tion of the texture of this ingenious duodecimo, which, in the portion relating to Therouenne, affords us the details of passages of much historical interest, and in that which treats on the Portus Itius successfully illustrates a point, left hitherto in an inconclusive position. The print from the old drawing of Therouenne, before its demolition, and the ancient map, said to be a copy of one of the eighth century, to which we have referred, are very useful and pleasing additions to the work.

Marculfus. Read, May 6, 1836, before the Leicestershire Literary Society, by T. Smith, Esq. Printed at the request of the Society. Leicester, 8vo. 1836.

"MARCULFUS was a monk of the diocese of Paris, and lived in the reign of Clovis, the son of Dagobert, about A. D. 660," or, at any event, such is the received opinion respecting him, from the circumstance of his collection of forms being dedicated to a bishop named Landeric. No bishop of that name is known, except a bishop of Paris of the period of Clovis, and hence it is that Marculfus is set down as his contemporary. The only work for which Marculfus lays claim to our gratitude, is a collection of forms of documents applicable to various public and private businesses, compiled by him for the instruction of the scribes of his time. A book of precedents cannot fail to throw light upon the legal practice, the manners, the customs, and the general state of society during the period to which it refers; and when that period is of great antiquity, or one respecting which there is a dearth of other authorities, such a book possesses considerable historical value. It is upon such considerations that the Formulare of Marculfus has always been regarded as a work of more than ordinary curiosity. A place was yielded to it in the Codex of Lindenbrog; in the Capitularia Regum Francorum of Baluze; and Mr. Smith makes mention of three sepa

rate publications of the work of Mar. culfus at Paris, in 1613 and 1666; and at Strasburgh, in 1655.

In the present little volume we find the Formulare of Marculfus made the subject of a very pleasant lecture before a provincial literary society, and it would seem that the author contrived to create in his hearers a sufficient interest in his recondite subject to induce them to request the publication of his address. We take advantage of the opportunity which is thus afforded us of presenting our readers with a few gleanings out of the original work.

The collection is divided into Chartæ Regales, or royal grants, and Chartæ Pagenses aut Senica, the meaning of which last word has been a sore puzzle to antiquaries. Whatever may be its correct interpretation, the Chartæ to which it is applied are evidently documents relating to transactions between individuals or bodies not comprehended within the Chartæ Regales. In the first division are grants of bishopricks without any reference to the papal authority; grants of land, and franchises to monasteries; and a great variety of grants of offices and peculiar privileges to individuals.

The following is a royal" Indiculus," or grant of privileges under the king's hand and seal. The blanks were of course intended to be filled up with the names of the parties :

.] the illustrious King of the Franks to Earl [. . . ], or his deputies and successors or messengers, know ye that out of charity we have granted to [...] the bearer hereof, that whereas he is an aged man, he shall therefore be exempt from all military service and from all bans and arriere-bans, so that neither you, nor your deputies or successors, presume to trouble or disquiet upon but this account; but that it shall be lawful for him, by God's grace and with our permission, to live a quiet life at home. And for your greater certainty, we have affirmed this writing with our own hand, and sealed it with our seal."-(No. x.)*

No. XXXII. is a charter, granting the authority of count, duke, or peer.

All these were local dignities, and the duties indicated, are the preservation of peace and the administration of justice. The surplus revenues were to be accounted for personally to the royal treasury annually. This is exactly the description of authority and the mode of accounting, exhibited in the more ancient of our Pipe Rolls.

There are several specimens of the Tractoria, a writ, which entitled the bearer to a corody or maintenance apon a journey, similar to that which the Kings of Scotland received on their journies through England, when summoned to attend the court of the English monarch, in respect of their possessions on this side the Tweed.

No. XXXVI. is a document, similar to that known in our law as a writ of protection, cum clausula volumus. It stays all legal proceedings against the person to whom it is granted, upon the ground of his being absent in the king's service. The form here inserted extends to the causes not mere

ly of the man himself but those of his friends and relations.

Nos. XXXVII. and XXXVIII. are charters of Mundeburde, or protection, which seem to indicate a degree of connection between the protector and the protected strikingly analogous to that of patron and client in the Roman law, and similar to the commendatio of domesday.

No. XLVII. presents to us the following curious form of letters testificatory:

"It is just that they who have promised fealty to us should be protected by our power; and because our faithful [...], by God's grace, coming to us in our palace with his followers, has openly pledged his troth and fealty to us with his hand in ours, wherefore by the present precept, we decree and order that hereafter the aforesaid [. . .] shall be reckoned amongst the number of amtrustions, [followers, or betrothed persons], and if any one shall presume to slay him let it be known that his wirgild is six hundred shillings."

The words which we have trans

"

lated pledged his troth and fealty to us with his hand in ours," may be more literally rendered, sworn troth and fealty to us, in or upon our hand;"* at any event, we have here, as Mr. Smith remarks, the form of feudal homage existing in the seventh century, if that be the period to which Marculfus belonged. Some of the forms in Lindenbrog are evidently later than that period. For instance, No. XI. is an oath of fealty to Charles Martel. It is very obscure, but probably the following is its sense :—

I will be faithful to my Lord Charles, the "I promise that from this day forth most pious Emperor, son of King Pepin, and to Bertana his Queen, in all sincerity, without fraud or malice, from me towards him, and for the honour of his kingdom I will be obedient and will submit to the jurisdiction of his Courts, in such manner as a liegeman ought to obey his Lord; so help me God and the Saints, who are the patrons of this place; as I shall regard and keep this oath all the days of my life to the best of my power. In the month of March, in the eleventh year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord Charles, the most glorious king."

The Charte Pagenses contain some which are exceedingly curious; grants of lands with many different kinds of restrictions as to the inheritance, wills, manumissions, assignments of dower, and various forms of proceedings in the courts of justice. The following will probably be thought rather strange by some of our readers :

"To the Magnificent Lord [the purchaser], I [the seller] in the name of God. It is agreeable to me, not as the agent of any other person, nor by the command of any superior, but of the motion of my own free will, to sell to you, and therefore I have sold to you, from this day forth, all my absolute property in [such a person] who is neither a thief, nor a run-away, nor a madman, nor has any vice in him, but is thoroughly sound to this year and day. And I have received from you as the price of this man according to the agreement between us [ . ] shillings, so that from this day the said absolute property which you have

GENT. MAG. VOL. VII.

3 F

402

Etchings of Ancient Capitals, &c. from Drawings by William Twopeny, Esq. fol. (Not published.)

THE design of this work is to display some peculiarities in the sculptures used in the decorations of buildings in this country, erected during the thirteenth century. The object of the author in the production (for it is not intended for publication), "has been simply to place in the hands of those friends who may care to possess them, representations of a few subjects remarkable either for beauty or curiosity."

The subjects which Mr. Twopeny has selected for illustration are six capitals, selected from various churches of the above period, accompanied by one of an earlier date, with some mouldings which appeared to him to merit particular attention.

During the latter half of the twelfth century, and from that period until nearly the close of the fourteenth, a variety of foliaged capitals are to be met with in our ancient buildings, which display considerable merit in the execution, and are often designed with great taste. The earlier examples are manifestly imitations of the Corinthian order, and of this description is the first subject illustrated by Mr. Twopeny, which is taken from the Hall of Oakham Castle, Rutland. In this, not only is the general resemblance of the volutes and helices preserved, but even the form of the bell or basket of the capital is retained. We do not recollect to have met with

a closer imitation of the Corinthian foliage in any ancient example we have previously examined; the age of this capital is assigned to a period between 1165 and 1191, so that it may be deemed to be nearly coeval with the choir of Canterbury, rebuilt in 1174. In the succeeding specimens, from Ryhall and Great Casterton churches in Rutland, the classical prototype has been forgotten (except in the volutes of the earlier examples), and a new and peculiar style of foliage adopted, which, from its originality, may be claimed as our own. This peculiarity consists "in the frequent use of the trefoil leaf, on the two lower lobes of which there is usually what may be termed a large lump or high swelling, casting a considerable shadow. The great relief with which their leaves are carved, and the boldness produced by the swelling lobes, give them a very peculiar but fine effect, and make them strongly mark the character of the foliage used in the thirteenth century." Three other examples of great beauty, are given as evidences of the further development of this peculiarity.

We may remark, that in Carshalton Church, Surrey, are some very fine capitals of an early period, which, as well in point of execution as in the beauty of their design, are equally worthy of attention with many examples which may exist elsewhere.

The author points out another minor feature in ancient sculpture, which he describes as a mask. This is a corbel in which the appearance of a grotesque human face results solely from the effect produced by certain mouldings. Several examples of this freakish ornament are given.

It is not easy to give an idea of the specimens without the assistance of the plates. The examples of the grotesques are very striking, and they are interesting as displaying the ingenuity of the ancient sculptors in the most minute and insignificant of their works.

In the course of the author's descriptions, some appropriate remarks are made upon the very arbitrary and incorrect names which are given to ancient mouldings. He objects especially to the term "toothed ornament," as applied to the diagonal

flower moulding: we have always thought that term only to be appropriate, when the hollows of the small leaves which compose each member of this moulding are filled up with whitewash; the resemblance to the teeth of a shark is then very striking, and without doubt the appellation was applied by some one who looked no further than the surface, for no term can more inappropriately describe the nature of the ornament; which every one who has examined the detail of ancient architecture will perceive is justly described as a pyramid with its sides pierced,

A Tabular Chronological Epitome of the History of Architecture in England. By George Godwin, Jun.- This is a view of the history of English architecture, printed on a card for the purpose of being suspended in a study or office for easy reference. It is divided into eight periods, styled by the author "Anglo-Roman;-Anglo-Saxon ;-Anglo-Norman ; -Early Pointed ;- the Pointed style ;Florid Pointed;-Elizabethan-and "the Revival;" the duration, leading features, examples, and eminent architects, are given under each period. We are not disposed to coincide exactly with the periods which Mr. Godwin has assigned to the exist. ence of each branch of his subject; for instance, the date 1509 is decidedly too early for the introduction of the Elizabethan period, and under the head "Anglo Roman" we would recommend the author in a second edition to expunge St. Martin's, Canterbury, and to add to bis reference to Tacitus the Roman Temple, at Bath, restored by Mr. Lyson's, which affords a striking testimony of the veracity of the Roman historian.

Testimonies of Heathen and Christian Writers of the first two Centuries to the Gospel, by the Rev. J. Browne, M. A. Although most of these testimonies are compiled from that laborious and learned work of Lardner, whose patient diligence left little to his successors to glean from the pages of history; yet Mr. Brown has deserved well of the public for the clear and able manner in which he has abridged and arranged them; and for some very excellent remarks and commentaries on the doctrines of Christianity. We have no doubt of the success of the volume.

We are much pleased to welcome a second part of that delightful manual, The Little Villager's Verse-book, by the Christian poet, the Rev. W. L. Bowles.

so as to form a square inverted flower." The ball flower, of which some pretty examples are given, is on the contrary most correctly designated, as the term clearly enough indicates the nature and form of the ornament.

The etchings are executed after drawings by the author, whose skill as an amateur artist has been long acknowledged. The present production evinces how accurately and attentively he has surveyed the early architecture of this country, and that he is fully alive even to the most minute feature which can elucidate its history, or develope its merits.

It is embellished with a view of the parsonage at Bremhill, taken from the grassplot upon which the sunday-school has so often been assembled in the afternoon's sunshine.

Early Years and Late Reflections. By Clement Carlyon, M. D. - The amiable and learned doctor has here embodied the continental tour of his early life; in which he frequently reverts to scenes, as he himself observes, "redolent with joy and youth." The period to which he recurs is certainly one of great importance in the history of modern times. It was just anterior to that great moral and political convulsion-the French revolution; when the minds of men had become bewildered, and all civilized society trembled, as it were, on the superstratum of a volcano. It is at this eventful period, that our tourist has undertaken to record the manners and feelings of the age, during his progress through Germany and France. The incidents which occur, and the anecdotes he relates during his resi dence at Gottingen, Dresden, and Leipsic, are extremely amusing; and the notices of Wordsworth, Bishop Middleton, Sir Humphry Davy, and others, are very characteristic; but Coleridge appears to have been the idol of our author's admiration. Almost every page is interlarded with his name; and his theological opinions are the constant theme of his pen; indeed, so elaborately has the doctor entered upon the subject of theology on every occasion, that we are afraid a good divine has been spoiled in the physician; but perhaps the general and wide spread of infidelity which prevailed at that period, was calculated to call forth the theological energies of his pen. However this may be, it is certain that more than half the volume is devoted to divinity, ethics, and metaphysics.

New Works announced for Publication. Memoirs of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. By JAMES GILLMAN, esq.

A History of English Literature, critical, philosophical, and bibliographical. By J. D'ISRAELI, Esq.

An Inquiry into the nature and form of the Books of the Ancients, with a History of the Art of Bookbinding, from the Times of the Greeks and Romans to the present day, interspersed with Bibliographical References to Men and Books of all Ages and Countries. By J. A. AR

NETT.

"Colloquies on Religion and Religious Education," being a Supplement to the former work. By the Author of Hampden in the Nineteenth Century," The first publication of the Central Society of Education. The West Indies. By Sir ANDREW HALLIDAY, M.D.

Questions on the Gospel of St. Luke, with the Lectures, as delivered in the parish church of St. George, Bloomsbury. By the Rev. T. VOWLER SHORT, B.Ď. Rector.

Muller's Physiology of Man. Translated from the German by W. BALY, M.D. Graduate of the University of Berlin.

New edition of an Essay on a System of Classical Instruction; combining the Methods of Locke, Ascham, Milton, and Colet.

Elements of Trigonometry. By AuGUSTUS DE MORGAN.

The Authors of England; with Illustrations.

The Poetical Works of ROBERT SOUTHEY, esq. Poet Laureate.

Sketches in the Pyrenees. By the Author of "Slight Reminiscences of the Rhine," &c.

Visit to the Great Oasis. By G. A. HOSKINS, Esq. Author of "Travels in Ethiopia."

A third and concluding Volume of SHARON TURNER'S Sacred History of the World.

The Philosophy of Living. By HERBERT MAYO, F.R.S.

A Greek and English Lexicon of the New Testament. By E. Robinson, D.D. Edited by the Rev. S. T. BLOOMFIELD, D.D.

The Life of Edward Earl of Clarendon. By T. H. LISTER, Esq. Author of Granby."

The Candidate for the Ministry: a Course of Expository Lectures on the First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy. By the Rev. J. H. PINDER, M.A. Curate of St. Mary, Lambeth.

Miscellaneous Essays. By H. T. COLEBROOKE.

A work on Natural Theology. Mr. BABBAGE.

By

Dissertations on Unaccomplished Prophecy. By W. S. CHAUNEY.

KIDD'S Silver Mine, a Vein of precious Ore discovered in the Treasuries of Wisdom.

Addresses delivered by Lord Rectors of the University of Glasgow, with Introductory Observations by JOHN B. HAY.

Description of a newly-invented Railway Chair, and of a Slate Block, constructed by Machinery. By JAMES WHITE, Civil Engineer.

In the course of the year 1836 there have beer printed 6,632 works in Paris, written in French, English, German, Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, &c. besides 1154 works of engravings and lithographs.

-

March 2. William Laurence, esq. V. P. Dr. Hall's paper was concluded. March 9. Rev. Adam Sedgwick, V. P.

Read, Researches on the Tides, seventh series: On the diurnal inequality of the height of the Tide, especially at Ply. mouth and at Singapore, and on the mean level of the Sea, by the Rev. W. Whewell.

March 16. The Earl of Burlington, V. P. John Burnet, esq. was elected Fellow. A paper was read on the Tides, by J. W. Lubbock, esq. V. P.-Adjourned to April 5.

ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY.

Feb. 18. A paper was read, commenced at the last meeting, "On the Practice of Medicine among the Chinese," by the Rev. C. Gutzlaff. It ap pears that the practice of medicine and surgery is founded more on traditional rules than on the principles of science; and that it would be extremely dangerous for a practitioner to depart from them. On the whole the character of a physician is not very respectable; and the profession of the surgeon, from the great objection of the Chinese to operations, is scarcely known.

Another paper was read, entitled, "Ob