a fort of new creation to the public; for, as it is a fact not to be contro verted, that the reduced number of acres in the park, from their improved state, fupport as many deer and other cattle as the whole did before, the produce obtained from the farms is all clear gain; and as the crop of wheat and rye from the 140 acres fown, upon the most moderate calculation, may be fet at 3,360 bufhels, and allowing fix bufhels to a human mouth, this gives a yearly provifion in bread for 560 people; to fay nothing of the fatting off of 40 oxen, the breed of 800 sheep, and the growth of at leaft 5000 bushels of oats and beans; all of which, it must be observed, goes in aid of the public market, as the work is done by oxen entirely. As more experiments are in future made, I may perhaps trouble the focicty with an account of them, as I am perfuaded they cannot be registered any where elfe, to give them the credit, and to excite the imitation I flatter myself they may deferve: but for the prefent, I fhall clofe my obfervations upon his majesty's farms with a defeription of his mill, which I confider as the most benevolent thing that can be done for the poor, and which I mot earnestly recommend to all gentlemen of landed property, who have like means of doing it. A mall over-fhot mill is erected, and worked by the wafte water from the lake below the lodge, where a fufficiency of corn, two-thirds wheat and onethird rye, is ground, dressed, and given to all the labourers, at fixteen pence per ftone of fourteen pounds, in quantities fuitable to the fize of their families which is the first of all comforts to them, and a faving of at leaft twenty per cent. from what it would coft them to buy it from the mealmen or shopkeepers. I am, fir, Your obedient humble fervant, Nathaniel Kent. Craig's Court, oa, 30, 1798. ANTIQUITIES. Criminal Profecutions against Witches in the 17th Century; from Nichols's Hiftory of Leicestershire. THE following letter from alderman Robert Heyrick, of Leicefter, to his brother fir William, in the year 1616, relates to an extraordinary tranfaction which took place at Hufbands Bofworth. "Although we have bene greatly bufyed this 4 or 5 days paft, being fyfe tyme, and a bufy fyfe fpeacylly about the araynment of a fort of woomen, wytches, wt 9 of them fhal be executed at the gallows this fornone, for bewitching of a younge genteilman of the adge of 12 or 13 years old, beinge the fon of one Mr. Smythe, of Hufbands Bosworth, brother to Mr, Henry Smythe, that made the booke which we call Mr. Smythe's Şarmons. Your man Sampfon ftays, and yt is to tedyous to write anny one thing unto you of the matter; and the examynacyons and finding out of the matter came to my hand in wryting juft as I be gan your lettar. Only I will fignifye unto you of the child's firaunge fits, who was brought hythar of Sayturday laft to be fhewed to the judges; and fince his coming hither he hath had dyvars wonderful ftraundg fyts in the fyght of all the greateft parlons here, as dyvars Knyghts and ladies, and many othars of the bettar fort, moft tereble to be tolld. Sir Henry Haftings hath doon what he colld to hold him în his fit; but he and another as strong as he could not hold him; yf he might have his arm at liberty, he woolld ftryke himfellfe fuche bloes on his breft, being in his fhirt, that you myght here the found of yt the length of a long chamber, foumtymes 50 bloes, foumtyms 100, yea foumtymes 2 or 300 bloes, that the leaft of them was able to ftryke doune a ftrong man; and yet all he did to himself did him no hurt. 6 of the witches had 6 severall (perits, one in the lyknes of a hors, another like a dog, another a cat, another a pullemar, another a fifhe, another a code, with whom every one of them tormented him: he woolld make foom fyne according to the fperit; as, when the hors tormented him, he would whinny; when the cat tormented him, he would cry like a cat, &c. When he was in his fyt, they were foumtymes brought to him, and then they were chardged to fpeake farten woords, and to name theare fperits, and one of them to fpeak yt aftar another; as thus: "I fuch a one chardge the hors, yf I be a wiche, that thou com forthe of the child." And then another by her fperit to doe the like; and fo till all had doone. Yf anny of them woolld fpeake a woord pd3 contrary contrary to that charm, he fhold be mygtyly tormented; but, if they would fpeake as had been firft directed them, at the end of the last he woolld fall out of his fit as quyetly as if one did lay him doune to flepe. For the reft, I leave till it pleafe God fet the 5 witches at liberty; the fixt is ded in the gayle." Ancient annual Cuftom in Hallaton, we meete. Leicester, the 18th of A Piece of land was many years July, 1616. Your loving brother, Robart Heyricke."* The execution of nine witches in one morning is a circumftance fcarcely credible in thefe enlightened times. The fame year, however, exhibits a fimilar prosecution against fix other unhappy women. ago given, the rents and profits of which the rector for the time being was to receive for his own ufe, on condition of providing two hare-pies, a quantity of ale, and two dozen of penny loaves, to be fcrambled for on Eafter Monday annually, after divine fervice and a fermon preached. The land, during the open-field state, was called HareCrop-Leys; and when the enclosure took place in 1770, land was allotted to the rector in his allotment in lieu of the faid Hare-Crop-Leys. "I received your letter yesterday, dated the 10th of October, 1616; for which I thank you hartely, for I thought yt long fince I hard any thinge from you; for anny news I heare but from you I account it but uncertayne. I am defirous to fig-The manner of forambling is thus: nefye unto you of the witches, but it must be in my next; for they be but this day, as I am informed, examyned before Mr. Mair and the juftifis, and docktor Lambe, in our town-hall; and to-morrow I fhall know the fubftaunce of the matter; and then you fhall hear how the matter goes wt them. So, with my Jove and hartyeft falvtatyons to your felf and my lady doone, I leave you to the Most Higheft. Leicester, the 15th of October. Your loving brother, Robart Heyricke. "Since the wr ting of the above, the under fherive, by a warrant directed to the highe-fherive, hathe two large pies (which, instead of hares, are now made of real and bacon) are made in raised crufts at the rector's house; and, when baked, are cut into quarters or parts, and put into a fack; the ale (now about two gallons) is put into two wooden bottles, without handles or strings to hold them by, the corks well thruft in, and cut off close to the bottle-months,' and put into a fack allo; the penny loaves are quartered and put into a basket, which a man carries, as do two others the facks; when the proceffion begins, con fifting of men, women, and chil dren. This is a ftriking addition to the many inftances which might be produced of the credulity of the laft age. One has already been given under Belvoir (Appendix, p. 69;) and others may be feen in "British Topography," vol. i. pp. 311, 371, 429, 467; vol. ii. pp. 26, 46, 52, 254, 672, 744. The earlieft of thefe was in 1566; the latest in 1716. The greatest number that appear to have been executed at any one time was in 1645, when Mr. Lawes, an innocent aged clergyman, of Brandefton, a cooper and his wife, and fifteen other women, were all condemned and executed at Bury. The The pot appropriated for the fcrambling for the pies and ale is about a quarter of a mile fouth of the town, a small oblong bank, ten yards long, and fix wide; with a fmall old trench round it, and a circular hole in the centre, and is called Hare-Pie-Bank. After they have left the town, the man with the bread walks towards the bank; and, as he proceeds, at times throws the pieces of bread before him, which is eagerly caught by the boys which furround him, the bread being all diftributed before they arrive at the fpot deftined for the fcrambling for the pies and ale. As foon as the men with the facks arrive at the bank, the pies and ale are tumbled promifcuoufly out of the facks into the hole in the centre, when a fcene of noife and confufion takes place, and bloody nofes and bruifed fingers are often the confequence; one will feize a piece of the pie, or a bottle of the ale; a fecond will trip up his heels, and fall upon him; and a third, perhaps, feize and keep poffeffion of the prize, until a fourth ferves him the fame; and fo on, until four or five fellows agree to form a party, and affift each other in bearing away the wifhed-for bottle to a convenient place, and there divide the spoil. The afternoon is fpent in feftivity, ringing of bells, fighting of cocks, quoits, and fuch like exercifes, by Hallaton and the neighbouring youth. Manner in which Cardinal Wolfey entertained the French Ambassadors at Hampton-Court; from Lyfons's hiftorical Account of the Parishes in the County of Middlesex, not defcribed in the Environs of London. FTER cardinal Wolfey became poffeffed of the leafe of the manor of Hampton, "he bestowed," fays Stow," great coft. of building upon it, converting the manfionhoufe into fo ftately a palace, that it is faid to have excited much envy; to avoid which, in the year 1526, he gave it to the king, who, in re compence thereof, licenced him to lie in his manor of Richmond at his pleafure; and fo he lay there at certain times." It appears that cardinal Wolfey after this occafionally inhabited Hampton-Court (as keeper perhaps of the king's palace;) for, in 1527, when fome Frenchi ambassadors were in England, the king willing that they fhould be treated with the greatest refpect, fent them to be entertained by cardinal Wolfey at Hampton-Court. The following account of the entertainment will give the reader an idea of the magnificence of that prelate's establishment: " Then was there made great preparation of all things for this great assembly at Hampton-Court; the cardinall called before him his principal officers, as fteward, treasurer, controller, and clerk of his kitchen, to whom he declared his mind, touching the enter tainment of the Frenchmen at Hamp ton-Court, commanding them neither to fpare for any coft, expense, or travayle, to make fuch a triumphant banquet as they might not only wonder at it here, but alfo make a glorious report of it in their coun try, to the great honour of the king Taken from a MS. copy of Cavendish's Life of Wolfcy in the British Mufcum [Harl. MSS. No. 428.] much of which is omitted in the printed copies. Dd4 and and his realm; to accomplish his commandment they fent out caters, purveiors, and divers other perfons, my lord's friends, to make preparation; alfo they fent for all the expert cookes and connyng perfons in the art of cookerie which were within London or elsewhere, that might be gotten to beautify this noble feaft; the purveiors provided, and my lord's friends fent in fuch provifion as one would wonder to have feen. The cooks wrought both day and night with fubtleties and many crafty devices, where lacked neither gold, filver, nor other coftly thing meet for their purpose: the yeomen and groomes of the wardrobe were bufied in hanging of the chambers, and furnishing the fame with beds of filk and other furniture in every degree: then my Jord cardinall fent me (Mr. Cavendith) being his gentleman uther, with two other of my fellows thither, to foresee all things touching our rooms to be nobly garnyshed: accordingly our pains were not fmall nor light, but daily travelling up and down from chamber to chambers-then wrought the carpenters, joiners, mafons, and all other artificers neceffary to be had to glorify this noble feaft. There was carriage and recarriage of plate, ftuff, and other rich implements, fo that there was nothing lacking that could be imagined or devised for the purpofe. There was alfo provided two hundred and eighty beds furnished with all manner of furniture to them belonging, too long particularly to be rehearfed, but all wife men do fufficiently know what belongeth to the furniture thereof, and that is fufficient at this time to be faid. The day was come to the Frenchmen alligned, and they ready aflem bled before the hour of their appointment, wherefore the officers caufed them to ride to Hanworth, a place and parke of the kinges, within three miles, there to hunt and ipend the day untill night, at which time they returned againe to Hampton-Court, and every of them was conveyed to their feverall chambers, having in them great fires, and wine to their comfort and relief, remaining there untill their fupper was ready. The chambers where they fupped and banquetted were ordered in this fort: first the great wayting chamber was hanged with rich arras, as all other were, and furnished with tall yeomen to ferve. There were fet tables round about the chamber, banquetwise covered; a cupboord was there, garnished with white plate, having alfo in the fame chamber to give the more light, four great plates of filver fet with great lights, and a great fire of wood and coales. The next chamber, being the chamber of prefence, was hanged with very rich arras, and a fumptuous cloth of eftate furnished with many goodly gentlemen to ferve the tables, ordered in manner as the other chamber was, faving that the high table was removed beneath the cloth of eftate toward the middeft of the chamber covered. Then there was a cupboord, being as long as the chamber was in breadth, with fix defkes of height, garnyshed with guilt plate, and the nethermoft defk was garnished all with gold plate, having with lights one paire of candleftickes of filver and guilt, being curiously wrought, which coft three hundred markes, and fianding upon the fame, two lights of waxe burning as bigge as torches to fet it forth. This cupboord was barred round |