Peke, Dr. Reading called out-" Peke, recant thy opinion, and I have thy pardon in my hand;" but he answered, "I defy it and thee, and withal spit out a mouthful of blood." Hearing this answer, Dr. Reading promised in the name of the bishop of Norwich, 40 days' pardon for sins, to all who would cast a stick into the fire. "Whereupon Sir John Audley, kt., Mr. Barnes, Mr. Curson, and divers others of reputation, there present, cut down boughs from the trees with their swords, and threw them into the fire."

In 1561, Queen Elizabeth visited the town, and taxed the inhabitants with the expenses of her journey, ordering that all the burgesses who refused to contribute thereto should be disfranchised. She again visited the town in 1565, and finding that the parochial clergy were poor, caused an act to be passed for the augmentation of their benefices, and the support of the churches, by yearly assessments to be levied on the parishioners at the discretion of the Corporation, proof being first given by the officers of the several parishes that such assessments are needed. In the 13th of Elizabeth, the first act for paving the town was passed, and it appears to be the earliest act obtained by any borough in England for the same purpose. An" Act for paving, lighting, cleansing, and otherwise improving the town of Ipswich," was obtained in the 33rd of George III., and was amended by four other acts, passed in 1797, 1815, 1821, and 1837. In the 30th and 39th of Elizabeth, Ipswich furnished two ships for the general defence of the nation. During this and the following reign, the town greatly increased, though it suffered much from a visitation of the plague in 1603, when upwards of 30,000 persons died in London of that dreadful malady. In 1654, the town suffered considerably by fire; and it had another fatal visitation of the plague in 1666, the year of the great plague and fire in London. During the civil wars between Charles I. and the Parliament, which commenced in 1642, and terminated in the decapitation of the misguided and unfortunate monarch in 1648, Ipswich was not the scene of any of those sanguinary conflicts which so frequently distracted various parts of the kingdom. At the commencement of this long-continued struggle, the inhabitants of both Suffolk and Norfolk generally declared for the Parliament, and at no period were the Royalists able to make much impression in either county. In these troublesome times, numerous instances of fraud and credulity occurred here and at other places, under the delusion of witchcraft and demonology; and so ignorant were the magistrates of many towns, that they actually employed designing villains, who styled themselves witchfinders, and pricked harmless persons with pins, or ducked them in rivers, under the pretence of deciding whether they were witches or not; and being paid a certain sum per head for each conviction, they did not often let their victims escape. A poor fanatical old woman, called Mother Lakeland, was arraigned, condemned, and burnt for a witch at Ipswich, on the 9th of September, 1645; and in a pamphlet published after her death, she is represented as having confessed that she had sold herself to the devil twenty years before, and had been furnished with three imps, in the forms of two little dogs and a mole, by means of which she grievously afflicted Mr. Lawrence, Mr. Beal, a maid of Mrs. Jennings, and other persons in the town. Many are said to have suffered, in various parts of Suffolk, under the belief in this

kind of supernatural agency, which ceased to prevail many years ago, except amongst the most ignorant of the vulgar; and the repeal of all the statutes relating to witchcraft has removed from our criminal code the reproach cast upon it by such ridiculous enactments.

The restoration of monarchy and episcopacy, in 1660, appears to have been hailed with gladness in Ipswich, for immediately after Charles II. had ascended the long-vacant throne, the Corporation voted him £300 out of their revenue; and in addition to this gift, the inhabitants raised a voluntary subscription. The grateful, but gay and extravagant monarch, granted the town a new charter in 1678, as already noticed. In 1693, the Corporation entered into an engagement with fifty families of French Protestants, skilled in the manufacture of lutestring, to settle in the town, promising to support them liberally, and to erect and endow a church for their accommodation; but after remaining here for some time, they appear to have removed to Norwich. In 1704, a nightly watch was established in the town, and it was agreed that every person who refused to take his turn as watchman should be fined. In 1709, some German weavers, &c., applied to be allowed to settle in the town, but were answered, that by "reason of decay of trade, and having no manufactory to employ poor people, and the great burden and increase of its own poor inhabitants," they could not possibly be accommodated in the town. In 1787, it was found, that though the Corporation possessed a large estate, their debts and mortgages were so heavy, as to leave only a clear income of £132 per ann. In 1794, Ipswich determined to follow the example of many other towns, which had formed corps of volunteers, for internal defence against insurrection, or the threatened invasion of the French. But some time elapsed before the "Loyal Ipswich Volunteers" were properly organised. They numbered about 200, and were bound, in case of invasion, to march to any part of the kingdom. Many of the inhabitants belonged to the East Suffolk Militia (which still has its staff here,) and the loyalty of the town and county stood pre-eminent during the fear-exciting period of the French Revolution. Being situated conveniently for the embarkation of troops to Holland, &c., Ipswich was generally crowded with soldiers during the late wars, and barracks were erected on the old dock side, on the Woodbridge road, and near St. Matthew's street, for the accommodation of more than 12,000 men, chiefly infantry; but these buildings have been taken down or appropriated to other uses, except the Queen's Barracks (as they are now called,) which occupy an airy situation near the end of St. Matthew's street, and were built by Government in 1795, for the accommodation of three troops of cavalry. In the location of troops, a regiment of horse is generally apportioned between Norwich and Ipswich, and the head-quarters are usually here. At the close of the war, Ipswich lost its military character, and became absorbed in the less-exciting, but more pleasing and profitable pursuits of commerce, for which it is so well adapted.

During the last twenty years, the town has greatly increased in wealth and population, as already noticed at page 50; and many new streets, neat mansions, and public edifices have been erected, some of them presenting handsome fronts of white brick. The streets in the old parts of the town are rather narrow and irregular, but the princi

pal thoroughfares have been widened and straightened, since 1821, under the powers of the two last of five successive acts of Parliament for paving, lighting, and improving the town. (See page 59.) The Water-works belong to the Corporation, as noticed at page 55, and afford an abundant supply of the pure beverage of nature, brought in pipes from about fifty springs in the neighbouring hills. The Gasworks were finished, in 1821, by a company of proprietors, holding 1400 shares of £10 each, and have two gasometers, each of the capacity of 1400 cubic feet. Tavern street, Westgate street, Cornhill, Butter market, and the other principal streets, contain many handsome and well-stocked shops and commodious inns; but the largest and perhaps the most valuable premises are the warehouses, &c., situated near the common quay, and along the banks of the Orwell. A handsome and substantial cast-iron bridge, called STOKE BRidge, connects the town with the parish of Stoke, and was erected at the cost of £7000, in lieu of the old stone bridge, which was destroyed by a flood on the 12th of April, 1818.

Handford Bridge, which crosses the Gipping on the London road, was erected about 1795, at a considerable expense, being carried for some distance across the head of the marshes, which form a small island on the west side of the town, encompassed by two channels of the river, which diverge and re-unite between the two bridges, after a separation of more than a mile. The old channel skirts the western side of the town, where it is crossed by a smaller bridge, leading to the marshes, which belong to the Corporation.

Ancient Houses.-Though the hand of modern improvement has considerably reduced them, the town still retains a considerable number of ancient half-timbered houses, of the Elizabethan and other ages, having their many-gabled fronts ornamented with carvings, and some of them projecting their upper stories two or more feet into the street. MR. SPARROWE'S HOUSE, the largest and most interesting of these antique dwellings, is very extensive. It fronts the Butter market, and was built in 1567, by George Copping, Esq., but has been occupied more than two centuries and a half by the Sparrowe family, and is now the property and residence of J. E. Sparrowe, Esq. The basement front is finely carved in pendant fruit, and extends about 70 feet in length, and above it are four large bay windows, on the base of which are sculptured emblematical figures of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, with their peculiar attributes. Above these windows, is a considerable projection, or pediment, forming a promenade, on the outside, nearly round the house, and in front of the attic windows, which are crowned by ornamented gables. Indeed, the whole exterior of this unique dwelling is profusely ornamented with carvings of animals, fruit, flowers, wreaths of roses, and other devices. The interior contains many fine apartments. The dining room is 22 feet by 21, and is closely panneled in dark oak, carved in a manner which would do honour even to the great genius of Grinling Gibbon. Upon the first floor, fronting the street, is a noble apartment, 46 feet by 21, having its ceiling traversed by heavy oak beams, and divided into compartments, ornamented by ponderous wreaths of fruit. There are in the house many fine old paintings, and among them is a portrait, by Vandyke, of Charles II., who is said to have been some time concealed

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here during the Commonwealth, but this tradition is not supported by history. The Tankard public-house, in Tacket street, taken down in 1843, was the last-remaining portion of an extensive and highly ornamented mansion, which was the residence of Sir Anthony Wingfield, a distinguished courtier of the days of Henry VIII. The house in which Cardinal Wolsey was born stands in St. Nicholas street, on the south side of the passage leading to the churchyard. The old timber carvings still existing upon the corner posts of many other houses, shew that they were built by wealthy families. Indeed, in the Elizabethan age, the town was distinguished for the "fair and goodly residences" of its merchants. In front of the Half-Moon public-house, appears, weil carved, the old story of the fox preaching to the geese, supposed to have had a satirical reference to the condition of the townspeople and the monks before the suppression of the monasteries. In a yard behind the quay, are the remains of a house, exhibiting the framework of a fine Tudor window, and having on one of its corner posts a carved effigy of Queen Elizabeth. Among the numerous old buildings on the banks of the Orwell, were several quaint in character, but they were removed a few years ago to make room for the new quay, and their sites are now occupied by a long line of lofty warehouses, granaries, &c.

The RIVER GIPPING, which gave name to the town, as noticed at page 51, is a small stream, but it was made navigable for barges, at the cost of about £27,000, in 1793, up to Stowmarket, which lies in the centre of Suffolk, about 14 miles N.N.W. of Ipswich. It takes its rise from three rivulets, which have their sources near the villages of Gipping, Rattlesden, and Wetherden, and unite at Stowmarket, whence it flows to Ipswich by a winding course of sixteen miles, through a fertile country, which has been considerably benefitted by the navigation. Below Stoke bridge, at Ipswich, the Gipping assumes the name of ORWELL, and becomes a broad estuary, in which the tide rises about twelve feet. The Orwell extends S.S.E. from Ipswich to the North Sea, or German Ocean, at Harwich (distant about twelve miles,) in a bed varying from half a mile to upwards of a mile in breadth at high water. At Harwich, it unites with the Stour, which is the boundary of Suffolk and Essex, and is navigable to Sudbury for barges. The channel of the Orwell has been straightened, deepened,* and very much improved since 1805, when an Act was obtained "for improving and rendering more commodious the Port of Ipswich," so that vessels of 200 tons burthen, or drawing 12 feet water, might come up to the quays, instead of receiving and discharging their cargoes by means of lighters, at Downham Reach, about three miles below, where there is at all times of the tide water sufficient for ships of the greatest draught. For effecting these improvements, the act incorporated a body of gentlemen under the name of the River Commissioners, who thus became the conservators of the Orwell, which had been so long neglected by

* Submerged Forest :-In deepening various parts of the Orwell, and particularly the creek leading up to Halifax ship-yard, such immense quantities of vegetable remains have been found, as to render it probable that, at a remote period, a forest existed in what is now the bed of the Orwell. Large quantities of hazel-nuts, brush-wood, and timber-trees, have been raised from what might be termed the natural bed of the river. On becoming dry, after exposure to the air, they crumbled into dust.

the Corporation. (See page 55.) Though these commissioners did essential service in facilitating the passage of large vessels to and from the town, the Orwell was still left nearly dry at low water, when broad and constantly accumulating banks of silt presented themselves opposite the quays. This injury to the trade and shipping of the port was proposed to be removed about fifty years ago by damming up the river at Downham Reach, or by making a large basin and lock close to the town, so as to pen up the water at flood-tide opposite the quays; but no decisive measures were taken till November, 1836, when it was resolved, at a large public meeting of the gentry and merchants of the town and neighbourhood, that an act of Parliament should be obtained to enable a new body of commissioners to deepen the old channel next the town; to form it, by means of stupendous embankments, into a Wet Dock of 32 acres; and to cut a new channel, about 2500 feet long, on the opposite side of the river, for the free motion of the tidal water, and the discharge of the Gipping. After much opposition, the act for accomplishing his grand desideratum was obtained in June, 1837, and H. R. Palmer, Esq., was appointed engineer, and D. Thornbory, Esq., became chief contractor for the works. The duties of the River Commissioners now became absorbed in the "Dock Commission," and they paid over to the latter £25,000 three per cent. consols, which had accumulated from the careful administration of their trust. In addition to this sum, the dock commissioners were empowered to borrow £60,000, to complete the works, but, in 1840, they were under the necessity of applying to Parliament for power to borrow £25,000 more; and this not being found sufficient, they obtained another act in May, 1843, enabling them to borrow a further sum of £20,000, and to levy an extra sixpence per ton on all coals imported. The foundation stone of the lock was laid June 6th, 1839, and the work proceeded, with few interruptions, till January, 1842, when the gates of the lock being closed at high water, the harbour of Ipswich became the largest WET DOCK in the kingdom, presenting the ample surface of 32 acres, with a depth of 14 feet of water, laving the walls of a new line of Quay, 2780 feet in length, and 30 in breadth. The dimensions of this noble dock are nine acres more than the whole area of the Hull docks, and three acres more than the London docks. The excavations from the dock and the new channel furnished earth for the broad embankments which rise several feet above high-water mark. The lock chamber is 140 feet long, 45 feet broad, and 20 feet 6 inches deep, from the surface of the quay. Among other improvements intended to be made in the river, below the dock, are a new cut through the Black Ooze, and the removal of the shoal from the Cliff Reach to the "Lower Hearth Point," by means of the dredging machine. The DOCK COMMISSIONERS consist of a number of the principal inhabitants, and one-third of them are changed annually. For the support of the dock and the improvement of the navigation, they levy certain dues on vessels according to their tonnage, and 1s. 6d. per ton on coals, which also pay 14d. per ton for town dues. They have also the exclusive privilege of supplying ballast, for which they charge ls. per ton, besides 5d. for the labour of putting it on board. The navigation dues from 1820 to 1834, averaged £2630 a year, but, including the dock dues, they now average more than twice that amount. D., Alexander