^^6 The ^^(atural Hijlory 
Walkngford^ I take them either for the foundations of that wooden 
Tower ereded by King Stephen^ in the year 113 9- when he befieged 
Maud the Emfrefi^ and her Brother Robert Earl of Glocefter in 
Wallengford Cafile \ or elfe of the Cafile of Craumerfe^ or Croarmjb 
it felf, built by the fame King Stephen at another fiege Q^Walleng-. 
ford^ An. 1153. which Henry Fi/;^-£w?/?rf/? endeavoring to raife, 
and bringing King Stephen to great ftraics, they came atlaft to 
an accord concerning the Kingdom of England^, 
138. There are fome other Antiquities of yet later date, that 
I have met with in Oxford-Jhire alfo perhaps worthy notice, fiich 
as that odd bearded J>art^Tab. 16. Fig, 7, having the beards iffu- 
ing from it, not as ufually one againft another, but o?ie lower and 
the other higher, perhaps thus contrived for its eafier paffage 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 fhould be willing 
to take for the Materis^ Matark^ or Matara^ the Britipj long Varty 
which were ufually thrown by thofe that fought in Effedk"^ : But 
ihtftemoi it being wW, 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 W orftiipful Edmrd Sheldon 
Efq; 
139. Yetthe/oweengraven 7"<7^. 16. Fi^. 8. dug up in the ^^r- 
and now in the poiTeffion of the Right Wor(hipful Sir Tho- 
moi Spencer Baronet, a moft cordial Encourager of this under- 
takingt can fcarce be allowed fo ancient as thatj the Ckara^er up- 
on it in Rilieve work being certainly China : Forunlefs we may 
imagin it brought thence in the days of King Mlfred^ by Swithe- 
tin Bilhop Sherhourn^ Qui detulit ad San^um Thonum in India. 
Eleemojynof Regis Aluredi, isr incolumis rediit 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- 
Jiern part of the vporld^ till VafqueT^ 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 Eafi Indies^ 
yet Fernandas Andradiu6 difcover'd not China till 1517°. So that 
^ ChronicaGervafii V>oroborne7ifis, Florev. Wigorn. in ^n. citato. ' Chron.Gerv. 'Dorohorn.in An. 
c'ltat. ^ Jul. c<efar. Comment, de Mo GallicO:, lib. " Jih Bromton Ab.Jorn. in An. 1''^. Regis Aluredi. 
° HtmvjmiOjorii Hi fi. 'LufitanJib.il, 
pro- 
