fo inconvenient a fhape, could not be been fome broil, or fighting, with provided with fuch covering. Indeed this latter kind of bow, is not faid to have been furnished with a cover, as far as I have been able to find. The battle of Crecy, as well as that of Poitiers, (where the archers poured forth their quivers in fuch bloody victories,*) intimates the bow to have been highly cultivated by the English at thofe times; but it was found neceffary by Edward to enforce the practice of archery during the peace which followed, as the foldiers rather attended to other amufements, than archery. During the reign of Richard II. little is recorded with refpect to the bow. We find, however, from Hollinfhead, that a number of archers were fent at the requeft of the Genocfe, to aflift them againft the Saracens on the coaft of Barbary; and that they performed fome meritorious exploits with their Long-bow. From a paffage in Stow, we find Richard II. to have had a very numerous guard of archers; for in the year 1397, as one day the members were leaving the Parliament House, 66 a great ftir was made as was ufual; whereupon the King's archers, in number four thoufand, compaffed the Parliament-houfe, thinking there had their bows bent, their arrows notched, and drawing, ready to fhoot, to the terror of all that were there: but the King coming pacified them." 66 The most memorable circumstance with refpect to the bow, which occurred in the reign of Henry IV. was the victory gained over the Scots near Halidownehill, in the year 1402; where," "in the words of an old hiftorian, "the Lord Percie's archers did withall deliver their deadly arrows fo lively, fo courage." oufly, fo grievously, that they ranne through the men of armes, bored the helmets, pierced their very fwords, beat their lances to the earth, and eafily fhot those who were more flightly armed, through and through +." The bat of Agincourt, which happened in the year 1415, under Henry V. is the next fignal victory afcribed to the English archers, who deftroyed a great number of the French cavalry, by their yard-long Arrows. This, indeed,, feems the laft very important action in which archery is much spoken of, and although the ufe of it was continued through feveral fucceeding reigns, it at length feems to have been cultivated more as an amusement, than for real military fervice ‡. The amufement was extremely fashionable * -- "Innumera laxarunt cæde pharetas." As a contraft to this barbarous, though energetic paffage, I will quote the defcription of a furious arrow, from Lucan. "Haud unum contenta latus tranfire, quiefcit ; "Sed pandens perque arma viam, perque offa, relicta Pharfalia, Lib. 3. It is faid, that James I of Scotland, during his long confinement in England, in the beginning of the fifteenth century, was fo firuck with the spirit and gal lantry of the English archers, that on returning to his own country, he established Royal Companies of bowmen in different parts of his dominions. The art of fhooting with the bow, is at prefent regularly practised by numerous Societies; and the Pepingoe is annually celebrated at Kilwinning, in the weft of Scotland, by the gentlemen of the neighbourhood. The Pepingoe (or Popingay, a mark formed like a parrot) is projected two or three feet from the top of the church fteeple, and they fhoot at it perpendicularly, refting their left foot on the bafe of the tower, The Royal Company of Archers, at Edinburgh, confifts of the principal nobility and gentry of that kingdom, to the number of eight or nine hundred members. Maitland, fashionable in the time of Henry VIII. and Hollinthead reports, that that prince shot as well as any of his guard. Edward VI. is faid, by Mr Barrington, to have been fond of the exercife of Archery *. Charles I. appears to have amufed himself in this way alfo, and is reprefented in the frontispiece of Markham's art of archery, (1734) in the attitude and drefs of a Bow man. During the reigns of Charles II. and James II. the amufement was continued, and the former fometimes attended at exhibitions of thooting. The Artillery Company, or Finfbury archers, have furvived even to the prefent time, but except in that fociety, the bow, till within these ten years, was very little known in the kingdom. At prefent, indeed, archery gains favour, and many companies are formed, for the practice of that amusement +. The exact time in which the bow became difused in war by the Eng lish army, perhaps cannot be fixed. P. Daniel mentions, that arrows were fhot by the English at the lile of Rhé, in 1627 Mr Grofe informs us, that in 1643, the Earl of Effex ifiued a precept" for ftirring up all well-affected people by benevolence, towards the raifing of a company of archers for the fervice of the King (Charles I.) and the Parliament." And in a pamphlet, fays the fame author, which was printed anno 1664, giving an account of the fuccefs of the Marquis of Montrose against the Scots, bowmen are repeatedly mentioned. One Neade, in the reign of Charles I. obtained a commiflion under the Great Seal, wherein he and his fon were empowered to teach the combined management of the pike and bow. A book entitled," The double armed man," fhewing the proper exercife and attitudes, was written and published by William Neade, about the year 1625. It contains nothing of confequence relating to archery, but we may judge that that art was not laid afide at this period.” STRICTURES Maitland, in his hiftory of Edinburgh, informs us, that this Society was founded about the year 1676; and that it was erected into a corporation by Letters Patent from Queen Anne, dated the 31st of December, 1713 If we may judge from the compliments of a Poet, this Society feems to have flourished with great fpirit in the beginning of the prefent century. I allude to Allan Ramlay's works; among which there are fevera! poems addreffed to the Archers of Edinburgh, and which celebrate their skill, Among others, the Duke of Hamilton receives a few lines on his having fhot an Eel in the neck. Mr B. refers to that Prince's manufcript journal, in the British Museum. The Hon. Artil. Comp. Royal Edinburgh Toxophilite Mm Southampton Archers Bowmen of Chiviot Chase Surry Bowmen Bowmen of the Border Meircan Bowmen Broughton Archers Staffordshire Bowmen Trent Archers 272 STRICTURES ON THE DISCIPLINE AT CAMBRIDGE. PROM MEMOIRS OF MR WAKEFIELD. Nfpecifying the defects of our Uni impolicy, the injuftice, and the tyranty of excluding by ecclefiaftieal reftrictions and performances, at once unedifying and indecent, from the emoluments and conveniences of thefe elegant retreats, fuch a numerous portion of fociety; to the prodigious hindrance of useful literature, by contracting the fphere of emulation, and intercepting the opportunities of knowledge. Another dreadful evil (for I fhall not mention what can only be remedied by a. parliamentary reformation of their ftatates) is the practice of nominating tutors to their office upon the ground of no other diftinction than the cafual determination of feniority. Hence it happens, that men below mediocrity in their literary qualifications are fometimes chofen to direct the studies of the college: an inconceivable prejudice to learning, and a mortifying difcouragement of real talents! This grievance, however, would be done away in a great measure, without the invidious neceffity of preference in the master, by choofing none to fellowships but upon the claim of merit. The morning and evening prayers, which are much too long and attended by the generality of undergraduates with no ferioufnefs of devotion, and seldom by the fellows at all, might be contrived, probably with out danger of interference from their political or ecclefiaftical fuperiors, to contribute much more to the edification of the student. The indecorum attendant on this branch of difcipline, especially in winter mornings, is even ludicrous. I have known a fleepy devotee delayed fo long by the droufy god, as to make it clothes; and he has stood shivering with the flimfy fig-leaf of a furplice only to veil his outward fellow. Nothing can be more humorous and more. truly defcriptive of a reality, than a ftanza in the parody of Gray's Elegy: Haply fome friend may shake his hoary head, And fay: "Each morn, unchill'd by frofts, he ran, "With hofe ungarter'd, o'er yon turfy bed, "To reach the chapel e'er the pfalms began." I am too well apprised of the good fenfe of my Cambridge friends to fuppofe their judgment upon these farces to resemble the decifion of a certain prelate in my neighbourhood, when application was made to him by the curate of a church in his diocefe, for permiffion to discontinue the weekly prayers, for want of an audience. "Oh! no ;" fays this idolizer of folemnity and form: "it is very 66 proper, that the bell fhould ring, "and the curate attend, notwith"flanding no parishioner fhould be "there." Ridete quicquid eft domi- cachinnorum What I am now going to alledge will appear indeed to many, I am fenfible, a point of a very unimportant nature, but ftrikes me as exceed ingly prejudicial both to learning and morals; I mean," the late hour of dinner," which has been very generally adopted in colleges, fince I quitted the University. When I have in converfation frequently objected to this innovation; the uniform anfwer is, it makes a long morning." For what? for riding out, perhaps, and taking pleasure; not for the oppor tunities tunities, which this long morning fürnishes for continued study. The mind, I am perfuaded, profits moft from regular and repeated interventions of meals, exercife, and fociety: but to fuch a methodical interfection of the time this divifion of the day into two parts only is of courfe the grand obftacle, and to all the advantages refulting from it. The pernicious confequences of this practice do not, however, end here. After fo long an interval, the appetite is neceffarily fharpened, the ftomach is led to overload itself, and thus oppreffes with the body, the mind also, that particle of atherial air, as the poet calls it. Befides, bodily health is allowed by the fons of medicine to be much promoted by frequent meals with moderation, and impaired by a diftribution of the day, which leaves the digeftive powers for a long time unexercised, and then tries them to excefs. The tea in an afternoon, a light and wholefome meal, under this new arrangement is a fecondary confideration, and falls into neglect. The habit also of esteeming the labours of the day to conclude with dinner-time, naturally leads, as every one muft fee, to idleness and intemperance in the ftudent. These remarks, if they have any foundation at all in reafon and propriety, must not be flighted or received with ridicule, as puerile and infignificant. Nothing ought to be difregarded, that has the remoteft influence on the promotion of learning and the establishment of virtue in the riúng generation. Let school-taught pride diffemble all it other foundation whatever in either Univerfity. That school fends out, as far as my experience can form a judment, much the best scholars in this kingdom. Those particularly from Westminster in my time were indeed mean proficients, undiftinguifhed altc, gether among their contemporaries : and, in general, the produce of all our other great schools in the South, were to a man inferior to the common run of the Etonians. And yet, as the ftudents of King's are prevented by the fingularity of their statutes from engaging in the mathematical and philofophical occupations of the place, and have no fpecific. object prefented to their ambition, they almoft univerfally relapfe into idleness and diffipation: fo that, inftead of going on unto perfection, they become ftation ary firft, and then retrograde. Accordingly, their meridian altitude is the moment of their quitting School & and their academical courfe, a gradual declenfion from it. In confequence of these unhappy circumfiances, though King's College never contains lefs than feventy members of the best initiation poffible in claffic authors, this numerous fociety has not fent out one man in three hundred years, 'that can claim a rank among the most celebrated critics and Philologifts of this nation in the ancient languages; and few indeed who have exceeded the common editors of fchool-books. Indeed the school at large can boast very few of diftinguified eminence in their own branch of knowledge; and my friend Mr Porfon, fellow of Trinity-College, fhines both among his contemporary fchoolfellows and all his predeceffors at Eton, like the fends them forth as Achilles fent P3moon among the leffer ftars. Learning troclus, well equipped for her warfare; but is recompenfed by no triumphs proportionate to her expectations and their accomplishments: He fent him furnish'dwith his feeds and M m 2 car, But faw no more returning from the war. I will OBSERVATIONS ON THE CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF CONTAGION IN LARGE TOWNS. ` CONTA i FROM DR FERRIAR'S MEDICAL HISTORIES, &c. ONTAGION always exifts a in certain quarmong the poor, ters of this town*; and its ravages are only checked by the privilege which patients in indigent circumftances enjoy, of being visited at their own houfes by the phyficians of the infirmary. As the fick are equally apprehenfive of the attack, and instructed in the means of procuring affiftance, they commonly apply early to the infirmary, and are often feen in the first days of their illness. An opportunity is thus af'forded of cutting the difeafe fhort, and of ufing precautions for fecuring the rest of the family from the effects of contagion. But the abuses which perpetuate the germ of the diforder cannot be remedied by the activity of any individual, or the fuccours of any charitable inftitution now exifting. It will not be ufelefs, however, to point them out; if they cannot be entirely done away, they may be leffened; and thoughra fpirit of benevolence already prevails among the inhabitants of Manchefter, it may add ftrength to its exertion to fhew, that the health of the rich is often nearly connected with the welfare of the needy. 1. The mean lodging houses, in the out-fkirts of the town, are the principal nurseries of febrile contagion. Some of these are old houses, compofed of very fmall rooms, into each of which three, four, or more people are crouded to eat and fleep, and frequently to work. They commonly bear marks of a long accumulation of filth, and fome of them have been fcarcely free from infec tion for many years past. As foon as one poor creature dies, or is dri ven out of his cell, he is replaced by another, generally from the country, who foon feels in his turn the confequences of breathing infected air. During all this time, the mafter of the houfe is totally regardless of the mifery before his eyes, while he and his family remain untouched; and it requires fome exertion to pro duce any attention to cleanness or ventilation. The latter object, indeed, can be very imperfectly obtained in many of these houfes, when they are fituated in dark narrow courts, or blind alleys. In most of thefe places lodgers are received. The confequence is, a perpetual fucceffion of fever-patients in them. In other parts of the town, the lodg ing-houfes are new, and not yet thoroughly dirty, but in these the upper ftory is laid into one room, directly under the tiles, pierced Manchester. through |