cathedral. This part was formerly | fituated almoft in the middle of the town, between two stone 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. 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, because dedicated to the patron St. Cuthbert, and because 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 bishop 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, feventy-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 still used on Sundays and other holidays, by the refidents: they are fo rich with embroidery, and emboffed work of filver, as makes them rather uneafy for the wearers to fuftain. In this cathedral lies the body of the venerable Bede.. 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 bishop Crew, it is governed by a mayor, twelve aldermen, common councilmen, a recorder, and other inferior officers. The bishop is abfolute lord of the town, and appoints all officers of juftice, as count Palatine. The bishopric of Durham is efteemed one of the beft in England; and the prebends, and other church livings in the gift of the bishop, are the richeft 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 feven 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 vifible; and at Nevil's Crofs, in its neighbourhood, that famous battle was fought in 1346, when the Scots army was defroyed, and their king David taken prifoner. THE HILL of LIFE; a VISION. 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 affizes are held. That part of the cafle in which the bishop refides has been repaired within thefe few years, in the old gothic ftyle. It is was a level plain, of no great extent. VOL. XXV. A GENTLE afcent led to a lofty eminence, and on the fummit 3 K The 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 till it terminated at once in an abrupt declivity. But raise 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 fhrubs that bloffom 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 fpoil their en At the first entrance of the hill I obferved great numbers of infants crawling on beds of primroles, or fleeping on pillows formed by the mofs. They frequently fmiled, and their fweet countenances feemed to exprefs a complacency and joy in the confcioufnefs of their new exittence. Many indeed wept and wailed, but their forrow, though pungent, was short, 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 fimiles. 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 ad-joyments. Fruits of delicious tafte vancing, 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 raised, and I will gratify it; but you must not move from this place, which is the moft advantageous fpot for the contemplation of the fcene 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 instructive pic ture. The beauteous innocents whom you fee at the foot of the hill, prefent you with the idea of angels and cherubs, and of fuch indeed is the kingdom of Heaven. Simplicity and innocence are their amiable qualities, and the more of them they retain in their afcent, the happier and lovelier thall they be during the whole of their journey. grow around them, and flowrets of the fweetelt fcent and most beautiful colour fpring beneath their feet. But they foon grow tired of this lower part of the hill, and ambitioufly 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 ascent. 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 thofe who forfake the high road. There are, indeed, no parts of the hill in which a guide is more neceffary than here, nor any in which travellers are lefs inclined to feek his affiftance. You are who will reach the bottom of the hill. Of thofe few, not one advances without ftumbling on the edge of the pitfalls, from which he can scarcely recover his feeble foot. Ah! while I fpeak they are all gone! And is this a picture of life? faid You fee the beauty of the blof foms you hear the mufic of thee birds-all nature feems to confpire in affording delight; but too many of the travellers preferve not that innocence and fimplicity which are neceffary to give a tafte for the pleasures which are allowed. 'Inftead of plucking the flowers whichI: Alas! how little do they feem to are known to be fafe and falutary, enjoy it! Surely fome error mut they defire none but fuch as are infatuate them all. O fay! that I poisonous. The afpiring nature of may avoid it and be happy. the travellers leads them to continue the afcent, and by this time you fee they have reached the level fummit,nion derogatory from the value of where you obferve a prodigious life. It is a glorious opportunity crowd, all bufy in purfuit of their afforded by the Creator for the acfeveral objects. Their faces are quifition of happiness. Call your clouded with care, and in the ardour eyes on yonder plain, which lies at of purfuit they neglect thofe plea- the bottom of the hill, and behold fures which lie before them. Moft the horizon. of them have now loft a great share of their original innocence and fimplicity, and many of them have loft it entirely. My fon, faid my benevolent guide, do not haftily form an opi I looked, and behold a cloud, tinged with purple and gold, parted in the centre, and difplayed a fcene at which my eyes were dazzled. I clofed them a while to recover the power of vifion, and when I opened them, I faw a figure in which majefty and benevolence were awfully united. He fat on a throne with every appearance of triumph, and at his feet lay a crofs and I heard a voice faying, "Come again, ye children of men." And lo the plain opened in more places than I could number, and myriads of myriads And now they begin to defcend. Their cheerfulness and alacrity are greatly abated. Many limp, and fome already crawl. The numbers diminish almost every step; for the pitfalls are multiplied on this fide of the hill, and many of the travellers have neither ftrength nor fagacity to avoid them. Many delightful fcenes remain. Fruit in great abundance grows around them. But the greater part, you may remark, are carelefstarted into existence, with bodies of the obvious and natural pleasures which they might reach and enjoy, and are eagerly digging in the earth for yellow duft, on which they have placed an imaginary value. Behold one who has just procured a load of it, under which he is ready to fink. He totters along in hatte to find a hiding-place for it; but before he has found it, himself is hidden from our eyes: for lo! while I fpeak, he is dropping into a pitfall, Moll of his companions will follow him; but you fee no one is alarmed by the example. The defcent is become very iteep and abrupt, and few there beautiful and glorious. And the voice proceeded, "In my father's houfe are many manfions. Ye have all fallen fhort of the perfection for which ye were created; but fone have been lefs unprofitable fervants than others; and to the mare allotted ne more exalted places of blifs; but there remain manfions appropriated to all the fons of men. I have redeemed the very worst of them from the tyranny of death. Rife therefore to your refpective manfions, enter into the joy of the Lord." He faid-when the found of inftruments, fweeter than the un3 K 2 purged |