70. Many other extraordinary books and manuscripts I faw in this library, and a great number of fine curiofities; but I can only mention one particular more. Engraven on a beautiful Cornelian, I saw the Roman god of bounds, with thefe words, Concedo nulli: and one of these gentlemen asked me, what I fupposed the meaning of this defign? The emblem (I answered) was a very juft one, and

in my opinion meant, that truth must never be given up. That (it was replied) was not the meaning of it, tho' my thought was not unjuft. The design is to put one in mind of death, of which terminus is the jufteft emblem ;

fo much valuable criticifm, that if the reader of fortune will take my advice, he will get them all into his closet as foon as poffible; and at the fame time, the four excellent pieces I have mentioned of Julius Cæfar Scaliger, the father of Joseph.

N. B. The great Lewis Cappel, author of the affertion of the true faith, was a proteftant minifter at Saymur. He was born October 14, 1583, and died at Saumur, the 16th of June, 1568, aged 75. He was likewife the author of that excellent book called, Arcanum punctuationis revelatum; and of another very valuable thing, called Critica Sacra.

His fon, Jean Cappel, turned papist, and died a defpicable apoflate in the Romish church.

N. B. There were two other Cappels, proteftant minifters; both Jacques, who died in 1585-and 1624, and were the authors of feveral controverfial writings against popery: but they were weak writers in refpect of the learned Lewis Cappel.

An ac

yeral fub

emblem; and he fays, Concedo nulli, I favour none, I fuffer none to pass the limit. There is (continued the gentleman) a little curious history depends on this. Here is a gold medallion, on one fide of which you fee the image of the great Erafmus, and on the other this fancy; which he always wore in a ring, and from thence I had the medallion ftruck. Erafmus afked the famous Carvajal, the Spanish cordelier, (juft as I did you) what the meaning of this ring was, Carvajal, who had had fome contests with Erafmus, and hated him greatly, faid, it owed its being, without all peradventure, to the pride of Erafmus, and meant, that he would never yield, right or wrong, to any one in the republic of letters. Erafmus answered, that his explication was quite wrong, and that, on the contrary, he ufed the device, to kill his pride, and put him in mind of death, which fuffers not the greatest men to pass the fhort limit of time allotted them. This pleased me much, and I refolved to get the fancy on a cornelian for a feal.

71. Another extraordinary thing thefe Count of fe gentlemen fhewed me, was a hole leading to terranean fome wonderful caverns in the fide of a chambers, mountain, about a mile to the north of their It resembles at the entrance, Penpark

and an af

cent in the house.

infide of a mountain from the

bottom to

the top.

park-hole, in Gloucestershire (33), within three miles of Bristol; but with this difference, that Penpark-hole was once a lead ore pit, and one is let down by ropes through two tunnels, to the chamber; whereas the entrance of the place I am speaking of, is the work of nature, a fteep and narrow descent of twenty-three yards, which I went down. by having a rope under my arm, and setting my hands and feet against the fides of the

(33) In Penpark-hole you are let down by ropes fixed at the top of the pit, four fathom perpendicular, and then defcend three fathom more, in an oblique way, between two rocks, which brings you to a perpendicular tunnel, 39 yards down, into which you defcend by ropes, and land in a fpacious chamber, that is 75 yards in length, 41 in breadth, and 19 yards high, from the margin of a great water, at the north end of it, to the roof. This water is 27 yards in length, 12 in breadth, and generally 16 deep. It is fweet, bright, and good drink. It rifes fometimes feveral feet, and at other times finks two feet below its ufual depth. The torches always burn clear in this chamber, nor is the air in the leaft offenfive, tho' 59 yards from the furface of the earth, and separated from the day by fuch deep tunnels, and an oblique defcent between them. The great tunnel is about 3 yards wide, and in the fouth fide of it 30 yards down, 9 yards before you come to the opening of the chamber, or cavity below, is a paffage 32 yards in length, 3 and a half high, and 3 yards broad. It is the habitation of bats; and towards the end of it, a floping hole goes to fome other place. This paffage, and the tunnels, and the chamber below, is all irregular work.

paffage,

paffage, till I came to a flat rough rock, which opened 2 yards and a halfone way, and 4 yards the other way. This little cavern was two yards high. We went from it into a more eafy floping way, which brought us downward for thirteen yards, till we came to another cavern, that was fix yards long, and four and a half broad. Here we found a perpendicular tunnel, two yards wide, and fixty-feven yards deep; but where it went to, and what caufed the noife below, the gentlemen who came thus far with me, could not tell; for they had never ventured into it, nor could they perfuade any of their people to be let down to the bottom, tho' they had found by the lead that there was hard ground below. I will then, (I faid) will explore this fubterranean realm, if you let me and my lad down, with proper conveniences for an enquiry of the kind, and I dare fay I will give you a good account of the region below. This (they answered) was not fafe for me to do. I might perish many ways. The damps and vapours might kill me at once; or my lights by them might be put out, or kindle the vapour of the place below. But to this I faid, that I was fure the noise we heard at the bottom was fome running water, and wherever that was in the caverns of the earth, the air must be pure

pure and good. So Mr. Boyle fays in his general hiftory of the air; and fo I have often found it in my defcents to the deepest mines. -As you please then: (the gentlemen replied) you shall have every thing you can defire, and be let down very fafely, however you may fare when you get to the ground: and when you want to come up, pull the packthread you have in your hand, that will be tied to a bell at the top of the tunnel, and you fhall be immediately drawn up again. These things being agreed, they let me down in a proper basket the next morning at eight o'clock, with a lighted torch in my hand, and foon after my man Ralph followed with every thing I had required. I was more than half an hour going down, for the rope was given like a jack line from the engine it came from. I faw feveral difmal lateral holes by the way; but no mischief or inconvenience did I meet with in my paffage to the ground.

1725.

8th day

Jack

When I came to the bottom, I found I was in a chamber of great extent, and tho' June 20. 103 yards from the day, breathed as free as from my if I had been above ground. A little river leaving made a noise in its fall from a high rock, Price's. within four yards of the fpot I landed on, and ran with impetuofity in a rough channel I knew not where. The water was not deep, as we found with our poles, and but three yards broad, and there

fore