the Crofs. Which, I pray, of your city's recording trophies is next to fall? Let fome better pretence give confiftency to the tearings-out from your hiftoric page than what figned the downfall of fuch a fymbol to remind the hand of Trade, that Chrifiianity has anong its various attributes, juftice and honefty! Peeping Tom! thou patron of merry knaves! thou whoever charmeft the wiity and the curious in bands of jet and fong thou harbinger of Godeva's triumphs! thou bringer-back of Time, to tell who firft raifed up this city to form an epoch in the lift of England's civie mounds! Conftant to your poft, full maintain your empire and your fame; notwithstanding fome inported friends, from iniftaken notions of your wooden frame, have been betrayed into an obfequious ceremonial, as fuppofing you of mortal mold; which, when they kenned you right, had vowed revenge,, by fecking to drag you from your lofty feat, to end at once in effectual fire you filent gibes, and Coventry in thee its guardian fprite! Habituated as I am to frequent difputations with profeflional men, common obfervers, nay, indeed with very many Antiquaries, in defence of the accommodations and conveniences of the habitations of the middle ranks of fociety in former days, against their pofitive affertions, that our ancestors pored through their darkened days in cold, unfurnished, hoveled abodes; and that the "vaft" heaps of mafoury, and the "unmeaning" embellishments the edifices of the "barbacompofing rous" lords or the " fuperftitious" religions, were the only architectural works that ever prefented their "ufelefs" and "deformed congeftions" to the "favage" multitude who firft beheld them; I now bring in proof againfi fuch uninformed Anti-nationalitis, and for the credit of the defenfive part I take, that in this city are to be found a prodigious number of houfes, which in date thew as far back as the reigns of Horory VI, and VII. In them may be obferved the fimplicity of the humble artificer's dwelling, the fitting-up of the tradefman's fhop, and the opulent erections diftinguishing the merchant or the magiftrate. A profeflional Vade mecum may likewife be made out, from in Thefe epithets likewife occur Wren's Parentalia, and in most of our tourists' works fince his innovating hour. the fingle moulding arch to the ceafelefs-varying forms of window tracery, compartments, and pinnacles. In fhort, in this city any caviller, willing to be convinced of the wrong fyften he has followed, held up by Antiquity feoffers, may find the moft abundant and unequivocal documents to make him in future refpect that ara of focial comfort which he had before derided. It confifts The Free-fchool. This building appears to me to have been the chapel of St. John's hofpital. of a body, windows on the fides and at the Weft and Eaft ends, with a pointed fingle-arched vaulung. Eaft window in its tracery is moft beau The tiful. What attractions beamed from Babelake hofpital. As I drew near this pile of filent and retired age, the brightnefs of day began to fubmit to duíky twilight, and I paffed under the gateway with all that devotional refigna *See No 11. of thefe Purfuits, vol. LXVIII. p. 825. † Architects fome 40 or 50 years back. tion of which my pilgrim-like excurfions fo naturally moulded my frame to partake. The South fide of the hof pital gave a long range of thofe ornaments which are fo confpicuous in the civil erections already fpoken of; and, though viewed over in a doubtful light, yet fufficient to infpect the many meanderings of the antient carpenter and carver in the ingenious and tatieful trials of their never-failing fkill. I entered the common room or refectory of the poor brethren. Their pittances were very fmall, and, like their declining age, were daily lofing ground in life's fleeting comforts. A piteous tale of bare existence founded refponfive to my fighs as I trod the aile within the dormitory. Did wide-grafping Henry leave this afylum to totter on till our inaufpicious day, when right and wrong are taught as equal virtues? Mufi this pious foundation fink before us? For bid it honour, forbid it humanity! AN ARCHITECT. (To be continued.) IT T is a pity, perhaps, to difturb "An Architect" in his dreams of patt glories, by any enquiry of fo cold and paffive a nature as the exilience of facts; elfe, if by “the prime mover of all," p. 32, he means, as I prefume he does, Henry VIII. one might be tempted to ak him, where he finds "the progeny of the prime mover of all, to the third, fourth, and fifth generation," on whom he fo liberally hurls Heaven's ven geance. TH R. C. RETROSPECT OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. ESSAY XIII. HE commencement of the following year (1734) was rendered memorable by the death of Auguftus, King of Poland, and by the commotions which immediately enfued among the powers on the Continent. Two candidates offered for the crown; Augultus, fon to the late king, and StanifLaus. The latter was fupported by the interefis of France, whofe monarchi had married his daughter; and the former by the Emperor, the King of Pruffia, and the Czarina. Both of them were elected by their different interefts; but, after a very fevere ftruggle between the armies of the contending parties, Augulius was cftablished on the throne: But, happy for this nation, it was not embroiled in the conteft; but, towards the clofe, had the honour to act as a mediator; and though her endeavours failed at the firft, there can be no doubt but her interelt greatly allifted to compromife the diffention. During thefe commotions on the Continent, England continued in a ftate of tranquillity; except in the continual ftruggle between the parties in parliament; but the miniftry poffefled fo decided a majority, that they carried every meafure which they confidered worth perfeverance; though, probably, very much hackled by the patriotic, wife obfervations and arguments of a ftrong oppofition. Amongst the other matters which occafioned confiderable debate, was a motion to bring in a bill to repeal the feptennial act, and for the more frequent calling of parliaments; which, though powerfully fupported by the whole ftrength, ability, and eloquence of the oppofition, was at laft carried in the negative. But the next meature which was propofed by the miniftry, and which threatened in its confequences to infringe on the liberties of the people; namely, that his Majefty might be enabled to augment his forces, if occafion required, between the diffolution of th's parliament and the election of another, was immediately carried; and the approbation of the Houle forwarded to the King. In the House of Lords, every measure which had been patied by the Commons, found an hearty aflent; though many of them were zealoully combated by the few refpectable peers which headed the oppofition; and feveral ftrenuous protchts were entered against the measures of the miniftry. About the middle of April, the bufinefs of the fellion being clofed, the King gave the royal affent to feveral bills; and after cordially thanking them for their zeal, duty, and affection, the parliament was prorogned; and foon after diffolved, and a new one immediately called. The election for the new parliament having commenced, a confiderable exertion was made by the independent gentlemen of the nation, but, in most inftances, the minifterial influence prevailed; and the new parliament, on its opening, was found nearly of the fame complexion as the laft. Being allembled on the 14th of January, 1794-5, his Majefty delivered a speech from the throne, approving the measures of the laft Jaft parliament, and hoping the prefent would as fully manifeft its attachment to his perion and government; and though the exigency of the times required that fome additional burthen fhould be laid on the people, yet, as it was neceflary that the kingdom fhould be prepared againft all events, he had no doubt of their ready acquiefcing in the meafures which thould be propofed. Of course, an addrefs, a mere echo to the speech, was moved for and paffed. No matter of fo great notoriety oceurred during the fellion, as a petition to the Lords from feveral of the molt refpectable peers, complaining that undue influence had been used in the election of the fixteen peers for Scotland: after a warin and well-fupported debate, the petition was thrown out; but the Earl of Abingdon having again brought the matter before the Houfe, to the chagrin of the miniftry, he moft unquestionably proved, that a litt of the peers to be returned had been previously prepared, and was fhewn to the electors as the king's lift, from which no deviations were to be allowed, except in one or two inftances; and, to infure the return, places and pentions were offered and accepted; debis due to the crown were reinitted; fums of money beftowed on the friends of the miniftry, &c. But though this, and much more, was proved, a question of adjournment being carried in the affirmative, they finothered the whole; and the infamous conduct of the creatures of the miniftry was configned to oblivion. Soon after this, the feffion was clofed, and his Majelty fet out for Hanover. In the month of November the king returned from the Coatinent; and having opened his parliament, he conuratulated it on the profpect of a fpcedy peace, and gave the picating informa tion of his having ordered a confiderable reduction to be made in his navy and army. During this feffion, which continued till May, nothing of very peculiar moment occurred. Hiftorians have noticed, that at this tiine fuch a degree of licentioufhefs prevailed over the nation, that neither the Laws nor the magiftrates were, in many infiances, refpcéted. Some very ferious riots had happened in different parts of the kingdoin, and a ditturbance of the moft alarming nature had occurred in the city of Edinburgh. One Captain Porteous, who commanded the city guard at the execution of a fmuggler, upon fome provocation from the populace, without the ufual precaution of reading the proclamation, had ordered his men to fire on the croud, by which feveral innocent perfons were killed. Being convicted of the murder, he was fentenced to die; but his Majefty then being at Hanover, his confort, the queen, as regent of the crown, granted Porteous a reprieve. This act of clemency having filled the friends of thofe who had been thus unhappily facrificed to his indifcretion with detellation and rage; they too fuccesfully firred up the rabble to a determination of revenge and murders. Having concerted their plans on the very day which the judges had fixed for the execution of Porteous, they affcmmbled different places, and at ten in the evening they blocked up the gates of the city, difarmed the town-guards, broke open the prifon, and executed the object of their revenge on the fign-poft of a dyer. Having effectuated their purpose, they immediately difperfed to their feveral homes. Though very confiderable rewards were offered for the apprehenfion of the murderers, none of them were ever difcovered; but, in the enfuing feffion of parliament, the matter was moft clofely inveftigated. The occurrence having been introduced to the Lords, the different accounts and papers fubmitted to their perufal, and three Scottifh judges, and feveral other witneffes attending, a bill was brought in for the imprisonment, and to difable Alexander Wilton, efq. lord-provoft of Edinburgh, from enjoying any office of magistracy; one for abolithing the city-guard; and to take away the gates of the NetherDow port, &e. This bill, after a firong oppoiition, was pailed, and fent to the Commons, where the matter being ag in coldly ferutinized, and it appearing that the lord-provoit had exerted hinfelf to the utmost that circumfances would allow, for quelling the` riot, fuch amendments were made to the bill as to leave no claufe in force, but that for impofing a fine on the city of two thousand pounds, which were to be paid to the widow of the late Caprain Porteous. The bill being returned to the Lords, they agreed to the amendinents, and thus the unpleasant fcene clofed. T. Mor, F.S. M. (To be continued.) Mt |