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Englifh Convents, &c. on the Continent. wcrp in the year i 590 ; but this does not appear from any certain records of the time. However that was, the next year, 1591, he bought a large houfe in the Bleek Street at Mechlin, where the community refided till its removal to Nieuport in Flanders in September 1626, by virtue of a charter given by Philip the IVth of Spain, bearing date BrufTels, June 30, 1636. The fame king made a grant to this houfe of about 350 acres of land in the neighbourhood of Nieuport, in lieu of the annual penfion given by Philip the Ilnd. Here this community remained until its final fuppreffion by the emperor Jofeph the Ilnd, in the year 1783, at which time it was reduced in number to three profefled monks and two lay-brothers. It is to be obferved, that this was the only Eng- Irfli community of religious men that had never been dif- perfed or extinct fmce the reign of queen Mary. In its li- brary, which was confiderable and well chofen, there was a moft beautiful large folio bible, written on vellum in the 1 2th century, and given to the Chartreufe of Shene by king Henry the Vth, its founder ; it was in perfect prefervation. There were likewife preferved many other manufcripts, and many church ornaments and paintings, which had been brought over from England in 1559. At the final fuppreffion in 1783 all thefe were difperfed, and many of them loft. The manu- fcript bible, fpoken of above, was deftined for the royal library at Bruflels, but never got thither, nor could I ever learn what became of it. . Brlgittlne Nuns. Thefe religious women were of Sion-houfe in Middlefex, now a feat of the duke of Northumberland, where they had been re- eftablifhed by queen Mary. In the year 1559 they obtained, VOL. XIII. L 1 by