432 Defcription of the City of Durham. bishop Aldwin founded a cathedral here, for fecular priests; who, in 1083, were removed and replaced win monks, by bishop Carilenho, who began a new cathedral. King Henry VIII. established the prefent endowment for a deanry here, with twelve prebendaries, minor canons, &c. he cut off a leg for her, and fentbert hither, in the year 995, when the bird to table with but one. His mafter in a paffion called him up, and asked him if cranes had but one leg? No, fi," repled the fellow with great prefence of mind; and your excellency never faw thote animals with two." "Did I never, indeed?" faid my lord, ftill more provoked:" order the carriage to the door directly." The open chaife was brought, and the cook put into it by his master's direction; who, feizing the reins, drove him to the neighbouring Jake, three miles from the palace, where stood numbers of cranes by the water-fide, as is their custom, upon one leg; with the other drawn un under their wing. Now look, fir," said the e inning fellow," they are all fo, you may perceive; not one of them has more than one l'he cathedral is a large pile of building, ftanding on a rocky hill, on the fouth part of the town, near where the river windeth itfelf back again. It is plain but ftrong, adorned with a high tower, which rifes from the midst of it, and two fpires at the welt end; he walls are excflively coarfe, and the pointings of lime, betwixt the jointings of the flones, very inelegant. The cloyfter, yet remaining, is tolerable, with a number of handfome tone build leg." You are impudent enough,"ings, which belong to the dean and replies the nobleman; " we will fee prefently if they are all lame :" and fuddenly crying boo, hen, away fcampered the birds on as many limbs as they could muster. "Oh! but, my lord," returns the cook, this is not fair: you never cried ban, ken, to the crane upon your dith, or who knows but he might have produced two legs as well as thefe ?" piebendaries. The church itself is four hundred and eleven feet long, and eighty broad, having in the middle, a fpacious crofs aifle, one hundred and feventy feet long, and two fmaller ones at each end. Ia that at the weft end was the chapel of the Virgin Mary of Galilee, the outfide of which was adorned with two handsome leaden fpire Reeples. The lower crofs aifle is about one hundred feet in length, and that at the east end one hundred and thirty-two feet, and the middle DESCRIPTION of the CITY tower two hundred and twelve feet DURHAM. (With an elegant Engraving.) THE city of Durham is two hundred and fifty-fix miles from London. It was called by the Saxons Dunebelme, from its fituation on a hill furrounded by a river, which renders it fopleasant and healthy, that it is much tre quented by the neighbouring gentry Its rife is faid to be owing to the tranflation of the body of St. Cuth in height. The whale building is itrongly vaulted, and fupported by large pillars, and has feveral curious windows. The wainscot of the choir is well wrought, the organ large and good, the font, of marbe, and there is a handtome screen at the entrance into the choir, which is one hundred and feven. teen feet in length, and thirty-three feet in breadth. The cross aille beyond it is placed at the extremity of the church, in which refpect it is not to be matched in any other cathe Defcription of the City of Durham. cathedral. This part was formerly called the Nine altars, because in the front, facing the church, there were fo many erected; that in the middle was, no doubt, the most beautiful of all, becaufe dedicated to the patron St. Cuthbert, and becaufe of the nearness of his rich fhrine to it. In the middle of this building was a moft curious Catharine wheel, or St. Catharine's window, comprehending all the breadth of the choir, compofed of twenty-four lights; and, at the fouth end, in another window, called St. Cuthbert's, his life and miracles were painted. Oppofite to this, on the north fide, was a third fine window, called Jofeph's, from the hiftory of his life being painted on it. The part called the Galilee was built by bifhop Padfey, and had fixteen altars in it for women to hear divine fervice in, they not being allowed to go farther up than the line of marble by the fide of the font. The chapter-houfe, in which fixteen bishops are interred, is a ftately room, arched over with ftone, seventy-five feet long, and thirty-three broad, and has a fine feat at the upper end for the inftalment of the bishops. The ornaments and decorations of this church are very rich; they have excellent mufic; the old veftments which the clergy wore before the reformation are itill used on Sundays and other holidays, by the refidents: they are fo rich with embroidery, and embolled work of filver, as makes them rather uneafy for the wearers to fuftain. In this cathedral lies the body of the venerable Bede. Befides the cathedral, there are fix other churches. The caftle was built by William the Conqueror, and is now the bishop's palace, all that he hath in the town, and where the afizes are held. That part of the caftle in which the bishop refides has been repaired within these few years, in the old gothic ftyle. It is VOL. XXV. 433 fituated almoft in the middle of the town, between two ftone bridges, which confift of many arches. Northward of this is St. Nicholas' church and the market-place. There is but one weekly market held at Durham ; nevertheless there is plenty of provifions and other neceffaries for the conveniences of life, all which are very cheap and good. This city was formerly governed by bailiffs appointed by the bishops, afterwards by an alderman and twelve burgeffes; but queen Elizabeth gave it a mayor, aldermen, and commonalty; and according to a charter, procured in 1684 by bifhop Crew, it is governed by a mayor, twelve aldermen, common councilmen, a recorder, and other interior officers. The bishop is abfolute lord of the town, and appoints all officers of justice, as count Palatine. The bishopric. of Durham is efteemed one of the best in England; and the prebends, and other church livings in the gift of the biflop, are the richest in the kingdom. It is faid the bishop has thirteen livings in his gift, from three hundred to eight hundred pounds per annum; and the living of the little town of Sedgefield, a few miles fouth of this city, is faid to be worth seven hundred pounds a year, befides the fmall tythes, which maintain a cu rate, or might do fo. Near this city the remains of the Roman military way are till vifibe; and at Nevil's Crofs, in its neighbourhood, that famous battle was fought in 1345, when the Scots army was deftroyed, and their king David taken prifoner. THE HILL of LIFE; a VISION. A afcent led to a eminence, and on the fummit was a level plain, of no great extent. 3 K The 434 The Hill of Life; a Vifion. The boundaries of it could not indeed eafily be afcertained: for as the afcent on one fide was eafy and gradual, fo the flope on the other continued almoft imperceptible til! it terminated at once in an abrupt declivity. At the first entrance of the hill I obferved great numbers of infants crawling on beds of primroses, or fleeping on pillows formed by the mols. They frequently fmiled, and their fweet countenances feemed to exprefs a complacency and joy in the conscioufnefs of their new exiftence. Many indeed wept and wailed, but their forrow, though pungent, was fhort, and the fight of a pretty leaf or flower would caufe a fmile in the midst of their tears; fo that nothing was more common than to fee two drops trickling down cheeks which were dimpled with fmiles. I was fo delighted with the fcenes of innocence, that I felt an impulfe to go and play with the little tribe, when, juft as I was advancing, I felt a wand ftrike my fhoulder, and turning my eyes on one fide, I beheld a venerable figure, with a white beard, and a grey mantle elegantly thrown round him. My fon, faid he, I fee your curiofity is raifed, and I will gratify it; but you must not move from this place, which is the moft advantageous fpot for the contemplation of the scene before you. Yon hill is the Hill of Life, a pageant which I have raised by the magic influence of this wand, to amufe you with an intructive pic But raile your eyes a little space. You fee a lively train intent to learn, under the fage inftructors who accompany them, the eafieft and fafeft way of afcending and defcending the hill which lies before them. They often run from the fide of their guides and lofe themfelves among the shrubs that blofföm around them. Some give no ear to inftruction, and confequently are continually deviating among thorns, thiftles, nettles, and brambles. Their errors are at prefent retreivable, and few fall in the pitfalls with which the hill abounds. Joy illuminates their countenances. Theirs are the ruddy cheek, the fparkling eye, lively fpirits, and unwearied activity. They retain a great fhare of the innocence with which they fet out, and therefore they are cheerful. Enviable age, if reafon were mature! But folly, wantonnefs, frowardness of temper, and ignorance, greatly interrupt and spoil their enjoyments. Fruits of delicious tafte grow around them, and flowrets of the sweeteft fcent and most beautiful colour fpring beneath their feet. But they foon grow tired of this lower part of the hill, and ambitiously afpire at higher eminences. Behold them a few paces higher. They advance with eagerness, and many of them forfake the guides which have conducted them thus far in their afcent. They haften in their course, nor do they adhere to the direct road, but deviate without fcruple. Some indeed return, but the greater part climb the hill by paths of their own choice, full of difficulty and danger. The pitfalls which are placed in every part of the hill are in this part very numerous, and not easily to be avoided by those who forfake the high road. There are, indeed, no parts of the hill in which a guide is more necefJary than here, nor any in which travellers are lefs inclined to seek his affiftance. You |