488 On the Currency, and the Renewal of the Bank Charter. [June, us by hindering trade, when it shall either make the foreigner call home his money, or your own people backward to lend." He continued, there is another seeming consequence of the reducing the money to a low price, which at first sight has such an appearance of truth in it, that I have known it to impose upon very able men, and I guess it has no small influence at this time in promoting the alteration; and that is, that the lowering of interest will raise the value of all other things in proportion. For money being the counterbalance to all other things purchaseable by it, and lying as it were in the opposite scale of commerce, it looks like a natural consequence, that as much as you take off from the value of money, you add to the price of other things which are exchanged for it. The raising of the price of every thing being no more but the addition to its value in respect of money, or which is all one, lowering the value of money." From a passage preceding the above, it appears that at that time (the year 1690) a slight stimulus had been given to commerce by the introduction of private banking. "In some great towns, where the bankers are ready at hand to buy bills, or in any other way to lend money for short time at great interest, there, perhaps, the merchant is not forced to keep so much money by him as in other places where they have not such a supply; but if you consider what money, to do this, must necessarily be constantly lodged in the bauker's hands, the case would be much the same." This shews to what a limited extent the discounting of bills was practised; and how the prejudices of theorists, and their influence upon the legislature, contributed, as they still do, to debar us from those advantages, of which, at a much earlier date, other countries have availed themselves. We learn from Sir Walter Raleigh, that in the days of Queen Elizabeth, "the merchants of Ipswich, whose trade for Elbing is mostly for fine cloths, all dyed and dressed within our own land, do, for the most part buy their fine cloths upon time, and, by reason of this, go so much upon credit, they are inforced, not being able to stand upon their market, to sell and give fifteen or eighteen months' day of payment for their clothes; and having sold them, they then presently sell their bills taken for cloth, allowing after the rate of fourteen or fifteen, and sometimes twenty per cent., which money they employ forthwith on wares at excessive prices, and lose as much more that way, by that time their wares be sold at home." Thus by overrunning themselves at home upon credit, they disable themselves and others, enhancing the price of foreign commodities, and pulling down the rates of their own. Sir Walter complained that we had been deprived of a part of the trade in our own manufactures by the Dutch; and, in order that we might better oppose those rivals, who by their wealth had been enabled to contend with us for mastery in our own seas and river, Sir J. Child recommended, in the third subsequent reign, that we should lessen the rate of interest. He advised that we should make debt-bills transferable, as they were in Holland. He says this practice was objected to as being contrary to our statute against Champerty, and the continuance of prejudices of the same origin appears to have influenced the Earls of Liverpool and their abetters. The buying a thing with intent to sell it again, and every form of com> mercial speculation, have at all times been viewed in this country, by statesmen and legislators, in the light in which Mr. Locke represented it. To our free form of government, and ourpolitical economists, in every age we have been indebted for greater restrictions in commercial dealings, than would have been tolerated in any other country. When wheat fluctuated from three shillings to twenty pounds per quarter of our present money, as, according to Holinshed, it did in the days of the Plantagenets, laws were enacted against forestalling and regrating, or buying corn with the intent to sell it again, as if the proper and only effectual means of providing against scarcity were the cause of it. The Encyclopædia Britannica tells us that Champerty, in our sense of the word, signifies the purchasing a suit, or right of suing a chose in action. A thing of which any one has the right but not the possession, is not assignable in common law. Hitherto, also, must be referred the provision of the statute 22 Henry VIII. c. 9, "that no one shall sell or purchase any pretended right or title to land, unless the vender hath received the profits thereof for one whole year before such grant, or hath been in actual posssesion of the reversion or remainder, on pain that both purchaser and vender shall each forfeit the value of such land to the king and the prosecutor." Yours, &c. YLLOSS. 1832.] Sculpture found in the Chapter-house, Bristol. Mr. URBAN, Bristol, June 14. I SEND you a correct drawing (Plate I.) of the very interesting specimen of ancient Sculpture recently discovered under the floor of the Chapter Room of Bristol Cathedral, and mentioned in the last number of your venerable Magazine (p. 452). In the notice alluded to, it is said that the lid of the stone coffin on which this Sculpture was discovered, exhibits a "representation of Christ descending into hell." I am inclined to think this is a mistake; should it not be Christ ascending out of hell? "In one hand he bears the cross, and with the other he is delivering a sinner from the jaws of the bottomless pit. The figure of Christ occupies nearly the whole length of the lid, and the attitude displays more than usual elegance." Under his feet is a representation of the Devil; the right foot of the Saviour standing on his thigh, and his left upon his head. The cloven foot of Satan is raised behind the heel of Christ.. The faint outline remaining behind the figure placed beneath the cross, makes it probable that more than one figure was originally represented, and the opinion is strengthened from the fact, that the sculptured side of the coffin-lid was placed downwards to face the corpse, which it once contained, and the sides have been chip ped off to make it lie flat upon the coffin, which had undoubtedly been opened at some former period; probably when the floor of the room recently removed was laid down, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, as there was not the least vestige of a human being remaining, the coffin being full of earth and stones. Some who have inspected this interesting relic, suppose that the hands of the principal figure are both represented on the right side of the body; but I conceive that this error arises from a portion of the drapery merely folding over the left arm, which gives it such an appearance. Beside the stone coffins discovered, there were two leaden ones brought to light, one of which contained a skeleton nearly perfect; but the other, which had been wrapped in leather, was nearly reduced to dust; some portions of the principal bones, together with a part of the skull, only re GENT. MAG. June, 1832. 489 One or two local coins maining. It will be remembered, that during the late disgraceful riots in this city, the mob broke into the Chapter Room and burnt, or otherwise destroyed, a great number of the valuable books it contained, and damaged some portions of the apartment. The venerable Dean, much to his credit, immediately resolved to restore this beautiful room to its original state, which, when completed, will be one of the finest specimens of Norman architecture in Europe. A beautiful window of stained glass, consisting of three lights, is to adorn the east end. Yours, &c. GEO. PRYCE. ANECDOTES OF WITCHCRAFT IN (Concluded from p. 410.) Jan. 16, 1685-6, The Alderman of Malmesbury in Wiltshire, that being the title of the chiefe Magistrate of that auntient Borrow, sent to the Justices of the Peace of that subdivision of the County, to pray them to assist him in a discovery which was made of Witches by the voluntary confession of one Ann Tilling, widdowe, who had confessed to Mrs. Mary Webb, the wife of Mr. Robert Webb, since Alderman of that Burrow, that she Ann Tilling, - Peacock, and Witchell, widow, sisters, had bewitched Thomas the son of the above-named Robert Webb and Mary his wife, which Mary was the daughter of Mr. Bartholomew, whos chest was broken as in the foregoing relation, so that Thomas Webb above-named had very grievous fitts of swooning, sometimes three or four times in a day, and that he seemed to bee possest with some foreigne power betwixt thos fitts, so that he would curse and sweare, tell what the persons suspected to have harmed him were doing or saying, and often speake to them as if they or some of them were present, although not visible to any person uppon the place. The confession of Anne Tilling was made to Mrs. Mary Webb upon this motion. Mrs. Webb meeting casually with Ann Tilling, reproached her for that, ungratefully and without provocation, shee had joined with Peacock and Witchell to bewitch her son, who 490 Anecdotes of Witchcraft at Malmesbury. in his fitts complayned of Tilling, Peacock, and Witchell, for tormenting him and doing him hurt severall ways. That her husband and shee (Mrs. Webb) had ever been very good friends to Ann Tilling and her deceased husband, and had employed them in their work, when they wanted work, and had been many ways uppon several occasions bountiful and beneficial to them, even to the preventing of their utmost necessity; uppon which Ann Tilling fell downe on her knees, and beg'd Mrs. Webb's pardon, confessing she had been wrought on by goody Peacock and Witchell, to agree that her son Thomas should be bewitched; for which shee was very sorry, and would do what shee could at any time to helpe him to come out of his fitts. The boy continuing to have his fitts, Mr. Webb complayned to the Alderman, who having apprehended Ann Tilling, sent to the Justices above-mentioned to have their assistances in the examinations of Tilling and the two others above-named. Ann Tilling confessed before the Alderman and 3 County Justices, that herselfe, persuaded by and joining with Peacock and Witchell, had harmed the boy, and caused those fitts, which, by the helpe of theyr spirits, they had brought upon him; and that, three witches being needful to doe things of that nature, Goody Clark being bedrid, soe that shee could not goe out with them, nor they have free recourse to her; they had taken her, Ann Tilling, into the first 3 in Goody Clark's place; that they had consultations often with other two threes, so that they were 9, about avenging themselves upon theyr enimys, and that the three threes had often mett since shee was admitted into the first 3; shee alsoe named 3 or 4 men and women confederates, but not frequently conversing with them. That when they mett altogether, it was late at night, in some one of their houses; and that there and then they did eate and drink all together, and consulted of their business, which was the avenging themselves uppon theyr enimys. Besides the three first uppon Tilling's confession, eleven persons, 2 men and nine women, were apprehended and examined, theyr examinations taken in writing, and mittimus making, and some made and signed, for sending them to the County Goale. [June, Whilst the clerks were finishing the mittimus, another Justice of the Peace arrived, who had not been forward, not being perhaps very credulous in matters of Witchcraft, at least thinking that at Malmesbury they were rarer than they were thought to be. He was much carressed by the Alderman and the 3 Justices, who began to despair of his company at that time, and desired him to read the information and confession of Ann Tilling, and also the information of Thomas the son of Robert Webb, which having done, and seeinge 14 persons ready to be committed to the County Goale, he was extremely concerned at the precipitate proceeding of his fellow Justices, and very sadly prayed that they would be pleased to hear him, before they proceeded further uppon the committment of the 14 persons then apprehended. It was agreed readily that the last come Justice should be heard; who thereupon moved that the roome might be ushered, and that none should remayne but the Justices and those gentlemen of quality that should desire to be present with them. It was done as agreed to, and done; some gentlemen sent for, and admitted; and an audience given to the last Justice, who spoke words to this purpose: "Gentlemen,-I see here are apprehended and designed to be committed many persons, against whom by the informations which I have seen, there is (if any) very light evidence. Gentlemen, what is done at this place, a Borough remote from the centre of this large County, and almost 40 miles from Salisbury, will be expended both by the Reverend Judges, the learned Counsayle there, the persons Ecclesiastique, and the Gentry of the body of the County; so that if any thing be done here rashly, it will be severely censured, and for ought I know, those against whom there is some kind of evidence, may escape in the crowd of such against whom I see none. Gentlemen, the mittimus's only mention a general charge of suspicion of witchcraft, and that against three onely there is a very special charge in the informations, that is to say, against Tilling, Peacock, and Witchell. Truely, Gentlemen, I ever thought the word Witch to have a very wide extent, for as that word is used now, there may be such as are naturally so, at least |