y$6 The Natural Hijlory 



Walkngford, I take them either for the foundations of that wooden 

 Tower ere&ed by King Stephen, in the year 1139. when he befieged 

 Maud the Emprefs, and her Brother Robert Earl of Gloce/ier in 

 Wallengford Cafile k , or elfe of the Cajlle 0$ Craumerfe, or Croamifi 

 it felf, built by the fame King Stephen at another fiege of Walleng- 

 ford, An. 1153. which Henry Fitz^Emprefi endeavoring to raife, 

 and bringing King Stephen to great ftraits, they came atlaft to 

 an accord concerning the Kingdom of England 1 . 



1 38. There are fome other Antiquities of yet later date, that 

 I have met with in Oxford-Jhire ajfo perhaps worthy notice, fuch 

 as that odd bearded Dart, Tab. 16. Fig. 7. having the beards iffu- 

 ing from it, not as ufually one againft another, but one lower and 

 the other higher, perhaps thus contrived for its eafier paflage in, 

 and as great or greater difficulty to get it out of a body ; which 

 were it not for the too long diftance of time, I (hould be willing 

 to take for the Materis, Matam, or Matara, the Britijh long Dart, 

 which were ufually thrown by thofe that fought in Effedk m : But 

 theftemof it being wood, and not very hard neither, I cannot af- 

 ford it to be above 200 years ftanding, or thereabout : Nor can 

 I add more concerning it, but that it was found fomwhere about 

 Steeple Barton, and given me by the Worfhipful Edward Sheldon 

 Efq; 



139. Yet thcfione engraven Tab. 16. Fig. 8. dug up in the gar- 

 den, and now in the poneflion of the Right Worihipful Sir Tho- 

 mas Spencer Baronet, a moft cordial Encourager of this under - 

 tahjng, can fcarce be allowed fo ancient as that, the Character up- 

 on it in Rilieve work being certainly China: Forunlefswe may 

 imagin it brought thence in the days of King Mlfred, by Swithe- 

 lin Bilhop of Sher bourn, Qui detulit ad Sanftum Thomam in India 

 Eleemofynai Regit Aluredi, {& incolumk rediit D , i. e. who carryed 

 the offerings of King Alfred to the Church of St. Thomas in India, 

 and returned fafe, we can by no means allow it to have been here, 

 180 years ; that Country having been quite loft again to this We- 

 Jlern part of the world, till Vafquez^ Gama was fent by Emanuel 

 King of Portugal to make new difcoveries, in the year 1497. In 

 which year, though he recovered the way again to the Eaji Indies, 

 yet Fernanda* Andradiws difcover'd not China till 1517 . So that 



* ChrovicaGervafii Dorobornen/ii, & Flwen. Wigorv. in An. citato. ' Chron.Gerv. Dorobom.in An. 

 eitat. a Jul.c*far. comment. deMoGattkOitib.^. Jab Bromton Ab.Jorn. Jv An.i^.RefX Abtrtdi. 

 Hitronymi Ojorii Hift. Luftan. lib. 1 1 . 



pro- 



