tour Maubourg, and Puzy, except this, Madame de la Fayette has submitted to share the captivity of her husband.' "At length the health of this unfortunate lady, impaired by sixteen months' imprisonment, and dreadful vexation, in France, displaying symptoms which denoted a tendency of the fluids to putres-. cence, she thought it her duty to attempt some means for her preservation, and wrote to the emperor to solicit permission from him to pass a week at Vienna, there to respire salubrious air, and consult a physician. After two months of a silence, which supposes the necessity of medical advice as of no consequence, the commandant, till then unknown to the prisoners, entered their apartment, ordered, without giving any reason, the young ladies to retire to a separate room, signified to madame de la Fayette the emperor's refusal for her ever to enter Vienna, and gave her permission to go out, on condition of never returning: he desired her to write, and sign her option; she wrote: "I considered it a duty to my 'family and friends to desire the 'assistance necessary for my health; but they well know that it cannot, at the price attached to it, be accepted by me. I cannot forget, that whilst we were on the point of perishing, myself by the tyranny of Robespierre, and my husband by the physical and moral sufferings of captivity, I was 'not permitted to obtain any intelligence of him, nor to acquaint him that his children and myself were yet alive; and I shall not expose myself to the horrors of another separation. Whatever then may be the state of my "From this moment no complaint was expressed, and this ill fated pair respired in their chambers, or, more properly speaking, dungeons, an air so fetid from the exhalations of a sewer, and of the. privies of the garrison placed near Fayette's window, that the soldiers who brought their food held their nose on opening the door. "The constant answer of the persons of power or interest, who heard their barbarities exclaimed against, was, 'Madame de la Fay ette has chosen to share the lot of her husband; she has no rightto complain.' They might as well have said: Every thing is. 'allowable against La Fayette; the life of his wife and children is not worth arresting our vengeance for a moment.' "The three prisoners, Maubourg, La Fayette, and Puzy, had been confined for three years and. five months in the same corridor, without seeing each other, or their keepers' giving them the least intelligence of each other's existence. When general Bonaparte and the French government testi-. fied an intention, conformably to the national wish, of restoring thein to liberty, they experienced the strongest opposition. At last, an aid-de-camp of the conqueror of Italy succeeded, after several months' tergiversation, in obtaining from the court of Vienna this deliverance." On "A On ANCIENT CASTLES and Churches. [From CoxE'S HISTORICAL TOUR in MONMOUTHSHIRE.] "On their first arrival the Nor mans employed the same mode of architecture as the Saxons, but with larger dimensions, and perhaps with a greater number of capricious ornaments; and hence arises the great difficulty of distinguishing a Saxon from a Norman building erected at this period. MONG the principal ob- their number exceeded eleven jects of historical impor- hundred. tance, the castles arrest the attention of the curious traveller. From the want of authentic documents, and the doubtful characters of our ancient architecture, it is not easy to ascertain the precise æra of their construction, and to distinguish their different proprietors. Stone castles were undoubtedly used by the Romans, and occupied on their departure by the Britons, who had been trained under their military discipline. The Saxons, in their gradual conquest of England, obtained possession of these strong holds, and constructed others in various parts of the country. The roundness of the arches, and other leading characters of Roman architecture, were still preserved: but the simplicity and elegance were lost in a more ponderous style; their buildings were loaded with rude and fantastic ornaments; and as the arts of war changed, new modes of defence were introduced, particularly during the contest between the Saxons and Danes. It is, however, acknowledged that these castles were few in number, and much dilapidated at the time of the Conquest-a circumstance which principally contributed to the success of the Norman inva sion. "From the necessity of retaining the natives in subjection, the conquerors repaired the old fortresses, and constructed new castles in different parts of the kingdom. These strong holds became so numerous, that in little more than a century "Towards the commencement of the twelfth century a criterion of distinction was derived from the introduction of the pointed, or, as it is usually called, the Gothic arch, which probably owed its origin to the intersection of the semicircular arches in the ornamental parts of the Saxon or Norman buildings. It was at first sparingly employed; but was gradually intermixed with the Saxon or Norman style, until it came into general use, before the latter end of the same century. "At its first appearance, which seems to be earlier than is generally supposed, the Gothic architecture was plain and unadorned, but was gradually distinguished by slender and clustered columns, lightness of the walls, numerous buttresses, and by a profusion of ornaments. In the age of Henry VI. it reached its highest perfection, as may be seen in the beautiful specimen of King's College in the university of Cambridge. Soon after that period the arch became wider and less pointed, and gradually tended to a cit cular form. Towards the middle of the sixteenth century, a whimsical intermixture of Roman, Saxon, Normah, Norman, and Gothic architecture was introduced, and retained until the adoption of the Palladian style. with rag-stones. As this rough manner of building with ragstones and other irregular mate "Most of these styles are ob-rials, required a coat of plastering servable in the castles, churches, and other ancient buildings of Monmouthshire. Few Roman remains exist; and the Saxons, being never possessors of the whole country, could leave but few specimens of their architecture, and those of a period when it is difficult to distin to make them fair without and neat within, we find that those small churches and other buildings which were built in this manner, were always plastered in the inside, and frequently on the outside, with a composition of lime and sand, the remains of guish it from that of the early Nor-which may be traced in many of mans; but the Gothic is most prevalent. From these circumstances, as well as from historical evidence, it is probable that the greater part of the castles in this country owed their origin to the Normans, and were built or repaired after the introduction of Gothic architecture: none, perhaps, except Scenfreth, are wholly Saxon or early Norman; a few exhibit an intermixture of the Norman and Gothic; and the rest are entirely Gothic. "The churches are singularly picturesque, from their situation, form, and appearance. They stand in the midst of the fields, and on the banks of the rivers; are often embowered in trees, and generally at a considerable distance from any habitation. the Saxon and Norman churches, ' and in some more modern.' "These churches exhibit different styles of architecture. Many of them, particularly in the mountainous districts, are very ancient ; and it is probable that a few were constructed by the Britons, some by the Saxons, and several at an early period of the Norman monarchy, as is evident from the rounded arches and mouldings peculiar to those styles; but the far greater part were built since the introduction of Gothic architec ture. "The first are generally of a simple form, of small dimensions, shaped like a barn, without any distinction in the breadth or height between the nave and the chancel, and without a belfry. "The second species is of somewhat later date: the chancel is narrower and less lofty than the church; a small belfry is also placed over the roof, at the western extremity, with one or two apertures for bells, the ropes of which descend into the church. "The third species consists of a nave, a chancel, and a tower or belfry, which is sometimes placed at the western extremity, sometimes in the middle, and sometimes at the side. The tower was at first rude and massive; afterwards in creased day: the bread then given is called bara ran, or dole bread. "The fonts are in general remarkable for size and rudeness of workmanship - circumstances which bespeak antiquity, and prove that they were formed when baptism was performed by immersion, and not by sprinkling. "A remarkable custom, of high antiquity, which greatly disfigures the churches, is prevalent in these parts. The inside of the church is often the common place of sepulture. When a corpse is buried, the pavement is taken up, a grave raised in the same manner as in common church-yards, and this heap of earth strewed with flowers and evergreens. As this custom is annually repeated, and considered as a testimony of remembrance, the stones are seldom replaced, the faded plants rot on the surface of the grave, the floor is damp and dirty; and these tributes of affection, though pleasing objects in the church-yards, become offensive and disgusting." The LORD of MISRULE-the KING of CHRISTMAS-the FESTIVAL of FOOLS-the BOY BISHOP. [From STRUTT'S SPORTS and PASTIMES of the PEOPLE of ENGLAND.] T is said of the English, that "I formerly they were remark able for the manner in which they. celebrated the festival of Christmas; at which season they admitted variety of sports and pastimes not known or little practised in other countries. The mock prince, or lord of misrule, whose reign extended through the greater part of the holy-days, is particularly remarked by foreign writers, who consider him as a personage rarely to be met with out of England; and, two or three centuries back, perhaps, this observation might be consistent with the truth: but I trust we shall, upon due examination, be ready to conclude, that an ciently this frolicsome monarch was well known upon the continent, where he probably received his first honours. In this kingdom his powers and his dignities suf fered fered no diminution, but on the contrary were established by royal authority, and continued after they had ceased to exist elsewhere. But even with us his government has been extinct for many years, and his name and his officers are nearly I shall give the passage in the author's own words, and leave the reader to comment upon them. First of all, the wilde heades of the parish, flocking togither, chuse them a graund captaine of mischife, whom they innoble with forgotten. No doubt, in many in-the title of lord of misrule; and stances, the privileges allowed to this merry despot were abused, and not unfrequently productive of immorality: the institution itself, him they crowne with great solemnity, and adopt for their king. This king annoynted chooseth forth twentie, fourty, threescore, or an even if we view it in its most fa-hundred lustie guttes, like to himvourable light, is puerile and ridi self, to waite upon his lordly ma culous, adapted to the ages of ig-jesty, and to guarde his noble pernorance, when more rational amusements were not known, or at least not fashionable. son. Then every one of these men he investeth with his liveries ' of greene, yellow, or some other light wanton colour; and, as though they were not gawdy ynough, they bedecke themselves there was appointed a lord of mis-with scarffes, ribbons, and laces, rule, or master of merry disports: hanged all over with gold ringes, the same merry fellow made his pretious stones, and other jewels. appearance at the house of every This done, they tie aboute either nobleman and person of distinc- legge twentie or fourtie belles, tion; and among the rest the with riche handkerchiefes in their lord mayor of London and the 'handes, and sometimes laide sheriffs had severally of them acrosse over their shoulders and 'their lord of misrule, ever conneckes, borrowed, for the most 'tending, without quarrel or of-part, of their pretie mopsies and fence, who should make the rarest pastimes to delight the beholders. This pageant potentate began his 'rule at All-hallow eve, and conti'nued the same till the morrow ' after the feast of the Purification; in which space there were fine ' and subtle disguisings, masks, and 'mummeries.' "This master of merry disports was not confined to the court, nor to the houses of the opulent, he was also elected in various parishes, where, indeed, his reign seems to loving Bessies. Thus all thinges 'set in order, then have they their hobby horses, their dragons, and other antiques, together with their baudie pipers, and thundring drummers, to strike up the 'devil's daunce with all. Then march this heathen company to'wards the church, their pypers pyping,their drummers thundring, their stumpes dauncing, their belles jyngling, their handkerchiefes fluttering aboute their heades like madde men, their have been of shorter date. A wri-hobbie horses and other monsters ter, who lived at the close of the sixteenth century, places this whimsical personage, with his followers, in a very degrading point of view. 1801. skirmishing amongst the throng: and in this sorte they go to the church, though the minister be at prayer or preaching, dauncing N ' and |