affumes for perfons engaged in fuppofed money transactions; and in looking over the margin of his book, we find one or two other inaccuracies marked by us.

ART. VI. Antiquities of the Inns of Court and Chancery: containing hiftorical and defcriptive Sketches relative to their original Foundation, Cuftoms, Ceremonies, Buildings, Government, &c. &c. with a concife View of the English Law. By W. Herbert. Embellished with Twenty-four Plates. Large 8vo. 11. 5s. Vernor and Hood. 1804. THE Origines Judiciales of Dugdale, published in folio, in

1666, 1667, and 1680, must be well known to many of our readers. But as that work is not only very expensive, but its details prolix, and its ftyle perplexing, the editor of the prefent elegant volume prefumed that he should render an acceptable fervice to the public, by extracting its moft valuable materials, and by adding fuch alterations and improvements as progreffively prefented themfelves. Mr. Herbert fpeaks of two preceding publications on the fubject, one publifhed in 1790, and called "Hiftorical Memoirs of the English Laws, Inns of Court", &c. a mere reprint of part of Dugdale, and one that is confidered as very fuperficial, by the late S. Ireland.

We have seen one of the date of 1780, which, like this of Mr. Herbert, profeffes to be faithfully extracted from Dugdale, and is entitled, " the Hiftory and Antiquities of the Four Inns of Court"; it contains a very copious and ufeful Appendix of matters more particularly relating to the Society of Lincoln's Inn.

Mr. Herbert's work commences with an Effay on the antiquity of the common Law of England, which is followed by five chapters, feverally difcufling the fubjects of the juftice of England, the four great courts, the creation, drefs, falaries, &c. of the Juftices of the King's Courts in Westminster Hall, of trial in cafes civil and criminal, by jury, combat, fire and water ordeal, and wager of law, and, laftly, of punishment in criminal cafes. The four terms, fines, &c. &c.

The work next proceeds to give the hiftory of the Inns of Court and Chancery, beginning with the Inner Temple, and in fucceflion the Middle Temple, Inns of Chancery belonging to the Temples, Lincoln's Inn, Inns of Chancery belonging to Lincoln's Inn, Gray's Inn, Inns of Chancery belonging

to

to Gray's Inn, and, laftly, Serjeant's Inns, and the antiquity and dignity of Serjeants at Law.

We have felected, but with no ftrong motive of preference, the defcription of the procefs of the buildings in Lincoln's Inn.

66

Buildings. In the year 1492, (8th Henry VII.) the fociety having raised a fum of money, partly by contribution and partly by loan, about two years afterwards the old hall was pulled down for the purpose of erecting another. The new one, however, was not begun to be built till fourteen years afterwards, owing to a deficiency of funds. It was forwarded by a gift in 13th Henry VII. of John Netherfale, a member of the fociety, who bequeathed 40 marks, " partly towards the building a library here, for the benefit of the students of the laws of England; and partly that every prieft of this house then being, or hereafter to be, who fhould celebrate mafs and other divine fervice every Friday, weekly, fhould then fing a mafs of requiem: and who, in the time of the faid mafs, before his first Lavature, fay the pfalm of De Profundis, with the orifons and collects accustomed, for the foul of the faid John."

"The next year that fine ancient remain, the great gateway, or gate houfe tower, as it is called, was contracted for, and the masons for the flone work engaged. The timber was brought by water from Henley-upon-Thames. Towards this work Sir Thomas Lovell, the founder of Holywell nunnery, and formerly a member of this fociety, but then treasurer of the houfhold to King Henry VII. was a good benefactor; the work, however, was not completed till the 9th of Henry VIII. and that by means of additional assistance from the fame perfon, whofe liberality at length fo far operated on the rest of the fociety, that two years afterwards all in commons were taxed, and orders made for the fpeedy payment of former fubfcriptions. An additional fum of 401. was alfo allowed from the Treafury of the house, and the ftructure was finally finished in 12th Henry VIII. the expence amounting to 1531. 10s. 8d. William Sulyard, before named, was the prin cipal cashier and director of this work.

The brick and tile ufed in the gateway were dug from a piece of ground then called Coneygarth, lying on the weft fide of the houfe adjoining to Lincoln's Inn Fields; and 161. 175. 5d. was paid for 43 cart loads of free-ftone; together with the wrought work of the chimnies, and fculpturing the arms over the gate.

"But though the gate-houfe was thus finished, the gates themselves was not ordered to be put up till the 25th Henry VIII. when the building was finally completed by an order from council, which likewife directed the making more brick for another building, under the direction of a Mr. Heyden the elder. This latter building contained nine chambers, and was three ftories high. It food on the postern fide of the houfe, towards the fields, and was begun in Trinity term, 27th Henry VIII. the expence amounting to 1991. 8s. 4d.

at the

The 34th Henry VIII. the fireet now called Chancery-lane, was, expence of the fociety, ordered to be paved with ftone as far as

the

the extent of their own house and garden: this cost 461. and took place pursuant to an act of parliament, made in 1540, which directed the paving of the whole street.

"In ift and 2d Philip and Mary, the walk under the trees in the Coneygarth was made.

"The next ftructure was the kitchen, which by an act in council, in 3d and 4th Philip and Mary, was ordered to be new built of brick, with a wall and gates; for fupporting the charge of which, every one of the fociety, at the Clerk's Commons, was affeffed 13s. and 4d.; every one of the Mafter's Commons, 20s.; and every one of the Mafter's Bench, 26s. and 8d. befides a benevolence from those who chose to give above that proportion.

Till the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth, the inclosure which feparated Lincoln's Inn from Chancery-lane on the one fide, and from the fields fince called Lincoln's-inn-fields on the other, was merely an embankment of clay; but in the first year of that Princefs, an order was made, that a brick wall and gates fhould be fet up on the backfide of the house, and the gates on the forefide (or gatehouse) should be put up; which, it feems, notwithstanding the directions given in 25th Henry VIII. was not before done. This work, however, lay dormant till 4th Elizabeth, when new directions were given for making three thousand bricks in the Coneygarth, and Mr. Newdigate, a member of the fociety, appointed furveyor. Thefe bricks were employed in making the wall along the garden fide, towards Chancery-lane, with a pair of gates in the midst of it, and was finished in two years; ten fhillings being allowed the panyer man, for the lofs he fuftained in the produce of the garden, deftroyed in making the bricks.

"In 7th Elizabeth, the gallery was built over the screen at the lower end of the hall. The enfuing year " a fair and beautiful wall was ordered to be made on the backside of the house, together with a cellar and paffage to the chapel. Provifion of timber, and other materials, was at the fame time made for other buildings on the north fide of the quadrangle, and which coft 450l. 115. 11d. Thefe afterwards were enlarged, at an additional expence of 1271. 12s. 8d. iffued for that purpose out of the Treafury: and three years afterwards the well was converted into a pump."

"In 24th Elizabeth, eighty tons of ftone, a hundred and fixty load of timber and clay, for making brick, were directed to be provided, in order to build chambers over the kitchen, the hall, entry, and the pantry; the wood-house under the stairs on the east fide, and another on the weft fide, &c. &c.

*

"Lincoln's Inn chapel is a large edifice in the gothic tafte, built by Inigo Jones, but the work evinces he had no true perception of the characteristic beauty of that ftyle, and was never defigned for a gothic architect. It is reared on huge pillars and arches, which form an open walk beneath the floor of the chapel.

"The chapel windows are the most admired. They are of beautiful ftained glafs, by different artifts, reprefenting the Apoftles, Prophets, &c. The defigns, however, are cenfured as poor, and the faces want expreffion. This edifice is fixty-feven feet long, and forty-one wide. It is excellently well kept.

"The

"The first foundation of this chapel was begun in the time of James I. in the 8th year of whofe reign it was ordered, that the old chapel, which was grown ruinous, and was befides inconveniently fituated, and too fmall for the fociety, should be pulled down, and a new one erected in the court where it flood. But nothing was done till the 15th of the fame King, when a select number of members was appointed by the Bench to confider of materials for this chapel, and what stone and timber should be provided for it, and whether Oxford ftone fhould be concluded on, according to the workmens' direction. And the model thereof was recommended to the contrivance of Inigo Jones, the King's furveyor-general; who having made a draught thereof, eftimated the charge of the fame at 2000l.

Accordingly a fubfcription was begun among the Benchers, but falling fhort of 2000l." it was agreed and ordered, firft, that each of the Mafters of the Bench, and Affociates thereunto, fhould pay towards the ftructure xx. a piece, each of seven years standing at the bar xx nobles, each of the bar under that time v. and each gentleman of the House under the bar xl fhillings."

"And ten days afterwards, at another council, that there should be a general tax upon all fuch as had not contributed, or fhewed their willingnefs fo to do, towards the work; and for receipt of their monies Thomas Spencer, Efq. was appointed treasurer, and Alexander Chart his under treasurer.

"This general taxation, and other contributions which followed upon it, enabled the fociety in about five years fully to complete this edifice, which was confecrated upon Afcenfion Day, A.D. 1623, 22d James, by George Mountaine, the Bifhop of London, as appears by an infcription placed under his arms at the east end of the arched roof; Doctor John Donne, the Dean of St. Paul's, preaching upon this text," Facta funt autem encœnia Hierofolymis, et hyems erat et ambulabat Jefus in Templo in Porticu Salomonis". John, cap. 10, ver. 22 and 23.

"The walk beneath this building was ufed, till of late, as a promenade, to which it was ill adapted, being too cold for bad weather, and in fine too much fecluded. It has for fome years been enclosed with an iron railing, and is now used as a place of interment for the Benchers only.

"Lincoln's Inn library, which is fituated in the ftone buildings, contains, befides a good collection of books, many very fine and cu rious manuscripts. Thefe were removed in 1787, from the old library to the prefent, which is a handfome, fpacious, and commodious apartment, being made out of three fets of chambers. The manufcripts are in clofe preffes, at one of the ends of the library, where fires are daily kept, except in fummer. The building is very substantial, with ftone ftair-cafes and folid party-walls. The keys of the preffes are kept by the Master of the Library, who is chofen annually by the Benchers from their own body, and the manufcripts cannot be viewed without a fpecial order from one or two of the Matters of the Bench. "The first formation of the Library of this fociety was begun in the reign of Henry VII. and in the early part of the reign of Eliza

beth.

beth the building was erected, but the books accumulated fo flowly that in the 6th of James I. "It was ordered for the more fpeedy furnishing of the fame, every one that should thenceforth be called to the bench, in the fociety, fhould give xx fhillings towards the buying of books for the fame library, and every one thenceforth called to the bar, xiiis. iiid. all which fums to be paid to Mr. Matthew Hadde, who for the better ordering of the said library was then made mafter thereof."

"The greater part of the valuable MSS. now in the poffeffion of the fociety, are bequeathed by Sir Matthew Hale, and have been accurately claffed and explained in the return made to the select committee for examining into the state of the public records."

It will obviously be feen that Mr. Herbert has produced an interefting and useful volume. What he has methodized and meliorated from Dugdale, is fatisfactory, neat, and perfpicuous; what he has added of his own will always be found to offer convenient, and often important illuftrations. The twenty-four plates which embellish the work, are remarkably corre and elegant. With this confideration, added to its typographical excellence, the book is a cheap, as well as defirable, acceffion to the well-chofen English library.

ART. VII. Thoughts on the Trinity, By George Ifaac Huntingford, D. D. F. R. S. Warden of Winchester College, and Bishop of Gloucefler. 8vo. 116 pp. 3s. Cadell and Davies. 1804.

ΤΗ HE refult of much reading and reflection is compreffed in this fmall, but very important work: the object and plan of which are fo clearly though concifely flated in the preface, that we cannot do better than adopt that preface as the introduction to our review of it.

66

Thoughts are here given in preference of Differtations, for the fake of brevity and compreffion.

"The feveral claufes appear detached: there is however a connexion between them. The fubject is begun on principles of abstract reafoning; continued, with reference to Heathen and Jewish opinions; purfued, with confideration of the Baptifmal Form delivered by our Lord, and as taught by Evangelifts, Apofties, Fathers. Of the queftion there is then taken a retrofpect; which leads to the conclufion.

"The mind of the writer has long been much impreffed with the force of this folemn charge; "When thou art converted, ftrengthen thy brethren." He is anxious to obey it. On examination and reflection being himself convinced, he employs his efforts to affist others, and fupport them in the ancient faith.”

Great