Mr. URBAN, Old Town, Stratford upon Avon, Sept. 1. N Blomefield's History of Norfolk, (vol. Wifi 1 35.) ry of that, in 1511, Sir Thomas Boleyn presented Sir Richard Torkington to the rectory of Mulbarton, in the hundred of Humbleyard, in that county; who, in 1517, March 20, began his pilgri mage to Jerusalem, which he perform ed, and took an exact account of his journey; and that his Manuscript was lately in the possession of Mr. James Wright. This identical MS. wherein Mr. Wright has, among others of its former owners, written his name, is now before me; and as it records many curious observations of this devout pilgrim, agreeing well with the superstitious notions of those times, I have transcribed a few extracts from the Book; and shall be obliged to your Correspondents for any biographical communications or references regarding Torkington, of whom I know nothing farther. The Church, says Blomefield (p. 94.) is dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen, and stands in the King's Books, Milberton, alias Mulberton, cum Kenningham, 147. In Ecton's Thesaurus, continued by Dr. Willis (2d edit. 1754, p. 313.) it appears that the Church was gone: Eccles. destructa.-John Revet, gent. Patron. 1741." I have therefore little hopes of any monumental inscription being preserved. Torkington's MS. which is written on upwards of 200 small pages in the common hand of that period, thus commences: Thys ys the begynnyng of the pylgrymage of Syr Rychard Torkyngton, person of Mulberton in Norffolke. And how he went towardys Iherusalem all a lone to the tyme he came to Venesse." "ffyrst the ffryday a for Mydlent that was Seynt Cuthberdys day And the xx day of Marche in the vij yer of kyng herri the viij.th And the yer of ower lorde god M.CCCCC xvij. abowte viij of the cloke the same mornyng I shippyd at Rye in Sussex. And the same day a bowte x. of the cloke at nyght I londed at Depe. in Normandy. And ther I lay in the Shippe all nyght," &c. &c.. [Extracts.] At Lyons I visityd the Reliques at the yle wher Seynt Anne lyes. Ther ys a Cuppe of an Emerawde stone. wherof ower Savyor Crist drank at hys Mawdy," "Thursday that was the ix day of Aprill I com to Agnebelleto. The aftyr none I passed ovyr an ill and a grevows Mounte callyd mounte Gobylyn. the same nyght I com to Cambery wt.inne the mountis. Wher I a bode good ffryday and hard divine s'vyce. "Ther in a Castyll ys a ffayer Churche wher ys the sudary of ower Savyr Crist Ih'u." "And ther I hard a ffamus Sermon of a Doctor which began at v. of the cloke in the mornyng and contynuyd tyll it was ix of the clok. In hys s'mon at on tyme he had a balys in hys hond another tyme a schorge the iij.de tyme a crowne of thorne the iiij.th tyme he shewyd the pepyll a pictur poyntyd on a clothe of the passion o.r lorde. And aft. that he shewyd them the ymage of god crucyfyed upon a crosse and thanne all the peple bothe yong and old they fell downe upon ther knes and cryed with lamentable voce om'a the p'cher the peple they weppe marvell it was to see. At Milan" in a Chirche of Seynt Silvester is on of the thornys that ower lord was crownyd w.t Also ther ys a grett Churche of o.r blyssyd lady. And ovyr the hye Auter in the Roff or toppe of the Churche ys a syne of a sterr of golde and in the mydys of the ster ys on of the naylis that ower Savyr Crist was crucifyed wt. Ther brenne lampes abowth it that ye may se it p'f'ghtly." "At Pavia ther lyes Seynt Austyn the grett doctor in an howse of religion of Chanons reguler and ffryers Austyns. In the same Church lyeth Lyonell the secund sonne of kyng Edward the iij.de honorable upon whose tumbe ys wretyn "Sanguine insignis fuerat vel florib'. armis. Ossa Leoneti continet iste lapis." "We com [29. April] to the goodly and ffamose Cite of Venys. Ther I was well at ese, ffor ther was no thyng that I desyred to have but I had it shortly. At Venyse at the fyrst howse that I cam to except oon the good man of the bowse seyd he knew me by my face that I was an englysshman. And he spake to me good englyssh thanne I was jous and glade. ffor I saw nev'. englyssh man from the tyme I dep'ted owt of Parys to the tyme I cam to Venys. which ys vij or viij C. myles." At Padua among other relicks is "the Tong of Seynt Antony yett ffayer and ffressh which tong he convertyd myche peple to the ffeythe of Crist." "Also in the abbey of Seynt Justine virgyne à place of blake monkys ryght delectable and also solytary. Ther lithe Seynt Luke and Seynt Mathew see the ffynger of Seynt luke that he wrotte the holy gospell wt." "Also in the monastery of blake monkys callyd Seynt And ther we Seynt Nicholas De Elio is oon of the pottis that ower lord turnyd watir in to wyne." "Also in a nother Church lies the holy body of Seynt Luce virgyn. ye may see p'fyghtly hyr body and byr papys." "In Candia sive Creta was musyke fyrste founde And also Tourneys and exercyse of Armys fyrst founde on horse' bake. Ther was lawe fyrst put in wrytyng. Armour was fyrst ther divisyd and Founde. And so was remys and rowyng in bootts. In the same yle was Saturnius borne. Primus Creteys Saturnius venit ab oris." "Sumtyme ther dwellyd Cretes yt ys wretyng of them in Actib'. Ap'lor'. Cretenses semp'. mendaces bestie." "We passed by the Ile of Seynt Nicholas of Cartha wher as be tooles made of Iron that nev'. lese ther egge by myracle of Seynt Nicholas. As they sey I saw it nott." "Satirday the xj day of July a bowyt iiij of the cloke at aftyr noon we had sight of the holy londe. Thanne the Maryners song the letany And aftyr that all the pylgryns w.t a joyfull voyce song Te Deum laudamus. and thankyd all myghty god that he had yoven us such grace to have onys the sight of the most holy lande.' "At Jaffe begynnyth the holy londe and to ev.y pylgryme at the ffyrst foote that he sett on the londe ther ys grauntyd plenary remission De pena et a culpa. In Jaff Seynt Petir reysid ffrom Deth Tabitam. the sarvaunt of the Appostolis. And fast by ys the place wher Seynt Petir usyd to ffyssh And or. Savior Crist callyd hym and seyd sequere me. "At Rama we war recyvyd into Duke ther in but bar walles and bar florethes "Satirday [18 July] a bowyt vj or "Whanne Masse was don [Sunday 19. July] we went all to Dyn'. in the place wher we war ryghg honestely s'vyed. And at medys of the dyner the ffather wardyn made a ryght holy sermon and shewyd ryght devowtly the holynesse of all the blyssyd choseyn place of the holy londe And exortyd ev'y. man to o'fession and repentaunce. And so to visite the seyd holy placis in clennes of lyff. And wt. shuch Devocion as all myghty god wold yeff unto them of hys most speciall grace.". "At the Mounte of Olivete we came to the place under an holow Roke wher o. savyor preying fell in suche an agony that he swete watir and blode That the droppes fell in grett plenty from hys eyne to the erthe seying, Pater si possibile est ut transeat a me calix iste; verumtamen no'. sicut ego volo, s'. sicut tu vis. fiat voluntas tua. Clene remission." "Ffrom thens descendyng a stonys cast we came to the place wher o". Savyor Crist left Petir Jamis & John. Sedete hic donec vadam illuc et orem vigilate et orate. Also wher the Postyllys made the Crede of ower feyth. Also wher ower Savyor Crist taught hys Discipulis to pray seying Cum orat'. ita dicite, Pater noster." "The stonys of that place wher ower lady was born ys remedi and consolation to women that travell of Chylde." "We went to the howse of Dives Epulonis, qui sepultus est in Inferno." "We cam to the howse of Veronica wher as or. blyssid Savyor impressyd the ymage of hys fface in hyr wymple whiche ys at Rome. And it ys callyd ther the Vernacle. "The Churche of the holy sèpulere ys rounde myche leke the form and makyng of the Temple at London saff it ys excedyng fer in gretnesse and hath wonder many yles Crodes and vowtes Chapellys high and lowe in grett nowmber and mervell it ys to see the many deferens and secrete places wt.in the sayd temple." Under the Mounte of Clavery [Calvary] ys a nother Chapell of o." blyssyd lady and Seynt John Ev'ngeliste that was callyd Galgatha and ther ryght under the morteys of the Crosse was founde the hede of o. fore father Adam." "We cam to Bethelem it was callyd in old tyme Effrata wher of it ys wretyng Ecce audivimus eum in Effrata. And bytwyne Citie and the chirche ys the flod floridus where the fayer mayd shuld a ben brent and was savyd harmesse by myracle for the fyer chaunged in to Rosis." "The xxv. day of August that was Seynt Bertilmews day the morne aftyr Seynt Bertilnew decessyd Roberd Crosse of London Pewterer and was buryed in the Chirche yard in Salyus [in the Island of Cyprus.] And xxvij day of August decessyd Syr Thomas Toppe a prest of the West countre. And was cast ov'. the borde As was many moo whos soules god assoyle. And thanne ther remayned in the shippe iiij Englyssh prestis moo." "Off or chere and well entretyng at the Rody [Rhodes] and what comfort was don to us and speciall that was seke and disesyd by Syr Thomas Newporte and Mayster William Weston and Syr John Bowthe and aftyrward by other Jentylmen of Englond ther it war to long to wrytte." In "At the Rodes In the Chyrche of Seynt John ys many grett reliques The fynger of Seynt John that he shewyd ower Savo. whanne he seyd Ecce Agnus Dei." the place of the Lordes mysteres ys a fayer Chapell ther ys on of ye. thornys that o. lorde was corwynyd wt. and ev'y. good fryday from ix of the clok to it be x. it burgyns and waxe grene." "Tewysday Seynt Thomas day erly in the mornyng we discovered not fare from us iij grett Shippys And thanne we war in grett fere ffor we wend they had be Turkes but thei war not soo. They war Cristen, men we made to wardes them for to have spoke wt. som of them to know what Tydyngs they browgh owt of ffraunce and sodenly oon of the shippes shott a gonne at us. And hit ower shippe and stroke a sounder on of o. grett Cables. God be thankyd no man was harmyd nor hurte.-Thanne he made us to mayne that ys to sey stryke downe ower sayles." "Sunday [3. January] the wynde began to ryse in the north And munday all day and all nyght it blew owtrageously. Indured a wondred grett Tempest aswell be excedyng wondors blowyng of wynde as by contynuall lythynyng So that the capteyne and the patron And all the knyghtys of the Rode whyche war ther to the nowmbyr of xiiij wended we shulde a be lost." "The same nyght a bowte x of the cloke we all p'mysyd pylgrymage to ower lady of grace of Missena in Cecylia. And ev'y man delyv'ed hys offeryng the same tyme to the patrone of the shippe. "Tewysday the v. day of Januarij we seyleyd up and down in the Gulff of Venys ffor the wynd was so straygth a yens us that we mygth not kepte the ryght wey in no wyse And we war offeryd to be dryff in to Barbaria where dwellyth ower mortall Enimys. as Turkes. Maumoluks. Sarrazyns and other infidelys," "Wedynsday the vj. day of Januarij the wynde rose a yens us wt. grett tempest thounderyng and lyghtnyng all day and all nyght So owt rageously that we knew not wher wee war. And thanne we putt us all in the mercy of god beyng in grett peyne and woo both day and nyght voowyng sum of us pylgrylmages to or blyssyd lady of Lorett'. in Ytalya and sum to o. lady of Walsyngh'm. and sum to Seynt Thomas of Cannterbury we that war Englysshmen. The patrone of o. shippe gaderd mony of us for to make o. offeryng to the iij kyngs of Coloney And as sone as we cam on londe we shuld have messe in honor of them." "And in thys fforsayd long contynuall tempeste and storme we war dreff bakward iij.C. myle." "In the yle callyd Swafana in Turkey we a bode v. dayes and dyv'se knyghtes of the Rodes wont on londe wt. ther hande gonnes and slew horse for ther hawkes that war in the sheppe ther war in the shippe. I. C. hawkes and moo." The "Saturday a for the fyrst Sounday of clene lent the xx. day of ffebruary we went in to the Castell [of Corfu] a mong the Jewys it was ther Sabaday. same day ther was a Jewe maryed and aftyr Dyner I saw them danse in a grett Chamber bothe men and women in ryche apparell Damaske Saten velvett weryng a bowte ther nekkys chenys of fyne gold wt. many rynggs on ther ffyngers wt. stonys of grett pryce. She that was maryed she had upon hyr hede a crowne of gold.-On of the Jewys be gan to syng And than all the women dannsed to gedyr by the space of an owre. aftyr that ther cam in yong men on of them sang Thanne the men and women danneyd to gedyr Aftyr that they callyd in ther mynstellys and so they danneyd iij long howrys. They be fayer women. wonderfull werkes in sylke and gold and many goodly thyngs they have to sell. in thys cetye we a bode by the space of xiiij dayes." And "In the yle of Cecyll by the see syde ys Mons Ethneus whiche bronnyth both day and nyght ye may see the smoke com owt of the topp of it. Ther cam owt of thys hyll fyer ronnysg downe like as it had be a flode of watyr in to the Citye which stondyth by the see syd and bront many howses And also shippes that war in the havyn And put the Citye whiche ys callyd Cathanea in grett Juberte wher the holy body of Seynt Agathe lyes And by the myracle of the veyle of Seynt Agathe the Citee a for rehersyd was pres'vyd." "Munday that was the xvij day of Apryll we cam to Dover and lay ther all nyght." * Tewysday "Tewysday a for Whith Sounday we cam to Cannterbury to Seynt Thomas Messe and ther I offeryd and made an Ende of my Pylgrymage Deo gracia." "We war owt of Enlong in ower seyd pylgrymage the space of an holl yer v. wekys and iij dayes." Yours, &c. Mr. URBAN, R. B. WHELER. Sept. 8. HE Bill for the better provision Tof the unbeneficed Clergy having been for a considerable time before the publick, it has been a matter of some surprise to me, that your pages, always open to discussion, and abounding with remarks on the prevailing topicks of the day, have never offered, until, in your last Number (see p. 101), a single animadversion on it. Every month, on cutting open your leaves with all the eagerness of a man who, from the obscurity of his nook, can take a peep at what is going on in the world, only through the loop-hole which you open to him, I have expected to see Pluralists and Curates descending into the controversial arena of the Gentleman's Magazine. But the former seem to repose in perfect security, knowing that every former legislative attempt to compel them to an act of justice has been defeated, or has dropt still-born, in the shape of some lifeless half-measure, some inert regulation by no means reaching to the extent of the case. The latter, from the same sense of former failure, seem to lie down hopeless and despairing, At length forth starts an opponent to Lord Harrowby's Bill, under the title of A Poor Incumbent. other clerical designation would not have answered his purpose: a diguitary, a pluralist could say but little for themselves. The garb of poverty is what no man is very desirous of appearing in before the world; its thread-bare cloak, however, may serve as a good disguise. But if this suspicion of mine be groundless, if your Correspondent's circumstances agree with his signature of A Poor Incumbent, let me give him the "right hand of fellowship," for I am A Poor Curate. Nevertheless, with your leave, I must animadvert a little on his Remarks. Any The Poor Incumbent considers Lord Harrowby to have adopted the Population of a Parish as the standard whereby to determine the value of the Living. And is his Lordship so very ignorant as not to know what every one knows, that there is not the least necessary connexion between them? It is clearly his object to make the number of souls in a parish, not. the standard of the value of its tithes, but the criterion of the ecclesiastical duty performed in it. Can a safer basis of calculation be framed? Having thus ascertained the quantity of labour, his Lordship from thence de duces the amount of compensation due for it. Can a fairer principle be laid down?-The Poor Incumbent allows, that the man who has the care of a parish in which are (meaning is) the greater number of souls, is entitled to a higher remuneration than the man, whose task is less arduous; and then almost immediately adds, that to compute the needful value of a cure from the number of souls contained therein is a fallacy; a regulation most unjust. What a perverted inference from the point which he concedes! what a contradictory conclusion! And is it really unjust, that the wages shall bear a due proportion to the labour? Then Moralists and Legislators have never yet told us what justice means. My brethren, I hope, will excuse the coarseness of the comparison: is the hire of the husbandman regulated by the fertility of the field, or by the amount of his toil? Does the clerk in a mercantile concern receive a salary in propor-i tion to the clear profits of his employers, or to the labour they require from him? In adopting the sentiment of the National Adviser, the Poor Incumbent charges the Bill with " at the existence of the poor Vicar." "aiming What a murderous Lord Harrowby! Aud then proceeds to say, that if justice be done to the Curate (a confession,by the bye,that he is treated with injustice at present), let it not be done at the expence of the Incumbent alone. Surely there is no one else on whom the Curate can make any demand. A beuefice is property, I admit; because the law calls it a freehold: but it is property, sui generis, of a peculiar nature-property clearly intended for the maintenance of the officiating ministers of Religion-property bestowed on the incumbent, not. as a pension for past services, but as a compensation for the continued dis charge charge of them. Failing in this, whether by the secular employment of a school-master, by the interfering duties of another living, or even by infirmity, to say nothing of the numerous unjustifiable causes of non-residence, he fails in the implied condition of his incumbency." What then is to become of superannuated Rectors and Vicars 2" I beg to ask a question in turn: What, at present, becomes of superannuated Curates? The Poor Incumbent's proposal of restoring to the Church some part of the property of which it was deprived by the dissolution of the Monasteries, &c. and applying it to the augmentation of small livings, might do very well, if it were practicable. But lay impropriators are as tenacious of their possessions as clerical rectors. They, too, could raise a clamour respecting the invasion of property; and having on their side stronger arguments, and not more generosity, neither poor Incumbents nor poor Curates have any thing to expect from that quarter. Mr. Urban, there is not a thinking man in the kingdom, who is not sensible of the depressed condition of stipendiary Curates: with salaries in most cases not amounting to more than half the salary of an exciseman, and exceeded by the wages of a common mechanick, they have to supply the common cravings of nature, and to support a decency of appearance, not required from those who occupy a lower step in the gradation of society. With a disposition, perhaps, for study, they are totally precluded from its indulgence by the want of means to procure books. With the strongest desire to promote those charitable institutions with which every neighbourhood abounds, they must either stand forward on the subscription list at the price of some necessary of life, or at least domestic comfort; or retire under the mortifying plea of poverty. The Poor Incumbent is ready in supposing cases of Vicars weighed down by infirmity, and burdened with families. Let me ask him, if Curates are not subject to similar infirmity, and equally apt to incur similar burdens? Are Vicars the only persons who are exposed to distress, or sensible of its bitterness? But the cases, wherein a beneficed Clergyman is compelled by infirmity to employ a Curate, are few indeed compared with those occasioned by pluralities and non-residence. Now if the income of a living is to be divided into two unequal portions (and I believe most of my brethren would be contented to go halves), is it any matter of injustice that the man, who undertakes the whole toil, should receive the larger share? Whatever in such a case the Incumbent would receive-be it small in amount-not more than the present pittance of his Curate, still it would be clear gainthe product of a sinecure. I fear, Mr. Urban, that I have presumed to appropriate to these remarks too large a portion of your valuable Miscellany nevertheless I shall hope for your indulgence. The order of Clergy to which I belong, have hitherto been silent under their misery, trusting that the justice of their case would open its own way: this trust, I hope, is now about to be realized. But I intreat them not to rely on it indolently. Their opponents will be active. They will, perhaps, petition Parliament; they will fill the public prints with exaggerated statements, and argue from extreme cases. Let the whole body of Curates arise, and meet them with equal activity. Their parliamentary influence may be less; but justice and reason are on their side. Let them not, through shame or timidity, any longer withhold their distress from the public eye. Newspapers and Magazines will kindly open to them their channels of communication, and give publicity to their grievances. Under an impression, Mr. Urban, that you will not refuse to them that favour, I request you to insert in the Gentleman's Magazine these observations of A CORNISH CURATE. State of Trade in the Eighth and Ninth (From VELLY'S History of France.) "THERE was a settled trade be Tween England and France till Charlemain, offended at the presumption of Offa, king of the Mercians, prohibited all manner of dealing between the two nations; and it was not till two years after, that it returned into its former channel. In these times, scarce any other trade was known than that carried on in Markets and Fairs; these were almost the only |