sacred edifice; this alone remains, to denote the situation, the style, and the grandeur of the whole. It is of the early Pointed style, consisting of one division and part of another, in which is a very lofty narrow window, and two buttresses, most elegantly proportioned, with shafts and enriched capitals on the chamfered angles: the whole in so perfect a state that scarcely the courses of stone visible. In 1784, the upper part fell down, consisting of a turret and pinDacle, beautifully mantled with ivy. are In a farm-house opposite the gate way, is preserved the abbey font, which was dug from among the ruins not many years since: it is perfect, and very much ornamented, but does not appear to be much older than the reign of Henry VI. It may be deemed a great curiosity, as this decorative appendage to a church was generally marked as an object for destruction. This fine Cistertian Monastery, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was founded by Sir Walter L'Espec, knt. and Adelina his wife, in the year 1121. It is not improbable that the frag. ments of Saxon work are part of the original buildings of this date. Its value before the general dissolution amounted, according to Speed, to 3007. 15s. Gd.; and by Dugdale, to 2691. 58. 9d. It was surrendered Dec. 8th, 1539, in the 30th year of Henry VIII. by John Keldwick the prior, and seventeen canons: it was afterwards granted to Sir Henry Knevet, knt. About five miles North of Kirkham is CASTLE HOWARD, a stupendous and magnificent mansion, erected by Sir John Vanbrugh on the site of the Old Castle of Hinderskelf, and is the noble residence of the Earl of Carlisle, K. G. The North front which we approach has a fine centre, with a cupola rising from the roof, and two extensive wings, the North-east of which was finished according to the original design; the other was erected by Sir James Robinson, but without any attention either to extent, or character of the style. The South, or garden front, is very magnificent; the centre, a pediment supported by fluted pilasters, is approached by a grand flight of stone steps; which, with the range of pilasters along the whole façade, is particularly fine. The Eastern ex tremity of the North wing forms the kitchen; it has a square tower at each angle. The number of roofs, cupolas, and massy clustered chimneys in the intermediate space, and the general picturesque assemblage of the whole design, is striking, and im pressively grand. In the front, and extending Eastward above 500 yards, is a noble terrace, decorated with statues, terminated by a large Ionic temple, having four porticos. The interior of this princely mansion abounds with works of art; the walls of the hall were painted by Peligrini with the history of Phaeton; the recesses occupied by antique statues; and on pedestals are distributed many fine busts. Every room throughout has numerous relicks of antiquity to claim notice, and the numberless pictures which adorn the walls, with the extensive and choice collection of vases, would require a volume to describe, and prove useless to enumerate in this limited space. About half a mile South-east of the house is the mausoleum, of the Doric order: it measures 50 feet in diameter, of a circular form, and is 90 feet high. Returning from Castle Howard to. wards Kirkham, about five miles from thence, is the small village of Crambe. The Church has been much altered, and would not merit the slightest notice did it not contain an antient font. It stands toward the West end of the aile, is large, of a square form, supported by a stout centre shaft, with four columns at the angles, having ornamented capitals, and the upper part decorated with intersecting semicircular arches. Nearly two miles Southward of this village on the road to York, is Howsham, a fine mansion on gently rising ground, near the river Derwent, built about the time of Queen Elizabeth, the seat of the worthy and amiable Mrs. Cholmley, to whom belongs the magnificent Abbey at Whit by, in the same county. The valley in which it is situated is beautiful, and the surrounding scenery varied and delightful. J. C.B. PETER-HOUSE, CAMBRIDGE. From Mr. DYER'S "History of the University and Colleges of CAMBRIDGE." N treating of particular Colleges, I those which have precedency in the order of time, naturally claim pri ority in our attention: we should be gin, then, with Peter-House. There are however, those this should be just hinted-who speak of St. John's as the oldest endowed institution in Cambridge: and, considered as au en dowed religious house, St.John's Hos pital certainly existed, and on the present site of St. John's College, in what was called the Jewry, before the present literary foundation of St. Peter's: Michael-House, also, had sta tutes before Peter-House. But as a literary institution, incorporated by royal charter-the more modern sense of the word College-the most an tient is undoubtedly St. Peter's. The founder, then, of this College, was Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Elyen Parker dates the foundation 1280 (as does Doctor Caius), and is followed by Carter, who is corrected by Smyth, with the following additional hints:" The charter of foundation was in 1283, and it was not founded till the year after. Mr.Wharton speaks of this foundation as begun before the founder became Bishop; and it was so plainly, if that is exact which he adds, that a charter of the King's is extant; to the master and scholars, dated May 15, 1274; but 74 I take to be a mistake for 84." It should be observed, that Balsham had placed students here several years before, and that his election to the bishoprick was confirmed by the Pope in 1257. The commemoration paper of Peter-House has its date 1284. I almost incline to believe, and I humbly submit it for consideration, as this state of the business would reconcile the contradictory accounts mentioned in the note*, that there might be different charters, and that the one of 1284, when the secular brothers of St. John's were introduced, might confirm and complete the former, and so be made the entire charter of foundation. This was the exact case with Merton, the most antient College at Oxford. The first charter is, Jan. 7, 1264; the second is 1270; and the third, which completed the two former, was in 1274. There is a still further analogy in the two cases. The house of Merton, settled in 1270, is entitled Domus Scholárium de Merton; and in the *We have not thought it necessary to insert the notes in our Extract. royal instrument of 1274, PeterHouse is called Domus Scholarium Petri; and it should be still further recollected, that the King himself recommended to Hugo de Balsham, to make his house of Peter conformably to that of Merton. At all events, this latter circumstance settles, in the order of time, the precedency of Merton College, as an endowed literary house by royal charter, above that of Peter-House. In the regis ter of Durham is a copy of the Merton statutes, bearing date 1274; and this copy is, probably, as old as the original, it being entered on the oldest book in the church. Hugh de Balsham, or Bedesale, then, for he is called by both names, the founder of this College, was a native of Balsham, or rather, perhaps, a scholar of the convent there; it being usual to call persons who arrived at any eminence, from the convents where they were educated. Het became afterwards a monastic of the convent of Ely, of which, in a course of time, he was superior. Balsham is near Gogmagog. Hills, a few miles to the South-east of Cambridge. Camden, speaking, after Henry of Huntingdon, of Gogmagog-Hills, describes them as the pleasant hills of Balsham, from a village near them, where the Danes committed all imaginable barbarities. In the monkish times, the prior and convent commonly chose the Bishop, though with a congé d'elire from the King, and a confirmation from the Pope; and, accordingly, on the death of William de Kilkenny, in 1256, the convent of Ely proposed to exercise this right, in choosing their sub-prior to succeed him. We have many instances in the history of our Church, where this privilege excited great contention between religious houses, and the King or Pope, or Archbishop, and sometimes even with all. In the present case, the King violently opposed the appointment, and it was not approved by the Archbishop, who also wished himself to have put in another person. King, it seems, thought, that as Ely was a strongly fortified place, a monk might not be soldier enough for a Bishop. The Whatever the cause, the King, by his letters, requested the Prior and Convent to choose Henry of Wing bam, 'ham, his Chancellor, for their Bishop. The Archbishop of Canterbury was for Adam, the author of some treatises at the time greatly celebrated; but the Abbot and Convent were resolute for their Sub-prior, and the contest became violent. The Con vent chose Hugo de Balsham; the King set aside the appointment, and laid waste the fields and groves about the bishoprick. But, an appeal be. ing made to the Court of Rome, the choice of the Prior and Convent was at length confirmed; and Hugo de Balsham accordingly was consecrated Bishop of Ely in 1257 and thus he became tenth Bishop of Ely. His College of Peter-House (for we must return to that) was formed out of two antient hostels, in forming which it is generally allowed that Balsham originally composed it of different materials, partly collected on the spot, and partly introduced from a neighbouring society. On the spot were the Friars of Penance and of Jesus Christ: so Carter. Smyth adds, "They were the Friars of Penance of Jesus, Christ and Friars Hos pitallers of St. John, as another account:" and the truth is, it was no uncommon thing for a religious house to be characterized by two, or even, as the nunnery of St. Rhadegund was, by three names. Those introduced from a neighbouring society were the seculars belonging to the canons regular of St. John's, who had, it seems, too much religion to agree well together. So Hugh took the old twig, split from the parent tree, and engrafted it on his new plant and thus, under his fostering hand, they grew up together a new tree, with a new name, and with more of amicable society. Account of the PANTHEON* at ROME, HE Pantheon is an antient Rome, solid piece of Eastern granite. Be- In antient times, all the front on the outside was covered with plates of brass or copper, and gilt with gold; and the outside of the dome was covered with plates of solid silver. These ornaments have long since been converted to other uses, and the dome is now covered with sober sheets of lead. The Pantheon was converted into a Church, and dedicated to St. Mary, by Pope Boniface IV, about the year 609; and has since that period attracted the attention and enjoyed the patronage of various pontiffs. After all, to adopt the language of a writer of exquisite taste, who has himself contemplated this venerable pile, Let not the traveller complain, if even in this magnificent monument he shall find that his expectations surpass the reality, and that his fancy has thrown around the Pantheon an imaginary splendour. He must not expect to find in it the freshness of youth. * Eustace, Classical Tour. Years |