inhabited, and may ſhew us, in ſome Parts of it, where Incloſures and Tillage have not broke in upon it, what the general Face of this Iſland was, before the Romans landed in Britain.

The Conſtitution of this Foreſt is beſt ſeen, as to its Antiquity, by the pleaſant Grant of it from Edward the Confeſſor, before the Norman Conqueſt, to Randolph Peperking, one of his Favourites, who was after called Peverell, and whoſe Name remains ſtill in ſeveral Villages in this County; as particu⯑larly that of Hatfield Peverell, in the Road from Chelmsford to Witham, which is ſuppoſed to be originally a Park (called a Field in thoſe Days); and Hartfield may be as much as to ſay, a Park for Deer; for the Stags were in thoſe Days called Harts; [22] ſo that this was neither more nor leſs than Randolph Peperking's Hart-field, or Deer-park.

This Randolph or Ralph Peverell had, it ſeems, a beautiful Lady to his Wife, who was Daughter of Ingelrick, one of Edward the Confeſſor's Noblemen: He had two Sons by her, William Peverell, a famed Soldier, and Lord or Governor of Dover-caſtle; which he ſurrendered to William the Conqueror, after the Battle in Suſſex; and Pain Peverell, his youngeſt, who was Lord of Cambridge. When the eldeſt Son delivered up the Caſtle, the Lady above-named was there; and the Conqueror fell in Love with her, and had a Son by her, who was called William, after the Conqueror's Chriſtian Name, but retained the Name of Peverell, and was afterwards, as Hi⯑ſtory acquaints us, created by the Conqueror Lord of Nottingham.

This Lady, as is ſuppoſed, by way of Penance for her Frailty, founded a Nunnery at the Village of Hatfield-Peverell, mentioned above, where ſhe lies buried in the Pariſh-church, and her Memory is preſerved by a Tombſtone under one of the Windows. The Grant I have mentioned being to be found in Camden, I ſhall not tranſcribe it here.

I ſhall now, in purſuance of my firſt Deſign, pro⯑ceed to the County of Suffolk.

From Harwich therefore, having a mind to view the Harbour, I ſent my Horſes round by Maning-tree, a good, but dirty Market-town, where there is a Timber-bridge over the Stour, or, as it is more uſually called, Maningtree-water; and took a Boat for Ipſwich up the River Orwel, known beſt by the Name of Ipſwich-water, by which Paſſage from Har⯑wich to Ipſwich, it is about twelve Miles.

In a Creek in this River called Lavington-creek, we ſaw at low Water ſuch Shoals of Muſcles, tha [...] great Boats might have loaded with them and th [...] [23] Quantity ſcarce diminiſhed to the Eye. Near this Creek Sir Samuel Barnardiſton had a fine Seat, as alſo a Decoy for wild Ducks, and a very noble Eſtate; but it is divided into many Branches ſince his Death.

Ipſwich is ſeated at the Diſtance of 12 Miles from Harwich, upon the Edge of the River, which take⯑ing a ſhort Turn to the Weſt, the Town forms there a kind of Semi-circle, or Half-moon, upon the Bank of the River. It is very remarkable, that tho' Ships of 500 Tuns may upon a Spring-tide come up very near this Town, and many Ships of that Burden have been built there; yet the River is ſcarce navigable above the Town, not even for the ſmalleſt Boats; nor does the Tide, which riſes ſometimes 13 or 14 Feet, and gives them 24 Feet Water very near the Town, flow much farther up the River than the Town.

No Place in Britain is qualified like Ipſwich, for carrying on the Greenland Fiſhery; whether we re⯑ſpect the Cheapneſs of building and fitting out their Ships and Shalloops; furniſhing, victualling, and providing them with all kind of Stores; Conveni⯑ence for laying up the Ships after the Voyage; Room for erecting their Magazines, Ware-houſes, Roap-walks, Cooperages, &e. on the eaſieſt Terms; and eſpecially for the noiſome Cookery, which attends the boiling their Blubber, which may be on this River, remote from any Places of Reſort: then the Near⯑neſs to the Market for the Oil, when it is made, and, which above all ought to be regarded, the Conveniency that ariſes from this Conſideration, that the ſame Wind which carries them from the Mouth of the Haven, is fair to the very Seas of Greenland.

Ipſwich was formerly much more conſiderable for Trade than at preſent; but yet it may be accounted a very neat and well-built Town, and much larger than many Cities; carries on ſtill a conſiderable Ma⯑ritime [24] Trade; and tho' it is but thinly inhabited, to what it has been, yet whoever looks into the Churches and Meeting-houſes of a Sunday, will not, even in this Particular, think ſo meanly of it as ſome have done.

It has a very ſpacious Market-place; in the midſt of that is a fair Croſs, in which is the Corn-market. Adjoining is the Shambles or Butchery, very com⯑modious, and vulgarly, but erroneouſly, ſuppoſed to have been built by Cardinal Wolſey; for it owes its Original to a much later Date, viz. to the 40th Year of Queen Elizabeth. Behind this is the Herb-market, and in a ſpacious Street a little diſtant, is a Market for Butter, Poultry, and other Country Proviſions, and another for Fiſh, with which the Town is ſerved in great Plenty. It has five Market-days weekly; Tueſday and Thurſday for ſmall Meat; Wedneſday and Friday for Fiſh; and Saturday for all ſorts of Proviſions. It has alſo five annual Fairs; one on April 23. one on May 7. and 8. one on July 25. one on the 11th and 12th of Auguſt for Cattle alſo; and the fifth on September 14. which is a very conſiderable one for Butter and Cheeſe, to which the whole Country round reſort, to furniſh themſelves with Winter Stores; as do alſo many of the London Dealers in thoſe Commodities, who, however, are not ſuffered to buy till after the firſt three Days of the Fair.

There are even now in this Town 12 Pariſh-churches, out of 14, which there once were; and two Chapels in the Corporation-liberty, out of ſeveral which have been demoliſhed, beſides Meeting-houſes, &c. and it once abounded with Religious Houſes, which have yielded to the Fate of the Times.

Here is alſo a fair Town-hall, with a ſpacious Council-chamber, and other commodious Apart⯑ments; a Shire-hall, where the County Seſſions are [25] held for the Diviſion of Ipſwich; a large publick Library, adjoining to a noble Hoſpital founded by the Town, called Chriſt's Hoſpital, for the Mainte⯑nance of Poor Children, old Perſons, Maniacks; and in it Rogues, Vagabonds, and ſturdy Beggars, are kept to hard Labour. Alſo adjoining to this is a good Free-ſchool; and there is likewiſe the noble Foundation of Mr. Henry Tooly, Anno 1556, for poor old Men and Women.

It is a Town Corporate, governed by two Bailiffs, a Recorder, 12 Portmen, four of which, beſides the Bailiffs, are Juſtices of the Peace, two Coroners, 24 Common-council-men, who are alſo High-con⯑ſtables, and 12 of them Headboroughs, and 15 Petty Conſtables.

Its Privileges are extraordinary; for the Bailiffs paſs Fines and Recoveries, hear and determine Cauſes, as well Criminal as Civil, ariſing in the Town, and even Crown Cauſes, preferably to any of his Ma⯑jeſty's Courts at Weſtminſter. They appoint the Aſſize of Bread, Wine, Beer, &c. No Freeman can be obliged to ſerve on Juries out of the Town, or bear any Offices for the King, without his own Conſent, Sheriffs for the County excepted. Nor are they obliged to pay any Tolls or Duties in any other Parts of the Kingdom, having caſt the City of Lon⯑don in a Trial at Law for Duties demanded by the City of Freemens Ships, in the River Thames. They are intitled to all Waifs, Eſtrays, &c. to all Goods caſt on Shore within their Admiralty-Juriſ⯑diction, which extends on the Coaſt of Eſſex be⯑yond Harwich, and on both Sides the Suffolk Coaſt; and their Bailiffs even hold their Admiralty-court beyond Landguard Fort, &c. And by a ſolemn Deciſion in their Favour by an Inquiſition taken at Ipſwich, in the 14th of Edward III. they carried the Point, which Harwich conteſted with them, of taking Cuſtom-duties for Goods coming into Har⯑wich [26] Haven, which was determined to belong ſolely to the Bailiffs and Burgeſſes of Ipſwich, as I before hinted. In King John's Reign, there was a Mint in this Town.

I ſhall juſt mention, in this Place, tho' it be ge⯑nerally known, that the famous Cardinal Wolſey, Archbiſhop of York, was born in this Town, his Father being a Butcher in it, tho', according to Dr. Fiddes, who publiſhed his Will, he ſeems to have been a Man of Subſtance for thoſe Times. This Prelate roſe to the higheſt Pitch of Honour and Grandeur, that it was poſſible for a Subject to attain to, and was ſuddenly ſtripped of all, having been caſt in a Praemunire, whereby he incurr'd a Forfeiture of all his Effects and Preferments; and being after⯑wards pardoned and reſtored to ſome Part thereof, particularly to the Archbiſhoprick of York, he was arreſted for High-Treaſon at his Archiepiſcopal Palace at Cawood in Yorkſhire; and died at Leiceſter Abbey, as he was carrying to London, where he was buried.

The French Refugees, when they firſt came over to England began a little to take to this Place; and ſome Merchants attempted to ſet up a Linen Ma⯑nufacture in their Favour; but it did not meet with the expected Succeſs, and at preſent I find very lit⯑tle of it. The poor People are however employ'd, as they are all over thoſe Counties, in ſpinning Wooll for other Towns where Manufactures are ſettled.

The Country round Ipſwich, as are all the Coun⯑ties ſo near the Coaſt, is applied chiefly to Corn, of which a very great Quantity is continually ſhipped off for London; and ſometimes they load Corn here for Holland, eſpecially if the Market abroad is encouraging.

There is a great deal of very good Company in this Town; and tho' here are not ſo many of the Gentry as at Bury, yet it has more than any other Town in the County.

[27]I take this Town to be one of the moſt agreeable Places in England, for Families who have lived well, but may be reduced to live within a narrow Com⯑paſs; for

• 1. Here are good Houſes, at very eaſy Rents.
• 2. An airy, clean, and well-govern'd Town.
• 3. Very agreeable and improving Company, al⯑moſt of every Kind.
• 4. Plenty of all Manner of Proviſions, whether Fiſh or Fleſh, very good of the Kind, and very cheap.
• 5. Eaſy Paſſage to London, either by Land or Water, the Coach going thro' to London in a Day.

The Lord Viſcount Hereford had a very fine Seat and Park in this Town; the Houſe indeed was built in the antient Taſte, but very commodious; 'tis called Chriſt-church, and had been a Priory, or Re⯑ligious Houſe, in former Times. The Green and Park is a great Addition to the Pleaſantneſs of this Town, the Inhabitants being allowed to divert them⯑ſelves there with Walking, Bowling, &c. This Seat has been lately purchaſed by, and is now in the Poſ⯑ſeſſion of Claude Fonnereau, Eſq

The Country round Ipſwich, is an inexhauſtible Store-houſe of Timber; of which, now their Trade of building Ships is abated, they ſend very great Quantities to the King's Building-yards at Chatham; which by Water is ſo little a Way, that they often run to it from the Mouth of the River at Harwich in one Tide.

I cannot omit in this Place the following Account of an excellent Charity for the Relief and Support of the Widows and Orphans of poor Clergymen of the County of Suffolk, which was begun in the Year 1704. by a voluntary Subſcription of a ſmall Number of Gentlemen and Clergy, in and about Ipſwich and Woodbridge, and has ſince that Time been carried on with ſuch great Succeſs, that the [28] yearly Collection, which in 1704. was but 6l. by gradual Advances every Year, amounted in the Year 1740. to 312l. 2s. 6d. and in the Whole 37 Years to the Sum of 4416l. 9s. 9d.

Beſides the yearly Subſcriptions, there have been divers Gifts and Legacies given to the ſaid Society, to the Uſes above-mentioned, to the Amount of 554l. 17s. So much of which is laid out in South-Sea Annuities, and kept for raiſing a capital Stock for the general Benefit of the Charity; and the In⯑tereſt ariſing from it hath been, and ſtill is, every Year applied to the Relief and Support of the ſaid Widows and Orphans, that they may not mourn without a Comforter, and that the Sons and Daughters of the poor Clergy intitled to this Relief, may not be ſuffered to wander as Vagabonds up and down the Earth, expoſed to thoſe Miſeries and Temptations which attend upon extreme Poverty.

From Ipſwich I took a Turn to Hadley, famous for the Martyrdom of Dr. Rowland Taylor, who was burnt at Aldham Common, Anno 1555. On the Place where he was martyr'd, I obſerved a Stone, with this Inſcription:

It has been a Town Corporate, governed by a Mayor, &c. But a Quo Warranto being brought againſt their Charter, in the Reign of King James II. it has not been renewed ſince. Here are two weekly Markets, and two annual Fairs. It deals much in Corn, and abounds with all manner of Proviſions. The Town is large, and tolerably well built; but being in a Bottom, is generally dirty. Its Church is a very handſome Building, graced with a Spire Steeple, and being near the Middle of the Town, is [29] an Ornament to it. 'Tis of ſome Note ſtill for the Manufacture of Woollen Cloths, but not ſo much as formerly.

A little to the South-weſt lies Neyland, a large Market-town, in a Bottom; upon the Stour; over which is a very good Bridge. The Bays-trade is car⯑ried on here too.

Higher up to the North-weſt, upon the ſame River, ſtands Sudbury, ſituate on the Stour; which is now made navigable for Barges from Maningtree hither, and gives a great Addition to their Trade. It is a very antient Town, governed by a Mayor, and at preſent conſiſts of three diſtinct Pariſhes, which have each a handſome and large Church; the Names of which are St. Gregory's, St. Peter's, and All-Saints; tho' St. Peter's is rather a Chapel of Eaſe to St. Gregory's. This Town is pretty well built, but the Streets, being unpaved, are dirty. It has an handſome Bridge over the Stour, leading into Eſſex. This Town was one of the firſt Places where King Edward III. placed the Flemings, whom he allured hither to teach the Engliſh the Art of manufacturing their own Wool, of which before they knew nothing; and here the Woollen Trade hath continued ever ſince in a flouriſhing Way. The Inhabitants at preſent employ themſelves in making Says, Perpetuanas, &c.

Simon Theobald, ſurnamed Sudbury, Archbiſhop of Canterbury, tranſlated thither from London Anno 1375. was a Native of this Town. He was mur⯑dered at the Inſtigation of one John Ball, a ſeditious and fanatical Preacher in Wat Tyler's Rebellion. He was a Prelate of very good Character for Learn⯑ing and Charity. He built the Upper-end of St. Gregory's Church in Sudbury, where his Head is ſtill ſhewn: it was, not long ſince, intire, covered with the Fleſh and Skin dried by Art, the Mouth wide open, occaſioned by Convulſions thro' the hard [30] Death he died, having ſuffered eight Blows before his Head was cut off. He founded in the Place where his Father's Houſe ſtood, a neat College, which he furniſhed with Secular Prieſts, and other Miniſters, and likewiſe endowed it bountifully.

Near Sudbury is Melford, a pleaſant Village, and perhaps the largeſt in England, being about a Mile in Length. The Church is a very fine Edifice, and ſtands at the North-end of it. There were two Chantries in it. Weaver ſays, That on ſome Part of the Outſide of the Church are theſe Words: Pray for the Souls of John Clopton, and Richard Boteler, of whoſe Goodys this Chapel was built; and that ſeveral of the antient Family of Clopton are there buried. This Town has given two Lord Mayors to London, Sir John Milburn, Draper, in 1521. and Sir Roger Martin, Mercer, in 1567. It has an annual Fair, divers good Inns, many handſome Houſes, and creditable Inhabitants. Here lived the unhappy Mr. Drew, who in the Year 1739. was barbarouſly murdered; and his Son, Mr. Charles Drew, executed for it, who effected it either with his own Hands, or by thoſe of another Perſon, whom he procured to do it, for the ſake of enjoying his Eſtate. The Parricide was attended with Circumſtances of great Horror; but the Parti⯑culars being well known, and the Fact ſo recent, I ſhall not ſay any more of it here.

In my Way from hence to St. Edmond's-bury, I paſſed due North thro' Lavenham, or Lanham, a pretty good Town, ſtanding upon a Branch of the River Breton. It has a ſpacious Market-place, which was formerly of much better Account than at preſent. It had many Years ago great Advantage from its Trade in Blue Cloths; but tho' this is loſt, yet it has a good Trade for Serges, Shalloons, Says, &c. made here; ſpins a great deal of fine Yarn for Lon⯑don, and has of late flouriſhed much, by ſetting up [31] a Hall for ſelling Wool, the Town being conveni⯑ently ſituated for that Purpoſe.

The Church and Steeple here are juſtly accounted the fineſt in the County. It is ſituate on a Hill on the Weſt-ſide of the Town, the Steeple being 137 Feet high. It has Six tuneable Bells in it, and the Inha⯑bitants boaſt much of their Tenor, which, they ſay, out-does all the Bells in England for its deep Note; and tho' it weighs but 23 Hundred Weight, they ſay it ſounds like a Bell of 40 Hundred. This Town is alſo remarkable for the many charitable Bequeſts made to its Poor; and gave London a Lord Mayor in 1462. in the Perſon of Sir Thomas Cooke, Draper, the Son of Robert Cooke of this Town.

Eaſt of Lavenham, and pretty near it, is Bildeſton, a Market-town, noted for the Cloathing-trade, its good Church, its mean Buildings, and Dirtineſs.

Bury St. Edmunds is ſituate on the Weſt-ſide of the River Lach, which within theſe few Years has been made navigable from Lynn to Fornham, a Mile North of the Town. It is ſo regularly built, that almoſt all the Streets cut one another at Right An⯑gles. It ſtands on an eaſy Aſcent, and overlooks a moſt fruitful incloſed Country on the South and South-weſt; on the North and North-weſt the moſt delightful champain Fields, which extend themſelves to Lynn, and that Part of the Norfolk Coaſt; and on the Eaſt the Country is partly incloſed, and partly open. No wonder then that it is called the Montpellier of Suffolk, and even of England: and indeed a certain antient Author ſays no more than it deſerves; ‘"That the Sun ſhines not upon a Town more agreeable in its Situation."’

It is governed by an Alderman, which is their chief Magiſtrate, a Recorder, 12 capital Burgeſſes, and 24 common Burgeſſes.

It has two plentiful weekly Markets on Wedneſdays and Saturdays; and three annual Fairs; one three [32] Days before and three Days after the Feaſt of St. Matthew; and it is generally protracted to an un⯑certain Length, for the Diverſion of the Nobility and Gentry that reſort to it, in great Numbers.

The Abbey, once ſo famous, was firſt built of Wood by Sigebert King of the Eaſt-Angles, ſoon after Chriſtianity was planted here; and when finiſhed, about the Year 638, that King retired into it, and ſhut himſelf up from the World.

King Edmund, from whom the Town takes its Name, began to reign over the Eaſt-Angles Anno 855, in the 14th Year of his Age, and reigned 15 Years; being killed Anno 870, as ſuppoſed, at Hoxne, at 29 Years old, and his Corps was 33 Years after removed to Bury. The Abbey being much enriched thereby, the Monks, who were of the Benedictine Order, found means, about the Year 1020, to get it intirely to themſelves, excluding the Seculars; and King Canute, in the 4th Year of his Reign, founded a more magnificent Church, in Honour of St. Edmund, which was finiſhed in 12 Years, and dedicated to Chriſt, St. Mary, and St. Edmund.

Uvius, Prior of Hulm, who was conſecrated the firſt Abbot, Anno 1020, got the Abbey exempted from Epiſcopal Juriſdiction, and encompaſſed that and the Town with a Wall and Ditch; the Ruins of which, in ſeveral Places, are ſtill to be ſeen: and the Abbots afterwards were made Parliamentary Barons. But in the Reign of King Henry VIII. it run the common Fate of all Religious Houſes, and that Prince put an End to all its Glory.

When the Abbey was in its Proſperity, there was a Chapel at every one of the five Gates, and the Town abounded with Chapels and Oratories. 'Tis poſſible theſe might be Hoſpitals; for there was an Hoſpital of St. Peter's without Riſhy gate; an Hoſpital of St. Saviour's without North-gate; an [33] Hoſpital of St. Nicolas at or near Eaſt-gate; and God's-houſe, or St. John's, at the South-gate; a College of Prieſts with a Gild to the Holy or Sweet Name of Jeſus, the Situation of which I could not find; and an Houſe of Grey Friers at Babwell, or the Toll-gate. But at this time there are only two Churches, which indeed are very beautiful and ſtately, and ſtand in the ſame Church-yard; the one dedicated to St. Mary, the other, built in the Reign of Edward VI. to St. James. The latter has a convenient Library; and at the Weſt End of the South Iſle are interred James Reynolds, Eſq late Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, and his Lady, to whoſe Memories two large Monuments are erected. The Church of St. Mary has, on the North-ſide of the Altar, (to which we approach by a fine Aſcent of Six Steps) the Tomb of Mary Queen of France, Siſter to Henry VIII. and Wife to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. Her Coffin is of Lead, and has this Inſcription on it; Mary Queen, 1533. of France. Edmund H----. There are other hand⯑ſome Monuments in this Church.

The other moſt remarkable publick Buildings are the Abbey-gate, which is ſtill a fine Monument of what the Abbey once was; the Guild hall; the Wool-hall; the Shire-houſe; the Market-croſs; and the Grammar-School, endowed by King Ed⯑ward VI.

Such as is the Town for Situation, is the Neighbourhood and Gentry about it for Politeneſs; and no Place glories in brighter Ladies, or better Families.

In the Path-way between the two Churches it was that Arundel Coke, Eſq a Barriſter at Law, in the Year 1721. attempted (with the Aſſiſtance of one Woodbourne, a barbarous Aſſaſſin) an unheard-of Outrage on his Brother-in-law, Edward Criſ, Eſq for the ſake of poſſeſſing what he had. He had in⯑vited [34] him, his Wife and Family, to Supper with him; and in the Night, on Pretence of going to ſee a Friend to them both, he led him into the Church⯑yard, when, on a Signal he gave, the Aſſaſſin made at Mr. Criſp with a Hedge-bill, and in a moſt ter⯑rible manner mangled his Head and Face; and ſup⯑poſing him dead, there left him; and Coke returned, as if he knew nothing of the Matter, to the Com⯑pany. But it happening that Mr. Criſp was not killed, and coming back to Coke's Houſe to the Company all bloody, and cruelly mangled, the ſhocking Sight amazed and confounded them all; Coke, that he was not dead; the reſt, that he had met with ſo ſtrange a Diſaſter. Mr. Criſp has ſurvived this Outrage many Years, and Coke and Woodburne, the hired Aſſaſſin, were juſtly executed for a Villainy ſo deteſtable, that it hardly had its Parallel. The Gentleman being not killed, the Aſſaſſins were tried and condemned on the Statute for defacing and diſmembring, called The Coventry Act: And Coke was ſo good a Lawyer, and ſo hardened a Wretch, that he thought to have ſaved himſelf, by pleading that he intended not to deface, but to kill. Some nice People ſay, the Law was a little ſtrained in their Puniſhment, as the Gentleman recovered; but, ſurely, if in any Caſe the Letter might be diſpenſed with, and the Spirit be brought in Aid of it, it was right in this: and it would have been next to a national Diſgrace, not to have a Law that would reach ſo flagrant and complicated a Wickedneſs.

There is very little or no Manufacturing in this Town, except Spinning; the chief Buſineſs of the Place depending upon the neighbouring Gentry, who cannot fail to cauſe Trade enough by the Ex⯑pence of their Families and Equipages, among the People of a Country Town. Our Monarchs, Edward I. and II. had a Mint at Bury, and ſome of their Pennies coined there, are yet remaining. [35] Stow, in his Survey of London, p. 83. ſays, That here was alſo a Mint in King John's Time.

This Town is famous for two great Events: One, That a Parliament was held here in the Year 1447. in the 25th Year of Henry VI. The other, That at the Meeting of this Parliament, the good Humphry, Duke of Glouceſter, Regent of the Kingdom, during the Abſence of King Henry V. and in the Minority of his Son Henry VI. and, to his laſt Hour, the Safeguard of the whole Nation, and Darling of the People, was baſely murdered here; by whoſe Death the Gate was opened to that dreadful War between the Houſes of Lancaſter and York, which ended in the Confuſion of the very Race, who are ſuppoſed to have contrived that Murder.

As I made ſome Stay at Ipſwich and Bury, being obliged to wait the Leiſure of a Gentleman who accompanied me Part of this Journey, I made ſeveral Excurſions more Inland than I had at firſt intended when I ſet out, and viſited the following Towns:

As, firſt, Boxford, which is about Seven Miles from Sudbury, and is a neat and well-built Village, and carries on a conſiderable Traffick.

At Bures on the Stour King Edward was crown'd, and not at Bury. It has a good Bridge on that River. Anno 1733. the Spire of the Steeple of the handſome Church here was burnt by Lightning, the Bell-frames deſtroyed, and the Bells melted.

Clare is ſituate on the Stour, about 14 Miles from Bury, and is but a poor Town, and dirty, the Streets being unpaved. But yet the Civil and Spiri⯑tual Courts are held at it, and it has a good Church; and ſhews ſtill the Ruins of a ſtrong Caſtle, and an old Monaſtery. It gives Title of Earl to his Grace the Duke of Newcaſtle of the Pelham Family, as it did to that of Holles before.

[36]Not far from Clare is Honedon, where, in the Year 1687. the Sexton, digging a Grave, found a large Quantity of Saxon Coins.

Cavendiſh upon the Stour deſerves Mention, for giving Name to the Noble Family of the Dukes of Devonſhire.

Haverhill ſtands partly in Eſſex, and partly in Suffolk. By the Ruins of a Church and Caſtle ſtill to be ſeen here, it appears to have been of greater Conſequence formerly, than at preſent. Now I am at this Place, I ſhall juſt mention

Ledgate, on account of its giving Birth and Name to the famous Poet, Orator, Mathematician and Phi⯑loſopher, John Ledgate, who died in 1440. Here are to be ſeen the Ruins of a ſtrong Caſtle.

Stoke juxta Neyland gave a Lord Mayor to London in 1503. viz. Sir William Capel, of the Drapers Company, from whom is deſcended the preſent Earl of Eſſex. It has a fair Church and Steeple. Gif⯑fard's-hall in this Pariſh is a noble old Seat belonging to Sir Francis Mannock, Bart. And Pendering-hall is the new-built fair Seat of Sir John Williams, Alder⯑man of London.

Stratford is a thorough-fare Village of great Traf⯑fick, and is employed in the Woollen Manufactures.

Eaſterbergholt, near four Miles from Stratford, and half a Mile North of the Stour, is a large and handſome Village, employ'd in the Woollen Way, but not to ſo great a Degree as formerly. It has a good Church, but the Steeple is in Ruins, and the Bells are rung by Hand, in a kind of Cage ſet up in the Church-yard. A little South of the Church is an elegant Houſe of Sir Joſeph Hankey, Alderman of London.

Hemingſton may bear the Mention for the merry Tenure by which that Manor was held, according to Camden, by Serjeanty, the Poſſeſſor being obliged every Chriſtmas-day to perform before the King one Saltus, one Sufflatus, and one Bombulus: or, as is [37] read elſewhere, it was held by a Saltus, a Sufflatus, and a Pet; that is, as Camden interprets the Words, he was to dance, make a Noiſe with his Cheeks puffed out, and let a F--t.

Needham is a thorough-fare Town, about nine Miles North-weſt from Ipſwich. It is tolerably well built, has ſeveral conſiderable Dealers in it, and formerly carried on a large Trade in the Woollen Manu⯑factures, which it has loſt for ſome Years.

Bildeſton is a meanly built, dirty Town, but has a good Church.

Stow-market, about three Miles from Needham, is a tolerable Town, with a ſpacious Church and Spire-Steeple.

And five Miles further, being eight from Bury, is Wulpit, famous for the white Bricks made there. It has a handſome Church and Spire-Steeple.

At Norton, near Wulpit, King Henry VIII. was induced to dig for Gold. He was diſappointed, but the Diggings are viſible at this Day.

Ixworth, about ſeven Miles from Bury, is a dirty, ill-built Town, with a mean Market; but is a thorough-fare Town, and has two annual Fairs.

Boteſdale is a long, mean-built, dirty, thorough-fare Town; yet it is remarkable for a Grammar Free-ſchool founded by Sir Nicolas Bacon, and eſtabliſhed by Queen Elizabeth. The Maſter and Uſher are to be elected out of Bennet College Cambridge, where Sir Nicolas was educated. The Maſter enjoys a Salary of 20 Pounds per Annum, beſides the Benefit of the School-houſe, and the Uſher eight Pounds, with a Houſe and Yard. The School-houſe is now in the Gift of Edmund Britiffe, Eſq Sir Nicolas alſo bequeathed 20l. a Year to the ſaid College for ſix Scholars out of this School, to whom likewiſe Archbiſhop Teniſon was ſaid to have given ſix Pounds annually. There is a mean Market here every Thurſday, and an annual Fair on Holy Thurſday.

[38] Milden-hall, about 12 Miles from Bury, is ſituate on the River Larke; it is a Town of very extenſive Limits, pleaſant and well-built, and has a noble Church, and lofty Steeple. It has a plentiful Friday Market, and a very conſiderable annual Fair, which laſts four Days. A little North of the Church is the Manſion-houſe of Sir Thomas Hanmer, Bart. who in the Reign of Queen Anne was Speaker of the Houſe of Commons. In the Year 1507. a great Part of this Town was conſumed by Fire. It furniſhed the City of London with two Lord Mayors, Sir Henry Barton, Skinner, Anno 1428. and Sir Wil⯑liam Gregory, of the ſame Company, Anno 1451.

Ickworth was once a Pariſh, but now is a noble Park, in which is the Seat of the Earl of Briſtol. It is a Place of great Antiquity, and what confirms it is, what that learned Antiquarian Dr. Battley, Arch⯑deacon of Canterbury, writes, That in his Memory a large Pot of Roman Money was found here.

Debenham is a tolerably clean, tho' mean-built Town, and among very dirty and heavy Roads, being ſeated on a Hill. The Church is a good Building, the Market-place tolerable, and there is a Free-ſchool founded by Appointment of Sir Robert Hitcham.

Crows-hall, about a Mile South-eaſt of this Town, was formerly the Seat of the Gawdies; till Sir Charles Gawdy, Bart. convey'd it to John Pit, Eſq in a Deſcendant of whoſe Family it ſtill remains.

Mendleſham is a dirty and poor Town, but has a handſome Church, and a ſmall Tueſday's Market.

Eye is a Town Corporate, governed by two Bailiffs, ten principal Burgeſſes, and 24 Common-council⯑men, and gives Title of Baron to the Lord Corn⯑wallis. It is ſituate in a Bottom between two Rivers, is meanly built, and the Streets dirty. Near the Weſt-end of the Church are ſtill to be ſeen ſome of the ruinous Walls of the Caſtle.

[39]My Friend having finiſhed his Buſineſs in thoſe Parts of Suffolk, which lie round the Towns of Bury and Ipſwich, gave me an Opportunity of reſuming my Journey according to the Plan I laid down at the Beginning of the Letter; and ſo from the former of theſe Towns I returned by Stow-market, and Needham, to Ipſwich, that I might keep as near the Coaſt as was proper to my deſigned Circuit; having determined to take the Opportunity, which he told me his Affairs would give me, of making two or three Excurſions from Woodbridge, Aldborough, and South⯑would, to make my Obſervations on that Part of Suffolk, which I have not yet touched upon. From Ipſwich therefore I went to viſit the Sea again, and ſo to Woodbridge, and from thence to Orford on the Sea Coaſt.

Woodbridge is a Market-town, ſituate on the River Deben, about 11 Miles from the Sea. This River being navigable to the Town for Ships of con⯑ſiderable Burden, it drives a pretty good Trade with Holland, Newcaſtle, and London, and has Paſſage Hoys, that go to and return from London weekly. It has a fine Church and Steeple, and traded formerly in Sackcloth, and now in refining Salt. The Shire-hall is a handſome Pile of Building, where the Quarter-Seſſions for this Part of the County are held, and under it is the Corn-croſs. One Street in it, called Stone-ſtreet, is well-built and paved, but the reſt are dirty. The Market-place and Thorough⯑fare are alſo well enough built; but the reſt of the Town is mean. The Quays and Ware-houſes are very commodious, and here is a Grammar-ſchool, and an Alms-houſe, erected in 1587. by Thomas Seckford, Maſter of the Requeſts, for Thirteen Men and Three Women, which is well endowed. It has a pretty good Market on Wedneſdays, and two annual Fairs.

Walton has been an antient Market-town, and tho' the Market is now diſuſed, the Croſs is ſtill re⯑maining. [40] In the neighbouring Pariſh of Felixſtow, on the Cliff by the Sea, and about a Mile from the Colne Side of Woodbridge-haven, are diſcerned the Ruins of a quadrangular Caſtle advantageouſly ſitu⯑ated; of which nothing now remains but the Foun⯑dation of one Side of the Wall. The reſt has been devoured by the Sea; and in all Probability theſe Remains muſt in a few Years undergo the ſame Fate. It was built principally of Rock-ſtones; but the many Roman Bricks ſtill to be ſeen, and Roman Coins, which have been diſcovered among the Ruins of the Side Walls, as they have been waſhed away by the Sea in the preſent Age, are an undeniable Evidence, that it was a Place of conſiderable Anti⯑quity, probably a Roman Colony, which might give Name to the Hundred of Colnies, in which it ſtood.

Now begins that Part which is ordinarily called High-Suffolk; which being a rich Soil, is, for a long Way wholly employed in Dairies; and famous for the beſt Butter, and perhaps the worſt Cheeſe in England: the Butter is barrelled, and ſometimes pickled up in ſmall Caſks, in which it keeps ſo well, that I have know a Firkin of Suffolk Butter ſent to the Weſt-Indies, and brought back to England again, perfectly good and ſweet, as at firſt.

From hence turning down to the Shore, we ſee Orfordneſs, a noted Point of Land for the Guide of the Colliers and Coaſters, and a good Shelter for them to ride under, when a ſtrong North-eaſt Wind blows, and makes a foul Shore on the Coaſt.

Orford is ſituate on the North-weſt Side of the River Ore, whence it had its Name. It was formerly a Town of good Account, having a ſtrong Caſtle of reddiſh Stone for its Defence, of which, and of a Benedictine Nunnery near the Quay, there are ſtill to be ſeen conſiderable Ruins. The Sea has ſo much withdrawn itſelf from this Town, that it is robbed of its chief Advantage, and deſerves not the Name [41] of a Harbour. The Town is mean, and no one contends for an Intereſt in it, but ſuch as want to make themſelves a Merit in the Choice of the two Members which it returns to Parliament. It is a Town Corporate, and is governed by a Mayor, eight Portmen, and twelve Burgeſſes; it has alſo a mean Monday Market, and an annual Fair. It had the Honour to give Title of Earl to the brave Admiral Ruſſel: but that is now extinct.

About three Miles from Orford, is Aldburgh, a Town pleaſantly ſituated in a Valley. It has two Streets, each near a Mile long; but its Breadth, which was more conſiderable formerly, is not pro⯑portionable, and the Sea has of late Years ſwallowed up one whole Street. The Town, tho' meanly built, is clean and well peopled in the Sea-faring way. The Sea waſhes the Eaſt-ſide of it, and the River Ald runs not far from the South-end of it, affording a good Quay. In the adjacent Seas, Sprats, Soles, and Lobſters, are caught in abun⯑dance. The Town trades to Newcaſtle for Coals; and from hence Corn is tranſported. The Manor of Aldburgh, as alſo the Manors of Scots and Taſkards in the Neighbourhood, formerly belonged to the Monaſtery of Snape, and were firſt granted with that Monaſtery, to Cardinal Wolſey, and ſoon after to Thomas Duke of Norfolk. Aldburgh is pretty well ſituated for Strength, and has ſeveral Pieces of Cannon for its Defence. The Church, which is a good Edifice, ſtands on a Hill, a little Weſt of the Town. It is a Town Corporate, governed by Two Bailiffs, Ten capital Burgeſſes, and Twenty-four inferior Officers.

From Aldburgh, I paſſed thro' Saxminden, a little dirty Market-town, to Dunwich, a very antient Town, which, by Roman Coins dug up there, is ſuppoſed to have been a Roman Station. In the Reign of the Conqueror, it was ſo conſiderable a Place, [42] that it had 130 Burgeſſes, and was valued to that King at 50l. and 60,000 Herrings. We read that in the Reign of Henry II. it was a very famous Village, well ſtored with Riches, and fortified with a Rampart, ſome Remains of which ſtill appear.

Before theſe Times, in the Reign of King Sige⯑bert, Anno 630. Dunwich was a Biſhop's See; and ſo continued, till the Conqueror made his Chaplain Biſhop of it, and tranſlated the See to Thetford, which was afterwards tranſlated from thence to Norwich.

There were ſeveral Religious Houſes in Dunwich, and, ſome pretend, no leſs than fifty Churches: but there is a certain Account of ſix Pariſh-churches, and three Chapels, beſides the ſeveral Religious Houſes. Four of theſe Pariſh-churches, and the three Chapels, have been long devoured by the Sea; and one of the others met with the ſame Fate in this Age, ſo that there is only one now ſtanding; and what remains of this once famous Place, is but a pitiful Parcel of ſorry Cottages.

Hereabouts they begin to talk of Herrings, and the Fiſhery. And here alſo, and at Swole or South⯑would, the next Sea-port, they cure Sprats in the ſame manner as they do Herrings at Yarmouth.

From Dunwich we went to Southwould, pleaſantly ſituated on a Hill, and almoſt ſurrounded with the Sea, and the River Biyth, over which it has a Bridge. It drives a conſiderable Trade in Salt and old Beer, and in Herrings, Sprats, &c. The Church is large, and very ſtrong. The Bay, called corruptly Sowl or Sole-bay, is a commodious Place for Anchor⯑age, and occaſions a great Reſort of Mariners to it, which adds greatly to its Trade and Commerce.

The Traffick of my Friend at Woodbridge, Ald⯑burgh, and this Place, gave me the Opportunity I hinted at, of making Excurſions into the main-in⯑land Parts of Suffolk, adjacent to thoſe Towns, [43] which I ſhall tranſcribe from my Memorandum-book, in the Order I ſet them down.

Ufford is at preſent of no great Remark; but has the Ruins of a Chapel, called Sogenhoc Chapel. Richard Lufkin was Rector of this Pariſh 57 Years, and was buried September 23. 1678. in the 111th Year of his Age. He performed all the Offices of his Function to the laſt, and preached the Sunday before his Death. He was plundered in the grand Rebellion, and loſt all that he had except a Silver Spoon, which he preſerved by hiding it in his Sleeve.

In the Hundred of Hartſmere ſtands Broome, a noble old Manſion, which for many Ages has been the Seat of the noble Family of Cornwallis. In this Pariſh of Broome is an Alms-houſe for poor Widows, fronting the Hall; but not endowed.

Wickham Market is ſituated about four Miles from Woodbridge. The Church is built on a Hill, and tho' but 23 Yards high, affords the beſt Proſpect of any in Suffolk; for in a clear Day, near 50 Pariſh-churches may be ſeen from it. It is now only a Village, but has ſome Trade, and the Civil and Spiritual Courts are held in it.

Snape was once noted for a famous Monaſtery, few Remains of which are to be ſeen. It has a con⯑ſiderable annual Fair for Horſes, which laſts four Days, beginning Auguſt 11. to which the London Jockeys reſort.

At Sudbourne is a fine Seat of the Lord Viſcount Hereford.

At Eaſton is the Seat of the Earl of Rochford, formerly belonging to the Wingfield Family.

Letheringham was of Note for a little Priory, which was obtained at the Diſſolution by Sir Antony Wingfield; and Sir Henry Spelman tells us, that, as a Judgment for the Sacrilege, he died without Iſſue Male. It was converted into a Manſion-houſe, and is now the Seat of the antient Family of the [44] Nauntons. Sir Roger Naunton was in the Reign of King James I. Secretary of State, and Maſter of the Court of Wards and Liveries. He died Anno 1630. In the Abbey is a long Gallery, adorned with ſeveral valuable Pictures: And in Letheringham Church are, ſome elegant and magnificent Monuments of the Wingfields and Nauntons.

Rendelſham was antiently famous for being the Royal Reſidence of Redwald, King of the Eaſt-Angles. Hugh Fitz-Otho procured a Market and Fair for this Town, from King Edward I. Digging here about 50 Years ago, an antient Silver Crown was found weighing about 60 Ounces, ſuppoſed to have belonged to Redwald, or ſome other King of the Eaſt-Angles; which was ſold and melted down for the ſake of the Metal.

At Butley was a Priory of Canons Regular; founded by Ranulph de Glanville, chief Juſtice of England, to the Honour of the Bleſſed Virgin. The Ruins of the Abbey, which are ſtill to be ſeen, ſhew it to have been very large; and the Gate-houſe is a magnificent Building: it remains intire, and is embelliſhed in the Front with many Coats of Arms, finely cut in Stone.

Framlingham is ſituate North of Aldburgh, a large Town, well-built, and pleaſantly ſeated near the Head of the River Ore; it has a ſpacious Market-place; the Church is built of black Flint, and is a very ſtately and noble Edifice, wherein ſeveral of the Mowbrays Dukes of Norfolk lie buried. The Caſtle is a fair Piece of Antiquity, being a large, beautiful and ſtrong Building; and contains within the Walls now ſtanding an Acre 1 Rood 11 Perches, and was formerly much larger. Its Walls are 44 Feet high, and thick, and are ſtanding pretty intire; and it has 13 Towers, 14 Feet higher than the Walls, two of which are Watch-towers. It was both by Art and Nature formerly very ſtrong. [45] There are two good Alms-houſes, and a Free-ſchool, founded by Sir Robert Hitcham, (who is interred in the Church) for 40 poor Boys, who are taught to read, write, and caſt Accounts, and 10l. is given to ſettle each of them Apprentice. This Gentleman bought of the Duke of Norfolk the Caſtle, Manor, &c. and gave them to Pembroke-hall in Cambridge. To this Caſtle Queen Mary I. retired, when the Lady Jane was proclaimed Queen by the Northum⯑berland Faction.

Blithburg was formerly a Place of good Note, but now has nothing to recommend it but its Church, which is a fine old Building, and kept in good Repair.

At Chediſton, is the fine Seat of Walter Plumer, Eſq who bought it lately, and rebuilt the Hall in a beautiful manner.

Haleſworth is North-eaſt of Framlingham, a large and good Market-town, ſituated upon the River Blyth, which runs thro' it. The Streets are clean, and partly paved. It has a very neat Church, beauti⯑fully decorated within, and is noted for Linen-yarn, which is ſpun in the Neighbourhood, and ſold here.

Hoxne is the Place where Edmund King of the Eaſt-Angles was murdered by the Pagan Danes, be⯑cauſe he would not renounce his Faith, Anno 870. and his Body was removed to Bury, as above-mentioned.

Bungay is a well-frequented Market-town, plea⯑ſantly ſituate upon and almoſt ſurrounded with the Waveney, which is navigable thither for Barges. It lies North-eaſt of Haleſworth. Its Streets are moſtly unpaved; but the Town is handſome and well-built ſince the great Fire, which broke out about Sun⯑riſing on March 1. 1688-9. in a ſmall uninhabited Houſe; and in four Hours time conſumed the whole Town, except one ſmall Street. The whole Loſs was computed at 29,896l. and upwards. It has two Pariſh-churches, one of which is a very noble [46] one; and has a beautiful Steeple. The Ruins of a Benedictine Nunnery, and a very ſtrong Caſtle, are ſtill to be ſeen here. The latter was ſo ſtrong, that Hugh Bigod, its Owner, in the Wars between the Empreſs Maud and King Stephen, with the latter of whom he ſided, made this Boaſt upon it:

But yet he was forced afterwards to compound with King Henry II. for its Preſervation. It has a Gram⯑mar-ſchool with 10 Scholarſhips, for Emanuel College Cambridge.

In this Excurſion I ſtretched to Beccles, ſtill fur⯑ther North-eaſt; a large ill-built Market-town, ſituate on the Waveney, which is navigable hence from Yarmouth to Bungay, as I have ſaid. It has a noble Church and Steeple, and a Grammar and Engliſh School, well endowed. It has a plentiful Market, and a Common of above 1000 Acres. The Streets are well paved and clean, but the Houſes are but ordinary. The Ruins of another Church, called Ingate Church are to be ſeen here, which was for⯑merly the Pariſh Church to the Town.

Burgh-caſtle ſcituate at the Mouth of the Wave⯑ney, was a Place of conſiderable Note in the Time of the Romans. The Walls on the Eaſt, North, and South Sides, are ſtill ſtanding, pretty intire; and the River being a Defence on the Weſt, no Wall was wanting there.

I returned from theſe Excurſions to Southwould, in order to proceed on my Journey, according to my firſt Plan. But it may not be amiſs to mention, before I proceed, That this Town is made famous by an Engagement at Sea, in the Year 1672, between the Engliſh and Dutch Fleets, in the Bay oppoſite to [47] the Town; in which the brave Montague Earl of Sandwich, Admiral under the Duke of York, loſt his Life: his Ship, Royal Prince, carrying 100 Guns, which was under him commanded by Sir Edward Spragg, was burnt, and ſeveral other Ships loſt, and about 600 Seamen.

At this Town in particular, and ſo at all the Towns on this Coaſt, from Orfordneſs to Yarmouth, is the ordinary Place where our Summer Friends the Swal⯑lows firſt land when they come to viſit us; and here they may be ſaid to begin their Voyage, when they go back into warmer Climates. I was ſome Years before at this Place, about the Beginning of October; and lodging in a Houſe that looked into the Church-yard, I obſerved in the Evening an unuſual Multitude of Swallows ſitting on the Leads of the Church, and covering the Tops of ſeveral Houſes round about. This led me to inquire what was the Meaning of ſuch a prodigious Multitude of Swallows ſitting there: I was anſwered, That this was the Seaſon when the Swallows, their Food fail⯑ing here, began to leave us, and return to the Country, where-ever it be, from whence they came; and that this being the neareſt Land to the oppoſite Coaſt, and the Wind contrary, they were waiting for a Gale, and might be ſaid to be Wind-bound.

This was more evident to me, when in the Morn⯑ing I found the Wind had come about to the North⯑weſt in the Night, and there was not one Swallow to be ſeen.

Certain it is, that the Swallows neither come hither merely for warm Weather, nor retire merely from Cold: they, like the Shoals of Fiſh in the Sea, purſue their Prey; being a voracious Creature, and feeding as they fly; for their Food is the Inſects, of which, in our Summer Evenings, in damp and moiſt Places, the Air is full; and when cold Weather comes in, and kills the Inſects, then Neceſſity [48] compels the Swallows to quit us, and follow their Food to ſome other Climate.

This paſſing and repaſſing of the Swallows is obſerved no-where ſo much as on this Eaſtern Coaſt; namely from above Harwich to the Eaſt Point of Norfolk, called Wintertonneſs, North; which is oppoſite to Holland. We know nothing of them any farther North; the Paſſage of the Sea being, as I ſuppoſe, too broad from Flambro' Head, and the Shore of Holderneſs in Yorkſhire, &c.

This Part of England is remarkable for being the firſt where the Feeding and Fattening of Sheep and other Cattle, with Turneps, was firſt practiſed in England, which is made a very great Part of the Improvement of their Lands to this Day; and from whence the Practice is ſpread over moſt of the Eaſt and South Part of England, to the great enriching of the Farmers, and Increaſe of fat Cattle: and tho' ſome have objected againſt the Goodneſs of the Fleſh thus fed with Turneps, and have fanſied it would taſte of the Root; yet upon Experience 'tis found, that there is no Reaſon for this Fancy.

The County of Suffolk is particularly famous for furniſhing the City of London, and all the Counties round, with Turkeys; inſomuch that more Turkeys are bred in this County, and the Part of Norfolk that joins to it, for Sale, than in all the reſt of England.

Nor will this be found an inconſiderable Article, if it be true, that 300 Droves of Turkeys have paſſed, in one Seaſon, over Stratford-bridge on the River Stour, on the Road from Ipſwich to London; each Drove generally containing from 300 to 1000 Turkeys, which at 500, one with another, will be 150,000 in all; and yet the Numbers which are driven by New Market-heath, and the open Country, and the Foreſt, and alſo thoſe by Sudbury and Clare, are much greater.

[49]For the further Supplies of the Markets of London with Poultry, in which theſe Countries particularly abound, they have within theſe few Years found it practicable to make the Geeſe travel on foot too, and prodigious Numbers are brought up to London in like Droves from the fartheſt Parts of Norfolk, even from the Fen-Country, about Lynn, Downham, Wiſbich, and the Waſhes; as alſo from all the Eaſt-ſide of Norfolk and Suffolk; and 'tis very frequent now to meet 1000, or 2000, in a Drove. They begin to drive them generally in Auguſt, when the Harveſt is almoſt over, that the Geeſe may feed on the Stub⯑ble as they go. Thus they hold on to the End of October, when the Roads begin to be too ſtiff and deep for their broad Feet and ſhort Legs to march in.

Beſides ſuch Methods of driving theſe Creatures on Foot, they have of late invented a new kind of Carriage, being Carts formed on purpoſe, with four Stories or Stages, to put the Poultry in, one above another, whereby one Cart will carry a very great Number; and for the ſmoother going, they drive with two Horſes abreaſt, like a Coach; thus quarter⯑ing the Road for the Eaſe of the Poultry, and changing Horſes, they travel Night and Day; ſo that they bring the Fowls 70, 80, or 100 Miles in two Days and one Night: The Horſes are faſten'd together by a Piece of Wood lying croſs-wiſe upon their Necks, by which they are kept even and toge⯑ther, and the Driver ſits on the Top of the Cart, as in the publick Carriages for the Army, &c.

In this manner vaſt Numbers of Turkey-poults and Chickens are carried to London every Year, which yield a good Price at Market; and more out of this County than any other Part of England, which is the Reaſon of my ſpeaking of it here.

In this Part, which we call High Suffolk, there are not ſo many Families of Gentry or Nobility, as in the other Side of the Country: But 'tis obſerved, [50] that tho' their Seats are not here, their Eſtates are; and the Pleaſure of Weſt Suffolk is much of it ſup⯑ported by the Wealth of High Suffolk: For the Richneſs of the Lands, and Application of the Peo⯑ple to all Kinds of Improvement, are ſcarce credible. The Farmers alſo are ſo very conſiderable, and their Farms and Dairies ſo large, that 'tis very frequent for a Farmer to have 1000l. Stock upon his Farm in Cows only.

From Southwould, Coaſt-wiſe, I proceeded to Leoſtoff, a conſiderable Market-town, ſtanding near the Sea. It is indifferently well built. The Church, which is ſituate near a Mile on the Weſt-ſide of the Town, is a good Building; but for the Eaſe of its Inhabitants, there is a Chapel in the Town, wherein divine Service is ſometimes celebrated. The Neſs below the North-end of the Town is (ſince the waſhing away of Eaſtonneſs) the moſt Eaſtern Point of Land in Great Britain. Its principal Trade is Fiſhing for Herrings and Maycril. It has a noted Market weekly on Wedneſdays; and two ſmall Fairs yearly, the one on the 1ſt Day of May, and the other on the 29th of September. Beſides the preſent Chapel, here was formerly, at the South-end of the Town, a Chapel called Good-croſs-chapel, which hath long ſince been deſtroyed by the Sea. This Town, having been Part of the antient Demeſnes of the Crown, hath a Charter, and a Town-ſeal: But the greateſt Privilege they now enjoy from their Charter, is, that of not ſerving on Juries, either at the Seſſions or Aſſizes.

From High Suffolk, I paſſed the Waveney, near Schole-Inn, and ſo came into NORFOLK.

But, I believe, Sir, you will allow, that I have written enough in all Conſcience for one Letter. I will therefore only further add, that I am,

LETTER II. CONTAINING A Deſcription of the Counties of NORFOLK and CAMBRIDGE, and that Part of ESSEX not touched on in the former.

IN my Journey from High Suffolk, to Norfolk, I ſaw at Redgrave (the Seat of the Family) a beautiful Monument of that excellent Judge Sir John Holt, with the following Inſcription upon it.‘M. S.
D. Johannis Holt, Equitis Aur.
Totius Angliae in Banco Regis
per 21 Annos continuos
Capitalis Juſtitiarii;
Gulielmo Regi, Annae (que) Reginae,
Conſiliarii perpetui;
Libertatis ac Legum Anglicarum
Aſſertoris, Vindicis, Cuſtodis,
Vigilis, Acris, & Intrepidi.
Rolandus Frater Unicus & Haeres
Optime de ſe Merito
Poſuit.
Die Martii Vto. 1709. ſublatus eſt
ex Oculis noſtris.
Natus 30 Decembris, Anno 1640.’ In Engliſh thus:

[52]When we come into Norfolk, we ſee a Face of Diligence ſpread over the whole Country; the vaſt Manufactures carried on chiefly by the Norwich Weavers, employ all the Country round in ſpinning Yarn for them; and alſo uſe many thouſand Packs of Yarn, which they receive from other Countries, even from as far as Yorkſhire and Weſtmorland, of which I ſhall ſpeak in its Place.

This Side of Norfolk is very populous, and filled with a great Number of conſiderable Market-towns; inſomuch that between the Borders of Suffolk and the City of Norwich on this Side, which is not above 22 Miles in Breadth, are the following Mar⯑ket-towns, viz.

• Thetford,
• Dis,
• Harling,
• Bucknam,
• Hingham,
• Weſt Deerham,
• Attleboro',
• Windham,
• Harleſton,
• Eaſt Deerham,
• Watton,
• Loddon, &c.

Moſt of theſe Towns are very populous and large; but that which is moſt remarkable is, that the whole Country round them is interſperſed with Villages ſo large, and ſo full of People, that they are equal to Market-towns in other Counties.

An eminent Weaver of Norwich gave me a Scheme of their Trade on this Occaſion, by which, calcu⯑lating from the Number of Looms at that time employ'd in the City of Norwich only, he made it appear very plain, that there were 120,000 People buſy'd in the Woollen and Silk Manufactures of that City only; not that the People all lived in the City, tho' Norwich is very large and populous; but they were employ'd for ſpinning the Yarn uſed for ſuch Goods as were all made in that City.

This ſhews the wonderful Extent of the Norwich Manufacture, or Stuff-weaving Trade, by which ſo many thouſand Families are maintained.

This Throng of Villages continues thro' all the Eaſt Part of the Country, which is of the greateſt [53] Extent, and where the Manufacture is chiefly carried on: If any Part of it be thin of Inhabitants, it is the Weſt Part, drawing a Line from about Brandon, South, to Walſingham, North. This Part of the Country indeed is full of open Plains, and ſome⯑what ſandy and barren, but yet feeds great Flocks of good Sheep.

NORWICH is the Capital of the County, and the Centre of all the Trade and Manufactures which I have juſt mentioned; an antient, large, rich, and populous City: If a Stranger was only to ride thro' or view the City of Norwich on ordinary Days, he would be induced to think it a Town without Inha⯑bitants; but on the contrary, if he was to view the City, either on a Sabbath-day, or on any publick Occaſion, he would wonder where all the People could dwell, the Multitude is ſo great: But the Caſe is this; the Inhabitants being all buſy at their Ma⯑nufactures, dwell in their Garrets at their Looms, and in their Combing-ſhops, as they call them, Twiſting-mills, and other Work-houſes; almoſt all the Works they are employ'd in, being done within Doors. There are in this City 32 Pariſhes, beſides the Cathedral, and a great many Meeting-houſes of Diſſenters of all Denominations. The Caſtle is antient and decayed, and now for many Years paſt made uſe of for a Gaol.

This City, as 'tis ſaid, was built by the Saxons out of the Ruins of Venta Icenorum, now called Caſter, where ſome Years ſince were found ſeveral Roman Urns. In the Time of the Saxons it was the principal Seat of the Eaſt Angles, and was reduced to Aſhes by Sueno the Dane. It was re-edified, and Famine only compelled it to yield to William the Conqueror.

The famous Rebellion of Kett, the Tanner of Windham, in the Reign of Edward VI. reduced it again to a ruinous State; but it was happily reſtored [54] by Queen Elizabeth, who ſent hither Part of the Flemings, that came over from the cruel Perſecution of the Duke of Alva; to whoſe Induſtry and Ex⯑ample is owing the rich Manufacture of Stuffs, for which this City is ſo famous.

The Walls of this City are reckoned three Miles in Circumference, taking in more Ground than the City of London, within the Walls; but much of that Ground lies open in Paſture-fields and Gardens; nor does it ſeem to be, like ſome antient Places, a decayed declining Town, the Walls only marking out its antient Dimenſions; for we do not ſee room to ſuppoſe, that it was ever larger or more populous than it is now. But the Walls ſeem to be placed, as if it was expected, that the City would in time in⯑creaſe ſufficiently to fill them up with Buildings. There are 12 large Gates, which give Entrance to the City.

The Cathedral is a fine Fabrick, and the Spire-Steeple beautiful, and, next Saliſbury, the higheſt in England. It is not antient, the Biſhop's See having been firſt at Thetford, from whence it was not tranſlated hither till the 12th Century; yet the Church has ſo many Antiquities in it, that our late great Scholar and Phyſician, Sir Thomas Brown, thought it worth his while to write a whole Book to collect the Monuments and Inſcriptions in this Church, to which I refer the Reader. It has an Hoſpital in it, for 100 poor Men and Women, and a fine Market-croſs. That called Bridewell is a large and moſt beautiful Building of ſquare Flint.

The River Yare runs through it, and is navigable thus far without the Help of Locks or Stops; and being increaſed by other Waters, paſſes afterwards through a long Track of the richeſt Meadows, and the largeſt, take them all together, that are any⯑where in England, lying for 30 Miles in Length, from this City to Yarmouth, including the Return [55] of the ſaid Meadows on the Bank of the Waveney, South, and on the River Thyrn, North.

There are Six large Bridges over the River running thro' the City, called Helleſden, Coſlany, Black-fryers, Tye-bridge, White-friers, and Biſhopſgate Bridges; and to repair theſe Bridges, as alſo the Walls and Gates, and the City Waſtes, Stathes and Wharfs, (which were become ſo ruinous, that the ordinary Revenue of the City was inſufficient for that Purpoſe) an Act of Parliament paſſed in the Year 1725-6. which laid divers Tolls and Impoſts on particular Goods and Merchandizes brought into the City; the Produce of which were alſo to repair the great Roads leading from Norwich towards Lon⯑don; by which means theſe Roads, Bridges, Walls, &c. were put into good Condition, and kept ſo.

One thing is proper to be mentioned here, which Hiſtory accounts not for. It is this: The River Waveney is a conſiderable River, and of a deep and full Chanel, navigable for large Barges as high as Beccles and Bungay; it runs for a Courſe of about 50 Miles, between the two Counties of Suffolk and Norfolk, as a Boundary to both; and puſhing for⯑ward, tho' with a gentle Stream, no one would doubt, when they ſee the River growing broader and deeper, and going directly towards the Sea, even to the Edge of the Beach, and within a Mile of the main Ocean, but that it would make its Entrance into the Sea at that Place, and afford a noble Harbour for Ships at the Mouth of it; when, on a ſudden, the Land riſing high by the Sea-ſide, croſſes the Head of the River, like a Dam, checks the whole Courſe of it, and it returns, bending its Courſe Weſt, for two Miles, or thereabouts; and then turning North, thro' another long Courſe of Mea⯑dows, (joining to thoſe juſt now mentioned) ſeeks out the River Yare, joins its Water with hers, and both find their Way to the Sea together.

[56]Some of our Hiſtorians tell a long fabulous Story of this River's being once open, and a famous Har⯑bour for Ships belonging to the Town of Leoſtof adjoining; but that Yarmouth envying the Proſpe⯑rity of Leoſtof, made War upon them; and that after many bloody Battles, as well by Sea as by Land, they came at laſt to a deciſive Action at Sea with their reſpective Fleets; but the Leoſtof Fleet being overthrown, and utterly deſtroyed, the Yarmouth Men either actually ſtopped up the Mouth of the ſaid River, or obliged the vanquiſhed Leoſtof Men to do it themſelves, and bound them never to attempt to open it again.

I ſee no Authority for this Relation, neither do the Relators agree either in the Time or in the Par⯑ticulars of the Fact.

In this vaſt Tract of Meadows are fed a prodigious Number of Black Cattle, which are ſaid to produce the fatteſt Beef, tho' not the largeſt, in England; and the Quantity is ſo great, as that they not only ſupply the City of Norwich, the Town of Yarmouth, and the County adjacent, but ſend great Quantities of them weekly, in all the Winter Seaſon, to London.

And this in particular is worthy Remark, That the groſs of all the Scots Cattle, which come yearly into England, are brought to a ſmall Village lying North of the City of Norwich, called St. Faith's, where the Norfolk Graſiers go and buy them.

Theſe Scots Runts, as they call them, coming out of the cold and barren Mountains of the Highlands in Scotland, feed ſo eagerly on the rich Paſture in theſe Marſhes, that they thrive in an unuſual man⯑ner, and grow very fat; and the Beef is ſo delicious for Taſte, that the Inhabitants prefer them to the Engliſh Cattle, which are much larger and fairer to look at. Some have told me, and I believe with Truth, that there are above 40,000 of theſe Scots Cattle fed in this County every Year, and moſt of [57] them in the Marſhes between Norwich, Beccles, and Yarmouth.

Yarmouth is an antient Town, much older than Norwich; and tho' not extending over ſo much Ground, yet better built, and more complete, and not much inferior in Number of Inhabitants; and for Wealth, Traffick, and Advantage of its Situation, infinitely ſuperior to Norwich.

It is ſituated on a Peninſula between the River Yare and the Sea; the two laſt lying parallel to one another, and the Town in the Middle: The River lies on the Weſt-ſide of the Town, and being grown very large and deep, by the Receiving of all the Rivers on this ſide the County, forms the Haven: and the Town facing to the Weſt alſo, and open to the River, makes the fineſt Quay in England, if not in Europe, at leaſt equalling that of Marſeilles itſelf.

The Ships ride here ſo cloſe, as it were, keeping up one another, with their Head-faſts on Shore, that for half a Mile together, they go croſs the Stream with their Boltſprits over the Land, their Bows or Heads touching the very Wharf; ſo that one may walk from Ship to Ship as on a floating Bridge, all along by the Shore-ſide. The Quay reaching from the Draw-bridge almoſt to the South-gate, is ſo ſpacious and wide, that in ſome Places 'tis near 100 Yards from the Houſes to the Wharf. In this pleaſant and agreeable Range of Houſes are ſome very magnificent Buildings, and, among the reſt, the Cuſtom-houſe and Town-hall, and ſome Merchants Houſes, which look like little Palaces, rather than the Dwelling-houſes of private Men.

The greateſt Defect of this beautiful Town ſeems to be, that tho' it is very rich, and increaſing in Wealth and Trade, and conſequently in People, there is not Room to inlarge it by new Buildings; being precluded on the Weſt and South-ſides by the River, and on the Eaſt-ſide by the Sea, ſo that there [58] is no Room but on the North-end without the Gate; and there the Land is not very agreeable: but had they had a larger Space within the Gates, there would before now, have been many ſpacious Streets of Buildings erected, as we ſee is done in ſome other thriving Towns in England.

During the Fiſhing-fair, as they call it, one ſees the Land covered with People, and the River with Barks and Boats, buſy Day and Night, landing and carrying off the Herrings, which they catch here in almoſt incredible Quantities. I happened to be there during their Fiſhing-fair, when I told, in one Tide, One hundred and ten Barks and fiſhing Veſſels coming up the River, all loaden with Her⯑rings, taken the Night before; and this, over and above what was brought on Shore on the Dean (that is the Sea-ſide of the Town) by open Boats, which they call ^* Cobles, and which often bring in two or three ^†Laſts of Fiſh at a Time. The ^‖Barks often bring ten Laſts apiece.

This Fiſhing-fair began on Michaelmas-day, and laſts all the Month of October, by which time the Herrings draw off to Sea, ſhoot their Spawn, and are no more fit for the Merchants Buſineſs; at leaſt not thoſe that are taken hereabouts.

We have very different Accounts of the Quantity of Herrings caught here, in this Seaſon; ſome have ſaid, that the Towns of Yarmouth and Leoſtoff only, have taken 40,000 Laſts in a Seaſon: I will not venture to confirm that Report; but I have heard [59] the Merchants themſelves ſay, that they have cured 40,000 Barrels of merchantable red Herrings in one Seaſon, which (tho' far ſhort of the other) is a very conſiderable Article; and it is to be added, that theſe are over and above all the Herrings conſumed in the Country Towns of both thoſe populous Counties, for 30 Miles from the Sea, whither very great Quantities are carried every Tide during the whole Seaſon.

But this is only one Branch of the great Trade carried on in this Town; another Part of its Com⯑merce is in the exporting theſe Herrings after they are cured; and for this its Merchants have a great Trade to Genoa, Leghorn, Naples, Meſſina, and Venice, as alſo to Spain and Portugal; exporting likewiſe with their Herrings great Quantities of Worſted Stuffs, and Stuffs made of Silk and Worſted; Cam⯑blets, &c. the Manufactures of the neighbouring City of Norwich, and of the Places adjacent.

Beſides this, they carry on a very conſiderable Trade with Holland, exporting a vaſt Quantity of Woollen Manufactures every Year. Alſo they have a Fiſhing-trade to the North Seas for white Fiſh, which from the Place are called the North Sea Cod.

They have likewiſe a conſiderable Trade to Nor⯑way, and to the Baltick, from whence they bring back Deals, and Fir Timber, Oaken Plank, Baulks, Spars, Oars, Pitch, Tar, Hemp, Flax, Canvas, and Sail-cloth; with all manner of Naval Stores, for which they generally have a Conſumption in their own Port, where they build a very great Number of Ships every Year, beſides refitting and repairing the old.

Add to this the Coal-trade between Newcaſtle and the River of Thames, in which they are ſo improved of late Years, that they have now a greater Share of it than any other Town in England; and have quite worked the Ipſwich Men out of it, who had [60] formerly the chief Share of the Colliery in their Hands.

For the carrying on all theſe Trades, they have a very great Number of Ships, either of their own, or employed by them; and it may in ſome meaſure be judged of by this, That in the Year 1697. I had an Account from the Town Regiſter, that there were then 1123 Sail of Ships uſing the Sea, belonging to the Town, beſides ſuch Ships as the Merchants of Yarmouth might be concerned in, and be Part-owners of, belonging to any other Ports.

To all this I muſt add, without Compliment to the Town, that the Merchants, and even the gene⯑rality of Traders of Yarmouth, have a very good Reputation in Trade, as well Abroad as at Home, for fair and honourable Dealing; and their Seamen, as well Maſters as Mariners, are juſtly eſteemed among the ableſt and moſt expert Navigators in England.

This Town, however populous and large, had till lately but one Pariſh-church, dedicated to St. Nicolas, tho' it is very large. It has a high Spire, which is an uſeful Sea-mark. It was built by that famous Biſhop of Norwich, William Herbert, who flouriſhed in the Reign of William II. and Henry I. William of Malmſbury calls him Vir pecunioſus, from the Works of Charity and Munificence, which he has left as Witneſſes of his immenſe Riches; for he built the Cathedral Church, the Priory for 60 Monks, the Biſhop's Palace, and the Pariſh-church of St. Leonard, all in Norwich; this great Church at Yarmouth, the Church of St. Margaret at Lynn, and of St. Mary at Elmham. He removed the Epiſcopal See from Thetford to Norwich, and inſti⯑tuted the Cluniack Monks at Thetford, and gave them, or built them, a Houſe.

But in the Reigns of Queen Anne, and the late King George I. two Acts paſſed for Building a new [61] Church or Chapel of Eaſe in Yarmouth, and for enlightening the Streets of the Town, and other Purpoſes, all which is performed in ſo complete a manner as is worthy of the Place.

Alſo in the Year 1723. an Act paſſed for Clearing, Depthening, Repairing, Extending, Maintaining and Improving the Haven and Piers of Yarmouth, and for depthening and making more navigable the ſeveral Rivers emptying themſelves at that Town; and alſo for preſerving of Ships wintering in the Haven from Accidents by Fire: This Proviſion was a very ne⯑ceſſary one; for the Haven is ſo very commodious for the ſecure and ſafe lying of Ships in the Winter Seaſon, that ſeveral hundred Sail are yearly laid up and winter in it, which lie ſo contiguous to one an⯑other, and ſo near the Houſes, that in caſe of Fire, not only the Ships, but the Town, would be in Danger of being totally deſtroyed.

Here is one of the fineſt Market-places, and the beſt ſerved with Proviſions in England, London ex⯑cepted. The Streets are all exactly ſtrait from North to South, from Lanes or Alleys, which they call Rows, croſſing them in ſtrait Lines alſo from Eaſt to Weſt; ſo that it is the moſt regular-built Town in England, and ſeems as if it had been erected all at once upon one uniform Plan.

They have particular Privileges in this Town, and a Juriſdiction by which they can try, condemn, and execute in eſpecial Caſes, without waiting for a Warrant from Above; and this they exerted once very ſmartly, in executing a Captain of one of the King's Ships of War in the Reign of King Charles II. for a Murder committed in the Street; the Cir⯑cumſtance of which did indeed call for Juſtice: but ſome thought they would not have ventured to exert their Power as they did; however, I never heard that the Government reſented it, or blamed them for it.

[62]It is a very well governed Town; and I have no⯑where in England obſerved the Sabbath-day ſo exactly kept, or the Breach of it ſo conſtantly puniſhed, as in this Place, which I mention to their Honour.

From Yarmouth I reſolved to purſue my firſt De⯑ſign, viz. To view the Sea-ſide on this Coaſt, which is particularly noted for being one of the moſt dan⯑gerous and moſt fatal to the Sailors in all Britain; and the more ſo, becauſe of the great Number of Ships which are continually going and coming this Way, in their Paſſage between London and all the Northern Coaſts of Great Britain.

The Reaſon of which is, that the Shore from the Mouth of the River of Thames to Yarmouth Road, lies in a ſtrait Line from South-ſouth-eaſt to North-north-weſt, the Land being on the Weſt or Larboard Side. From Wintertonneſs, which is the utmoſt eaſterly Point of Land in the County of Norfolk, and about four Miles beyond Yarmouth, the Shore falls off for near 60 Miles to the Weſt, as far as Lynn and Boſton, till the Shore of Lincolnſhire tends North again for about 60 Miles more, as far as the Humber; whence the Coaſt of Yorkſhire, or Holderneſs, which is the Eaſt-Riding, ſhoots out again into the Sea, to the Spurn, and to Flambro' Head, as far Eaſt almoſt as the Shore of Norfolk had given back at Winterton, making a very deep Gulph, or Bay, between thoſe two Points of Winterton and the Spurn Head; ſo that the Ships going North are obliged to ſtretch away to Sea from Wintertonneſs; and leaving the Sight of Land in the deep Bay I have mentioned, that reaches to Lynn, and the Shore of Lincolnſhire, they go, as I obſerved, North or ſtill North-north-weſt, to meet the Shore of Holderneſs, which, as I ſaid, runs out into the Sea again at the Spurn; this they leave alſo, and the firſt Land they make, is called as above, Flambro' Head; ſo that Wintertonneſs and Flam⯑bro' Head are the two Extremes of this Courſe. [63] There is, indeed, the Spurn Head between; but as it lies too far in towards the Humber, they keep out to the North to avoid coming near it.

In like manner the Ships which come from the North, leave the Shore at Flambro' Head, and ſtretch away South-ſouth-eaſt for Yarmouth Roads; and the firſt Land they make is Wintertonneſs, as above. Now, the Danger of the Place is this: If the Ships coming from the North are taken with a hard Gale of Wind from the South-eaſt, or from any Point between North-eaſt and South-eaſt, ſo that they cannot weather Wintertonneſs, they are thereby kept within that deep Bay; and if the Wind blows hard, are often in Danger of running on Shore upon the Rocks about Cromere, on the North-coaſt of Norfolk, or ſtranding upon the flat Shore between Cromere and Wells. All the Relief they have, is good Ground-tackle to ride it out, which is very hard to do there, the Sea coming very high upon them; or if they cannot ride it out, then to run into the Bot⯑tom of the great Bay, to Lynn or Boſton, which is a very difficult and deſperate Puſh: ſo that ſometimes in this Diſtreſs whole Fleets have been loſt here all together.

In the ſame Danger are Ships going Northward; for if, after paſſing by Winterton, they are taken ſhort with a North-eaſt Wind, and cannot put back into the Roads, which very often happens, they are driven upon the ſame Coaſt, and embay'd juſt as the latter. The Danger on the North-part of this Bay is not the ſame, becauſe if Ships going or coming ſhould be taken ſhort on this ſide Flambro', there is the River Humber open to them, and ſeveral good Roads to have recourſe to; as Burlington Bay, Grimſby Road, the Spurn Head, and others, where they ride under Shelter.

The Dangers of this Place being thus conſidered, 'tis no wonder, that upon the Shore beyond Yar⯑mouth, [64] there are no leſs than Four Light-houſes kept flaming every Night, beſides the Lights at Caſtor, North of the Town, and at Goulſton, South. All which are to direct the Sailors to keep a good Offing, in caſe of bad Weather, and to prevent their running into Cromere-bay, which the Seamen call the Devil's Throat.

As I went by Land from Yarmouth North-weſt, along the Shore towards Cromere aforeſaid, and was not then fully Maſter of the Reaſon of theſe things, I was ſurpriſed to ſee, in all the Way from Winterton, that the Farmers, and Country People had ſcarce a Barn, Shed, Stable, or Pales to their Yards and Gardens, or a Hog-ſtye, or Neceſſary-houſe, but what was built of old Planks, Beams, Wales and Timber, &c. the deplorable Wrecks of Ships, and Ruins of Mariners and Merchants Fortunes; and in ſome Places were whole Yards filled, and piled up very high, with the ſame Stuff laid up for the like building Purpoſes.

About the Year 1692. there was a melancholy Example of what I have ſaid of this Place: A Fleet of 200 Sail of light Colliers went out of Yarmouth Roads with a fair Wind, to purſue their Voyage, and were taken ſhort with a Storm of Wind at North-eaſt. After they were paſt Wintertonneſs, a few Leagues, ſome of them, whoſe Maſters made a better Judgment of Things, or who were not ſo far out as the reſt, tacked and put back in time, and got ſafe into the Roads; but the reſt, puſhing on, in hopes to keep out to Sea, and weather it, were by the Violence of the Storm driven back, when they were too far embay'd to weather Wintertonneſs, a above; and ſo were forced to run Weſt, every one ſhifting for themſelves, as well as they could; ſome run away for Lynn Deeps, but few of them (the Night being ſo dark) could find their Way thither; ſome, but very few, rid it out, at a Diſtance; the [65] reſt, being above 140 Sail, were all driven on Shore, and daſhed to Pieces, and very few of the People on Board were ſaved. At the very ſame unhappy Juncture, a Fleet of loaden Ships were coming from the North, and being juſt croſſing the ſame Bay, were forcibly driven into it, not able to weather the Neſs, and ſo were involved in the ſame Ruin as the light Fleet was; alſo ſome coaſting Veſſels loaden with Corn from Lynn and Wells, and bound for Holland, were with the ſame unhappy Luck juſt come out, to begin their Voyage, and ſome of them lay at Anchor: theſe alſo met with the ſame Miſ⯑fortune, ſo that in the whole, above 200 Sail of Ships, and above 1000 People, were loſt in the Diſaſter of that one miſerable Night, very few eſcaping.

Cromere is a Market-town cloſe to the Shore of this dangerous Coaſt: I know nothing it is famous for (beſides its being thus the Terror of the Sailors) except good Lobſters, which are taken on that Coaſt in great Numbers, and carried to Norwich, and in ſuch Quantities ſometimes too, as to be conveyed by Sea to London.

Farther within the Land, and between this Place and Norwich, are ſeveral good Market-towns, and a great many Villages, all diligently applying to the Woollen Manufacture, and the Country is exceeding fertile, as well in Corn as Paſture; particularly, (which was very pleaſant to ſee) the Pheaſants were in ſuch great Plenty, as to be ſeen in the Stubble like Cocks and Hens; a Teſtimony tho' (by the way) that the County had more Tradeſmen than Gentle⯑men in it. Indeed this Part is ſo intirely given up to Induſtry, that what with the Seafaring-men on the one Side, and the Manufactures on the other, we ſaw no idle Hands here, but every Man buſy. Some of the principal of theſe Towns are;

• 1. Hickling and North-Waltham, noted only for a Market each.
• 2. Alſham, a poor Town, noted for Knitters.
• 3. Worſted, for the Invention and twiſting of Yarn, ſo called; alſo famed for Stockens and Stuffs.
• 4. Catton, noted for a brazen Hand being carried before the Steward of the Demeſne, inſtead of a Mace, and for a Bridge over the Duze.
• 5. Reepham, for a good Malt-market; having no Church at all out of three: for there are only the Ruins of one of them ſtanding.
• 6. Holt, for giving two Lord Mayors of the Name of Greſham (who were Brothers) to London, in 1537. and 1547.
• 7. Fakenham, noted for nothing at all, but for⯑merly for having Salt-pits; and,
• 8. St. Faiths, whither the Drovers bring their Black Cattle to ſell to the Norfolk Graziers, as I obſerved above.

Not far from Cromere is Greſham, the Birth-place of the generous Founder of the Royal Exchange and Greſham Col [...]ge, London.

From Cromere we rode on the Strand or open Shore to Weyburn Hope, the Shore ſo flat, that in ſome Places the Tide ebbs out near two Miles From Weyburn Weſt lies Clye, where there are large Salt-works, and very good Salt made, which is ſold all over the County, and ſometimes ſent to Holland and [...] [...]ick. From Clye we go to Marham and to Wells, all Towns on the Coaſt, in each whereof there is a very conſiderable Trade carried on with Holland for Corn, which that Part of the County is very full of, beſides the great Trade driver here from Holland, back again; which I take to be a Trade carried on with much leſs Honeſty than Ad⯑vantage, eſpecially while the Art of Smuggling was ſo much in Practice, which the Laws have of late [67] rendered more difficult than it was; tho' far from ſuppreſſing it.

The Seven Burnhams, which are ſo many ſmall Towns called by the ſame Name, and each employed in the ſame Holland Trade as Marham and Wells, lie on and near the Sea-coaſt to the North-weſt of Walſingham.

From the Sea-coaſt we turned to the South-weſt, thro' Snetham, a ſmall Market-town, to Caſtle-Riſing, an old decayed Borough Town, with hardly Ten Families in it, which yet ſends Two Members to Parliament; but ſhews a great many Marks of Roman, Saxon, and Daniſh Antiquities in and about it.

On our Left we ſaw Walſingham, an antient Town, famous for the old Ruins of a Monaſtery there, and the Shrine of our Lady, as noted as that of St. Thomas-a-Becket at Canterbury; hence called, Our Lady of Walſingham. Two Wells here are ſtill called by the Name of the Bleſſed Virgin.

Near this Place, at Raynham, is the Seat of the Lord Viſcount Townſhend; and not far diſtant, at Houghton, that noble new-built one of Sir Robert Walpole; the Gardens and Plantations of which are very large and beautiful.

The general Plan and Front of the Houſe and Offices extend to 450 Feet; the great Hall is a Circle of 40 Feet; the Salon 40 by 30 Feet; and all the other Rooms in the four great Apartments are 18 Feet high; the Attick Story is 12 Feet high, and the Ruſtick Story the ſame, all above Ground, under which is an intire Story of Cellars all arched. The Front to the great Entrance extends to 166 Feet, lying open to the Park. The Building is finiſhed with two Towers, dreſſed with two Ruſtick Venetian Windows. The Section of the great Hall all in Stone, the moſt beautiful in England. The whole Building is of Stone, and without pretending [68] to excuſe any ſeeming or real Defect, it may be truly ſaid to be a Houſe of State and Conveniency worthy of a Prince's Reſidence.

This ſtately Structure, begun in the Year 1722. was completely finiſhed, Inſide and Outſide, in the Year 1735. the noble Founder having had the ſingular Felicity all the time to continue at the Helm of Affairs, as he does ſtill, Anno 1741.

On the Foundation-ſtone, placed in the South-eaſt Angle, is this Inſcription:‘Hic me poſuit
ROBERTUS ille WALPOLE,
Quem tu non neſcies, Poſteritas;
Fandamen ut eſſem Demus
In Agro Natali extruendae,
24^o die Maii, A. D. MDCCXXII.
Faxit Deus,
Poſtquam nea urus aevi Dominus
Diu laetatu fuerit, ab [...]lutâ,
Incolumens tueantur incolumes,
Ad ſummam Diem,
Et Nati Natorum, & qui naſcentur
ab illis.’ Which may be Engliſhed thus. ‘Here that Sir ROBERT WAL⯑POLE, with whom, O Poſte⯑rity! thou ſhalt not be unac⯑quainted, has fixed me to ſtand as the Foundation of a Seat de⯑ſigned to be built in his native County, the 24th Day of May in the Year 1722. God grant, that after its Maſter, to a ma⯑ture Old Age, ſhall have long enjoy'd it in Perfection, his lateſt Deſcendants may ſafely and ſe⯑curely poſſeſs it to the End of Time.’

The noble Founder had doubtleſs in his Thoughts, in this Inſcription, the uncertain State of Prime Mi⯑niſters, and of the ſuperb Structures built by them in the Height of their Power in all Ages and Countries; and we hope the Merits of him and his Deſcendants to their native Country may induce the Almighty to give a Fiat to his Prayer.

We proceeded hence to Lynn, another rich and populous Port-town, well built, and well ſituated, at the Mouth of the River Ouſe; which has the greateſt Extent of inland Navigation, of any Port in England, London excepted. The Reaſon where⯑of is, that more navigable Rivers empty them⯑ſelves here into the Sea, including the Waſhes, [69] which are Branches of the ſame Port, than at any one Mouth of Waters in England, except the Thames and the Humber. By theſe navigable Rivers the Merchants of Lynn ſupply about ſix Counties wholly, and three Counties in Part, with their Goods, eſpecially Wine and Coals; viz. By the little Ouſe, they ſend their Goods to Brandon and Thetford; by the Lake, to Mildenhall, Barton-Mills, and St. Edmundſbury; by the River Grant to Cambridge; by the great Ouſe itſelf, to Ely, to St. Ives, to St. Neots, to Barford-bridge, and to Bed⯑ford; by the River Nyne, to Peterboro'; by the Drains and Waſhes to Wiſbich, to Spalding, Market-deeping, and Stamford; beſides the ſeveral Counties, into which theſe Goods are carried by Land Carriage, from the Places where the Navigation of thoſe Rivers ends; which has given Riſe to this Obſerva⯑tion on the Town of Lynn, That they bring in more Coals, than any Sea-port between London and Newcaſtle, and import more Wines than any Port in England, except London and Briſtol; their Trade to Norway, and to the Baltick Sea, is alſo great in Proportion, and of late Years they have extended it farther to the Southward.

There are many Gentry, and conſequently more Gayety, in this Town than in Yarmouth, or even Norwich, the Place abounding in very good Com⯑pany; and indeed it is ſo conſiderable, that it merits as particular a Deſcription as the Nature of this Work will admit; and which, therefore, I will give as ſuccinctly as I can.

To begin then: This Town was firſt called Lynn-Epiſcopi, as the Property of the Biſhop of Norwich, till the Diſſolution of Monaſteries by King Henry VIII. when that Prince, becoming its Poſſeſſor, conferred on it the Name of Lynn Regis.

[70]It is ſituated towards the Mouth of the Great Ouſe, encompaſſed with a deep Trench, walled almoſt all round, containing about 2400 Houſes, and divided by four Rivulets arched over with about 15 Bridges. It extends along the Eaſt-ſide of the River; which in high Spring-tides flows above 20 Feet perpendi⯑cular, and is about the Breadth of the Thames above Bridge, for the Length of a Mile, and is divided into nine Wards. On the North-end, towards the Sea, ſtands St. Anne's Fort, with a Platform of 12 large Guns, commanding all Ships which paſs by the Harbour; and towards the Land, beſides the Wall, there are nine regular Baſtions and a Ditch, nearly in the Form of a Semicircle, which make it above half a Mile in Breadth. The Town is ſo antient as to be ſuppoſed the ſame with Maiden-Bower, ac⯑cording to ſeveral old Hiſtorians.

It has many remarkable Places, which deſerve a more particular Deſcription than I have Room for: however, I ſhall touch upon them briefly; as, St. Margaret's Church, the Town-hall, Bridewell, the Cuſtom-houſe and Exchange, the Market-croſs, St. Nicolas's Chapel, All-Saints Church, the Free-School, the Hoſpitals, the Statue of King James II. King John's Sword and Cup, the common Stath-yard, the Lady's Mount, the publick Libraries, the King's Stath-yard, and other Remarkables, of which in their Order; and firſt of St. Margarets Church.

This Church, which was formerly an Abbey, and is one of the largeſt Parochial Churches in England, is adorned with a very fair and high Lanthorn, covered with Lead, containing the Clock-bell, lately caſt, which may be heard all over the Town. Its Height is 132 Feet. At the Weſt-end ſtands a Stone Tower, 82 Feet high; and facing the Street a Moon-dial, deſigned to tell the Increaſe and Decreaſe of that Planet, with the exact Hour of the Day▪ It moves by Clock-work. Over the Tower is a [71] Spire 193 Feet high in form of a Pyramid; near to which is the Bell-tower built of Free-ſtone, 86 Feet high, containing a Ring of eight Bells. In this Church is kept the Biſhop's Court, when he comes hither on his Viſitation.

The Town-houſe, called Trinity-hall, is an antient and noble Building, which makes a fine Appearance.

Adjoining to it is the Houſe of Correction called Bridewell, with Apartments proper for the Reception of ſuch as are put there; who beat and dreſs Hemp during their Confinement.

The Exchange is a fair Structure of Free-ſtone, with two Orders of Columns, ſituated in the Middle of the Town, and built at the Expence of Sir John Turner, Knight; and within it is the Cuſtom-houſe, containing ſeveral commodious Apartments.

The Market-houſe is a new Edifice of Free-ſtone, in the modern Taſte, 70 Feet high, erected on four Steps, neatly adorned with Statues, and other Em⯑belliſhments; with an Inſcription giving an Account of its former Condition, and preſent Rebuilding.

St. Nicolas's Chapel is very antient, and ſtands at the North-end of the Town. It is an Appendage to St. Margaret's, and is eſteemed one of the faireſt and largeſt religious Fabricks in England; it has a Bell-tower of Free-ſtone, and a pyramidical octan⯑gular Spire over it, both which together are 170 Feet from the Ground.

All-Saints Church, in South-Lynn, belonged for⯑merly to the Carmelite and White Friers, on the Ruins of whoſe Monaſtery it is built. Tho' not large, it is neat, ſolid and regular, in form of a Croſs, within a Church-yard well walled in.

On the North-ſide of St. Margaret's Church-yard is the Free-ſchool, a ſtrong and beautiful Building.

The only Fabrick formerly belonging to any re⯑ligious Order, now ſtanding, is the Grey-Fryers Steeple, a noted Sea-mark; which was repaired and [72] amended out of the Ruins of a demoliſhed Chapel in the Year 1539. It may not be amiſs to mention here a remarkable and laudable Order, that was made in the Year 1588. That on every firſt Monday in the Month there ſhould be a Meeting of the Mayor, Aldermen, ſome of the Common-Council, and the Preachers, in order to ſettle Peace and Quietneſs be⯑tween Man and Man, and to decide all manner of Controverſies: this was called The Feaſt of Recon⯑ciliation.

In the Pariſh of All-Saints is a ſmall Hoſpital for four poor Men to live rent-free. St. Mary Magdalen's Hoſpital, founded in the Reign of King Stephen, for a Prior, and 12 Brethren and Siſters, continued in a flouriſhing Condition about 400 Years; and devolved to the Crown at the making the Statute for Diſſolution of religious Houſes in the Reign of Edward VI. in whoſe Time it was robbed, and almoſt levelled with the Ground, by Kett's Mutineers, at their Return from their fruſtrated At⯑tempt to ſurpriſe Lynn: ſo that it remained deſtitute of Brethren and Siſters, except ſome poor People, whom the Mayor and Burgeſſes maintained with Deſign to ſupport the antient Hoſpital, till King James I. upon Petition reſtored them their Lands, granted them many Privileges, and incorporated them: but in the Year 1643. it was a ſecond time deſtroy'd by Fire by the Earl of Mancheſter's Forces, when they beſieged Lynn, then ſtanding out for the King. In the Year 1649. the Corportation rebuilt it very commodiouſly, as at preſent, with two Courts, a Chapel, and convenient Apartments for the Maſter, Brethren, and Siſters, and ſeveral Inſcriptions com⯑memorating the late Diſaſter. It is now committed to the Care of Two of the Elder Aldermen, choſen for that Purpoſe by the other Governors.

There is in the great Market-place a Statue erected in the Year 1686. to the Honour of King James II. [73] with an Inſcription that may ſerve for a Satire on the undue Compliments which are frequently paid to Princes, during the Time of their Proſperity. It ſtands on a Pedeſtal, which has ſeveral Embelliſh⯑ments, and is incloſed within a Paliſade of Iron. The Inſcription is as follows:‘Non immemor
Quantum Divinis invictiſſ. Principis
JACOBI II.
Virtutibus debeat,
Hanc Regiae Majeſtatis Effigiem,
Aeternum Fidei et Obſequii
Monumentum, erexit
S. P. Q. L.
Anno Salutis 1686.’ In Engliſh, thus:‘The Aldermen and Common Coun⯑cil of Lynn, not forgetting how much they owe to the divine Virtues of the invincible King James II. as a laſting Monu⯑ment of their Faith and Loyalty, have erected this Statue of his Royal Majeſty, Anno 1686.’

In 1682. an old ruinous Building, which was once a Chapel, was, by the Corporation, and other In⯑habitants, made a publick Receptacle for poor Chil⯑dren to learn to ſpin Wooll: here they are alſo taught to read. It is now, by Act of Parliament, ſettled and veſted in the Guardians of the Poor.

There was a Church formerly in the Town, dedi⯑cated to St. John, and belonging to the Hoſpital of that Name, both which are alike extinct.

The Corporation boaſts of having been preſented by King John with a very rich double-gilt Cup and Cover, weighing 73 Ounces, which is preſerved to this Day, and uſed on publick Occaſions; and at the ſame time a large Sword, with a Silver Mount⯑ing, from his own Side, as is engraven on the In⯑ſcription on the Hilt.

The Entrance into the common Stath-yard from the Tueſday Market is by two large Gate-ways with habitable Rooms over them. It is a beautiful large ſquare Area, with a commodious Quay or Wharf, ſurrounded with Ware-houſes and Granaries for all ſorts of Merchandize with ſpacious Vaults.

[74]At a ſmall Diſtance from the Town, ſtands a ruinous Pile, called The Lady's Mount, or Red Mount; wherein formerly was a Chapel dedicated to the Bleſſed Virgin, which ſerved as a Receptacle for Pilgrims travelling this Way towards the cele⯑brated Convent of Our Lady at Walſingham.

The Library at St. Nicolas was erected by a vo⯑luntary Subſcription of ſeveral Hundred Pounds; to which the late Lord Townſhend, (who took his Title of Baron from this Town) Sir Robert Walpole, Sir Charles Turner, and Robert Britiffe, Eſq deceaſed, were conſiderable Benefactors. There is alſo another Library at St. Margaret's, to which the late Thomas Thurlin, D. D. Preſident of St. John's in Cam⯑bridge, bequeathed all his Books; and alſo left an Exhibition of Six Pounds a Year to a poor Scholar, who ſhould go from the Grammar-ſchool to St. John's College in Cambridge; and forty Shillings yearly towards the Cloathing three of the pooreſt Inhabitants of Gaywood, &c.

The Inhabitants of Lynn ſuffer great Inconvenience from the want of freſh-water Springs within the Town; with which Element, however, they are ſupplied from a River running by Gaywood, and by leaden Pipes from Middleton and Mintling.

The Church of St. Edmund, in North-Lynn, was long ago intirely ſwallowed up by the Sea.

The King's Stath-yard is a very handſome Square, with Brick Buildings fronting each Way; in the Centre of which ſtands the Statue of James I. in a Nich fronting the Weſt. Here the greateſt Part of imported Wines are landed, as it has a convenient Quay, and large Wine-vaults.

At the South-end of the Town ſtood an Oil-mill, framed in Holland, and brought over hither near 100 Years ago. It gave a pleaſant Proſpect to every Part of the Town; but in the Year 1737. was conſumed by Fire

[75]From what has been ſaid, it will be obſerved, that the Situation of this Town renders it capable of being made very ſtrong; and in the late Wars it was ſo, a Line of Fortification being drawn round it at a Diſtance from the Walls; the Ruins, or rather Remains of which Works appear to this Day; nor would it be a hard Matter to reſtore the Baſtions, with the Ravelins and Counterſcarp, upon any ſud⯑den Emergency, to a good State of Defence; eſpe⯑cially becauſe they are able to fill all their Ditches with Water from the Sea, in ſuch a manner as that it cannot be drawn off.

They paſs over here in Boats into the Fen Coun⯑try, and over the famous Waſhes into Lincolnſhire; but the Paſſage is very dangerous and uneaſy; for here Paſſengers often miſcarry, and are loſt; but then it is uſually on their venturing at improper times, and without the Guides, which if they would be perſuaded not to do, they would very rarely fail of going or coming ſafe.

From Lynn, I bent my Courſe Southward to Downham, where is an ugly wooden Bridge over the Ouſe; at which, as Hollingſhead informs us, in October 1568. were taken 17 monſtrous Fiſhes, from 20 to 27 Feet long.

When we were at Downham, we took a Turn to the antient Town of Thetford, ſituated partly in Norfolk, and partly in Suffolk. It was raiſed on the Ruins of the antient Sitomagus, which was deſtroy'd by the Danes. It is at preſent but meanly built; but by the Ruins of Churches and Monaſteries ſtill remaining, appears to have been formerly of great Account; and even ſo far back as the Time of King Edward the Confeſſor, it had 947 Burgeſſes, and in that of William the Conqueror 720 Manſions. On the Suffolk Side there now remain the Ruins of ſix Churches and Monaſteries, and there were ſeveral others in the Town; but now there are but three [76] Pariſh Churches ſtanding intire, one on the Suffolk, and two on the Norfolk Side. It is, however, a Town Corporate, governed by a Mayor, Aldermen and Common-council; has three annual Fairs, a plentiful weekly Market, and is a kind of See ſuffragan to that of Norwich. In the 7th Year of King James I. an Act paſſed for the Founding of an Hoſpital, a Grammar-ſchool, and Maintenance of a Preacher in this Town for ever, according to the laſt Will of Sir Richard Fulmarſton: And Sir Joſeph Williamſon, Secretary of State to King Charles II. built here a new Council-houſe, and was otherwiſe a good Benefactor to the Place. The Lent Aſſizes are uſually held here.

From Thetford we croſſed the Ouſe, to Brandon, which gives the Title of an Engliſh Duke to Duke Hamilton of Scotland. This is no ill-built Town, and has a good Church belonging to it. It gave a Lord Mayor to London, Anno 1445; viz. Sir Simon Eyre, Draper, who built Leadenhall for the Uſe of the City, and left 5000 Marks, a very great Sum in thoſe Days, to charitable Uſes. Brandon has loſt its Market, but ſtands conveniently upon the Ouſe, over which it has a Bridge, and a Ferry, to convey Goods to and from the Iſle of Ely, to which we directly bent our Courſe.

We made an Excurſion from Ely Northwards up to the Fens; but we ſaw nothing that Way worth our Curioſity, or remarking, but deep Roads, vaſt Drains and Dykes of Water, which are all navigable; but with all this, a very rich Soil, bearing a great Quantity of Hemp, but a bad unwholſome Air.

Wiſbich, however, which lies on the Northern Extremity of the County, has not only been of Note in the Conqueror's Time, who built a Caſtle here; but is now a well-built Market-town, has a good Town-hall, and is eſteemed the beſt Trading-town in the Iſle, as having the Convenience of good [77] Water-carriage to London, whither they ſend great Quantities of Oil and Butter, and bring back all ſorts of Commodities, with which the whole Iſle is furniſhed; for it has a plentiful Market.

A good way lower down, to the South, are the two Market-towns of Merſh and Thorney; the firſt is very inconſiderable, the other is delightfully ſitu⯑ated; and the Land about it very fruitful in Graſs and Trees.

The Iſle of Ely is encompaſſed with the Ouſe, and other Waters. The City is ſituated on a Hill, in the Middle of a great Plain. It is full of Springs, inſomuch that in the principal Street, in the Eaſt Part of the Town, there are Wells bricked up Knee-high almoſt at every hundred Yards, which the whole Year generally overflow from one to another, all the way down the Declivity of the Hill on which the Town ſtands. The Soil is exceeding rich, and the City is encompaſſed with Gardens, the Produce of which is ſo excellent, that it furniſhes all the County for 20 Miles round, even as far as Cambridge, and St. Ives; the former of which has almoſt all its Garden-ſtuff from hence. Great Quantities of Strawberries are cultivated here, particularly of the white Wood ſort.

The moſt remarkable thing that I obſerved of the Minſter was, that it is ſeen for many Miles round; but is ſo old, that it ſeems to totter with every high Guſt of Wind.

On the Eaſt-ſide of the Cam, a little below Ely, ſtands Soham, a little Market-town towards the Borders of Suffolk, near the Marſhes, which were formerly dangerous to paſs; but now there is a Cauſey made, which leads very ſecurely over them. Here are the Remains of an antient Church, which was ruined by the Danes.

We proceeded from hence to Newmarket. Near Snaybell, as we went, we ſaw a noble Seat of Ad⯑miral [78] Ruſſel, created Earl of Orford, for the glorious Victory obtained under his Command over the French Fleet, and the burning their Ships at La Hogue.

The Situation of this Houſe is low, and on the Edge of the Fen Country; but the Building is fine, the Apartments noble, and the Gardens well-finiſhed. On the Earl's Death it devolved to Samuel Sandys, Eſq in Right of his Wife, one of the Earl's Heirs, who now poſſeſſes it.

Arriving at Newmarket in the Month of October, I had the Opportunity to ſee the Horſe-races, and a great Concourſe of the Nobility and Gentry, as well from London, as from all Parts of England; but they were all ſo intent, ſo eager, ſo buſy upon what is called the ſharping Part of the Sport, of Wagers and Bets, that to me they ſeemed rather like ſo many Horſe-courſers in Smithfield, than Perſons of Dig⯑nity and Quality, who deſcend ſo low as even to circumvent one another; and, if I may ſpeak it, pick one another's Pockets. To ſee a Perſon of Diſtinction who, perhaps, being ennobled, his Word of Honour, by the Laws of the Land, is to be eſteemed and received with equal Sanction as an Oath in our Courts of Juſtice, level himſelf with a Groom, or a Riding-boy, and put his Credit and Honour in his Hands with a Bribe, to betray his Maſter and his Truſt, is a thing ſcarce credible among thoſe who are really Men of Honour; and yet it is too often the Caſe, to the indelible Shame of Men of Rank and Quality be it ſpoken in particular, and to the Reproach of the Nation in general! How different is this Conduct from that of thoſe in the Circus at Rome? How much more different from thoſe who gained ſo much Honour in the Grecian Races? What Pindar could be found in theſe Days to celebrate them? What muſt his Subject be, Tricks and Circumventions! Alas! How dege⯑nerate! And yet theſe Races were inſtituted with [79] a very good Intent, to raiſe an Emulation in our Nobility and Gentry, to keep up and preſerve a Race of good Horſes, in Honour of the Nation in general; but as the Inſtitution is debaſed, it is not the beſt Horſe that wins the Race; but that which is deſtined for it by a Combination.

Before I was let into the Secret, as 'tis called, which is indeed nothing but the knaviſh Part of the Sport, I was much diverted with theſe Races; but when I was, I rejoiced not a little at the Regulation that it has met with from the Power that only had Authority to make it. For this Diverſion becoming a publick Nuiſance, by ſpreading itſelf in little Matches all over the Kingdom, the Legiſlature took Cognizance of it, and in the 13th of King George II. a Law paſſed, which injoins as follows; viz.

• That none but the Owners of Horſes ſhall enter them, and but one Horſe at a Time.
• That no Plate under 50l. Value ſhall be run for, on Penalty of 200l.—and 100l. to ſuch as ſhall advertiſe, print, or publiſh any Advertiſe⯑ment of a Plate to be run for of leſs Value than 50l.
• Five Years old Horſes to carry 10 Stone; Six, 11; Seven, 12; on the Forfeiture of the Horſe, and 200l. The Race to be begun and ended in one Day.
• Matches to be at Newmarket; and Black-Ham⯑bleton, Yorkſhire, only; on Penalty of 200l.
• But Gifts left for annual Races not to be alter'd.
• Somerſetſhire Penalties to go to Bath Hoſpital.
• Entrance Money to be paid to the ſecond-beſt Horſe.

I went in the Intervals of the Sport to ſee the fine Seats of the Gentlemen in the neighbouring County; for this Part of Suffolk, being an open champain Country, and in a healthy Air, is formed for Plea⯑ſure, and all kinds of rural Diverſion; Nature, [80] as it were, inviting the Gentlemen to viſit her, where ſhe is plentifully furniſhed to receive them; and the Country is accordingly in a manner covered with fine Palaces of the Nobility, and pleaſant Seats of the Gentry.

Euſton-hall, the Seat of the Duke of Grafton, lies in the open Country towards the Side of Norfolk, not far from Thetford; a Place capable of all that is pleaſant and delightful in Nature, and greatly im⯑proved by Art.

From thence I went to Ruſhbrook, formerly the Seat of the noble Family of Jermyns, lately Lord Dover, and now of the Houſe of Davers. Then we ſaw Brently, the Seat of the Earl of Dyſert, and the antient Palace of my Lord Cornwallis, with ſeveral others moſt agreeably ſituated, and adorned with the Beauties-both of Art and Nature.

Newmarket is a handſome well-built Town, and being a Thorough-fare, reaps no ſmall Advantage by that means as well as from the Races. It con⯑ſiſts chiefly of one long Street, the North-ſide of which is in Suffolk, and the South in Cambridgeſhire. The King has a Houſe of his own, where he reſides when he thinks fit to come to the Races. The Town has two Churches belonging to it, and a Free-ſchool endowed by King Charles II.

We entered Cambridgeſhire out of Suffolk with all the Advantage that can be imagined; juſt upon thoſe pleaſant and agreeable Plains, called Newmarket-Heath. Acroſs which extends a Fortification, or Ditch, with a Rampart, commonly called The Devil's Dyke, as Works of an extraordinary Nature are generally, by the Vulgar, attributed to that Prince of Darkneſs thro' the Nation; but among the Gentry it is beſt known by the Name of Rech Dyke, from Rech, a ſmall Market-town lying near the Heath. It is ſup⯑poſed to have been the Boundary of the Kingdom of the Eaſt-Angles.

[81]Paſſing this Ditch, we ſee from the Hills called Gogmagog, or rather Hogmagog, a rich and pleaſant Vale Weſtward, covered with Corn-fields, Gentle⯑mens Seats, Villages; and at a Diſtance, to crown all the reſt, that antient and truly famous Town and Univerſity of Cambridge, Capital of the County.

Cambridgeſhire, except the Fen Country, is almoſt wholly a Corn Country; and of that Corn five Parts in ſix of all they ſow, is Barley, which is generally ſold to Ware and Royſton, and other great Malting-towns in Hertfordſhire, and is the Fund from whence that vaſt Quantity of Malt, called Hertfordſhire Malt, is made, which is eſteemed the beſt in Eng⯑land. As Eſſex, Suffolk and Norfolk, are taken up in Manufactures, and famed for Induſtry, this County has no Manufacture at all; nor are the Poor, except the Huſbandmen, noted for any thing ſo much as Idleneſs and Sloth, to their Scandal be it ſpoken! What the Reaſon of it is, I know not.

On the Top of Hogmagog Hills appears an antient Camp, or Fortification, with a treble Rampart and Ditch, which moſt of our Writers ſay was neither Roman nor Saxon, but Britiſh. King James II. cauſed a ſpacious Stable to be built in the Area of this Camp, for his Running-horſes, and made old Mr. Frampton Maſter or Inſpector of them: The Stables remain ſtill there, tho' they are not often made uſe of. The Earl Godolphin has here a fine Houſe on the very Summit of the Hill, to which his Lordſhip frequently reſorts, eſpecially in the Racing-ſeaſon.

As we deſcended Weſtward, we ſaw the Fen Country on our Right, almoſt all covered with Water like a Sea. The Michaelmas Rains, having been very great that Year, ſent down vaſt Floods of Water from the Upland Countries; and thoſe Fens being the Sink of no leſs than 13 Counties, they are often thus overflowed. The Rivers which thus empty themſelves into theſe Fens, and carry off the [82] Water, are the Cam or Grant, the Great Ouſe, and Little Ouſe, the Nene, the Welland, and the River which runs from Bury to Milden-hall. The Counties which theſe Rivers drain, as above, are thoſe of

• Lincoln,
• *Cambridge,
• *Huntingdon,
• *Bedford,
• Warwick,
• Oxford,
• Leiceſter,
• *Northampton.
• Rutland,
• Norfolk,
• Suffolk, and
• Eſſex.
• Thoſe mark'd with (*) empty all their Waters this Way, the reſt but in Part.

In a Word, all the Water of the Middle Part of England, which does not run into the Thames or the Trent, comes down into theſe Fens.

In theſe Fens are abundance of thoſe admirable Pieces of Art call'd Duckoys, and it is incredible what Quantities of Wild-fowl of all ſorts, Duck, Mal⯑lard, Teal, Wigeon, &c. they take in them every Week during the Seaſon: It may indeed be gueſſed at in ſome meaſure by this, that there is a Duckoy not far from Ely, which yields the Landlord 500l. a Year clear of the Charge of maintaining a great Number of Servants for the Management; from whence alone they aſſured me at St. Ives, (a Town on the Ouſe, whither the Fowls are always brought to be conveyed to London) that they generally ſent up 3000 Couples a Week.

There are more of theſe about Peterborough, from whence Waggon Loads are ſent up twice a Week to London. I have ſeen theſe Waggons, before the Act of Parliament to regulate Carriers, drawn by ten or twelve Horſes apiece, they were loaden ſo heavy.

As theſe Fens appear overwhelm'd with Water, I obſerved that they generally at this latter Part of the Year appear alſo covered with Fogs; ſo that, when the Downs and higher Grounds of the adja⯑cent Country gliſtered with the Beams of the Sun, [83] the Iſle of Ely ſeemed wrapped up in Miſt and Darkneſs, ſo that nothing could be diſcerned but now and then the Cupola of Ely Minſter.

One could hardly ſee this from the Hills, without Concern for the many thouſand Families confined to thoſe Fogs, who had no other Breath to draw, than what muſt be mixed with the choaking Vapours, which ſpread over all the Country: but notwith⯑ſtanding this, the People, eſpecially thoſe that are uſed to it, live as healthy as thoſe in a clearer Air, except now-and-then an Ague, which they make light of; and there are great Numbers of very antient People among them. An Act paſſed a few Years ago for the effectual Draining and Preſervation of Haddenham Level in the Iſle of Ely, which contains 6500 Acres, which were overflowed chiefly thro' the Neglect of preſerving and clearing the Out-falls into the Sea; and as theſe Grounds are naturally very rich and fertile, it may be imagined what a Benefit muſt accrue to the Publick by this means, when the Draining and Recovery of them can be completed.

Having been at Sturbridge-fair, when it was in its Height in the Month of September, the Year before I was at Newmarket, I muſt ſay, that it is not only the greateſt in the whole Nation, but I think in Europe; nor is the Fair at Leipſick in Saxony, the Mart at Frankfort on the Main, or the Fairs at Nuremberg, or Auſburg, reputed any way com⯑parable to this at Sturbridge ^*.

It is kept in a large Corn-field, near Caſterton, extending from the Side of the River Cam, towards the Road, for about half a Mile ſquare.

If the Field be not cleared of the Corn before a certain Day in Auguſt, the Fair-keepers may trample it under-foot, to build their Booths or Tents. On [84] the other hand, to balance that Severity, if the Fair-keepers have not cleared the Field by another certain Day in September, the Plowmen may re-enter with Plow and Cart, and overthrow all into the Dirt; and as for the Filth, Dung, Straw, &c. left behind by the Fair-keepers, which is very conſiderable, theſe become the Farmers Fees, and make them full Amends for the trampling, riding, carting upon, and hardening the Ground.

It is impoſſible to deſcribe all the Parts and Cir⯑cumſtances of this Fair exactly; the Shops are placed in Rows like Streets, whereof one is called Cheap-ſide; and here, as in ſeveral other Streets, are all Sorts of Traders, who ſell by Retale, and come chiefly from London. Here may be ſeen Goldſmiths, Toymen, Braſiers, Turners, Milaners, Haberdaſhers, Hatters, Mercers, Drapers, Pewterers, China-ware-houſes, and, in a Word, all Trades that can be found in London; with Coffee-houſes, Taverns, and Eating-houſes in great Numbers and all kept in Tents and Booths.

This great Street reaches from the Road, which, as I ſaid, goes from Cambridge to Newmarket, turn⯑ing ſhort out of it to the Right towards the River, and holds in a Line near half a Mile quite down to the River-ſide. In another Street parallel with the Road are the like Rows of Booths, but ſomewhat larger, and more intermingled with Wholeſale Dealers; and one Side, paſſing out of this laſt Street to the Left-hand, is a great Square, formed of the largeſt Booths, called the Duddery; but whence ſo called, I could not learn. The Area of this Square is from 80 to 100 Yards, where the Dealers have room before every Booth to take down and open their Packs, and to bring in Waggons to load and unload.

This Place being peculiar to the Wholeſale Dealers in the Woollen Manufacture, the Booths, [85] or Tents are of a vaſt Extent, have different Apart⯑ments, and the Quantities of Goods they bring are ſo great, that the Inſides of them look like ſo many Blackwell-halls, and are vaſt Warehouſes piled up with Goods to the Top. In this Duddery, as I have been informed, have been ſold 100,000 Pounds-worth of Woollen Manufactures in leſs than a Week's time; beſides the prodigious Trade carried on here by Wholeſale-men from London, and all Parts of Eng⯑land, who tranſact their Buſineſs wholly in their Pocket-books, and meeting their Chapmen from all Parts, make up their Accounts, receive Money chiefly in Bills, and take Orders. Theſe, they ſay, exceed by far the Sales of Goods actually brought to the Fair, and delivered in Kind; it being frequent for the London Wholeſale-men to carry back Orders from their Dealers, for 10,000 Pounds-worth of Goods a Man, and ſome much more. This eſpecially reſpects thoſe People, who deal in heavy Goods, as Wholeſale Grocers, Salters, Braſiers, Iron-merchants, Wine-merchants, and the like; but does not exclude the Dealers in Woollen Manu⯑factures, and eſpecially in Mercery Goods of all ſorts, who generally manage their Buſineſs in this manner.

Here are Clothiers from Halifax, Leeds, Wake⯑field and Huthersfield in Yorkſhire, and from Roch⯑dale, Bury, &c. in Lancaſhire, with vaſt Quantities of Yorkſhire Cloths, Kerſeys, Penniſtons, Cottons, &c. with all ſorts of Mancheſter Ware, Fuſtians, and Things made of Cotton Wooll; of which the Quantity is ſo great, that they told me there were near 1000 Horſe-packs of ſuch Goods from that Side of the Country, and theſe took up a Side and Half of the Duddery at leaſt; alſo a Part of a Street of Booths were taken up with Upholſters Ware; ſuch as Tickens, Sackens, Kidderminſter Stuffs, Blankets, Rugs, Quilts, &c.

[86]In the Duddery I ſaw one Warehouſe, or Booth, conſiſting of ſix Apartments all belonging to a Dealer in Norwich Stuffs only, who, they ſaid, had there above 20,000l. Value in thoſe Goods.

Weſtern Goods had their Share here alſo, and ſe⯑veral Booths were filled with Serges, Duroys, Drug⯑gets, Shalloons, Cantaloons, Devonſhire Kerſies, &c. from Exeter, Taunton, Briſtol, and other Parts Weſt, and ſome from London alſo.

But all this is ſtill out-done, at leaſt in Appear⯑ance, by two Articles, which are the Peculiars of this Fair, and are not exhibited till the other Part of the Fair, for the Woollen Manufacture, begins to cloſe up: Theſe are the WOOLL, and the HOPS. There is ſcarce any Price fixed for Hops in England, till they know how they ſell at Sturbridge-fair; the Quantity that appears in the Fair is indeed prodigious, and they take up a large Part of the Field, on which the Fair is kept, to themſelves; they are brought directly from Chelmsford in Eſſex, from Canterbury and Maidſtone in Kent, and from Farnham in Surrey; beſides what are brought from London, of the Growth of thoſe and other Places.

Inquiring why this Fair ſhould be thus, of all other Places in England, the Centre of that Trade, and ſo great a Quantity of ſo bulky a Commodity be carried thither ſo far; I was informed by one thoroughly acquainted with that Matter, That Hops, for this Part of England, grow principally in the two Counties of Surrey and Kent, with an Exception only to the Town of Chelmsford in Eſſex, and there are very few planted any-where elſe.

There are indeed in the Weſt of England ſome Hops growing; as at Wilton, near Saliſbury; at Hereford and Broomſgrove, near Wales, and the like; but the Quantity is inconſiderable, and the Places ſo remote, that none of them come to London.

[87]Formerly in the North of England, few Hops were uſed, their Drink being chiefly pale ſmooth Ale, which required but little Hops; and conſe⯑quently they planted none North of Trent. But as for ſome Years paſt, they not only brew great Quantities of Beer in the North, but alſo uſe Hops in the Brewing their Ale much more than they did before, ſo they all come South of Trent to buy their Hops; and here being vaſt Quantities brought, 'tis great Part of their back Carriage into Yorkſhire, and Northamptonſhire, Derbyſhire, Lancaſhire, and all thoſe Counties; nay, of late, ſince the Union, even ſo far as Scotland; for I muſt not omit here alſo to mention, that the River Grant, or Cam, which runs cloſe by the North-weſt Side of the Fair, in its Courſe from Cambridge to Ely, is navigable; and that by this means, all heavy Goods are brought to the Fair-field, by Water-carriage from London, and other Parts; firſt to the Port of Lynn, and then in Barges up the Ouſe, from the Ouſe into the Cam, and ſo to the very Edge of the Fair.

In like manner great Quantities of heavy Goods, and Hops among the reſt, are ſent from the Fair to Lynn by Water, and ſhipped there for the Humber, to Hull, York, &c. and for Newcaſtle upon Tyne, and by Newcaſtle, to Scotland. Now, as they do not yet plant Hops in the North, tho' the Conſumption there is great and increaſing daily, this is one Reaſon why at Sturbridge-fair there is ſo great a Demand for them: beſides, there were very few Hops, if any worth naming, growing in all the Counties even on this ſide Trent, above 40 Miles from London, thoſe Counties depending on Sturbridge-fair for their Supply; ſo the Counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, Cam⯑bridge, Huntingdon, Northampton, Lincoln, Leiceſter, Rutland, and even to Stafford, Warwick and Wor⯑ceſterſhire, bought moſt of, if not all, their Hops at Sturbridge-fair.

[88]This is a Teſtimony of the prodigious Reſort of the trading People of all Parts of England to this Fair; where ſurpriſing Quantities of Hops formerly have been ſold.

The Article of Wooll is of ſeveral Sorts; but principally Fleece Wooll, out of Lincolnſhire, where the longeſt Staple is found, the Sheep of thoſe Parts being of the largeſt Breed.

The Buyers are chiefly the Manufacturers of Nor⯑folk, Suffolk, and Eſſex, and it is a prodigious Quan⯑tity they buy.

Here I ſaw what I have not obſerved in any other County of England, a Pocket of Wooll, which ſeems to have been at firſt called ſo in Mockery, this Pocket being ſo big, that it loads a whole Waggon, and reaches beyond the moſt extreme Parts of it, hanging over both before and behind; and theſe ordinarily weigh a Ton or 2500 lb. Weight of Wooll, all in one Bag.

The Quantity of Wooll only, which has been ſold at this Place at one Fair, has been ſaid to amount to 50 or 60,000l. in Value; ſome ſay, a great deal more.

By theſe Articles a Stranger may make ſome Gueſs at the immenſe Trade which is carried on at this Place; what prodigious Quantities of Goods are bought and ſold, and what a vaſt Concourſe of Peo⯑ple are ſeen here from all Parts of England.

I might proceed to ſpeak of ſeveral other Sorts of Engliſh Manufactures, which are brought hither to be ſold; as all Sorts of wrought Iron, and Braſs Ware from Birmingham; edged Tools, Knives, &c. from Sheffield, Glaſs Wares, and Stockens, from Nottingham and Leiceſter; and unaccountable Quantities of other Things of ſmaller Value every Morning.

To attend this Fair, and the prodigious Crouds of People which reſort to it, there are ſometimes no [89] leſs than 50 Hackney Coaches, which come from London, and ply Night and Morning to carry the People to and from Cambridge; for there the Groſs of them lodge; nay, which is ſtill more ſtrange, there are Wherries brought from London on Wag⯑gons, to ply upon the little River Cam, and to row People up and down, from the Town, and from the Fair, as Occaſion preſents.

It is not to be wondered at, if the Town of Cambridge cannot receive or entertain the Numbers of People that come to this Fair; for not Cambridge only, but all the Towns round are full; nay, the very Barns and Stables are turned into Inns, to lodge the meaner Sort of People: As for the Fair People, they all eat, drink, and ſleep in their Booths, which are ſo intermingled with Taverns, Coffee-houſes, Drinking-houſes, Eating-houſes, Cooks Shops, &c. and ſo many Butchers and Higglers from all the neighbouring Counties come in every Morning with Beef, Mutton, Fowls, Butter, Bread, Cheeſe, Eggs, and ſuch Things, and go with them from Tent to Tent, from Door to Door, that there's no Want of Proviſions of any Kind, either dreſſed, or undreſſed.

In a Word, the Fair is like a well-governed City, and there is the leaſt Diſorder and Confuſion (I be⯑lieve) that can be ſeen any-where, with ſo great a Concourſe of People.

Towards the latter End of the Fair, and when the great Hurry of Wholeſale Buſineſs begins to be over, the Gentry come in, from all Parts of the County round; and tho' they come for their Diver⯑ſion, yet 'tis not a little Money they lay out, which generally falls to the Share of the Retalers; ſuch as the Toy-ſhops, Goldſmiths, Braſiers, Ironmongers, Turners, Milaners, Mercers, &c. and ſome looſe Corns they reſerve for the Puppet-ſhews, Drolls, Rope-dancers, and ſuch-like; of which there is no [90] Want. The laſt Day of the Fair is the Horſe-fair, where the Whole is cloſed both with Horſe and Foot-races, to divert the meaner Sort of People only; for nothing conſiderable is offered of that Kind, and the late Act, I preſume, muſt have put an End to the former. Thus ends the whole Fair, and in leſs than a Week more, ſcarce any Sign is left, that ſuch a thing has been there, except by the Heaps of Dung and Straw, and other Rubbiſh which is left behind, trod into the Earth, and is as good as a Summer's Fallow for the Land; and as I have ſaid above, pays the Huſbandman well for the Uſe of it.

I ſhould have mentioned, that here is a Court of Juſtice always open, and held every Day in a Shed built on purpoſe in the Fair: this is for keeping the Peace, and deciding Controverſies in Matters ariſing from the Buſineſs of the Fair. The Magi⯑ſtrates of the Town of Cambridge are Judges in this Court, as being in their Juriſdiction, or they holding it by ſpecial Privilege. Here they determine Mat⯑ters in a ſummary way, as is practiſed in thoſe we call Pye-Powder Courts in other Places, or as a Court of Conſcience; and they have a final Authority with⯑out Appeal.

Having juſt mentioned the Puppet-ſhews, Drolls, &c. with which the People are entertained during the Time of this Fair, I cannot but relate a deplorable Accident that happened on this Occaſion, at Barn⯑welt in this Neighbourhood, as follows.

On the 8th of September, 1727. about Eight at Night, a Puppet-ſhew being to be acted in a Barn built of Barnwell Stone, and thatched with Straw, a Fellow attempted to thruſt himſelf in without pay⯑ing; but being refuſed, and the Door locked, and, as ſome report, nailed, to keep out Intruders, the Villain threatened he would ſet the Barn on Fire over their Heads, in Revenge. There was a Place ad⯑joining to the Barn, where were Hay and Straw; and [91] a Boy ſetting down a wooden Lantern with a ſhort Candle in it at a little Diſtance, whilſt he was look⯑ing thro' a Hole at the Sight, the villainous Fellow aforeſaid beat the Lantern about, till the Fire took the Straw, which he left burning, and run away. There was a Floor above them, and the Flame, getting into the falſe Roof, ſpread like Wildfire. The People, in the utmoſt Conſternation, all making to the Door, which opened inwards, fell upon one another, and became, as it were, ſo many Barri⯑cadoes to hinder its being opened: and juſt at this fatal Criſis, the Fire having ſeized ſome, and dread⯑ful Shrieks and Cries reſounding from all, the Floor fell in, and ſmothered almoſt all; for not above five or ſix eſcaped of the Whole, and about 120 Men, Women, and Children, miſerably periſhed. The next Day it was one of the moſt ſhocking Sights that ever was beheld, to ſee the Relations of the unhappy Perſons flocking thither, to find and own the Bodies, ſome of their Brothers, ſome of their Children, ſome of their Wives and Huſbands, which they found Difficulty enough to diſcover; for ſome of them had their Heads burnt off, ſome their Legs, ſome their Hands and Arms, and others, in a man⯑ner, conſumed to Aſhes. And at laſt, moſt of the mangled Bodies were carried in Carts, and put pro⯑miſcuouſly into a large Hole dug in the Church-yard for that Purpoſe. Among the unfortunate Sufferers were ſeveral young Gentlewomen of conſiderable Fortunes. About four Years after this, another terrible Fire happened, which almoſt conſumed the whole Town of Barnwell.

Within theſe few Years, a fine Road, of about four Miles in Length, is completed, from the Town of Cambridge to Hogmagog-hills; which, by reaſon of the Badneſs of the Way in that Place, is an ex⯑ceeding uſeful Benefaction to the Town; which generous Work was done in purſuance of the Will [92] of William Wortes, Eſq of Cambridge, as I think they told me the Gentleman's Name was.

The Two Univerſities of Cambridge and Oxford are ſo much the Glory of this Nation, that it would be an almoſt unpardonable Defect in me, not to take particular Notice of them. I ſhall refer that of Ox⯑ford to its proper Place; and here give as brief an Account as I can of this of Cambridge, and of the Originals and Founders of the ſeveral Colleges, to⯑gether with the Favours and Advantages that have been within theſe few Years conferred upon it by his late Majeſty, and other Benefactors.

The Town is governed by a Mayor and Alder⯑men; but with regard to the Government of the Univerſity, that has a Chancellor, eligible every three Years, aut manere in eodem Officio durante tacito conſenſu Senatus Cantabr. He hath under him a Commiſſary, who holds a Court of Record of Civil Cauſes for all privileged Perſons and Scholars, under the Degree of Maſter of Arts.

They have alſo a High Steward, choſen by the Senate, and holding by Patent from the Univerſity.

The Vice-Chancellor is annually choſen on the 4th of November, by the Body of the Univerſity, out of Two Perſons nominated by the Heads of Colleges.

Two Proctors are alſo annually choſen, as at Oxford; as alſo are Two Taxers, who, with the Proctors, have Cognizance of Weights and Meaſures, as Clerks of the Market.

The Univerſity has alſo a Cuſtos Archivorum, or Regiſter; Three Eſquire Beadles, One Yeoman Bea⯑dle, and a Library-keeper.

The Vice-chancellor ſometimes viſits the Taverns and other Publick-houſes in his own Perſon: but the Proctors do it very frequently, and have Power to puniſh offending Scholars, and to fine the Publick-houſes who entertain them after Eight at Night in the Winter, or Nine in Summer.

[93]As to the Antiquity of the Univerſity of Cam⯑bridge; the Story goes, That Cantaber, a Spaniard, 270 Years before Chriſt, firſt founded it; and that Sebert, King of the Eaſt-Angles, reſtored it, Anno Chriſti 630. Afterwards, as the learned Camden obſerves, it lay a long time neglected, and was overthrown by the Daniſh Storms, till all Things revived under the Norman Government. Soon after Inns, Hoſtels, and Halls were built for Students, tho' without Endowments. There are now 16 Col⯑leges and Halls, which differ only in Name, being equally endowed and privileged; 16 Maſters, 406 Fellowſhips; about 662 Scholarſhips, 236 Exhi⯑bitions; and the whole Number of Maſters, Fellows, Scholars, Exhibitioners, and other Students, are about 1500.

I ſhall now give a brief Account of the Colleges, and begin with

1. PETER-HOUSE. Which was founded by Hugh Balſham, Biſhop of Ely, Anno 1257, when only Prior of Ely. But at firſt the Scholars had no other Conveniences than Chambers, which exempted them from the high Rates impoſed on them by the Townſmen for Lodgings. The Endowment was ſettled by the ſame Hugh when Biſhop, Anno 1284, for a Maſter, 14 Fellows, &c. Which Number might be increaſed or diminiſhed according to the Improvement or Di⯑minution of their Revenues. It ſeems to have taken its Name from the Church of St. Peter, in its Neighbourhood.

2. CLARE-HALL Was founded in the Year 1340, by Richard Ba⯑dew, Chancellor of the Univerſity, with the Aſſiſt⯑ance of the Lady Elizabeth Clare, Counteſs of Ul⯑ſter. He had before built a Houſe called Univerſity-hall, wherein the Scholars lived upon their own Expence for 16 Years, till it was accidentally de⯑ſtroyed [94] by Fire. The Founder, finding the Charge of Rebuilding would exceed his Abilities, had the kind Aſſiſtance of the ſaid Lady, thro' whoſe Libe⯑rality it was not only rebuilt, but endowed. It has been lately new-built, all of Free-ſtone, and is one of the neateſt and moſt uniform Houſes in the Uni⯑verſity, and delightfully ſituated on the Banks of the River, which forms for it a Kind of natural Canal.

3. PEMBROKE-HALL Was founded in the Year 1347, by the Lady Mary St. Paul, Counteſs of Pembroke, third Wife to Audomare de Valentia, Earl of Pembroke; who having been unhappily ſlain at a Tilting on his Wedding-day, ſhe intirely ſequeſtered herſelf from all worldly Delights, and, amongſt other pious Acts, built this College, which has been much augmented ſince by the Benefactions of others.

4. ST. BENNET's, or CORPUS-CHRISTI COLLEGE, Was founded by the Society of Friers in Corpus-Chriſti, in the Year 1346. This aroſe out of Two Guilds or Fraternities, one of Corpus Chriſti, and the other of the Bleſſed Virgin, which after a long Emulation, being united into one Body, by a joint Intereſt built this College, which took its Name from the adjoining Church of St. Benedict. Their greateſt modern Benefactor was Dr. Matthew Parker, once Maſter of the College, and afterwards Archbiſhop of Canterbury, who by his prudent Management recovered ſeveral Rights of the College; and, beſides Two Fellowſhips, and Five Scholarſhips, gave a great Number of excellent MSS. to their Library, which were moſtly collected out of the Remains of the old Abbey-Libraries, Colleges, and Cathedrals, and chiefly relate to the Hiſtory of England.

[95] 5. TRINITY-HALL Was founded about the Year 1353, by William Bateman, Biſhop of Norwich. It was built upon a Place which once belonged to the Monks of Ely, and was a Houſe for Students before the Time of Biſhop Bateman, who by Exchange for the Advow⯑ſons of certain Rectories, got it into his own Poſ⯑ſeſſion. He was a great Maſter of Civil and Canon Law; whereupon the Maſter, two Fellows, and three Scholars, (the Number appointed by him at the firſt Foundation) were obliged to follow thoſe two Studies. It has been ſince much augmented by Benefactors, and the Number of its Members is pro⯑portionably increaſed.

6. GONEVIL AND CAIUS COLLEGE. Anno 1348, Edmund Gonevil founded a Hall, called after his Name, upon the Place where now are the Orchard and Tennis-court of Bennet-college. But within Five Years after it was removed into the Place where it now ſtands, by Biſhop Bateman, Founder of Trinity-hall. Anno 1607, John Caius, Doctor of Phyſic, improved this Hall into a new College, ſince chiefly called by his Name; and it has of late Years received conſiderable Embelliſhments, &c.

7. KING'S COLLEGE Was founded in the Year 1451, by King Henry VI. It was at firſt but ſmall, being built by that Prince for a Rector and 12 Scholars only. Near it was a little Hoſtel for Grammarians, built by William Bingham, which was granted by the Founder to King Henry, for the Inlargement of his College. Where⯑upon he united theſe two, and having inlarged them by adding the Church of St. John Zachary, founded a College for a Provoſt, 70 Fellows and Scholars, three Chaplains, &c. The Chapel belonging to this College is deſervedly reckoned one of the fineſt Buildings of its Kind in the World. It is 304 Feet [96] long, 73 broad, and 91 high to the Battlements, and has not one Pillar in it. It has 12 large Windows on each Side, finely painted, and the Carving, and other Workmanſhip of the numerous Stalls, ſur⯑paſſes any thing of the Kind. It conſtitutes one Side of a large Square; for the Royal Founder de⯑ſigned, that the College ſhould be a Quadrangle, all of equal Beauty: but the Civil Wars in which he was involved with the Houſe of York, prevented his accompliſhing it; and the Proſecution of his good Deſign was reſerved to our own Time; for what has been added within theſe few Years paſt, is not only an Ornament to the College, but to the whole Univerſity: and it is to be hoped, that the College will be enabled, in Time, to finiſh the noble Work. This new Part runs from the Weſt-end of the Chapel, a little detached from it to the Southward, and makes another Side of the Square, and contains ſpacious Chambers and Apartments, being 236 Feet in Length, and 46 in Breadth, built with great Regularity, and modern Beauty.

Febr. 1734, the Workmen digging for the Foun⯑dation of the new Buildings of this College, found a great Number of Broad Pieces of Gold, of the Coin of King Henry V. exceeding fair. As ſoon as it was known, the Governors of the College got out of the Workmens Hands a conſiderable Number, which they made Preſents of to their particular Benefactors, and divided among themſelves, and the Fellows of the College; but it is ſuppoſed, that the Workmen ſecreted many; for this Coin was very ſcarce before, but after this was much eaſier to be met with.

8. QUEEN'S COLLEGE Was founded by Queen Margaret of Anjou, Wife of King Henry VI. in the Year 1448; but the trou⯑bleſome Times that followed, would not give her leave to complete the Fabrick. The firſt Maſter [97] of it, Andrew Ducket, procured great Sums of Mo⯑ney from well-diſpoſed Perſons, towards finiſhing of this Work, and ſo far prevailed with Queen Eliza⯑beth, Wife of King Edward IV. that ſhe perfected what her profeſſed Enemy had begun. The Reve⯑rend Mr. Ferdinando Smithes, Senior Fellow of Queen's College, who died in November 1725. gave 1500l. to the ſame, to be appropriated to the Uſe of three Batchelors of Art, till the Time of their taking their Maſters Degree.

9. CATHARINE-HALL Was founded in the Year 1459 by Robert Wood⯑lark, third Provoſt of King's College, and the Hall was built over-againſt the Carmelites Houſe, for one Maſter and three Fellows; and the Numbers have been ſince greatly increaſed, as well as the Revenues. A great Part of it is lately new-built, and may be ſaid to be a beautiful and regular Fabrick.

10. JESUS COLLEGE Was founded Anno 1497 by John Alcocke, Biſhop of Ely, out of an old Nunnery dedicated to St. Rade⯑gund, given him by King Henry VII. and Pope Julius II. on account of the ſcandalous Incontinence of the Nuns, in order to be by him converted to this Uſe. And this Prelate eſtabliſhed in it, a Maſter, Six Fellows, and Six Scholars. But their Numbers have been much increaſed by great Benefactions.

11. CHRIST'S COLLEGE Was founded by the Lady Margaret Counteſs of Richmond, Mother to King Henry VII. Anno 1506. upon the Place where God's Houſe formerly ſtood. She ſettled there a Maſter and 12 Fellows, &c. which Number in King Edward VI's Time being com⯑plained of as favouring of Superſtition, by alluding to our Saviour and his 12 Diſciples, that Prince added a 13th Fellowſhip, with ſome new Scholarſhips. This College has been within theſe few Years paſt adorned with a very fine new Building.

[98] 12. ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE Was founded about the Year 1506 by the ſame Lady, upon the Place where, Anno 1134, Nigel or Neal ſecond Biſhop of Ely founded an Hoſpital for Canons Regular; which by Hugh de Balſham was converted into a Priory dedicated to St. John, and by the Executors of the ſaid Counteſs of Richmond, into a College, under the Name of the ſame Saint. For ſhe died before it was finiſhed, which retarded the Work for ſome Time; but it was afterwards carried on by her ſaid Executors: And in the Begin⯑ning of the Reign of King James I. was greatly inlarged with fair new Buildings. This College, pleaſantly ſituated by the River, is no leſs remarkable for its Number of Students, and its beautiful Groves and Gardens, than for its ſtrict and regular Diſcipline. It has a noble Library, which has been of late Years greatly augmented, by the Acceſſion of the Library of Dr. Gunning, late Biſhop of Ely, who bequeathed the ſame to it.

13. MAGDALEN COLLEGE Was founded Anno 1542 by Thomas Audley, Lord Chancellor of England, and was afterwards inlarged and endowed by Sir Chriſtopher Wrey, Lord Chief Juſtice of England. This College ſtands by itſelf on the North-weſt Side of the River, and hath been of late Years improved and adorned by a handſome Piece of Building. A Fellowſhip of a conſiderable Value has been lately founded at this College, which is appropriated to Gentlemen of the County of Norfolk, and called The Travelling Norfolk Fellowſhip.

To the Library of this College was left a valuable Collection of Pamphlets, by ------ Pepys, Eſq as alſo great Numbers of Papers relating to the Navy and Admiralty. The Benefactor bequeathed the Preſſes as well as the Books and Papers, and they are kept in the manner he left them.

[99] 14. TRINITY COLLEGE. Was founded Anno 1546 by King Henry VIII. out of three others: St. Michael's College built by Hervie of Stanton, in the Time of Edward II. King's-hall, founded by Edward III. and Fiſhwick's Hoſtel. Its worthy Maſter, T. Nevil, Dean of Can⯑terbury, repaired or rather new-built this College, with that Splendor and Magnificence, that for Spa⯑ciouſneſs, and the Beauty and Uniformity of its Buildings, it is hardly to be outdone. All which has been ſince ſtill further improved, by a moſt noble and ſtately Library, begun by the late famous Dr. Iſaac Barrow: A Building, for the Bigneſs and De⯑ſign of it, ſays a Right Reverend Prelate, perhaps not to be matched in theſe Kingdoms. Nor is the Learning of the preſent Maſter eaſily to be parallel'd, any more than the Troubles given to the College by the Contention between him on the one Side, and the College and Biſhops of Ely, its Viſitors, on the other: which, take them all together, in their Cauſes, Progreſs, and invalid Deciſion againſt him, as it hitherto proves, is one of the moſt extraordinary Affairs that ever happened in the Univerſity.

15. EMANUEL COLLEGE Was founded Anno 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Queen Elizabeth, in a Place where was formerly a Convent of Domi⯑nicans, founded in the Year 1280. by the Lady Alice, Counteſs of Oxford. After the Suppreſſion of Monaſteries it came into the Poſſeſſion of Mr. Sherwood, of whom Sir Walter ſeems to have bought it. It has a very near Chapel, built not many Years ago, by the Bounty of Dr. William Sancroft, Archbiſhop of Canterbury, and others. And the Library belonging to it has received of late Years a fine Addition, by the valuable Collection of Books of the ſame Archbiſhop, given to it on the Deceaſe of that Prelate.

[100] 16. SIDNEY-SUSSEX COLLEGE Was founded by virtue of the Will of the Lady Frances Sidney, Counteſs of Suſſex, who died Anno 1589, and by her Will left 5000l. for the founding of a College, to be called Sidney-Suſſex. It was erected on the Place where formerly the Monaſtery of Grey Friers built by King Edward I. had flou⯑riſhed. But tho' this College owes its Riſe to the Bequeſt of this Lady, and the Care of her Execu⯑tors, it is exceedingly improved by the Benefactions of Sir Francis Clerk, who beſides erecting a Set of new Buildings, augmented the Scholarſhips, and founded four Fellowſhips with eight Scholarſhips more; and moreover Sir John Brereton left to it above 2000l.

Theſe are the Sixteen Colleges or Halls in this Univerſity.

The New Senate-houſe is a fine Edifice, and with the Schools, the Univerſity-Library, and ſome other Buildings intended to be erected oppoſite to it, will form a ſtately Quadrangle. It is in Length 101 Feet, and in Breadth 42; and is adorned with fluted Pillars, a triangular Pediment, and other beautiful Decorations.

The Schools of this Univerſity were at firſt in private Houſes, hired from Ten Years to Ten Years for that Purpoſe, by the Univerſity, in which Time they might not be put to any other Uſe. After⯑wards Publick Schools were built at the Charge of the Univerſity, in or near the Place where they now ſtand; but the preſent Fabrick, as it is now built of Brick and rough Stone, was erected partly at the Expence of the Univerſity, and partly by the Con⯑tributions of ſeveral Benefactors.

The Univerſity Library was firſt built by Rothe⯑ram Archbiſhop of York, who, with Tonſtal Biſhop of Durham, furniſhed it with choice Books; few whereof are to be found at preſent. But it con⯑tained [101] nevertheleſs about 14000 Books, when his late Majeſty King George I. was graciouſly pleaſed, in the Beginning of his Reign, to purchaſe the large and curious Library of Dr. John Moor, Biſhop of Ely, who died July 30. 1714; and as a Mark of his Royal Favour, to beſtow it upon this Uni⯑verſity.

There have been very lately great Additions and Alterations made in the Library, for the better Diſ⯑poſition of this valuable Royal Preſent, which con⯑ſiſted of upwards of 30,000 Volumes, and coſt the King 6000 Guineas. And we cannot but obſerve, in this Place, That the late Lord Viſcount Townſ⯑bend, having underſtood that the Univerſity, to ſhew their Gratitude, and do Honour to the Memory of his late Majeſty King George I. intended to erect a Statue of that Prince in the ſaid Library, was pleaſed to offer to cauſe the ſame to be carved and ſet up at his own Expence; which generous Tender was received by the Univerſity in the Manner it deſerved, and with Circumſtances equally to their own and his Lordſhip's Honour. And in the Month of October 1739. in purſuance thereof, a fine Marble Statue of this great Prince was accordingly erected in the Senate-hall of King's College; on which are the following Inſcriptions; viz. On the Front:‘GEORGIO
Optimo Principi,
Magnae Britanniae Regi,
Ob inſignia ejus in banc Academiam
Merita,
Senatus Cantabrigienſis
In perpetuum
Grati Animo Teſtimonium
Statuam
Mortuo ponendam
Decrovit.’ That is, ‘The Senate of Cambridge has de⯑creed, That this Statue ſhould be erected to his late moſt ex⯑cellent Majeſty George I. King of Great Britain, as a perpetual Monument of their Gratitude, for his ſignal Benefits to this Univerſity.’ [102]On the Left:‘CAROLUS
Vicecomes Townſhend,
Summum tum Academiae, tum
Reipublicae Decus,
Pro Eximia, qua Regem Coluerat,
Pietate, Preque ſingulari,
Qua Academiam feverat,
Caritate, Statuam
A Senatu Academito Decretam
Sumptibus ſuis e Marmore
Faciendam Locavit.’ That is, ‘Charles Lord Viſcount Townſhend, a principal Ornament both of the Univerſity and the State, agree⯑ably to his ſingular Loyalty to⯑wards his Prince, and the par⯑ticular Affection, wherewith he had cheriſhed the Univerſity, en⯑gaged to have the Statue, which was decreed by the Senate of Cambridge, made of Marble at his own Expence.’ ‘CAROLUS Filius
Vicecomes Townſhend,
Virtutum aeque ac Honorum
Paternorum Haeres,
Statuam,
Quam Pater Morte ſubita abreptus
Imperfectam reliquerat,
Perficiendam,
Atque in hoc ornatiſſimo
Academiae Loco collocandam,
Curavit.’ That is, ‘Charles the Son, Lord Viſcount Townſhend, Heir alike to the Virtues and Dignities of his Fa⯑ther, has cauſed the Statue, which his Father, ſeized by ſud⯑den Death, had left imperfect, to be finiſhed, and erected in this moſt honourable Place of the Univerſity.’

This great King was not contented with having given this noble Inſtance of his Royal Bounty to the Univerſity of Cambridge, but in the Year 1724 was graciouſly pleaſed to confer another Mark of his Favour upon them, and which extended not only to that, but to the Univerſity of Oxford; in creating a new Eſtabliſhment in a moſt uſeful Branch of Learning, which was much wanted, and for which till then there had been no Proviſion: which was to appoint two Perſons not under the Degree of Maſter of Arts, or Batchelor of Laws, ſkilled in Modern Hiſtory, and in the Knowledge of Modern Languages, to be nominated King's Profeſſors of Modern Hiſtory, one for the Univerſity of Cambridge, and the other for that of Oxford; who are obliged to read Lectures in the Publick Schools, at parti⯑cular Times, each of which Profeſſors to have a [103] Stipend of 400l. per Annum; out of which each Profeſſor is obliged to maintain, with ſufficient Sala⯑ries, Two Perſons at leaſt, well qualified to teach and inſtruct in writing and ſpeaking the ſaid Languages gratis, Twenty Scholars of each Univerſity, to be nominated by the King, each of which is obliged to learn Two, at leaſt, of the ſaid Languages.

The ſame excellent Prince alſo was pleaſed to ap⯑point Twelve Perſons, choſen out of each of the Univerſities, to be Preachers in the Royal Chapel of Whitehall, at ſtated Times, with handſome Salaries; and declared that he would cauſe a particular Regard to be had to the Members of the Two Univerſities in the Diſpoſitions of thoſe Benefices which fell in the Royal Gift.

Some other Benefactions to this Univerſity, with⯑in theſe few Years paſt, are as follow.

Dr. John Woodward, who died April 25. 1728, left to the Univerſity of Cambridge a Sum of Money, for erecting a Profeſſorſhip for Natural Philoſophy, with a Proviſion of 150l. per Annum for the Support and Maintenance of the ſame for ever. He likewiſe bequeathed to the ſaid Univerſity his Collection of Foſſils, and other natural Curioſities, and ſuch a Part of his Library moreover, as was neceſſary to illuſtrate his ſaid Collection.

On the Death of Mrs. Addenbroke (Mar. 1720) Widow of an eminent Phyſician of that Name, the Sum of about 4000l. devolved to this Univerſity; which, by the Doctor's Will, is to be applied to the Building and Furniſhing a Phyſical Hoſpital in Cam⯑bridge, in which poor diſeaſed People are to be ad⯑mitted for Cure, gratis. The Maſter and Fellows of Catharine-hall are appointed Truſtees of this Charity.

I ſhall not here enter into the puerile Diſpute, (which has ſo much engaged ſeveral learned Pens, that might have been better employed) whether this [104] Univerſity, or that of Oxford, is the moſt ancient. Their Emulation ought to be more worthily founded; and indeed they have ſo much to boaſt, as to the great and ſhining Ornaments they have reſpectively produced to Church and State, and the Figure they make in the Commonwealth of Learning, that it is ſtrange ſo trifling a Contention ſhould have been ſo warmly maintained.

Cambridge-caſtle was built by William the Con⯑queror, as one of thoſe many which he erected in divers Parts, to curb his newly conquered People. It was ſtrong and ſtately, and had in it, among other ſpacious Apartments, a moſt magnificent Hall. This being neglected, the Stones and Timber of it were afterwards begged of Henry IV. by the Maſter and Fellows of King's-hall, towards the Building of their Chapel. Nothing is now ſtanding but the Gate⯑houſe, which is the Priſon, and an artificial high Hill of a ſteep Aſcent, and level at Top.

The Town of Cambridge is very large, moſt of its Streets are narrow, the Houſes very ill-built, and the greateſt Part of them much out of Repair; ſo that, were it not for the Colleges, and other publick Edifices, it would make a very mean Appearance.

From Cambridge the Road lies North-weſt, on the Edge of the Fens, to Huntingdon; on which ſtands the little Market-town of Caxton, remark⯑able for the Birth-place of Caxton, the firſt Printer in England. The Roman Way paſſes from Arington S. E. thro' Holm into this Town, and ſo on to Papworth, higher up on the ſame Road; which three laſt-mentioned Places are Villages only. On this Side, 'tis all an agreeable Corn Country, adorned with ſeveral Seats of Gentleman; but the chief is Wimple-Hall, formerly built at a vaſt Ex⯑pence, by the late Earl of Radnor. It was after⯑wards bought by his Grace John Holles Cavendiſh, late Duke of Newcaſtle; in a Partition of whoſe vaſt [105] Eſtate, it fell to Edward late Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, in Right of his Lady, the only Daughter of the ſaid Duke; who brought the Earl this Eſtate, and many others, ſufficient to denominate her one of the richeſt Heireſſes in Great Britain; but his Lordſhip parted with, it a little before his Death, to the Right Hon. the Lord Chancellor Hardwick, who now poſſeſſes it. It is ſituated in a very dirty Country; and notwithſtanding the Coſt beſtowed upon it from its firſt Owner to this Time, the Gardens and Build⯑ings are both in a very bad Taſte.

From Cambridge, my Deſign obliging me, and the direct Road in part concurring, I came back thro' the Weſt Side of the County of Eſſex, to Saffron-Walden, paſſing by Linton, a ſmall Market⯑town of no Note, ſaying that a Roman Military Way falls into the Ikening here.

Saffron-Walden is a fair Town, with a good Church, where ſtands a Monument of the Lord Audley, Chancellor to King Henry VIII. who made him a Grant of certain Lands belonging to a diſſolved Monaſtery near this Town, which takes its Name from the great Quantities of Saffron which formerly grew in the Grounds, and were cultivated here⯑abouts, and anſwered exceeding well in the Manu⯑facturing; but how it came into Decay, nobody could account to me, though there may be ſtill ſeen a great many Acres of Saffron-ground about this Town. This Commodity was never known to grow in England, till the Reign of Edward III. This Town gives Title of Baron to the Earl of Suffolk, whoſe eldeſt Son is by Courteſy called Lord Walden.

Near this Town, on the Side of Cambridge Road, ſtands the noble and ſtately Palace of Audley-Inn, on Audley-end, formerly the largeſt Palace of any in England; and tho' a great Part of it has been pulled down, is ſtill one of the moſt magnificent Structures [106] in the whole Kingdom. It was built out of the Ruins of the above-mentioned Monaſtery, by Thomas ſecond Son of Thomas Duke of Norfolk, who married the only Daughter and Heir of the afore-named Lord Audley. This Thomas was ſummoned into Parlia⯑ment in Queen Elizabeth's Time, as Lord Audley of Walden; and was afterwards created Earl of Suffolk by King James I. to whom he was firſt Chamber⯑lain, and afterwards Lord High-Treaſurer. It was deſigned for a Royal Palace for that King, and when it was finiſhed with all the Elegance and Politeneſs of Taſte of the Times, the King was invited to ſee it; and as he paſſed to Newmarket, he took up a Night's Lodging there. And after having viewed it with great Surpriſe and Aſtoniſhment, the Earl aſked him, How he approved of it? Who anſwer'd, Very well. But troth, Man, ſaid he, 'tis too much for a King; but it may do for a Lord High-Treaſurer; and ſo left it upon the Earl's Hands, who is reported to have had then an Eſtate of 50,000l. a Year, which has been gradually decaying ever ſince, and is now reduced to about 3000l. a Year with Incumbrances upon it. King Charles II. purchaſed this Houſe, and ſo it became, what it was originally deſigned for, a Royal Palace. The King mortgaged the Hearth-tax to the Earl, to anſwer the Purchaſe-money; and appointed James, then Earl of Suffolk, Houſe-keeper thereof, with a Salary of 1000l. a Year; which Office continued in the Family till the Revolution, when the Hearth-tax was aboliſhed. And the Exigence of the State being ſuch as it could not afford to pay the Purchaſe-money, King William III. regranted the ſaid Houſe to the Family; upon which Henry, Earl of Suffolk, (who in his Father's Life-time was created Earl of Bindon, to qualify him to hold the Marſhal's Staff) pull'd down a great Part of this noble Edifice, and reduced it conſiderably. And yet it is ſtill very large, and [107] makes a grand Appearance. You enter in at a large wide Pair of Iron Gates into a moſt ſpacious Court-yard, on each Side of which was formerly a Row of Cloyſters, in which ſtood the Out-offices belong⯑ing to the Houſe; which have been all pulled down, and ſupplied with a Stone Wall. You paſs in at the Fore-front, thro' Part of the Houſe, into a large open Quadrangle, incloſed by four different Parts of the Houſe, and almoſt ſurrounded with Cloyſters. The Apartments above and below are very lofty and ſpacious; and there is a very long wide Gallery, which extends the whole Length of the Back-front of the Houſe. The Gardens are very indifferent, but very capable of Improvement. Behind the Houſe is a fine Park, extending to Saffron-Walden, well ſtored with Deer, but not over-burdened with Timber; in which there is a riſing Spot of Ground, whereon if the Houſe had been erected, it would have had a much better Effect as to Proſpect; for its preſent Situation is low, neither are the Grounds about it very fertile, or, I think, healthy.

But however great and magnificent this noble Houſe appears, it bears an indelible Stain, if what is ſaid be true, That it was built with Spaniſh Gold, upon the Ruin of the Great and Learned Ralegh, who fell by the Revenge of Spain, the Arts of Gundamor, the Avarice of Suffolk, and the unpardonable Weak⯑neſs of his own King. But the preſent Earl's Mind is more nobly endowed than that of his great An⯑ceſtor, as being a generous and truly charitable Nobleman, which he has teſtified by many bene⯑ficent Acts among his poor Neighbours, eſpecially during the great Froſt in the Winter of 1739.

At a little Town called Littlebury, not far from Audley-Inn, is a Houſe which was erected by the famous Mr. Winſtanley, who built Eddy-ſtone Light-houſe, and periſhed in it, as I ſhall mention in its Place. Here he had made many odd Contrivances [108] of Chairs running on Springs, &c. which uſually much ſurpriſed Strangers, who came to ſee the Houſe. The Perſon appointed to ſhew it generally placed the greateſt Stranger into a particular Chair, which, on touching the Spring, ran backward thro' the Houſe into the Garden. The ſame Gentleman was famous alſo for his Water-works, full of whimſical, but ingenious Contrivances.

But I ought not to omit, that near Icleton and Strethal, upon the River Cam, lies Cheſterford; where, in the Year 1719, were diſcovered the Veſtigia of a Roman City. The Foundation of the Walls is very apparent quite round, tho' level with the Ground, including about 50 Acres. Great Part of it ſerves for a Cauſeway to the publick Cambridge Road from London. The Crown Inn is built upon it. In the North-weſt End of the Town is the Foundation of a Roman Temple. Many Ro⯑man Coins have been found in the Borough-field, as they term the antient City, whoſe Name was Cam⯑boritum, according to Dr. Stukely. In this Pariſh, they ſay, has been a Royal Manor. Not far off, by Audley-Inn, is a great Roman Camp, upon an Eminence, where now ſtands an Hunting-tower of Brick.

A little North of this Part of the Country riſes the River Stour, which, for a Courſe of fifty Miles or more, parts the two Counties of Suffolk and Eſſex; paſſing thro' or near Haveril, Clare, Cavendiſh, Halſted, Sudbury, Buers, Nayland, Stretford, Ded⯑ham, Manningtree, and into the Sea at Harwich.

As we came on this Side, we ſaw at a Diſtance Braintree and Bocking, two large and populous Towns, which join together, being parted by a little Stream of Water. Theſe were formerly very rich and flouriſhing, occaſioned by the great Trade for Bays, which were manufactured in ſuch Quantities in theſe two Towns, as to ſend weekly to London [109] Four, Five, or Six Waggons laden with them; but this Trade having greatly decreaſed in a few Years, the Inhabitants are in a very miſerable Condition at preſent; for by an Increaſe of their Poor, their Pariſh Rates are riſen ſo high, as in the Year 1738 the Poors Rate in Bocking Pariſh was Nine Shillings in the Pound; which, together with their other Rates and Taxes, rendered it very burdenſome to all the Inhabitants: and at the ſame time, the Small Pox having infeſted both the Towns, their Markets were almoſt deſerted by the Country People. The Pariſh of Bocking is a Deanery, and the living is valued at upwards of 500l. per Annum.

Near Braintree is the Pariſh of Black Notely, in which are a few ſcattered Houſes, ſcarcely worth noticing, except for the Memory of the late learned Mr. Ray, who reſided many Years in this Place, and was buried in the Church-yard, over whoſe Grave a Monument was erected, with an Inſcription in Latin; which being long, we ſhall refer the Learned to the Original, and content ourſelves with giving the Engliſh, for the ſake of our common Readers, and in regard to ſo great a Man, who was an Ho⯑nour to his Country. It may be thus rendered:

N.B. This Monument beginning to want Repair, by ſtanding expoſed in the Church-yard, hath been lately removed, and ſet up in the Chancel of Black Notely Church. To the former Epitaph is added, on the Table on the Eaſt-ſide, a Latin Inſcription, which may be thus rendered:

‘"This Cenotaph, formerly expoſed to the open Air in the Church-yard, defaced by the Injuries of the Weather, and juſt falling into Ruins, was by J. Legge, M. D. repaired, and removed under Shelter, March 17. 1737."’

[111]The Country hereabout is very pleaſant, having many Riſings and Falls, with great Plenty of Water. The Fields are well cultivated, ſo as to render the whole Face of the Country like a Garden. But what is often very ſurpriſing to Strangers, is, the Nakedneſs of moſt of the large Trees growing in their Hedge Rows, and on the Sides of the Road, even in the Month of May; at which time few of them have put out any Leaves; but, upon Inquiry, I found they were a peculiar Sort of Elm, which rarely puts out Leaves before the Middle of May; and this is one of the moſt common Trees of this Country.

Near Braintree is Felſted, a ſmall Place, but noted for a flouriſhing Free-School, of an antient Foundation.

Near to this is the Priory of Lees, which I men⯑tioned before (P. 20.); and hence keeping the Lon⯑don Road, I came to Chelmsford, mentioned alſo before, and Ingateſtone, five Miles Weſt, which I mention again, as I promiſed, (Pag. 20.) to have an Opportunity to ſpeak of the noble Family of Lord Petre, and of the Improvements making at his Seat near this Place, by the preſent Lord, who is a Noble⯑man of fine Taſte, and great Qualities.

Ingateſtone-hall, one of his Lordſhip's Seats, lies at a ſmall Diſtance from the publick Road, on the Right-hand, about a Quarter of a Mile ſhort of Ingateſtone Town.

The Houſe is ſituated very low, ſo as not to be ſeen at a ſmall Diſtance. It is a very large, irregular Building, and the Gardens are old; tho' there were many Alterations made in them for the better, by the preſent Lord, before he came of Age; but as this was not the Seat where he intended to reſide, ſo his Lordſhip did not employ his fine Genius in modelling of theſe Gardens; but his whole Thoughts were bent to embelliſh his noble Seat at Thorndon, which [112] is ſituated on a riſing Ground, about three Miles on the Right-hand of Brentwood in Eſſex: where his Lordſhip has been ſome Years laying of a Plan for a Houſe and Gardens, which when executed, will be an Honour to the Nation.

The Houſe, when finiſhed, will be 265 Feet in Front, excluſive of the Offices. The principal Front is to the South-eaſt Aſpect, where is deſigned a ſpacious Court. Before this is deſigned a Ter⯑race-walk near 200 Feet broad, and of a great Length; on the other Side of this, will be a Lawn of Graſs, containing near 200 Acres of Land, which is bounded by Plantations of Trees, and handſome Farms.

On the Back-front of the Houſe is a noble Range of Stoves, for tender Exotick Plants; which when finiſhed will far exceed whatever has been done of this Nature, even by the greateſt Princes in Europe.

The Park, which lies on the North-eaſt and North-weſt Side of the Houſe, is very large, and well ſtocked with Timber, which, fully grown, adds greatly to the Beauty of the Place. In many Parts of this Park are large Incloſures, which have been made by the preſent Lord, and are converted to Nurſeries, which are completely ſtored with all Trees and Shrubs, that will live in the open Air in this Climate; ſo that when theſe Trees are planted out, according to his Lordſhip's Deſign, it will be the moſt beautiful and complete Plantation perhaps in Europe.

Thro' the Park there is already an Avenue cut, leading from Brentwood to the Houſe, three Miles in Length; on each Side of it are deſigned Planta⯑tions of Trees, in regular Clumps, which, when finiſhed, will have a noble Effect, as People paſs thro', up to the Houſe.

[113]The Kitchen-garden is already finiſhed, and laid out with equal Elegance and Uſefulneſs. This is ſituated behind the Offices, ſo that it does not ap⯑pear in Sight from the Houſe, and is detached from the other Gardens; and thereby is not expoſed to Strangers, who may have Admittance to walk thro' the Pleaſure-garden and Plantations.

In ſhort, the whole Plan is the moſt extenſive and grand of any yet executed in this Kingdom.

In the Pariſh-church of Ingateſtone are to be ſeen the Monuments of his Lordſhip's Anceſtors, who by a conſtant Series of beneficent Actions to the Poor, and Bounty upon all charitable Occaſions, gained to themſelves an affectionate Eſteem thro' all that Part of the Country, ſuch as no Prejudice ariſing from a Difference in Religion could or ought to impair; for great and good Actions command our Reſpect, whatever the Opinions of the Donors may be.

From hence we croſſed the Country to the great Foreſt, called Epping Foreſt, reaching almoſt to Lon⯑don. The Country on that Side of Eſſex is called the Roodings, I ſuppoſe becauſe there are no leſs than ten Towns almoſt together, called by the Name of Roding; and is famous for good Land, good Malt, and dirty Roads; the latter being in the Winter hardly paſſable for Horſe or Man. In the Midſt of this we ſee Chipping Onger, Hatfield Broad-Oak, Epping, and many Foreſt-towns, famed alſo for Huſbandry, and good Malt. On the South-ſide of the County is Waltham-abbey, which was formerly a Monaſtery, built by Harold Son to Earl Godwin, in Honour of the Croſs. The Town is ſaid to be built and peopled by one Tovius towards the Latter-end of the Saxons Reign. This Town is ſeated on the River Lee, where the Streams, being divided, in⯑cloſe ſeveral ſmall Iſlands, which in times of great Floods are commonly overflowed: but theſe Meadows [114] produce great Plenty of Graſs in Summer, ſo that here are many Dairy Farms which turn to good Account.

The Abbey is turned into a Seat, which is now in the Poſſeſſion of ---- Jones, Eſq The Gardens belonging to this Houſe, were, ſome Years ſince, in great Repute; but ſince the Taſte for incloſed Gardens has been condemned, they have been little frequented, unleſs by ſome curious Perſons, to ſee the Tulip-tree, which grows on a Graſs-plat near the Houſe, and is one of the fineſt and moſt flouriſh⯑ing of the Kind in England, producing annually a great Quantity of Flowers in the Month of July.

At this Abbey was bury'd the Body of King Harold, ſlain in the great Battle in Suſſex againſt William the Conqueror, whoſe Mother begged that Favour of the Conqueror; but no Monument was built for him, only a flat Grave-ſtone, on which was ſignificantly engraven, Harold Infelix!

From hence I came again over the Lower or Weſtern Part of the Foreſt, where it is beſpangled with Villages, filled with fine Seats, moſt of them built by Citizens of London; but the Luſtre of them ſeems to be intirely eclipſed by the magnificent Palace of Earl Tilney, which I barely mentioned, (Pag. 3.) and intimated that I would touch upon it again; as I ſhall now briefly do. This noble Seat was prepared by his Lordſhip's Father Sir Joſiah Child, in his Life-time, who added to the Advantage of its Situation a vaſt Number of Rows of Trees, planted in curious Order for Avenues and Viſta's, all leading up to the Spot of Ground where the old Houſe ſtood.

In the Place adjoining, the preſent Lord, before he was ennobled, and ſome Years before he began the Foundation of his new Houſe, laid out the moſt ſpacious Pieces of fine Ground in Gardens, that are to be ſeen in this Part of England. The Green-houſe [115] is an excellent Building, fit to entertain a Prince; 'tis furniſhed with Stoves, and artificial Places for Heat, from an Apartment which has a Bagnio, and other Conveniencies, which render it both uſeful and pleaſant; and theſe Gardens have been ſo much the Admiration of the Publick, that it has been the general Diverſion of the Citizens to go out to ſee them, till the Crouds grew ſo great, that his Lordſhip was obliged to reſtrain the ſhewing them to particular and ſtated Times.

The Houſe was built ſince theſe Gardens were finiſhed. It is all of Portland Stone in the Front, which gives it a moſt magnificent Effect at a Diſtance; as the Nature of that Stone, except in London, where it is tinged with Smoke, is to grow whiter and whiter, the longer it ſtands in the open Air.

As the Fore-front of the Houſe looks through a long Row of Trees, reaching to the great Road at Leighton-ſtone; ſo the Back-front reſpects the Gar⯑dens, from which you fall down an eaſy Deſcent, which lands you upon the Terrace, and gives a moſt beautiful Proſpect to the River, which is all formed into Canals and Openings, to anſwer the Views from above; and beyond the River, the Walks and Wilderneſſes go on to ſuch a Diſtance, and in ſuch a Manner, up the Hill, as they before went down, that the Sight is loſt in the Woods adjoining, and it looks all like one continued planted Garden, as far as the Eye can ſee.

I have not Room in this Letter to ſay half what might be ſaid of this truly noble Palace, nor for a particular Deſcription of the beautiful Houſe and Gardens erected at Low-Layton, by the late Sir Fiſher Tench; which the Duke d'Aumont, Embaſ⯑ſador from France, about the Year 1711, ſaid was one of the neateſt Boxes he had ſeen in Eng⯑land; and ſo ſhall haſten to conclude this Letter.

[116]From Earl Tilney's Houſe, and the reſt of the fine Dwellings on that Side of the Foreſt, (for there are ſeveral very good Houſes at Wanſtead, only that they ſeem, as I have ſaid, all loſt in the Luſtre of his Lordſhip's Palace) I went South, towards the great Road over that Part of the Foreſt called the Flats: And by this Turn came neceſſarily on to Stratford, where I ſet out. And here I ſhall conclude my ſecond Letter, with aſſuring you, that I am

LETTER III. CONTAINING A DESCRIPTION of the County of KENT, &c.

I SHALL begin my Account of the famous County of Kent at Deptford. It was antiently called Weſt-Greenwich, and is a very large Town, and of late ſo very much improved, that a hand⯑ſome new Church has been built there, dedicated to St. Paul.

Here was built, by King Henry VIII. a Store-houſe, who alſo incorporated certain Officers by the Name of Maſter and Wardens of the Holy Trinity: Theſe were to take care of the Building, Keeping and Conducting of the Royal Navy. Their Hall or Houſe was adjoining to the Church: and the Trea⯑ſurer of the Navy had alſo a convenient Houſe at the Dock for his Reſidence.

Here is a Foundation belonging to the ſaid Cor⯑poration of Trinity-houſe, by whom it was built at different Times, and in two Places, not quite con⯑tiguous. The old Part contains 21 Houſes, the new 38, for decayed Pilots or Maſters of Ships, [118] or the Widows of ſuch; the Men are allowed 20s. the Women 16s. per Month.

But what Deptford is moſt noted for, is its noble Dock, where the Royal Navy was uſed to be built and repaired, till it was found more convenient to build the larger Ships at Woolwich, as I ſhall men⯑tion in its Place: notwithſtanding which, the whole Area of the Yard is now inlarged to more than double what it formerly was: it has a wet Dock of Two Acres, for Ships, and another of an Acre and half, for Maſts; beſides an Inlargement of its Store-houſes, Dwelling-houſes, Launches, &c. ſuitable to it.

Near the Dock is a Seat belonging to Sir John Evelyn, which is called Say's-court. This was ori⯑ginally in the Family of the Magmenots, who were Normans, one of whom was Lord Warden of the Ports, and Governor of Dover-caſtle.

The Red Houſe at Deptford was a noted Collection of Warehouſes, and Storehouſes for many Sorts of Merchandizes, and particularly Hemp, Flax, Pitch, Tar, &c. But on Thurſday the 5th of July 1739, a dreadful Fire broke out there, which conſumed the ſame. The Loſs was incredible; for the Ma⯑terials were ſo combuſtible, that nothing could be ſaved, nor could the Flames be extinguiſhed, till they had nothing to prey upon.

From Deptford I proceeded to Greenwich, one of the moſt delightful Spots of Great Britain. The Park, in which is the fine Obſervatory called Flam⯑ſtead-houſe, from the late famous Mathematician of that Name, the Royal Houſe, but more eſpecially the noble Hoſpital, deſerve particular Notice.

The Ground on which Part of this Hoſpital now ſtands, is the ſame on which was formerly ſituated the Royal Palace of our Kings. Here Henry VIII. held his Feaſts with Jouſts and Tournaments; and the Ground, which was called the Tilt-yard, is [119] the Spot on which the Eaſt Wing of the Hoſpital is built.

The Park was inlarged, walled about, and planted, by King Charles II. ſoon after the Reſtoration; and the Deſign or Plan of a Royal Palace was then laid out, one Wing of which was finiſhed in a magni⯑ficent Manner, and makes now the Firſt Wing of the Hoſpital, towards London.

The Royal Palace now remaining was originally built by Humphrey Duke of Glouceſter, ſurnamed the Good, Brother of Henry VI. and called by him Placentia. King Henry VII. much inlarged it, added to it a ſmall Houſe of Friers-Mendicant, and finiſhed a Tower begun by Duke Humphrey on the Top of the Hill, where now ſtands the Royal Obſer⯑vatory; from which is a moſt pleaſant Proſpect down to the winding River, and the green Meadows. It was completed by King Henry VIII. and afterwards much inlarged and beautified by Henry Howard, Earl of Northampton, who dwelt in it. Here Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth were born, and here died King Edward VI.

The Hoſpital was founded by King William and Queen Mary, in the Year 1694, for the Relief of Seamen, their Widows, and Children, and Encou⯑ragement of Navigation. Three Tables are hung up at the Entrance into the Hall, which record the Names of ſeveral generous Benefactors to this noble Charity, amounting in the Whole to the Sum of 58,209l. And in the Year 1732, the forfeited Eſtate of the late Earl of Derwentwater, (being, by means of the Right Honourable the Lord Viſcount Gage, a Peer of Ireland, recovered out of the Hands of certain pri⯑vate Perſons, who had purchaſed the ſame at a Rate vaſtly diſproportioned to the Value) amounting to near 6000l. per Annum, was given by Parliament to carry on and complete this Work; which will en⯑able them to proſecute it with Vigour and Succeſs; [120] and accordingly they have made a great Progreſs ſince that time in the ſecond Wing, and other Parts of this ſumptuous Edifice.

The Hall is very noble, and finely painted by the late Sir James Thornhill. At the Upper-end of it, in an Alcove, are repreſented the preſent Royal Family, the late Princeſs Sophia, King George I. King George II. and Queen Caroline, the Queen Dowager of Pruſſia, the Prince of Wales, the Duke, and the five Princeſſes. On the Ceiling, over the Alcove, are her late Majeſty Queen Anne, and Prince George of Denmark. And on the Ceiling of the Hall, are King William, and Queen Mary, with ſeveral fine em⯑blematical Figures.

On a Pedeſtal in the Middle of the Area of the Hoſpital, fronting the Thames, is a Statue of his Majeſty King George II.

Anno 1705, 100 diſabled Seamen were the firſt that were received into this Hoſpital; but the preſent Number was made up in December 1737, a complete 1000. To each 100 Penſioners Six Nurſes are allowed, who are to be Seamens Widows, at 10l. per Annum, and 2s. per Week more to thoſe who attend in the Infirmary. Their common Cloathing is Blue, with Braſs Buttons.

The Church of Greenwich is a very handſome new-built Edifice, dedicated to St. Alphage, Archbiſhop of Canterbury, who is ſaid to have been killed by the Danes on the Spot where the Church ſtands, Anno 1012.

There are two Free-Schools in this Pariſh, one founded by Sir William Boreman, Kt. The other was ſet up by Mr. John Roan, who left his Eſtate for Teaching Boys in Reading, Writing, and Arith⯑metick; allowing 2l. per Annum for each Boy's Cloaths: their Number is Twenty.

There is alſo a handſome College in this Town, which fronts the River, for the Maintenance of [121] Twenty poor Men and a Maſter, founded and well endowed by Henry Earl of Northampton, and com⯑mitted by him to the Care of the Mercers Company of London. A Chapel belongs to this College, where the Earl's Body is laid, which, as well as his Monument, was removed hither a few Years ago, from the Chapel of Dover Caſtle, whereof he was Conſtable.

This Town may be ſaid to be one of the genteeleſt, as well as pleaſanteſt, in England; the Inhabitants are many of them Perſons of Note and Faſhion, who have ſerved abroad in the Fleets or Armies, and here paſs the Remainder of their Days in Eaſe and Delight, having the Pleaſure to reflect upon the Dangers they have gone thro', and the faithful and honourable Parts they have acted on the publick Stage of Life, in their Country's Cauſe.

A Market was erected in the Year 1737, at this Town, the Direction of which is in the Governors of the Hoſpital; and the Profits which ſhall ariſe from it, are to be carried to the Uſe of that fine Foundation.

The River of Thames is here very broad, and the Chanel deep, and the Water at ſome very high Spring-tides is ſalt; but in ordinary Tides, ſweet and freſh.

The Country behind Greenwich adds to the Plea⯑ſure of the Place: Black-heath, both for Beauty of Situation, and an excellent Air, is not out-done by any Spot of Ground in England.

Near this is a vaſt Hill, uſed as a Butt for Archers, and in great Requeſt among the neighbouring People, till King Henry VIII's Time; whence it took the Name of Shooters-hill.

On the Eaſt-ſide of Black-heath ſtands the Hoſpital built by Sir John Morden, Bart. a Turkey Merchant. Several Years before his Death, which happened in 1708, he erected this ſpacious Structure, in form of a [122] College, ſolely at his own Charge, in a Field called Great Stone Field, not far from his own Habitation, for the Reception of poor, decayed, honeſt Mer⯑chants, whereof in his Life-time he placed Twelve there. But by reaſon of great Loſſes, they were reduced to Four in the Lady Morden's Time, who was forced to retrench the Expences of the Houſe, becauſe the Share allotted her by the laſt Will of Sir John, and ſome Parts of his Eſtate, did not anſwer ſo well as was expected.

When ſhe died, Sir John's whole Eſtate coming to the College, the Number was again increaſed, and there are at this Time 35 poor Gentlemen in the Houſe; and the Number not being limited, they are to be increaſed as the Eſtate will afford; for the Building was deſigned for, and will conveniently hold 40.

Seven Turkey Merchants have the Direction and Viſitation of this Hoſpital, and the Nomination of the Perſons to be admitted into it; and as often as any of theſe Seven die, the Survivors are to chuſe others to fill up that Number.

Every Treaſurer of this Hoſpital has 40l. per Annum. There is alſo a Chaplain, who is to read Prayers twice a Day in the Chapel, and to preach twice every Sunday. His Salary at firſt was 30l. a Year; but the Lady Morden doubled it at her Death. She was in other reſpects a Benefactreſs to the College; and as ſhe put up her Huſband's Statue in a Niche over the Gate of the College, the Truſtees have alſo put up hers in another Niche adjoining to that of her Huſband.

The Penſion is 20l. per Annum each. At firſt they wore Gowns, with the Founder's Badge; which they have not done for ſome Years.

The Chapel within the College is neatly wain-ſcotted, and hath a coſtly Altar-piece, and it has a Burying-place adjoining, for the Members of the [123] College. The Founder, according to his own De⯑ſire, was buried in a Vault under the Communion-table of this Chapel.

The Chaplain, the Treaſurer, the Merchants, are all indiſpenſably obliged to be reſident there; and unleſs in caſe of Sickneſs, no other Perſons are to reſide, live, or lodge there; and no Perſon is to be admitted as a Penſioner, who cannot bring a Certi⯑ficate to prove himſelf upwards of 60 Years of Age.

In a Word, as the Situation of the Place is pleaſant, the Air very good, and the Endowment very ſuffi⯑cient, this may be ſaid to be one of the moſt com⯑fortable and elegant Pieces of Charity in England.

Near this College is the noble Houſe, or rather Palace, of Sir Gregory Page, Bart. whoſe Father was a Brewer at Greenwich, a few Years ago. It is one of the fineſt Seats in England, belonging to a private Gentleman; and the Park, Gardens, and Country round it, contribute to make it a moſt de⯑lightful and truly noble Habitation.

It was begun and intirely raiſed and covered in the Space of Eleven Months, which ſhews how ſoon a large Building may be finiſhed, where Money, the Sinews of Building, &c. is not wanting.

Over this Heath the famous Roman Watling-ſtreet ran, towards Shooters-hill; and ſo on to Rocheſter, Canterbury, and Dover. Here are great Numbers of ſmall Tumuli, with ſome large and eminent ones, out of which Bones have been dug by the late learned Dr. Gale, (who reſided many Years on this Heath) which ſhew that many Perſons of Eminence have been formerly buried here.

On this Heath the Daniſh Army lay a great while encamped, A. D. 1011; and many Trenches, and other Remains of the Lines of Camps, are ſtill viſible.

On the other Side of the Heath, North, is Charl⯑ton, a well-built pleaſant Village. The Church was [124] beautified and repaired by Order of Sir Edward Newton, Bart. who was Tutor to King James the Firſt's Son, Prince Henry; and it is one of the fineſt Churches in this County.

At the Entrance of this Village, fronting Black-heath, ſtands the antient Houſe built by Sir Edward Newton, who had this Manor granted to him by King James I. It is a long Pile of Building in a Gothick Taſte, having Four Turrets on the Top: the Court before the Houſe is ſpacious, at the Entrance of which are too large Gothick Piers to the Gates, and in a Line on the Out-ſide of the Wall is a long Row of Cypreſs Trees, which are ſome of the oldeſt in England. On the Back of the Houſe are large Gardens, remaining in the ſame Taſte in which they were formerly laid out; and behind theſe is a ſmall Park, which joins to Woolwich Common. This Houſe is now in the Poſſeſſion of the Earl of Egmont.

Near the Church are two fine Houſes, one of which was built by the late Lord Romney, who married a Daughter of Sir Cloudeſly Shovel; the other was in the Poſſeſſion of the late Governor Hunter, before he went to Jamaica.

Theſe Houſes ſtand on the Edge of the Hill, having their Gardens ſloping down towards the River, which, tho' it renders the Proſpect to the River very delightful in the Heat of Summer, yet as it expoſes their Gardens to the North Winds, their Fruit-trees are generally blighted; and in the Spring, when the Wind uſually blows from the North, and Eaſt, theſe Gardens are ſo much expoſed to them, that it is very few Days, during that Seaſon, that Perſons can walk with any Pleaſure in them.

It is true, that in theſe Gardens you have a large Reach of the River in View, ſo that every Tide of Flood, a great Number of Ships are generally ſailing by to London; as in the Tide of Ebb, many are [125] paſſing toward Graveſend; which affords a very de⯑lightful Sight, as it ſhews the great Trade carried on by the Metropolis: yet as the Country on the other Side of the Water is a dead Flat for a great Number of Miles, and this often covered with Water in Winter, ſo the Winds not only come very cold over this Flat, but alſo bring Fogs, Damps, and a very unwholſome Air with them, which greatly diminiſhes the Pleaſure of theſe Seats.

Charlton is noted for the Fair held in its Neigh⯑bourhood on St. Luke's-day, Octob. 18. called Horn-fair; the Rudeneſs of which, in a civilized, well-governed Nation, may well be ſaid to be unſufferable. The Mob at that Time take all Kinds of Liberties, and the Women are eſpecially impudent that Day; as if it was a Day that juſtified the giving them⯑ſelves a Looſe to all manner of Indecency with⯑out any Reproach, or without incurring the Cen⯑ſure which ſuch Behaviour would deſerve at another time.

And this in a Circumſtance, which (far from be⯑ing to be gloried in) ought to be diſcountenanced by the Sex, as fixing the Brand of Incontinence on too many of them, which they have little Reaſon to be proud of.

A vulgar Tradition gives the following Origin to this diſorderly Fair: It pretends to ſay, that one of the Kings of England, ſome ſay, King John, who had a Palace in this Neighbourhood, at Eltham, being a hunting near Charlton, then a pitiful Ham⯑let only, and ſeparated from his Attendants, entered into a Cottage, and found the Miſtreſs of it alone; and ſhe being handſome, the King took a Liking to her, and having prevailed over her Modeſty, juſt in the critical Moment, her Huſband came in; and vowing to kill them both, the King was forced to diſcover himſelf, and to compound with Gold for his Safety, giving him moreover all the Land from [126] thence as far as the Place now called Cuckold's Point; and making him Maſter of the whole Hamlet, eſtabliſhed a Fair in favour of his new Demeſne; and in Memory thereof, Horns, and Wares, and Toys of all Sorts made of Horn, are ſold at this Fair.

Thro' this Town lies the Road to Woolwich, a Town ſituated on the Bank of the River, and wholly taken up by, and in a manner raiſed from, the Yards and Works erected there for the Naval Service. For here, when the Buſineſs of the Royal Navy in⯑creaſed, and Queen Elizabeth built larger and greater Ships of War than were uſually employed before, new Docks and Launches were erected, and Places prepared for the Building and Repairing Ships of the largeſt Size; becauſe here was a greater Depth of Water, and a freer Chanel, than at Deptford.

The Docks, Yards, and all the Buildings belong⯑ing to it, are encompaſſed with a high Wall, and are exceeding ſpacious and convenient; and ſo prodigi⯑ouſly full of all Sorts of Stores of Timber, Plank, Maſts, Pitch, Tar, and other Naval Proviſions, as can hardly be calculated.

Beſides the Building-yards, here is a large Rope⯑walk, where the biggeſt Cables are made for the Men of War; and on the Eaſt, or Lower-part of the Town, is the Gun-yard, commonly called the Park, or the Gun-park; where is a prodigious Quantity of Cannon of all Sorts for the Ships of War, every Ship's Guns apart; heavy Cannon for Batteries, and Mortars of all Sorts and Sizes; inſo⯑much that, as I was inform'd, here have been ſome⯑times laid up, at one Time, between ſeven and eight Thouſand Pieces of Ordnance, beſides Mortars and Shells almoſt beyond Number.

Here alſo is the Houſe where the Firemen and Engineers prepare their Fire-works, charge Bombs, Carcaſſes, and Granadoes for the publick Service.

[127]Here is uſually a Guard-ſhip riding, eſpecially in time of War. The Town of late Years is much inlarged and beautified, ſeveral fine Docks, Rope⯑yards, and capacious Magazines added; and the Royal Foundery for Cannon repaired and improved. The Thames is here at high Water near a Mile over, and the Water ſalt upon the Flood; and as the Chanel lies ſtrait Eaſt and Weſt for about three Miles, the Tide runs very ſtrong, and the River is intirely free from Shoals and Sands, and has ſeven or eight Fathom Water; ſo that the biggeſt Ships may ride here with Safety, even at low Water.

The Pariſh-church of Woolwich has been lately re⯑built as one of the Fifty new Churches, in a very handſome manner.

From this Town, till we come to Graveſend, the whole Shore is low, and ſpread with Marſhes and unhealthy Grounds, except ſome few Intervals, where the Land bends inward, as at Erith, Green⯑hythe, North-fleet, &c. in which Places the Chalk Hills almoſt join the River; and from thence the City of London, the adjacent Countries, and even Holland and Flanders, are ſupplied with Lime, or with Chalk to make it.

From theſe Cliffs on the River-ſide, the Rubbiſh of the Chalk, which they muſt be otherwiſe at the Charge of removing, is bought and fetched away by Lighters and Hoys, and carried to all the Forts and Creeks in the oppoſite County of Eſſex, and even to Suffolk and Norfolk, and ſold there to the Farmers to lay upon their Land, which they do in prodigious Quantities; and are glad to give from 2s. 6d. to 4s. a Load for it, according to the Diſtance.

This is the Practice in all the Creeks and Rivers in Eſſex, even to Malden, Colcheſter, the Naſe, and into Harwich Harbour up to Maningtree, and Ipſ⯑wich; as alſo in Suffolk, to Aldborough, Orford, Dun⯑wich, Swold, and as high as Yarmouth in Norfolk.

[128]Thus the barren Soil of Kent (for ſuch the chalky Grounds are eſteemed) make the ſtrong clayey Lands of Eſſex rich and fruitful; and the Mixture of Earth forms a Compoſition, which out of two barren Ex⯑tremes, makes one prolifick Medium.

Behind theſe marſhy Grounds in Kent, at a ſmall Diſtance, lies the Road from London to Dover, on which, or near it, are ſeveral good Towns; for Example, Eltham, formerly a Royal Palace, when the Court was kept at Greenwich; and Queen Eli⯑zabeth, who (as before ſaid) was born at Greenwich, was often carried to Eltham by her Nurſes, to draw in the wholſome Air of that agreeable Place; but at preſent there are few or no Signs of the old Palace to be ſeen.

It is now however a pleaſant Town, very hand⯑ſomely built, full of good Houſes; and many Fa⯑milies of rich Citizens inhabit there, who bring a great deal of good Company with them.

Near Eltham lies Cheſilhurſt, where is the Bury⯑ing-place of the Family of the Walſinghams, who reſided in this Pariſh for ſeveral Generations.

In this Pariſh is an antient Seat called Frog-pool, or Fragnall, which in the Reign of King Henry III. was in the Poſſeſſion of Thomas le Barbur, who in the 38th Year of the late King's Reign, had a Charter of Free-Warren for his Lands here. This Seat is now in the Poſſeſſion of Mr. Tryon, a Merchant of London.

This Village is famous for the Retirement of the famous Mr. Camden, who reſided here for ſeveral Years, and here compoſed the greateſt Part of his Annals of Queen Elizabeth.

Near this are ſeveral other Towns and Villages, as Bexley, Crayford, Wilmington, Foots-cray, North-cray, &c. which being Places of little Note, I ſhall paſs over with only obſerving, that about theſe Vil⯑lages are many Woods, chiefly of Birch, from whence [129] the Broom-makers in Kent-ſtreet, Southwark, are ſupplied with their Birch, which bring in a conſider⯑able Profit to the Land-owners.

From this Side of the Country, all pleaſant and gay, we go over Shooter's-hill, where the Face of Things ſeems quite altered; for here we have but a chalky Soil, and far from rich; much overgrown with Coppice-wood, which is cut for Faggots and Bavins, and ſent up by Water to London. Here they make thoſe Faggots which the Wood-mongers call Oſtrey-wood, and in particular thoſe ſmall light Bavins which are uſed in Taverns in London to light their Faggots, and are called in the Taverns a Bruſh, and by the Wood-men Pimps. 'Tis incredible what vaſt Quantities of theſe uſed to be laid up at Wool⯑wich, Erith, and Dartford; but ſince the Taverns in London are come to make Coal-fires in their upper Rooms, that Trade declines; and tho' that Article would ſeem to be trifling in itſelf, 'tis not immate⯑rial to obſerve what an Alteration it makes in the Value of thoſe Woods in Kent, and how many more of them than uſual are yearly grubbed up, and the Land made fit for the Plough.

In July 1739, a very good Deſign was begun to be put in Execution on Shooters-hill, a Number of Hands being employ'd in cutting a new Road, wide enough for three Carriages to paſs abreaſt on the Eaſtern Deſcent of the Hill, which was formerly ſo narrow that it was impoſſible for a Paſſenger, if way-laid, to eſcape falling into a Ruffian's Hands, and which gave Occaſion to many Robberies being committed here.

Dartford is a handſome large Town, having many good Houſes in it, and is finely watered by two or three very good Springs; the River goes thro' the Town, and diſcharges itſelf into the Thames. On this River the firſt Paper-mill in England was built, by Sir John Spillman, in the Reign of King Charles I. [130] who granted him a Patent, with a Salary of 200l. per Annum for his Encouragement.

The firſt Mill alſo for Slitting of Bars of Iron for making of Wire, was on this River.

There are two Church-yards here, one about the Church, and the other on the Top of the Hill to⯑wards North-fleet; in the latter of which you may look over the Tower of the Church, the Ground riſing ſuddenly ſo very high.

Here is a very good Market for Corn on Satur⯑days, and an annual Fair on the 22d of July.

January 31. 1737-8, the Powder-mill at Dart⯑ford blew up, with this remarkable Circumſtance, That tho' all the Servants were about their reſpective Employments, not one of them received any Hurt. And it is further remarkable, that within eight Years, this is the fourth Time that this Mill has been blown up, and no Damage done by the Diſaſter to the Perſons of the People belonging to it.

Graveſend lies on the North-ſide of Kent, on the River Thames, about ſix Miles North-eaſt from Dartford, and about the ſame Diſtance from Rocheſter. The Town of Graveſend and Milton were incorpo⯑rated in the 10th Year of Queen Elizabeth, by the Name of the Port-Reeve, Jurats and Inhabitants of the Towns of Graveſend and Milton. As this Place is the moſt frequented Paſſage of taking Boat for London, by Perſons who come from Dover, Rocheſter, &c. or thro' any Part of Kent, from foreign Parts, ſo Queen Elizabeth ordered the Mayor, Aldermen, and Companies of the City of London, to receive all eminent Strangers and Embaſſadors here, in their Formalities, and ſo to attend them to London in their Barges, if they came up by Water: and if they came by Land, they were ordered to meet them on Black-heath, on Horſe-back, in their Gowns. So much did that wiſe Queen conſult the Honour and Grandeur of the City!

[131]King Henry VIII. raiſed here a Platform of Guns, and another at Milton, as well as two others over-againſt them on the Eſſex Side, for the Security of the River. But ſince the Erection of Tilbury-fort, theſe have been demoliſhed.

In the Year 1380, this Town was burnt by the French and Spaniſh Galleys, and the Enemies carried away moſt of the Inhabitants Priſoners.

Here is a very handſome Charity, given by one Mr. Henry Pinnock, in the Year 1624, of 21 Dwel⯑lings, and a Houſe for a Maſter Weaver to employ the Poor: And a good Eſtate is alſo ſettled for the Repairs.

In this Town, on the Eaſt-ſide, is ſtill ſtanding the Body of an antient Chapel, which ſeems to have belonged to ſome Religious Houſe, for Places in the Walls of the Vault remain ſtill for Holy Water. A Market is kept here on Wedneſdays and Saturdays, and an annual Fair on the 13th of October, which laſts a Week.

There have been very great Improvements made of the Lands near this Town within a few Years paſt, by turning them into Kitchen-gardens, the Land being freſh for this Purpoſe, as alſo pretty moiſt, and the Town having good Quantity of Dung made in it, with which they manure the Land: it pro⯑duces very good Garden-ſtuff in great Plenty, wherewith they not only ſupply the Towns for ſeveral Miles round, but alſo ſend great Quantities to the London Markets; particularly Aſparagus, which is ſo much eſteemed, that the Name of Graveſend will bring a better Price than what is brought from any other Place, this having obtained a much greater Reputation than Batterſea, which was ſome Years ſince famous for Aſparagus.

As Graveſend is the great Ferry (as they call it) between London and Eaſt-Kent. It is hardly credible what Numbers of People paſs here every Tide, as [132] well by Night as by Day, between this Town and London. Almoſt all the People of Eaſt-Kent, when they go for London, go no farther by Land than this Town; and then for 6d. in the Tilt-boat, or 1s. in a ſmall Boat or Wherry, are carried to London by Water.

Another Thing for which this Town is worth notice, is, that all the Ships which go to Sea from London, take, as we ſay, their Departure from hence; for here all outward-bound Ships muſt ſtop, come to an Anchor, and ſuffer what they call a ſecond Clear⯑ing; (viz.) here a Searcher of the Cuſtoms comes on board, looks over all the Coquets or Entries of the Cargo, and may, if he pleaſes, romage the whole Lading, to ſee if there are any more Goods than are entered; which however they ſeldom do, tho' they forget not to take a Compliment for their Civility, and beſides being well treated on board, have gene⯑rally Three or Five Guns fired in Honour to them, when they go off.

The Method of cauſing all Ships to ſtop here is worth obſerving, and is as follows:

When a Merchant-ſhip comes down from Lon⯑don, (if they have the Tide of Ebb under Foot, or a freſh Gale of Wind from the Weſt, ſo that they have what they call Freſh-way, and the Ships come down apace) they generally hand ſome of their Sails, haul up a Fore-ſail or Main-ſail, or lower the Fore⯑top-ſail, ſo to ſlacken her Way, as ſoon as they come to the Old Man's Head; when they open the Reach, which they call Graveſend Reach, which begins about a Mile and half above the Town, they do the like, to ſignify that they intend to bring to, as the Sailors call it, and come to an Anchor.

As ſoon as they come among the Ships that are in the Road, (as there are always a great many) the Centinel at the Block-houſe on Graveſend Side fires his Muſket, which is to tell the Pilot he muſt bring [133] to; if he comes on, as ſoon as the Ship paſſes Broad-ſide with the Block-houſe, the Centinel fires again, which is as much as to ſay, Why don't you bring to? If he drives a little farther, he fires a third time, and the Language of that is, Bring to immediately, and let go your Anchor, or we will make you.

If the Ship continues to drive down, and does not let go her Anchor, the Gunner of the Fort is call'd; and he fires a Piece of Cannon, tho' without Ball; and that is ſtill a Threat, tho' with ſome Patience, and is to ſay, Will you come to an Anchor, or will you not? If he ſtill ventures to go on, by which he gives them to underſtand he intends to run for it, then the Gunner fires again, and with a Shot; and that Shot is a Signal to the Fortreſs over the River, viz. Tilbury Fort, (which I deſcrib'd in my Account of Eſſex, p. 5.) and they immediately let fly at the Ship from the Guns on the Eaſt Baſtion, and after from all the Guns they can bring to bear upon her: It is very ſeldom that a Ship will venture their Shot, becauſe they can reach her all the Way to the Hope, and round the Hope-Point almoſt to Hole-Haven; tho' 'tis ſaid, this has been done once or twice: but the Oc⯑caſion muſt be very extraordinary to make a Ship run the Riſque. As for Ships coming in, they all go by here without any Notice taken of them, unleſs it be to put Waiters on board, if they are not ſupply'd be⯑fore.

On the 24th of Auguſt 1727, a dreadful Fire happen'd here, which burnt down and deſtroyed the Church, and the greateſt Part of the Town; and in 1731, an Act of Parliament paſſed for rebuilding the Church, as one of the Fifty new ones; and the Town too, being moſtly rebuilt, makes a better Appearance for the Calamity it underwent.

The Paſſage to and from Graveſend to London is now made more commodious and ſafe for Paſſengers than before, by Act of Parliament paſſed in 1736-7, [134] for regulating the Company of Watermen, &c. be⯑tween Graveſend and Windſor; which limits the Number of Paſſengers to Forty at the moſt, on board the Tilt-boats, and Ten at moſt by the Wherries; di⯑rects the Burden of the ſaid Boats; prohibits cloſe Decks and Bails nailed down in the Wherries; pre⯑ſcribes the Times of Departure of the Tilt-boats and Wherries, and the Age of the Watermen navigating the ſaid Boats, and directs a Puniſhment againſt ſuch Wa⯑termen as wilfully loſe their Tide, or ſet the Paſſen⯑gers on Shore two Miles ſhort of the Place to which they are bound. And the Rulers of the Watermens Company are thereby obliged to provide Officers at Billinſgate, and at Graveſend, who, as near as is poſſible, Night and Day, at every Time of High-Water, and firſt of Flood, are, at the reſpective Places, to ring publickly a Bell ſet up for that Pur⯑poſe, for Fifteen Minutes, to give Notice to the Tilt⯑boats and Wherries to put off, and make the beſt of their Way, without lying by, or putting on Shore, being within two Miles of their reſpective Ports. Which excellent Proviſions muſt be a great Eaſe and Safety to all Perſons who are obliged to uſe this Paſ⯑ſage.

A remarkable Occurrence happening the laſt Time I was at Graveſend, deſerves to be mentioned here in Honour to a brave and excellent Engliſh Mariner. The Caſe was thus:

On Saturday, December 16. 1738, the Ship Anne and Thomas, Captain Ogilvie, Commander, outward-bound for Africa, lying at Graveſend, was, by the boiling over of a Kettle of Pitch, ſet on Fire: to ex⯑tinguiſh which, the Crew at firſt made an Attempt; but finding the Flames increaſe upon them, they were all upon the Point of leaving her, for Fear of 100 Bar⯑rels of Gunpowder which were on board: when hap⯑pily the Mate, returning from a Viſit he had been making to a Brother Officer of a neighbouring Ship, [135] ſtopp'd their Deſign, and with a noble Reſolution, cutting the Boats clear of the Ship, told them they had no Means left to eſcape periſhing, either by Fire or Water, but by heartily joining their Endeavours to extinguiſh the Flames. When they found themſelves in ſo bad a Dilemma, they unanimouſly attempted it, and after ſome time providentially got it under, to the no ſmall Joy of the Town of Graveſend, as well as of all the Ships near them, who were in the utmoſt Conſternation for Fear of the Gunpowder, and every Moment in Expectation of the terrible Blow.

We ſee nothing remarkable on the Road hereabouts but Gad's-Hill, a noted Place for robbing of Seamen, after they have received their Pay at Chatham. Here it was that a famous Robbery was committed in or about the Year 1676, which deſerves to be men⯑tioned: It was about Four o'Clock in the Morning, when a Gentleman was robb'd by one Nicks on a Bay Mare, juſt on the Declivity of the Hill, on the Weſt Side. Nicks came away to Graveſend, and, as he ſaid, was ſtopp'd by the Difficulty of getting the Boat, near an Hour, which was a great Diſcouragement to him; but he made the beſt Uſe of it, as a kind of Bait to his Horſe: from thence he rode croſs the County of Eſſex, to Chelmsford: here he ſtopp'd about half an Hour to refreſh his Horſe, and gave him ſome Balls; from thence to Braintree, Bocking, Wethersfield; then over the Downs to Cambridge, and from thence, keeping ſtill the croſs Roads, he went by Fenny Stratford to Godmancheſter and Huntingdon, where he baited himſelf and his Mare about an Hour; and, as he ſaid himſelf, ſlept about half an Hour; then hold⯑ing on the North Road, and keeping a full Gallop moſt of the Way, he came to York the ſame After⯑noon; put off his Boots and riding Cloaths, and went dreſs'd as if he had been an Inhabitant of the Place, to the Bowling-green, where, among other Gentlemen, was the Lord-Mayor of the City. He, ſingling out [136] his Lordſhip, ſtudied to do ſomething particular, that the Mayor might remember him by; and then takes Occaſion to aſk his Lordſhip what o'Clock it was, who pulling out his Watch, told him the Hour, which was a Quarter before, or a Quarter after Eight at Night.

Upon a Proſecution for this Robbery, the whole Merit of the Caſe turn'd upon this ſingle Point; the Perſon robb'd ſwore to the Man, to the Place, and to the Time, in which the Fact was committed; but Nicks, proving by the Lord-Mayor, that he was as far off as Yorkſhire at that Time, the Jury acquitted him on a bare Suppoſition, that it was impoſſible the Man could be at two Places ſo remote, on one and the ſame Day.

On the Road from Gad's-Hill to Rocheſter, are very large Cherry-Orchards, eſpecially on the Right⯑hand of the Road: theſe Cherries are ſent up to Lon⯑don in Hoys, and were formerly a great Branch of Trade to the Land-owners of this Country; but of late Years there has been ſuch Plenty of this Fruit, that they have ſcarce paid for gathering and ſending to London, which has occaſioned many of the Owners of theſe Orchards to deſtroy them.

From Gad's-Hill we come to Rocheſter-Bridge, the longeſt, higheſt, and the ſtrongeſt built of all the Bridges in England, except that of London. Some indeed ſay, the Bridge of Newcaſtle upon Tyne ex⯑ceeds all the Bridges in England for Strength; but then it is neither ſo high, nor ſo long, as this at Ro⯑cheſter. It is ſupported by eleven Arches, and was built by Sir Robert Knowles in the Reign of Henry IV. and railed in with Iron at the Charge of Archbiſhop Warham.

The River Medway, at this Place, is very broad and rapid, foaming moſt violently. Rocheſter was the Roman City Durobrivis, and was very ſtrong, be⯑ing wall'd about and ditch'd. Many Antiquities have [137] been found hereabouts. This City ſtands in an An⯑gle of the River, and ſeems to have been of a ſquare Form, the Watling-ſtreet running directly thro' it. Moſt of the Walls ſtill remain; and a large Piece of the Roman Wall, made of Rubble-ſtone laid ſloping ſide-ways, is to be ſeen near that Angle below the Bridge, encompaſſed by the River with Roman Bricks in ſeveral Places.

Rocheſter, Stroud, and Chatham, are three di⯑ſtinct Places, but in a manner contiguous.

Rocheſter has ſuffer'd very much by Fire and War. It conſiſts chiefly of a large ill-built broad Street. Stroud is ſeparated from it only by a Bridge, and may alone paſs for a ſmall City, and is well-built, but has nothing very remarkable in it.

The Caſtle of Rocheſter was erected by King Wil⯑liam I. out of one Angle of the River. The Walls of the great Tower now left, are four Yards thick. The Body of the Cathedral is of the original Stru⯑cture before the Conqueſt, and repair'd by Biſhop Gun⯑dulph, an Architect, who likewiſe built the Caſtle. The great Tower is call'd Gundulph's Tower. The chalky Cliff under the Caſtle Wall, next the River, is a romantick Sight. The Rapidity of the Stream waſtes it away, and then huge Tracts of the Wall fall down. On the North Side of the North-weſt Tower of the Church is Gundulph's Effigies. The Front of the Church is of the old Work, but a new Window put in the Middle. The Eaſtern Gate of the City was pull'd down not very long ago, the Stones of which were of a Roman Cut. The Town-houſe and Charity-ſchool are two of the beſt pub⯑lick Buildings in Rocheſter and Stroud, except the Churches.

But Chatham being the chief Arſenal of the Royal Navy of Great Britain, is the moſt conſiderable of the Kind in the World. The private Buildings, as the Houſes of the Sea-Officers, Directors, Inſpect⯑ors, [138] and Workmen belonging to the Royal Navy, are well-built, and many of them ſtately. But the publick Edifices there are indeed, like the Ships themſelves, ſurpriſingly large, and in their ſeveral Kinds beautiful. The Ware-houſes, or rather Streets of Ware-houſes, and Store-houſes for laying up the Naval Treaſure, are the largeſt in Dimenſion, and the moſt in Number, that are any-where to be ſeen in the World. The Rope-walks for making Cables, and the Forges for Anchors and other Iron-work, bear a Proportion to the reſt; as alſo the Wet-dock, Canals, and Ditches, for keeping Maſts and Yards of the greateſt Size, where they lie ſunk in the Wa⯑ter to preſerve them: The Boat-yard, Rope-yards, the Anchor-yard, Forges, Founderies, all not eaſy to be deſcribed.

We come next to the Stores themſelves, for which all this Proviſion is made; and firſt, to begin with the Ships that are laid up there: The Sails, the Rig⯑ging, the Ammunition, Guns, great and ſmall Shot, ſmall Arms, Swords, Cutlaſſes, Half-pikes, with all the other Furniture belonging to the Ships that ride at their Moorings in the River Medway, Powder excepted, which is generally carried to particular Ma⯑gazines, to avoid Diſaſter, all theſe Stores are re⯑poſited in ſeparate Buildings and Store-houſes appro⯑priated for the Furniture of every Ship, and may be taken out on the moſt emergent Occaſion, without Confuſion.

Beſides theſe, are Ware-houſes for laying up the Furniture, and Stores for Ships in general, and for the furniſhing other Ships to be built, or for repair⯑ing and ſupplying the Ships already there, as Occa⯑ſion may require.

For this Purpoſe there are ſeparate and reſpective Magazines of Pitch, Tar, Hemp, Flax, Tow, Reſin, Oil, Tallow; alſo of Sail-cloth, Canvas, Cables, ſtanding and running Rigging, ready fitted, and Cor⯑dage [139] not fitted; with all Kinds of Ship-chandlery Neceſſaries, ſuch as Blocks, Tackles, Runners, &c. with the Cooks, Boatſwains, and Gunners Stores, and alſo Anchors of all Sizes, Grapnells, Chains, Bolts, and Spikes, wrought and unwrought Iron, Caſt-Iron Work, ſuch as Pots, Caldrons, Fur⯑naces, &c. alſo Boats, ſpare Maſts and Yards, with a great Quantity of Lead and Nails, and other Ne⯑ceſſaries, too many to be enumerated.

To obſerve theſe Things deliberately, one would almoſt wonder what Ships they were, and where they ſhould be found, which could either for Building or Repairing, Fitting or Refitting, call for ſuch a Quan⯑tity of all theſe Things; but when, on the other hand, one ſees the Ships, and conſiders their Dimen⯑ſions, and conſequently the Dimenſions of all Things which belong to them; how large, how ſtrong every thing muſt be; how much of the Materials muſt go to the making every thing proportionable to the Oc⯑caſion, the Wonder would change its Proſpect, and one would be as much amazed to think how and where they ſhould be ſupply'd.

The particular Government of theſe Yards is very remarkable, the Commiſſioners, Clerks, Accomp⯑tants, &c. within Doors; the Store-keepers, Yard-keepers, Dock-keepers, Watchmen, and all other Officers without Doors, with the Subordination of all Officers one to another reſpectively, as their De⯑grees and Offices require. The Watchmen are ſet duly every Night at ſtated and certain Places within the ſeveral Yards, with every one a Bell over his Head, which they ring or toll every Hour, giving ſo many Strokes as the Hour reckons; and then one taking it from another through every Part of the Yard, and of all the Yards, makes the Watch be perform'd in a very exact and regular manner. In the River is a Guard-boat, which, like the Main-guard in a Gariſon, rows the Grand Rounds at cer⯑tain [140] Times, by every Ship in the River, to ſee that the People on board are at their Poſt: If the Man placed to look out in each Ship, does not call, Who comes there? the Guard-boat boards it immediately, to examine into the Defect of Duty.

The Expedition that has been ſometimes uſed here in fitting out Men of War, is ſcarce credible; for the Workmen told us, That the Royal Sovereign, a Firſt Rate of 106 Guns, was riding at her Moorings, intirely unrigg'd, and nothing but her three Maſts ſtanding, as is uſual when a Ship is laid up; and that ſhe was completely rigg'd, all her Maſts up, her Yards put to, her Sails bent, Anchors and Cables on board, and the Ship ſailed down to Black-Stakes in Three Days, Sir Cloudeſly Shovell being then her Captain.

I do not vouch the Thing; but when I conſider, firſt, that every thing lay ready in her Store-houſes, and wanted nothing but to be brought out and car⯑ried on Board; a Thouſand or Fifteen hundred Men to be employ'd in it, and more, if they were wanted; and every Man knowing his Buſineſs perfectly well; Boats, Carriages, Pullies, Tackles, Cranes, and Hulk all ready; I do not know but it might be done in one Day, if it was tried. Certain it is, the Dexterity of the Engliſh Sailors in thoſe things is not to be matched by any in the World.

The Building-yards, Docks, Timber-yard, Deal-yard, Maſt-yard, Gun-yard, Rope-walks, and all the other Yards and Places ſet apart for the Works belonging to the Navy, are like a well-order'd City; and tho' you ſee the whole Place, as it were, in the utmoſt Hurry, yet you ſee no Confuſion; every Man knows his own Buſineſs; the Maſter-builders appoint the Working or Converting, as they call it, of every Piece of Timber, and give to the other Head-work⯑men or Foremen, their Moulds for the ſquaring and cutting out of every Piece, and placing it in its pro⯑per Byrth (ſo they call it) in the Ship that is in [241] Building; and every Hand is buſy in purſuing thoſe Directions, and ſo in all the other Works.

Rocheſter has a Market on Fridays, and it hath, by Grant from King Henry I. two annual Fairs, viz. May the 19th, and Nov. the 30th. The Ground on that Side of the Town next the River is very low and marſhy, being overflowed by every high Tide, which renders the Situation unpleaſant, and the Air unwholſome, from the Vapours which ariſe from theſe ſalt Marſhes.

It may not be amiſs in this Place to take Notice, that there is in the River Medway, at Rocheſter, and in ſeveral of its Creeks and Branches within the Ju⯑riſdiction of the City, an Oyſter-Fiſhery, which is free to every one who has ſerved Seven Years Appren⯑ticeſhip to any Fiſherman or Dredger, who is free of the ſaid Fiſhery; and the Mayor and Citizens of Ro⯑cheſter hold a Court, commonly call'd An Admiralty-Court, once a Year, or oftener, when Occaſions have required it, for the regulating of the ſaid Fiſhery, and to prevent Abuſes committed in it. In theſe Courts they appoint, from Time to Time, when Oyſters ſhall and ſhall not be dredged and taken, which they call Opening and Shutting the Grounds; after the Quantity each Dredgerman ſhall take in a Day, which is uſually called Setting the Stint. They have a Power to go on board, and enforce theſe Orders; and when they have found them not duly obſerved, or that the Brood or Spat has been taken which ſhould have been preſerved, they ſeize and throw into the River and Creeks the Brood, or ſuch Oyſters as have ex⯑ceeded the preſcribed Quantity.

Perſons who dredge or fiſh for Oyſters, not being Free of the Fiſhery, are called Cable-hangers, and are preſented and puniſhed by the Court. Every li⯑cenſed Dredger pays ſix Shillings and Eight-pence yearly to the Support of the Courts. But ſeveral licen⯑tious Perſons having, in Proceſs of Time, conteſted [142] the Authority of this Court, and great Inconveniences ariſing from it, to the endangering the Fiſhery, and to the Deſtruction of all good Order and Rule, the Cor⯑poration and Free Dredgermen apply'd to Parliament, and an Act paſſed, Anno 1729, eſtabliſhing the Juriſ⯑diction of the City of Rocheſter, and enforcing the Au⯑thority of the ſaid Courts; and ſince that another Act explaining and ſupplying Defects; ſo that at preſent this Fiſhery is in a flouriſhing Condition, and all the fair Dealers in this Commodity find their Account in it.

It is about ſixteen or eighteen Miles from Rocheſter Bridge to Sheerneſs Fort by Water, on the River Medway; of this it is about fourteen Miles to Black-ſtakes; the Chanel is ſo deep all the Way, the Banks ſo ſoft, and the Reaches of the River ſo ſhort, that, in a Word, 'tis the ſafeſt and beſt Harbour in the World; and we ſaw two Ships of eighty Guns, each riding afloat at Low-water, within Muſquet-ſhot of Rocheſter Bridge. The Ships ride as in a Mill-pond, or a Wet-dock, except that being moored at the Chains, they ſwing up and down with the Tide; but as there is Room enough, they are moored in ſuch manner, that they cannot ſwing foul of one another; nor did I ever hear of any Accident that befel any of the King's Ships here by Storms and Weather, ex⯑cept in that dreadful Tempeſt in 1703, when the Royal Catharine was driven on Shore, and, receiving ſome Damage, ſunk; and the Ship alſo being old, could not be weigh'd again.

There are Two Caſtles on the Shore of this River, the one at Upnor, where is a good Platform of Guns, and which guards Two Reaches of the Ri⯑ver, and is ſuppoſed to defend all the Ships which ride above, between that and the Bridge; alſo on the other Shore is Gillingham Caſtle, form'd for the ſame Purpoſe, and well furniſh'd with Guns which com⯑mand the River; beſides which there is a Fort or Platform of Guns at a Place call'd The Swamp, and [143] another at Cockham Wood. But theſe are principally added ſince the Time that the Dutch made that me⯑morable Attempt upon the Royal Navy in this River on the 22d of June, in the Year 1667; for at that Time all was left unguarded, and there were but Four Guns that could be uſed at Upnor, and ſcarce ſo many at Gillingham, the Carriages being rotten and broken; and, in a Word, every thing concurring to invite the Enemy. There were about Twelve Guns at the Iſle of Shepey, where now Sheerneſs Fort is built; but the Dutch ſoon diſmounted moſt of them; after which they went boldly up to Black-ſtakes with their whole Squadron; and after that Seven of their biggeſt Men of War went up as high as Upnor, where they did what Miſchief they could, and went away again, carrying off the Royal Charles, a Firſt-rate Ship of 100 Guns, and burning the London, and ſeveral others, beſides damaging moſt of the Ships that were within their Reach; and, all things conſider'd, it was a Wonder, that they went away without ruining all the reſt of the Navy that was in that River.

This Alarm gave England ſuch a Senſe of the Con⯑ſequence of the River Medway, and of the Docks, and Yards at Chatham, and of the Danger the Royal Navy lay expoſed to there, that all theſe Doors, which were open then, are lock'd up and ſufficiently barr'd ſince; and 'tis not now in the Power of any Nation, unleſs they were Maſters at Land as well as Sea, to give us ſuch another Affront; for beſides all theſe Ca⯑ſtles, Lines of Guns, and Platforms on each Side the River Medway, as we go up, there is now a Royal Fort built at the Point of the Iſle of Shepey, call'd Sheerneſs, which guards that Entrance into the River. This is a regular Fortification, and has ſuch a Line of heavy Cannon commanding the Mouth of the River, that no Fleet of Men of War could at⯑tempt to paſs by, as the Dutch did, without hazarding being torn to pieces. I took a View, while I was in [144] theſe Parts, of Cobham-hall, ſix Miles from Chatham, the Seat of the Earl of Darnley, a handſome Brick-houſe, remarkable for the excellent Marble Chimney-pieces in moſt of the Rooms.

At Raynham Church near Rocheſter, we ſaw ſe⯑veral Monuments of the Family of the Earl of Tha⯑net; and the Steeple is reckoned a Sea-mark.

SHEERNESS is not only a Fortreſs, but a good Town with ſeveral Streets in it, and Inhabitants of ſeveral Sorts, but chiefly ſuch whoſe Buſineſs obliges them to reſide here. The Officers of the Ordnance have here an Office; they being often obliged to be at this Place many Days together, eſpecially in Time of War, when the Rendezvous of the Fleet is at the Nore, to ſee to the furniſhing every Ship with mi⯑litary Stores, as Need requires, and to cheque the Officers of the Ships in their Demands of thoſe Stores, and the like.

Here is alſo a Yard for building Ships, with a Dock, intended chiefly for repairing Ships that may meet with any ſudden Accident. But then it is to obſerved, that thoſe are generally but for Fifth and Sixth-rate Ships, ſmall Frigates, Yachts, and ſuch Veſſels; tho' once, when I was there, I ſaw one upon the Stocks of Sixty-four Guns. This Yard is a late Thing alſo, and built many Years ſince the Fort.

Shepey-Iſle is ſuppoſed to be ſo called from its being one of the firſt Places in England, where Sheep were kept, or from its affording a great Plenty of thoſe uſeful Animals. This Iſland is encompaſſed with the mix'd Waters of the Thames, and the Medway on the Weſt; with the Swalle on the South, and with the main Ocean on the North and Eaſt. It hath great Plenty of good Corn, but wants Wood. It is about twenty-one Miles in Compaſs.

Here are ſeveral Tumuli in the marſhy Parts all over the Iſland, ſome of which the Inhabitants call Coterels; theſe are ſuppoſed to have been caſt up in [145] Memory of ſome of the Daniſh Leaders, who were buried here; for the Danes have often made this Iſland the Scene of their Ravages and Plunder.

There was antiently a Bridge and Cauſeway, be⯑tween this Iſle and Harty: this was called Threm⯑bethe-bridge, as afterwards the Ferry was called Tre⯑mod-Ferry: The common Way into this Iſland, from the main Land of Kent, is by King's-Ferry, where a long Cable of about a hundred and forty Fathom, being faſtened at each End acroſs the Water, ſerves to get over the Boat by hand.

On the main Side of the Ferry is a ſmall Stone-building, which will hold Nine or Ten Perſons: this is ſaid to have been erected by one George Fox, who ſtaying once there a long while in the Cold, wait⯑ing for the Ferry-boat, and being much affected with it, he built this Place to ſhelter others from the like Inconvenience. For the Maintenance of this Ferry, and keeping up the Highway leading to it, thro' the Marſhes for above a Mile in length, the Land Oc⯑cupiers tax themſelves one Penny per Acre for freſh Marſh-land, and one Penny for every Ten Acres of ſalt Marſh-land per Ann. This Tax, together with ſome Lands belonging to the Ferry, has from time to time kept the ſaid Ferry and Cauſeway, with a Wall againſt the Sea, in good Repair; as alſo the Boats, Cables, and a Houſe for the Ferry-keeper, who is obliged to tow all Travellers over free, except on four Days yearly, viz. Palm-monday, Whit-mon⯑day, St. James's-day and Michaelmas, when a Horſe⯑man pays Two-pence, and a Footman one Penny: But on Sundays, or after Eight o'Clock at Night, there is no Paſſage gratis; ſo that at ſuch Times, the Ferry-keeper will demand Six-pence of every Horſeman, and Two-pence of every Footman; and in theſe Caſes the Land Occupiers pay as well as Strangers. The Keeper of this Ferry is allowed 24l. per Ann. by the Land Occupiers, beſide what he [146] makes in carrying over Paſſengers in the Night-time, and on Sundays: And to this he has another Perqui⯑ſite added; which is to dredge for Oyſters within the Compaſs of his Ferry-loop, which extends one Tow's Length, (as they term it) i. e. ſixty Fathoms on each Side of the Caſtle.

In the upper Grounds of this Iſland, is great Plenty of good Corn; but equal Scarcity of freſh Water, moſt of their Springs being brackiſh; tho' within a few Years paſt, a Well was ſunk ſo deep as to lie below the Bed of the Sea, which has furniſh'd the Gariſon at Sheerneſs with freſh Wa⯑ter: but before this the People of the Gariſon had a Yacht, which was employ'd in bringing freſh Water from Deptford.

A great Number of Marine Plants grow in the ſalt Marſhes, which occaſions the Curious in Botany to viſit this Iſland frequently in the midſt of Summer, when the Plants are in their Per⯑fection.

At the South-weſt Point of the Iſle of Shepey, where the Eaſt Swale parts from the Weſt, and paſſes on as above, ſtands Queenborough; ſo called by King Edward III. in Honour of his Queen Philippa, Daughter to William Earl of Hainault and Holland. Here was a Caſtle erected by King Edward, as a Defence of the Mouth of the River Medway. In the Building of this Caſtle that Prince was aſſiſted by William of Wickham, who was then Surveyor of the King's Works, and afterwards made Biſhop of Wincheſter. This Caſtle was afterwards repaired in the Year 1536, by King Henry VIII. who at the ſame time built others at Deal, Walmer, &c. for the Defence of the Sea-coaſts. The Governors of Queen-borough Caſtle were formerly honoured with the Title of Conſtable; and by the Liſt of them, it appears, that many of them were Men of great Conſideration.

[147]This Caſtle was ſtanding in the Year 1629; for Mr. Johnſton, in his little Book, intituled, Iter Plan⯑tarum Inveſtigationis ergo ſuſceptum, tells us, That he ſaw there a noble large Dining-room, or Hall, round the Top of which were placed the Arms of the Nobility and Gentry of Kent; and, in the Middle, thoſe of Queen Elizabeth, with the following Latin Verſes under, in great Letters:

In Engliſh thus:

At preſent there are not any Remains of this Caſtle to be ſeen; the Ground where it ſtood is moated round; and there is a Well about 40 Fathom deep, ſtill remaining. By the ſeveral Ordinances which were made by King Edward III. relating to Naval Affairs, it appears this Place was then very famous; but at preſent it is a miſerable dirty Fiſhing-town; yet has a Mayor, Aldermen, &c. and ſends Two Bur⯑geſſes [148] to Parliament; altho' the chief Traders of this Town ſeem to be Ale-houſe-keepers, and Oyſter-catchers, and their Votes at an Election for Parlia⯑ment-men are the principal Branch of their ſcanda⯑lous Traffick. A pernicious Practice! too much fol⯑lowed in better Towns, and which may one Day be of fatal Conſequence to the Liberties of Britain.

Here we took Boat, and went up the Eaſt Swale, to Milton, or Middleton, as formerly called, which lies, as it were, hid among the Creeks; for 'tis al⯑moſt out of Sight as well by Water as by Land, and yet it is a large Town, has a conſiderable Saturday Market, for Corn, Fruit, and other Proviſions; and the Oyſters taken in the Grounds about this Town, are the moſt famous of any in Kent. This Town is governed by an Officer, who is called by the old Saxon Name Port-reve; he is choſen an⯑nually on St. James's-day, and he ſuperviſes the Weights and Meaſures all over the Hundred of Milton. It had antiently a Royal Palace for the Kentiſh Kings.

From hence, keeping the Coaſt, and the great Road together, for they are ſtill within View of one another, we come to Sittingburn, formerly a Market-town, but ſtill a conſiderable Thorough-fare, and full of good Inns.

Juſt by the Town are the Ruins of a Fortification raiſed by King Alfred, when in Purſuit of the Danes, called Bavord-caſtle. They boaſt here much, of one Norwood having entertained King Henry V. on his triumphant Return from France; and tho' the Entertainment was, according to the Times, very elegant, yet the whole Expence of it amounted to no more than 9s. and 9d.

From Sittingburn we came to Feverſham; which is a large fair Town, having one long and broad Street: it has a very good Market-houſe, where the Market is kept on Wedneſdays and Saturdays; and [149] there are Two annual Fairs in this Town, of Ten Days each; viz. on February the 14th, and on Auguſt the 1ſt. This Town is well peopled, and in a very flouriſhing State, being in the Neighbour⯑hood of one of the beſt Parts of Kent, and having a very commodious Creek to bring in, or carry out their Goods; but many of the Inhabitants have carried on the Smuggling Trade for Years, for which this Creek lies very convenient. Brandy, and often French Wines, are ſold here at very low Rates, eſpecially at ſuch times as the Smugglers have been apprehenſive of Diſcovery; to prevent which they have been known to ſell their Wines to any Perſons who would venture to purchaſe them, for 2d. per Quart.

The Fiſhermen here have a very good Cuſtom: They will admit no one to take out his Free⯑dom, unleſs he be a married Man. The Trade for Oyſters here with the Dutch is ſo large, as to bring in between 2 and 3000l. per Annum, ready Money, from Holland, for this Commodity only.

At Feverſham are the Remains of a Monaſtery founded by King Stephen, where he was buried with his Family. At preſent nothing is left but two Gate-houſes, of mean Structure. At the Diſſolution, they ſay, the Coffin of Lead, which held the Royal Body, was taken up and ſold; but the Corps was thrown into the Thames, and taken up by ſome Fiſhermen. Here, in the Year 903, King Ethelſtan enacted Laws.

It was at the Mouth of this Swale, namely, at Shellneſs, ſo called from the Abundance of Oyſter-ſhells always lying there, that the Smack in which the late King James II. embarked for his Eſcape into France, ran on Shore, and being boarded by the Fiſhermen, the King was taken Priſoner; and I muſt mention it to the Reproach of the People of Feverſham, whatever the Conduct of that unfortunate [150] Prince had been, that the Fiſhermen and Rabble treated him, even after they were told who he was, with the utmoſt Indecency, uſing his Majeſty with ſuch perſonal Indignity, and giving him ſuch oppro⯑brious and abuſive Language, and ſearching him in ſo rude a manner, that the King himſelf ſaid, he was never more apprehenſive of loſing his Life than at that Time. He was afterwards carried by them up to the Town, where he was not much better treated for ſome time, till ſome neighbouring Gentlemen of the County came in, who underſtood their Duty better, by whom he was preſerved from farther Vio⯑lence, till Coaches and a Guard came from London, by the Prince of Orange's Order, to conduct him with Safety and Freedom to London; where he was much better received.

While I was near this Town ſome Years before, a terrible Accident happened; namely, the blowing up of a Powder-mill, which ſtood upon the River, cloſe to the Town; the Blaſt ſhatter'd the whole Town, broke the Windows, blew down Chimneys, and Gable-ends; and ſeveral People were killed at the Powder-houſe itſelf, tho' not any, as I remember, in the Town. But what was moſt remarkable in it all, was, that the eldeſt Son of the Maſter of the Powder-mill, a Youth of about Fifteen Years of Age, who was not in the Mill, or near it, when it blew up, but in a Boat upon the River, rowing croſs for his Diverſion, was killed by a Piece of the Ma⯑terials of the Mill, which were blown up into the Air, and fell down upon him in the Boat.

After I have mentioned the Tombs of King Stephen and his Queen, in Feverſham, I know nothing elſe this Town is remarkable for, except the moſt no⯑torious Smuggling Trade, which I have mentioned, and which is carried on partly by the Aſſiſtance of the Dutch, in their Oyſter-boats; nay, even the Owling Trade, or clandeſtine Exporting of Wool, [151] ſeems removed from Romney Marſh, to this Coaſt; and a great deal of it has been carried on between the Mouth of the Eaſt-Swale and the North Foreland.

From this Eaſt-Swale, and particularly from theſe laſt Three Towns, Queenborough, Milton, and Fe⯑verſham, the Fiſh-market at Billinſgate is ſupplied with ſeveral Sorts of Fiſh; but particularly with the beſt and largeſt Oyſters, ſuch as ſome call Stewing, others, Milton Oyſters; as they are from the Eſſex Side with a ſmaller and greater Sort, called Wallfleet.

I ſhall now croſs the Hills from Milton to Maid⯑ſtone, on the River Medway, near 10 Miles diſtant from Rocheſter to the South-eaſt.

Maidſtone is a very antient Town: the River Medway, over which it has a Bridge, is navigable up to it by large Hoys, of 50 or 60 Tons Burden, the Tide flowing quite up to the Town. In 1739, an Act paſſed for making it further navigable, of which I ſhall take proper Notice, when I come to ſpeak of the Timber in Suſſex.

Here is carried on a Manufacture of Linen-thread, and likewiſe, in the Neighbourhood, are great Plan⯑tations of Hops, which were ſuppoſed to be firſt planted here at the Beginning of the Reformation, which gave Occaſion to that old Diſtich,

Maidſtone is eminent for Plenty of Proviſions, for Richneſs of Lands, and for the beſt Market in the County, not excepting either Rocheſter or Canter⯑bury. It has alſo a handſome Bridge, which, in the Opinion of ſome, is inferior only in Length to that of Rocheſter.

From this Town, and the neighbouring Parts, London is ſupplied with more Particulars than from any ſingle Market-town in England; which I men⯑tion in purſuance of my firſt Reſolution of obſerving [152] how every Part of England furniſhes ſomething to the City of London.

• 1. From the Weald of Kent, which begins but about Six Miles off, and particularly from that Part which lies this Way, they being the large Kentiſh Bullocks.
• 2. From hence are brought great Quantities of the largeſt Timber for Supply of the King's Yards at Chatham, and often to London; moſt of which is at preſent brought by Land-carriage to Maidſtone.
• 3. From the Country adjoining, great Quantities of Corn are brought up to London; alſo Hops, Apples, and Cherries.
• 4. A Kind of Paving Stone, about Eight or Ten Inches ſquare, exceeding durable, uſed to pave Court-yards, &c.
• 5. Fine white Sand for the Glaſs-houſes, eſteemed the beſt in England for melting into Flint-glaſs, and Looking-glaſs Plates; and for the Stationers Uſe alſo, vulgarly called Writing-ſand.

All that Side of the County which I have men⯑tioned, as it is marſhy and unhealthy, by its Situa⯑tion among the Waters, is chiefly inhabited by Ship-builders, Fiſhermen, Seafaring-men, and Huſband⯑men, and ſuch as depend upon them; and very few Families of Note are found among them. But as ſoon as we come down Boxley-hill from Rocheſter, or Hollingbourn-hill from Milton, to the well-watered Plain on the Banks of the Medway, we find the Country every-where beſpangled with po⯑pulous Villages, and delicious Seats of the Nobility and Gentry; and eſpecially on the North-ſide of the River, beginning at Aylesford on the Medway, the Seat of the Earl of that Name, and looking Eaſt towards the Sea, to Eaſtwell near Aſhford, the Seat of the Earl of Winchelſea.

Among theſe are the antient Families of Fane, Colepeper, Deerham, Honywood, Wotton, Roberts, Hales, &c.

[153]This genteel Neighbourhood makes Maidſtone a very agreeable Place to live in; for here is what is not often found, namely, a Town of very great Buſineſs and Trade, and yet full of Gentry, and good Company.

There is not much Manufacturing in this County: what is left is chiefly at Canterbury, and in this Town of Maidſtone, and its Neighbourhood. The Manufacture of this Town is principally Linen-thread, as I have ſaid, which they make to pretty good Perfection, tho' not extraordinary fine. At Cranbrook, Tenterden, Goudhurſt, and other Villages in the Neighbourhood of this Place, was once a conſiderable Cloathing-trade carried on; and the Yeomen of Kent, of whom ſo much has been famed, and who inhabited theſe Parts, were generally much enriched by it; but that Trade is now quite decay'd, and ſcarce Ten Clothiers left in all the County.

The Farmers, and Deſcendents of theſe Clothiers, upon the Elections of Members for the County, ſhew themſelves ſtill there; for there are ordinarily 14 or 1500 Freeholders brought from this Side of the County, who for the Plainneſs of their Appearance are called the Grey Coats of Kent; but are ſo con⯑ſiderable, that whoever they vote for, is ſure to carry it; and therefore the Gentlemen are very careful to preſerve their Intereſt among them.

This Town of Maidſtone is a Peculiar of the Archbiſhop of Canterbury, who is the proper In⯑cumbent, and puts in a Curate to officiate for him. The Archbiſhop has a Palace here, which is eſteemed very antient, to which there is a Chapel belonging. The Architecture is Gothick, but good of the Kind; and ſome Parts of it have been repaired after the mo⯑dern Manner. Maidſtone is a Roman Station, named Vagniacis or Madviacis, from the Britiſh Word Maedwaeg the Meadows on the River Vaga, which [154] are here beautiful. The Archiepiſcopal Palace was founded by John Ufford, and finiſhed by Simon Iſlep. The College or Hoſpital was erected by Archbiſhop Boniface, and a Chantry by Thomas Anindel, now the Free-ſchool. About the Year 1720, ſeveral Canoes were dug up, made of hollowed Trees, in the Marſhes of the River Medway above Maidſtone, one of which is uſed for a Boat to this Day. In the Hands of Dr. Dodd at Addington, near Malling, in the Year 1720, a Britiſh Coin of Amber was found, in the Foundation of a Stone Wall. The convex Side was plain; on the Concave was a Britiſh Horſe, rude enough. The Aſſizes are generally held here, and always the County Elections; and it is governed by a Mayor, and Twelve Jurats.

Charing, not far off, was the antient Durolenum, ſituated upon a Spring of the River Len. Here the Archbiſhops of Canterbury had a caſtellated Palace, given them by ſome of the firſt Saxon Kings, of which there are large Ruins.

In my Way to Maidſtone, on a former Journey, I ſaw Mareworth Caſtle, a pretty Fabrick, belong⯑ing to the Earl of Weſtmorland and on a riſing Ground, within a Mile of Aylesford, viewed an Antiquity, vulgarly called Ketts-cotty-houſe, which are three great Stones piled on each other, and deemed the Tombs of Kentigern and Horbus, two Daniſh Princes, ſlain in Battle, and there bury'd.

In proſecuting my Journey from Maidſtone to Canterbury, I cannot help mentioning Lenham, a Town about 17 Miles diſtant from that City; in re⯑lation to which the Rt. Rev. Continuator of Camden records the following extraordinary Circumſtance.

‘"At Lenham, ſays he, is a thing exceeding remarkable, mentioned on the Tomb of Robert Thompſon, Eſq in the Church there, who was Grandchild to that truly religious Matron, Mary Honeywood, Wife of Robert Honeywood, of Charing, [155] Eſq She had at her Deceaſe, lawfully deſcended from her, 367 Children; 16 of her own Body; 114 Grandchildren; 228 in the third Generation; and 9 in the fourth. Her Renown liveth with her Poſterity: her Body lieth in this Church, and her Monument may be ſeen in Marks-hall, in Eſſex, where ſhe died."’

From hence I purſued my Journey to Canterbury, which all Writers agree was called, by the Britons, Kent, and is the Duroverno [...] of the Romans; of which Town, and its Antiquities, ſo much has been ſaid, and ſo accurately, that I need do no more than mention it briefly. However, I obſerve here.

1. That Auguſtine, the Monk, the firſt Chriſtian Preacher that came from Rome into this Iſland, ſettled in this Place: but that he was the firſt that preached Chriſtianity in the Iſland (as ſome have ſuggeſted) is a Miſtake; as the famous Conference between him and the Monks of Banchor in Wales, ſufficiently teſtify.

2. That Seven Biſhops of Canterbury, including that Auguſtine; lie buried here in one Vault.

3. That Thomas à Becket, Archbiſhop of this See, inſulted the King his Sovereign in an unſufferable Manner; inſomuch that in the Reign of Henry II. he was here murdered by the Connivance, as ſome ſay, of the King; and they ſhew what they call his Blood upon the Pavement at this Day.

4. That they ſhew the Stone-ſteps aſcending to his Shrine, (he being afterwards canonized) worn away to a Slope, by the Knees of the Pilgrims, who viſited it.

5. That the Bodies of King Henry IV. and of Edward the Black Prince, are buried here, and the magnificent Effigies of the latter, very curiouſly carved, lies on his Tomb or Monument. Here is a pretty Chapel, originally deſign'd for the Celebration of Maſſes for the Soul of King Henry IV.

[156]6. That the immenſe Wealth offered by Votaries and Pilgrims, for ſeveral Ages, to the Shrine of Becket, was ſuch, that the famous Eraſmus, who ſaw it, ſays of it thus: ‘"All ſhone, ſparkled, glittered with rare and very large Jewels; and even in the whole Church appeared a Profuſeneſs above that of Kings."’ In ſhort, Gold was one of the meaneſt Treaſures of his Shrine: and at the Diſſolution, as Dugdale obſerves, the Plate and Jewels filled Two great Cheſts, each whereof re⯑quired Eight Men to carry out of the Church. And Camden ſays, the Name of Chriſt, to whom it was dedicated, was almoſt laid aſide for that of St. Thomas.

7. That all this immenſe Treaſure, with the Lands and Revenues of the whole Monaſtery, were ſeized upon by King Henry VIII. at the general Suppreſſion of Religious Houſes, except ſuch as are annexed to the Deanery and Chapter, and to the Revenue of the Archbiſhoprick, which are not very conſiderable. There is an old Picture of Becket's Martyrdom, and an antient Painting upon the Wall, of the Siege of Jeruſalem, in the Habits of our Anceſtors.

8. Here are alſo to be ſeen the Monuments of Cardinal Courticello, Cardinal Pole, Archbiſhop Chichley; Bp. Peckham's, carved in Wood upwards of 450 Years ago; Biſhop Wharton, the Duke of Clarence, Archbiſhop Langton; with many others of leſs Account.

The Cathedral is a large and noble Pile of Build⯑ing: very curious Remnants of painted Glaſs are ſtill to be ſeen in the Windows. It is intirely vaulted with Stone, and of a very pretty Model; but much too high for its Breadth, as all Gothick Buildings were. The Metropolitan Chair is of grey Marble, ſtanding behind the High Altar. The Cloiſters are pretty good, and near them a very large Chapel, called the Sermon-houſe, wainſcotted [157] with Iriſh Oak. Under it is a large Proteſtant French Church, given firſt by Queen Elizabeth to the Walloons, who fled hither from the Perſecution of the Duke d'Alva. The Number of theſe Re⯑fugees has been ſince very much increaſed by French Proteſtants obliged to leave their native Country, thro' the Cruelty of Louis XIV.

The Cloſe where the Houſes of the Prebendaries ſtand, is very ſpacious and fair, and a great many very good Houſes are built in it, and ſome with good Gardens.

Here are many Remains of Roman and Saxon Buildings. The City is ſtrongly walled about, and many Towers at due Intervals, a deep Ditch cloſe underneath, and a great Rampart of Earth within. The Materials of the Walls are chiefly Flint.

The Caſtle was built in the Reign of King William I. of the ſame Form, and the Walls of the ſame Thickneſs, with that of Rocheſter. Dungeon⯑hill, a very high Mount, ſeems to have been Part of the old Caſtle. Oppoſite to it, without the Walls, is an Hill, ſeeming to have been raiſed by the Danes, when they beſieged the City. The Top of Dun⯑geon-hill is equal to the Top of the Caſtle, and ex⯑hibits a fine Proſpect over the City and Country.

Of Auguſtine's Monaſtery, two Gates remain next the City, and both very ſtately. Perhaps one be⯑longed to King Ethelbert's Palace, the other to the Monaſtery, which doubtleſs was very ſplendid; for it covers a great Compaſs of Ground, and is ſur⯑rounded with a very high Wall. There were con⯑tinual Quarrels between the Monks of Auguſtine and of Thomas à Becket, both very rich, and very con⯑tentious.

Near this Monaſtery is a vaſt angular Piece of a Tower, (beſides half of another) about 30 Feet high, which has been undermined by digging away a Courſe at Bottom, in order to be thrown down; [158] but it happened only to disjoint itſelf from the Foun⯑dation, and lodged itſelf in the Ground in the pre⯑ſent inclining State. Thus being equally poiſed, it preſents a View of Terror, and forbids a too near Acceſs.

The adjacent Cloſe is full of religious Ruins, and in a Corner of it are the Walls of a Chapel, ſaid to have been a Chriſtian Temple before Auguſtine's Time, and reconſecrated by him to St. Pancras. Near it is a little Room, ſaid to have been King Ethelbert's Pagan Chapel. The Vulgar ſay, here are the Marks of the Devil's Claws.

Eaſtward of this, and farther out of the City, is St. Martin's Church, ſaid to be Auguſtine's firſt See, and the Place whither King Ethelbert's Queen uſed to repair to divine Service. It is built moſtly of Roman Brick. In the Middle is a very large old faſhioned Font, ſuppoſed to be that where the King was baptized.

North of the City is a very ſmall Remainder of St. Gregory's Chapel, founded probably by Auguſtine to the Honour of that Pope, his Patron.

The City has been much advantaged by the Set⯑tlement in it of Two or Three thouſand French Proteſtants, Men, Women, and Children, owing to the above-mentioned Expulſion of the Proteſtants under Louis XIV.

The Employment of thoſe Refugees was chiefly Broad Silk Weaving, which has ſuffered ſeveral Changes and Alterations; but is ſtill carried on here to ſome Account.

But what has added moſt to the Advantage of Canterbury, is the Hop-grounds all round the Place, to the Amount of ſeveral Thouſand Acres, inſo⯑much that Canterbury was, for ſome time, the greateſt Plantation of Hops in the whole Iſland; but now they have a Rival, if not an Over-match, about Farnham, as I ſhall obſerve in its Place.

[159]In January 1738, were found in a Shave belong⯑ing to the Eſtate of Sir John Hales, who lives in this Neighbourhood, and within his Manor of Tun⯑ſtall near Sittingbourn, ſeveral Hundreds of broad Pieces of Gold, which were thought to be con⯑cealed in the Time of the late Civil Wars by an An⯑ceſtor of Sir John. They were found by a poor Boy, who was rambling in the Coppice; and not knowing what to make of them, was playing with ſome of them at a Farmer's in the Neighbourhood of Canterbury, and the Farmer got Poſſeſſion of them; but not being able to keep the Secret, he refunded 624 of the Broad-pieces for the Uſe of the Crown: Tho' Sir John laid Claim to the Whole.

The Shore from Whitſtable, and the Eaſt-Swale, affords nothing remarkable but Sea-marks, and ſmall Towns on the Coaſt, till we came to Margate, noted for King William's frequently Landing here in his Returns from Holland, and for ſhipping a vaſt Quantity of Corn for London Market, moſt, if not all of it, the Product of the Iſle of Thanet, in which it ſtands. There is lately erected here a Salt-water Bath, which has performed great Cures in nervous and paralytick Caſes, and in Numbneſs of the Limbs; and ſeems every Day to become more and more in Requeſt.

But it may not be unacceptable to tranſcribe a few Lines from Camden, in Honour to the Induſtry of the Inhabitants in this Part of the Iſle of Thanet, which I recommend to the Admiration, for I doubt it would be too much to ſay Imitation, of the reſt of Britain, both North and South. It is as follows:

‘"Nor muſt I here omit the mention of a Thing very much to the Honour of the Inhabitants of Thanet, thoſe eſpecially who live near the Roads or Harbours of Margate, Ramſgate, and Brod⯑ſtear; namely, that they are exceeding induſtrious, [160] and are, as it were, amphibious Creatures, and get their Living both by Sea and Land: they deal in both Elements, are both Fiſhers and Plough⯑men, both Huſbandmen and Mariners; and the ſelf-ſame Hand that holds the Plough, ſteers the Ship. According to the ſeveral Seaſons, they make Nets, fiſh for Cod, Herring, Mackarel, &c. go to Sea themſelves, and export their own Com⯑modities. And thoſe very Men alſo dung their Ground, plough, ſow, harrow, reap, inn, be⯑ing quick and active in both Employments; and ſo the Courſe of their Labours runs round. And when there happen any Shipwrecks, as there do here now and then, (for thoſe Shallows and Shelves ſo much dreaded by Seamen lie over-againſt it; namely, the Godwin, the Brakes, the Four-foot, the Whitdick, &c.) they are extremely induſtrious to ſave the Lading."’ I ſhall only add, That it is highly to the Reputation of thoſe People, if they continue to deſerve this excellent Character; but I have heard of ſome late Inſtances, that are not at all to their Honour in this latter Particular.

At Stanar in the Iſle of Thanet, the Rutupiae of the Romans, is to be ſeen the Sepulchre of Vortimer, King of the antient Britons, who having vanquiſhed the Saxons in many Battles, and at laſt driven them out of the Iſland, ordered, before his Death, that he ſhould be buried here, on a fond Conceit that his Corpſe would fright them from landing any more upon this Coaſt. Like the great Scipio, who having ſubdued the Carthaginians, ordered his Tomb to be turned towards Africa, to fright them from the Coaſt of Italy. But the poor Britons ſoon found the Difference between a King in the Field, and one in the Grave.

On the North-eaſt Point of this Land, is the Promontory, or Head-land, which I have often [161] mentioned, called the North-Foreland; which, by a Line drawn due North to the Naſe in Eſſex, about Six Miles ſhort of Harwich, makes the Mouth of the River of Thames, and the Port of London. As ſoon as any Veſſels paſs this Foreland from London, they are properly ſaid to be in the open Sea; if to the North, they enter the German Ocean; if to the South, the Chanel, as 'tis called, that is, the narrow Seas between England and France; and all the Towns or Harbours before we come this Length, whether on the Kentiſh or Eſſex Shore, are called Members of the Port of London.

From this Point Weſtward, the firſt Town of Note is Ramſgate, a ſmall Port; the Inhabitants are mighty fond of having us call it Romans-gate; pre⯑tending that the Romans, under Julius Caeſar, made their firſt Attempt to land here, and that, being driven back by a Storm, he ſoon returned, and coming on Shore with a good Body of Troops, beat back the Britons, and fortify'd his Camp, juſt at the Entrance of the Creek, where the Town now ſtands; while others as poſitively aſſert, that that great Com⯑mander firſt landed at Deal; as I ſhall obſerve anon.

Richborough-caſtle is a Mile diſtant from Stanar and Sandwich. At the Foot of it runs the River coming from Canterbury. This River at firſt diſ⯑charged itſelf into the Sea by Ebbesflete, North of the Roman City Rutupiae, now Stanar; till the Sand pouring ſo directly upon it, obliged the Stream to ſlide under the Cliff by Richborough-caſtle, and ſo by Sandwich. The Caſtle is a moſt noble Rem⯑nant of Roman Antiquity. The Walls on Three Sides are pretty intire, and in ſome Places ſtill about 25 or 30 Feet high, without any Ditch. The Side next the Sea being upon a kind of Cliff, the Top of the Wall is but level with the Ground. Here, in the latter Times of the Empire, the Legio II. Aug. was quartered. And from the Condition of the [162] Walls it muſt have been deſtroy'd with great Vio⯑lence, probably by the Saxons. In the Way to Sandwich, upon an Eminence, is the Remainder of an Amphitheatre made of Turf, probably for the Exerciſe and Diverſion of the Gariſon. Before Sandwich Gates are two Roman Tumuli, on one of which ſtands a Windmill. And South of Sandwich, on the Sea-ſhore, are Six large and broad Celtic Tu⯑muli, at equal Diſtances. This flat Coaſt is fenced againſt the Ocean by the Sand-downs. From Sand⯑wich as far as Hythe, the Coaſt of France was viſible all the Way as we rode. The Reverend Mr. Lewis has publiſhed, within theſe few Years, a curious Hiſtory of the Iſle of Thanet, to which I ſhall refer for ſeveral Particulars, which deſerve the Attention of a Traveller.

Sandwich, one of the Cinque-ports, lies in the Bottom of a Bay, at the Mouth of the River Stour, formerly a Town of great Repute and Trade. It decay'd in the Saxons Time, and was utterly ruined by the Danes. Being raiſed again, it had the Miſ⯑fortune to be reduced to Aſhes in King John's Reign; after which it was rebuilt. But in the Reign of Q. Mary, the Mouth of its Harbour was ſo choaked up by a Ship of great Burden, which ſunk in it, and gave Opportunity to the Sands and Beach ſo to fill it up, that it was incurable: the Town of conſe⯑quence fell to Decay, and it is now a very poor Place.

Sandwich is noted for Carrots, which are brought to London during the Winter Seaſon; and from hence it is that moſt of the Markets are ſupplied with theſe Roots, which are eſteemed the ſweeteſt, as they are alſo the largeſt which are produced in Eng⯑land, or perhaps in Europe.

From this Place alſo the Seedſmen in London are furniſhed with the greateſt Quantity of their Seeds: the Land being light, ſandy, and freſh, is very good [163] for producing moſt Sorts of Seeds, and the Ground being pretty low, the Seeds do not ſo often receive a Blight, as in many other Places.

Not far from hence is Wingham, which gives Title of Baron to Earl Cowper. From hence I went to Deal, called by Caeſar Dola, having landed not far from this Place. It is the famous Road for Ship⯑ping, ſo well known all over the trading World by the Name of the Downs, and where almoſt all Ships which arrive from Foreign Parts for London, or go from London to Foreign Parts, and paſs the Chanel, generally ſtop; the Homeward-bound, to diſpatch Letters, ſend their Merchants and Owners the good News of their Arrival, and ſet their Paſſengers on Shore; and the Outward-bound, to take in freſh Proviſions, to receive their laſt Orders, Letters, and Farewels from Owners, and Friends, &c. Some⯑times, when the Wind preſents fair, Ships come in here, and paſs thro' at once, without coming to an Anchor; for they are not obliged to ſtop, but for their own Convenience.

The Downs would be a very wild and dangerous Road for Ships, were it not for the South-Foreland, a Head of Land forming the Eaſt Point of the Kentiſh Shore; and is called the South, as its Situation re⯑ſpects the North-Foreland; and which breaks the Sea off, which would otherwiſe come rolling up from the Weſt, to the Flats or Bank of Sands, which for Three Leagues together, and at about a League, or League and half Diſtance, run parallel with the Shore, and are dry at low Water; ſo that theſe two, breaking all the Force of the Sea, on the Eaſt, South, and South-weſt, make the Downs accounted a very good Road.

And yet on ſome particular Winds, and eſpecially, if they over-blow, the Downs proves ſuch a wild Road, that Ships are driven from their Anchors, and often run on Shore, or are forced on the ſaid Sands, [164] or into Sandwich-bay, or Ramſgate-pier, in great Diſtreſs; this is particularly when the Wind blows hard at South-eaſt, or at Eaſt-by-north, or Eaſt-north-eaſt, and ſome other Points; and terrible Havock has been made in the Downs at ſuch times.

But the moſt unhappy Inſtance that can be given of any Diſaſter in the Downs, was in the time of that terrible Tempeſt, which we call, by way of Diſtin⯑ction, The Great Storm, being on the 27th of Nov. 1703: Unhappy in particular, for that there chanced at that time to be a great Part of the Royal Navy come into the Downs, in their way to Chatham, to be laid up.

Five of the biggeſt Ships had the good Fortune to puſh thro' the Downs the Day before, finding the Wind then blew very hard, and were come to an Anchor at the Gunfleet; and had they had but one fair Day more, they had been all ſafe at the Nore, or in the River Medway at Black-ſtakes.

There remained in the Downs about 12 Sail, when this terrible Tempeſt began, at which time England may be ſaid to have received the greateſt Loſs that ever happened to the Royal Navy at one time, either by Weather, by Enemies, or by any Accident whatſo⯑ever. The ſhort Account of it is as follows:

The Northumberland, a Third Rate, carrying 70 Guns, and 353 Men; the Reſtoration, a Second Rate, carrying 76 Guns, and 386 Men; the Sterling Caſtle, a Second Rate, carrying 80 Guns, and 400 Men, but had only 349 Men on board; and the Mary, a Third Rate, of 64 Guns, having 273 Men on board; theſe were all loſt, with all their Men, except one Man out of the Mary, and 70 Men out of the Sterling-Caſtle, who were taken up by Boats from Deal.

All this is beſides the Loſs of Merchants Ships, which was exceeding great, not here only, but in almoſt all the Ports in the South and Weſt of Eng⯑land, and alſo in Ireland.

[165]The Town of Deal carries on ſome Foreign Trade, and is very much improved of late Years, to which the great Reſort of Seamen to it from the Ships in the Downs has not a little contributed.

I took a Niew of Sandown-caſtle, Deal and Wal⯑mer-caſtles.

Sandown-caſtle is compoſed of four Lunets of very thick arched Work of Stone, with many Port-holes for great Guns. In the Middle is a great round Tower, with a Ciſtern at-top; and underneath, an arched Cavern Bomb-proof. A Foſs encompaſſes the Whole, to which is a Paſſage over a Draw-bridge.

Deal-caſtle and Walmer-caſtle are, like the former, all built, as I have ſaid, by K. Henry VIII. to guard this Coaſt. Between Walmer-caſtle and Deal was probably the Spot where Caeſar landed in his firſt Ex⯑pedition, becauſe it is the firſt Place where the Shore can be aſcended North of Dover; and exactly anſwers his aſſigned Diſtance of eight Miles. In his ſecond Ex⯑pedition, with many more Ships, and upon a perfect Knowledge of the Country, he might land at Deal.

Dover ſtands in a moſt romantick Situation: it is a great Valley, and the only one about this Coaſt, where Water is admitted inwards of the Cliff, which is here very high. The Sea formerly came a good way higher up, and made a large Port. Anchors have been found above the Town. The Roman City Dubris was to the South of the River. The Watling ſtreet enters it as Bigin-gate, coming very ſtrait from Canterbury over Barham-down, where it is very perfect. Some of the Walls are left. The Churches are of a very antique Make: that of St. Martin is Collegiate, founded by Wightred King of Kent, and is a venerable Ruin. It was built in Form of a Croſs. Of the Priory, now a Farm-houſe, are large Remains. The Hoſpital over⯑againſt it is made a Store-houſe. Here the Knights Hoſpitalers or Templers lodged, as they came into, [166] or went out of the Kingdom. The Piers which form the Haven or large Baſon, are coſtly and great Works. Above is a Fort with four Baſtions of mo⯑dern Date. The broad Beach, which lies at the Mouth of this great Valley, and was the Harbour in Caeſar's Time, is very delightful. One long Street here is nam'd Snaregate, from the moſt tre⯑mendous Rocks of Chalk, which project directly over the Houſes.

Dover Caſtle is very large, and ſituated upon a Rock rugged and ſteep on every Side; but towards the Sea it riſes to an extraordinary Height. Tho' of late Years neglected, it was once ſo well fortify'd, and of ſuch Importance, as to be accounted the Key of England. And William the Conqueror, when he had an Eye upon the Kingdom, took an Oath of Harold, that he ſhould deliver into his Hands this Caſtle with the Well, which is Sixty Fathoms deep, and ſaid to be the Work of Julius Caeſar. In ſhort it was the ſtrongeſt old Fortification in the World; and takes up thirty Acres of Ground.

In the late War with France, 1500 Priſoners were confined in the great Caſtle. The Braſs Gun, call'd Queen Elizabeth's Pocket-Piſtol, is a great Curioſi⯑ty, twenty-two Feet long. It is excellently well wrought, requires Fifteen Pounds of Powder, and carries a Ball Seven Miles. Here are Two very old Keys, and a braſs Horn, which ſeem to be the En⯑ſigns of Authority belonging to the Conſtable of the Caſtle, or Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. One Part of the Fortifications conſiſts of a circular Work, in which ſtands an old Church, ſaid to have been built by Lucius, the firſt Chriſtian King in Britain, out of ſome of the Roman Ruins; for there are huge Quantities of Roman Brick laid into the Work; and the Remainder is of Stone, originally cut by the Romans. It is in Form of a Croſs, and has a ſquare Tower in the Middle. The Stone Windows are of [167] much later Date than the Building: but the greateſt Curioſity is the Pharos or Roman Watch-tower, ſtanding at the Weſt-end of the Church. This Building was made uſe of as a Steeple, and had a pleaſant Ring of Bells, which Sir George Rooke pro⯑cur'd to be carried away to Portſmouth. Since when, the Lead which cover'd it, has been taken away by Order of the Officers of Ordnance; ſo that this rare Piece of Architecture is left expoſed to the Sea and Weather. Here was found a Coin of Diocle⯑ſian. The Erpinghams Arms are patch'd up againſt one Side of the Pharos; ſo that it ſeems to have been repair'd in the Days of King Henry V. when the Lord Erpingham was Warden of Dover-caſtle.

Upon another Rock over-againſt that on which the Caſtle is ſituated, and almoſt as high, are the Remains of an old Watch-tower, now vulgarly called Bredenſtone, otherwiſe Devil's-drop, from the Strength of the Mortar. Here the new Conſtable of the Caſtle is ſworn. Under this Place King Henry VIII. built the Mole or Pile called the Pier, that Ships might ride therein with great Safety. But tho' it was done with vaſt Labour and Expence, by large Beams faſtened in the Sea, bound together with Iron, and great Piles of Wood and Stone heap'd upon all; yet the Fury of the Sea was ſoon too hard for the Work, and the Timbers beginning to disjoint, Queen Elizabeth expended great Sums upon it. And ſeveral Acts have paſſed to repair and re⯑ſtore the ſame; which alſo including the Reſtora⯑tion and Preſervation of the Harbour of Rye, I ſhall take Notice of both, when I mention that of Rye.

Dover, the Portus Dubris of the Romans, is one of the Cinque Ports, and was formerly bound to ſend twenty-one Ships for the Wars. It affords a See to the Suffragan of the Archbiſhop of Canter⯑bury, as often as any ſuch is appointed. Moſt of the Buſineſs relating to theſe Ports in general is done, [168] and all the Courts kept here. The other Cinque Ports are Haſtings, Hythe, Romney and Sandwich. Haſt⯑ings has two Appendages, namely, Winchelſea and Rye, which, as well as Haſtings, are in Suſſex, and the others in Kent; they have all great Privileges: their Burgeſſes are called Barons; who on the Co⯑ronations of our Sovereigns, ſupport the Canopies over their Heads, have a Table at the King's Right Hand, the Canopy for their Fee, and enjoy other Privileges. The Lord Warden of theſe Five Ports is generally one of the firſt Noblemen in the King⯑dom.

The Packets for France go off here, as alſo thoſe for Oſtend, with the Mails for Flanders, and all thoſe Ships which carry Freights from New-York to Holland, and from Virginia to Holland, come gene⯑rally hither, and unlade their Goods, enter them with the Cuſtom-houſe Officers, pay the Duties, and then enter them again by Certificate, reload them, and draw back the Duty by Debenture, and ſo they go away for Holland.

As we paſs from Dover to the ſmaller Cinque Ports of Hythe, Romney, and Rye, we ſee Folkſtone, a little Village now, which the Sea has made great Inroads upon; but which formerly made a greater Figure. A copious Spring went thro' the Town. Two Pieces of old Wall, ſeemingly Roman, hang frightfully over the Cliff. Here are ſome old Guns, one of Iron of a very odd Caſt, doubtleſs as old as the Time of King Henry VIII. Many Ro⯑man Coins have alſo been found. And here a Nun⯑nery was built by Eanſwide, Daughter of Eadbald, King of Kent. This Place is now principally of Note for a Multitude of Fiſhing-boats belonging to it, which are one Part of the Year employed in catching Mackarel for the City of London. The Folkſtone Men catch them, and the London and Barking Mackarel-Smacks, of which I have ſpoken [169] at large in Eſſex, come down and buy them, and whiſk away to Market under ſuch a Croud of Sails, that one would wonder they could bear them. About Michaelmas theſe Folkſtone Barks, among others from Shoreham, Brighthelmſton and Rye, go away to Yar⯑mouth and Leoſtoff, on the Coaſt of Suffolk and Nor⯑folk, and catch Herrings for the Merchants there. It hath been obſerved of ſome Hills in the Neigh⯑bourhood of Folkſtone, as the Right Rev. Continu⯑ator of Camden takes Notice, that they have viſibly ſunk and grown lower, within the Memory of Man.

Sandgate Caſtle, ſituated in the Bottom of Two Hills, on the Sea-ſhore, hath about Sixteen Guns to defend the Fiſhing-craft from the Inſults of Priva⯑teers, in Time of War: it hath ſeveral good Houſes about it, and was built by King Henry VIII.

After we have paſſed this Caſtle, we enter upon the Beach. Here are many Springs, which deſcending from the higher Ground, ſink immediately into this Beach, rendering it a little boggy.

Hythe, one of the Cinque Ports, ſtands on the Edge of the leſs Ridge; but the Marſh has inter⯑cepted it from the Sea.

Hythe in Saxon ſignifies a Port or Station; but at preſent it hardly anſwers the Name; for the Sands have ſo choaked it up, that the Sea is ſhut out from it to a great Diſtance. This Town, as alſo Weſt-Hythe, from which the Sea retir'd above 200 Years ago, owe their Original to Lemanis, or Limne, a Roman Port, of which more anon, now a little Village adjoining, which was formerly a very fa⯑mous Port, before it was ſhut up with Sands, thrown in by the Sea, which gave Riſe to the two Hythes before-mentioned, which, in their Turns, have met with the ſame Fate. A particular Providence hap⯑pened at Hythe, April 24. 1739. About Eleven o'Clock the Steeple of their Church, in which were [170] Six Bells, fell down. About Ten Perſons were pre⯑ſent when it fell, waiting in the Church-porch for the Keys to go up into the Steeple for a View; but ſome Delay being made in bringing them, they hap⯑pily receiv'd no other Damage than being terribly frightened. In a Vault under the Church we ſaw a vaſt Heap of human Bones, ſome of an extraordi⯑nary Size, ſaid to be gathered up after a bloody Bat⯑tle fought between the Britons and Danes.

About a Mile diſtant from it is Saltwood-Caſtle, a very ſtrong Seat of the Archbiſhop of Canterbury. The outer Wall has Towers and Battlements, and a deep Ditch. Within, and on one Side, ſtands the main Body of the Palace. There are two great and high Towers at the Gate of this, over which are the Arms of Archbiſhop Courtney, the Founder. This inner Work has a ſtronger and higher Wall, with a broad embattled Parapet at top. Within is a Court, but the Lodgings are all demoliſh'd. The Floor of the ruinous Chapel is ſtrongly vaulted. In the Middle of the Court is a large ſquare Well, ſeemingly Roman. They ſay that Anchors have been dug up hereabouts, which makes it likely that the Romans had here an Iron Forge; and ſome will have it, that the Sea came up formerly to it, and ground this Opinion on theſe Anchors found here.

A little Way further, at the End of the Stane-ſtreet, the Roman Road from Canterbury, is the Port of Lemanis or Limne mention'd above. At Limne Church, from the Brow of the Hill, may be diſ⯑cern'd the ruinous Roman Walls, ſituate almoſt at the Bottom of the Marſhes. A pretty Brook, which riſes from the Rock, Weſt of the Church, runs for ſome Space on the Eaſt Side of the Wall; then paſſes thro' it, and ſo along its lowermoſt Edge, by the Farm-houſe at Bottom: here Coins have been found. Once the Sea-bank broke, and ad⯑mitted the Ocean into all the adjacent Marſhes. [171] The Port is now call'd Shipway, where the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports was formerly ſworn, the Courts kept, and all the Pleas relating thereto, till Dover ſuperſeded it. The People of Limne had a Horn and Mace, the remaining Enſigns of their Authority.

Romney is a large fine Village, and likewiſe a Cinque Port; it is the chief Town of the Marſh-Grounds, which were antiently part of the Sea, called Romney Marſh, and has Old Romney and Lech for its Members. It is ſeated on a high Hill of Gravel and Sand, and on the Weſt Side of it, had a pretty large Harbour guarded againſt moſt of the Winds, before the Sea retir'd from it. In the Year 1287, when the Town was at its Height, it was divided into Twelve Wards, had Five Pa⯑riſh Churches, a Priory, and an Hoſpital for the Sick. But it has been dwindling till it came to its preſent low Condition, ever ſince the Reign of Ed⯑ward I. when an Inundation of the Sea deſtroy'd Men, Cattle and Houſes, threw down a whole po⯑pulous Village called Prom-Hill, and remov'd the Rother, (in Britiſh Yz Odz) which uſed to empty itſelf into the Sea at Romney, out of its Chanel, ſtopping up its Mouth, and opening it a nearer Paſ⯑ſage into the Sea by Rye; leaving here only a little Bay for Fiſhing-boats.

From Romney-Marſh the Shore extends itſelf a great way into the Sea, and makes that Point of Land called Dengyneſs. Juſt by the River Rother, ſtands the little Town of Appledore, which, by Diſ⯑uſe, has loſt its Market, and is of no Note now. The Sea formerly came up to it.

Tenterden, a Mayor Market-town, lies a little to the N. W. of Appledore, near the Weald. It has a very good and high Steeple, which they ſay was the Cauſe of the Godwin-Sands, which was an Eſtate that belonged to Earl Godwin, and was guarded [172] from the Sea by a Wall; but they were ſo intent on building the Steeple, that the Wall was neglected, and the Land overflowed, which they could never afterwards recover.

Aſhford, alſo a Mayor-town, ſtands on the great Road, upon the River Stour. It is a pretty well built Market-town. The Church is large, and was formerly Collegiate: they hold Pleas for any thing not exceeding twenty Marks.

Newenden deſerves to be mentioned for what it once was, having been formerly a fine City, which Camden calls Anderida. It was deſtroy'd by the Saxons, but rebuilt in the Reign of Edward I. and called Newenden, as much as to ſay, according to Camden's Etymology, a new City in a little Val⯑ley. It had then an Harbour much frequented; but it is now a moſt miſerable Village, with a few poor Houſes in it; the beſt an Ale-houſe, and the Church is ill-built, and out of Repair. It has a very indifferent Bridge over the Rother, a rapid Ri⯑ver, which divides at this Place Kent from Suſſex, and about Nine Miles off empties itſelf into the Harbour of Rye. Roman Coins have been dug up here.

North-weſt of Newenden is Cranbrook, a large Market-town, noted for having been one of the firſt Places where the Cloth-manufacture was ſet up in England, which is now very much in its Wane here. But here I will conclude my Third Letter; and am, Sir,

LETTER IV. CONTAINING A DESCRIPTION of the County of SUSSEX, other Parts of KENT, and Part of HANTS, SURREY, &c.

I NOW enter the County of Suſſex, and ſhall begin my Letter with the Account of Rye.

It is ſituated in the moſt Eaſtern Part of Suſſex, upon an Hill, which is encompaſſed with Rocks, that are inacceſſible on the Sea-ſide. There is nothing now but ſome Remains of its old Walls to be ſeen, and the Ditches are almoſt filled up. Its Trade is in Hops, Wool, Timber, Kettles, Cannon, Chim⯑ney-backs, &c. which are caſt at the Iron-works at Bakely, about Four Miles from Rye, on the North-weſt, and Breed, about Five Miles diſtant South-weſt. It is a very great Misfortune, that its Harbour has been ſo much damaged by the Sea, and neglected; for it is almoſt filled up in ſeveral Places, where it was formerly the deepeſt, and moſt con⯑venient. Some conſiderable Families, who have Lands near, have taken Advantage of this, to ex⯑tend [174] them further upon thoſe Sands, which the Sea in Storms has thrown up againſt them; and by digging Ditches, and making Drains, there are now Fields and Meadows, where antiently was nothing but Water. By this means Ships only of a middle Size can come within any convenient Diſtance of the Town, whereas formerly the largeſt Veſſels, and even whole Fleets together, could anchor juſt by the Rocks, on which the Town ſtands; and as this Port lies over-againſt Dieppe in France, and that there is no other Port between Portſmouth and Do⯑ver, which can receive Ships of Burden, not only the Danger of the Sea, but in Time of War, of the Enemy, were eſcaped by the Conveniency of this Harbour. But it being by the Means I have mentioned, and by the Inning of the Chanel and waſte Lands, (which prevented the Flux and Re⯑flux of the Tide) in Danger of being utterly loſt, an Act of Parliament paſſed in 1721, which enacts, That no new Walls, Banks, Dams, or Stops, ſhall thereafter be erected on either Side of the Water, that might ſtop or alter the Flux or Reflux of the Sea, between the Mouth of the Harbour, bounded by the Camber and Caſtle-Points, and New Shutt near Craven Sluice.

In 1723 another Act paſſed for completing the Repairs of the Harbour of Dover, and for reſtore⯑ing the Harbour of Rye to its antient Goodneſs, which ſtill continued to be choak'd up, and almoſt ruin'd, by the Shifting of the Beach without, and Settling of the Sullage within, and ſtopping the Flux of the Tide, which this Act propoſed ſhould have its free Courſe thro' the Scotch-flat and Craven Sluices, or into ſuch other Cut or Chanel as ſhould be found moſt proper and expedient.

And in 1724 another Act paſſed for making the laſt Act more effectual, ſo far as it related to the Harbour of Rye, in which a Power was given to [175] change the Deſign of making a Paſſage by the above-named Sluices, and to open a new Cut from the Winchelſea Chanel, right out to the Sea. And they actually began, in purſuance of this Act, to cut a broad and deep Canal, which was to be car⯑ried to the Sea on the Side of Winchelſea, for the Uſe of the two Boroughs. But ſtill theſe Proviſions being found inſufficient, another Act paſs'd in 1737-8, for continuing the Term and Powers granted by the former Acts, for repairing the Harbour of Dover, and for reſtoring that of Rye to its antient Goodneſs, to which I muſt refer the Reader.

The Houſes of Rye are well-enough built, and of Brick, tho' generally old-faſhion'd; but there are ſome very neat ones of a modern Taſte. There is a ſmall Settlement of French Refugees in this Town, moſtly Fiſhermen; they have a Miniſter of their own, who is paid by the Archbiſhop of Canterbury. The Church is handſome and large; but there are ſo many Diſſenters in the Town, and ſo few of the Eſtabliſh'd Church, that they have wall'd off, and converted the Weſtern Part of it into a Magazine for Planks. But there are two well-built Meeting-houſes, one for the Preſbyterians, and the other for the Quakers. Another Church, which belong'd to a Monaſtery now demoliſh'd, is alſo turn'd into a kind of Store-houſe for Planks, Hops, and other Mer⯑chandize. At the North-eaſt of Rye are the Re⯑mains of an old Fort, which commands the Town and Harbour, and ſerves for the Town-gaol.

His late Majeſty King George I. on his Return from Hanover, January 3. 1725-6, was obliged to put in here, after a very dangerous and tempeſtuous Paſſage, the Fleet being unable to make Dover; and it was then experienced, what a Benefit it would have been to have had this only conſiderable Haven, as it formerly was, between Portſmouth and Dover, reſtor'd to its priſtine flouriſhing State; for his Ma⯑jeſty [176] was under great Difficulties to land there, and the larger Ships were unable to follow him.

This Town was, as I have ſaid, one of the Ap⯑pendages, as Winchelſea was the other, to Haſtings, as a Cinque-port, and enjoy'd the ſame Privileges.

Old Winchelſea ſtood upon the Sea-ſhore, about Two or Three Miles from the Place where the New ſtands. It had formerly a large and ſpacious Har⯑bour, was a Place of great Trade, and had no leſs than Eighteen Churches in it. But it was intirely deſtroyed by the Sea, and that ſmall Part which is not bury'd in the Sands, is now Marſh and Mea⯑dow-land. To the S. E. of Rye, and the N. W. of New Winchelſea, is ſtill to be ſeen, in the Midſt of a large Plain, an old Tower, which probably ſtood by the Sea.

New Winchelſea is ſaid to have been built by King Edward I. partly on a Hill about Two Miles from the Old, and the like Diſtance from Rye, and partly in a little Valley, where it had an Harbour; but Anno 1250, the latter Part of this met with the ſame Fate as the former. It never was comparable to the old Town, having but three Pariſh Churches when it flouriſh'd, and now there only remains the Chan⯑cel of one, which is more than large enough for the Inhabitants. But yet the Town was every⯑where accommodated with fine ſtone arch'd Vaults for ſtowing of Merchandize, and was laid out with admirable Regularity, the Streets being divided into 32 Quarters. Some of the Stone-work of the Three Gates are ſtill to be ſeen. The Sea is now above a Mile diſtant from it, the Harbour being choaked up with Sands; and Graſs grows not only where the Harbour was, but even in the Streets; and in⯑deed there are only a few Houſes remaining in the upper Part of the Town. Among the Ruins of the Walls to the S. E. are the Remains of a Caſtle, as ſome ſay; or of a Monaſtery, as others will have it.

[177] Haſtings is the Chief of the Five Cinque-ports, and with its Two Members above, was obliged to furniſh the King with Twenty Ships for any Naval Expedition, in Recompence for the ample Immuni⯑nities it enjoy'd, as one of the Five Ports. It is about Eight Miles from Winchelſea. It conſiſts of Two great Streets, with a Pariſh Church in each, and has ſeveral good Houſes; but its Harbour, for⯑merly ſo famous, is now a poor Road for ſmall Veſſels, having been ruined by the Storms that from time to time have been ſo fatal to its neighbouring Ports of Rye and Winchelſea. We ſaw here the Ruins of an ancient Caſtle; and about Three Miles off, Bull-hide Haven, where William the Con⯑queror is ſaid to have landed in his Invaſion of Eng⯑land; tho' ſome ſay it was at Haſtings, and others at Pevenſey, an Harbour more Weſtward, which has likewiſe been deſtroy'd by the Sea; but be that as it will, it was at Haſtings that he muſter'd his Army, after he had burnt his Ships, being deter⯑min'd to conquer or periſh in the Attempt; or rather, as another Author has obſerv'd, that he might not be obliged to divide his Army, which muſt have been the Caſe, if he had preſerv'd his Ships; and probably, while he made an Advance into the Country, at the Head of part of his Army, Harold might have ſtepp'd in between, and cut off thoſe who were left to guard the Ships, and then with more Eaſe have attack'd, and, perhaps, beat that Part commanded by the Norman himſelf.

The deciſive Battle which he fought Anno 1066, with King Harold, was upon a Plain call'd Heath⯑field, about Seven Miles from Haſtings, for an Ac⯑count of which I ſhall refer to the Hiſtorians. In the Place where Harold's Body was found, the Norman inſtituted an Abbey of Benedictine Monks, dedicating it to St. Martin; and from the Fight aforeſaid, it is called Battle-Abbey; and ſoon drew to it, by a [178] Fair held every Sunday and Holiday, ſuch a Reſort, that it became a handſome Town. It ſtill retains the Name of Battle, and ſome Remains of the Ab⯑bey are yet to be ſeen, and make Part of the Houſe of the Lord Viſcount Montacute, a Roman-catho⯑lick Peer; of which more in another Place.

A little beyond Haſtings to Bourn, we ride upon the Sands in a ſtrait Line for Eighteen Miles, all upon the Coaſt of Suſſex, paſſing by Pemſey, or Peven⯑ſey Haven afore-mentioned, and the Mouth of the River, which comes from Battle, without ſo much as knowing, that there was a River, the Tide being out, and all the Water ſinking away in the Sands. This Town of Battle is remarkable for little now, but making the fineſt Gun-pow⯑der, and the beſt perhaps in Europe. Near Battle they ſhew us a Hill with a Beacon upon it, now called Beacon-hill, but was formerly call'd Standard-hill; where the Norman ſet up his Great Standard of Defiance, the Day before the deciſive Battle with Harold and the Engliſh.

From the Beginning of Romney-marſh, that is to ſay, at Sandgate, or Sandfoot Caſtle, near Hythe, to this Place, the Country is a rich fertile Soil, full of feeding Grounds; and an incredible Number of large Sheep are fed every Year upon them, and ſent up to London Market. Theſe Romney-marſh Sheep are counted rather larger than the Leiceſterſhire and Lincolnſhire Sheep, of which ſo much is ſaid elſe⯑where.

Beſides the vaſt Flocks of Sheep, as above, abun⯑dance of large Bullocks are fed in this Part of the Country; and eſpecially thoſe they call Stall'd or Houſe-fed Oxen, from their being kept within the Farmers Sheds or Yards all the latter Seaſon, where they are fed for the Winter-market, and generally deemed the largeſt Beef in England.

[179]In Romney-marſh, as in other Parts of England, are found great Timber-trees, lying at Length under Ground, as black as Ebony, and fit for Uſe, when dried in the Sun.

From hence it was that, turning North, and tra⯑verſing the deep, dirty, but rich Part of theſe Two Counties, my Curioſity led me to ſee the great Founderies, or Iron-works, which are in this Coun⯑ty, and where they are carried on at ſuch a pro⯑digious Expence of Wood, that even in a Country almoſt all over-run with Timber, they begin to complain of the great Conſumption of it by thoſe Furnaces, and the Apprehenſion of leaving the next Age to want Timber for building their Navies. I muſt own however, that I conceived that Com⯑plaint was intirely groundleſs, the Three Counties of Kent, Suſſex, and Hampſhire, (all which lie con⯑tiguous one to another) being an inexhauſtible Store-houſe of Timber for this Purpoſe.

After I had been fatigued in paſſing this deep and heavy Part of the Country, I thought it would not be foreign to my Deſign, if I refreſhed myſelf with a View of Tunbridge-wells, which were not then above 12 Miles out of my Way.

When I came to the Wells, which were Five Miles nearer to me than the Town, ſuppoſing me then at Battle, to the Southward of them, I found a great deal of good Company there; and particularly made an Obſervation, that thoſe People who have nothing to do any-where elſe, ſeem to be the buſieſt People at Tunbridge.

After the Appearance is over at the Wells, (where the Ladies are all in Deſhabile) and at the Chapel, the Company go home; and, as if it was another Species of People, or a Collection from another Place, you are ſurpriſed to ſee the Walks covered with Ladies completely dreſſed, and gay to Profu⯑ſion; [180] where rich Cloaths, Jewels, and Beauty, dazzle the Eyes from one End of the Range to the other.

As for Gaming, Sharping, Intriguing, as alſo Fops, Beaux, and the like, Tunbridge uſed to be as full of theſe as moſt other publick Places; but the Act lately paſſed againſt Gaming has, in a great meaſure, cured this Evil. Of this Act I ſhall ſay more, when I come to Bath.

The Air here is excellent, and the Proviſions of all Sorts very reaſonable: particularly they are ſup⯑plied with excellent Fiſh, of almoſt all Sorts, from Rye, and other Towns on the Sea-coaſt; and I ſaw a Turbut of near twenty Pounds Weight ſold there for Three Shillings. In the Seaſon of Mackarel, they have them here from Haſtings, within three Hours of their being taken out of the Sea; and the Differ⯑ence which that makes in their Goodneſs, I need not mention.

They have likewiſe here abundance of Wild-fowl, of the beſt Sorts; ſuch as Pheaſants, Partridges, Woodcocks, Snipes, Quails, &c. particularly they have from the South-downs the Bird called a Wheat⯑ear, or which I think I may call the Engliſh Orto⯑lan,—the moſt delicious Taſte for one Mouthful, (for 'tis hardly more) that can be imagined; but theſe are very dear at Tunbridge: they are much cheaper at Seaford, Lewes, and that Side of the Country.

Tunbridge is ſituated upon the little River Tunn, which runs into the Medway hard by. On the Southern Bank of the River are to be ſeen the Ruins of an old Caſtle, built by a natural Son of Richard I. Duke of Normandy, who, as Mr. Camden tells us, exchanged his Lordſhip of Bryany in that Duchy for Tunbridge. The Church is a modern Building; the Houſes in the Town are moſtly ill-built, and the Streets ſorrily paved.

[181]The Wells are about Four Miles from the Town, and the Rocks about Ten Miles from them, and worth a Traveller's Curioſity to ſee, as they are ſeveral prodigious Heaps of firm Stone Rocks, tho' ſome Miles diſtant from the Sea.

The Buildings at the Wells have much the Ad⯑vantage of thoſe in Tunbridge, and may be ſaid to conſtitute a large and populous Town themſelves. There is a Church, or rather Chapel of Eaſe, which is very neat. This new Town, as I may call it, ſtands in a Bottom between Two Hills, one of which is called Mount Sion, and the other Mount Ephraim, which are generally covered with good Houſes, fine Gardens, and Fruit-trees. The Wells might be more properly called Spelhurſt Wells; for the Water riſes in a Pariſh of that Name. The Well which contains them is well-paved, like a Ciſtern, and ſurrounded with a low Wall, with a Pair of Stairs to go down. The Company walk upon the Two above-named Hills, after they have drank the Waters, and divert themſelves with Bowls, Dancing, or other Exerciſes, as the Weather will permit, and the Phyſicians preſcribe. Near the Well is a long Gallery, paved and covered over, wherein to walk in bad Weather, and while they are taking the Waters, and where likewiſe the Band of Muſick have place. There are alſo Rooms to drink Choco⯑late or Coffee, and to play at Cards, &c. likewiſe a Hall to dance in. Not far off the Well is a Market well ſtored with Proviſions of all Sorts.

A very eminent Phyſician is of Opinion, that the Waters of Bath, Tunbridge, Chiltenham, (or Scarborough, which partake of the ſame Qualities) and Briſtol, make the general Kinds of moſt of the various Mineral Waters on the Globe; and that he therefore who underſtands theſe, cannot be much at a Loſs to determine the Virtues and Effi⯑cacy [182] of any new Kind. And as this learned Gentle⯑man has favoured me with his Opinion of theſe ſeveral Waters, I ſhall communicate the ſame in their reſpective Places.

And, firſt, this is what he ſays of the Nature, Efficacy and Qualities of theſe of Tunbridge.

‘"Tunbridge Waters, ſays he, are nothing but an Impregnation of Rain, or compreſſed Cloud⯑waters in ſome of the Eminencies of the neigh⯑bouring Country. And indeed all Hills, and conſpicuous Elevations, are mere hollow Neſts of ſome Minerals. Iron and Sulphur are the moſt common and univerſal Minerals; and almoſt all Kinds of Stone fit for making Fences or Edifices, have in their Compoſition one or both of them. All the Varieties of hard, black, dark or greyiſh Stones, abound with ferrugineous Particles; and Iron is ſo neceſſary, eſpecially in Countries be⯑tween the Tropicks and the Poles, for Huſbandry, that there is ſcarce a Mile ſquare within this Com⯑paſs, where it may not be found with its im⯑pregnated Waters. This is demonſtrable by the Action of the Loadſtone on moſt Minerals, the Magnet itſelf ſeeming to be ſcarce any thing but a purer Clod of Iron: and pure poliſhed Iron, we know, with very ſimple Management, be⯑comes highly magnetick. Hence we account for the Frequency of chalybeat Mineral Waters, of ſome Degree of Strength or other, ſo readily to be found between the Poles and Tropicks. And this is a bountiful Proviſion of Nature to thoſe colder Climates, where animal Food, and fermented Liquors, are ſo neceſſary for the Support, Com⯑fort, and greater Proportion of animal Force required in them, for their Defence from the Swarming of ravenous Animals, and for hunting animal Food, where the Vegetable is neither ſo proper, nutritive, nor abounding, as in theſe [183] kindlier Climates between the Tropicks to⯑wards each Side of the Equator. Mineral Chalybeat Waters brace the Solids, which animal Food, and fermented Liquors, in any Plenty, are apt to relax; and wind up the Springs of animal Motion, to keep the Blood fluid, which the juſt mentioned Indulgencies are diſpoſed to thicken. Soft Stone, Marl, alkalious Clay, and all Kinds of bituminous Earths, have a larger Quantity of Sulphur in them; for Sulphur, Oil, and Bitumen, always leave Earth brittle, ſpongy, and alkalious (Alkalies being only an harder earthy Sponge); and when the watry Impregna⯑tions meet, they naturally produce by Fermentation ſome Degree of Heat in the Mixture. There is in Nature, as this learned Gentleman thinks, but one kind of Salt, which is Nitre; and that the Variety ariſes from a Mixture of Sulphur, Earth, or Iron, in different Proportions combined in their Compoſition. Nitre however, and Sea⯑ſalt, have their principal Efficacy from the pre⯑dominant Principle in their Texture: and thus Tunbridge Waters are only a finer Solution of blue Vitriol, or natural Salt of Steel, or Rain-waters, inimitable by Art in ſuch ſalutary Effects as Nature always produces. For Example: Tho' Art may imitate, in precious Stones, all the Va⯑rieties of Colours, Reflexions, Refractions, and Emiſſions of Light; yet there is always ſome one peculiar Property, as of Hardneſs, Weight, or Water, which diſcovers the Sophiſtication. In like manner, all the Wines on the Globe may be ſo imitated, that neither Eye, nor Palate, nor the Perception of their Effects on Animal Bo⯑dies, can diſcover the Fiction; and this without one Drop of the Juice of the Grape, from the ſaccharine Quality only of almoſt all Fruits, Seeds, [184] or Herbs: yet by analyſing them in ſome proper Menſtruum, the Cheat may be found out. Thus we may imitate all the ſeveral Mineral Waters on the Earth, and pretty nearly conciliate all their general or groſſer ſalutary Virtues on diſeaſed Ani⯑mals: yet there is an unaccountable Something in the Taſte, Lightneſs on the Stomach, Chear⯑fulneſs and Alacrity they give, which all our Skill can never beſtow. The Principle of In⯑dividuation, the Size of their laſt and leaſt Par⯑ticles, the Proportion of the ſeveral Parts of the Compoſition to the watry Menſtruum, and the due Time of their Impregnation, are and ever will be unknown to us; as will conſequently the Degree required to wind up, ſtrengthen and con⯑tract the relaxed Solids of diſeaſed human Bodies, to ſuch a Height, that they may be enabled to grind, diſſolve, and thin the concreted Juices, as theſe active, ſtrong, and invigorating Waters of Tunbridge uſually do: for in all robuſt Con⯑ſtitutions but partially depraved, in the cold chronical Diſtempers of ſuch Habits, in nervous Diſorders, and low Spirits, in weak Digeſtions, and groſs Habits, they are extremely ſucceſsful, eſpecially in the hotter Seaſons of the Year."’ Thus far this learned Gentleman.

During the time I was at Tunbridge formerly, I made an Excurſion to Knowl-houſe, about Seven Miles from Tunbridge, and One from Sevenoak, be⯑longing to the Duke of Dorſet: it is ſituated in the Middle of a Park, and at that time was an antient Stone Fabrick; but had nothing more remarkable in it, than ſome excellent Pictures.

I left Tunbridge, and came to Lewes, through the deepeſt, dirtieſt, but in many reſpects the richeſt, and moſt profitable Country in all that Part of England.

[185]The Timber I ſaw here was prodigious, as well for Size as Plenty, and ſeemed in ſome Places ſuffered to grow, only becauſe it was ſo far off of any Na⯑vigation, that it was not worth carrying away. In dry Summers, indeed, a great deal is carried away to Maidſtone, and other Places on the Medway; and ſometimes I have ſeen one Tree on a Carriage, which they call there a Tug, drawn by 22 Oxen; and even then 'tis carried ſo little a Way, (being thrown down, and left for other Tugs to take up, and carry on) that ſometimes 'tis Two or Three Years before it gets to Chatham; for if once the Rains begin, it ſtirs no more that Year, and ſometimes a whole Summer is not dry enough to make the Roads paſſable.

And here I ſhall obſerve, according to my Pro⯑miſe, p. 151. That in the Year 1739-40, an Act paſſed, intituled, An Act to revive, explain and amend an Act made in the 16th and 17th Years of the Reign of his late Majeſty K. Charles II. intituled, An Act for making the River of Medway navigable, in the Counties of Kent and Suſſex: And which, when completed, muſt be of very great Uſe to the Publick, as well as to the Counties of Kent and Suſſex in particular.

The Preamble to this Act will ſet this Matter in a proper Light, and it is to this Effect; That the above-mentioned Act of Parliament of the 16th and 17th of Charles II. was never yet carried into Exe⯑cution; altho' the making the ſaid River navigable was likely to be of great Utility to the Publick, by reaſon of great Quantities of Timber growing on the Wealds of Kent and Suſſex, which is allowed to be the beſt in the Kingdom, for the Uſe of the Royal Navy, and which now, thro' the Badneſs of the Roads in thoſe Parts, cannot be convey'd to any Market but at a large Expence.

That therefore the preſent Undertakers, being deſirous to begin, carry on and complete the Navi⯑gation [186] of ſuch Part of the antient River Medway and Streams falling into it, as run from Foreſt-row in Suſſex, to Maidſtone in Kent, this Act incorporates them for that Purpoſe, by the Name of The Com⯑pany of Proprietors of the Navigation of the River Medway.

We muſt refer to the Act itſelf for farther Parti⯑culars, and ſhall only obſerve, That when this Work is completed, it will be of inconceivable Ad⯑vantage to the Publick; not only for the excellent Timber which it will be a Means of conveying to proper Markets, but for the eaſy and ſpeedy Carriage of Iron, Ordnance, Balls, and other Materials of War forged in or near the ſaid River, which at ſome times of the Year cannot be brought thro' the Wealds of the Two Counties; and for the Carriage of Wood, Corn, Grain, Hay, Hops, Wooll, Leather, and all manner of Proviſions, as alſo of Coals, Lime, Stone Wares, and all other Neceſſaries and Commodities, to the great Improvement of Trade and Commerce.

A few Miles North-weſt of Tunbridge lies Seven⯑oak, ſo called from Seven large Oaks that grew near the Place. It is a Market-town, governed by a Warden and Aſſiſtants; but is noted for nothing more than being a great Thorough-fare Town. It has a good Hoſpital for maintaining and teaching poor Children, erected by Sir William Sevenoak, Lord Mayor of London, who was a Foundling, and took his Name from the Town.

Lewes is a pleaſant Town, large, well-built, agree⯑ably ſituated in the Middle of an open Champain Country, and on the Edge of the South-downs, the moſt delightful of their Kind in the Nation; it lies on the Bank of a little wholſome freſh River, within 12 Miles of the Sea, and was formerly in⯑compaſſed with a Wall; but there are few Re⯑mains of it now to be ſeen. But what contributes to the Advantage of this Town is, that both it and [187] the Country adjacent, are full of Gentlemen of good Families and Fortunes; of which the Pelhams muſt be named with the firſt, whoſe Chief is his Grace the Duke of Newcaſtle. Here are alſo the antient Families of Gage, Shelly, &c. formerly Roman-catholicks, but now Proteſtants, with many others, Lewes has Five Churches in it. Near it is an old demoliſh'd Caſtle, in the Neighbourhood of which was fought that bloody Battle between King Henry III. and his Barons; the Event of which conſtrained the King to accept of hard Conditions of Peace, and to give his Son as an Hoſtage for Per⯑formance.

I ought not to forget, that Newhaven in this Neighbourhood was formerly noted for its ſafe and good Harbour for Ships of conſiderable Burden; but for want of a Proviſion for maintaining the Timber Piers, which it had for Time immemorial, it was quite neglected, and the Harbour choaked up with Sand and Beach, and the Piers were rotten and decay'd. To remedy theſe Evils, an Act paſſed, Anno 1731, for Repairing and Keeping in Repair the ſaid Piers and Harbour. And when brought to Effect, not only Lewes, but the adjacent Parts, as well as the whole Kingdom, will be the better for it.

From Lewes, following ſtill the Range of the South-Downs, Weſt, we ride in View of the Sea, and on a fine Carpet Ground, for about 12 Miles to Brighthelmſton, a poor Fiſhing-town, old-built, and on the very Shore of the Sea. Hence again, as I mentioned at Folkſtone and Dover, the Fiſhermen, having large Barks, go away to Yarmouth, on the Coaſt of Norfolk, to the Fiſhing Fair there, and hire themſelves out for the Seaſon to catch Herrings for the Merchants; and they tell us, that theſe make a very good Buſineſs of it.

The Sea is very unkind to Brighthelmſton, having by its continual Encroachments, ſo gained upon [188] the Town, that in a little time more the Inhabitants may reaſonably expect it will eat away the whole Place, above 100 Houſes having been devoured by the Water in a few Years paſt.

From hence, ſtill keeping the Coaſt on the Left, we come to Shoreham, a Sea-faring Town, chiefly inhabited by Ship-carpenters, Ship-chandlers, and all the ſeveral Trades depending upon the Building and Fitting up of Ships, which is their chief Buſineſs. They are indeed juſtly noted for good Sailors, and for building neat and ſtout Sea-boats, which yet, in Strength and Duration, do not come up to thoſe of Yarmouth, Ipſwich, and the North.

The Builders of Ships ſeem to have ſettled here chiefly becauſe of the exceeding Quantity and Cheapneſs of Timber in the Country behind them; being the ſame wooded Country I mentioned above, which ſtill continues thro' this County and the next. The River this Town ſtands upon, tho' not navigable for large Veſſels, yet ſerves to bring down this large Timber in Floats from Bramber, Steyning, and the Country adjacent; which is, in a manner, all co⯑vered over with Timber.

Here in the Compaſs of about Six Miles are Three Borough Towns, ſending Members to Parliament, (viz.) Shoreham, Bramber, and Steyning. Shoreham and Steyning are pretty little Market-towns; but Bramber, after I have mentioned the Ruins of an old Caſtle, hardly deſerves the Name of a Town, having not above 20 Families in it, and of them but few above aſking Alms, as you ride by. The chief Houſe in the Town, when I was there, was a Pub⯑lick-houſe, the Landlord whereof boaſted, that upon an Election, juſt then over, he had made 300l. of one Pipe of Canary.

This is not the only Town in this County, where the Elections have been ſcandalouſly mercenary, in⯑ſomuch that it has been ſaid, there was in one King's [189] Reign more Money ſpent at Elections than all the Lands in the Pariſhes were worth, at 20 Years Purchaſe. I ſhall name in particular but one more, and that is Winchelſea, which is rather the Skeleton of an antient City, than a real Town, where the old Gates ſtand near Three Miles from one another over the Fields, and the very Ruins are ſo buried, that they have made good Corn Fields of the Streets, and the Plough goes over the Foundations, nay, over the firſt Floors of the Houſes, and where nothing of a Town ſeems to remain; yet at one Election for Members, the Struggle was ſuch, between Sir John Banks, and Colonel Draper a neighbouring Gentle⯑man, that I was aſſured the latter ſpent 11,000l. and loſt it too. What the other ſpent, who oppoſed him, may be gueſſed at, ſeeing he who ſpent moſt was always ſure to carry it.

Near Steyning, the famous Baronet of the Name of Fagg hath an antient Seat. And thence paſſing by the Seat of Sir John Shelly, prettily ſituated in the Middle of a Grove, we come to Arundel, a decay'd Town alſo. It ſtands near the Mouth of the River Arun, which heretofore had a good Harbour called Arundel Port, or the Harbour of Little Hampton, capable of receiving Ships and Veſſels of a con⯑ſiderable Burden; but a Beach being thrown up by the Sea, it was quite choaked up, and the Navigation of the Arun obſtructed, ſo that the Harbour was rendered in a manner uſeleſs. But in the Year 1733, an Act paſſed for erecting Piers in, and for Repair⯑ing and Keeping in Repair the Harbour there, by cutting a Chanel thro' the Beach and old Piers, and erecting Locks, &c.

One great Advantage to the Country from this River, is the Shipping off great Quantities of large Timber here; which is carried up the Thames to Woolwich and Deptford, and up the Medway to Chatham; as alſo Weſtward to Portſmouth, and even [190] to Plymouth, to the new Dock there, and indeed to all the King's Yards, where the Buſineſs of the Navy is carried on. The Timber ſhipped off here is eſteemed the beſt and largeſt that is brought by Sea from any Part of England; alſo great Quantities of Knee Timber are had here, the largeſt of which is valuable in its kind above the ſtrait Timber.

This River, and the old, decay'd, once famous Caſtle at Arundel, which has the Privilege to give to its Poſſeſſor the Title of an Earl and Peer of the Realm, without Creation, and which belongs to the noble Family of Howard, Earls of Arundel, and Dukes of Norfolk, is all that is remarkable here; except it be, that in the Church are Four old and ſtately Monuments of the Earls of Arundel, and that in this River are catch'd the beſt and largeſt Mullets in England, a Fiſh very good in itſelf, and much valued by the Gentry round, and often ſent up to London.

From hence to the City of Chicheſter are 12 of the moſt pleaſant and beautiful Miles in England, whether we go by the Hill, or Downs, or by the Plain, or incloſed Country.

To the North of Arundel, and at the Bottom of the Hills, and conſequently in the Weald, is the Town of Petworth, a large handſome Country Market-town, and very populous; and as it ſtands upon an Aſcent, and is dry and healthy, it is full of Gentle⯑mens Families, and good well-built Houſes, both in the Town and Neighbourhood; but the Beauty of Petworth is the antient Seat of the old Family of Piercy, Earls of Northumberland, now extinct; whoſe Daughter, the ſole Heireſs of all his vaſt Eſtates, married Charles Seymour Duke of Somerſet; and among other noble Seats brought his Grace this of Petworth.

The Duke pull'd down the antient Houſe, and on the ſame Spot built from the Ground one of the [191] beſt-modell'd Houſes then in Britain: it had the Misfortune to be once almoſt demoliſhed by Fire, but the Damage has been fully repaired.

The Apartments are very noble, well contrived, and richly furniſhed; but it cannot be ſaid, that the Situation of the Houſe is choſen ſo happily, as to boaſt of equal Judgment with the reſt; the Avenues to the Front want Space, the Houſe ſtands, as it were, with its Elbow to the Town; its Front has no Viſta anſwerable, and the Weſt Front look'd not to the Parks or fine Gardens, but to the old Stables.

To rectify this, when it was too late to order it any other way, the Duke was obliged to pull down thoſe noble Buildings; I mean the Meuſe, or Stables, the fineſt of their kind in all the South of England, and equal to ſome Noblemens whole Houſes: and yet even the demoliſhing the Pile has done no more than opened a Proſpect over the Country, whereas, had the Houſe been ſet on the riſing Ground, on the Side of the Park, over-againſt the North Wing of the Houſe, and a little more to the Weſtward, the Front had been South to the Town, the back Front to the Parks; but now all theſe Advantages lie on one Angle, or oppoſite to one Wing of the Houſe. Nevertheleſs it is a noble Pile of Building, and by far the fineſt in all this Part of Britain.

From Petworth Weſt, the Country is a little leſs woody than the Weald; and a great many fine Seats begin to ſhew their Heads above the Trees; as the Duke of Richmond's Seat at Godwood, near Chi⯑cheſter; the Seats of the late Earl of Tankerville, and the Earl of Scarborough; and a great many others.

But the Seat of the Right Honourable the Lord Viſc. Montacute, called Cowdrey, near Midhurſt, the Midae of the Romans, deſerves a particular Mention. It is ſituated in a Valley encompaſſed with Lawns, [192] Hills, and Woods, thrown into a Park, the River running underneath, which renders the Place very agreeable in Summer, but makes it dampiſh in Winter. The Houſe is ſquare, and at each Corner is a Gothick Tower, which have a very good Effect, when viewed from the riſing Grounds. The Hall is ceiled with Iriſh Oak, after the antient manner. The Walls are painted with Architecture by Roberti, the Statues by Goupé, the Stair-caſe by Pelegrini. The large Parlour or Room at the End of the Hall, is of Holbein's Painting; where that great Artiſt has deſcribed the Exploits of King Henry VIII. before Boloigne, Calais, his Landing at Portſmouth, his magnificent Entry into London, &c. In the other Rooms are many excellent Pictures of the Anceſtors of the Family, and other Hiſtory Paintings of Hol⯑bein, relating to their Actions in War. The whole Circuit of Rooms are ſtately and well-furniſhed, adorned with many Pictures. There is a long Gallery with the Twelve Apoſtles as big as the Life; another very neat one, wainſcotted with Norway Oak, where are many antient Whole-length Pictures of the Fa⯑mily, in their proper Habits. There are four Hiſtory-pieces, two Copies of Raphael's Marriage of Cupid and Pſyche; ſeveral old religious and military Paint⯑ings from Battle-abbey.

The Park is very noble, having a great Variety of Grounds in it, and is well wooded with Pines, Firs, and other Evergreen-trees, which are grown to a large Size; and here are ſome of the largeſt Cheſnut-trees perhaps in England. The Valleys which run thro' the Park, are well ſupplied with Water, which keeps the Graſs in a conſtant Verdure.

Chicheſter is a neat and pretty large City walled round. The River Lavant runs under Part of the Walls. Two principal Streets croſs it at right Angles upon the cardinal Points, where ſtands a curious [193] Croſs, and Market-houſe upon Pillars, erected by Biſhop Read. The Church takes up one of theſe Quadrants. It is remarkable for Two Side-iſles on both Sides, and the Pictures of all the Kings and Queens of England ſince Ciſſa, (the South Saxon Monarch, who made this his Royal Seat; and repaired the antient Roman Caſtle or Walls, leaving his Name to the Place) on the Southern Wall, as on the op⯑poſite Wall, all the Biſhops. The Spire is a Piece of excellent Workmanſhip, but it received ſuch a Shock ſome Years ago, that it was almoſt miracu⯑lous, that the Steeple did not fall down; which, if it had, would probably have demoliſhed the whole Church.

It was what the Inhabitants call a Fire-ball, or rather Lightning, which broke upon the Steeple, with ſuch irreſiſtible Force, that it drove ſeveral great Stones out of it, and carried them clear off, to a prodigious Diſtance from the Steeple. One of theſe Stones, of at leaſt a Ton Weight, was blown over the South Side or Row of Houſes in the Weſt Street, and fell on the Ground in the Street, at a Gentleman's Door, on the other Side of the Way: and another of them, almoſt as big, was blown over both Sides of the ſaid Weſt Street, into the ſame Gentleman's Garden, and no Hurt done by either of them. This Account I relate from a Perſon of undoubted Credit, who was an Eye-witneſs, and ſaw the Stones. The Breach made thereby in the Spire, tho' within about 45 Feet of the Top, was incredibly large, and yet the Steeple ſtood faſt, and is now very ſubſtantially repaired; which ſhews, that it was originally an admirably ſound and well finiſhed Piece of Workmanſhip. The Monuments of Biſhop Carleton and Biſhop King are in this Church, whoſe Effigies are curiouſly done in Marble.

In the Year 1723, in digging a Foundation at Chicheſter, was found, pretty deep in the Ground, a [194] large Stone Six Feet long and Three broad, with a Roman Inſcription on it. In digging up the Stone, a few of the Letters were eras'd, but they were eaſily ſupplied.‘Neptuno et Minervae Templum, pro ſalute domus divinae, ex auctoritate Tiberii Claudii, Cogidubni regis, legati Auguſti in Britannia, Collegium fa⯑brorum, et qui in eo a ſacris, vel honorati ſunt, de ſuo dedicaverunt; donante aream Pudente Pudentini filio.’ That is, ‘This Temple was dedicated to Neptune and Mi⯑nerva, for the Safety of the Imperial Family, by the Authority of Tiberius Claudius. It was erected by the College of Artificers of King Cogidubnus, Auguſtus's Lieutenant in Britain, and by thoſe who officiated as Prieſts, or were honoured in it, at their own Expence; the Ground being given by Pudens, the Son of Pu⯑dentinus.’

This Stone was preſented to his Grace the Duke of Richmond, who has placed it in a Temple on a Mount in his Garden at Godwood, between two Sta⯑tues of Neptune and Minerva.

This City is not a Place of much Trade, nor is it very populous; but within theſe few Years they are fallen into a new way of managing the Corn Trade here, which turns very well to Account; for whereas the Farmers, generally ſpeaking, uſed to carry all their Wheat to Farnham Market, which is very near Forty Miles by Land-carriage, and from ſome Parts of the Country more than that, ſome money'd Men of Chicheſter, Emſworth, and other Places adjacent, join'd their Stocks together, and built large Granaries near the Crook, where the Veſſels come up; and here they buy and lay up all [195] the Corn which the Country on that Side can ſpare; and having good Mills in the Neighbourhood, they grind and dreſs the Corn, and ſend it to London in the Meal, by long Sea.

This is a great leſſening to Farnham Market; but if the Market at London is ſupply'd, the coming by Sea from Chicheſter is every whit as much a pub⯑lick Good, as the encouraging of Farnham Market, which is of itſelf the greateſt Corn-market in Eng⯑land; Hempſtead in Hertfordſhire, and London, ex⯑cepted. This carrying of Meal by Sea is now pra⯑ctiſed from ſeveral other Places on this Coaſt, even as far as Southampton.

Chicheſter, beſides the Cathedral, has Five ſmall Churches. About Three Miles from it, is a Houſe of his Grace the Duke of Richmond, called Godwood. It was the antient Seat of the Earls of Northum⯑berland, and in a very ruinous Condition; but the Duke of Richmond has lately built ſome Offices, which are to correſpond with a Manſion-houſe de⯑ſign'd by Colin Campbel, and publiſh'd by him in his Vitruvius Britannicus.

His Grace has a noble Menagerie, where he keeps a great Variety of foreign Animals and Birds; but the Park is ſmall and ill-planted.

However, it has an eaſy Deſcent to the Eaſt, South and South-weſt, with the Proſpect of a rich and beautiful Landſkip, bounded by the Sea for Thirty Miles in Length. The Iſle of Wight terminates the South-weſt Proſpect, and the famous St. Rooks⯑hill covers it from the North.

About Three Miles to the Eaſt of Godwood, lies Charlton, a ſmall Village, remarkable for being the Seat of Fox-hunters; here are many ſmall Hunting-houſes built by Perſons of Quality, who reſide there during the Seaſon for Fox-hunting; but the moſt beautiful of theſe Buildings, is that of his Grace the Duke of Richmond.

[196]Here is alſo a large Room, which was deſign'd by the Right Hon. the Earl of Burlington, where the Gentlemen Fox-hunters dine every Day toge⯑ther, during their Stay at the Village.

By the Side of this Village is a Foreſt, which was formerly in the Poſſeſſion of the Lumlies, but has been for ſome Years his Grace the Duke of Rich⯑mond's, who has greatly beautified it, by cutting fine Ridings thro' the ſeveral Parts of it, and making many new Plantations therein.

From Chicheſter, the Road lying ſtill Weſt, we paſs in Sight of the Earl of Scarborough's fine Seat at Stanſted, a Houſe ſurrounded with thick Woods, thro' which there are the moſt agreeable Viſta's cut, that are to be ſeen any-where in Eng⯑land; and particularly at the Weſt Opening, which is from the Front of the Houſe, they ſit in the Dine⯑ing-room, and ſee the Town and Harbour of Portſ⯑mouth, the Ships at Spithead, and alſo at St. Helen's; which, when the Royal Navy happens to be there, is a moſt glorious Sight.

In our Paſſage to Portſmouth, we paſs'd by Fare⯑ham, and by Portcheſter, a Caſtle built out of a Roman City.

In Portſmouth Haven a Thouſand Sail of the big⯑geſt Ships may ride ſecure. The Mouth is not ſo broad as the Thames at Weſtminſter, and that ſecur'd on Goſport Side by Charles Fort, James Fort, Bo⯑rough Fort, and Block-houſe Fort, which has a Plat-form of above 20 great Guns level with the Water. On the other Side by Portſmouth, ſtands South-ſea Caſtle, built by King Henry VIII. The Govern⯑ment has within theſe few Years bought more Ground for additional Works, and no doubt it may be made impregnable; for a ſhallow Water may be brought quite round it. The Yards, the Docks, the Store-houſes, where all the Furniture is laid up [197] in the exacteſt Order, ſo that the Workmen can find any Implement in the Dark, exceed Imagina⯑tion; as do the immenſe Quantities of all ſorts of military and naval Stores. The Rope-houſe is 870 Feet long, one continued Room, almoſt a Quarter of a Mile. I had the Pleaſure of ſeeing a great Cable made here: it requires 100 Men to work at it, and ſo hard is the Labour, that they can work but Four Hours in the Day. The ſmalleſt Number of Men continually employed in the Yard is 1000, and that but barely ſufficient.

Here is alſo a good Counterſcarp, and double Mote, with Ravelins in the Ditch, and double Paliſadoes, and advanc'd Works to cover the Place from any Approach, where it may be practicable. The Strength of the Town is alſo conſiderably aug⯑mented on the Land-ſide, by the Fortifications raiſed of late Years about the Docks and Yards; and thoſe Parts made a particular Strength by themſelves; and tho' they are indeed in ſome Senſe independent one of another, yet they cover and ſtrengthen one another, ſo that they cannot be ſeparately attack'd on that Side, while they are both in the ſame Hands.

Edw. IV. began theſe Fortifications; Henry VII. conſiderably augmented them; Charles II. much im⯑prov'd them; and King James II. greatly added to them. I was ſorry to leave this amazing Scene of naval Grandeur, for the Sight of a wretched Sta⯑tue of King William III. gilt indeed in an extraor⯑dinary manner, but the very worſt of all the bad Works of this kind I have yet ſeen. I obſerv'd the great Quantity of Water and Ditches hereabout is apt to render the Place aguiſh.

Theſe Docks and Yards are now like a Town by themſelves, and are a kind of Marine Corporation within themſelves; there being particular large Rows of Dwellings, built at the publick Charge, within the new Works, for all the principal Officers of the [198] Place; eſpecially the Commiſſioner, the Agent of the Victualling, and ſuch-like.

The Town of Portſmouth is a well inhabited, thriving Corporation; and hath been greatly enriched of late by the Fleet's having ſo often and ſo long lain there, as well as large Fleets of Merchant-men; beſides, the conſtant fitting out of Men of War here, and the often paying them at Portſmouth, has made a great Reſort of People to it. Mr. Camden, ſo long ago as the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, takes notice, that Portſ⯑mouth was populous in time of War, but not ſo in time of Peace: but now the Buſineſs of the Navy is ſo much increaſed, and ſo much of it always done here, that it may be ſaid, that there is more to do at Portſ⯑mouth now in time of Peace, than was then in time of War.

The Government of the Place is by a Mayor and Aldermen, &c. and the Civil Government is no more interrupted by the Military, than if there was no Gariſon there: ſo that we have very ſeldom had any Complaint either of Want of Diſcipline among the Soldiers, or Want of Prudence in the Magiſtrates.

Since the Increaſe of Buſineſs at this Place, the Confluence of People has been ſo great, that the Town not admitting any Inlargement for Buildings, a kind of Suburb, or rather a new Town, has been built on the heathy Ground adjoining, which is ſo conſiderable, that it threatens to outdo, for Numbers of Inhabitants, and Beauty of Buildings, even the Town itſelf; and the rather, as it is unconfin'd by the Laws of the Gariſon, and unincumber'd with the Corporation Burdens, Freedoms, Town-duties, Ser⯑vices, and the like.

Next we arriv'd at the Portſdown Hills, which are of Chalk, and at a reaſonable Diſtance from the Shore extend themſelves into Suſſex.

Here we turn'd to admire the Face of the Ground we had paſs'd. The Ports, Creeks, Bays, Ocean, [199] Caſtles and Ships, the Iſle of Wight, Portcheſter, the conſiderable Town of Goſport, Portſmouth, Southamp⯑ton, Chicheſter, and all the Coaſt from Portland Iſle to Suſſex, were comprehended under one View.

From Portſmouth, Weſt, the Country lies low and flat, is full of Creeks and Inlets of the Sea and Ri⯑vers, all the Way to Southampton, ſo that we ferry over three times in about 18 Miles; beſides going over the Bridge at Tichfield. The firſt of theſe Fer⯑ries is at Portſmouth itſelf, (viz.) croſs the Mouth of the Harbour, from the Point above-mention'd, to Goſport, a large Town, and of great Trade, eſpe⯑cially in time of War. From thence we ride to Tich⯑field as above, where we paſs the River Alre, which riſes in the ſame County at Alresford, or near it, which is not above Twenty-two Miles off; and yet it is a large River here, and makes a good Road below, call'd Tichfield-bay. Thence at about Four Miles we paſs another River at Buſſelton, narrow in Breadth, but exceeding deep, and eminent for its being able to carry the largeſt Ships: here is a Build⯑ing-yard for Ships of War; and in King William's Time, Two Eighty-gun Ships were launch'd here. It ſeems, the Safety of the Creek, and the Plenty of Timber in the Country behind it, is the Reaſon of Building ſo much in this Place.

From hence, when we come oppoſite to South⯑ampton, we paſs another Creek, being the Mouth of the River Alre, which comes down from Wincheſter, and is both very broad and deep; and the Ferry⯑men having a very ſorry Boat, we found it danger⯑ous enough paſſing it. On the oppoſite Bank ſtands the antient Town of Southampton, on the other Side of which comes down another large River, called the Teſt, entring Southampton Water by Red-bridge; ſo that the Town of Southampton ſtands upon a Point running out into the Sea, between Two very fine Rivers, both navigable for ſome Way up the Coun⯑try, [200] and particularly uſeful for the bringing down Timber out of one of the beſt wooded Counties in Britain; for the River on the Weſt-ſide of the Town comes by the Edge of New-foreſt: here we ſaw a prodigious Quantity of Timber, of an uncommon Size, vaſtly large, lying on the Shore of the River, for above Two Miles in Length, which they told us was brought thither from the Foreſt, and left there to be fetch'd by the Builders at Portſmouth-dock, as they had Occaſion for it.

In riding over the South Part of Hampſhire, I made this Obſervation, That notwithſtanding the very great Conſumption of Timber ſince the Revo⯑lution, by Building or Rebuilding almoſt the whole Navy; and notwithſtanding ſo many of the King's Ships were built hereabouts, beſides abundance of large Merchant-ſhips, which were about that time built at Southampton, at Red-bridge, and at Buſſelton, &c. yet I ſaw the Gentlemens Eſtates, within Six, Eight, or Ten Miles of Southampton, ſo over-grown with Wood, and their Woods ſo full of large well⯑grown Timber, that it ſeem'd as if they wanted Sale for it, and that it was of little Worth to them. In one Eſtate at Hurſeley in particular near Win⯑cheſter, formerly belonging to Mr. Cromwell, Grand⯑ſon to Oliver Cromwell, tho' the whole Eſtate was not above 800l. per Ann. in Rent, they might have cut Twenty thouſand Pounds worth of Timber down, and yet have left the Woods in a thriving Con⯑dition; in another Eſtate between that and Peterſ⯑field, of about 1000l. per Ann. they told me they could fell a Thouſand Pounds a Year in good large Timber fit for Building, for Twenty Years together, and do the Woods no Harm. The late Colonel Norton alſo, whoſe Seat at Southwick was within Six Miles of Portſmouth, and within Three of the Wa⯑ter-carriage, had, as I was told, at that time, an immenſe Quantity of Timber upon it, ſome growing [201] within Sight of the very Docks in Portſmouth. Far⯑ther Weſt it is all the ſame, and as I rode thro' New⯑foreſt, I ſaw the antient Oaks of many hundred Years ſtanding, grown white with Age, and periſh⯑ing with their wither'd Tops in the Air.

I ſhall give other Hints of the like, when I come to ſpeak of Hertfordſhire, Buckinghamſhire, Berk⯑ſhire, and the Counties which we call Inland, where the Timber is but of ſmall Value, for want of Wa⯑ter-carriage to bring it away; likewiſe again of the Counties Northward, bordering upon the Humber, and upon all the Northern Rivers, not to ſay a Word of Ireland; which is ſtill a Store-houſe of Timber, more inexhauſtible, if poſſible, than England.

But having mention'd the late Col. Norton, we cannot paſs over in Silence his extraordinary Will, which made ſo much Noiſe in the World.

This Gentleman dy'd in Dec. 1732, and left his Real Eſtate of about 6000l. per Ann. and a Per⯑ſonal, ſaid to be to the Value of 60,000l. to the ‘"Poor, Hungry, and Thirſty, Naked and Stran⯑gers, Sick and Wounded, and Priſoners, to the End of the World."’ And appointed the Parlia⯑ment of Great Britain to be his Executors; and in caſe of their Refuſal, the Biſhops; and left his Pictures, and other Valuables to the King. But his Will has been ſince ſet aſide on the ſcore of Inſanity, ſtrong Marks of which it carry'd in the Face of it.

This Gentleman was famous for acting ſeveral Parts in Plays with great Propriety, particularly the Part of Falſtaff in Shakeſpear's Henry the Fourth, and the Merry Wives of Windſor, at a neat Theatre erected by himſelf, at his Houſe at Southwick, to which, in a Vacation, he often drew down and en⯑tertain'd the moſt celebrated London Actors.

This Gentleman's Seat at Southwick was formerly an old Monaſtery, and many of the Walls of it are yet remaining; the Houſe being a Part of it: the Situa⯑tion [202] is very low and wet, having a great deal of boggy Ground about it; but from the Houſe the Park riſes to the higheſt Point of Portſdown, mention'd above, where there are two very large Clumps of Scots Fir-trees, which were planted by the late Col. Norton, and have thriven ſo well (tho' greatly expoſed to the Sea Winds) as to become a Land-mark at a conſider⯑able Diſtance at Sea, and may be ſeen near Twenty Miles at Land. Between theſe two Clumps of Trees, I was informed, that Gentleman intended to have erected a lofty Building; which muſt have had an exceeding good Effect: for from the level Ground on this Spot, you have a full View of Portſ⯑mouth Town, Harbour and Docks, under the Eye; and St. Helen's in the Iſle of Wight, is another Point of View, with an unbounded Proſpect of the Sea to the South-eaſt; and on the Land-ſide, a large ex⯑tenſive Vale, well planted and cultivated, bounded with Hills ſpread with Woods, and the South downs covered with Sheep, juſt under the Eye; ſo that this Proſpect may be juſtly eſteemed one of the fineſt in England.

Southampton is a truly antient Town, which hav⯑ing been many Years decaying in its Trade, of late has very much improv'd in that of Portugal Wines, which are imported here and ſent into many Places inland, where formerly the London Merchants uſed to deal; and that in great meaſure owing to the Du⯑ties being eaſier at Southampton than at London. They alſo carry on ſome Trade with the Iſles of Jerſey and Guernſey; and not a little, as their Enemies ſay, of the Smuggling Trade. The Town is large and populous, has a fair High-ſtreet, a ſpacious Key; and, if its Trade ſhould thoroughly revive, is able to con⯑tain great Numbers of People. There is a French Church, and no inconſiderable Congregation belong⯑ing to it. Here are ſtill ſome Merchants who trade to Newfoundland for Fiſh, which they carry to [203] the Streights, &c. and ſome Ship-building alſo is carried on here, tho' not near ſo much as formerly.

This Town had formerly the ſole Privilege from the Crown of importing Wines from thence; which, tho' a vaſt Advantage to it, the Corporation either wantonly or corruptly ſold to London.

The Situation of Southampton between two Rivers was to its Advantage formerly, in point of Strength; and is beſides ſtrongly wall'd with very large Stones, full of thoſe little white Shells, like Honey-combs, which grow upon the Back of Oyſters. This is a ſort of Stone extremely hard, and ſeems to be ga⯑ther'd near the Beach of the Sea. Theſe Walls have many Lunets and Towers, in ſome Places double ditch'd; but the Sea encompaſſes near half the Town. It was built in the Reign of Edward III.

I obſerve they have a Method of breaking the Force of the Waves here, by laying a Bank of Sea-ore, as they call it. It is compoſed of long, ſlender and ſtrong Filaments, like pill'd Hemp, very tough and durable; I ſuppoſe thrown up by the Sea: and this performs its Work better than Walls of Stone, or na⯑tural Cliff.

At the South-eaſt Corner, near the Quay, is a Fort with ſome Guns upon it, call'd the Tower. On one was an Inſcription, denoting its being erected by King Henry VIII. in the Year 1542. In the North-weſt Corner was a ſtrong Caſtle, with a Mount, wall'd about at-top as a Keep: upon this a round Stone Tower, with a winding Aſcent.

The Main of this Town conſiſts of one broad Street, running thro' its Length. There are many old religious Ruins, and great Ware-houſes, Cellars, Store-houſes, &c. The old Roman City call'd Trau⯑ſantum, ſtood more Eaſtward upon the Banks of the River Itching, coming from Wincheſter, where now is a Hamlet nam'd St. Mary's. There is a handſome new Church built upon the Ruins of an old one, [204] which, they ſay, was burnt in ſome French Wars. It is near the preſent Ferry, and oppoſite to Bittern, where was an old Roman Caſtle, ſurrounded with a Ditch, into which the Sea-water flow'd. It was ruin'd in the Daniſh Wars, and Southampton aroſe from its Aſhes. This Place is memorable for the Ex⯑periment of King Canute, who to ſilence the vain Flattery of his Courtiers, ſeated himſelf on the Banks of the River, with all his Regal Apparatus, and commanded the Tide not to approach his Footſtool.

About a Mile from this Town, on the Banks of the River Itching, is a vaſt large Pile of Earth, which riſes in the Form of a Cone, from a large wide Foun⯑dation of great Extent and Circumference, which they call Bevis-Mount. It is ſuppoſed to be an an⯑tient Fortification, thrown up by the Saxons, under the Command of Bevis, to oppoſe the Paſſage of the Danes over the River, who lay encamp'd on the other Side. The River is not very large, but the Tide running up into it a good Way beyond the Town, forms a kind of Bay juſt under this great Mount, which being contiguous to an Eſtate belonging to the late Earl of Peterborough, his Lordſhip purchaſed it, and converted it into a kind of Wilderneſs; and as it is full of Trees and Brambles, he has cut through them divers circular Walks and Labyrinths, ſo very intricate, that it is hardly poſſible to avoid being loſt in them. His Lordſhip uſed frequently to divert himſelf by dropping his Friends in the midſt of this Wilderneſs, and, ſtealing away, let them wander up and down, till they found their Way out of it. The Mount terminates above, as is feign'd of Parnaſſus, in a kind of Fork; and between the two Spires is a Bowling-green or Parterre, adorn'd with fine Italian Marble Statues, brought by his Lordſhip from abroad. It lies open on the Side-facing the River, and when the Tide is in, gives a moſt agreeable Proſpect. On one Side of this Parterre, declining gradually from the [205] Top of one of the Spires to the Green, is planted a little Vineyard, expoſed to the South; and on the other Side, on the very Summit of the Spire, ſtands a fine Summer-houſe, very elegantly built and contrived, with a good Cellar under it, where his Lordſhip kept his Wines, having no good Cellerage at his Houſe, which is near a quarter of a Mile from the Mount, from which his Lordſhip called it Bevis-Mount. He intended to rebuild the Houſe, and convert all the Grounds lying between it and the Mount, into Gardens, had he lived a little longer. The Beauty of the Improvements which his Lordſhip has made in this Mount, are hardly to be conceived. He has adorn'd it with Statues, Grottoes and Alcoves, and diverſify'd it up and down with ſomething new and ſurpriſing, at every turn, peculiar to his own fine Taſte and Genius in Gardening, wherein no Nobleman excell'd, and few equall'd him in Europe. He left this little Seat, and Lands about it, to his Lady, who now enjoys them.

There are as many things fabled here of Bevis, as there are in Wales and Cornwall of King Arthur, both of whom have ſuffer'd much from Legendary Writers and Tradition; for as King Arthur per⯑form'd many brave and valiant Acts in War, and was of great bodily Strength, ſo Bevis, who was a Saxon Lord, was a Man of much military Courage and Conduct, as well as perſonally ſtrong. He was a great Oppoſer of the Normans, and followed them down to Wales, and gave them Battle, near Caerdiff, in Glamorganſhire, but was there defeated. 'Tis ſaid his Sword may be ſtill ſeen at Arundel Caſtle; yet there are ſome who, from the Fables, with which their Stories are mingled, doubt whether ever there were ſuch Perſons as either of them.

I here took a Paſſage over to the Iſle of Wight, and in Two Hours arriv'd at Cowes, by the Way paſſing by Calſhot Caſtle, where ſome Years ago were to be [206] ſeen the Main-top-maſt Head of a Dutch Man of War, ſunk in that Place, a very dangerous Sand lying there in the middle of the Current.

Cowes is the chief Sea-port Town in this Iſland; and in Time of War the general Place of Rendez⯑vous for Merchant-ſhips waiting for Convoys, being ſecur'd, in ſome meaſure, by the Guns of the Ca⯑ſtle, but more by the Neighbourhood of Portſmouth. We walked Four Miles, and came to

Newport, the principal Town in the Iſland; large and populous. At a pretty ſtrong Caſtle, about a Mile diſtant, reſides the Governor.

The Iſland is very pleaſant, and ſo fruitful, that one Year's Crop will ſerve the Inhabitants for Seven Years; who therefore ſupply Portſmouth, and the Parts adjacent, with the Surplus. It abounds par⯑ticularly in Corn, Cattle, Hares, Rabbets, Wild⯑fowl, Fiſh, &c. It is Sixty Miles in Circumfe⯑rence: its Militia is the beſt diſciplined in England. Its Wool, in Fineneſs, is next to that of Cotſwold. Cariſbrook Caſtle is famous for being the Place of Im⯑priſonment of King Charles I. Sanham, in this Iſland, has alſo a Caſtle; ſo has South-Yarmouth, ſo called, to diſtinguiſh it from Great-Yarmouth, in Norfolk. Spithead between Portſmouth and this Iſland, and St. Helen's, near to the Iſle of Wight, are famous for the Rendezvous of the Royal Navy of England. Appledore-come is a very beautiful Seat in this Iſle, belonging to Sir Robert Worſley, B [...]rt.

This Iſland is alſo noted for having been once ad⯑vanced to the Title of a Kingdom, by King Hen⯑ry VI. in behalf of Henry Beauchamp, Earl of War⯑wick, his great Favourite, who was crown'd King of Wight, and of the Iſles of Jerſey and Guernſey, in 1445, but dying Two Years after, the Iſle loſt the Title of a Kingdom. For King Edward IV. who ſucceeded Henry, beſtow'd this Iſland upon his Father-in-law, Richard Woodville, Earl Rivers, [207] with the Title of Lord of Wight, as the late Earl of Derby was Lord of the Iſle of Man.

Returning to Southampton, I was at the Extent of my intended Journey Weſt, intending to look no farther this Way for the preſent. I went North-eaſt, leaving Wincheſter a little on the Left, and came into the Portſmouth Road at Petersfield, a Town chiefly noted for good Inns, and ſtanding in the Middle of a Country overgrown with a prodigious Quantity of Oak-timber. From hence we came to Alton, and in the Road thither began a little to taſte the Pleaſure of the Weſtern Downs, which reach from Wincheſter almoſt to that Place.

The Duke of Bolton has Two very noble Seats in this Country, one between Alton and Alresford; and one at Baſing, of which hereafter. Alton is a ſmall Market-town, of no Note, neither is there any conſiderable Manufacture in all this Part of Eng⯑land, except a little Drugget and Shalloon-making; otherwiſe the whole Counties of Kent, Suſſex, Sur⯑rey and Hampſhire, are not employ'd in any conſider⯑able Woollen Manufacture.

From Alton we came to Farnham, a large populous Market-town, the fartheſt that Way in the County of Surrey, from London; and, excepting Hempſtead and London, as we obſerv'd above, the greateſt Corn-market in England, particularly for Wheat, of which ſo vaſt a Quantity is brought hither every Market-day, that a Gentleman told me, he once counted 1100 Teams of Horſe, all drawing Waggons, or Carts, loaden with Wheat; every Team of which is ſuppoſed to bring a Load, which is Forty Buſhels, in the whole 44,000 Buſhels; but I do not take upon me to affirm this for Truth of my own Knowledge, tho' I know ſome have thought the Quantity has been much more; but this alſo was, I ſuppoſe, before the People of Chicheſter and Emſworth on one Side, [208] and Southampton, Tichfield, and Redbridge on the other, took to the Trade of ſending their Wheat in Meal to London by Sea, as I mentioned before.

The Toll-diſh, ſome Market-days, uſed to amount to above a Load of Wheat; and yet about 100 Years ago, it was ſo ſhort of it, that one Buſk, whoſe Pro⯑perty it was, ſold it for Forty Shillings; ſo greatly was this Manufacture increaſed within that Period. But if Farnham has been a Loſer by the Method late⯑ly fallen upon by the People of Chicheſter and South⯑ampton, it has made itſelf amends by another Pro⯑duct, which it has taken to within theſe Twenty Years paſt, and that is Hops, which it has ſo vaſtly improved in, that it may be ſaid to outdo Canter⯑bury, Maidſtone, and any of the Places in Kent, moſt noted for that Commodity; and this not only in Quantity, but Goodneſs. In ſhort, all the Neigh⯑bourhood about Farnham is one general Hop-ground; and to ſhew the Excellency of the Product, Farn⯑ham Hops now lead the Price at all the Markets in England.

At this Town is a Caſtle built by a Biſhop of Wincheſter, which has been in a conſtant Succeſſion poſſeſſed by the Biſhops of the Dioceſe ever ſince King Stephen's Time to this Day, and is their uſual Place of Reſidence. This Palace is a magnificent Structure, deeply moated, and ſtrongly wall'd, with Towers at proper Diſtances. It ſtands upon the Edge of an Hill, where is a fine Park. One large and broad Street of the Town below-hill fronts the Caſtle. The Main of the reſt of the Town, con⯑ſiſts of a long ſtrait Street, croſſing it at right An⯑gles. The River went parallel to it on the South.

About Two Miles from Farnham, is More-park, formerly the Seat of Sir William Temple, who, by his Will, ordered his Heart to be put into a China-baſon, and buried under a Sun-dial in his Garden, which was accordingly perform'd. This Houſe is [209] ſituated in a Valley, ſurrounded on every Side with Hills, having a running Stream thro' the Gardens, which, with a ſmall Expence, might be made to ſerpent thro' all the adjoining Meadows, in a moſt delightful manner. At about a Quarter of a Mile from the Houſe, is a large Grotto in the Side of a Hill, from whence you may command a Proſpect of the Meadows and Woods which lie below it; and theſe are bounded again by Hills, which makes the whole one of the moſt romantick Places imagin⯑able.

From Farnham, that I might take in the whole County of Surrey, I took the Coach Road over Bagſhot-heath, and that great Foreſt, as it is call'd, of Windſor.

Bagſhot-heath, which at preſent is a horrid bar⯑ren Country, is capable of great Improvement, as may be judg'd by the ſeveral Incloſures on the Bor⯑ders of it, and ſome in the Centre alſo, which from being in the ſame Condition, (as we at preſent ſee the whole Face of the Country thereabouts, very barren, producing nothing but Heath and Whorts) now produces good Corn and Graſs, and in ſome Parts are good Plantations of Trees, which thrive well. On the Edge of this Heath are ſeveral Seats of Noblemen; but thoſe which require Notice are, firſt, the Right Hon. the Earl of Arran's, which is a large Incloſure, the Wood-walks and other Plan⯑tations being upward of Two Miles in Circum⯑ference; and the Park, which runs on the other Side of the Houſe, is upward of Three Miles. The Plantations in this Incloſure have made good Pro⯑greſs, which is a Proof, that the Soil thereabout is capable of great Improvement.

The next Seat is that of the Right Hon. the Earl of Angleſea, which is an antient Houſe, ſituated very near the Church, and almoſt ſurrounded with large Trees, ſo that only the Front appears to View.

[210]The Duke of Roxborough has alſo a Seat in this Place, where his Grace uſed to reſide a great Part of the Summer and Autumn, for the Pleaſure of Shooting, being very fond of that Sport.

This Deſert lies extended ſo much, that ſome ſay there is not leſs than 100,000 Acres of this barren Land that lies all together, reaching out every Way in the Three Counties of Surrey, Hampſhire, and Berkſhire; beſides a great Quantity of Land, almoſt as bad as that between Godalmin and Petersfield, on the Road to Portſmouth, including ſome Hills call'd the Hind-head, and others.

It may not be amiſs to take notice of a common Miſtake in relation to Bagſhot Mutton, ſo much valued by the Gentry, which they ſuppoſe to be fed there, and from the Poorneſs of the Soil, render'd ſmaller than moſt other Mutton in Eng⯑land, whereas I am credibly inform'd, that none of the Sheep are fed at Bagſhot, being brought from and fed upon Hampſhire Downs, and all kill'd by the Butchers of Bagſhot, and ſent to London.

Thro' this Deſert, for I can call it no leſs, we come into the great Weſtern Road, leading from London to Saliſbury, Exeter, &c. and paſs the Thames at Stanes.

The Bridge of Stanes, and Egham Cauſeway, which are part of the Highway from London, to the Weſt of England, having been, for ſome time, in a ruinous and dangerous Condition, and the Tolls and Duties laid by an Act paſſed in the Reign of Henry VIII. and another in that of Queen Eliza⯑beth, amounting to no more than the clear Sum of 45l. per Annum, the Bridgemaſters were obliged to exact at the Ferry there exorbitant Rates for con⯑veying Paſſengers over the Thames, in order the bet⯑ter to ſupport the ſaid Bridge and Cauſeway; and yet all proving inſufficient, as well as burdenſome, an Act paſſed in the Seſſion of 1739-40, for the more [211] effectual Maintenance and well-keeping of them both; and will be a great Benefit to Paſſengers, as alſo to the River, and the Towns adjacent; and the Act provides, that in caſe of the Reparation of the Bridge, or any other Accident which ſhall hinder Paſſengers or Carriages going over the Bridge, the Ferry ſhall exact no higher Rate for conveying over ſuch Paſſengers, &c. than are laid for paſſing over the Bridge.

Here recollecting that I had yet left the Inland Towns of the Two Counties of Kent and Suſſex, and great Part of the County of Surrey, out of my Ac⯑count; and that having, as it were, taken a Circuit round the Coaſt only, I had a great many Places worth viewing to give an Account of; I therefore left Windſor, on one Side of the River, and Hamp⯑ton-Court on the other, to be the Subject of another Letter; and reſolv'd to finiſh my preſent Purpoſe in the Order I had begun it, that is to ſay, to take in the whole Country as I came on; that I might make as few Tranſitions as poſſible from one remote Part of England to another.

From Stanes therefore I turn'd S. and S. E. to Chertſey, another Market-town, and where there is a Bridge over the Thames: this Town is noted for the Burial-place of Henry VI. whence his Bones were afterwards removed to Windſor by Henry VII. and alſo by its being the Retreat of the incomparable Cowley, where he lived diſtant from the Hurries of the Court and Town, intirely taken up in Country Buſineſs, Farming and Huſbandry, for his Diver⯑ſion, and where he alſo dy'd.

From this Town, wholly employ'd in Malting, and in Barge Carriages down the River to London, I went away South to Working, a private Country Market-town, ſo out of the Way, that 'tis very little heard of in England. It claims however ſome Honour, from its being once the Reſidence of a [212] Royal Branch of the Family of Plantagenet, the old Counteſs of Richmond, Mother to King Henry VII. who made her laſt Retreat here, where the King her Son built, or rather repair'd, an old Royal Houſe, on purpoſe for her Reſidence, and where ſhe ended her Days in Honour and Peace; the former Part of her Life having been much expoſed to Storms and Dangers under the turbulent Reigns of the Two preceding Monarchs.

From hence we came to Guilford, a well known and conſiderable Market-town. Here ſometimes the Aſſizes are held, but always Elections for Par⯑liament Men for the County. The River, which, according to Mr. Camden, is called the Wey, and which falls into the Thames at Oatlands, is made navigable to this Town, which adds greatly to its Trade; and by this Navigation a very great Quan⯑tity of Timber is brought down to London, not from the Neighbourhood of this Town only, but even from the woody Parts of Suſſex and Hampſhire above Thirty Miles from it, the Country Carriages bring⯑ing it hither in the Summer by Land. This Navi⯑gation is alſo a great Support to the Corn-market at Farnham: for as the Meal-men, and other Deal⯑ers, buy the Corn at that Market, a good deal of it is brought to the Mills on this River; which is not above Seven Miles diſtant, and being firſt ground and dreſs'd, is then ſent down in the Meal by Barges to London, at a ſmall Expence.

Here is a ſmall Remainder of an old Manufacture, in the Clothing-trade; and it extends itſelf to Godalmin, Haſelmere, and the Vale Country, on the Side of the Holmwood, (of which I ſhall ſpeak on another Occaſion) quite to Darking. Theſe Cloths of a middling Price have formerly been in great Re⯑pute, but afterwards loſt their Credit for ſome time, till, by the Application and Skill of the Clothiers, of late they revived, whilſt the Clothiers of Cran⯑brook [213] and Tenterden in Kent, whoſe Goods are of the ſame Kind, are almoſt ſunk to nothing, as I have already obſerved.

This Clothing-trade, however ſmall, is yet very aſſiſting to the Poor of this Part of the Country, where the Lands, as I have noted, are but indifferent, the Inhabitants generally Cottagers, living chiefly by the Commons and Heath Ground thereabouts.

On Wedneſday the 23d of April 1740, the Upper Church at Guilford in Surrey fell down. It was an antient Building, and, not long before, 750l. was expended upon it in Repairs; there was Preaching in it on the Sunday before, and Workmen were employ'd in taking down the Bells, who providentially had quitted the Spot about a Quarter of an Hour before the Accident happened, ſo that not one Perſon re⯑ceived any Hurt, tho' great Numbers were Spectators: Three Bells had been taken down, and the other Three fell with the Steeple, which broke the Body of the Church to Pieces, tho' the Steeple received but little Damage by the Fall.

From Guilford the Road to Farnham is very re⯑markable; for it runs along Weſt from Guilford, upon the Ridge of a high chalky Hill, no wider than the Road itſelf, and the Declivity begins on either hand, at the very Hedge that bounds the Highway, and is very ſteep and high. From this Hill is a Proſpect either way, ſo far, that 'tis ſur⯑priſing; inſomuch that one ſees to the North, or North-weſt, over Bagſhot-heath, one way, to the South-eaſt into Suſſex, the other way, almoſt to the South-downs, and Weſt to an unbounded Length, where the Horizon only reſtrains the Eye. This Hill being all Chalk, a Traveller feels the Effect of it in a hot Summer's Day, when the Reflection of the Sun make the Heat almoſt inſupportable. This Hill reaches from Guilford ſo far as within a Mile and a half of Farnham.

[214]The Hill, or rather the Aſcent of it from Guil⯑ford, is called St. Catharine's-hill; on the Summit whereof ſtands the Gallows, which is ſo placed, that the Towns-people, from the High-ſtreet, may ſit at their Shop-doors, and ſee the Criminals executed.

Near Guilford, on the Left-hand Side of the Road leading to Godalmin, are the Remains of an antient Chapel, ſituated on the Summit of a Hill, ſo as to be ſeen at a conſiderable Diſtance every way. This is called St. Catharine's Chapel. The Mate⯑rials with which this was built, are a ſort of Tile, which when broken, has the Appearance of Iron within; and the Cement which joins theſe Titles, is now ſo hard, as ſcarcely to be penetrated with the ſtrongeſt Inſtrument. The only Remains of this Chapel, are the outſide Walls, which being built with theſe Materials, have reſiſted the Weather, and the common Fate of Things.

The great Road from London to Chicheſter, and from London to Portſmouth, lying thro' Guilford, it is conſequently a Town very well furniſhed with Inns for Accommodation of Travellers, as is God⯑almin alſo, the next Town, within Three Miles of it, noted likewiſe, of late Years, for the Place of Reſidence of the Impoſtor Mary Tofts, who ſo long amuſed Stateſmen, Phyſicians, Anatomiſts, and, in ſhort, all Degrees of Men, learned and un⯑learned, with her infamous Rabbet-productions, &c.

From Guilford lies a Croſs-road, as it may be called, to London, not frequented by Coaches or Carriers, or the ordinary Paſſengers to London, tho' 'tis by ſome reckoned the neareſt Way, and is with⯑out Queſtion much the pleaſanter Road, if not the pleaſanteſt in this Part of England; viz. From this Town to Leatherhead, 10 Miles; from Leather⯑head to London, over Banſtead-downs, 15 Miles; or, if you pleaſe, by Epſom, 17 Miles; which, tho' [215] it is called the fartheſt Way, makes Amends abun⯑dantly by the Advantage and Pleaſantneſs of the Road.

In the Road from Guilford to Epſom, being 15 Miles, you meet with a Town almoſt at every Two Miles End, in or near which is a handſome Seat. The Road is always good, being a very hard Gravel. On the Right-hand of the Road lie the Downs, which have conſtantly a great Number of Sheep feeding on them; and on the Left, the Parks, Gardens, and cultivated Fields, belonging to the ſeveral Gentlemen who inhabit thoſe Seats; all which render the Road very pleaſant and agreeable.

The Seat of the Lord Onſlow, which is the firſt on the Road from Guilford, is but indifferently ſituated; the Front which faces the Road, is ob⯑ſcured by the Wood, ſo that it can be ſeen only in one Point of View; and the Houſe ſtanding very low, does not command any Proſpect from the neighbouring Downs: the Avenues to it are very narrow, and the Building, tho' very large, is exe⯑cuted in a very bad Taſte.

On the ſame Road lies an antient Seat, now in the Poſſeſſion of James Fox, Eſq which tho' an old Building, yet having an open Situation, in Front, toward the Downs, is rendered very pleaſant; and the preſent Poſſeſſor, being a Perſon of fine Taſte, is beautifying the Houſe within, and making pleaſant Plantations about it; which will be a great Embelliſh⯑ment to the Seat.

Near this Road alſo lies the Seat of the Honourable Sir Conyers Darcy; which is ſituated on an Emi⯑nence, ſo as to be ſeen many Miles diſtant. The Houſe is a large new Edifice, having a Park behind it, and is pretty well timbered on every Side. I ought not to omit mentioning the Seat of the late Arthur Moore, Eſq at Fetcham, near Leatherhead, now in the Poſſeſſion of Thomas Revel, Eſq where no [216] Coſt has been ſpared to make a moſt beautiful Situ⯑ation by Nature more delightful by Art.

Two Miles from Guilford, on the Banks of the Wey, is a fine Seat, which belonged, when I ſaw it, to the late Denzil Onſlow, Eſq called Pyrford, and is exceeding pleaſant, eſpecially for the beautiful Intermixture of Wood and Water in the Park, Gardens, and Grounds adjoining; whereby that Gentleman, whoſe Genius lay wonderfully in im⯑proving Lands, and rendering Things more profitable and pleaſant, brought Pyrford to ſuch a Perfection, as to be inferior to very few, if any, of the fineſt Houſes in Surrey. Adjoining to the Park is a very convenient and ingenious Decoy, the firſt of the Kind in this Part of England.

At the North-eaſt End of this Range of fine Seats, is Leatherhead, a little Thoroughfare-town, with a Stone Bridge over the Mole, a River ſo called, from its remarkable Sinking into the Earth, at the Foot of Box-hill, near a Village called Mickleham, and working its Way under Ground like a Mole, riſing again at or near this Town of Leatherhead; where its wandering Streams are united again, and form a pretty large River, as they were before, running to⯑gether under Leatherhead Bridge, and from thence to Cobham, and ſo it purſues its Courſe to the Thames, which it joins at Moleſey, which doubtleſs takes its Name from the River.

And here I cannot but take Notice of an unac⯑countable Error, into which all the Writers I have met with have unwarily fallen, on account of this little River hiding itſelf in the Earth, and finding its Way under Ground, from the Foot of Beechworth, or Betſworth-caſtle, near Box-hill, and then riſing again at Leatherhead, as above; as if the Water had at once ingulph'd itſelf in a Chaſm of Earth, or ſunk in a Whirlpit. The great Camden has not a little contributed to this Error in his Account thereof; [217] but as he is in ſome meaſure ſet right by an Obſer⯑vation and Note in the laſt Edition of his Britannia, by the Right Rev. Continuator, I ſhall have the leſs Occaſion to inſiſt upon the Matter; and ſhall there⯑fore refer to them, and only mention what I have myſelf obſerved on this Occaſion, having reſided ſome time in the Neighbourhood.

The Current of the River being much obſtructed by the Interpoſition of Box-hill, which, interrupt⯑ing its free Courſe, forces the Waters to find their Way thro' as well as they can; and in order to this, coming near that Part called the Stomacher, the Waters ſink inſenſibly away, leſſening the Stream for near Two Miles, and theſe Chanels they call the Swallows; and the whole Ground on the Bank of the River, where it is flat and low, is full of theſe ſubterraneous Paſſages; ſo that if on any ſudden Rain the River ſwells over the Banks, it is obſerved not to go back into the Chanel again when the Flood abates, but to ſink away into the Earth in the Mea⯑dows, where it ſpreads.

Theſe Swallows, for there are many, and not one called the Swallow, as is ſaid in Mr. Camden; tho' they diminiſh the Stream much, do not ſo drink it up, as to make it diſappear: but when it croſſes the Roof near Mickleham, it runs very ſharp and broad, nor did I ever know it without Water in the drieſt Summer in that Place. On the contrary, I have known it ſo deep, the Waggons and Carriages have not dared to go thro'.

Below this Place the Hills riſe again on the other Side very high, and particularly on the Ridge, which the Country People call the Aſhcomb-hills, and they ſeem to force the River again Weſt; ſo it ſurrounds moſt of the Park formerly belonging to Sir Richard Studdolph, and has ſeveral Bridges upon it; and by this time indeed, ſo much of it is ſunk away, that ſometimes the Chanel, tho' full of Water in Pits and Holes, [218] cannot be perceived to run; but this muſt be in a very dry Seaſon, and ſtill the Chanel is viſible, where it runs at other times rapidly enough.

This Part, which has the leaſt Water, continuing about half a Mile, we then perceive the Stream very viſibly to be increaſed; ſo that it takes Vent again, now, in thouſands of little Springs, till, in another half Mile, it is an ample River again, and paſſes in full Streams under Leatherhead Bridge, as above.

A further Proof of the gradual ſinking away of the Water, take as follows: In October 1676, there happened a very ſudden haſty Land-flood, which ſwelled the River to a very great Height; and parti⯑cularly ſo high, that at Beechworth-caſtle, and at other Gentlemens Seats, near the River, where they had Fiſh-ponds that were fed by the River, it over⯑flowed their Ponds, and carried off all their Fiſh. Sir Adam Brown lived then at Beechworth-caſtle; and his Son, and the young Gentlemen of the neighbour⯑ing Families, diſturbed at the Loſs of their Fiſh, came all down to Darking; where they raiſed a little Troop of the young Fellows and Boys of the Town, and all went together, to that Part of the River which runs by the Foot of the Stomacher of Box-hill.

There was a low flat Piece of Meadow-ground, lying cloſe to the River on one Side; juſt oppoſite to which, the Hill, lying alſo cloſe to the River, made up the Bank on the other: this Piece of Ground might contain about Four or Five Acres, and lying hollow in the Middle, like the Shape of a Dripping⯑pan, was by the Overflowing of the River ſo full of Water, that the Bank, which lay cloſe to the River, tho' higher than the reſt, was not to be ſeen.

The Gentlemen ſet themſelves to raiſe this Bank, ſo as to ſeparate the Water in the hollow Part of the Field, from that in the River, and then made a Re⯑turn to it, at the Upper, or Eaſt-end of the Field; ſo that no more Water could run into the Field from [219] any Part of the River. And the Event was, that in about Two Nights and a Day, excluſive of the Time they took in making their Dams, the Water ſunk all away in the Field; and the Fiſh being ſur⯑rounded, were caught, as it were, in a Trap; and the Purchace fully recompenſed their Labour; for the like Quantity of Fiſh, great and ſmall, I believe, was never taken at once in this Kingdom, out of ſo ſmall a River.

This Story I mention, as a Demonſtration of the Manner of this River loſing itſelf under Ground, or being ſwallowed up, as they call it; for this Field, where the Water ſunk away is juſt at the Place, which Mr. Camden calls Swallow, near the Village of Mickleham, and under the Precipice of the Hill; and yet the Water was Two Nights and a Day ſink⯑ing leiſurely off. And in this manner, and no other, does ſo much of the River as paſſes under Ground, ſink away.

The Town of Darking is eminent for ſeveral little Things worth Obſervation; as, firſt, for the great Roman Highway, called Stoney-ſtreet, which paſſes thro' the Church-yard of this Town: Secondly, for a little Common or Heath, called the Cottman Dean, or the Heath of Poor Cottages, (for ſo the Word ſignifies) belonging to the Town; and where their Alms-houſe ſtands, which ſome learned Phyſicians believe to be the beſt Air in England: Thirdly, for Mr. Howard's Houſe and Garden, called Deepden; which ſtand in a ſmall Valley, environed with ſteep Hills on every Side; the Level-ground about the Houſe was laid out into pleaſant Walks and Gardens, which were planted with a great Variety of Exotick Trees and Plants, and the Hills were planted with Trees on every Side (excepting the South Aſpect) which was planted with Vines; and formerly there has been ſome tolerable good Wine made there, tho' the Hill is ſo ſteep, that it is very difficult to walk up [220] it. At preſent the Gardens and Vineyard are neg⯑lected, and many of the Exotick Trees have been deſtroy'd. On the Summit of the Hill, above the Vineyard, is a Summer-houſe, from which, in a clear Day, you may diſcern the Sea over the South-downs, near Arundel.

The Market of Darking is the moſt famous in England, for Poultry; and particularly for the fatteſt Geeſe, and the largeſt Capons. They are brought hither from as far as Horſham in Suſſex; and 'tis the Buſineſs of all the Country, on that Side, for many Miles, to breed and fatten them up; and ſome are ſo large, as to be little inferior to Turkeys; I have ſeen them ſold for 4s. to 4s. 6d. each, and weighing from 4 to 5 or 6 lb. a-piece.

On Holy Thurſday, here is alſo a Fair, chiefly for Lambs, and the greateſt in England of that Kind: I have paſſed over the ſo much celebrated Houſe of Mr. Evelyn at Wotton, near Darking, not that it is not worth Notice; but becauſe ſo many others have ſaid ſo much of it.

From Box-hill, and particularly from this Part of it, is a fair View, in clear Weather, quite over the Weald of Suſſex, to the South-downs; and by the Help of Glaſſes, the Town of Horſham, Aſhdown Foreſt, the Duke of Somerſet's Houſe at Petworth, and the South-downs, as they range between Bright⯑helmſton and Arundel, may be plainly ſeen; beſides an unbounded Proſpect into Kent.

The Vale beneath this Hill is, for many Miles Eaſt and Weſt, called the Holmward, or Holmſdale; in the woody Part of which are often found Out-lying Red Deer; and in the Days of King James II. or while he was Duke of York, they have hunted the largeſt Stags here that have been ſeen in England. The Duke took great Care to have them preſerved for his own Sport; but they have, ſince that, been moſt of them deſtroy'd.

[221]This Holmward is now chiefly overgrown with Furz; but was famous for producing ſuch Quantities of Strawberries, that they were carried to Market by Horſe-loads.

It is ſuggeſted, that this Place was in antient Times the Retreat for many Ages of the native Britons, whom the Romans could never drive out; and, after that, it was the like to the Saxons, when the Danes haraſſed the Nation, and ravaged the Country where-ever they came. On this Account they retain here in Memory the following Lines:

The Country, tho' wild ſtill, and perhaps having the ſame Countenance now in many Places, as it had a thouſand Years ago; yet in other Places is culti⯑vated, and has Roads paſſable enough in the Summer quite thro' it, on every Side, and the Woods are in a great meaſure cleared off.

Keeping along the Bottom of theſe Hills, and yet not entering into this Vale, the Country is dry, ſandy or gravelly, and full of Gentlemens Houſes, and good Towns; tho' if we go but a little to the Right-hand South, into the wild Part, 'tis a deep, ſtrong, and, in the wet Seaſon, an unpaſſable Clay.

In paſſing thro' Holmeſdale (upon the Ridge of Mountains which extend from Kent to the Land's-end) you come to Wotton, a ſmall Village, near which is the antient Seat of the Evelyns, which is ſituated amongſt Meadows, having pleaſant Streams of Wa⯑ter paſſing thro' them, and the neighbouring Hills covered with Woods, which renders the Situation pleaſant in the Summer-ſeaſon; but the Roads about it being very bad in Winter, it is not ſo convenient an Habitation at that Seaſon.

Near this Place is ſituated Lith-hill, which riſes gradually from hence, for near Three Miles to the [222] South; from the Top of which you have a full Proſpect of the whole Counties of Surrey and Suſſex, Part of Hampſhire, Berkſhire, Oxfordſhire, Bucking⯑hamſhire, Hertfordſhire, Middleſex, Kent, and Eſſex; the whole Extent of this Proſpect being thought near 200 Miles, and that without the Help of Glaſſes.

Travelling Eaſt at the Foot of the Hills, we came to Rygate, a large Market-town, ſituated in the Valley of Holmeſdale; where are ſtill to be ſeen the Ruins of a Caſtle, with a long Vault, and a Room at the End of it; in which 'tis ſaid the Barons who were in Arms againſt King John, held their private Meetings.

Near this alſo are two miſerable Borough Towns, which nevertheleſs ſend each of them Two Members to Parliament, to wit, Gatton under the Side of the Hill, almoſt at Rygate; and Bleechingly more Eaſt⯑ward.

At Nutfield, between Rygate and Beechingly, is another Branch of the Family of Evelyn, who have flouriſhed there many Years.

From hence, croſſing ſtill all the Roads leading from London into Suſſex, we came again to a Village called Godſtone, which lies on the Road from London to Lewes.

And keeping on Eaſt, we came to Weſterham, a neat, handſome, well-built Market-town, the firſt in Kent on that Side. The late Earl of Jerſey built (or rather finiſhed, for it was begun by a private Gentleman) a very noble Houſe here, called Squirries, which is now in the Poſſeſſion of John Warde, Eſq Son to Sir John Warde, who was Lord Mayor of London in the Year 1724. The Houſe ſtands on a ſmall Eminence, regarding the Land in the Front; but on the Back of the Houſe, the Ground riſes very high, and is divided into ſeveral ſteep Slopes, which renders the Situation [223] damp and cold. Near the Houſe are ſome Woods, thro' which the preſent Poſſeſſor has cut ſeveral Ridings; and on the other Side of the Hill, behind the Houſe, ariſe Nine conſiderable Springs, which unite at a ſmall Diſtance; and theſe form the River Dart, which runs thro' Dartford, and afterwards diſcharges itſelf into the Thames.

All this Part of the Country, from Guilford to this Place, is very agreeably pleaſant, healthy, and fruitful; and is overſpread with good Towns, Gentlemens Houſes, populous Villages, abundance of Fruit, with Hop-grounds and Cherry-orchards, and the Lands well cultivated; but all on the Right-hand, that is to ſay, South, is over-grown with Timber, has abundance of waſte and wild Grounds, and Foreſts, and Woods, with many large Iron-works, at which they caſt Iron-caldrons, Chimney-backs, Furnaces, Retorts, Boiling-pots, Iron Cannon, Bomb-ſhells, Stink-pots, Hand-gre⯑nadoes, Cannon-ball, &c.

From hence going forward Eaſt, we come to Riverhead, a Town on the Road from London to Tunbridge; and then having little to ſpeak of in Kent, except ſome petty Market-towns, ſuch as Wrotham, commonly called Rootham, Town-Malling, Cranbrook, and the like, of which I have taken ſome Notice before; I turned North, and came to Bromley, a Market-town, made famous by an Hoſpital, or College, built there by Dr. John Warner, Lord Biſhop of Rocheſter, for the Relief of 20 poor Widows of loyal and orthodox Clergy⯑men, who are allowed each 20l. per Annum, and a Chaplain 50l. and has had many Gifts and Charities beſtowed on it ſince.

Near this Town we turned away by Beckenham, and thro' Norwood to Croyden; in the Way we ſaw Dulwich or Sydenham-wells, where great Crouds of the lower Claſs of People throng every Summer from [224] London, to drink the Waters there and at Stretham; and the rather, becauſe it lies ſo near London, that they can walk to it in the Morning, and return at Night.

Croydon has a great Corn-market, but chiefly for Oats and Oatmeal for the Service of London. The Town is large, and full of Citizens from London: in it is the antient Palace of the Archbiſhops of Can⯑terbury, and ſeveral of them lie buried in the Church here; particularly Archbiſhop Whitgift, who not only repaired the Palace, but built and endowed the famous Hoſpital, (which is for a Warden and 28 Men and Women) and the Free-ſchool.

From hence we paſſed by Beddington, where is the Seat or Manſion-houſe of the antient Family of the Carews. The Houſe is noble, and the Gardens fine; yet Architects ſay, that the two Wings are too deep for the Body of the Houſe; that they ſhould either have been more aſunder, or not ſo long. The Court before them is extremely fine, as is the Canal in the Park, before the Court, having a River running thro' it; the Gardens take up all the flat Part of the Park, with Viſta's, or Proſpects, for Two or Three Miles. The Orange-trees con⯑tinue, and are the only ones in England that grow in the natural Ground: they have moving Houſes to ſhelter them in the Winter from the Inclemencies of our Climate, and are loaded with Fruit in the Summer. They have ſtood in the Ground where they now grow, above 100 Years.

From hence it is but a little Mile to Caſhalton, a Country Village ſituate among innumerable Springs of Water, which, all together, form a River in the very Street of the Town, and joining the other Springs, which come from Croydon and Beddington, make one Stream, called the Wandell. This Village, tho' lying among ſuch delightful Springs, is yet upon firm Chalk; and having the Downs adjoining, makes [225] the moſt agreeable Spot on this Side of London, as is abundantly teſtify'd by its being crouded, as it were, with fine Houſes of the Citizens of London; ſome of which are built with ſuch a Profuſion of Expence, that they look rather like Seats of the Nobility, than the Country-houſes of Citizens and Merchants. Mr. Scawen, Knight of the Shire for this County, deſign'd a noble Houſe here; but it is not proceeded with. That which once belonged to Sir John Fel⯑lows, Sub-governor of the South-Sea Company in the fatal Year 1720, was built by Dr. Ratcliff; but the Gardens were made by Sir John. It was purchaſed by the Right Honourable Philip Lord Hardwick, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, by whom it was lately ſold to William Mitchel of Huntingdon, who now poſſeſſes it. I cannot dwell on the Deſcription of all the fine Houſes in this and the neighbouring Villages: I ſhall ſpeak of them again in bulk with their Neighbours of Mitcham, Stretham, Tooting, Clapham, and others; but I muſt take a Trip here croſs the Downs to Epſom.

Banſtead-downs need no Deſcription other than this, that being ſo near London, and ſurrounded as they are with pleaſant Villages, the Ground ſmooth, ſoft, level and dry, (even in but a few Hours after Rain) they conſpire to make the moſt de⯑lightful Spot of Ground of that Kind, in all this Part of Britain.

About four Miles over thoſe delicious Downs bring us to Epſom, a well-built, large, and hand⯑ſome Village, which abounds with fine Houſes, the Retreats principally of the London Merchants. It was very much frequented a few Years ago, on account of its Mineral Waters, which iſſue from a riſing Ground nearer Aſhted than Epſom: but they are now, tho' not impaired in their Virtues, yet pretty much ſo in their Reputation; poſſibly owing, more than any thing elſe, to the Place being too near [226] London for a Journey for the Quality and Gentry; according to the old Saying, Far-fetch'd and dear⯑bought is fitteſt for the Ladies. The Hall, Galleries, and other publick Apartments, are run to Decay; and there remains but one Houſe on the Spot, which is inhabited by a Countryman and his Wife, who carry the Waters in Bottles to the adjacent Places.

There are a great many fine Seats around this Place, which we have not Room to deſcribe: ſuch as the Lord Baltimore's, Lady Fielding's, Mr. Mitchell's at Caſhalton, juſt mention'd, Mr. Scawen's, and many others; particularly that formerly called Nonſuch, which was once a Royal Palace, and finely ſituated. King Charles II. gave it to the Ducheſs of Cleveland, and ſhe ſold it to my Lord Berkeley, who built a fine Seat with the Materials of it, near Epſom, called Durdans. Nonſuch is now but a Farm-houſe, and Durdans is in the Poſſeſſion of the Lord North and Guilford; but his Royal Highneſs Frederick Prince of Wales has lately taken it for a pleaſurable Retreat, when he is not diſpoſed to go ſo far as Cliefden in Bucks.

From Epſom, that I might thoroughly viſit the County of Surrey, I rode over ſtiff Clays, and thro' very bad Roads, to Kingſton; from whence I had a fine View of Hampton-court, at a Diſtance; but that I reſerve for another Journey.

Kingſton is a good Market-town, remarkable for a Free-ſchool, erected and endowed by Queen Elizabeth; an Alms-houſe built in 1670 by Alder⯑man Cleaver of London, and endowed with Lands of 80l. a Year, a Houſe were formerly reſided the great Earl of Warwick, ſurnamed Make-king, be⯑ſides Coomb, which was likewiſe his, but now in the Family of the Harveys; from whence the Wa⯑ters of certain Springs are ſaid to be conveyed in leaden Pipes under the Road, and the Thames, to Hampton-court, Three Miles in Length. Several of [227] the old Saxon Kings were not only crowned, but had their actual Reſidence here; whence it took its Name of Kingſtown. It had once the Privilege of ſending Burgeſſes to Parliament, but now that is loſt.

From hence turning Southward, on the Road to Guilford, we come to Eſher, where was formerly a Seat built by Cardinal Wolſey, to which, during his Miniſtry, he frequently retired for Amuſement. The Gate to this Gothick Building remaining, was turned into a Dwelling-houſe, which was lately ſold to the Right Honourable Henry Pelham, Eſq who has beautified the old Part, and made additional Buildings to it in the ſame Gothick Style, and laid out the Grounds about it in ſo elegant a Taſte, as makes it one of the fineſt Seats in the Neighbourhood of London: but the Houſe ſtands ſo low, as not to be ſeen until you come very near it; and the River Mole, running near the Back of the Houſe, renders it very damp, which greatly diminiſhes the Pleaſure of the Place, tho' there has been no Coſt ſpared to render it elegant.

Near Eſher, on the Left-hand of the great Road, lies Claremont, which was a ſmall Houſe built under a Hill covered with Wood, by the late Sir John Vanbrugh, and purchaſed by his Grace the Duke of Newcaſtle, who has been at a great Expence in beau⯑tifying the Gardens, &c. and has added to the Houſe a great Extent of Buildings, in the ſame Style with the original Houſe; and has alſo built one large Room, in which his Grace entertains Foreign Em⯑baſſadors, and where all the magnificent Dinners which the Duke makes in the Country, are ſerved up. The Houſe is ſituated ſo near the Hill, that the Moiſture iſſuing from thence, occaſions it to be very damp; and the Winds, being reverberated back from the Woods on the Houſe, cauſe moſt of the Chimneys to ſmoke, ſo that this is a bad Habitation [228] in Winter: but as it is the Place to which his Grace uſually retires from publick Buſineſs, whenever his Leiſure will permit, he has not ſpared Expence to render it as agreeable as poſſible; tho', as ſeveral Per⯑ſons have had the Contrivance of his Gardens and Buildings, there is not any uniform Taſte to be found in either, which is greatly to be regretted, ſince the noble Owner has been ſo much intent on having it worthy of himſelf.

From hence, turning on the Right towards the River of Thames, we paſs Walton, and Weybridge, where are ſeveral fine Seats; but particularly thoſe of the Earls of Lincoln, and Portmore.

In the firſt of theſe is a noble Terrace-walk, ele⯑vated ſo high above the Level of the neighbouring Ground, as to afford a Proſpect of the Country, as alſo a View of the River.

The other Seat was beautified by the Counteſs of Dorcheſter, in the Reign of King James II. Here is a Walk planted with Acacia Trees, which at that Time were eſteemed great Curioſities.

The Country hereabout is very low and flat, ſo that in Winter the Meadows are generally flooded, which renders the Air damp and cold, and the Roads are ſometimes almoſt impaſſable; but in Summer the Meadows afford a good Quantity of Hay, which ſufficiently recompenſes the Owner for the Diſad⯑vantage of Situation.

Near Weybridge is a pleaſant ſmall Seat, now in the Poſſeſſion of Philip Southcoat, Eſq called Wo⯑bourn-farm. The Houſe is ſituated low, but is not very damp; and has the Advantage of being ſcreen'd from the Violence of ſtrong Winds, by tall Trees in the Neighbourhood. In the Front of the Houſe is a ſmall Iſland, which in Summer is ſtocked with Sheep, who are conſtantly feeding in View of the principal Rooms of the Houſe. The Water ſur⯑rounding this Iſland is conducted in a ſerpentine [229] Form, ſo as to have little Reſemblance to Art. The Fields above the Houſe are kept very neat, being rolled and fed; ſo that there is a fine Carpet of Graſs, the Walks round them being made dry by Gravel, and, on each Side, planted with ſweet Shrubs and Flowers, in a rural manner. At the Upper-part of theſe Fields, is a Spot of Ground laid out in Gardens, which, being too regular, do not ſo well correſpond with the other Parts, which are laid out to anſwer the Name of a Farm, very pro⯑perly: but this Part has ſomething of too much Stiffneſs and Regularity to agree with the reſt.

From this Spot of Ground is a moſt delightful Proſpect over a large Extent of Meadows bounded by the River Thames, which winds in an agreeable manner; and having frequently large Weſt Country Barges floating in it, with their broad Sails, appear as ſo many moving Objects in a Picture, and greatly enliven the Proſpect.

From hence alſo are ſeen Ten or Twelve Villages, and ſeveral fine Houſes; and Chertſey Bridge appears as if it were intended for a principal Object. Indeed the whole Spot may juſtly be deemed one of the ſweeteſt Retirements near London.

Keeping the River now on my Left, as I did be⯑fore on my Right-hand, drawing nearer to London, we came to Ham and Peterſham, little Villages; the firſt, famous for a moſt pleaſant Palace of the late Duke of Lauderdale, cloſe by the River, now poſſeſſed by the Earl of Dyſert; a Houſe King Charles II. uſed to be frequently at, and was exceedingly pleaſed with. The Avenues of this fine Houſe to the Land-ſide, lead up to the End of the Village of Peterſham, where the Wall of New Park comes alſo cloſe to the Town, on the other Side; in an Angle of which ſtood a moſt delicious Houſe, built by the late Earl of Rocheſter, Lord High Treaſurer in King James II.'s Reign, as alſo in Part of Queen Anne's [230] Reign. This fine Houſe was burnt down in the Year 1720, by an accidental Fire, ſo ſudden and furious, that the Family, who were all at home, had ſcarce time to ſave their Lives.

Nor was the Houſe, tho' ſo exquiſitely finiſhed, ſo beautiful within and without, the greateſt Loſs ſuſtained; the rich Furniture, the curious Collection of Paintings, and the ineſtimable Library of the firſt Earl of Clarendon, Lord Chancellor of England, and Author of that moſt excellent Hiſtory of the Rebellion, of which the World knows ſo much, were here wholly conſumed; a Loſs irreparable, as the latter contained among other valuable Things, ſeveral Manuſcripts relating to thoſe Times, and to Things tranſacted by himſelf and by the King his Maſter, both at Home and Abroad, beſides other rare and curious Collections made by that noble and learned Author in foreign Countries.

The Offices eſcaped the Fate the Houſe met with: and on the ſame Spot of Ground, where the Houſe ſtood, the Right Honourable the Lord Harrington, Secretary of State, erected another, after the Deſign of the Right Honourable the Earl of Burlington; and when I have ſaid this, I need not ſay it is equally a convenient and elegant Edifice. The Front indeed next the Court, has not a very ſtriking Appearance, being very plain, and the Entrance into the Houſe not greatly to be praiſed: But the South Front next the Garden, tho' very plain, yet is bold and regular. The Apartments next the Garden, which are chiefly deſigned for State, are alſo very elegant, and beauti⯑fully finiſhed.

The Gardens, which before were crouded with Pluntations near the Houſe, are now laid open in Lawns of Graſs; and the Kitchen-garden, which was ſituated on the Eaſt-ſide of the Houſe, is re⯑moved out of Sight, and that Ground is now con⯑verted to an open Slope of Graſs, which leads up to [231] a Terrace of great Length; from which is a Proſpect of the River Thames, the Town of Twickenham, and all the beautiful Seats round about that Part of the Country, almoſt to Kingſton-bridge. On the other Side of the Terrace, on a riſing Ground, is a large Plantation of Wood; and on the Summit of the Hill is erected a fine Pleaſure-houſe, which commands a Proſpect of the Country every Way, for many Miles; ſo that by Foreigners this View is eſteemed the moſt beautiful of any near London.

From hence we came to Richmond, lately the de⯑lightful Retreat of his Majeſty and his Royal Con⯑ſort the Queen, who took great Delight therein to the Time of her Death; and made not only vaſt Improvements and Alterations there, but purchaſed ſeveral fine Houſes on Kew-green; as that of Lady Eyre, for his Royal Highneſs the Duke; that of Sir Thomas Abney for the Princeſſes; and his Royal High⯑neſs Prince Frederick, mean while, made conſiderable Improvements in the fine Houſe and Gardens belong⯑ing formerly to the Lady Capell; while her Majeſty was uſed to divert herſelf at her Royal Dairy-houſe, and in her beautiful Hermitage, Merlin's Cave, and in other charming Improvements, which ſhe made in the Park and Gardens of this delightful Place. All which are ſo well known, that we need not inſiſt upon them.

The Court, being ſo near, muſt needs have filled Richmond, which was before a moſt agreeable Re⯑treat for the firſt and ſecond-rate Gentry, with a great deal of the beſt Company in England. And indeed this Town, and the Country all round it, have much increaſed in Buildings lately.

The Lord Viſcount Palmerſton, the worthy Son and Succeſſor to the Honour and Eſtate of the great Sir William Temple, has a fine Seat and Gardens (hard by) at Sheen: The Gardens were finiſhed, as well as contrived, by the great Genius of Sir William; [232] and as they were his laſt Delight in Life, ſo they were every way ſuited to be ſo, to a Man of his Senſe and Capacity, who knew what kind of Life was beſt fitted to make a Man's laſt Days happy.

It is not eaſy to deſcribe the Beauty with which the Banks of the Thames ſhine on either Side of the River, from hence to London, much more than our Anceſtors, even but one Age ago, knew any thing of. If for pleaſant Villages, great Houſes, Palaces, Gardens, &c. it was true in Queen Elizabeth's Time, according to the Poet, that ‘The Thames with Royal Tyber may compare;’ What may be ſaid of it now? when, for One fine Houſe to be ſeen then, there are, for aught I know, an hundred, even as you ſit in a Boat, and paſs up and down the River.

Firſt, beginning from Ham-houſe, as above, Rich⯑mond Palace ſalutes the Eye, being formerly no more than a Lodge in the Park, but now makes a Royal Figure.

From Richmond to London the River Sides abound with Villages, and thoſe Villages ſo full of beautiful Buildings, charming Gardens, and rich Habitations of Gentlemen of Quality, that nothing can equal it; no, not the Country for 20 Miles round Paris, tho' that indeed is a kind of Prodigy.

It is impoſſible to view theſe Countries from any riſing Ground. and not be raviſhed with the delight⯑ful Proſpect. For Example, Suppoſe you take your View from the little riſing Hills about Clapham, if you look to the Eaſt, there you ſee the pleaſant Villages of Peckham and Camberwell, with ſome of the fineſt Dwellings about London: then turning South, we ſee Loughborough Houſe near Kennington; the Ducheſs of Bedford's at Stretham; other fine Seats about Croydon; a whole Town of fine Houſes at Caſhalton; Sir Nicolas Carew's and others, at [233] Beddington; Sir Theodore Janſſen's, and that lately built by the Ducheſs Dowager of Marlborough, at Wimbleton; other fine Houſes at Tooting; beſides a very great Number in Clapham itſelf. On the South-weſt alſo you have Mr. Harvey's at Coomb, formerly the Palace of the afore-mentioned Make-king, Earl of Warwick, and from him called Coombnevil; with all the Villages mentioned above, and the Country adjoining, filled with the Palaces of the Britiſh No⯑bility and Gentry already ſpoken of; looking North, behold, to crown all, a fair Proſpect of the City of London, the moſt glorious Sight, without Exception, that the World at preſent can ſhew, or perhaps could ſince the Sacking of Rome.

It is impoſſible in one Journey to deſcribe effectu⯑ally this Part of the County of Surrey, lying from Kingſton to London and Greenwich, where I ſet out: that is, including the Villages of Richmond, Peterſham, Eaſtſheen, Mortlake, Putney, Wandſworth, Barn-elms, Batterſea, Wimbleton, Tooting, Clapham, Camberwell, Peckham and Deptford; and I muſt therefore quit the ample Subject, and come to South⯑wark, a Suburb to, rather than a Part of London: but of which this may be ſaid with Juſtice, that it would be ‘A Royal City, were not London by.’

To give you a brief Deſcription of Southwark, it might be called a long Street, of about Nine Miles in Length, as it is now built on Eaſtward; reaching from Vaux-hall to London-bridge, and from the Bridge to Deptford, and up to Deptford Bridge, which parts it from Greenwich, all the Way wind⯑ing and turning as the River does; except only in that Part, which reaches from Cuckold's-point to Deptford, which winds ſomewhat more than the River.

[234]In the Centre, which is oppoſite to the Bridge, it is thicken'd with Buildings, and may be reckoned near a Mile broad; viz. from the Bridge to the End of Kent-ſtreet and Blackman-ſtreet, and about the Mint.

The Borough of Southwark is exceeding populous. Take it as it was antiently bounded, it contained Nine Pariſhes; but as it is now extended, and joins with Deptford, it contains Eleven large Pariſhes.

The firſt Thing we meet with conſiderable, is at the Spring-garden, juſt at the Corner, where the Road turns away to go from Vaux-hall Turnpike towards Newington. There are the Remains of the Lines caſt up in the Time of the Romans, which were repaired in the Civil Wars, as a Fortification to this Part of the Town; at the Corner was a very large Baſtion, or Fort, which commanded the Paſs on that Side; and farther on, at the Corner of St. George's-fields, by the Ducking Pond, was an⯑other; the Water of what is now called the Duck⯑ing Pond, ſtill appears to have been the Moat to the Fort; and the Lines are ſtill ſo high, and undemo⯑liſhed, that it would be no difficult Matter to repair and perfect them again.

That this was formerly a Roman Camp or Station, is plain, from the many Roman Urns and Coins, Opera Teſſellata, and other Antiquities, which have been frequently dug up hereabouts. And as there are pretty good Authorities of antient London lying on the South-ſide of the Thames, it is but a rea⯑ſonable Conjecture, that theſe Lines were caſt up and fortified, to prevent the Incurſions of the Britons into Kent; for the Military Way croſſed the River at the Horſe-ferry at Lambeth, from thence pro⯑ceeded to Vaux-hall, then turned round to the Ducking Pond, went on to the Wind-mill in St. George's-fields, where it croſſed the Road to the End of Kent-ſtreet; where there was a very ſtrong [235] Fortification of Stone, the Foundations of which were dug up in the Year 1685; this ran croſs a Garden about a Quarter of a Mile from the Stones-end. In digging up of this Foundation there appeared two antient Pillars of a large Gate; upon each of them had been placed Heads with two Faces curiouſly cut in Stone, one of which was taken up; but the other lying in a Quickſand, from whence the Springs flowed out pretty freely, was rendered more difficult to be taken up; and the Curioſity of the People be⯑ing not very great, they contented themſelves with getting up one of the Heads; which was placed over the Gardener's Door, where it remained for ſeveral Years, until it was known to the Learned Dr. Woodward, who purchaſed it, and kept it in his valuable Collection of Curioſities. Theſe Lines were drawn from hence to the Grange near Bermond⯑ſey-ſtreet; where you ſee another Fort ſo plain, and ſo undemoliſhed, (the Graſs now growing over the Works, and tho', on the Baſtion itſelf, there is frequently Corn ſowed) that it is almoſt as viſible as it was when it was firſt thrown down. By the Direction of theſe Lines, it is very manifeſt, that Southwark was once well fortified; for theſe Lines ſeem to have been thrown up from the Thames at Lambeth, quite round to the Thames at Deptford; which takes in the whole Extent, on the Land; and the Thames was a Barrier on the other Side.

A farther Deſcription of Southwark I refer till I come to ſpeak of London, as one general Appellation for the Two Cities of London and Weſtminſter; for all the Borough of Southwark, and all the Buildings and Villages included within the Bills of Mortality, make but one LONDON, in the general Appellation. I am, &c.

LETTER V. CONTAINING A Deſcription of Part of the County of MIDDLESEX, Part of HANTS, and the County of WILTS, &c.

AS I came down from Kingſton, in my laſt Circuit, by the South Bank of the Thames, on the Surrey Side of the River; ſo I go up to Hampton-court, now, on the North Bank, and on the Middleſex Side; which I mention, becauſe, as the Sides of the Country bordering on the River lie parallel, ſo the Beauty of the Country, the pleaſant Situations, the Splendor of innumerable fine Buildings, Noblemens and Gentlemens Houſes, and Citizens Retreats, are ſo equal a Match to what I had deſcribed on the other Side, that one knows not to which to give the Preference: but as I muſt ſpeak of them again, when I come to write of the County of Middleſex, which I have now purpoſely omitted; I paſs them over here, except the Palace of Hampton only, which I mentioned in Middle⯑ſex, for the Reaſons above.

[237] Hampton-court lies on the North Bank of the River Thames, about Two ſmall Miles from Kingſton. It was built by Cardinal Wolſey, and fell to the Crown, when the King ſeized his Effects and Eſtate, as did alſo Whitehall, another Houſe of the Cardinal's building.

Whoever knew Hampton-court before it was begun to be rebuilt, or alter'd, by the late King William, muſt acknowledge, it was a very complete Palace then, and fit for a King; and tho' it might not, according to the modern Method of Building, or of Gardening, paſs for a Thing exquiſitely fine, yet it ſhewed a Situation exceedingly capable of Improve⯑ment, and of being made one of the moſt delightful Palaces in Europe.

This her Majeſty Queen Mary was ſo ſenſible of, that while the King had ordered the pulling down the old Apartments, and building them up in that moſt beautiful Form, which we ſee them now appear in, her Majeſty, impatient of enjoying ſo agreeable a Retreat, fixed upon a Building formerly made uſe of chiefly for landing from the River, and therefore called the Water Gallery; here ſhe ordered all the little, neat, curious Things to be done, which ſuited her own Conveniency, and made it the pleaſanteſt little Place within Doors, that could poſ⯑ſibly be made; tho' its Situation would not allow it to ſtand after the great Building was finiſhed.

The Queen had here her Gallery of Beauties, being the Pictures, at full Length, of the principal Ladies in her Retinue. Her Majeſty's Apartments for her private Retreat only, were exquiſitely fur⯑niſhed, and there were among the Furniture ſeveral curious Pieces of her own Work.

The Ground on the South-weſt Side of the Building, has received many Alterations ſince the pulling down of the Water-gallery (which ſtood before this handſome Front of the Houſe, and inter⯑cepted [238] the Proſpect of it from the River). This Spot was then laid out into ſmall Incloſures, ſur⯑rounded with tall Hedges, to break the Violence of the Winds, and render them proper for the Reception of ſuch Exotick Plants in Summer, as were removed out of the Conſervatories during that Seaſon. In each of theſe Places is contrived a Baſon, which is conſtantly ſupplied with Water for the Support of theſe Plants in dry Weather; and as theſe are ſituated near the great Apartments, moſt of the Plants may be viewed from the Windows: and the lower Part of the Houſe, under the great Apartments, being contrived for a Greenhouſe, the Plants need not be carried far, when they are removed out or into the Conſervatory, which was very properly contrived by the Deſigners.

At the Weſt-end of this Spot was a large Hot-houſe, for the maintaining ſuch tender Exotick Plants, as require a large Share of Warmth to pre⯑ſerve them in this Climate. Of all theſe Parts of Gardening Queen Mary was ſo very fond, that ſhe allowed a handſome Salary to Dr. Plukenet, a very learned Botaniſt, for overlooking and regiſtering the curious Collection of Plants, which were then in that Garden; but, ſince the Death of that Queen, theſe Things have been ſo much neglected, that very few of the moſt curious Plants are now in Being there, which is much to be lamented; for, however the Taſte for this Part of Gardening may have with Reaſon been neglected by private Perſons, yet, ſurely, at a Royal Palace, all theſe Things ſhould be kept up in the utmoſt Magnificence, as an Encou⯑ragement to Ingenuity, and for the Honour of the Kingdom. This Taſte was, by Lewis XIV. of France, carried to a very great Height; and had the Perſons employed by that Prince been ſo well ac⯑quainted with the Conſtruction of theſe Conſerva⯑tories, as many of the Engliſh are at this Day, we [239] might have expected, in his Royal Gardens, to have ſeen moſt of the curious Plants in the known Parts of the World.

Here ſtand advanced, on Two Pedeſtals of Stone, Two Marble Vaſes, or Flower-pots, of exquiſite Workmanſhip; the one done by an Engliſhman, and the other by a German. 'Tis hard to ſay which is the beſt Performance, tho' the doing of it was a kind of Trial of Skill between them; but it gives us room, without any Partiality, to ſay they were both Maſters of their Art.

The Parterre on that Side deſcends from the Ter⯑race-walk by Steps, and on the Left a Terrace goes down to the Water-ſide, overlooking the Gar⯑den on the Eaſtward Front, and affords a moſt plea⯑ſant Proſpect.

This Part of the Garden was at firſt laid out in a Parterre of Scroll-work in Box, which was not only very coſtly at firſt making, but was alſo very ex⯑penſive in keeping conſtantly clipped; which, to⯑gether with the ill Scent, which frequently reached to the Royal Apartments, occaſioned its being de⯑moliſhed, and the Ground diſpoſed into another Form. And if at the ſame time all the ſhorn ever-green Trees had been thrown out, and a finer Diſpoſition made of the Ground, it would have much better correſponded with the noble Apartments which over⯑look it, than it does at preſent.

On the North Side of the Houſe, where the Chapel, and ſome Part of the old Buildings, required to be covered from View, the Ground was laid out in a Wilderneſs, with a Labyrinth ſurrounded by high Eſpalier Hedges; and this was, at that time, thought one of the fineſt diſpoſed Parts of the Gar⯑den. But as the whole Contrivance of the Plan⯑tations is in regular ſtrait Walks, bounded on each Side by tall clipped Hedges, which divide the whole Ground into angular Quarters, to every Perſon of [240] Taſte it muſt be very far from affording any Pleaſure, ſince nothing can be more diſagreeable than to be immured between Hedges, ſo as to have the Eye confined to a ſtrait Walk, and the Beauty of the Trees growing in the Quarters, intirely ſecluded from the Eye. And at the ſame time as you are walking in this unmeaning Plantation, you are denied the Benefit of Shade, by being confined to theſe regular Walks, where it would be deemed an unpardonable Fault, to ſuffer the neighbouring Trees to diffuſe their Branches over theſe ſhorn Hedges; ſo that, in the midſt of a Wood, a Perſon may faint for Shade in a ſultry Day, the Air being excluded from theſe Walks by the taller Trees in the Quarters; and pent up Air is much more troubleſome in hot Weather, than the Heat of the Sun in the moſt open expoſed Plain.

As this Wilderneſs lies oppoſite to Buſhy-park, ſo there was deſigned a grand Entrance thro' it to the Palace, fronting the Gates of the Park; where Two large Pillars were erected, to ſupport a mag⯑nificent Iron Gate, which was deſigned to have been put up there; but how it came to be left unfiniſhed, and the pitiful low Gates (which by no means cor⯑reſpond with the Pillars) put in the Place, I could never learn.

The Houſe itſelf is every way anſwerable on the Outſide to the beautiful Proſpect, and the Two Fronts are the largeſt, and, beyond Compariſon, the fineſt of the kind in England. The great Stairs go up from the ſecond Court of the Palace on the Right⯑hand, and lead you to the South Proſpect.

King William brought into England, and placed here in a Gallery, built purpoſely for them, the famous Cartoons, as they are called, which are Five Pieces of ſuch Paintings, as are not to be match'd in Eu⯑rope. It is reported, but with what Truth, I know not, that the late French King offer'd 100,000 Louis [241] d'Ors for theſe Pictures. The King brought a great many other fine Pieces to England, and from him the Love of fine Paintings ſo univerſally ſpread itſelf among the Nobility and Perſons of Figure all over the Kingdom, that it is incredible what Collections have been made by Engliſh Gentlemen ſince that Time; and how all Europe has been romaged, as we may ſay, for Pictures to bring over hither, where, for Twenty Years together, they brought in vaſt Profit to ſuch as collected them for Sale. But the Rates are abated ſince, and we are now glutted with the Copies and Frauds of the Dutch and Flemiſh Painters, who have impoſed groſly upon us.

Queen Mary lived not to ſee this Palace com⯑pletely finiſh'd; and, 'tis ſaid, King William de⯑ſign'd to have made it more capacious and noble, had he lived.

After the Death of King William, Hampton-Court ſeem'd in a manner neglected. It is an Ob⯑ſervation made by ſome, that Hampton Court has, ever ſince the Time of King Charles I. been fa⯑voured by every alternate Prince; King Charles I. delighting in Country Retirements, took great Plea⯑ſure here, and, had he liv'd, had purpoſed to im⯑prove it conſiderably; but it became at laſt one of his Priſons.

King Charles II. may well be ſaid to have a Diſ⯑like to the Place, for the Treatment his Royal Fa⯑ther met with there; and particularly as Cromwell afterwards made it his Summer Reſidence. He there⯑fore choſe Windſor, and beſtow'd a vaſt Sum in beau⯑tifying the Caſtle there, which brought it to the Perfection we ſee it in at this Day, ſome few Al⯑terations excepted, made in the Time of King Wil⯑liam.

King James took but little Delight in retired Palaces, his Bent and Taſte inclining another way. [242] But King William fix'd upon Hampton-Court, and improv'd it as before-mention'd.

Queen Anne being taken up for one Part of her Reign, in her kind Regards to the Prince her Spouſe, was obliged to conſult his Health, and reſide where that confin'd him, which for the moſt part was at Kenſington, where he died; but her Majeſty always diſcover'd her Delight for Windſor, where ſhe choſe the little Houſe, as 'twas call'd, oppoſite to the Caſtle, and frequently took the Air in her Chaiſe in the Parks and Foreſt.

In the Reign of King George I. Hampton-Court came into Requeſt again.

From Hampton-Court, I directed my Courſe for a Journey into the South-weſt Part of England; and, to take up my Beginning where I concluded my laſt, I croſs'd to Chertſey on the Thames, a Town I men⯑tion'd before; from whence croſſing the Black De⯑ſart of Bagſhot, I took in my Way to Hampſhire, Ockingham in Berkſhire, lying on the Skirts of Wind⯑ſor Foreſt: it is a pretty large Town, and has a well-frequented Market, and a good Market-houſe in the Middle. It is govern'd by an Alderman, Recorder and Burgeſſes, has a Free-ſchool, and like⯑wiſe an Hoſpital, with a Chaplain belonging to it. It carries on a good Trade in Silk Stockens and Cloth.

From hence I fell down towards Baſingſtoke, which is ſituate in the midſt of Woods, and rich fertile Paſtures: the Country round about is ſpread with the Houſes of the Nobility and Gentry. A little before we came to the Town, we paſs'd by a Houſe built out of the Ruins, and on the Scite of Old Baſing-houſe, a famous Fortreſs in the Time of the Civil Wars, belonging to the then Marquis of Wincheſter, Anceſtor of the Duke of Bolton.

[243]This Houſe, gariſon'd by a reſolute Band of old Soldiers, under the Command of the Marquis, was a great Curb to the Parliament Party throughout that whole War; till, after a vigorous Defence, it was taken, and the brave Marquis in it, by Crom⯑well, who, in Revenge for the obſtinate Reſiſtance it made, put almoſt all the Gariſon to the Sword, and burnt down the noble Fabrick to the Ground, which he ſaid was fitter for the Reſidence of an Emperor than a Subject. The preſent Houſe is in no wiſe equal to the Magnificence which Fame gives to the antient Houſe; whoſe Strength of Building was ſuch as to reſiſt the Battery of Cannon in ſeve⯑ral Attacks. 'Tis incredible what Booty the Gari⯑ſon of this Place pick'd up, lying, as they did, juſt on the great Weſtern Road, where they intercepted the Carriers, plunder'd the Waggons, and ſuffer'd nothing to paſs; to the great Interruption of the Trade of the City of London.

Baſingſtoke is a Corporation, and a large populous Town: it has a good Market for Corn, eſpe⯑cially Barley, as there are a great many Maltſters there. Some few Years ago a Manufacture of making Druggets and Shalloons, was ſet up here, and as ſucceſsfully carried on, which employs a great Num⯑ber of poor People.

Near this Town a bloody Battle was fought in 871, between the Saxons and Danes.

From this Town the great Weſtern Road goes on to Whitchurch, a mean Town, which however has a Market, and is govern'd by a Mayor. North-eaſt of which lyes Kingſclere, a pleaſant Market-town on the Oxford Road from Baſingſtoke. It was an⯑tiently famous for having been the Seat of the Saxon Kings, and from thence takes its Name.

But I had like to have forgot the famous Vin⯑domia, or Silcheſter, which is ſituated in Hants, [244] on the Borders of Berkſhire, and is famous for its An⯑tiquity.

Its Situation is very high, hid with Wood. Many were the Roman Roads which met here, tho' now ſcarce any; which is one Reaſon why 'tis ſo little known: another is its want of Inns for the Accom⯑modation of Travellers; for Aldermaſton, a pretty neat Village, beautifully ſituated, which is Three Miles diſtant, is the neareſt Town where Lodging is to be found. The Walls of this City are ſtanding, more or leſs perfect, quite round; perhaps the moſt intire in the Roman Empire, eſpecially the North⯑ſide, which is a moſt agreeable Sight. It is com⯑poſed of Flint and Rag-ſtone. There was a broad Ditch quite round, and now almoſt impaſſable, and full of Springs. Here-and-there Roman Bricks are left in the Walls. Tho' on the Outſide they are of a conſiderable Height, yet the Ground within is ſo raiſed, as nearly to be equal to the Top, and that quite round cover'd with Oaks, and other Timber⯑trees, of no mean Bulk. Conſtantius, the Son of Conſtantine the Great, is ſaid to have built it, and ſow'd Corn in the Track of the Walls, as an Omen of their Perpetuity. Now indeed the whole City is arable, and in the Fields Roman Bricks, and other Reliques, are ſcatter'd, and Coins daily found. It has only one Farm-houſe and a Church. The Reverend and Learned Mr. Betham, late Miniſter of this Place, is buried under the North Wall of the Chancel without-ſide; within is another Monu⯑ment of a Perſon of Quality. They both were drown'd in Fleet-ditch. A Spring riſes from under the Wall of the Church-yard.

Five hundred Feet without the City, on the North-eaſt Side, is a great Curioſity, which the Vul⯑gar think was a Caſtle, but in reality an Amphi⯑theatre, in all reſpects like that of Dorcheſter. This [245] noble Antiquity has from Time immemorial been a Yard for Cattle, and a Watering-pond; ſo that it is a Wonder their Trampling has not defaced it much more than it has. My Reſolution being to take in my Way what I had paſs'd by before, I was obliged to go off to the Left-hand, to Alresford and Wincheſter.

Alresford was a flouriſhing Market-town, and tho' it had no great Trade, and very little, if any, Ma⯑nufactures, yet, what is very remarkable, there was no Collection made in the Town for the Poor, nor any low enough to take Alms of the Pariſh.

But this happy Circumſtance, which ſo diſtin⯑guiſh'd Alresford from all her Neighbours, was brought to an End in 1710, when, by a ſudden and ſurpriſing Fire, the whole Town, with both the Church and Market-houſe, was reduced to a Heap of Rubbiſh; and, except a few poor Huts at the remoteſt Ends of the Town, not a Houſe left ſtand⯑ing. The Town is ſince very handſomely rebuilt, and the neighbouring Gentlemen contributed largely to the Relief of the People, eſpecially by ſending in Timber towards their Building.

Here is a very large Pond, or Lake of Water, kept up to a Head by a ſtrong Battre d'eau, or Dam, which, 'tis ſaid, was made by the Romans; and is part of the great Roman Highway, which leads from Wincheſter to Alton, and, as ſuppoſed, on to London, tho' we no-where ſee any Remains of it, except between Wincheſter and Alton, and chiefly between this Town and the laſt mention'd.

Near this Town, a little North-weſt, the Duke of Bolton has another Seat, which tho' not large, is a very handſome beautiful Palace, and the Gardens not only very exact, but very finely ſituate, the Pro⯑ſpect and Viſta's noble and great, and the Whole very well kept. His Grace has no leſs than Three Seats almoſt within Sight of one another, viz. Ab⯑botſtone, Baſing, and Hawkwood.

[246]From hence at the End of Seven Miles over the Downs, we come to the very antient City of Win⯑cheſter, called in Britiſh Caer Gwent, which ſigni⯑fies the white Town, from the chalky Hills near it. Not only the great Church, which is ſo famous all over Europe, and has been ſo much talk'd of, but even the whole City, has, at a Diſtance, a venerable and antient Face; and yet here are many modern Buildings too, and ſome very handſome; as the College Schools, with the Epiſcopal Palace, built by Biſhop Morley, ſince the Civil Wars; the old Palace of the Biſhop having been ruin'd by that known Church-Incendiary, Sir William Waller, and his Crew of Plunderers; who, if my Information is not wrong, deſtroy'd more Monuments of the Dead, and defac'd more Churches, than all the Round-heads in England beſide.

This Church, and the Schools alſo, are accurately deſcrib'd by ſeveral Writers, eſpecially by the Mo⯑naſticon, where their Antiquity and Original is fully ſet forth: the Outſide of the Church is as plain and coarſe, as if the Founders had abhorr'd Ornaments. There is neither Statue, nor a Niche for a Statue, to be ſeen on all the Outſide, no carv'd Work, no Spires, Towers, Pinacles, Baluſtrades, or any thing but mere Walls, Buttreſſes, Windows, and Quoins, neceſ⯑ſary to the Support and Order of the Building: it has no Steeple, but a ſhort Tower cover'd flat, as if the Top of it had fallen down, and it had been cover'd in haſte to keep the Rain out, till they had Time to build it up again.

But the Inſide of the Church has many very good things in it, and worth Obſervation; it was for ſome Ages the Burying-place of many Engliſh, Saxon, and Norman Kings; whoſe Remains the im⯑pious Soldiers, in the Civil Wars, threw againſt the painted Glaſs. The Reliques of ſome of theſe, at the Repair of the Church, were collected by Biſhop [247] Fox, and, being put together into Six large wooden Cheſts, lin'd with Lead, were again interr'd at the Foot of the great Wall in the Choir, Three on one Side, and Three on the other; with an Account whoſe Bones are in each Cheſt, viz. Rufus, Egbert, Adulphus, Edredus, Edmundus, Canutus, and thoſe of Queen Emma. Queen Mary was here marry'd to Philip of Spain. The Chair uſed in that Cere⯑mony is ſtill preſerv'd. In the Body of the Church is a pretty Croſs of Gothick Workmanſhip, but ill repair'd. The Steps aſcending to the Choir make a fine Shew, having the Statues of King James I. and his Son Charles, in Copper, finely caſt; the firſt on the Right-hand, and the other on the Left, as you go up to the Choir.

The Choir is ſaid to be the longeſt in England. The Ornaments of the Choir are the Effects of the Bounty of ſeveral Biſhops; the fine Altar (the no⯑bleſt in England by much) was given by Biſhop Mor⯑ley; the Roof, and the Coat of Arms of the Saxon and Norman Kings, by Biſhop Fox; and the fine Throne for the Biſhop in the Choir, was given by Biſhop Mew in his Life-time; and it was well it was; for if he had order'd it by Will, there is Rea⯑ſon to believe it had never been done: that Reverend Prelate, notwithſtanding he enjoy'd ſo rich a Bi⯑ſhoprick, ſcarce leaving Money enough behind him to pay for his Coffin.

There are a great many Perſons of Rank buried in this Church, beſides the Saxon Kings mention'd above; particularly, here lies, as they told us, un⯑der a grey Marble, Lucius, the firſt Chriſtian King of this Iſland, who dy'd 180 Years after Chriſt; and, as is pretended, founded the Church where the Cathedral now ſtands. There are alſo the Monuments of Biſhop Fox, Founder of Corpus Chriſti College, Oxon; Biſhop Wainfleet, Founder of Magdalen Col⯑lege, in the ſame Univerſity; in Regard to whoſe [248] Memory the ſaid College keep his Monument in neat Repair. He is repreſented lying at length with a Heart in his Hand. The Tomb of William of Wickham, the magnificent Founder of this Cathe⯑dral, very richly gilt. Juſt under the Altar lies a Son of William the Conqueror, without any Monu⯑ment; and behind the Altar, under a very fine Mo⯑nument, lies the famous Lord Treaſurer Weſton, Earl of Portland, Lord High Treaſurer of England in the Reign of King Charles I. His Effigies is in Copper Armour, at full Length, with his Head rais'd on Three Cuſhions of the ſame, and is a very magnificent Work. There is alſo a very fine Monu⯑ment of Cardinal Beaufort, in his Cardinal's Robes and Hat.

The Monument of Sir John Cloberry deſerves Notice more for his Story, than for any thing ex⯑traordinary in the Figure. This Gentleman was the Perſon ſolely entruſted with the Secret of the Re⯑ſtoration of King Charles II. as the Meſſenger that paſs'd between General Monk on one hand, and Mr. Montague, and others intruſted by King Cha. II. on the other; by which Service Sir John, then a private Muſqueteer only, raiſed himſelf to the Ho⯑nour of a Knight, with the Reward of a good Eſtate from the Bounty of the King.

It may not be amiſs to ſay a Word or two of the famous William of Wickham, who built the Body of the Church.

He was a Courtier before a Biſhop; and tho' he had no large Share of Learning, he was a great Pro⯑moter of it: his natural Genius was much beyond his acquired Parts, and his Skill in Politicks beyond his Eccleſiaſtick Knowledge. He is ſaid to have put his Maſter, King Edward III. to whom he was Secretary of State, upon the Two great Projects which made his Reign ſo glorious; viz. (1.) Upon ſetting up his Claim to the Crown of France, which [249] brought on the War with France, in which that Prince was three times victorious in Battle. (2.) Upon inſtituting the Order of the Garter; in which he obtain'd the Honour for the Biſhops of Winche⯑ſter to be always Prelates of the Order, as an Ap⯑pendix to the Biſhoprick; and he himſelf was the firſt: the Enſigns of that Honour are join'd with his Epiſcopal Ornaments, in the robing of his Effi⯑gies on the Monument above.

To the great Honour of this Biſhop there are other Foundations of his, as much to his Fame as that of this Church, of which I ſhall ſpeak in their Places, but particularly the College in this City, which is a noble Foundation indeed. The Building conſiſts of Two large Courts, in which are the Lodgings for the Maſters and Seventy Scholars, and in the Centre a very noble Chapel; beyond that, in the ſecond Court, are the Schools, with a large Cloiſter beyond them, and ſome Incloſures laid open for the Diverſion of the Scholars. There alſo is a great Hall, where the Scholars dine. In the Chapel Window belonging to the College is good painted Glaſs of Imagery. In the middle of the Cloiſters is the Library, a ſtrong Stone Building, well contriv'd to prevent Fire.

In digging the Foundation of a Houſe near the College, in a Stone Coffin, was found a Stone ſet in a Gold Ring, with this Inſcription in very odd Cha⯑racters; ſuppoſed to be about the Sixth Century, Domino Comite fidele meo, i. e. The Lord being my Guide and faithful Companion.

Over the Door of the School ſtands a very good Statue of the Founder, made by Cibber, whoſe Workmanſhip are the two excellent Figures over Bethlehem-gate, the Father of that excellent Come⯑dian Colley Cibber, Poet-Laureat.

The Scholars have Exhibitions at a certain time of Continuance here, if they pleaſe to ſtudy, in [250] the new College at Oxford, built by the ſame noble Benefactor.

The Clergy here live very elegantly in the Cloſe belonging to the Cathedral; where, beſides the Bi⯑ſhop's Palace, mentioned above, are very good Houſes, and very handſomely built, for the Preben⯑daries, Canons, and other Dignitaries of this Church: The Deanry is a very pleaſant Dwelling, the Gar⯑dens are large, and the River runs thro' them; but the Floods in Winter ſometimes much incommode them.

This School has fully anſwer'd the End of the Founder, who, tho' he was no great Scholar, reſolv'd to erect a Houſe for making the Ages to come more learned than thoſe that went before; and many learned and great Men have been edu⯑cated here.

As the City ſtands in a Vale on the Bank, and at the Conjunction of Two ſmall Rivers, ſo the Coun⯑try riſing every way, but juſt as the Courſe of the Water keeps the Valley open, you muſt neceſſarily, as you go out of the Gates, go up Hill every way: but when once aſcended, you come to the moſt charming Plains, and moſt pleaſant Country of that Kind in England; which continues, with very ſmall Interſections of Rivers and Valleys, for above Fifty Miles, as I ſhall obſerve more particularly in the Sequel of this Journey.

At the Weſt Gate of this City was antiently a Caſtle, in which, 'tis ſaid, the Saxon Kings kept their Court, which however is doubtful, and muſt be meant of the Weſt-Saxons only. As to the Tale of King Arthur's round Table, and his Two Dozen of Knights, which Table being one Piece of Wood, ſupported by Marble Pillars, they ſtill ſhew in the Town-hall, ſaid to be Part of the ſaid Caſtle, as a Piece of Antiquity of 1200 Years ſtanding, and has, as they pretend, the Names of the ſaid Knights in [251] Saxon Characters, and yet ſuch as no Man can read: all this Story I ſee no Ground to give the leaſt Credit to.

Where this Caſtle was ſaid to ſtand, the late King Charles II. mark'd out a very noble Deſign; which, had he lived, would certainly have made that Part of the Country the Reſort of the Quality and Gentry of all Parts of the Kingdom; for the Country hereabout far exceeds that of Newmarket-heath, for all kinds of Sport and Diverſion.

The Building was ſo far proſecuted, that the Front next the City was carried up to the Roof, and cover'd; but what was further intended was not proceeded on. There was a Street of Houſes de⯑ſigned from the Gate of the Palace down to the Town, but it was never begun to be built; the Park mark'd out was exceeding large, near Ten Miles in Circumference, and ended Weſt upon the open Downs, in View of Stockbridge.

This Houſe, with a Royal Revenue, was after⯑wards ſettled by Parliament, as an Appenage upon Prince George of Denmark for his Life, in caſe he had out-liv'd the Queen: but his Royal Highneſs dying before her Majeſty, all Hope of ſeeing this Deſign perfected, or the Houſe finiſh'd, is now va⯑niſh'd. And his late Majeſty King George I. made a Preſent to the Duke of Bolton of the fine Pillars of Italian Marble, which were to have ſupported its Stair-caſe.

There are ſeveral other publick Edifices in this City, and in the Neighbourhood, which I have not Room to deſcribe, as the Hoſpitals, and Building adjoining near the Eaſt-gate. Towards the North is a Piece of an old Monaſtery undemoliſh'd, and which is ſtill preſerv'd to the Religion, being the Reſidence of ſome private Roman Catholick Gentlemen, where they have an Oratory, and, as they ſay, live ſtill ac⯑cording to the Rules of St. Benedict. This Building is call'd Hide-houſe; and as they live very uſefully, [252] and to the higheſt Degree obliging among their Neighbours, they meet with no Obſtruction from any body.

Beyond the River Eaſtward is a high Hill call'd St. Giles's, from an Hoſpital whoſe Ruins only are now viſible; and a Church-yard ſeeming to have been a Camp, beſides the Marks of Baſtions, and Works of Fortifications in the modern Style. Here Waltheof, Earl of Northumberland and Huntingdon, was beheaded by Order of King William I. whoſe Body was carried to Crowland, and ſaid to work Mi⯑racles.

Wincheſter is a Place of no Trade, other than is naturally occaſion'd by the Inhabitants of the City, and neighbouring Villages, one with another: here is no Manufacture, no Navigation; there was in⯑deed an Attempt to make the River navigable from Southampton, and it was once made practicable; but it never anſwered the Expence, ſo as to give En⯑couragement to the Undertakers to keep it up.

Here is a great deal of good Company; and Abundance of Gentry being in the Neighbourhood, it adds to the Sociableneſs of the Place: the Clergy alſo here, are, generally ſpeaking, rich, and very numerous.

The magnificent Hoſpital called Holy-croſs, on the South of this City, at a Mile's Diſtance on the Road to Southampton, is worth Notice: it was founded by Biſhop Blois. The Church is in the Form of a Croſs, and has a large ſquare Tower. Every Traveller, that knocks at the Door of this Houſe, in his Way, and aſks for it, claims the Relief of a Piece of white Bread, and a Cup of Beer; and this Donation is ſtill continued. A Quantity of good Beer is ſet apart every Day to be given away; and what is left is diſtributed to other Poor, but none of it kept to next Day.

[253]How the Revenues of this Hoſpital, which ſhould maintain the Maſter, and Thirty private Gentlemen, whom they call Fellows, but ought to call Brothers, are now reduced to maintain only Fourteen, while the Maſter lives in a Figure equal to the beſt Gen⯑tleman in the County, would be well worth the Inquiry of a proper Viſitor, if ſuch can be nam'd. 'Tis a Thing worthy of Notice, when publick Charities, deſign'd for the Relief of the Poor, are imbezzled by the Rich, and turn'd to the Support of Luxury and Pride.

An Infirmary is eſtabliſh'd lately in this Town, by voluntary Subſcription, after the laudable Examples of thoſe of St. James's Weſtminſter, and St. George's at Hyde-Park Corner, and has met with great Succeſs, being principally owing to the Zeal and Pains of the Reverend Doctor Alured Clarke. I have not room to ſay all that might be ſaid on this Head, and ſo muſt refer you to the Account given by the Doctor, of the Riſe and Progreſs, Rules and Orders, of this excellent Inſtitution.

I made an Excurſion from Wincheſter, to ſee the antient Town of Romſey, noted for its delightful Situation, having all round it Woods, Corn-fields, Meadows and Paſtures. The River, and Rivulets, which are many, have a rapid Courſe. The Town was queſtionleſs Roman, and its Name declares as much. The Church is a noble Pile of Architecture, arch'd with Stone, in Form of a Croſs, with Semi-circu⯑lar Chapels in the upper Angles. The Churches hereabouts called Minſters, as Wimburn-minſter, in the neighbouring County of Dorſet, were built by the Saxon Kings, as ſoon as they became Chriſtian. At the Weſt-end is the Piece of an old Wall, pro⯑bably belonging to the Nunnery built here by King Edgar.

[254]Returning to Wincheſter we ſtruck up North-weſt and came to Stokebridge, a poor ſorry Borough Town, noted for its Corruption in electing Members of Par⯑liament, and being a great Thorough-fare on the South-weſtern Road: it has however a great many good Inns, and as well provided as any on that Road, tho' it has no Market.

The ingenious Sir Richard Steele once repreſented this Town in Parliament; and tho' he was power⯑fully oppoſed, yet carried his Election by a Stra⯑tagem, which made all the Women of his Side: Hav⯑ing made a great Entertainment for the Burgeſſes and their Wives, and after having been very free and facetious among them, he took up a large Ap⯑ple, and ſtuck it full of Guineas, and declared it the Prize of that Man, whoſe Wife ſhould be firſt brought to-bed after that Day Nine Months. This occaſioned a great deal of Mirth, and what with the Entertainment, and with the Hopes of getting the Prize, the good Women prevailed on their Huſ⯑bands to vote for Sir Richard, whom they to this Day commemorate; and, as it is ſaid, once made a ſtrong Puſh to get a ſtanding Order of the Corpora⯑tion made, that no Man ſhould be received as a Can⯑didate for that Borough, who did not offer himſelf upon the ſame Terms.

Still riſing Northward, we arriv'd at Andover, a Mayor, Market and Borough Town, and alſo noted for being a great Thorough-fare on the direct Weſtern Road, as well from Newbury to Saliſbury, as from London to Taunton, and all the manufacturing Towns of Somerſetſhire, whereby it is greatly inriched, and is a thriving, handſome, well built and populous Town. It is very healthy and pleaſantly ſituated juſt on the Borders of thoſe Downs, which are commonly, tho' not properly called Saliſbury-plain. Near this Town is a Village called Weyhill, where the open Down Country begins; and here upon theſe Downs [255] is the famous Weyhill, where the greateſt Fair for Sheep in the Nation is kept; and principally of Ewes for Store-ſheep for the Farmers of the Counties of Berks, Oxford, Bucks, Bedford, Hert⯑ford, Middleſex, Kent, Surrey and Suſſex, who ſend for them to this Place.

From Andover we bent our Way towards Wilt⯑ſhire, by Quarley-hills, on the Weſt-ſide of which are the Remains of a great Fortification, conſiſting of two outward Trenches, and other Works of great Strength; and then entering that County, and leaving Luggerſhall (a ſmall Hamlet-town, noted only for having been formerly the Caſtle of Jeoffrey Fitzpiers, on the North of us, we came to Ambreſbury, a very antient Town, pretty large, ſtanding on the River Avon, and having ſeveral good Inns, but its Market is much decayed, and almoſt diſcontinued. It is ſaid to have taken its Name from Ambrius, who founded here a Monaſtery of Benedictines, long before the coming in of the Saxons, who deſtroyed it, or from Aurelius Ambroſe, a Bri⯑tiſh Prince, who rebuilt it, and fill'd it with 300 Monks, to pray for the Souls of thoſe noble Britons who were ſlain by the Treachery of the perfidious Hengiſt, the Saxon, who maſſacred here 300 of the antient Britiſh Nobility, in cold Blood, whom he had invited with their King Vortigern, to meet him there without Arms, to treat of a League of Amity, and rejoice together.

The treacherous Saxon ſav'd only the King, whom he obliged to give him near a Third of his King⯑dom Eaſtward, before he would ſet him at Liberty.

The Monaſtery at Ambreſbury was converted into a Nunnery, and Eleanor, King Henry III.'s Queen retir'd and dy'd here; whoſe Example induced the Princeſs Mary, King Edward's ſecond Daughter, and Thirteen Noblemens Daughters, to take the Veil together in this Houſe.

[256]The ſtupendous Piece of Antiquity called Stone-henge, deſerves our particular Notice; and I ſhall therefore borrow from Dr. Stukeley's Piece lately publiſhed, intituled, Stone-henge, a Temple reſtored to the Britiſh Druids, the following brief Account and Deſcription of it, referring to that elaborate Performance itſelf (which well deſerves the Atten⯑tion of the Learned and Curious) for a more ſatiſ⯑factory Account, and for the Doctor's Reaſons for his Hypotheſis, which we think he has made out with as much Certainty, as the Nature of the Subject will admit.

The Wiltſhire Downs, or Saliſbury-Plain, as this Gentleman obſerves, is one of the moſt delightful Spots in Britain; and Stone-henge, by the extravagant Grandeur of the Work, has attracted the Admira⯑tion of all Ages. Mr. Camden himſelf ſays of it, That he was grieved, that the Founders of it could not be traced out: but Dr. Stukeley has very happily made it more than probable, that it was a Temple of the Britiſh Druids, and (the Cathedral, as it may be called) the chief of all their Temples in this Iſland.

The Stones of which it was compoſed are not factitious; for that would have been a greater Won⯑der, than to bring them together to the Place where they are; but undoubtedly were brought Fifteen or Sixteen Miles off, prodigious as they are, from thoſe called the Grey Weathers, near Abury on Marlbo⯑rough Downs, all the greater Stones, except the Altar, being of that ſort; for that, being deſigned to reſiſt Fire, is of a ſtill harder kind; 'tis a Com⯑poſition of Cryſtals of red, green, and white Co⯑lours, cemented by Nature with opaque Granules, of flinty or ſtony Matter. The Stone at the upper End of the Cell, which is fallen down and broken in half, the Doctor tells us, weighs above Forty Tons, and would require above 140 Oxen to draw [257] it, and yet is not the heavieſt Stone neither. Judge then what a ſtupendous Labour it was to bring toge⯑ther, ſo many Miles, ſuch a Number as were uſed here; and this has induced many inconſiderate Peo⯑ple to imagine, that the Founders had an Art of making Stone, which has been loſt for ſo many Ages.

The preſent Name is Saxon, tho' the Work is be⯑yond all Compariſon older, ſignifying a hanging Rod or Pole, i. e. a Gallows, from the hanging Parts, Architraves, or rather Impoſts; and pendulous Rocks are ſtill in Yorkſhire called Henges. But the an⯑tient Name was moſt probably the Ambres, for which our learned Author, to whom we refer, gives very ſatisfactory Reaſons; and hence the adjacent Town of Ambreſbury, which I have taken Notice of, has its Name.

Stone-henge ſtands not upon the Summit of a Hill, but near it, however: at half a Mile Diſtance the Appearance is awful; but as you come up the Ave⯑nue, in the North-eaſt of it, which Side is moſt perfect, the Greatneſs of its Contour fills the Eye in an aſtoniſhing manner. It is incloſed in a circular Ditch, which having paſſed, we aſcend Thirty-five Yards before we come at the Work. The Stones are chiſſell'd, and far from rude, tho' not cut to that Preciſeneſs as the Ruins in Old Rome, and the In⯑ſide of them had more Pains taken with them then the Outſide; for ſo, as our Author obſerves, the polite Architects of the Eaſtern World were wont to do; not like our London Builders, who carve every Moulding, and croud every Ornament they borrow from Books, on the Outſide of the publick Structures, that they may the more commodiouſly gather the Duſt and Smoke.

When you enter the Building, whether on Foot or Horſeback, and caſt your Eyes around upon the yawning Ruins, you are ſtruck into an ecſtatick Re⯑verie, [258] which no one can deſcribe, and they only can be ſenſible of, who feel it. Other Buildings fall by piece-meal, but here a ſingle Stone is a Ruin. Yet is there as much undemoliſh'd as enables us ſuf⯑ficiently to recover its Form when in its moſt perfect State. When we advance farther, the dark Part of the ponderous Impoſts over our Heads, the Chaſms of Sky between the Jambs of the Cell, the odd Conſtru⯑ction of the Whole, and the Greatneſs of every Part, ſurpriſes. If you look upon the perfect Part, you fanſy intire Quarries mounted up into the Air; if upon the rude Havock below, you ſee, as it were, the Bowels of a Mountain turn'd inſide out.

The whole Work, being of a circular Form, is about 108 Feet in Diameter, from out to out. The Intention of the Founders was this: the whole Circle was to conſiſt of Thirty Stones, each Stone to be ^* Four Cubits broad, each Interval Two Cubits; Thirty times Four Cubits is twice Sixty: Thirty times Two Cubits is Sixty; ſo that thrice Sixty Cubits completes a Circle, whoſe Diameter is Sixty. A Stone being Four Cubits broad, and Two thick, is double the Interval, which is a Square of Two Cu⯑bits. Change the Places between the Stones and their Intervals, and it will make a good Ground-plot for a circular Portico of Greek or Roman Work. Tho' theſe Bodies of Stone, which are in the Nature of Impoſts or Cornices, never had, or were intended to have, any Mouldings upon them, like Greek and Roman Works, they are wrought perfectly plain, and ſuitable to the Stones that ſupport them; and the Chiſſeling of the upright Stones is only above Ground; for the Four or Five Feet in Length below Ground, is left in the original natural Form. The upright Stones are made very judiciouſly to diminiſh a little [259] every way; ſo that at-top they are but Three Cu⯑bits and a half broad, and ſo much nearer as to ſuf⯑fer their Impoſts to meet a little over the Heads of the Uprights, both within-ſide and without; by which means the Uprights are leſs liable to fall or ſwerve.

It is to be fear'd ſome indiſcreet People have been digging about the great Entrance, with ridiculous Hopes of finding Treaſure, and ſo have looſen'd the chalky Foundation; for the upper Edge of the Im⯑poſt overhangs no leſs than Two Feet Seven Inches, which is very conſiderable in a Height of Eighteen. The whole Breadth at the Foundation is but Two Feet and an half; and this noble Front is now chiefly kept up by the Maſonry of the Mortaiſe, and Tendon of the Impoſts.

The Contrivance of the Founders in making Mor⯑taiſes and Tenons between the upright Stones and the Impoſts, is admirable; but ſo contrary to any Practice of the Romans, that it alone overſets their Claim to the Work. Theſe Tenons and Mortaifes of this outer Circle are round, and fit one another very aptly. They are Ten Inches and one half in Diameter, and reſemble half an Egg, rather than an Hemiſphere, and ſo effectually keep both Uprights and Impoſts from Luxation, that they muſt have been thrown down with great Difficulty and Labour. The whole Height of Upright and Impoſt is Ten Cubits and an half; the Upright, Nine; the Impoſt over the grand Entrance is in its middle Length Eleven Feet Ten Inches, and ſo is larger than the reſt, and it is alſo a little broader, meaſuring on the Inſide.

Of the outer Circle of Stone-henge, which in its Perfection conſiſted of Sixty Stones, Thirty Up⯑rights, and Thirty Impoſts, there are Seventeen Uprights left ſtanding, Eleven of which remain con⯑tinuous by the grand Entrance, Five Impoſts upon them. One Upright at the Back of the Temple, leans upon a Stone of the inner Circle. There are [260] Six more lying upon the Ground, whole or in Pieces, ſo that Twenty-four out of Thirty are ſtill viſible at the Place. There is but one Impoſt more in its proper Place, and but Two lying upon the Ground; ſo that Twenty-two are carry'd off. Hence our Author infers, this Temple was not defac'd when Chriſtianity prevailed; but that ſome rude Hands carried the Stones away for other Uſes. So much for the larger Circle of Stones with Impoſts.

As to the leſſer Circle, which never had any Im⯑poſts, it is ſomewhat more than Eight Feet from the Inſide of the outward one, and conſiſts of Forty leſſer Stones, forming, with the outward Circles, as it were, a circular Portico, a moſt beautiful Work, and of a pretty Effect; they are flat Parallelograms, as thoſe of the outer Circle; and their general and deſign'd Proportion is Two Cubits, or Two and an half, as ſuitable Stones were found. They are a Cubit thick, and Four and one half high, which is more than Seven Feet; this was their ſtated Propor⯑tion, being every way the half of the upper Uprights. Theſe Stones are of a harder Compoſition than the reſt, as the better to reſiſt Violence, as they are leſſer, and they have ſufficient Faſtenings in the Ground. There are but Nineteen of the Forty left; but Eleven of them are ſtanding in ſitu, Five in one Place contiguous, Three in another, Two in another.

The Walk between theſe Two Circles, which is 300 Feet in Circumference, is very noble, and very delightful.

The Adytum, or Cell, into which we may ſup⯑poſe none but the upper Order of Druids were to enter, is compoſed of certain Compages of Stones, which our Author calls Trilithons, becauſe made each of two upright Stones, with an Impoſt at top, and there are manifeſtly Five of theſe remaining; Three of which are intire, Two are ruin'd, in ſome mea⯑ſure, but the Stones remain in ſitu. It is a magni⯑ficent [261] Niche Twenty-ſeven Cubits long, and as much broad, meaſuring in the wideſt Place. The Stones that compoſe it, are really ſtupendous; their Height, Breadth, and Thickneſs are enormous, and to ſee ſo many of them placed together in a nice and critical Figure, with Exactneſs; to conſider, as it were, not a Pillar of one Stone, but a whole Wall, a Side, an End of a Temple, of one Stone; to view them curiouſly, create ſuch a Motion in the Mind as Words cannot expreſs. One very remarkable Par⯑ticular in the Conſtitution of this Adytum, has eſcap'd all Obſervers before our Author, which is this: as this Part is compoſed of Trilithons ſet two and two on each Side, and one right before, they riſe in Height and Beauty of the Stones, from the lower End of the Adytum to the upper End. That is, the two hithermoſt Trilithons correſponding, or thoſe next the grand Entrance, on the Right-hand, and on the Left, are exceeded in Height by the Two next in Order; and thoſe are exceeded by that be⯑hind the Altar, in the upper End of this Choir; and their Heights reſpectively are Thirteen Cubits, Four⯑teen Cubits, Fifteen Cubits.

The Impoſts of theſe are all of the ſame Height, and Ten Cubits may be ſuppoſed their medium Mea⯑ſure in Length. The Artifice of the Tenons and Mortaiſes of theſe Trilithons and their Impoſts, what Conformity they bear to that of the outer Circle, is exceedingly pretty, every thing being done very geometrically, and as would beſt anſwer every Purpoſe from plain and ſimple Principles; and 'tis wonderful, that in the Management of ſuch prodi⯑gious Stones as theſe are, fix'd in the Ground, and ramm'd in like Poſts, there is not more Variation in the Height, Diſtance, &c.

Of theſe greater Stones of the Adytum, as is ob⯑ſerved before, there are none wanting, being all on the Spot, Ten Uprights, and Five Cornices. The [262] Trilithon firſt on the Left-hand is intire in ſitu, but vaſt⯑ly decay'd, eſpecially the Cornice, in which ſuch deep Holes are corroded, that in ſome Places the Daws make their Neſts in them. The next Trilithon on the Left is intire, compoſed of three moſt beautiful Stones. The Cornice, happening to be of a very du⯑rable Engliſh Marble, has not been much impair'd by the Weather. Our Author took a Walk on the Top of it, but thought it a frightful Situation. The Trilithon of the upper End was an extraordinary Beauty; but probably, thro' the Indiſcretion of ſome body digging between them and the Altar, the noble Impoſt is diſlodg'd from its airy Seat, and fallen upon the Altar, where its huge Bulk lies unfractur'd. The Two Uprights that ſupported it, are the moſt delicate Stones of the whole Work. They were, our Author thinks, above Thirty Feet long, and well chiſſell'd, finely taper'd and proportion'd in their Dimenſions. That Southward is broken in two, lying upon the Altar. The other ſtill ſtands intire; but leans upon one of the Stones of the inward Oval; the Root-end, or unhewn Part of both, is raiſed ſome⯑what above Ground. The Trilithon towards the Weſt is intire, except that ſome of the End of the Impoſt is fallen clean off, and all the upper Edge is very much diminiſh'd by time. The laſt Trilithon, on the Right-hand of the Entrance into the Adytum, has ſuffer'd much. The outer Upright, being the Jamb of the Entrance, is ſtill ſtanding; the other Upright and Impoſt are both fallen forwards into the Adytum, and broke each into Three Pieces, as ſup⯑poſed, from digging near it. That which is ſtand⯑ing has a Cavity in it, which Two or Three Perſons may [...]it in warm from the Weather.

Stone-henge is compoſed of Two Circles and Two Ovals, reſpectively concentrick. The Stones that form theſe Ovals riſe in Height as nearer the upper End of the Adytum; and their mediate Meaſure is [263] Four Cubits and Four Palms. They are of a much harder Kind than the larger Stones in the leſſer Cir⯑cle; the Founders no doubt intending, that their leſſer Bulk ſhould be compenſated by Solidity. Of theſe there are only Six remaining upright; the Stumps of Two are left on the South-ſide by the Altar; one lies behind the Altar dug up, or thrown down, by the Fall of the Upright there. One or Two were pro⯑bably thrown down by the Fall of the Upright of the firſt Trilithon on the Right-hand; a Stump of an⯑other remains by the Upright there ſtill ſtanding.

The whole Number of Stones may be thus com⯑puted. The great Oval conſiſts of Ten Uprights; the inner with the Altar of Twenty; the great Cir⯑cle of Thirty; the inner of Forty, which are One hundred upright Stones; Five Impoſts of the great Oval; Thirty of the great Circle; the Two Stones on the Bank of the Area; the Stone lying within the Entrance of the Area, and that ſtanding without; there ſeems to be another lying on the Ground, by the Vallum of the Court, directly oppoſite to the Entrance of the Avenue: all added together make juſt One hundred and forty Stones, the Number of which Stone-henge, a whole Temple, is compoſed. Behold the Solution of the mighty Problem! the magical Spell, which has ſo long perplex'd the Vulgar, is broken! They think it an ominous thing to count the true Number of the Stones, and whoever does ſo ſhall certainly die after it!

As to the Altar, it is laid toward the upper End of the Adytum, at preſent flat on the Ground, and ſqueez'd into it, as it were, by the Weight of the Ruins upon it. 'Tis a kind of blue coarſe Marble, ſuch as comes from Derbyſhire, and laid upon Tombs in our Churches and Church-yards. Our Author believes its Breadth is Two Cubits Three Palms, and that its firſt intended Length was Ten Cubits, equal to the Breadth of the Trilithon, before which it lies. [264] But it is very difficult to come at its true Length. 'Tis Twenty Inches thick, a juſt Cubit, and has been ſquar'd. It lies between the two Centres, that of the Compaſſes and that of the String; leaving a con⯑venient Space quite round it, no doubt as much as was neceſſary for this Miniſtration.

The Heads of Oxen, Deer, and other Beaſts have been found upon digging in and about Stone-henge, undoubted Reliques of Sacrifices, together with Wood-aſhes. Mr. Camden ſays, Mens Bones have been found hereabouts; he means in the adjacent Bar⯑rows, and ſuch our Author ſaw thrown out by the Rabbets, which have been brought hither of late Years, and by their burrowing threaten theſe noble Ruins; as the greedy Plough more and more invades the neigh⯑bouring Plain.

But eternally, as he obſerves, is to be lamented the Loſs of that Tablet of Tin, which was found at this Place in the Time of Henry VIII. inſcribed with many Letters; but in ſo ſtrange a Character, that neither Sir Thomas Elliot, a learned Antiquary, nor Mr. Lilly, Firſt High Maſter of St. Paul's School, could make any thing out of; and which, no doubt, was a Memorial of the Founders, written by the Druids; and had it been preſerv'd till now, would have been an invaluable Curioſity.

In the Year 1635, as they were plowing by the Barrows about Normanton-Ditch, they found ſo large a Quantity of excellent Pewter, as, at a low Price, they ſold for Five Pounds. There are ſeveral of theſe Ditches, being very narrow, which run acroſs the Downs, which perhaps are Boundaries of Hun⯑dreds, Pariſhes, &c. Theſe Pewter Plates might very poſſibly have been Tablets, with Inſcriptions; but falling into ſuch rude Hands, they could no more diſcern the Writing, than interpret it. No doubt, ſays Dr. Stukeley, this was ſome of the old Britiſh Stan⯑num, which the Tyrian Hercules, ſurnam'd Melcar⯑thus, [265] firſt brought ex Caſſiteride Inſula, or Britain: Which Hercules lived in Abraham's Time, or ſoon after.

Mr. Webb tells us, the Duke of Buckingham dug about Stone-henge, perhaps much to the Prejudice of the Work. Mr. Webb alſo did the like, and found what he imagined was the Corner of a Thuribulum.

Mr. Hayward, late Owner of Stone-henge, like⯑wiſe dug about it, and found Heads of Oxen, and other Beaſts Bones, and nothing elſe.

Dr. Stukeley himſelf, in 1723, dug on the Inſide of the Altar, about the middle, Four Feet along the Edge of the Stone, Six Feet forward toward the mid⯑dle of the Adytum: at a Foot deep he came to the ſolid Chalk, mix'd with Flints, which had never been ſtirr'd. The Altar was exactly a Cubit-thick, i. e. Twenty Inches Four-fifths, but broken in Two or Three Pieces by the ponderous Maſſes of the Impoſts, and one upright Stone of that Trilithon, which ſtood at the upper End of the Adytum, being fallen upon it. Hence appears the Commodiouſneſs of the Founda⯑tion for this huge Work! They dug Holes in the ſo⯑lid Chalk, which would of itſelf keep up the Stones as firm as if a Wall was built round them; and no doubt but they ramm'd up the Interſtices with Flints. But he ſays, he had too much Regard to the Work, to dig any-where near the Stones. He took up an Ox's Tooth above Ground, without the Adytum, on the Right-hand of the lowermoſt Trilithon Northward.

The Time our Author aſſigns for the building of Stone-henge is not long after Cambyſes's Invaſion of Egypt; when he committed ſuch horrid Outrages there, and made ſuch diſmal Havock with the Prieſts and Inhabitants in general, that they diſperſed them⯑ſelves to all the Parts of the World; ſome as far as the Eaſt-Indies; and ſome, it is not queſtioned, as far Weſtward, into Britain, and introduced ſome of their Learning, Arts and Religion among the Druids, [266] and perhaps had a Hand in this very Work, the only one where the Stones are chiſſell'd; all other Works of theirs being of rude Stones, untouch'd of the Tool, exactly after the Patriarchal and Jewiſh Mode, and therefore older than this; and this Conjecture is the more probable, becauſe, at the time mention'd, the Phoenician Trade was at its Height, which afforded a readier Conveyance hither. This was before the ſe⯑cond Temple at Jeruſalem was built; before the Grecians had any Hiſtory.

For farther Particulars of this ſtupendous Work, and other curious Matters relating and adjacent to it (ſuch as its Antiquity before the Time of the Belgae, the Romans, the Saxons, and Danes; of the Wanſ⯑dike; of Veſpaſian's Camp at Ambresbury; the Intro⯑duction of the Druids into Britain, which he puts about Abraham's Time; its antient Name, [the Am⯑bres]; the Water Vaſes of Stone-henge; the Avenue to it; the Curſus); we muſt refer our Readers to the Work itſelf, having already exceeded the narrow Bounds to which the Nature of our Deſign confines us. But this we may add, that doubtleſs they had ſome Method in former Days, in foreign Countries, as well as here, to move heavier Weights than we now find practicable. How elſe did Solomon's Work⯑men build the Battlement, or additional Wall, to ſupport the Precipice of Mount-Moriah, on which the Temple was erected; which was all built of Pa⯑rian Marble, each Stone being Forty Cubits long, Fourteen broad, and Eight Cubits thick. And ſo much for this celebrated Temple of Stone-henge.

We ſhall now proceed to give ſome Account of the famous Barrows on theſe Downs, and we ſhall borrow from the ſame learned Author, the following curious Particulars relating to them.

The Tops of all the Hills, or rather eaſy Eleva⯑tions, round Stone-henge, are in a manner cover'd over with th [...]ſe Barrows, which make an agreeable [267] Appearance, adorning the bare Downs with their Figures. This Ring of Barrows, however, reaches no farther, than till you loſe Sight of the Temple, as we now make no doubt to call Stone-henge, or thereabouts. Many, from the great Number of theſe ſepulchral Tumuli here, injudiciouſly conclude, that there have been great Battles upon the Plain, and that the Slain are buried there; but they are really no other than Family Burying-places ſet near this Temple, for the ſame Reaſon as we bury in Church-yards, and conſecrated Ground.

We may readily count Fifty at a time in Sight from the Place, eſpecially in the Evening, when the ſloping Rays of the Sun ſhine on the Ground be⯑yond them. They are moſt of them of a very ele⯑gant Bell-like Form, and done with great Nicety; in general they are always upon elevated Ground, and in Sight of the Temple, as we have ſaid; for they all regard it, and are aſſuredly the ſingle Sepulchres of Kings and great Perſonages buried, during a con⯑ſiderable Space of Time, and in Peace. There are many Groups of them together, as if Family Burial-places; and the Variety in them ſeems to indicate ſome Pre-eminence in the Perſons interred. Moſt of them have little Ditches around; in many is a circular Ditch, 60 Cubits in Diameter, with a very ſmall Tumulus in the Centre. Sixty, or even 100 Cubits, is a very common Diameter in the large Barrows. Often they are ſet in Rows, and equi⯑diſtant, ſo as to produce a regular and pretty Ap⯑pearance, and with ſome particular Regard to the Parts of the Temple, the Avenues, or the Curſus. Upon every Range of Hills, quite round Stone-henge, are ſucceſſive Groups of Barrows for ſome Miles; and even that nam'd King-barrow, by Lord Pembroke's Park Wall at Wilton, which our Author calls the [268] Tomb of Carvilius, is ſet within View of Stone-henge.

In 1722, the late Lord Pembroke opened a Bar⯑row, in order to find the Poſition of the Body ob⯑ſerved in thoſe early Days. He pitched upon one of the double Barrows, where two are incloſed in one Ditch. He made a Section from the Top to the Bottom, an intire Segment from Centre to Circum⯑ference. The Compoſition was good Earth quite thro', except a Coat of Chalk of about Two Feet thick, covering it quite over, under the Turf. Hence it appears, that the Method of making theſe Barrows, was to dig up the Turf for a great Space round, till the Barrow was brought to its intended Bulk; then with the Chalk dug out of the inviron⯑ing Ditch, they powder'd it all over. And the No⯑tion of Sanctity annexed to them, forbad People trampling on them till perfectly ſettled and turfed over; whence the Neatneſs of their Form to this Day. At the Top or Centre of this Barrow, not above Three Feet under the Surface, my Lord found the Skeleton of the Interred, perfect, of a reaſon⯑able Size, the Head lying Northward towards Stone-henge.

The Year following, by my Lord's Order, Dr. Stukeley began upon another double Barrow. He began upon the leſſer, and made a large Cut on the Top from Eaſt to Weſt. After the Turf, he came to the Layer of Chalk, as before, then fine Garden Mould. About Three Feet below the Surface, a Layer of Flints humouring the Convexity of the Barrow, which are gathered from the Surface of the Downs in ſome Places, eſpecially where it has been ploughed. This being about a Foot thick, reſted on a Layer of ſoft Mould another Foot; in which was incloſed an Urn full of Bones. The Urn was of unbaked Clay, of a dark reddiſh Colour; crumbled into pieces. It had been rudely wrought with ſmall [269] Mouldings round the Verge, and other circular Chanels on the Outſide, with ſeveral Indentions between, made with a pointed Tool. The Bones had been burnt, and crouded all together in a little Heap, not ſo much as a Hat-crown would contain; the Collar-bone, and one ſide of the Under-jaw remaining very intire. It appears to have been a Girl of about Fourteen Years old, by their Bulk, and the great Quantity of Female Ornaments mixed with the Bones; as great Numbers of glaſs Beads of all Sorts, and of divers Colours, moſt yellow, one black; many ſingle, many in long Pieces, notched between, ſo as to reſemble a String of Beads, and theſe were generally of a blue Colour. There were many of Amber, of all Shapes and Sizes, flat Squares, long Squares, round, oblong, little and great; like⯑wiſe many of Earth, of different Shapes, Magni⯑tude and Colour; ſome little and white, many large and flattiſh, like a Button, others like a Pully; but all had Holes to run a String thro', either thro' their Diameter or Sides: Many of the Button Sort ſeem'd to have been covered with Metal, there being a Rim worked in them, wherein to turn the Edge of the Covering. One of theſe was covered with a thin Film of pure Gold. Theſe were the young Lady's Ornaments, and had all undergone Fire, ſo that what would eaſily conſume, fell to-pieces as ſoon as handled; much of the Amber burnt half thro': this Perſon was a Heroine; for we found the Head of her Javelin in Braſs. At Bottom are two Holes for the Pin that faſtened it to the Staff; beſides, there was a ſharp Bodkin, round at one End, ſquare at the other, where it went into the Handle. Our Author preſerved whatever is permanent of theſe Trinkets; but recompos'd the Aſhes of the illuſtrious Defunct, and covered them with Earth, leaving viſible Marks at Top of the Barrow having been open'd (to diſſuade any other [270] from again diſturbing them): and this was his Practice in all the reſt.

He then opened the next Barrow to it, incloſed in the ſame Ditch, which he ſuppoſed the Huſband or Father of this Lady. At 14 Inches deep, the Mould [...]ng mixed with Chalk, he came to the intire [...]ton of a Man, the Skull and all the Bones [...]ingly rotten and periſhed, thro' Length of Time: tho' this was a Barrow of the lateſt Sort, as he [...]ctured. The Body lay North and South, the Head to the North, as that Lord Pembroke [...]ed.

Next he went Weſtward to a Group of Barrows, [...] Stone-henge bears Eaſt-north-eaſt. Here is a large Barrow ditch'd about, but of an antient Make. On that Side next Stone-henge are Ten leſſer, ſmall, [...] were, crouded together. South of the great [...] Barrow, larger than thoſe of the Gr [...]up, but not equalling the firſt: it would ſeem, that a Man and his Wife were buried in the Two larger, and that the reſt were of their Children or Dependents. One of the ſmall ones, 20 Cubits in Diameter, he cut thro', with a Pit Nine Feet in Diameter, to the Surface of the natural Chalk, in the Centre of the Barrow, where was a little Hole cut. A Child's Body, as it ſeems, had been burnt here, and covered up in that Hole; but thro' Length of Time conſumed. From Three Feet deep he found much Wood-aſhes, ſoft, and black as Ink, ſome little Bits of an Urn, and black and red Earth very rotten; ſome ſmall Lumps of Earth red as Vermilion; ſome Flints burnt thro'; toward the Bottom, a great Quantity of Aſhes, and burnt Bones. From this Place he counted 128 Barrows in Sight.

Going from hence more Southerly, is a circular diſh-like Cavity, 60 Cubits in Diameter, dug in the Chalk, like a Barrow reverſed. 'Tis near a great Bar⯑row, the leaſt of the South-weſtern Group. This [271] Cavity is Seven Feet deep in the Middle, extremely well turn'd; and out of it, no doubt, the adjacent Barrow is dug. The Uſe of it ſeems to have been a Place for ſacrificing and feaſting in Memory of the Dead, as was the antient Cuſtom. 'Tis all over⯑grown with that pretty Shrub Erica Vulgaris, then in Flower, and ſmelling like Honey. He made a large croſs Section in its Centre, upon the Cardinal Points, and found nothing but a Bit of red earthen Pot.

He then dug up one of thoſe he calls Druids Barrows, a ſmall Tumulus, incloſed in a large circular Ditch. Stone-henge bears hence North-eaſt. He made a croſs Section Ten Feet each way, Three Feet broad over its Centre upon the Cardinal Points: At length he found a ſquariſh Hole cut in the ſolid Chalk, in the Centre of the Tumulus; it was Three Feet and an half, i. e. Two Cubits long, and near Two Feet broad, i. e. One Cubit, pointing to Stone-henge directly. It was a Cubit and an half deep from the Surface. This was the Domus exilis Plutonia, covered with artifi⯑cial Earth, not above a Foot thick from the Surface. In this little Grave he found all the burnt Bones of a Man, but no Signs of an Urn. The Bank of the circular Ditch is on the Out [...]ide, and is 12 Cubits broad. The Ditch is Six Cubits broad, (the Druid's Staff); the Area is 70 Cubits in Diameter. The Whole 100.

He opened another of theſe of like Dimenſions, next to that Lord Pembroke firſt opened, South of Stone-henge; and found a burnt Body in a Hole in the Chalk, as before.

In ſome other Barrows he opened, were found large burnt Bones of Horſes and Dogs, along with human; alſo of other Animals, as ſeem'd of Fowl, Hares, Boars, Deer, Goats, or the like; and in a great and very flat old-faſhioned Barrow, Weſt from Stone-henge, among ſuch Matters, he found Bits of [272] red and blue Marble, Chippings of the Stones of the Temple, ſo that probably the Interred was one of the Builders. Homer tells of Achilles ſlaying Horſes and Dogs at the Funeral of his Friend Patroclus.

Lord Pembroke told the Doctor of a Braſs Sword dug up in a Barrow here, which was ſent to Oxford. In that very old Barrow near Little Ambreſbury, was found a very large Braſs Weapon of 20 Pounds Weight, like a Pole-ax, ſaid to be given to Colonel Wyndham. In the great long Barrow fartheſt North from Stone-henge, which our Author ſuppoſes to be an Archdruid's, was found one of thoſe Braſs Inſtru⯑ments called Celts, which he thinks belong'd to the Druids, wherewith they cut off the Miſleto. Mr. Stallard of Ambreſbury gave it to Lord Bur⯑lington, now in Sir Hans Sloane's Cabinet, 13 Inches long. They dug a Cell in a Barrow Eaſt of Ambreſ⯑bury, and it was inhabited for ſome time. There they ſaw all the Bones of a Horſe. We find evidently, adds the Doctor, theſe antient Nations had the Cuſtom of burning their dead Bodies, probably before the Name of Rome. So Lacrymatories we read of in Scripture, antienter than Greek or Roman Times. Pſalm lvi.8.

Saliſbury Plains are certainly the moſt charming that can any-where be ſeen. The numerous Flocks of Sheep all around, which way ſoever we turn, are a fine Sight; 'tis ordinary for theſe Flocks to con⯑tain from 3000 to 5000 each; and ſeveral private Farmers hereabouts have Two or Three ſuch Flocks.

But 'tis more remarkable ſtill, how a great Part of theſe Downs comes, by a new Method of Huſbandry, not only to be made arable, but to bear plentiful Crops of Wheat, tho' never known to our Anceſtors to be capable of any ſuch Thing; nay, they would probably have laughed at any one that had gone about to plough up the wild Downs and Hills, which they thought only fit for Sheep-walks; but Experi⯑ence [273] has made the preſent Age wiſer, and more ſkilful in Huſbandry; for by only folding the Sheep upon thoſe Lands, after they are turn'd up with the Plough, (which generally goes within Three or Four Inches of the ſolid Rock of Chalk) they become abundantly fruitful, and bear very good Wheat, as well as Rye and Barley. I ſhall ſay more of this, when I come to ſpeak of the ſame Practice farther in the Country.

This plain open Country continues in Length from Wincheſter to Saliſbury 25 Miles, from thence to Dorcheſter 22 Miles, thence to Weymouth ſix Miles, ſo that they lie near 50 Miles in Length and Breadth; they reach alſo in ſome Places fron 35 to 40 Miles: Thoſe who would make any practicable Gueſs at the Number of Sheep which uſually feed on theſe Downs, may take it from a Calculation made, as I was told, at Dorcheſter, that there were 600,000 Sheep fed within the Circumference of Six Miles around that Town.

As we paſſed this open plain Country, we ſaw the Ruins of a great many old Roman and Britiſh Camps, and other Remains of the antient Inhabitants of this Kingdom, and of their Wars, Battles, Entrench⯑ments, Encampments, Buildings, and other Forti⯑fications, which are indeed very agreeable to a Tra⯑veller, that has read the Hiſtory of the Country.

Old Sarum, which is the next Place we come to, is as remarkable as any of theſe, where there is a double Entrenchment, with a deep Graff, or Ditch, to either of them. 'Tis ſaid it was a Roman Station, and the antient Sorbiodunum. It was deſerted in King Henry III.'s Time, for want of Water, when the Inhabitants founded New Sarum. The old City is of an orbicular Form, erected on one of the moſt elegant Deſigns imaginable. It was, firſt, a Fortreſs of the antient Britons. The Proſpect of this Place is at preſent very auguſt, and would have afforded us [274] a moſt noble Sight, when in Perfection. In the Angle to the North-weſt ſtood the Cathedral, and Epiſcopal Palace. The City fills up the Summit of an high and ſteep Hill, near the Bottom of which runs the River Avon. Here Synods and Britiſh Par⯑liaments have formerly been held; and hither the States of the Kingdom were ſummoned to ſwear Fealty to William I. In this City was the Palace of the Britiſh and Saxon Kings, and of the Roman Em⯑perors. Near it is one Farm-houſe, and that is all which is left of this antient City: yet this is called the Borough of Old Sarum, and ſends Two Mem⯑bers to Parliament, who are choſen by the Proprietors of certain Lands. Whom thoſe Members can juſtly ſay they repreſent, would however be hard for them to anſwer.

Saliſbury is a large, well-built, and pleaſant City; and the Founders of it ſeemed to have run from one Extreme to another; for as the old City wanted Water, this has rather too much, the Water run⯑ning thro' the Middle of every Street, which, I think, does not add to the Beauty of the Town, but juſt the contrary; for it keeps the Streets always dirty, full of Wet and Filth, and Weeds, even in the Middle of Summer.

The City lies at the Confluence of Two Rivers, the Avon, and the Willy, each of them ſingly a con⯑ſiderable River, but very large, when joined to⯑gether; and yet much larger, when they receive the Nadder, a third River, which joins them near Cla⯑rendon Park about Three Miles below the City; when, with a deep Chanel, and a Current leſs rapid, they run down to Chriſt-church, where they empty themſelves into the Sea. From that Town upwards, to within Two Miles of Saliſbury, they are made navigable; but the Strength of the Stream would not permit to make them ſo up to the City.

[275] Saliſbury, and all the County of Wilts, are full of a great Variety of Manufactures; and thoſe too of the moſt conſiderable in England; as the Cloath⯑ing Trade, and that of Flanels, Druggets, and alſo ſeveral other Sorts of Manufactures, of which in their Place.

Saliſbury has, in particular, Two remarkable Ma⯑nufactures that flouriſh in it, which employ the Poor all around; namely, fine Flanels, and Long Cloths for the Turkey Trade, called Saliſbury Whites.

The Cloſe adjacent to the Cathedral, in which live the Canons and Prebendaries, is ſo large and well-built, that it looks like a fine City of itſelf.

The Cathedral is famous for the Height of its Spire, which is without Exception the higheſt and the handſomeſt in England, being from the Ground 410 Feet, and yet the Walls ſo exceeding thin, that at the Upper-part of the Spire, upon a View made by the late Sir Chriſtopher Wren, the Wall was found to be leſs than five Inches thick; upon which a Conſultation was had, whether the Spire, or at leaſt the Upper-part of it, ſhould be taken down, it being ſuppoſed to have received ſome Damage by the great Storm in the Year 1703; but it was reſolved in the Negative, and Sir Chriſtopher ordered it to be ſtrengthened with Bands of Iron Plates, which have effectually ſecured it; and I have heard ſome of the beſt Architects ſay, it is ſtronger now than when it was firſt built.

They tell us here long Stories of the great Art uſed in laying the firſt Foundation of this Church, the Ground being marſhy and wet, occaſioned by the Chanels of the Rivers; that it was laid upon Piles, according to ſome; and upon Woolpacks, according to others: But this is not to be believed by thoſe who know, that the whole Country is one Rock of Chalk, even from the Tops of the higheſt Hills, to the Bottom of the deepeſt Rivers. And the Foun⯑dation [276] of Woolpacks is, no doubt, allegorical, and has reſpect to the Woollen Trade.

This Church was begun by Biſhop Poore, continu'd by Robert Bingham, and William of York, and finiſhed by Giles de Brideport, Biſhop of this See, all in the Space of 40 Years. The Model is after the Figure of a Croſs; and it coſt an immenſe Sum of Money; but it muſt be acknowledged, that the Inſide of the Work is not anſwerable, in the Decoration of Things, to the Workmanſhip with⯑out. The Painting in the Choir is mean, and more like the ordinary Method of a common Drawing⯑room, or Tavern-painting, than that of a Church. The Carving is good, but there is very little of it, and it is rather a fine Church, than finely ſet off.

But it now makes a better Appearance than it has done, having very lately been repaired by the Contri⯑butions of the Biſhop and Prebendaries, ſet on foot by Biſhop Sherlock, who, it ſeems, thought that the Dignitaries ought to ſupport what ſupported them; and that all they got by the Church was not deſigned merely to make or inrich their Families.

The ordinary Boaſt of this Building, in the fol⯑lowing Verſes, muſt not be omitted:

Some of the Windows which eſcaped the Fury of the Zealots of 1641, are well painted.

There are ſome very fine Monuments in this Church; particularly in that they call the Virgin Mary's Chapel, behind the Altar, is a noble Monu⯑ment for a late Duke and Ducheſs of Somerſet, with [277] their Pourtraits at full Length. The late Ducheſs of Somerſet, of the Piercy Family, alſo her Daughter the Marchioneſs of Caermarthen, and a ſecond Son of her Grace, both by the preſent Duke, are like⯑wiſe interred here.

The Figure of one Bennet, who endeavoured to imitate our Saviour in Faſting Forty Days and Forty Nights, as is there repreſented, carried his Point ſo far, that being reduced to a Skeleton, he fell a Victim to his preſumptuous and enthuſiaſtick Folly. The Bodies of the Biſhops Jewell, Uvall, Cheſt, were alſo interred here. Here is likewiſe a Monument to the beneficent Dr. Seth Ward, Biſhop of this See, who founded (amidſt other Benefactions, which we ſhall take notice of in Hertfordſhire) a handſome College for the Widows of Ten Miniſters, allowing to each 15l. per Annum; and which has been ſince obliged to Dr. Gilbert Burnet, Biſhop of this See.

They ſhew you alſo the Monument of the Lord Stourton, in the Reign of Philip and Mary, which is made remarkable by a particular Incident; as follows:

This Lord Stourton, being guilty of a Murder, which was aggravated with very bad Circumſtances, could not obtain the uſual Grace of the Crown, to be beheaded; but Queen Mary poſitively ordered, that, like a common Malefactor, he ſhould die at the Gallows. After he was executed, his Friends deſiring to have him bury'd at Saliſbury, the Biſhop would not conſent, that he ſhould be buried in the Cathedral, unleſs, as a farther Mark of Infamy, they would ſubmit to this Condition, (viz.) That the ſilken Halter in which he was hanged, ſhould be placed over his Grave in the Church, as a Monu⯑ment of his Crime; which was accordingly done, and there it is to be ſeen at this Day.

The putting this Halter up here, was not ſo won⯑derful to me, as it was, that the Poſterity of that [278] Lord, who remained in good Rank ſome Time after, ſhould never prevail to have that Mark of Infamy taken from the Tomb of their Anceſtor.

The Cloiſter is 160 Feet ſquare, the inner Cioiſter 30 Feet wide, with 10 Arches on each Side, the Top vaulted, and covered with Lead. Over the Eaſt Walk of the Cloiſter, is a ſpacious Library, but not over-well ſtocked with Books. The Chapter-houſe is Octagon, and is 150 Feet in Circumference; the Roof bearing all upon one ſmall Marble Pillar in the Centre, which ſeems ſo feeble, that it is hardly to be imagined it can be any great Support to it, which makes it the more curious; and indeed, I believe, it is hardly to be matched in Europe.

The Corporation of Sarum have lately purchaſed a very fine Original Piece of Painting of her late Majeſty Queen Anne, drawn by the celebrated Dahl, and have put it up in the Council-chamber of the City. This Picture formerly belonged to the Society of Gentlemen (all Members of Parliament) known by the Name of the October Club, and was ſet up in the great Room belonging to the Bell (now Crown) Tavern in Weſtminſter, where they uſed to meet till the Death of Queen Anne.

In 1736-7, an Act paſſed for the better Repair⯑ing and Paving the Highways, Streets, and Water-courſes within this City, and for Enlightening the Streets, Lanes, and Paſſages, and better regulating the Nightly Watch.

From hence directing my Courſe to the Sea-ſide, in purſuit of my firſt Deſign of viewing the whole Coaſt of England; I left the great Road, and went down the Eaſt-ſide of the River towards New-Foreſt and Lymington; and here I ſaw the antient Houſe and Seat of Clarendon, which gives Title to the Earl of that Name. This Place ſhould be called Clorendon, from the memorable Roman Camp, half a Mile off the Park, near the Roman Road, made or repaired by [279] Conſtantius Chlorus, Father of Conſtantine. It is a beautiful Fortification, of a round Form, upon a dry chalky Hill. Within is a circular Ditch, ſup⯑poſed to be a leſs Sort of Camp for the Summer. The Park is a ſweet and beautiful Spot. Here King John built a Palace, where ſeveral Parliaments have been held. Part of the Fabrick is ſtill left, tho' they have for many Years been pulling it down. The Meterials are chiefly Flint, and it was built upon the Side of an Hill, but no way fortified, tho' it took up much Ground. This Palace is called the Manor, and from it lies a ſubterraneous Paſſage to the Queen's Manor. Between the Camp and the Park, was a Roman Road, from Sorbiodunum, or Old Sarum, to Wincheſter.

But this being a large County, and full of memo⯑rable Branches of Antiquity, and modern Curioſity, I made ſeveral little Excurſions from this beautiful Spot, to view the Northern Parts of the County.

I have mentioned, that this County is generally a vaſt continued Body of high chalky Hills, whoſe Tops ſpread themſelves into fruitful and pleaſant Downs and Plains, upon which great Flocks of Sheep are fed, &c. But the Reader is deſired to obſerve, theſe Hills and Plains are moſt beautifully interſected, and cut thro', by the Courſe of divers pleaſant and profitable Rivers; along, and near the Banks of which, there always is a Chain of fruitful Meadows, and rich Paſtures, and thoſe interſperſed with a great many pleaſant Towns, Villages, and Houſes, and among them many of conſiderable Magnitude; ſo that, while you view the Downs, and think the Country wild and unin⯑habited, yet when you come to deſcend into theſe Vales, you are ſurpriſed with the moſt pleaſant and fertile Country in England.

No leſs than Four of theſe Rivers meet all to⯑gether, at or near the City of Saliſbury, the Waters [280] of Three of which run thro' the Streets of the City; viz. the Nadder, the Willy, and the Avon. 1. The Nadder riſes near the End of the Blow Mill Courſe, and paſſes by Chilmark, a pleaſant Village, noted for its Quarries of very good white Stone, which riſes in many Dimenſions, inſomuch that there is now a ſingle Stone lying over the Mouth of the Quarry like an Architrave, full 60 Feet long, 12 in Thick⯑neſs, and perfectly without Flaw. 2. The Willy riſes about Warminſter; runs by Yarnbury, a vaſt Roman Camp (where ſome diſtinguiſh Veſpaſian's Name; a great ſemicircular Work at the Entrance; over-againſt which, on the other Side the Willy, is another Camp); then running by Orcheſtra, re⯑markable for a Kind of Graſs 25 Feet in Length, with which they fatten Hogs, it gives Name to Wilton, and forms the Canal before the Front of Wilton Houſe; and then joining the Nadder, runs thro' the Gardens at the End of the Avenue. 3. The Avon riſes from under a great Ridge of Hills, which divide Wiltſhire into North and South, adorn'd with the Wanſdike. It paſſes Southward thro' a great Number of Villages to Ambreſbury.

What is moſt worth a Man of Curioſity's ſeeing in this County, is Wilton Houſe. It is ſituated in a pleaſant Vale, having Wilton Town on one Side, and a ſpacious Park on the other.

The Building was begun in the Reign of Hen. VIII. The great Quadrangle was finiſhed in the Time of Edward VI. and the Porch was deſigned by Hans Holbein. The Hall-ſide, being burnt down ſome Years ago, was rebuilt by the late Thomas Earl of Pembroke, then Lord High-Admiral of England, in a very noble and ſumptuous manner. The other Parts, rebuilt by the firſt Philip Earl of Pembroke, were all deſigned by the famous Inigo Jones, and finiſhed by him in the Year 1640.

[281]The Canal before the Houſe lies parallel with the Road, and receives into it the whole River Willy, or at leaſt is able to do ſo; it may indeed be ſaid, that the River is made into a Canal. When we come into the Court-yards before the Houſe, there are ſeveral Pieces of Antiquity to entertain the Cu⯑rious; as particularly a noble Column of Porphyry, with a Marble Statue of Venus on the Top of it; which, as they told me, is 32 Feet high, and of excellent Workmanſhip, and that it came laſt from Candia, but formerly from Alexandria.

As the late Earl of Pembroke was a Nobleman of great Learning, beyond moſt Men of his high Rank, and a Maſter of Antiquity, he took Delight in col⯑lecting ſuch valuable Pieces of Painting and Sculpture, as made Wilton Houſe a perfect Muſeum, or Re⯑ceptacle of Rarities; and we meet with ſeveral Things there, which are to be found no-where elſe in the World. I ſhall particularize but a few; for a Volume might be employ'd in a full Deſcription of them.

The Piece of our Saviour's waſhing his Diſciples Feet, which they ſhew you in one of the firſt Rooms you go into, is admirable. At the Foot of the great Stair-caſe is a Bacchus as large as the Life, done in fine Peloponneſian Marble, carrying a young Bacchus on his Arm, the young one eating Grapes, and ſhewing by his Countenance, he is pleaſed with the Taſte of them. One ought to ſtop every Two Steps of this Stair-caſe, as we go up, to contemplate the vaſt Variety of Pictures that cover the Walls, and of ſome of the beſt Maſters in Europe; and yet this is but an Introduction to what is beyond them.

The great Geometrical Stair-caſe itſelf is deſervedly admired, and was the firſt of this Kind in England; and the rich and magnificent Door-caſe can hardly be parallell'd.

[282]'Tis univerſally acknowledged, that the grand Apartment is one of the nobleſt Pieces of Archi⯑tecture that has been hitherto produced; particularly the Salon; which is 60 Feet long, 30 high, and 30 broad; and when you are enter'd theſe grand Apartments, ſuch Variety ſtrikes upon you every Way, that you ſcarce know to which Hand to turn yourſelf firſt. On one Side you ſee ſeveral Rooms filled with Paintings, all ſo curious, and various, that it is with Reluctance you leave them; and looking another way, you are called off by a vaſt Collection of Buſts, and Pieces of the greateſt Antiquity of the Kind, both Greek and Roman.

In one End of the grand Room is the celebrated Family-picture by Vandyke, 20 Feet long, and 12 Feet high, containing 13 Figures as big as the Life; which rather appear as ſo many real Perſons, than the Production of Art: and all the other Pictures there are of the ſame incomparable Hand. It would be endleſs to deſcribe the whole Set of the Family-pictures, which take up this Room, unleſs we would enter into the Roof-tree of the Family, and ſet down a Genealogical Line of the whole Houſe.

After this fine Range of Beauties are ſeen, we are far from being at an End of our Surprize: there are three or four Rooms ſtill upon the ſame Floor, filled with Wonders: nothing can be finer than the Pictures themſelves, nothing more ſurpriſing than the Number of them. At length you deſcend the Back⯑ſtairs, which are large, tho' not like the other, where not a Hand's Breadth is left vacant between the Pictures; and even the upper Rooms have ſome very good Pieces in them.

In moſt of the Apartments are Marble Chimney-pieces of the moſt exquiſite Workmanſhip, all carv⯑ed in Italy, with many curious Statues, Baſſo Re⯑lievo's, and Pictures of the moſt famous Maſters. [283] The Loggio in the Bowling-green, (which has Pil⯑lars beautifully ruſticated, and is inriched with Niches and Statues) the Grotto, (the Front of which is curiouſly carved without, as it is all Marble within, and has black Pillars of the Ionic Order, with Capi⯑tals of white Marble, and Four fine Baſſo Relievo's from Florence) the Stables, and other Offices, are all Beauties in their Kind, which would tire De⯑ſcription.

The Collection of Head-pieces, Coats of Mail, and other Armour for both Horſe and Man, are alſo a Curioſity. They ſhew thoſe of King Henry VIII. Edward VI. and of an Earl of Pembroke, nick⯑named Black Jack, which he wore when he beſieged and took Bulloign in France, being the General who commanded in chief under the King; they are very curious and imboſs'd. Twelve other complete Suits of Armour, of extraordinary Workmanſhip, are alſo there; the reſt, being about 100, are only for common Horſe-men.

The Garden Front is juſtly eſteemed one of the beſt Pieces of the renowned Inigo Jones, and is 194 Feet long.

The Gardens are on the South of the Houſe, and extend themſelves beyond the River, a Branch of which runs thro' one Part of them; and ſtill South of the Gardens is the great Park, which reaches be⯑yond the Vale; the View opens to the great Down, which is properly called, by way of Diſtinction, Salisbury-plain, and leads from the City of Saliſbury, to Shaftſbury. Here alſo his Lordſhip has a Hare⯑warren, as 'tis called, tho' improperly. It has indeed been a Sanctuary for the Hares for many Years; but the Gentlemen complain, that it mars their Game; for that, as ſoon as they put up a Hare for their Sport, if it be any-where within two or three Miles, away ſhe runs for the Warren, and there is an End of their Purſuit. On the other hand, [284] it makes all the Countrymen turn Poachers, and deſtroy the Hares, by what Means they can. The preſent Earl of Pembroke, who, as his Father had, has alſo a fine Taſte in Architecture, has made a further Improvement with regard to Proſpect, at this noble Houſe, throwing down the Walls of the Garden, and making inſtead of them the newly in⯑troduced Haw-haw Walls, which afford a boundleſs View all around the Country from every Quarter. His Lordſhip has alſo built a moſt magnificent Bridge over the River in his Garden, which is eſteemed the principal Ornament without Doors of this noble Seat.

From this pleaſant and agreeable Place I returned to Clarendon. The Road from Wilton to Shaftſ⯑bury, called The Ten Mile Courſe, is a fine Ridge of Downs, continued upon the Southern Bank of the River Nadder, with a ſweet Proſpect to the Right and Left all the way over the Towns and the Country on both Sides. The late Earl of Pembroke has placed a number'd Stone at every Mile, for the Benefit of Travellers. Between the 5th and 6th Mile is a pretty large Camp, called Chiſelbury, probably Roman in the Decline of the Empire. At the End of this Courſe are three or four Celtic Bar⯑rows. In this Hill is a Quarry of Stone very full of Sea Shells. Not far off, in the Pariſh of Tisbury, near Warder-caſtle, is a great Entrenchment in a Wood, which was probably a Britiſh Town near the Nadder.

Returning, we ſee, upon the higheſt Eminence which overlooks Wilton, and the fertile Valley at the Union of the Nadder and Willy, the noted Place called King-barrow, mentioned p. 267. This is certainly Celtick, ſays Dr. Stukeley, and, with great Probability, the very Tomb of that Carvilius, who attacked Caeſar's Sea-camp in order to divert his renown'd Enemy from his cloſe Purſuit of Caſſibelan. [285] This Prince is ſuppoſed to have kept his Royal Re⯑ſidence at Carvilium, now Wilton, near which Place King Edgar's Queen ſpent the latter Part of her Life in a religious Retirement, and for that Purpoſe built a Houſe there.

The Downs and Plains in this Part of England being ſo open, and the Surface ſo little ſubject to Alteration, there are more Remains of Antiquity to be ſeen upon them, than in other Places; and, as they tell us, no leſs than Three-and-fifty antient Incampments, or Fortifications, in this one County; ſome of which are very viſible, and are of different Forms, and erected by different Nations; as Britiſh, Daniſh, Saxon, and Roman; particularly at Ebb⯑down, Burywood, Oldburgh-hill, Cummerford, Round⯑way-down, St. Anne's-hill, Bratton-caſtle, Clay-hill, Stournton-park, Whitecole-hall, Battlebury, Scrath⯑bury, Yanesbury, Frippsbury, Suthbury-hill, Ambreſ⯑bury, mentioned before; Great Bodwyn, Eaſterley, Merdon, Aubery, Martenſcil-hill, Barbury-caſtle, &c. At Aubery, or Aukbury, in particular, on the Eaſt Side of the Avon, by Great Dornford, is a very large Camp, covering the whole Top of a Hill. On the other Side of the River, a little higher up, is Veſpaſian's Camp, called The Walls. Near theſe are two other Camps, which ſeem Remains of Veſpaſian's Victories, and intimate that he ſubdued the Country by Inches.

North of theſe is Martin's-hall-hill, a vaſt Sta⯑tionary Roman Camp. On two Sides the Precipice is dreadfully ſteep. The Earl of Winchelſea has a Braſs Alexander Severus found here; on the Reverſe, Jupiter fulminans. On the Weſt Side, at Top of the Hill, without the Camp, is a round Pit full of good Spring-water, always to the Brim (but never overflowing) in the dryeſt Summers; which at thoſe Seaſons is of the greateſt Service to the Country round; and Thouſands of Cattle are every Day [286] driven thither, from a conſiderable Diſtance, to drink. I am informed, there is ſuch another upon the Top of Chute-hill, South-eaſt from hence, very high, and no other Water within ſome Miles of it. The Proſpect from Martin's-hall is exceeding fine.

At Farlo, not far from Clarendon-Park, was the Birth-place of Sir Stephen Fox, and where the Town, ſharing in his good Fortune, ſhews ſeveral Marks of his Bounty; as particularly the building a New Church from the Foundation, and getting an Act of Parliament paſſed, for making it Parochial, it being but a Chapel of Eaſe before to an adjoining Pariſh: alſo Sir Stephen built and endowed an Alms-houſe here for Six poor Women, with a Maſter and a Free-ſchool. The Maſter is to be a Clergyman, and to officiate in the Church, which, including the School, is a very good Maintenance.

I am now to purſue my firſt Deſign, and ſhall take the Weſt Part of Wiltſhire in my Return, where are ſeveral Things to be ſtill taken notice of. In the mean time I went on to Langbro', a fine Seat of my Lord Colerain, which is very well kept.

From hence in my Way to the Sea-ſide I came to New-Foreſt, of which I have ſaid ſomething already with relation to the great Extent of Ground; which lies waſte, and has a vaſt Quantity of large Timber.

This Part of the Country is a laſting Monument of the Conqueror's Tyranny and Oppreſſion, who laid it open and waſte for a Foreſt, and for Game; for which Purpoſe he unpeopled the Country, pulled down the Houſes and the Churches of ſeveral Pariſhes and Towns, and of abundance of Villages, turning the poor People out of their Habitations and Poſſeſſions, for the ſake of his Deer. The ſame Hiſtories likewiſe record, that Two of his own Sons, and particularly his immediate Succeſſor William Rufus, loſt their Lives in this Foreſt; William Ru⯑fus [287] being ſhot with an Arrow directed at a Deer, which glancing on a Tree, changed its Courſe, and ſtriking the King full on the Breaſt, killed him. And another Son, whilſt in hot Purſuit of the Game, was caught up by the Boughs of a Tree, and hanged like Abſalom. Theſe they relate as juſt Judgments of God on the cruel Devaſtation made here by the Conqueror, and they ſtill ſhew the Tree on which the Arrow glanced. In King Charles II's Time, the Tree was ordered to be ſur⯑rounded with a Pale, great Part of which is now fallen down; and whether the Tree be really ſo old or not, is to me a great Queſtion, the Action being about 700 Years ago.

I cannot omit mentioning here a Propoſal made ſome Years ago to the Lord Treaſurer Godolphin, for repeopling this Foreſt, which I can be more particular in than any other Man, becauſe I had the Honour to draw up the Scheme, and argue it before that noble Lord, and ſome others who were principally concerned at that time in bringing over, or rather providing for, when they were come over, the poor Inhabitants of the Palatinate; a Thing in itſelf commendable; but, as it was managed, made of no Benefit to England, and miſerable to thoſe poor People.

Some Perſons being ordered by the noble Lord above-mentioned, to conſider of Meaſures how thoſe poor People ſhould be provided for, without Injury to the Publick, NEW FOREST in Hampſhire was ſingled out to be the Place for them.

Here it was propoſed to draw a great ſquare Line, containing 4000 Acres of Land, marking out Two large Highways or Roads thro' the Centre, croſſing both Ways, ſo that there ſhould be 1000 Acres in each Diviſion, excluſive of the Land contained in the ſaid Croſs-roads.

[288]Then to ſingle out 20 Men and their Families, who ſhould be recommended as honeſt induſtrious People, expert in, or at leaſt capable of being in⯑ſtructed in Huſbandry. To each of theſe ſhould be parcelled, but in equal Diſtributions, 200 Acres of this Land; ſo that the whole 4000 Acres ſhould be diſtributed to the ſaid 20 Families, for which they ſhould have no Rent to pay, and be liable to no Taxes, but ſuch as would provide for their own Sick or Poor, repairing their own Roads, &c. This Exemption to continue for 20 Years, and then to pay each 50l. a Year to the Crown.

To each of theſe Families, it was propoſed to advance 200l. in ready Money, as a Stock to ſet them to work, and to hire and pay Labourers, to incloſe, clear, and cure the Land; which it was ſuppoſed, the firſt Year, could not be ſo much to their Advantage as following Years, allowing them Timber out of the Foreſt to build themſelves Houſes and Barns, Sheds and Offices, as they ſhould have Occaſion; alſo for Carts, Waggons, Ploughs, Harrows, and the like neceſſary Things.

Theſe 20 Families would, by the Conſequence of their own Settlements, employ and maintain ſuch a Proportion of others of their own People, that the whole Number of Palatines would have been provided for, had they been many more than they were, and that without being any Burden upon, or Injury to the People of England; on the contrary, they would have been an Advantage, and an Addition of Wealth and Strength to the Nation, and to the Country in particular, where they ſhould be thus ſeated.

Two Things would have been anſwered by the Execution of this Scheme; viz.

• 1. That the annual Rent to be received for all thoſe Lands after 20 Years, would abundantly pay the Publick for the firſt Diſburſes, which [289] would amount to 80,000l. that Rent being then to amount to 40,000l. per Annum.
• 2. More Money than would have done this, was thrown away upon them here, to keep them in Suſpenſe, and afterwards ſtarve them; ſending them a begging all over the Nation, and ſhip⯑ping them off to periſh in other Countries.

The Spot where the Deſign was laid out, was near Lindhurſt, in the Road from Rumſey to Lymington: whither I now directed my Courſe.

Lymington is a little, but populous Sea-port, ſtand⯑ing oppoſite to the Iſle of Wight, in the narrow Part of the Streight, which Ships ſometimes paſs thro' in fair Weather, called the Needles; and right againſt the antient Town of South-Yarmouth, in that Iſle which I have mentioned before. This Town of Lymington is chiefly noted for making excellent Salt; from whence all theſe South Parts of England are ſupplied, as well by Water as Land-carriage.

From hence are but few Towns on the Sea-coaſt Weſt, tho' ſeveral conſiderable Rivers empty them⯑ſelves into the Sea; nor are there any Harbours or Sea-ports of Note, except Pool. As for Chriſt-church, tho' it ſtands at the Mouth of the Avon, which, as I have ſaid, comes down from Salisbury, and brings with it all the Waters of South and Eaſt Parts of Wiltſhire, and receives alſo the Stour and Piddle, Two Dorſetſhire Rivers, which bring with them all the Waters of the North Part of Dorſetſhire; yet it is a very inconſiderable poor Place, ſcarce worth ſeeing, and leſs worth mentioning in this Account. But here I will cloſe this my fifth Let⯑ter, with aſſuring you, that I am

LETTER VI. CONTAINING A DESCRIPTION of the County of DORSET, Part of SOMERSETSHIRE, DEVONSHIRE, CORNWALL, &c.

[...] NOW enter into the County of Dor⯑ſet; and firſt I rode North-weſt into it, to ſee the antient Town of Wim⯑burn, or Wimburnminſter. It ſtands [...] large extended fertile Vale, like a M [...]ow, with much Wood about it. [...] with Fiſh. Here was a Nun⯑nery [...] Year 712, by Cuthberga, Siſter to King [...]. The Church is a very great one, an⯑tient, and well-built, with a very firm ſtrong ſquare Tower, [...] high; but was, without doubt, much [...] it ſtood a moſt ex⯑ [...] [...] may be cre⯑ [...], [...] its Situation [...] queſtion, [...].

[291]In this Church are the Monuments of ſeveral noble Families, and of King Etheldred, who was ſlain in Battle by the Danes. He was a Prince fam'd for Piety and Religion, and, according to the Zeal of thoſe Times, was eſteem'd a Martyr; becauſe he died fighting for his Religion and his Country, againſt the Pagan Danes. The Inſcription upon his Grave is preſerv'd, and has been carefully repair'd ſo as eaſily to be read, and is as follows:‘In hoc loco quieſcit Corpus S. Etheldredi, Regis Weſt Saxonum, Martyris, qui Anno Dom. DCCCLXXII. xxiii. Aprilis, per Manus Da⯑norum Paganorum Occubuit.’ That is, ‘Here reſts the Body of St. Etheldred, King of the Weſt Saxons, and Martyr, who fell by the Hands of the Pagan Danes, in the Year of our Lord 872, the 23d of April.’

Here alſo are the Monuments of the great Mar⯑chioneſs of Exeter, Mother of Edward Courtney, Earl of Devonſhire, and laſt of the Family of Court⯑neys, who enjoy'd that Honour; as alſo of John de Beaufort, Duke of Somerſet, and his Wife, Grand⯑mother of King Henry VII. by her Daughter Mar⯑garet Counteſs of Richmond.

This laſt Lady I mention, becauſe ſhe was Foun⯑dreſs of a very fine Free-School, which has ſince been inlarg'd, and had a new Benefactreſs in Queen Elizabeth, who augmented the Stipend, and annex'd it to the Foundation. The famous Cardinal Pool was Dean of this Church before his Exaltation.

The Inhabitants of Wimburnminſter are numerous, but poor, and chiefly maintain'd by the Manufacture of knitting Stockens, which employs great Part of [292] the County of Dorſet, of which this is the firſt Town Eaſtward.

Wimbourn St. Giles's, in this Neighbourhood, is a very handſome Seat belonging to the Earl of Shafteſ⯑bury.

From hence I went to Ringwood, upon the River Avon, over a deep ſandy Moor. 'Tis a large thriving Place, full of good new Brick Houſes, ſeated by the Side of a great watry Valley, the River dividing it⯑ſelf into ſeveral Streams, and frequently overflowing large Quantities of the Meadow. Here they deal pretty much in Leather, Stockens, Druggets, and narrow Cloth.

South of Wimburn, over a ſandy, wild and barren Country, we came to Pool, a conſiderable Sea-port, and indeed the moſt conſiderable in all this Part of England; for here I found ſome Ships, ſome Mer⯑chants, and ſome Trade; eſpecially here was a good Number of Ships fitted out every Year to the New⯑foundland Fiſhing, in which the Pool Men have been particularly ſucceſsful for many Years paſt.

The Town ſits in the Bottom of a great Bay, or Inlet of the Sea, which, entering at one narrow Mouth, opens to a great Breadth within the Entrance, and comes up to the very Shore of this Town; it runs alſo Weſt up almoſt to Warcham, a little below which it re⯑ceives the Froom and Piddle, the Two principal Ri⯑vers of the County.

This Place is famous for the beſt and biggeſt Oy⯑ſters in all this Part of England, which the People of Pool pretend to be famous for pickling; and they are barrell'd up here, and ſent not only to London, but to the Weſt-Indies, and to Spain, Italy, and other Parts. 'Tis obſerv'd, more Pearl are found in the Pool Oyſters, and larger, than in any others in England.

As the Entrance into this large Bay is narrow, ſo it is made narrower by an Iſland called Brankſey, [293] which lying in the very Mouth of the Paſſage, divides it into two, and where there is an old Caſtle, call'd Brankſey Caſtle, built to defend the Entrance, and was of no ſmall Advantage to the Trade of this Port, in the time of the late War with France.

Wareham has been a Roman Town. There has been a Caſtle by the Water-ſide, Weſt of the Bridge, built by King William I. perhaps upon the Roman. 'Tis an old Corporation, now decay'd, the Sands obſtructing the Paſſage of the Veſſels. And Pool being better ſeated, from a Fiſher-Town, has riſen to be a rich Sea-port. They ſay here have been a Mint, and many Pariſh-Churches, of which Three remain. I ſaw a ruinous Religious Houſe, as I paſs'd by the River Frome. This Haven is of vaſt Extent, like a Sea, having a narrow Entry. Two Rocks about Corf-Caſtle have an odd Appearance hence.

South of Wareham, and between the Bay I have mention'd, and the Sea, lies a large Track of Land, which being ſurrounded by the Sea, except on one Side, is call'd an Iſland, tho' it is really more pro⯑perly a Peninſula. This Track of Land is better inhabited than the Sea Coaſt of this Weſt End of Dorſetſhire generally is, and the Manufacture of Stockens is carry'd on there alſo. It is call'd The Iſle of Purbeck, and has in the middle of it a large Market-town, call'd Corf; and from the famous Caſtle there, the whole Town is now call'd Corf-Caſtle.

This Part of the Country is eminent for vaſt Quarries of Stone, which is cut out flat, and uſed in London in great Quantities, for paving Court-yards, Alleys, Avenues to Houſes, Kitchens, Foot-ways on the Sides of the High-ſtreets, and the like; and is very profitable to the Place, as alſo in the Num⯑ber of Shipping employed in bringing it to London. There are alſo ſeveral Rocks of very good Marble, [294] only that the Veins in the Stone are not black and white, as the Italian, but grey, red, and other Co⯑lours. It is alſo noted for excellent Tobacco-pipe Clay, ſold at London for Thirty Shillings per Ton.

From hence to Weymouth we rode in View of the Sea. The Country is open, and in ſome re⯑ſpects pleaſant, but not like the Northern Parts of the Country, which are all fine Carpet Ground, and the Herbage ſo ſweet, that their Sheep are eſteem'd the beſt in England, and their Wool extremely fine.

From hence we turned up to Dorcheſter, the County Town. It is regular and clean. The Iſening-ſ [...]reet enters it by the North of Winterburn at Weſt-gate. This is by the ignorant Country-people referr'd to the Work of the Devil, who, they ſay, caſt it up in a Night's time. The Foundations of the antient Roman Wall appear qui [...]e round the Town; but Eaſtward a Street is built upon it, and the Ditch fill'd up: 'tis ſtill call'd The Walls; for that way the Town is ſwell'd out into a conſiderable Village, with a Church, and handſome Tower, nam'd Fordington or Farington. There are Three other Churches in the Town, and the Streets are wide and handſome. On the South and Weſt Side, with⯑out the Walls, a handſome Walk of Trees is planted, looking pleaſantly into the Country; tho' being com⯑mon S [...]camores, they are inconvenient by harbouring Flies. The Banks of the River here are ſteep; for the Town ſtands on high Ground. Beyond the River are Meadows, and warm ſandy Lands; on this Side, the fine chalky Downs, pleaſant for riding, and pro⯑fitable in excellent Grain. The Air muſt needs be wholſome, the Climate warm, and a ſufficient Di⯑ſtance from the Sea. The People of Fordington roſe in Arms, and prevented the Farmers from levelling a great Barrow. The late Rev. Mr. Place, known for his Philoſophical Works, liv'd here, and poſſeſs'd a great Quantity of Roman Coins, call'd here Dorn-money, [295] or King Dor's Money. Near this Place is a noble Roman Amphitheatre. The Vulgar call it Maumbury; but have no Notion of its Purpoſe, tho' 'tis a common Excurſion for the Inhabitants; and the Terrace on the Top is a noted Place of Ren⯑dezvous, affording an agreeable circular Walk, a Pro⯑ſpect of the Town, and wide Plains of Corn Fields all around.

Dorcheſter is a regular Town, with handſome wide Streets, but the Houſes, tho' built of Stone, are old and low. It is kept very clean, by reaſon of its high Situation, and the River on which it is ſituated.

The Inhabitants Care in ſetting the able Poor to work, and relieving the Aged and Impotent, is high⯑ly praiſe-worthy. And Sir Joſiah Child, in his Treatiſe on Trade, recommends their Example as worthy to be followed by other Places. It is famous alſo for excellent Beer.

On the pleaſant Downs round this Town, they told me, there were 600,000 Sheep fed within Six Miles of the Town every way, which is 12 Miles in Diameter, and 36 Miles in Circumference; and when I viewed the Country round, I confeſs I could not but incline to believe it.

It is obſervable of theſe Sheep, that they are ex⯑ceedingly fruitful; and the Ewes generally bringing Two Lambs, they are for that Reaſon bought by all the Farmers thro' the Eaſt Part of England, who come to Burford Fair in this County for that Pur⯑poſe; and carry them into Kent and Surrey Eaſtward, and into Buckinghamſhire, Bedfordſhire, and Oxford⯑ſhire North. Even our Banſtead-Downs in Surrey, ſo fam'd for good Mut [...]on, is ſupplied from this Place. The Herbage of theſe Downs is full of the moſt aromatick Plants, ſuch as nouriſh the Sheep to a great Degree, and the Sheeps Dung again nouriſhes that; ſo that the Valleys are render'd extremely [296] fruitful by the waſhing of the Water in haſty Showers from off theſe Hills.

From Dorcheſter it is Six Miles to the Sea-ſide South, and the Ocean in View almoſt all the Way: The firſt Towns we come to are Weymouth and Mel⯑comb, two Towns lying at the Mouth of a little Rivulet, call'd The Wey, for it ſcarce deſerves the Name of a River: however, the Entrance makes a very good, tho' ſmall Harbour, and they are join'd by a wooden Bridge, ſo that nothing but the Har⯑bour parts them; yet they are ſeparate Corporations, and chooſe each of them Two Members of Parlia⯑ment.

Weymouth is a ſweet, clean, agreeable Town, (conſidering its low Situation) and cloſe to the Sea: 'tis well-built, and has a great many ſubſtantial Merchants in it, who drive a conſiderable Trade, and have a great Number of Ships belonging to the Town: they carry on, in time of Peace, a Trade with France; but beſides this, they trade alſo to Portugal, Spain, Newfoundland, and Virginia; and have a large Correſpondence up in the Country for the Conſumption of their Returns. The Wine and Newfoundland Trade are both conſiderable here; and they have a Cuſtom-houſe and good Key.

Without the Harbour is an old Caſtle, call'd Sandfoot Caſtle; and over-againſt them is Portland Caſtle, ſituated in the Iſle of that Name, and the Road called Portland Road, which affords a ſafe Harbour for Ships in bad Weather.

From this Iſle of Portland comes our beſt and whiteſt Free-ſtone, with which the Cathedral of St. Paul's, the Monument, and all the publick Edi⯑fices in the City of London, are chiefly built; and the Quarries whence theſe Stones are dug, are well worth the Obſervation of a Traveller.

The Iſland is indeed little more than one conti⯑nued Rock of Free-ſtone, about Seven Miles in Com⯑paſs, [297] and the Height of the Land is ſuch, that from this Iſland they ſee, in clear Weather, above half over the Chanel to France, tho' here 'tis very broad. The Sea off this Iſland, and eſpecially to the Weſt of it, is counted the moſt dangerous Part of the Britiſh Chanel. Due South, there is almoſt a continued Diſturbance in the Waters, by reaſon of what they call Two Tides meeting; which I take to be no more than the Sets of the Currents from the French Coaſt, and from the Engliſh Shore: this they call Portland Race; and ſeveral Ships, not aware of theſe Currents, have been embay'd to the Weſt of Portland, and driven on Shore on the Beach, (of which I ſhall ſpeak preſently) where they have been loſt.

To prevent this Danger, and guide the Mariner in theſe Diſtreſſes, they have ſet up Two Light-houſes on the Two Points of that Iſland, which are very uſeful and ſerviceable to Ships.

This Iſland, tho' ſeemingly miſerable, and thinly inhabited, yet the Inhabitants being almoſt all Stone-cutters, we found there were no very poor People among them; and when they collected Money for the rebuilding St. Paul's, they got more in this Iſland than in the great Town of Dorcheſter.

Tho' Portland ſtands a League from the main Land of Britain, yet it is almoſt join'd by a pro⯑digious Riff of Beach, that is to ſay, of ſmall Stones caſt up by the Sea, which runs from the Iſland ſo near the Shore of England, that they ferry over with a Boat and a Rope, the Water not being above half a Stone's-throw over; and the ſaid Riff of Beach ending, as it were, at that Inlet of Water, turns away Weſt, and runs parallel with the Shore quite to Abbotſbury, a Town about Seven Miles beyond Weymouth.

I name this to explain what I ſaid before, of Ships being embay'd and loſt here: this is when, coming [298] from the Weſtward, they omit to keep a good Offing, or are taken ſhort by contrary Winds, and cannot weather the high Land of Portland; but are driven between Portland and the main Land, and run on Shore on that vaſt Beach.

On the Inſide of this Beach, and between it and the Land, is the ſaid Inlet of Water, which they ferry over, as above, to paſs and repaſs to and from Portland. This Inlet opens at about Two Miles Weſt, grows very broad, and makes a kind of Lake within the Land of a Mile and a half broad, and near Three Miles in Length, the Breadth un⯑equal. At the fartheſt End Weſt of this Water is a large Decoy, and the Verge of the Water well grown with Wood, and proper Groves of Trees for Cover for the Fowl. In the open Lake, or broad Part, is a continual Aſſembly of Swans: here they live, feed and breed; and the Number of them is ſuch, that, I believe, I did not ſee ſo few as 7 or 8000. We ſaw ſeveral of them upon the Wing, very high in the Air; whence we ſuppoſed, they flew over the Riff of Beach, which parts the Lake from the Sea, to feed on the Shores.

From this Decoy Weſt, the Lake narrows, and at laſt almoſt cloſes, till the Beach joins the Shore; and ſo Portland may be ſaid not to be an Iſland, but Part of the Continent. And now we came to Abbotſbury, a Town antiently famous for a great Monaſtery, and now eminent for nothing but its Ruins.

From hence we went on to Bridport, a pretty large, but not well-built Corporation Town on the Sea Shore: here we ſaw Boats all the way on the Shore fiſhing for Mackerel, which they take in the eaſieſt manner imaginable, and in ſuch prodigious Plenty, that there has been a Watch ſet to prevent Farmers dunging their Land with them, which, it was thought, might be apt to infect the Air.

[299]In the Year 1722 an Act paſſed for reſtoring and rebuilding the Haven and Piers of Bridport, in or⯑der to bring it to its antient flouriſhing State; for heretofore it was a Place of great Trade and Com⯑merce; but by reaſon of a great Sickneſs, which formerly ſwept away the greateſt Part of its moſt wealthy Inhabitants, and by other Accidents, the Haven became neglected, and choaked with Sands; the Piers fell to Ruin, and the Town, of conſe⯑quence, to Decay; ſo that there was no Security for Ships that happened to be driven by Streſs of Wea⯑ther into the deep and dangerous Bay, wherein the Haven formerly was, which occaſioned frequent Shipwrecks. The Act therefore authorizes the Bai⯑liffs and Burgeſſes of Bridport to levy certain Tolls and Duties on divers Merchandizes, &c. in order to reſtore the ſaid Piers and Harbour.

Bridport was formerly the only Place for twiſting of Ropes for the Royal Navy: and it is ſtill uſed for that Purpoſe, the neighbouring Lands yielding plen⯑ty of Hemp.

From Bridport we came to Lyme, a Town par⯑ticularly made famous by the Landing of the Duke of Monmouth, June 11. 1685, in the Time of King James II. with only Twelve Men. Many of his Party were afterwards put to Death on the Spot, and their Limbs hung up in the Town. Before that Time the Duke of Tuſcany ſet Footing here in his Tour to England.

This is called Lyme-Regis: it is a Town of good Figure, and has in it ſeveral eminent Merchants, who carry on a conſiderable Trade to France, Spain, Newfoundland, and the Streights; and tho' they have neither Creek or Bay, Road or River, they have a good Harbour; and ſuch as is not in all Bri⯑tain beſides, if in the World.

It is a maſſy Pile of Building, conſiſting of high and thick Walls of Stone, raiſed, at firſt, with all [300] the Methods that Art could deviſe, and maintain'd now with very little Difficulty: the Walls are raiſed in the main Sea, at a good Diſtance from the Shore. It conſiſts of one main and ſolid Wall of Stone, large enough for Carts and Carriages to paſs on the Top, and to admit Houſes and Ware-houſes to be built on it; ſo that it is broad as a Street. Oppoſite to this, but farther into the Sea, is another Wall of the ſame Workmanſhip, which croſſes the End of the firſt, and comes about with a Tail, parallel to that.

Between the Point of the firſt or main Wall, is the Entrance into the Port; and the ſecond or op⯑poſite Wall breaking the Violence of the Sea from the Entrance, the Ships go into the Baſin, and ride there as ſecure as in a Mill-pond, or Wet-dock.

This Work is call'd the Cobb: the Cuſtom-houſe Officers have a Lodge and Ware-houſe upon it. It might be ſtrengthen'd with a Fort, and the Walls themſelves are firm enough to carry what Guns they pleaſe to plant upon it; but they did not ſeem to think it needful: and as the Shore is convenient for Batteries, they have ſome Guns planted in proper Places, for the Defence of the Cobb, and the Town.

This Town is under the Government of a Mayor and Aldermen, and may paſs for a Place of Wealth, conſidering the Bigneſs of it. Here we found the Merchants began to trade in the Pilchard Fiſhing, tho' not to ſo conſiderable a Degree as they do farther Weſt; the Pilchards ſeldom coming up ſo high Eaſt⯑ward as Portland, and not very often ſo high as Lyme.

I viſited from hence ſome of the Towns in the North-weſt Part of this Country, as Blandford, on the River Stour, in the Road between Saliſbury and Dorcheſter, a handſome well-built Town, pleaſantly ſeated in a Flexure of the River, before charming [301] Meadows, and rich Lands. Wood thrives exceed⯑ingly here. Indeed this County is a fine Variety of Downs, Woods, Lawns, Arable and Paſture Land, rich Valleys, and an excellent Air. The dry Eaſter⯑ly Winds, the cold Northern, and the Weſtern Moiſture, are temper'd by the warm Southern ſaline Breezes, waſted hither from the Ocean. But Bland⯑ford is chiefly famous for making the fineſt Bone⯑lace in England, where they ſhewed me, in my firſt Viſit to it, ſome ſo exquiſitely fine, as I think I never ſaw better in Flanders, France, or Italy, and which they ſaid they rated at above 30l. Sterling a Yard.

This was the State and the Trade of the Town, when I was there in my firſt Journey: but June 4. 1731, the whole Town, except Twenty-ſix Houſes, was conſumed by Fire, together with the Church. The Conſternation of the People was ſo great, and the Fire ſo furious, that few ſaved any Goods.

An Act paſſed in 1732, for the better and more eaſy Rebuilding of this Town, and for determining Differences touching Houſes and Buildings burnt down or demoliſhed therein; and as ſeveral wiſe Re⯑gulations were made by it, Blandford now makes a much better Appearance than ever.

From Blandford I went Weſt to Stourbridge, which, and the Country round, is employ'd in the Manu⯑facture of Stockens; it was once famous for making the fineſt, beſt, and higheſt-pric'd knit Stockens in England; but that Trade is much decay'd, by the Increaſe of the Knitting-ſtocken Engine, or Frame. which has deſtroyed the Hand Knitting-trade for fine Stockens thro' the whole Kingdom, of which I ſhall ſpeak in another Place.

From hence I came to Shireburn, a large and po⯑pulous Town, with One Collegiate or Conventual Church, and may juſtly claim to have more Inhabit⯑ants in it than any Town in Dorſetſhire, tho' it is [302] neither the County Town, nor ſends Members to Parliament. It was once a Biſhop's See, which was removed to Saliſbury. The Church is ſtill a Reve⯑rend Pile, and ſhews the Face of great Antiquity. Here begins the Wiltſhire Medley Cloathing, tho' this Town be in Dorſetſhire; of which I ſhall ſpeak at large in its Place.

Shafteſbury is alſo on the Edge of this County, ad⯑joining to Wiltſhire and Dorſetſhire, being Fourteen Miles from Saliſbury, over that fine Down or Car⯑pet Ground, call'd Saliſbury-plain. It is not an extraordinary Town; but ſituated upon the Top of a high Hill, and which cloſes the Plain or Downs, and whence a new Scene is preſented, (viz.) a Pro⯑ſpect of Somerſet and Wiltſhire, where 'tis all in⯑cloſed, and grown with Woods, Foreſts, and planted Hedge-Rows; the Country rich, fertile and popu⯑lous, the Towns and Houſes ſtanding thick, and being large and full of Inhabitants, and thoſe Inha⯑bitants fully employ'd in the richeſt and moſt valua⯑ble Manufacture in the World, (viz.) the Engliſh Cloathing, as well the Medley, or mix'd Cloathing, as Whites, both for the Home and foreign Trade; on which I ſhall be more particular in my Return thro' the Weſt and North Part of Wiltſhire.

Shafteſbury has however lately received ſome Im⯑provements from the Generoſity of a neighbouring Gentleman, and particularly in a fine Plantation on the Top of Park-Hill; which he was ſo kind as to indulge the Inhabitants with for a Place of Walking and Diverſion; but attempting, on the Strength of his good Offices to the Town, to preſcribe to them in the Choice of a Member of Parliament, he has not met with the grateful Return he might have expected, Violence having been done to the very Plantation he had ſo generouſly devoted to the pub⯑lick Service and Pleaſure of the Inhabitants.

[303]In my Return to my Weſtern Progreſs, I paſs'd ſome little Part of Somerſetſhire, as thro' Evil, or Yeovil, upon the River Ivil; in going to which we deſcend a long ſteep Hill, called Babylon-hill; but from what Original, I could find none of the Country People able to inform me.

Northward upon an high ſandy Hill, by the Bank of the River Ivel, is a Roman Camp called Cheſterton; under which lies the Town of Sandy, the Salinae of the Romans, where abundance of Roman and Britiſh Antiquities have been found, and immenſe Quantities of Coins.

Yeovil is a Market-town of good Reſort, and ſome little Cloathing is carried on, in and near it. Its main Manufacture at this Time is Gloves. It deals alſo in Corn, Cheeſe, Hemp, and all Sorts of Proviſions.

It cannot paſs my Obſervation here, that when we are come this Length from London, the Dialect of the Engliſh Tongue, or the Country way of expreſſing themſelves, is not eaſily underſtood. It is true, that it is ſo in many Parts of England beſides, but in none in ſo groſs a Degree as in this Part. As this Way of booriſh Speech is in Ireland called the Brogue upon the Tongue, ſo here 'tis named Jouring. It is not poſſible to explain this fully by Writing, becauſe the Difference is not ſo much in the Orthography, as in the Tone and Accent; their abridging the Speech, Cham, for I am; Chill, for I will; Don, for do on, or put on; and Doff, for do off, or put off; and the like.

From Evil or Yeovil we came to Crookorn, thence to Chard, which immediately brought me into Devonſhire.

It may not be unacceptable here to inſert a general Deſcription of this large County, which may con⯑vey to the Reader ſome Idea of the Nature of the [304] Soil, its Productions, and the Method of Improve⯑ment as well as the Manufactures, and Merchandizes, on which the Trading Part of the Inhabitants ſubſiſt.

To begin then: The Weſtern Part of the County bordering on Cornwall, viz. about Tavyſtock, Brid⯑deſtow, Oakhampton, Holſworthy, Bideford, Great Torrington, Chulmleigh, Chagford, Moreton, Hamp⯑ſted, and all round the Skirts of Dartmore, as well as that large Foreſt itſelf, conſiſts of a very coarſe, moory, or fenny Soil, very barren in its Nature; in ſome Places productive of nothing but a dwarf Kind of Furze of little or no Value. At other Places grow nothing but Ruſhes, or a coarſe, four Kind of Paſturage, which the Cattle will not feed upon; and therefore it dries up and withers into a Sedge. The Soil here is generally a ſtiff Clay, thro' which the Water cannot ſoak away: this renders it very unhealthy, eſpecially to Sheep, which in thoſe Parts are of a ſmall Kind, and very ſubject to the Rot, which (in wet Seaſons eſpecially) deſtroys them in great Numbers: and what adds to the Malady is, that neither the Induſtry of the Huſbandman (for which this County is deſervely famous) nor any Com⯑poſt that has yet been found out, will to any purpoſe cure this Sterility.