**

parish of Speldhurst. Here is also a good market of butchers, poulterers, &c. shops for toys, milliners, wooden ware, &c. coffee rooms, for card playing, and other species of similar entertainment. A hall for dancing; and, behind the wells, a large chapel of ease to the parish church, profanely dedicated to king Charles I. in which is divine service twice a day, during the season for drinking the waters, and where seventy poor children are taught, and wholly maintained by the contributions of the company at the wells, which are also the chief support of the chaplain +.

The springs were first discovered in 1606, by Dudley, lord North, who retired to the neighbourhood in a consumption, and returning home hopeless, in passing through a wood observed these springs, and carried some of the water to a London physician, who, after analysing them, recommended them to his lordship's drinking, who soon found in them a perfect cure. The first buildings were erected here in 1636. The water is impregnated with shelly particles and marine salts, and its weight is seven ounces and a quarter, four grains, lighter than the German Spa, and ten grains lighter than common water. It is a great deobstruent and bracer; and is of great efficacy in cold chronical distempers, weak nerves, and bad digestions. The air is excellent, all provisions reasonable, and here is plenty of the best sorts of wild-fowl, particularly the delicious bird called the wheat-ear, from the South Downs; also good fish from Rye, and other sea-ports in the neighbourhood; and mackarel, when in season, from Hastings, within three hours after they are taken. On Waterdown Forest, near these wells, were formerly horse

races.

*This chapel, says Hasted, "stands remarkably in three parishes; the pulpit in Speldhurst, the altar in Tunbridge, and the vestry in Frant. The stream also, which parted the counties of Kent and Sussex, formerly ran underneath it, but is now turned to a greater distance."

+ Here was a priory, built in 1094, but suppressed by cardinal Wolsey, and its hall is now converted into a barn.

A

At a small distance from Sevenoak, in the road from Tunbridge, stands the stately mansion of KNOWLE, the seat of his grace the duke of DORSET. This mansion was originally built by Thomas Bourchier, archbishop of Canterbury, who purchased the estate of William Fiennes, lord Say and Seal: it was much augmented and improved by John Morton, and William Warham, his successors in that see; but the latter, finding it looked upon with envy by the nobility, exchanged it with the king. It lay neglected for some time, till Thomas Sackville earl of Dorset, lord treasurer, obtained it in James the First's reign. He made considerable additions and improvements, and rendered it a superb mansion.

His grandson Richard, earl of Dorset, purchased the manor of Sevenoak, with its appurtenances, of Henry Cary, lord Hunsdon.

rent.

This earl became so excessive in his bounties, that he was necessitated to sell the manor of Sevenoak; and the manor, seat, and park of Knowle, &c. to Henry Smith, Esq. citizen and alderman of London; reserving however, to himself and his heirs, a lease of them at an annual reserved Alderman Smith, being possessed of considerable estates, in 1620, conveyed several of them (among which were those of Sevenoak, &c.) to Robert earl of Essex; Richard, earl of Dorset, and others; in whom he likewise vested his large property in trust, to pay him 500l. towards his living, and the residue to such charitable uses as he should appoint by will.

After his death, in the year 1641, the earl of Essex, and other the then surviving trustees, by deed inrolled in Chancery, allotted the rent of Knowle manor, house and park, (then let to the earl of Dorset at 100l. per annum,) to be yearly distributed to several parishes in Surrey; and the rents of other manors and lands then let to that earl, distributed in several other parishes.

Since which these premises have continued with the descendants of the earl of Dorset, to his grace George John Frederick Sackville, duke of Dorset, the present possessor of them.

The

The house is situated on the south-east side of Sevenoaks, on an eminence nearly in the centre of a fine park, encompassed with beautiful valleys, and lofty woods. Its structure is quadrangular, and forms a noble Gothic pile, which, with its adjacent buildings, covers above five acres of land, consists of two large courts, which lead into a spacious hall, and beyond that another court leading into the garden. The richness and variety of great part of the furniture of this house, though somewhat injured by time, must convey to every behold.r a clear demonstration of the magnificence and antiquity of the noble family that has long possessed it. The rooms and galleries are every where well furnished with a great variety of pictures, many of which are the performances of the most capital masters. There are also some Grecian and Roman busts, and a famous and valuable marble statue of Pythagoras in the hall, which is an undoubted relic of the true Grecian taste. Many of the rooms are hung with curious old tapestry; and the furniture and decorations, which are antient, and which exhibit a perfect idea of the style of decoration in the sixteenth century, are in high preservation,

Among which are the following:

BROWN GALLERY. A miser, Quintin Matsys; George Villars, duke of Buckingham, Cornelius Janssen; Sir George Villars, his father, ditto. This is the gentleman of whom lord Clarendon mentions the circumstance of his apparition to warn his son, the duke, of his impending danger. HORN GALLERY. Illustrious persons in the time of Henry VIII. and the three succeeding reigns.

LADY BETTY GERMAINE'S BEDCHAMBER. Judith; St, Francis; and a Holy Family.

DRESSING ROOM. Drawings by Polidoro, Titian, Michael Angelo, &c.

SPANGLED BED ROOM. A state bed, presented by James I. to Lionel earl of Middlesex, lord treasurer, and a curious large ebony cabinet.

DRESSING ROOM. The History of the Maccabees, Vandyck; Medea and Jason, Titian; Abraham entertaining the

angels,

angels, Guercino; Peasants, Teniers; angel and St. Peter, a satyr discovering a sleeping Venus; Corregio; a Dutch piece, Heemshirk; landscape, Salvator Rosa; Nativity, Bassan; Holy Family, Titian.

BILLIARD ROOM. Democritus, Heraclitus, Mignard; story of Acteon, story of Calisto, Titian; the Salutation, Rembrandt; arts and sciences, Vassari; Antony and Cleopatra, Dance; a Venetian ambassador, C. Janssen. On the window is painted a man in armour, with this inscription: "Hermannus de Sacville, præpotens Normannus, intravit Angliam cum Gulielmo Conquestore, A. D. 1066.”

VENETIAN ROOM. God of Silence, copied from Schiavone, by Cartwright. In this room is a state bed intended for the reception of James II.

DRESSING ROOM. Mrs. Abingdon, as the Comic Muse, Reynolds; a farm yard, Hondekoeter; the wife of Titian going to poison his mistress, Titian; a painter's gallery, Old Frank; a Dutch piece, Van Pool; a candlelight piece, Scalcken; a woman contemplating a skull, Elsheimer; a landscape, Salvator Rosa; a masquerade, Paul Veronese; banditti, Vandervelde; another candlelight piece, Scalcken; a battle, Bourgignone; St. Paul, Rembrandt; banditti, Salvator Rosa; a poor family, ditto; St. Francis, Cleopatra; a landscape, Berghem; Sacharissa; landscape with figures; four Spanish pieces.

BALL ROOM. In this noble room the pictures are, the late duke, Reynolds; George viscount Sackville, Gainsboborough; Dover Castle, with the procession of Lionel duke of Dorset, lord warden, on his return to the castle, Wootton; Charles duke of Dorset, Kneller; his duchess, ditto; Richard Sackville, Mytens; his lady, ditto; Lionel earl of Middlesex, ditto; his countess, ditto; Thomas first earl of Dorset, Janssen. These portraits are at full lengths.

CHAPEL ROOM. In this room are the portraits of madame Baccelli, Gainsborough; and of Sir Fleetwood Shepherd; and a beautiful ebony cabinet, with figures of the Crucifixion.

5

CHAPEL.

CHAPEL. A picture of Our Saviour; Christ scourged; Christ walking on the sea.

LOWER CHAPEL. Picture of the Apostles composing the Creed; Raphael's school.

ORGAN ROOM. Rape of the wife of Hercules by a Centaur, Annibal Caracci; a Magdalen, Albani; Ortelius, the inventor of maps, Holbein.

DRAWING ROOM: A Sybil, Domenichino; count Ugolino and his sons starving in prison, Reynolds; for which the late duke gave 4007, and afterwards refused 10007.; a beggar boy, Reynolds; the Four Seasons, Philippa Laura; Dutch figures, Teniers; an artist, Reynolds; a Dutch wedding, Teniers; two Cupids in disguise, Reynolds; head of an old man, Tintoret; two small landscapes; Joseph and the angel, Mengs; fortune-teller, Reynolds; Holy Family, And. del Sarto; a Chinese, Reynolds; a landscape, Berghem; a girl and bird, Reynolds; a French post house, Wouvermans; madame Baccelli, Reynolds; a Dutch family, Surght; angel and St. Peter, Teniers; a small picture, Vandyck; marriage of St. Catharine, Parmegiano; Judith with the head of Holofernes, Garobalo; a fancy piece, Wouvermans; a Pieta, Annibal Caracci; Holy Family, Pietra Perugino; head of Raphael, himself; St. Peter, Rembrandt; Sacchini, Reynolds; execution of Charles I.; two small landscapes, More. All the paintings in this room are capital.

CARTOON GALLERY. Copies of six of the Cartoons of Raphael, by Mytens, the first ever made; a capital picture by Holbein of the earl of Surrey; James earl of Northampton; the first earl of Dorset, Janssen. In this room also are four fine statues, in plaister of Paris, from the Florentine gallery; namely, a dancing faun, Venus de Medicis, a listening slave, and the boxers.

KING'S BEDCHAMBER. Lucretia, by Guido Rheni, worth 14007. Here is a state bed of gold and siver tissue, that cost 8000l. It is lined with pink satin, embossed with gold and silver, &c.