us not; foon, foon the hour will come to aufwer its defamers, and then We all know the general ouftom, practice, or fuperftition if you please, of interring the dead on the South fide of our churches, in preference to the North-fide; fo much to, that this latter place is never dug open but to throw therein poor unfortunate firangers who may happen to die in the parifh, and those who fign their own filo de fe. Yet all do not know why or wherefore there is fuch a diffolutionary partiality to this South portion of duit to receive defunct mortality. The cante is thus defined. On this faid Southeru point the warm" fun darts his genial infinence, within whofe rays no imp, or fairy, demou of ill, or fpectre pale, can haunt the filent graves, to torture hovering fouls unwilling to leave their clay-cold corpfes, to feek in midway air an imperfect immortality. Chilling blafts, damps, and fpace for rites infernal, premeditating direful wreck on holy fanes, mark the Northern fod; on every blade of blighted grafs lurks fome fupernatural foe to quiet in man's lait abode. The Church overthadows this precluded fpot; there, where the all-cheering orb of day is never "felt," has Fancy bred a train of dreaded mileries, driving fading Life to fink in Death's more blet domain, midt hallowed mould, midt fpirits good, and good men's prayers! What fay the Chepfiow men to this religious propenfity? Why, they defy Satan's part therein and laugh at all the reft, for they have the burying ground on the North fide of their church, and a carpenter's yard on the South fide of the fame! Strange affinity: materials for living manfions bear on the South, while on the North lie nooks for bones and worms! bufy employ for to-day on the one hand, while on the other fufpended frames await their final doom!-Things are as we find them. AN ARCHITECT. (To be continued.) Mr. URBAN, March 9. THE HE firft feal in Plate I. belongs to the burgh of Aberbrothoc, or Arbroath, erected into a royalty by King William the Lion, who founded here a Tyronefian abbey, in honour of Thomas Becket, A. D. 1178. This feal exhibits one of the rudeft reprefentations of the murder of ThoGENT. MAG. March; 1802. mas Becket, and is circumfcribed, 9. COMVNITATIS BVRGI DEINEIRBROTHOT within SANCTVS THO' The murder of Thomas Becket. The legend is not lefs rude in the cut of the letters than the reprefentation of the fact. A view and account of this abbey may be feen in Mr. Pennant's Tour in Scotland 1772, I. 183. In the Statistical Account of Scotland, VII. 340, it is barely mentioned. The feal engraved pl. II. fig. 6, vol. LXV. p. 195, is another rude reprefentation of the fame, fubject. The archbishop is at the altar, and his crofs-bearer behind him interpofing his arm, while the four knights advance with their fwords drawn, and the foremoft levels a blow at the archbishop's head with his fword, which in this feal is warded off by the crofs. The fimaller feal, fig. 2, reprefents the fame event: only two knights appear, and the face of a third; the crois bearer is behind the altar as in fig. 1. Infeription: Galfridi vita utim [f. utinam] fiat ila. On. if a with for martyrdom or for a holy life. Över the building, a cherub be tween two candlesticks: on each fide, Po-ro; and under the building, REL. Fig. 3. SIGILLVM COKETTI IN PORTV EXONIE. This is the feal of the custom-house or office where goods to be exported were firft entered and paid their cultom, and had a cocket, or certificate of difcharge, a feroll of parchment fealed and delivered by the officers of the cuftom houfe to the merchants, as a warrant that their merchandizes are cutiomed, or had paid cuftom. The term is, therefore, ufed promifcuoully for the feal, the certificate ftamped with it, and the custom paid in confequence of it. By a charter of Henry IV. all wool or hides fold without the fign or ftaip called coket were forfeitable to the bifhop of Durham*. By another of Edward III. the mayor of the staple at Bruges was to feize them, and claim half. The antient manner of entering the exports. If the goods were to be hipped outwards, then they went to the * Rymer, vol. VIII. p. 573. customer customer and comptroller, and entered the goods, and paid the cuftoms, or agreed for the customs, outward; and when fuch payment or agreement was made, they received from fuch customer and comptroller a licence to export fuch goods, which was called a cocket. This word cocket Skinner derives from the cockboat, because the taking in this fchedule was an emblem that the fhip was going to fail; and if there were any goods in the thip not mentioned in the cocket, they were forfeited. This cocket went to the fearcher. In Edward the Firit's tinre, the feals appointed to be ufed by the customers for the cocket, in cuftoming the wools and leathers at Len, were delivered to the commiffioners in a purfe fealed with the Exchequer feal. Cocket, Coket, a cuftom-houfe feated bill; allo a parchment fealed and delivered by the officer of the cuftoms to merchants, as a warrant that their goods are cufiomed. Cockettum, Cocketum, the office at the custom-houfe where the goods to be exported are entered. Cockettata lana, wool-duty entered at the cuttom-houfe and cocketed, or allowed to be exported. Bailey. The feal belonging to the cuftomhoufe of Exeter bears the feal and creti of John Holand, duke of Exeter, refiored to that title 22 Henry VI. 1443. On a helmet upon a chapeau doubled, Ermine, a lion patlant guardant crowned and gorged with a collar of France, as on his monument in the church of St. Catharine by the Tower of London. He was fecond fon of John Holand, earl of Exeter, by Elizabeth, daughter of John of Gaunt; and married, 1. Anne, daughter of Edmund of Stafford, by Anne, daughter of Tromas of Woodfock, duke of Gloucefier; 3. Anne, daughter of John Montacute, earl of Salisbury *. His father was constituted by Richard H. in the 15th year of his reign, admiral of all the king's fleet from the mouth of the Thames to the Weltward and he lord high admiral of England 24 Henry VI.1 How this feal became the feal of office to the rector of Bredon, co. Worcefier, who exercifes exempt jurifdiétion over his church and parish and three chapels, and has probate of wills and commit* Vincent on Brooke, p. 195; Sand ford, p 219. ↑ Dugdale, vol. II. p. 79. Ib. p. 11. ting of adminiftrations, within that Mr. URBAN, Shrewsbury, Feb, 10. each feal) are taken from feals kept in the Exchequer, Shrewtbury. Fig. 4. Arms of England; back of fhield ornamented with branches.→→ Seal of the bailiffs. Fig. 5. A lion couchant behind a tree.-Seal of the bailiffs. The tree I take to be the mode of ornamenting feals, at that period, as this king's mother's, and that of his victorious fon Edward, with feveral others I have feen, are fufficient proof. I should be glad some learned gentleman would inform me for what particular bufinefs this late feal was made. Perhaps it was a finaller feal of the fame office. Fig. 6. The buft of Edward II. fullfaced. The caftle on each fide, with the lion at bafe, are parts of his mother's arms, which he introduced to denote his defcent from a daughter of Cattle and Leon: he alfo ufed then on his great feal.-Infeription: 8. EDW.REG. ANGL. AD RECOGN DEBITOR APD' SALOP The feal is filver, and intended to feat recognizances for debt at Shrewsbury. Vol. LXV. p. 13, The Droitwich feal was fent from Shrewsbury, not Salisbury, as there inferted. J. B. AM Mr. URBAN, Manchefer, Feb. 18. an old reader of your lucubra tions, and a frequent contributor to the contents of your Mifcellany. Science, biography, topical history, antiquities, literary information, niemoirs, and anecdotes, are amongst my favou rite readings; and for the frequent treats on thefe fubjects much praise is due to you, and to many of your learned and pleating correfpondents. Though of a fedate and thoughtful caft, I can occafionally unfurl my wrinkled brow, and moli heartily fhake my fides at the ebullitions of wit and the efforts of fierling humour. To shoot folly as it flies is the lawful and proper fport of the fatyrift; a kind of game for killing which we need not apply to my friend Mr. Gorft, the clerk of the peace, for a licenting certificate. And, as the inhabitants of this wealthy, populous, and commercial town, fometiines in fpite of my felf, affect my rifible mufcles, permit me, moft fapient Mr. Urban, mofi potent, grave, and reverend feignior, for once to forfake my wonted fubjects, and try to unbend the rigid mufcles of yourfelf and my venerable compeers among your readers, by relating a few of the circumftances. And in doing this old Dan Shakspeare fhall be iny director: Nothing extenuate, nor fet down aught in malice. One of our printers, the day before yefterday, gave us in his news-paper an excellent in fance of that rhetorical trope, for which many Manchetierians and Liverpolians are fo famous, by the antient Grecians yeleped an Irishism. Under the head " Mortality" he tells us, there were 1242 marriages and 2267 chriftenings. But as the real information meant to be conveyed may be acceptable to calculators, ftatifical inquirers, and fome few others, I fhall give the paragraph in the printer's own words. Mortality at the collegiate church in this town from January 1801 to December 31, inclufive; Marriages 1242, increased 151. Christenings 2267, decreated 196. Burials 1758, increased 114." A hedge-barber, who has lately fet up a fhop in a cellar in one of the narrow fireets in this town, to the ufual infignia of a filletted pole, indicative of breathing a vein, has added a fignboard; which, for veracity, elegance, and concifenefs, I beg leave to recommend to the whole fraternity of barberfurgeons in London, and to all the tonfor-tribe elsewhere. Its contents are funply thefe; Shaving performed here with bleeding. How many a rafcal do we bagien meet with on our travels; who, only advertiting as a barber, performs the united offices of tonfor and furgeon! The language of the gentlemen of the law is fif, fornal, and jargonical; and one Dr. Lowth fays, as I have been told, however uncouth and improper in others, we mult, for precifion's fake, not only fubmit to it but admire it in thein. So be it. I cannot but think, however, being pardon of lawyers, bifhopa, and grammarians, that a little of the language of common life and cominon fente would now and then do well enough for common eyes and vulgar ears, in advertisements, public notices, and the like. Far be it from me to infinuate that this fhould be the cafe in courts of law. There, indeed, what have common language and common fenfe to do? Such interlopers thould be excluded and put to the bar; and every thing he carried on in open defiance to the intelligence of all but the initiated and the Illuminati. But that the curial language will obtrude itself elsewhere, and confequently become unintelligible, take the following infiances. In a queer, dirty, nafty, out-of-theway nook by the New-Bailey in this town, which, by-the-bye, is what you would call the Old Bailey in London, is tuck a large painted board with the following queer technical infeription upon it: " Whoever shall place or flick any matter or thing against thefe walls will be profecuted, &c. &c. By order of, &c." The meaning of this, which has been interpreted in a variety of different ways, by fome given up as unintelligible, and by others deemed language more proper to the infide than the outfide of the court-houfe, is fimply as follows, according to the expretkon of John, our head porter, who, though no fcholar nor compofer, is a man of plain fenfe and decont underftanding. The justices, finding the walls difgraced by quack-bills, ribaldry, and indecency, gave orders that every billflicker defiling them in future should be feverely punished. Almoft in every week's papers our attorneys are advertising "Plots" to be fold. I really wonder what Government are about in thefe ticklish times, that they are not apprehended and indicted for mifprifion of treafon. But, for the honour of Manchester, dealers in plots are not merely local but provincial attorneys; and I believe there are very few either in the hundreds of Salford, Amoundernefs, or Blackburn, but what deal in thefe turbulent and feditious articles; and even glory in the trafic, boating of it in advertifements and news-papers. I was about to inform Mr. Addington of thele confpiracy-mongers, hoping by bringing fuch feditious wretches to due elevation, I might advance and aggrandize myfelf at court; when Our lowing bad, ignorant, and illiterate examples. Aud, to fhew I am unprejudiced, I fhall adduce fome few intances of ignorance, blunders, and mittakes, in other profellions, that call loudly for correction and amendment. Muluplying fyllables and mifpronouncing words are as common with fome as inis-fpelling with others. Thus, when a medical man, speaking of preventive medicines, recommends preventative, 1 in return would recommend to him a birchen manual as a very actative correctative; which may render him more attentative. When a man, addicted to the fudy of antiquarian lore, forgets that he is an Antiquary, and fubfcribes himself an Antiquarian, he leaves us to guess at fome word underfood; which I fhould readily fill up with blockhead. Such an one, a our worthy parish clerk at the old church told me, he apprehended it all originated in ignorance and mittake; that many attorneys ought to be whipt for not knowing how to fpell; that plot a confpiracy, and plat à piece of ground, were pronounced exactly alike; and that the language of common fenfe and of common life being held in abhorrence by profeffional men, juft in proportion to their ignorance, fuch innovations were becoming daily more common and more fashionable amongt them. Again; having fome bufinels one day at Bury, and having occafion to call at the houfe of Thomas Butterworth Bayley, efq. at Hope, infiead of returning to Manchefter, I was directed to go a nearer way across the country. Near Hope I came to a - turnpike-bar, on which, together with a table of the tolls, was painted in faireaking of a wary perfon, would deand legible characters a board meant to indicate as follows: That whoever rode upon the footpath, or deftroyed mileftones, guidepofis, &c. were fubject, for each offence, by the ftatute, to pay ten fhillings. But, owing to the ignorance, or mittake, or forgetfulness, of the clerk, or the painter, or both, the board difplayed the following curious advertisement. This is to give notice, that whoever is found riding upon the footpath adjoining to this high road, is liable by act of parliament to a penalty of ten fillings or damage any milestone or guidepofi." Which of thefe mulcis the Manchefter wags would choofe to fubmit to, must be left to the learned in the law to determine. This legal, rhetorical trope of Hibernicifin will remind many of your readers of the old ftory of the Yorkshire bell-man, upon the lofs of the packhorfe: "Strayed or otherwife conveved from the Star inn in this townabay galloway, with three white legs and one black one; whoever can, &c. Blels the king. With a packfuddle on his back!" Whatever may be thought of thefe animadverfons, I am no enemy to the gentlemen of the long robe, nor to their younger brethren the knights of the quill. From my boyish days till the present, it has been my remarkable lot to have fome of the deareft and the light to term him a Warian ; which would have one good effect, that of, furnishing a rhyme to Antiquarian, Again: when Muller Topping, how ar rayed in filken gown, ufed to attend our fellions, he ufed frequently to harangue about a record, when I really believe he meant not the act to record, but the thing recorded; which our dictionaries and perfons of common feule term a récord, with the accent upon the firfi fyllable. And, indeed, other gentlemen of the long robe did the fame. Old counfellor Wood, his pupil Mr. Law, and even old Judge Wig and eyebrows himfelf, at Lancatter aflizes, were guilty of a mifnomer, and even of a confpiracy againft the language of common life and common fenfe, and againti the Johnfonian and Bailean flatute in this cafe made and provided. Again: I am now going to tread upon facred ground. But I will tread fofily; for I have uo Kancour por animofity in my heart, cfpecially none against the minifters of religion. But I really think that the language of common life and common fente ought by no means to be difcarded from them; efpecially in proper reading and pronunciation. Young Mr. Newfangle, juft come from Cambridge, opened his prayer the other Sunday before fermon with the word dymott intimate of my friends in the pro- reci. My friend Yankey Doodle, eiq. feffion of the law. And, men after my late captain of the good fhip Rea 10ownheart, they were fuch as would reflect rhino, ufed to pronounce this word efplendent honour upon any profef- very differently when he talked of tailfion, any age, or any country. I only ing for Balmore, derect; and the with to guard young lawyers from tol-head clerk in our counting-house favs deréct |