the old chapel, with Sir Thomas Pope's wainscot, where të still remains.

No traces of the old house at Tyttenhanger now remain. It was totally demolished about the year 1652, and was soon afterwards most elegantly rebuilt as it appears at present. 1797, Jan. T. WARTON.

CXXX. List of the Household and mode of living, at Ragland Castle.

MR. URBAN,

Bristol, July 1.

IN a collection of Welch tours, lately published, I find a singular article, which I do not recollect to have seen in any of our English histories; and, as it displays an engaging picture of Welch hospitality as well as the magnificence of former times, it may probably afford entertainment to your readers: as such, I with pleasure inclose you the extract.

J. D.

List of the Household and method of living, at Ragland Castle, by the Earl of Worcester, in the Reign of Charles

1. 1641.

"At 11 o'clock in the forenoon the castle gates were shut, and the tables laid; two in the dining-room; three in the hall; one in Mrs. Watson's apartment, for the chaplains (Sir Toby Mathews being the first); and two in the housekeeper's room, for the ladies' women.

"The earl entered the dining-room, attended by his gentleman.

"As soon as he was seated, Sir Ralph Blackstone, steward of the house retired. The comptroller, Mr. Holland, attended with his staff, as did the sewer, Mr. Blackburne; the daily waiters, Mr. Clough, Mr. Selby, Mr. Scudamore; and many gentlemen's sons, with estates from two to seven hundred pounds a year, who were bred up in the castle; my lady's gentlemen of the chamber, Mr. Morgan, and Mr. Fox.

"At the first table sat the noble family, and such of the nobility as came there.

"At the second table, in the dining-room, sat knights and honourable gentlemen, attended by footmen.

"In the hall, at the first table, sat Sir Ralph Blackstone,

steward; the comptroller, Mr. Holland; the secretary; the master of the horse, Mr. Dolowar; the master of the fishponds, Mr. Andrews; my Lord Herbert's preceptor, Mr. Adams; with such gentlemen as came there under the degree of a knight, attended by footmen, and plentifully served with wine.

"At the second table in the hall (served from my Lord's table, and with other hot meats) sat the sewer, with the gentlemen waiters and pages, to the number of twenty-four.

"At the third table, in the hall, sat the clerk of the kitchen, with the yeomen officers of the house, two grooms of the chamber, &c.

"Other officers of the household were, chief auditor, Mr. Smith; clerk of the accounts, George Whithorn; purveyor of the castle, Mr. Salisbury; ushers of the hall, Mr. Moyle and Mr. Cooke; closet-keeper; gentleman of the chapel, Mr. Davies; keeper of the records; master of the wardrobe; master of the armoury; master grooms of the stable for the war-horses, twelve; master of the hounds; master falconer; porter, and his man.

"Two butchers; two keepers of the home park; two keepers of the red deer park.

Footmen, grooms, and other menial servants, to the number of 150. Some of the footmen were brewers and bakers.

"Out Officers.

"Steward of Ragland, William Jones, esq.

"The governor of Chepstow castle, Sir Nicholas Kemys,

bart.

"Housekeeper of Worcester house in London, James Redman, esq.

"Thirteen bailiffs.

"Two counsel for the bailiffs to have recourse to, "Solicitor, Mr. John Smith.

"This once magnificent castle is now in ruins, but the remains of it are well worth the observation of travellers. Among other parts now standing is a flight of steps, which appear ready to fall, yet so curiously put together as to be ascended without danger; part of the hall is standing, and presents to the view a beautiful picture of ancient archi

tecture."

1797, July.

CXXXI. Use of Piscina in Churches.

MR. URBAN,

I HAVE sent you an accurate representation of a fenestella in the south wall of the chancel of the very beautiful church of Melton Mowbray, in Leicestershire.

These niches have in general been improperly called basins or stoups, for holy water; but your correspondent Indagator*, gave them the true name of piscine; and in his learned disquisition on episcopal seats, stone chairs, and other appendages to sacred edifices, inserted in Archæologia, vol. XI. he has specified some of the uses of these receptacles. One of them was, p. 353,

"That, should a fly or spider, &c. fall into the chalice before consecration, it was directed to be thrown, together with the wine, into this receptacle; but, should this happen afterwards, it was directed to be burnt super piscinam.

Mr. Clarke's reference is to a Roman missal published in 1528; but this direction occurs in Typographical Antiquities, vol. III. under the article of "The Boke named the Royall, compyled at the Request of King Phelip (le Bele of Fraunce), in the year MCCLXXIX." Of the translation of this book, made and printed by Caxton, Mr. Herbert remarks, that he knows of no other copy than that which is in the King's possession; and that to it are annexed some curious injunctions, or instructions, to a priest about saying mass, intituled, "Of the Negligences happyning in the Masse, and of the Remedyes. Made especially for the symple peple, and for the symple prests, which understond not latyn." The instruction alluded to is at p. 1769, as follows:

"A doctour whyche is called Bonauenture, saith, that yf tofore the consecracion a flye or loppe or ony other venymouse beest were founde in the chalyce, it ought to be caste in to the piscine. And the chalyce ought to be wasshen, and to put other wine and water in to the chalyce. And yf after the consecracyon were found ony thi'g, as poyson, or veny. mous beste in the chalyce, it ought to be take wysely and wesshen, and to brenne the beste. And the asshes and the wasschyng of the beeste to be put in the pyscyne,”

* See p. 396.

Very requisite therefore, was it that the piscina should be constructed near the station of the celebrant. And this will account for our seeing these niches not only in the walls of chancels not far from the high altar, but also in the ailes and chantry-chapels, where there were side altars for private

masses.

In the preceding page the same profound Doctor gives this instruction concerning the kind of wine which the priest was to consecrate for the use of himself alone, the cup being at that time withheld from lay-communicants:

"And knowe that the wyne ought not to be soure ne vergews. For it sholde have noo consecracyon. For the aygre wyne is no more wyn, but it hath be wyne. And the vergews is not yet wyne, but it shold be wyne yf it shold be suffred to ripe."

But qu. is this observation well founded? If time formerly would thus improve verjuice, has it not lost that quality? According to Chambers's Dictionary, v. verjuice,

it has its name from a large sort of grape, called verjus, or bourdelas, which is said never to grow perfectly ripe; or, rather, which in its utmost maturity is too austere and sour to be used in wine, whence it is commonly turned into verjuice. 1797, Aug.

W. and D.