Lambeth, in the time of Edward the Confeffor, was part of the estates of Euftace, earl of Bologne, who gave it to the bishop and church of Rochester, reserving to himself the patronage of the church. After the conqueft it was feized by the rown, and part of it granted to Odo, hop of Bayeux, but reftored by Wilan Rufus, who added to his gift the church of St. Mary's at Lambeth; and was among other manors confirmed the church of Rochester for the mainteance of the monks. Archbishop Baldin afterwards obtained certain lands here yan exchange with the monks, with an atent to found a college of fecular canons, who were to have been the chapter of the archbishop independent of the monks of Canterbury, by whom the election of the archbishops had been then newly ufurped. By this meant to humble the whole order of monks, and to prevent their interfering in the civil and ecclefiaftical conflitutions of the kingdom. But in order more perfectly to underftand this curious piece of ecclefiaftical history, we muft look back to a remoter period. Ever fince king Edward had thruft ite monks (the standing army of the popes) in the monafteries and cathedrals, in the room of the fecular clergy, they endeavoured by degrees to influence the elections of their fuperiors, and even of the archbishops and bifhops. Thefe incroachments our monarchs endeavoured to reftrain. Henry the Second, in particular, who had fo much fuffered from the infolence of Becket, contrived the following method with Baldwin, archbishop of Canterbury. Baldwin was to found a college for fecalar canons at Hackington, near Canterbory. The better to cover his defign, he patled down the church there, which was <dicated to St. Stephen, and propofed, after it was rel uilt, to dedicate it to the hotour of St. Stephen and Thomas Becket. He had not only the royal approbation, but was alfo authorized by a bull of pope Ur. ban III. with a grant of the fourth part of the offerings made at the tomb of that Fetended martyr, for the carrying on of ths work. But notwithstanding Baldwn's precaution to bide his fecret design, the monks forefaw, that if this college was perfected, it might not only withdraw the archbishops from their refidence amongst them, but induce thofe prelates to make choice of that place as well for confecrating bishops, as the chryfm for the Lie of the diocefe; befides, that being dedicated to Becket, it might divide the devations and donations of the people, and Aill worfe, the college might in time be made the mother church of the diocefe, and the fecular canons the chapter, which would deprive the monastery of their ufurped power of choofing the archbishops. Actuated by thefe confiderations, they ftirred up the whole body of monks and people, and appealed to the pope, from whom they were fure to meet with coun tenance. The archbishop, however, purfued his work, and not having ftone ready for his chapel, erected one of wood, folemnly confecrated it, and placed therein fecular pricfts or canons; alledging, that he had only fulfilled the intention of both Anfelm and Becket, and therefore refufed to appear to the appeal. The monka, nevertheless, ftill profecuted their fuit at Rome by gifts and repeated appeals, till they prevailed on Urban III. to fend an order to Baldwin, not only to ftop his work, but alfo to demolish it, and make void every thing he had done. Urban dying, and being fuceceded by Gregory, with whom Baldwin had great interest, be again fet his defign on foot, and to give the monks the lefs umbrage, by fixing it at a confiderable diftance from Canterbury, procured from the monks of Rochefter certain lands in Lambeth in exchange, When the demolition of the church at Hackington could not be avoided, it was agreed, that the foundation should be tranflated to Lambeth, which agreement was made by king Richard I. with the concurrence of the bishops and barons, and fealed with their feals. Thus authorized, the archbishop transported by water, the ftones, and other materials which he had prepared for his college, and began the foundation of a collegiate church at Lambeth; but he did not live to finish it, and his fucceffor, Reginald, furviving him only forty-nine days, did nothing towards its completion. Hubert Walter the next archbishop, refumed the work, and procured the church and manor of Lambeth, which he cauted to be confirmed to himself and fucceffors by Richard in 1197. One would have thought, that removing the intended college fo far from Canterbury might have put an end to the fears of the monks; yet fo tenacious were they of their newly-affumed right of electing the archbishops, that they fent one of their body to remonftrate to the archbishop against this foundation. He, on his part, made feveral equitable propofals, but all would not do; and they privately fent to Rome two of their body, and obtained of pope Innocent a bull, conceived in fo haughty a ftile, as might better have be come an eaftern tyrant, than a Chriftiana prelate; for he not only ordered, that the COLL college at Lambeth should be demolished, and the canons turned out, but also threatened, that if it was not done in thirty days, he would command the bishops of the province of Canterbury not to own the archbishop as their metropolitan, and would fufpend him from his office, and in a letter to the king, he had thefe infolent expreffions:- That be held the place of God upon earth, and without distinctions of perfons, he would punish the men that dare to oppofe his commands. As for the chapel at Lambeth, when it was jutt finifhed, in 1199, all the differences about it being put to a reference, the arbitrators awarded, in 1202, that the chapel fhould be pulled down to the ground, and that the archbishop might at Lambeth, or any other fpot than the foundation of the former chapel, build an ordinary church, and place therein no less than thirteen, nor more than twenty premonftratenfian Ca'nons, and endow the fame with one hundred pounds a year, upon condition, that no bifhop fhould be there confecrated, no councils held, no abbots admitted, no orders conferred, &c. But the archbishop did not think fit to build one upon thefe humiliating terms. The firft archbishop who refided here was Stephen Langton, who dwelt in the ancient manor houfe; but the fift founder of the prefent feems to have been archbishop Boniface, who in 1216, obtained a bull from Urban the fourth, for difpofing of the fourth part of the offerngs made at Becket's tomb to pious ufes, and had leave at the fame time to rebuild his houses in a fit place at Lambeth, or to build new ones. Undoubtedly it was gradually enlarged by fucceeding archbi Thops; most of whom made it their chief place of refidence. It would be tedious to enumerate the different improvements made by the fuceeeding archbishops. The molt confiderable improver was archbishop Chichley, who, among other works built that great tower, now called the Lollards Tower, at the weft end of the chapel, in 1435; a monument of the mott wretched bigotry and intolerance. In the infurrection under Wat Tyler, and during the civil wars of Charles I. this palace fuffered much, which put the archbishops, who immediately fucceeded thefe commotions, to confiderable expence.-Archbishop Juxon, in particular, rebuilt the great hall, the expence of which amounted to 10,500l. His grace, the prefent archbishop, has difplayed an elegant tafle in the additions and alterations which he has made in this palace, whereby it is rendered much mo pleasant and convenient. Mr. Groffe, to whofe valuable r fearches we are indebted for the abov has alfo prefented us with a curious artic of horti-cultural biftory. In the arche fhop's garden, he fays, there are two r makable fig-trees nailed against the houfe Thefe are of the white Marfeilles, an ftill hear delicious fruit. Tradition fays they were planted by cardinal Pole. The cover a furface fifty feet in height, an forty in breadth. The circumference the fouthmoft is twenty-eight inches, o the other twenty-one. On the fouth-fic of the fame building is another tree of the fame age, whofe circumference at the bot tom is twenty-eight inches. The tradition relative to thefe trees i rendered extremely probable from many circumstances. Fig-trees were, it is ge nerally allowed, brought to England is the reign of Henry the eighth; and it seem likely that cardinal Pole, who had long refided in Italy, would be fond of culti vating those fruits to which he had been there accustomed. And to the ob jection arifing from their great age, it may be answered, that we do not well know how long a fig-tree will flourish, if properly cultivated. there is a concurrent tradition of an older tree, and inftances of two very ancient ones, the time of whose plantation are well ascertained. And belides that, The first of these ftands at Mitcham, in the garden of the manor-houfe, formerly the private eftate of archbishop Cranmer, and now belonging to one of his defcendants. It is likewife of the white fort; and is confidently afferted to have been planted by archbishop Cranmer. branches are very low, but its ftem, which measures thirty inches in girth, has every poffible mark of great age, Its In the Dean's garden at Winchester, was alfo, in 1757, a very antient fig tree, whofe fruit was of a fmail red fort. It was inclufed in a wooden frame, with a glafa-door and two windows on each fide of it, for the admiffion of fun and air. The frame protected it from wind and rain. On the stone-wall to which the tree was nailed there was a plaiftering, and feveral inferiptions in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin languages; one of them in the latter mentioning, that in the year 1623, king James the first, as is there faid, Tatted of the fruit of this fig-tree with great pleasure.' The other infcriptions were paffages in the old and new Teftaments, all alluding to the fig tree. This tree has been fuffered to perish for want want of neceffary repairs to the framework. At Oxford, in the garden of the Regius Profeffor of Hebrew, is a fig-tree brought from the east, and planted by Dr. Pocock in the year 1648, which is at this day in a thriving condition. It bears a black fig. The New Year: A Vifion. Written by a IWA WAS invited to conclude the Old Year with a few friends, and we spent the evening with as much mirth as innocence and the prefent state of public affairs would ow of. But let jollity run ever fo high in company, moments of filence will happen. Let the humour for laughter and jokes be ever fo ftrong, an hour feidom paffes without an interval, which a man with such a turn of thoughts as mine may employ in moralizing and reflection. We were not without thefe moments of reflection; more than once did every countenance in company affume a fettled air of gravity, and more than once were my thoughts turned on the occafion of our prefent meeting the end of one year and the approach of the next. I could not but reflect on the character of the one, I could not help gueffing at the character of the other. Years are characterised by the events which they produce. It is needlefs to fay, that the events of the laft were of fuch a nature as to make a much greater impreffion on my mind than would fuit with my long ftay a company. Buried in reflections on the iebject, I retired to reft, and the little inrole wantons who always attend on our eping hours,, and according to a late thor, are playing with our fenfes, took their cue, and worked up my waking thoughts in the following dream: I faw, methought, a vast ocean, called the Ocean of Eternity, in the midst of & the island of Time, a mere point in appearance, till you came into it, and thea it was enlarged and extended every may beyond the reach of fight. On this dood the temple of Ages. In the temple was the throne of Providence, with a rainbow around it, to denote the mixure of good and evil, of juice and mer, in all the difpenfations of providence, e divinity who fit upon it. The figure of the divinity resembled the ancient Jaa of the Romans, feeing all things both xhind and before him at the fame time: nder his feet was Fortune in chains. On te pillars of the temple I read the anof pit ages, and amongst other tags the battle of Fontenoy, loft by the Jutch. At the east end was the gate of years, from which they iffued forth t take their courfe through the earth. At the entrance stood a Seraph winged, and on tiptoe, as if impatient to be gone on his breath was wrote in gold, 1746. While I was mufing on all this, I heard the fluttering of wings behind me. I turned, and faw another Seraph, like unto the firft, in full speed towards the gate, panting as if out of breath. In each hand he had a cup; both of them full at his first fetting out. The right hand cup contained bleflings; the left-hand cup was the cup of adverfity. The left hand cup he had almoft emptied; the other but little. On his brealt was written 1745. He came up to the Seraph at the gate, and delivering the cups to him, faid, "Go, Seraph, do thine office, as I have done mine. Take thefe at my hands, and as thou haft received order, difpenfe from them good or evil; we are his fervants who prefides in this temple, it is our duty to perform his will, whether it be to punifh or reward the fons of men. My lot has been the unpleasant task to empty even to the dregs the cup in the left hand. One great ifland has more efpecially felt the effects of it. In this ifland the years before me have scattered with no fparing hand irreligion, profanenefs, debaucherics, and many other vices; and it was my part to diffule difappointed councils, loft battles, want of trade, finking funds, and unnatural rebellion. I have accordingly feen its towns plundered by its own fons in the fight of armies raifed for its defence, into which, amongst other poifon, I fent the fpirit of amufement and falfe intelligence, which caused the difperfing of trembling limbs, pale faces, and difcontent in every road; and the fpetres defertion and flight left plunder and defolation in their respective towns behind them. I have fulfilled my orders: fulfill thou thine, and may providence make thy courfe more propitious to the fons of Britain than mine has been." He faid, the other took the cups and flew away, and immediately from the righthand cup threw out news from Carlisle. Curfory Thoughts on the Ten CommandBy a Lady of Fashion. B ments. 1 Y the first commandment no woman of faftion can be affected, for the has no idea of any divinity but herself. The prohibition in the fecond, can be applicable only to a Jew or a Papift. To the third, indeed, the woman of fashion has a material objection; for without fwearing the would make a very infipid figure in company: her converfation would want the most brilliant embellish ments. With With regard to the fourth, I have a great deal to fay; whenever I hear the beginning of it articulated, I am ready to exclaim with lady Loverule, " Is one day more holy than another?" And as to the fubfequent injunctions, I feel myself unable to fubfcribe to them, having full as much bufinefs to do on a Sunday, as I have on any day in the week. A woman who would make the leaft figure in the world, has no time to be idle; the finds conftant employment every day, either in paying or receiving vifits, in ranging her company at a route, at home, or exert ing all her faculties at a card table abroad; in making affignations with pretty fellows, or in attending public diverfions: all thefe employments fufficiently exclude idleness; fome of them, indeed, are fatiguing; but what fatigues would not a woman of fpirit bear to live like the reft of the world? The fifth commandment is, in my opinion, the only unexceptionable one in the whole collection; for children fhould certainly be brought up to honour their pa rents. With regard to the fixth, I have as great an averfion to fanguinary proceeding, as Mofes himfelf could have; if he meant murder literally, his prohibition was pru dent, but I muft own, I think, with not a little metaphorical murder, now and then, life would be a very infipid affair. There is a peculiar pleafure in cutting up a character not to be deferibed: "It beggars all defcription." One would imagine, by the feventh, that Mofes was a cuckold, for no uncornuted legiflator would furely have thought of commanding married people not to have any collateral connections. If all men and their wives were inviolably attached to each other, of how many occurrences, extremely amufing, fhould we be deprived? The injunction in the eighth commandment fhould be confined entirely to the lower part of the creation; for what bufinefs have they to diftinguish themselves by accomplishments which can only fit gracefully upon perfoss in the first ranks of life? There is always a meannefs of manner among low creatures, when they are difpofed to appropriate any thing belong. ing to others, to their own ufe, which renders them exceedingly ridiculous, and they certainly deferve much correction for this folly. People of fathion, by ftealing with fpirit, throw an additional luftre upon their character, and they only fhould prefume to take what they fee in the pof. feflion of thofe with whom they affociate, by force or fraud. Peculiar are the advantages which a woman enjoys, if he is to Terably cunning, when her dexterities are dignified by her coronet. Such a woman may very well venture to take liberties, which would be highly cenfurable, and, perhaps, punifliable in plebeian families. The Nor bear falfe witness against one's neighbour, Here's a prohibition! furely Mofes had a ftrange idea of a neighbourly behaviour, and was quite unacquainted with the true fpirit of converfion. But we muft make allowances for the narrowness of his notions, as he was a jew, and had not feen a great deal of the world. Hebrew ton was, doubtlefs, very different from ours, yet I will lay any wager, that the women of fashion, mentioned in the old teftament, had a liberal way of thinking, and that they pulled their neighbours to pieces with as much politeness, and as little ceremony, as we do. Thofe only, in all nations, who are hackled by religion, that is, unnatural prejudices, because poor nature is overlaid by them, will refufe a fair opportunity to expofe their neighbours, by charging them with follies and vices from which they know them to be free. To circulate the vices and follies of which our neighbours are indisputably guilty, is to enjoy no fmall fatisfaction; but to blast an unblemished reputation, to fix an unmerited blot upon a character univerfally refpected, is to feel tranfports not to be expressed. I come now to the tenth and laft commandment, which is by much the boldeft in the whole fuite. With all the foregoing injunctions, it is poffible for a man, perhaps for a woman, to comply; but no human creature, I think, can obey that prohibition with which the old legiflator has concluded his forbidding colle&ion. Shew me the perfon, male or female, who does not covet fomething in the poffeffion of another: fuch a perfon would be a phænomenon; and it would extremely puzzle the moft ingenious philofopher of the age, to account for the appearance of fo irregular an animal. On Sorrcau. Peace T is the conftant bufinefs of forrow to draw gloomy and dejecting images of life; to anticipate the hour of mifery, and to prolong it when it is arrived. of mind and contentment fly from her haunts, and the amiable traces of chearfulnefs die beneath her influence. Sorrow ig an enemy to virtue, while it deftroys that chearful habit of mind that cherishes and fupports it; it is an enemy to piety, for with what language fhall we addrefs that being whofe providence our complaints either accufe or deny? It is an enemy to health, which depends greatly on the freedom and vigour of the animal fpirits; and of happiness it is the reverse. Iri Irife Parliamentary Intelligence. (Continued from p. 663.) HOUSE of COMMONS. Thursday, May 25, 1780. Several petitions were prefented against infolvent debtors. The house in a committee on heads of a bill to empower grand juries to levy money for repairing bridges. Mr. Chapman reported, that they had gone through the fame. Report ordered to be recived to-morrow. Mr. Gardiner prefented a petition from the inhabitants of the Barony of Donore, praying a particular claufe to be inferted in the county of Dublin road bill. Referred to the committee on faid bill. The house in a committee on the Lagan navigation bill. Mr. Crookshank reported the fame, and was ordered to wait with faid bill on the Lord Lieutenant, in order to be tranimitted. Mr. Bafhe prefented heads of a bill for preventing mutiny and defertion, and the better regulation of the army in this kingdom. Committed for to-morrow. The house in a committee on the Flax and linen bufinefs. Mr. Blackhall examined. Ad. journed till next day. Friday, May 26.] The Speaker having ta ken the chair, lome road and other immaterial bills were read, when the order of the day being called for-read (1ft time) heads of a bill to prevent mutiny and defection, and for the better regulating the army. The right honorable the Attorney-general role, and faid, the bill before the houfe was of fuch confequence, as rendered it abfolurely Beceflary it should not be hurried through the boufe; he therefore entreated that the honourable gentleman who introduced the bill would give three or four days for the confideration of it; few gentlemen being acquainted with the nature of a military code of laws which was for the frt time introduced to the confideration of that houfe. By allowing fuch time, it certain ly would produce that weight in comprebeading the whole fenfe of parliament, as might make it of greater confequence on the other fide the water. He therefore again requeßed, that fome few days may be allowed for the further confideration thereof. After fome debate the house adjourned till to morrow. Saturday, May 27.] The house in committre on the heads of a bill for equalizing the daty on fugars, Mr. Fofter in the chair, read and reported fome progress. Adjourned 'till Monday. Houle in committee on the bounty to be gran ted for the exportation of Linen. Mr. Burgh, Dember for Oldtown, in the chair. Mr. Fafter, after going into the various advantages which might be derived from, and the Hib. Mag. Jan. 1782. neceflity there was for granting the bounty, moved, That a bounty of one halipenny per yard be granted on the exportation of all Linen under 6d. per yard-one penny on all Linens under 18. per yard, and three halfpence on all Linens under 15. 7dh. per yard. He was feconded by Mr. Corry. This drew fome obfervations from Mr. Fortefcue, Mr. Kearney, Mr. Monk Maton, Mr. Richards, and Sir Lucius O'Brien, and the two latter opposed the bounty. Mr. Fofter laid, that from the evidence which had been delivered to that house by Mr. Ogle, it was fully proved that nothing but fuch a bounty could operate to the real advantage of this Kingdom, not only as a means of bringing our linens to new foreign Markets, but even induce the English Merchant to come here for the purpose of exportation, to avoid the circuits us mode of bringing Linen to Englan for Exportation. The bounty would certainly pay itself, by the influx of money it would bring into the Country. It was not, however, intended for this day's difcuffion, and every gentleman might take time to fatisfy himself on the fubje&c. He then moved, that the like bouncy be granted on all diapers and huckabacks under the famo prices. He was feconded by Mr. Corry. Sir Lucius O'Brien gave notice, that he would on another day allo oppole this bounty. Mr. Corry moved, that an encouragement by way of bounty, or otherwife, be granted on that fpecies of the linen manufacture made from tow, called fictitious cotton. Mr. Fortescue withed that the word cotton was left out, as it might excite the jealousy of the English, and we should give them no handle, efpecially where retaining such a word could be of no advantage. (It was then agreed to withdraw the word cotton.) The Brovoth faid he was not in the house, when this business had fift come on this day, but that he now gave hotice that he objected to the idea of the entire bounty, as he judged it to be strongly against the interest of this country, and that he would oppofe it when next agi. tated. Adjourned 'till Monday. Monday, May 29] After fome public and private bufineis was tranfacted, the order of the day being read, for going into the further confideration of heads of a bill to prevent mutiny and desertion, and for the regulation of the army in this kingdom, and the first paragraph of the fame being read, Mr. Fofter faid, he rofe with diffidence on a fubject fo ably handled already, to differ on fome parts with his hon. friend who introduced the bill, though he agreed with him on the neceffity there was for a new code of military laws at the prefent juncture. The bill, he was afraid, was never properly underflood. It was impoffible that we could frame a law to this purpole, and adhere to the words of the English act, which mentioned that 35,000 men were necessary for the defence of the realm, and that 15,000 men fhould be maintained on the high establishment. That was alfo an annual law, which enforced the neceffity of an array ettablishment here for F `twe |