This writer, in examining the high antiquity of Regiam Majeftatem, pleads the cause of Edward I. whom he calls a tyrant, What benefit, fays he, could Edward derive from deftroying a few infignificant parchments ? A conqueror, continues he, like Edward I. had no occafion to deftroy harmless charters, or monaftic chronicles, if poflible, ftill more harmless.' According to this doctrine, a writer of the English history in the year 2319, may fay: Nothing can better convince us of the futility of the English hiftory, than the ridiculous fuppofition that about the year 1747, a British parliament, then thought the most auguft affembly of any in the world fhould deliberate for a whole feffion, whether the poor abject Highlanders of Scotland fhould not be obliged to clothe their backfides, nay, to lay afide the fimple claffical apparel of their ancestors. A legiflature like that of Great Britain cannot be fuppofed to have had any fuch averfion to naked pofteriors, though not cafed in breeches, or an apparel that was ufed by the Romans themselves. What inconfiftencies will not writers, fond of particular notions, run themselves into? and, what is ftill more extraordinary, thofe abfurdities have been favoured by authors not quite deftitute of learning, even fo far back as the year 1980."

Thus far our hiftorian of the 24th Century. A contemporary critic, may, perhaps, anfwer, that the facts rest upon unqueftionable authorities; and that it was a facrifice made by the legislators of those days to the delicacy of their ladies; another may fay, with more juftice, that the government refolving to root out every thing that could fuggeft an idea of a future rebellion, very wifely abolished a diftinction of dress, which notorioufly operated to that purpofe. What could conduce more to Edward the firft's fcheme of incorporation, or rather fubjection, than to endeavour to deftroy all the evidences that could revive the opinion of their independency in the minds of Scotchmen? Was it not for that purpose, that he removed from Scotland even the harmless stone and rotten chair, that are ftill to be feen in Weftminster-Abbey?

Having faid thus much, we very readily acknowledge, that many Scotch records of great antiquity efcaped Edward and his agents; but this appears to have been through the public Spirit of the barons and churchmen of those days; and the records of that kingdom, feem to have fuffered more from the fanaticism of the reformers than the ambition of their conquerors. This writer is candid enough to admit of the anachronism we already pointed out in our Review of lord Littelton's Hiftory, as if the Regiam Majeftatem had been com

See Ibid. p. 87.

pofed

pofed in the reign of David II. We agree with him as to the character he gives Ferrarius, who, we believe, was a foreign coxcomb in literature; and that it would be no difficult matter to ascertain the principal papers that were carried off by Edward I. from Scotland, especially as we have an inventory of those that were carried to London in his predeceffor's reign, published by Rymer.

The reader will pardon us for extending this article to some length, as the fubject of it is a work of great industry and critical difcernment; and as we were, in fome measure, interested in defending our former opinion concerning the celebrated code of the Scotch law. As to the other parts of this work, we think them well worthy the perufal of every antiquary; nor are we at all an advocate for the authenticity of the Mac Alpine laws, or the Chronicle of Kinlofs.

The catalogue of the lords of feffion from the inftitution of the college of juftice in the year 1532, is attended with fome curious hiftorical notes which must be very entertaining to thofe who study the laws and history of Scotland,

II. The Romish Horfeleech; or, an impartial Account of the intelerable Charge of Popery to this Nation, in an Hiftorical Remembrance of fome of those prodigious Sums of Money heretofore extorted from all Degrees, during the Exercife of the Papal Power bere. To which is annexed, An Essay of the Supremacy of the King of England. By Thomas Stavely, Efq. 8vo. Pr. 31. 6d. Davies.

Homas Stavely, Efq. of Cuffington in Leicestershire, was admitted of the Inner-Temple, July 2, 1647, and was called to the bar the 12th of June, 1654. He was fteward of the court of records at Leicester, and died 1683.' Such is the brief account this editor has been able to give of the excellent antiquary, the author of the work before us. It was published in the reign of Charles II. when the nation, with horror, beheld the impending danger of a popish fucceffor to the crown, and it undoubtedly had its effect; but, like other temporary fervices, the danger being over, it was configned to oblivion. Without enquiring too minutely into the reasons of this republication, or whether a late survey discovered the number of Roman Catholics in England to have been greater than is generally mentioned; and, indeed, without any confideration to the present state of popery in Great Britain, this work is a valuable repofitory of hiftorical facts, and places within a fhort compass an accurate and distinct view

of

of the Romish exacions in former times. This elucidation does the highest and most important fervice to the civil, as well as religious, hiftory of this country.

The following paffage informs us of a moft curious text from cardinal Pole's works, which we do not remember to have feen quoted in the late controverfy concerning that fodemn tool of flavery and fuperftition *.

Then, when Chrift, fays our author, told St. Peter, that he would make him a fisher of men, though poffibly the innocent and meek apoftle, not fully apprehending the full import of that right which thereby was conferred on him, applied himfelf to a kind of fpiritual fishing, hunting after fome mystical fishes, to inclofe them in the net of fome invisible kingdom in the heavens; and cardinal Pool interprets the donation thus: thou and thy fucceffors fhall have dominion over all men, ruling over kings, and commanding, regulating, and cafting out emperors: yet the good apoftle's more illuminated fucceffors, have now hit upon the true import and meaning, and conclude that Chrift did not only give them a power to fish for men, but for money alfo, and for that purpose conferred on them a right to fish in all fecular ponds and rivers.'

The reader, perhaps, may have a very laudable curiofity to be particularly informed of the different heads with which this hydra, called the Romish horfeleech was furnished. We fhall therefore gratify his defire, and leave him to wonder how any kingdom could furvive fuch copious evacuations of treasure, Peter-Pence.-Firft fruits aud tenths.-Confirmation and admiffion-money.-Legatine levies.-King John's penfion. -Appeals. Difpenfations Indulgences, pardons Reliques, Agnus Dei's, croffes, pictures, &c.-Rood of grace, images, miracles.-Jubilees, pilgrimages.-Offerings, gifts, prefents, &c.Collections, contributions, courts, jurifdictions.Contributions for the Holy Land.-Croifado's.-Ambaffadors, agents. Strangers beneficed. Priories aliens. Knights templars and hofpitallers,-Elections of popes and cardinals.Siding in fchifms.-English popes and cardinals.-Canonifations. Pope's legates, collectors, &c.-Caurfins, Lombards.Complaints of the people-Sums exhaufted.-Abbies, monafteries, &c.-Chanteries, free chapels, colleges.-Shrines, reliques, &c. Itinerary priefts, confecrations, vifitors, courts, confeffions, &c.-Purgatory, with its dependents.-Maffes, anniversaries, obits, requiems, dirges, placebo's, trentals, lamps, &c. The place and torments of purgatory.

See Vol, xvii. p. 413, & paffim.

If our readers are amazed at the variety of the means for draining England of its money, he must be no lefs fo at the credulity of the people. England at that time contained a knife belonging to our Saviour, the hairs of the blessed Virgin, some of St. Paul's blood, the hand of St. John the evangelift, the relics of the apostles Andrew and Philip, the ear which Peter cut off from Malchus, a piece of St. Andrew's cross, the Virgin Mary's girdle was fhewn in eleven places, and her milk in eight; nothing was more common than her fmocks, the wood of the holy cross was feen in twenty places, the coals that broiled St. Laurence and two ribs of the fame martyr were feen in a cryftal veffel. The catalogue of these and two or three hundred other relics is clofed with the three following.

The image of an angel with one wing, which brought hither the fpear's-head that pierced Chrift's fide-an image of our Lady, with a taper in her hand, as burned nine years without wafting, till, one forfwearing himself thereon, it went out, and was then found to be but a piece of wood-our Lady of Worcefter, from which certain veils and dreffings being taken away, there appeared the ftatute of a bishop ten feet high.'

Our author next gives us the hiftory of the Rood of Grace at Bexley in Kent, which being made with divers vices and wires to turn the eyes and move the lips, was fhewed publickly at Paul's cross, by John bishop of Rochester, and there broken, and pulled in pieces, the people laughing at that which they adored but an hour before.'

This republication must give an Englishman of the prefent age a very fenfible mortification, efpecially as all the inftances of credulity, fuperftition, tyranny and imposture adduced by the author are fupported by unquestionable authorities.

III. A Chronological Hiflory of the Weather and Seafons, and of the prevailing Difeafes in Dublin. With their various Periods, Succeffions, and Revolutions, during the Space of forty Years. With a comparative View of the Difference of the Irish Climate and Difeafes, and thofe of England and other Countries. By John Rutty, M. D. 8vo. Pr, 6s. Robinson and Roberts.

THE

HE influence of the air in producing difeafes, was one of the first obfervations which were made in the practice of phyfic; and the medical faculty remaining satisfied with that general doârine, it is only of late that they have thought of confirming it by chronological hiftories of the weather. Of the writers who have directed their industry to this fpecies of ob

fervation,

fervation, the author of the work before us may be reckoned amongst the most confiderable; as he exhibits a hiftory of the weather and prevailing diseases in Dublin, during a period of no less than forty years. This hiftory has been drawn up from diaries, regularly kept, both of the weather and diseases; but the author, apprehending that the proxility of a journal, on one hand, would deter moft men from reading it, and on the other, that quarterly or yearly accounts would not be fufficiently explicit, has reduced the diaries of the weather into monthly registers, and contracted the accounts of the diseases. But that our readers may be the better enabled to judge of the method, we fhall present them with the hiftory of the weather for the year 1725, the period at which the register commences. SPRING.

March was moftly fair and pleafant, fometimes sharp and cold the eleventh high winds at S. E. The principal winds N. E.

April was alternately fair, cloudy, and fhowery. The twentieth and twenty-firft a good deal of rain. The principal winds S. W.

• May exhibited a good deal of fair weather, but with clouds and rain interfperfed. The twenty-feventh and twenty-eighth ftormy: the twelfth and twentieth hot, towards the end cold. The principal winds N. E. and S. W. In the fpring intermitting fevers appeared, which vanished at the beginning of fummer alfo fome exanthematous fevers appeared, which, for the most part, were not dangerous.

SU MME R.

June. Frequent and very plentiful rains, not many fair days, though it concluded fair and very hot. From the seventh to the feventeenth very cold and unpleafant. The twentythird stormy and cold. The principal winds W.

July. Rain and cold winds prevailed until the twentythird, and S. W. winds. The feventh and eighth ftormy.

July. From the twenty-third to the end moftly fair, fometimes warm with S. E. and E. winds.

Auguft. The beginning was moftly fair, but the remainder was frequently cloudy, wet, and cold. The ninth, fixteenth, and twenty-third, much rain, the principal winds W. and S. W. In fummer there was a purple petechial fever, chiefly among the poor, and it was not mortal.

AUTUMN.

September. The first half for the moft part fair, and frequently hot the latter half there were frequent rains, and it

was