province of France, bounded on the north by the English channel; on the east by Picardy and the isle of France; on the south by Perche and Maine, and one part of Bretagne; and on the west by the ocean. It is about 150 miles in length, 80 in breadth, and 600 in circumference. It is one of the most fertile, and brings in the largest revenue of the kingdom. It abounds in all things except wine, but they supply that defect by cider and perry. There are vast meadows, fat pastures, and the sea yields plenty of fish. It contains iron, copper, and a great number of rivers and harbours. It carries on a great trade, is very populous, and comprehends a vast number of towns and villages. It is divided into the Upper and Lower; the Upper borders upon Picardy, and the Lower upon Bretagne. The inhabitants are ingenious, and capable of understanding arts and sciences, but they are very fond of law. The Normans, a people of Denmark and Norway, having entered France under Rollo, Charles the Simple ceded this country to them in 912, which from that time was called Normandy. Rollo was the first duke, and held it as a fief of the crown of France, and several of his successors after him, till William, the seventh duke, conquered England in 1066; from which time it became a province of England, till it was lost in the reign of king John, and re-united to the crown of France; but the English still keep the islands on the coasts of Normandy.

North (Dudley, lord), the third baron of that accomplished family, was one of the finest gentlemen in the court of king James; but, in supporting that character, dissipated and gamed away the greatest part of his fortune. In 1645, he appears to have acted with the parliament; and was nominated by them to be administrator of the admiralty, in conjunction with the great earls of Northumberland, Essex, Warwick, and others. He lived to the age of 85, the latter part of which he passed in retirement; and wrote a small folio of miscellaneous, in prose and verse, under this title, A Forest promiscuous of several Seasons Productions, in four parts, 1659.

North (Dudley, lord) son of the former, was made knight of the bath in 1616, at the creation of Charles prince of Wales; and sat in many parliaments, till secluded by the prevailing party in that which condemned the king. From that period lord North lived privately in the country, and towards the end of his life entertained himself with books, and, as his numerous issue required, with economy, on which he wrote a little tract, called Observations and advices economical, 12mo. His other works are, Passages relating to the long parliament; The history of the life of the lord Edward North, the first baron of the family, addressed to his eldest son; and a volume of essays.

North (Francis lord Guilford, lord-keeper of the great-seal in the reigns of Charles II. and James II.) was a third son of the second Dudley lord North, baron of Kertling; and studied at St John's college in Cambridge, from whence he removed to Middle Temple. He acquired French, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch; and became not only a good lawyer, but was well versed in history, mathematics, philosophy, and music. He was afterwards made the king's solicitor-general, and was chosen to represent the borough of Lynn in parliament. He succeeded Sir Heneage Finch in the post of attorney-general; and lord chief-justice Vaughan, in the place of lord chief-justice of the common-pleas. He was afterwards made keeper of the great-seal; and in 1683 was created a baron, by the title of lord Guilford. He died at his house at Wroxton in 1685. He wrote a philosophical essay on music; a paper on the gravitation of fluids, considered in the bladders of fishes, printed in Lowthorp's abridgment of the Philosophical Transactions; and some other pieces.