the middle and smallest quadrangle, which is almost wholly occupied by the yellow brick entrance to the Hall, is a larger court, having at its south-eastern corner the Jacobean buildings represented in my other drawing. The Alchemist lived in the second floor chambers of the staircase No. 2. The mullions above the windows, with the overhanging upper story and two bays on the right are very picturesque. A large tree stands equidistant from the three entrance doorways. There are buildings of a more modern age on the western side of this, the furthest court from Holborn, and they also have trees planted before their doors. Charles Dickens, in Great Expectations, indulges in a few characteristic strokes of humour at the expense of Barnard's Inn, but his pleasantry is applicable to scores of places that have been suffered to fall into neglect and decay. Here, as elsewhere, his graphic pen seems to me to miss the true genius loci.

W. E. MILLIken.

Ancient Misconceptions of Intervals of Time.

VERY one knows that Julius Cæsar instituted the bissextile cycle, and ordained it to consist of four full years; and that upon his death, before the first cycle had been completed, the Roman Pontiffs, upon whom the observance of the institution devolved, supposing that the last year of every cycle should also be the first of the next (thus counting one year in each cycle twice over) practically reduced the period to three years, and caused a disarrangement of the ordinance, which lasted for thirty-six years; until, at length, upon the mistake being discovered and compensated, it was restored to due observance by Augustus Cæsar. But it has not, I think, been recognized that Julius Cæsar himself was induced by a similar misconception to reckon both termini of an interval inclusively-just as though the milestones at both ends of a mile were to be considered as parts of the mile and this misconception on Cæsar's part, is, no doubt,

the true explanation of the supposed error in the text of his Commentaries, which attributes the occurrence of high tide in the English Channel twice in the space of twelve hours-bis accidit semper horarum XII spatio (De Bello Gallico, iii. 12)-translated by Golding 300 years ago "the rysyng of the tydes which ever happened twice in twelve houres space." Editors are, as a rule, too prone to solve difficulties of text by altering what they cannot explain, and in this case they have altered Cæsar's XII to XXIV; but they have not done so without question, for Julius Celsus remarked respecting it, "numerus XXIV est emmendatio recentiorum nullius codicis auctoritate fulta.” Now, in point of fact, the tide may after all be said to flow twice in twelve lunar hours, provided the morning and afternoon tides be included in the same interval-although, of course, if repeated in series, an error would result, in the aggregate, similar to that of the Pontiffs.

This misconception has affected the estimation of intervals down to comparatively recent times. It has caused the Olympiad quadrennial to be reckoned at five complete years-notably in the dates of some books in the 15th century. In a book, for example, the Epistles of Phalaris, mentioned by Mr. Blades in his interesting article, "The First Printing Press at Oxford," in the January number of THE ANTIQUARY, the date he assigns to it is 1485, but that date is curiously expressed in five-year Olympiads as follows:

Hoc opusculum in alma universitate Oxoniæ a natali Christiano ducentesima et nonagesima septima olympiade feliciter impressum est.

And there is another example in a book printed at Venice in 1472, which date is expressed in this way :—

A nativitate Christi ducentesima nonagesima quinta olympiadis anno II. Idus VII Decembris.

And what renders this last example specially noteworthy, is, that it is affixed to a volume containing the Epigrammata of Ausonius, an author who consistently estimated the Olympiad at four years onlythus he says of his father in his eighty-eighth, year: "Undecies binas vixit Olympiades," and again in the Epicedium after his father's

death he states his age to have been ninety years.

Another misconception, still more glaring, existed with respect to the Roman week, the termini of which were called nundina, and as those termini were both included in the reckoning, the week was supposed to consist of nine full days, whence the name. But the remains of Roman Calendars have been found with the eight first letters of the alphabet prefixed one to each day of the Roman week precisely as the seven dominical letters are prefixed to our own seven-day week. And yet Macrobius believed in all the nine days, and enumerated them literally -"Octo quidem diebus in agris rustici opus facerant nono autem die intermisso rure Roman venirent.

Even to this day trinundinum is defined in Latin Dictionaries as "spatium dierum viginti septem"-being just the same error as if three of our own weeks were accounted twenty-four days by giving two Sundays to each week.

Now Cæsar's double tides in twelve hours was obviously the same misconception as the Roman week of nine days, and, like it, was caused by including both termini in the interval. It was the conventional error of the time, and it is more than doubtful whether, if Cæsar had expressed himself with more strict accuracy, he would have been understood by those for whom he wrote.

I might have elaborated these discrepancies more fully, but that my principal object is to show that the text of the Commentaries ought to be explained, as being in conformity with the prejudice of the time, rather than to be arbitrarily altered to suit our own more strict ideas a brief foot-note, "both tides being included," would be a sufficient explanation. A. E. BRAE.

Guernsey.

The First Parliament in America (1619).

APTAIN GEORGE YEARDLEY was chosen Governor of Virginia in the autumn of 1618 in the place of Lord De la Warr, who had died in Canada, and he had orders to

depart immediately thither with two ships and about 300 men and boys. So wrote John Pory to our Ambassador at The Hague, when he also told him that the greatest difficulties of that Plantation had been overcome, and that the people there were beginning to enjoy both commodities and wealth. John Chamberlain, one of the greatest newswriters of that day, speaks contemptuously of Yeardley's appointment, calls him "a mean fellow," and says that the King, to grace Yeardley the more, knighted him at Newmarket, "which hath set him up so high that he flaunts it up and down the streets in extraordinary bravery, with fourteen or fifteen fair liveries after him."

The new Governor meets, however, with greater justice from the historian Bancroft, who tritely remarks that from the moment of Yeardley's arrival in Virginia, dates the real life of the Colony. Sir George Yeardley arrived there in April, 1619, and brought with him Commissions and Instructions from the Virginia Company for the better establishing of a Commonwealth there. He made Proclamation that those "cruell lawes" by which the ancient planters had so long been governed were now abrogated, and that they were to be governed by those "free lawes" under which his Majesty's subjects lived in England. It was also granted that a General Assembly should be held once yearly, which was to be composed of the Governor and his Council, with two Burgesses from each Plantation, to be elected by the inhabitants themselves, and this Assembly was to have power to make and ordain whatsoever laws and orders should by them be thought good and profitable for their subsistence.

In accordance with these Instructions, Governor Yeardley sent his summons all over the country as well to invite those of the Council of Estate, that were absent, as also for the election of Burgesses, and on Friday, July 30, 1619, the first Parliament ever held in America, assembled at James City.

Beverley, the early historian of Virginia, denies that there was any Assembly held there before May, 1620. Stith gives an account of it, though he was unable to find a record of its proceedings, so that he errs a little in the date. No traces of it were met

with by Jefferson and Hening, and those who followed Hening believed it no longer extant. The historian Bancroft himself, in the early edition of his great history, quoting Hening, says this Assembly was held in Fune, 1619. Indeed, until about thirty years ago, when a record of the proceedings was discovered in H.M. State Paper Office, it was given up as hopelessly lost.

The "reporte of the manner of proceedings" of this Assembly was sent to England by John Pory, the Secretary and Speaker, a familiar name in the history of Virginia, to Sir Dudley Carleton, at that time English Ambassador at The Hague, to whose energy and marvellous powers of letter-writing and news-gathering we are indebted for many historical details which, but for him, would

have been lost to us.

The first published notice of the existence of this State Paper occurs in the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Virginia Historical Society in 1853. It is printed in full in the New York Historical Collections for 1857, with an introductory note by Mr. Bancroft, and also as a Senate document (extra) of Virginia in 1874; but these are consultable only by a favoured few, whereas the proceedings of this first Parliament in America are surely of sufficient universal historical interest to be circulated among the many.

This document is now preserved among the Colonial State Papers in H. M. Public Record Office. It comprises thirty pages, and may be abstracted as follows:

A reporte of the manner of proceedings in the General Assembly, convented at James City in Virginia, July 30, 1619, consisting of the Governor, the Counsell of Estate, and two Burgesses elected out of eache Incorporation and plantation, and being dissolved the 4th of August next ensuing.

First Sir George Yeardley, Knight, Governor and Captaine General of Virginia, having sente his sumons all over the country, as well to invite those of the Counsell of Estate that were absente as also for the election of Burgesses, there were chosen and appeared

It will be seen that the Assembly consisted of twenty-two Burgesses who were elected to represent three cities, three hundreds, four Plantations, and one "Gift," and they met in the Choir of the Church, "the most convenient place they could find to sit in."

The Governor being seated, those of the Council of State sat next him on either side except the Secretary, who was appointed Speaker, and sat right before the Governor, Sir George Yeardley, John Twine, Clerk of the Assembly, being placed next the Speaker, and Thomas Pierse, the Sergeant standing at the Bar

to be ready for any service the Assembly should command him. But for as muche as men's affaires doe little prosper where God's service is neglected all the Burgesses tooke their places in the Quire till a prayer was said by Mr. Bucke the Minister that it would please God to guide and sanctify all our proceedings to his own glory and the good of this plantation.

All the Burgesses were then entreated to retire into the body of the Church, and before they were fully admitted, they were called in order and by name, and so every man (none staggering at it) took the Oath of Supremacy, and then entered the Assembly. The Speaker then took exception to Capt. Ward, his plantation being "but a limb or member" of Capt. Martin's plantation, and said there could be but two Burgesses for all, so Capt. Ward was commanded to absent himself. Other "obstacles removed," the Speaker delivered in brief (his ill-health not allowing him to "pass thro' long harangues") the occasions of their Meeting; he read the Commission for establishing the Council of State and the General Assembly, the Great Charter or Commission of Privileges, and

In this instance people and places seem so clearly pointed at that it does appear as if Shakespeare occasionally satirized individuals, although this has been denied by some. Other evidence is not wanting to show that he was acquainted with Gloucestershire. The words of Northumberland in Richard II. are very appropriate, and bespeak a personal knowledge of this part of the county.

I am a stranger here in Gloucestershire; These high, wild hills, and rough uneven ways Draw out our miles and make them wearisome. And a little further on Northumberland questions Harry Hotspur :

How far is it to Berkeley? And what stir Keeps good old York there with his men of war? And Percy replies:

There stands the castle by yon tult of trees. All who are acquainted with the glorious view from the top of Stinchcombe Hill will acknowledge that Shakespeare's allusion to "the castle" is an accurate one, even at the present day.

A local tradition even claims that Shakespeare once lived at Dursley, and " Shakespeare's Walk," near the town, is usually cited 'to prove the assertion.

There are also indications which seem to suggest that Shakespeare may have had kinsmen in Gloucestershire. Persons bearing the name formerly lived in and about Dursley. Mr. Blunt, in his Dursley and its Neighbourhood, notes the marriage of Thomas Shakespeare, weaver, at Dursley, in 1678, and the subsequent baptisms of his children; that another Thomas had a "seat-place" in the church allotted to him in 1739; that Betty Shakespeare obtained "poor's money" in 1754; that James Shakespeare was buried at Bisley in 1570; and that Edward, son of John and Margery Shakespurre, was baptized at Beverston in 1619. Other Shakespeares have been long settled at Newington Bagpath, not far from Dursley, and claim a traditional kinship with their great namesake. All these places are within a few miles of Dursley. Moreover, the Hathways, or Hathaways, were in like manner connected with Gloucestershire. The name is frequently found throughout the seventeenth century in

ley; and at Kingscote, not far from Newington Bagpath, Thomas Hathway and John Hathway of Bulley were assessed "in goods" to a lay subsidy in 1571. The name also occurs in the Beverston registers, and is still to be met with in the neighbourhood.

All these facts justify the conclusion that at some time Shakespeare visited Dursley, and became well acquainted with the district. It is not unlikely that his marriage, in 1582, with Anne Hathaway, who was so much his senior, may have offended his Stratford friends, and compelled him to take refuge with his and his wife's kindred in Gloucestershire, some time between that date and his removal to London. Perhaps, too, as both families were near neighbours in Gloucestershire as well as in Warwickshire, there may have been some early relationship between them which afterwards brought about Shakespeare's alliance with the Hathaways.

But enough, however, has been said to show the use of local knowledge to illustrate Shakespeare.

Melrose Abbey.

O the Antiquary as well as to the readers of Sir Walter Scott, the ancient Abbey of Melrose must be one of the places of supreme interest in the Border Counties of Scotland; and to lovers of the beautiful and the picturesque the venerable ruins of the ancient monastery and mother church cannot but possess peculiar charms.

Situated in one of the delightful valleys of the south of Scotland, and surrounded by a district which has been famed for ages for cultivation, Melrose Abbey has played a not insignificant part in the history of the country. At the time when it was founded the people of Scotland were in a state of almost total ignorance of learning, and it was in order to secure for his subjects the opportunities for education which they so much required, but had not hitherto attained, that David I., in the twelfth century, built and endowed the many abbeys, monasteries, and other places of learning and religion that he