600 RetrofpeSi of Domeftlc Literature, — Topography and Antiquities. 



tory of the Deanery cf Craven,"' is the 

 moft valuable topogtaphical publication 

 we have of late years Icen ; and poffsdes 

 cvtiy quality which in fuch a work can 

 piove attiaftive, either to the aiitiquaiy 

 cr the general reader. Could we /ay as 

 inucii for Dr. Miller's '* Doncafler" 

 v.e (hould be glad; his opportunities in 

 refpeft to local information fcem to have 

 been great, but in the acquirement of ma. 

 Aerials fioin ancient and original docu- 

 ments he does not ftein to have been fuc- 

 cefsful. 



" "The ancient Cathedral of Cornwall 

 bijlovical'j fur-vcyed,^'' by Dr. Whita- 

 KtR, ii anotf.er curious work. Its fubje<5l: 

 may, at firlf fight, ft em confined ; but 

 Dr. Whitaker lias fo blended it with the 

 civil and dorrjeftic hiftory of former pe- 

 liods, and has drawn inlonnalion tiom fo 

 many Iburces, both in ihis country and 

 others, that the reaJer hardly conceives 

 he is psiufiiig the hillory of a fequeftercd 

 church. Striilly fpeaking, perhaj s a 

 large portion of the woik has but little 

 relerence to St. Germain's ; but the anec- 

 dotes detailed have been gathered with 

 fuch afliduity and judgment, and are de- 

 tailed with fuch fjirit and elVei5f, that 

 candour will readily excufe tlie:n. Dr. 

 Whitakcr's obfervations en our ancient 

 architei51iire, in tlie fi: ft volume, carry with 

 them a highttegiee of intereft. 



But in the topographical clafs we muft 

 rot omit an early notice of the fecond 

 and third volumes of Mr. Malcolm's 

 ♦' Londhi'ium Redivivu/ii." His inform- 

 ation, with veiy few exceptions, is le- 

 leiied from original fources. Sto«', 

 Maitland, Norihouck, and Pennant, had 

 gone betoie hii^i ; and he leems to have 

 preferred forming a repofitory of m.iie- 

 riais to the pubhcati-.n of a legular hif- 

 tury. By far the moft intereiling portions 

 of ti.e y^««r/ VuluiTie are thofe wi.ich re- 

 late to the inns of court, and Pater-nofter 

 Row, The deCciiption of St. Andrew's, 

 Kolborn, parilh, has much to interelt : 

 and Mr. Malcolm has obtained a large 

 portion of novel information in regard to 

 Ely Place ; ih ugh the account of the Bri- 

 tifh Mufeuni, to whofe (iores Mr. Mal- 

 colm is indtb ed fcr the molt valuable of 

 the anecdotes which give an interelt to his 

 \v)ik, is meagre in the rxfieme. The 

 ipolt curious part of the tkird volume is 

 that which corxeins the hiftory of St. 

 Paul's cathedral, in which a variety of 

 psniculars occur fupplemeutary to Sir 

 Wiliiam Dugdale. For the purpofe of 

 ehicidating thcfe Mr. Malcolm's oppor- 

 tunities were very great j and he, in 



courfe, makes due acknowledgement for 

 the indulgences permitted to him by the 

 dean and chapter. He has brought to 

 light a variety of particulars relating to 

 their ancient chantries; and fome remark- 

 able documents wiiich evince the injuitice 

 ot the ciovvn, at a former period, in the 

 feizure of their lands. Nor, while fearch- 

 ing the archives, did he neglcdf inquiring 

 into the hiftory of the ancient ftrufture. 

 «< I have fcen," he fays, " in the records 

 of the chuich a long roll of parchment, 

 which is the year's account of Richard 

 de Saye, inalfer of the woiks for 1326, 

 Tile fum total is 72/. 18^. zd. ; and the 

 carpenters received then ^.d. 5</. and 6J. 

 per day." The proceedings of Inigo Jones, 

 and the exttafts froiri the books of the 

 mafter workmen under Sir Chriftopher 

 Wren are important appendages. T]ie 

 account of the Savoy hofpital is given in 

 a valuable original hiftory, compiled by 

 the receiver-general of the duchy of Lan- 

 cafter ; and though we cannot praife its 

 elegance, we can allow due credit for its 

 accuracy. The matter, however, which' 

 both thefe volumes contain, is too multi- 

 farious to be completely noticed here. 

 The txtra^ls from parifti regifters are by 

 far too indilcriminatc and numerous. Mr. 

 Malcolm's Ityle, to fay the lealt of it, is 

 cl'UTiiy : and though, as a mafs of curious 

 iiilorination, we commend his work, we 

 cannot always praife his judgment. 



" The ylrchiteSlural Antiquities of Great 

 Brit can dif played, in a Scries of Seled 

 Engravings, reprefenting the mojl beauti- 

 ful, curious, and interejiing Ancient Edi- 

 fices of this Country ; ivith an hiflorical 

 and defcriptwe Acctunt of each Subjeil^* 

 ^' John Hkitton. Pans I. and II. 



The giandtur of efFeft which accom- 

 panied all the buildings of our Gothic 

 architecls, has given a charm to almolt 

 every thing that touches on their hiftory. 

 Without recognizing rules, they recon- 

 ciled lb;emni:y with lightnefs ; and con- 

 trived a liyle whofe operatiin on the hu- 

 man mind was far greater than any which 

 the rcfii ement of the Grecian arc'niteiSs 

 could poflibly produce. It is not, how- 

 ever, to this (tyle alone that Mr. Britton 

 has confined himfelf. He goes back to 

 the mode of building which was adopted 

 from the Romans, and comes forward to 

 the baftard ftyle of Henry the E ghth'« 

 time. The firft part compr zes views of St, 

 Botolph"„ Priory, Coichcfter ; the pwory 

 church at Dunft aple, in Bedford(hire ; 

 the abbey church at Abingdon, and th« 

 gatehoufe of Layer Marney H;ill, in 

 ElTcx. The fecund part, however, which 



