304 
of rival fe&ts.”°-—Indeed ! Ee did reform- 
ers in their firft {etting cut thus ftand in 
need of refermation ? Obe! jam fatis, &c. 
Relative to the more fublime theories of 
Plato, I have perhaps wandered as far as 
the critic,or Mr. Taylor, whofe laudable 
endeavours deferve the praife of every man 
of learning and ingenuity. I have not 
the leaft objection to the diffemination : 
but before we become too much enamour- 
ed with this philofopher’s fine imprefficns, 
would it not be better to afk whether they 
can be. fo generally received, and fo univer- 
fally applied, as the more fimple, but-not 
lefs grand, truths of the Chriftian fefem. 
- W. Hamirton Reup, 

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
ROM the recommendations of two 
ccrrefpondents in your Magazine of 
December lalt, I procured Jofic’s Gram- 
mar as an auxiliary in acquiring the Spa- 
nifh language.. His courfe of exercifes 
will be. reodered more truly valuable by 
the publication of a key to it containing 
a corre&ted copy. A portable or 8vo. 
_dittionary of the Spanifh language is ftill 
a defideratum, at leaft I do not know cf 
the exiftence of fuch a work either in Eng- 
ith or French. If Fernandez or Jofle 
would fupply the deficiency, the ttudents of 
‘the Spanish will be much their deotors; 
for Gattel or Barrett are an incumbrance 
tothofe who muft frequently confult them. 
M. Y. 
SS 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SiR, 
“We Accidentally teok a walk lait year to 
Cullumpten, a large towa about 12 
miles from this place: it was juf at the 
time that the church was undergoing a 
repair; and being toid that the workmen 
had difcovered fome paintings on breaking 
-down the mortar and white-wafh on the 
walls, curiofity led me to look at them. 
Different parts of the church had been ex- 
amined, and every where colouring was 
fecn ; in fome places, whole figures and 
defigns were met with perfect, under-a 
very thick incruftation of lime. By the 
fide of one of the galleries was a moit 
-grotefque figure, habited much like an 
Afhatic, with a large robe and turban or 
cap, I believe with ftrings of beads about 
him; inoneof his arms he held a fmalier 
figure, and which was of the proportion of 
a child to him, but the fize of a full 
grown perfon. Over one of the pillars of 
an arch, in the middle was a head refem- 
bling by the drefs our Mary or Elizabeth , 
on another was a {mall temple, in the 
Ancient Paintings in Cullumpton Church. 
[Nov. 1, 
+. 
middle of which was the figure of a man 
ten or twelve inches high ; over a third, a 
{pear and a reed crofled, with a wreath 
above it, emblematical perhaps of the 
crown of thorns; the reed on which was 
the {ponge dipped in vinegar at the cru- 
cifixion, and the {pear to fignify the aét 
of its being thruft into the fide of our Sa- 
viour. when he fuffered. Thefe were, I 
believe, the only perfect defigns that bad 
been then difcovered. The whole were ‘ure 
rourded with an mfinity of Runic knots cu- 
rioufly involved, with a blue and red border 
containing mottos and infcriptions in Sax- 
on characters; and the church appeared 
to have been quite covered with thefe de- 
corations, as even the doors had drawings 
and characters onthem. The colours were 
frefh, but I do not underftand that any one 
had difcovered when thefe paintings were 
done. It is fuppofed that they were thus 
obliteratea with the lime at the time of the 
Commonwealth, as it is known that this 
church was then converted into a place of 
accommodation for the Proteétor’s troops, 
when his army was in the Weft, forming 
a chain of communication from Exeter to 
Taunton, which was at one time the 
head-quarters of his army ; and it may be 
remarked, that the beautiful altar in our 
cathedral at this period was covered with 
a compoflition in order to preferve it from 
the unmerciful deftruéicn and ravages 
committed every where againé religion by 
this ufurper. \ 
Enguiring the other day whether the- 
parith had Continued the difcoveries, I 
found that they foon ftopped their purfuit, 
_as there was a diviGon on the fubjeé; 
fome were for feeing as much as they could 
of the curiofity, others grudged the ex-~ 
pence that would attend it; and the good 
parfon and fome of his pious heaters, 
thought that the attention of the congre- 
gation would be more employed about ex- 
amining the ‘* old pictures and ribbands,”” 
than in liftening to him, and faying their 
prayers. It was therefore determined that 
the wiole fhould be again ‘* clofed from 
mortal eye,’ depriving the antiquary of a 
featt on thefe valuable ** morceaux.” In 
this church are two very large pieces of 
oak, four or five feet long, around which 
are carved crofs bones and fkulls; but 
there is not avy infeription on them, and 
no one knovs how, or for what purpofe, 
they came there. : 
I fend you this, merely obferving, that 
it is to preferve the recollection ot thefe 
antique paintings being to be met with in . 
the church at Cullumpton, and I remain, 
Exeter, Sir, Your's, &c. 
O&. 4, 1800. HEV REDE 
L Ta 
