"State of the Ottoman Empire:" he was buried near his parents, in the south chancel of Aylesford church. In 1699, this estate fell to the honourable Heneage Finch, afterwards earl of Aylesford. The late countess dowager made it her constant residence till her death.

The church is a handsome building, dedicated to St. Peter; it contains memorials of the Aylesford branch of the Finch family; and of the families of Colepepper, Duke, Banks, Rycaut, and Sedley. The monument of Sir JOHN BANKS, bart. who died in 1699, æt. seventy-two, has his effigies in marble, and that of his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Dethick. The situation of this fabric, in respect to the village, (which principally consists of one wide street,) is singular, as the ground rises so suddenly, that a person standing on the north side of the church-yard, may look down the chimnies of the houses.

This parish has been the scene of several battles, the most memorable of which was fought in the year 455, between the Britons, under Vortimer, and the Saxons, under Hengist and Horsa; the Britons obtained the victory, but Catigern, brother to Vortimer, was among the slain*. Horsa

*The burial-place of Catigern is commonly supposed to be pointed out by the well-known Cromlech, called Kit's Coty House, which stands on the Downs about one mile north-eastward from Aylesford church. It is composed of four huge stones unwrought; three of them standing on end, but inclined inwards, and supporting the fourth, which lies transversely over them, so as to leave an open recess beneath. The dimensions and weight of these stones are nearly as follow: height of that on the south side, eight feet; breadth, seven aud a half; thickness, two feet; weight, eight tons: height of that on the north, seven feet; breadth, seven and a half; thickness, two feet; weight, eight tons and a half: the middle stone is very irregular; its medium length, as well as breadth, may be about five feet; its thickness, fourteen inches; and its weight, about two tons: the upper stone, or impost, is also extremely irregular, its greatest length being nearly twelve feet, and its breadth about nine and a quarter; its thickness, two feet; and its weight, about ten tons and a half. The width of the recess at bottom is nine feet; at top, seven and a half: the height from the ground to the upper side of the covering-stone, is nine feet. About seventy yards towards the north

west

Horsa was also killed on the spot, and was buried, according to Bede's History, in the east part of this county, where his monument is yet to be seen, bearing his name. The second battle is recorded by Lambard, to have been at this place, called FERN-HAM, between Alfred and the Danes, when the latter were defeated, and "compelled to take the Thames without boat or bridge, in which passage there were a great number of them drowned.”

Boxley

west was another single stone, of a similar kind and dimensions to those forming the Cromlech: this, which is thought to have once stood upright, has been broken into pieces, and removed.

At the distance of about five hundred yards south by east from Kit's Coty House, has been another Cromlech, consisting of eight or ten stones, now lying in a confused heap, it having been thrown down about the beginning of the last century, by order of the then proprietor of the land, who is said to have intended sending the stones to pave the garrison at Sheerness, after they had been broken to pieces. This design was prevented by the extreme hardness of the stones, which are of the same kind with those of the other Cromlech, and, together with them, were most probably dug up in the immediate vicinity, as the soil for same distance round, is found to abound with similar huge and independent masses. Still nearer to Aylesford, and within one hundred yards from the road of Tottington farm house, (formerly the site of a mansion, and moated round,) is a remarkable stone, called, by Dr. Stukeley, the Coffin from its shape: its length is upwards of fourteen feet; its breadth, about six; and its thickness, two feet,

Much has been written in regard to the real designation of these Cromlechs, but more especially of that called Kit's Coty House. The long-established opinion, that the latter was the monument of Catigern, was first contested by Mr. Colebrooke, (treasurer of the Society of Antiquaries,) who, in the second volume of the Archæologia, without "the least footsteps," as Mr. Pegge afterwards observed in the fourth volume of the same work, "from etymology, or otherwise, except the vague and uncertain passage in Bede," inclined to suppose it the tomb of Horsa; and, in contradiction to the general tradition, removed the burial-place of Catigern to the Druidical Circle at Addington, about eight miles further to the west, and on the opposite side of the Medway. His conjectures, however, have made but few converts; and the current opinion still inclines to the belief, that the Saxon chieftain was buried at Horsted, (a farm abont three miles from Rochester, and just within the liberties of that city,) which, says Philipott, in echo to Lambard, "borrows its

name

Boxley Hill commands not only a fine view of Maid-. stone, but an extensive prospect over a beautiful country. The manor was bestowed by Richard I. in 1189, on a neighbouring Cistercian abbey, the site of which at the Dissolution was afterwards granted to Sir Thomas Wyatt,. the poet, whose descendant bequeathed it to the late lord Romney, whose son, the earl of Romney, is the present

possessor.

The abbey is infamous for one of the greatest pious frauds practised previously to its dissolution; this was The Rood of Grace, which, on account of its ingenious mechanism, was productive of great profit from the infatuated devotees, to the cunning abbot and monks; its curious movements were deemed miraculous, and consequently it had many visitors. When the deception was discovered, this wonderful rood was publicly exposed at St. Paul's Cross, London, before a large assembly, by Dr. Hilsey, bishop of Rochester, in 1538; it was then broken to pieces and burnt.

Lambard, in his Perambulation of Kent, has mentioned some particulars respecting the structure of this rood, and the way in which the devotees were cajoled out of their property. It seems to have been composed of wood, wire, paste, and paper, and to have bowed, lifted itself, stir its

name from Horsa: and there is something which, even at this day, lies wrapt up in the name, that introduces us to believe, that Horsa, after his slaughter, received the rites of his funeral at this place: and in our grandfathers' memory, there were the scattered remains of diverse huge massy stones, which storms, and other impressions of time, have now altogether demolished: and these certainly were, in elder times, composed into the figure of a monument, to shroud the ashes of this Horsa; as those at Cits Cothouse, above Alresford, were framed into the same proportionate mould, to secure the dust, or at least to point out to posterity, the memory of Catigern." The spot where Horsa is thought to have been interred, is now in a wood, at a short distance from the farm, with "nothing to point it out at present, but the remains of an old pollard." Several celts, chiefly brass, antient spurs, old swords, and other antiquities, have been found, at different times, in digging on the Downs in the neighbourhood of Aylesford.-Beauties of England.

limbs,

limbs, roll its eyes, &c.. according to the abilities of the . donor; the way in which the monks practiced on the minds of the ignorant is thus related:

"If you minded to have benefit by the Roode of Grace, you aught firste to be shryven of one of the monkes: then by lifting at this other image, whiche was untruly of the common sorte called Sainct Grumbald, for Sainct Rumwald, you shoulde make proofe whether yon were in cleane life, as they called it, or no: and if you so founde yourselfe, then was your waye prepared, and your offering acceptable before the Roode: if not, then it behoved you to be confessed of newe: for it was to be thought that you had concealed somewhat from your ghostly dad, and therefore not yet worthy to be admitted ad Sacra Eleusina.

"Nowe, that you may knowe howe this examination was to be made, you must understande, that this Sainct Rumwald was a preatie shorte picture of a Boy-Sainct, standing in the same churche, of itselfe so small, hollow, and light, that a childe of seaven yeares of age mighte easily lift it, and therefore of no moment at all in the hands of suche persons as had offered frankly: but by meane of a pyn of woode, stricken through it into a poste, (whiche a false knave, standing behinde, coulde put in, and pull out, at his pleasure,) it was to suche as offered faintly, so faste and unmoveable, that no force of hande could once stirre it; in so muche, as many times, it moved more laughter than devotion, to beholde a great lubber to lift at that in vayne, whiche a younge boy or wenche had easily taken up before him. I omit, that chaste virgins, and honeste marryed matrons, went oftentimes awaye with blushing faces, leaving (without cause,) in the myndes of the lookers on, suspicion of uncleane lyfe, and wanton behaviour; for feare of whiche note and villanie, women (of all other) stretched their purse-strings, and sought, by liberall offering, to make Sainct Rumwald's man their good friend and maister.

"But marke here, I beseeche you, their prettie policie in picking playne folkes purses. It was in veine, as they persuaded, to presume to the Roode without shryfte; yea, and money loste there also, if you offer before you were in cleane life. And therefore, the matter was so handled, that without trebble oblation, that is to say, first to the Confessour, then to

Sainct Rumwald, and lastly to the Gracious Roode, the poore pilgrimes could not assure themselves of any good gayned by all their laboure; no more than suche as go to Paris-gardein, the Bell Savage, or some other suche common place, to beholde beare-bayting, enterludes, or fence-playe, can account of any pleasaunt spectacle, unlesse they firste paye one penny at the gate, another at the entrie of the scaffolde, and the third for a quiet standing."

Pennenden HeaTH, partly in Boxley parish, and partly in Maidstone, has been a celebrated place for public meetings, from the time of the Conquest. It was here that archbishop Lanfranc, exhibited his complaint against Odo bishop of Baieux, half brother to William I. for extortion. Here also are held at present, county courts, elections for members of parliament, coroners, &c. and this is also the place of execution for malefactors.

MAIDSTONE,

the county town of Kent, is situated on the Medway, eight miles south-east of Rochester, and thirty-five from London. The Britains reckoned it their third chief city; and it is supposed to have been a station of the Romans. It was called CAER-MEDWAG, which is thought to signify the meadows upon the river Vaga, which are here very beautiful. Its Roman name was Madaviacis, or Vagniacis, which was probably derived from the British. It has been a considerable town in all ages since; and is now pleasant, large, and populous.

The town was antiently governed by a portreeve and twelve brethren, and continued so till king Edward VI. by his letters patent in the third year of his reign, newly incorporated the town, by the stile and title of the Mayor, Jurats, and Commonalty, of the town of Maidstone, in the county of Kent. These privileges were not long afterwards forfeited by the rebellion, commenced in this town by Sir Thomas Wyat, knt. and other principal inhabitants, in the first year of queen Mary. In this state of disfranchisement the town remained till queen Elizabeth, by her VOL. V. No. 111.

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