monastery with water, and was called our Lady's Well. On the north was their garden, before the building of the town wall, in that ward. Their garth extended from Westgate to Tyneside, says Leland.

Many were the gifts and endowments conferred upon this ancient monastery, by kings, nobles, bishops, and opulent private persons; among the latter was the beneficent Roger Thornton, who generoufly supplied them with lead for repairing the roof of the priory; but it would be uninteresting to the generality of our readers to inform them of their names and families.

It is to be observed, however, that notwithstanding the darkness which superstition had spread over the Christian world in the 12th century, when few of the clergy could read their breviary, much less interpret the scriptures to their flocks; yet some gleams of the light of learning began to dawn, and difpel the gloom; and in this receptacle of recluses there were some men of talents far from being contemptible.

Among the more enlightened, says the famous John Knox, of Scotland, in his valuable history of the reformation, was one Richard Marshal, prior of the Black Friars in Newcastle upon Tyne. Happening to come to St. Andrew's, in Scotland, about the year 1551, he chose for the subject of his discourse a most material point of doctrine, viz. Whether the Paternofter should be addressed to faints departed? which he confidered as implying supreme adoration, but which he decided to be applicable only to the supreme Being. This discourse raised a great ferment in the minds of many of the great doctors of that university: while they saw, with concern, that the opinion opinion of prior Marshal was exceedingly agreeable to many of the principal people of the audience.---To crush this embryo of heresy, they employed one Tofts, a white friar, to impugn the positions of Marfhal; who accordingly mounted the sacred roftrum, and obferved, "When we fee an old man, we fay to him, pater, or father; and if he be a relation in the family, we fay, our father, or pater-noster; and in the subsequent parts of that address, he was still more infufferably ridiculous, so much so, that the whole audience run out of the church with indignation; and having become the scoff and jest of the town, he quitted it with shame and disgrace.

Mr Knox mentions another incident upon this doughty contest, equally diverting, and no less decifive. The prior, in preparing to go to the cathedral, was modestly asked by his servant, who was helping him on with his canonicals, what might be the cause that seemed to give him so much uneasiness? He replied, with a tigh, "We are, Tom, quite at a lofs, whether we should say the Pater to departed saints. "Hut, hut," replies Tom, brushing his revered master, "say the Pater to God alone, and give the faints aves and credos their fill, and with such they may think themselves very well off." The prior, laughing heartily at Tom's divinity, added, "I do not know but you may be right."

When Henry VIII. actuated by enmity to the pope, and still more by a love to the immense treafures found in the dens of these poor brethren, was fuppreffing all the monasteries in his dominions, this of Black Friars fuffered the same fate of the others. Accordingly it was surrendered, as it was termed, on January 10th, 1551, to the king, and the prior and brethren

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brethren turned out. But his Majesty was pleased to make a grant of the Black Friars' monastery to the town of Newcastle, in confideration of their paying fifty-three pounds seven shillings and fixpence; together with the house, chapel, and other conveniences, the two gardens, the whole close within the Westgate, another close of three acres of land, and a house called the Gate-house.

As the fuppreffion of the monasteries throughout England was an event little expected by the fee of Rome, and especially by Henry, a zealous papist, we shall here subjoin a copy of the surrender, by the priors, abbots of the monasteries, unto the king's power; which strongly describes the terror with which that mighty tyrant struck the whole clergy of his realm.

A COPY.

" Forasmuch as we, the prior and friars of this house of brethren, called Black Friars, in Newcastle, do profoundly confider, that the perfection of Chriftian living does not confist in some ceremonies, wearing of a black cloak or coat, disguising of ourselves after strange fashions, docking, and becking, wearing scapulars and hoods, and other like papistical ceremonies, wherein we have been most principally practised and nose-led in times paft; but the very true way to please God, and to live a true Christian man, without hypocrisy, and feigned diffimulation, is fincerely declared to us by our Master Christ, his evangelists and apostles; being minded hereafter to follow the fame, conforming ourselves to the will and pleafure of our fupreme head, under God, on earth, the king's majesty; and are not to follow, henceforth, the super. superstitious traditions of any forenfical potentate or power-with mutual affent and consent, do submit ourselves unto our faid fovereign lord; and, with the like afssent and consent, do surrender," &c. &c.

Signed by the prior and fix friars.

How mortifying must it have been to the clergy of those times to comply with such an arbitrary mandate, to be driven from their rich and sumptuous refidences, and exposed to the contempt and hootings of the versatile and indiscriminating multitude!---Yet even this alternative was preferable to being instantly put to a cruel and dreadful death; which would infallibly have been the reward of disobedience to the royal will and pleasure, as some fatally found.

ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL.

This religious foundation is of high antiquity, although the year in which it was erected is not exactly known; but it is certain that it was during some period of the long reign of Henry II. Originally it confifted of an hospital and a chapel, and, like innumerable other religious structures, was dedicated, in these days of fuperftition, to the Virgin Mary. It owed its existence to the pious and benevolent Afelack, of Killinghowe, or Killingworth; who gave, by charter, the ground on which it was built, with other endowments, for the maintenance of two friars regular, and a chaplin, to serve God and the poor. This amiable philanthropist had observed, with concern, that genuine worth, in the lower orders of the clergy, was often neglected, and the afflicting fituations of the indigent classes of mankind were too often over. looked to ameliorate the condition of both, as far as it was in his power, was good Mr Afelack's defign in foundfounding this asylum. The wandering pilgrims too, here found refreshment and repose. The generous inhabitants of Newcastle thought so favourably of this charitable institution, that they made a large addition to the Hospital of Our Lady, for supporting a master and a chaplain, to say divine service for fix bede-folk in the alms-house, to lodge poor and wayfaring people, and to bury those who happened to die there; and to fence them against the rigours of winter, nine chaldrons of coals were distributed among them, to the value of thirty-three pounds fifteen shillings.

With such a favourable eye did the public at large view this humane institution, that numerous and ample benefactions to it poured in from all quarters. Princes, prelates, nobles, merchants, opulent tradefmen, whose names are minutely recorded by Mr Brand, dedicated lands, houses, shops, &c. to the fraternity of this hofpital. And in the course of some centuries, from its being founded by Mr Afelack, we find, by a rental taken of it previous to the abolition of the order by Henry VIII. that it had property in Westgate, Denton-chare, Pudding-chare, Meal-market, Flesh-market, Bigg-market, Middlestreet, without Newgate, in St. Nicholas' Churchyard, before the Castle-gate, in the Side, on the Sandhill, in the Close, in Pilgrim-street, Manor-chare, Pandon, All-Saints-ftreet, White-cross, rents of gardens without the Close-gate and in the Forth; all in or contiguous to Newcastle. But it extended its interest far and wide in the adjacent counties; to Jefmond, Whickham, Whittonstale, Fenham, Newsham, Bolam, Old Heaton, Woffington, Mearsfen, Horton, and Stewkley, Newbiggen on the Moor, Byngfield,

Stam