lands they have cultivated, and whofe granaries they have filled. Miferable! to be expelled from the place of their nativity, as unworthy to breathe the air in common with their lords and mafters; who deaf to the calls of humanity, and inattentive to their own real intereft, feem not to be fenfible, that without the labourer's hand their ample fields would be of no value, and that rents advance from labour and improved cultivation. If the poor are burthenfome, they fhould be relieved, and not extirpated. The induftrious part of them are the most profitable members of the community; the idle fhould be reclaimed; but that will never be effected by penal laws, while our towns and villages fwarm with ale-houfes. It is there they fpend their time and money; there their morals are corrupted; there the fot, the poacher, the petty thief and highwayman are gradually formed; and to thofe feminaries of vice we chiefly owe the evils complained of among the lower clafs of people. Strike at the root of them; put down the ale-houfe, not the cottage, in your village; fo fhall you foon find the poor more induftrious, more honeft, and lefs burthenfome.

This is a matter highly deferving the attention of the ma giftrate, on whofe conduct in the execution of his office, the morals of the people, and the well-being of the ftate, fo much depend. It is a vulgar error, that the drunkard injures nobody but himself: hundreds are connected with him; and the community fuffers more from one character of that fort, than it is benefited by two fober perfons.'

The Editor further obferves, that he has been led as it were inadvertently into these reflections, though they may not be peculiarly applicable to Gloucefterfhire, yet as a general well-wifher to his country, he hopes they are not altogether unfeasonable. For the fame reafon, it may be added, we have thought it proper to infert the above extract.

The Appendix, which follows the parochial hiftory, consists of a variety of charters, and papers of confiderable length: a copious and useful index finishes the volume.

The prints in this large volume are not numerous; we meet with a view of Barrington-park, the feat of the Countess of Talbot; Berkely caftle, one of thofe few ancient buildings which are fuffered by their proprietors to remain much in their original form; a plan of the Home Park at Cirencester, with two small views of the houfe; a plan of Oakley Great-park, belonging, as well as the former, to Earl Bathurft; two fmall views of Alfred's-hall; a view of Fairford church; Lydneypark, the feat of Thomas Bathurft, Efq; Wallfworth-hall, belonging to Samuel Hayward, Efq; Sudley-caftle, a feat of Lord Rivers; two fections of Pen-park Hole, rendered more remark able by the moft melancholy and fatal accident which befel-a clergyman

clergyman in the year 1775 who approached too near it. An advertisement at the beginning of the volume informs us, that feveral gentlemen have ordered plates of their feats to be engraved, which could not be finished in time; but the impreffions as foon as procured will be delivered gratis, and guards are placed in the proper places to receive them.

Some entertaining particulars might be drawn from this volume; but it will not comport with the limits of this Review to felect them. We may, however, infert the following:

In the map of the county is given an engraving of the Cotham ftone, a natural production in the parish of Westbury. It lies in a detached manner, within the furface of the ground. The upper fide of it is full of nodules and bunches, and the prominencies on fome of thefe ftones refemble the interlacings of ivy, growing over each other, as it is fometimes feen againft old walls. The largeft of them are about two feet and a half long, and feven or eight inches thick. They are used rough in the ruftic work of gateways and other buildings, in which they have a good effect. Cut longitudinally through the thicknefs, and polished, they exhibit a beautiful landscape, like a drawing in Indian ink, and are often used in chimney-pieces. That part which in its native bed lies undermoft, has the exact appearance of a river; beyond that there is a margin of trees and fhrubs; next, another river; and a fertile fancy may very well imagine a high-bank on the further fide, covered with fhrubs and hanging woods. The Cotham ftones that I have seen have in them all the appearance of one or more rivers; but the other objects admit of variety in form and order in different ftones.'

In the defcription of St. George's, a newly erected parish not very diftant from the city of Bristol, the Editor, among other things concerning the church, farther remarks; 'It was confecrated Sept. 6, 1756. A revel is conftantly kept on the anniversary of the church's confecration, in pious commemoration of the divine goodness, in caufing this fabric at a great expence, to be founded and endowed, for the accommodation of the inhabitants in their weekly attendance on divine worship: which revel is moft devoutly celebrated by great numbers of the parishioners, and others, in the adjacent alc-houfes, with all the folemnities of an old pagan feftival; that is, drunkenness, gluttony, riot, debauchery, curfing and fwearing, fcolding and fighting, fiddling and dancing, Bacchanalian fongs, and midnight impurities!' Mr. Rudder alfo expreffes his furprize, that the worthy perfons concerned in erecting this church fhould have given it the name of St. George, a faint not to be found in the calendar of the church of England fince the Reformation.' He adds in a note the ftory of St. George, as it is related in

an

an ancient manuscript festival, written about the time of King Henry VI. and in the poffeffion of a particular friend, which may, he fays, ferve as a fpecimen of our language, of the credulity of the people, and of the ftate of religion at that time.'

We have particularly mentioned the above reflections relative to St. George's church, as manifefting, among other things, a good fpirit in the Editor of this work, and alfo as declaring a fact which ought to be generally known and cenfured.

We shall finish our account with obferving, that the Editor of this volume appears to us to have been very induftrious in preparing it for the public eye, and we efteem it a work in its kind which juftly merits notice and approbation.

ART. III. Political Annals of the prefent United Colonies, from their Settlement to the Peace of 1763. Book I. By George Chalmers, Efq. CONCLUDED. See our laft.

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FTER the free ftrictures which we have paffed on the

defign and fpirit of this work, it would be injustice to take leave of it without informing our Readers, that it is of great value as a collection of authentic materials, many of which had not before been brought to light. Befides the information which the Author has obtained from Acts of Afsemblies, and State Papers already published, he has collected many valuable papers from the records preferved in the Plantationoffice. Some of these we shall lay before our Readers.

The following depofition given to Charles II. against certain New-Englanders, with their defence, are too curious, both in matter and manner, to be omitted.

John Crown, gentleman, maketh oath, that, while he was at Bofton, in New England, foon after his Majefty's happy Reftoration, Goffe and Whaley, two of the execrable murderers of his Majesty's royal father, of bleffed memory, landed there; and, at their landing, were conducted to the house of John Endicot, then Governor of the Maffachufets colony, and that it was reported by all the deponent converfed with, that the faid Governor embraced them, bade them welcome to New England, and wished more fuch good men as they would come over. That, after the faid Goffe and Whaley refided fome time at Boston, visiting and being vifited by the principal perfons in the town, and that, among others, they vifited Mr. John Norton, the teacher of the principal independent church in the fa'd town, and one of thofe who came over with the addrefs and letter of the faid colony to his Majefty: That the deponent then boarded in the house of Mr. Norton, and was prefent when they visited him, and that he received them with great demonftrations of tenderness; that, after this the faid Goffe and Whaley went and refided in Cam. bridge, (the university of New-England, of which the deponent was a member,) and that, having acquaintance with many of that uni, verfity, he inquired of them how the faid Goffe and Whaley were

received;

received; and that it was reported to him by all perfons, that they were in exceeding great efteem for their parts; that they held meetings in their houfe, where they preached and prayed, and gained univerfal applause and admiration, and were looked upon as men dropped down from heaven; that this was the phrafe of all the deponent heard difcourfe about them, but that penitence for the horrid murder for which they fled did not appear to be any part of that piety, which fainted them in their efteem, for that Whaley faid openly, almost in all places where he came, that, if what he had done against the King were to be done, he would do it again; and that it was the general report of the place, that he was frequently heard to fay these words: That in the aforefaid town Whaley and Goffe refided, until commands came from his Majefty to the Governor of Maffachufets for their apprehenfion; but that thofe commands were neither executed, nor, to the beft of the deponent's remembrance, published, nor any proclamation or order, by their own authority, iffued out for it; otherwife it had been almoft impoffible for the murderers to escape as they did, by reafon of their living and converfing fo publicly, and their having no places to fly to, befides there being feveral loyal perfons in Boston, (though no members of the church or ftate,) who, if they might have had permiffion from the government, would have ventured to feize them and the deponent doth likewife remember, that, being afterwards in company of several merchants at Boston, and difcourfing of Hugh Peters and his execution, fome perfons did there fay, that there were many godly in New-England that dared not condemn what Hugh Peters had done.

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REMARK. Lord Say and Seal, when his glafs was almoft run out, informed the Governor of Maffachufers, in July, 1651; "must fay, for Mr. Crown, he hath appeared both here, in the "Council, and to the Lord Chamberlain and others, as really and "cordially for you as any could do, and hath allayed the ill opinion "of your cruelty against the Quakers.—I must request you will ac"cordingly requite Mr. Crown his love, care, and pains, for you." -See the letter in Hutch. Hift. 1 vol. 220.

Hutch. Hift. 1 vol. 210-11.-Candour requires, that, as all men fhould be allowed to speak their own justification, the people of Maffachufets fhould be permitted to tell their own ftory their own way the addrefs of the General-court is therefore fubjoined.-From N. Eng. Papers, 4 vol. p. 490.

"Moft gracious and dread Sovereign,

"May it please your Majefty (in the day wherein you happily fay, you now know, that you are again King over your British Ifrael) to caft a favourable eye upon your poor Mephibofeths now, and by reafon of lameness, in respect of diftance, not until now appearing in your prefence, we mean New England, kneeling, with the reft of your fubjects, before your Majefty, as her restored King. We forget not our ineptnefs as to thefe approaches. We at prefent own fuch impotency, as renders us unable to excufe our impotency of fpeaking unto our Lord the King: yet, contemplating fuch a King, who hath alfo feen adverfity, that he knoweth the hearts of exiles, who hath been himfelf an exile, the afpect of Majefty, thus extraordinarily circumftanced, influenceth and animateth exanimated out

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cafts

tafts, (yet outcafts as we hope for the truth) to make this address unto their prince, hoping to find grace in his fight: we prefent this fcrip, the tranfcript of our loyal hearts, into your royal hande, wherein we crave leave:

"To fupplicate your Majefly for your gracious protection of us, in the continuance both of our civil privileges, according to (and of our religious liberty, the grantees known end of) the patent conferred upon the Plantation by your royal father. This, this, viz. our liberty to walk in the faith of the gospel, with all good confcience, according to the order of the gofpel, (unto which the former, in thefe ends of the earth, are but fubfervient,) was the caufe of our tranfporting our felves, with our wives, our little ones, our fubftance, from that pleasant land, over the Atlantic Ocean, into this vaft and waste wildernefs; chufing rather the pure fcripture worship, with a good confcience, in this poor remote wilderness, among the heathens, than the pleafures of England, with fubjection to the then fo difpofed and fo far prevailing hierarchy, which we could not do without an evil confcience. For this caufe we are this day in a land, which lately was not fown, wherein we have conflicted with the fufferings thereof much longer than Jacob was in Syria. Our witness is in heaven, that we left not our country upon any diffatisfaction, as to the conftitution of the civil ftate: our lot, after the example of the good old non-conformist, hath been only to act a paffive part, through thefe late viciffitudes and fucceffive overturnings of ftate; our feparation from our brethren in this defert hath been, and is, a fuffering, bringing to mind the application of Jofeph; but providential exceptions of us thereby from the late wars, and temptation of either party, we account as a favour from God; the former clothes us with fackcloth, the latter with innocency.

"What reception, courtesy, and equanimity, thofe gentlemen and other adherers to the royal intereft, who in adverfe changes vifited thefe parts, were entertained with amongst us, according to the meannefs of our conditions, we appeal to their own reports.

"Touching complaints put in against us, our humble requeft only is, that, for the interim wherein we are dumb, by reason of abfence, your Majefty would permit nothing to make an impreffion upon your royal heart against us, until we have opportunity and licence to anfwer for ourselves. Few will be nocent, faid that impleader, if it be enough to deny; few will be innocent, replied the then Emperor, if it be enough to accufe.

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Concerning the Quakers, open capital blafphemers, open feducers from the glorious Trinity, the Lord's Chrift, our Lord Jefus Chrift, the bleffed gofpel, and from the holy fcriptures, as the rule of life, open enemies to government itself, as established in the hands of any but men of their own principles, malignant and affiduous promoters of doctrines directly tending to fubvert both our church and ftate after all other means, for a long time ufed in vain, we were at last constrained, for our own fafety, to pafs a fentence of banishment against them, upon pain of death; fuch was their dangerous, impetuous, and defperate turbulency to religion and to the ftate, civil and ecclefiaftical, as that, how unwilling foever, could it have been avoided, the magiftrate at last, in confcience both to God REV. July, 1780.

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and