The Church itself has little to recommend it, either in its outward form or internal ornaments. It is about 68 feet long, and 35 wide on the inside: It consists of a Nave and Chancel of equal height, a North Aile of nearly the same dimensions, divided by seven pillars; and a small transverse Aile or Transept on the South, called the Tregassow Aile, from a tradition, that it was built by one of the Coke family, who possessed the barton of Tregassow for about 150 years.

From the spreading and consequent irregular pressure of the roof, the North and South walls are forced out of their perpendicular so much as to threaten, at no very distant period, the fall of the building.

In the North Aile is a mural monu-. ment with the following incription:

"Here lyeth ye body of Rob. Trencreeke, of Trencreeke in Crede, in the county of Cornwall, esq. Counseller at Lawe 30 yeares, justice of the peace and coram, a lover of his coutrye, friendlye to his neighbours, liberal to ye poore, his paynful travil in the one, his reddye advice for ye other, and boutifull hospitalitye to all, did manifest a man of a constant resolution in ye carriage of his life; who made his peace in Christ with God and man, dyed ye 24 of Decemb. A. D'NI 1594.

to

Also here lyeth buried ye bodye of Ais his wife, daughter and coheretrix unto William Vivian, Gt. and -Kingdo, of Treonsie, Esq. She lived with ye foresaid Rob. Trenereeke, a modest, lovinge, and obediet wife, GENT, MAG, July, 1805,

ye space of 40 years; mad her peace in Christ with God and man, and dyed Ja. 20, -1596. Theise left behind y'em, 4 daughters: 1, Julian, married unto John Carminowe of Respryne, Esq. 2. Jane, married to Ric. Pewarne, of Penwarne in Mawnan, Esq.3. Katharine, married to Digorye Poiwhele of Polwhele, Esq. 4. Honor, married to William Mohonne, from Bochōake descended, Esq. Ther armes quartered on ther husbands' scu chions, with ther coulors, as you se."

The coats of arms ou the monument are five, viz.

First, Quarterly, 1 and 4, Argent, a chevron Sable, surmounted by a cross pattée of the second for Trencreeke; 2 and 3, Argent, a chevron Gules, between three dolphins embowed.... for Kendall. Impaling quarterly, 1 and 4, Azure, three fishes naiant in pale.... for Vivian; 2 and 3, Argent, a chevron Sable, between three jackdaws, for Kingdon.

The second coat contains the arms of Carminow, impaled with Trencreeke, viz. Azure, a bend Or, surmounted by a label of three points Gules, for Carminow; impaling Argent, a chevron Sable, surmounted by a cross pattée of the same, for Trencreeke.

The third, Penwarne-Azure, a chevron Argent, between three fleursde-lis, impaling Trencreeke as above.

The fourth, Polwhele-Sable, a saltire engrailed Ermine, impaling Trencreek.e.

The fifth, Mohun-Or, a cross engrailed Sable, impaling Trenereeke. In the Tregassow Aile are the following monuments:

On a stone, fitted to the sill of one of the windows, is this inscription: "Johanna filia Gedionis Haydon de Cadhay, armigeri, uxor Johannis filii Johannis Coke de Tregassowe, armigeri, obiit 30 die Decembris, Anno D'mi 1630: corpus hic deponitur. Filiam, uxorem, nurun qualem quie optaret, mulierem denique probatissimam, presentis seculi testimonio posteritas credat."

Over the above are the arms of Coke Ermine, on a bend cottised Sable, three cats passante giardant · Or, with a label and a crescent for difference, for Coke; impaling Argent, three bars gemels Azure, on a

chief

chief Gules a barulet dancette Or, for Haydon.

On another stone, affixed to the East wall, are the arms of Jago: Vaire, a bordure surmounted by 12 cross crosslets; and under, this inscription:

"Here lyeth the body of John Jago of Truthen, Esq. who departed this life, in the feare of God, the sixth day of October, in the yeare of our Lord 1652.

He was more then he seem'd, yet seem'd to be [gree More than a thousand more; his pediIs drawn in Heaven, where, if ere you come, [or tombe." You'l see more of him than in verse These are all the monuments in the Church. In the Church-yard are none worthy of notice, except an altar-tomb in memory of Edward, Trebilcock, who, having been born of a low family in the parish, by his frugality and general good conduct, from a waiter in Lloyd's Coffee-house, London, at last became one of the masters of it, and who died of a consumption at Truró, February 9, 1799, aged 50.

The Church, in Bacon's Liber Regis, is said to be dedicated to St. Ermett; but Hals, in his History, says, that the name of the tutelar Saint is Hermes, of whom, and of the parish, he gives the following account:

or the hermit's-house. In Wolsey's Inquisition 1521, and Valor Beneficiorum, by the name of Erme, xxiil. xiiis. ivd.

"The name Herme, possibly, is derived from Herma, images set or laid upon sepulchres, or from Herma, signifying firm, staying, or sta-blishing: the history of whom followeth:

"He was born at Rome, about the year of our Lord 80, in the time of the Emperor Titus Vespasian, of noble extraction; afterwards, in the time of the Emperor Trajan, was made governor of that city; during which, Pope Alexander exercised the office of a faithful Pastor, preaching the Gospel of Christ gratis, in season and out of season, to young and old, rich and poor. And so effectual were his Sermons, that not only ordinary people, but noble, were converted to the Christian Faith, and baptized by him; and amongst them Herme the governor, with about 1250 persons more that followed him. And because the custom of the Church then was, that such as were newly baptised should, for certain days, be attired in and wear white vestments (and the Canon of the Roman Church to this day obliges every baptized peron and infant at the time of baptism, to have a white cloth on their heads); the sight of so many people at Rome in that white livery (all prepared at the cost of Herme) going up and down the streets, gave much discontent to those who were zealous in the worship of false Gods; but especially to the priests of the idols, who foreseeing that, if the Governor were left to proceed in this manner without molestation, their Religion would come to nought, called a Synod or Council of themselves at Rome; wherein it was concluded as absolutely necessary, to prevent this growing mischief and impiety, that a letter from them should be written to the Emperor, then in Seleucia, to acquaint him with what his said deputy had done, and the ill consequences that would attend it in case the mat-"" ter was not speedily inspected. Whereupon, this letter coming to his hands, he forthwith dispatched a nobleman, called Aurelianus, with plenary authority to redress this matter. Presently after which Trajan died; which,

I judge,

I judge, is the reason that some writers say, that the Martyrdom of Herme and Pope Alexander was in his time; and others say it was in the time of Adrian. However, I think it is sufficient in this place to say, that in the time of Trajan they were apprehended, and in the time of Adrian put to death.

Aurelianus arrived at Rome with his commission concerning the premises, where, by the Idol Priests, he was welcomed with great pomp and solemnity, who complained against Pope Alexander and Herme, that they deserved to be burnt to death, for that they persuaded great multitudes of people, by words and example, to contemn and slight the Roman Gods, through zeal to the crucified God of the Christians. Whereupon St. Herme was dismissed of his office from being governor of the City, and taken into custody by Quirinus the Tribune, and soon after brought before Aurelianus's tribunal; who thereupon not only told St. Herme what matters of fact were objected against him, but also made a long eloquent discourse to him against the truth of the Christian Religion and the doctrines, thereof, carnestly persuading him from the practice of that new profession; and told St. Herme farther, that, he being reputed a wise and learned man, he wondered how he should entertain an opinion of another life after this was ended, seeing the bodies of men when they die become dust and ashes, and return to their first chaos; and the most durable part, the bones, lasted not long, but in time rot and consume to nothing; and seeing it cannot be rationally proved that men's souls do exist after death of the body, or live in a future state after this life is ended, it was not rational to believe those doctrines that tended thereto; especially since, by so doing, a man parted with a real good for an uncertain one-the pleasant enjoyments under the sun, in expectation of felicities that are only imaginary in the shades. "What dis creet man, therefore, besides thyself (said Aurelianus to St. Herme), would pass over his life without continuing in honour and credit in the world, exchange a royal dominion and af fluence of good things, for contempt, shame, impr sonment, and poverty?

Therefore, I once more exhort thee, Herme, to leave those foolish opi nions, and again return to offer sacrifice and adore the Gods of thine ancestors and the land." To whom St. Herme replied, "I have hereto. fore been of the same mind and opinion thou art, that the souls and bodies of men die together; but since I have been better informed, and con sidered those tenets, I find those opi nions foolish and erroneous; espe cially for that it doth well consist with the rules of logic and good reason, that immaterial beings may exist without matter; and conse quently the souls of men, being of an immaterial or spiritual essence, may live after death of a material body, wherein for a time it resided, as well as live in it pro tempore, and being extant before."

Aurelianus and Quirinus perceiving how ineffectual their counsel and ar guments were like to prove, gave notice thereof to the Emperor Adrian, who forthwith sent a band of soldiers to the jail, where he and many others for Christianity were confined, commanding that all those they found there that had been baptized, should be put into a bark and launched forth into the sea, and when they were at a considerable distance from the shore, they should fasten stones about their necks, and cast them into the sea. Which order was accordingly put in execution, to the martyrdom of great numbers of Christians, and amongst them, in particular, St. Balbina is es pecially remembered.

St. Herme, after he had suffered many torments, had his head chopped off by the common hangman the 28th of August, anno Domini 118, as the Agonal saith; but Baronius says, anno Dom. 132, Trajan being dead, and Adrian Emperor of Rome. He was buried by his sister Theodora in Via Salaria, not far from the City."

The above extract is taken from a Parochial History of Cornwall, composed by William Hals, a person of a good family in the county, of which a part only is in print. It was printed and published in folio numbers, about the year 1750, by Andrew Brice, then resident Truro, and who afterwards was an eminent printer at Exeter, and au thor of "The Topographical Dic tionary," in two volumes folio; the

at

Mobiad,

The eighth contains parishes under R, S, T, V, W; from No. 165, Roach, to No. 203, Whitstone; which concludes the Parochial History.

The printed copies are now become extremely scarce, and on that account the above extract may merit reprinting.

The parish feast used to be held on the last Sunday in August, which is the Sunday nearest to the day on which the tutelar Saint Herme was martyred, according to the preceding account of him. But about twenty years since, the farmers of the parisli, without consulting the Incumbent, who happened to be non-resident, took the liberty to change this cusom, and to hold their feast on the last Sunday in October, instead of the last Sunday in August. The reason

assigned for this was, that the former day often interfered with the harvest; and, as the festivities are continued for several days following, thus prevented their commodiously indulging in that hospitality, and those games and sports, which usually attend the celebration of parish feasts in this County.

The patronage of this Rectory is in the Rev. Dr. Luttrell Wynne, of Queen Anne-street West, as lord of the manor of Polsew.

The Incumbents, as far back as can now be traced, are as follows: Herle.

John, Carthew, buried December 19, 1696.

Francis Carthew, buried July 18,

1731.

Dr. Baker held the Living a very short time.

William Stackhouse, afterwards D. D. succeeded him, and died August 6, 1771.

Luttrell Wynne, LL. D. inducted Feb. 1772; and in 1803 resigned the Living to

Cornelius Cardew, D.D. the present Rector, who had been his Curate above 32 years.

The Registers have not been well preserved. The oldest now extant begins in 1671. The parish contains 4155 acres; but it is by no means populous, the whole number of inhabitants not exceeding 350. The average of baptisms for the last ten years is eight, of burials seven, of marriages three.

The parish is rated to the Land Tax at £120. The soil in general is not so fertile as that of some of the adjoining parishes, and is better calculated for grain than for dairy or for pasture.

There are no vestiges of antiquity, except some tumuli or barrows, which are frequently to be seen on the more eminent parts of this county. As the Church is built on a lofty situation, about midway between the boroughs of Truro and Michell, or Modishul, and three miles and a half from each; it is probable, that there once was one of these barrows very near it, though now totally oblite rated; for, a few months since, a sepulchral urn was found accidentally on the glebe, a little below the surface, by some labourers who were working in an orchard, and who broke