England Described, Title page – To the reader
ENGLAND DESCRIBED: Or the ſeveral COUNTIES & SHIRES thereof briefly handled.
Some things alſo premiſed, to ſet forth the Glory of this NATION.
By Edward Leigh Eſquire, Mr of Arts of Magdalen-Hall in Oxford.
LONDON, Printed by A. M. for Henry Marſh at the Signe of the Princes-Arms in Chancery-lane, near Fleetstreet, 1659.
TO THE Right Worſhipfull, AND HIS Honoured Friend Sr ROBERT PYE.
SIR,
IT is blamed in our Engliſhmen, that they are apt too much to admire Foreigne Countreys and Commodities; and exotick Faſhions alſo, becauſe they are either ignorant of, or do not ſufficiently prize the Excellencies of their own native Soil; and herein the old Proverb of the Engliſh is verified, They never know when they are well. VVe have little cauſe (I thinke) to envy any other Countrey, if we rightly underſtand our own happy condition. I have in my Prolegomena written encomiaſtically of this Nation; and in the Book have ſpoken ſnccinctly of each County. Were the Subject well handled, I ſuppoſe it would be a pleaſing Argument to you who have ſeen a great part of England. However you will (I hope) excuſe my boldneſſe in prefixing your Name to this worke, ſince I was willing to teſtifie herein, how much I am beholding to you for your many great Civilities and Courteſies to me and mine. I have heard you often ſay, Though you had a great Office many yeers, and was Executor alſo to three eminent Perſons of the Nobility, yet you ſcarce ever had any complaint againſt you for Miſcarriages in your Place, or a Suit at Law with any (one excepted) in your whole life. Theſe, with a plentifull Eſtate, and a healthfull Conſtitution of Body are mercies, and lay a ſtronger Obligation upon you, to be carefull to pleaſe and honour that God, who hath been ſo propitious to you.
Your exciting of others, and your own munificence alſo to ſo good a VVork, as to the edifying of a ſpecious Chappel, for the ſolemn worſhip of God, and ſetling alſo a competent Maintenance for a Miniſter, is laudable. Your prudent avoiding Suretiſhip (though you were ſolicited by two Royal Perſons to be bound for them) is conſonant to Scripture-Rules. But (Sir) in your declining Age, it will be your wiſdome now, and comfort hereafter, to lay up your treaſures in Heaven, to mortifie all inordinate affections, and to ſecure your intereſt in Chriſt. Nuſquam tuta foelicitas ubi periclitatur aeternitas. A man is never ſafe, till his everlaſting condition be well provided for. I ſhall not enlarge herein, but ſubſcribe my ſelf,
Sir, Your obliged and thankfull Friend and Servant Edward Leigh.
TO THE CANDID READER.
Reader,
I Did intend the publiſhing of this firſt Book of the Kingdome, or Several Counties of England, together with another of The Kings of England. But the Bookſeller deſired to put forth this firſt alone.
I have made much uſe of Camden, and if I could have added to his Chorography, ſome new and memorable things of each County, which he had not obſerved, I ſhould have thought it might have been uſefull for a native Engliſhman and Foraigner. Perhaps I have not been able to make additions to him in every County; but I hope I have inſerted ſome ſpecial things in the whole over and above what he (travelling over moſt part of the Land for that purpoſe) hath publiſhed. I have peruſed Andre du Cheſne his Hiſtoire generale de Angleterre d'Eſcoſſe, & d' Irlande, Councellor and Geographer to the King of France; and alſo Draytons Polyolbion, with M. Seldens Illustrations. Thoſe that have written of any Counties or Cities of England, as Burton of Leiceſterſhire, Dugdale of Warwickſhire, King of Cheſhire, Nordens Speculum Britanniae, his brief Deſcription of Middleſex and Harfordſhire, Lambert and another of Kent; Crews Surveigh of Cornwall; Stows Deſcription of London; Somners of Canterbury, and Nevils of Norwich; we having onelyonly as yet the Deſcription of thoſe three Cities. I made uſe alſo of Lelands Itinerary, a Manuſcript written to Henry the Eighth, and his Comment in Cygneam Cantionem; M. Burtons Notes on Antoninus his Itinerary. I have confined my ſelf to England, not medling with Wales, Ireland or Scotland. I have in the Prolegomena related ſome things which may make the Nation illuſtrious, and alſo acquaint Strangers with the Politia or Government thereof. I have lately received from M. Dugard a learned Miniſter in Warwickſhire, and Rector of Barford, a memorable obſervation concerning the Family of the Fairfaxes there, the like whereto is ſcarce to be found in any ſacred or prophane Writer, which coming too late to inſert in Warwickſhire, I thought good to mention here.
The matchleſſe Family of the Fairfaxes in Barford, two miles from Warwick, wherein there are four Generations, and three of them double, viz.
1. Samuel Fairfax, a child of almoſt twelve years of age.
2. John and Elizabeth: his Father and Mother.
3. John and Eleonor: his Grand-father and Grandmother.
4. Richard and Alice: his great Grandfather and great Grandmother.
Not one of theſe three pairs hath been twice married: and every pair of them is an honour to marriage. They all for divers yeares moſt lovingly dwelt together in one houſe, and ate together at one Table. At laſt they are divided in habitations, but not in affections. The youngeſt pair with their children live at Wibtaft, in the furtheſt part of the County, nigh unto High-croſſe: the other two pair in Barford. The great Grandfather is above fourſcore yeares of age; a very proper and luſty man; an honeſt and loving neighbour; and one that hath born the Office of High-Conſtable. The moſt remarkable of theſe particulars have been put into this Latine Epigramme by the preſent Rector of Barford.
Mirabilis Fairfaxiorum Familia, quae eſt Barfordiae, ſecundo lapide à Polemopoli, ſive Warwico.
Quartus in aetheream Fairfaxius editur *Octob. 18th, 1647.auram,
Patris, Avi, Proavi, gaudia magna ſui.
Hos tegit una domus cum terna uxore maritos,
Unáque alit lautis menſa benigna cibis.
Non magis unanimes nôrunt haec ſecula mentes,
Est bis corporibus mens velut una tribus.
Tótque ex conjugibus bis vincla jugalia nemo
Nexuit: & nemo nexa ſoluta cupit.
More columbarum laetatur conjuge conjux.
Deſeruit rugas nec juvenilis amor.
Hiſce tribus Paribus Barfordia jure ſuperbit.
Nampar his Paribus quis locus alter habet?
Tho. Dugard. Art. Mag. Rector Barf.
The ſame in Engliſh.
Fairfax the Fourth is born *Octob. 18., a gallant Boy:
Fathers, Grandfathers, great Grand-fathers great joy.
Under one roof theſe dwell with their three Wives,
And at one Table eat what Heaven gives.
Our times a ſweeter Harmony have not known.
They are ſix Perſons, yet their hearts but one.
And of theſe ſix, as none hath hitherto
Known Marriage twice, ſo none deſires to do.
Mate is to mate what deareſt Dove to Dove.
Even grandeſt wrinkles are top-full of love.
In theſe three Pairs Barford may juſtly glory.
What other place can parallel this Story?
Th. Dugard.
Some parts of this Nation ſubſiſt upon Mines and Cole; others upon Manefacture: Some upon Corn; others upon the Profits of Cattle: London and the Sea-Ports upon Exportation and Importation. M. Wrens Monarchy aſſerted, chap. 8.
Wileboord an Engliſhman was the firſt Biſhop of Utrect, he is called the Apoſtle of Zeland, for having there preacht and planted the Chriſtian Faith, as alſo in the Provinces next adjoyning. Verſtegans Etymologies of our Saxon Proper Names.
Willebrodus Britannus fuit, Friſioſque primus Christianae Religionis initiis imbuit. Bertius in Tab. Geog. Contract.
I ſhall detain thee no longer, but ſubſcribe my ſelf
Thy hearty Well-willer Edward Leigh.