Parerga

A Short View OF Suffolk and Glocester-shire. Ex Illustri Autore GUIL. CAMDENO.

SUFFOLK

1. ON the South of Norfolk, hath Cambridge on the West, di∣vided from Essex Southward by the River Stow, the German Ocean beating on the East; two Rivers, little Ouse and VVaveny, running severall wayes from the same Springs between Norfolk and it.

2. A Region large, harborous, of a rich soil except Eastward, fruitfull corne-fields, and good pastures, and meadows for fatting cattel, abound∣ing in cheese, and not without woods, and many Parks for Deer adjoyning to Noble Houses.

3. The politick or civil Distribution of this County is into 3 Parts, The Geldable, St. Edmunds Liberty, and St. Etheldreds.

3. Near Cambridg-shire is seated Ixning, of lesser fame now then heretofore, by reason of the vicinity of New-market, whither the Trade is carried. New-market Heath is a large and spa∣cious Plain, barren and sandy, but green; here men admire at Devils dike, as if the Devil had made it, whereas no doubt it was but a Trench made of old by the Inhabitants of this Country, against the Incursions of their Enemies.

5. Onward is St. Edmunds Bury, a famous Town, so called from Edmund, a most Christian King, whose body, after he was cruelly slain by the Danes, was here interred. It flourished much, which K. Canute had repaired, and new built the Church, offered his Crown to the holy Martyr, brought in Monks with their Abbot, and bestowed many Lands upon them, and among the rest, the Town it self. Of the Town and Mo∣nastery, while it stood, hear Lelands Testimony, an Eye-witness, Sol non vidit urbem situ elegantiorem, sic molli delicata pendet in clivo, & ridulus ad Ori∣entem defluit; aut Coenobium illustrius, &c.

6. Near unto Bury appears Rushbrook, the Seat of the noble Family of the Iermins: and not far off Ikesworth, and more on the North Fernham; and near it Lidgate, a Village not to be passed by in silence, being ennobled by the birth of Iohn Lidgate Monk, whose wit the Muses themselves framed and adorned, his English Poems are of such grace and elegancy. Thus of the Western part,

8. On the South, Stour, nigh the Fountain,

overflows, and makes Stour-mere, and then collecting his waters within banks, visits Clare, a noted Town, which shews you the ruines of an old Castle. Thence by long Melford rejoycing to see the fair Hospitall built there by Sr. VVilliam Cordall, he passeth on to Sudbury (Southbury) once the chief Town of this Shire, and yet will not easily yield priority to any other: for it is populous, and a rich clothing Town, governed by a Major yearly chosen out of seven Aldermen.

8. Edwardston is not far off, a Town of small note now, and after a few miles Stour is en∣creased by the access of the little river Breton, which, in no long course, washes two Towns of ancient Names; near the springs, Bretenham, now a little one, and having no face of a City; and somewhat Eastward, Ofton, i. e. the Town of Offa K. of Mercians; beneath which is Hadley, a Town of good note for clothing.

9. Stour having received Breton runs down with it, not far from Bentley, and after a few miles near Arwenton, the Seat of the illustrious Family of the Parkers, drowns himself in the Ocean, meeting with the river Orwell or Gipping.

10. Orwell floweth even out of the belly of this Country, from two Fountains, the one near VVulpet, a Market Town (Luporum fossa) the other at Gipping a poor Village. At Norton, by it, K. Henry 8. sought for Golden Mines in vain, and the pits speak as much.

11. Along the same River are seen Stow, and Needham, two Market Towns, and Himingston

almost on the bank of it, where Baldwin le Pet∣ture held Lands by a strange merry Tenure, per saltum, sufflum, & pettum.

12. Nearer the mouth of it appears Ipswich (of old Gippewich,) of an humble site, the eye, as it were, of this County, a commodious Haven, a great Market-Town of trade, a great multitude of Inhabitants, beautified with Fourteen Churches, and many fair and magnificent Buildings. The Corporation consists of Twelve Burgesses (called Portmen) of which the chief are two Bailieffs chosen yearly, and as many Iustices out of Twenty-four others. Thus for the Southern part.

13. The Eastern Coasts upon the Sea, run∣ning toward the North. The River Deben riseth near Mendlesham a market Town, thence visiteth and gives name to Debenham, from the deep waies round about it: afterwards it runns by Vfford and Rendolesham on the other side, and so to VVoodbridge, delighted with the neatness of the Town; and then after a few miles is enter∣tained by the Ocean, at Badsway Haven.

14. Now the Shore advanceth a little East∣ward, at the mouth of the river Orns, which hath its rise near Framlingham Castle, and pre∣sently spreads it self as it were into a Lake, on ••he West side thereof. This is a very fair Castle, and well fortified, with thirteen Turrets in a great thick wall, and within are many conve∣nient handsome Lodgings. Orns having washed a little Town Parham, and then Glemham, gives

name to Oreford, and near it falls into the Sea,

15. Oreford was a large and populous Town, but now complains of the ungratefull Ocean, for withdrawing himself, and envying her the commodity of her Haven by little and little. In the time of King Henry, there is a story, how the Fishermen here caught in their nets a wilde creature, representing in all parts the shape of a man, with a long beard, and much rough hair on his breast; who, at last secretly escaped to the Sea, and was seen no more.

16. Not much higher, in a safe and pleasant Site, lies Alburg, between the Vally Slangden, where the Sea beats on the East, and the River on the West; a Station for Mariners and Fisher∣men not incommodious, nor unfrequented: Hard by, when the Harvest was spoiled all England over by unseasonable weather, in the Year 1555. Peale grew up miraculously, with∣out any earth, amongst the stones, in the beginning of Autumn, and abated the price of Corne, as the Inhabitants relate; Some conjecture, that Pulse by shipwracks is cast upon the shore, and so uses to grow without any miracle. But the like spontaneous Harvest we have observed to be on the shore of Kent every year.

17. Ten miles further, along the Sea-coast you come to Dunwich, where An. 630. Felix the Burgundian fixt his Episcopall See, and his Successors a long time governed all the East of England; but now the violence of the waves

having carryed away the greatest part of it, the Bishops having many ages since removed their Chair thence; It sits in sadness, and al∣most in solitude. A little higher the River Blith emptieth it felf into the Sea, on whose bank is seated a small Town, Blithborow, which hath a Market by favour of Iohn Lord Clavering.

18. Here runns farther into the East, the Promontory Easton-ness, esteemed the most Ea∣stern point of all Britain; and is called by Ptolomy, Extensio. On the South of it lies Southwold in a plain open to the Sea; a Town frequented for the Havens sake, which the river Blith entring the sea, makes there; and when the Tide comes, so sur∣rounded with the waters, that it seemeth an Iland, and you would wonder it is not overflown. More inward you have VVingfield and Dunnington: and not far off Huntingfeild; and nearer it Heven∣ingham, the seat of a Noble Family that have their name thence: at a little distance is Hales∣worth, now the Seat of the Alingtons.

19. On the North; this Province, as we said, is divided from Norfolk by two small Rivers, Ouse and VVaveney; both which issuing out of a plashy place at Lophamford, their springs being very little distant, drive their shallow streams divers wayes. Upon Ouse, which runneth West, nothing offers it self on this side worthy of me∣mory: upon VVaveney, that runneth East, you shall see Hoxon first, enobled by the Martyrdome of K. Edmund. Near it, at Broom, hath long dwelt the noble Family of Cornwallis. Lower is Eay, i.e.

Isle, so called, because it is watered round about.

20. Thence Waveney runns down by Flixton (for Felixton, from the first Bp. Felix, as many other places were also named from him) and almost encompasseth Bungey. A little below neer the Bank, you shall see Mettingham. And now Waveney approaching to the Sea, and attempting in vain to go two wayes thither, one by the River Garienis, another by the Lake Luthing, makes a fair Peninsula, named by some Lovingland, by others, more truly, Luthingland, from that long and diffused Lake, which beginning at the shore of the Ocean reacheth to the river Garienis.

21. At the entrance of which Peninsula a little Town Lestroffe lies upon the Sea, at the end of it Gorlston. Inward upon Waveny is seated Somerly, and higher, where Garienis and Waveny mingle themselves Cnobersburg, which we now call Burgh-Castle, being onely ruined walls, enriched with Roman Coynes often found there.

Parishes 775.

GLOCESTER--SHIRE.

THe primary Seat of the Old Dobuni, hath Monmouth and Hereford-shire on the West, Worcester-shire on the North, on the East, Oxford and Warwick-shire; Wilt-shire and Somerset-shire on the South: a Country pleasant and fertile, stretched forth from the Summer-rising of the Sun to winter∣setting.

2. The more Eastern part raising it self in Hills is known by the name of Cotswold; the midst is sunk and fallen into a most fruitfull Plain, and watered by the most noble River Severn, that gives a vital force and verdure unto the Felds: the more Western part beyond Severn is all shaded with Woods.

3. The Region, saith Malmesbury, is called from the principall Town, The Vale of Glocester; all the Land rich in Corn, and abounding in fruit: You may behold the High-wayes ap∣parrelled as it were were with Apple-trees and Pear-trees, not by the industry of Plantation, but by the very nature of the Soil. A Region, more than any other Province in England, plentifull in Vines, of a more delightfull taste, the wines being very gratefull to the palate,

and not much inferiour to your French wines in sweetness, &c. No marvel so many places in these parts retain the name of Vineyards, yielding wine heretofore; and it is rather to be imputed to the ill-husbandry of the Inhabitants, than the decay of Nature, that there is none pressed at this day.

4. The more Western part, on the other side Severn (possessed of old by the Silures) even to the Wye (a River running betwixt Wales and England) is full of deep woods, the Forrest of Dean, so called, either from a little Town of that name, or, as I conjecture, from Arden, signifying both among the Galls and Brittains, a wood: the Forrest is now, since the Iron∣works there, grown thinner than heretofore.

5. Here is Avone, of most ancient memory, mentioned by Antoninus, now called Aventon, a little Village, probably so called from Avon, which to the Britains signifies a River.

6. The river Severn (Brit. Huffron) having gone a long journey in a narrower channel, where it first enters this Shire, receives the river Avon, and another little stream from the East, between which is seated Tewkesbury, so called from Theoc the Hermite here, a large and fair Town, having three Bridges, noted for clothing, and whose Mustard for biting is become Proverbial, being made up in balls.

7. Lower, on the bank of Severn, lies Deorhist, and suffers much damage by the

overflowing of the river, when it swells. Here in the midst of Severn is At••ey, now the Eight, i. e. Island, famous for the single Combate of Edmund the English King and Canute the Dane.

8. Severn goes on in a winding course, and dividing it self, to make an Island of the green and fertile meadowes, washes the City Glocester, which Antonine calls Glevum, the Britains Caer Glowi, i. e. The Fair City. It was built by the Romans, to awe the Silures, and a Colony was brought thither, named Colonia Glevum. The City is built along upon the river, and the other side is in part fortified by a very strong wall. The Streets are indeed very neat; and they were adorned with many Churches: The principall Church, or Colledge, was built by Aldred Archbishop of York, and had a Dean, with 6 Prebendaries: above the Quire, there is a semicircular vault, a Whispering-place, built with that artifice, that a very soft voice is conveyed between the walls, from one end to the other, to the admiration of the hearers.

9. Severn bidding farewell to Glocester, u∣niteth her divided forces, and fighteth often with a violent Tide, and bends her course to the Ocean, on the way visiting Barkley, a Town of good note, having a Major to govern it, and a Castle, honoured by the ancient Nobility of her Lords, the Barons of Barkley.

10. Near unto this, a little rivet Aven runs into the Severn Sea, at whose springs, scarce

eight miles off the shore, near the Village Al∣derley are bred stones in the shape of Cockles and Oysters, which, whether they were living creatures once, or are onely the sports of wanton nature, let the Physiologers enquire.

11. Now let us climb the Hills, and view Cotswold, so called from the hills (for wold signifies a Hill, and the Cotes or Folds of sheep, famous for their soft and fine wooll through all Nations. Under these hills are sheltred se∣veral places of especial mark.

12. Campden, or Camden, a Market Town of of note: Hales, once a most flourishing Monastry, famous for that Alexander of Hales, the Coryphoeus and chief of Schoolmen: Sudeley, a most elegant Castle (the stately House of the Illustrious Lord George, late Lord Chandos Baron of Sudeley:) VVinchcomb, an ancient populous Town (but very poor now, were it not for the Plantation of Tobacco) where Kenulph the Mercian King erected a fair Monastry, famed for the Reliques of Kenelm, a Childe traiterously made away by his Sister, and inserted into the Catalogue of Ma tyrs.

1r3. Near the Eastern bounds of this County is to be seen that celebrious Roman way, called the Fosse, which comes from Warwick-Shire, by Lemington, a Station of the Romans, (as the Roman Coyns there found seem to testifie) and then by Stow on the wold, exposed to the cold windes, and Northleach (washed by a rivulet of the same appellation) to Cirencester or Ciciter.

14. Ciciter, a Town of very great Antiquity, Corinum in Ptolomy, exactly 15 Miles from the Gloc, taking the name from the river Corinus, or Churne (which runns on the South of it, and affords opportunity of Mills) was a place of great dignity, as the Roman coyns, Marbles, and other Monuments often found there, do prove. The Fourth part scarce is now inha∣bited, the rest turned into Fields, and ruines of an old Religious House, built as they say by the Saxons. The Inhabitants are enriched by clothing, and thankfully remember the bounty of K. Richard the first, who gave them power over 7 adjacent Hundreds, to hear Causes, and receive Mulcts and other Emoluments thereby.

15. Among the Dukes of Glocester most me∣morable is Humphry brother to the renowned King Henry the fift; a man of high desert toward the Commonwealth of Learning:

FINIS.