Jldrofpcctof Domejik Literature — Topograpaij and Antiquities. 627 



fourtli year of his age. Such are the 

 abridged particulars of his life, as related 

 by the editor of his " Itinerary." In de- 

 fending the rights of his cliurch, he ap- 

 pears to have been both uCiive and un- 

 daunted : a fcholar, tinged with moll of 

 the fuperltitions of the time ; and though 

 ambitious of honours, both charitable and 

 diiintcrcfted. 



The Life of Gyraldus, with a Lift of his 

 Manufcripts, as they are to be found iu 

 our pubhc libraries, is followed by an In- 

 troduction to the Hillory of Cambria, 

 prior to the date of the Itinerary in 1188, 

 III which tl p fevcral campaigns of .Tulius 

 Ca-far, Plautins, Claudius, Ollorius, 

 6uctonius, Frontinus, and Agricola are 

 defcribtd, and explained by in;ips; with 

 a defcription of the lloman cities, llations, 

 and roads in Wales; the courl'e of Olfa's 

 and Watt's dykes, &o. After thei'e 

 rv'c come to the Itinerary ; beginning 

 with the journey through Hereford and 

 Radnor. Among a variety of curious 

 pai'ticulars^ highly illuitrative, not only of 

 the manners of the age, but of the topo- 

 graphy of Wales, a vatl number of the 

 legendary tales and fuperltitions of the 

 time are introduced : accompanied not 

 only by defcriptiuns which are occafum- 

 ally hyperbolical, but in a few cafes de- 

 viating even from acknowledged fact. Sir 

 Richard's Annotations, however, upon 

 each chapter, with the engravings which 

 accompany tiiom, not only correct the 

 errors, but add much to the intcrellof the 

 work. The defcription of Lantli.jui, may 

 be mentioned as a hnr fpecimen of his 

 Commentaiies in general. Thus far we 

 have (Icfcribed the tirit volume of the 

 work, as the fubfequent portion contains 

 the fecoiid book of the Itinerary, h)llowed 

 by Gyraldus's Defcription of Wales, 

 and a Supplement, containing a iliort ac- 

 count of fuch places, worthy of remark, 

 as were omitted bj' Crimbrenhs : ciofing 

 witii a view, by the Editor, of the pro- 

 giefs of arcliiteCture, from the time of 

 William the Conqueror to the fixtcGuth 

 cetitury; illudrated by defigns felected 

 from examples in South Wnles. 



One of the moft interclling articles in 

 tlie Supplement is, Conuav Cnjlle. 



From the alfmity of England to Wales, 

 it is obferved, architecture feems to have 

 been nearly upon a level in each king- 

 dom ; for as a particilar fpccies of this 

 arc rofe up with us in England, imitations 

 were very foon introduced into the neigli- 

 bourjiig principality. Sir Richard Iloare 

 diviile-i ills fpecimens into feven claflcs, 

 kc|(ianhig with an c^iamplc iu the plain 



Norman ftyle from the church ofMargnn 

 in Glamorganil.^re, the conftruction of 

 which is auributed to one of thofe Nop- 

 raaii knights who conquered that province 

 under their chieftain, ilobert Fit/, liamoju 

 The fecond clafs is exemplitied in a pait 

 of the foiUh fule of the body of the parilh 

 church of Manorbcer in i'cmitrokelhire, 

 erected foon after the conquell: as well 

 as in two fpecimcns from St. David'a 

 cathedral, of the date of IIBO. The dato 

 of the fpccimens iu the third clafs fruisi 

 the cathedral of LlandalV, may polllbly 

 be quefiioncd ; we are not a-Aare that the 

 light clultercd culumuL, fupporting tiie 

 pointed arch were iiitroduced fo early as 

 1120. The fourth clafs is rcprelerited i« 

 the eaft-eud of the exterior of the chap- 

 ter boufe nt Margan. In the fifth claU 

 we have only one fpecimen of that fpleu- 

 did llyle of building which graced the 

 reign of Edward the third: it is takeu 

 from the Itood-loft in St. David's cathe-- 

 dral. The fixth clafswhich extends froia 

 the reign of Richard the fecoud, to th«. 

 reign of Edward the fifth, is only iiluf-j 

 trated by detached decorations. Tl» 

 Icven^h, clofes the Hidory of Gotliic at- 

 diiterture, in the reigns of the two lalt 

 Henrys. All thefe are itcorupanitHi by- 

 engravings of fpecimeiis and decorations. 

 ill a very elegant talle. 



The laft article of all contained in ths 

 work is, " a I.iit of books relating to 

 Wales." We have ouly to exprels awjlh 

 that Gyraidus's Topoi^i'ajjhu of' Ireland, 

 may find an editor e pial in tallc and 

 judgment to Sir Hi chard Iloare. 



The fifth part of Mr. BaJi ton's " Ar- 

 c/uttdural AniiquiticA," concludes the" 

 ' Elfay towards a ILltory of Stone Croflr' 

 es.' Thoie at Maluiibury, Glaltonbury, 

 Stourhe'^d, and Ciiichelter, are theJnolt 

 coiifpicuoiis lubjcits in the plate-;. ^ 



The Jtxlh portion relates entirely tt» 

 the Ilitlory of Mahnlbury .\bbey Churcli, 

 m WiitlJiiie. It appears to have been 

 erected about that periud when tlie cir- 

 cular and painted arches Wfie both iii 

 falliiou; but when the latter wa- jult 

 beginiiins to be adopted, and the foiiuer 

 was declining. The prevailing uyle iii 

 arches, column?, and <!riiaments, is the 

 An^lo-NurmuHjV; i.l\i the intioduCtion of 

 the pointed or Engliili. The plates which 

 accompany this, part of the work, are a 

 ground-plan andl'outh view of the Nave, 

 tlie remains of tlie vveilera front, a frag- 

 ment of the wellcrn door-way, a iiortli»i 

 eaft view, a door on the north llde, with 

 decoratio'is, and the fouthern porch. 



Fiom Henry \'1I. we lole light of ail 

 ft^l* 



