2»d S. No 83., Aug. 1. '57.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



S6 



good lawes and customes of the Realme. Upon 

 sume delyberac5 had by her Mag*'* with us, con- 

 cern Inge the dew execucon hereof, her Mag"^ hath 

 called to her remembrance, which also we thinke 

 to be trewe, that though the gretter number of 

 Knyghtes and Cityzens and Burgesses for the 

 more parte are dewlye and orderlye chosen, yett 

 in many places such consideracon is not usually 

 had herein as reason wolde, that is to chewse 

 persons lyable to give good informacon and ad- 

 vyce for the places for which theye are nolated, 

 And to treate and consulte discratelye upon suche 

 matters as are to be ppounded to them in theyre 

 assembles, but contraryewyse that manye in late 

 Parliaments (as her Mag*'^ thinkes) have beene 

 named — some for private respectes and favour 

 uppon theire owne seutes — some to enjoye imuni- 

 ties from arrestes upon actions duringe the tyme 

 of the pliaments, and some others to sett forthe 

 private causes by senester labour and frivolous 

 talkes and argumentes, to the plongation of 

 tyme withoute juste cause, and withoute regarde 

 to the publique benefitt and weale of the Realme ; 

 And therefore Her Mag"% beynge verye desirous 

 to have redresse herein, hath charged us to devyse^ 

 some spedy good wayes for reformacon thereof 

 at thys tyme, soe as all the persons be assembled in 

 this next pliament for the Sheres, Cityes, and 

 Burroughes maye be founde as neere as maye be 

 descrete, wyse, and well disposed, accordinge to 

 the intention of theyre chewsen oughte to be. 

 And therefore we have thoughte meete to geve 

 knowledge hereof to suche as we thinke, both for 

 theire wisdome, discrecons and auctoritie in sun- 

 drye Counties of the Realme can and will take 

 advantage hereof. Soe have wee for the purpose 

 made speciall choyse of you, requiringe youe in 

 Her Mag*"" name to consider well of these pre- 

 misses, and to conferr with the Sherife of that 

 Shere of Som<^*, by all suche goode measures as 

 you shall thinke meete, and with such speciall 

 men of lyveliod and worshipp of the said Countie 

 as have interest herein, and in lyke mailer wyth 

 the hedd officers of Cities and Boroughes, soe as 

 by youre good advice and discrecon the persons to 

 be chewsen maye be well qualyfyed with know- 

 ledge, discretion, and modestye mete for these 

 places. And in soe doeinge ye shall geve just 

 occasion to have her Majestye herein well satis- 

 fy'd, the Realme well served, and the tyme of the 

 Asemblie (which caiiot be but chargeable with 

 longe continuance) to be both pfytable and spe- 

 dilye passed over and ended, and finalye the 

 Counteys, Cityes, and Burroughes well pvyded 

 for. And soe we bydde youe hartilye farewell. 

 From Westm', the vij of Februarye, 1570. 

 Youre lovinge Frendes, 



N. Bacon. C. Clinton. 



H. NoHTH. W. Howard. 



T. Sussex. James Ckofte. 



R. Leicester. W. Cecill. 



The writ for the election being soon after re- 

 ceived, the citizens made choice of John Ayle- 

 worth, Esq., and Henry Newton, Esq. Ina, 



Wells. 



BYGONE REMINISCENCES 01" GREAT MEN. 



Bobert Boyle at Stalbridge. 



Another classic spot is Stalbridge, in Dorset- 

 shire, delightfully situated on an eminence over- 

 looking the fertile and extensive "Vale of Black- 

 more." Here lived the truly illustrious philosopher 

 and christian, the Hon. Robert Boyle; and, till 

 within the last thirty years or so, the mansion in 

 the "Park" was said to contain the room where 

 he studied, and where the first of his experiments 

 in natural philosophy and chemistry were made.* 

 The manor still retains its park-like character, 

 being surrounded by a stone wall some five miles 

 in circumference, but every trace of the mansion 

 is now removed: a portion only of the offices 

 being retained, which has since been converted 

 into°a farm-house. A pair of massive stone pil- 

 lars, surmounted by two admirably carved lions, 

 flanking the entrance to what was once a noble 

 avenue" of elms, alone remain to testify to the 

 former prosperity and grandeur of the place, f 

 After some vicissitudes, it passed into the hands 

 of the "Paget" family, — one of whom (the late 

 Earl of Uxbridge), in 1802, entertained King 

 George III. here, after having honoured Lord 

 Dorchester with a similar visit at his seat at Mil- 

 ton Abbey, near Blandford. Subsequently, the 

 mansion was pulled down, and the materials dis- 

 posed of; and in the cellar (of the mansion) is 

 stated to have been discovered a curious kind of 

 pump, which may have some connexion with the 

 early experiments of the philosopher on the air- 

 pump. It would, certainly, be a fitting tribute to 

 the memory of so great and good a man, that some 

 memento of him should be preserved on the spot 

 where he first laboured in the cause of science so 

 indefatlgably, and with such great and lasting 

 results. The present noble owner, the Marquis of 

 Westminster, has it in contemplation, I believe, to 

 erect another mansion (though not on the same 

 site) ; and it would, assuredly, form no small at- 

 traction to the " park," in addition to the natural 

 beauties it already possesses, to contain withm it 



* « In March, 1646, he retired to his manor at Sal- 

 bridge, where he resided for the most part till May, 1650. 

 .... During his retirement at Stalbridge, he apphed 

 himself with incredible industry to studies of various 

 kinds, natural philosophy and chemistry in particular.^ 

 Vide Encycl Brit, art. Boyle. See also Hutchmss 

 Dorset, and auctores ejus, vol. ii. pp. 244, 245. — Moule S 

 English Counties {in loco'). 



t Coker (quoted by Hutchins, ut supra,) says, "Mer- 

 vine, Earl of Castlehaven, latelie built a goodly fair house 

 here." 



