Chester, according to cuftom, by the Earl's ferjeants (fervientes pacis.) And it must have been the ufual way to behead malefactors in this county, becaufe in a Roll 3 Edw. II. it is called the cuftom of Cheshire. These are direct and evident proofs, that the beheading of criminals was not peculiar to Halifax, but was exercifed likewife in other parts of the kingdom; and accordingly it feems to have been known to be fo, even in later times; for in the fecond volume of Hollinfhed's Chronicle, printed in 1577, at p. 654. is a wood cut, representing the execution of a man who attempted to murder King Henry III. The criminal is laid within fuch a gibbet as that at Halifax (fee the mifcellaneous plate, No. 4.) only the ax is fufpended from the top by a cord, which the executioner is cutting with a knife, fimilar to an engraved reprefentation of the Halifax gibbet in Moll's fet of fifty maps of England and Wales, Lond 1724, where the bai. liff, or fome other, is cutting the rope. Alfo in Fox's book of Martyrs, vol. i. p. 37. Lond. 1684, is a plate of this fort, except that a man is pulling up the ax to a proper height, by means of a cord which runs through a hole in the tranfverfe piece of wood at the top, and when he lets go the cord, the ax defcends.

"From whence the custom of beheading criminals with an engine originally came, is not eafy to fay. It has been thought that the people of Halifax took the hint from the Scottish Maiden at Edin burgh, which is well known to have refembled their own; but fo far from that, different writers have told us that this Maiden was borrowed from the Halifax gibbet. See Whatley's England's Gazetteer, Lond. 1751, under Halifax, and the Geography of England done after the manner of Gordon, Lond. Dodfley, 1744. It feems that Earl Morton, the Regent of Scotland, carried a model of it from . Halifax to his own country, where it remained fo long unused, that it acquired the name of the Maiden. The Scots have a tradition, that the first inventor of this machine, was the first who fuffered by it. So far is certain, that Earl Morton, who was executed June 2, 1581, had his head taken off by fuch an inftrument as this; for in the Continuation of Hollinfhead's Chronicle of Scotland, we read, that having laid his necke under the axe, he cried, Lord Jefus receive my fpirit, which words he fpake, even while the axe fell on bis necke. This continuator, indeed, has made no remarks on the fingularity of this act, as might have been expected from him, if the Earl had been known to have brought this contrivance with him from England, and to have been the first who fuffered by it; but hiftorians too often think it fufficient to record matters of fact, without the addition of fuch obfervations, as would be of fervice to antiquarians.

"I have been informed by a perfon born in Edinburgh, that the Maiden there is the only inftrument of the kind in that kingdom, and that it has very feldom been used; from whence it may be concluded that it is of no very great antiquity; and as the custom of beheading with it was local, no proof arifes that it was prior in time to that at Halifax; more especially fo, as the date of this machine at Halifax is utterly unknown. It is evident that fuch a contrivance was known in Germany before the execution of Earl Morton; for I have a finall engraving, dated in 1553, done by Aldegraft of West

phalia,

phalia, reprefenting Titus Manlius ftanding by to see the execution of his fon, for fighting contrary to his orders. The fon's head is laid upon a block, and a ponderous ax hangs over his neck, fufpended by a cord; there are hollows cut in the two uprights, to direct it in its defcent, but being a fide view, the method made use of to caufe it to fall, is not reprefented. An officer, who stands by the fide of Manlius, has his left hand on the criminal's head.

"It is a circumftance worth remarking, that this power of the Barons, to inflict capital punishment, was kept up at Halifax a confiderable time after it had ceafed in every other part of the kingdom. This, however, as I take it, was merely accidental; the privilege (as it is called) was not taken away from any place, by act of parliament, but dropt by degrees, as the motives for its continuance became lefs neceffary. And furely it was but right, as the tenures in capite ceased, that the liberties therewith granted fhould ceafe alfo. As Halifax, however, was a place of fo much trade, this cuftom, which ftruck fuch a terror into thieves in general, was found to be fo highly beneficial to the honeft manufacturers there, that they kept it up as long as they durft and it is very probable that it had not ceased when it did, if the bailiff had not been threatened, after the last executions, that if ever he attempted the like again, he should be called to a public account for it.

"This is the best account I can at prefent give of this celebrated cuftom, which feems to have puzzled every writer who has touched upon the fubject. For the fatisfaction of the curious, I shall add fuch a lift of perfons beheaded at Halifax, as the register books there afford us; which is fo formidable a one, for the time it takes in, that we need not wonder to hear, that thieves and vagabonds ufed familiarly the following petition, "From Hell, Hull, and Halifax, good "Lord deliver us."

But from the perufal of this lift, it is poffible fome of our readers are ready to join in the petition, "good Lord deliver us." We shall here end the quotation and referve the remainder of our account of this accurate and laborious work to another oppor tunity.

ART. XI. The Life of Petrarch. Collected from Memoires pour la Vie de Petrarch *. 2 vols. 8vo. 12s. Buckland.

About ten years ago appeared at Amfterdam, "Memoires pour la Vie de Francois Petrarque, tirés de fes Oeuvres et des Auteurs contemporaires." In thefe Memoirs were enumerated upwards of twenty different biographers, who had engaged in the task of writing the life of Petrarch. Among thefe, fome of them had even doubted the exiftence of the celebrated Laura, in whose praise the favourite fonnets of this amorous poet were written. The Author of the Memoirs, however, ftood up boldly

*Announced in our Review for May.

for

for the actual exiftence of the lady, relieving the memory of the Post from the imputation of celebrating, like another Don Quixote, an imaginary Dulcinea. It happened unluckily, nevertheless, that the object of his paffion proves to have been another man's wife; a circumftance which, the prefent biographer feems to think, renders that paffion fomewhat unnacountable: but perhaps the most unaccountable part of the story is, that there remains no ground for fufpicion of the leaft criminal intercourse during this extraordinary amour. The truth is, that Petrarch was an extraordinary man, and if we credit his hiftorians, had a moft powerful command over his paffions *.

"Moral philofophy and poetry, we are told, were his chief de light; he loved alfo the ftudy of antiquity, to which he was the more inclined from an aversion to the age in which he lived. He loved hiftory, but he could not bear the difcord which reigned among hiftorians. In doubtful parts, he determined by the probability of the facts, and the reputation of the authors. He applied himself to phi lofophy, without efpoufing any fect; because he found no fyltem which was fatisfactory. I love truth, fays he, and not fects. I am fometimes a Peripatician, a Stoic, or an Academician, and often none of them; but-always a Chriftian. To philofophize, is to ⚫ love wisdom; and the true wisdom, is Jefus Christ. Let us read the hiftorians, the poets, and the philofophers; but let us have in our hearts the gospel of Jefus Chrift; in which alone is perfect wifdom, and perfect happiness."

From the frequent recourfe which he had to folitude, it ap pcars alfo that Petrarch was of a melancholy as well as religious difpofition; unlefs, we muft impute his love of recefs entirely to his paffion; for which there does not appear altogether fufficient grounds. The place he chofe for his retreat, when in the folitary mood of retirement, was the famous fountain of Vauclufe.

"One of thofe places, fays the biographer, in which nature delights to appear under a form the moft fingular and romantic. Towards the coaft of the Mediterranean, and on a plain, beautiful as

Or perhaps those paffions were of a purer kind than fuch as advate ordinary perfons; romantic defires are not the most violent; and that Petrarch was the lover of romance may be gathered from the following defeription of his mistress. "On Sunday in the Holy Week, at fix in the morning, the time of matins, Pemarch going to the church of the monaftery of St. Claire, faw a young lady, whose charms inftantly fixed his attention. She was dreffed in green, and her gown was embroidered with violets. Her face, her air, her gait, were fomething more than mortal. Her perfon was delicate, her eyes tender and sparkling, and her eye-brows black as chony. Golden locks waved over her thoulders whiter than fnow; and the ringlets were interwoven by the fingers of love. Her neck was well formed, and her complexion animated by the tints of nature, which art vainly attempts to imitate. When the opened her mouth, you perceived the beauty of pearls and the sweetness of rofes. She was full of graces. Nothing was fo foft as her looks, so modest as her carriage, fo touching as the found of her voice. An air of gaiety and tendernefs breathed around her, but fo pure and happily tempered, as to infpire every be holder with the fentiments of virtue: for the was chatte as the fpangied dew-drop of the morn.-Such, fays Petrarch, was the amiable Laura."

the

the vale of Tempe, you discover a little valley, enclosed by a barrier of rocks in the form of a horse-fhoe. The rocks are high, bold, and grotefque: and the valley is divided by a river, along the banks of which are extended meadows and paftures of a perpetual verdure. A path, which is on the left fide of the river, leads in gentle windings to the head of this vaft amphitheatre. There, at the foot of an enormous rock, and directly in front, you behold a prodigious cavern hollowed by the hand of nature: and in this cavern arifes a fpring, as celebrated almost as that of Helicon.

"Here, fays Petrarch, in one of his letters, I make war upon my fenfes, and treat them as my enemies. My eyes, which have drawn me into a thousand difficulties, fee no longer either gold or precious ftones, or ivory or purple; they behold nothing, fave the firmament, the water, and the rocks. The only female who comes within their fight, is a fwarthy old woman, dry and parched as the Lybian defarts. My ears are no longer carted by thofe harmonies of inftruments or voices which have often tranfported my foul: they hear nothing but the lowing of cattle, the bleating of fheep, the warbling of birds, and the murmurs of the stream.

"I keep filence from morn to night. There is no one to converse with; for people conftantly employed, either in fpreading their nets, or taking care of their vines and orchards, have no knowledge ⚫ of the intercourses of the world, or the converfations of fociety."

From this sketch of his difpofition, the reader may form an idea of the character of this celebrated poet. The principal actions of his life have been fo often related, that we refer fuch of our readers as are ftill to learn them, to the work itself; in which the ingenious compiler hath made a very judicious ufe' of the materials collected for her *, in the French Memoirs.

ART. XII. Hoyle's Games improved. Being practical Treatifes. on the following fashionable Games: viz. Whift, Quadrille, Piquet, Chefs, Back-Gammon, Billiards, Cricket, Tennis, Quinze Hazard, and Lanfquenet. In which are also contained, the Method of betting at thofe Games upon equal, or advantageous Terms. Including the Laws of the feveral Games, as fettled and agreed to at White's and Stapleton's Chocolate-houfes. 12mo. 35. Lowndes.

To the games of Hoyle, contained in the former editions of his book, the revifer and corrector hath added thofe of billiards, cricket, tennis, quinze, hazard, and lanfquenet: his directions, for playing each, being, as far as we are qualified to judge, deduced from the best practical authorities; fo that the present edition feems to be the moft compleat work of its kind extant.

VOL. II.

* Mrs. Sufanna Dobfon of Liverpool.

M

PAMPHLETS.

PAMP H

HLE
L E T S.

>

POETRY.

ART. XIII. Religion: a poetical Effay. By W. Gibson, M. A. Pembroke, 4to. 25. Hall, Cambridge.

Non ego, Phoebe, datas a te mihi mentiar artes;

Nec nos aëriæ voce monemur avis:

Nec mihi funt vife Clio, Cliufque forores

Vera canam.

OVID.

This Poem is written in blank verse, which, in short essays, we are no advocates for. 'Twere to be wished it had been written in rhyme, as doubtless it is better fuited to the genius of our language. The author, however, feems to be a m of fenfe, and poffeffed of a tolerable talent for moral poefy. He has difplayed a good deal of learning, and here and there we meet with fome fpirited lines, particularly in the fourteen first pages, and the twenty-feventh, where Plato is thus introduced..

-Lift! lift! more foft

Than dew-drops fprinkled by the hand of even
Light o'er the violet-bed, and honey sweet

A voice. Tis Plato's! gently breathe ye gales !
Stir not a leaf! and you ye waters wind -

Your way unmurmuring!

But, allowing him fo much due merit, we cannot but think he has dwelt too much upon the falfe fyftems of religion, that at different periods have prevailed in the world, and paid too little attention to that of chriftianity. On the whole, it would have appeared with more propriety in the form of a dissertation.

ART. XIV. The State of Man, here and hereafter, confidered; in three
Epiftles to a Friend. 12mo. 6d. Pine, Bristol.

If the author of these epiftles be not the best Poet in the world, he appears to be a good Chriftian; which is a much more amiable and worthy character.

"To aim," fays he, "chiefly at the grandeur or eloquence of ftile, may become a genius, but the views of every chriftian should ascend higher-it must be owned that all authors are impelled to appear as fuch, either by the power of vanity or benevolence: They defire to pleafe, that others may praise them for that pleasure; or to profit, that all may partake of that useful train of fentiment, whatever it be, which has either informed or inftructed them, and added to their happinefs. Without doubt, very many of the latter fort have graced our favoured ifland, and they will ever have this advantage over the former, that the works of fuch as Addifon, Hale, Young, Dodderidge, Derham or Fenelon, will be taken up with delight by the serious in all ages, and by all readers in their ferious moments, while thofe of Voltaire, Horace, Bolingbroke, and the Bagatelles of Shakespeare, Swift,

and