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of Worcefter. The three following vicars, William Reeves, Francis Fox, and Dr. Robert Bolton, were all authors, their works being for the moft part on theological fubjects. Dr. Bolton published alfo fome treatifes on the prevailing vices of the age, and effays on the employment of time, very popular in their day..

"Mr. John Kendrick, in 1624, left the fum of 250l. to be laid out in lands for the purpofe of maintaining daily prayers in this church at fix o'clock in the morning. Mrs. Elizabeth Thorne gave 1ool. for the fame purpose.

"There is an Anabaptift meeting in this parish, established in 1655, which has a small endowment, with a houfe and burial ground, and three other meeting-houses for the Independents and Methodists.

"St. Giles's church contains little that is remarkable; the fpire, which is 70 feet in height, being of Riga fir, covered with copper, was built in 1790, at the expence of 5731. 195. Among the monuments are thofe of Dr. Nathaniel Refbury, a controverfial writer, who died in 1711; and the Hon. William Bromley Cadogan, the late vicar, a popular divine amongst those of the Calviniftic perfuafion.

"Reading has given birth to several eminent perfons; Sir Thomas White, founder of St. John the Baptift's College in Oxford, is faid by fome to have been born there, being the fon of William White, a clothier, who removed thither from Rickmanfworth; to which place Fuller attributes the honour of his birth. Archbishop Laud was born at Reading in 1573, being the fon of William Laud, a clothier, who refided in Broad-street. In anfwer to a fpeech of Lord Say, who had reproached him with the obfcurity of his birth, the archbishop faid: "It is true I am a man of ordinary, but very honeft, birth; and the memory of my parents favours very well to this day in the town of Reading, where I was born; neither was I fo meanly born as perhaps my lord would infinuate, for my father had borne all offices in the town, fave the mayoralty +." John Blagrave, the mathematician, is fuppofed to have been a native of Reading; but, perhaps, it is equally probable that he was born at Bulmarth, the feat of his father, in the parish of Sunning. Jofeph Blagrave, an aftrological writer, who does not appear to have been any relation to the mathematician, was born in the parish of St. Giles, in 1610. Sir Thomas Holt, Recorder of Reading (miftaken by fome writers for Lord Chief Juftice Holt), Sir John Barnard, the celebrated alderman of London; James Merrick, the tranAator of the Pfalms; William Baker, a learned printer; Sir

"See Coates's Hiftory of Reading, p. 405."

+"Ibid. p. 411."

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Conftantine Phipps, Lord Chancellor of Ireland; and Dr. Phanuel Bacon, author of fome dramas and feveral pieces of humour, were all natives of Reading. P. 340."

Mr. Browne Willis had, it feems, made very confiderable collections for the Hiftory of the County of Buckinghamfhire; but no more was published than an account of the town and hundred of Buckingham. What is faid in this part of the work of Eton and its celebrated fchool will, we Thould think, be as amufing and interefting to the reader as any we can felect.

"ETON, in the hundred of Stoke and deanery of Burnham, is feparated from Windfor, in Berkshire, by the river Thames, being 22 miles diftant from London: it is chiefly noted for its college, founded by King Henry VI. in the year 1440, for a provost, ten priefts, four clerks, fix chorifters, twenty-five poor grammar.fcholars, and twenty-five poor men. Henry Sever was the first provoft; his fucceffor was William Waynfleet, founder of Magdalen College, in Oxford. This foundation was particularly excepted in the act for the diffolution of colleges and chantries, in the reign of King Edward VI. Its establishment, however, has been fomewhat altered, and it confiits now of a provoft, feven fellows, two fchool-mafters, two conducts, feven clerks, feventy scholars, and ten choristers, befides inferior officers and fervants. The annual election of scholars to King's College, in Cambridge, founded by the fame monarch, takes place about the end of July, or the beginning of Auguft, when twelve of the head boys are put on the roll to fucceed at King's College, as vacancies happen. The average number of vacancies is about nine in two years: at 19 years of age the scholars are fuperannuated. Eton College fends two fcholars to Merton College, in Oxford, where they are denominated poft-mafters, and has a few exhibitions of 21 guineas each, for its fuperannuated fcholars, towards whofe affiftance Mr. Chamberlayne, a late fellow, has bequeathed an eftate of 80l. per annum after the death of his widow. The fcholars elected to King's College fucceed to fellowships at three years ftanding. The independent fcholars at Eton, commonly called Oppidans, are very numerous, this fchool having been long ranked among the first public feminaries in this or any other country. The average number of independant scholars, for fome years paft, has been from 300 to 350: when Dr. Barnard was mafter, under whom the school was more flourishing perhaps than at any other period, the number at one time exceeded 520. To enumerate all the Etonians who have become eminent in the republic of letters, or have diftinguished themfelves as lawyers, ftatefmen, or divines, would be no easy task. From Harwood's Alumni Etonenfes, which is confined to fuch fcholars as have been on the foundation, may b collected, among others, the names of bifhop Fleetwood, bishop

Pearfon,

*

Pearfon, the learned John Hales, Dr. Stanhope, Sir Robert Walpole, and the late Earl Camden. Among fuch celebrated characters as have received their education at Eton, but not on the foundation, more immediately occur to notice the names of Outred the mathematician, Boyle the philofopher, Waller the poet, the late Earl of Chatham, Horace, Earl of Orford, Gray, Weft, and the late learned Jacob Bryant. A confiderable number of the literary characters of the prefent day, as well as of those who are highly diftinguished in public life, have received their education at this celebrated feminary of learning.

"Before we difmifs the fubject of Eton School, the ancient cuftom of the proceffion of the scholars ad montem may be thought not undeferving of notice. This proceffion is made every third year on Whit-Tuesday, to a tumulus near the Bath road, which has acquired the name of Salt-hill, by which alfo the neighbouring inns have been long known. The chief object of the celebrity is to collect money for falt, as the phrase is, from all perfons prefent, and it is exacted even from paffengers travelling the road. The fcholars who collect the money are called falt bearers, and are dreffed in rich filk habits. Tickets infcribed with fome motto t, by way of pafs-word, are given to such perfons as have already paid for falt, as a fecurity from any further demands. This ceremony has been frequently honoured with the prefence of his majefty and the royal family, whofe liberal contributions, added to thofe of many of the nobility. and others, who have been educated at Eton, and purpofely attend the meeting, have fo far augmented the collections, that it has been known to amount to more than 8ool. The fum fo collected is given to the fenior fcholar who is going off to Cambridge, for his fupport at the univerfity. It would be in vain perhaps to endeavour to trace the origin of all the circumftances of this fingular cuftom, particularly that of collecting money for falt, which has been in ufe from time immemorial. The proceffion itself feems to have been coeval with the foundation of the college, and it has been conjectured with much probability, that it was that of the bairn or boy-bishop ‡. We have been informed, that originally it took place on the 6th of

"Boyle was offered the provoftship, but declined accepting it; upon which Waller was actually appointed, but the chancellor refufed to fet his feal to the appointment, it being contrary to the Statutes (although there had been feveral precedents for it) that a layman fhould hold the office."

+"One of the most appropriate perhaps, was "Mos pro lege." "This part of the ceremony has been fuppofed by fome to have originated from an ancient practice among the friars of felling confecrated falt."

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December, the feftival of St. Nicholas the patron of children; being the day on which it was customary at Salisbury, and in other places where the ceremony was obferved, to elect the boy-bishop, from among the children belonging to the cathedral *. In the voluminous collections relating to antiquities bequeathed by Mr. Cole, (who was himself of Eton and King's College,) to the British Museum, is a note, in which it is afferted, that the ceremony of the bairn, or boy-bishop, was to be observed by charter, and that Geffrey Blythe, bishop of Litchfield, who died in 1530, bequeathed several ornaments to King's College and Eton, for the drefs of the bairn-bifhop. From whence the induftrious antiquary procured this information, which if correct would end all conjecture on the fubject, does not appear. We cannot learn that there are any documents in fupport of it at King's College or at Eton, and the prerogative court of Canterbury, as well as the registries of the diocefes of London, Chefter, and Litchfield, where alone there is any probability of its being registered, have been fearched in vain for bishop Blythe's will. Within the memory of perfons now living, it was a part of the ceremony at the montem, that a boy dreffed in a clerical habit, with a wig, fhould read prayers. The custom of hunting a ram, by the Eton fcholars, on Saturday in the election week, supposed to have been an ancient tenure, was abolifhed by the late provoft, Dr. Cooke.

"Eton College confifts of two quadrangles, In the first is the school, the chapel, and lodgings for the maiters and scholars. The other is occupied by the library, the provoft's lodgings, and the apartments of the fellows. The chapel, as far as relates to its external appearance, is a very handfome Gothic ftructure; the infide has none of that ornamental architecture, fo much admired in King's College chapel at Cambridge, to which this has fometimes been compared, but is quite plain, and has been much disfigured by fome injudicious alterations, which were made in the beginning of the laft century, when feveral of the old monuments were removed, and others concealed behind the wainscot then placed at the caft end, by which also was hid a Gothic altarpiece, of ftone, enriched with niches. The whole length of the chapel is 175 feet, including the ante-chapel, which is 62 feet in length. Among he eminent perfons who lie buried. in this chapel, are Richard Lord Grey of Wilton, Henchman to King Henry VIII.; John Longland, bishop of Lincoln, con

"This mock dignity lafted till Innocents day; during the intermediate time the boy performed various epifcopal functions, and if it happened that he died before it was expired, he was buried with the fame ceremonials which were used at the funeral of a bishop."

feffor

feffor to that monarch; Sir Henry Saville, the learned warden of Merton, and provost of this college, who founded the Savilian profefforihips of aftronomy and geometry at Oxford; Sir Henry Wotton, an eminent ambaffador and ftatefman, who was alfo provoit of Eton; Francis Rowfe, a diftinguished writer. among the puritans, and one of the lords of Cromwell's upperhoufe, who died provoft of Eton in 1658; Dr. Allestree, provoft of Eton, fan eminent royalift,) who built the new or upper fchool, with the cloifters beneath, at the expence of 1500l. and died in 1680; and Nathaniel Ingelo, who died in 1683. The monuments of fome of the above-mentioned perfons are not now to be seen. Sir Henry Wotton's tomb has the following fingular infeription:

"Hic jacet hujus fententiæ primus auctor-
Difputandi pruritus fit ecclefiarum fcabies."
Nomen alias quære."

"Dr. Ingelo was author of a romance, called Bentevolio and Urania, which is alluded to in the following fingular paffage of his epitaph. Cujus ftylus, dum dramate pietatem ad Chrifti morem fuaviter infinuat, an ingenisfus an patheticus fit magis, viciffim acriter et diu contenditur; quâ lite nondum fopitâ, feliciter quiefcit autor eruditus beatam præftolans refurre&tionem, donec decifionis dies fupremus illuxerit." In the ante-chapel is a ftatue of the founder, by Bacon, erected in 1786, the fum of 600l. having been bequeathed for that purpose, by the Rev. Edward Betham, fellow of the college, who died in 1783; and a monument of the young earl of Waldegrave, who was drowned when at Eton fchool in 1794. In the fchool-yard is another ftatue of the founder in bronze, erected at the expence of Provost Godolphin. In the cemetery belonging to the college is the tomb of the learned John Hales.

"The library of Eton College contains a very large and valuable collection of books, having been from time to time enriched by munificent bequefts, particularly by the library of Dr. Waddington, bifhop of Chefter, confifting chiefly of divi nity; that of Mr. Mann, mafter of the charter-houfe; that of Richard Topham efq. formerly keeper of his Majefty's records in the Tower, chiefly remarkable for its fine editions of the Claffics; and that of the late Anthony Storer efq. containing a great number of early printed and rare books, in various departments of literature, a fine fet of Aldus's, and many scarce editions of the Claffics, particularly a very rare copy of Macrobius, and a large collection of engraved portraits and other valuable prints, exclufive of what had been bound up at a great expence, with various hiftorical and topographical works, which formed part of his library. Mr. Topham's collection comprifes alfo fome very valuable engravings, drawings by the oid mafters,

medals,

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