a maritime county of England, having the German ocean on the east, Northamptonshire on the south, from which it is separated by the river Welland, as it is on the west from Yorkshire by the... Lincolnshire: it has also on the west, part of Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, and Rutlandshire. Its greatest length is above 60 miles, and its greatest breadth about 40, making upwards of 180 miles in circumference, containing 2162 square miles; or, according to others, 1,749,000 acres, 30 hundreds or wapentakes, 688 parishes, one city, five parliamentary boroughs, 34 other market-towns, and about 254,540 inhabitants. The names of the three grand divisions are Holland, Kesteven, and Lindsey; the last of which is by much the largest. The soil of Holland being marly, the air is moist and foggy, and therefore unwholesome. Kesteven has a drier and more fruitful soil, and consequently a better air. Of the third division, Lindsey, the air is reckoned good and wholesome. There are many large rivers in the county, as the Nene, Welland, Gwash, Witham, Bane, Trent, Dun, and Ankan, all abounding with fish. In the Fens are very rich pastures; so that their cattle are the largest in England, unless, perhaps, we should except those of Somersetshire: and at certain seasons the numbers of fowl are amazing, especially of ducks; so that Camden says, they could, in his time, about Crowl "catch 1000 at once in August with a single net; and they called the pools where they catches them, their corn-fields, no corn then growing within five miles of the place: that of these fowls there were some sorts not only very rare, but extremely delicate, as the poites, knotts, and goodwits; so that the nicest palates and richest purses greatly coveted them." The knotts are said to be so called, from their having been first brought from Denmark for the use of king Canute. The dotterel is so called because it is a very simple bird, and mimicks all the motions of the fowler, till it is easily caught by candle-light. They have all the common fruits, and some of them in greater perfection than in other parts of England. Their hares and their hounds are said to be exceeding swift. The fens seem to have been over-run with wood anciently, for trunks of trees are still found in them. The churches in Lincolnshire are said to be very fine, but the houses indifferent. There is a homely proverb, which says, that its hogs th—t soap, and its cows fire; because the poor people wash their clothes with hogs dung, and, from the scarcity of other fuel, burn dried cow-dung. It is entirely in the diocese of Lincoln; and sends 12 members to parliament, viz. two knights for the shire, two citizens for Lincoln, two burgesses for Bolton, two for Great Grimsby, two for Stamford, and two for Grantham.

Lindsey (Sir David), a celebrated Scots poet, was descended of an ancient family, and born in the reign of king James IV. at his father's seat called the Mount, near Coupar in Fifeshire. He was educated at the university of St Andrews; and, after making the tour of Europe, returned to Scotland in the year 1514. Soon after his arrival, he was appointed gentleman of the bed-chamber to the king, and tutor to the young prince, afterwards James V. From the verses prefixed to his dream, we learn that he enjoyed several other honourable employments at court; but, in 1533, he was deprived of all his places, except that of Lion king at arms, which he held to the time of his death. His disgrace was most probably owing to his invectives against the clergy, which are frequent in all his writings. After the decease of king James V. Sir David became a favourite of the earl of Arran, regent of Scotland; but the abbot of Paisley did not suffer him to continue long in favour with the earl. He then retired to his paternal estate, and spent the remainder of his days in rural tranquillity. He died in the year 1555. His poetical talents, considering the age in which he wrote, were not contemptible; but he treats the Romish clergy with great severity, and writes with some humour: but, whatever merit might be formerly attributed to him, he takes such licentious liberties with words, stretching, or carving them for measure or rhyme, that the Scots have a proverb, when they hear an unusual expression, that, There is nae sic a word in a' Davie Lindsey. Mackenzie tells us, that his comedies were so facetious, that they afforded abundance of mirth. Some fragments of these comedies are still preserved in manuscript. He is said to have also written several tragedies, and to have first introduced dramatic poetry into Scotland. One of his comedies was played in 1515. Mackenzie says, he understood nothing of the rules of the theatre. He was contemporary with John Heywood, the first English dramatic poet. His poems are printed in one small volume; and fragments of his plays, in manuscript, are in Mr William Carmichael's collection.