BURY ST. EDMUNDS, the metropolis of the western

division of the county of Suffolk, is 26 miles N. W. from its sister town of Ipswich; 12 N. from Thetford; 14 W. from Newmarket; and 72 N. E. by N. from London. Seated on a gentle acclivity, on the western bank of the river Bourne, or Larke, this ancient, beautiful, and eminently salubrious town has a charmingly inclosed country on the south and south-west; on the north and north-east, champaign fields extend into the well cultivated county of Norfolk; whilst, on the east, the country is partly open

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and partly inclosed. Formerly, a detraction from its beauty was the deficiency of wooded scenery, in the immediate vicinity of the town; but, within the last fifty years, that desideratum has been most agreeably supplied.

From the pleasantness of its situation, the varied extent of its views, and the salubrity of its air, it has been denominated the Montpellier of England. The climate of Montpellier, however, is hot and moist; that of Bury, cold and dry; and, whilst the former is regarded as particularly favourable to the relief of pulmonic affections, the latter is more congenial to robust constitutions, and established health.

The etymology of Bury has been a fruitful field for discussion amongst antiquaries. It is believed, by some, to be the Villa Faustini, or the seat of Faustinus, mentioned in the Itinerary of Antoninus; but, as it is not clear whether such a person as Faustinus ever existed, others contend that the name should have been written Villa Faustina, as though it were derived from Faustus, thus characterizing the place as the seat of prosperity, or the fortunate, prosperous, pleasant, or happy town. They who favour the latter opinion, tell us, that it was SO regarded by the Saxons, by whom it was called Beoderic-weord, or Beoderici-cortis, or the villa of Beodericus's court, or farm, words of the same import. To us, the following derivation seems more simple and natural. The place was called, by the

Saxons, Beoderic's-worth; that is to say, the seat, mansion, or residence of Beoderic. Accordingly, we find a paper, entitled "Notes concerning Bury St. Edmund's in the county of Suffolk," found in the Earl of Oxford's library, by Mr. Wanley, commencing thus:-"In very ancient times, one Beoderic was owner of the ground, where the abbey and town of Bury St. Edmund's was afterwards built; from which the Beoderic village (then very small) was called Beodrices-worde, i. e. Beodrici Villa: and his demesne lands were the fields adjacent to the town of Bury, which appertained afterward to the office (as I remember) of the Celerar. Upon the foundation of the monastery by K. Cnut, the old name came to be soon out of use, and the place to be called Burgh." The Saxons used the word Burh, or Burg, to express a town, castle, or strong hold. Burig, and Buruh, were also the Saxon denominations of a town. From these the transitions to Borough, and Bury, were easy; and it is deserving of notice, that, from a comparison of many authorities, Burg, Borough, Bury, Bure, and Beri, appear to be only different modes of spelling the same Saxon term. The monkish writer, Abbo Floriacensis, states, that Beodric, the lord of the town, bequeathed it to St. Edmund the King and Martyr; and thus, in a short time, it acquired its present name.

The beauty, and many natural advantages of the situation, must have rendered it, at a very early period, desirable as a residence and settlement. Whether

Bury were the Villa Faustini, or Faustina, of the Itinerary, has been much questioned; but, that it was a Roman station of some note, there can scarcely be a doubt. It is allowed by most writers, that, when the Saxons established themselves in the eastern parts of Britain, this became one of their royal towns; Abbo Floriacensis expressly calls the town Villa Regia; and Bede remarks, that the Villa Regia of the Saxon times were generally placed on the sites of Roman stations.

The opinion that Bury was a place of note, previously to the establishment of Christianity, was further corroborated by the discovery of some remarkable specimens of ancient sculpture, in the spring of the year 1783, in breaking up some foundations in the north wall of St. Edmund's Church. These remains, which are still preserved in the abbey garden, consist of four antique heads, cut out of single blocks of free-stone, something larger than the natural proportions. Whether the execution of these heads be Roman or Saxon, cannot be ascertained; but the general idea is, that they were intended as representations of Roman divinities.*

* The Editor of "Excursions through the Counties of Suffolk, Essex, and Norfolk," alluding to these specimens of ancient art, and copying from the" Beauties of England and Wales," says -"It is obvious, even from the inspection of the representations given in the History of Bury by Mr. Yates, that two of these were designed for the head of St. Edmund, accompanied by the leg of the wolf, his brute protector; and it is highly probable, that the other two were rude designs on the same subject, though

St. Austin arrived in Britain A. D. 598. It was not, however, until the reign of Sigbercht, the half brother and successor of Eorpwold, who ascended the East Anglian throne about the year 630, that a permanent establishment of christianity was effected in this part of the island. Sigbercht, during his previous exile in France, had assiduously studied the literature of the age, and become a zealous professor of the Christian faith. Favouring and stimulating the enthusiasm of the times, Sigbercht, after his accession to the crown, founded a monastery, and built a church, in the town of Beoderic's-worth, which he dedicated to the honour of the Holy Virgin St. Mary; and, after reigning about seven years, he took the tonsure, and became a monk upon his own foundation.

The history of the immediately succeeding reigns, and also that of the life and actions of St. Edmund, whose death forms a memorable epoch in the annals of this town, are so involved in legendary fable, that very little can be stated with certainty respecting them. The former, we shall pass over in silence:

the latter had not any part of the brute remaining.” That these sculptures had any reference to the history of St. Edmund, is by no means obvious to us; nor do we believe the opinion to be correct. Relics so interesting, so sacred, would have been preserved with religious care; instead of which the heads were found at the very bottom of the foundation, upon the natural soil, with the faces downwards. The marked disrespect of such a situation is a strong presumptive proof, that they were considered as remains of Pagan superstition.