"The general and usual Tradition is, that the many Privileges and Advantages of Gavelkind came to Kent, by the gallant Stand which our Countrymen made against William the Conqueror at Swanscombe; when Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Egelsene, Abbot of St. Austins, are supposed to have terrified that Prince into a Grant of their Ancient Laws and Liberties:" This is thus celebrated by Hawke, in his Poem on the Law: "Custom in KENT encouraging the Brave, Distinguish'd well the Brother from the Slave; With just regard,-since the same amorous fire, Swanescombe Church" too, says Weever, "in times past was much haunted by a mad company of Pilgrims, who came hither for Saint Hildeferths helpe (a Bishop by coniecture of his picture, yet standing in the vpper window of the South Isle) to whom such as were distracted ranne for restitution of their wits." "Roman catholic legends, state this as a fact, Fun. Mon. 332. In those who had faith and bowed down at his shrine; HOLBERT. Swanscombe Church is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, Waller says, it is built of an heterogeneous mixture of materials, chalk rag, masses of stone of various kinds, and an admixture of Roman tile. The tower shows some attempt at a regular plan in the disposition of its materials; it is for the most part constructed of small stones laid in courses of three and four alternately with one of flint; this disposition is by no means regularly observed, sometimes there are two courses of flint, and sometimes but two of stone. There is something in this arrangement like an imitation of the Roman manner, flint being used in the place of tile. The quoining presents some curious features, and has evidently been controlled by the nature of the materials at hand; it exhibits a strange variety of stone, some disposed in long and short masses, some alternately with Roman tiles, and the latter are found worked into the rubble, here and there, without any order. It may also be well to observe, that a large circular window of Roman tile, on the south side, is now blocked up. The chancel is chiefly flint-work set in herringbone, and covered with the durable rough-cast before noticed the south side, where much of this is removed, shows very evident indications of the walls having been formed by planking the sides, until the mortar or concrete had firmly set; the mark of the planks are still very visible. This part of the church has undergone many alterations; an addition to the east end is easily to be distinguished, from its patched appearance; lancet lights of the twelfth century have superseded windows of a much earlier date, traces of which still remain; and a doorway on the north side appears to have been blocked up at the same time as the addition was made to the east end, but its architectural features are quite destroyed. CHAP. EEE. THE ABORIGINES. "And they (the Noachida) said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men builded. And the Lord said, Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth. GEN. ix. 4, 5, 7, 8. Hark, what strange noise from Babel's walls proceeds, Like the hoarse wind that rattles through the reeds! From stammering mouths discordant voices sound, And tongues unknown the baffied sense confound, Sir Alex. Croke's Orig. Idolatry. purification of the earth by the Deluge occurred B.C. 2251-2, or A.M. 1656-7, and shortly afterwards, the territorial possessions of the three surviving representatives were defined. But the dispersion of the Noachidæ did not take place till the days of Peleg, who was born, A.M., 1758, or B.C. 2250. Then, a combination of self-willed mortals to construct a tower, "whose top should reach 4 4 In the days of Joktan, the fourth in descent from Shem, the brother of Peleg; "the whole earth was divided," that is, the general dispersion took place, consequent upon the Confusion of Tongues. Previously to this dispersion at Babel, it is clear, that there were partial emigrations from the primitive post-diluvian habitations-One of these was headed by Cush, the son of Ham, who with his two sons and five grandsons, according to uniform tradition, and the presumptive evidences that are afforded by general history, colonized the head of the Persian Gulph. Qtly. Rev. “Whereas " says Theophilus Antiochenus" in old time there were unto heaven," caused "the LORD to scatter the children of men abroad upon the face of the earth, A.M. 1934, or 2074, to the territories specifically predestined for their occupation, after confounding their speech phonetically in the vowels. The project of building such an enormous pile, demonstrates most decisively that even the antediluvians were the possessers of architectural attainments of no common order. but few men in Arabia and Chaldea, after the division of tongues they more and more increased. Hereupon some took their way towards the East, others to other parts of the great and wide continent; others travelling towards the North, seeking a place where to settle, still kept onwards, taking possession of what they chose, until at last they came to Britain, and seated in the Northern climates." Apud Camden. A writer in the Gents. Magazine, Feb. 1846 gives as a German hypothesis the following statement :-that the antediluvians preserved written records of their history there can be no doubt, and that Moses formed his account of the events told therein from what still remained in the archives of the Noahetic race, the Shummites, whose direct descendant Abraham was, is . directly proved in the story of the Creation. Moses evidently made it from two different records. In the lapse of years, and the confusion consequent on the removal to Egypt, and in the difficulties of the enslaved condition of the family in Goshen, these records had probably suffered much, and from their remains Moses collected all he could, and not wishing to omit anything, or to shock the feelings of those who had so long been accustomed to hear these histories read, he put down both versions; for in the account of the creation of man, it says in the 27th verse of the 1st Genesis "male and female created he them" while in the 18th verse of 2nd chapter, it says "it is not good for man to be alone" and in the 21st and 22nd verses gives the creation of woman. These discrepancies are evidently from following, or rather preserving, the written fragments as he received them. Gents. Mag., xxv. 137. A friend commenting upon the theory, observes in a note to us, that "Moses the inspired and faithful servant of God, was directed by the Divine Being to com Every domestic tie to the soil being abruptly severed by the miraculous confusion of tongues; we can readily mence his narrative. For, it is not irrevalent here to remark, that the earlier part of the Book of Genesis consists of several distinct compositions, marked by difference of style, and by express formularies of commencement.* It is entirely consonant with the idea of inspiration, and established by the whole tenor of scriptural compositions, that the heavenly influence operated in concur. rence with the rational faculties of inspired men; so that the prophets and apostles wrote from their own knowledge and memory, the testimony of other persons and written documents, to which indeed express appeal is often made.† From the evidence of language and matter, we have no slight reasons for supposing that Moses compiled the chief parts of the Book of Genesis, by arranging and connecting antient memorials, under the divine direction, and probably during the middle part of his life, which he spent in the retirement of Arabia. Thus, it is far from improbable that we have in this most antient writing in the world, the family archives of Amram and his ancestors, comprising the history of Joseph, written in great part by himself; documents from the hands of Jacob, Abraham, Shem, Noah, and possibly ascending still higher, authentic memorials from Enoch, Seth and Adam. The Book must have been composed in one of three ways,—first, by immediate revelation of every circumstance from God; secondly, by a collection of antient traditions; or thirdly, from former documents. The first supposition is generally abandoned. The second, which is a common opinion amongst theologians in this country, would not injure the credibility of the book; since Lamech the father of Noah, was contemporary with Adam, Shem the son of Noah lived in the time of Abraham, his son Isaac was contemporary with Japheth, &c. The third opinion is the one generally received by the German *The following appear to be distinct compilations-I, Gen. i, 1 to ii, 3.-II. ii, 4, to iii, 24.-III, Chap. iv,-IV, v. 1, to vi, 8.-V. vi, 9, to ix, 28.-VI, Chap. x.-VII. xi 1, 9.— VIII. xi, 10, to 26-IX. xi, 27, and what follows may be regarded as the house of Abraham, -Chap. 36 a separate document, inserted in the most suitable place. +We have these instances in the Old Testament,-Numb. xxi, 14.-Josh. x, 13.-2 Sam. i. 18-1 Kings xi, 41.-1 Chron. ix, 1,-xxix, 29 -2 Chron. ix, 29-xii, 15,-xx, 34. In the New Testament many of the anecdotal portions in the first three Gospels; and see Luke i, 1, 2. E |