4. "De principio mundi, et etatibus ejusdem.--De insulis et civitatibus Anglie:"--forming a sort of brief preface to the following--"Hic incipit Bruto de gestis Anglorum." The narrative begins with a tale of a certain giant king of Greece, in the year 3009, who had thirty daughters: the eldest, Albina, gave her name to Albion. The history is continued to the accession of William Rufus.
5. "Incipit Cronica de adquisicione Regni Anglie per Willelmum Ducem Normannorum," &c. closing in 1364, with the birth of Edward of Engolesme, eldest son of the Black Prince. Wharton speaks of "Historiæ de regibus Anglorum, de Pontificibus Romanis, et de Imperatoribus Romanis," as found together with the chronicle of the archibishops of Canterbury; both in the Lambeth MS. and in another formerly in the possession of William Reede, Bishop of Chichester: and he was inclined to attribute the whole to the pen of Birchington.
6. "Gesta Scotorum contra Anglicos:"--commencing in 1066, with the times of Malcolm, king of Scotland, and ending in 1346, with the capture of David II., and the calamitous defeat of the Scots near Durham.
At the commencement of the volume are found some miscellaneous writings of less interesting character. I noticed, however, an entry relating to the foundation of a chapel at "Ocolte," now written Knockholt, in Kent, by Ralph Scot, who had erected a mansion remote from the parish church, and obtained license for the consecration of the chapel in the year 1281, in the time of Archbishop Kilwareby.
The writing of the MS. appears to be of the latter half of the fourteenth century. Possibly there may be reader of these "NOTES AND QUERIES," more familiar with such inquiries than myself, who may have examined other contemporary MSS. of the compilations of Stephen Birchington. I shall be thankful for any information regarding them, and especially as regards the existence of any transcript of the Canterbury Annals, extended beyond the year 1368, with which this copy as well as that used by Wharton closes; whilst he supposes that in the chronicle as cited by Jocelin, chaplain to Matthew Parker, they had been carried as far as the year 1382.
THE MORNING CHRONICLE, ETC.--WHEN FIRST ESTABLISHED.