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LEICESTER-SHIRE, lying bordred upon the North with Nottingham-shire; upon the East with Lincoln and Rutland; upon the South with North∣hampton-shire; and upon the West with Watling-street-way is parted from Warwick-shire; the rest being bounded with the confines of Dar∣by, is a Countrey Champion, abounding in corn, but spary of woods, especially in the South and East parts, which are supplyed with Pit-coales plente∣ously gotten in the North of this Province,* 1.1 and with abundance of Cattell bred in the hills beyond the River Wreack, which is nothing so well inhabi∣ted as the rest.
* 1.2(2) The aire is gentle, mild, and temperate, and giveth appetite both to labour and rest: wholsome it is, and draweth mans life to a long age, and that much without sicknesse; at Carleton onely some de∣fect of pronuntiation appeareth in their speech.
* 1.3(3) The Soile thus consisting, the commodities are raised accordingly of corn, cattle and coals, and in the rockes neere Bever are sometimes found the Astroites,* 1.4 the Star-like precious Stone.
(4) The ancient people that inhabited this Countie, were the Coritant, who were spread fur∣ther into other Shires, but after that the Romanes had left the land to it self, this with many more fell to be under the possession and government of the Mercians and their Kings, from whom the English enjoyeth it at this day.
(5) In Circular wise (almost) the compasse of this Shire is drawn indifferently spacious, but not very thick of Inclosures, being from East to West in the broadest part not fully 30. miles, & from North to South but 24. the whole circumference about 196. miles; whose principall Citie is set, as the Center, almost in the midst:* 1.5 from whom the Pole is eleva∣ted 53. degrees and 4. minutes in Latitude, and for Longitude 19. degrees, 22. minutes.
(6) From this Towne the Shire hath the name, though the name of her selfe is diversly written, as Legecestria, Leegora, Legte-ceste: by Ninius, Caer-Lerion;* 1.6 by Matthew of Westminster (if we doe not mistake him) Wirall; and now lastly, Leicester: anci∣ent enough, if King Leir was her builder, eight hun∣dred forty and four years before the birth of our Saviour,* 1.7 wherein he placed a Flamine to serve in the Temple of Ianus, by himselfe there erected, and where hee was buried, if Geffrey ap Arthur say true, but now certain it is, that Ethelred the Mercian Mo∣narch made it an Episcopall Sea,* 1.8 in the yeare of Christ Iesus 680. wherein Sexwulph of his Election became the first Bishop: which shortly after was thence translated, and therewith the beauty of the Towne began to decay; upon whose desolations that erectifying Lady Edalfled cast her eies of com∣passion, and both rectified the buildings, and com∣passed it about with a strong wall,* 1.9 where in short time the Cities trade so increased, that Matth. Paris in his lesser Story reporteth as followeth, Lege∣cester (saith he) is a right wealthy City, and notably de∣fended; and had the wall a sure foundation, were inferi∣our to no City whatsoever. But this pride of prosperity long lasted not under the Normans, for it was sore oppressed with a world of calamities, when Robert Bossu the Crouch-back Earl of that Province,* 1.10 rebel∣led against his Soveraigne Lord King Henry the se∣cond: whereof hear the same Author Paris speake: Through the obstinate stubbornes of Earle Robert (saith he) the noble City Leicester was besieged and throwne down by K. Henry, and the wal that seemed indissoluble, was utterly razed, even to the ground. The peeces of whose fragments so fallen downe, remained in his daies like to hard rocks,* 1.11 through the strength of the Morter cementing whole lumps together: and at the Kings command the City was set on fire and burnt, the Castle razed, and a heavy imposition laid upon the Citizens,* 1.12 who with great sums of money bought their own Banishments: but were so used in their departure, that for extreme feare many of them took Sanctuary, both at S. Edmunds and S. Al∣banes. In repentance of these mischiefes, the author thereof Earle Robert built the Monastery of S. Ma∣ry de Pratis, wherein himselfe became a Canon Re∣gular, and for fifteen yeeres continuance in sad la∣ments served God in continuall prayers. With the like devotion, Henry the first Duke of Lancaster built an Hospitall for an hundred and ten poor peo∣ple, with a collegiate Church, a Deane, twelve Ca∣nons Prebendaries, as many Vicars, sufficiently pro∣vided for with revenewes; wherein himselfe lieth buried: and it was the greatest ornament of that Citie, untill the hand of King Henry the eight lay over heavy upon the like foundations, and laid their aspired tops at his own feet.
The fortunes of another Crouch-back (K. Richard the Vsurper) were no lesse remarkable in this Citie then the former Robert was,* 1.13 both of them in like degree of dishonourable course of life, though of different issue at their deaths, the one dying peni∣tent and of devout esteeme; the other leaving the stench of Tyrannie to all following ages; who from this City setting forth in one day with great pomp and in battell aray, to keep the Crowne sure upon his owne Helmet, in a sore fought field, yeelded both it and his life unto the head and hands of Hen∣ry of Richmond his Conquerour: and the next day was brought back like a Hogge, naked and torne, and with contempt without tears obscurely buried in the Gray-Friers of this City; whose suppression hath suppressed the plot-place of his grave, and on∣ly the stone-chest wherein he was laid (a drinking trough now for horses in a common Inne) retaineth the memory of that great Monarchs Funerall:* 1.14 and so did a stone in the Church and Chappell of S. Ma∣ries, inclose the corps of the proud and pontificall Cardinall Wolsey, who had prepared for himselfe, as was said, a far more richer Monument.
(7) Other places worthy of remembrance in this Shire were these:* 1.15 In the West, where a high crosse was erected, in former times stood the faire Citie Cleycester the Romans BENONNES,* 1.16 where their Legions lay, and where their two principall wayes crossed each other, as the Inhabitants report; Loughborow in the North-verge,* 1.17 which the Saxons called Leizanburge, was (as Marianus affirmeth) taken from the Britaines by Cuthwolfe their King, about the yeere of Christ 572.
At Redmore neere Bosworth,* 1.18 West-ward in this Countie, the Kingdom of England lay in hazard of one Battell, when King Richards Field was fought, where the land at once was freed from a Tyrant, and a wicked Vsurper. Neither may we passe Lut∣terworth, as the least in account, where the famous Iohn Wickliffe, Englands Morning star, dispersed the clouds of all Papisticall darknesse, by preaching the Gospell in that his charge; and stile of his pen, so piercing in power, that the man of Sinne ever since hath beene better known to the world.
(8) Religious houses by Princes erected and by them devoted to God and his service,* 1.19 the chiefest in this Shire were at Leicester, Grace-Dieu, Keirkby-Bellers, and at Burton a Spittle for Lazers, a disease then newly approached in this Land; for the erecti∣on whereof a common contribution was gathered thorow the Realm: the Patients in this place were not so much deformed in skin, as the other were in the defects for the soule; whose skirts being turned up to the sight of the world, their shames were dis∣covered, and those houses dissolved, that had long maintained such Idolatrous sinnes.
(9) This Shires division is into six Hundreds,* 1.20 and in them are seated twelve Market Towns for com∣merce, and containeth in her circuit two hundred Parish-Churches: whose names with others are in the Table following, to this Chapter belonging.