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"By his original profession, like Stowe, he was a tailor; but, like him, his impulses led him into a wider field, and engaged him in the pursuit of objects of a more permanent value"-than what? making a pair of breeches? And this is philosophical writing!

She

Nov. 22.-Had much chat in the evening with Miss Pearson. said Sheridan would sometimes live quietly and abstemiously for three months together, but soon broke out again on coming in contact with his old friends. Delighted with Waverley and Guy Mannering, which he thought the finest productions of the kind in our language. A relation of Tickle's affirmed that, to his knowledge, Tickle wrote Sheridan's plays. Lord Donoughmore brought to Mr. Moore's, an honest act, the letter which he wrote, by the Prince's desire, at Carlton House, to the Catholics; and on which the Prince observed, that the only fault he could find with it was, that it did not go far enough. Called Tierney an ungrateful rascal,— himself faithless and heartless-bought by Perceval-detesting Grey and Grenville.

Dec. 12.-Read Cowley's " Discourse by way of vision on the Government of Oliver Cromwell." The devil, I think, very contrary to Cowley's intentions, has the best of the argument. His furious attack on the Protector defeats itself. Burke, probably, caught from this piece, which he had been reading, his allusion to Medea. The opening sentence of the first of Cowley's Essays, "The liberty of a people consists in being governed by laws which they have made themselves," reminds one of Junius, "The submission of a free people to the executive authority of government is no more than a compliance with laws which they themselves have enacted." Cowley's Essays exhibit much good sense and just feeling, in a lively though desultory manner. In his Essay on Solitude, his contrast between a town and country life is eloquent and fine.-Mr. Kilburn, who dined with me to-day, told me he had often seen Jortin playing about the room with his cats, and amusing them with ball and string.

Dec. 26.-Looked into Sharon Turner's History, the third part. He strives hard to make a figure in the battle of Agincourt; but it is a miserable figure he makes. Whenever he tries to be particularly great, he is sure to be ridiculous. He assigns the final causes of moral events with all the exactness imaginable, as if he had been in the counsels of the Deity.

ALTAR PIECE IN AYLSHAM CHURCH, NORFOLK.

MR. URBAN,

(With a Plate.)

Springfield, near Chelmsford. IN passing through the town of Aylsham a short time since, in my way to Cromer, I went into the church of the former place, and was struck with the appearance of the rich altar-piece there. I found, on inquiry, it was erected by the late Rev. Charles Norris, a former vicar of the parish. The screen is composed of several pieces of old carving, collected from different parts of the Church, many of them were discovered concealed behind the cloth linings of the pews.

the south wall within the rails, three plain arches of the stone stalls were discovered, and also two rude trefoil arches for a piscina. These arches were evidently filled up soon after the Reformation, as the balusters of the rails before the altar appear to be of the date of Elizabeth.

The Church (according to Blomefield) was founded by John of Gaunt, great part of the architecture being of the date of Edward III. or Richard II. except the new windows on the south side of the Church, which are of a subsequent period, and the beautiful

In clearing away the lower part of porch, erected in 1488.

J. A. R.

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MR. URBAN, Lincoln, Feb. 20. THERE is not, I believe, another town in the kingdom in which so many relics of by-gone days have been displayed, as in this city; but still, unfortunately, no place has evinced a more thorough disregard to antiquity than has been shown in Lincoln: as the householders, so far from having taken any pains to preserve the numerous specimens of ancient art which have adorned their dwellings, have either destroyed them altogether, or disguised them with some paltry modern work. These remarks, however just in numerous instances which might be mentioned, are not, of course, intended to apply to cases such as the one I am about to name, where the removal of an ancient building may have become desirable, or even necessary; as, however much our forefathers might have been disposed to ornament their dwellings, the internal arrangements were generally upon, too con

tracted a scale to comport with our notions of comfort and utility.

The front of an old house in the centre of the city has recently been taken down, and on removing the laths and plaster with which it was externally covered, some fine old windows were exposed to view, and as they were very curious and varied in their style, and were probably a fair specimen of the sort of buildings of which old Lincoln was composed, I made a sketch of them for your Magazine. The windows were boldly carved in oak, and you will perceive they were let into the braces which were placed to support the timbers. The sketch represents the house just as it appeared after the roof had been removed, and nothing left over the comparatively modern shop-windows below, excepting the oaken framework of the front of the old dwelling. All the lower parts of the front had been modernized, and no part of the

ancient work left in the basement story excepting the doorway, which was composed like the windows of oak, and was quite plain: it was, however, large in its dimensions, being not less than nine feet high, by four wide.

It is a remarkable circumstance, that so little appears to be known of ancient street architecture in this kingdom: it is, however, I believe, understood that the common dwellings (excepting detached houses, and those which stood in courts, and the suburbs) were invariably built of wood. All the domestic buildings of the Anglo-Saxons were constructed of timber, and from that period down to much later times the same practice prevailed in the erection of street

houses, as wood was the only material used for those purposes throughout the middle ages; and we may presume, from the few specimens yet remaining, that many of the timber fronts of the old houses displayed fine architectural designs, and a rich profusion of beautifully carved ornaments and decorations.

What may have been the probable date of the old street building at Lincoln, I leave others, better acquainted with such matters, to determine; but I think I am not far wrong in presuming the work was a specimen of the domestic architecture of our city, as far back as the early part of the fifteenth century. Yours, &c.

FRED. BURTON.

LETTERS OF ARCHIBALD HUTCHESON, ESQ.
(Continued from page 388.)

Mr. Hutcheson's Letter to Mr. Crawford,
Secretary to the British Embassy at
Paris, dated from Montpelier.
DEAR SIR, Jan. 19, 1719, N.S.
YESTERDAY I received your ob-
liging letter of the 16th instant, for
which, and all your other favours, I
return you my hearty thanks.

The death of the King of Sweden will, in all probability, be attended in a little time with a peace in the North; and all hopes being cut off thereby of blowing up a flame, either in the empire or Britain, from that quarter; the intrigues of Prince Cellamere in France being discovered, and the coming in of the States-General to the alliance, surely must convince the mad Cardinal himself, that 'tis high time for his master to make peace, and to concur in the general quiet and repose of Europe; and the rather, that the ill state of the health of that Prince must give his Eminency the melancholy prospect that his domination in Spain will be of no long continuance.

Upon the whole, there seems, at present, to me a very fair prospect of a general peace: but as all human affairs are subject to great uncertainties, and that there are still events far from being impossible, which would not a little change the present agreeable view, I hope no time will be lost in Britain to make the best use of the approaching peace, in a vigorous application to the discharge of the

uniting, as well as possible, the minds national debt; and to the calming and and hearts of all the people. I am sure, if this could be effected-at least, in some degree-the protestant succession in his Majesty's royal family would be better secured than by any alliances which have been, or ever can be made.

The last time I had the honour to be with Lord Stair, he mentioned to me a disposition in the ministry which I perfectly agreed with his lordship would very much contribute to this good end; I mean a general pardon, and some douceurs to the Roman Catholics; but his lordship seemed to think that the whigs in Parliament would not be brought to do this without a repeal of the Occasional Conformity Act. That, I believe, will be speedily effected; and the other, I hope, will follow: sure I am that a time of doing it can never offer more to the honour of the King's clemency, and to the credit and reputation of the present ministry, than this present sunshine of their administration. This would naturally dispose people in their favour, and to believe that the hardships which they think have happened, were wholly owing to the councils and advices of those who were lately in power; but if these good inclinations should happen to vanish away, will not the old proverb naturally occur, viz. When the devil was sick, &c. But is it not prudent to

consider, that, how smooth soever things may go for a while, a day of distress may happen to come, and that a general pardon might be found of some use, even to those who at present want it not? I believe the Earl of Oxford and his friends were, after the Queen's death, convinced of this truth, and that an act of generosity to others, in her life-time, had been afterwards of great service to themselves; and may it not fall out that those now in power may become an abdicated ministry, in disgrace with the King, and not in favour with a majority of either House; and in such case, you may believe there would not be wanting men of great dexterity in cooking up articles of high crimes and misdemeanours. These, indeed, are only secondary considerations: and I believe the present ministry will want no other influence in this matter but the good they conceive may accrue thereby to his Majesty, and to the people.

Should not the trade to Sweden be immediately opened, and a compliment from our court to the new King, and endeavours used to get him into the alliance? I wish that could be done, and that we were fairly rid of his worship, the Czar, out of the Baltic. I hope you will excuse these hints from a lover of his country, and who is with a just esteem, &c.

Mr. Hutcheson's Letter to Lord Sunderland, dated February 9, 1721. MY LORD,

I took leave to send you a message by in which and agree with me in opinion, and I will venture to affirm, it is the universal sense of the Tory party, which, if one may guess from appearances, are not less than

to one of the nation; and your lordship will consider whether the securing such a party is not of consequence to the King and your lordship.

I am morally persuaded that a House of Commons, chosen without bribery and corruption, and other indirect practices, will be for the honour of the King, the reputation of the administration, and the happiness of Britain; and it is impossible to suppose that such a Parliament will not come into every measure necessary for the welfare of the nation, and the ho

nour and dignity of the crown; for your lordship knows we are a proud people, and will have our share of vanity in that appearance which our monarchs ought to make in Europe.

Indeed, if there are indirect views for private interest, such a Parliament as I wish will not be convenient; but from past experience I will leave it to your lordship to consider, whether a government can long subsist on such a foot, or whether any good Englishman can wish it should.

I know no person is so capable as your lordship to set this matter in a clear light to the King; and if he should not come into this way of thinking, I pray God that contrary measures may not prove fatal to himself and to the kingdom. The Bill now sent up to your Lordships from the Commons, relating to Elections, must be believed the sense of the majority of the House, as it certainly is of the nation, though not perhaps of the little boroughs of the kingdom. And will it not be thought hard measure, if the Commons are not allowed to be the most proper judges of what wholly relates to themselves? and it is certain that, whatever may be the fate of this Bill in the House of Peers, the import of it will be known to the whole nation, and they will judge of its justice and equity; and if they should think the rejecting of it a formed design of a ministry to destroy the liberties of a free people, I will leave it to your lordship to judge what may be the consequences thereof, and the opinion which they must necessarily have of the operators in such a work. meant the message, and mean this letter, in sincere friendship to my country and to your lordship; and I shall leave it wholly to yourself to act therein as you shall think (all things considered) most prudent. Consider whether the passing it at once will not be best, or to make some small amendments, and send it back to us, and to leave it to other people to manage it there; for why should the load of this matter lie upon your lordship in particular, and the House of Peers in general? If, on a further consideration, it should not pass in the House of Commons, they are then to answer for it to those they represent; and if it should, with your Lordships' amend

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