pofited; 'till fome Years fince, on Occafion of puting up a new Organ, this Place was thought proper for the Artificer to caft and fodder his Pipes in, as containing so few Bodies, which, it was fuppos'd, were now fit for the Charnel-Houfe. Upon opening the Vault, and finding the Coffins entire, they were only put together in a Corner. After fome Time, one of the Workmen, being left alone, either out of Curiofity, or in Expectation of finding fome Booty, loofen'd the Lid of one of the Coffins, and finding the Corps, in the Manner I have defcribed, divulged it to his Companions, and upon the Matter being made public, the Reft of the Coffins were open'd, and the Bodies contain'd in them found to be in the fame Condition. This, in the ignorant Times of the Monks, would have been deem'd a Miracle of the firft Degree, which would have brought a Treasure to the Church; and the Perfons, whofe Corps had been fo wonderfully preferved, would certainly have been canoniz'd, what-, ever Circumftances of Life, they might have pafs'd thro' But in thefe happier Days, in which the Tyranny of Prieft-craft is, in a great Measure, abolish'd, and every Man is allow'd to think for himfelf, we may account for it without the Expence of a Miracle. This Vault, being under one Corner of the Church, has two Openings to the ChurchYard, with Iron Grates, thro' which the Air continually paffing, it may reasonably be fuppofed to have gradually dried up the Moisture of these Bodies, without fuffering them to come to Putrefaction.

THE other Churches of this City have nothing in them worthy our Notice. They are large, but very plain; with few or no Ornaments.

Ir drawing now towards Noon, and the Major having engaged me to dine with him, we went from the Cathedral to his Houfe, where I met FA with

with a very friendly and handfom Entertainment, in the Company of three or four of his Acquaintance, whom he had invited to make it the more acceptable to me. After Dinner, being difpos'd to take a Walk, we order'd our Coach to wait for us at the Gaft-Hoff, or public Hofpital, for the Poor, the Sick, the Lame or Decrepid, of both Sexes, and we went thither on the City-Wall or Ramparts, pleafantly planted with Rows of Trees, and a Paffage as well for Coaches, as Perfons on Foot, from which you have an agreable View of the River, and the adjacent Country.

t

THE Hofpital, I just mentioned, is maintain'd partly at the Public Expence, and partly by charitable Contributions. At the Entrance, there is an Iron Cheft, with a Memento over it, into which it is expected, that every one who comes to fee the House should put a Piece of Mony, and the Perfon who conducts you generally begins, to fet a good Example. I fhall not detain you with a Defcription of this Building, which is large, and decently handfom; tho' there feems, in the erecting of it, to have been more a View to Usefulness and Conveniency than Magnificence; which I cannot but think much more commendable and confiftent, than the throwing away immenfe Sums, to erect Palaces inftead of Hofpitals, which fuperfluous Sums, if rightly applied, might make a Fund for the perpetual Maintenance of double, or perhaps treble, the Number of poor Wretches, who would willingly, and by much more properly, inhabit Barracks, or little Tenements, than fuch fuperb Edifices.

THE Order and Oeconomy of this Houfe, as far as I could get an Infight into it, is as commendable as the Edifice itfelf. A frugal Plenty of all Things neceffary feems to reign in every Part of it; and an exact Order, even in the most trivial

Things,

Things, is nicely obferved. As there are of both Sexes in this Hofpital, they have different Quarters affign'd them: The Wards or Rooms, in which they ly, are on one Side of long Galleries, oppo fite to which are Windows, to let in the fresh Air. In most of the Wards are two or more Beds, and they generally lay two Pérfons in a Bed. The Bedding is cleanly and decent, and the Wards are furnith'd with feveral comfortable as well as neceflary Conveniences. The Kitchen, as well as the Utenfils of it, and Servants attending it, appear with ä Neatness not very common in fuch Places; and the Provifions are wholesome and good, fufficient but not fuperfluous. I could find Fault with nothing but the Bread, which I thought had too much the Hew of Weftphalian Pompernickel; But I was told it was fuch as was eaten by the most reputable Burghers, for their common Tablebread; Wheaten or White Bread feldom or never appearing in their Houfes, except for the Entertainment of Strangers, and on high Days and Holidays; "on which Occafions it is esteemed as great a Dainty as Plumb-cake with us. They likewife tell you, that this Bread is much more nourishing and wholefom, than Wheaten, or even a finer Sort of Rye-Bread. But to return to our Hofpital: They have a very handfom Chappel, in which Divine Service is regularly perform'd; and as there are always a Number of poor Wretches, either bedridden, or otherwife not in a Capacity to come to Chappel, fuch as thofe are all put into one large Room, where they likewife enjoy that Benefit.

ADJOINING to this Hofpital, or rather a Part of the fame Edificé," is a Spinn-haufz (or Houfe of Correction) not only for fuch Criminals as are, by Law, deem'd worthy of Corporal Punishment, but for fuch diforderly Perfons against whom there.

is

is no Law, but what is difcretionary in the Judge, Tuch as bad Wives or Hufbands, unruly or difobedient Children, Spendthrifts, and the like: Thefe are generally lock'd up in private Rooms, and are maintain'd there, for as long a Time as is thought neceffary, at the Expence of their Friends. There are, at this Time, or have been very lately (for fuch Prisoners are not fhewn to any body, nor is it eafy to know when or how they are difcharg'd) under Confinement in this Houfe, a Gentleman of Diftinction, who having kill'd a Perfon inadvertently, is fhut up here for Life, at the Defire of a Prince in the Neighbourhood, whofe Subject he is, the Plea of Chance-Medly,, not being admited in this Country: A younger Brother of Mr. N----~, Governor of the Prince of Ws, who is confin'd for having been too lavish of his Fortune; and the elder Brother of Monf. von P. -n, a Gentleman of Fortune at the Court of H ,who having been difinherited by his Father, for the fame Account, and being withal under a Sufpicion of Lunacy, is in a fair Way to spend the Remainder of his Days here. There is, befides thefe, one Qbject of Compaffion, in this House, at prefent, who is exposed to the View of every one; I mean a young and beautiful Daughter of Colonel Nwho having taken a falfe Step, which brought her into a Condition fhe could not hide, is, by the unrelenting Cruelty of her Father, rivetted to the Spinning - Wheel, in the public Room, amidft common Prostitutes, Thieves and Vagabonds, nor have all the Interceffions of Friends, Relations and even Superiors, been able, in two Years Time, to reverse the Sentence, which has fix'd her unhappy Fate for Life. I had fome Talk with her, but would not put her to the Blufh, by feeming to know the Circumftances of her Family; and to the indifferent Questions I afk'd, he gave fuch

Anfwers,

Anfwers, as made me pity her Condition, and think the had fufficiently atton'd for her Crime.

THE Difcipline which is kept in this public Prifon is very strict; for tho' it contains 100 or more profligate Perfons, not an indecent Word is heard to come out of their Mouths; on the contrary, their Tafk-mafter, who walks about the Room, with a Rod of Correction in his Hand, is almost continually finging of Pfalms and Hymns, în which they are obliged to accompany him. In this Houfe, are likewife private Apartments for Lunatics, but they are lock'd up from the Eyes of the World; nor is the Difgrace of human Kind made a public Spectacle, for the Sake of a fmall Encrease of the Revenue of the House.

HAVING thus fpent the best Part of the Afternoon, and Night drawing on, we return'd in our Coach, thro' the City, to the Rabt's Keller (or Public Cellar) where I pafs'd the Evening in the fame agreable Company I had enjoyed two Nights before. One of the Society, who is a confiderable Merchant, and a Member of the College or Council of Altermanner, invited me to dine with him, the next Day; at his Houfe, in the New Town; and, on this Occafion, 'defir'd the Company of the whole Society. My Entertainment there, with a Character of the Company, and their Behavior, hall be the Subject of my next, 'till when, £30

LETTER