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Engravd by J. Burnet. from a drawing by the late T. Malton. R. A. for the Beauties of England & Wales E.W.B.da!

Interior of the Priory Church of St Bartholomen

London Published by heraer Heed & Sharpe Poultry April 1809

don or not; neither are they liable to serve the offices of constable or juryman, excepting in cases of casualties within their own limits. The Marquis of Buckingham is High Steward of this Liberty, and holds a Court on St. Thomas's Day, where homage is done by the inhabitants, and Commissioners appointed for the regulation of pavements, and for the nomination of a constable, an Inquest Jury, &c. At this Court presentments of nuisances, &c. are made, but being held annually, they but too frequently pass altogether unnoticed.

The paving, lighting, cleansing, &c. constitute a general rate among the inhabitants, which is made under the direction of Commissioners appointed under an Act of Parliament, passed in 1768.

We will now pass on to the HOSPITAL OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW. A passage from the Writing-School of Christ's Hospital, through the Cloisters, leads to this magnificent building. Its history is necessarily involved in that of the ancient CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW THE GREAT. Ample and curious are the materials for this history: I will endeavour to compress their most important features within the compass of our plan. Maitland, Malcolm, and others have gone into a much greater extent of detail than that plan can allow; nothing, however, of value which those respectable authors have collected shall be omitted; which, enlarged by the results of a recent and minute inspection, will convey to the reader a tolerably correct idea of the history, and present state of these extensive religious and benevolent foundations.

I cannot resist the opportunity of introducing this description by the following beautiful" legend," as Mr. Malcolm calls it, concerning the pious and benevolent Rahere*, the original founder of this hospital.

Dugdale has quoted part of the Latin story of Rahere in his Monasticon; and Chauncey, in his History of Hertfordshire, has made some use of the

English

Of Rahere himself little is known beyond what the following narrative has given. Strype, in his edition of Stow's Survey, asserts, but on what authority it does not appear, that he was minstrel to Henry I. It is certain, however, that he founded a Priory of Black Canons, about the year 1102, and himself became the first Prior. The Priory he endowed with 5537. per annum; and the estates, which he also settled upon this hospital, were then valued at 3051. He was afterwards buried in the Church, where his tomb, still in perfect repair, affords a curious remnant of the ancient architecture in England. His establishment was for brethren, and sisters, sick persons, and pregnant women *.

But I will not detain the reader from his history, as related by some unknown pious monk, who was an eye witness to many of his benevolent actions, and appeals, for the truth of his narrative, to many persons then living †.

"For as mooche that the meritory and notable operacyons of famose goode and devoute faders yn God shoulde be remembered, for instruccion of aftercumers to their consolacion and encres of devotion; thys abbrevyat tretesse shal compendiously expresse and declare the wonderful, and, of celestial concel gracious fundacion of oure hoely placys, callyd the Priory of Seynt Bartholomew yn Smythfield, and of the hospital of olde tyme longyng to the same; with other notabilities expediently to be knowyn; and most specially the gloriouse and excellent myracles

English version. What I have given is principally as it appears in Mal. Lond. Kediv. I. 266, et seq. I have collated Mr. Malcolm's transcript with the original, among the Cottonian MSS. in the British Museum. The whole is a valuable mixture of beautiful poetical fiction, and just description. Mr. Malcolm has, as he truly asserts, given all the material parts, historically in teresting.

+ The enlightened Protestant will know how to appreciate the miraculous parts of the narrative; while the modern pious Catholic will continue to re spect the faith which was productive of so much virtue and benevolence,

cles wrought withyn them, by the intercessions, suffrages, and merytys, of the forsayd benygne, feythful, and blessed of God, apostyl Sanct Bartholomy, ynto the laude of Almyghty God, and agincion of his infinite power. Ffyrst shall be sheyd who was ffunder of owere hoely placys, and howh, by grace, he was ffyrst pryor of owr priory; and by howh longe tyme that he contiued yn the same.

Thys church yn the honoure of most blessed Bartholomew apostle, ffunded Rayer, of goode remembruance, and theryn to serve God (after the rewle of the most hoely fader Austyn) aggregat togidir religiouse men. And to them was plate XXII yere; usynge the office and dignite of a priore. Not havynge cunnynge of liberal science, but that that is more emynente than all cunnynge; for he was riched in puryte of conscience; ayenste God by devocyon; ayenste his brethren by humylite; ayenste his enemyes by a benyvolence, And thus hymself he exercised them, patiently sufferynge, whoose provyed puryte of soule, bryght maners, with honeste probyte, experte diligence, yn dyvyne svise, prudente besynes in temporall mynystracions, yn hym were gretly to prayse and comendable. In festys he was sober, and namely the follower of hospitalite. Tribulacions of wrecchis, and necessiteys of the poer peple opportunely admytting, paciently supportynge, competently spendynge. In prosperite nat yuprided. In adversite paciente; and whatsuevere unfortune came atteyn hym, he vestyd hymself undir the schadowe of his patron that he worshipped, whom he clipped to hym withyn the bowell of his soule; in wyose helpe for all perelles he was sekyr and pservyd. Thus he subject to the Kynge of Blysse with all meeknesse, prevyded with all diligence that were necessarie to his suiectys, and so provydynge, encresed dayly to hymself before God and man, grace; to the place reverence, to his friends gladnesse, to his enemyes peyne, to his aftercumers joye.

And such certeyne was the lief of hym after his convesyon

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