entrance and two ruined towers, exhibit grand specimens of the mode of brick building in the reign of Henry VIII. Adjoining Roydon is the parish of NASING, in the road to Waltham Abbey: it is thus noticed by the poet of Amwell: Delightful habitations! o'er the land Disper'd around, from Waltham's osier'd isles To where black Nasing's lonely tow'r o'erlooks This village was antiently written Nasingen, and Nasinges, and was included among the seventeen lordships with which earl Harold endowed Waltham Abbey. King Henry II. by his charter dated at Winchester, again confirmed their privileges to the abbot and canons regular, and particularly mentions, that of the lands at Nasing, Proventus vestibu semendis assignati sunt, i. e. The profits were assigned to them for mending their cloathing. At the suppression of the monasteries by king Henry VIII. this manor remained in the crown, till it was granted in king Edward's VI.'s reign to lady Joan Denny, widow of Sir Anthony Denny. Here is the seat of William Palmer, Esq. facing the road; the house is plain but handsome, with a portico in the front, and contains several neat and convenient apartments. The grounds are finely laid out; and the greenhouse plants are curious. Adjoining to the house is a machine of immense power for raising water. The advowson of this vicarage is in the crown. In the church is nothing worthy notice. Mr. John Hopkins, vicar of this church, was one of those ministers in the archdeaconry of Essex, who was deprived for non-conformity, because he refused to subscribe the articles enjoined by John Whitgift, then lord archbishop of Canterbury, A. D. 1582. WALTHAM ABBEY; OR HOLY CROSS. This town is about twelve miles from London; and arose from a variety of circumstances. The following detail, however however ridiculous, is so much connected with the remote legend concerning this place, that we think it proper to give the whole insertion, from Lambarde's Topographical Dictionary: "It might have sufficed to derive the foundation of Waltham in Essex from kinge Harold, as Polyd. (followinge Mat. of Westminster) and others, have before done. But for as muche as not only thabby, but the towne also toke bothe their beginninge and increase by a holy crosse that was muche renowned theare, the hole discourse of the findinge wherof I have penned by a canon of Waltham sone after the tyme of the Conquest, I feared I should do Waltham wronge, and defraude the reader, if I should not begyn at the roate. And yet to thend that I neyther wery the one, nor belye thother, I have thoughte good both for the trueth and shortnes sake, to abridge in so few woordes, as conveniently I may, that which myne auctor left written in as many as him lysted. In the tyme (say the he) that kinge Canut reigned in Ingland, theare lyved at a place called comonly Lutegaresbyry,' in Frenche Mountague, a simple man, by occupation a carpenter, and by office sexten of his parishe, to whome on a night appeared a vision of Christe crucified, commaundinge him that as sone as day brake he should goe to the parishe preist, and will him, accompanied with his parishioners in solemne procession, to goe up to the toppe of the hyll adjoyninge, and to digge, wheare (if they would beforehand make theimselves by confession, fastinge, and praier, worthy of suche a revelacion) they should finde a crosse, the verye signe of Christes passion. This plaine man, supposinge it a fantastical dreame, toke at the first no great head therof, save that he imparted it with his wife, who also thoughte it but an illusion. Wherfore the image appeared againe, and so griped him by the hande, that the dynt of the nayles remayned in his hand to be sene the daye followinge. Beinge thus pricked forwarde, on he goeth to the priest, and discloseth the hole matter: he arrayeth his parishe, displayeth his banners, putteth on copes and surplas, and setteth the carpenter formost, as his captaine; they marche to the place, they digge awhile, and anone they finde a great marble, havinge in it of black flynt the image of the crucifixe, so artificially wrought, as if God himselfe (sayth myne author) had framed it. Under the ryght arme of this crucifixé thear was a small image of the same forme, a litle belle also, and a blacke booke conteyninge the text of the four Evangelists. Al this they signified to Tovi le Prude, then lorde of the soyle, standard bearer to the kinge, and his cheif councelor; who came to the place in great hast, and by thadvice of his gents, lefte the smalle cross in the churche theare, determyninge to bestow the greater in suche place as God should appointe. Forthwithe therfore he caused to be yoked 12 red oxen, and so many white kyne, and layeth the stone in a wayne, myndinge (if God so wille) to cary it to Canterbyrye; but the cattel could not by any force be compelled to drawe thyther warde. When he saw that, he chaunged his mynde, and bad theim dryve toward his house at Readinge, whearin he had great delighte; but still the wayne stode immoveable, notwithstandinge that the oxen did their best. At the length he remembred a smalle house that he had begone to buyld at Waltham for his disporte, and comaunded theim to make thytherward. Which wordes he had no soner spoken, but the wayne of it self moved: now in the way many weare healed of many infirmities; amongest the which threscore sixe parsons vowed their labour towarde the conveiance of this crosse, and weare the first founders of Waltham towne, wheare was no thinge before bnt only a simple house for this Tovi to repose himselfe at when he came thyther to hunte, notwithstandinge that he had therby divers landes, as Enfield, Edelmetun, Cetrehunt, Myms, and the hole baronie that Geffrey of Maundvile, the first of that name, after had. Now when the crosse was broughto thyther, Tovi commaunded it to be set up; and whiles one by chaunce perced it with a nayle, the blood issued out of the flinte in great abundance: wherat Tovi Deinge greatly amased, fel downe and woorshipped it, promiseth before it to manumitte his bondmen, to bestow possessions on such as should serve it, and there presently gave Waltham, Chenlevenden, Hicche, Lamhee, Lukentun, and Alwareton, and offered the sworde whearwithe he was gyrded when he was first dubbed knyght. His wife also, called Glitha, bestowed on the head of this crucifixe a crowne of gold garnished with stone, and gave besides one jewel, for the which a byshop of Winchester offered 100 marcs. This Tovi ceassed [not] al his life to be beneficial to Waltham; after whose deathe Adelstan his son loste Waltham, which by meanes came to the handes of Edw. the Confeessour; he bestowed it on Harold, son to the earl of Godwyn: Harold favouringe the foundation of of Tovi, added to the two clerkes which he had lefte theare, 11 other, and one Ulwyne to deane; he buylded for theim a faire temple, and invited to the dedication of the same, the kinge, byshops, and 20 nobles of the realme. This Harold was shortly after slaine in the field by William the Conquerour, whose corps. his freindes by great intreatie (for that the Conquerour had purposed to have buryed it in the churche which he vowed and buylded for suche as weare slaine in that fight) begged of kinge William, to thend that they myghte lay it at Waltham, as himself in his lyfe had appointed. Howbeit when they had longe soughte amongest the dead bodyes, and could not discerne his,' they called for one Edithe, (for her beauty surnamed Spanrheals, or Whitenecke) whom they kinge loved, and by her direction. toke and conveied it to the ground at Waltham. Thus muche out of the stoarye of Waltham Abbay, which by many conjectures I take to have bene written even in that tyme, when kinge Hen. II. chaunged the seculer and maryed preistes of Waltham, into reguler or chast chanons. I shalle not nede to make any censure upon this hystorie, the lyinge is no less egregious then comon, in writers of this age and profession, and therfore I wille both ceasse to wonder and spare to dischyphre it, contentynge my selfe to convince theim by theimselfes only; for some further helpe wherto, I will adde a pretye tale, that Mat. the monke of Westminster hathe of this holy crosse. When Ha rold (sayth he) should goe to the field against the Conquerour, he came to Waltham to doe his devotion before the crucifixe; which at his departure (in token of a final farewel) bowed it selfe towarde him, and from thenceforth contynued croked, even tyll his owne tyme. Now let us goe forwarde. William the Conquerour toke from this house the town of Waltham, and gave it to Walter the byshop of Durham to repose himself at, when he should be called to counseil out of the north countrye. William Rufus, his son, spoyled Waltham of 666 poundes of money, besides jewels and churche ornamentes, al which he transported to Cane in Normandie: howbeit afterward in part of amendes, he restoared to theim the towne of Waltham, with al the landes therto of old tyme appertayninge. This was the state of Waltham before the tyme of Hen. II. who, havinge vowed to make an abbay or relligious house for expiation of the suspi sion of Thomas Becket's deathe, wherwith he was charged, practized |