Mr. Bryant, in his vindication of the Apamean Medal[a], seems not to be sensible of any other objection to his hypothesis than that taken notice of by the anonymous author there alluded to; though this writer appears so little acquainted either with medals or Greek (for if we retain his reading, ΟΓ. B. APXI. becomes inexplicable), that he scarcely seemed worthy of the notice of a gentleman so eminently distinguished for his learning and abilities. But those who are more conversant with this branch of science entertained doubts of the authenticity of the letters N.Ω.E. and even of the medal itself, nor were the letters N.H.T.Ω.N. on the medal of Sezerus, free from the same suspicions.

I have sent you the old ceremony of making the king's bed in the time of Henry the 8th; with a view, as it has something singular in it, of affording some little entertainment to you, and the Society, if you shall think proper to communicate it to them.

As the discussion of historical facts, especially such as relate to the affairs of our island, falls in with the design of your institution, I beg leave to present you with an enquiry into the nature of the death of that unfortunate prince king John, it having been attributed by some of our later chronicles to the effects of poison. After the declaration of Mons. Rapin, “that the story of the poison is very improbable, since it is not mentioned by any of the contemporary historians;” to which his learned annotator, who, I presume, was the late Mr. Philip Morant, has added, “that the poison is not mentioned by any “historian that lived within sixty years of the time,” or before A. D. 1276, one would imagine there could be no occasion for re-considering this point: but the late Mr. John Lewis of Margate, partly in vindication of his favourite William Caxton, and partly from the forwardness of his zeal against Popery, has endeavoured to puzzle the cause, and to invalidate the assertions of the judicious Frenchman, and his learned English annotator; so that it is become absolutely necessary to review this particle of our history, and to bring it to a new hearing.

The progress made by the antient Egyptians in Arts and Sciences, beyond other nations their contemporaries, has been much insisted on by various writers, and by some chiefly with a view to depreciate the characters of Moses and the Israelites. But a very ingenious writer, the late Robert Wood, esq; in a posthumous work of his, lately published [a], has given his opinion, and some reasons for it, that “the high “compliments which have been so long paid to the knowledge “and wisdom of the antient Egyptians have not been so well “founded as is generally imagined.”

Though Britain contains within itself all the materials necessary for building, it is probable the ancient inhabitants lived in holes and caverns of rocks, or formed themselves huts, which they covered with turf supported by branches of trees bound together with twigs of ozier. In after-ages, when commerce brought the Phoenicians and other civilized nations acquainted with them, they learned from those strangers many useful arts. But their habitations, according to Caesar, were in his time little improved, their towns were only a confused parcel of huts, placed at a little distance from each other, without order or distinction of streets; they generally stood in the middle of a wood, the avenues whereof were defended with slight ramparts of earth, or with trees that had been felled to clear the ground.

If the principles of Gothic architecture are now but little known, the various styles of building, which come under the denomination of Gothic, are pretty well ascertained; and as the first, if well understood and properly applied, would be useful to modern professors of architecture; so the latter may be usefully applied by the lovers of antiquities, to illustrate or correct the different historical accounts which antient writers have left us of many elegant structures which once adorned this kingdom, some of which yet remain, to perpetuate the piety of their founders, and the magnificence of the ages in which they were built; and, notwithstanding the ravages of time, or the depredations of rebellion and fanatic rage, still convey to the curious inspector a just idea of the merits and abilities of that ingenious fraternity who have been long distinguished by the name of Free-Masons.

I am extremely obliged to you for the drawing of lord Milton's Pectorale[a]; and in return I beg leave to present you with the following short memoir, concerning a curious, and, in my opinion, an almost inestimable, Coin of Edmund Crouchback.

By the permission of Mr. Godbold of Bury in Suffolk, I am now enabled to lay before the Society some curious Antiquities, dug up from amongst the ruins of the ancient Abbey, at that place. These ruins being in the grounds belonging to the house wherein Mr. Godbold lives, he with great care, and much trouble, traced the foundations of the building, in such a manner, as to bring to light the true and original plan of that ancient structure, an account whereof I some time ago communicated to the Society [a]: and carrying on his researches still further, he found these remains of antiquity now to be described; two of which were taken out of the Crypt, or Under-croft; and the other from under the ancient floor, or pavement, of the Great Isle of the Church; and the latter, being the most curious, I shall endeavour to give some account of in the first place.

Permit me, through your hands, to lay before the Society over which you so worthily preside, the enclosed papers, relating to a subject not foreign to their enquiries. I am sensible indeed there needs some apology for the many imperfections and errors that may be found therein; but, as I am persuaded, they will meet with the greatest degree of candor; I venture without any further hesitation to introduce this little essay, under your sanction, to the consideration of those, who I trust will both rectify the errors, and add many more curious observations to these imperfect hints.

I have taken the liberty of transmitting to you a bone which seems to be extremely singular. It was found in making a grave in the chancel of Badwell Ash, near Walsham le Willows in Suffolk (in Blackbourn hundred), about the middle of last April. The sexton of this parish, after removing the pavement and about two feet of the earth, came upon a vaulted arch, which was so very strongly cemented together, that it was with great difficulty he broke through it. After he had removed the upper part of this arch, he proceeded to throw out the contents of the vault, which was made to contain only one coffin, and in which were a number of bones that appeared to have been deposited there a long time, and some of the mould which he let fall in, in breaking through the arch; but no appearance either of wood, or lead coffin.

As the tables of English silver coins published by the Society contain little more than a bare description of the several pieces, with their legends and devices on the reverse; and as there are some in the first and second plate which are truly historical; an elucidation of these from the historians who wrote of those times, and lived in or near them (though thought too long for a note to have been inserted at the bottom of the page), may be matter of entertainment to those gentlemen who collect our English coins. I hope the following particulars will in some measure point out the occasions on which these coins were struck.

The literary world is much indebted to the ingenious Mr. Warton for his valuable history of English poetry. It is indeed an acquisition in that branch of learning so happily instructive as well as amusing, that it must have its admirers, whilst an elegance of taste remains among us. However, with the utmost deference to so superior a genius, I cannot help thinking, that, though that species of writing, called Romance, is the principal object of his book, he is very much mistaken as to the origin of that word. He makes it wholly of French extraction, mentions it as such in various parts of his work, and, in one place particularly, makes it synonymous with the French language.

As you expressed a desire at the last meeting of the Society to receive any information that would help to elucidate the device upon the curious Seal Ring belonging to Sir Richard Worsley, bart. which was then produced, I have sent you the following conjectures upon the subject.

Page 15. and 19, note [t] r. Plate II.

page 37. note [a] 1. pen. r. Henry.

Page 96. note [x] r, Tower of London.

I have lately perused with much attention what the very learned and ingenious Mr. Bryant hath insisted upon, with regard to an Apamean medaglion, the reverse of which is supposed to represent some circumstances of the Noachic deluge.

Amongst the various methods of transferring inheritances in use with our ancestors was that of conveying them by a Horn, either in Frank Almoigne, or in Fee, or in Serjeantry. Ingulphus, abbot of Croyland, particularly specifies the Horn amongst those things whereby lands were conveyed in the beginning of the Conqueror's reign. His words are too remarkable to be omitted on this occasion; ‘Conferebantur etiam primo multa ‘praedia nudo verbo, absque scripto vel cbartâ, tantum cum dominī ‘gladio, vel gateâ, vel cornu, vel craterâ; et plurima tenementa cum ‘calcari, cum strigili, cum arcu; et nonnulla cum sagittâ. At first ‘(says he, speaking of the Conqueror's time) many estates were ‘transferred by bare word of mouth, without any writing or char ‘ter, only by the Lord's sword, or helmet, or born, or cup; and ‘many tenements by a spur, a scraper, a bow; and some by an ‘arrow.’ It should seem by this account given us by Ingulphus, which is to clear and express, that the implement was always such as was well known to have belonged to the donor or grantor.

It has been a prevailing notion, that England formerly produced some wine; and something in support of that opinion was offered to the Society in 1763, on the introduction, progress, state, and condition, of the vine in England, and the memoir was so well received as to merit a place in the Archaeologia. A gentleman of great knowledge, however, a considerable Antiquary, and a worthy member of the Society, has since been pleased to combat this notion, and to assign certain reasons for his dissent, in that noble and very elaborate work Observations on the more ancient Statutes, &c. p. 207, & seq. Whence it should seem a duty incumbent upon me, either to give up the point in question, or to invalidate his arguments; and the latter, under the Society's favour, I propose here to attempt, with all proper deference and regard to the superior abilities of the Honourable and very learned Mr. Barrington.