The church of St. Mary Magdalene stands near the centre of the town, opposite an open parade, from which with its beautiful tower it is seen to great advantage. It is a spacious and magnificent edifice, chiefly in the decorated and later styles of English architecture, consisting of a chancel, nave, four aisles, separated by four rows of clustered columns supporting pointed arches, and two small chantries. There is a square tower at the west end, in four compartments, containing thirteen windows, which by the variety of their ornaments add much to its lightness and beauty. It is 121 feet in height, exclusive of its pinnacles of 32 feet, which are richly adorned with carved work; and the top is crowned with exquisitely delicate battle

ments.

It has been supposed that an ecclesiastical building stood in this spot from very remote antiquity; to which some foundations formed of flint and rubble, and the piers which support the present chancel arch, originally belonged. Afterwards, in the thirteenth century, a church of early English character was erected, consisting of a nave, two north aisles, and one south, with a chantry south of it; also a chancel and two chantries adjoining on the north and south sides. This in subsequent years was enlarged, altered, and added to, till the whole structure was completed as it now stands.

Between the period above indicated and the commencement of the 16th century, the tower was erected, the nave elevated and extended, as also the north aisles, and the western part of the south aisle, and the south porch were built. The tower is a fine specimen of the perpendicular, and was erected when this style was in its greatest perfection. "The nave,' 29 says Dr. Cottle, "was extended three arches, raised almost to cathedral height, and elaborately finished with a splendid carved oak roof, which has lately been fully restored. Its height, with the panelled arch of the tower (which opens upon the nave), gives great grandeur to the body of the church; it being high enough to admit six clerestory windows on each side, composed of four lights each. The spaces between them are filled with twelve ornamented niches, canopied, and finished with delicately-formed pilasters, having small crocketed pinnacles, and terminating in a trefoiled head. These niches are supposed to have been filled with the statues of the twelve apostles previous to the Reformation, but then destroyed. In the second column from the west door on the north side is a beautifully sculptured niche, supposed to have been designed for and occupied by a statue either of the patron saint, St. Mary Magdalene, or the virgin Mary. The font is now placed, with very good effect, opposite this niche. This extension of or addition to the nave is seen from the different construction of the eastern and western arches on the north side the eastern, being the older, are more acute, partaking

of the lancet: the western are all obtuse, and more resemble the Tudor. It has a double row of pillars, composed of a small cylinder surrounded by four delicate shafts, having their capitals ornamented with cherubic busts, their hands supporting a shield, a scroll, or some other device." When the western portion of the south aisle was built, which was after the erection of the tower, it was made wider than the old eastern part, which remained the same. The south porch, which bears the date of 1508, completed the design then in view. Dr. Cottle describes it as "of a very elegant and elaborate construction. In the front are niches for statuary. The ceiling is groined, with fan tracery, and a small chamber is constructed over it. It is finished at the top with a perforated parapet; and in the angles are crocketed pinnacles. The door entering the church is square-headed, the spandrels of which are filled with sculptured figures and sacred emblems." The view of the interior of the church as it now appears, entering by the western door, is very striking. The organ, divided into two parts, is erected within the tower arch, against the north and south sides; and this arrangement has been found to succeed admirably. There is a screen at the entrance of the nave, forming the front of the organ-loft, which is a beautiful piece of workmanship. The nave, aisles, and transepts are fitted up with wainscot, having low, open seats, with massive stall-ends, terminating in richly-carved poppy-heads. The chancel is fitted with stalls, separated from the aisles by light screens. The pulpit is hexagonal, the sides being decorated with traceried panels. The font is of Hamdon Hill stone, raised on two steps: it is highly enriched. The altar-screen is of Hamdon Hill stone, and consists of a series of tabernacle-work. The eastern window is filled with stained glass, the tracery being exceedingly rich and chaste. It is proposed to introduce other stained windows by degrees, till the whole are so completed. The roof is of elaborate beauty; and altogether the interior of this church presents a noble specimen of ecclesiastical architecture and decoration. The dimensions are as follows:

Length from the screen to the communion-table

Ft. In.

146 7 85 9

Width from north wall to south
The nave is 95 ft. 5 in. long by 20 11 broad.
The chancel 51 ft. 2 in. long by 21 3

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Taunton has been the scene of various historical events. In 1497 Perkin Warbeck seized it. In 1645 it stood a siege, being defended by colonel, afterwards the great admiral Blake, for the parliament, against the king's troops under Goring. In 1685 the duke of Monmouth was proclaimed king here on the Cornhill, June 21; and this place witnessed many of the executions consequent on his defeat,

A large evening-party was assembled at the mansion of Mrs. Somers. I will spare my readers the recapitulation of the lamps, mirrors, greenhouse-plants, &c., referring them to the Morning Post of any day during the season for an exactly similar detail. I will not even inflict on them an account of the various flirtations taking place on the staircase, in the music-room, and in the conservatory; but satisfy myself with informing them that Theresa Somers, the only daughter of the hostess, was receiving attentions which had long passed the boundary of flirtation, and reached that of serious attachment, from a very handsome young man of the name of Moncrief. Two ladies were contemplating the scene with jealous and splenetic eyes; each had her own private reasons for feeling dissatisfied with herself and with the world.

Miss Wansford was a thin sallow spinster about sixty; she had refused-to use her own words-"a title and a carriage," forty years ago, and had boasted of her refusal ever since. Perhaps my readers may wonder that a lady who had attractions to procure so brilliant an offer, should never have obtained another. I will therefore enlighten them on the subject, by telling them that Miss Wansford's lover was an apothecary, who had received the honour of knighthood, and who visited his patients in a one-horse close chaise, styled by himself a chariot, and denominated by his rivals a "pillbox." He was fifty years old, had a bad temper, a slender practice, and five children by a former marriage; consequently Miss Wansford rejected him, and traded on her rejection so successfully that she contrived to convey the idea to many a matter-of-fact, good, easy auditor, that the discarded owner of the title and carriage had been a dashing young nobleman, driving a barouche and four

Mrs. Nettleton was a widow, with four unmarried daughters, each of whom was turned of thirty; two of them on the present occasion were dancing with detrimentals, and two of them enacting the part of wall-flowers, not, alas! "for that night only." Mrs. Nettleton had a violent aversion to pretty girls in general, and to Theresa Somers in particular.

"What a ridiculous thing it is in Miss Somers to give such encouragement to young Moncrief!" observed Miss Wansford to her neighbour; "I am surprised Mrs. Somers can allow it."

"Why, my dear Miss Wansford," replied Mrs. Nettleton, hesitatingly," although I agree with you that Miss Somers flirts in a decidedly shocking way, in which I am sure not one of my girls would ever bear to imitate her, I cannot call the business ridiculous. Edward Moncrief is the adopted son and declared heir of his uncle, whose estates are considered worth eight thousand a year."

"Ten thousand, to my certain knowledge," interposed Miss Wansford.

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And," pursued Mrs. Nettleton, "I hear from the best medical authority that Sir Colin Moncrief cannot live three months."

"Most likely not one," replied Miss Wansford.

"Then," exclaimed Mrs. Nettleton, warming with the subject, "would not the future Sir Edward Moncrief be an eligible match for any girl? Would not any mother willingly encourage his attentions?"

"Most likely they would," said Miss Wansford; "a title and a carriage have great charms for the generality of women; but, for my own part, having refused both

Mrs. Nettleton, who had heard of the refusal at least a hundred times, irreverently broke in on her friend's girlish reminiscences, "I know,"

she said, "that Theresa Somers will have no fortune, the property of her father being merely a life-income; but I have repeatedly heard that Sir Colin Moncrief has pressed his nephew to marry, and has assured him that he need not regard fortune in a wife."

"I know that to be the case," answered Miss Wansford; "but still Sir Colin has raised objections to Miss Somers."

however, the report may do to excite the jealousy of young Moncrief."

Somers.

Mrs. Nettleton was subject to rheumatic attacks, and the cold, sharp air of an April evening was anything but inviting to her; but the hope of carrying home a scandalous story, for the edification and recreation of her girls, prevailed over her prudence, and she stood, amidst the coloured lamps and fragrant geraniums, the personification of malicious expectancy.

"Many years ago," said Miss Wansford, "Sir Colin Moncrief had a law-suit with Mr. Somers, the father of Theresa, in which the latter was successful. Sir Colin has cherished an implacable enmity against him ever since; and when his nephew, a week ago, requested his permission to address Miss Somers, he peremptorily threatened him with disinheritance if he persisted in his attentions to her. Sir Colin cannot deprive his nephew of the title of Baronet, but he can convert it into an empty honour, since his estates are in no way connected with the baronetcy, but were, you know, purchased by himself with the property amassed by him in India; and a title without a carriage is, in my opinion"

"Are you sure," interrupted Mrs. Nettleton, "that you have not been misinformed in all this ?'

"Quite sure," said Miss Wansford, "and moreover I know from good authority that Edward Moncrief visited his uncle only the day before yesterday, and that Sir Colin told him, in a violent passion, that if he ever entered the house of Mr. Somers again, his own should be closed against him, and that he would alter his will the moment he became acquainted with his disobedience. You see how conspicuous the young man has made himself by his attentions this evening; and no doubt some officious person will inform his uncle of it to-morrow."

"Do you think so?" asked Mrs. Nettleton, with affected surprise.

"However," said Miss Wansford, "Theresa Somers, to my certain knowledge, has a title and a carriage at her command; Lord Norville only requires a little encouragement to make proposals to her."

Several of the party, however, passed a disturbed and anxious night. Theresa had been informed by Moncrief of his uncle's threat of disinheritance; she felt unwilling to cause him to sacrifice worldly advantages for her sake, and she felt that her parents would never consent to allow her to sacrifice wealth and luxury for his. Moncrief was also unhappy; he could not forget the parental love and kindness which he had from childhood received from his uncle; he had not that sweeping mode of calculation practised by many of the young men of the present day, who consider that a single act of unkindness on the part of their relations and benefactors cancels the good offices and services of a life; he felt both love and gratitude towards his uncle, and would have given up anything at his request but Theresa. Moncrief had also another cause of dissatisfaction: Mrs. Nettleton had contrived to whisper in his ear that Lord Norville looked quite broken-hearted at having been slighted by Miss Somers for his sake; and although his trust in Theresa was unshaken, he felt that her father and mother would regard him with coldness and dislike if he stood before them as the disinherited nephew of Sir Colin Moncrief, and that Lord Norville's star of triumph might arise as his own declined.

Mrs. Nettleton also passed a restless night; she was tormented by twinges of rheumatism, but certainly not by those of conscience, for her first act after breakfast the next morning was to call on Sir Colin Moncrief, with whom she had a slight acquaintance. Miss Gower, an elderly lady distantly related to Sir Colin, presided over his establishment; she was a meek, unoffending, excellent creature; her small income was spent in deeds of charity, and her time was principally passed in hearing long stories from Sir Colin, and working ottomans for her friends. She felt almost the love of a mother for Edward Moncrief, and deeply lamented his temporary alienation from his uncle; she would not, however, allow that it was likely to be more than