primacy of Wales from Caerleon to this place, after which it became an archbishopric for many years.

The fucceffors of St. David continued to exercise the principal jurifdiction over all Wales till the reign of Henry I. when that prince appointed a Norman ecclefiaftic to the office, and he having profeffed obedience to the fee of Canterbury, it became ever after one of the bishoprics dependant on that province."

The ancient cathedral was built in the most romantic fituation, and enclofed with a ftone wall upwards of 1100 yards in circumference. The palace and all the houfes of the dignitaries were in this place, fome of which are ftill habitable, but the greater part are in ruins. The enclosure had four gates, in the latter of which the bishops held their court.

In the reign of Henry II. the old church was pulled down, and the prefent edifice erected in its ftead, at the expence of Peter de Lein, the then bifhop. It is a ftately Gothic ftructure three hundred feet in length; but it has been so much neglected that part of. the roof at the Eaft-end has fallen in. The Weft front is feventyfix feet broad, and the length of the cross aifle one hundred and thirty feet. The tower in the middle is one hundred and twentyfeven feet high, and the breadth at the body of the fide-aifles is feventy-two feet. On the whole it is an exceeding good structure in the Gothic tafte; but as few of its bishops ever refide in the place, it will, in all probability, like the town, fall to decay.

There is not a dean belonging to it, but the chapter confifts of the precentor, who has the fame

power as a dean, a chancellor, a treasurer, four archdeacons, nineteen precentors, eight vicars choral, and four choriflers; from which we may very reasonably fuppofe that it was formerly much better endowed than at present.

The epifcopal palace is now in ruins, but from what fill remains, it appears to have been a noble fplendid ftructure. The hall was eighty-eight feet long and thirty broad, and all the other apartments were equally grand and magnifi

cent.

In the reign of Edward III. John of Gaunt, duke of Lancafter, founded a convent here for fecular priests, and fo well endowed it with lands, that at the general diffolution of religious houses its annual revenues amounted to 111. 16s. 4d. but not any remains of the building are now to be seen.

St. David's has a poor weekly market on Wednesday; and is diftant from London two hundred and seventy-two miles.

A DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF THE CITY OF ST. ASAPH, AND ITS CATHEDRAL.

ST

T. ASAPH derives its name from St. Afaph, its patron, who was the fecond bishop of the fee; and is called by the Welih Lhan-Elwy from its being fituated at the influx of the river Elwy into the Clwyd. It flands in a part of the rich and pleafant Vale of Clwyd; but is at prefent more famous for its antiquity than either its fize or beauty, It was firft founded by one Kantegern, a reclufe of Glafgow in Scotland, who being driven out of 6 Y 2 that

that king kingdom about the middle of the fixth century, founded here an epifcopal feat and monaftery, and became the first bishop of that fee; but returning foon after into Scotland, he appointed St. Afaph his fucceffor.

Whether the church and convent continued to flourish under the princes of North-Wales is not certainly known, there being no account of it till the reign of king Stephen, when its bifhops are mentioned as fubject to the fee of Canterbury; and in the reign of Henry IV. we find that Owen Glendower reduced the whole to alhes.

The church was begun to be rebuilt in the reign of Edward IV. but it was not completed in the manner it now appears till the reign of Henry VIII. It is a very neat. Gothic ftructure one hundred and feventy-one feet in length, and the tower, which is ninety feet high, is fupported by four pillars.

This is the only building in the town worthy of particular notice, it being a fmall place, with very few inhabitants, which is principally owing to its bifhops feldom or ever reliding in it. The weekly market is on Saturday, and the town is diftant from London 211 miles.

mur

a fheep, is death by the law! Now, what can be more unrighteous and abfurd, than, that the life of a man fhould be estimated by that of a cow or a sheep? And, befides this, it is putting the higheft and loweft guilt upon a monstrous foot of equality. A man must go to the gallows for ftealing a fheep, and he can only go there for der; and with this advantage, that he hath fometimes a better chance of efcaping in the latter cafe: is not this reviving all the cruelty and iniquity of Draco's laws, where death was the punishment of the lowest crimes, as well as of the higheft ?-And after all, when the thief is executed, what reparation is made to the sufferer? None at all: if the felon had any property, it is forfeited to the crown, and the poor man who is defrauded, must be at the expence and trouble of profecution; and fo the injury, instead of being repaired, is aggravated and if he fhould enter into any measures to have his damages repaired out of the felon's fubitance, though perhaps, his whole being and livelihood in the world depended upon it; this is called compounding of felony, and is interpreted into one of the moft heinous and pu nifhable offences he can be guilty of in fociety!

Whereas, if the offender were either fold into another country, (where he was bound to labour, and his price, or a proper part of it, paid to the perfon injured by him) or were confined to labour at home, in fuch a manner as that the profits of his labour might then be applied to repay the damages he did, the injury might then be repaired; and a, vagrant, who ftole from floth and idleness, being for

ced