similar to fragments in Westminster Hall and Canterbury Cathedral, date 1097; the foliated ornaments in the arch are almost entirely concealed by the roof of the Porch. Between the first two buttresses to the east of the Porch is a very small semicircularheaded recess, which has the appearance of a small "Norman " window, blocked upon the inside. The Priest's door (Plate II.) has a bold hood-moulding, which appears by the returns being broken off, to have been continued as a string course round the Chancel. The first thing that strikes us on entering, is the unusually small width of the Chancel arch, (being only 5 feet 7 inches, which has the appearance of being even less from the square form of the piers, which are more than half the span of the arch in thickness). The arch itself is doubly recessed and chamfered, the inner order rests on moulded corbels, the members of which are scarcely distinguishable so thoroughly choked as they are with whitewash and plaster. There is an "Early English" piscina in the south wall of the Chancel, having a rather singular "credence" shelf, see Plate II. In the north-east corner of the Nave are the stairs to the roodloft, they are of the 15th century. The Font has a circular basin and stem resting on an octagonal base or plinth, the basin is enriched with billet, pellet, and scallop ornaments. There are one or two open seats of late date at the west end of the Nave. The roofs over the Nave and Chancel are concealed by plaster ceilings. We come now to the mural paintings lately discovered; the portion exposed is between seven and eight feet high, and extends from the north window about twelve feet westward. In the central compartment is a colossal figure of St. Christopher, a mermaid holding a mirror is introduced in front of the Saint's staff: the compartment to the right, representing a monk, or priest, holding a lantern, and standing in the entrance of a church, apparently forms a portion of the same subject. The figure in the compartment to the left is intended to represent St. Michael holding the scales of judgment, the image of Sin is very expressive; the letters "ECCLE: A" in this compartment have no connexion with the subject, but probably refer to some text of Scripture now destroyed, inasmuch as the ground work of the letters is a fragment of the first coat which concealed the mediaval pictures. The wavy pattern of the borders which separate the compartments is very bold and effective, but it is to be regretted that further means are not taken to remove more of the plaster and whitewash, which probably conceals other mural paintings of similar character. EDWARD W. GODWIN. Composition for Estates, in Wilts, By F. A. CARRINGTON, ESQ. R. HUME in his "History of England" under the date of 1655, says: "In concert with the King a conspiracy was entered into by the Royalists throughout England, and a day of general rising appointed. "In one place alone the conspiracy broke into action. Penruddock, Grove, Jones and other gentlemen of the west entered Salisbury with about 200 horse, (March 11,) at the very time when the Judges and Sherifft were holding the assizes. Them they made prisoners, and then proclaimed the King. Contrary to their expectation they received no accession of force, so prevalent was the terror of the established government. Having in vain wandered about for some time, they were totally dismayed, and one troop of horse was able at last to suppress them. The leaders of the conspiracy being taken prisoners, were capitally punished. The rest were sold for slaves and transported to Barbadoes. "The Protector resolved to keep no longer any terms with the Royalists. "He issued an edict with the consent of his council, for exacting the tenth penny from that whole party, in order, as he pretended, to make them pay the expenses to which their mutinous disposition continually exposed the public. "Without regard to compositions, articles of capitulation, or acts of indemnity, all the Royalists, however harassed with former oppressions, were obliged anew to redeem themselves by great sums of money, and many of them were reduced by these multiplied disasters to extreme poverty; whoever was known to be disaffected, or even lay under any suspicion, though no guilt could be proved against him, was exposed to the new taxation. "In order to raise this imposition, which commonly passed by the name of decimation, the Protector instituted twelve Major-Generals, and divided the whole Kingdom of England into so many Military Jurisdictions. These were assisted by Commissioners, had power to subject whom they pleased to decimation, to levy all the taxes imposed by the Protector and his council, and to imprison any person who should be exposed to their jealousy or suspicion; nor was there any appeal from them but to the Protector himself and his council. Under colour Lord Chief Justice Rolle and Baron Nicholas. + Colonel Dove. of these powers the Major-Generals exercised an authority still more arbitrary and acted as if absolute masters of the property and person of every subject. "All reasonable men now considered that the very mask of liberty was thrown aside, and that the nation was for ever subject to military and despotic government, exercised not in the legal manner of European nations, but according to the maxims of Eastern Tyranny." The "former oppressions," to which Hume alludes, took place under an ordinance of the Parliament of March 31st, 1643, when the following sums were exacted from Wiltshire, as appears from "A Catalogue of the Lords, Knights, and Gentlemen that have compounded for their Estates." "London: Printed for Thomas Dring, at the Signe of the George, in Fleet Street, neare Cliffords Inne, 1655." It has the following dedication :— "To those Noble Persons that are concern'd, the Stationer humbly dedicates the ensuing pages. "Protesting that he hath no desire to revive your past misfortunes, or to involve you in newe ones; could he harbour a just fear, this black legend should be more gladly sacrificed to the flames, than offered to the world. He knowes you too Generous to gather solace from the sufferings of others, or else, to shew you that your affliction is not solitary, would be a sufficient excuse to patronize this publication. ""Tis a melancholy thing to reflect upon crimes, but not alwaies so upon losses; since it may be necessitated to imbrace the last, out of a conscience to evade the first. This Book is but an Index to a greater Volume; such as have been scourged by the times, used to number many such lashes as these. But 'tis not for us of the lowest sphear to censure or moderate in those intricate contests, which our home divisions have engendered: our inconsiderablenesse has redeemed us from sharing Enigmaes, those works upon which the greatest Reasons and Estates have dash'd and perished. You yourselves best know your own ingagements: But in (Thesi) this may be received as sober truth, that he happilie consults his Treasure, who honestly loses or piously expends it; yea more, every drop of blood that is shed in a good cause shall commence a Ruby in Heaven. "The meanest of those that serve and honour you, "T. D." Then follow the names,1 residences, and sums to be paid; those here extracted being that portion of the catalogue which relates to Wiltshire. 1 Printed, without the preface, in Fellowes's "Historical Sketches of Charles I.” Fisher, Will., of Ludington, Wilts, Gent. Henchmau, Humphry, of Salisbury, Wilts. 0235 00 00 0209 00 00 0862 00 00 0413 00 00 8345 00 00 0200 00 00 0220 00 00 0038 15 00 0660 00 00 0028 00 00 0045 00 00 0572 00 00 0336 00 00 0810 00 00 0561 09 00 0003 06 08 Narborne, Walter, Studley, Wiltshire, Esq. 0380 00 00 Penruddock, George, of Broadchalk, county Wilts, Esquire, with £110 per annum settled Wilts, Knight...... Penruddock, John, Compton, Wilts, Esq. 0100 00 00 Penruddock, Sir John, of Compton Camberline, County 0490 00 00 Potten, William, Stradford, Wilts, Gentleman 0108 06 00 0066 10 00 Smith, Sir Walter, Great Bedwin, Wilts, with £40 per |