enquiries advance to fepulchral cairns, or chefts of various contruction under barrows, and regular coffins of ftone. "Dr. Pegge* deduced ftone coffins, after the introduction of Chriftianity, from the Saxons, continued to the reign of Henry III. and in fome inftances to that of Henry VIII. as in the inftance of bifhop Smith at Lincoln, who died 1513." After an accurate enumeration of the different materials in which the dead were clothed for the grave, and other smaller articles of preparation, we are conducted (p. lxxxix.) to instances where human skeletons have been found deposited in clay, and to the various pofitions in which the body was preferved. Mr. G. then proceeds to grave-ftones with croffes, and all the peculiarities of pofition or ornament which diftinguithed our early monuments. P. cxxxvii. furnishes us with feveral curious anecdotes of the frequent ufe of cenotaphs. "Simon Sudbury, Archbishop of Canterbury, had one at Canterbury; but was really buried at St. Gregory's church at Sudbury, his native townt. The fame is obfervable of Sir John Hawkwood at Sible Hedingham and Florence. Peter, firft Abbot of St. Auguf tine's, at Bologne and Canterbury§. Richard Wendover, Bishop of Rochefter, in Bromley church and at Westminster."-" Archbishop Courtney, who has a monument in his cathedral, was really buried in his collegiate church of Maidstone¶; where his remains, only a few bones, were feen lately." The account of this difcovery was communicated to Mr. Gough by his worthy, and much-lamented friend, the Rev. Samuel Denne, F. A. S. in a letter which is preserved p. cxxxvi. to whofe acuteness of research it bears honourable teftimony. In feveral fucceeding pages, many interefting formularies of interment, and funeral proceffions, are detailed with great precifion. Whence (p. clxxii.) Mr. G. recurs to the ufe of cemeteries and other burial places. He next paffes to SHRINES, OF monuments of rich stone-work, wherein the reliques of fome holy perfon were repofited. With Dr. Stukeley, he has "accurately diftinguifhed two kinds of thrines, both equally made for receiving the reliques of faints: but with this difference, that one fort was portable, and ufed in proceffions, and the other fixed, as being built of ftone, marble, and other heavy Gent. Mag. xxix. 66. Sep Mon. I. 154. + Weever, pp. 225, 743. Sep Mon. I. 44. Weever, p. 250. ma materials." P. clxxxii. On this fubject a variety of curious particulars are thrown together, which are the fruits of much perfonal investigation. From Sepulture and its accompaniments, we are naturally led to view the HABITS and extravagancies of drefs, as pourtrayed on ancient monuments: which, though fubjects of fatire and invective in almost every age, were fo in none more justly than the 15th century. Here, as throughout the work, Mr. Gough has not only felected and explained the drefs and fashions of the time, from MSS. and printed documents, but compared them with coeval exifting monuments in other countries. To point out the utility of fuch comparisons were furely needlefs. They enable us to afcertain our comparative progrefs as a nation in the arts of elegance; at the fatne time difplaying the general advancement of thofe arts. Another, and an important portion of these introductory pages, is devoted to the EPITAPH. In treating of this infeparable appendage to Sepulchral Monuments, Mr. Gough, in a few lines of general reference, traces it to the fame period to which he carried the tombs themselves; and goes back for the first infcribed funeral monuments in Great Britain, to those bearing names of Romanized Britons in Cornwall or Wales. In copies of a correfpondence between Mr. Lethieullier with Bishop Lyttelton, Mr. G. recommends a collection of infcriptions, on a plan like that purfued by Gruter and others for Roman antiquities. (p. ccxxxiii.) From Epitaphs he derives to us many valuable informations on our knowledge of letters, in the Saxon, Norman, and Lombardic characters. The latter of thefe became general on tomb-ftones in the 13th century; though inftances of a mixed nature occur fo late as the fixteenth. From Orthography he proceeds to NUMERALS; and throws confiderable light on the early ufe of our vulgar figures. "A MS. de Algorifmo in verfe, Brit. Muf. 8 C. iv. 16. afcribed to Groffetefte, exprefsly brings them from India, probably by Spain, from the Moors and Arabs : "Hec Algorifmus ars prefens dicitur, in qua Talibus Indorum fruimur bis quinque figuris." P. cclix. Fronting p. cclxi. is a plate of the Greek, Roman, Indian, and Arabian numerals, according to the variations time impofed upon them, from a MS. of Maurice Johnson, Efq. of Spalding. "The first date in Arabic numerals that has occurred to me on a tomb is on a brafs of Elen Cook, at Ware, 18h8, 1454. "The "The fecond is 1488, painted on the plafter of the partition of the Poulet chapel in Bafing church, Hants." The variety of inftances not only adduced, but delivered to us in fac fimile, are but fo many proofs of the author's care and activity in his favourite walk of fcience. Nor, when confidering the Epitaph, is he inattentive to the efforts of Literature in its compofition. "The compofition of epitaphs muft be referred to the depofitaries of every fpecies of learning, the religious. The names of our early epitaph makers are as difficult to afcertain as thofe of our architects or painters. In the 15th century we are fure of John Whetamstead, abbot of St. Alban's, whofe verfes, recorded by Weever, do honour to his monaftery, already diftinguished by producing fo many learned men. We trace his munificence and poetry in all the churches of its dependance; and in his period, for at least fifty years, from 1392 to 1464, we trace alfo the revival of claffical literature among us. The maker of Peter Arderne's epitaph at Latton + had fet his name to his compofition; but time has deprived us of it, notwithstanding all his efforts at immortality." P. cclxix. "The epitaphs made for our princes in the 12th and 13th centuries, favour of the gratitude of monks in after ages; for in general the infeription on the ledge was merely compofed of names, titles, and dates, in Latin or French. They were lachrymæ in obitum, shed now only by univerfities, or an occafional mourner in the newspapers or magazines. Such were also the duplicates on founders or prelates, of which Chichely, in Camdent, is one inftance. The epitaphs of prelates and ecclefiaftics fpeak the language of Scripture: Credo quod redemptor meus vivit, et in novissimo die furre&urus fum, et rurfum circumdabar pelle ma, et in carne mea videbo deum falvatorem meum; on Bishop Gravefend, at Lincoln; on others Credo in deum, Credo videre deum, &c. and on Bishop Brownfcomb, at Exeter, three texts from the New Teflament. "In Fleetwood's Sylloge of Infcriptions, Part II. Monum. Chriftian. p. 520, in Lombardic letters, not given in fac fimile, is this. B, is put for V. "Credo quia redemptor meus bibit et in nobiliffimo Die de terra fufcitabit me et in carne mea videbo "The Creed in Latin was curiously inlaid round the tombstone of John Paycock, 1533, at Coggeshall: "Credo in Deum patrem, &c. "About the verge of the ftone in brafs a Pater Nofter inlaid, Pater Nefler qui es in celis fan&tificetur nomen tuum, and fo to the end of the prayer. Upon the middeft of the marble this, Ave Maria gratia plena: Dominus tecum: Benedicta tu: in mulieribus et benedictus fit fructus ventris tui Jefus. Amen. I have not feen fuch rich monuments for fo mean perfons," fays Weever*." P. cclxxv. "On the flab over Robert Tendring, at Great Baddow, was inlaid this prayer: "+Omnipotens et mifericors Deus in cujus poteftate humana conditio confiftit animam famuli tui Roberti queso ab omnibus abfolve peccatis ut penitentie fructum quem voluntas ejus optabit preventus morte non perdat: per dominum noftrum Jefum Chriftum. Ament.” "On a brafs, in Sibbefdon church, Leicestershiret, a fine figure of a prieft, in his furred gown, extending his hands, from the palms of which proceed these scrolls addressed to the Saviour feated on a rainbow: Intret poftulacio mea in confpedu tuo o'ne "Under him: Drate pro aia Johis Moore lacerdotis facultatis artium magiftri "A fpecimen of our language in the clofe of the 15th century, may be seen in an epitaph from Weever§, in St. Benet's church, Gracechurch-ftreet, 1491. "At Aldenham in the County of Hertford: Here lyeth John Pen, who in his lufty age A thousand four hundred seventy and oon. "Another fample of the English of the time may be seen in this epitaph, in the fquare paffage to the Chapter-Houfe at York, cut in ftone: Berciful Thelu, son of heuen, for thi holi name and thi bitter pallion do thi grete mercy to the foule of Annes huet, the which decelio the viị day of November, in the yere of our Lord, MCCCCLXXI.¶ "Weever, p. 618. + Ibid. p. 641. SP. 416. "Engraved for the fourth volume of Mr. Nichols's Hiftory of that County, under Sibbefdon. "Weever, p. 592. Chauncy, p. 494. This is not now to be 1 Drake's York, p. 478." found. "Among Among fingular epitaphs take this at Colneye, Norfolk, on Thomas Bettys, rector there from 1455 to 1481: Qwan the Belle y's folemplye rownge And the meffe with devofyon fonge Sone fhall Sere Thomas Bettys be forgete. On whofe fowle God have mercy. Amen. Qui obiit v die Aprilis A°. D'ni MCCCCLXXXI." P. cclxxxvii. Pray for the foule occurs in an epitaph, in 1558, the last year of Mary's reign, and of expiring popery." P. ccc. But we are very much mistaken, if two inftances of that expreffion do not occur on braffes in the church of Stanton Harcourt, in Oxfordthire, after 1570. Of many fubjects contained in the prefent Introduction, the great mafs of information was anticipated by that to the former volume. Particularly where barrows, coffins, inftances of extraordinary preservation, and habits are concerned. But to many of these articles we are introduced in a new form; and fresh lights are thrown on the funeral ceremonies of our forefathers. Such is this publication. Our extracts from it, confidering its fize and importance, we confefs, are fhort and few; but to' difplay its various contents with minuteness, or to point out every mark of affiduity and taste which it discovers, would far exceed our limits: enough has been already extracted, to show that praise is almoft fuperfluous. It is a work, the aim of which is well-directed to fill up the great plan of National History. The plates, including vignettes, are fifty-one in number, befides a rofe (p. cccxxxv.) which is given from the original brafs, in St. Peter's Church, at St. Alban's. They are well executed by Mr. James Bafire; feveral of them from drawings by the artist, whofe death has been already mentioned as unpropitious to Mr. Gough's pursuits; and one has the fignature of R. G. The whole is clofed with accurate Indexes to each volume. **Blomsfield, III, P. 2." ART. |