iz The Natural Hi (lory 



5. Of thefe there is an imperfeft Lift in a MSS. c In Corpus 

 Ckrijii College Library Oxon. in which there are alfo mentioned 

 three Synods held in St. Maries Church : A Provincial Chapter of 

 the Fryars Preachers, and a Council held at Oxon. whofe Votes 

 were written by Abraham Woodhall. There is alfo a Provincial 

 Council at Oxford, mention'd in the Catalogue fet before the De- 

 crees of Gratian. But thefe bearing no date, and in all likely- 

 hood the fame with fome of the afore-mentioned ; I pafs on to 

 another Parliament, which though not at Oxford, yet was held 

 in this County, and therefore I fuppofe not improper for this 

 place. However, I {hall rather venture the danger of impro- 

 priety and mifplacing, then omit the taking notice of fo confi- 

 derablea Meeting, it being the firft Parliament held in the County, 

 and doubtlefsin England; called it was at Shi ford, now a fmali 

 Village in the Parifh of Bampton, and (hewing now nothing 

 adequate to fo great an Affembly* 



6. There is a MSS. in Sir Robert Cottons Library, that gives 



an account of this Parliament, which, it faies, confifted of the 



chief of all Orders of the Kingdom, and was called at Sifford 



(now Shlford) m Oxford- pnre, by King Alfred, where the King 



as Head confulted with the Clergy, Nobles, and others, about 



the maners and government of the people, where he delivered 



fome grave admonitions concerning the fame : The words of the 



MSS. are thefe, 



"Rn Sippopb j-ccen Bancp manic, pele Bifcopr, ec pele Bodepeb, plerppu&e, ec 

 Cnihcer egloche : ISeppar 6plelFpicop^Sela5ermuthpij-e, *J ec Klppeb njlchip&, 

 nle 6eplin,on englanb he paj- Cynj, hem he an Iepen, j po hi hepen mihten hu hi hepe 

 hple&enrcol&en. 



i.e. There fate at Shifford many Thanes, many Bijbop, and many 

 learned Men, wife Earls, and awful Knights ; there was Earl El- 

 frick very learned in the Law, and Alfred, Englands Herdf-man, 

 Englands Darling ; he was King of England, he taught them that 

 could hear him bow they fiould live. 



7. To which perhaps may be added, the great Council of 

 Kyrtlington held there not long after, in an. 977, at which were 

 prefentKing Edward 'the Martyr, and S r Dun/Ian Arch-Biftiop of 

 Canterbury ; and at which died Sidemannus Bifhop of Crediton. 

 This Council by Sir Henry Spelman d is taken to be the fame men- 

 tioned by Wigornienfis held at Kyrtlinege, which he gueffes to be 



wt.fol. cp. 173. d H. Spelman Ctmcil. Tom. i. An. fft.f. 495. 



now 



