fent, except by means of a greater quantity of fuch characters to einploy the art of combination, ard thus to decypher their meaning, (which we fhall be better able to do when more copious materials fhall be procured, from the Eaft by the liberality of the honourable Eaft India Company;) or, til thefe are obtained, to judge by well-founded reafoning what they may probably contain." (p. 56.) By following the latter method I fhill endeavour to prove, that thefe infcriptions are ordinary inferiptions on bricks, as was ufual among other nations. We not only find the fame inferiptions on almoft all, but we fee the greater part of the furface is left vacant, which would hardly be the cafe if they contained aftronomical obfervations, or other remarkable events. One indeed differs from the reft, but it contains only a narrow impreffion, as is ufual in works of pottery. Now Beauchamp has obferved, that the bricks of each quarter among the extenfive ruins of Babylon had a peculiar impreflion, though all thofe of the fame quarter refembled each other. Another of thefe bricks differed only in a very trifle from the reft. The inferiptions are alfo as common on the bricks buried in the walls, as on thofe on the outfide. M. de Sacy wrote to me from Paris, that thofe fent thither are quite different from thofe I fent impreffions pf. If I receive any others, I fhall prefent them as a fupplement to this work." (p 56-60.)

The refult of this difcuffion is: 1, that the nail-headed characters found in Perfia are real characters; 2, ufed not only there, but in Babylonia and Chaldæa; 3, not derived from Perfia but Babylon, and therefore ought in future to be called rather Babylonian; 4, are very likely the fhered letters of Babylon, on which Democritus wrote; 5, that they were the Chaldaic characters mentioned by the Antients, rather than the fquare Chaldaic now ufed by the Jews their being found on common bricks is of little moment, for the Egyptian hieroglyphicks occur on monuments of every kind; 6, that feVeral other alphabets of other nations feem to have been originally derived from Babylon, where, 7, there exifted 2000 years ago a perpendicular monogrammatic writing: 8 politan info perpend

oug

the Perfe

2.

An Hiftory of the Parish of Whalley and Honor of Clitheroe, in the Counties of Lancafter and York. By Thomas Durham Whitaker, LL. D. Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. Blackburn, 1801.

WE view with approbation another candidate for topographical fanie exemplifying by his own exertions, that "Topography has charms for a writer, and thofe too refulting even from her want of dignity and of diftance: to exalt fcenes of daily obfervation into fubjets of literary enquiry, to account for ftriking but obfcure appearances in his own vicinity; to reconcile apparent contradictions in antient dates or facts of which the objects are familiar; to trace fome neighbouring work of antient art, which is now magnificent in decay, to its perfection or commencement; to compare fome great revolu tion of a kingdom with its effects private property, provincial dialect, or domeftic manners to develope the progrefs of parochial endowments in which himfelf has an intereft; to trace the origin and alliances, the advancement or decline of families with which he is connected; and to combine them all with objects endeared by early ha bits and long affociation; cannot but afford a mingled exercife to the powers of reafon and fancy, of obfervation and memory, gratifying in an high de

upon

Who claims relationship to a fifter of well, p. 227.

gree

gree to the topographical writer." Convinced that the lightest effufions of a ferious mind ought to be directed to the ufe of edifying, and while hiftories and novels, the most popular in their nature, and the mott extenfive in their circulation, were daily illuing from a licentious prefs, as the vehicle of impiety and fedition, he does not wish to diflemble that he entered upon the prefent work with a deliberate purpote, which the enfuing pages, it is hoped, will prove that he has not forgotten, of giving a contrary and perhaps a new direction to Topography, that is, of vindicating the prefent conftitution of England, and of ferving the interefts of religion, by the occational introduction of fuch remarks as appeared to arife out of the fubject."

The Hiftory of Whalley is traced from the British and Romau periods; in which, however, the author has been foreftalled by a writer, who, to all the ftores of erudition, adds an ardour of fpirit which no difficulties can difcourage, a penetration which no obfcurity can baffle, and a fplendour, yet perhaps a wildness, of imagination, which, if it throws over the page of hiftorical antiquity fomewhat of the air of romance, feldom fails to delight where it is impoffible that it should CORVince. And if the calmn invefiigation of facts and appearances, however, fometimes led the Hiftorian of Whalley to differ very widely in his conclufions from the Hiftorian of Manchetter; if, In particular, after much reflection, he has been compelled to reject the autho, rity of an Itinerary, which, as it feconded the great Antiquary's impetuous fpirit of topographical difcovery, was adopted by him with too little inveftigation of the evidence on which it refted; he has endeavoured at least to bear in mind, that the eccentricities of genius, like the extravagances of virfure, are to be touched with a tender and respectful hand."

Foremo in his lift of obligations ftand the 16 folio volumes of Collections, containing not fewer than 20,000 original charters, made by Chriftopher, fon of Richard Townley, efq. and now in the library of Charles T. elq. of T. in purfuance of a great plan, carried on in concert with his ilftrious friends Dugdale and Dodfworth, in the troublefome times of the last century, the tranfcript of the now left chartulary of Whalley abbey in

lead." (p. v.)

With thele ingenuous profellions in our view, we follow the author in the detail of his labour.

Book I. chap. I. treats briefly of the Roman hiftory, and atcertains the tract occupied by the Setantü, and that the Belijama of Polomy was the Rible. and not, as Mr. Whitaker determined, the Mersey; and the credit of Richard of Cirencester is reduced to that of a modern Antiquary, and the Monk of Ravenna a better guide. Ribchefter is the Roman ftation Coccium, or Rigo dunum, and has many confiderable marks of antiquity in infcriptions, &c. When Leland vifited it, "there was a place where the people fabled the Jues had a teinple." There is the fame tradition at Leicester, and probably from the fame caufe. Two infcriptions in Horley and the last edition of Camden feem wanting here. The Watling-fireet proceeds from Ribchefter to Coin and Caftercliff (Colunium), and in another direction to Cattlefhaw (Cambodunum). Coln feems to have been populous in the Roman times; and many of their coins have been found thereabouts. A road from Man cimum to Ilkley (Olicana) passed throʻ Whalley parith; and pointing to Cambaduum there joined a road from thence to Ilkeley. At the foot of Blackfione

inanition, how peculiar must then have been the state of the human body, and confequently the practice of medicine in monafteries, when men born in times, and bred in habits, which almoft exempted them from the evil, thall I fay the privilege of weak conftitutions, were often fwept away in the midst of their days by fuch inflammazory diforders! or, if they furvived to a later period, were knocked down at a firoke by apoplexies, the fuperadded laziness and plenty of a convent muft have been doubly pernicious. But another and a difgafting circumftance in the habits of monks muft have expofed them to putrid and cutaneous diforders; I mean, a total inattention to cleanlinefs, for which they had to blame the abfurdity of their rule, for they had no fheets to beds, or fhirts to their backs; they flept in their ordinary dreffes of woollen; and they never availed themfelves of a practice, from which they do not appear to have been prohibited, and which alone rendered the fanie habits tolerable in the antients, namely, a confiant ufe of warm baths, which would have removed all impurities from the fkin; fome of which produce a firange mixture of feelings, to be repelled from the converfation of a man of learning and eloquence by ftench and vermin." (p. 102.)

We have next a good defcription and plan of the monaftic buildings, with much appropriate illuftration. The fite and manor were purchafed of the Crown by John Braddyll and Ri

chard Asheton for 2131.; and after

wards it devolved wholly to the latter. Mr. W. obtained leave, 1798, to inveftigate the whole fite of the church, reduced nearly to foundations only; and very candidly remarks, that, had luxury aud avarice allowed fcope for generous and difinterefted fentiments at the Reformation, the revenues of the monaftery, not less than 30007. per annum, not far from the prefent rental of the township, which was entirely abbey demefnes, might have been ap plied to maintain a fuffragan bifhop, rector of the parish, a college of four fellows (three divines and one phyfician), at yearly tipends of 1507. cach; two chaplains at 1007. cach; two lay1. hoolmasters at 300.; ten fcholars on the foundation, and ten exhibitions at one or both univerfities, 6007.; an orgenifit, 907.; four chorifters, and forty other fervants, on the foundation, 3007. in all 2870 1.

Chap. IV. of this Book treats of the vicarage.

Book III. chap. I. of the origin, progrefs, and ramifications of property, from the Saxon to the prefent úmes, à judicious and interefting difquifition; and a comparative view of antient and modern population and improvement.

From a people occupied like the Saxons in rearing and devouring the progrels [produce] of their own hands, pofterity had little to expect; and, accordingly, the fubject of this hiftory cannot boat one Saxon charter, one remnant of Saxon architecture, properly fo called; and, independently of general hiftory, we have no remaining evidence but that of language, that fuch a race of men ever exired among us. I do not even recollect, that a Saxon penny or a Northumbrian ftica has ever been turned up within the parith. The Normans were a more. abftemious and politic people; their lawyers, with more chicane, had infinitely more knowledge of the principles of jurifprudence; their ecclefiaftics, though more devoted to the court of Rome, had a greater share of piety and learning; their princes alone, haughty, unjuft, and cruel, gave a conquered people reafon to look back with regret on the mild though unfkilful fway of their native monarchy. As feribes and architects in particular, they were men to whom this district was greatly indebted; for our oldest castle, our oldelt remaining churches, our most valuable records, are all early Norman." (p.136.)

Such was the fate of property and manners when the houfe of Lucy became poffeffed of Blackburnfhire. But, before we go on to that part of the fubject, it may be proper to confider the effects which this great revolution produced on the fiate of property in it. The fimplicity and independence of Saxon tenures was completely deftroyed; a tract of country which had been parcelled out among 28 lords now be came fubject to one, and all the intricacies of feodal dependence, and all the rigours of feodal exaction, wardfhips, reliefs, efcheats, &c. were-introduced at once. Yet, perhaps, the rights thus acquired were feldom exercifed in their utmatt extent; the Saxon lords, though reduced to a fiate of galling dependence, do not appear in general to have been actually firipped of their fees; and we have one infiance in which the old poffalor of a manor

before

before the Conqueft alienates after that event in his own name. What a man in fuch circumftances is permitted to transfer he has previoufly been allowed to retain. But thefe remaining rights, for the deftruction of which many trains were laid, gradually merged in the fuperior fee, where, perhaps the greater part of them fill remains; but others were fucceffively re-granted in military fervice or frank almoigne. Subordinate freehold properties were allo cantoned out in focage; tenures in villenage, which had commenced immediately after the Conqueft, were extended and encouraged; and thus, by fuccellive fteps, the origin of all landed property within the hundred, fome later copyholds alone excepted, is to be traced to voluntary concellions of the Lacies, or their fucceffors of the houfe of Lancaster." (137) Chap. V. contains a lift of the lords of the honour of Clitheroe, the Lacies, of whom Henry, the laft, defpairing of male flue, furrendered all his lands to the king, who re-granted them to him for life, and, after his deceafe, to Thomas earl of Lancaster, and Alice, his wife, who was a Lacy, and the heirs of their bodies; failing of which, they were to remain over to Edmund, the king's brother, and to his heirs, for ever. On the attainder of Thomas earl of Lancaster, the honour of Clitheroe and hundred of Blackburn were feized into the king's hands, and remained in the crown till the beginning of Edward the Third's reign, when they were granted for term of life to Queen Ifabella; but previous to her death the attainder of Earl Thomas had -been reverfed, on the plea that he had not been tried by his peers; fo that, immediately on that event, Henry duke of Lancasier fucceeded to the bonour and hundred by virtue of the entail on Edmund, the king's brother, and his heirs. (p. 146.) Charles II. granted it to General Monk and his heirs. His fon's widow, Lady Elizabeth Cavendish, re-married Ralph duke of Montague, who, by a former wife, had John duke of Montague; who had two daughters; Habel, married to Edward Earl Beaulicu, and Mary, to George Earl of Cardigan, afterwards Duke of Montague, who had a fon Henry, Duke of Buccleugh. By what ad or acts the honour of Cli theroe has patied from one family to

another through a female connected in blood with neither, after having applied in vain for information where it might have been expected, I am not afhated to plead ignorance. It is poffible it may have been devifed in fee by the fecond duke of Albemarle to his dutchefs; and, as the is known to have left eftates to her flep-fon, John, Duke of Montague, the honour of Clitheroe may have been among the number. But this is merely conjecture. Other inftances, though of lefs magnitude, may occur in the progress of this work, in which, after travelling with cafe and certainty through four or five centuries, our lights have failed at that precife point where private evidences, ceafing to be confidered as the playthings of Antiquarian curiofity, are guarded by the referve of family delicacy, or by the jealouty of legal importance." (p. 150.)

We have next an account of the caftle of Clitheroe with its chapel and honour, with its forefts and other demefnes, interfperfed with much intereffing and able difcuffion on forefts, game, trees, the witches of Pendle in the 16th century. "Of the fyftem of witchcraft" here, obferres Nir. W. "the real defect is not in theory, but in evidence. A poffibility that the bodies of men fhould fometimes be given up to infernal agency, is no more to be denied than that their fouls fhould be expofed to infernal illufions; that fuch appearances fhould be exhibited in one age and withdrawn in another is equally the cafe with miracles; that they should not extend to all countries is common to them and to revelation itfelf; but all the modern inftances of fuppofed witchcraft, which I have read of, are diferedited either by the apparent fraud or folly of the witneffes. Were to behold with mine own eyes fuch circumfiances as have often been related, or were they to be related to me by a philofophical obferver of perfect integrity, upon the evidence of his fenfes, I know not upon what principles I could refufe any affent to the conclution, that they were really the effects of diabolical power. That thefe opinions may not be accused of leaning too much to the doctrines of exploded fuperftition, I will take leave to refer my readers to the following fentiment of a great and enlightened modern Divine: That, for any thing we know, he (the devil) may (fill) operate in the way of pofiffiom,