Keiths, Lord Keith and Altrie, heritary Earls or Great Marshals of Scotland and heritable keepers of the Regalia, which for their safe custody were usually lodged in the castle of Edinburgh. At the time of the grand Rebellion against Charles 1. they were for security conveyed from the Castle of Edinburgh to the Castle of Dunotter; but the latter being besieged by the Rebels, some trusty persons, previous to its surrender, privately conveyed from thence the aforesaid Regalia, and in order to prevent them falling into the bands of Oliver Cromwell and his adherents, deposited them under-ground in the Church of King Kenneth, commonly called Kineff, about four miles dislant. At the same time Sir John Keith, third son of William then Earl Marshal, went abroad, and from thence, as had been concerted, wrote a letter to his friends in Scotland, acquainting them that he was safely arrived with the Regalia. This letter was industriously suffered to fall into the hands of the Oliverians, who thereupon gave over all hopes of finding them.

Upon the Restoration, King Charles the Second, in consideration of the services done by Sir William Keith, and as a reward for his singular loyalty, created him Knight Marshal, and entailed that dignity upon his family, with a pension suitable thereouto. At the same time granting bim an augmentation of arms to his paternal coat *. Afterwards, on the 26th of June 1677, his Majesty called him to his council, and honoured him with the title of Earl of Kintoir, Lord Keith of Inverarie and Keithstall. In 1682 he was one of the Privy Council, and made Lord Treasurer depute, in which office be continued till the Treasury was turned into a Commission, sometime after King James the Second's accession to the thrones.

Mr. URBAN,

W. R.

Harcourt-street, Dublin, July 6.

Face I addressed to you a letter, VE years have nearly elapsed

containing a prospectus of a topo

Gules, a scepter and sword saltyrways, with an imperial crown in chief, all proper, within au orle of eight thistles 01.

graphical work on Ireland, (see vol. LXXXV. ii. p. 197.)

Since that time I have been occupied in the business of compilation and arrangement, and have likewise printed one volume in quarto, intituled, "The History and Antiquities of the Collegiate and Cathedral Church of St. Patrick, Dublin; with Biographical Memoirs of its Deans." This volume is offered as a specimen of the work, and as a sample of the sort of materials which I have collected, and which I propose to give to the world, provided that the public shall deem it worthy of their encouragement.

The portion now published is not intended to occupy the station of a first volume when the work shall be completed; it is only presented first, because, from the concurrence of a variety of circumstances it was the soonest ready for publication. Having, however, commenced with the History of Cathedrals, I think it expedient to finish that part of my task before I proceed to any other; the next part will therefore comprise the History of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Dublin. These two portions, comprehending the History of the Cathedrals of the Metropolis of Ireland, will form one volume of the Work. Pursuant to the plan originally proposed, each Part will form within itself a distinct and perfect Work.

The Volume which is now before the publick, will perhaps be judged disproportioned in size-where so many pages are dedicated to the History of one Cathedral, some will be apt to question the possibility of keeping up a conformity in all its parts, without extending the Work to an extravagant size. To these objections the answer is; first, that it is not intended to treat so fully of the topography of places, or history of establishments which are not of the Metropolis; and secondly, the greater portion of the present volume is Occupied with the Life of Swift, whose private history is so identified with the political interests of Ireland public events of that nation could be that it may be doubted whether the during the age in which he lived, more properly related in any other place. To eradicate all the erroneous conceptions which the world have entertained relative to the character of that great man seemed to the

Author

Author a matter of no small importance; this could not be done in any way so satisfactorily, as by explain ing the particular interests of this country, to which the conduct of Swift was strictly conformable.-The Author is not conscious of having introduced any irrelevant matter into this memoir; whether those transactions are more properly related here, in the Life of Swift, or elsewhere in some other part of the work, is perhaps the only question; they are illustrative of the History of Ireland, and the developement of which is one of the chief objects of the present work.

Yours, &c. W. MONCK MASON.

THE

Mr. URBAN, May 13. THE following account of the creation of Anne Bullen to the dignity of a Marchioness by Hen. VIII. (which took place at Windsor, on Sunday, 1st of Sept. 1532, in the 24th year of his reign,) is extracted from a curious old MS. and which probably you will judge of sufficient interest to insert in your widely circulated Magazine.

"The King being set in his Chair of State in the Presence Chamber, and attended by most of his chief Nobility, the said Anne was thither conducted with a great train of Courtiers, both men and women. The Heralds went foremost; then Garter with the Charter; after whom the Lady Mary, daughter of Thomas Duke of Norfolk, upon her left arm carried a robe of estate of crimson velvet, furred with ermines, and in her right hand a coronet of gold. Then the said Anne, with her hair loose hanging about her shoulders, attired in her inward garment, or surcoat of crimson velvet, lined with ermine, also with straight sleeves going to the middest, between Eliza beth Countess of Rutland on her right hand, and Dorothy Countess of Sussex on her left; whom many noble ladies followed. But she being brought towards the King, thrice made her obeyzance, and coming unto him, fell down on her knees. The King gave the Charter, before delivered unto him, unto the Bishop

*She was created Marchioness of P'embroke. Rapin's History of England.

of Winchester, his Secretary, to be read, which as he was reading aloud at these words Mantella inductionem, the King put upon Anue the Marchioness, the robe of estate delivered to him by Lady Mary; and at the words Circuli aurei in Capite, &c. put also

on her head a coro net of gold. At length the Charter being read, the King gave unto her two Charters, one of her creation of a Marchioness, and to the heirs male of her body, the other for receiving a 1000 pounds yearly for the main tenance of that dignity-all which performed, she gave the King most humble thanks, and so having on her the robe of estate, and a coronet upon her head, with the trumpets aloud sounding, departed. W. R.

COPY of Quene Anne Bullen's Le ter to King Henrie the Eighth found amongst the Lord Cromwell papers.

"Sir,-Your Grace's displeasure, and my imprisonment, are thinges soe strange unto mee, as what to write or what to express, I am altogether ignorant.

mee,

"Whereas you send unto (willinge mee to express a truth, and soe to obtayne your favour) by such a one whome you knowe to bee my antient professed enemye, I noe sooner received this messuage, when I rightlie conceived your meaning; and if, as you say, confesseing a truth, indeed may procure my saftie, I shall, with all willingness, and dutie, performe your command; but lett not your Grace ever imagine that your poore wife will ever bee brought to acknowledge a faulte, where not so much as a thought ever proceeded; and to speake truthe neverr prince had wife more loyall in all dutie, and in all true affection, then you have ever found in Anne Bullen, with what name and place I should willinglie have contented myselfe, if God, and your Grace's pleasure, had soe been pleased; neither did I at any time forget my selfe, in exaltation or reverenced Queenneshipp, but that I always lookt for such an al teration as now I find; for the ground of my preferment being on noe sure foundation, when your Grace's fancie

+ Payable out of the Revenues of the Bishopric of Durham. Rapin's Hist. Eng.

the

the least alteration whereof I know was fitt and sufficient to draw that fancie to somme other favourite; you have chosen me from a lowe estate to bee your Queenne and companion, farr beyond my deserte or desire; if then you find mee worthie of such honour, would your Grace lett not any light fancie, or bad councell of my enemyes draw your princely favour from mee, neither lett that staine, that unworthie staine of a disloyall harte towards your good Grace, ever cast soe foule a blotte on your most dutifull wife, and the infant princesse your daughter: Try mee, good Kinge, but lett mee have a lawful Tryall, and lett not my sworne enemyes sit as my accusers and judges; you lett mee receive an open tryall, for my truth shall feare noe open shame, then shall you see either my innocence cleared, your suspicion and conscience satisfied, the ignominie and the slauder of the world stopped, or my guilte openly declared, soe that whatsoever God or you may determyne of mee your Grace may bee free from an opeu censure, and my offence being soe lawfullie proved, your Grace is at libertie, both before God and man, not only to execute worthie punishment on mee, as an unfaithfull wife, but to follow your affection already settled on that partie for whose sake I am not as I am, whose name I would somme good while since have poynted unto your Grace, being not ignorant of my suspicion therein, but if you have already determyned of mee, and that not onely my death, but an infamous slander must bring them the enioying of your desired happiness, then I desire of God, that hee will pardon your sinns therein, and likewise my enemeys the instrumente thereof, and that bee will not call you to a strickt accompt for your unprincely and cruel usage of mee at his general judgment seate, where both you and my selfe must shortlie appeare, and in whose iust judgment I doubt not, whatsower the world may think of mee, my innocence shall bee openly known and suffi. cientlie cleared. My last, and onely request shall bee, that my selfe may bare the burthen of your grave dis pleasure, and that it may not touch the innocent soules of those poore gentlemen, whom (as I understand) GENT. MAG. July, 1820.

Ancient Anecdotes, &c. from VALERIUS MAXIMUS, by Dr. CAREY, West Square. (Continued from p. 519.)

BU say a few words in reply to your Correspondent," BOTH SIDES," (parti. p.424) who wishes me to notice the variations occurring in the narratives of other authors, who have related the same facis. I am (as he obligingly supposes) not unapprised of the existence of those different statements: and, if I were, I could derive the necessary information from the marginal references in Kappe's edition, from which I edited the pocket volume of Valerius, lately published, and which I still use in making these extracts for the Gentleman's Magazine. But, granting this, I still claim a little indulgence.-If, with a view to either profit or fame, I were to publisha just volume" of "Ancient Anecdotes," the reader would undoubtedly have a right to expect that I should have noticed the variations of the different narrators. But, in the present case, I have simply undertaken to give extracts from Valerius alone : and, asthese, and any other communications of mine to any periodic publication, are all gratuitous; it were perhaps not unreasonable in me to expect, that those readers who derive any gratification from the perusal of these anecdotes, should rather be satisfied with what little I have done, than displeased at my leaving any thing undone.-And now to the Anecdotes themselves.

UT first, Mr. Urban, allow me to

The poet Euripides showed a bold contempt of public opinion, which few modern Dramatists, would ven

ture

ture to imitate. During the performance of one of his tragedies, the audience expressed their disapprobation of a certain passage, and desired that it should be expunged. But the Poet, stepping forward - on the stage, declared aloud, that he composed his pieces for the purpose of giving, not of receiving, instruction. Lib. 3, 7, 1 Extern.

On another occasion, that Bard happening to mention to a contemporary dramatist, that, during three days of laborious study, he had not been able to produce more than three lines; the other, in a tone of exultation, observed that he himself had, with perfect ease, written a hundred verses in the same space. "But," replied Euripides, "there is this material difference between your verses and mine, that yours will not live above three days, whereas mine will live for ever" which confident prediction we may consider as verified; since so many of his pieces, after having survived the lapse of twoand-twenty centuries, are now, by the aid of typography, placed beyond the reach of destruction, while the productions of that more ready writer are all extinct and forgotten.-Ibid.

Antigenidas, an eminent performer on the flute, having introduced one of his disciples to play in the public theatre at Athens, the latter, though a good proficient in his art, was unsuccessful in his first efforts to please the audience. The master, however, disregarding the expression of their displeasure, boldly stepped forward, to encourage his pupil, and, addressing him aloud, "Play on," said he, "to me and the Muses."-Lib. 3, 7, 2 Extern.

When Zeuxis had finished his celebrated portrait of Helen, he felt so conscious of its superior excellence, that, without waiting for the public opinion on his performance, he added to the picture those lines from the third book of the Iliad, which Pope has thus translated, or paraphrased:

"No wonder, such celestial charms For nine long years have set the world in

arms.

What winning graces! what majestic mien! She moves a goddess, and she looks a queen;"

(on which, by the bye, it may not be amiss to observe to the English reader, that this anticlimax, from the

goddess to the queen, does not appear in the text of Homer, where, instead of the latter couplet, we find the single idea, that, "in countenance, she bears a strong [or wonderful] likeness to the immortal goddesses.”)— Lib. 3, 7, 3 Extern.

A lame Spartan, joining the ranks of his countrymen to march against the enemy, and being ridiculed by some bystander for going to battle under that disadvantage, replied, that his intention was, to fight, not to run away.-Lib. 3, 7, 8 Ext.

Another Spartan, going to oppose the Persians, and hearing some person observe that the showers of their arrows were sufficient to darken the light of the sun, replied: "I am glad to hear it. We shall fight the more comfortably in the shade."—Ibid. (To be continued.)

OF HOMER.

Mr. URBAN, Queen's Sq. Bloomsbury.

ALEXANDER the Great having

found a rich little coffer among Darius's spoils, gave orders that it should be reserved for him to keep his Homer in, saying, that " he was the best and most faithful counsellor he had in his military affairs;" for the same reason Cleomenes, the son of Anaxandridas, said, that "he was the Lacedæmonian Poet, because he was the best master for the discipline of war."

This singular and particular commendation is also left of him in the judgment of Plutarch, that "he is the only author in the world that never glutted his readers, presenting himself always in different lights, and always flourishing in somenew grace."

The merry droll Alcibiades, having asked one who pretended to learning, for a book of Homer, gave him a box on the ear because he had none, which he thought as scandalous as we should for one of our priest's robe without a breviary *.

Zenophanes complained one day to Hiero, the tyrant of Syracuse, that "he was so poor, that he had not wherewithal to maintain two servants." The tyrant replied, "Homer, who was much poorer than you are, keeps above ten thousand now he is dead." W. R.

Mr. URBAN,

THE

HE following is a copy of the opinion of Clarencieux King of Arms, as to whom the Pulpit Cloth at solemn funerals belongs; and as the right to this cloth is at the present day often disputed, perhaps you will give this Opinion a place in your Magazine, for the information of all whom it may concern. W.R.

"To all and singular Magistrates and Ministers, ecclesiastical aud civil, whom this case may concern, or in anywise appertains, or before whom these presents may come, to be seen, heard, or read, and to every of them greeting :-Know ye, that by means of a late controversy grown between a Parson of a Church in London, and his Parish Clerk, to whom the Pulpit Cloth should or ought to belong or appertain at solemn funerals, the Church or

at least whom it may concern. history of it is this:

The

In the year 1793 I had been, fʊr some years, in expectation of the fulfilment of a promise from the Minister for some preferment, that should be tenable with what I then held. I was advised to ascertain what livings of that nature were in his gift; to look out for any vacancy occurring therein; and to make, as soon as possible, my application for it. Accordingly, I drew out for this purpose, from "Bateman's Royal Ecclesiastical Gazetteer," a list of such livings. But finding one amongst them rated in the King's Book exactly at 207. and understanding that it was a matter of doubt whether the Minister or the Lord Chancellor bad the

black, the said controversie resting as yet undecided (although in question before the Ordinary), for the avoiding of all such further question or strife which might growe, touching the premises; I, Robert Cooke, alias Clarencieux principal Herald and King of Arms of the East, West, and South parts of this realm of England, from the river of Trent Southwards, being earnestly requested and desired of the said Parish Clerks of the City of London, to shew myne opinion and knowledge unto whom justly the said Pulpit Cloth doth belong and appertaine at all solemn funerals; at whose request I the said Clarencieux King of Arms, do give therein my diffiuitte sentence, both by authentic and knowledge, that at any funeral of any estate whatsoever, the Pulpit Cloth doth belong and rightly appertaineth unto the Parish Clerk, without any manner of exception, whither the Pulpit stand in the Quoyre or body of the Church; all whiche to justifie for truth, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office, the xvth day of September, in the year of our Lord, 1589, and in the xx1 year of the reign of our Sovereigne Ladie Elizabeth, by the Grace of God, Queen of England, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. "ROBERT COOKE, alias

rated, I procured access to the Church Book, in the Secretary of State's Office, for the purpose of a search as to what had been the practice. This report, if it may be so called, was the result; a copy of which was sent to the Secretary of the Minister.

CLERICUS SURRIENSIS PRIMUS.

Report upon an Examination into the Right and Practice of Presentation to Ecclesiastical Benefices by the Minister, and by the Lord Chancellor, for the Time being. Νου. 1793.

THE RIGHT OF PRESENTATION IN THE CROWN.

1. "The King is Patron paramount of all Benefices in England. In virtue of which the right and care of filling all such Churches as are not regularly filled by other patrons, belongs to the Crown." Gibson, 803.

2. "The King hath right to present to all dignities and benefices of the advowson of archbishoprics and bishoprics, during the vacation of the sees." Ibid.

3. " Upon promotion of any person to a bishopric, the King hath right to present to such benefices or dignities as the person was possessed of before such promotion. This right of presenting upon promotion by the King, as making the avoid. ance which would not otherwise happen, is now an uncontested right of the Crown." Ibid.

THE RIGHT OF PRESENTATION BY

THE LORD CHANCELLOR.

“The Lord Chancellor, or Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, for the time being, hath the privilege of presenting to the King's Benefices under the yearly value of 20

marks,