Pagina-afbeeldingen
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THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY,

ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.

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A Letter from Mary 2 of Scots, to Q, Elizabeth.

luy commenderoit et dirigeroit. Quant la
dicte Comteffe pourfuivoit le mariage de fon
filz Charles auveques une des niepeces du
Milord Paget, et que daultre part Vous
vouilliez lavoir par pure et abfolue authorite
pour un des Knoles, pour ce quil eftoit votre
parent; elle crioit fort contre vous, et difoit A
que ceftoit une vraye tirannie, voulant a vostre
fantafie enlever toutes les heritieres du pays,
et que vous aviez indignement ufe le dit Paget
par parolles injurieufes; mays qu'enfin la
Nobleffe de ce Royaume ne le vous foufrifoit
pas mefmement, fi vous addreffiez a telz
aultres qu'elle connoiffoit bien.

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either in fact, or by reports; about which he had instructions from your own mouth. That Ruxby came here about eight years ago to make an attempt on my life, having spoken about it with you yourself, who told him to do as Walfingham fhould recommend to him and direct him.

When the Countefs was making up the match between her fon Charles, and one of Lord Pager's nieces, and that, on the other hand, you of your own pure and abfolute authority would her for one of the Knolles, because he was your relation; the exclaimed loudly against you, and faid that it was downright tyranny for you to difpose of all the heirelles of the country, at your fancy; and that you had ufed Lord Paget in a flameful manner by opprobrious words; but that fome others of the nobility of the kingdom, whom she knew, if you fhould addrefs yourself to them, would not put up with it so tamely.

About four or five years ago, when you was ill, and I was ill at the fame time, fhe told me that your illness proceeded from the clofing of a running fore in your leg; and that as your menfes had ceased a little before, you would certainly die; at which the greatly Drejoiced, from a vain imagination fhe had long conceived from the predictions of one Jon Lenton, and of an old book which foretold your death by violence, and of the succession of another queen, whom the interpreted to be me; regretting only that according to the forefaid book, the Queen that should E fucceed you would reign only three years, and die, like you, by violence. Which was even reprefented in a painting in the faid book, in which there was one leaf, the contents of which he would never tell me. She knows herself that I always looked on this as a foolish thing; but he made her account F that the should be firft in my good graces; and even that my fon fhould marry my niece Arabella.

Il y a environ quatre ou fing ans que Vous eftant malade et moy aufi au mefme temps, elle me dit, que voftre Mal provenoit de la clofture d'une fistule que vous aviez dans une jambe; et que fans doubte venant a perdre voz moys, Vous mourriez bien toft, s'en resjouiffant fur une vayne imagination, quelle a eue de long C temps par les predictions d'un nomme Jon Lenton, et d'un vieulx lieuvre qui prediroit voftre mort par violence, et la fucceffion dune aultre Royane, quelle interpretoit eftre moy, regretant feullement que par le dit lieuvre il eftoit predit que la Royne qui vous deubroit fucceder ne regneroit que trois ans, et mouroit comme vous, par violence, ce qui eftoit reprefente mefme en peinture dans le dit lieuvre, auquel il y avoyt un dernier feuillet, le contenu duquel elle ne ma jamais voulu dire. Elle fcait elle mefine que jay tousjours pris cela pour une pure follie, mays elle fefoit bien fon compte deftre la premiere aupres de moy, et mefmement que mon filz epouferoit ma niepce Arbela. Pour la fin je vous jure encores un coup fur ma foy et honneur que ce que defubz eft tres veritable; et que de ce qui conferne voftre honneur, il ne mest jamays tombe en l'entendement de vous fayre tort par le reveller; et qu'il ne ce fcaura jamays par moy, le tenant pour tres faulx. Si je puis avoir ceft heur de parler a vous, je vous diray plus particulierement les noms, tems, lieux et aultres circonftances pour vous fayre congnoiftre la verite et de ceffi et d'aultres chofes que je referve, quant je feray tout a fayet affeuree de votre amitie, laquelle comme je G defire plus que jamays, auffi fi je la puis cefte foys obtenir, vous neuftes jamays parente, amy, ny mefines fubject, plus fidelle et affectionnee que je vous feray. Pour Dieu affeurez Vous de celle qui vous veult et peult Servir. De mon lit forcant mon bras et mes douleurs pour vous fatisfayre et obeir.

As to the reft, I again folemnly declare to you, upon my word and honour, that what is faid above is ftrictly true: And that what your honour is concerned in, it never once entered into my thoughts to injure you by revealing it; and that I never fhall fpeak of it, as I look upon it to be very falfe. If I could have an hour to speak with you, I would tell you more particularly the names, time, place, and other circumftances, that you might know the truth both of this, and of other things which I referve till I be affured of MARIE R. your friendship, which, as I wish for it more than ever, fo if I could once obtain it, you never had relation, friend, or even fubject. more faithful and affectionate to you, than I thould prove. For God's fake fecure to yourself her who is both willing and able to do you fervice. From my bed, putting a force upon my arin and my pains to fatisfy and obey you. MARIE R.

VOL. II. January, 1759.

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truncheon in his hand; and, approaching her, commands three of his attendants to defcend to her relief; the first represents the Sciences with a winged head encircled with naked boys dancing, and holding Nature in her hand with her numerous breasts ready to A give affiftance to all; the fecond is Architecture, with a plan in one hand, and a fquare and compaffes in the other and the the third is Liberty waving a hat in the air, fhewing her joy at the pleafing profpect of the city's fpeedy recovery. Behind the King ftands his brother, the Duke of York, with a garland in one hand to crown the rifing city, and a fword in the other for her defence. The two figures behind are Juftice and Fortitude; the former with a coronet, and the latter with a reined lion. Under the royal pavement, in a vault, lieth Envy gnawing a heart, and inceffantly emitting from her mouth peftiferous fumes. And in the upper part of the plinth the reconstruction of the city is represented by builders and labourers at work upon houses.

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W
HILE Sir Chriftopher Wren was em-
ployed in building the Cathedral of St.
Paul's, he was likewife, by order of parlia-
ment, appointed to erect a monument to per-
petuate the memory of the great conflagration
that had deftroyed the greateft part of the
city of London. In forming this ftately co-
lumn, which is of the Doric order, Sir Chris-
topher has taken the liberty to exceed the re-
ceived proportion of the order one module or
femidiameter. In the place of the brass urn
on the top, fays the author of Parentalia*, a
colofs ftatue of King Charles the Second was
originally intended, after the manner of the
Roman pillars which terminated with the
ftatues of their Cæfars; or elfe a figure erect
of a woman crowned with turrets, holding a
fword or a cap of maintenance, with other
enfigns of the city's grandeur and re-erection.
The altitude from the pavement is 202 feet;
the diameter of the fhaft or body of the co-
lumn is 15 feet; the ground plinth or lowest
part of the pedeftal is 28 feet fquare; and
the pedeftal in height is 40 feet. Over the
capital is an iron balcony cncompaffing a cone
32 feet high, fupporting a blazing urn of
gilt brafs. Within is a large ftair-cafe of
black marble, containing 345 iteps, each 10
inches and a half broad, and fix inches thick.
The weft fide of the pedeftal is adorned with
a curious emblem in Alt Relief, denoting the
deftruction and restoration of the city the E
firft female figure reprefents the city of Lon-
den, fitting in ruins in a languishing pofture,
with her head dejected, hair dishevelled, and
her hand careletsly lying on her fword. Be-
hind is Time, gradually railing her up: At
her fide a woman gently touching her with
one hand, whilt a winged feepter in the other
directs her to regard the goddefles in the
clouds, one with a cornucopia denoting
plenty, the other with a palm branch, the
emblem of peace. At her feet a bee-hive,
fhewing that by induftry and application the
greatcft misfortunes are to be overcome. Be-
hind Time are citizens exulting at his endea- G
vours to reftore her, and beneath, in the midft
of the ruins, is a dragon, who, as fupporter
of the city arms, with his paw endeavours to
preferve the fame: oppofite the city, on an
elevated pavement stands the King in a Ro-
man Habit, with a laurel on his head, and a

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This ingenious gentleman was fon to Sir Christopher Wren, but the work in his life-time remained unpublish'd, and has lately been publifhed by his grandfon Stephen Wren, Efq; and contains many valuable particulars, without the help of which, this account must have been very incomplete.

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This monument, fays the author of the review of our public buildings, "is undoubtedly the nobleft modern column in the world; nay, in fome refpects, it may justly vie with thofe celebrated ones of antiquity, which are confecrated to the names of Trajan, and Antonine. Nothing can be more bold and furprizing, nothing more beautiful and harmonious: The Bas Relief at the base †, allowing for fome finall defects, is finely imagined, and executed as well; and nothing material can be cavilled with, but the infcriptions round it §.

Befides thefe magnificent erections, Sir Chriftopher was engaged at the fame time in rebuilding or new-modelling the churches that were either confumed by the fire, or fo damaged as to require a thorough repair; of thefe 51 were rebuilt from the ground. Among other obfervations which he made in the courfe of this bufinefs, is the following remarkable particulars. On clearing the foundations of St. Mary le Bow in Cheapfide, he found, upon opening the ground, the walls, with the windows alfo, and pavement of a Roman temple, entirely buried under the level of the prefent ftreet; this temple

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Origin of Gothic Architecture.

ftood about 40 feet backwards, but having occafion to bring the steeple of the new church to range with the high ftreet, he again began to dig thro' the made ground, till at eighteen feet deep, to his furprize, he discovered a Roman caufeway of rough ftone, four feet thick, clofe and well-ramm'd, with Roman brick and rubbish at the bottom, all firmly cemented; he was therefore of opinion for divers reasons that this was the North boundary of the Roman colony, and that the breadth then from north to fouth was from this causeway, now Cheapfide, to the river Thames; the extent eaft and weft from B 1. Tower Hill to Ludgate, and the principal or Prætorian way, he fuppofed, to be Watlingftreet. The labourers alfo in digging the foundations of the houses in Scots-Yard, between London-Stone and the river, at the depth of twenty feet difcovered a teffelated or chequered pavement after the Roman manner, and the remains of a large building or hall; the former was fuppofed to belong to the Ro. man Governor's palace, and the latter to the Court of justice.

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they refined upon it every day, as they proceeded in building churches. The Italians (among whom were fome Greek refugees) and with them French, Germans, and Flemings, joined into a fraternity of architects, procuring papal bulls for their encourageAment, and particular privileges; they ftiled themselves Free-mafons, and ranged from one nation to another, as they found churches to be built. Their government was regular, and where they fixed near the building in hand, they made a camp of huts. A furveyor govern'd in chief; every tenth man was called a warden, and overlooked each nine: the gentlemen of the neighbourhood, either out of charity or commutation of pennance, gave the materials and carriages. Those who have feen the exact accounts in records of the charge of the fabricks of fome of our cathedrals near four hundred years old, cannot but have a great esteem for their oeconomy, and admire how foon they erected fuch lofty ftructures. Indeed great height they thought the greatest magnificence; few ftones were ufed, but what a man might carry up a ladder on his back from fcaffold to feafold, tho' they had pullies, and fpoked wheels, D upon occafion, but having rejected cornices, they had no need of great engines; ftone upon ftone was easily piled up to great heights; therefore the pride of their works was in pinacles and fteeples. In this they effentially differed from the Roman way, who laid all their mouldings horizontally, which made the best perspective: the Gothick way on the contrary carried all their mouldings perpendicular, fo that the ground-work being fettled, they had nothing else to do but to fpire all up as they could. Thus they made their pillars of a bundle of little Torus's, which they divided into more, when they came to the roof; and thefe Torus's split into many finall ones, and traverfing one another, gave occafion to the tracery-work, (as they called it) of which this fociety were the in

Thefe are the principal difcoveries which
Sir Chriftopher made while he was employed
in re-erecting the city: it might feem tedious,
perhaps, were we to enter into a detail of
the many royal and magnificent edifices,
which were erected by this great architect
in many parts of this kingdom; fo many and
fo great, that it has been faid, that if the
whole art of building were loft throughout
every other part of the world, it might be E
recovered here from the works of Sir Chrif-
topher Wren.

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We fhall conclude our account of this great
Man, with what he fays of the origin of
Gothic Architecture, which as it explains the
rife of Free Masonry in Europe, cannot fail
of being well received: He was of opinion
that what we now vulgarly call the Gothick,
ought properly and truly to be named the
Saracenick Architecture refined by the Chrif
tians; which firft of all began in the east after
the fall of the Greek Empire by the prodigious
fuccefs of those people that adhered to Maho-
met's doctrine, who out of zeal to their re- G
ligion, built Mofques, Caravanfaras, and Se-
pulchres, wherever they came. The holy
war gave the Chriftians, who had been there,
an idea of the Saracen works, which were
afterwards by them imitated in the weft; and

Particularly, because the North-fide beyond

the causeway was a great fen or morafs, as Sir
Chriftopher difcovered when he rebuilt the Eaft
front of St. Lawrence near Guildhall. This
morafs was not drained till the year 1414, and ftill
retains the name of Moorfields, and the Gate
Moorgate,

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ventors.

Epiftles Philofophical and Moral. 8vo. pr. 6s.

F the author had writ in profe, he might

I have avoided fome little ungrammatical

idioms, fome obfcurities and ambiguities; with a great number of harsh and halting lines; and he would have had at least the fame merit which he now claims as a philofopher. Yet, nevertheless, we will venture to fay, that his poetry, which he affects to undervalue, will, notwithstanding all its faults, overfights, and inaccuracies, yield him more real praife, than all the fingular notions of philofophy which he has breached. Alas! how easy is it for a man of speculation to spin

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