vates, are after a Roman, not an Eng. lish form, without device or armorial bearing. Modern pikes and hatchets are carried, instead of long bows, glaves, faulchions, and bills. BanBers depending from pike-heads; this mode is likewise Roman, English banmers both then and down to this day, were always hung from the side of a spear. Why are Richard and Boling broke furnished with truncheons? Such a military distinction was not known before the sixteenth century. It here remains to be explained why Managers have, in the present instance, varied their usual mode of sending kings and heroes into battle unarmed (they having stifly maintained to me that armour was never worn in action, but only carried in triumphs as a warlike insignia), as we find Richard armed in a complete suit; Shakspeare gives no hint that he so appeared in his Richard III. be particularizes the parts of the armour as absolutely to be used by the Usurper in Bosworthfield, who, on the battle taking place, "enacts more wonders than a man," entirely without it, and bare-headed! It has ever in my memory been held, by Antiquaries, Artists, and men zealous for the historic and costumic honours of their ancestors, that a representation of this Drama*, under a true and "appropriate" direction, would be a spectacle at once the most gratifying and splendid the Stage could boast. As it is, we are entertained with an olio of false occurrences, irrelevant scenery, and misconceived dresses! J. CARTER. Tyne."-R. A figure of Commerce, with a Spear, a Ship, &c. "1811." "Northumberland & Durham xxx Pence Token." 2.-1s. 6d. The same as the last, but without the Motto below the Arms, and with an irradiated edging. 3.-1s. The same as the last, but with a dotted edging. 4.-1s. The design and legend the same as the former, except with a strong irradiated edging, a little smaller and much bolder struck. 5.-6d. The same as the 1s. 6d. piece. No. 2. 6.-Is. O. A View of a Coal Engine. "Northumberland and Durham 12d. Token, 1812." R. Newcastle Arms, Crest, and Supporters; 66 Payable by Alex. Kelly," "Newcastle-on-Tyne." 7.-1s. O. A View of a Coal Staith, with a Ship laying to; "Bewick Main Colliery." Exergue, "1811."— R. “One Shilling Payable at" round which," Newcastle-on-Tyne and London." 8.-1s. O Same as last, except the letter e at the end of Bewick-Bewicke. R. Same as last. 9.-18. O. The Newcastle Arms, Crest, and Supporters. Exergue,"1812."" Northumberland and Durham."-R. A figure of Britannia. Exergue,"MDCCCXII:" "British One Shilling Token." This last was done by a person at Shields, to pass off amongst the com mon people as a Robertson's Token, and appeared to be made of worse silver. J. B. Mr. URBAN, Dudley, Feb. 7. ALLOW me to thank J. C. for his judicious observations on Epitaphs; and to request (with your permission) that he will continue to send you such as possess peculiar excellence with respect to piety, sim plicity, or poetic merit. Feeling, as he feels, not seldom hurt at the absurdities which are to be met with in almost every burial-ground in compositions of that nature,-absurdities, exciting a smile, when it would be more decorous to shed a tear,-I have, for some time, been collecting good wherever I could find it, in the department of Epitaph-forms; meaning, if a plain stone be not, in the course of a year or two, marked with my own name, to offer to the publick (and especially to the carvers or engravers of Epitaphs, to whom the choice is frequently left,) a small volume at a low price, from whence those brief tributary memorials may be culled, with which kindred-affection or friendly-regard delights to honour the departed. Some progress is already made in this little work; and any suitable communications from your judicious Readers and Correspondents will be esteemed a favour. The following Verses, though familiar, no doubt, to the writers of your two next articles (R. C. and ANTI-PLAGIARY), have not, perhaps, gratified your general Readers. Indeed, I do not know that they have been ever printed. They were given to me as the production of Dr. Grove, the Author of the Epitaph alluded to by R. C. and Anti-Plagiary. And, surely, than that admired Epitaph they are not less beautiful. So deems the world, that seldom deems aright, If left to Reason's unassisted light. But, when Religion lends her holy aid, The dark mysterious system to pervade, As shrunk Deception from Ithuriel's spear, [clear. The clouds disperse, and every maze is Thus, when the gracious Saviour of Mankind [blind, Restor'd the eyes of him from childhood Soon as the potent touch the veil withdrew,[grew,The film that o'er their rayless orbits A blaze of wonders burst upon bis sight, For GoD had spoke the word - and all was Light! · Come then, bright Faith! dispel the [tomb; gath'ring gloom, And pour thy radiance o'er the darksome While Hope, on trembling pinion, speeds her way, To meet the rising of eternal day; To hail the Sun of Righteousness, that brings, [wings. For Life's short sorrows, healing in his Shall I trespass too far upon your valuable limits, if, proceeding to the next article, signed R. B. WHELER, I ask him, Whether the following information which I received, concerning the Stratford Bust of Shakspeare, be correct? The first time I saw that Bust, some years ago, it was coloured to resemble a living counte nance. A few years afterwards, on visiting, with unabated ardour, the tomb of him who "Exhausted worlds, and then imagin'd new, I beheld, not a little astonished, the colouring concealed by an uniform covering of white paint: and, on inquiring of the man who attended me to the Church, by whom it was done; I was told, "By Mr. Malone," who, first caused an exact copy of the coloured Bust to be taken, and then eclipsed it for ever, in its present opacity. Another anecdote, likewise, my Ciceroni gave me, which was this: On perceiving that I felt what every one, who is not utterly insensible to the charnis of Genius, must feel, on surveying the tomb where so much celebrity, I had almost said immortality, reposes;-he said it reminded him of two Gentlemen some time before, who, on visiting the spot, stood awhile near it in solemn silence, and then almost covered it with pieces of written paper, letting them lie several minutes minutes, without speaking a word. After carefully taking them up, they remained, during another interval, speechless. At last, on retiring, they said they had a particular favour to ask, which, if granted, should be kept a profound secret, and a handsome present reward the attendant for his confidence. "Allow us," said they, "to return hither again in the evening and (if practicable) without injuring the stone, let us lift it up, that we may only see the remains of Shakspeare." I need not say my inform ant told me, that the singularly enthusiastic request was. not complied with. If it were made at all, how could such professed admirers of Shakspeare seemingly set at nought the threatened anathema which his own spirit uttered, as if on purpose to deler from so strange a profanation? "Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear To dig the dust inclosed here. Blest be the man that spares these stones, And curst be he that moves my bones." For, it is scarcely to be supposed that they who would disregard the Poet's prayer in one respect, would feel many compunctious visitings of Nature," by slighting it in another. Some trifling relick, if no more than one of the small "bones" of a little finger, would probably have been purloined, and "moved" away. Another anecdote, relative to the Bust, was mentioned by my communicative Guide. On my inquiring how the fore-finger of the right hand became broken off, he said, "it was done by Mr. Garrick;" and narrated the circumstance thus: At the Stratford Jubilee, while a large concourse of people were looking at the Bust, and noticing the pen in the right hand, Garrick, who was among them, raised his walking-cane, and, striking the pen from the hand (the finger along with it), said, "He has written enough!" Now if Garrick really did so, notwithstanding, as the Roscius of the age, he was the chief promoter of the Jubilee in honour of Shakspeare, he well merited two or three smart strokes, with the same cane, on his own shoulders. Trent, near the village of Castle-Donington, in Leicestershire, which, in compliment to the noble House of Devonshire, is called Cavendish Bridge (see Plate II.) It was built by Sir Matthew Lambe, in the room of a very inconvenient ferry formerly here; and the stone used in it was brought from a quarry about three miles off. "Near this place the great Staffordshire Navigation joins the Trent; and by means of that, and the Bridge water Canals, there is water-carriage from Liverpool and Manchester to Hull*.” Yours, &c. : J. P. M. Mr.URBAN, Shrewsbury, March 25. over a of Tcellaneous papers the other day, I found the following inscription to the memory of William Shenstone, esq. of the Leaso wes, written by Mr. Hull, Comedian, of whom you have given an ample and just account in your vol. LXXVIII. p. 464. Note which accompanies the inscrip tion is addressed to J. S. Hylton, esq. of Lappai House, near Hales Owen. I shall be glad to see it registered in your valuable Museum. Yours, &c. "Sir, The D. P. March 8, 1763. "The Inscription which I inclose for your perusal, to the memory of the late Mr. Shenstone, of whose friendship, virtues, and accomplishments, I most sincerely lament the loss, as must every ingenious and good man who enjoyed the pleasure of his acquaintance:-you will at once perceive that the thought was suggested from the recollection of an inscription which that soothing Bard placed in his walks to the memory of a beloved Friend. T. HULL. "M. S. GULIELMI SHENSTONE! Ah, Gulielme! Hominum dignissime, Amicorum integerrime, Eruditione præcipuè, diffusa, ac Corde quàm maximè benigno, Morte, eheu! præmaturâ abrepte, Vale! "Quanto minus est, cum aliis versari, quam tui meninisse! |