sion and his charge into the hands of John Lord Maltravers and Sir T. Gournay; more fit instruments for the tragic violence that was shortly after perpetrated on the hapless monarch. Other ancient monuments, to the memory of different branches of this noble family, occur in different parts of the church. The churchyard also exhibits divers" frail memorials" of the departed, which, as is usual in country cemeteries, are all marked by one general prevailing taste in their construction and decorations. We may lament that the ornaments on the grave-stones at Berkeley are not in harmony with the simplicity of the scenery around. Fat-faced cherubs, and hideous death's-heads, emboss most of the grave-stones, which are further ornamented with golden crowns and silver glòries, scythes, hour-glasses, and other emblems of mortality, painted in all the colours of the rainbow. One of these stones commemorates Dickey Pearce, a village droll or buffoon, who flourished at Berkeley half a century ago, and not only afforded amusement to his fellow-villagers, but also recommended himself, by his well-timed buffoonery, to the patronage of the great. The outline of his history and character is contained in the following epi

taph on his grave-stone, the epigrammatic turn of which compensates in truth for its deficiency in poetry:

"Here lies the Earl of Suffolk's fool,*
"Men called him Dickey Pearce;
"His folly served to make folks laugh,
"When wit and mirth were scarce.
"Poor Dick, alas! is dead and gone,
"What signifies to cry;
"Dickies enough are left behind
"To laugh at by and bye."

The wit of Dickey was not, it seems, confined to oral observation, but frequently discovered itself in practical jokes. Several of these are preserved in the records of parochial tradition; amongst which, allow me to present you with the following, a proof that Dickey sometimes availed himself of the practice of the seers of old, of imparting instruction by the means of sensible types instead of verbal communication. An ancestor of the present Lord B. having

*Fools, in early times, formed part of the household of the great. Will Somers served Henry VIII. and history has preserved many traits of his influence with that monarch. In later times the occupation has not been so general, though Fack Creighton is still maintained at Althorpe, the seat of Earl Spencer; and probably the only noble family where that character is preserved in its pristine interpretation.

considerably diminished his property by expensive pursuits, Dickey began to fear that the whole of the noble patrimony would be dissipated, and the venerable castle, with its princely demesnes, be transferred from the family to strange purchasers. High as his privilege of speech was with my Lord, he could not, however, venture to expostulate with him on so delicate a subject; he therefore determined to hint to him the fatal consequences of his imprudences by a visible sign. Procuring a rope, therefore, he placed himself at the great gate of the castle at a time when he knew his Lordship would pass through it, and as he approached, began to apply the cord to the wall, as if he intended to surround the whole with it. "What art thou doing, Dick?" said my Lord. Only tying a rope round the castle, your honour, to prevent its running away after and (estates which his Lordship 'had sold) to the top of Stinchcomb-hill.' His Lordship felt the force of the observation, and rewarded the droll with a piece of money for his foresight and wit.

The town of Berkeley is one of the five ancient boroughs which subsisted in Glocestershire, in the time of Edward I.; but for some centuries

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it has ceased to return members to Parliament, though it has a mayor elected annually, “a shadow of a shade," with few privileges and no jurisdiction. It gives name and title to the Earls of Berkeley; and has the honour of num-· bering amongst its inhabitants Doctor Henry Jenner, the philosopher and philanthropist, the indefatigable promoter of "Vaccine Inoculation;" to the adoption and diffusion of which, every man who is anxious to economize the human race, will ardently endeavour to contribute. The struggle between truth and prejudices deeply rooted and long indulged, will oftentimes be protracted to a tedious length, but fortunately for mankind, in the present instance the triumph of science has been obtained already; and the utility of this mode of inoculation is now as universally acknowledged as it. has been undeniably demonstrated.

Pursuing the road to Stroud, we pass through Frocester, lying in a bottom, at the foot of the long winding hill which receives its name from the village beneath it, and enter on the Bath turnpike, which dropping down the hill, passes through Frocester in its way to Glocester, forming one of the great roads between the

two cities. The stupendous view from this tedious ascent, gradually opening, increasing, and varying, as we toil upwards, is well known; and can be but inadequately described. Immediately under it, to the right, is spread the widely-sweeping parish of Coaley, displaying a broad expanse of rich fertility; the residence of industry, wealth, and population. Around this the country rises in an amphitheatrical form, shielding it to the south and east by a noble belt of hills thickly planted with beech woods, (belonging to Lord Ducie) which, having now assumed their autumnal mantle of sober russet, finely chastened the vivid green of the cultivated inclosures below. In the centre of this broad flat, the singular hill of Camley swells out of the vale, assuming the form of an oval conoid, and presenting a truncated summit, as if it had been levelled by human labour. Hitherto the eye has been confined to the south and east of this extraordinary scene, but if its excursions be directed to the west and north, a wider field for admiration and delight is opened. Here it pursues the same broad carpet of animated husbandry, till it reach the Severn; traces the river for many miles, which now begins to assume the capricious serpen

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