of

View of the CATHEDRAL CHURCH EXETER, in Devonshire.

and Prefbourg, as accomplices in the confpiracy and rebellion. When they prefented themfelves they were commanded to fign a paper, in which were expreffed certain engagements they were obliged to enter into. Thofe who refused were thrown into dark dungeons, and treated with extreme cruelty. Forty-one of them were condemned, in 1675, to the gallies; and being conducted to Naples in order to fubmit to their fevere fate, were indebted for their deliverance to the charitable interception of Michael Ruyter, the celebrated Dutch admiral, who happened to come exactly at that time before Naples, and obtained their liberty. The other confeffors detained in prifon likewise procured their freedom, by the folicitation of the States-General./

[To be continued.]

A DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT

OF THE

CITY OF EXETER, AND ITS CATHEDRAL.

XETER is a large, populous city, agreeably fituated on an eminence, on the Eastern bank of the river Ex. It was undoubtedly first built by the Romans, as appears by one of the arches of the South gate; and it is very probable that the walls were erected on Roman foundations, there having been great numbers of Roman antiquities found here at different periods.

The walls enclose a great compals of ground, and are built in

the form of a parallelogram, three thoufand Roman feet long, and two thousand broad. They are in tolerable good condition, and have many lunets and towers, Round the city is a walk, where the inhabitants have the pleasure of feeing the fine country on the oppofite hill covered with wood, rich grounds, orchards, villages, and ` gentlemen's feats.

The city has fix gates and four principal ftreets, the latter of which all meet together in the centre, and thence called Carfox, from the old Norman words, Quatre voix, or the four ways. One of thefe, called the High-Street, runs the whole length of the parallelogram of the wall: it is broad and very ftraight; and the houfes are not only fpacious, but commo. dious and handfome. On the whole, it is a very beautiful street, and scarce to be equalled in any other city in the kingdom, London excepted.

The cathedral, dedicated to St. Peter, is a noble Gothic ftructure, and, like most of our ancient churches, was built at different times by the munificence of its prelates. It was begun by Robert Warlewart, bishop of this fee, in 1150, and after receiving confiderable additions by feveral of his fucceffors, was at length completed by bilhop Courtney in the year 1485.

When it is confidered that this edifice was fo many years erecting, and executed by different architects, it is furprising to behold its very great uniformity. One would imagine it had been defigned and finished under the direction of the fame perfon, every part being alike uniform, without the least incongruity throughout the whole, Z F2

The

The body of the church is three hundred and ninety feet in length, and feventy-four in breadth. In the front are two towers, in one of which is a ring of ten bells, not inferior to any in England; and in the other is a large bell, faid to be upwards of fixty hundred weight.

The bishop's feat was anciently kept at Crediton, but about the year 1050, it was removed to Exeter by Edward the Confeffor, who fixed it as the place for the future refidence of thofe prelates. The ceremony attending this was performed on the South-fide of the high altar in the cathedral, where there are three feats or alcoves, curiously carved in the Gothic taste. In the middle of those seats the bishop was inftalled, the king being on one fide, and the queen on the other; and the words used on the occafion are faid to have been' as follow;

"I kinge Edward, taking Leofric bye the ryghte haunde, and Edythe my queen bye the lefte, doe inftalle hym the fyrfle and most famous byfhoppe of Exon wythe a grate defyre of aboundaunce of bleffynges to all fuch as fhall furder and encrease the fame; but wythe à fearful and execrable curfe on all fuch as fhall diminish or take anye thynge from it.",

The bishop's throne was taken down during the civil wars in the reign of Charles I. but the workmen, who were well-affected to the established church, preferved the different parts with fuch care, that, on the Refloration, they were again put together in fo complete a manner as to appear equally well as before they were removed. The carvings about the top of the canopy are fixty feet high, and done in the most beautiful manner.

The altar-piece is a most exquifite piece of painting, reprefente ing, in perfpective, the infide of the church. It was done in the reign of James I. and, except a trifling injury it received from the foldiers in the civil wars, is well preferved. They have two faits of hangings for the choir, the one velvet, the other tapestry; a mar. ble font, and rich fervices of gilt plate for the communion. The organ is exceeding handfome, and reckoned the largest in England, the great pipe being fifteen inches in diameter.

In 1763 the cathedral underwent a thorough repair, at which time, on taking up the floor of the choir, in order to new pave it, a large ftone was removed, beneath which was discovered a fhallow walled grave, containing a leaden coffin of very ancient form; the cover was partly decayed, and on removing what remained was found a skeleton almoft entire. On the right fide of the coffin was a small filver chalice covered with a paten, and a piece of filk or linen (it could not be diftinguished which) was bound round the ftem of it, Among the duft was found a handfome gold ring, with a large, but not a very good fapphire, and the whole appeared nearly as fresh as if juft brought from the jeweller's On the left fide of the coffin lay the remains of a wooden crozier but it scarce retained enough of its original form to determine what it had been. The infcription had been long effaced, but tradition has preferved the remembrance that it was Thomas de Bitton, bifhop of Exeter, who died about the year 1306, in the reign of Edward II. The bones were refpect fully covered up, but the ring and chalice were preferved for the inspection