SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.
[tinder this heading we notice such Books of the week as hers wat boss reserced for renew in other forms.]
Suffolk in the Seventeenth Century. With Notes by Lord Francis Hervey.' (John Murray. 10s. 6d.)—The document which Lord F. Hervey has here annotated is the "Breviary of Suffolk," written in the year 1618 by Robert Royce, of Preston, near Laven- ham, in Suffolk, a friend of Sir Symonds D'Ewes, an antiquary of note. It is now published for the first time. As may be sup- posed, it is a mine of curious information, which the editor has largely supplemented by his notes. After a brief statement of the name and dimensions of the county, Reyee proceeds to describe the rivers, ten in number. (It is difficult to recognise the Yare under the spelling of " Hierre " ; curiously enough, " Yarmouth " appears in its present form.) It is noticeable that he speaks of the "encrease of its great wealth" ; the vast churches often seen in quite insignificant villages are an indication of an affluence which the county, though fairly prosperous, does not now possess. (It may be noted that Blythburgh, flows moderate-sized village, is spoken of as the place where the Quarter Sessions were held alternately with Beccles—Becoles has at present about seven thousand inhabitants and Blythburgh about seven hundred.) Royce pays a high compliment to the Suffolk clergy. "The Bishop of this diocese has often said that there was never a Bishop in this realme, nay in Europe, that had so grave, so learned, so judicimis a ministry as bee had." Among the curiosities of information are some prices. Flitches of bacon are put at 5s., calves at 10s., and pigs at 8s. 4d. Fowls, on the other hand, average 1s. 2d. each, and wheat is 48s. the quarter. We cannot but think that the editor is unnecessarily sceptical about the tradition of St. Edmund. His treatment of the subject has something of flippancy and bad _taste. We were glad that the ridiculous figment of the relics was exposed ; but the language of the editor does no service to historical truth.
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