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Of the Antiquities in the County.

quired the name of Newenham, which
it ftill retains. Simon de Beauchamp,
the fon of Roifia, having confirmed his
mother's act, has by fome been confi-
dered as the first founder of this pri-
ory; and was called on his tomb,
which ftood before the high altar of A
the old church, that was demolished
"Fundator
in the time of King John,

de Newenbam." This monaftery was
dedicated to St Paul, and had yearly
revenues to the value of 2931. 55. 11d.
fays Dugdale; but according to Speed
they amounted to 3431. 155. 5d.

Some townfmen of Bedford founded an hofpital in the South part of the town, fome time before the 30th of Ed. I. and dedicated it to St Leonard. In this hofpital there was fix chaplains, and the revenue was valued at 461. 65. 8d.

In the time of Edward II. Mabilia de Palefbull, lady of Bletnefhoe, founded a houfe of Francifcan Friers in the N.W. part of the town; valued by Dugdale at 31. 135. 2d. & by Speed at 51. per ann.

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There is now a priory or hofpital adjoining to St John's church: it confifts of a mafter, who is rector of the D church, and of ten poor men. This houfe is faid by fome to have been founded in 980 by one Robert Deparis, who was the first master but others are of opinion that it was built and endowed by fome townfmen in the reign of Edward II. It is dedicated to St John the Baptist; and at the diffolution the yearly value was 217. os. 84. The patronage is in the mayor, aldermen, bailiffs, and common council of Bedford.

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Pagan de Beauchamp and Roifia his wife alfo founded a priory at Chickfand near Shefford for canons and Nuns, F according to the rule of St Gilbert of Sempringham: it was dedicated to the Bleiled Virgin; and at the fuppreffion was endowed with 2121. 35. 5d. per annum, according to Dugdale; and 230f. 35. 4d. according to Speed.

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rufalem, which, in the time of Henry
I. was endowed by the lady Alice de
and
Claremont, Countess of Pembroke ;
at the diffolution had lands to the va-
lue of 2411. 95. 10d. per annum.

At Dunfiable, King Henry I. built and
endowed a priory of Black-canons,
to the honour of St Peter, whofe yearly
revenues amounted to 344/. 135. 3d.
There was alfo at this place a boufe of
Preaching-Friers, which was establish'd
about the year 1259, and valued at 41.
185. 4d. per annum.

At Wardon, about three miles S. W. of Biggleswade, there was an abbey for Ciftertian Monks, founded by Walter Efpec, in the year 1135, and dedicated to the Bleffed Virgin. Its annual revenues are rated by Dugdale at 389/. 165. 6d. and by Speed at 442/. 115. 11d.

At Ellow, about a mile from Bed-
G
ford, over against Newenham, was an
abbey of Benedictine Nuns, founded in
the reign of William I. by Judith, neice
to the Conqueror, and wife of Waltheaf
Earl of Huntingdon: it was dedicated
to the Holy Trinity, St Mary, and St
Helena the wife of Conftantine the Great.
It was valued at the fuppreffion at 2841. H
125. 11d. per annum, according to Dug-
dale; and 325l. as. 1d. by Speed.

At Melchburne, about 8 miles N. W.
of Bedford, was a preceptory of the
Knights-Hofpitaliers of St John of Je

At Millbrook near Ampthill was a fmall cell of Benedictines, belonging to the abbey of St Alban's, a market town of Hertfordfbire, dedicated to St Mary Magdalene.

The abbey at Woburn was dedicated to the Virgin Mary; and the annual income was 3911. 185. 2d. according to Dugdale; and 430l. 135. 11d. ac cording to Speed.

In a wood near Market-fireet, about three miles from Dunfiable, was a nunnery of the Benedictine order, dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The fite and fome adjacent lands were given by the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's, London, in 1145; and it was foon after built and endowed by Geoffrey, abbot of St Alban's. Dugdale values this nunnery at 144, 165. 1d. per annum, and Speed at 1437. 185. 3d.

At Harewood, a few miles N. W. of Bedford, there was a priory of Canftitution of St Nicholas of Arrouafia nons and Nuns, according to the inwhich afterwards confifted only of a priorefs and three or four nuns of the order of St Auflin. It was built, in the reign of King Stephen, by Sampson le Fort. The lands were rated at the diffolution at 47/. 35. 2d. per annum; but the clear yearly value was 401. 185. ad.

At Grovebury, in the parish of Leightop, there was a convent of foreign Monks, the manor having been given by Henry II. to the Nuns of Fontevralt in Normandy. It fuffered the fate of all foreign priories during the wars with France, and after having been feveral times granted to private perfons for life, was at laft given to the Dean and Canons of Windfor in Berkshire, in whofe poffeffion it ftill remains.

There was alfo, at Leighton, a house

of

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Anecdote relating to the Murder of Monaldefchi.

of Cislertian Monks, which was a cell to Woburn Abbey.

At Bushmead, near Dunftable, thete was a priory of Black Cannons, fannded by Hugh the fon of Oliver Beauchamp, and dedicated to St Mary. Its A annual revenue was, according to Dugdale, 711. 138. 9d, according to Speed 817. 135. 5d.

At Farle, near Leighton, there was a mafter and brethren, fubordinate to the great foreign hofpital of Santingfield in Picardy, to whom this place had been given by Henry II. It was after- g ·wards granted by Henry VI. to the fellows of King's College, Cambridge.

At Hockley in the Hole, about 5 miles from Dunstable, in the road to the city of Coventry, there was an hofpital for a mafter and seven brethren, in the time of King John, dedicated to St John the Baptift.

At Caldwell near Bedford there was a house of religious brethren of the Holy Cross, founded by Robert, the fon of William of Houghton, in the time of King John, and dedicated to the honour of the Bleffed Virgin. Some time before the diffolution it became a priory for about eight Auguftine ca. nons, and was dedicated to St John the Baptift and John the Evangelift. Dugdale fays it was valued at 109. 83. 5d. per annum, & Speed at 1481. 155. 10d.

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Vol. xxxiii. p. 581 B.) fome notice is taken of the death of Monaldefebi, but in fo obfcure a manner, that I think it muft rather excite than gratify the curiofity of your readers. The following particulars concerning him will therefore, I hope, be an acceptable addition to that article.

John Marquis de Monaldeschi was what is called grand-eruyer to thriftina. He was born at Rome of a noble family, and entered into the service of that princefs the first journey fhe made to that city. She gave him the fecond charge in her houfhold; he foon after became one of her favourites, and he followed her into France in the year 1657. He is faid, however, to have abufed the confidence with which the Queen honoured him, and to have revealed fome fecrets which he ought to have hidden, and that certain letters which he had written, not advantageous to the Queen's character, fell into her hands. It is faid by others, that having betrayed the Queen's intereft, he had recourfe to a cruel and perfidious artifice with a view to fcreen himself, and turn her fufpicion and refentment against Sentinelli, another Italian gentleman, who was captain of the guards. Monaldefchi and Sentinelli had been friends, but Monalefchi becoming jealous of him as his rival in the Queen's favour, counterfeited his hand writing in a letter which contained many things contrary to the honour and the intereft of her majefty; and when be had fo done, contrived that this letter fhould come into the Queen's hands, The Queen fhewed this letter to Monaldefchi, who was wicked enough to fay, that the author of it deferved to die, that he ought to be put to death directly, and he offered to be his executioner. The Queen, who fufpected Monaldefebi, diffembled her fufpicions, which were foon after confirmed; for other intercepted letters left her no room to doubt but that Manaldefchi was the author of the firft, which he had imputed to Sentinelli. When the had indubitable evidence of his guilt, The fent for him into a gallery in the palace of Fontainbleau, which the King of France had allotted for her refidence, called Des Cerfs, and converfed with him about indifferent matters till the fuperior of a monastery of the TrinitaHrian Order, whom the hat fent for, was

Speed mentions a college at Eatonford, near Dunflable, dedicated to the body of Chrift; but Bp Tanner is of o- g pinion this was only a gild, to which belonged one or more chantry priests. The lands were rated at 71. 161. per ann.

At Northil, about three miles diftant From Biggleswade, the parish-church, dedicated to 8t Mary, was in the time of Henry IV. made collegiate, and endowed for the fupport of a mafter or F warden, and feveral fellows and fervants, as an act of merit for the foul of Sir John Trally, Knt. and Reginald his fon, by his executors. The revenue was 614. 55. 5d. per annum.

At Bigglefevade there was a college dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and va. lued at 71. per annum.

MEMBERS of PARLIAMENT for this COUNTY.

Bedfordshire fends four members to parliament, two knights of the shire for the county, and two burgeffes for the borough of Bedford.

Mr URBAN,

N the account which you lately

brated Christina, Queen of Sweden, f See

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arrived.

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Mr URBAN.

Think it is generally fuppofed that Mr Puckeridge, who was burnt in the fire at Swirbin's Alley, Cornhill, was the inventor of the Mufical Glases, which, after several improvements, are now in the higheft efteem with all who have a true and delicate tafte in mufica I do not know how far he may have a just title to the invention of the manner, in which the tone is produced, from thefe glaffes; which is not by a ftroke but by friction; but it appears B from the following extract from an account of an Embaffy from the Duke of Holftein to the Sophy of Perfia, in 1637, that at that time, and, in that part of the world, the art of tuning vessels by filling them in different proportions with water was known and practised with fuccefs.

diers; the Queen then produced to him the teflimonials of his treachery both against her and his friend, and after he had reproached him with conduct which was at once fo cruel A and fo bafe, fae turned to the Fryar, and ordered him to prepare him for death, and to take care of his foul. The unhappy delinquent, who was then in the flower of his age, threw himfelf on his knees, burst into tears, and had recourfe to prayers and submiffions, uttered with all the vehe. mence and diftra&ion which a fenfe of his danger, fo imminent and so fudden, naturally produced. The Queen, however, was inflexible; he took hold, of her robe, the forced it from him; and notwithstanding the interceffions of the priest, who ftrongly reprefented the ill confequences of her conduct, the left the place. Monaldefchi, finding his deftruction inevitable, and at hand, confe Ted himself; and the three men put him to death in the prefence" of the Fryar. Being confcious of his crime, and being a victim to the fuf. picion and dread which are the concomitants of guilt, he had on a coat of mail under his ordinary apparel, which the fwords of his executioners could not penetrate. It was not, therefore, without great difficulty that they killed him, and his punishment was rendered more violent and pain

full.

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The Queen herself gave the necef- D fary orders for his funeral, and took care that maffes fhould be faid for the repose of his foul. This execution, which happened on the 16th of November 1657, was much cenfured : Chriftina endeavoured to justify herfelf by faying that her abdication had not taken from her the quality of a Queen, and that the had ftill a right o- F ver the lives of her domeftics, and might punish them with death if they betrayed her: But as in this inftance The had obferved none of the forms of juftice, and as fe had no right to ftain with blood the apartments of another prince, which he had lent her for her refidence, the received an intimation that her prefence in France would be no longer agreeable: She was therefore under a kind of neceffity to retire, and returning again to Rome the took care to marry the neice of Monaldefebi to Matthew of Bourbon, Lord of Delmonte.

Yours,

"While we were bufy in eating plentifully of the delicious fruits and "preferves that were brought in, we

were alfo diverted with mufic and "dancing; in the firft of which Elias "Beg, fecond brother to Seferas Beg, "excelled above the reft; for he not "only gave us feveral tunes upon the "Tamora, or Perfian Lute, but alfo, "by ftriking with two little sticks

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upon feven Porcelain cups, full of "water, made them accord with the "Lute." Yours, A. B. An ancient FABLE, and its Explanation. Traveller, fleeing from the fiercenefs and rage of an unicorn, falls. into a pit, & rolling down, lays hold onthe bough of a tree; thinking himself now fecure from all danger, he looks about, and beholds two moles corroding the root of the tree he holds by, & underneath him a dragon fpitting fire, and threatning to devour him; on both fides of him four ferpents hiffing, and, in the midst of all this danger, some honey trickling down from the tree; with the fweetnefs of which, and agreeableness to his palate, he is fo taken and ravished, that he forgets his fears, and rejoices, though furrounded with fo many implacable enemies.

EXPLANATION.

The Unicorn is death; the Pit is the world; the Tree man's life; the two Moles day and night; the four Serpents the four Elements man is compofed of; the Dragon is the Devil, the honey Voluptuoufnefs, or the fweernefs and pleasures of the world, which allure men from virtue, and make them A. B. fenfible of the danger of fin.

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Seme

64

Account of VERRIO, an Italian Painter.

Some Account of ANTONIO VERRIO, an Italian Painter; from Mr Walpole's Anecdotes of Painting; lately publifted.

CH

HARLES II. having a mind to re- A vive the manufacture of tapestry at Mortlack, which had been interrupted by the civil war, fent for Verrio, a. Neapolitan, to England; but changing his purpofe, configned over Windfor to his pencil. The King was induced to this by feeing fome of his paintings B at Lord Arlington's, at the end of St James's Park, where at prefent stands Buckingham-Houfe. The firft picture Verrio drew for the King was his Majefty in naval triumph, now in the public dining-room in the castle. He executed most of the cielings there, one whole fide of St George's-hall, and the chapel. On the cleling of the former he has pictured Antony Earl of Shafifbury, in the character of Faction, difperfing libels; as in another place he revenged a private quarrel with the houfe-keeper, Mrs Marriot, by borrow. ing her ugly face for one of the furies. D

With ftill greater impropriety he has introduced himself, Sir Godfrey Kneller, and Bap. May, furveyor of the works, in long perriwigs, as fpectators of Chrift healing the fick. He is recorded as operator of all these gaudy works in a large infcription over the tribune at the end of the hall.

+ An account of monies paid for painting
done in Windfor Cafile for his Majify,
by Sig. Verrio, fince July 1676. I. s. d.
300 0 0
King's guard-chamber
200 00
King's prefence chamber
200 0 0
Privy-chamber
25000

Queen's drawing-room
Queen's bed-chamber

-

King's great bed-chamber
King's little bed-chamber

King's drawing-room

King's clofet

King's eating-room

Queen's long gallery
Queen's chapel
King's privy back stairs
The King's gratuity
The King's carved ftairs
Queen's privy chamber

100 0 0

120 0 0

50 00 250 0 0 50 00 250

250

110 0 0
100 0 0

200 0 0
150 00

200 o d

King's guard-chamber ftairs 200 o o
Queen's prefence-chamber

Queen's great fairs

Queen's guard-chamber

Privy-gallery

Court-yard

Penfion at Miljummer, 1630
A gratuity of 200 guineas

200 0 0 200 00 200 0 0

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In all £ 6945 8 4

The King's bounty did not top here; Verrio had a place of matter. gardiner, and a lodging at the end of: the Park, now Carleton Houfe. He was expensive, and kept a great table, and often preffed the King for money with a freedom which his Majelty's own franknefs indulged. Once at Hamp ton Court, when he had but lately received an advance of 10ool, he found

the King in fuch a circle that he could
not approach. He called out, "Sire,
I defire the favour of speaking to your
Majefty." Well, Verrio, faid the
King, what is your request?
"Mo-

ney, Sir, I am fo fhort in cafh that I
am not able to pay my workmen ; and
your Majefty and I have learnt by ex-
perience, that pedlars and painters
cannot give credit long." The King
fmiled, and faid he had but lately or-
dered him 1000l. "Yes, Sir, replied
he, but that was foon paid away, and
I have no gold left." At that rate,
faid the King, you would fpend more
than I do to maintain my family.--
"True, answered Verrio, but does your
Majefty keep open table as I do ?"

The Revolution was by no means a greeable to Verrio's religion or prin ciples. He quitted his place, and even refused to work for K. William. From that time he was for fome years employed at the Lord Exeter's at Burleigh, and afterwards at Chatfworth. At the G former, he painted feveral chambers, which are reckoned among his best works. He has placed his own portrait in the room where he represented the hiftory of Mars and Venus; and for the Bacchus beftriding a hogshead, he has according to his ufual liberty *,

200 0 0 H

200 00

200 00

21584

+ Copied from a half heet of paper fairly weit in a hand of the times.

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Historical Account of the Canary Islands.

borrow'd the countenance of Dean Grakam, with whom he was at variance. At laft, by perfuafion of Lord Exeter, he condefcended to ferve King William, and was fent to Hampton Court, where among other things he painted the great ftair-cafe, and as ill as if he had poiled it out of principle. His eyes failing him, Queen Anne gave him a penfion of zool. a year for life, but he did not enjoy it long, dying at Hampton Court in 1707.

Hiftorical Account of the Canary Islands. (Continued from p. 8.)

TH

HE capital punishment in Canaria was the fame that has been already described: Other punishments were exactly according to the Lex Talionis, An eye for an eye, a tooth for a footb.

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B

The trade of a butcher was exerci- c fed only by the dregs of the people, and was accounted fo ignominious, that no other Canarian would fuffer one of that profeffion to enter his houfe, or touch any thing belonging to him; it was even unlawful for butchers to keep company with any but butchers, and when they wanted any thing of another perfon, they were obliged to point at it with a long Staff, ftanding at a confiderable dift

ance.

The houses were built of stone, without cement, covered with rafters

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and earth, but fo neat and regular that E
they made a beautiful appearance;
their beds and bedding were goat-
fkins curiously dreffed in the hair;
their other furniture confifted of baf-
kets and mats of palm-leaves & rushes,
very curiously wrought; The women
in general were employed in painting
and dying, and they were very careful
to gather the flowers and fhrubs from
which they extracted the colours at
Their sewing
the proper feason.

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ground their barley with a hand-mill,
and they plowed their ground with a
wooden inftrument not unlike a hoe,
with a fpur or tooth at the end of it,
on which they fixed a goat's horn;
the ground being broken with this
implement, they took care to water it
if the rain did not come in its proper

feafon, bringing water by canals from
the rivulets for that purpose; of the
corn they reaped only the ears, which
was the employment of the women;
thefe ears they thrashed with fticks, or
beat with their feet, and then winnow-
ed with their hands.

They had no fruit but vicacorras,
mocanes, wild dates, and figs. The
poor lived on the fea coast, and sub-
fifted chiefly upon fish, which they
caught in the night by making a blaze
on the water with torches of pitch-
pine.

When any of their nobles died,
they brought out the corps and placed
it in the fun, took out the bowels and
intrails, which they washed, and then
buried in the earth; the body they
dried and fwathed round with banda-
ges of goat-fkins, and then fixed it
upright in a cave cloathed with the
fame garments that had covered it a-
live: If no cave was at hand they en-
closed it within loofe ftones, fo laid as
not to touch it, and covered it with
a large ftone at the top. The lower
clafs were buried in pits, and covered
with dry ftones; thofe bodies that
were not placed upright, were laid
with their heads towards the North.

thread was like what we call cat-gut,
made of the tendons of sheep, goats, or
fwine; thefe tendons they first anoint-
ed with butter, and then drying them G
by the fire, they split them into fine
threads; their needles were of bone,
and their fish hooks of horn; all the
veffels used in cookery were of clay,
baked in the fun. Their wealth con-
fifted wholly of goats and sheep, with
a few bogs; their common food was
barley-meal roafted, and eaten with H
milk, or goat's flesh; but when they
made a feaft they dreffed their goat's
Aeth with hog's lard, or butter. They
(Gent. Mag. FEB. 1764)

The inhabitants of Canària were more polished than those of other iflands, and at the time of the conqueft were governed by two princes who did not reign jointly, but one was fovereign of the district called Telde, the other of the diftrict called Galdar, which were divided from each other by a line drawn from the village of Tamarazeyte to that of St Nicholas. It had formerly been ruled by chiefs or heads of tribes, who prefided over fmall circles like parishes, but this form of government was changed by the following accident:

In the district of Galdar, which was the most fertile part of the island, there lived a virgin lady, whofe name was Antidamana, of great worth and merit, whose wisdom was held in fuch efteem by the natives, that they applied to her to determine their differences, and never appealed from her decifi ons. After fome years, the chiefs envying this diftinétion paid to a woman,

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