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stil be traced. These edifices Mr. Marsh supposes to have been occupied by some religious fraternity, although no other memorial of that fraternity has been discovered. I much regret that I have it not in my power to offer you the drawing of them which I made last summer, but of which I had the misfortune to be robbed, with many papers, and other interesting articles, by some person yet unknown, who happened to be in attendance, for such nefarious purposes no doubt, upon the Oxford races.

An inhabitant of Stevington, named Fisher, by his will, dated the 10th Feb. 1500, gave 201. to the repair of the chapel infra (query in tra) cemeterium.

At the East end of the village there was formerly a park, long since turned into pasture, and at present the property of the Duke of Bedford.

The Earls of Derby had estates at Stevington, which afterwards came to the Alstons, now of Odell Castle. A grant is yet in the possession of that family, signed by Stanley, Earl of Derby. Tradition relates the building above, supposed to be monastic, to have belonged to them.

Yours, &c.

Mr. URBAN,

T. FISHER.

July 1.

AMONG the MSS, of the late Dr. Lort, I find the following observations, occasioned by perusing an old poem, intituled,

"The Northern Mother's Blessing to her Daughter, written 9 years before Chaucer's death, and printed in a book called The Way to Thrift, by R. Robinson, 1597."

"The foregoing stanzas exhibit a very lively picture of the manners of this country, so far as respects the conduct and behaviour of a class of people, who, at the time when they were written, occupied a station some degrees removed above the lowest; and seem to presuppose that women of this rank stood in need of admonitions against incontinence and drunkenness, vices at this day not imputable to the wives of farmers or tradesmen. It is much to be lamented that the means of recovering characteristics of past ages are so few, asevery one must find who undertakes to deliineate them: the chronicles and history of this country, like those of most others, are in general the annals of public events; and a history of local

One of

manners is wanting in every country that has made the least progress towards a state of civilization. the best of the very good sentiments contained in the writings of the late Lord Bolingbroke, is this: History is philosophy teaching by example; and men would be less at a loss than they are how to act in many situations, could it be known what conduct had heretofore been pursued in similar instances.' Mankind are possessed with a sort of curiosity, which leads them to a retrospect on past times; and men of speculative natures are not content to know that a nation has. subsisted for ages under a regular form of government, and a system of laws calculated to promote virtue and restrain vice, but they wish for that intelligence which would enable them to represent to their minds the images of past transactions with the same degree of exactness as is required in painting. With what view but this are collections formed of antiquities, of various kinds of medals, of marbles, inscriptions, delineations of ancient structures, even in a state of ruin, warlike instruments, furniture, and domestic utensils? Why are these so eagerly sought after, but to supply that defect which History in general labours under?

Some of our English writers seem to have been sensible of the usefulness of this kind of information, and have gratified the curiosity of their readers by descending to such particulars as the garb and the recreations of the people of this country. In the description of the island of Britain, borrowed, as it is supposed, from Leland, by William Harrison, and prefixed to Holinshed's Chronicle, 18 a very entertaining account of the antient manner of living in England. Stowe is very particular with respect to London, and spends a whole chapter in describing their sports and pastimes. Hall, in his Chronicle, has gone so far as to describe the habits of both sexes worn at several periods in this country. Some few particulars relating to the manners of the English, according to their several classes, are contained in that curious little book of Sir Thomas Smith, De Republicâ Anglorum; others are to met with in the Itinerary of Fynes Moryson; and others, to the last degree entertaining, in that part of the Itinerary of Paul Hentzner,

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