cafe of the primitive miracles, feems D Laftly, he fays, it has been objected, that to reject the unanimous teftimony of the fathers, in their reports of the primitive miracles, will deftroy the faith and credit of all hiftory. His anfwer is, That this was the conftant cant of all the zealots of the heathen world, whenever any of their established fuperftitions were attacked by men of sense, as appears from Cicero; and that the fame objection was made against the christians, upon their rejecting the fables and fuperftitions of the heathens, as appears from Eufebius and Lactantius. But experience, he says, has fhewn, that this confequence does not follow. The antient heathen hiftories have not loft their credit, tho' we now reject all their accounts of prodigies, portents, and other fuch miraculous events; nor have the chriftian hiftories loft their credit, tho' we now reject all their accounts. of witches and witchcraft; for men of fenfe will always diftinguish between common and miraculous events. They know, that on fubjects of common history, a writer of fenfe and credit can hardly have any other motive of writing, but to pleafe and inftruct; but on fubjects of a miraculous kind, they know likewife, how forcibly the prejudices of education, a fuperftitious turn of mind, the interefts of a party, or the views of ambition, are apt to operate on a defender of thofe miracles, which the government and religion of his country are engaged to fupport. 3. It is urged, he fays, against him, that no fufpicion of craft can C reasonably be entertained against perfons of fo exalted a piety, who exposed themselves to perfecution, and even to martyrdom, in confirmation of what they taught. In anfwer to this he obferves, That nothing gives fo invincible a prejudice, and fo ftrong a bias to the mind of man, as religious zeal, in favour of every thing that is thought ufeful to the object which excites it. Upon this he takes occafion to examine the motives, or incentives, to martyrdom, which were fo many and fo E ftrong among the primitive chriftians, that even bad men were thereby fometimes animated to endure martyrdom, which he proves from a letter of St. Cyprian's. In this, he fays, his design is not to detract in any manner from the real merit FA Defcription of OXFORDSHIRE. and juft praife of thofe primitive martyrs; but to expofe the vanity of thofe extravagant honours, and that Oxfordshire, call'd by the Saxons Oxnafordfcire, and Oxenfordfcire, has Gloucestershire on the west, Buckinghamshire on the eaft, Warwickshire and Northampton/bire on the north, and Berkshire on the fouth, from which it is feparated by the river Ifis, vulgarly call'd the Thames, tho' that name does not properly belong to it, till it is join'd by the Tame, which falls into it near Dor chefter; C chefter; after which, it is parted from Oxford, or Oxon, 47 computed miles N. W. from London, is thus described by a modern author: The univerfity and city are feated on a fine rifing ground, in the midst of a pleasant and fruitful valley, of a large extent, at the confluence of the Ifs and Cherwell, with which they are encompafs'd on the east, weft and fouth, as alfo with a ridge of hills, at a mile's diftance, or F thereabouts, in the form of a bow, touching the east and weft points with the ends, fo that the whole lies in the form of a theatre. In the area ftands the city, mounted on a fmall hill, and adorn'd with so many towers, fpires, and pinnacles, and the fides of the neighbouring hills fo fprinkled with trees and villas, that fcarce any place equals the profpect. It was the sweetness and commodiousness of the fituation, no doubt, that first invited the great and judicious king Alfred to make this place the perpetual refidence of the mufes, by his liberalities and encouragements; and the kings of England have ever fince, efpecially when at any time forced from London by war, plague, or other inconveniencies, been wont to remove hither, not only their royal courts, but the houfes of parliament, and courts of judicature: Many fynods and convocations of the clergy have alfo, for the fame reafon, been held here." To this we shall add, that Oxford is governed by a mayor, who every year, when he is chofen, takes an oath in a folemn manner, adminifter'd by the vice chancellor, to observe and conferve the rights, and privileges, and liberties of the university. But having already given a particular account of the fituation, dimenfions, markets, streets, churches and other publick buildings of this famous city, in our Magazine for September 1747, p. 418; and of the publick buildings, &c. belonging to the univerfity, in our Magazine for October, 1747, p. 441; as alfo of the feveral colleges and halls, in our Magazine for December of the fame year, p. 565, we shall fay no more here, but pass on to the other towns; which are, 1. Banbury, the most northerly, fituated very pleasantly on the river G Cherwell, where it parts this connty from Northamptonshire. It has been noted for its good cakes and cheese, in the latter or which it has a confiderable trade. Its market is on Thursdayt Thursdays, 'tis govern'd by a mayor, 2. Deddington, or Doddington, about-5 miles S. of Banbury, a pretty large town, with a small market on Saturdays. It is govern'd by a bailiff, and formerly fent members to parliament, which privilege it has not B now for a long time enjoy'd. 3. Chipping Norton, about 8 miles S. W. of Deddington, fituated on the fide of a hill, near a small rivulet, a large but ftraggling town, yet well compacted about the market-place : It is a corporation, govern'd by two C bailiffs, &c. who have power to hold courts for all actions under 47. value. It now fends no members to parliament, tho' it did formerly. It has a good market on Wednesdays for corn, cattle, &c. -Not far to the north-eaft lies a village, nam'd Hoke- D Norton or Hock-Norton, commonly call'd Hogs-Norton, once a royal villa, and chiefly memorable for the fatal flaughter of the English in a battle with the Danes, under Edward the Elder, about the year 917. 4. Charlbury, about 5 miles E S. E. of Chipping-Norton, of which we find no further account. 5. Woodstock, about 10 miles S. E. of Chipping-Norton, a royal feat even in the Saxon times, and many of our kings then, as well as after the conqueft, us'd to make it their F fummer refidence. Henry I. not only beautify'd and enlarged the palace, but built a ftone wall about the park, where there are now no remains of the wonderful labyrinth, mentioned by our hiftorians to have been made here by Henry II. G to fecure his fair mistress Rofamond Clifford from the rage and jealoufy of his queen Eleanor, which yet it did not. The confular way, call'd dkeman fireet, ran thro' this park in a raised bank. Both park and manor continued moftly in the crown till the 4th of Q. Anne, when, together with the hundred of Wootton, they were fettled by act of parliament, on her victorious general John duke of Marlborough and his defcendants, as a reward for his eminent fervices before and in the battle of Blenheim in Germany; in memory of which a moft magnificent structure has been erected, call'd Blenheim-boufe, or caftle, adorn'd with fpacious and beautiful gardens, and accommodated with offices fufficient for a family of 300 persons, out-houfes capable of lodging a regiment of guards, and a beautiful chapel: The avenues, falons, galleries and apartments, are extremely magnificent; and the ftair-cafe, ftatues, paintings and furniture, and particularly the hangings of tapestry-work, furprizingly grand and elegant, in which are wove the principal battles of the duke; as they are alfo infcrib'd, with his other actions, on the fuperb column erected in the park, and which our readers will fee at the end of the defcription of this county. Near this palace is a bridge of one arch, of a prodigious diameter, which coft 20,000 /. in building. The town of Woodstock is a small, neat corporation, governed by a mayor, fends 2 members to parliament, and has an indiffeernt market on Tuesdays. 6. Bicefter, or Bieter, about 8 miles N. E. of Woodstock, is a long, ftraggling town near the borders of Buckinghamshire, which has a market on Fridays. 7. Burford, on the other fide of the county, near the borders of Gloucestershire, feated on an afcent, is a town corporate governed by z bailiffs, and has a good market on Saturdays, much noted for faddles. Near the town are the Dorns, called Burford-Downs, famous for horse races. 8. Witney, about 6 miles E. of Burford, an antient, long, ftraggling town town, inhabited by abundance of poor wool-fpinners. Here is a large manufacture of blankets, rugs &c. a good free-fchool and fine library. The market is on Thursdays. 9. Bampton, about 5 miles S. W. of Witney, has a market on Wednef- A days, noted for felt mongers wares, as leather jackets, gloves, breeches, &c. 10. Tame, about 12 miles E. of Oxford, pleasantly fituated on the river of that name, and almost encompaffed with its branches, over B which it has a bridge leading into Buckinghamshire. 'Tis a prettty good town, having one fpacious ftreet, in the middle of which is the marketplace. Here is a good free-fchool and an hofpital. The market, much frequented by grafiers, &c. is kept C on Tuesdays. 11. Watlington, about 6 miles S. of Tame, is a fmall town, with a mean market on Saturdays. 12. Henley, commonly call'd Henley upon Thames, from its fituation, about 8 miles S. E. of Watlington, a very antient and noted town, large, and govern'd by a warden, burgeffes, &c. The bridge over the Thames here, was formerly built with ftone, but now with wood. The inhabitants are generally mealmen, maltsters, and bargemen, who carry wood, meal, malt, &c. to London. The market is on Thursdays, which is very confiderable for all forts of grain, efpecially barley for malting. 'Tis fit we should mention Dorchefter, near the confluence of the Tame and fis, tho' now no markettown; as it was antiently very famous, having been a Roman station, a city and bishop's fee for 460 years, till, in 1070, it was tranflated to Lincoln, by Remigius its laft bifhop; and the town began fenfibly to decay from that very time. The Monumental INSCRIPTION on the Column at BLENHEIM-HOUSE. HE caftle of Blenheim was founded by Queen ANNE, THE In the fourth year of her reign, In the year of the chriftian Era 1705, A monument defign'd to perpetuate the memory of the fignal victory Near the village of Blenheim, On the banks of the Danube, By JOHN Duke of MARLBOROUGH ; Which united in one common cause, Who by military knowledge, and irrefiftible valour, When raised the higheft, when exerted the moft; Afferted, and confirmed the liberties of Europe. Philip, a grand-fon of the house of France, united to the interefts, directed by the policy, fupported by the arms of that crown, was placed on the throne of Spain, King WILLIAM the Third beheld this formidable union of |