it. They were Carthufians. Their houses were ufually built in deferts, their fare course, and difcipline fevere. They received their name from a village in Dauphine, called Chartreaux, where they were fift established, and where the aufterities of the monks of La Trappe have been long celebrated. There were never more than nine houfes of monks of this order in England. This at Mountgrace was founded in 1396, and at the dissolution its revenues were eftimated at 3231. 2s. 10d. [Burne.]

"Thomas Holland Duke of Surrey, Earl of Kent, and Lord of Wake (fays Dugdale), erected this monaftery by his manor of Bordelby, in Cleveland, Yorkshire, and gave it the name of Mount Grace of Ingleby, endowing it with the aforefaid manor. of Bordelby. King Richard II. at the inftance of the fame Duke Thomas, appropriated to this monaftery thofe of Hinckley, Warham, and Carefb oke, which were aliens. King Henry VI. in parliament ratified the donations made by the founder; and fays, the foundation was in the 20th year of King Richard II."

This was not one of the rich monafteries where mitred abbots prefided in ftate. Its buildings were humble and unornamented; and expreffive of the feverity of those rules by which it was governed. I fpeak not this as approving fuch aufterities in religion, for, far did they mistake the benevolent plan of Providence. But it looks fomething like fincerity, when they refused those indulgences, and defpifed thofe luxuries, which the rules of their order ob iged them to renounce.

The outer walls of the two courts or quadrangle of this monastery, inclofing three acres of land, are still standing (fig. 2); as well as the tower of the church fupported by four light Gothic arches. The Eaftern wall preffes closely upon the foot of a mountain well cloathed with wood. The grand entrance was on the Wef tern fide; Dear which was the abbot's Jodgings, converted at prefent into a farm-house, of a caftellated form, with Ipacious apartments (B). Over the door is the date of this building, 1654, with the initial of the name of Lafcelles, to which family it then belonged. It is now in the poffeffion of the Mauleverers, of Amcl ff. The church (C), which is in ruins, flood on the North fide of the first court. The ivy fupporting the fallen pillars, and giving

2

way to the abutting ftones, is extremely picturefque. Indeed, the ivy in this fequeftered fpot, from the few interruptions it has met with, has acquired a degree of ftrength and beauty, of which I could hardly fuppofe it capable. In one place I obferved the ftem to have fpread along the wall above a yard in diameter. In short, it realized the Poet's pretty obfervation,

"Whofe ragged walls the ivy creeps,
And with her arms from falling keeps;
So both a fafety from the wind
In mutual dependance find."

GRONGAR HILL.

Around this court are the traces of many buildings. The fecond court is furrounded by double walls, and contained the cells of thefe folitary monks, the doors of which (though built up) are ftill visible. On the fide of every door there is a fmall opening in the wall, to communicate with the apart ment, but fo contrived, that, though the victuals, &c. may be conveyed into the cell, it is impoffible for the perfon to be feen. The windows of thefe cells did not open into the court, but into a small space behind, which was guarded by the high outer wall. Such were the dwellings of thefe melancholy monks; and well were they calculated to answer the purposes of the order; for, they were enjoined a perpetual folitude; a total abftinence from flesh, even at the peril of their lives; to feed on bread, water, and falt, one day in every week; and were enjoined abfolute filence, except at flated times. They wore a hair-fhirt next their skins, and were allowed to walk only about their own grounds once a week. Miferable men! Is it thus you practifed a religion whofe foundation is benevolence? Is it thus the form of Jefus appeared before you, when he walked through the world feeking objects of compaffion? While I tread on the turf which covers your remains, let me form a new vow for myfelf; that my religion may fhew itself; that my religion may fhew itfelf in acts of public goodness; or, if I feek retirement, let it be for the improvement of my mind, and for the fake of meditating on new plans for the good of my fellow-creatures!

A ftream of clear water enters this court at the North-eaft corner, and runs in an open channel to the center of the court; it is then covered and

carried

carried beneath the buildings to the front of the abbot's apartments, and ends in a fine well. In the Weft wall of the inner court is a bapriftry, or washing-place, where a pump has been fixed, and resembles one in a vaulted very at York minfter. In the front of the monaftery are the remains of fish ponds, a falt-house, and other out-offices. Indeed, though the build ings are in ruins, they afford a more complete idea of fuch inftitutions than any I have met with. I have annexed a ground-plot of the monaftery as it now appears; and, as it was taken on the fpot, I can answer for its accuracy. The perfect lines denote the prefent walls; the dotted lines reprefent thofe J. B.

that are in ruin.

fingular remark, though fomewhat obfcurely expreffed. He fays, thofe paffions in the foul, that make no figns or visible marks in the body, are not cognizable by the art of the phyfiognomift; and alludes to fpeculative opinions and fciences, which, make no change of the vifible figns on the countenances of those who poffefs them. If he means that any particular fcience cannot be diftinguished by the face, he is very juft, and moft ingenious. But, if he means that intelligence in general is not difcoverable by the countenance, he opposes reafon and univerfal experience. He likewife obferves, that men's difpofitions vary at different times; but that every one's appearance is according to the pathon which he feels at the time. But his most valuable obfervation is, that no man ever refembled a beat entirely, but only

in fome very distant manner.

In the fecond chapter, he phyfiognomizes from almost every circumitance relative to man, %. from movements, from shapes, from colours, or complexions, from the ufual appearances in the face, from the hair, from the fmoothnets of the skin, from the voice, from the flesh, from the limbs, and, in fhort, from the frame of the whole body. Reípecting colours, he fays, that a mixture of white and red indicates a good difpofition; trong hard hair figoities ftrength and courage, exemplined from animals; hard flesh (by which, I thould fuppofe, he rather means hard fkin) thews infenfibility; flow movements, flow thoughts, and vice verja; that a deep voice is a fign of strength and courage, from the lion and the bull; and that the inhabitants of Northern climates have hard hair, and are hardy and strong; that, in more Southern climates, men have foft hair, and are weak and effeminate. Thele obfervations have been to culled and hackneyed by fucceeding phyfiogno- \ mifts as, perhaps, to be reckoned little better than common-place not ons at this diftant period; thougn, when they were firft made (more than 300 years before the Chriftian æra), they must have appeared to be both new and ingenious. And in this chapter likewife the author has judiciously characterized the male and female figure, out athrins "Ομοιον θηρίων ανθρωπον εσεις αν ἔνροι, αλλ' προσεοικότα μέν τιν Sunilem befiæ hominem nullus utique videbit, fed affimilantem in aliquo modo.

the

the male form to be larger and better calculated for the exertion of all virtues. This affertion, on the first confideration, may appear as an ill compliment to his fair country women. But you, Mr. Editor, know that the Greek word age, and the Latin word virtus, are not confined to the narrow fense of female virtue; but, in this place, the word feems to fignify both corporeal and mental energy; and that the numerous and refpectable clafs of literary females of the prefent age need not be offended at the rough reafoning of the Stagirite, fince the utmost of his meaning is, that ftrength of mind and body are the characteristic marks of the male, and elegance and delicacy of the female. But this fubject is again refumed and treated at large in the 5th chapter; where man is compared to the lordly he-lion, and woman to the beautiful the-pard. But the conclufion drawn hence is, that, whenever a man refembles a woman in form, he must be effeminate in manners. But, to return to the ad chapter. The author fays, there is another method of judging of temper, which no one before him has ever attempted to explain, viz. a kind of fyllogiftical way of interring a third paflion from two others, expreffed a little obfcurely to those who are not adepts in the abstruse science of logick. If, fays he, you find by the marks in the face that any man is angry and gloomy, &c. you may conclude him to be envious likewife, though no pofitive figns of envy appear in his afpeét. As to what is faid on the favourite fubject of animals, it fhali be referred to another letter profeffedly on that fubject. The third chapter treats entirely of figns, though you, Mr. Edi tor, may recollect that Ariftotle's phyfiognomy is not confined to intellect or ten per, but extends to every quality belonging to man, as ftrength and courage, weakness and timidity, and, in fome diftant degree, even to health and longevity. But he forms his principal prognofticks from the eye, from the forehead, from the face, from the make and magnitude of the head, unlefs in his athletic forms, and the e he dwells with propriety on the fulness of the cheft, fize of the bones, &c.; and, under the two defcriptions of the

* Beλti nak wáras às àgilas-meliora fecundum onines virtutes.

brave* manly form, and of the animated or courageous + man, he feems to be giving (obliquely) directions to his noble pupil Alexander in the choice of his foldiers; and, at the fame time, draws a portrait of the Macedonian veteran. There is no ftandard measure exifting of the ftature of the Grecian foldiers; but, if we may judge from circumftances, they did not exceed the fize of our British grenadiers; for, Aristotle feems equally averfe to giants and dwarfs. And he is for the most part rather partial to the middle- fized, or rather small head; and he confiders the great head as a mark of stupidity; and the prominent belly as an indifputable fign of glut tony. And, in his most perfect forms, he recommends the harp or retreating forehead, and not over large. And, when he recommends the large fores head (as he only once does) in his figure of the bold man, he qualifies it with the epithet properly large §, fomewhat like Milton's phrafe of "the large fair front and ample brow;" and I obferve that Homer, Pindar, and Sophocles, all three poffeffed this kind of forehead; and, by the bye, they poffeffed fimilar minds; for, they excelled in daring fublimity of thought. And, under the form of the ingenious] man, our phyfiognomift (perhaps unknowingly) pictures himself; for, he defcribes his ingenious man as of a more delicate habit, of a thin skin, and other marks of fenfibility, rather than in face, and not encumbered with too much flefh or fat; for, Ariftotle himself was "a fpare Callios," and a valetudinarian, though, by temperance and a regular mode of life, he reached his grand climacterick. Ariftotle's favourite maxim relative to largeness or fmallness of the whole body, or of its conftituent parts, is, that the middle habit is belt, and confequently all extremes are bad; and feems to have a particular objection to legs that are very long and thick at the ancles, which he confiders as marks of mental debility no less than of corporeal.