"Implored so long in vain, at last is come

The hour that leads me to a peaceful home."
(Page 586).

and leaving behind him, in the estimation of critics, a surely awaiting fame, although the public has failed to admire his "Imaginary Conversations." The vast stores of his entire works embrace forty or fifty thousand lines of verse and some three thousand large and closely-printed pages of prose, of which, says George Saintsbury, in his review (Macmillan's Magazine, February, 1893), “the verse might almost always be, according to the old trick, 'unrhymed' and made into prose with but slight alterations; the prose, with certain allowances for greater exuberance and verbosity, in parts might with hardly greater trouble be arranged into Landorian verse."

LLANTHONY ABBEY.

By the Rev. JOHN DAVIES, of Pandy.

THERE are two important descriptions of Llanthony Abbey in the Archæologia Cambrensis, one is by the late Rev. George Roberts, M.A., of Monmouth, the other by the late Professor Freeman, the eminent historian and archæologist. Mr. Roberts' description appeared in the year 1846, and has been published since in a pamphlet form, and Mr. Freeman's appeared some ten years later.

Mr. Roberts has entered largely into the history of the Abbey, which he has worked out at considerable length and with great success. Mr. Roberts infers that the Church now remaining is the original one, and that the architectural details confirm his views. Mr. Freeman, on the other hand, has not entered into the general history of the foundation, but he has given a remarkably lucid and exhaustive architectural history of the remains of the Church and other buildings of the Monastery. Mr. Roberts says that Llanthony was built between 1108 and 1136, but much nearer the former date than the latter, as it was abandoned for Gloucester at the latter period. He puts therefore the completion of the structure not later than the year 1115. Mr. Freeman says that such an early date is impossible, and proves this beyond all gainsaying, if the details can speak for themselves. Mr. Roberts has taken for granted that the present Church at Llanthony was the one founded by Hugh de Lacy, Earl of Hereford, in 1108. The architectural style of the Church proves beyond any doubt that the work belongs to a later period than that between 1108 and 1115. If the work was carried on between these dates, we should have expected to find almost everything Norman in the architecture, but Llanthony has nothing Norman about it, except that it retains the cushion-capital in its decorative shafts, and the round arch in some of its smaller apertures. The Church could not have been built till the very last year of the 12th, or the first years of the 13th century.

Llanthony is later than the earliest parts of St. David's and earlier than the nave of Llandaff, so that it stands in date between the two South Wales Cathedral Churches.

The earliest transitional building in England, according to Mr. Freeman, is Malmesbury Abbey, commenced about 1135, and is thoroughly Norman, except that its pier-arches are obtusely pointed, whereas the transitional work at Llanthony is far in advance of this, the west front being nearly confirmed lancet-work. Mr. Roberts puts the completion of the work at Llanthony not later than 1115: if such was the case we should have expected the work to be nearly all Norman.

Mr. Roberts' notion, and that of others who have followed him, of the present Church at Llanthony being the original must therefore be condemned. Architectural science is against it, and if architectural science proves anything, it proves that Mr. Roberts has taken the present building at Llanthony for an earlier one. The style of the present Church is a complete 13th century style.

The Church had three massive towers-a central one, and the others at the end of the two aisles. It had transepts, the eastern limb, as was usual down to the 12th century, being a short one.

Llanthony Church evidently was built during the transition from the round arch to the pointed, and the styles are intermingled throughout the whole building.

The great constructive arches are pointed, and the transept window has a round-headed light. The corbel shafts have the same capitals, and are grouped the same as St. David's. The great east window was put in in the 14th century, and this is the only change of importance in the main body of the Church.

Mr. Roberts appears to be wrong again in the historical details of the Abbey. He brings down the minute details of its history to 1178, and only adds that the establishment "fell into contempt and ruin in the time of Edward IV." Mr. Freeman shows that Llanthony Abbey continued to exist until the time of the dissolution, and was only annexed to the Gloucester Llanthony by that king. The house at Llanthony in Monmouthshire was undoubtedly re-built, and there is no historical evidence against the re-building, which architectural science makes perfectly certain.

The monks got tired at their home in Monmouthshire before they had been there thirty years; they wished to get their foundation removed to Gloucester. The Monmouthshire house was Llanthony the first, and the Monastery built at Gloucester was Llanthony the second.

During the 12th century there was a single Prior and a single set of monks dwelling in one or other of the two Abbeys. The deed of Edward IV. set forth separate priors, separate monks, and separate properties. How this separation

was made is uncertain. During the establishing of the Gloucester house, the old Church in the vale of the Honddu, would probably be neglected, and when the relations of the two foundations were finally settled, and the Monmouthshire Llanthony became a distinct establishment, the old Church at the latter place was re-built.

Mr. Freeman puts the re-building about the year 1200, the work being gradually done, so that some portions date from the 14th century.

Mr. Roberts, in his History of Llanthony, takes for granted that the Church, founded in 1108, is the existing Church. Also he takes for granted that the old Church was altogether abandoned when the second Llanthony was founded.

When the Woolhope Club visited Llanthony on July 28th, 1891, a sepulchral slab attracted the attention of the members of the Club after the president, the Rev. Sir G. H. Cornewall, Bart., described the ruins of the Abbey. This slab is fatal to Mr. Roberts' theory-namely, that the buildings "fell into ruin and contempt " before the end of the 12th century :-the ornamentations on this stone prove that the establishment existed at Llanthony the first in the 13th century. Here we have a real 13th century slab, of somewhat advanced character, and which would, to a certain extent, show that the monks at that period were settled in their Monmouthshire house.

CERTAIN USEFUL SUBJECTS OF SCIENTIFIC

INVESTIGATION.

By the Rev. J. O. BEVAN, M. A., F.G.S., F.R.M.S., Vicar of Vowchurch, Hereford.

LIFE, no doubt, is short; but after all, it is not intended to be measured by length of days alone, but by the feelings, thoughts, and events which conspire to make it memorable, and to fill it to fulness. Again, knowledge, doubtless, is inexhaustible, but in the multitude of investigators there is safety, and we indulge the hope that it may yield some facts, year by year, to the circle of the sciences, and respond to the cry uttered (with more or less of anguish) by each of us-"Let there be greater light, and may knowledge grow with time."

All of us have the main work of our life shaped out by circumstances which involve inexorable fate that is the utile, and leads to many ways of obtaining bread, and perhaps butter. But there is also a divinity within, controlled by our own aspirations alone, which thirsts for the acquisition of knowledge-that knowledge which may be loved for its own sake, and with a freedom from all sordid thoughts (a). This divinity leads us to belong to the Woolhope Club.

It is the opinion of many a heathen man and publican that this Club exists but for the purpose of providing its members with a certain number of pic-nics in a year-flowering off with what is called "a Ladies' Day," but we who are in the secret know better, and claim that our right to exist is founded solely upon our devotion to science.

I take the liberty, then, on this occasion, of bringing under your notice certain useful subjects for scientific investigation. All those whom I have the honour of addressing are familiar with the progress of present-day investigation in different branches of science, but it may be allowed to a weakling like myself to bring all this before the Club in one view, if only by way of justification of one's own position. By your favour, during the past three years, I have been successively appointed a delegate to the meetings of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. This body has admitted our Club to the rank of a Corresponding Society, and the representatives of all similar societies, assembled in solemn conclave last year in Leeds, were invited to lay before their Clubs the various subjects touched upon by the different sections of the British Association and its associated Committees and affiliated societies, and to invite the cooperation of all Clubs such as ours, either in their corporate capacity, or through their individual members. The general work and aims of what I may call the central, or parent, Association are set forth, in a most interesting manner, in the annual reports, now regularly forwarded to our Secretary.

The advantage of engaging in a business-like and methodical manner in one or more of the departments of observation favoured by the British Association are very apparent.

(a.) As regards individuals. It leads a man out of himself, causes him to forget his daily worrying round of duties, prevents his preying too much on his fellow creatures, sets him on that most interesting of the equine tribe, a hobby horse, stimulates thought, gives a changed and useful direction to his energies, and tends to develop many a Gilbert White, a Waterton, a Phillips, and a Buckland. (b.) As regards the mass. It softens the manners, and renders them less fierce. The popularization of knowledge tends to culture, even in the case of men possessed of but few natural advantages, as witness the case of the Scotch naturalists, Dick and Edwards, as related by Smiles.

(c.) As regards our Club. An increase of its activity and usefulness will tend to enlarge its constituency. In addition, it will evoke a new spirit of affection and loyalty on the part of the members.

(d.) As regards science in general. Science is thoroughly democratic and generous to all. She suffers all worshippers to enter into the holy place, and displays her arcana to all, without distinction of age, or race, or rank, or sex. The humblest votary may be entrusted with some of her choicest secrets if only she be wooed with diligence and self-abandonment.

Each member of the Club, without exception, has various energies and capacities which can be regularly exercised in her service. The results will not fail to bring about not only the good of the individual, but the good of all,— further, they will ultimately lead ad majorem gloriam Dei.

In time to come the Club may see fit to undertake extended investigation on more than one line. (I am not, of course, forgetting what has already been done.) This, as I have said, will not only increase its usefulness, but also its popularity. It will bring about its affiliation with other Clubs (b), it will lead to an exchange of publications (c), the enlargement of its Museum and Library, and a system of exchanges also in respect of objects contained in these (d). It will tend to periodical visits to other provincial towns, such as York, Chester, Oxford, Cambridge, where there is a wealth of interest too little accounted of. It will forge a link in the chain of scientific evolution and progress. Now, many important observations are made only to be neglected. Many more are noted, but are of little value, inasmuch as they are not tabulated, systematized, compared, and correlated with others. From these comparisons of one fact with another, noted at the same time, and again at distant intervals, are to be learned the wisest and surest teachings of the Book of Nature, and of the changes wrought by the tooth of Time.

My subsequent remarks will form little more than a catalogue of subjects, to a greater or less degree worked upon at the fringe by Committees already in existence, and suggested for further observation and elucidation by the authorities of the British Association.

(a.) It may be allowed here to quote the practice of a Club at Cambridge, composed of students of a particular and exclusive branch of learning, whose toast at each assembly was"Here's to pure mathematics, and may they never be of use to anybody."

(b.) The Midland Union of Natural History Societies is a striking instance of the value of federation.

(c. and d.) A suggestion has been put forth that exchanges might advantageously be conducted through a central depôt in London.