870. and his Body was removed to Bury, as mentioned before. Bungay is delightfully fituated on the River Waveney, which, being navigable from Yarmouth, is a Benefit to its Trade. It is a Borough-town (in the Hundred of Wangford), well-built, and confifts of two diftinct Parishes, with two Parish-churches answering to the Largenefs of the Town, one of which is a fumptuous Structure (wherein is erected a fine double Organ); and its beautiful Steeple (in which is a Ring of eight Bells) is an Ornament to the Town. Between thefe two Churches are to be feen the Ruins of a Benedictine Nunnery. Here alfo remain the Ruins of a very strong Castle, fuppofed to have been built by the Bigods Earls of Norfolk. Here is a Market weekly on Thurfdays, well ferved with all manner of Provifions. There is alfo a large Common belonging to the Town, which is of great Advantage to the Inhabitants on this Common is a Race ground, which is kept in good Order. This whole Town, (except one fmall Street) was destroyed by Fire March 1, 1688-9, the Lofs was computed at 29,8961. and upwards. The Caffle was fo ftrong, that Hugh Bigod Earl of Norfolk, its Owner, in the Wars between the Emprefs Maud and King Stephen (with the latter of whom he fided) made this Boaft upon it: Were I in my Caftle of Bungay, I would not care for the King of Cockney. But he was afterwards forced to compound with King Henry II. for its Prefervation. Here is a Grammarfchool, with ten Scholarships for Emanuel College, Cambridge. In this Excurfion I ftretched to Beccles, ftill farther North eaft; a large ill-built Market town, fituate on the Waveney. It has a fine Church and Steeple ; a Gram a Grammar and English School, well endowed; a plentiful Market, and a Common of above 1000 Acres. The Streets are well paved and clean, but the Houfes are but ordinary. The Ruins of another Church, called Ingate Church, are to be seen here, which was formerly the Parish-church to the Town. In the Church at Beccles is the following remarkable Epitaph, written in the Law Stile: Hic jacet CORPUS Thomæ Wrongey, generofi, unius attornatorum domini Regis de Banco apud Veftm. Juxta libertates & privilegia ejufdem curiæ, tertio die Aprilis, privilegio fuo non obftante, morte arreftatur ; bic in fepulcri prifona detinetur; nec aliqua legis fubtilitate ab eadem ante generalem gaola deliberationem liberandum; cum Chriftus ad totum terrarum orbem judicandum venerit. In English thus: Here lies the BODY of Thomas Wrongey, Gent. One of the Attorneys of the King's Bench at Westminster. According to the Liberties and Privileges of the fame Court, on the third Day of April, his Privilege notwithstanding, it was arrefted by Death, and is here detained in the Prifon of the Grave. From whence it shall not by any Quirk be again delivered before the general Goal-delivery, when Christ shall come to judge the whole World. Burgh cofile, fituate at the Mouth of the Waveney, was a Place of confiderable Note in the Time of the Romans. The Walls on the Eaft, North, and South Sides, are still standing, pretty intire. The River being a Defence on the Weft, no Wall was wanting there. I returned from thefe Excurfions to Southwould, in order to proceed on my Journey, according to my first Plan. At this Town in particular, and fo at all the Towns on this Coaft, from Orfordnefs to Yarmouth, is the orVOL. I. D dinary Suffolk. dinary Place where our Summer Friends the Swallows firft land, when they come to vifit us; and here they may be faid to begin their Voyage, when they go back into warmer Climates. I was fome Years before at this Place, about the Beginning of October; and, lodging in an House that looked into the Church-yard, I obferved in the Evening an unusual Multitude of Swallows fitting on the Leads of the Church, and covering the Tops of feveral Houses round about. This led me to enquire what was the Meaning of fuch a prodigious Multitude of Swallows fitting there? I was anfwered, That this was the Seafon when the Swallows, their Food failing here, began to leave us, and return to the Country, wherever it be, from whence they came; and that, this being the nearest Land to the oppofite Coaft, and the Wind contrary, they were waiting for a Gale, and might be faid to be Wind bound. This was more evident to me, when in the Morning I found the Wind had come about to the Northweft in the Night, and there was not one Swallow to be seen. Certain it is, that the Swallows neither come hither merely for warm Weather, nor retire merely from Cold they (like the Shoals of Fifh in the Sea) pursue their Prey; being a voracious Creature, and feeding as they fly; for their food is the Infects, of which, in our Summer Evenings, in damp and moift Places, the Air is full; and, when cold Weather comes in, and kills. the Infects, then Neceffity compels the Swallows to quit us, and follow their Food to fome other Climate. This paffing and repaffing of the Swallows is obferved no-where fo much as on this Eastern Coaft; nameJy, from above Harwich to the Eaft Point of Norfolk, called Wintertonnefs, North; which is oppofite to Holland. We know nothing of them any farther North; the Paffage of the Sea being, as I fuppofe, too broad from Flambro' Head, and the Shore of Holderness in Yorkshire, &c. This Part of England is remarkable for being the firft where the Feeding and Fattening of Sheep and other Cattle with Turneps was practifed in England, which is made a very great Part of the Improvement of their Lands to this Day; and from whence the Practice is spread over most of the Eaft and South Parts of England, to the great Enriching of the Farmers, and Increase of fat Cattle: and though some have objected against the Goodness of the Flefh thus fed with Turneps, and have fanfied it would taste of the Root, yet upon Experience it is found, that the Mutton fed upon this wholefome Root is the sweetest which is brought to London. The County of Suffolk is particularly famous for furnishing the City of London, and all the Counties round, with Turkeys; infomuch that more Turkeys are bred in this County, and the Part of Norfolk that joins to it, for Sale, than in all the rest of England; and they are generally of a larger Size than thofe which are bred in any other Part of the Kingdom. Nor will this be found an inconfiderable Article, if it be true, that 300 Droves of Turkeys have paffed, in one Season, over Stratford-bridge, on the River Stour, on the Road from Ipfwich to London; each Drove generally containing from 300 to 1000 Turkeys, which at 500, one with another, will be 150,000 in all; and yet the Numbers which are driven by Newmarketheath, and the open Country, and the Foreft, and also thof by Sudbury and Clare, are much greater. For the further Supplies of the Markets of London with Poultry, in which thefe Countries particularly abound, they have within thefe few Years found it practicable to make the Geefe travel on Foot too, and prodigious Numbers are brought up to London in like Droves from the fartheft Parts of Norfolk, even from the Fen-Country, about Lynn, Downham, Wifbich, and the Washes; as alfo from all the Eaft fide of Norfolk and Suffolk; and 'tis very frequent now to meet D 2 1000 Suffolk. 1000 or 2000 in a Drove. They begin to drive them generally in Auguft, when the Harvest is almoft over, that the Geefe may feed on the Stubbles as they go. Thus they hold on to the End of October, when the Roads begin to be too stiff and deep for their broad Feet, and fhort Legs, to march in. Befides fuch Methods of driving these Creatures on Foot, they have invented a new kind of Carriage, being Carts formed on Purpofe, with four Stories of Stages, to put the Poultry in, one above another, whereby onė Cart will carry a very great Number; and, for the fmoother going, they drive with two Horfes abreast, like a Coach; thus quartering the Road for the Ease of the Poultry, and changing Horfes, they travel Night and Day; fo that they bring the Fowls 70, 80, or 100 Miles in two Days and one Night: the Horfes are faftened together by a Piece of Wood lying crofs wife upon their Backs, by which they are kept even and together; and the Driver fits on the Top of the Cart, as in the public Carriages for the Army, &c. In this manner vaft Numbers of Turkey-poults and Chickens are carried to London every Year, which yield a good Price at Market; and more out of this County than any other Part of England, which is the Reafon of my speaking of it here. In this Part, which we call High Suffolk, there are not fo many Families of Gentry or Nobility, as in the other Side of the Country: but it is obferved, that, though their Seats are not here, their Estates are ; and the Pleasure of West Suffolk is much of it fupported by by the Wealth of High Suffolk: for the Richness of the Lands, and Application of the People to all Kinds of Improvement, are fcarce credible. The Farmers alfo are fo confiderable, and their Farms and Dairies fo large, that 'tis frequent for a Farmer to have 1000l. Stock upon his Farm in Cows only. From Southwould, Coaft-wife, I proceeded to Leoftof, a confiderable Market-town, ftanding near the Sea. |