adopt the horrible means of recovering his life and liberty: he lifted the axe; but, as it was about to fall, his arm funk nervelefs, and the axe dropped from his hand! Had he as many lives as hairs, he would have yielded them all, one after the other, rather than again even conceive, much lefs perpetrate, fuch an act. Life, liberty, every thing, vanished before the dearer interefts of filial affection he fell upon his father's neck, and, embracing him, triumphantly exclaimed, My father, my father! we will die together! And then called for another executioner to fulfil the fentence of the law.

Hard must be their hearts indeed,

bereft of every fentiment of virtue, every fenfation of humanity, who could ftand infenfible fpectators of fuch a fcene. A fudden peal of involuntary applaufes, mixed with groans and fighs, rent the air. The execution was fufpended; and on a fimple reprefentation of the tranfaction, both were pardoned: high rewards and honours were conferred on the fon; and, finally, thofe two admirable brazen images were railed, to commemorate a tranfaction fo honourable to human nature, and tranfmit it for the inftruction and emulation of pofterity. The ftatue reprefents the fon in the very act of letting fall the axe.'

PENSHU

ENSHURST PLACE is not only an interefting object, on account of the celebrity of one of its former poffeffors, the gallant fir Philip Sydney, but it has, in itself, as a fpacious and venerable remain of antiquity, a high claim to attention. The fize of the annexed plate would not admit of an illuftration of all the parts of this noble and extenfive building; but Mr. Ireland (from whofe Picturefque Views of the River Medway,' we have copied it) has attempted to give fome idea of the scenery, by obtaining the best point of view for comprifing the whole; in which is included the church of Pensburst, with its venerable tower, and Gothic fpires, breaking through the intervening thicket of trees.

The neighbouring village of Penfhurft, or, as it is fometimes written, in ancient records, Penceftre, derives its name from the old British word Pen, the fummit, or top of any place, and Hyrft, a wood. It is fix miles from Tunbridge Wells, four from Sevenoaks, and thirty-one from London.

From the name of this place Waller, with all the gallantry of poetical fiction, took occafion to afcribe to his

Sachariffa, lady Dorothy Sydney, who refided here, the power of changing the wildnefs and luxuriance of the natural beauties of nature, into the regularity of a garden.

'Her prefence had fuch more than human grace

And beauty too, and order could impart, That it could civilize the rudeft place, When Nature ne'er intended it, ner Art,'

Penshurst Place, in the time of Edward I, was in the poffeffion of fir Stephen De Penefhurfte, who was was made Conftable of Dover Castle, and Warden of the Cinque Ports, by Henry III; after which it was conveyed to John De Pulteney, who, in the reign of Edward II, had license to emba.tle his manfion-house of Penfhurft; and, in the reign of Edward III, he was fo highly favoured, as to receive the honour of knighthood. In the fame reign, he was four times elected lord-mayor of London, From this family it came by marriage to fir John Devereux, who, in the reign of Richard II, had alfo a licence to embattle and fortify this manfion. After paffing through feveral hands, it was at length forfeited to the crown, by

the attainder of fir Ralph Vane, in the fourth year of Edward VI, by whom, in 1553, it was given to fir William Sydney, who enjoyed it but a few months. From him it devolved to his infant fon, fir Henry, who, from his childhood, was bred at court, and was the playmate and bedfellow of prince Edward. He was afterward made gentleman of the privy chamber; and the young prince is faid to have taken fo much delight in his company, as to have rarely permitted his abfence. He foon after expired in his arms, at Greenwich; at which period fir Henry retired to Penfhurft, there to indulge his grief; and by thus withdrawing himself, he escaped the fury of the times, and molt probably the fatal confequences that attended his father-in-law, the duke of Northumberland, in the fucceeding reign of the bigoted Mary. This fact is adverted to in the infcription over the gateway, at the grand entrance.

This ancient manfion has been formerly a place of confiderable ftrength, as appears from its immenfe walls and high embattled towers. The principal entrance to the great quadrangle, which is of hewn tone, is nearly in its original Gothic ftate, and impreffes the mind very forcibly with the gloomy pomp of our ancestors. The hall is fpacious and lofty, and the fragments of ancient armour, here exhibited, strongly recall to mory,

me

The ancient errant knights,
Who won their ladies' hearts in fights,
And cut whole giants into fritters,
To pnt them into amorous twitters.'

The apartments of this famous manfion have been much modernized, within a few years, by the late proprietor, William Perry, efq. who became poffeffed of this eftate by marriage with mifs Elizabeth Sydney, niece to the late earl of Leicester. Mrs. Perry left it in the hands of trustees for her grandfon Mr. Shelley.

Among other pictures in this manfion, two particularly merit attention:

the one of fir Philip, the other of his fifter, the countefs of Pembroke. A family refemblance may easily be dilcovered. The countenance of the latter highly just fies the poet's warmeft eulogium; and in the features of the former may be traced the elegant and placid mind of the accomplished gentleman.

All

In contemplating this venerable and extenfive pile, the mind naturally reverts to that period in which it re ceived its greatest ornament, by giv. ing birth to fir Philip Sydney, in 1554. Ben Johnfon poetically obferves, that, on this occafion, the Mufes met; and other writers affert, that in him was born the darling of his time, and of his country.' Indeed, all Europe, with one confent, pronounced him the most complete gentleman of his time. He obtained various pofts of honour from his fovereign; and he was even deemed worthy to be put in nomination for the crown of Poland; an honour, which probably might have been conferred upon him, had not queen Elifabeth refufed to further his promotion, left, as the expreffed herself, fhe fhould lofe the jewel of her time.'

Thefe extraordinary diftinétions at home and abroad, the correctness of his morals, and the heroism and humanity which he difplayed in the closing act of his life, place him as a fcholar, a ftatefman, a foldier, and a man, in as elevated a point of view as human nature has ever been known to attain.

At the birth of fir Philip, an oak was planted in the park, on the spot now called Beais Oak. This oak is celebrated by Waller in the following lines:

Go, boy, and carve this paffion on the

bark

Whether the tree now shown be the identical one here alluded to, cannot now be ascertained, but, from its venerable appearance, it may be pothble. It measures twenty-two feet in circumference; and within the hollow of its fpacious trunk is a feat capable of receiving feveral perfons. This noble tree ftands near a fine piece of water, called Landcup Well.

This park and neighbourhood is celebrated for the large growth of its trees, one of which was cut down about ten years ago, and produced 840 feet of timber, weighing twenty

one tons.

Near Well Place, in the park, is a fice (pring called Kidder's Well, which has been found, on analizing it, to be a stronger chalybeate than the wells of Tunbridge. The fpring rifes into a ftone bifin, which was erected by an earl of Leicester, many years ago. In the neighbourhood of Penfhurit are many other fprings, likewife found to partake more or lefs of the chalybeate quality; it is worthy of remark, that the vicinity is famed for its veins of iron.

In a deep hole in the river Med way, called Tapner's Hole, near the lower end of this park, a ftrong ebullition appears on the furface of the water, from a spring which rifes beneath. The park confiits of 420 acres,

but has not fuch advantages of profpect or fituation as are to be found in other parts of this county. Under this impreffion, and from the decayed and neglected fate of the building, we may contemplate with regret the probability of a total decay of this manfion of Heroes. Should that event take place, and no flone remain to indicate its former greatnefs, yet shall imagination fondly trace the spot where Sydney firit drew breath; that Sydney, whofe name can never be forgotten while elegance of manners, and true greatnefs of mind, are thought to dignify human nature.

I cannot quit Penthurt without mentioning an additional honour it has received in giving birth to the renowned Algernon Sydney, whofe integrity in the caufe of patriotifm, and deep fkill in the fcience of government, muft ever render him dear to the lover of his country. In an academical prize poem, ample justice has been done to his merits by the elegant pen of a dignitary of the church:

U tell me that, upon recollection, you know of no living artift whofe life does not greatly correfpond to his performances, and that you have read of very few of the dead, whofe works do not shadow forth, by this analogy, the general caft of their moral conduct. Homer, we are told by the very ingenious and learned author of his life, had perfonally accompanied his fancy whereever the roved upon the face of the earth; and I make no doubt fuch was the restless activity of his foul, that

he ardently wished to fpurn this dull globe, and foar to the feats of his immortals. To contraft his character, we need only caft our eyes on his poetical difciple Virgil, whofe modest majefty in private life bore fo great a refemblance to all his compofitions. But M. De Piles, the ingenious author of the Lives of the Painters, will furnish us with fome remarkable examples to this purpofe. I dare fay you have often obferved, that feveral pieces of Michael Angelo's, which you have seen in Italy, though finish