great amelioration of society and the rapid advances of learning in the time of ALFRED, yet the known state of science in that reign precludes the supposition, that the extent of this district could have been laid down from actual survey,* and with no reason can such evidence be admitted on any other authority; this position therefore of Asserius must have been highly conjectural and most probably very wide of the truth. In fact, all that we learn of this historian is, that the WEALD was then of very considerable extent, but whether on the par. tition of the kingdom into counties, the western part of it was allotted to the county of Hampshire or not, is a point not so easily decided; but our business respects only its limits in this county, and to that we shall proceed. Lambarde, the earliest of our Kentish historians has the following remarks; "Nowe then we are come to the Weald of Kent, which (after the common opinion of men of our time) is conteined within very streight and narrowe limits, notwithstanding that in times paste, it was reputed of such exceeding bignesse, that it was thought to extende into Sussex, Surry and Hamshyre;" and further, speaking of its former condition and the slow but gradual encroachments made on it by the industry of man, he says "And hereout springeth the diversitie of opinions touching the true limits of this Weald: some men affirming it to beginne at one place, and some at another, whereas, in my fantasie, there can be assigned, none other certaine boundes thereof, then suche as we have before recited out of the ancient hystories" (alluding to the vague and indefinite observations of Asserius Menevensis, &c. before mentioned): "For even as in the olde time, being then a mere soa 2

The simplicity of early times, and the total ignorance of the art of measuring land is proved by the expedient adopted in the exchange of property between Richard Fitz-Gilbert and Lanfranc Archbishop of Canterbury, two centuries later than the time of Alfred. See under Tunbridge.

litude, and on no part inhabited it might easily be circumscribed: since, being continually from time to time made lesse by industrie it could not long have any standing or permanent termes. And therefore, what so ever difference in common report there bé, as touching the same, for as muche as it is nowe (thanked be God) in manner wholly replenished with people, a man maye more reasonably mainteine, that there is no Weald at all, then certainely pronounce, eyther where it beginneth, or maketh an ende.”

The MS. in the Surrenden library, written by the ill-fated Sir Edward Dering in the time of Charles I. (about half a century subsequent to Lambarde) states, as probable, that "the Weald extended eastward from Winchelsea into Kent much after this manner; and to have had in our county these boundaries; viz. from Kent-Hatch over against Limesfield in Surry, to Ide-hill, River-hill, Mole-hill,, Peckham-hill, Yalding-hill, Cocks-heath, Bocton, Monchensie, Sutton, Ulcomb, Bocton Malherbe, Egerton, Pevington, Pluckley, Great Chart, King's-noth, Munford, and so to the side of the hill of the Marsh, Aldington, Bonnington, Bilsington, Orlaston, Ham, Warehorne, Kenardington and Appledore, and thence to the place where the River Rother opened into the sea at old Winchelsea; and he (Sir Edward) thinks that within these bounds towards Sussex, all is to be accounted the Weald, from the top of those hills, including their sides and descents."* And yet directly afterwards he states another opinion, so far contradictory of the first, as it goes to change the northern boundary altogether, removing it from the Quarry to the Chalk-hills; and then reasons on it from wrong premises, but evidently not to his own satisfaction, as he con

"It hath been found, says Markham, by divers late verdicts, that the Weald reaches from Winchelsea, and that hill there, unto the top of River- » hill; and neither farther towards London, nor shorter towards Tunbridge." Enrichment of the Weald of Kent.

cludes his remarks with the following observation "that one of these two rows of hills must unexceptionably be the northern bounds of the Weald of Kent." The latter opinion is founded on these words of Lambarde: "if a man, minding to passe through Kent toward London, should arrive and make his first step on land in Romney-marsh; he shall rather finde good" grasse under foote, then holesome aire above the head: againe, if he step over the hylles, and come into the Weald, &c." But, says Dr. Harris, this really proves against his opinion; because the hills, which a traveller, bound from Romney-marsh towards London must go over, can't be Folkstone, Wyedowns, &c. unless he will go backwards; but they must be those about Aldington, Bilsington, &c. in his direct way thither, which are the former, and much more probable bounds of the Weald of Kent. Though the preceding con

clusion of Dr. Harris be just, yet a much stronger argument in favor of it, might have been drawn even from Lambarde himself, as will be shewn when we proceed to consider how far the opinions advanced by Sir Roger Twisden, are consistent with reason and evidence, for with the hypothesis of Asserius, we have at present no concern. The only point to be determined is, whether the QUARRY, or the CHALK hills are to be considered the northern boundary of the Weald of Kent, and to determine this, there really appears no difficulty, even setting aside the legal decisions, which have uniformly, we believe, been in favor of the opinion here adopted.

The opinion, that extends the Weald to the CHALK hills, has nothing like an argument to support it, for, as observed above, what has been advanced in favor of it by Sir Edward Dering, so far from supporting, is decidedly contradictory to such a supposition; as will sufficiently appear by referring to what immediately precedes and follows the extract above given.*

* It stands thus in Lambarde. "And therefore very reasonable is their

But from a desire of withholding nothing, that can in any measure give color to it, we shall here state another ground

conceite, which doe imagine, that Kent hath three steps, or degrees, of which the first (say they) offereth wealthe without healthe, the second giveth both wealth and healthe, and the third affordeth healthe only, and no wealthe. For, if a man, minding to passe through Kent towards London, should arrive, and make his first step on land in Romney-marsh, he shall rather finde good grasse under foote, then wholesome aire above the head : againe, if he step over the hylles, and come into the Weald, he shall have at once the commodities, bothe (Cæli et Soli) of the aire and the earth: but if he leave that, and climb the next step of hylles, that are between him, and London, he shall have woode and corne for his wealthe, and (towards the increase of his health) if he seeke, he shall finde, (famem in agro lapidoso) a good stomake in the stonie field." These words of Lambarde may at first sight appear to warrant, in some measure, the opinion founded on them by Sir Edward Dering, but though willing to pay all reasonable deference to his authority, still there is too much inconsistency in the passage before us, to entitle it to adoption. Lambarde no doubt meant to set his traveller down somewhere at the eastern part of Romney-marsh (for unless we suppose this, the position cannot be maintained at all) with his face probably towards London, and the hills between Hythe and Aldington on his right; which, if he step over and come into the Weald (no doubt meaning the low lands between those hills and the great range of chalk hills) he shall, says he, have at once the commodities both of the air and the earth, or in other words, shall meet with a rich and productive soil, and a pure and wholesome air: but, he adds, if he leave that and climb the next step of hills (evidently meaning the chalk hills in the direction of Stowting and Wye) he shall find abundance of corn ́and wood, and a good appetite if he seek it. Let us now consider how far Lambarde has proved the conceite reasonable, on which his remarks are made. According to this conceite there are three steps, one is wealthy but not healthy, the next is healthy but not wealthy, and the other is both healthy and wealthy: now turn to his explanation and you will see that he describes one part as unhealthy (the marsh) and the other two, as being both healthy and wealthy; but what it may be asked is become of that part which is stated to be healthy, but not wealthy? it will be said perhaps that he has only given the Weald a better character than common judgment allowed it: so, instead of attempting to prove the vulgar conceite reasonable, he was merely seeking occasion to advance his own: but this Interpretation will not do; the truth is, that both Lambarde and his traveller

for such opinion, and which, if any credit could consistently be given to the accuracy of the statement made by the early chroniclers, might at first sight appear to have some little weight, namely that the Weald extended thirty miles northward from Winchelsea, yet, as a proof how little validity has been (and ought to be) attached to such authority, it has never, that we know of, been brought forward as an argument in favor of this position. To measure from Winchelsea northward in a straight line would extend the limits of the Weald even beyond the range of CHALK HILLS, but if we take the nearest road from Winchelsea in this direction, its boundary will as nearly fall on the QUARRY HILLS; now which of these modes should we adopt? or rather should we not imme

have been steering too northerly a course. This trifling variation, as it may be deemed, is however fatal to his authority, and may be urged as an argument in favor of that opinion, which confines the Weald to the Quarry hill; for as it is universally admitted that, by the part mentioned as only healthy, is meant the WEALD; So Lambarde by getting between the Quarry and Chalk hills, turned his back on it; and therefore, no wonder he stum bled on a country which would not answer the description given of it in the vulgar adage. And beside this inconsistency, there is another, no less important; the word step is used alike for the hills themselves and for the land between them; how this is to be reconciled let the advocates for this opinion determine, but it will require no small ingenuity to render the whole consistent. After all, if this description of Lambarde and his ac count of the Weald generally had been ever so clear and consistent, it ought to have no weight with us, as not even the shadow of a reason is of fered in support of it; in one place he asserts that, "there can be assigned, none other certaine boundes thereof, then suche as we have before recited out of the auncient hystories;" and shortly after observes, a man maye more reasonably mainteine, that there is no Weald at all, then certainly pronounce eyther where it beginneth, or maketh an ende:" now if to these two observations, we add his elucidations of the very reasonable conceite, about the steps, we shall have collected into one focus the substance of bis remarks on the Weald; but we must leave any further interpretation of them. The object here aimed at, is to shew the fallacy of any reasoning grounded on the authority of this author, in favor of the opinion that extends the Weald to the Chalk hills, and this we trust has been fully accomplished.

66