of meadow, ornamented with the noble mansion of Fawley,* forms the foreground to a soft and lovely range of woody hills. The Berkshire margin rises boldly, but not with abruptness, to a lof tiness of elevation which nature and art have united to adorn, 'The extensive domain of the Earl of Malmsbury engrosses this portion of the view; and the plantations on every swell and fall of the scene are disposed in aid of picturesque effect.

Camden doubts whether this was not the part of the Thames over which, according to Dion, the Romans passed, under Aulus Plautius, in pursuit of the Britons; but Ward shews that Dion Cassius meant to describe "the marshy parts about the fens in Essex." There was a stone bridge across the Thames at Henley at a very early period, A bridge of wood was then constructed, which remained till the date of the present erection.

The church is a handsome, though irregular, Gothic structure, near the east entrance of the town. The tower is lofty, and composed of intermingled flint and stone. At each angle is a taper octagonal turret, which surmounts the battlements of the tower to a considerable height, and produces much lightness of effect.† The church is divided by two rows of Gothic arches, and consists of a nave, two side aisles, and a spacious chancel. The building was composed at different times; and the present north aisle appears to have formerly constituted the body of the church. On the north of the communion table are indications of the original altar, with two canopied niches, in one of which is, evidently, the recess used for the eucharist.

To the north of the chancel is a large receding burial-place, built

Y 3

The line forming the boundary between Bucks and Oxon crosses the lawn attached to Fawley-Court. For an account of this seat, see Beauties, &c. for Buckinghamshire, p. 371.

It is popularly supposed that this fine tower was built under the patronage of Cardinal Wolsey, but there are not any documents to support the assertion,

built by the family of Elmes, who formerly resided at BolneyCourt, and possessed much property in the county. The fol lowing lines, placed over the remains of Mr. Elmes and his lady, are much indebted to the facility which the name affords for quaint allusion:

This Elme, in years and worth well growne,
Death at the appointed time cut downe.
The ivy fades, her propp once gone;
Thus fallne, both lye under this stone.
But lye, afresh to spring, grow, spread,
When every tree shall rise that's dead.

In the chancel is a handsome monument to the memory of Lady Elizabeth Periam, the benefactress to Baliol College, Oxford, with her effigies in a half recumbent posture. Her ladyship was relict of Sir William Periam, lord chicf baron of the Exchequer, and resided at Greenland, near Henley. In a window on the east are some small painted figures, which demand notice only from the circumstance of having a piece of plain glass substituted for the original pictured head. The fanatical soldiers, in the civil war of Charles I. were often persuaded to be content with thus decapitating the " abominable emblems of idolatry and superstition."

The register of the parish commences with the first year of Elizabeth. During the protectorate of Cromwell it was kept in a manner deplorably slovenly by the scribe who assumed the office of the ejected incumbent; and, on the Restoration, the churchwardens deemed it expedient to convene a meeting of the inhabitants, in order to obtain their testimony respecting the baptism of children, and such other particulars as were necessary to the correcting or filling up of the register. The laxity of ceremonials, which formed so large a share of the perverse pride of the fanatics, must have been peculiarly disgusting to the inhabitants of Henley, since they were so much attached to the ordinances

dinances of the ancient church, that we find licences to eat flesh on fish days solicited and granted so late as the time of Charles I. One of these is entered in the following words, and is, perhaps, nearly the last dispensation granted for a similar purpose in this country:-"1634. Memorandum that, on the 3d of March › a licence was granted to Mr. Thomas Thimblethorpe to eate flesh on fish dayes, during the time of his weakness, and not longer."

In the vestry are deposited many of the valuable books collected by the accomplished and urbane Dean Aldrich, who was rector of Henley, and died in 1737. These principally consist of Greek and Latin classics, works in Hebrew, and other Oriental languages, the ancient Fathers, the most esteemed biblical critics, and various historical publications. The whole was liberally bequeathed by Dean Aldrich as the foundation of a parochial library. The rules by which he wished the institution to be governed are fairly copied and hung in the vestry. From this transcript it appears that all parishioners of Henley, who are liable to church rates, have not only free access to the library, but are permitted to take home any volume, on signing a promise, in a book kept for that purpose, to restore it without damage. We unwillingly observe that not a single volume has been added to the collection; and the books appear to be little in request with the persons for whose use they were intended. Among the works bequeathed are some original manuscripts by the Dean. These are carefully preserved in the house of the resident clergyman.

In the church-yard is interred Richard Jennings, "the masterbuilder of St. Paul's Cathedral," who had quitted all pursuits of business for some time previous to his decease, and resided at Badgmoor, near Henley.

The Town-hall stands on an elevated spot in the High-street, and is a neat building, completed in 1796. Beneath the hall is

a commodious piazza, used as a market-house. In a retired part

of the town is a well-built meeting-house, for the class of Dissenters termed Independents.

A small Theatre has been lately erected, and it is tolerably well attended for a few weeks in the year. A Book Society has also been recently established, which is supported by subscription. This institution meets with so much encouragement, that, besides purchasing the most desirable periodical publications, the Society is enabled to expend nearly 1001. per annum in works of a more durable interest,

The town contains two Free-School foundations. For one of these it is indebted to King James I. and for the other to Lady Elizabeth Periam. The latter is entirely unconnected with Lady Periam's benefactions to Baliol College; and both the schools are now united under one master, who is a graduate of the University of Oxford.

Here is also an Alms-house, founded and endowed by John Longland, Bishop of Lincoln, in grateful remembrance of the place which afforded him birth.

Henley yields little that is interesting, either in an historical or a commercial point of view. In 1642, the Parliamentary troops occupied different positions in the neighbourhood; and, in 1644, the Earl of Essex was quartered here, with a considerable force in the same interest. The inhabitants do not appear to have taken any active part; and the chief object of the Parliamentary troops, in their. latter visit, was the reduction of Greenland-house, then a fortified residence of the D'Oyley family. In 1646 the town was garrisoned by the Parliamenta rian army.

In the annals of police there occurs a melancholy instance of the insufficiency of education to preserve the judgment and the principles from the lowest state of perversion, when one strong passion is suffered to creep over the heart in the insidious guise of a social virtue. In the year 1752, Miss Mary Blandy was convicted of the murder of her father! The following is an outline of this lamentable case.

Mr.