the critical obferver. The roof confifts of eight principal rafters, projecting from the fide walls to fupport it; they reach the fummit by three different curves, are richly carved and moulded, and have at the extremity of each curve a bold pendant ornament. There are alfo Gothic ribs, which, fpringing from each of the principal rafters, give a richness to the whole defign. The fpacious windows rifing between each raf ter, are decorated with coats of arms, in ftained glass, of the various noblemen and gentlemen who have been members of the fociety. The hall having fallen to decay, the rebuilding was begun in 1562, when the celebrated Plowden was conftituted treasurer for the work: it was finished in 1572, four years after he quitted that office, but he voluntarily confented to fuperintend it, till completed. At the west end is a fpacious Gothic window, decorated in the fame ftyle with the others, beneath which are feveral whole length portraits in oil, as large as life, viz. in the centre, Charles I. on horfeback with his page holding his helmet, Charles II. and queen Anne on his right, and William III. and George I. on his left. Over the paffage entrance, is a handsome music gallery, but its ufe has long been difcontinued. It is equal in width to the hall, and about nine feet deep; decorated with various pieces of armour, confifting of breaft-plates, helmets, &c. which, though, evidently not more ancient than the time of Charles II., have been by fome inconfiderately defcribed as belonging to the Knights Templars. The screen beneath this gallery was erected in the seventeenth year of queen Elizabeth. It is very richly carved in oak, with no regularity of order or ftyle, but is in a kind of degenerate Gothic, and supported by fix Doric fluted pillars, an order very much in ufe at that period. Beneath the windows on each fide of the hall, are ranged, in fmall compartments in oak, the arms and names of the various readers, from Richard Swaine, in 1597, to the prefent period; they are still annually elected, and the place is preferved, but the lectures have long fince been discontinued.

GATE. The Middle Temple gate was erected on a fingular occafion. About the year 1501, Sir Amias Powlet thought fit to put Cardinal Wolfey, then parfon of Lymington, into the flocks. In 1515, being fent for to London by the cardinal, on account of that ancient grudge, he was commanded not to quit town till further orders. In confequence he lodged five or fix years in this gateway, which he rebuilt; and, to pacify his eminence, adorned the front with the cardinal's cap, badges, cognizance, and other devices.

LIBRARY. The library was erected, as appears from the date over the door of the ftair-cafe, in 1625. It contains a

fmall

fmall number of ancient books, which were the bequest of Sir Robert Ashley, in the year 1641, and fome manufcripts. It contains two globes, curious on account of their antiquity, being made in the reign of Elizabeth.

SOCIETIES. The fociety of the Middle Temple, as well as the Inner Temple, confits of benchers, or fuch as have been readers, anciently called apprentices of the law, members, barrifters, and ftudents; formerly denominated utter barristers and inner barristers, being students under seven years, and all of whom had their commons in the hall. The government of the fociety is vested in the benchers, whofe general meetings to tranfact bufinefs are, and anciently were, dignified with the name of parliaments. The mode of holding them is described as follows: first, the benchers only who have been readers meet in the parliament chamber, which is at the lower end of the hall, and take their places according to feniority. Then the treasurer, for the time being, fits at the table bare-headed, and reads petitions, or propofes fuch other fubjects as are to be difcuffed; the under treasurer ftanding by as an attendant. If a difference of opinion occurs, the votes are taken feparately, beginning at the youngeft, and the majority determines it. Formerly, none who had been called to the bench to read attended these parliaments till they had filled the office of reader; but that objection was afterwards difpenfed with. All new laws paffed by the parliament are notified to fuch inferior members of the houfe as are in commons, by the treafurer; and fuch members, by the orders of the fociety, are bound to attend the laft Friday of each term (which is called a parliament of attendance), and all abfentees are subject to a forfeit of 35. 4d. pro non confultando.

The officers and fervants are, a treasurer, fub-treasurer, steward, chief butler, three under butlers, upper and under cook, a panier-man, a gardener, two porters, two wash-pots, and watch. men: anciently there were four under butlers, who wore gowns, and four wash-pots, befides a turn-broach, two fcullions, &c.; who all, except the porter and gardener, had their diet in the houfe, befides wages and other perquifites belonging to

their offices.

ARMS. The arms of the Middle Temple are, argent on a plain cross, gules, the holy lamb, the staff or flag, argent, with a red crofs.

CHURCH. The Temple church, a very beautiful fpecimen of the early Gothic architecture, belongs in common to the two focieties it has three aifles running eaft and weft, and two cross aifles. The windows are lancet-fhaped, very antique, and the western entrance, which anfwers to the nave in other churches,

is à fpacious round tower in imitation of the church of the Holy Sepulchre (a peculiarity which distinguishes all the churches of the Knight's Templars.) This is feparated from the choir, not by clofe walls, but by a handsome screen, which however has the defect of obftructing the fight. It is fupported by fix pointed arches, each refting on four round pillars, bound together by a fafcia. Above each arch is a window with a rounded top, with a gallery, and rich Saxon arches interfecting each other. On the outfide of the pillars is a confiderable fpace preferving the circular form. On the lower part of the wall are small pilafters meeting in pointed arches at top, and over each pillar a grotefque head. The choir is a large square building, evidently erected at another time. The roof is fupported by flight pillars of what is ufually called Suffex marble; and the windows on each fide, which are three in number, are adorned with fmall columns of the fame. On the outfide is a buttress between each. The entire floor is of flags of black and white marble. The length of the choir is eighty-three feet, the breadth fixty, and the height thirty-four; it is unincumbered with galleries. The height of the infide of the tower is fortyeight feet; its diameter on the floor fifty-one; and the circumference one hundred and fixty. The pillars of this tower (fix in number) are wainscotted with oak to the height of eight feet, and some have monuments placed against them, which injure the uniformity of the plan. It is fingular that the small pillars, and the heads which ornament them, are not of ftone, but a compofition resembling coarfe mortar, which is very rotten, and from neglect and damp, threatens (unless repaired) a speedy demolition. The Temple church is principally remarkable (excepting the fashion of the edifice itself, which has a very uncommon and noble aspect) for the tombs of eleven of the Knights Templars. Eight of these have the monumental effigies of armed knights; the reft are coped with grey marble. The figures confift of two groups, out of which five are cross-legged; the remainder lie ftraight: each group is environed by a spacious iron grate. In the first are four knights, each of them cross-legged, and three in complete mail, in plain helmets, flatted at top, and with very long fhields. One of these is known to have been Geoffry de Magnaville, created earl of Effex in 1148: the other figures cannot be identified, either in this or the fecond group; but three of them are conjectured by Camden to commemorate William earl of Pembroke, who died in 1219, and his fons William and Gilbert, likewife earls of Pembroke and marthals of England. One of the stone coffins also, of a ridged fhape, is fuppofed by the fame antiquary to be the tomb of William Plantagenet, fifth fon of Henry III. The

drefs

drefs and accoutrements of these knights are extremely fingular: no two are alike, though all are armed in mail. Their pofition, likewife, is varied, and there is ftill fufficient expreílion in the faces to fhew that personal resemblance was aimed at, and in fome degree fuccefsfully. One figure is in a spirited attitude, drawing a broad dagger; one leg refts on the tail of a cockatrice, the other is in the action of being drawn up, with the head of the monster beneath. Another is bare-headed and bald, his legs armed, his hands mailed, his mantle long; and round his neck a cowl, as if, according to the common fuperftition of those days, he had defired to be buried in the dress of a monk, left the evil fpirit fhould take poffeflion of his body. On his shield is a fleur de lys. The earl of Pembroke bears a lion on his fhield, the arms of that great family. The helmets of all the knights are much alike, but two of them are mailed. The Temple church contains fome few other ancient monuments, chiefly to the memory of eminent lawyers, as Plowden, Selden, Sir John Vaughan, &c. and one of a bishop in his epifcopal drefs, a mitre, and a crofier, well executed in ftone. The fuperior clergyman of the Temple church, fince the reign of Henry VIII. is called mafter (or cuftos) of the Temple, and is conftituted by the king's letters patent, without inftitution or induction; there are, befides, a reader and lecturer. In Stowe's time it had four stipendiary priests, with a clerk, who had ftipends allowed them out of the poffeffions of the diffolved monaftery of St. John of Jerufalem; but the establishment was ftill greater in the Romish times, when the feveral priests had a hall and lodgings affigned them within the houfe. The charges of the prefent church are jointly paid by both focieties, who have each their fide at divine worship. The tone of the organ has long been remarked as the fineft in the kingdom.

The inns of chancery belonging to the Inner and Middle Temple, are four.

CLIFFORD'S INN. Clifford's Inn, a member of the Inner Temple, is fituated on the north fide of Fleet-ftreet, adjoining St. Dunstan's church, and is of confiderable antiquity. It derives its name from the honourable family of the barons Clifford, ancestors of the earl of Cumberland, who had a refidence there many ages fince, which was called, according to the custom of. the time," Clifford's Inn." It was granted to Robert de Clifford, by the crown, in the third of Edward II., and the widow of Robert let it to the ftudents of the law, at a yearly rent of 10l.; it afterward fell again to the crown, and again reverted to the Clifford family; but ever fince the first demife by lease from Robert de Clifford's widow, which was in the 18th of Edward III., it has been held by the ftudents of the law,

having been afterward granted in fee-farm to Nicholas Sulyard, efq. principal of the house, and a bencher of Lincoln's Inn, in the reign of Henry VI. Nicholas Guybon, Robert Clinche, and others, the then feniors of it, in confideration of 600l. and the rent of 41. per annum.

SOCIETY. The fociety was governed by a principal and twelve rulers. The gentlemen were to be in commons a fortnight in every term, or to pay about four fhillings a week; they formerly had mootings. The chambers are fold for one life.

ARMS. Their armorial enfigns are, chequy or and azure, a fefs gules, within a border of the third.

HALL. The hall is in fome meafure built in the Gothic tafte; it is about thirty feet long, and twenty-four wide, being proportionably lofty to its dimenfions. To the left of the entrance is hanging up an old oak cafe, opening with folding doors, within which the ancient inftitutions of the fociety are preferved: they are written on vellum, and confift of forty-feven items, but, except the capital letters, which were formerly emblazoned in gold, the writing is fcarcely legible; they are headed by a pen and ink drawing of the arms of England, carefully executed, as they appeared in the reign of Henry VIII. Two angels are fupporters of the fhield, behind whom appear on either fide a lion erect, bearing in his paws a small banner, on which is drawn a single fleur de lys. This curious piece of antiquity is about two feet and a quarter high, by one and a quarter wide. In this hall Sir Matthew Hale and the principal judges fat, after the great fire of London, to fettle the differences that occcurred between landlord and tenant, and to afcertain the feveral divifions of property; which difficult and important bufinefs was performed by them fo much to the fatisfaction of the city, that the mayor and commonalty, in gratitude for fo fignal a fervice, ordered their portraits to be painted, and hung in the Guildhall, where they still remain.

LYON'S INN. Lyon's Inn is fituate between Holywell-street and Wych-street, and is an appendage of the Inner Temple. It is known to be a place of confiderable antiquity, from the old books of the steward's accounts, which contain entries made in the time of Henry V. How long before that period it was an inn of chancery is uncertain.

SOCIETY. Its government was formerly vefted in a treasurer and twelve ancients. The gentlemen of the house were in commons three weeks in Michaelmas term, in other terms, two. They fold their chambers for one or two lives, and had mootings once in four terms.

HALL. The hall ftands in the fouth-weft corner of the court, and was formerly, when properly kept, a commodious

handfome