Meadows which furround it lying under Water, and from Oxford to Bicefter, which is ten long Miles, I don't know a more watry Country in the Winter Seafon; Ottmore alfo, which lies about four or five Miles Eaft of Oxford, is a Lake of two or three Miles extent every way all Winter, though in Summer it has the Appearance of a fpacious Meadow: It must be admitted however, that notwithstanding there is a great deal of Meadow and low Ground near Oxford, fubject to be flooded, it is none of it boggy, but yields plenty of Grafs and Hay in Sum

mer.

The County of Oxford is divided into fourteen Hundreds, Viz.

1 Wotton, 2 Banbury, 3 Bloxham, 4 Chadlington, 5 Ploughly, 6 Bullington, 7 Bampton, 8 Tame, 9 Lewknor, 10 Pirton, II Dorchester, 12 Ewelme, 13 Langtree, and 14 Binfield or Henley.

The Hundred of Wotton is bounded by that of Banbury, on the North by that of Ploughly, on the Eaft by Berkshire, from which it is divided by the River Ifis on the South, and by the Hundreds of Chadlington and Bampton on the Weft, the Capital whereof and of the County is the City of Oxford.

CHAP.

CHA P. II.

Contains a Defcription of the City of Oxford.

XFORD is fituated on a fmall Emi- Oxford City. nence, almost encompass'd with Meadows, except on the Eaft; these Meadows are about a Mile over, beyond which are Hills of a moderate Heighth bounding the Profpect from the Town.

Towards the Eaft, there is a continued Afcent of two Miles to the Top of a high Hill, which goes by the Name of ShotoverHeath; from whence there is a fine Prospect of the City and adjacent Country, as there is alfo from the Hills on the West.

The whole Town, including the Suburbs, is a Mile in length from Eaft to Weft, and almost as much in breadth from North to South, being three Miles in Circumference, but it is of an irregular Figure, and many void Spaces are comprehended within thefe Limits, befides the numerous Courts and Gardens belonging to the refpective Colleges.

The City, properly fo called, formerly furrounded by a Wall, is of an oblong Form, and not much more than two Miles in Circumference; Magdalen College with the Eaftern as well as the Northern Suburbs, which contain the Parishes of Holywell, Magdalen, St. Clements and St. Giles's, with D Baliol,

Baliol, Trinity, St. John's and Wadham Colleges, are without the old Walls, of which there are but very fmall Remains at prefent, but the Fortifications and Outworks rais'd by the Royalifts in the Time of the late Civil Wars, included all the Suburbs. Thofe Fortifications however could not cover the City from the Enemies Shot, and it is not eafy to conceive how Oxford should have fuftain'd a long Siege, unless the Garrifon within was almost as numerous as the Army which invested it.

The Town lies fo much expos'd to the Shot of an Enemy, from the Hills on the Eaft, that it might have been beat down in twenty-four Hours if the Affailants had attempted it, and there is no reason to be given why they did not when Fairfax lay before it, but the Respect the Enemy's Generals had for these Seats of Learning; poffibly their Chiefs imagined that their preferving the Colleges and other publick Buildings, would gain them fome Reputation among the People, and induce the Univerfity-Men them-; felves to efpoufe their Cause, or at least to fubmit quietly to their Ufurpation, as it appears fome of them did; whereas the deftroying these Buildings, could only render them odious to the Nation.

But to return to the prefent Town, the Gates on the Eaft and North are ftill left ftanding, though the Walls are almost en

tirely demolish'd, as well as the Fortifications erected by the Royalifts in the Time of the Civil Wars; the Caftle alfo, which ftands at the Weft End of the Town, no longer deferves that Name, the Ruins whereof now ferve for the County Goal, as the North Gate (which has obtain'd the Name of Bocardo) does for the Town Goal, but why this Gate or Prifon is called Bocardo, I could never learn.

The Principal Street of the City runs from East to West, almost the length of the Town, but under different Names; the East End goes by the Name of High-Street, the middle of it is call'd the Old Butcher-Row, and the West End Caftle-Street: The Eaft End forms a very spacious Street, clean and well pav'd, and illuminated with Lamps in the Winter; it is adorn'd with the Fronts of three fine Colleges, viz. University, Queens and All-Souls, the Univerfity Church of St. Mary's, and the new beautiful Church of AllSaints; but the private Houses are meanly built and very much diminish the Beauty of it. I do not remember fix Houfes in this fine Street, built either with brick or Stone; the Houses which stand Eaft of that elegant Edifice of Queen's College, would difgrace an ordinary Market-Town. It is obfervable that this celebrated Street is very crooked, which fome indeed admire as a Beauty, having a mighty Guft for Serpentine Streets, as well

as Serpentine Rivers. Another thing which takes off much from its beauty is the Butcher-Market, held here every Wednesday and Saturday, when the Stalls extend half the length of this fine Street, and indeed there are no other Market-Places in Oxford than the great Streets: As the Butchers take up this, the Farmers incumber the other principal Streets with their Waggons and Corn, and Fish and Poultry are fold in both. Another great Nufance is the Dirt which People bring out of their Houfes, and lay in the middle of the Street in heaps every Morning.

The fecond Street in Oxford, is that which runs from South to North, croffing the Street already defcrib'd about the Middle, from whence that part of the Town has obtain'd the Name of Quater Vois or the four Ways, corruptly call'd Carfax; as the Corporation Church, which ftands near the four Ways likewife is, though it is fomething difficult to conceive, how the Word Carfax was form'd out of those two French Words, Quater Vois.

The South End of this fecond Street is called Fife-Street, and the other End of it the Corn-Market; from whence we pafs through Bocardo, or the North-Gate, into Maudlin Parifh and St. Giles's, which form a very spacious Street, and in fome Refpects preferable to either of the former: On the Eaft Side of Fish-Street, ftands that noble

College