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mailer of the elementary books of the inferior branches of 

 the mathenvatics. He was well acquainted with natural 

 philofophy, and particularly optics, and alfo with the fads 

 of modern chemiftry ; he was an acute metaphyfician, and 

 intimately verfed in the theories of morals and politics, m 

 ancient and modern hiftory, commerce, and political econo- 

 my ; he had fuccefsfuUy ftudied belles lettres, and was fa- 

 miliar with the beft writers in the English language ; and his 

 own ftyle was pure, perfpicuous, and occafionally forcible 

 and elegant. In converfation he was inilruftive and inte- 

 refting ; and in aftive life prompt and decifive, and at the 

 fame time prudent and cautious. In his habits and manners, 

 he was indefatigable in his application ; frugal, and yet as 

 far as his circumftances would allow liberal ; high-minded, 

 but fenfible of obligation and grateful for kindnefs ; refentful, 

 yet placable ; irafcible even on trivial occafions, but exercif- 

 ing felf-command under great provocations when the im- 

 portance of circumftances and propriety required it ; indig- 

 nant at infolence and oppreflion, and regardlefs of all per- 

 fonal confequences in exprefllng his refentment, but fubmiflive 

 to the appointments of heaven, and calm and cheerful under 

 the fufferings which flowed from them. " A fenfe of duty," 

 fays his biographer, " was the paramount feeling of his mind, to 

 which other paffions gave way, and which danger and difficulty 

 ferved only to make more adive and vigorous." Such is 

 the tribute which has been evidently diftated by a friend ; 

 and yet we have reafon for being affured that it is, upon the 

 whole, fuch as the merit of Dr. Wells juftly claimed. Gent. 

 Mag. for November 1817. 



Wells, in Geography, a city of Somerfetfhire, England, 

 is fituated in the hundred of Wells-forum, at the diftance of 

 1 8 miles from Bath, 2i miles from Briftol, and 121 miles 

 W. by S. from London. It is faid to owe its origin to a 

 remarkable fpring called St. Andrew's well, the waters of 

 which were fuppofed to poffefs extraordinary medicinal pro- 



fertiei. Thefe are recorded to have been higly beneficial to 

 na, king of the Weft Saxons, whofe religious zeal there- 

 fore prompted him to found a collegiate church here in the 

 year 704, and which he dedicated to the above faint. This 

 church was converted into a catliedral in the year 905, when 

 three new bilhoprics were conftituted by order of king Ed- 

 ward the elder, and Wells was then made an epifcopal fee. 

 This was afterwards transferred to Bath by bifhop Villala, 

 about the end of the eleventh century, who built a palace 

 there, and affumed the title of bifhop of Bath. Great con- 

 tentions foon arole between the two chapters of Bath and 

 Wefls, refpefting the right of eleftion to the epifcopal office. 

 The matter being referred to the arbitration of the biftiop 

 liimfelf, it was determined that hia fucceflbrs ftiould take 

 their title from both churches ; that an equal number of 

 delegates from both chapters (hould enjoy the privilege of 

 voting, and that the inftallation fhould take place in both 

 cathedrals. This regulation, which was made by bifhop 

 Robert, about the year 1 135, continued until the reign of 

 Henry VIII., when an aft of parHament was paffed for 

 vefting the power of eleftion folely in the dean and chapter 

 of Wells. Henceforward the cathedral and epifcopal feat 

 have been fixed at Wells, but the title of the bifhop is of 

 " Bath and Wells." To the pious zeal of its bilhops, the 

 city is indebted for that truly interefting ftrufture, its cathe- 

 dral church. The building of king Ina having, in the courfe 

 of four centuries, fallen into a dilapidated ftatc, was about the 

 year 1150 rebuilt on a much larger fcale by its bifhop. 

 In 1239 it received confiderable additions by bifhop Joce- 

 line, who altered, or fitted up the choir, and made other 

 improvements ; the fouth-weft tower was added by bifhop 



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Harewell, and other contributors, in 1366: in 141J thenortL- 

 weft tower was raifed by biftiop Bubwith ; and finally, tlie 

 chapel of the Virgin Mary was added by bifhop Beckington, 

 about the year 1 445. Other parts of this interefting fabric 

 were erefted and adorned by other prelates, but the precife 

 time of thefe alterations is not recorded. The cathedral, as it 

 now appears, confifts of a nave, with two aides, a tranfept, 

 and choir, alfo with fide-aifles ; at the eaftern extremity 

 of the choir is a fmaller tranfept, and the chapel of the Vir- 

 gin ; on the north fide is a porch, alfo a covered pafTage to the 

 chapter-houfe and deanery. Over the interfeftion of the 

 nave and tranfept is a large quadrangular tower, 160 feet 

 in height, refting on four broad arches, and at the weft end 

 are two other towers. The length of the nave is 190 feet j 

 of the choir to the altar, 108 ; and of the chapel of the Virgin, 

 52 feet. The whole fabric exhibits fpecimens of the differ- 

 ent ftyles of architefture which prevailed between the twelfth 

 and fifteenth centuries ; but the moft interefting part is the 

 weft front, certainly one of the moft impofing examples of 

 architeftural and fculptural workmanfhip in the kingdom. 

 It is adorned with a great number of niches and canopies, 

 with ftatues of the apoftles, popes, princes, bifhops, &c. 

 It is divided into five portions in height by bold buttreffes, 

 and four decided compartments, horizontally. In the centre 

 is a large entrance door-way to the nave, over which are three 

 tall lancet -fhaped windows ; above thefe is a pyramidal 

 facade to the gable of the roof, crowned with pinnacles, and 

 adorned with numerous niches, ftatues, &c. The buttreffes 

 are likewife covered with panelling, tabernacles, and ftatues. 

 The interior of the church is full of intereft and beauty. Its 

 nave confifts of nine cluftered columns on each fide, fupport- 

 ing pointed arches, over which is a triforium, or open gal- 

 lery. A third ftory above this difplays a feries of windows, 

 which, with the other arches, are moftly of the lancet-fhape. 

 The columns, crofs-fpringers under the roof, and the whole 

 architefture of this part of the church, difplay the ftyle of 

 the early part of the thirteenth century. In the nave are 

 two elegant monumental chapels, or oratories, to the refpec- 

 tive memories of bifhops Bubwith and Knight. Adjoining 

 the latter is a curious ftone pulpit. At the interfeftion of 

 the nave with the tranfepts is a large central tower, which 

 refts on four foiid piers, or cluftered columns, fuflaining 

 four arches, and over which are inverted arches. The choir 

 is richly ornamented, and lighted by fix highly pointed 

 windows on each fide, and a large eaftern window over the 

 communion-table. Behind the latter are three open arches 

 to the lady chapel, which is fingulai in form, decoration, 

 and charafter. Immediately behind the altar is a circular 

 arrangement of columne, eaft of which is an abfis, forming 

 a half oftagon. The whole is furrounded by large win- 

 dows, with painted glafs. In this part of the church are feveral 

 curious and interefting monuments. North of the great 

 tranfept is the chapter-houfe, an oftangular apartment, in the 

 centre of which is a lofty cluftered column, from which 

 diverge feveral ribs. 



Southward from the cathedral is the epifcopal palace, 

 which has more the appearance of a fortified caiUe than of 

 the refidence of a bifliop. It is furrounded by a wet moat, 

 an embattled wall, flanked with femicircular turrets, with a 

 venerable gate-houfe on the north fiJe. The deanery -houfe 

 is a fpacious quadrangular building ; and here are good 

 houfes for the prebendaries. The eflabhfhmeiit of the ca- 

 thedral confifts of a bifhop, a dean, twenty-feven preben- 

 daries, nineteen minor canons, a precentor, treafurer, chan- 

 cellor, and three archdeacons ; a number which few other 

 cathedrals have. 



The 



