"The body seemed to have been preserved in some liquid, nearly of the colour and appearance of brandy; the whole coffin seems to have been full of it, and all its contents saturated with it. The body had assumed somewhat the same tinge, but this served only to give it a fresher look; it had none of the ghastly, livid hue of death, but rather a copper complexion.

"It would, I believe, have been difficult for a chemist to ascertain the nature of this liquid; though perfectly transparent, it had lost all its pungent qualities, its taste being quite vapid.

"The head reclined on a pillow, and as the covering decayed, it was found to contain a collection of strong scented herbs. Balm, sage, and mint were easily distinguished, and it was the opinion of many that the body was filled with the

same.

66

For

Although the bodies were thus entire at first, I confess I expected to see them soon crumble into dust, especially as they were exposed to the open air, and the fine aromatic fluid had evaporated, and it seems surprising that they did not. several weeks they underwent no visible change, and had they not been sullied with dust and the drops of grease from the candles held over them, I am confident they might have remained as entire as ever; for, even a few months ago, the

bodies were as firm and compact as at first, and, though pressed with the finger, did not yield to the touch, but seemed to retain the elasticity of the living body. Several medical gentlemen made an incision into the arm of the infant; the substance of the body was quite firm, and every part in its original state.'

In 1796, nearly a century after the loss of the ring, it was found by a tenant while digging for potatoes in the garden at Colzium. It is described as being of gold, about the breadth of a straw, without any stone, and not worth more than ten shillings. The external surface is ornamented with a wreath of myrtle, and on the internal surface is the following legend―zours onlly and ever.

295

THE PURITAN'S CURSE.

MORETON-CORBET, Shropshire, the ancient seat of the Corbets, is situated in the parish of the same name, and about eight miles north of Shrewsbury.

This estate was possessed in the olden time by the family of Turold, or Turet, who were among the very few Saxon landholders retaining any property in Shropshire after the Norman Conquest. In the reign of Edward the Confessor, Turold owned large estates in that county, and at the time of Domesday he was recorded to have held, under Earl Roger, thirteen manors, among which was Moreton, called afterwards "Moreton Turet." In the reign of Henry the Third the estate came to the Corbets by the marriage of Sir Richard Corbet with Joan, daughter and heiress of Bar

tholomew Turet of Moreton Turet, from which time to the present, Moreton has continued in the Moreton family, and for several centuries has been distinguished by the name of MoretonCorbet.

The existing mansion was commenced by Sir Richard Corbet. He died in 1606, when he was succeeded by his brother Vincent, who went on with the building thus began, and is the principal feature in the tradition we have now to relate, as it may be gathered, though with often varying forms, from popular recollection.

It was about the beginning of the reign of James the First that the Puritans became an object of attention, if not of fear, with the government; and not altogether without reason: they had greatly increased in numbers, and with this increase had also extended the boldness of their political opinions. Their doctrines, had they been confined to religion only, might, perhaps, have passed with little notice, for, if not tolerant, James was indolent; but religion then, as it always must do, governed men's political feelings, and Puritanism was essentially democratic. James and his advisers resolved, by persecution, to put down this enemy to arbitrary power. This seemed the more easy, as, out of their own sect, the Puritans had few friends amongst the people, who were more re

pelled by their sour fanaticism and their hostility to all pleasure, than they were won by their advocacy of freedom, which else must have ensured them the good-will of the multitude.

Amongst the few favourers of the Puritans amongst the gentry, was our Vincent Corbet. One particular object of his kindness was an old man, Paul Holmyard by name, who lived in a cottage at a short distance from the Hall, and possessed, if not affluence, enough to live upon. He was advanced in years, still hale and vigorous, but by no means of a prepossessing appearance-the muscles of his face, being as Quin said of Macklin, more like cordage than anything else, while his cold, grey eye gave the idea of a being totally divested of human sympathies. Never had fanaticism set her stamp more visibly upon the human countenance. He had long been a marked man with the high-church party, but the protection of Mr. Corbet had hitherto been his safe-guard, and he had been left unmolested at a time when many others, less fanatical perhaps, but more unfriended, had experienced the tender mercies of the government.

But long impunity, at length, made Paul conduct himself in such a way that Mr. Corbet found himself obliged to threaten the withdrawal of his protection-a threat which the old man did not