OBSERVATIONS. Rain ftrongly electric, unufual with fo moift an air.-2 Linnets congre gate.-3 Muhrooms pale and taffeleis.- 4 Wheat harvest. First broods of martins congregate-6 Wheat harveft general.-N. B. The register and obfervations, after the 12th, were made at a village 50 miles S. W. of London, fu pofed to be about 300 feet above high-watermark. Thermometer on a thady staircase. Rain-measurer four feet from the ground. HOME. OXFORD. MIDLAND. NORFOLK. (NORTHERN WESTERN SUMMER CIRCUIT. 1783. Mon. Jul.28 Wednef. 30 Tuesday 25 Oxford Frid. Aug. 1 Saturday 2 Worc &City Linc, & City York & City Southa.& Sa Monday 4 Hertford Buckingha. Wednesd. 6Chelmsford Glou.& City THE Gentleman's Magazine; For JUL Y, UL Y, 1783. BEING THE FIRST NUMBER OF THE SECOND PART OF VOL. LIII. SIR, To Mr. URBAN, for THE LONDON ANTIQUARY. its encouragement and continuance here, IME has been too invidious in its outrages. Beauty, ftrength, and magnificence, have fallen proftrate under its frowns, and withered into oblivion. The memorable page of ufeful knowledge has been mangled by the deftructive feythe of this merciless invader, and left to perished themfelves into focieties for the proamidft the common mafs of elementary matter. Arts have died away, which feemed to claim immortality as their birth-right. Science has veiled her countenance, and withdrawn her influence, before he had attained her meridian fplendour. Hiftoric monuments of inventive genius, events, incidents, ftructures, have ftood forward, and invited attention for a feafon: but either through the violent inroads of hostile devafiation, or want of care in the prefervation of fome of thefe memorials, they have fubmitted to the infults of conqueft or inattention; and have made a dark chafm in the various conveyances of knowledge. Where are the writings which have been particularly devoted to enquiries into the rife and progrefs of the Saracenic architecture? The fame anfwer will be equally applicable, when we fearch for the writings of the firft Roman hiftorians. Where are the no.ks of Fabius Pictor, L. Cincius, L. Pifo Frugi? They have all perished in the wreck of time. The Saracens were a learned people. They certainly published accounts of their firft effays in architecture. Others have done the fame, and made obfervations upon its introduction into Europe, pagation of fcience; and the fociety, called at this day Free Mafons, was of their inftitution. The church of the Sepulchre at Jerufalem being nearly their fit progeny, as conceived by Science, was a model for ftructures in various parts of the world. They drew the whole force of their conceptions from the Tuscan of the Romans. This, however, they varied: but the robuft fhaft they retained. The capital they ornamented with palm leaves, inftead of the acanthus, which indeed belongs to the Co rinthian, and adopted the circular arch. This fpecies of building continued, and made an extenfive ftride, both before and after that pious jacerdotal stratagem, to revel into power, cafe, and fecurity, upon the rapine and flaughter of mankind, commonly called the Holy War. That fpecies of architecture called Gothic is no more than the fecond manner of the Saracenic. There were no artists, no perfons of fcience, in thofe carly times, except the Saracens, for the for mation of defigns for ftructures. They were carneftly folicited by princes, and perfons verfed in other branches of literature, to exert their abilities in architeftical knowledge, where large facred &ructures were much defired: of which abilities abilities they have given no inconfiderable documents in Europe, Asia, and Africa Through too great a contempt, cherished by them, towards other religious perfuafions, they introduced into facred buildings, entrusted to their skill and management, that vernacular imagery, fo difgraceful to fome of our Chriftian churches, where they or their difciples have been employed, confifting of ludicrous heads and wanton figures. The most ancient ftructure of this character in England was the chapel of the Infirmary, or St. Catherine; which was built in the time of the Confeffor Edward. This fabrick ftood till the year 1571 at which time it was almoft wholly pulled down. It had been rebuilded about the year 1300; but the arches and pillars, as they had not fuffered by the depredations of time, were continued upon the new erection. At this day are to be feen an arch and an half, with the Saracenic column. Thefe remains, venerable indeed as they are, are in the prefent yard of the house beJonging to John Mcreft, Efq. in the little Cloifters of Wefiminster Abbey. They, at this time, conftitute part of the wall which inclofes the yard and the interftices of the columns and half-arch, as well as of the entire arch, are filled up with brick-work. See Widmore's Hiftory of this Church, p. 141. Widmore calls these remains the door-way of the chapel; but, upon a cool and deliberate infpection, they will be found to be a part of the old arcade; and that the ground has been confiderably raised in this part with the rubbish of the old ftructure. When the mystery of mafonry began to be more diffufed, and thefe fraternities were established in different parts of Europe, they introduced the art of building with tone into England, about the middle of the 7th century. They erected the chapel of King's College. This appears from the fecond and third Indenture, to be feen in the archives of that collegiate body, made between the provost of the college, the scholars, and the mafter-mafon, Jobn Waftell. It appears from the myfterious numbers, 3, 7, 5, which are the different numbers of the fteps at each entrance of the chapel, numbers well understood by modern mafons. It appears from an inftrument in writing, preferved in the Archives of Caius College, and fome time fince tranfmitted to me by a fellow of that fociety. It runs thas: "To alle Chriften peop! this prefent "writyng endented, feeng, redyng, or "heryng, John Wulrich maiftr mason of "the werks of the Kynges College Roial "of our Lady and Seynt Nicholas of "Cambrigge, Iohn Bell mason, wardeyn " in the fame werks, &c. Written at "Camb. 17 Aug. 1476. 16 Edw. IV.” Most of thefe perfons, for a great length of time, were foreigners; and in the first inftitution by the Saracens, all were fo. In procefs of time, as foon as the people of this ifland became acquainted with the principles of defign, the artificers, as well as the art, were domeftic: but this did not happen till about the reign of Henry VIII. For foon after Henry the VIIth's reign, we were obliged to call-in the affiftance of foreign artifts, for the defign and execution of his tomb; and it is probable that his chapel was erected by perfons of the fame defcription. The ftructure of the Temple church is Saracenic. The circular part was built firft, and stood a century or two, before that addition was made to it where fervice is now performed. The addition is a fecond manner of this architecture. All the old churches here were circular buildings; and indeed all the first churches here were fo; copied, as foine fuppofe, from the circular church of the Sepulchre at ferufalem. But the conception of the figure arose from the confideration of the fymbolical doctrine conveyed to the mind by the circle; the eternity of the Deity, without beginning, and without end. Thus the open temples of the Druids were circular, or of an elliptical figure, nearly approaching to it. Such are they which appear on Salisbury Plain, Abury, and near Long Compton, called Roll-Rich Stones.This church was confecrated by Heraclius, patriarch of Jerufalem, anno 1185, in the reign of Henry II. This circumftance was legible in Saxon characters, over the portal near the cloifters; which characters were visible in the year 1605, and perhaps continued fe till the repairs of the front, near the cloitters, when a new entrance was erected, which has greatly difgufted the intelligent admirers of architecture: for as it was intended for a Doric entrance, in its being united to a Saracenic defign, it is an abfolute falje concord in structure, and much like the licence of a painter, who, when the head of an old patriarch is nearly defaced upon the canvas, fupplies it with a young finiling countenance, upon the remains |