welfare and happiness of mankind. It is with pleafure I witneffed the humanity of the jailor towards the unfortunate prifoners, in general; he fympathifed with their diftreffes, and feemed to do every thing in his power which might ameliorate their fad condition. The goal itself is a large modern building, pleafantly fituated, and, apparently, well adapted to the melancholy purposes to which its apartments are appropriated. It is built upon the plan of the late Mr. Howard, whofe intention it was, that punishment fhould effect the reformation of the criminal. Indeed this can be the only rational object of suffering, for favages alone can delight in wanton cruelty. The diffenters in this city are numerous and refpectable, and have enjoyed the labours of Mr. Pierce and Mr. Micaijah Towgood, two of their moft eminent advocates and ornaments. The former flourished there about the beginning of this century, and was a man of found learning, irreproachable manners, and fterling integrity. The latter was juftly entitled to an appellation often beftowed upon him-the Apostle of the Weft; for in him an enlightened zeal and an ardent charity were happily united. I faw his venerable portrait at the houfe of his amiable fucceffor; his features. were expreffive of the virtues by which his foul was animated. It was painted by Opie, whofe profeffional merits are generally and defervedly acknowledged. In EXETER the cathedral is almoft the only object of curiofity. It was 400 years in building, yet exhibits an aftonishing uniformity: -The pious work Of names once fam'd, now dubious, or forgot, And buried 'midst the wreck of things which were! It is vaulted throughout, is 390 feet long and 74 broad; it has a ring of bells reckoned the largeft in England, as is alfo its organ, the greatest pipe of which is fifteen inches in diameter. The dean and chapter have the VOL. VIII. houfes 2 houfes round the cathedral, which form a circus, called the clofe, because it is feparated from the city by walls and gates. At the deanery King WILLIAM flept, in his way from Torbay to London; the bishop, however, ran off to King James, and was, for his loyalty, made Archbishop of York. In feveral parts of the cathedral we faw monuments of great antiquity; that of Judge Doddridge particularly attracted my attention. He was the ancestor of the pious and learned Dr. Philip Doddridge; and Job Orton declares, that it is hard to fay whether he were the better artift, philofopher, divine, common or civil lawyer. His epitaph inscribed upon his tomb is expreffive: Learning adieu! for Doddridge is gone Rich urn of learned duft! fcarce can be found A curious incident happened to this upright judge, on one of his circuits, and is recorded in the Harlean Mifcellany. Judge Doddridge, at Huntingdon affizes, 1619, had, it seems, reproved the Sheriff for having returned perfons on the jury who were not of fufficient refpectability. The Sheriff, however, took care, against the next Affizes, to prefent the following fingular likt, at which the Judge fimiled, at the fame time applauding his ingenious industry. Mamilian King of Tortand, Robert Lord of Warfley, Richard Baron of Bythorpe, George Gentleman of Spaldock, Stephen Stephen Pope of Weston, Humphrey Cardinal of Kimbolton, Richard Deacon of Catfworth. We afcended the principal tower of the cathedral, from the fummit of which we were prefented with a beautiful profpect of Exeter, and the adjacent country. The circuitous windings of the river Ex, added to the variety of the fcene, whilft Topfham, a bustling feaport, fituated upon its banks, yields many advantages to the active and commercial part of the community. A curious clock is to be feen in the cathedral, the face which exhibits the Ptolemaic fyftem; which reprefents the earth in the centre, and the planets revolving round it in regular fucceffion. It has an odd appearance, but conveys an idea to the intelligent fpectator, of that arrangement of the planetary fyftem, which was once admitted to be the true fyftem of aftronomy. The painted window in this metropolitan church, erected about thirty years ago, fhould not pafs unnoticed, for it is reckoned one of the finest in the kingdom. It exhibits the twelve apofiles at whole length, furrounded with the armorial bearings of the principal families of the county. It has been remarked that Peter, looking down over his left fhoulder, feems to frown horribly upon the fpiritual court. The Bishop's throne alfo is an exquifite Let not this remark be deemed illiberal; for Dr. Johnfon himself, fpeaking of his tragedy IRENE, obferved to a friend, that if his heroine had not futfered enough by the evils which had befallen her; he could ftill fill up the measure of her calamities, by putting her into the Spiritual Court at Litchfield! Z 2 piece piece of workmanship, and fo curiously framed, that neither fcrew, nail, or peg, were employed in its conftruction. Upon the approach of Oliver Cromwell to befiege the city, it was taken to pieces by the clergy, facredly preferved, and re-inftated at the Reftoration. The library likewife contains a good collection of antient divinity; and the compartment of it, added by the late Dr. Rofs, Bishop of the diocese, seemed particularly well chofen; he was, indeed, a prelate of confiderable learning and diftinguished liberality. This cathedral impreffed me with peculiar fenfations of folemnity. To ufe the beautiful language of Congreve in his Mourning Bride: How reverend is the face of this tall pile, Thy voice-my own affrights me with its very echoes! Exeter, taken altogether, is well worth the traveller's attention. It has one fpacious ftreet, called the ForeStreet, of confiderable length, and conveys to the eye of the ftranger an idea of great refpectability. The city anciently had a mint; and fo late as the reign of King William, filver was coined here, diftinguifhed by the letter E. placed under the King's buft. About one mile and a half without the eaft gate of Exeter, is the parish of Heavy Tree, fo called from the gallows erected there for malefactors, and near it is a burial place for them, purchased in the reign of Edward the Sixth, by the widow of Mr. Tucker, Sheriff of Exeter, who also left money to procure them shrouds in which the poor wretches, have frequently been executed. They now, however, make their exit over the front door of the prifon, by a drop, fimilar to that before Newgate. This city is faid to have fuffered grievously by the refentment of Henry Courtenay, Earl of Devonshire, who, to revenge the difappointment of fome fish from the market, by wiers choaked up the river below Exeter, which before brought up fhips to the city walls, fo as entirely to obftruct the navigation of it. The injury, however, has by means of an artificial channel been, in a great measure, remedied. Such was the trade of this city in ferges, druggets, kerfeys, and other woollen goods, that it was computed at fix hundred thousand pounds per annum. Vait quantities of thefe articles ufed to be shipped off for Portugal, Spain, Italy, Holland, and Germany. Exeter is remarkable for three things; that it has for its motto Semper fidelis, ALWAYS FAITHFUL-that of its twenty churches in the city and fuburbs, thirteen of them were in the time of Oliver Cromwell, expofed to fale by the common cryer; and that it has given birth to Sir Thomas Bodley, the founder of the famous Bodlean Library, at Oxford. Nor fhould we omit to mention the hofpital for the fick and lame poor, both for the city and county. It was founded by Dr. Alured Clark, Dean of Exeter, and the firft ftone was laid the 27th August, 1741, by him, accompanied by the Bishop and a great number of the neighbouring clergy, who were fubfcribers, befides fome thousands of joyful fpectators. Such inftitutions are honourable to humanity. For charitable efforts to relieve human mifery, this ifland has long been famous; and may Britain continue for ever thus to be diftinguished among the nations of the earth! Quitting Exeter, I reached Honiton, at the distance of fifteen miles, a pleafant town, being one long street, in which are to be found many good houfes. In the midft of it, however, ftands a row of wretched and tottering 23 fhambles, |