Mr URBAN,

TH

Defcription of an antique Figure, &c.

HE drawing of the faint in the Plate, which is done with the utmoft accuracy, (all but the legend on the label, which for the greater exact. A nefs is copied feparately) was tranfinitted to me partly as a matter of curiofity, for my own private amufeinent, and partly from a defire of receiving in return, a few lines of illuftration, which, as was hoped, might arife from the circumftances of the place where the figure was found, together with the B words of the legend. And conceiving that the image, which is of alabaster, has merit enough in it to deferve to be more publicly known, I purpose, by your leave, to comply with the latter part of my friend's intention by the canal of your far-fpreading and valuaable Magazine.

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This figure, which is very elegant and capital, is, it feems, but one of a large number, all which, fome in ala. baiter, and fomne in wood richly ornamented with painting and gilding, and very antique, were found the last May, in the roof of a final chapel at Wakefield in Yorkshire. The figures are at- D tended with their proper attributes, to distinguish them one from another, and to betoken to us the perfons whom they respectively repretent. This is a requifite which undoubtedly makes it the more valuable, fince otherwife, at this diftance of time, for they have lain as long concealed as fince the E reign of K. Henry VIII. and are, no doubt in themfeives much older, we fhould have been greatly at a loss to have known to whom each figure appertained.

To go on then with the effigies in
queftion; 'tis apparently the reprefen-
tation of a prelatical faint; the mitre F
and the crofier do evidently denote the
prelate, and the pofture of the monk or
prieft at his feet do as clearly evince the
faint. But who was this faint ? doubt-,
lets one of the great northern patrons,
and the legend I think will discover
which; for I read it thus, S. Wilam Janc Ġ
price procures aydane; and after ob-
ferving that the language is old French,
(which by the way is a token of the
antiquity of thefe figures) and that
Wilam can ftand for nothing but William,
which was written in thole times il-
lem and Wilam; that fanc, fance, or
Jaunce, occurs for fans in Chaucer, Skel-
ton, and the Mirrour fir Magistrates,

See Bp Nicholson's Hist. Library.
(GENT. Mag. Dec. 1756.)

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559

and that the laft word aydane wants
nothing but the mark of abbreviation'
over it, (which I fuppofe was worn ou!)
to be the old French aydaunce; I fay,
after thus clearing and fettling the
words, I interpret it St William, you pro-
cure us help without meed or reward.

But was St William a Saint of fuch
high eftimation in the north, as to have
a reprefentation of him in a chapel at'
Wakefield? Certainly; he was the 30th
archbishop of the province of York, and
a faint of the greatest request there, as
appears from the following fhort nar-
rative concerning him †.

Sea Magra

St William was nephew to our king Stephen by his fifter Emma, and was a Britannia man no lefs noble in mind and virtue, Yorkshire than stock and lineage. Upon his elec-P463/4

tion to the fee of York, the pope then fitting thought proper to favour another perfon, one Henry Murdac, and confecrated him. This pope afterwards dying, William went to Rome, and moved his fuit to the new pope; but in the mean time Henry Murdac died, fo that William obtained a reftitution of his honours without much difficulty. · At his entrance into York, A. D. 1154, he wrought a very notable miracle, for the wooden bridge over the river Ouje breaking down, by means of the numbers of people upon it, St William, as the story goes, fell down inftantly upon his knees, and obtained by his prayers the life of every individual perfon; and thereupon, I fuppofe after his death and canonization, he had a chapel erected to his honour upon the bridge at York. He fat in his fee but a fhort time, and there were fome circumftances attending his death, that made it fulpected he was poiloned; however, he was buried in his own cathedral, and many miracles are faid to have been wrought at his grave, upon which he was canonized about 150 years after, and his festival was the 8th of June, which was the day of his death.

This in brief, Sir, is the account which a very good antiquarian has given us of this eminent prelate, whole effigies we are now contemplating; to which I fall only add, that according to my information, the other figures of this collection are equa ly beautiful with this, especially the alabafter ones, one of which is very large, and reprefents St Ann, the mother of the virgin Mary, teaching the young virgin to read, and the other two faints under

560 Letter from Abp. Whitgift, on the Scarcity of Corn,

the act of martyrdom. This is a group
of fifteen figures in alte relevo. There'
are in all, I find, no lefs than 25 differ
ent pieces, taken chi fly out of the O
Teftime and the New, and if one may
judge of their goodnefs by this draw-
ing, they must afford a mot pleating A
entertainment to thole who have an
opportunity of feeing them together.

Yours, &c. P. GEMSEGE.

The remarkable Conformity of Circumftan-
ces at the Time when the following
Letter was written, and the Times ave
now live in, makes the Publication of it B
feajonable: The attentive Reader will
objerve, that the boafied Reign of 2
Elizabeth produced juft fuch Diftreffes as
the Poor now complain of; and be will
at the fame Time remark that they are
attributed to the fame Caufe; and that
the Methods recommended for Relief are
not very different.

John Whitgift, Lord Archbishop of Can-
terbury, to William Chaderton, Lord
Bishop of Lincoln, hgnifying the Queen's
great Concern for the poorer Sort, occa
fioned partly by the bearding of Corn.

S

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commanded that the lords and others. o her majesty's moit honourable privy council, in her name, do recommend by their letters earney, the execution of thofe orders that were fet forth the last year to the sheriffs and justices of the peace in the feveral counties of the realm, to fee the fame obferved. Who (if they shall perform their duty, to fee the fame obferved according to her majefty's earnest defire, and as they ought to do) there is good hope that there will be that plenty found in the realm, as may conveniently terve the land at reafonable prices.

Howbeit, forafniuch as this covetous humour doth grow chiefly by want of that chrittian charity which nien ought to have; and for that alfo, that of all other kind of lucre that is most ungodly, that is the worst which is gotten by pinching and starving of the poor. It is fit and neceffary, that the preachers fhould generally in their fermons admowith the farmers and owners of corn, of this dishonest and unchriftian kind of feeking gain by oppreffion of their poor neighbours; and alfo recommend to the richer fort, the keeping of hofpitas Dlity, for the relief of the poor.

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Alutem in Chrifto. Upon advertife: ment out of all partes of the realme of the dearth of all manner of grayne, and that in most part of the realme the prifes thereof are exceflively rifen; her majefty confidering how the fame is inhanced (efpecially within thefe two or three months) doth impute the fault thereof, as well to the covetous difpofition of the farmers and ingroffers of corn, (that feek all exceffive and ungodly lucre, by hoarding up of coin, and making more fearcity than there is) and in fome part to the neglect of the execution of fuch good orders as have been devised for F the due ferving of the markets, and avoiding thofe abures that are practiled by covetous perfons to inhance the prifes of corn. Her majefty, therefore, of her princely care the hath of the poorer fort of people, doth confider that they, (having thefe two last years fuffered great penury and hardness by the dearth of corn and other victuals, whereby they have spent that little they had) should now, by the railing of the prices of grain to fo great rates, be driven to very great mifery and extremity; if order thould not be taken to redress (as much as may be) these inconveniencies; hath of her most princely care the hath of her loving Jubjects, published a proclamation, and

And likewife that houfekeepers, being of wealth, would be content in their own diet, to avoid excels; and to use fewer dishes of meat in this time of dearth; and to forbear to have fuppers at their houses on Wednesdays and Fridays, and fafting days; whereby much might be spared, that would be better bekowed a great deal on the relief of the poor.

And, in like manner, to admoniti gentlemen, and others of meaner fort, that keep kennels of hounds, that they fhould do better to forbear the keep ing of dogs in these times of dearth and to convert that which they spend fuperfluously that way, to the relief of the poorer fort.

And in no cafe to forget to reprove that intollerable excefs of eating and drinking that is commonly used in alehoufes, and other like places of common G

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relort.

Further Arguments concerning the Nature of Time.

alms, and relieving their poor neighbours.

And, that fuch as refide not upontheir benefices, give orders to their farmers that dwell upon them, to keep house therein, whereby the poor may be relieved.

Whereof and of all the premises, I doubt not but that you will have a due and efpecial care. And fo I commit you to the tuition of Almighty God. From Croydon, the 10th of Auguft, 1596. Your loving brother in Chrift,

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If T. I. could not understand the laft of thefe paragraphs, I do not wonder at his not understanding the next, fince the reafoning in both is the fame. But ought he then to have meddled with a propofition, the truth of which depends upon the conclufiveness of that reafoning? Yet he has quo ed it, and without troubling himself with the proof, or taking notice that I have attempted one, fays by way of anfwer, Mr Ties feems to have forgotten that he called himself a stranger to the eftence of time. Surely, what the mind per'ceives it knows, and what it knows it is no franger to. But where has Mr Ties talked of perceiving the effence of time? The feeling we have of the manner in which any thing affects us, is called perceiving the thing, but is certainly very different from perceiving or knowing tubat is the offence of that thing.

He next begs leave to tranfcribe a paflage from the Abbe de Condillac, and then talks or my fubmitting to authority I must own I don't like authority inflead of argument, yet in the prefent cafe I might very fafely fubmit, fince all I contend for, antecedent to reflection, isa fuft perception of time.

But the following fentence bids me attend and tremble. If Mr Ties refufes to fubmit to ' AUTHORITY, I will shortly produce an ARGUMENT, which I hope will have a better effect. Poor Mr Ts! how terrible is this! AUTHORITY you might have refifted, but an ARGUMENT, &inate as you are,

fible, and ideas fucceeding at certain distances? H will force you to submit. O shocking thought!

How will you riufter up courage enough to read another line! Yet, why fo hugely frighted?