and supersticion---as the coles that St. Lawrence was tosted withal; the paryng of St. Edmund's naylls, St. Thomas of Canter. penneknyff and his bootes; and divers skulls for the head-ache, peces of the Holie Cross able to make a hole crosse; of other reliques for rayne, and certaine other supersticious usages; for avoiding of weeds growing in corn with such other."*

In touching upon the superstitious practices, and flagrant impostures carried on at this monastery, we must not omit to mention the singular ceremony of the procession of the white bull. The sacrist of the monastery, as often as he let the lands near the town then and still called Haberdon, annexed this condition, that the tenant should provide a white bull, whenever a matron of rank, or any other should come out of devotion, or in consequence of a vow, to make the oblations of the white bull, as they were denominated, at the shrine of St. Edmund. On this occasion, the animal adorned with ribbons and garlands, was brought to the south gate of the monastery, and led along Church-gate, Guildhall, and Abbey-gate streets, to the great west gate, the lady all the while keeping close to him, and the monks and people forming a numerous cas valcade. Here the procession ended; the animal was. conducted back to his pasture, while the lady repaired to St. Edmund's shrine to make her oblations, as a certain consequence of which, she was soon to become a mother. As foreign ladies, desirous of issue, might have found it inconvenient to repair hither in person, to assist at these ceremonies, they were certain to prove equally efficacious if performed by proxy. In a deed, a copy of which is given by Haukins,+ John Swaffham, sacrist of the monastery of F 3

St.

• MS. Cotton. Lib.

William Haukins, a school-master of Hadleigh, in this county, who in his Corolla varia, a very scarce book, printed at Cambridge in 1684, has given a humorous account of the ceremonies of the procession, in not inelegant Latin verse. He observes, that not a century had then elapsed, since the processions ceased, and the tradition of them was still generally prevalent. In his work, he has introduced three leases, that contain the condition above

specified

St. Edmund's Bury, certifies all Christian people, that on the 24 June 1474, three religious persons, whom he names, of the city of Ghent, came and offered, as had been accustomed of old time, at the shrine of the blessed King, Virgin, and Martyr, St. Edmund, in the presence of several reputable people, and of the said martyr, onewhite bull, for the accomplishment of the longing of a certain noble lady (in relevamen desiderii cujusdam nobilis domina.)

Before the dissolution, Bury contained an inferior monastic establishment of Grey Friars, or Franciscans. About 1255 or 6 some brethren of this order came to the town during a vacancy in the abbacy, and having procured a situation in the north part of Bury, began to perform religious exercises. The monks, indig-nant at this intrusion, and finding remonstrance of no effect, demolished the buildings and expelled the friars, who applied to the court of Rome for redress: when Pope Alexander IV. reproved the monks, and ordered the friars to be put in possession of an estate in the west part of Bury. The monks still continued firm in their resistance to this encroachment on their privileges; so that king Henry III. who with many of his nobility had espoused the cause of the Franciscans, was obliged to send down his chief justice to Bury, and to establish them by force. Upon this, they lost no time in constructing suitable religious edifices. The pope soon after dying, the monks renewed their application to his successor, and seconding it with an argument which seldom failed of persuading

the

specified. To one of them, dated 26th April, 1533, is appended the seal of the monastery, of which he has given a neat engraving. On one side is represented St. Edmund, with his crown and sceptre, seated under a gothic canopy, with a bishop standing on each side, and this legend, AGMINE STIPATVS SEDET HIC REX PONTIFICATVS: on the reverse, in the upper part, appears the same king tied to a tree, transfixed with numerous arrows, while several persons, armed with bows on either side are taking aim at his body. In the lower part, he is kneeling, and a man has just cut off his head close to which sits its brute protector. The legend is: SIGNVM SECRETVM CAP 'LI SANCTI EDMVNDI REGIS ET MARTIRIS. An engraving of the same seal is al so given in Yates's History of Bury.

the papal court, Urban IV. revoked the bulls of his predecessor, commanded the friars to demolish their buildings, and on pain of excommunication, to leave Bury within one month. The friars had not courage to withstand this injunction; but publicly renouncing all right and title to their estate in the town, the abbot and convent assigned them part of the monastic possessions in Babberwell, where they erected some handsome edifices. The site of this religious establishment is still called the Friary.

At the reformation there were in Bury, five hospitals, St. Savior's at North-gate, St. Peter's at Risby-gate, St. John's at South-gate, St. Stephen's and St. Nicholas' at East-gate; one college, called Jesus college, in College street, consisting of a warden, and six associates, and the following chapels, whose names and situations are yet known, though the buildings have long been demolished: St. Mary's, at East-gate bridge, another at West-gate, and a third at Risby-gate; St. Michael's, in the Infirmary; St. Andrew's, in the cemetery of the monks; St. John's, in the hill; and St. John's ad fontem; St. Anne's in cryptis; St. Thomas's, near St. Savior's; St. Lawrence's, in the court yard; St. Gyles's, near the nave of the church; St. Petronill's, within the South-gate; St. Botolph's, within Southgatestreet; St. Edmund's, or Round chapel in the church-yard; and St. Denis's, besides the Hermitage, at West-gate, and thirteen other chapels, the sites of which are unknown, on account of the many alterations made in the town since that time, by fire and other accidents. Thus it must have contained upwards of forty' churches and chapels, most of which were amply endowed, and together afforded subsistence and employment to forty or fifty ecclesiastics, under a deacon and archdeacon.

During the prosperity of the abbey, it comprehended within its precincts, besides the conventual church, three others, St. Margaret's, St. Mary's, and St. James's. The former has long ceased' to be appropriated to religious purposes, and is now used as the town-hall. The others are the churches of the two parishes into which Bury is divided.

ST. MARY'S was first erected in 1005. It began to be rebuilt in its present state in 1424, and was finished about the year 1433. This structure is 139 feet long, exclusive of the chancel, and 672 in breadth; the chancel is 74 feet by 68. It is divided into three aisles, separated from each other by two rows of slender and elegant columns. The roof of the nave, constructed in France, and put together after it was brought to England, is admired for its lightness and elegance. The finely carved figure of angels, supporting the principals of the roof, fortunately, from their height, escaped the fury of the puritanical zealots of the seventeenth century. The north porch of this church, on which is inscribed, orate pro animabus Johannis Notyngham, et Isabelle uxoris suæ, and particularly the cul de lampe, is of curious workmanship.

Previously to the reformation, St. Mary's was much distinguished for its numerous altars,* images, and pictures. At the dissolution of the Abbey, this church, as well as St. James's was included in the general system of plunder, both of them being stripped of plate and other ornaments, then valued at about 4801. Both likewise contained, numerous inscriptions, and effigies in brass; but these, as we learn from the town books, were, in 1644, torn off by the church-wardens, and sold for their private emolument: so that the monuments of the highest antiquity in these churches are much defaced.

On the north side of the communion table in St. Mary's church, was formerly a plain altar monument for Mary Tudor, third daughter of king Henry VII. This princess, who honoured the town of Bury with her especial favor and protection, had by her beauty and accomplishments, won the heart of the Duke of Suffolk, one of the most distinguished characters at the court of Henry VIII. The shining qualities of the duke, had produced a reciprocal attachment on the part of the princess; but policy, and the etiquette

of

Part of one of these, supposed to be our lady's altar, is still to be seen against the south wall.

of courts, forbade their union, and in 1514, consigned the young and beautiful Mary, to the arms of the aged and infirm Louis XII. of France. To that country she was accordingly sent, with a magnificent retinue; and at the tournaments held in celebration of the marriage, the duke of Suffolk signalized himself above all his competitors, for dexterity, gallantry, and valour. This unnatural union was not of long duration; on the death of the French monarch, the duke was sent to conduct the princess back to her native country, where soon after her arrival, she, in 1517, bestowed her hand on the object of her first affection. This princess, dying at Westhorpe, in this county, in 1533, was first interred in the great church of the monastery, on the dissolution of which, her remains were removed hither. Her tomb was simple and unadorned; it was for some time supposed to be only a cenotaph, but on opening it in 1731, a covering of lead, evidently inclosing a human body, was found, with this inscription on the breast: Mary, Queen of France, 1533. Notwithstanding this discovery, the tomb continued without any external memorial. of the rank of the person deposited beneath it, till 1758, when Dr. Symonds, of Bury, had it repaired at his own expence, and a marble tablet inserted, with an inscription, recording the particulars stated above.

In the middle of the chancel, lies interred John Reeve, who became abbot of Bury in 1511, and was obliged to surrender the abbey to the king, in November 1539, on which, an annuity of 500 marks was assigned him. He retired to a large house, at the south-west corner of Crown street, which has undergone less alteration than any other, of that age, in the town, and where in 1768, his arms were still to be seen in one of the windows. Chagrin and vexation probably shortened his life, as he died here on the 31st of March, following. His grave was, originally, covered with a very large flat stone, of marble, embellished with the arms of the abbey, impaling those of his family, and also his portraiture in pontificals: but it was broken to make room for a new one, to cover a Mr. Sutton, who was buried in the