Bond's East and West Looe.

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REVIEW. Britton's Canterbury Cathedral.

commanded sublime views. Mr. Bond's conjectures relative to "The other halfstone, or Dungerth's Monument," (p. 199) are very ingenious.

The neighbourhood of Looe appears to possess many objects worthy the attention of the antiquary, and we think Mr. Bond has been of much use to those who may visit the relicks, on which he has written. Perhaps Cornwall is the only county in England, in which such interesting objects would be suffered to remain unexplored: we indulge the hope that this work may induce some intelligent person to examine them.

We wish the author had given more extensive biographical notices of the eminent characters who resided near Looe. Of Bishop Trelawny we have scarcely any information; and of Mr. Toup, the editor of Longinus, &c. he has merely repeated what appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1785. Mr. Bond evidently possesses a taste for genealogy, and if he had indulged it, when such opportunities were given him as to the old and distinguished families of Grenville, Trelawny, Buller, Arundell, Bevil, &c. afford, we think the public would have been benefited. The style of this volume is simple, easy, and colloquial; and although somewhat deficient in arrangement, yet we can safely recommend it to our readers, as well calculated to repay them for the trouble of perusal, and entitled to a place in their libraries. Several pleasing, and apparently very faithful lithographic views, embellish

the volume.

47. The History and Antiquities of the Metropolitical Church of Canterbury; illustrated by a series of Engravings of Views, Elevations, Plans, and Details of the Architecture of that Edifice: with Biographical Anecdotes of the Archbishops, &c. By John Britton, F. S. A. &c. 4to. 1822. THIS volume forms a portion of a series of splendid publications designed to illustrate the history and antiquities of our national Cathedral Churches. Mr. Britton has previously given to the world similar accounts of Salisbury, Norwich, Winchester, York, Lichfield, and Oxford. All these works, as well as that before us, comprise graphic embellishments of the structures to which they refer, and of their various parts, in the selection and

[March,

execution of which, taste and utility have been alike consulted.

It is remarked in the Preface, that there is no edifice of the kind in England, except Westminster Abbey, which has attracted more of public attention, or been more fully illustrated by authors and artists, than the Cathedral of Canterbury; yet many of its architectural features had never been published. The purpose of the present work is to supply this deficiency by bringing forward sections, geometrical elevations, and accurate details of the general structure, various parts and members, and characteristic decorations of this metropolitan Church.

The Cathedral of Canterbury is on several accounts an object of considerable interest, not only to the scientific antiquary, but also to readers in general. It dates its origin from the introduction of Christianity among the Saxons, in the sixth century, by the Roman missionary St. Augustine; it has been ever since the seat of the ecclesiastical head of the English Church; and the see has to boast among its Archbishops several of the most distinguished divines which this country has produced. Besides some who flourished before the Reformation, may be mentioned the learned protestants Cranmer, Parker, Laud, Tillotson, Wake, Potter, and Secker; names well known and deservedly celebrated in the annals of literature. The Cathedral itself is highly deserving of notice. It appears to be one of the earliest sacred edifices of importance in this kingdom of which any considerable portion remains standing. The choir was rebuilt nearly twenty years previous to the close of the twelfth century, after it had been destroyed by fire. Gervase of Canterbury, a contemporary writer, has left a valuable work" on the Conflagrations and Restoration of the Church of Canterbury;" in which he has not only given a particular account of the re-erection of the Cathedral, by the French architect William of Sens and his successor, who was an Englishman; but has also furnished a description of the previous structure raised by the Archbishops Lanfrank and Anselm. This treatise of Gervase contains some curious architectural details, of which Mr. Britton has availed himself, to render the chapter of this publication, which relates to the foundation and

successive

1823.]

REVIEW.-Wright's Guide to Wicklow.

successive improvements and additions to the Cathedral, peculiarly interesting. The following Chapter contains a description of the Cathedral in its present state, giving an accurate account of every part of the exterior and interior worthy of notice, accompanied by references to the plates; and including remarks on the style of architecture displayed in the various parts of the edifice.

Chapter the fourth is devoted to a survey of the most interesting sepulchral monuments; the painted glass which adorns several of the windows; and the mosaic pavement near the spot where once stood the famous shrine of Archbishop Becket. Among the most remarkable monuments are those of Henry the Fourth and his Queen, Joan of Navarre; and of Edward the Black Prince, over which is placed a trophy of the arms of that celebrated warrior. Several of the tombs of the Archbishops are deserving of attention, as curious specimens of the decorative architecture of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries. The plates which illustrate this work comprise views of the monuments of the prelates Peckham, Mepham, Sudbury, Chichely, and Warham.

The fifth Chapter consists of biographical notices of the Archbishops of Canterbury. The most distinguished among the earlier prelates were Theodore, who appears to have introduced a taste for literature among the Saxons; St. Dunstan, whose talents were certainly considerable, whatever may be thought of his personal or polítical character; Ælfric, a man who cultivated learning in a dark age; Lanfrank; St. Anselm; Becket, the turbulent champion of the Church, and at length a martyr to her cause, or rather that of the Clergy; Cardinal Langton, whose share in wresting the Great Charter of English Liberties from his tyrannical sovereign John, ought to secure a permanent respect for his memory in the breast of every Briton; Peckham; Winchelsey; Bradwardin; Chichely, the founder of All Souls' College, Oxford; Bourchier, to whom has been attributed (though erroneously) the introduction of the art of printing into England; and Cardinal Pole, the last primate whose remains were interred in the Cathedral. Of these, and others both before and

237

since the Reformation, many interesting anecdotes are recorded in this work. The last Chapter affords descriptive notices of the plates, which are twentysix in number, consisting of plans, sections, and views of the Cathedral, and its various parts, and of the most important objects which it includes.

At the end of the volume are a catalogue of books and prints relating to Canterbury Cathedral, and of memoirs and engraved portraits of the Archbishops and Deans; a chronological list of Archbishops, Priors of Christchurch, and the Deans of Canterbury, their successors; and a chronological table of the ages and styles of different parts of the Cathedral and adjacent edifices. There is also an Index, a convenient appendage of which no work of research should be destitute.

Mr. Britton announces his intention to pursue his plan for illustrating the English Cathedrals, and states that the drawings for Wells and Peterborough are nearly all prepared.

To conclude this article, we may observe, partly in the words of the author, that the style and manner in which this work has been completed will shew that no pains have been spared to render it worthy of the approbation of the public.

48. A Guide to the County of Wicklow. Illustrated by Engravings, after the Designs of George Petrie, Esq. and a large Map of the County, from an Original Survey. By the Rev. G. N. Wright, A. M. 12mo, pp. 170. Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy.

MR. WRIGHT, whose "Guide to Ancient and Modern Dublin," was noticed in vol. xcII. i. 523, and his "Guide to the Lakes of Killarney,' in the same volume, ii. 258, has here furnished the curious Tourist with a

Vade mecum through the rich and interesting county of Wicklow, accompanied by a Map and five other very neat engravings.

"There are, according to the county survey, fifty-eight parishes and twenty churches in the whole county, but this number of parishes is too small, for almost union of several; for instance, Arklow is an every one calculated in the fifty-eight is a union of eight. The patronage of these benefices is divided between two sees, Dublin and Ferns, but the Archbishop of Dublin has the greater proportion.

"The face of the country is extremely varied,

238

REVIEW.-Highgate Free Grammar School.

varied, in one part rich, level, and fertile; in another, mountainous and barren. The vein extending from Bray to Arklow, bounded on the East by the sea, and on the West and North by the mountains, is rich and beautiful. Here the climate is milder, owing to the shelter of the northern hills, and the soil more fertile than in the western part of the county, and the crops and harvest much more early. The central division, in a direction North and South, although apparently barren, waste, and desolate, is not unproductive, for here the ancients raised iron in abundance, and probably gold, while the moderns have procured copper and lead in great profusion.'

At Killiney, in a field behind a gentle man's residence, called Mount Druid Demesne, is a druidical circle, containing a temple, with the chair of the high priest and sacrificing stone; these curious remnants of antiquity are carefully preserved in an enclosure, and cannot be visited without the permission of the proprietor. On the side of the hill, overlooking Leighlinstown, is a pyramidical pillar, erected to the inemory of the late Duke of Dorset, who was killed by a fall from his horse, while hunting with Lord Powerscourt's hounds."

49.

Some Account of the Free Grammar School of Highgate, and of its Founder, Sir Roger Cholmeley, Knt. With Remarks on the Origin and Nature of the recent Inquiry into the Management of that Institution. 8vo. pp. 85. Gunnell, Printer. 50. An Epistle to I. G. the Author of a Pamphlet, entitled, "Some Account of the Free Grammar School of Highgate, and of its Founder, Sir Roger Cholmeley, Knt. with Remarks on the Origin and Nature of the recent Inquiry into the Management of that Institution.' 8vo. pp. 68. Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy.

THE first of these Pamphlets (which we believe was not printed for sale) is evidently the production of a highlycultivated mind; and contains much useful information towards a topographical description of Highgate.

"In 1562, Sir Roger Cholmeley, Knight, Chief Justice of the King's Bench to Edward VI. and previously Chief Baron of the Exchequer; did institute and erect, at his own charges, a publique and free Grammar School, and procured the same to be established and confirmed by the letters patent of Queen Elizabeth, he endowing the same with yearlye maintenance*.'

"Sir Roger Cholmeley was the natural son of Sir Richard Cholmeley, of Golston, in Yorkshire, Knt. lieutenant of the Tower

* Inscription affixed to the West end of the Chapel.

[March,

of London, who died in 1521 without legitimate issue. He appears to have turned his attention to the profession of the law in the life-time of his reputed father, at whose death he was already entered of Lincoln's Inn :- He applied his studies so effectually' that his rise to legal honours was gradual yet rapid, as he ascended step by step to the highest offices in his profession; for we find him to have been successively reader in Lincoln's Inn at different periods; a bencher of that Society; Serjeant at Law; King's Serjeant; Chief Baron of the Exchequer; and finally Chief Justice of the King's Bench.

"Upon his removal from this high appointment in the reign of Mary, he settled at Hornsey, in Middlesex; in which county, as well as in Essex and London, he possessed lands, bequeathed to him by his father; and after an active life passed amidst the anxious and eventful scenes of that turbulent period, he appears to have spent the evening of his days in the calm delights of literary retirement.

'Jucunda oblivia vitæ.'

"A few years before his death, he entertained the desire participated by many other pious and distinguished protestants, of erecting and endowing a public grammar school for the diffusion of knowledge and the maintenance of the true religion, and having accomplished his laudable purpose in the foundation of a school at Highgate, he died in June 1565; the very month in which the seal was put to his last public act, by which he conveyed estates for the support of that establishment."

We are sorry to see by the sequel of this well-written work, and from the whole tenour of the "Epistle to J. G." that the hamlet of Highgate is at variance respecting the Chapel appended to the Free-school.

The "Epistle" (which is signed A.Z.) has the appearance of being the production of a Professional Gentleman; and treats the Historian of the School with some acrimony. For example:

6

"You quote a part of the inscription 'affixed to the West end of the Chapel ;' and surely I may assume, without attempting to prove, that you have read the whole of that inscription, especially when I find it most pathetically and poetically alluded to in page 69, as the graven tablet at the portal of the Church,' which stands, as it were, in solemn mockery of our degenerate system, and seems almost, from the silence of the tomb, to reproach us with a departure from its obvious import.' But, perchance, whenever you have attempted to read this graven tablet, your feelings have been always so overpowered by a sense of shame for violated trust,' that, on coming

to

1623.] REVIEW.-Memoirs of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France.

to those affecting words he endowing the same with yearlye maintenance,' you have pulled your hat over your brow, and muffled your face with your cloak-and read no more -And yet for your credit as the Historian of the Free Grammar School of Highgate,' I must suppose you have at some time or other had the fortitude to decypher every letter of this awful hand writing on the Chapel wall. How otherwise, indeed, could you feel authorized to bewail as you do the departure from its obvious import?' I will assume then, nor will you deny, that every word of this inscription was deeply graven on the tablet of your memory."

We proceed no farther with extracts. Tantas componere lites is not within the province of a Reviewer. But, having long been well acquainted with the Vicinage, and knowing that there are many sensible and highly respectable individuals in Highgate, whose difference of opinion in the present case arises only from the various interpretations of some legal documents; we sincerely hope and trust, that by mutual concession, such an arrangement may be formed, under the sancdion of Parliament, as may place both the Free Grammar-school and the Chapel on so firm a basis, that both may reflect credit on the memory of Sir Roger Cholmeley, and on the liberality of the age in which we live; and thus, in process of time, may Highgate proudly rival the neighbouring hill of Harrow.

THE experience and records of all ages have demonstrated, that success and prosperity are not invariably attached to merit and virtue; but it seldom occurs that the practice and pursuit of the most laudable principles are the cause of the most dreadful and unmerited calamities. The Memoirs of Marie Antoinette, as pourtrayed in the delightful work of Madame de Campan, afford a remarkable instance of this unusual fatality. They display an illustrious Princess animated by the purest patriotism and benevolence, enforcing every social duty by her own example, yet pursued by the most barbarous calumnies, overwhelmed by the most unheard-of indignities, imprisoned, dethroned, murdered, denied

239

the honours of sepulture, her reputation studiously sullied, and her name malignantly stigmatized.

Such was the melancholy and unmerited fate of an illustrious Princess, the history of whose sufferings are and affectionate servant and friend, and here recorded by the hand of an able in the perusal of which we have felt the most poignant grief and indignation.

Madame de Campan died last year, and in her bureau were found the present most curious and authentic memoirs, the appearance of which must be peculiarly acceptable at the present period, as affording a complete refutation of the recently revived calumnies against the character of the late Queen of France.

Before we proceed to examine the work itself, it may be useful to give a brief outline of the life of the amiable and lamented writer.

Madame de Campan was born at Paris, on the 6th of October, 1762; her father, M. Genet, was first clerk in the office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The young lady soon discovered such talents and accomplishments, as to make her spoken of at Court, where at an early age she was introduced, and became an attendant on the Princess. On the marriage of Marie Antoinette, Madame Campan was attached to her suite, and she soon afterwards married M. Campan. Louis XV. bestowed on her a pension of 5000 livres, and the Dauphiness secured her a place as femme de chambre. She continued in attendance on the Queen until the Revolution burst asunder so many ties, and among others, those that cemented a faithful servant with a benevolent mistress. The regicides who had usurped the reins of Government would not permit her to share the captivity of her illustrious mistress; she however escaped all the horrors of the Revolution, and died on the 6th of March last, leaving behind her several other useful works which it is the intention of her relatives to publish.

Madame Campan is a most lively writer, and gives an animated picture of the courts of Louis XV. and Louis XVI. Speaking of her first admission into the service of the Royal Family, she says:

"I was fifteen years of age when I was appointed reader to the Princesses. I will begin by describing the Court at that period.