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honey; and which being boiled, in the fame manner as honey, is rendered lefs purgative, without impairing its nutritive quality."

Paulus Ægineta fpeaks of fugar, as growing, in his time, in Europe, and alfo as brought from Arabia Felix; the latter of which he feems to think lefs fweet than the fugar produced in Europe, and neither injurious to the ftomach nor caufing thirst, as the European fugar was apt to do.

Achmet, a writer, who, according to fome, lived about the year 830, fpeaks familiarly of fugar as common in his time.

Avicenna, the Arab phyfician, fpeaks of fugar as being a produce of reeds; but it appears he meant the fugar called Tabaxir or Tabbarzet, as he calls it by that name. It does not appear, that any of the above mentioned writers knew of the method of preparing fugar, by boiling down the juice of the reeds to a confifience. It is alfo thought, the fugar they had was not procured from the fugar cane in ufe at prefent, but from another of a larger fize called Tabarzet by Avicenna, which is the Arundo Arbor of Cafpar Bauhin, the Succa Mambur of later writers, and the Arunbo Bambas of Linnæus. This yields a fweet milky juice, and oftentimes a hard cryftallized matter, exactly refembling fugar, both in tafte and appearance.

The hiftorians of the Crufades make the next mention of fugar of any that have fallen under my obfervation.

The author of the Hiftoria Hierofolymitana fays, that the Crufaders found in Syria certain reeds called Canapeles, of which it was

reported a kind of wild honey was made; but does not fay that he faw any fo manufactured.

Albertus Agnenfis relates, that about the fame period, "the Crufaders found fweet honeyed reeds, in great quantity, in the meadows about Tripoli, in Syria, which reeds were called Zucra. These the people (the Crufaders army) fucked, and were much pleafed with the fweet tafte of them, with which they could fcarcely be fatisfied. This plant (the author tells us) is cultivated with great labour of the husbandmen every year. At the time of harveft, they bruife it when ripe in mortars; and fet by the ftrained juices in veffels, till it is concreted in form of fnow, or of white falt. This, when fcraped, they mix with bread, or rub it with water, and take it as pottage; and it is to them more wholesome and pleafing than the honey of bees. The people who were engaged in the fieges of Albaria Marra and Archas, and suffered dreadful hunger, were much refreshed hereby."

The fame author, in the account of the reign of Baldwin, mentions eleven camels, laden with fugar, being taken by the Crufaders, fo that it must have been made in confiderable quantity.

Jacobus de Vitriaco mentions, that "in Syria reeds grow that are full of honey, by which he underftands a fweet juice, which by the preffure of a fcrew engine, and concreted by fire, becomes fugar." This is the first account I have met with of the employment of heat or fire in the making of fugar.

About the fame period, Willermus Tyrenfis fpeaks of fugar as made in the neighbourhood of Tyre,

and

and fent from thence to the fartheft at the court of James IV. whole parts of the world.

Marinus Sanutus mentions, that in the countries fubject to the fultan, fugar was produced in large quantity, and that it likewife was made in Cyprus, Rhodes, Amorea, Marta, Sicity, and other places belonging to the Chriftians.

Hugo Falcandus, an author who wrote about the time of the emperor Frederic Barbaroffa, fpeaks of fugar being in his time produced in great quantity in Sicily. It appears to have been used in two ftates; one wherein the juice was boiled down to the confiftence of honey, and another where it was boiled farther, so as to form a folid body of fugar.

The foregoing are at the paffages that have occurred to my reading on this fubject. They are but few and inconfiderable, but may fave trouble to others, who are will ing to make a deeper enquiry into the hiftory of this fubftance.

Jan. 24, 1790.

Account of Poetry in Scotland, during the Sixteenth Century. From Dr. Henry's Hiflory of Great Britain.

In Scotland, poetry, fuch as Chaucer might acknowledge and Spencer imitate, was cultivated in a language fuperior to Chaucer's. Dunbar and Douglas were diftinguished poets, whofe genius would have reflected lufire on a happier period, and 'whofe works, though partly obfcured by age, are perufed with pleasure even in a dialect configned to ruftics. Dunbar, an ecclefiaftic, at least an expectant of church preferment, feems to have languished

marriage with Margaret of England he has celebrated in the Thistle and the Rofe; an happy allegory, by which the vulgar topics of an epithalamium are judiciously avoided, and exhortation and eulogy delicately infinuated. The verfification of the poem is harmonious, the ftanza artificial and pleafing, the language copious and felected, the narrative diverfified, rifing often to dramatic energy. The poem from its fubject is defcriptive, but Dunbar improves the most luxuriant defcription by an intermixture of imagery, fentiments, and moral obfervation. The following is a fpecimen;

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The Golden Terge is another allegorical poem of Dunbar's, conftructed in a stanza fimilar to Spencer's, but more artificial, and far more difficult *. In defcription perhaps it excels, in fentiment it fcarcely equals the Thiftle and Rofe. Its narrative is not intercharged with dialogue; its allegory refers to the paffions, the dominion of beauty, the fubjection of reafon, and is lefs fortunate than the Thiftle and Role, whofe cccult and fe-, condary fignification is an hiftori. cal truth hat fubfifts apart, and however embellished, cannot be obfeured by the oftenfible emblem. When the paflions or the mental powers are perfonified and involved in action, we puifue the tale, forgetful of their abftraction, to which it is relative; but to remedy this, the golden Terge has a merit in its brevity which few allegorical poems poffefs. The allegorical genius of our ancient poetry difcovers often a fublime invention; but it has intercepted what is now more valuable, the reprefentation of genuine character and of the manners peculiar to ancient life. Thefe manners Dunbar has fometimes delineated with humour, in poems lately retrieved from oblivion; and from them he appears in the new light of a ikilful fatirift and an attentive obferver of hu

man nature.

Gawin Douglas, his contemporary, was more confpicuous by the rare union of birth and learning, and is fill diftinguished as the fril

poetical tranflator of the claflies in Bitain. Early in youth be tranilated Ovid's de Remedio Acorus, (a work that has perifhed); at a maturer age, Virgil's En id into Scottish heroics; a tranflation popular till fuperceded at the clufe of the last century by others more elegant, not more faithful, nor perhaps more fpirited. His original poems are King Heart and the Palace of Honour, allegories too much protracted, though marked throughout with a vivid invention; but his moft valuable performances are prologues to the books of his Eneid; ftored occationally with exquifite defeription. As a peer he is inferior to Dunbar, neither fo tender nor fo various in his powers. I is tafte and judgment are lefs correct, and his verses lefs polithed. The one detcribes by lelecting, the ther by accumulating images; but with fuch fucceis. His prologues defcriptive of the winter tolice, of a morning and evening in fummer, transport the mind to the feafons they delineate, teach it to fympathife with the poet's, and to watch with his the minuteft changes that nature exhibits. There are the earliefi poems profelfedly defcriptive; but in defcription Scottish poets are rich beyond belief. Their language fwells with the fubject, depictirg nature with the brighteft and happieft felection of colours. The language of modern poetry is more intelligible, not fo luxuriant, nor the terms fo harmonious. Defcription

* Like Spencer's it conâfts of nine vorfes, reftrißed however to two ririmes inftead of three which Spencer's admits of.

+ Vide his Poems in Pinkerton's Collection.

It was finished in fixteen months; and till Diyden's appeared, feems to have been received as a standard tranflation: til caen it was certainly the bett tranflation.

fcription is fill the characteristic, and has ever been the principal excellence of Scottish poets; on whom, though grofly ignorant of human nature, the poetical mantle of Dunbar and Donglas has fucceflively defcended *.

Extract from an account of the Collegiate Chapel of St. Stephen, Wift minster.

KING William Rufus built the oyal palace at Wefiminfer; and, according to Stow, king Stephen erected this religions ftructure, in honour of St. Stephen the protomartyr. King Edward I. however, feems to have rebuilt this chapel; for, in the 20th year of his reign, the 28th of April, 1292, the works of the new chapel began, and continued for more than two years. An account of the expence of thefe operations is preserved in rolls of weekly payments remaining in the exchequer, which I have been indulged with the perufal of, by our learned brother, Craven Ord, efq. F. R. S. Thefe curious rolls contain the articles purchafed within the week, and the daily payments to each workman of every denomination.

The feveral articles bought are stated; then follow the payinents to workmen. They are too mioute to be here enumerated, but there are apparent-to carpenters five pence each per day to other workmen three pence halfpenny; -fome three pence;-fome two pence halfpenny each.

Although the amount of each separate week does not appear to be much, being in general between

twenty and thirty pounds, yet, from the length of time which the works continued, the coft of the whole must have been very confiderable.

Whether king Edward I. completed his defigns in beautifying this fracture, we are not informed; but if he had, his labours were foon after unfortunately rendered abortive; for we are told by a very accurate chronicler, Stow"that on the 29th of March, 1298, a vehement fire being kindled in the leffer hall of the king's palace at Westminster, the flame thereof being driven with the wind, fired the monaftery adjoining: which, with the palace, were both confumed."

This difaftrous event could not be repaired for fome time following; for Edward I. being almoft conftantly engaged, in the latter part of his reign, either in external wars, or in the conqueft of Scotland, the prevailing object in the mind of that monarch, he cannot be fuppofed to have had either leifure or wealth to bestow on works of art; and the weak and turbulent reign of his fon, Edward II. did not allow much time for domeftic improvements. But early in the fucceeding reign this building en. gaged the royal attention; for, on the 27th of May, 1330, 4 Edw. III. the works on this chapel again commenced. The comptroller's roll of the expence of thefe operations, for near three years, is remaining in the king's remembrancer's office, in the exchequer.

The length of this account will not allow of the whole to be here inferted; but it is extremely cu rious, becaule it preferves the

names

Other peets of inferior reputation flowifhed during this period in Scotlan s but it is the purport of this hiftory to record the progreffive Improvements, nat the ftationary merit of poetry.

names of every artift employed, the wages they received, and the price of every article used, as far as the account continues.

The amount of the wages, during the whole time of this account, was 3501. 128. od.; and of the materials used in the building, 1581. 4s. 4 d.; making together 5081. 16s 51d.

These works were not completed for several years after the termination of this account; but on the 6th of Auguft, 1348, in the 22d year of Edward III. that king, by his royal charter, recited that a fpacious chapel, fituate within the palace of Westminster, in honour of St. Stephen, protomartyr, had been nobly begun by his progenitors, and had been completed at his own expence, which, to the honour of Almighty God, and efpecially of the bleffed Mary his mother, and of the faid martyr, he ordained, conftituted, and appointed to be collegiate.

Notwithstanding this conftitution of the college, yet it is evident that the chapel was not then finished; for on the 18th of March, 1350, in the 24th Edward III. the king appointed Hugh de St. Albans, then mafter of the painters for the works within the chapel, to take and choose as many painters, and other workmen, as fhould be neceffary for carrying on the works in the chapel, as he thould find in the counties of Kent, Middlefex, Effex, Surry, and Suffex; fuch workmen to be employed and paid at the expence of the king. Rymer's Fœdera, tom. 5, p. 670.

A like appointment was made of John Athelard, for the counties of Lincoln, Northampton, Oxford, Warwick, and Leicester; and of

Benedict Nightengale, for the counties of Cambridge, Huntingdon, Norfolk, and Suffolk.

Again in the 37th Edward III. June 4th, 1363, according to Ry mer, William de Walfingham was appointed to take a fufficient man ber of painters and workmen, to be employed at the charge of the king, in the chapel of St. Stephen, within the royal palace. Unfor tunately the accounts of these workmen have not come to our view.

King Edward III. erected, for the ufe of this college, at fome diftance weft, in the Little Sanctuary, out of the palace court, a strong clochard, or bell tower, of fione and timber, covered with lead ; and placed therein three great bells, which were afterwards ufually rung at coronations, triumphs, and funerals of princes, which gave fuch a huge found, that was-commonly faid they foured all the drink in the town. Howell's Londinopolis, p. 378.

This college of St. Stephen was valued at the fuppreffion to be worth 10851. 10s. 5d. and was furrendered in the first year of king Edward VI. A lift of the deans and canons of this college may be feen in Newcourt's Repertorium.

The chapel of St. Stephen was foon afterwards fitted up for the meeting of the house of commons, which had before usually assembled in the chapter house of the abbey of Weltminster, and has fince continued to be appropriated to the fame ufe, to the present time.

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