THE HAMPSHIRE ANTIQUARY > NATURALIST. 



with whose history he is so familiar. But he has 

 kept his pen well under control throughout. There 

 is, perhaps, a certain want of proportion between the 

 chapter devoted to the fighting bishop Henry of 

 Blois and the few pages given to the great architect 

 bishop William of Wykeham. But in the case of the 

 former there is more incident in the stirring period of 

 internecine war which centred round Winchester. 

 Wykeham was also a "statesman-bishop," though his 

 political services led him farther afield than those of 

 Blois, thus rendering them of less moment in a local 

 history. Should we not have been told something of 

 this and of Wykeham's fall and subsequent restora- 

 tion ? 



The work is throughout written in a most temperate 

 manner, the author's motto evidently being to 

 " nothing extenuate nor aught set down in malice." 

 He hesitates not to condemn the wrong doing 

 whether of bishop or people ; possibly some Win- 

 tonians will resent the slur on their civic character 

 when they read that " Winchester never did or 

 suffered much that was heroic for either faith " in the 

 Reformation struggle between Anglicanism and 

 Romanism, and the slighting suggestion during tVe 

 trial of Raleigh that the citizens " after all may have 

 had some love of fair play." It must have been a 

 touching scene that when Raleigh's fellow victims 

 were brought out into the Castle Square for execu- 

 tion, only to be reprieved at the last momeut. 



The chapter on " The civic constitution and com- 

 merce of Winchester" the Merchant Guild the 

 Fairs the Mayor the Bailiffs, &c. contains some 

 interesting and debatable matter. The author is of 

 opinion that the office of Mayor is not so ancient as is 

 generally supposed. The evidence, unfortunately, for 

 coming to a definite opinion, is very scanty. Then 

 after a rapid glance at " Winchester from the Re- 

 formation period," Dr. Kitchin takes affectionate leave 

 of his subject with a graphic word-picture of the city 

 as it now is. From the top of St. Giles's Hill he sur- 

 veys Winchester after its long years of turmoil and 

 activity peacefully reposing in the valley of the Itchen 

 at the foot of the two hills on east and west, and 

 points out to us the beautiful and varied scene, the 

 quaint old houses in the Soke, with the towers of St. 

 John and St. Peter in the Chisol, the massive cathe- 

 dral, '' looking its best from this point," the long nave 

 being so foreshortened as not to dwarf the tower, the 

 houses of the Close with their fine trees, the ruins of 

 the bishop's castle of Wolvesey, and Wykeham's 

 College, with its graceful tower ; whilst farther away 

 are other historic spots, the King's Palace, St. Cross, 

 St. Catherine's Hill, and Oliver's Battery. 



The book contains three maps one of " S.E. Eng- 

 land after the Germanic settlement," showing the 

 position of Venta Belgarum with its radiating Roman 

 roads in relation to that part of the country, a map of 

 Norman Winchester, circa 1119, and a copy of Speed's 

 map, 1615, A. D. ; and there is a fairly good index. 



CURIOUS EPITAPHS. 



Mr. J. Dore, of Newport, I. W., sends the follow- 

 ing : 



IN UPHAM CHURCHYARD, HANTS. 



A BEAUTIFUL ORTHOGRAPHICAL SPECIMEN. 



" Heer lize Sarre F. Flougger 



Whu dyde by the krewel 

 Youzitch ov her usban. " ! 



IN YARMOUTH. 

 ' Here lies a woman 



By all men esteemed 

 Because they proved her 

 Really what she seemed." 



In a Parish Register of Brading Church, I.W. , 

 there is the following curious entry : 



BURIALS'. Novemb. ye aoth, 1677. Jowler (alias) John 

 Knight, of Merlon, who rather than he would be charit- 

 able to hitnselfe (when he was capacitated,) Hv'd like a 

 miserable wretch on ye public charily. He lived in a 

 p'petual slavery through feare and suspicion, and punish'd 

 both his back and belly to fill ye purse. He soe excessively 

 idolized his poore heap of dung yt it was death to him to 

 think of p'ting. He was alwaies soe afraid of want, or ye 

 should dy as he had alwaies liv'd, abeggar, ye he dar'd 

 not use what he had for his o\vne wellbeing, but liv'd and 

 died with his beloved bagg in his nearest embraces ; and at 

 length, yt he might pay his utmost homage both by lyfe 

 and death to his greate God Mammon, he voluntarily sacri- 

 ficed himself, aud even dyed to save charges. Left (which 

 was found) 06 173." 



WEATHER REPORT FOR THE WEEK. 



From the meteorological register made at the Ordnance 

 Survey Office, Southampton, under the direction of Col. Sir 

 Chas. Wilson, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., F.R.S., R.E. Lat. 50 

 54' 50" N. ; long. i 24' o" W. ; height above sea, 84 feet. 

 Observers Sergt. T. Chambers, R.E., and Mr. J. T. Cook. 



*Black bulb in vacuo. 



