grenes, which fometimes cause the extreme parts of the body to mortify, fo as to fall off, almoft without any pain, or hemorrhage. [Moft of our Readers will recollect that a miserable family in Suffolk, were, not many years ago, affected in this deplorable manner.]

M. Du Hamel proceeds in Sect. II. to make obfervations on the other diftempers of corn; In which he is much more particular than any English writer has yet been; diftinguishing by the appellation of rust, empty ears, shrivelled grain, parched grain, glazed grain, abortive corn, and barren ears, the feveral accidents which we commonly rank under the general names of mildew and blight; and adding thereto fome very appofite reflections on the bending or lodging of corn, which he likewife looks upon as a diftemper.'-Under each of these respective heads we meet with a variety of curious and ufeful obfervations; one of which, in particular, is, that good culture, fuch as the new Husbandry beft admits of, is the most effectual preventive of all the above-mentioned diftempers, hitherto difcovered.

In the last article of this volume, M. Du Hamel treats of fallen or lodged corn; in fome particulars whereof, Mr. Mills does not content himfelf, as in moft former fections, with barely copying his author, but ventures to give his own opinion, though in oppofition to fo great an authority. This we think extremely right; and fhould have been glad if he had exercifed this undoubted prerogative of a public Writer somewhat oftener, and fooner, than he has done.-Nullius in verba, is

our motto.

Upon this fubject, M. Du Hamel obferves, that" The fineft, tallest, and strongest plants, are not always those which yield the greatest quantity of grain, or the best. The stems of corn grow and fhoot up pretty perpendicularly, unless fome accidental caufe fubvert this order of nature. The most frequent accidents of this kind are wind and rain. The ftem which is fupple, bends indeed, and thereby gives way to the force of the wind; and by means of its elafticity, recovers its naturally perpendicular pofition upon the ceafing of the wind: but when much rain accompanies the wind, the ears of the corn become loaded with wet, and the ftalks, which are tender near the ground, break: the plants then cannot rife up again; and if there be weeds at the bottom of the ftems, they will foon top the corn, and effectually prevent its rifing."

If the hufbandman could forefee that the season would be very favourable to the growth of corn, he would not by any means enrich his already good lands, because he would not chufe to be inftrumental in [to] the lodging of his corn:

for

for it is in those kindly years that the finest, best cultivated, and moft dunged crops are the most apt to be lodged, and then to yield the husbandman the smalleft return.".

"But as it is not given to man to have that fore-knowledge, farmers plow and manure their land as well as they can, and if they find their corn grow too rank, they fometimes mow it. By this means they check the growth of the plants, and confequently prevent their rifing too high. This answers the defign of guarding against their being lodged."-Thus far M. Du Hamel.-To this, Mr. Mills fubjoins, that the fame end may also be answered by the turning in of fheep, to eat down the too luxuriant blades: but, as he very judiciously adds, both thefe methods are wrong; for the farmer thereby certainly leffens his crop, and at least brings it on the level of a fecond crop, where the ears are always fmall and light. For fear of the grain's fhrivelling, if the corn fhould be lodged, he recurs to means which infallibly render the ears small and less stored with grain. Befides this, the grain is generally good when it ripens in due feafon but by feeding or cutting down the corn, its growth and ripening are retarded, and it confequently is expofed to all the inconveniencies of a late harvest.'

Mr. Mills then introduces a very strong and rational argument in favour of the new Husbandry, in the following words; [which we here beg leave to recommend to the candid attention of every rational hufbandman.] It is agreed, that corn which grows in a rich foil is tall, and more liable to be lodged than that which is ftinted in its growth. But this is owing to the weakness of the ftraw, and not to the weight of the ears, let them be ever fo full of grain. The business therefore here is to give the ftems as much ftrength as poffible. To this end, it is neceffary that the fun and air have free access to them, and that the plants receive fufficient nourishment while they are in the earth; for we frequently fee that tufts of wheat which chance to grow feparate from others, and stand in such a manner as to be expofed on all fides to the fun and air, are much lefs apt to be laid than thofe which grow in the middle of large fields of corn. In the common Hufbandry, the plants generally have but a scanty portion of food; and, as their stalks ftand close together, fmothered and ftifled as it were, they are tender and brittle: but in the new Husbandry, where they receive abundant nourishment during the whole time of their growth, and are always exposed to the air and fun, the ftalks become large and strong enough to fupport the ears. Many experiments in this Husbandry have likewife proved, that the turning of the earth towards the roots of corn at the laft horing, contributes greatly to give stability to

the

the stems after they have attained their height, and renders the corn less liable to be be lodged. M. Du Hamel had a remarkable proof of this in the year 1750, when a field of his, fowed in rows, and cultivated in the new way, (which made the wheat there grow very tall, and rendered its ears uncommonly large and full of grain) escaped unhurt; whilft the corn was beaten down in most of the neighbouring lands: and farther inftances to the same effect, [may be seen] in M. de Chateauvieux's experiments.

It is evident from the above-mentioned inftance of the Strength acquired by a tuft of corn growing by accident fingle, fuch as to be proof against wind and rain, that the want of that Strength is a principal caufe why corn is lodged. When the feed is fowed thick, the plants come up weak and tall; two circumftances which infallibly contribute to their being beaten down. The farmer, who knows the richness of his foil, fhould therefore fow in fuch manner as to allow room for each plant to acquire that proper ftrength and that this will effectually answer the intended purpofe, appears by many inftances in the foregoing experiments. I could likewife (fays Mr. Mills) confirm the truth of what is here advanced, by the example of a very intelligent husbandman now living, [in England we fuppofe] who reduced his feed, for rich ground, to much less than two bushels to the acre; and [yet] had plants, loaded with heavy ears, fufficiently ftrong to refift fuch rain and wind as laid the corn of his neighbours in adjacent fields.'

All this is extremely rational: and we heartily wish that Mr. Mills had been fomewhat more liberal of his own arguments, in this manner; even though he had been thereby obliged to curtail a good many of his French experiments. For though they are, doubtlefs, (in general) very curious; yet they are so often repeated, that we apprehend many of his readers will be quite tired, before they have got half-way through the lift: efpecially fuch of them, as have had the opportunity of reading the whole fet before, in Mr. MILLS's own quarto edition of Du Hamel's Tracts.

[To be continued.]

Conclufion of the Account of Mr. Gilpin's Lives of IVicliff, Lord Cobham, &c. See our laff Month's Review.

HA

AVING given an abftract of the life of Wicliff, we now proceed to Sir John Oldcastle, Lord Cobham, the moft confiderable of Wicliff's difciples.Sir John was born

in

in the reign of Edward III. and obtained his peerage by marrying the heiress of that Lord Cobham, who with so much virtue and patriotifm opposed the tyranny of Richard II. In the early part of his life, he distinguished himself in the cause of religious liberty. The famous ftatute against provisors, which had been enacted in the late reign, was now become, during the languid government of Richard, a mere dead letter. Lord Cobham with great spirit undertook the revival of it; and through his perfuafion it was confirmed by parliament, and guarded by feverer penalties.

The news of what the English parliament was doing in this affair gave a great alarm at Rome; and Boniface IX. who was then pope, dispatched a nuncio immediately to check their proceedings. This minister at firft cajoled, and afterwards threatned; but the fpirit, which had been raised in the parliament, fupported itself, against both his artifices and his menaces. This is the first instance, our Author tells us, of Lord Cobham's avowed diflike to the church of Rome.

Four years after he made a farther effort. A rebellion having discovered itself in Ireland, the king paffed over with an army. He had made one campaign, and was preparing to take the field early in the fpring of the year 1395, when the Archbishop of Canterbury arriving at his camp, entreated his return into England, to put a stop to the ruin of the church. By the ruin of the church the good primate meant the reformation of the clergy; which had been attempted, during the king's abfence, by Lord Cobham, Sir Richard Story, Sir Thomas Latimer, and others of the reforming party. Thefe leaders having collected their ftrengh, had drawn up a number of articles against the corruptions, which then prevailed among churchmen, and presented them, in the form of a remonftrance, to the commons. As they had many friends in the house, and as their principal opponents were then abroad with the king, they thought it more than probable, that fomething might be done by the parliament, in confequence of their petition. But the zeal of the clergy prevailed; and the king, who came inftantly from Ireland, put an entire ftop to the affair.

The partiality, which Lord Cobham thus difcovered upon all occafions for the reformers, eafily pointed him out to the clergy as the head of that party. Nor indeed did he make any fecret of his opinions. It was publicly known, that he had been at great expence in collecting and tranfcribing the works of Wicliff, which he difperfed among the common people without any referve, and that he maintained a great number of the difciples. of Wicliff, as itinerant preachers in many parts of the country, particularly

particularly in the diocefes of Canterbury, Rochefter, London, and Hereford. These things drew upon him the refentment of the whole ecclefiaftical order, and made him more obnoxious to that body of men, than any other person at that time in England.

The convocation, which affembled in the first year of Henry V. was directed by the councils of Thomas Arundel, Archbifhop of Canterbury, who prefided over the church of England with as much zeal, and bigotry, as any of his predeceffors; the growth of herefy was the subject of their debate, and the deftruction of Lord Cobham the chief object which the archbishop had in view. It was an undertaking, however, which required caution, as Lord Cobham was not only in favour with the people, but likewife with his prince. At prefent therefore the primate fatisfied himself with founding the king's fentiments, by requesting an order from his majefty to fend commiffioners to Oxford, to enquire into the growth of herefy. To this request the king made no objection.

Oxford was the feat of herefy. Here the memory of Wicliff was ftill gratefully preferved. His tenets had fpread widely among the junior ftudents, whofe ingenuity rendered them more open to conviction. Nor was it an uncommon thing to hear his opinions publicly maintained even in the schools. The governing part of the univerfity were however ftill firmly attached to the established religion.

The commiffioners were refpectfully received; and having made their enquiry, returned with the particulars of it to the archbishop, who laid them before the convocation. Loud debates enfued-the refult was, that the increase of herefy was particularly owing to the influence of Lord Cobham, who not only avowedly held heretical opinions himself; but encouraged fcholars from Oxford, and other places, by bountiful ftipends, to propagate thofe opinions in the country. In the end, it was determined, that without delay a profecution fhould be commenced against him.

Into this hafty measure, Mr. Gilpin fays, the convocation had certainly run, had not a cool head among them fuggested, that as Lord Cobham was not only a favourite, but even a domeftic at court, it would be highly improper to proceed farther in the affair, till application had been made to the king. This advice prevailed; the archbishop, at the head of a large proceffion of dignified ecclefiaftics, waited upon Henry; and, with as much acrimony as decency would admit, laid before him the offence of his fervant Lord Cobham, and begged that his majefty would fuffer them, for Chrift's fake, to put him to death.

Henry