1825.]

Antient Seals.Double Font at Beton.

Mr. URBAN, Lincoln's Inn, June 17.
BSERVING that one of your

the crests and badges of the Baronial
families represented by the house of
Percy, I send you a drawing of the
Seals of Sir Guy Bryan, Sir Robert
Fitzpayn, and Sir Robert de Poynings,
three of the noble ancestors of the
Duke of Northumberland. Sir Tho-

mas Rytson of Hengrave was a purchaser from Henry, fourth Earl of Northumberland, of the manor of Ackford Fitzpain, in Dorsetshire, and these seals are among the title deeds remaining at Hengrave.

Sir Guy Bryan, K.G. bore Or, three piles Azure (see Plate I. fig. 1.) and appears from his seal, which is loose, to have used griffins for his supporters; he died in 1390, having been summoned to several Parliaments in the reigns of Edw. III. and Rich. II. The heiress of Bryan intermarried with Fitzpayne.

Sir Robert Fitzpayne gave for his arms Gules, three lions passant Argent, a bendlet Azure (see fig. 2.) This seal is appendant to a deed dated the day before the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, 40 Edw. III. whereby he granted to Sir Guy Bryan, Sir Martin Moulisch, Canon of Salisbury, and other trustees, his manors of Ackford Fitzpayn in Dorsetshire, Stourton in Wiltshire, Bryghampton, Spekyntone Staple, and Sedene in Somersetshire, with the advowsons of the Churches of the same places. His only child Isabel was wife of Sir Richard de Poynings.

Sir Robert de Poynings, son and heir of Richard and Isabel, by deed dated 26 June, 4 Henry V, enfeoffed Walter Metford, clerk, Sir John Pelham, and other feoffees, with his manor of Ackford Fitzpayn. Upon his seal he bears quarterly 1 and 4, barry of six Or and Vert, a bendlet Gules, Poynings, 2 and 3, Fitzpayn. His crest is a griffin's head, with wings displayed; and he uses two badges, a key with the handle uppermost, under a crown, and a unicorn passant. Probably the latter was derived from Bryan. (see fig. 3.) Sir Robert Poyn ing's eldest son Richard died in the life-time of his father, leaving an only child Eleanor, wife of Henry, Earl of Northumberland.

In an heraldic MS. in my possession
GENT. MAG. October, 1825.

297

of the time of James I. the two badges
given to the Earl of Northumberland

crown; but the latter is used differ-
ently from Poynings, the key being
turned up and passed through the
crown. The unicorn is one of the
supporters of the Percy family.
Yours, &c.
JOHN GAGE.

T. 4.) is in the possession
THE
HE matrix (of bronze) of the
Seal (fig.
of Lieut.-gen. Hutton, to whom it was
presented a few years ago by a gentle-
man in Ireland, who brought it from
Demerara, where it had been used
some time in a merchant's store for
sealing bottled liquors, &c. It is said
to have been carried to Demerara by
an officer who had found it among
some ruins in Spain.

The legend, Big, castri roffensis, it is apprehended, can only apply to Rochester in Kent, and any elucidation as to its use, &c. would much oblige. It is probably about 300 years old.

EDIT. Mr. URBAN, May 30. THE accompanying drawing of a double Font in the Church of Béton, about eight English miles from Rennes in Brittany, was sketched by a youth of fifteen, who is a great admirer of Antiquities (see fig. 5). The font has the figures 404 upon it, the first figure is obliterated from age; probably 1404 is the date; and on the margin at top are some ancient letters, which appear to be Celtic, but too imperfect to copy or decipher.

The Church is of a much older date. The steeple was destroyed in the Revolution, but the tower still remains, though much dilapidated; the windows are Gothic, varying but little from the niches on the fonts and a house of about a century old has been added to the ecclesiastical building, which was occupied two years since by Capt. Wells of the British Navy. The Church is small, has only one aile, one window is stopped up, and the tracery in the East and West windows are in a very imperfect state. Over the windows are labels, terminated at top alternately with a cross and a fleur de lis. (see figs. 6, 7.)

I am, Sir, one of your oldest admirers and subscribers, AN OCTOGENARIAN.

Mr.

On Laughter.

1825.]

On reading the Burial Service in Churches.

Laughter is too loud for sympathy, which is an internal feeling or passion. Job 8. 21; Ps. 126. 2. 6. Sympathy is a cause of joy, Gen. 21. 6; Isa. 66. 10. Now the majority of these passages obviously condemns Laughter; and the wise King condemns it by declaring sorrow to be preferable, Eccl. 7.3; and that Laughter is the symbol of a fool, ib. 7.6; and the Apostle James 4. 9, recommends to the double minded, and to others who are accustomed to drown their transgressions in boisterous mirth, to let their Laughter be turned to mourning, and their joy to heaviness!

There is no work extant of so high authority for moral and practical philosophy as the Sacred Scriptures, in which the human heart is so truly developed, and its frailties considered and exposed, and if every man while he reads it would apply to himself the language of Nathan, he would never close the book without profiting by the research not only in his life, but in eternity!

You have known me long enough, dear Octogenarius, to be sensible that I am not here putting in any claim to the rank of a crying philosopher, nor even of those ancient cynics of either Greece or Rome, who denied the blessing of a comfortable smile, or a cheerful hour in conversation with a friend. But I think you will recollect that all our hours of rational recreation have been enlivened by the satisfactions we have cultivated in more sedate and philosophical pursuits; and that although neither of us have laughed much either at or in society, yet none have more exquisitely enjoyed the associations of our intimate friends. Yours, &c.

A. H.

Mr. URBAN, Sept. 9. THE Laity are in general so occuTHE pied with their worldly concerns, as very seldom to trouble themselves about Ecclesiastical affairs; and it may excite surprise in many of your readers to hear that some Clergymen of the Church of England refuse to permit the corpse of a person under 14 or 15 years of age to be carried into the church. We live in too enlightened an age to pay implicit obedience to the maxim of the ancient canon law, "Sarcedotes honorandi sunt non judi. candi." To the first part of this rule we most willingly subscribe; from the

299

latter we beg to dissent; for if Clergymen of the present day do wrong by neglecting their duty, they must expect it to be noticed and to be told of it.

I know not what substantial reason is or can be given for such a refusal : if indeed a person, no matter of what age, dies of an infectious disease, a Clergyman may be warranted, from a regard to the living, in exerting such an authority; but to talk of age as an objection, is ridiculous. It does not appear from the Rubrick that the officiating Minister has any discretionary power or option, if the relatives of the deceased require it; and I would ask such a Clergyman if he imagines the immortal soul of a young person to be less dear to the all-merciful God of our nature, than the soul of other hu man beings, however aged they may be; indeed the usual inference is, that children are more spotless, as being less contaminated by the world.

That part of the Burial Service, namely, the beautiful and sublime Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, which is read in the church, is so impressive, that the heart and mind of every one that hears it, must be callous indeed if they do not feel a religious awe; it is calculated to turn the thoughts so upon a future state of existence, as to amend our lives and make us better Christians; it may induce such religious reflections and such a conduct in life here, as to produce content and happiness, and blessings which all the riches of this world can neither give or take away. Whenever I have heard it read, it has thrown a serenity over my mind, and abstracted me from all worldly concerns. I have relieved the distressed with more kindness; I have spoken to and treated my family and domestics with more than usual affection; in short, I am convinced I have been better for it as a man and a Christian; and may it not have the same beneficial effect upon others?

When all the Burial Service is read. over the mortal remains of a beloved child or other relative, and all the comforts of our religion administered, we return to our homes soothed that we have performed our last solemn duties, and we more confidently rely upon the mercies of our Creator. When the Service is curtailed and imperfectly performed, it leaves an impression

upon

300

M. Belanger's Journey to Pérsia.

upon the mind, that "we have left
undone those things which we ought
to have done;" and we are dissatisfied
at having that mournful consolation
withheld, which the benevolence of
the Divine Author of our religion
would not have denied.
Yours, &c.

Mr. URBAN,

ORTHODOX.

THE
HE following letter, dated Tauris,
May 28, and written by M. Be-
langer, Botanist to the French King at
Pondicherry, contains an interesting
narrative of part of his journey over
land to India, performed this summer
with the Viscount Desbassayns de
Richemont:

We left Teflis (the capital of Persian Georgia) on the 15th of April, and thanks to the kindness and care of General Yermoloff, Chief of the Army of the Caucasus, we had every thing prepared for us to facilitate our journey. The appearance of the country of Teflis and Karaklisse is mountainous, and presents nothing interesting. The Prince of the latter, a Georgian by birth, gave us an excellent reception, and got up for our amusement some theatricals, acted by his soldiers, whose singing in chorus had a very agreeable effect. He commands the Russian army in this frontier. The Prince himself accompanied us as far as Gormi, the last city of his Government, and sent us from that under the protection of Beygler Bey of Tauris, who was returning from a mission to General Yermoloff, and was then proceeding with his suite into Persia.

At the entrance to Erivan we were met by a Kan with a numerous escort, who conducted us to our lodging, which was the house of the Governor of that city. From our apartment we had a view of Mount Ararat and Etzaniatzin, or the Three Churches, built on the very place where the Ark rested. The Zenguy rolled its murmuring billows beneath us; Erivan, which the Persians consider the Boulevard of their empire, is only defended by mud walls.

At Davilly and Nourachim we had the very agreeable pleasure of seeing the Persian cavaliers come to meet us; on their way they.had a sham battle, exhibited their fleetness on horseback, and threw the lance, which they parried off with admirable dexterity and address.

Before arriving at Natchievan, which is said to have been founded by Noah,

[Oct.

we passed through a desert, the soil of which is quite saltish, and is only inhabited by the Iliates, a wandering tribe, whose tents were scattered over the plains. It was at Natchievan, that we were met by Emir, Kan-Beyg, whom the hereditary Prince of Persia had sent before M. de Richemont, to serve as his Mimhandar (a kind of gentleman of honour). Having passed the Axai by a ford, we soon arrived at the banks of the Araxes, which we ourselves crossed on rafts of timber, while our horses swam over it. Not far from this river, and on the way to Marent, we passed through a very dangerous defile between rocks, which was unsafe to travellers: last year a caravan, escorted by five hundred men, had been set upon and robbed here.

After clambering over the Mountains of Michove, which, though not very high, were still covered with snow, we got down into the valley in which Tauris stands. At some distance from this city, the Governor's son, accompanied by Prince Abbas Mirza, Secretary of State, came, attended by a numerous escort of cavalry, to pay their respects and compliments to M. Richemont. The Secretaries of the Russian Legation, and a crowd of Mirzas and Kans, either from courtesy or curiosity, I know not which, joined our cavalcade, which was now increased by a corps of infantry which awaited our entry at the fauxbourgs. The variety of costume, and of their colours, the strangeness of the figures, and the melange of French and Russian uniforms, in the midst of the Asiatic dresses-on one side a crowd of foot soldiers armed with bayonnetted musquets-on the other, Persian horsemen exercising in the course, and the other usual amusements-the order and disorder which at once prevailed in our march-altogether exhibited to our view a very curious and not unentertaining appearance. After being complimented at the gates of the city by a respectable deputation, M. Richemont was conducted to the Governor's

abode, where lodgings were prepared for him.

A few days after our arrival Prince Abbas Mirza informed Viscount de Richemont that he would receive him on the following day, and according to custoin sent him some sweetmeats (sucreries). We were received by this Prince with all the Asiatic pomp and ceremony: horses richly caparisoned

bore

M. Belanger's Journey to Persia.