deer, but with all kinds of foreign wild beasts, which he procured abroad of other princes. Woodstock, however, seems to have been a royal seat in the time of the Saxons, and was formerly called, Locus Sylvestris; it also appears, from a MS. in the Cottonian library, that King Alfred translated Boetius there. In the reign of Etheldred an assembly of the states was held at Woodstock, and several laws enacted.

The most remarkable event connected with the mansion itself, and from which it received its principal interest, was, its being the residence of the celebrated Rosamond Clifford, the favourite mistress of Henry II. She was buried in the chapel of the nunnery, at Godstow, with this curious inscription on her tomb:

"Hic jacet in tumba, Rosamundi, non Rosa munda:
Non redolet sed olet, quae redolere solet."

Of which various translations have been made by different authors; we shall, however, select that given by Stow :

"The rose of the worlde, but not the cleane flowre,

Is now here graven; to whom beauty was lent:
In this grave full darke now is her boure,
That by her life was sweet and redolent.

But now that she is from this life blent,

Though she were sweete, now foully doth she stinke.
A mirrour good for all men, that on her thinke.”

In the fourth year of the reign of Queen Anne, the honour and estates of Woodstock were bestowed by the queen on John Duke of Marlborough, for the signal victory obtained by him at Blenheim, in Germany; at which time the old palace of Woodstock was razed to the ground, and the magnificent mansion of Blenheim erected in its stead.

WESTMINSTER.

the

So denominated to distinguish it from East Minster, which formerly stood on Tower Hill. When Henry VIII. took possession of York Palace, he left the new palace of Westminster; former had been finished and fitted up in great magnificence by Cardinal Wolsey, on whose death Henry made it his residence. To reconcile, however, the good people of Westminster to his leaving them, he made it a city by act of parliament: he also built the cockpit and the tennis-court; cock-fighting only being used in England at that period, but tennis was a diversion introduced from France about the time of Henry V. To beautify this palace of Whitehall (to which he now changed its name) still more, he built the gateway next the Banqueting House, to have the convenience of a gallery into the park, to see the sports of tilts and tournaments, which were performed on solemn days, for the accommodation of the ladies. The only remaining portions of the old palace are Westminster Hall and St. Stephen's crypt. In the early part of

the last century the hall was a grand promenade, consisting of booksellers' shops, &c. Hence Pepys, in his Diary, 20th January 1659-60, says, "at Westminster Hall, where Mrs. Lane and the rest of the maids had their white scarfs, all having been at the burial of a young bookseller in the Hall."

YORK.

Next to the city of London, in antiquity (and at one period in importance), stands the city of York. It was founded by the Romans, as a barrier against the incursions of the northern hordes. The emperor Septimus Severus made it his place of residence while in England, and both he and Constantius Chlorus died there. It was originally called Eboracum; afterwards abbreviated to Ebor, which signifies a fortified town, station, or city. The archbishop, who is almoner to the king, signs "Edward Ebor." York, as it is now called, is famed as the birthplace of Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor, and the founder of the eastern empire. Many important battles have been fought in its vicinity, and the Romans have left lasting mementoes of one, called Severus's wall. The battle of Towton, during the wars of York and Lancaster, was fought within a few miles of it, as well as that of Marston Moor, where the parliamentary forces under Fairfax, beat the royalists under Charles the First. York was the rallying post of the royalists during the troubles of that period, and the unhappy monarch and his family resided here for some time. In the reigns of Henry II., Richard I., and John, several bloody massacres of the Jews took place within its walls, one of which was marked by a peculiar circumstance. Those that escaped the immediate rage of the citizens fled to the castle, and sooner than surrender, when called upon so to do, destroyed one another. How reversed is the situation and treatment of the Jews of the present day!

The castle is now a modern building (with the exception of a tower called Clifford's Tower), and is the county prison. The cathedral, or minster, is the largest and most magnificent in Europe, and comprises the five orders of architecture. At some little distance from it stands the ruins of a monastery, called St. Mary's, and which formerly had a communication underground with the cathedral.

There are four principal gates, or bars, to this ancient town; the ancient walls of the city are still nearly entire, and there is a public walk on the top of them. It is governed by a corporation, comprising a lord mayor, twelve aldermen, and common council; each ward (four) returning twenty-four. Although precluded by its corporate rights from being a commercial town, it nevertheless possesses many requisites for constituting it such; among others, its two rivers, the Ouse and the Foss, which flow through

the city. The immortal General Wolfe was also born in Tanner Row, in this ancient city.

THE ZUIDER SEA.

The Zuider Sea, or, as the Dutch have it, the Zuider Zee, was at one period a large tract of grazing land, belonging to an eminent grazier of the name of Zuider, who on one occasion, when walking over his pastures, discovered in a ditch a herring! This omen made such an impression on his mind, that he hastened home, and disposed of the whole of his landed property in that district. His judgment was correct, as the result proved; for, within six months, the whole of the land, with a large tract adjacent to it, became an immense sheet of water, and has remained so to this day, well known under the appellation of the Zuider Sea, or Zuider Zee.

BARROWS, OR CAIRNS.

Dr. Armstrong's Gaelic Dictionary states, that Barrows, or Cairns, are very numerous in the Highlands of Scotland, in Ireland, and in Wales; they are likewise to be seen in Sweden, in Norway, and in other parts of the continent, as also in America. They were intended for monuments; and the probability is, that they were used as such from the earliest ages, by every people who could associate their ideas of duration with the properties of stone and rock. Cairns often measure 300 feet in circumference at the base, and twenty feet in height; they consist of stone, and the whole pile is shaped like a cone. Several opinions have been formed concerning the intention of them. In many instances they have been explored, and found to contain sepulchral urns; a circumstance which seems to be decisive in favour of the opinion, that they are monuments of the dead. Many of these piles consist wholly of earth; and this gave rise to an opinion, that the coped heaps of stone were intended for malefactors, and those of earth for the virtuous and the brave. The doctor continues, I never could ascertain to what extent this distinction was observed. From ancient authors we learn that malefactors were buried under heaps of stone; and we know that it was a common practice among the Druids to erect Cairns on the spot where a criminal had been burnt. Hence, a man beneath a Cairn," means in Gaelic an outlaw." "I'd rather be under a Cairn," means, "I'd rather be punished as an outlaw." Though the ceremony of Cairn-raising is still prevalent in the Highlands, the meaning of it is changed; for, on whatever spot a person is found dead, a few stones are immediately huddled together, and every passenger pays his tribute of a stone; the larger it is, the greater the respect shown to the deceased. Hence a saying among the Gael, which, translated, is, "I will add to thy Cairn,'

66

66

betokens a friendly intention, and means, "I will keep the remembrance of thee alive." The ghost of the departed was supposed to haunt his Cairn; and few Highlanders would choose to pass it for the first time without adding to the heap, and thus keep on good terms with the spectre. This subject, which has of late received great attention, is admirably treated of in The Primeval Antiquities of Denmark, by J. J. A. Worsae; translated and applied to the illustration of similar remains in England, by William J. Thoms.

NAMES OF A FEW PLACES AND PERSONS.

Ab, in the beginning of the names of places, is generally a contraction of abbot, and denotes a monastery to have been formerly there, or else that it belonged to some abbey ; as Abington, q. d., Abbey Town.

Aber, in Cornish, means a confluence of rivers; also a gulf, a whirlpool. Aber, in a deflected sense, has been applied to a harbour; hence, Havre de Grace.

Ac, Ak. These initial syllables take their origin from the Saxon word ac, which signifies an oak; thus Acton is Oak-town, or a town environed with oaks.

Ad, Adel, signifies noble, famous, as Adelstan for Æthelstan, the termination stan being anciently a mark of the superlative degree; and it is worthy of remark here, that instead of our modern word gentleman, nobleman, &c., our ancestors used' the word Aedleman.

Al, Ald, signifies old or ancient, as Aldborough, i. e., Old Borough; Aldgate, Old Gate, &c. Though many names have the initial al, from the Saxon el, as Albert, Allbright; Alfred, All-peace, &c.

All or hal comes from the Saxon hall or palace, and hence it became a common termination, as White-hall, Moor-hall, &c.

Bald signifies Bold, as Baldred, Baldwin, &c. Berth, brave, as Bertha. Brad comes from the Saxon broad; thus, Bradford is Broadford originally.

Bourn or Burn, is from the Saxon, signifying a river, hence several towns are simply called Bourne, which stand near a rivulet or stream. Others have it in their composition, as Wimbourne, &c.

Brig, Brix, from the Saxon, a bridge, as Stockbridge, Brixton, &c.

Burgh comes from the Saxon, a city, town, or castle; originally from the Gothic bairg, a rock, or mountain; for anciently most cities were built on rocky hills, and afterwards in vales, for the conveniency of water. Petersburgh, a town dedicated to St. Peter, is frequently written borough, and oftentimes bury, as Salisbury, Edmondsbury, &c.

Bye, Bee, are terminations from the Saxon, an habitation; thus Kettleby, i. e., a town where kettle-makers lived. So Derby, Appleby, &c.

Car, is derived from caer, a city, as Carlisle, Cardiff, &c.

Chester and Caster, signify a city or camp; hence Chichester was the town or city of Sissa, who built it.

Cheap, Chip, Chipping, all come from the Saxon to buy, and they denote market-towns; as Chippenham, Chipping Norton, &c.

Cliff, Clive, come from the Saxon, a rock, or steep place; hence Radcliffe, Redcliff, or Red Rock; so Whitecliff, for White Rock; Cleveland, for Rocky Land, &c. Still cliffs and rocks with us are synonymous terms. Comb at the end, and comp in the beginning of words, indicate the low situation of the place, from the Saxon comb, which signifies a valley. Hence those places called Compton, i. e., Valetown, and those which end in comb, as Wycomb, Winchcomb, &c.

Cot, Cote, a house, denotes a hut or cottage, or a village of such little houses to have been in the places bearing this syllable, as Coteswold, &c.

Croft, signifies a little plot of ground, which we call a close; hence sundry names, as Bancroft, Bearcroft, &c.

Cuth, known or famed, is found in several Saxon names, as Cuthbert, &c.

Dale, a little valley, is used in several names, as Greendale, Golborne-dale, Dibdale, for Deepdale.

Den, Dean, are from the Saxon, signifying both a vale and any woody place; hence Tenterden, Morden, &c.

Dun, Don, a mountain or ridge of hills, from whence our name for them, Downs; hence Heydon, Swindon, Dunstable, &c.

Ea, ee, ey, from the Saxon Ea, water; as Eaton, Water-town, Anglesey, Jersey, &c.

Ed, is from the Saxon, blessed, happy, as Ed-mund, &c.
Ethel, noble, as in Ethelbert, &c.

Ford, a shallow stream or rivulet, as Bradford, Guilford, Oxford, &c.

Fred, peace, hence Frederic is literally rich in peace.

Gate, a way or passage, as Highgate, a highway or road; and grave in Saxon, implies a grove, and sometimes a cave, as Norgrave, Waldgrave, &c.

Ham, a house, farm, or village, as Hamton, Wareham, &c. From this word comes our English word home, also Hamlet.

Holm comes from the Saxon Holm, a place surrounded by water, or a little island; hence we find several such places called the Holmes.

Hurst, from the Saxon, a wood or forest, as Midhurst, Sandhurst, &c.

Lade, in Saxon, signifies to unload or purge. It generally sig