102 
Another circumftance attending the 
ground, is this: the ditch which receives 
the drain, is arunning water, fupplied by 
Jfprings in the high ground at a diftance, 
and paffes at the bottom of the piece in 
queftion—from its firft entrance to where 
it is joined by the drain, about half way, 
and from thence toa confiderable diftance, 
it is filled with what is here called 
Brook-weed, a plant greatly refembling 
water-crels—lome days ago, on taking 
up fome of this plant, miftaking it for 
the crefs, I perceived it full of animals 
exactly refembling flukes, about 4 of an 
inch long. 
I believe it is generally admitted, that 
fheep do not thrive fo well on a wet 
Jpringy pafture ; but itdoes not occur tomy 
recollection, that any caufe, fo probable as 
the foregoing, has yet been diicovered.. 
I fhali take the liberty of fending you 
fome of the infeéts, as well as the plant 
on which they were found, that you may 
give a correc: defcription of them *. 
Lam, Sir, your moft obedient fervant, 
Bedfordfhire, March 2, 1796. G.A. 
ee EE 
Or Jews IN ENGLAND. 
[Continued from our laft.] 
ig was referved for the generous policy 
of Oliver Cromwell to attempt reftor- 
ing to Great Britain the induftry and 
wealth of the Jews. During ages of un- 
relenting periecutions, they had, how- 
ever, loft many of the virtues of their 
early charaéter. Oppreffion had im- 
printed an air of meannefs, of fervile 
timidity, upon their demeanor. The 
undiftinguifhing contempt of men, who 
ought totreat them as equals, had lef- 
fened the importance, and, therefore, 
the frequency of refpeétable character 
among them. This inferior degree of 
delicacy in points of reputation, occafioned 
their being employed in ufurious, and 
other illegal transactions: and thcfe prac- 
tices kept alive the prejudices of the ma- 
giftrate. Scarcely allowed-a home, they 
contracted the habit of all itinerant ped- 
lars, who, never expecting to fee the 
fame cuftcmer twice, have nothing to ap- 
prehend from making an exorbitant gain 
upon each fingle tranfaétion. Schools, 
fynagogues, and other inftitutions of 
public inftruétion, were fo unwillingly 
allotted them, and their appearance in 
Chriftian {chools fo fhamefully refitted, 

* The plant appears tobe the Sixm nodi- 
fiorum, a common fpecies of water-parfnep. 
The infects are not yet alcertained. Euit. 
Hiftory of the Fews in England, 
[ March 
that they were funk into a degree of 
ignorance, which increafed to themfelves 
and others the difficulty of bettering their. 
condition. 
The firft intercourfe between Crom- 
well and the Jews was managed by 
means of one Henry Marten, upon whofe 
intimations, a deputation from the Jews 
at Amfterdam waited on the Englith 
Ambaffadors there, whom they enter- 
tained with concerts of mufic im their 
fynagogue, and by means of whom 
they obtained permiffion from the sa- 
Sirument-parliament +, to fend a public 
enyoy witl: propofals. After fome deli- 
beration, they fixed upon } Manaffeh Ben 
Ifrael, a divine ‘and doétor of phyfic, as 
he ftiled himfelf; in reality, a printer and 
bookfeller; and of whom Huet tells us, 
that he was a chief ruler of the fyna- 
gogue, and married to a wife who was 
related to the family of the Abrabanels, 
which pretends to be of the tribe of 
Judah and of the houfe of David, by 
which wife having feveral children, he 
would fometimes boaft of having raifed 
up feed unto’ David. He was aman of 
great modefty and moderation, a perfect 
mafter of the letter of fcripture, and very 
little addiéted to the myftical fupertti- 
tions of the Cabbala. He was much ac- 
quainted with the younger Voffius, with 
Blondel, and with Bochart. The Pro- 
feffor, Gatpar Barloeus addreffed to him 
the following lines : 
Si fapimus diverfa, Deo vivamus amici, 
Doétaque mens pretio conftet ubique fuo, 
Hec fidei vox fumma mea ett; hoc crede Menafle; 
Sic ego Chriftiades, fic eris Abramides. 
This Manaffeh, on his arrival in Eng- 

+ The leaders of the Independents held a 
convention at St. Alban’s, on the 16th of Nov. 
1647, at which Fairfax prefided, and they drew 
up a plan of conftitution, confonant with their 
republican notions, which they publifhed under 
the title of Tie Agreement of the People. ‘This 
conititution was afterwards realized. The na- 
tion having been called upon to choofe a legif- 
lature, conformably to its provifions, by that 
proclamation of Cromwell’s, known by the 
name of The Inftrument of Government, the firft 
parliament which met under this proclamation, 
is called the Infrument-parliament. The con- 
vention, vulgarly called Barebones-parliament, 
appears to have been a fecond meeting of thofe 
who aflembled at St. Alban’s. 
{ Manaffeh’s pamphlet on this occafion, has 
been preferved in the Phenix: a long catalo- 
gue of his writings is annexed to it. 
; land, 
