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. C 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 See Bp Nicholson's Hist. Library. H 559 and that the laft word aydane wants But was St William a Saint of fuch 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 Yours, &c. P. GEMSEGE. The remarkable Conformity of Circumftan- John Whitgift, Lord Archbishop of Can- S C 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. E 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 H 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, A Jo. CANTUAR. B To the Rev. Father in God, my loving Brother the Lord Bishop of Lincoln. I Hoc fcriptum eft tibi, Qui magna quum minaris, extricas nibil. Mr URBAN, Am very willing to rest your difpute about time on what has been already faid, but as C inftances are not wanting of T. I's readiness to mistake my meaning, 'tis poffible he would attribute that filence to the firength of his argu ments, which was really owing to their weakefs. For T. I's fake therefore, I must beg both yours and your readers patience, till I have given him my thoughts of his reply to my laft. He begins with obferving, that though ID perfift in denying that I have called time a mode, yet, according to me, it is a mode. Now if I am the best judge of my own meaning, what must be the temper of the man, who endeayours to prove that to be my meaning, which I have explicitly declared is not fo? I believe that the exiftence of matter is fuc ceffive, and yet has no dependance on, nor immediate relation to, a fucceffion of ideas. This E induced me to ask, If time be only a fucceffion of ideas, how can it be applied to the exiftence of matter? T. I. answers, that if time be a fucceffion of ideas, it does not follow that mankind must be ig nerant of arithmetic. Which is nothing at all to the purpofe; for if mankind are never fo well acquainted with arithmetic, they cannot affign the relation of things which have no fuch relation If a fucceffion of ideas be time, they mut be fo either as ideas, or as a fucceffion, if as ideas, then every fingle idea must be time, which has never been pretended: if as a fucceffion, then every thing elfe which is fucceffive, has the fame, and confequently as good a right to be called time. On these grounds I afierted, that because motion is fuccefrue as well as thought, therefore, there is as much reafon for faying that time is motion, as that it is a fuccefiion of ideas; to which T. I. has given an andwet fo far from the purpose, that it will not bear to be rescated. I objected, that time being infinitely divi G 56% to the effence of which I am a ftranger? By ideas fucceeding at certain diftances I did not iatend a petitio principii, my argument only requires that they fucceed at a certain rate, a thousand, or inftance, in a minute; for a minute does not consist of a thrufand nor a thousand millions, nor in short of any determinate number of parts, but may be infinitely divided. In antwer to my next objection he says, 'I 'cannot fee why all men must therefore be contemporary, that is, why all must have the Jame fucceffion of ideas? Pray, Sir, how long has contemporary fignified having the fame fucceffion of ideas? But it feems T. I. does not understand the objection; I will endeavour therefore to explain it to him. It is my opinion, that the fame argument which proves that there can be no time between Adam's death and refurrection, will prove equally, that there could be none before he exifted, and will likewife prove the fame of all other men, and, confequently, that no man can be born or die before or after another; whence, I think, it neceffarily follows, that all men, if they live at all, mut live together, which is what I meant by their being contemporary. Neither can he difcover any meaning in the two next paragraphs, and therefore he paffes them over. I know, however, that they have a meaning, and it appears to me fo obvious a one, that I defpair of making them plainer, for which reafon I alfo will país them over. 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! time, therefore, cannot be a fucceffion of ideas. T. I. anfwers, that as I have declared myself a franger to the fence of time, I cannot know that it is initely dinfible. Is then infinite diibility the offence of time? or muit I necefarily be ignorant of every property of a thing How will you riufter up courage enough to read another line! Yet, why fo hugely frighted? Reid dignum tanto feret bic promiffor biata » Have |