that in times past, good and able stuff of bowstaves had been brought into this realm, as well by English merchants as strangers, whereby the inhabitants, bowyers, might competently live upon such stuff, which they bought at 40s. or 46s. 8d. a hundred at most; but which then, by the seditious confederacy of Lombards, were at the outrageous price of 81. the hundred; so that in a short time this realm was like to fail as well of stuff of artillery, as of workmen thereof-it was ordained, that no merchant of Venice, nor other which used to repair into this realm with merchandises of those parts, shall bring into this realm any such merchandises, unless he brought at the same time ten bowstaves, good and able stuff, with every butt of Malmsey, and with every butt of Tire. The complaint of the scarcity and dearness of bows occurs also in the reign of Elizabeth; who, therefore, in her 13th year, ordered the statute of 12 Edward IV. to be put duly in execution and declared that all merchant strangers, using to bring wares into this realm from the East parts, as well as from the seventy-two HanseTowns, were comprised and meant under the name of such merchants as were bound by the said statute.

From the above extracts it appears, that we depended principally upon imported bowstaves for our best bows; which one would think needed not to have been the case, if our church-yards had been well stocked with yew-trees, besides considerable quantities of them that were scattered about various parts of the kingdom in a wild state, and the plantations which individuals must of course have made of a commodity that bore a good price. But the truth is, though our archers were the glory of the nation, and the terror of its enemies, yet the English yew was of an inferior goodness, and our brave countrymen were forced to have recourse to foreign materials. I shall produce but one proof, and that a decisive one, of this inferiority. Elizabeth, in her 8th year, in "an act of Bowyers," thus settles the prices of bows: bows meet for men's shooting, being outlandish yew, of the best sort, not over the price of 6s. 8d. each; bows meet for men's shooting, of the second sort, 3s. 4d.; bows for men, of a coarser sort, called livery bows, 2s.; bows being English yew, 2s*. This accounts for the silence

* In 33 Hen. VIII. 3s. 4d. seems to have been the highest price of a bow; for then it was ordered, that no Bowyer should sell any bow of yew, of the tax called Elk, for more thau that price. A friend of mine informs me, that ' be has seen in Scotland very ancient bows of the Douglases that were very long and heavy, and must have consumed the heart of a very considerable tree to make one.

of our ancient legislators with respect to the culture of the English yew, which, as far as I can perceive, was never an object of national concern; and which with other inferior woods was rather used for domestic exercise and practice, than relied upon for deeds of valour in the field of battle. But, if the custom of planting yew-trees in church-yards for the purpose of archery had even partially prevailed, and been found useful, it is almost impossible but that some of the statutes on that subject must have recited it, and encouraged its further extension; and we should, in consequence, have seen more considerable remains of them in those places than at present hardly any where occur. Indeed the opinion I have been combating is, as far as the few books I have an opportunity of consulting enable me to judge, of a very modern date. Gerard mentions their growing in church-yards, where they have been planted. Evelyn only says, that its propagation hath been forborne

since the use of bows has been laid aside. Sir Thomas Brown, in his Urn Burial, thinks "it may admit conjecture, whether the planting of yews in church-yards had not its original from ancient funeral rites, or as an emblem of resurrection from its perpetual verdure." He appears not to have ever heard of their being planted there for bows; for, if he had, he could scarcely have avoided mentioning it upon this occasion. What truth there may be in Sir Thomas's conjecture, which is adopted by the ingenious and inquisitive editor of the Antiquitates Vulgares of Mr. Bourne-how our countrymen came to excel in the use of instruments, the best of which they were forced to have from abroad-and why the yew-tree, which loves Aquilonem et Frigora, was not of as good quality in England, as in other parts-with some other questions that this little essay may involve, are matters that I am not at present prepared to discuss; but proceed to offer my own thoughts upon those venerable jew-trees that are still to be seen in some of our church-yards.

In this country there used to be formerly (as in catholic countries there still is) a procession on Palin-Sunday, in memory of our Saviour's entrance into Jerusalem, when branches of Palm-trees were strewn in his way; and it was a ceremony retained after some others were dropped: for bearing of Palms on Palm-Sunday was one of the laudable customs which Henry VIII. in 1536 declared was not to be contemned and cast away: and Wheatley informs us from Collier, that Palms were used to be borne here with us till

2 Edward VI. The Rhemish translators of the New Testament mention also the bearing of Palms on this day in their country when it was catholic; and Mr. Bourne abovementioned, who wrote about 60 years ago, says, that they now and then on a Palm-Sunday saw the young people carrying branches of Palms in their hands; and an old MS. quoted in 3d Volume of Horda Angel-Cynnan, says, "wherfor holi chirche this daye makyth solempne processyon, in mynde of the processyon that Cryst made this dey; but for en chesen that we hav noone Òlyve that bearith greene leves, therefore we taken Palme, and geven insteade of Olyve, and beare it about in processyon, so is this daye called PalmeSonday." From these passages it is evident, that something called a Palm was carried in procession on Palm-Sunday. What the last writer means by our having no Olive that beareth green leaves, I do not so well know; however, what he calls a Palm was substituted. Now it is my idea, that these Palms, so familiarly mentioned, were no other than the branches of yew-trees. Some author I have read makes mention of a few of the true Palm-trees growing at Rome, from which the Pope and a few of the higher Cardinals are supplied with branches on Palm-Sunday; while the rest are forced to be contented with the succedaneum of some other evergreen. Sprigs of box, says the editor of Mr. Bourne, are still used as a substitute for Palms in Roman Catholic countries. With us, in the north, the children go out into the fields, the week before this Sunday, a palmsoning or palmsning, as they call it, and gather the flowering buds of the sallow; because, perhaps, in some of those parts they are the only things at this season in which the power of vegetation can be discovered. And why should not the branches of the yew-tree also be good substitutes, and assume the name of their principals; they are not only always green, but in blossom too, as early as they can be wanted for this ceremony; and being planted near the church, would be always ready at hand. For this purpose (as now for decking the church at Christmas) one or two trees would be fully sufficient, which is the usual number we meet with in one church-yard; and that they actually were made this use of is extremely probable, from those in the

*

* This custom is not peculiar to the north, being still a common practice in the neighbourhood of London. The young people go a palming; and the Sallow is sold in London-Streets for the whole week preceding Palm-Sunday. EDITOR.

church-yards in East Kent (where there are some very large. and old) being to this day universally called palms; and if they should go under the same name in other parts, my coti jecture would receive a very great additional force.

I wish, Sir, what I have here suggested may attract the attention of some of your correspondents, who may be able to throw more light on the subject,

1779, Dec.

SIR,

I am, &c.

A. B.

YOUR correspondent A. B. has gone deeply into the subject of yew-trees in church-yards, and his essay is both entertaining and instructive. It may be said with propriety, he hath fairly and candidly demolished the two current opinions concerning them, that they were "originally planted there to protect the churches from storms, or to furnish the parishioners with bows." But as it is always easier to pull down than to build, he does not seem to have succeeded so well in his own conjecture upon them, "that their branches were intended to be used on Palm-Sunday," for this plain reason, the bearing of Palms on Palm-Sunday, was an act of joy and ovation in remembrance of our Saviour's triumphant entry into Jerusalem; whereas the yew is not only a tree of baleful influence, whence Statius terms it,

-metuendaque succo

Taxus*;

but it is too much of a funeral nature, to be made a substitute for the joyful Palm. But you will say, the ill-smelling box is applied in some countries to the same purpose, and is equally funeral, and therefore why not the yew? I answer, whatever may be the custom in foreign countries, box never was used here, that we know of, in the processions on Palm-Sunday, neither does it ever appear in our churchyards, which it certainly would in that case as well as the yew, upon A. B.'s hypothesis; ought not the box, on this supposition, to occur as frequently in church-yards as the yew? This objection is therefore invalid.

* Statius, VI. v. 91. and see Mr. Evelyn, passim.

But what then, you will ask, was the intention of planting yews in church-yards, if their branches were not used on Palm-Sunday? It is with the utmost diffidence, Mr. Urban, that I deliver my opinion on this disputable question; however, sensible as I am of your great indulgence towards all your numerous correspondents, I shall venture to tell you my thoughts. Now I take it, as A. B. does, that yews, specifically were not planted in church-yards, for the purpose of protecting the fabric of the church from storms; though, in the event, they proved subservient to that end. But my conception is, that on the first planting of trees there, whenever that was, for I do not pretend to specify the time, various kinds were introduced, and in some places the yew amongst the rest. Considering the slowness of the growth of this tree, and the immense bulk of some of them, one has reason to think they may be as old as the Norman conquest. Supposing then the yew to be once planted in certain cemeteries, when the statute of 35 Ed. I. A. D. 1307, began to operate, whereby leave was given to fell or cut down trees in church-yards, for building and repairs; the timber trees adapted to that purpose would of course be taken down from time to time; so that the yews at last, and in our days, would be the only trees left standing. These, as unfit for the uses prescribed, would consequently remain, and afterwards as an ever-green, be thought an emblem of the resurrection, and even acquire some degree of regard and veneration.

1780, Feb.

T. Row.

LXXXIX. Curious Specimen of early Printing.

We are happy to communicate to the public the following very curious Letter on a subject in which we are professionally interested, and which, we doubt not, will be agreeable to our learned readers.

DEAR SIR,

TO THOMAS ASTLE, Esq.

Jan. 15, 1781.

GIVE me leave to congratulate you on your fortunate acquisition of a block which was used in the very infancy of