some extracts from this preface, which are conceived to be sufficiently striking of Hearne's peculiar manner of Charter House, before the dissolution; it is very probable that it relates It is written on a large octavo to some benefactors of that monastery. leaf of vellum, and contains the following words: for the soule of Roger Houg- God have mercy on these soules, and of all am not, by any means, an enemy to reformation; but then, I hope, wickedness will not be called such. No good man, surely, will either commend ingratitude, or extoll those that are against keeping up the memory of excellent persons; much less will he applaud such as will not let the bones of picus men and women rest, even in the places where they I could here recount several sad had raised churches and chapells. stories, and some, too, of things that have happened within my own memory. I am not far from a place, where an eminent benefactor was forgot almost as soon as he was dead; I am sure within a few years after his death, the costly building he raised was pulled down, and his benefaction looked upon as just nothing. But such stories will grate." Pref. p. XLVII: LII. "Use of Painted Glass Windows. "What light would it give to our accounts of Glastonbury, if we could now see the windows that were there in old time, in which the history of Joseph of Arimathea and his companions coming thither, and settling there, was depicted? Nay, what encouragement would it be to virtue, to find a great number of other historical passages neatly done in the glass of that place, and most carefully preserved, till destroyed by Were there no such as stuck at no wickedness to gratify their lusts? other instances of the use of such glass, the west window, that was formerly in St. Marie's church in the University of Oxford, were sufficient proof, in which window was painted the whole history of King Alfred's restoring that university, and many ancient and laudable customs were * These three words are in a later hand. are wanting. The words "soule of" These three lines are in a small hand of the same age, of thinking and writing. Then follows the preface of the anonymous author of the "Little Monument,' which occupies thirteen unnumbered pages; and in which he gives us some account of the authorities that he used in its compilation.* Next comes the Little Monument' itself, comprehending 160 pages. following pieces, as specified in the Oxford List before mentioned, close the volume: The 1. Fund tio et ftatuta Cantaria Sheringtonianæ in ecclesia cathedrali divi Pauli Londini. e Cod. MS. veteri penes D. Edvardum Filmer, de Eaft Sutton in agro Cantiano, Baronettum. p. 161. 2. Dr. Plott's Letter to the Earl of Arlington, concerning Thetford From the Original in the hands of the Author's Son in law, Mr. John Burman. p. 225. 3. Some Fr. gments relating to the Brittish Antiquities, written by old Oliver Mathews. From a MS. communicated by Dr. Thorpe of Rochefter. p. 237. 4. Notes out of the Church Register in Thatcham in Berks, communicated by Thomas Rawlinson, Esqr. p. 272. 5. Extracts from the Register of Hawkeshead in Lancash, beginning A. 1503. communicated also by Tho. Rawlinson, Esq. p. 280. 6. Extract of a Letter, written by Jer. Loveday, relating to the Register of Bisham in Berks. p. 284. were cleared and explained by it. From this window, a controversy between the Doctors and Masters was decided; namely, whether the mas ters were to be covered in convocations and congregations, and it was carried in behalf of the masters, from the painting in that window, in which they were represented covered in such assemblies." Pref. p. LXXI. &c.. * "I have all along, says he, used Protestant authorities, excepting only where I find Protestants not concurring with Saunders, † Reyner, and Cressy. And the reason why I prefer their sentiments before Protestants, is, because Saunders lived at the ume of the dissolution, being a fellow of New College in Oxford, in 1548; which was but nine years at most after the dissolution of this monastery, and Reyner and Cressy were both monks of the same order that the monks of Glastonbury were of, so had bette. opportunities of knowing, and in all likelihood] did know, more of the matter of fact than Mr. Wood or Mr. Willis could know." p. 5. His account of the Benedictine Monks, the original tenants of the abbey, is briefly and prettily written in the preface: he having sayd but little of them in the book itself." 66 Saunders must be a stubbed boy, if not a man, at the dissolution of abbeys; therefore what he reports, probably, was from his own knowledge? 7. E. Thoma Gascoigne Dictionario Theologico MS. excerptum, unde liquet, Johannem de Gaunt, lue venerea misere affectum ac cruciatum diem obiisse. p. 290. 8. Index librorum, quos Joannes de Bruges Monachus Coventriensis scripsit ad opus sive usum ecclesiæ Coventriensis. Una cum recensione aliquot terrarum ecclesiarium, ab ecclesia Coventriensi alienarum. E. MSS. vet. in Bibl. Bodl. p. 291. 9. De Capellano Universitatis Oxoniensis, & de solenni ejusdem Universitatis Benefactorum celeberrimorum Commemoratione, ex epistolis v. doctiss. Thomæ Bakeri Excerpta. p. 295. 10. Bishop Goodman and Mr. Ashmole's account of the Glastonbury Thorne. E Cod. MSS. penes Editorem. p. 301.* 11. Ex Epistola v.. doctiss. Thoma Bakeri Excerptum, de Abbatibus quibusdam Glastoniensibus, &: de constructionibus quorundam Monasteriorum. p. 303. 12. Out of a Letter written by Dr. John Thorpe of Rochester concerning Sherington's Library, Chapell, and Place of burial. p. 307. 13. Formula antiqua nuptias in iis partibus Angliæ (Occidentalibus nimirum) que Ecclesiæ Herefordensis in ritibus ecclesiasticis, ordine sunt use, celebrandi p. 309. 14. A Charter of the Prior and Convent of Poghley, by which they grant a tenement in South-Denchworth, to Elias de Bagenore. p. 326. 15. The Indenture conflituting John Att Hyde, Steward of the Priory of Poghley; with an Inventory of the Goods committed to his Truft. p. 328. The preceding will be found to be the most copious and accurate description yet published of Hearne's first attempt at illustrating the antiquities of the far-famed abbey of Glastonbury. It would seem that he had rather sharpened, than satisfied, his appetite in this new undertaking. His natural turn for seriousness, his enthusiastic admiration of monastic establishments, and his reverence for the literary undertakings carried on in "Bishop Goodman, in his Two great mysteries of the Christian Religion,' 1652, thinks this miraculous thorn first appeared at the dissolution, as an emblem that religion should survive that event, no ancient author having mentioned it. Ashmole says, Gerard, Parkinson, and Camden, are the first that speak of it. Appendix to Hist. of Glast. p. 301." Gough's British Tepography, Vol. ii. 216. them, them,* quickly led him to make other discoveries, and to receive other communications, connected with his beloved Glastonbury. Accordingly, about four years after his first publication, he put forth II. JOHANNIS CONFRATRIS ET MONACHI GLASTONIENSIS CHRONICA; sive Historia de Rebus Glastoniensibus. E Codice MS. membranco antiquo descripsit ediditque Tho. Hearnius. Qui et ex codem Codice historiolam de antiquitate et augmentatione vetustæ ecclesie S. Manie Glastoniensis præmisit, multaque excepta e Richardi Bure (abbatis Glastoniensis terrario hujus coenobii) subjecit, &c. Oxon. 1725. 8vo. 2 vols. [Published at il. is the small, and 21. 25. the large paper. Number of the laiter not specified. About 140 Subscribers]. We have 1. Hearne's Preface in Latin; in which there is some curious matter, and a good deal said about ancient coins, and the • In consequence of the warmth and partiality of his sentiments relating to these subjects, in some of his prefaces, [see, in particular, those prefixed to Thomas of Otterburne, Waller de Hemingford, Johannes de Trok lowe, which will be noticed in their proper order] Hearne did not escape the imputation of dying a Roman Catholic; but this charge, which was also brought against his great predecessor Sir William Dugdale, was equally, with the latter, destitute of foundation, Our Antiquary, perhaps, went the full length of Ordericus Vitalis, in the following obsevation: "Sic in Anglia Monasticus Ordo renovatus est: et in multis Cœnobis gloriosum agmen Monachorum contrà Satunam virtu um armis brumirum est: et pers verantèr dimicare in prælio Domini donec victoriâ potiatur, nobiliter edoctum est." [See Baron Masere's valuable Historia Anglicante Selecta Monumenta, p. 239, edit. 1807, 4to.] but he did not, as far as i have been able to discover, subscribe to any of the doctrines of the Roman Catholic faith. To be sure, he takes care to give us a plentiful sprinkle of anecdotes of nanneries, abbeys, &c. in almost all his appendices, notes, and addenda: witness, the long and wearisome account of the "Protestant Nunnery of Little Gidding in Huntingdonshire,” subjoined to the second volume of “Thame Car Vindic. Antiquitat, Oxon." of which Mr, Lenton's sprightly letter to Sir Thomas Hetley is the only readable part. What would have been Hearne's sensations to have had the first rummaging of the monastery of Hinauge, in Germany? the Chronicle of which was written by Trithemius, and first published in 1559, afterwards in 1690. two vols. folio! The Chronicler's account of the library in this monastery ["Bibliotheca preciosa, et multis voluminibus cumulata, p. 56, edit. 1559], may justify us in s osing that our antiquary, like Erasmus, [when the latter was busied in completing his edition of St. Jerom,—ne Fabricius's excellent account of the labours of Erasmus; Syllog. Opuse. I st. Crit. Lit. p. 366, 1738, 4to.] would have broved " perils of robbers, and perils of waters " in the accompi shment of so congenial an undertaking! decayed, decayed state of the mint of the realm: advising, very properly, the cultivation of that branch of useful antiquities which relates to ancient coins and gems. In praise of the text of his author, Hearne observes that his friend Dr. Smith, quum Museum Ashnolianum adire soleret, præter alia, Codices ibi adservatos, Joh rnem Gl stoniensem manu versare, et curiosis, oculis lustrire é re sua duxit, elegantiam que etiam Codicis Ashmoliani laudare, qui Codex Ashmolianus (quippe operæ pretium est animadvertere) ad Bibliothecam San Gregorianam Duaci olim pertinebat, &c.' Of the intrinsic excellence of this manuscript we shall presently speak. At page lix, among the prefatory matter, are some notes of Gerard Langbain (in Latin, relating to the MS. of John of Glastonbury, preserved in the Bodleian library. Then follows, 2. Johannis Glastoniensis Chronica, which fills the first volume, concluding at p. 284. The second volume begins with 3. Excerpta E. Richardi Beere Terrario Cœnobii Glastoniensis; concluding at page 357. Then, according to the Oxford Catalogue, 4. Consuetudo Luminarii seu Cereorum, in ecclesia Glastoniensi per Sacristam loci ad divinum officium exhibendorum. Ex cod. MS. veteri membraneo in bibliotheca Collegii S. Trinitatis Cantabrigiæ. p. 358. This is a very curious piece of monastic antiquity. 5. Charta Adami le Eyr de Sowy, Cœnobio Glastoniensi concessa, de redditu quodam annuo ad sustentationem cujusdam Cerei ac Luminaris. Ex eodem Cod. Cantabr. p. 366. 6. Charta Willelmi Hogheles de redditu quodam annu», ad sustentandum luminare ecclesiæ beatæ Mariæ Glastoniensis. p. 368. Ex eodem Codice. 7. Ea que demisit frater Adam de Domerham de bonis S. Dunstani in Thesauraria Glastoniense, A. D. 1289. p. 369. Ex eod. Codice. 8. Index Chartarum, aliorumque id genus, ad coenobium Glastoniense spectantium tempore Johannis de Tantoria, Abbatis Glast. [A. D. 1290.] p. 370. Ex eod. Codice Cantabr. Very curious and interesting, 9. Henrici III. Charta de cœnobio Glast. Ex eodem Cod. p. 419. This charter is taken from "An ancient, fair, and very large leiger book of the abbey, called "Secretum Abbatis," because, always in his custody: it in the Bodleian library, among Wood's books bo gh: by the University.". Gough's British Topography, vol. ii. 218, |