Should any reader of this paper visit the church of St. Paul let him not forget to ascend to the roof of the tower: the magnificent view from the summit is well worthy the labour.

SANCREED Church lies in a secluded spot among the hills about three miles westward from Penzance.

That there was a church here at the end of the thirteenth century is proved by the Taxation of Pope Nicholas IV., where it occurs as "Ecclesia Sancti Sancredi." There are probably no existing remains of this building, except perhaps in the foundations and the lower parts of the walls of the present church, which appears to have been erected late in the fifteenth century. Its plan nearly resembles that of St. Levan-consisting of a nave and a south aisle, a south porch, a north transept, and a low tower at the west end of the nave: the walls of the tower are very massive. The font is similar to that at St. Burian ; it has four angels, with crosses on their foreheads, and bearing shields. The stoup remains, and there is a niche for an image over the south door. The rood-screen has been re

moved, but some of its curiously-carved panels are preserved in the vestry at the north end of the transept. These panels consist of two large pieces of woodwork, 8 ft. 6 in. and 8 ft. 4 in.

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respectively in length, the panels following in succession as they were originally placed. The carved figures are undoubtedly symbolical, though some seem more than usually grotesque. The crowned head with three faces, represented in the annexed cut, is of course intended to symbolize the Holy Trinity. The trellis-like pattern on this panel is the same as that on the Norman font at Green's Norton, Northamptonshire (see Simpson's Baptismal Fonts). The eagle on the third panel is very spirited. In the first panel is a spotted goat devouring the tender branches of the vine. Others contain-an owl, twoheaded female figures, serpents entwined, a crowned serpent, and the pelican. These carvings were richly painted, like those of the screen at St. Burian.

The windows, with the exception of the belfry-lights, have been treated in the usual barbarous manner.

In the churchyard is a tall round-headed cross, on which is cut, among other devices, a representation of the lily of the Blessed Virgin,-a symbol very frequently used during the fifteenth century. There is another ancient cross by the west gate.

ST. JUST IN PENWITH.-The church-town of St. Just is situated on the coast, in a wild and romantic spot between the Land's End and the parish of Morvah.

Bishop Grandisson dedicated the high-altar of a church at this place on the 13th of July, 1336,-the same day with St. Madron; but nothing now remains of that church, for the east end of the chancel, which was the only portion of it that remained at that time, was taken down to be rebuilt in the year 1834. The rest of the church was erected late in the fifteenth century, and it is of nearly the same plan as St. Burian. The porch is the same as St. Burian's, excepting that there is a stairway from the interior of the church leading to its roof: the doorway to this is now walled up. The interior of the church presents rather a singular appearance, owing to the pier-arches being of different breadths,-some being pointed, and some depressed and nearly semicircular. The capitals of the piers are richly sculptured with foliage,-a very frequent design being that of leaves bound with their twisted stems as

* So called to distinguish it from St. Just in Roseland. GENT. MAG. VOL. CCXII. 3 T

with cords. The same may be seen at St. Madron, and the mouldings of the St. Just piers correspond to those of the north (or later) aisle at St. Madron. Some of the capitals have angels bearing shields, on which are carved the arms of several of the principal families connected with the parish, and which were

L

Hoodmould, St. Just.

Capitals, St. Just.

probably benefactors to the church. The capital of the second pier westward from the chancel has an angel with a shield, on which are the letters M.J., for MARIA JESUS. The hoodmould-terminations of one of the south aisle windows bear the same letters, but in reversed order, and are noticeable for their singular design. In writing on these letters, in his "Account of St. Just," Mr. Buller, a late vicar, seems to have overlooked evidence which would have supported his interpretation, had there been any doubt as to the letters themselves; for around the J are five bosses, and around the M. seven; the former, as is well known, being symbolical of the five wounds in the body of our Lord, and the latter the seven dolours of the Blessed Virgin. The round-headed termination of the J., with the two similar forms on its upper part, may represent the three nails; for in the arms of the Passion three nails were sometimes used instead of four.

Tooth-moulding, St. Just.

The last capital westward on the north side of the nave has a curious variety of the tooth-moulding.

The aisles have each five pointed windows, with tracery of

two patterns, which alternate in each aisle. of the aisles are very singular. They are

The east windows alike, having four

lights, with depressed heads above filled with Perpendicular tracery of flamboyant character. The east window is a recent imitation of one of the side windows of the aisles. The tower is of a plain character, with embattled parapet and four pinnacles, but no buttresses. It diminishes toward the top too abruptly for its height to have a pleasing effect. There are three bells, two of which have legends. On one, "Sancte Michael, ora pro nobis:" on the other, "Protege Virgo pia Quos convoco, Sancta Maria."

When the old sacrarium was taken down in 1834, there was found in the wall an inscribed stone, bearing on one side the

words "Silus [or Selus] hic jacet." There are also some marks over the first word which look very like a monogram. On the upper side of the stone, as it is now placed, is an incised cruciform pastoral-staff, indicating that the monument was commemorative of an ecclesiastic of some authority. In the same walls were found the broken parts of a piscina and the capital of a pier of Norman date.

EARL STANHOPE'S LIFE OF WILLIAM PITT*.

WE have here the completion of the Life of William Pitt, to which we called attention less than twelve months ago. This promptitude contrasts favourably with the delay and slovenly execution by Bishop Tomline of what ought to have been to him a labour of love, but it is very far from being the chief merit of Earl Stanhope's work. He has, it is evident, made a conscience of being scrupulously accurate and complete in his statements, and he thus gives to all the opportunity of forming a sound judgment regarding a man who has suffered in even more than an ordinary degree from the virulence of party.

We have already remarked, in speaking of the early volumes of this work, that there were passages in the career of Pitt which required to be told without party colouring, but this common justice they have not hitherto received. The Edinburgh Reviewers in general, and more especially the brilliant but unreliable and unscrupulous Macaulay, pursued a very different line of conduct, and by taking captious objections here, and withholding explanations there, they succeeded in creating a prejudice against Pitt, which was once vehement indeed, but has been since weakened by the publication of numerous volumes of Memoirs and Correspondence relating to his era, all bearing testimony to his wisdom and integrity, and must now disappear before the conclusive evidence produced by Lord Stanhope, who may be fairly congratulated on the victory that he has achieved over all the efforts of party misrepresentation.

The former volumes of the work brought down the narrative to the year 1796, and included a candid exposition of Mr. Pitt's conduct, which we thought it necessary to quote, with the expression of our concurrence therein. The present volumes carry on the narrative until his death, and speak in sufficient detail of matters that have been discussed often enough before, but never, we are sure, with the accurate knowledge and judicial impartiality that Lord Stanhope displays. Among these subjects, the suspension of cash payments in 1797, the Irish Rebellion and the Union-Mr. Pitt's retirement from office in 1801, and his conduct as to the Peace of Amiens-his return to power —and his death, are of course the most prominent. An idea of how they are treated will be best given by a few extracts, which the space at our disposal compels us to make more brief than we could wish.

"The Life of the Right Hon. William Pitt. By Earl Stanhope, Author of the 'History of England from the Peace of Utrecht."" Vols. III. and IV. (Murray.) GENT. MAG., June, 1861, p. 609.