church in England, and venerable Bede has fortunately preserved to us various consultations which were held with Pope Gregory, respecting the early regulations to be enforced, and measures to be adopted. The politic spirit which characterized Gregory I. is observable in the directions which he sent. The heathen temples were not to be destroyed, but purified and consecrated to God, as the cost of erecting churches would thereby be saved to the christians, and the natives would more easily be induced to frequent their old places of resort, than entirely new buildings. Many of the heathen festivals were to be continued; and he directed that a large number of oxen should annually be killed on certain days, and distributed in honour of God.

We are

To return, however, to the subject before us. unable to trace the history of the church dedicated to Augustine in Watling Street, farther back than the end of the 12th century, when it was mentioned by the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, in a general survey of the churches in their gift, which was made at that time. In 1387, says Strype, was founded the fraternity of St. Austin's in Watling Street, (corrupted from St. Augustine's ;) who met in this church on the eve of St. Austin's, and in the morning at high mass, when every brother offered a penny; afterwards, they were ready either "al mangier ou al revele "—to eat or to revel, as the master and wardens of the fraternity directed.' Respecting the size or appearance of the ancient church no information is to be obtained. The earliest monuments therein, of which there is any record, were two, in memory of Henry Read, an armourer, who died in the year 1450, and of William Dere, who died in the same year; both of them Sheriffs.

1 Stow's Survey ; ut supra.

After the fire of 1666 the parish of St. Faith under Paul's, (so called because a part of the crypt of that Cathedral was formerly their church,) was united to St. Augustine's. The presentation to the conjoined Rectory is in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's.

The interior of the present church is plain and very small; and consists of a nave and ailes formed by Ionic columns that carry a waggon-headed ceiling. These columns are raised on exceedingly lofty plinths, which render the height and consequent diameter of the columns so small as to degrade them to mere props, and produce altogether a bad effect.

The exterior is represented by the accompanying engraving, as it appears when viewed from the south east, St. Paul's Cathedral forming the background.

1 The length of the church is 51 feet. It is 45 feet broad and 30 feet high. Elmes' "Life of Wren," p. 429.

ST. GILES', CRIPPLEGATE.

"La vie est un seul point, et de chaque côté

S'etend l'eternitè."

MOLLEVAUT.

THERE are but few, we think, who can enter a church-yard in which the bodies of the virtuous, the wise, and the beautiful, have been deposited during centuries, (although perhaps, unsung by Poet and unknown to Fame)-who can dwell on the strong passions, the glorious aspirations, the hopes, the fears, which alternately agitated the breasts of those, when living, who now lie within the cold ground, -without feelings of reverence and awe; or avoid a train of thoughts on the futility of all earthly views and wishes, ending in a resolve to be for the future better men. In such a spot one may almost fear to tread. Every grain of dust is hallowed; for every grain was once, perhaps, a portion of a fellow-being; with like thoughts, like powers, like passions, to our own. We may ask ourselves, what was the life of him, a part of whose earthly tenement we now trample beneath our feet? Possibly, deeply intent. during life upon the business of this world, absorbed wholly in speculations for the attainment of temporal power, and,

"Unmindful of the crown that virtue gives

After this mortal change, to her true servants,"

R