plated with pleasure the antiquities, and enjoyed with satisfaction the rise and the progression of the arts in this country; because, the former indicates what has been, and the latter what is at present; while, from a concatenation of circumstances, they give us the most lively hopes of what may happen in future.

Of all the places which afford objects to attract the curiosity of the metropolitans of England, the city of Westminster stands the foremost: the antiquity of its venerable abbey, of the adjacent palace, and a variety of local circumstances, render it, in every point of view, highly interesting; of these circumstances, the ingenious author of this work, Mr. Smith, has taken advantage, and presented to the public a volume, which we think, in many respects, does the highest credit both to his talents and to his industry. With regard to the disagreement betwixt Mr. Hawkins (to whom we are obliged for the whole of the preface, and for many other parts of the work) and himself, we do not mean to enter into the subject of it, further than by observing, that we consider it as a loss to literature, when men who have begun a work in conjunction, do not persevere in the prosecution of it to the conclusion.

In the preface, Mr. H. (whom we are to consider as the author of it) seems to cxpress a disapprobation, which, although untinctured with ridicule, ap

pears to us in some degree HOGARTHIAN, of those authors who crowd their volumes of miscellaneous antiquity with

representations of fibulæ, spoons, knives and spurs, darts, javelins, or daggers, celts, arrow-heads of iron and stone, and other trifling particulars, or offensive weapons, which have nothing to recommend them but a rudeness of workmanship, and an apparent antiquity, very rarely ascertained."

Here we must observe, that we conceive much may be said on both sides of the question; if the workmanship of those instruments is, as we will grant it to be, coarse, and their shapes uncouth; yet, surely, some mental improvement may be derived from the comparison of them, even with our more elegant productions, at least, which is no very unimportant disquisi tion, the progress of the mechanic arts may be more accurately traced, and more systematically developed; or, even supposing this inquiry to be of litle

use in the present enlightened period, still the finding of articles, whose forms identify the people to whom they originally belonged, may, and very frequently does serve to settle contested points of topographical history with nearly the same certainty as the discovery of medals, coins, urns, statues, or any other of the more elegant productions of genius would have done; therefore, we are sorry to observe in the porch of such an important work, antiquarian researches treated slightly; there is, surely, as much to be said upon an arrow-head, for instance, as upon many of the pieces of broken glass that are in this volume delineated, though we certainly do not object to their insertion among a number of objects infinitely more material.

"Of the antiquity of these subjects," says Mr. H. "which on many such occasions as the present is a point to be made out by a deduction of circumstances, there cannot be any donbt, as they are decidedly known to be of the time of Edward III. and they consist of specimens of architectural ornaments of most exquisite beauty in design and execution; paintings of more than common merit, especially considering the time when they were done; and fragments of ancient glass; which, if inferior in point of drawing to the other paintings before mentioned, are, at least, valuable for the beau ty and yivacity of their colours, a recommendation which has often been known to judging succeed with those who were incapable of of any other" (excellence).

"

Mr. H. in a subsequent page of the preface observes that,

"When this work was first undertaken, it was not conceived that it would have required an extension to its present length; nor indeed, was it foreseen that such a mass

of intelligence could have been procured; little more, therefore, was at the very first intended than a competent explanation of the plates, but when it was found, as it soon was, that the public were disposed to encourage it, those concerned in the undertaking were induced to enlarge their views, and to promise in general terms in their proposals, the insertion of many other subjects incidentally connected with it; reserving, however, to the author of the letter-press, the liberty and option of executing what he had undertaken on a more comprehensive or limited scale, as he saw requisite. And, indeed, without the very liberal, and alınost unequalled support and encouragement which the proprietor has met with, it would not have been possible to have executed such a plan as the present."

As these extracts correctly allude to the plan, and amply explain the nature of the work which we are about to contemplate, it is now time to see how the promises contained in the pro, posals have been fulfilled, or, in other words, how it is executed.

Mr. Smith-for as it is impossible for us to entangle our minds, or those of our readers with the division of the parts of it betwixt him and Mr. Hawkins, as they appear in the advertisement; we shall, therefore, consider the former of these gentlemen as the editor of this work, the whole of which has come under his inspection.

Mr. S. then states, that the discovery of the paintings and other ornaments was made in the event of an

enlargement of the present house of commons having become requisite for the admission of the additional members in consequence of the union of Great Britain and Ireland, it was therefore found, on the removal of the wainscoting, in the month of August, 1800, that the whole inside of the walls of the building had been originally paintbunding ed with single figures and historical subjects.

"Many of these," he continues, "were still in such a state of preservation as to admit of being copied and engraven, and the necessary permission having been obtained for that purpose, accurate drawings

Mr. S. then proceeds to describe, as an introduction to the history of the building itself, and also of the old pa. lace of Westminster, of which it was a part, the ancient state of that city, which at present, he truly observes, exhibits a very different appearance from that which it formerly bore.

The ancient state of the city of West minster has been so frequently described in other works, and so often alluded to in this Magazine, that were we to quote what Mr. S. says upon the subject, it would, to our readers, savour more of repetition than novelty; we shall, therefore, only attempt here and there to catch a few prominent features as they appear to us in the inves tigation either of the letter-press or the plates to attract our observation.

Respecting the latter we must observe, that they are all in their different situations and styles appropriate in their introduction, and beautiful in their execution: the first represents four subjects, viz. Ducde Sully's House, Strand; t Durham House, Strand; Guard Room, Scotland-yard; and part of the old Palace of Whitehall, from the water. We must remark with respect to these

* By Mr. Smith.

↑ This is a mistake; BEAUMONT House, the first metropolitan residence of the Duc de Sully when he came, in 1603, ambassador from Henry IV. of France, to James I. was not in the Strand, but on the south side of Butcher-row, Temple-bar. Of this edifice, the correct view forms the frontispiece to the forty-second volume of this Magazine, and of which a very accurate account is given by Mr. Moser in his Vestiges, No. I. page 10, of the same volume. This house was ornamented in the manner it appears in compliment to Count Beaumont, who was its inhabitant at the period when the

Marquis de Rosney (Duc de Sully) arrived in England. It was, in latter times, divided into several houses; we can remember that part of it was let to a baker, and had the sign of the seven rolls broadly displayed under the ficur de lis and coronets; the back houses, which ranged along the north side of the Strand, were of the same style of building, though we think, from what we can recollect of them, rather more modern. It is proper to remark, that Beaumont House was but a temporary residence of the mur quis's, who afterwards removed to Arundel place.

views, that they are drawn with great taste; and the figures, particularly in the first of them, are touched with the spirit of Callot.

It would be useless to follow the editor over ground which has been so lately trodden as the Strand;* but we must, however we may desire to get to Westminster, stop a little at the village of Charing; because, in the description of the ancient cross there is considerable entertainment. This description, and the cut which represents its form, are extracted from a very scarce quarto pamphlet, entitled,

"A dialogue between the Crosse in Cheap, and Charing Crosse, comforting each other. as fearing their fall in these uncertain times. By Ryhen Pameach, 4to. printed 1641. Two bishops are represented as in the act of supporting it, and over the tallest of the two are these words,

Helpe Wren, or we
Are undone men.

To which the other answers,

It shall not fall
To ruin all."

This emblem plainly enough indicated the apprehensions of the higher order of the people from the prevalence of the doctrines then afloat, and contained in it an appeal to the hierarchy to support the established church, then really in danger, but alas! this appeal was made too late.

"The author of the above mentioned tract,

whose name is disguised by the transposition of the letters, was Henry Peacham, a master

of arts, of the university of Cambridge, well

known as the writer of a sinall quarto voJume, entitled The Complete Gentleman;' a book of emblems, in small quarto also, and a small quarto tract, entitled The worth of a Penny;'t and from this dialogue between the cross in Cheap and Charing cross, the

* See the Vestiges, passim.

+ Dr. Matthew Wren was bishop of Ely from 1638 to 1667, when he died, aged 71. At the beginning of the rebellion he was committed to the Tower, where he remained till the restoration. He wrote a book against the socinians, and some letters, that are extant in different collections. He was uncle to Sir Christopher Wren. Editor.

‡ This, it appears, was once a very popular treatise. Tom Brown says it is quoted by frugal tradesmen; Dr. Johnson has requoted the passage in his life of Dryden, vol. ii. of his lives of English poets, p. 72.

following particulars of its history may be collected. In 1641 the cross at its top had been down fourscore and odd years, and this fact is pointed out in the dialogue, but

SO

obscurely, that the evidence for it requires to be stated: Cheap Cross at the opening, says, that she is so crossed that she fears her utter ruin and destruction are at hand; to which Charing Cross replies, Sister of Westcheap, crosses are incident to us and all our kindred; the time hath been, when I have been crossed, but I have been free without these fourscore and odd years.'- Cheap Cross then proceeds thus, Happy are you, and long may you so continue!' - CHARING CROSS. But what's the greatest cross that has be fallen you?"-CHEAP CROSS. 'Nay, sister, if my cross were fallen I should live a great deal more at heart's ease than I do.'-CHARING. I believe it is the cross upon your head that has brought you into this trouble, is it not?"+

We do not think there is much in the observations of the editor respecting the danger of Charing cross, and the supposed mistake of the date; because we know, that except during the reign of Mary, all crosses had been in danger from the time of the reformation.

The next subject that the editor has thought proper at once to discriminate and adorn with a print, is the ancient gate at Whitehall; which, with the additions intended to have been made to it, had it been erected at Windsor, taken from a drawing of the late Thomas Sandby, Esq. R.A. forms a most beautiful object. Upon the gate itself we have already expatiated; it has also been described in the Antiquarian Repertory, and many other works; yet we still very sincerely commend

* It was probably demolished in conse. quence of the rage against crosses, which operated in the first year of the reign of Elizabeth. Editor.

+ The latter part of this quibbling dialogue alludes to the disputes which had occurred betwixt the presbyterians and the protestants, respecting the demolition of the cross in Cheapside; which, although the latter, per. haps only considered, as it really was, a very beautiful ornament, the former insisted that it was a symbol of popery, and, like many other vestiges of ancient art, a public nuisance; consequently, when they obtained power, it was pulled down and demolished. Editor.

+ Vestiges, European Magazine, vol. xlii. p. 171.

§ Vol. i. last edit.

Mr. S. for the ardour with which he pursued his inquiries respecting the busts: we congratulate him on the good fortune he had in finding three of them, and thank him for the very elegant copies of them which he has presented • to the public. We must further observe, that these busts were very much admired by the late Mr. Moser, who took some pains to ascertain the mode by which they were glazed and painted.

"For the purpose of introducing two

curious views representing the most material

part of St. James's Park and many of the

buildings part of or belonging to the palace of Whitehall, as they were in the time of King Charles 11." says the editor, " it has been judged proper to quit Whitehall." "Of these two views," referring to the plate, "the uppermost is supposed to be the oldest, and some particulars in it deserve especial notice; for at the north end of Westminster Hall are placed three poles with heads evidently on them, which were certainly those

put there, as being the supposed heads of Cromwell, Ireton, and Bradshaw, as appears from the following account inserted in a modern quarto pamphlet, entitled, Narrative relating to the real unembalmed Head of Oliver Cromwell, now exhibiting in Meadcourt, in Old Bond-street, 1799. After the restoration, viz. in January, 1661, the bodies of Oliver Cromwell, his son-in-law, Henry Ireton, who had been lord-lieutenant of Ireland; and John Bradshaw, who, as president of the pretended high court of justice, had pronounced sentence of death on Charles I, were, by a yote of the house of commons, passed the 8th December, 1660, taken out of their graves by John Lewis, a mason, as appears by his receipt as follows:

44

May the 4th day 1661, rec then in full of the Worshipfull Sargeant Norfolke * fiveteen shillings for taking up the corpes of Cromell and Ireton & Brasaw rec by mee "JOHN LEWIS.

As we think that it wanted better au thority than the pamphlet alluded to, to identify either of the three heads which appear in the view, and are not able to supply it, we gladly leave the unimportant inquiry, and congratulate ourselves on our arrival at Westminster; though it would be injustice to the editor were we not to declare that we have been much entertained in our passage along the Strand, &c. Here the first object that strikes us, is a plate containing four views of places with

* "Supposed of the Heralds' Office;" we rather think, the sergeant at arms. Editor.

which we have been acquainted longer than we choose to state, viz. those of The Water-gate, New Palace-yard, seen The

The

from the river.

Entrance from New Palace-yard
to the Speaker's Court-yard.
Speaker's Court-yard, from the
South-east, and

The Speaker's Court-yard, from the
South-west.

Another plate immediately follows, exhibiting the ceiling of the star chamber, which, from its ornaments, tradition says, gave its name to a tribunal, long famous for its uses and its abuses.

"This star chamber is said, by Strype, book vi. p. 51, to have been the ancient council chamber in the king's palace of Westminster."

Though we leave, with little regret, the disquisition respecting the real entrance or exit in and out of Canonrow, we cannot so easily pass a very beautiful view of the buildings on the south side of New Palace-yard, comprising the north end of Westminster Hall, encumbered as it was with houses, which have lately been removed; these, although they certainly obscured the architecture of that magnificent pile, have as certainly given to the graphic scene a picturesque effect.

It is not within the scope of our design, or the extent of our limits, possible to describe, with the smallest degree of accuracy, this interesting part of Westminster; nor, indeed, is it necessary, because Mr. S. has already done it with the greatest; we shall, therefore, only endeavour to catch the broader outlines of his work, and recommend. the curious reader to that for the filling up and finishing of them; though we deem a more particular account of the plates absolutely necessary, as they refer immediately to, and are, in our opinions, the best comments upon the text; we must consequently observe, that we here meet with another of them, containing three views, the first in aquatinta, from a drawing by Cannaletti, of

And

Old Palace-yard, from the South. The second and third are etchings of The North-west view of the Tower, now the Parliament Office. South-west view of the Tower, now the Parliament Office. From the plates connected with the letter press of this volume it will be observed that the editor has been in