Eastwell is rendered remarkable as having been the residence of a descendant of royalty, in the person of Richard Plantagenet, of whom some account is given in the Youth's Instructer for 1827, page 190; in addition to which the following particulars may not be uninteresting.

On the north side of the chancel of Eastwell church, that nearly adjoins the park, is an ancient tomb which has been assigned to the memory of Richard Plantagenet, and was formerly inlaid with brass. The burial of this individual is thus recorded in the register of Eastwell, under the date 1550: * Rychard Plantagenet was buried the twentysecond daye of December."

66

When Eastwell-Place was the property of Sir Thomas Moyle, and was rebuilt under his direction, he found that his chief bricklayer employed his leisure time in reading Latin; and this circumstance led to the discovery, that the man who was then placed in such humble circumstances was a son of King Richard the Third. In answer to Sir Thomas's inquiries, he said, "I was brought up at the house of my nurse, whom I supposed to be my mother, till I was seven years old. Then a gentleman, whom I did not know, took me from thence, and carried me to a private school in Leicestershire." According to his own account, he was afterwards introduced to a man finely dressed, with a star and garter," who, said he, "examined me narrowly, and felt my limbs and joints, and gave me ten pieces of gold, namely, crown-gold, which was the current money then, and worth ten shillings a-piece." He added, "About a year after, he sent for me again, looked very kindly on me, and gave me the same sum."

He was taken to King Richard's tent, previous to the battle of Bosworth, and the King acknowledged him to be his son; and before he was dismissed, he said, the King "asked me whether we heard any news at our school. I said, the news was, that the Earl of Richmond was landed, and marched against King Richard. He said, he was on the

*The original register of the parish, which has been copied into the present one, bears date from October 24th, 1538.

King's side, and a friend to Richard. Then he gave me twelve hundred of the same pieces; and said, 'If King Richard get the better in the contest, you may then come to court, and you shall be provided for; but if he be worsted or killed, take this money and go to London, and provide for yourself as well as you can.' He also said, "After the battle was over, I set out, accordingly, for London; and just as I came into Leicester, I saw a dead body brought to town upon a horse; and upon looking steadfastly upon it, I found it to be my father. I then went forward to town. And my genius leading me to architecture, as I was looking on a fine house that was building there, one of the workmen employed me about something, and, finding me very handy, took me to his house, and taught me the trade which now occupies me."

C

Sir Thomas Moyle gave permission to Richard to build himself a house, agreeable to his own wish, in which he continued till his death; but, says the writer of the accourt, " I suppose, though my Lord Winchelsea did not mention it, that he went to eat in the family, and then returned to his hut. My Lord said, there was no park at that time; but when the park was made, that house was taken into it, and continued standing till my Lord's father pulled it down. But,' said my Lord, 'I would have as soon pulled down this house;' meaning Eastwell-Place. I have been computing the age of this Richard Plantagenet when he died, and find it to be about eighty-one. For Richard the Third was killed August 22d, 1485, which subtracted from 1550, and there remains 65. To which add 16, for the age of Richard Plantagenet at that time, and it makes 81. But though he lived to that age, he could scarcely enjoy his retirement in his little house above two or three years, or a little more; for I find that Sir Thomas Moyle did not purchase the estate of Eastwell till about the year 1543 or 1544. We may therefore reasonably suppose, that, upon his building a new house on his purchase, he could not come to live in it till 1546; and that his workmen were continued to build the walls about his gardens, and other conveniences. And till he came to live in the house, he

could not (well) have an opportunity of observing how Richard Plantagenet retired with his book. So that it was probably towards the latter end of the year 1546, when Richard and Sir Thomas had the fore-mentioned dialogue together. Consequently, Richard could not build his house, and have it dry enough for him to live in till the year 1547; so that he must be seventy-seven or seventy-eight years of age before he had his writ of ease." *

The late Mr. Thomas Hull founded an ingenious poetical tale on the circumstances just mentioned. Between sixty and seventy years ago, the ruins of a building in Eastwell Park were shown as those of Plantagenet's house; and a well, now filled up, was also called by his name.+

The following curious old prophecy concerning the death of Richard the Third, is extracted from a pamphlet entitled, "Seven Several Strange Prophecies, London, 1643:" "In the reign of King Richard the Third, His Majesty, with his army, lay at Leicester, the night before the battle at Bosworth-field was fought. It happened in the morning, is the King rode through the South-gate, a poor old blind man (by profession a wheelwright) sat begging, and, hearing of his approach, said that if the moon changed twice that day, having by her ordinary course changed in the morning, King Richard should lose his crown and be slain; and riding over the bridge, his left foot struck against a stump of wood, which the old man hearing, said, 'Even so shall his head, at his return, hit on the same place;' which so came to pass. And a nobleman, that carried the moon in his colours, revolted from King Richard, whereby he lost, that day, his life, crown, and kingdom, which verified the presages of the poor old blind man."

Bristol.

GEORGE PRYCE.

*Letter from Dr. Thomas Brett, of Spring-Grove, in Wye Parish, Kent, to Dr. W. Warren, afterwards published in Peck's Desiderata Curiosa, Vol. II., Lib. vii., p. 13.

+ Parson's Monuments in Kent,

p. 21.

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NOTES BY A MISSIONARY.

No. X.

"They that go down to the sea in ships see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep." Psalm cvii. 23, 24.

A SAILOR, who from his youth has been accustomed to storms at sea, may affect indifference when surrounded by the warring elements; but it is acknowledged by almost every one, that the stoutest heart feels amidst the roaring tempest. To a landsman, the scenery of the ocean is very striking. Whether in a calm, a breeze, a gale, or a storm, the glorious mirror produces many reflections; and in the different changes to which even a short voyage sometimes exposes the passenger, his patience, resignation, and fortitude are put to the test. In a late voyage from Alexandria to Malta, I felt this truth verified, as well as the motto at the head of this paper.

I sailed from Alexandria on March 19th, 1829, with a Captain who was a very intelligent and thinking man, accustomed to reading, as well as a good navigator. The crew was small; but among them were some good sailors, who had seen service on board of men-of-war. We were deeply laden with wheat. On the second day, about noon, when in the cabin, a sudden crash was heard; and soon the men exclaimed, “The mast is gone! The mast is gone!" Running on deck, I saw the foremast broken off. After a short pause, the master gave his orders, which were promptly executed. The wreck of the mast was cleared, and a jury-mast erected; and we put about to return to Alexandria. It was a great mercy that no one was injured by the accident; as the men had been up to reef the foresail not long before the mast gave way. We saw land on the next morning, and, before noon, anchored again in Alexandria; where we were detained a week. On March 26th, we sailed again. On the 31st, we had a storm, as well as on the 5th and 10th of April. On the two latter occasions we were compelled to lie to, for nearly twenty-four hours each time. Deeply laden, the ship laboured very much; whilst the pumps were worked

every half-hour to prevent the water from gaining upon us from a leak in the bow. The waves carried away some part of the bulwarks; the cargo shifted; and at last the billows washed into the ship on one side, and out on the other, like a mighty river; flowing over the greater part of the deck. The men were in the hinder part of the ship; the helm was lashed; and we all waited, in great anxiety, the result of the storm. The Lord was merciful to us; he calmed the stormy wind and tempest, preserved our lives, and brought us safely into the port; verifying the beautiful language of the Psalmist :-" They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad, because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" (Psalm cvii. 23-31.)

Q. 147. WHO is the Holy Spirit?

A. The Third Person of the glorious and undivided Trinity, possessing, in conjunction with the Father and the Son, all the attributes and perfections of Deity.