quities; they have found Roman coins, the ruins of a Norman castle, and a round Danish mound of earth, now called the Castle Hill. It is most worthy of observation, that none of the ancient hostles, or inns for scholars, were on the northern side of the river; and the only religious house of which we have any account here, was that of St. Giles's Priory, the present site of Magdalen College. Indeed, the erecting of religious houses and hostles on the southern side, will account for the spread of the town on that side. Dr. Caius may lead the antiquary more northward, towards Girton, and more southward, towards Grantchester, and point out to him evidences of great antiquity. Among other monuments dug up on this north side of the river, Mr. Parker mentions gigantic bones, which he had seen. We cannot account always for the wonderful things seen by antiquaries: so I form no conjecture about them: but on this spot there is certainly much that has repaid the research of antiquaries.

This college consists of two small courts, which have a neat college look; the outer contains the master's lodge, chapel, and apartments for fellows and students. Over the gateway of the portico of the western court are the arms of Lord Audley, the second founder: in the front of the eastern, over the Pepysian library, those of the Pepys family. The north side of the western court has been lately faced with Roman Cement, and the chapel been put into elegant order. Over the altar is a plaster of Paris of the two Maries, after the Resurrection, in altorelievo, by Collins. The whole court, I understand, is to be faced, in like manner, with the Roman Cement, an ex

* Hist. Cant. Acad. Lib. i. 7, 8.

pensive way of casing, but which is proportionably neat and elegant. In the hall between the courts are three portraits, one of the venerable Bishop Cumberland.

The eastern court presents the Pepysian library; on each side of which are also chambers for students. The building is raised on arcades, supported by small columns, without architrave, frize, and cornice, being of the Tuscan order. This order should express plainness and strength, and there are decorations on this building which seem not to comport well with that style. I am speaking now from recollection, being at present away from the spot; and am not sure there is not a mixture of the Ionic here: at all events, the busts seem to me out of place, belonging rather to the interior, than the exterior of a public library.

Among the portraits about this college, there is one of the first founder, the Duke of Buckingham, which is an original, and reckoned a good one. It is by Houbraken, was given by Mr, B. Willis, and has on it this inscription;

Edwardus Dux Buckingamie, ætatis suæ 42.

The Pepysian library claims our particular attention. This library, then, was bequeathed to Magdalen by Samuel Pepys, Esq. formerly of this college: he was author of a work, deemed of great importance to the country, entitled, the History of the Navy, and one of our first collectors of old English books. He was president of the Royal Society, secretary to the Admiralty, in Charles II. and James the II.d's reign, and died in 1702, leaving his curious collection of old English books and

prints to this college, together with money, to construct an edifice to receive them.

A few of the more remarkable and valuable articles in this collection are fac-similes of the hand-writing of eminent persons, with whom Mr. Pepys held correspondence, together with the fragments of the hand-writing of many distinguished persons for several years back; some of his own compositions in MS. on maritime affairs; many fine engravings, of which those accounted the most curious are the 12 Cæsars and their wives, from original paintings by Titian, and engraved by Sadlier. But the most curious of all, and perhaps the most valuable, are, two collections of old poetry; one, of old English ballads, amounting to 2000, in five volumes folio, begun by Selden, and brought down, by Mr. Pepys, to the year 1700; the other, is a collection of Scottish poetry, called the Maitland collection, consisting of poems by Gawen Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld, Dunbar, Lindsay, Drummond, James I. and several others, known and unknown: this latter consists of two volumes. The first volume, a folio, was copied by himself, Sir Rich. Maitland; the other in quarto, being his own composition, with some older poems, by other authors, was written, according as Sir Richard, being old and blind, dictated, by his daughter, The MS. collection of English poems is the best to be found in any library in England; and the Scottish collection better than any in Scotland, not excepting that made by Mr. George Bannatyne, in the Advocate's library, in Scotland.

* This valuable collection was made by Mr. George Bannatyne, one of the Canons of the Cathedral Church of Murray, in the middle of the 16th century, though it was deposited but very lately in the Advocate's Library.

Bishop Percy was much indebted to the English collection in his three volumes of English poetry, and Mr. Pinkerton's two volumes of Scottish is entirely made up from the Maitland collection. Mr. P. copied them al-、 most all, and such as he deemed the best, were published by him in 2 volumes, in 1776.

This Sir Richard Maitland, to whom we are indebted for this valuable collection, was born 1496, and died in 1586. A full account of him and his writings is given by Mr. Pinkerton, in the first volume of Ancient Scottish Poems, and in the second, by way of Appendix, is an account of the whole collection of the two Maitland MSS.

TRINITY COLLEGE.

IF the present college may claim the attention of every curious reader, it might find employment also for the talents of many assiduous writers. What can be offered in the space of a few pages might therefore be introduced, not improperly, by an appeal to the reader's candour: but with respect to this college, I have been beforehand with my apology; and as too much of apology may become irksome, so repetitions are generally considered tedious; and he who is not disposed to find reasons for candour, from the nature and peculiar circumstances of this foundation, would not be better disposed, from any thing that I could say.

The vastness of the subject may be conceived on considering the many houses, out of which this college was originally composed, the extent of the present establishment, the names of the many great men by whom it has been adorned, and the most striking, and, in this country, unparalleled magnificence of its buildings.

Of the three principal hostles, on the site of which Trinity College is built, two were considerable colleges before the present establishment: I have said the three principal hostles, for it, in fact, embraced the site of se