*EXETER, (Devon) 138 cm. 172 mm. from London, has a long bridge over the Ex, with houses on both sides. 'Tis the Isca of
Ptolomy and Antoninus. 'Tis the see of a Bp. transferred hither from Crediton, by Edw. the Conf. and one of the principal
cities in the Km. for its buildings, wealth, and number of its inh. It is, with the suburbs, 2 m. in com. and has 6 gates,
besides turrets. It had formerly so many convents, that it was called Monckton, till K. Athelstan changed its name to
Exeter. Besides chapels and 5 large meetinghouses, there are now 16 Chs. within the walls, and 4 without. St. Peter's, the
cathedral, is a magnificent curious fabric, which, though near 500 years a building, looks as uniform, as if it had but
one architect. It has a ring of 10 bells, reckoned the largest in England; as is also its organ, whose largest pipes are
15 inches diameter; and it is common to see hundreds of people there, at the morning service at 6 o'clock summer and
winter. This city has had divers charters granted, or confirmed, by most of our Ks. but it was made a mayor T. in the R.
of K. John, and a Co. of itself by K. Hen. VIII. 'Tis governed by a mayor, 24 ald. 4 bailiffs, a recorder, chamberlain,
sheriff, town-clerk, &c. They have a sword-bearer, and 4 stewards, 4 serjeants at mace wearing gowns, and staff-bearers in
liveries with badges. The magistrates and freemen, who chuse its members of Pt. are at least 1200. It had anciently a
mint; and in the R. of K. Will. III. many pieces of silver money were coined here, which have the letter E under the K's.
bust. Here are 12 or 13 incorporate city companies. All pleas and civil causes are tried by the mayor, recorder, ald. and
CC. but criminal causes, crown causes, and those relating to the peace, are determined by 8 ald. who are justices of the
peace. Here are 4 principal streets, one whereof is a grand one, called High-Street, all centring in the middle of the
city, which is therefore called Carfox, from the old Norman word, Quatre voix, i.e. the 4 ways. Here is a great conduit
erected by Will. Duke, mayor of the city in the R. of Edw. IV. and there are several others well supplied with water,
brought in pipes from the neighbourhood. There is an old castle in the N. part of the city, called Rougemont, from the red
soil it stands in; where there is a pleasant prospect, from a beautiful terrass walk with a double row of fine elms, of
the channel 10 m. to the S. 'Tis supposed to have been built by the West-Saxon Ks. and that they resided here, as did
afterwards the Es. and Ds. of Cornwal, to whom it has bel. ever since. 'Tis now much decayed; only a part of it is kept up
for the assizes, quartersessions and county courts, with a chapel. In the city and suburbs are prisons, both for debtors
and malefactors, several booksellers-shops, hoss. 2 printing-houses, a workhouse, almshos. and ch. scs. and in 1741 a hos.
was founded here, for the sick and lame poor of the city and Co. upon the model of the infirmaries of London and
Westminster. Vessels of 150 tons come up to the kay. It has Mts. on W. and F. and Fair's on Ash-Wed. Whit-M. Holy-Th. July
22, Aug. 1. Dec. 6 and 21. but Lammas Fair is the greatest, being much frequented by mercers, linen-drapers, haberdashers,
&c, from London; and it lasts 3 whole days, and 2 half days. As great a trade as here is for serges, perpetuanas, long-
ells, druggets, kerseys, and other woollen goods made in this city and Co. in which it is computed, that at least 600,000
l. a year is traded for here, yet no Mts. were erected here for wool yarn and kerseys, till the 30th of Hen. VIII. Before
that time, the merchants drove a considerable trade to Spain and France; and the latter were incorporated, in the R. of Q.
Mary I. by the name of " The governor, consuls, and " society of merchant-adventurers " trading to France." Here is a
weekly serge Mt. said to be the greatest in England, next to the Brigg Mt. at Leeds in Yorkshire; and that some weeks, as
many serges have been sold here as amount to 60 or 80,000 l. nay 100,000 l. for, besides the vast quantities of their
woollen goods usually shipped for Portugal, Spain and Italy, the Dutch give large commissions for buying up serges,
perpetuanas, &c. for Holland and Germany. 'Tis particularly remarked of this city, that it is almost as full of gentry as
of tradesmen; and that more of its mayors and bailiffs have descended from or given rise to good families, than in any
other city of its bigness in the Km. for the great trade and flourishing state of this city tempted gentlemen to settle
their sons here, contrary to the practice of many of the inland as well as northern Cos. where, according to the vain and
ruinous notion of the Normans, trade was despised by the gentry, as fit only for mechanicks and the vulgar. This city was
under the jurisdiction of the Romans, whose coins have been dug up in and about it. After they left England, the Saxons
drove the Britons out of it into Cornwall, and encompassed it with a ditch and a stone-wall (which still remains entire)
besides bulwarks. The Danes attacked and spoiled it in 875; and afterwards, in revenge of the general massacre of the
Danes by the English, Swain, one of their Ks. came hither with a great navy, put the men to the sword, ravished the women,
massacred the children, burnt the city, and demolished the walls. A long time after this, just as it was reviving, Will.
the Conq. besieged and took it; and it was again besieged, in the Rs. of K. Steph. and Edw. IV. In the R. of Hen. VII. it
was again besieged by Perkin Warbeck, and battered furiously; but the citizens forced him to raise the siege, which so
pleased the K. that he came hither, and presented a cap of maintenance to the city, and gave the very sword from his side
to be borne always before the mayor. In the R. of Edw. VI. in July 1544, it was smartly cannonaded by the rebels of
Cornwall and Devon, who almost starved it by breaking down its bridges, cutting off its water, and stopping up all
passages; but it held out manfully, till the Ld. John Russel came with a force, and raised the siege on the 6th of Aug.
which was then appointed as an anniversary day of thanksgiving by the city, and is still observed here as such; when a
sermon is preached on the occasion by the mayor's chaplain. K. Cha. I's, Queen, to whom this city gave shelter in the
civil wars, was here delivered of Henrietta, afterwards Dss. of Orleans; whose picture is in its Guild-Hall, as is also
general Monk's. Here was a garrison for K. Cha. I. which was forced at last to surrender to Ld. Fairfax upon articles,
whereby the Pts. was left entirely to the K's. disposal. In short, Exeter, by a constant adherence to its motto, Semper
fidelis, has been applauded by all historians, for its inviolable fidelity to its sovereigns, whether they held their
crown by hereditary or parliamentary right. It formerly gave title of D. to the families of Beaufort and Holland; which
was afterwards lessened to that of Marquis, by K. Hen. VIII. in the person of Hen. Courtney; and then it decreased to that
of E. in the person of Ld. Treas. Burleigh, so created by K. Jam. I. and in the noble family of the Cecils it still
continues. This city had the honour of giving birth to Sir Tho. Bodley, the founder of that illustrious library at Oxford;
and to the late Ld. Chan. King. The list of members returned for this city to Pt. begins at the 23d of Edw. I.