tive from Blomefield's History, &c. of Norwich." The work now under notice is divided into four chapters. The first relates to the "Kingdom and Bishopric of East-Anglia. The latter successively fixed at Dunwich, North-Elmbam, and Thetford. Brief notices of the Bishops of those Sees, to the year 1091. "Chap. II. Historical notices concerning the removal of the See: foundation and building of the new Cathedral: state of Norwich at that time: animosity be tween the Jews and Monks: burning of the Church and Monastery, and other events connected with the See and Church." The matter of these Chapters, although chiefly collected from Blomefield and others, is well arranged and digested. From such a mass of curious information, we shall only advort to the quarrels between the citizens and the convent: it appears that the dispute originated with the Prior, for which account we must refer the reader to the work itself, p. 20-24. "Chapter III. Description of the form, arrangement, and construction of the Church: also of its exterior and interior style of design and ornaments; and of the various portions of the edifice, with reference to the accompanying prints." The Cathedral, Mr. Britton describes, as a specimen of antient Anglo-Norman architecture, to be "bighly curious and interesting; and more particularly so from some peculiarities of form and ornament. Raised under the dynasty of Norman Kings and Norman Prelates, we naturally expect to find some similitude to the Churches and Architecture of Normandy; and hence we are also justified in using the term Norman, rather than Saxon or Gothic, as designative of the prevailing style of this edifice." After a general description of the Cathedral, the author refers us to the Plates; and having described the ground-plan (Plate I.) he notices a few of the most ancient monuments of the Church, without encumbering thework with those of more subsequent date. There are twelve perspective views, taken from different parts of the Cathedral, besides two of the Gatesfive plates of plans and sections, and five of architectural details. In the description of these, Mr. Britton's remarks and observations are in general Judicious and correct. The perspee tive views are selected with great, judgment, as a work adapted for the amusement of the generality of sub-, scribers and connoisseurs, while not a few specimens are also inserted to gratify the eyes of architects and lovers of accurate delineation; and the author appears to be perfectly aware of the taste, the feelings, or opinions, of the present day, from the success of his former works. It would exceed our limits to follow the author through the description of inserting a passage concerning the all the plates: but we cannot avoid carved letters upon Erpingham's Gate, which have puzzled several antiquaries. "An inscription, repeated four times, on a scroll in the Erpingham Gate. This word, or abbreviation, has excited much doubt and speculation. Blomefield, Sir Thomas Browne, and most writers since his time, read it PENA, or PENA, for penance; but Dr. Sayer suggests a more probable and plain exposition, by reading it YENK, an abbreviation of think, ham, and expressive of his thanks for or thank, a mot, or motto, of Erpingthe Bishop's pardon. This opinion is almost confirmed by a motto on a ring found at Wymondham, in Norfolk, with the works "Yank God of all;" and by an inscription, often repeated, on the church of Great Ponton, Lincolnshire, of Thynke God of all'." P. 39, 40. ་ After the description of the Plates follow some judicious and discrimi nating observations on the general character of the Cathedral, in these words: "As an object of architectural antiquity, the Cathedral Church of Norwich is peculiarly interesting; for it comprises in its different members many curious specimens of architecture, and some forms and features of unique chathedrals, it is, however, small in size, racter. Compared with many other Caand meagre in embellishment. Its Transepts are narrow; the Ailes of the Nave are small and low; the East end and North side are dilapidated and ragged; almost the whole surface of the building presents a ruinous appearance; the North side of the Nave is obscured and darkened by a mass of trees in the Bishop's garden." To this we may add, that the great accumulation of the soil against the walls, particularly on the North side of the nave (being several feet above the pavement of the Church), must tend tend to injure the walls above the foundation. We do not agree with Mr. Britton, that the houses being attached to the South-west of the Cathedral injure the effect of the building: on the contrary, they rather tend to increase its magnificence. If we could suppose all the houses in Ludgate-hill, or in Cheapside, to be taken away, to open the view of St. Paul's Cathedral, the magnificent effect of that building would be weakened. -The view of St. Paul's from the Thames is particularly grand, when seen rising over the houses: this would lose much of its consequence if these subordinate buildings were removed. We have often witnessed the appearance of magnificence in a castle or palace, when seen rising out of a wood, giving the buildings an imaginary depth and size by concealing their base. The author next mentions the different Chapels in the Cathedral, and then describes the mischief done in the rebellion of 1643 to the Church and adjoining Palace and Deanery. In page 49 is a curious passage. from Bishop Hall, which accounts for our frequently finding specimens of antient painted glass of images without their heads. Then follows the account of the repairs and alterations of the Cathedral under Deans Croft and Bullock; and lastly, in the present century, great inprovement was made to the interior by clearing away the thick covering of whitewash: but we have to lament the taste for destroying an open stone screen, the removing the monument of Dame Elizabeth Calthorpe, but more particularly for taking away the most beautiful carved oak doors which stood within the arch built by Bishop Hart. There are different opinioas concerning the present rage for improvement in our Cathedrals, in clearing away tombs, screens, &c. under an idea of making a grand display, or eye trap, as at Salisbury, &c. We should very much doubt the taste of any person who should venture to recommend the destruction of the monuments of Westminster Abbey, and Henry VIIth's Chapel, for the sake of one uninterrupted view of the whole building; which would tend to destroy every degree of intricacy, so much admired in our Cathedrals. In page 48, the Chapel in the Palace is mentioned as the work of Bishop Reynolds, without any notice being taken of the curious windows of the style of Edward the Second's time, and evidently the work of Bishop Salmon. The third Chapter concludes with some observations on the Dormitory, published in the Archæologia. Mr. Britton does not allow it to be anterior to King Stephen or Henry II. although Blomefield attributes the work to Bishop Herbert. The fourth Chapter, and perhaps not the least interesting part of the work, relates to "Biographical anecdotes of Bishops of Norwich, and of other persons connected with its Church." The number of Bishops, according to the chronological list (in page 80 and 81), is 65, from Herbert, the founder, to the present worthy Bishop Bathurst, but the number noticed in this Chapter is only 57. Of the different characters recorded in this work--some are bad, some good, and a few of these whose history is little known may perhaps be considered as harmless and inoffensive men. The limit of this work will not allow us to make copious extracts; but a few are here selected, as specimens of the author's style and manner of treating such subjects. and retainer at the Court of Rome,' as "Anthony de Beck, an old courtier Blomefield calls him, was appointed to this See by the Pope, April 7, 1337, although the Chapter had previously elected Thomas de Hemenhale. Of an arrogant disposition, he opposed the Archbishop's visitation; and when the latter came to Norwich, he directed one of the monks to mount the pulpit, and declare the Archbishop's visitation to be null and void. The King, incensed at this procedure, ordered the Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk to seize and imprison such persons as assisted the Bishop. The latter defied them, and appealed to the Court of Rome. He also tyrannized over the monks in a cruel and intolerent manner, whence he obtained the hatred and contempt of all. At length his oppressions became so unbearable, that his own servants contrived to poison him, probably at the mistigation of the monks, December 19, 1343. He was the first Bishop that had his own arms engraved on the episcopal seal." The The laws of this country are so well framed, it is not safe to poison our enemies; our best way is to put up with the evil, when it cannot be avoided: but, as a contrast to this, we are pleased to record the reception of the succeeding Bishop Bateman. "The See of Norwich being vacant at this time, the Chapter unanimously chose Bateman, and were surprised and pleased to find that the Pope, who had reserved that provision to himself, had also appointed the same person. His presence at Norwich was greeted with strong demonstrations of joy." Page 59. We insert the account of a young Bishop, but we do not say a hotheaded one. "Thomas Percy, the youthful Bishop, of illustrious descent and connexions, was advanced to this See at the age of twenty-two, by the sole authority of the Pope and co-operation of the King, although in direct opposition to the monks. At first he opposed and harassed the latter, but soon found it expedient to live on good terms with them." Page 60. This seems to be an act of wisdom; the same may be said of any dispute between two neighbours, that when we begin to find how useless it is to quarrel, it is best to make peace. As a contrast to this, we insert a dif ferent character. "Walter Lyhart, or Hart; who by amiable and conciliating conduct ingratiated himself so much with the citizens, as to obtain their esteem, and reconcile all differences between them and the clergy." Page 63. We may here mention another worthy prelate, in Richard Corbet, of whom Gilchrist remarks, that "Our amiable Prelate had not a grain of persecution in his disposition. Benevolent, generous, and spirited, in his public character; sincere, amiable, and affectionate, in private life; correct, eloquent, and ingenious, as a port; he appears to have deserved and enjoyed through life the patronage and friendship of the great, and the applause and estimation of the good." Page 68. It would be endless to select pas sages from this Chapter; but the lives of many of them are extremely interesting, particularly those of Richard Corbet and Joseph Hall. Among the Prelates who were deposed for misconduct were, Eborard, the second Bishop, for cruelty; and "Henry de Spenser, called the warlike Bishop of Norwich, was appointed by the Pope to the vacant See. Bred up with his brother Spencer, who com. manded in the Pope's wars, he was a soldier in his youth, and in different stages of his life showed he had a skil ful head and a courageous heart. Godhim as 'breathing nothing but war and win, and some other writers, represent arms; and also remark that he con'tinued at variance with the monks for 15 years, who were then forced to give him four hundred marks to secure their privileges, &c.; whence the monks have neglected to notice him among the accounts of Bishops: Cotton only mentions his name. This, however, is not very surprising, when it is remembered that he particularly favoured the secular clergy, and not only slighted, but opposed the regulars. Capgrave, in his Life of this Bishop (Wharton's Ang. Sa. ii. 359), characterizes him as 'generous, charitable, and cheerful.' Whatever may have been the natural disposition and habits of our Bishop, it is evident that he lived in times of civil discord and foreign warfare. Not long after be was seated on the episcopal throne, the populace, called the commons of the country, assembled in great number, opposed the civil power, and committed numerous acts of rapine and plunder. On this occasion Bishop Spencer actively, intrepidly, and skilfully, opposed the mob; and by his personal prowess first routed them, and then entirely suppressed the insurrection. He was tal wars, when Pope Urban VI. was still more distinguished in the Continen contending against Clement VII, called the Anti-pope; and Richard II. against of Urban and Richard, the Bishop zeathe French King. Espousing the causes lously exerted himself in raising money and riches of all kinds, as well as men. The whole Nation eagerly came forward; for they were taught to believe they should secure salvation, if not success, by fighting for his immaculate Holiness. The Pope's bulls declared that all persons who went with the Bishop, the expedition, should have the same or contributed towards the expence of engaged in the crusades to the Holy indulgences and pardons as those who Land. After much fighting, and the seizure of nearly all Flanders, the Bishop returned returned home, in consequence of the jealousy and machinations of the Duke of Lancaster. He was impeached in Parliament, in four charges, by the Chancellor, but answered them with firmness in person. This pontifical war is said to have cost no less than 37,475 pounds 7 sbillings and 6 pence, besides large gifts and aids. In 1387 the Bishop obtained a license to embattle, or 'kernellare,' his manor-houses at Elmham and Gaywood. A decided enemy to the Loliards, he persecuted them on many occasions; and among his arbitrary acts was that of imprisoning Sir Thomas Erpingham, and compelling him to erect the elegant Gate-house at the West end of the Church, which has been already described." Such is the description of a Right Reverend General or Colonel (we cannot tell which) of the 14th cen tury. This will not appear extraor dinary to us in the present time: when alarmed by the proposed grand inva sion from the French, the prevailing fashion took place of joining in a volunteer corps, and when the rank of Colonel or Major were granted to many, from a worthy alderman or a chief magistrate to a worthy trader or mechanick, we occasionally found a Reverend Colonel or Commander, with a helmet and feather, sword, green jacket, and pantaloons; and although in attending to the regular duties in performing their military exercises and shooting at a target they might be perfectly harmless, we have no doubt, if put to the trial with their enemies, we should have found them brave men, and not like the renowned Sir John Suckling, apt to act like those individuals who lived 18 centuries ago, that had a beam in their own eyes, but whose sights were not too defective to find out the mote in their neighbours' eye. But it will be more charitable to suppose the meaning of the word to be scribed in p. 65. the consequence of old age, as de "Blind, decrepid, oppressed with cares and troubles, and worn down with old age, he resigned his life, and [of course] his See, January 14, 1535." Sirnames and nicknames were frequently given to great men, to SovePrelates. The title of the Great is reigns and Princes, as well as to our still retained in the names of Alexander of Macedon, our Alfred, Peter of Russia, and even by our old friend Tom Thumb, and by many others whether deserving of that title or not. Others retain sirnames of the just, the good, the wise, &c.; on the contrary, many are denominated the proud, the bad, &c. But in the present age, our excellent laws will not allow his Majesty's subjects to be called by bad names, and the manners and politeness of the present day will not permit any person to make use of such expressions as the mean, or the scoundrel, without the danger of having his nasal sensibility disturbed; yet none of us object to receive a good name, and we are gratified to find two Bishops of North Elmham, Theodoric the Second, and Ailfric, still retained the title of "the Good," at least after a period of 850 years. Without recording the virtues of living men, the author concludes the "With a hundred horse more, all his fourth Chapter, with Henry Bathurst, My gallant was nothing so peart-a ;" we may venture to say, that every one of our good volunteers would die in defence of his own Country, if invaded. Among the Prelates recorded-John de Grey is called the rich, Henry de Spencer the warlike Bishop, and Richard Nix the blind Bishop: this last title has different meanings, either as blindness of heurt, or of sight, or blindness to our own faults: we are too GENT. MAG. January, 1817. LL. D. (and we may truly say) "the present amiable and liberal-minded prelate." Then follows a chronological list of the Bishops, Priors, and Deans of Norwich An Index - A list of Books, Essays, Prints, &c. and the work concludes with a list of Prints illustrative of Norwich Cathedral, with the names of the different artists. la reviewing the Plates which ornament this work, we are gratified to mention most of them as excellent, particularly Numbers 1, 3, 6, 7,12,13, 14, 15, 18, 19, and 23. The ground plan (Plate 1.) may be reckoned one of the neatest specimens of this class of engraving, and appears to have been been drawn with great labour and care. In Plate 10 we still trace the genius of a Mackenzie, although had it been put into the bands of either of the Le Keux's, it would have been one of the finest embellishments in the work. Of the remaining Plates, some are tolerable, and a few (particularly 2, 14, and 24) we must submit to the judgment of the "liberal critic."The first portion of WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL, produced at the same time as the present volume, is executed with great skill and taste. The drawings are by Mr. E. Blore, and most of the engravings by John and H. Le Keux. We look forward to the completion of the History and Illustration of this truly interesting Cathedral with great anxiety. 10. The History of Crowland Abbey, digested from the Materials collected by Mr. Gough, and published in quarto in 1783 and 1797; including an Abstract of the Observations of Mr. Essex, respecting the antient and present State of the Abbey, and the origin and use of the Triangular Bridge; to which is added, an Appendix, concerning the Rise and Progress of the Pointed Archilecture. From the Essays collected by Mr. Taylor, 8vo. pp. 182. "The principal object of the following work is to illustrate the progress of the building, and to endeavour to fix the dates at which the several parts of it were put together. It is, therefore, particularly addressed to the curious who visit the ruins, to whom the quarto volume, if we except the part which describes the West Front, is of very little use. But since this object alone would have furnished no variety, it was thought more generally interesting to preserve the principal events connected with the history of the Convent, the Abbots, the tutelary Saint, the site of the Abbey, and its various fortunes during the feudal ages. In all these particulars, the Author has frequently found occasion, to differ in opinion from former writers; and he could by no means preserve many of the facts undisputed, which they had delivered with so much solemnity; he must, therefore, be answerable for his own errors, if such they are, and for giving a turn to some of the most important events in the history, entirely different from his predecessors. For these reasons he thinks it indispensible that he should sign his name to the work, lest its faults should be imputed to some other person. "BENJAMIN HOLDICH." This elegant Abridgement (for such it really is) begins with the following compliment to the Collector of the treasures he has transfused into the present volume. "Materials for the History of Croy. land were collected with great pains and patience by Mr. Gough, and the volu minous authorities which he has quoted, are a proof at once of his assistance and his success. Besides collecting whatever has been preserved by the writers on Monkish Remains, be had recourse to the Societies of Antiquaries, and many public and private libraries; tracing with indefatigable industry the slightest mention of any paper relating to the subject which was thought to be extant, and following several of these with successful assiduity, step by step, until he recovered them from the dust and mould in which they had been for ages obscured. This will be sufficient to satisfy the reader as to the authenticity of the following abridgment; to obtain more materials is scarcely to be expected; and for those which we have, I conceive it is in vain to search for better authority. Reliques such as I have mentioned were likely to be sacred in the eyes of an Antiquary; and as we are apt (says Dr. Johnson) to value our productions in proportion to the labour they cost us, it is not surprising that he should have preserved every scrap which his unwearied search discovered. The labour we delight in physics pain.' But since he could hardly be expected to propagate this ardor delicia, his readers may be excused if they find his book wearisome in the perusal; disheartening in its length, and disgusting in its repetitions. To obviate these faults is the object of the present edition; for the quarto volume being too bulky to obtain general circulation, an abridgment of it, preserving what is interesting, and endeavouring to bring the materials into something like order and method, may be found an acquisition in this pleasing department of literature. To facilitate study, to ease the labour of research, and bring the reader to the end of his journey by the shortest road, are objects of some importance in matters of which people would rather rest in ignorance than pursue information at disproportionate cost and trouble. Another ob ject, therefore, in this edition is cheapness; for next to the tediousness of unnecessary letter-press, is the vexation of unprofitable and useless blank margin.” It is but common justice to say, . that |