The Till-yard (2) is situated to the North-east of the Castle, which formed the bead of the pool; a sluice in the middle of it (formerly arched over) served to drain off the superfluous waters of the lake, which washed the foot of the lists on the West side, while a wall towards the East effectually prevented the horses from swerving on that side, in the martial exercises of the tilts and tournaments that used to be performed here.

At the end of the Tilt-yard, and formerly connected with it by a bridge, the ruins of which still remain, there is a piece of ground strongly fortified with a deep ditch and rampart of earth. Over this, till Lord Leicester built the great Gate-house, lay the road to the Castle. The remains of the two stone towers, that stood on each side the entrance, are still to be

seen.

Ro

But to revert to the Romance of Kenilworth - the events on which it is founded are principally connected with the visit of Queen Elizabeth to Kenilworth Castle in 1575. bert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, the unprincipled favorite of the Queen, is the hero of the tale. The author has pourtrayed Leicester in a more favorable light than history warrants, and his atrocious actions are altogether attributed to his creature Sir Richard Varney. Amy Robsart is the daughter of an old English knight and sportsman, Sir Hugh Robsart, who was doatingly fond of ber. The Earl of Leicester had carried her off, from her father, and secretly mar. ried her; but ambitiously aspiring to Elizabeth's hand, he adopts Varney as his confidant, to effect his purposes. This wretch resolves on removing the youthful Countess, who is the chief obstacle to their advancement.

The Romance opens at an inn, called the Bonny Black Bear, in the village of Cumnor, near Oxford *. It is kept by Giles Gosling. At the close of the day a traveller arrives, whose name is soon discovered to be Mike Lambourne, the innkeeper's nephew. He is a worthless desperado, who had been absent near twenty years. On inquiring after his old associates in villany, the men

tion of Tony Foster and Cumnor Place, his residence, attracts the notice of a stranger, by the name of Tressilian, who is actually in quest of Amy Robsart, his former love. He learns that a lady is confined in Cumnor Place, the result of which is a visit there, where Tressilian discovers Amy Robsart, who passes for the paramour of Varney. He also encounters Varney, when a combat ensues; but the consequences are prevented by the interference of Lambourne. After this, Varney takes Lambourne into his service, and goes to the Earl of Leicester at Woodstock. Tressilian proceeds to Lidcote Hall with the intelligence respecting Amy. On his journey he becomes acquainted with Wayland Smith, a most singular character, who bears the reputation of a necromancer t. Wayland has been a follower of Alasco, a vile quack, who is afterwards found in the train of Leicester, and answers to one of those characters of the Jew and Italian, which it is believed that nobleman maintained to commit his poisoning assassinations. He enters into the train of Tressilian, and accompanies him to Lidcote, where he cures Sir Hugh Robsart of the lethargick disorder, brought on by grief for his daughter. Tressilian is afterwards summoned by his patron, the Earl of Sussex, (Leicester's rival), and proceeds to court to attend him, and also to bring the case of Amy's supposed seduction before the Queen. The Romance here enters more distinctly upon personages of historical note. The leaders themselves, and the contending factions of Leices ter and Sussex are admirably pourtrayed. Leicester is obliged to dissemble, in order to avoid the storm of his royal mistress's displeasure, and when the accusation respecting Amy Robsart is brought forward, he is compelled to sanction the falsehood of Varney, that she is Varney's wife. In consequence of this, he regains his ascendancy as the favourite; and the Kenilworth Progress is resolved upon, for which, preparations are every where made; however, being ordered by the Queen to bring his lady thi ther, he is dispatched by his Lord

+ See an account of Wayland Smith, a druidical remain, in p. 198.

to

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to Cumnor Court, to induce Amy to consent to the disguise of appearing as his own wife, till Leicester's plans are ripe. Varney has an interview with her, and she treats his proposals with becoming scorn. He and his accomplices attempt to poison her, but she is saved by an antidote given by Wayland, and finally escaping from Cumnor under the guidance of that individual, arrives, after several interesting adventures, at Kenilworth on the morning of the day whereon the Queen makes her entry. By a strange fatality, the unhappy Countess is carried in her disguise to the apartment in Mervyn's Tower, which had been assigned to Tressilian; here they meet, and a most affecting scene ensues, in which the equivocal relations of all the parties are more inextricably involved. Tressilian consents to keep the secret of Amy for twenty-four hours; but a letter to Leicester, apprizing him of her situation, unfortunately miscarries; and the scoundrel Varney has Wayland thrust out of the castle that he may carry his infernal plot, unobstructed, into effect. She is afterwards discovered by the Queen in the garden, and confesses her marriage with Leicester. Dread confusion ensues; the incensed Princess hardly spares her favourite's life; but the tempest is appeased by new inventions and lies of Varney, who further infects his master's breast with foul suspicions of Amy's infidelity, amounting almost to certainty, so strong in the circumstantial chain of evidence, respecting her stay in Tressilian's chamber. Leicester and Tressilian twice encounter with their swords. The last of these combats leads to the catastrophe. Tressilian is disarmed, and on the point of being slain, when the Earl's hand is arrested by Dickie Sludge (a very entertaining mischievous little fellow), and the too long lost letter from Amy is delivered to him. This explains all, and the distracted Earl speeds away Tressilian, to save poor Amy from Varney's murderous machinations.

The victim of Varney is hurried to Cumnor, and on the way Lambourne is shot by his master, to destroy the evidence of a merciful order, of which he is the bearer from the Earl. At Cumnor, Alasco is found dead in his laboratory, de

[March,

"On the next day, as evening approached, Varney summoned Foster to the execution of their plan. Tider and Foster's old man-servant were sent on a feigned errand down to the village, and Anthony himself, as if anxious to see that the Countess suffered no want of accommodation, visited her place of confinement. He was so much staggered at the mildness and patience with which she seemed to endure her confinement, that he could not help earnestly recommending to her not to cross the threshold of her room on any account whatsoever, until Lord Leicester should come, Which,' he added, ' I trust in God, will be very soon.' Amy patiently promised that she would resign herself to her fate, and Foster returned to his hardened companion with his conscience half-eased of the perilous load that weighed on it. I have warned her,' he said; surely in vain is the spare set in the sight of any bird.'

door unsecured on the outside, and under the eye of Varney, withdrew the supports which sustained the falling trap, which, therefore, kept its level position merely by a slight adhesion. They withdrew to wait the issue on the ground-floor adjoining, but they waited long in vain. At length Varney, after walking long to and fro, with his face muffled in his cloak, threw it suddenly back, and said, Surely never was a woman fool enough to neglect so fair an opportunity of escape!' 'Perhaps she is resolved,' said Foster, 'to await her husband's return.' 'True !-most true,' said Varney, rushing out; 'I had not thought of that before.'

"He left, therefore, the Countess's

"In less than two minutes, Foster, who remained behind, heard the tread of a horse in the court-yard, and then a whistle

similar to that which was the Earl's usual signal;-the instant after the door of the Countess's chamber opened, and in the same moment the trap-door gave way. There was a rushing sound-a heavy fall -a faint groan-and all was over.

"At the same instant, Varney called in at the window, in an accent and tone which formed an indiscribable mixture betwixt horror and raillery, is the bird caught?' -is the deed done? O God, forgive us!' replied Anthony Foster. Why, thou fool,' said Varney, thy toil is ended, and thy reward secure. Look down into the vault-what seest thou?' I see only a

heap

heap of white clothes, like a snow-drift,' said Foster. O God, she moves her arm!' Hurl something down on her. Thy gold chest, Tony-it is a heavy one.' 'Varney, thou art an incarnate fiend!' replied Foster; There needs nothing more --she is gone!'

So pass our troubles,'

said Varney, entering the room; 'I dreamed not I could have mimicked the Earl's call so well.' 'Oh, if there be judgment in heaven, thou hast deserved it,' said Foster, and wilt meet it!-Thou hast destroyed her by means of her best affections-it is a seething of the kid in the mother's milk.' Thou art a fanatical ass,' replied Varney; let us now think how the alarm should be given-the body is to remain where it is.'

"But their wickedness was to be permitted no longer ;-for even while they were at this consultation, Tressilian and Raleigh broke in upon them, having obtained admittance by means of Tider and Foster's servants, whom they had secured at the village.

"Anthony Foster fled on their entrance; and, knowing each corner and pass of the intricate old house, escaped all search. But Varney was taken on the spot; and, instead of expressing compunction for what he had done, seemed to take a fiendish pleasure in pointing out to them the remains of the murdered Countess, while at the same time he defied them to shew that he had any share in her death. The despairing grief of Tressilian, on viewing the mangled and yet warm remains of what had lately been so lovely and so beloved, was such, that Raleigh was compelled to have him removed from the place by force, while he himself assumed the direction of what was to be done." Varney swallowed poison, and was found dead the next morning.

We shall now conclude this interesting article with the fatal catastrophe: "Cumnor-place was deserted immediately after the murder; for, in the vicinity of what was called the Lady Dudley's Chamber, the domestics pretended to hear

groans and screams, and other superna. tural noises. After a certain length of time, Janet, hearing no tidings of her father, became the uncontrouled mistress of bis property, and conferred it with her hand upon Wayland, now a man of settled character, and holding a place in Elizabeth's household. But it was after they had been both dead for some years, that their eldest son and heir, in making some researches about Cumnor-Hall, discovered a secret passage, closed by an iron door, which, opening from behind the bed in the Lady Dudley's Chamber, descended to a sort of cell, in which they found an iron chest containing a quantity of gold, and a

253

human skeleton stretched above it. The fate of Anthony Foster was now manifest. He had fled to this place of concealment, forgetting the key of the spring-lock; and being barred from escape, by the means he had used for preservation of that gold, for which he had sold his salvation, he had there perished miserably. Unquestionably the groans and screams heard by the domestics were not entirely imaginary, but were those of this wretch, who, in his agony, was crying for relief and succour.

"The news of the Countess's dreadful fate put a sudden period to the pleasures of Kenilworth. Leicester retired from court, and for a considerable time abandoned himself to his remorse. But as Varney in his last declaration had been studious to spare the character of his patron, the Earl was the object rather of compassion than resentment. The Queen at length recalled him to court; he was once more distinguished as a statesman and favourite, and the rest of his career is well known to history. But there was something retributive in his death, if, according to an account very generally received, it took place from his swallowing a draught of poison, which was designed for another person.

"Sir Hugh Robsart died very soon after his daughter, having settled his estate on Tressilian. But neither the prospect of rural independence, nor the promises of favour which Elizabeth held out to induce him to follow the Court, could remove his profound melancholy. Wherever he went, he seemed to see before him the disfigured corpse of the early and only object of his affection. At length, having made provision for the maintenance of the old friends and old servants who formed Sir Hugh's family at Lidcote Hall, he himself embarked with his friend Raleigh for the Virginia expedition, and, young in years but old in griefs, died before his day in that foreign land."

At the close of the melancholy catastrophe with which the Romance concludes, the mind is too deeply sunk in gloom; and the intense interest excited throughout is apt to be absorbed in the sad complication of human woes. Some happier circumstances might have been successfully interwoven, in order to excite more pleasurable sensations at the denouement of the tale.

Kenilworth appears peculiarly dramatic in its construction. As a panorama of the age of Elizabeth it is surpassing; and as a work of general interest, worthy of the Writer; but the story on the whole is too tragical for

the Revels of Kenilworth.

We have to announce to our Clerical friends the following premiums, offered by the Church Union Society, in the Diocese of St. David's, 1821-1. A premium of 501. (by benefaction) for the best Essay on "the Scripture Doctrines of Adultery and Divorce; and on the criminal character and punishment of Adultery by the ancient laws of England and other countries." -2. A premium of 257. for the best Essay on "the Influence of a Moral Life on our Judgment in matters of Faith."-If any man will Do his will, he shall know of the DOCTRINE, whether it be of God. John vii. 17. The Essays are to be sent directed to the Rev. W. Morgan, Vicarage, Abergwilly, near Carmarthen, on or before the last day of July, 1821, with the names of the writers in a sealed paper inscribed with the motto of the Essay.

The Society have adjudged to the Rev. S. C. Wilks, A. M. of Oxford, Author of "Christian Essays," "Christian Missions," and "the St. David's Prize Essay for the Year 1811, on the Clerical Character," their premium of fifty pounds for the best Essay on "The Necessity of a Church Establishment in a Christian Country, for the preservation of Christianity among the People of all ranks and denominations; and the means of exciting and maintaining among its Members a spirit of devotion, together with zeal for the honour, stability, and influence of the Established Church." [This Essay is preparing for the Press.]

Ready for Publication.

A Description of that part of Western Africa, comprehending the Laharas, or Great Desert, and the Countries situated between the Rivers Senegal and Gambia, in continuation of the work commenced by Mr. ACKERMANN, under the title of the World in Miniature.

A Christian Biographical Dictionary; containing an Account of the Lives and Writings of many of the most eminent Christians in every Nation, from the commencement of the Christian Era to the present period. By JOHN WILKS, 12 2mo.

Jun.

An Appeal to the Legislature and the Public, ou the Tendency of Mr. Brougham's Bill for the Education of the Poor. By I. B. BROWN, Esq. of the Inner Temple.

A Selection of the Speeches delivered at the late County Meetings, on the proceedings instituted by his Majesty's Ministers against the Queen, with a Dedication to the People of England.

A Catechism of General Geography; containing the situation, extent, moun

tains, lakes, rivers, religion, government, &c. of every country in the world, for the use of Schools. By C. IRVING, LL.D.

Observations on the Restrictive and Prohibitory Commercial System; from the MSS. of Jeremy Bentham, Esq. By JOHN BOWRING.

A Narrative of Travels in Northern Africa, from Tripoli to Mourzouk, the Capital of Fezzan; and from thence to the Southern Extremity of that Kingdom, in the Years 1818, 19, and 20. By GEORGE FRANCIS LYON, Lieutenant of the Royal Navy, and Companion of the late Mr. Ritchie.

A General Catalogue of Antient and Modern Books. For the Years 1821-2. By LACKINGTON, HUGHES, HARDING, Ma. VOR, and LEPARD, Finsbury-square.

Virgil. Translated by DAVIDSON.
Delphin Classics, XXIII. and XXIV.
The Pamphleteer, No. XXXIV.
Stephens' Greek Thesaurus, No. XI.
Grotius, with English Notes.

Preparing for Publication.

The last and concluding part of Antient Wiltshire. By SIR RICHARD COLT HOARE, Bart. which terminates the Second Volume. This part is confined entirely to the Roman Era, and contains an exact survey of all the Roman Roads which are at present known to traverse the County; with the Stations upon them; as well as the Mosaic Pavements which have been discovered. We are also happy to hear that the same Author means to prosecute his inquiries in Modern Wiltshire, and that the Hundred of Mere is far advanced.

A History of the Town of Shrewsbury. By the Rev. HUGH OWEN and the Rev. J. BLAKEWAY.

A Series of Views of the most interesting remains of our Antient Castles. By Mr. WOOLNOTH, to be engraved from Drawings by Annald, Blore, Fielding, &c. and to be accompanied by Historical and Descriptive Notices, by E. W. Brayley, jun.

Elements of the Science of Political Economy. By Mr. MILL, author of the History of British India.

An Account of the Interior of Ceylon and its Inhabitants, with Travels in that Island. By JOHN DAVY, M. D. and F.R.S. Compiled entirely from original materials, collected by the Author during his resi dence in that Island.

Sermons. By the late Rev. JOSEPH PICKERING, A. M. Perpetual Curate of Paddington.

B:b

1821.]

Bibliographia Sacra; or, an Introduction to the Literary and Ecclesiastical History of the Sacred Scriptures, and the Translations of them into different Languages. By the Rev. JAMES TOWNLEY, Author of Biblical Anecdotes.

A Sailor's Hymn Book, under the patronage of the British and Foreign Seamen's Friend Society and Bethel Union.

The Expedition of Orgua and the Crimes of Lope de Aguirre. By Mr. SOUTHEY. Baron Humbolt in his Travels says, the Crimes and Adventures of Lope de Aguirre form one of the most dramatic episodes in the History of the Spanish Conquests.'

The Royal Exile; or, Poetical Epistles, supposed to be written by Mary Queen of Scots, during the early part of her captivity in England, to which will be added, other Original Poems. By a YOUNG LADY. Memoirs of the Life of Bryan Walton, D.D. Bishop of Chester, and Editor of the London Biblia Polyglotta.

A View of the Structure, Functions, and Disorders of the Stomach and Alimentary Organs of the Human Body. By THOMAS HARE, F.L.S. &c. Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.

An Essay on Resuscitation, with a representation and description of an improved apparatus. By T. J. ARMIGER, Esq. An Analogical Enquiry into the probable results of the Influence of Factitious Eruptions in Hydrophobia Tetanus, Non Exanthematous, and other Diseases incidental to the Human Body, illustrated by cases. In a Letter to Dr. Charles Parry, F.R.S. &c. &c. &c. By EDWD. Jenner, Esq. M.D. F.R.S. &c.

A Satirical Novel, entitled Money Raising; or, a Day in Cork Street, containing Sketches of Character of most of the Sprigs of Nobility and Fashion of the present day. Interspersed with curious and original letters from Lords A-, B—, F—. H. K. M—. W—. &c. &c.

Pleasures of Home, à Poem, with corrections and improvements; and additional pieces by the same author.

A Romance, entitled a Tale of the Olden Time. By a HARROW BOY.

The First Number of Illustrations of Shakspeare, engraved in the finest style by the most eminent Historical Engravers, from pictures painted expressly for this Work. By ROBERT SMIRKE, Esq.

Mr. Schmid, at the presidency of Calcatta, has projected a Periodical Miscellany, comprising regular accounts of all biblical and missionary transactions throughout the world; to be a repository of biographical, critical, and philological matter, with a special reference to the nations of the East; and affording a constant supply of materials for the encou

255

ragement of Christian Ministers in Asia, as well as the elucidation and direction of Missionary labours. This work has been for the present postponed, until by the increase of efficient labourers the plan may be resumed with good prospect of support; and when annual subscriptions shall have been engaged.

In describing the state of the schools at Burdwan, under the care and judicious discipline of Capt. Stewart, since the visit of the Rev. Robinson, the Report states, that it was very pleasant to have a simple and good account given of the English Government, the two Houses of Parliament, the Army and Navy, and Universities of England, with its chief towns, cities, and rivers, from a company of poor Bengalee boys, who, unless they had been brought under instruction, must have remained in entire ignorance and stupid indifference to improvement.

The establishment of a Central School is a work of great promise. Their great want in the prosecution of school labours is of good and useful books. The English language is first taught and encouraged, and Captain Stewart has been authorised to receive the head classes of the village schools in a central school at Burdwau, for the purpose of imparting instruction in the English language. A contiguous building has been erected for their accommodation, and for reception of a Missionary.

A suit was commenced during the last year, in the Consistory Court at York, against the Rev. T. Cotterill, Minister of St. Paul's, Sheffield, for having introduced into that Church a selection of Psalms and Hymns. The declared object of the suit was to prevent the use of any other metrical compositions than those of Sternhold and Hopkins, Tate and Brady. After a long and impartial hearing, the Judge of

:

the Court recommended a reference of the whole matter in dispute to the Archbishop of York, in which recommendation Mr. Cotterill most readily acquiesced, thinking it a point of great importance to obtain the sanction of such high authority; and knowing, from an interview with his Grace, that he was friendly to the use of Hymns. His Grace most readily undertook, and most promptly executed the work of mediation and not only prepared a Selection of Psalms and Hymns for public worship, but likewise presented a thousand copies for the use of the congregation of St. Paul's Church, A similar process to that instituted against Mr. Cotterill was threatened against the Ministers of two other congregations who had introduced Mr. Cotterill's Selection, unless they would adopt that recommended by his Grace. In order to prevent the possibility of dissatisfaction in those congregations, it was

found