n,' »'1 ^1f^ •^^^^ - ¦ ,J <., :?« S ,«,v ?tM /S'S'^ 1 s^.f-C^ 1^*. > ( /' 0 ^ ///////// C .///// ( OF B A M F 1- O ]^^ IS a/zf' ry_L y^/// r //rf//,. yt >//<¦/<>// FORTNIGHT'S RAMBLE TO THE LAKES IN WESTMORELAND, LANCASfflRE, CUMBERLAND. Br J K4MBLER, Heavens ! what a goodly profpe£t fpreads around pf Hills, and Dales, and Woods, and Lawns ! — — Happy Britannia! where the Qjeen of Artj Infpiring vigour, Liberty abroad Walks, unconfin'd, even to thy fartheft cots, And fcattSrs plenty withunfparing hand, THOMSONt THE SECOND EDITION. LONDON, PRINTED FOR J. NICHOLS, RED-LION-PASSAGB, FliEET-STREET**- »79S- Edecxj ( iii ) REFERENCES. Fell, ' a barren mountain. Crag, a rough-topped hill. Syke, a little rivulet.. ^ Tarn, a fmall lake. An Explanation offome of the Provincial WbrJt, an aw, — bvi, — con, — cum, — deed, — dun naw, — faither, — fea6t, — fealt no pean, fellar, — gien um feck, lard, — neames, — tha mun, — th' cradle, — thinken umfelves, t' kno, — um, — wad, — yon mon, — have.all. but. can. come., died. do not. father. faa. felt no pain. fellow. given them fuch. lord. names. thou muft, the cradle. think themfelves. to know. them.would. yonder man. N. B. As the Author has no Vocabulary to go by, he judges from the ear. a 2 (' V > To Mr. WILLIAM NOBLE, of London. W/ERE there a man on eartfi whom I efteem more than I do you, to him ihould this book, have been dedicated. You expreffed a wifh to tiiityouf native country. Mofl wil lingly I accompanied you. A better guide I could not have had. Your approval of my defcriptions made me write with energy and fleetnefs,- and drew me before the publick. a 3 To ( vi ) To make known the many obli gations I am under to you, would hurt your feelings, and I could not do juftice to^ the fubje6l. One amongft the leaft 1 venture to ipeak of. — You ordered a captain of a fhip, du ring hard times at Gibraltar, to fup- ply me with whatever I wanted, either in meat, liquors, or apparel. I will fay no more ; but in this lit tle I mean every thing that is grate- fiil ; and, am with real efteem, My dear friend, your very obliged, and faithful fervant, ^:^:^l JOS. BUDWORTH. ( -vli ) PREFACE* JLoUNGiNG away my time at my bbbkfeller's, a North country gentle man came into the fhop, and en quired for ji Forifiighfi Ramble, tJrifortunately this man of decifion opened the book where Fancy had been -ranging. I hever fhall forget the twift with which he threw it down, faying: — " this man pretends to be a a 4 *' wit ; " wit ; I'll purchafe none of it." My iBookfeller and I interchanged a fmile at this new order of criticifm ; and, if this edition fhould fall into my eenfor's hands, I hope he will read thus far ; as I would wifh to remind him of the full inveftigation of the fa6ls on which he grounded his ver- dia. The fale of the iirfl edition was larger than I had any right to ex- pedl; and it would have been more fo, had I not been convinced it was very incorre6l: I owed it therefore to the publick, to difregard emolu ment, and it has been two years fuppreffed. It ( -^^ ) It pafled not through the literary prdeal without'^ experiencing a feve- rity of criticifm, that has been of fervice to me; and amongfl; thofe Reviewers who ^had made the tour. I feel gratified in having been al lowed " to prefent fcenes afrefh to the memory"^ — and anfwering for-— " fidelity in defcription." Much as I wifhed the former bpok to, have undergone the im provement of coiredlion ; I knew not how to,afk any one, to trouble himfelf with fo unwelcome an em ploy— efpecially as a literary perfon, whofe early purfuits in life were the fame as my own, had declined a fi- milar requefl, from a multiplicity of pub- { ^ ) public and more interefling engage ments ; but, when " the tempefl of politicks" engrofles the mind, rural fcenes can only tend to encreafe mental turbulence, by a momentary refle\^-r\t{'&— An Adder — Robin Partridge'' s Finger, and an old Irijhwoman^ s Charms — Robin angry be- caufe I want Faith — Remnants of Fur- , nefs Abbey Window- — 'To fee Windermere to Advantage — .p. 6S CHAP. Xi. Patterdale.-^ Large Farms detrimental — A Walk to Patterdale — More Defcrip- tiofi — Six magnificent .Mountains — The Vale of Patterdale — Wild Strawberries — The ChurchTard — Tbe King of Patter dale' s Palace — Could not get Admittance ¦ — The Prince'' s Sons fine Children — Ly- . ulph's lower — March, quick one — Re ceipt againfi Fatigue — A hearty Meal — The Landlord— _A Coin found-— Cufiom relative to fraggled Sheep — A Maid of. Honour — -The Queen' thirsty p.' 76 b 4 CHAP. ( xxiv ) CHAP. XIL Patterdale. -Set off again to the Palacq : — Meet an old Woman — Who fhe was — Enter into Converfation with her Ma jesty — Some Gin — Her Majefiy'' s Rea- Jons for preferring Ale — The Difafier that gave us the Hoiiour of her Company — Complains of the King — Her white Hand — Why fhe fuppofes us rich — Her Po verty and Riches — The King an old Fool ' — Obferve the King — Her Majefiy abufes him- — Wants to fell two Wethers — The ^ueen getting more fuddled — Her own. Account of her B.ehaviour at Church — She gets worfe and worfe — The Parfon of the Parijh — — p. 89 CHAP. XIII. Strength of Recolleiiion — A RuJh bearing ' — — — P- 96 CHAP. XIV. The King of Patterdale His great Age — Suppofed why called fo — Afion'ifhing Accumulation qf Wealth — Mode of try ing ( ^^v ) ^ng Strength of Ponies — Cafi away on an uninhabited Ifiand — -Contrivance to eat his ViSiuals,, without his Affifiant know ing he had any — His peculiar Mode, of letting Fields, &c, — Partiality for Sugar ——Only out-cunrtinged in his Amours — 'Excellent CharaSterofhis Son — HisMa- jefiy^s Reafonsfor not giving tot he Poor — The ^een offers her GranddUghter in Marriage — Refpeii paid to her by the ^ountry People. p. loi CHAP. xy. The Afcent of Helm Crag — — As ihe Suh- je'B of this Chapter is new to the Author, he chufes to fay nothing more about it, but that he deals fomewhat in Surm'lfe ; and he leaves the Decifion to more learned Heads — -— - — p. 109 CHAP. XVI. Conifione Lake—Reafonsfor thinking a Man a Guide — The old Man — Impulfe to vifit it — Repent — The old Gentleman' s mojjy C loathing — Sheep — A Spring — Views difcern'ible — Eajy Defcent — Leveffs Caf- cade ( xxyi ). cade-^Walk up a Cdfemate^— Copper Works-— Slate ^arry — A Volcano — Afraid to vifit it — A young Man at tempts, . and fwoons — His M.annef to avoid being laughed at— -Superfiition — Full a Match for Robin Partridge's — Ghofis — Wh'ifi- ling a Charm againfi them p. 1 18 CHAP. XVII. A Peep into TroUtbeck Dale — All defcrip- tive ; if you don't chufe to read it, let it alone — Bui take a Walk to it, and -if you meet the fame pretty Girl and obliging Per fon we did, fo much the better p. 128 CHAP. XVIII. Amblefide Waterfall. d Copy of Verfes, 'introduced to fi:>e%v you I am no defpicable Poet ; but, as Poetry is a Drug, turn to the next Leaf, and you will find I got a bad Tumble, with Advice to guard aga'infi fuch Difafier s p. 132 CHAP. XIX. The Wefions — A Song to rock a Cradle by — Hawkefhead — An Epitaph calculated to ( xxvii ) to ^ remind us of the Infi ability cf human Life — School Boy s ,.a.noble Sight — Cheap- nefs of Bon/'uin^ — A good School — A' Debt of Honour — A Pafioral Dinners- People who live fa — Fine Stocks for fine Children—The Raihay and the Brathay —-Haymakers at Dinner p. 137 CHAP. XX. Roman Station — A large Frog — Charity — . Character of a good Man p. 148 CHAP. XXI. Helvellyti. Full Moon—Courfe to Hel- vellyn — Difficult Undertaking — Views — ¦ Violent Thirfi — A Tarn — Diffuadedfrom drinking. — A narrow Hill — Baffen- thwq'ite Lake. ¦ — ¦ p. 152 CtlAP. XXII. Hel velly n. Helve I lyn Man — Differently named — Liberty taken by the Author out of Compliment to the Duke of Norfolk — A fight Sketch of his CharaSier — Ap- . pear ance of Ullfwater Lake from Helvel- lyn — Defcent to a Spring — Our extreme y&y— A Copy of Verfes. p. 157 CHAP. ( xxviii ) ' CHAP. XXIII. Helvellyn.' — — Vanity on overlooking fix Mountains — Moffy Sheathing giving way — Rolling Stones down Helvellyn — Cau tion in the Defcent — WyBurn Lake — A Sheep-Birth — AgrandCanopy — A hearty Breakfdfi — And a chatty old Woman p. 1 66 CHAP. XXIV. Kefwick. Road to Kefw'ick — Kefwick Fair — Once famous for Leather— Reafon s for its Decay — Mirth replaces Profit. p. 172 CHAP. XXV. Crofsthwaite'' s Mufeum — Refinement in lit tle Vagrants — Defcription of the Play- Houfe — Iheir Mufic — A full Houfe — Reafons for leaving it— -Awoke by Dan cing — A blind Fidler p. 1 7 c CHAP. XXVI. Derwenter Lake Went upon the Lake ¦ — A Bottom Wind—EffeB on the Boat — . Floating Ifiand — Silver Hill — Beautiful Com- ( xxlx ) •Compafs of the Lake— Its Clearnefs—^ Lozvdore Water-Fall — Wild Fruit — Curr? - ly-headed Children — p. i8t CHAP. xxvn. Derwenter Lake. — — Bow dore Stone— 'and many others forced from their Parent — Scope for Botany — Barrowdale — Afcend Cafile Crag — Interior Richnefs qf Bar rowdale — 'Wad Mine — Herberfs Ifiand — A RefieSiion on it — The Lady Derwent- water^s Efcape — -Manager s Speech on having a thin Houfe — Afiooft Account of him — — .f p. 189 CHAP. XXVIII. Buttermere. Enchanting Walk— New- land Valley-. — Rufiic Civility — Two Wa terfalls — -Mountain Pafiures—rThe Fil- lage of Buttermere — ¦ p. 201 . CHAP. XXIX. Butterriiere. A Guide — Difagreeable Walk — Buttermere and Crummack Lakes — Sound of Scale-Force Waterfall — Its delicate EffeSi — Defcription of it — Rea fons C xxx } fons why the Inhabitants do not know the Names of their Mountains — Natural Child — Candour of his Mother — Manner of fupporting their Poor — Chapel and School both one — Without a Clergyman — Inha bitants ufed to chufe their own—School- mafier officiates as Parfon — Their Regret at the want qf one. — p. 205 CHAP. XXX. Buttermere. Number of Families — Their Riches — Mode of paying Ale Duty, and of providing Provifions — Of procuring' Surgeons for the Sick-^A Rainbow^ Never but one Chaife in the Valley — Sally of Buttermere — P* 3^3 CHAP. XXXI. Skiddow. Surmount Skiddow — De lightful Views — The Source of the River Caldew — Ifie of Man — Ireland — The Sun fetting in Scotland — Severe Cold — Dot- terell — — p. 219 CHAP. XXXII. Mountains— The old Man — Skiddow — Hel vellyn, and Helm Crag. p. 234 5 CHAP. ( xxxi ) chap! XXXIII, Cafile Htll-^AJhnefs Roc'k—Hutton the , Guide— ^His Refearches—His Gratitude — Kefw'ick Beilinan. — p. 229 CHAP. XXXIV. The EffeB of Echo on the Lake — An Irifhman's Account of the Lake., of Kil- iarney, — — p. 234 CHAP. XXXV. Obfervations. -^Remarks and Obferva- tions, previous to leaving the Lakes, 'wh'ieh, I hope, may- not be deemed in truding — — p. 238 CHAP. XXXVI. Ihe Road to Penrith— The Beacon — Rich Country — The Borderers — The Cafile — . p. 258 CHAP. XXXVII. The Church — Ravages, of the Plague^ — An- tient Stones in- the Church^Tard — Vulgar Opinion about them—Re-fpeB for the Grq^e of an old Woman, p. 262 CHAP. ( xxxii ) CHAP. XXXVIlt lyllfWater. Ullfwater Lake— Firfi Arm of it— Singular Prefervation qf a Man and his Horfe — Martindale Valley and Fells — Famous for the Wild Stag — ' Grand Appearance of Helvellyn — Gow- iorough Park- — Deer, Cattle, &c, p. 267 CHAP. XXXIX. tJlhwater. — : — Lyulph's Toiler — Diike of Norfolk' — Style of Living there— Thi Cafcade — Shape of the Lake^—King Ar thur* s round Table — A modern Shrubbery ¦ — Why Ullfwater^ Lake exceeds the others. — — p. 271 CHAP. XL. Leave Penrith — Carpet ManuJaBory-^A ColleBion of Timber — Of Hayfiacks — ^ Knipe Scarr — Vale and Village of B amp- ton— Hawfwater Lake — Bampton Free- School-^-^A Village-School, a good Nurfery for Morals — Druidical Stones at Shap — The Abbey — The Conclufion- — A Copy of Verfes, « ^ p. 277 A FORT- FORTNIGHT'S RAMBLE. CHAP. I. A fi'ight Touch of a Margate Hoy ; not to bi read before Breakfafi, except you have ¦ been in a Gale of Wind at Sea. *' More than a Life of Errors mine hath been. Yet if I write a nought, the leafi obfcenei May my" Young Oz/e^^j perilli — and may I— Detefted live, — and unlamented die." I WAS fitting very comfortably in Gar ner's gallery at Margate, and had forgot I had taken my paffage in thq Hoy, until I faw it warping out. I made the beft ufe of my legs, took a bo'at, and was juft in time to be the laft to complete a full car go of live (lock. W*e were in hopes of B a to- 2 A Fortnight's Ramble a tolerably good pafrage,but were moflro/- I'lngly becalmed off the Reculvers. There were many veffels in fight, and one man faid——" There is fome comfort in fee- •' ing others in the fame fituation with " ourfelves." " You are a d — d fool " for your pains," faid a rough cit ; " a calm is a ftagnation in trade, it can " do no good, but a foul wind to fome " is a fair wind to others."— — " That's *' all fair, mailer," faid the man at the helm. It was hot upon deck ; but it was an oven below, and I obferved mofl of us amufed ourfelves by complaining of want of wind, &c. A very quizzifh looking man threw himfelf into a knowing atti tude, and was apparently making re marks very earneftly through the fpy- glafs without perceiving the bottom-cafe was oh it. — " Pray, Sir," fays a wag, ** is that a fhip or a brig you are look-- " ing at?"—" The people walk about " fo, can't touch it." — He did not feem 5 to To THE Lakes. ^ .to enjoy the miHake, but he did not " touch" the glafs ggain during the trip. After rolling about fome time, whifl- ling for a wind as oftlers do to their horfes when drinking, a breeze fprang up, and ficknefs, which had already whitewafhed feveral faces, began to flir about. I firfl obferved it in a young lady, who might have belonged to the family of the " T .'s*," by the flatternly fineries .fhe had about her. Her anxious mamma perfuaded her " Deary" to go into the cabin, which was a fignal to be gin ; and, by what part of curiofity I, was induced .to follow;, I know not. An old fat man, wedged in a two- armed chair, was confoling and envying her. — " That's nice, Mifs— that's brave- *' ly done, Mifs !" I thought! obferved, in the midfl of pity arid exclamations^, he only wanted * See Goldfrrith'sFffays. B 3 in- 4- A Fortnight's Ramble inducements to make himfelf fick,; and, in confirmation of my furmife, he pulled a bottle of camomile tea out of his pocket, and fwigged heartily.' Mifs went on " bravely.'* As for the bid gentleman, he ftuck clofe to his feat, and complained mofl bitterly that he could not be fick. We were obliged to drop anchor three times, and performed a voyage in twen ty- feven hours which is often done in ten. I lay dovvn for a fhort time in a crib-bed, but Was fo beiieged by an army of fleas, that 1 went upon deck, and trudged fulkily the reft of the night. A Billingfgatean lady chofe to fcold me for walking ; but, as I preferred her mellifluent abufe to the flench of a crowded cabin, and a million of other aninials, I was all filence, and roughed it as well as I could. About eleven the next morning a breeze fprang up, which expelled TO THE LAKEiSi ^^ expelled the clouds both from our faces and the atmofphere, and a coarfe kind of wit took place of the fullennefs the calm had occafioijed. I want words to do jullice to the fatis- fa6lion I felt in going up the river. My cares vanifhed. I was not only delighted with the Ilreets of fhips we failed through, but felt an honourable pride in belong ing to a country that brings the trade of all the world into its bofom. I was rich from feeing the riches round me, and I thanked my God that I was — a Briton. B 3 CHAP. A Fortnight's Ramble * CHAP. II. A Mail-Coaeh. We fet off in the Leeds mail-coach with a fair wind and a fcowling fky. Our company confifled of my friend, a Sheffield manufa6lurer, a liiaiden lady of a certain age with a large band-box, big enough to have purloined a Jemmy Jumps, but which we will fuppofe was; better furnifhed with head-ornaments to furprize a country village. We had an opportunity of examining each other's faces for about an hour, and riien the evening became very " Sir-ifh, Madam- " ifh," and, on the part of little Shef- , field, rather '¦'¦ fnor'ing-ifh." We wanted a refrefhment of tea to make us chatty. While it was preparing, the honeft York- TO THE Lakes. '7 Yorkfhireman took off his wig, apd was turning the curls nicely over his fore finger, to the great difguft and furprize of the lady. He tried all that putting on his wig, and begging pardon, could do ; but her flomach had received fo fe- vere a fhock, fhe declared " the man'* had fpoilt her breakfaft. However, fhe was afterwards pleafed to open her fa mily budget, and began to be more fa miliar ; but the poor culprit was never more honoured with a word or even a look.' I fuppofe a concatenation of ideas would have made her fick if fhe had feen the wig ; and, he was fo dumbfounded, we entirely loft him, until a carriage came to meet her. Her family head bridled up at this diflindlion, and Ihe wifhed us a " a good afternoon'^ with an air of fuperiority. ' Her departure was a fignal for little Sheffield to begin : his countenance brightened up, and we found him, bar ring a few grammatical errors, as clever B 4 a man 8 A Fortnight's Ramble a man as you could meet with on a fum- mer's day. He gave us an account of the trade of his native town, and en tered, in a workmanlike manner, into the manufafturing part of it. He told us what branches flourifh mofl now, and what muft always fucceed ; how the town became commercial, owing to the pride and feverity of the citizens of York to fome foreign artifans, by whipping them out of the city. They hot only thought this ill-judged cruelty meritori ous, but keep an holiday in remembrance of it ; and that trade has never held up its head in York fmce, though fo well fituated for it. In all his conclufions, he never fpoke favourably of any thing that had not honefly to regulate it. He had figned the Addrefs to His Majefiy re- fpe6ting the proclamation, and faid, •, " What could we hope for, more than '^' what we have ? To be fure, there are *' people that wifh to kick up hubblety " bubbleties in Sheffield ; but they are f more NOISE than NUMBERS." ' The to th£ Lakes. ^ The little Wig vanifhed, and I ef- fleemed him full as much as if he had been decorated with a ramillied peruke. Had we not been fo near his houfe, we Ihould have had a more extenfive lefTon of ingenuity ; but the misfortune is, man is too apt to find out the value of any thing when he is about to lofe it. It was half paft two on Monday morn ing when we reached Leeds, our cloaths being thoroughly drenched in the boot of the mail-coach, from the overflowing of the Trent. The devaftation in Lei- cefterlhire and the adjacent parts of Northamptonfhire and Nottinghamlhire was dreadful. The low grounds were covered with water, and a confiderable quantity of hay was hanging on the hedges in the lanes, and even fcattered along the high road. This mufl be very • difpiriting to the farmers, after a flatter ing profpe£t of plentiful crops ; but, as there ought always to be fome confola- tion 10 A Fortnight's Ramble tion in every misfortune, let us hope a thick eddifh will leffen the lofs, and fatten the numerous fheep with which the banks of the Trent abound. If this ri ver did not fometimes unfeafonably over flow, it might be called the Nile of Eng land, from the fpacious extent of val leys it enriches. Verfes on the Trent's being violently flooded July 22, 1792. oft does the 'tretit, like Egypt's facred 'Nile, Rufli o'er its' banks, and fertilize the foil ; Nurse of the Vales ! flie fattens as. (he flows, And, where flie fpreads, the richeft herbage grows. But when the defotating torrents pour The branching fti;eams, the farmer's hopes devour, Fiend of the Vales ! flie fteals the luckless flieep, And whirls them in the eddies of the deep. The new-cut hay, fo late with pleafure view'd, On the wild bofom of the flreams is ftrew'd. Tress that till now the elements withflood, Promifcuous roll amidft- the frantic flood. Triumphant Trent 1 indignant in her courfe. What can withftand her fiiry-fwelling force ! In this the Rambler, that fo tim'rous ran. Gave drinli to cattle, and delight to man ! Clos'd TO the Lakes. 'ii Cjios'd the proud oziers in her amorous fold. And varied fongs — through various windings told.— But now, like Frakce, a vaft confufion reigns, Fouh her rough courfe, and defoJates the plains : Peftroys thof^ flow'rs, her former bounty fed. And tears the humble from their lowly bed. Nought is feeure, and friends and foes give way 'JTo th£ itBpetUQUS TyaAWTs of th«e day. CHAP. tz A Fortnight's Rambl« CHAP. III. Crofs the Country to Kendal— A Village Wedding — Fatigue— -Covered by Sancho Pancas incomparable Cloak— The River Ken— Salmon- leaping — Leven's Park — The Houfe — A Liquor called Morocco'—- Haverfham Village — Sexton, a Man of Feeling. j^T five the fame morning we got into a crbfs-country coach for Kendal, paf- fing along a delightful range of valleys, frequently keeping the Leeds canal and a river in view ; on a rifing ground fa vourable for profpefts, we faw a num ber of people rufh out of a church, aiid immediately the bells rang moft merrily. We defired the coachman to flop in the village underneath, until the groupe ap proached, following a new-married cou ple ; Tb the Lakes. 13 pie ; the whole bedizened with ribbands, the biride mofl glaringly fo ; large true- blue bows were acrbfs the full of her breaft, leffening till they reached the waifl, as the poet expreffes himfelf, *' fmall by degrees, and beautifully l^fs ;" white, red, and every other colour, were confpicuous about her gown and hat, except forfaken green, which, I was glad to obferve, was not worn by one of ., the throng. It would have gladdened any heart, to have feen them frifking down the hill ; fuch kiffing, and fuch romping, and fuch laughing, I never heard or faw before. Rufiic happinefs was afloat ; the girls faces were tinged beyond their native bloom, and the maiden's blufh enlivened the lilies around them. The men's legs and arms were as bufy as if they had hung on wires. In an inftant half a dozen youths pulled off their Ihoes and ftockings, which gave me an opportunity of noticing their legs had been previoufly girt v^^ith party- coloured ribbands. On being ftarted by ^ - ths 14 A FoRTNIGHT*S RaMBLE the bride, they fpanked off as hard as they could, amidfl the whoops of the young and old. This I underfland is a Race of Kisses, and he who firfl reaches the bride's houfe is rewarded with a kifs and a ribband. If they were to have been rewarded with a purfe of gold, they could not have looked more eager ; they took different roads, (without heeding the rough ftones th&y had to encounter) and which, we were told, were previoufly agreed upon, in proportion to the known fwiftnefs of the candidates. We regretted we could not fl:ay to fee the refult ot the Hymenaean race ; and left them in the midfl of mirth, after a donation which would not take from it, but which was only received on condition of mutually drink ing healths, and our accepting a ribband apiece. I got upon the top of the coach, to look at them as long as I could. Marrow-bones and cleavers, thofe fafhionable attendants upon courtly wed dings, could not exprefs half the hilarity which To THE LajkES. 1 5 which . we witneffed ; and when the coach fet off, they gave us breafis-full of huzzas ; we anfwered them with fuch fmcerity, I fhall have a twift in my hat as long as it lafts ; and for fome time after we left them we heard burfls. of noife. I did not obferve the bride was. hand- fomer than any of the others, except in her hufband's eyes ; but, if I may judge from what I faw, this healthful valley teems with lufty lads ahd pretty laffes ; and, if I could have flayed the day with th^m, I fhould have found out all their fweethearts. As long as it was light, variety of fcenes kept us in amufement ; but it was no fooner dark, than the jolting of the clumfy vehicle, flowly dragged along by a lazy pair of horfes, had a moft uncom fortable elfe6l. I tried to fleep, but tried in vain, and we thought it an- age before 1 6 A Fortnight's Ramble before we reached Kendal, which was paft twelve o'clock. I was no fooner in bed, than fleep, to ufe the language of honeft Sancho Panca, " covered me all over as it were *' with a cloak ;" and I could next morning fay with that incomparable proverb-monger, " Heaven's bleffings *' reft on that man's head who firft in- *' vented it ;" for, it prefented me, after ten hours oblivion, with a cheerful flow of fpirits. I was prepared for pleafure, my mind as clear as the atmofphere, and at eleven we fet off for Levens along the banks of the Ken, a river which winds its clear courfe amongft rich paf- tures, ftocked with lufty cattle, hang ing woods, ragged rocks, and thick hay- fields. We were often charmed with the noife of the water foaming down broad weirs. Near one of them, cioie to the powder mills, is a ftout bridge, whofe arches extend from rock to rock, covered with conftant verdure. We fat near it half TO THE Lakes. f ^ half an hour watching abundance of fal- mon attempting to rife the fall, and fometimes leaping fideways at a fly, all of them appearing eager to get up. Some fucceeded to the firft rife of the fall, and many fell again into the foam. How delightfully were we feated, to hear the mufic of the river ! — to fee the banks, cloathed with hanging trees of va rious green, and under a certain bufhy part on the oppofite fide large drops were tinkling down, — oozing through the projecting roots and mofs, raifing diflin6l and high effects upon the calm furface underneath \ — I felt that charm ing placidnefs within me, that con vinced me I am a fon pf Nature. We left with regret this fcene ; but left it only to enjoy other beauties. About a mile from the mills, and to the left of the river, we entered Leven's park,pafring through an avenue of lime and beech trees, flill keeping the Ken C which iS A Fortnight's -RAkBLE which divides the - park, well ftocked with deer, on both fides. We had here a fight of the fands, with two veffels at anchor. I was ftriick with the recollec tion of having feen the fea four hundred miles off in as many days ; but this in- ftantly gave way to the refpedt I felt, in admiring the matchlefs works of Nature. On approaching the houfe, we per ceived they were bufy in houfing hay, and fiaw a gentleman and two ladies come out of the garden. Anxious to fee all we could, yet fearful to be thought intruding, we were afking queftiohs from one of the hay- makers, when the gen tleman politely came to us, and offered to fhew us the houfe ; he was fteward to the lady Andover, and came that day to overlook the workmen. The houfe is turreted, and has ftone winding fteps to the leads, from which you have a profpeCjl charmingly varie gated and backed by high mountains. The rooms are generally of trufty oak, that fo the Lakes. rg that has hitherto defied Time. Several of them are decorated with the Bellingham arms, with a variety of quarterings ; thefe too are painted in the windows. In the great hall there are feveral coats of armour ; and one breaft-plate ap pears to have had a ball dinted againft it. The Seafons are curioufly expreffed by cg,rved figures in the wainfcot, with verfes . under them in old-fafhioned rhyme. The beds are very old, and the curtains are as ragged as a pair bf colours that might have belonged to a diftinguifhed regiment that was at the battle of Blenheim. The tapeftry is expreffive of religious and moral fub- je6ts, but does not feem the work of good looms : perhaps it was made be fore that kind of weaving was brought to theperfedlion of the lafl century *. * In the parlour window Bellingham quartering Burnef- head; and, on a fcroll, on one fide, Amicus Amici Ala nus; on the other 5e/%er»j Belligero Bellinghamus, This couplet was made upon Alan Bellingham, who purchafed Levens, alluding to his focial, and, at the fame timCj martial difpofition. Q % Every 20 A Fortnight's Ramble Every part of this refpe6table hodfe,. except what was once woVe, may yet laft "for ages. The wainfcot and floors are in thorough repair ;. and the latter fhone fo- bright, T was- obliged to tread with cau tion i^eft I 'ihould tumble. Mhch as the Bellinohams have to regret the lofs of thefe eftates, they are ih hands that pay attention to repairs, for I never faW an old uninhabited hohfe taken fuch care of. We were regaled by a liquor called Morocco, which is hiade ih no other place in the kingdom, and has been pe culiar to this houfe time out of hrind. It is of a high colour, and is made from malt and hops ; has an acid tafte, and does not ferment ; for, if it was, to be left in a glafs for a week, they fay it would be equally good as at the moment it was poured out. I confefs I relifhed it ; perhaps becaufe there is none of the fame fort any where elfe.. M 3 TO T^E. l^AKES. 21 As the fteward had bufinefs to tranfadl, 'my friend and I walked to Haverfham, a village upon a ^iU, famous for a fchool that has produced fome great fcholars, and recently unfortunate by two youths heing (Jrowhed near Levens. This ac cident, which pea^r town would onlyocca- fiorith.egeneralgloom of a minute, feemed to throw forrow over the face of the fex- ton, whilft he fhewed us the grave ; and marked tlie ftrong lines of his furrowed countenance with a look of fenfibility {I thought), that made an impreffion in his favour, we have often fince fpoken of. The prefent Bifhop of LandaiFs fa ther taught this fchool for many years, with the greateft credit and honour ; and at this place that learned and truly re- fpedlable Prelate received the firft rudi ments of his education. C 3 CHAP. .32 A F0RT^fIGHT's RaMBL^ CHAP. IV. A Village Dancing-Mafier — An aged Ma tron — Rufiic Politenefs on her Entrance — A Hornpipe — The Rofe Dance-^— Far mer s Servant — -A Barn Dancing-School — The Church — Dinner — Return to Le-: vens — The Gardens — Antiquated Houfe- keeper — Kitchen- Grate. The fexton was landlord of the Eagle and Child, and, whilft his good woman wasdreffing our dinner, we were induced, from feeing a number of boys fhoes, and hearing the found of a fiddle in a barn, to become fpe6lators. About thirty boys and girls were affembled for a quarterns inftru£tion. The mafter had more the appearance of a man than that of a dancing-mafter, although he was well qua- TO THE Lakes. 23 qualified. for the latter in the opinion of the children's parents ; I mean no reflec tion upon the profeffion, only he did not look like one of thofe Continental beings, who cabriol and pas-grave themfelves in to the good opinion of fafhion. We will imagine it was a public day, for there were feveral fpe6tators, and we obferved an aged matron upwards of eighty, fapported by two women, bend ing her .flow" fteps towards the fchool. On her entrance there vvas a general re verence, and one man went into the houfe to bring her a two-armed chair. — If this was not politenefs,' tell me, ye fuppk fons of courts, what it was ? One of the boys danced a hornpipe, with hat afide and ftick under bis arm, tipping moft vehemently with heel and toe, but in very good time ; the mafter often threw his eyes upon the firangers,- and I took care to give as much fatisfac- tion to my face as I poffibly could, though really not more than \ felt. Af- C 4. ter 24 A Fortnight's Ramble ter the little hero had fweated over his part, nine girls danced a Cotillon in time and ftep that would not have dif- graced a ball-room ; and, what had a fingular and ruftic effect, whilft they were going the circle in pairs, the odd number ftepped into the centre, pulled a red rofe from her breaft, which fhe held up as fhe danced ri)und, until fhe led to another ftep, and always, when fhe joined hands with the others, replaced her rofe near cheeks that vied with it in healthful beauty. Why fhould fo innocent a dance be called a Cotillon ? I think it ought to have an Englifh name. — Whiere is the harm then in my naming it the rose dance ? As.. there was a tall boy, of about feventeen, that had the appearance of a farmer's fervant, who wanted to dance, my friend was afraid we fhould abafh him if we remained ; fo we TO THE Lakes. 25 we went away. This lad had the look of a deterhiined candidate for a prize dance. He forced out his to'es, until he grinned to it, and looked fo eagerly at the dancing girls, I fhould have thought they w^ere all his fweethearts ; but, upon recolle6tion, I am perfuaded he was only thinking, "if I wur dancing, I'd ne'er " give out." As I wifhed to take in all I poffibly could, I obferved a wooden hoop with three tin fockets hanging in the centre', 'of the barn, to be ready any evening for a village dance. From this feat of ruftic agility we de parted, after faying in whifpers loud enough to be overheard, " how well *• they danced !" I made my beft obei- fance, and bows and curtfies attended us. The old good woman put her arms up on the chair, and fhewed the fame incli nation : I fat next to her, and beftowed fo many praifes upon the young ones, I think 36 A Fortnight's Ramble think I gave a gleam of chperfulnefs to her heart. I could not help overhearing, whilfl one of the boys was dancing his hornpipe, if not in an elegant, in a difficult manner, one of them faid to another, " 1 con do that." Thefe trifles became fecond na ture to me, and I filently gloried in them. We afterwai^ds went into the church, which is a plain old one ; it was burnt down by accident in the year 1601 ; whereby, all the monuments, organ, and other ornaments, were utterly deflroyed, fo that we could only trace the births and burials from, the year 1605. In the chan cel belonging to the Bellinghams there is a handfome monument upon one of the females, dated 1626, with verfes expref five of her many virtues, and thofe of her hufband, which has lately been put in repair by a gentleman related to her maiden name, a mark of refpe6l that de- ferves to be recorded. On examining the *ro THE Lakes. ay the regifters, there is no mention of her being buried there. I hope my reader will pardon me for tranfcribing her epitaph : though it abounds with many quaint expreffions, the fafhion of the times when it was written, it contains many fingular beau ties, which I hope will amply atong' for ifife infertion in this work. « m. S. Here lyeth the Body of the Lady Dorothie Belling- 'ham, Daughter to Sir Francis Boynton, of Barmfton ia the county of York, Knight, and Wife to Sir Henry Bellingham, of Helfington in the County of Weflmore- land, Knight and Baronet. Shee-dycd the 23 of Janu ary, 1626; setatis fuse 3?. Thrife fixe years told brought up by parents deare, Duely by them inftrufted in God's feare ; Twice feaven years more I lived to one betroth, Whofe meanes yea life, were common to us both. Seaven children in that fpace to him I browght. By nature perfed, and of hopeful growght. His parents unto mee deare as myne own, Thejre loves werp fuch as to the world's well known. But 2.8 A Fortnight's Ramble But ere that one yeare more her courfe had runne, God in his-mercie unto' me hath fhpvvne, That all theife earthly comforts are but toyes, B,eing compared with thefe celeftial joyes, "Which through the blood of Ghrift are kept in flore For thofe in whom his word has rui'd before. To labpurs borne I bore, and by that forme I bore to earth, to earth I ftraight was borne. In the year 1763, Sir Griffith Boynton, of Burton Agnes in the county of York, baronet, lineally defcended from the faid Sir Francis, repaired and beautified thi? monument." By this time dinner was ready ; I can not fay I ate hpartily, my appetite having given way to the fcenes we had been en gaged in. When we afked what we had to pay, the landlady hefitated, as if fhe thought fhe ^^as going to overcharge, and hoped we fhould " not think eight- pence apiece too much." In two hours from our leaving Levens we were returned ; as Mr. .R- pro- mifed us the pleafure of walking with us to TO THE Lakes. 2^ to Kendal, and fent off his horfe for that purpofe. The gardens are laid out in the Dutcli ftyle, and were planned by -king Jamfes's gardeher, who refided during part of his mafter' s troubles with the then owner -Of it ; the perfon who, it is faid, took ad vantage of the national difturbahces of poffeffrng the eftate. I have heard that Bellingham followed the fortunes of king James, and, to preferve this eftate in his family, made it over to a man he thought his friend, but who was too partial either to the beauties or the profits of it ; and it is even traditioned by poor people of the name of Bellingham, how refiding in 'Kendal, that the eftate was never paid for. The gravel walks are broad and long, ahd each alley and yew tree has its bro ther. Thefe are too formal to be in- terefting ; befides, they were the heavy tafle of a man that had" deformed the beauties 30 A For'^night's Ramble beauties of Nature. The only curiofity I obferved, and which I think is eafily accounted for, is of a tree whofe trunk is cut off a foot from the earth, and whofe branches were engrafted or rather inoculated into another tree ; it was in full foliage, and feemed alive to the bot tom of the trunk. Although it may once have been a complete-tree, its neighbour becomes the parent, and the fap of it in the Winter muft go into the root. ^ After we returned into the houfe, my friend went into the kitchen, and flipt half a crown into the hand of an .old cu - rioufly-dreffed houfekeeper, who looked as antiquated as one of the wooden fi gures in -the hall ; flie waddled plenty of dropping curtfies, with a " Thank you. Sir," to every one of them. We had here an opportunity of obferving that the ' hofpitality of Levens muft have been in the good old Englilh ftyle ; for the kitchen grate is large enough to roaft an ox, TO THE LakIIS, 31 OX, and I dare fay good eating and mo rocco were plentifully diftributed. When the great Allan " rul'd this large domain j •' The voice of forrow never mourn'd in vain ; *' Sooth'd by his pity — by his bounty fed, " The rich found comfort, and the aged — bread." The jovial tenants fiU'd the length'ned board. With ROASTED ox and good morocco ftor'd. ' But' -now, though witchcraft in the woods is feen, KnAfalmon ftill enrich the winding Ken, The name of Bellingham refounds no mor€. And Hospitality has left the door. iCHAP; 32 A Fortnight's Ramble CHAP. V. PetrifaBions — Kendal Church — A Barber, a Man of Family, About fix we croffed the river, and paffed through the park amidft thofe trees that looked fo majeftic when we were oppofite. to them ; two aged beech trees towered ah amazing heighth over the others, and feemed to have partook the fame influence of foil, they are fo ex- a6lly alike. We continued upon a high bank "until we approached a large piece that had tumbled into a hole, once fa mous for drawing falmon, but now their fafe retreat ; this piece is compofed of petrifa6tiohs, a larger quantity than I ever faw before, and are occafioned from a4ime-ftone fpring. A per- TO THE Lakes. 3^ A perfon afked permiffion to get fome, and took fo much, that it occafioned an obftru6lion in future* I mention this, as- nothing can be more ill-judged than ta king advantage of a wifh to oblige ; and by this a£l, a deep ferpentine part of the river lofes half its beauty, and the beft ftocked part of the, fifliery is rendered ufelefs. Thus far the tide comes up, and in fpring-tides the water near the houfe is brackifh. We fometimes paffed through corn fields, but oftener through pafture, never lofing fight of the river, and we were often entertained by little ftreams tink ling down the hill. - I fhould never have been fatigued with this rural walk ; but, on entering Kendal, the ftones, which are very .fharp and -uneven, made my feet fore. We furveyed the church, which Is very large, with handfome ftone pillars. D In 34 A Fortnight's Ramble In an aile belonging to the Bellinghams, there is an extraordinary large tomb without a date, and, from the brafs fi gure having been purloined, it muft have fuffered under the depredations of civil war. There are feveral other mo- nume'hts bf this family ; for there were at one. time a baronet and two knights of this name in the county, who had fe- parate houfes, and pblfefted confiderable property in it. The hiftory of the County mentions this family as extindt, yet feveral branches are flill in being. The Bellinghams, bf Cafile Bellingham in Ireland, are from a collateral line ; ^nd Roger Palmer, efq. of Rufh, and of Palmerftown, in that kingdom, with his fifter and her chil dren,' are immediate dcfcendants from the oldeft branch. As it is a family that has fuffered from civil war, and other caufes, there may be many defcendants who may have funk into the common mafs of mis- , fortunes,' TO THE Lakes. 35 fortunes, and whofe pove'rty has pre- ferved only the name. The day following being conftant rain, I have noted down, as well as -I could TecoHedl, the pleafures of yefterday, and I truft they will never leave my memory. There is a barber of the hame of Bel lingham living under this roof, who fays he is a defcendant ; I underftand, Vv^lien he g:ets too much of Sir John Barleycorn * in his head, he is wondrous proud of it ; his friends fometimes laugh at him, and afk him by what bye branch he claims relationfhip. I had. fojne converfation with him, and he has " our family" and *' my anceftors" very pat. * A North country expreffion for ale. D 2 CHAP. 9 6 A Fortnight's Ramble CHAP. VI. Obelifk — Children in Kendal fickly — Induf- try — New Canal — Tenter-Grounds — A Man of Ingenuity. We went this morning to an obelifk, eredled in i;;88 upon a confiderable ar tificial mount, in remembrance of the Revolution. I think it is too fmall an obje6l both for the fubjedl, and the noble rife it ftands upoq ; when we faw it yef terday it looked like a tall chimney ; one would imagine, from its fcantinefs, there had been a want of money, but, as it was built upon fo glorious an occafion, it may rather be attributed to want of tafte. Directly oppofite, on the other fide the Ken, ftands the remains of the caftle where Catharine Parr was born, the TO THE Lakes. 3*^ the laft wife of Henry VIII. ahd whofe wife conduct (after fhe had been fecretly impep,ched), by giving up her religious opinions to thofe of the king, averted her trial, and fhe had the wonderful luck to furvive him. This ruin ftill wears a grand referablance of what caftles were in for- , iher days, though it is mouldering away under the iron hand of Time. The children in Kendal look very fickly ; perhaps they fuffer from thp nap of the woollen * manufa6tory, which is continually flying about, clogging their infant lungs ; — but in the neighbourhood, where the air is unadulterated, they are a very rofy race. There is a meritorious fpirit of induf- try amongft them, and the country peo ple, both men and women, were knit ting ftockings as they drove their peat- * Coarfe cloths owe their origin to Kendal, where they were firft made in 1390. D 3 carts 38 A Fortnight's Ramble carts into the town ; this double way of earning money, not only makes them deferving of the reward, but muft in- tereft ftrangers in their favour. Coal is very dear, and they are obliged to ufe . peat (a fpecies of turf) ; but, when the intended canal between Lan- cafhire and this place is finifhed (which they , are afraid will be a tedious time from the number of locks it will require), the cheerful hearth will blaze, and they will have, at a naoderate rate, that moft neceffary ingredient in a manufa6turing town. The tenter-grounds on the fides of the little hills refemble the growth of the vine-orchards in Spain ; and, from ha ving much and many coloured cloths upon them, I fhould hope that trade flourifhes. I would wifh to fay fome- thing ih praife of the town, but it is top ill- paved to mind any thing but your feet. PP^ TO THE Lakes. 39 Oppofite the King's Arms, I thought I obferved an old man I had once known. On feeing him take a pinch of fnuff, I was affured of it ; which he was always accuftomed to do, with an air and twift of body peculiar fo a man of mental con- fequence, or as we frequently fee in a perfon that has made the grand tour,' and takes this manner of letting you know it. He was once a capital watchmaker at Minorca, and laft at Gibraltar ; and told me with a figh, he was only now a fer vant, and that he was obliged to leave the Old Rock, becaufe he could not afford to live on it. After he had recovered himfelf a lit- 'tle, for we were mutually glad to talk of old times, I fell into enquiries about former days, and the look of forrow va nifhed in an inftant. I then afked him after a once extraordinary fine green and D 4 gold 40 A Fortnight'is Ramble gold laced coat, I remembered his wear ing near five ye;ars : when I firft faw it, it was " wondrous, nay paffing fine ;" it afterwards underwent feveral degrees of fhade, what with the fun, and time, and fnuff: and to the laft made 2. famous blockade appearance. Imagine to yourfelf — (for I like to bring defcription as faithful as I can, and I am^ perfuaded, if this fhould fall into the hands of any of my old brother- foldiers, they will eafily recognize poor Abrahams) — imagine then a middle- fized man, with a rubicund face, and hair b'len fri%%led; toes turned out, particu larly one foot, from the leg having been three times broke ; — do not forget his green and gold, and, I have to add, a cock and pinched hat equally rufty, with ;a break in the centre, from the polite bows he always made, and with a pair pf brownified filk ftockings — ^fuch was once poor Abrahams. Now he has (hort hair^ a plain coat, and worfted ftock- TO THE Lakes. 41 ftockings. The only dafli of fihery, was a coarfe fpotted velvet waiftcoat ; but whoever fees him would fay, " that man " has known better days." I was forry to fee him fo reduced. He was always reckoned clever in bufinefs, and would moft willingly have given a defcription of the infide of a watch, , without expreffing the leaft difpleafure at the ignorant or inquifitive. I have idled away many an hour in his fhop, - and would not forget him in his poverty. He ackriowledges his imprudences, and fays he fhall never leave off his cuftom of ^^ fv^igging away a few days.". He tells a ftory of his father being fo complete a workman, that he once made. a chain of fteel fo very fine, he had fatt ened a flea by the leg with it. This ftory has been offered to Baron Munchaufen, for his next edition ; but I can inform the good folks of Kendal, there are many people who have feen fuch a thing. When 42 A Fortnight's Ramble When he firft fpoke of it, a man left the company, ahd brought in a whetftone, and laid it before him. Abrahams had not been long enough amongft them to know the meaning of it, and thought it was for him to fwear by. He took it up, kiffed it, and fwore it was true. This has occafioned a ftanding jefl againft' him, and I think in the end will drive him out, of the town. I introduce this to refcue him from laughter. Nothing can be more uncom fortable than being the butt of a coun try town. The ignorant may laugh at his follies, but it would be more to their credit if "they could imitate his inge nuity. When I arrived at the King's Arms the other evening, I was fo difpleafed with my fatigue I thought it a bad inn : * It is a cuflom in the North, when a man tells the greateft lye in company, to reward him with a whet ftone, which is called " Lying for a whetftone." two TO the Laices. 43 two days have convinced me that Mrs. Mafterfon is civil and intelligent, and you have every thing in peace and plenty. The houfe is a large old ftragling one. There are two galleries leading to the bed-rooms ; and I would advife you to make a crofs, tp know whieh togo by.. CHAP. 44 A Fortnight's Ramble CHAP. VII. Ing's Chapel — Indufiry rewarded- — benevo lence — A firfi Sight of the Lakes — Boats upon Windermere — Amblefide. About fix miles from Kendal, we ftopped to fee Ing's chapel, rebuilt by a Mr. Bateman, who was born in this pa- rifh, of poor parentage. He went through a progreffive fuccefs of induftry, and was entrufted by his mafters in London to tranfa6l their bufinefs at Leghorn For tune befriended him, and he amaffed immenfe riches. He had fo juft a regard for his native place, he remitted money to repair the chapel, and at the fame time fent moft beautiful marble to inlay the flooring, which is elegantly finifhed, the fteps only leading to the altar being of TO THE Lakes. 45 of ftone. The feats are uniform, and of a commodious fize. He not only gave this tribute to the church, but left alfo one thoufand pounds to the poor*. He lived not to re- return home, and his executors had the finifhing of it, whieh is expreffed on a ftone affixed to the fteeple. It is faid the little of his property re mitted to England was all that was faved to his family, and, whether by loffes or extravagance the remainder was difperfed, report difagrees. I can not, from what I heard, fpeak with con fidence upon the fubjedt ; I only wifh to * It feems a matter of doubt, whether the libera lity of this worthy man will be attended with thofe good effefts he pioufly intended, as his beneficence draws nu merous poor into the townfliip, who endeavour to gain fet,tlements, in order to partake of his donation. Hence perpetiial fquabbles and law-fuits — fo that the beft in tentions are but too often rendered ineffectual, or of little confequence, by the perverfenefs or avarice of marnk kind. do 46 A Fortnight's Ramble do honour to the v^ell-beftowed munifi cence of this grateful man, ahd fay to the rich, moft humbly quoting the lan guage of our Saviour, Go' thou and jJo likewise. I had not retained Mr. Bateihan and his chapel long in my mind, before we faw a filver line ftealing down a fteep moun tain right ahead of us : we fuppofed it occafioned byyefterday's rain, and while I was ftraihihg my eyes to look at it to the left, we caught a firft fight of Win dermere. Here I could not help dwel ling, or rather I wifhed to dwell, for I called to the poftillion not to go oh fo fafi, without perceiving we were de- fcending a fteep hill. We again loft the lake ; but the next rifing prefented us the rivulet and Windermere, and I did not omit paying a vifual attention to the little ftranger, which I knew in one mi- ' nute I was to ,lofe. Her extenfive Neigh bour was boldly to the left of us, and, exclufive of the iflands, and moun- 2 tains, TO THE Lakes. 'j^f tains, and woody borders, half a dozen boats were failing under a frelh wefterly breeze. As you enter Amblefide, there are fome of , the loftieft pines I ever faw, taller, I dare fay, than any fo the fou'thr ward of them. Though the pine i^s a melancholy tree, it is here feen amongft fuch cheerful verdure, it is worth ad miring as a cbnf rafting fhade, and, to thofe who have never vifited Northern countries, for the height it grows ; and when we confider the quicknefs of their growth, arid the fhelter they yield to the youthful' bak arid other ufeful plants, fh'e obferver will of courfe have a tributary thought in its favour. CHAP. 4S A Fortnight's Ramble ] CHAP. VIII. A kind of Apology for myfelf— Rydal Water falls — RydalLake — Amphitheatre around it — Grafsmere — A Country Ale Houfe — Went upon the Lake — An Attempt at De fcription — A Prayer for the Inhabit-ants — Crooked Chimney an Eye-fore, After a dinner of moft excellent trout, we commenced our ramble. I take an opportunity of mentioning, the perfon out of friendlhip for whom I take this journey is the fole dire6lor of it. I follow no written guide, left I fhould enter too fully into other people's ideas, and npt give a native fcope to my own. I fhall do the beft I can, fre quently writing upon the fpot whence 3 the TO THE Lakes. 49 the obje£l ftrikes me, which may occa fion Iboth the prefent and preter-perfeB tenfes in the fame chapters. Idbhbtkhow how to avoid incommoding my readers. with tautology, but hope they will fol low me 's^'ith ihore gbod-hattire thah cri ticifm ; yel, I have that attachment for tfuth, I Ihould rather feel the critic's lajh, than intentionally mifreprefent. Our firft walk was tb Rydal Hall. The yohngeft daughter of the head hufband^ man Ivaited at a gate to attend company to the cafcades ; fhe led us through the woods up a fteep caufeway to the higheft water-fall, which furprizes by a fhort turn to the left, rufhes about forty-five yards into a declivity, and then roars down the hill. The mouth may be about two yards and a half wide. We defcended a hundred yards, and then carne fuddenly upon another, which did not fall fo fteep, but was fo over charged with water, it oceafiohed a thin E flieet so A Fortnight's Ramble fheet to fpread over an adjoining rock, feparated by a fharp point, and feemed, from the prifmatic effe6t on the fpray, to a6t like a reflecting rainbow to a larger one. After fatisfying the eye, we declined lower than the houfe, along winding flate walks, plentifully fupplied with bilberries, and edged with ever greens, well interfperfed with the care- lefs labernum ; this road leads us to an old wainfcoted room darkened by fur- rounding fhades, which prefented a caf cade arched by trees, and back-grounded by an ancient bridge, with the verdure feen under it. At the inftant I am wri ting, a man with his heyday drefs, with a rake and a ftone bottle, is paffing over the bridge : the back fhade makes his frame and drefb fo diftin6t, I fhall never forget the figure. It would have been a happy moment for a painter. We afterwards purfued the Kefwick road along the banks of Rydal lake ; the beautifully mis-fhapen mountains around us TO THE Lakes, 51 us formed a grand amphitheatre. Some of them were fortified by the Romans ; and feem deferving of them, in their Au- guftan grandeur. We afcended theweftern hill, and had by degrees a complete view of the com pact — THE rural grassmere. — We di rected our courfe towards the church at the top of the lake, where we were told a man of th6 name of Robert Newton kept a public-houfe, and that he was an intel ligent man. On feeing near the church a fign-poft, we concluded it to be the place. We were amufing ourfelves with the neat rufticity around us, when the landlady came in, ana faid, her hufband was amongft his hay ; but, obferving him refting upon a- ftyle, very likely induced to linger about to know if he vvas want ed, fhe called to him, — " Robert, tha mun " cum in." Newton is fince removed into a hew houfe, which I hope is well accuftomed.— I recommend to his good woman to make plenty of preferved E 2 goofe- 52 A Fortnight's Ramble goofeberries — ^wbich, I am certain, will be as well relifhed as " Mrs. Primrofe's *' goofeberry wine" — and then,ttave\lets, tafte it with fome of her rich creams; and there can be no doubt but it will pleafe the palate, (no difparagement to Mrs. Primrofe, as much as her wine could do). — Do not be fearful of want of room : befides this new houfe, he has built a barn, fo capacious, my friend in a heavy fhower rode into it, and hardly ftooped. After fome expreffions of civility, he told us, he was going to take up his floats in Graffmere, and fhewed us a pike of four pounds he had caught in the mor ning. This was an opportunity we could not omit, and we propofed going with him. But, I muft firft tell you, this public- houfe was not diftinguifhed by prints expreffing rules for drinking, but by " King Charles's good rules ;" — a pic ture of the puriuit under the royaloak, - and TO THE Lakes. ^3 and a large one explaining the twelve months, with inftruCtive verfes under each of thems Behind his cottage he had dammed in a fmall ftream, which ferved as a receptacle for trout, pike, and perch, to be ready whenever he wanted them ; and he had the precaution to flant fome large flag ftones, for the fifh to retire under in hot weather. An old man upwards of eighty affifted in rowing ; and upon our not immedi ately finding fome of the floats, where he had expeCted them, he faid, " I'me keeping a fhairp eye after them." We did not take any filh, and Robert feemed more difappoihted on our account tbair onhis own. Thefe floats are fhaped like bar-fhot, or, what may be more generally under- ftood, like dumb bells. The line is rolled round the bar, and although it may be entangled amidft the weeds, there js no danger of lofing it, even if they E 3 > leave 54 A Fortnight's Ramble leave them out all night ; for, theft is a phaenomenon in this valley. But I was fo much engaged with all around me, I did not care about fifh. Whilft rowing flowly on, we refted Upon our oARs to attend to the effeCl of cannon, which, we afterwards learnt, were fired at Belle-ifle Ifland on Win dermere — in compliment to the Marquis ofLanfdown, who was upon a vifit to Mr. Curwen. It is impoffible to con ceive a more delightful retreat for a bufy fiatefman to retire to — in order to relieve the mind from the effeCt of paft fa tigue, and to enable it to bear future trouble. Qraffmer? is name^lfrom a green rump- fhaped ifland, on which there are mariy fheep, an outhoufe for fhelter, and occa- fionally a couple of cows : this verdant fpot is four acres and a half in circum ference, with a low fhelter of trees to the fouth-weft. The TO the LakEs. ^5' The diftance between Seat Sandal* and the oppofite mountain -f exhibits a grand canopy ; and in the valley, or, as it is here, called, the grain, the road to Kefwick runs. Thefe mountains are fo much alike,' it may not be improper to call the one brother, and the other fifier ; as, in the proportion of my mind, they are fimilar to the difference in fize between male and female. This fpace is rendered more folemn by dark clouds tumbling into the valley; yet the fun piercing over them fhews a diftant Alp tinged with watery beauty. On approaching the eaftern entrance we obferve two farm houfes, which du ring three winter^ months never experi ence the cheering rays of the fun. The fteeple, and what I can fee of the church, embofomed in trees, are delightfully pic- * From its fandy front. f Steel Fell. E 4 turefque. 56 A Fortnight's Ramble turefque. — May the God of Heaven blefs the inhabitants tha.t perform their prayers on its rough oak benches ! To the right they have been cutting down fome valuable underwood, which rather hurts the look of the tout enfemble : but certainly the hufbandman ought to reap the fruits of his labour. • Scotch cattle are feeding amidft the woods, ^n4 fheep are beautifully dotted upon the hill, at the foot of which we ^re going to land. This is common land, and fo different from the others, there is not an inclofing wall, or a tree to be feen. Our guide left us, and it Was with diffidence he accepted a trifle. We have agreed to dine at his houfe on Sunday, and he is afterwards to go with us to the fummit of Helm Crag, a fteep hill, that apparent lyover-hangs the Kefwick road. Graft". TO the Lakes. 57 ., f Grg.ifhi§re is a handfome floping brook tp Rydal, and in the feparation becames the Rathay. We occafionally ftopped oij the foft land on its niargin, and took a view of the whole. I will endeavour to give a defcription. The formidable heavens to the Weft fet off the wild grandeur of the moun tains, and over our head they are as fe- renc as the- Valley they adorn ; to the ^orth a large table hill, with a thick mift dafhing over it ; the South is dif tinguifhed by a golden appearance from the fun's tinging the clouds, and fhews fome ftraggling trees fO diftinCtly, we can delineate the feparation of leaves. If fights like thefe cannot fill the mind with reverence, it muft be undeferving of enjoying them ! We returned by a good foot-path, and were slad- to find the landlord 'had changed fc>'^ 53 A Fojitnight's Ramble changed our room for one that had a different afpeCt. There is a crooked chimney right before the other, which fo obftruCts the fight of Windermere, as to take away the pleafure of it. I Since the firft edition of this Ramble, I underftand, the crooked eye-fore is taken dov^^n. CHAP. TO THE Lakes. 59 CHAP. IX. WINDERMERE. Too much Defcription — Thompfon^s Ifiand. At the head of this queen of the Lakes* are fome neat houfes that cannot be exceeded for frefhnefs of air' and fweetnefs of profpeCt. We were appre- ihenfive of the day, as we were attended to the Lancafhire fide of the lake with a mizzling rain"; but, if you pleafe, you may mark the progrefs. The fun pierces upon the Rydal mountains that back-ground the head of the lake, ihewing them in juft light and * Windermere is the largeft of the lakes. fhade. 6o 'A Fortnight's Ramble fhade. — Rydal Hall appears about the centre, commanding a moft delightful view, and in return is equally worthy of notice. When I faw it yefterday, the mo dernizing alteration took from the plea- ¦ fure I fhould have had, could I have feen it in its antient form ; but the diftance we are now from it takes away the ob jection. Langdale Pikes hold up their ragged heads in fhapelefs horror, as if they had been thrown out by a moft violent con^ vulfion of nature. Low Wood is thickly wooded, and fhews the fnug roof of a farm-houfe about one-third of the way up it ; at the foot is Low-Wood Inn, a neat objeCl, with about fifty fcattered fields near it. Calf Parrick Crag is oppofite the iim, and we are clofe rounding into its bay : this point takes away many old views, and opens upon new ones. 2 About TO THE Lakes. ^i ¦ About two miles to the left is 'Bfad Rifen, a large field full of fheep, ahd furrounded by wood ; about a mile far ther a light-green field, fhaped like a tumulus, fkirts the View. .The rain has ceafed, columns are fly ing about, and the fun has dried the pa per upon which my pencil is faithfully writing. We open the little village of Bownefs, and a fqiiadron of feven cutters prefent themfelves with pendants and colours fly ing, failing under different tacks : the farm-houfe I before remarked is called Dove Neft, and is become a well-placed objeCt. The fields in front have a re gular flope, and are ornamented with the exhilarating fight of the farmers fpreading out their hay, which gives uS- hopes we fhall have a fine day, as they know more of this climate than we do* , ' From 62 A Fortnight's RamblK From High-ray Bay Langdale Pikes appear over a wooded hill : we have like- wife the, Old Man and Wedderlamb, wjiich become interefting, though they are barreh ; for, the leffer hills, which compofe the fore part, are of variegated verdure. At the weftern extremity of Wedderlamb it is raining as hard as it can pour, and on the adjacent hills the fun and clouds are playing fantaftically. We are opening Colgarth — but I am taken off by one of the Pikes, which, as the boat rows flowly on, refembles' a Car dinal's cap, fhewing itfelf above the cen tre of a very green hill. The fquadron is manoeuvring with feemihg nautical fkill, having no lee fhorc to be afraid of, which was fo great a bugbear this day fourteen years*. — Colours are hoifted upon Belle Grange' Point, to inform the peoplethe mafter is * 27th July. on TO THE Lakes. , 63 on the ifland. This deep part of the lake is famous for char, which are ufu- ally taken between November and April. Though covered from the. breeze, we are often refrefhed with the fragrance of nev/-mpwn hay. The boats are near Dove Farm, and feem appendages to the meadows : much as I have, been ac cuftomed to the fea, I cannot fay I ever faw; a prettier water-fight before.; , We went on fhore at the FlagrStaff, and had a full command of Belle-Ifle, anifland formed about the middle of the lake, nearly two miles in circumference. We fee Bownefs church, and a chain of low hills partly covered with heath, appa rently extending to the extremity of the lake, and occafionally' interfperfed with fmall fields and fome wood. I do not doubt but Colgarth is large and comfortable within, but at this. dif tance I think the windows have a pigeon hole look. About one, we landed upon Thompfon's Ifiand, from which we have a fair 64 A Fortnight's Ramble a fair fight of Belle-ifle houfe and plea- fure-^rounds, appearing to be laid out in much modern tafte. This ifland is near two others, called Lilies of the Val ley, which are deferving of their name ; for, they are beautiful little fpots. After a plentiful iheal near fbhie vvild myrtle,^ and amidfi afh and other trees, I pehetrated through the wood, and am feated unfeeh; to admire Rydal Head and the courfe we have taken. The wind has driven the clouds before the fun, ahd left ari azure over the lake which has changed the dun colour of it to a reflected blue, and makes the whole placidly new. The fiag-ftaff di vides the vale of Rydal,' and I have the fqu'adron on a returning tack rounding the point. Colgarth is a pleafant white objeCt, without any other Houfe to be feen. — A fweeping mountain over Trbut- beck * Dale forms a fullen crefcent with' * So called fiom the quantity of trout the brook fup- plies,. a camel-' s TO THE LAKfeS. 6$ a camel's protuberance on its back, and which makes one of thofe deforihed re^ flections upon another mountain, that we" may call difguftful, though but a fhadow. A mufket is juft fired near fome reverberating hills ; — nor mufi I pafs unnoticed the bleating of fheep on the Lower Fells, the ruftling of the wind, and the poppling of the lake ; thefe founds are diftinClly heard, and undiflrurbed by difcordance, and join with fight in fiHing up the pleafures of the tnind, ' When I had taken a fill, I returned to my friend on the dinner fide of the ifland ; the view is confined, and Belle- ifle territory is a ftudied pleafure-ground, with many fheep upon it grazing to a boundin'g l^rubbery. 'Hoilfe.s,in fituatibris like thefe become fecoiidaYy pbje'Cls, arid can only be noted as fpots in the wild grandeur around them, and in proportion to the behevo- , F lence 66 A Fortnight's Ramble lenc^ of the owner— -a virtue not want ing here. Sewry Heights have a cool look, and muft be very valuable every fourteen years, when the wood is cut down for charcoal. We proceeded to a point where there ^ is a ferry to convey carriages that pafs between Hawkefhead and Kendal : after walking up a fmall hill, we faw the out let of Windermere, then croffed to the oppofite ferry in front of Belle-ifle, aad faw eight cutters and a yacht at an chor. The hohfe is fhaped hke a low watch- tower, fecmingly built to catch every object about the lake. The portico gives it a handfome front ; but I want tafte to admire any other part of it ; and even the pillars, when we had a fide view in the fhade of the evening, feemed as if 4 they *ro I'HE Lakes. ? 67 they were walking away with the houfe -to Bow-nefs. I obliged Robin Partridge, contrary to his wifhes, to acknowledge the refemblance. 9?"*!^^^^ F z CHAP; 68 A FoRTNiGHt*sil amble CHAP.X. " WINDERMERE. Bow-nefs— An Adder — Robin Partridge's Finger, and an old Irifhwoman' s Charms — Robin angry becaufe I want Faith — Remnants of Furnefs Abbey Window — To fee Windermere to Advantage. After landing at Bow-nefs, we went into a fummer-houfe,'at the end of a di minutive bowling-green ; and I will now mention an inftance which happened at the oppofite ferry, that fhews the fuper- ftition of the country people. I faw an adder in a wall : the guide's fore-finger was laft year bitten by one, and it muft have been a very venomous hurt. He faid-^''.I fhould have loft my *' loife . TO •](«.;£ Lakes, 69, ^^-ioife if I'd naw, fpund an Irifhmon to *' lay houd of it and ftrouk it, and dur *' ring th' timehedid it, I fealt no pean." — I a&ed- him, iff he did hot think if an EhgHfhriiah had ri^bftd it, it would have. doiip equally welU or if he was not ob liged to his good habit of body fpr the cure. — " Not I — an Englifhmon cu'd '.' naw chearm away th' fling';' — and, by way of elucidation, told a ftory of " a- " FecaB.,''^ that he faw happen when a boy.. ., "An oJd Irifhwoman mead a ring *¦' ronhd an adder, and it cu'd naw geet " oiit of it ; hua then repeated fome gi- *' BERisH, weet her finger wi her fpittle, *« ftroaked it crofs its hapk, andifedjeed.*' 1 fhould have laughed, moft heartily at honeft Robin Partridge, if I had not been convinced he fpoke from fimplicity of mind ; and I think I did' rather fink in his good graces by not having any faith in the Hibernian touch.— -May not F 3 this 70 A FoRTNiGirr*s Ramble this man be a relation to the once famous Almanack- maker ? I went up a fmall hill near the inn, whence I had a view of the whole of the lake : an indefcribable fcene was open to me,. and I enjoyed it for half an hour. Reader ! haft thou not, when ftretched along a verdant eminence, planted thy head upon thine arm,-— -and taken full fcope of the extejifive views ;';=r-^fo was I in mental banquet, when my friend, who had left me ^t the ferry, returned at feven o'clock, and recovered me from the re verie. — My wrift, which had fo long fup- ported a heavy head, twinged moft pain fully ; and which I had not felt until awoke from admiring the variegated beauties, the bountiful hand of Naturp had lavifhed around. The reClor, who accompanied my friend, was fo obliging as to fhew us his church ; I never faw a neater one ; and, though TO THE Lakes. 71 though it is not adorned with a marble floarihg, it is in every other refpedt equal to Ing's chapel, and confiderably fuperior in fize. It is interefting from writing, in an tient characters, which decorates the walls with wholefome yerfes from th^ Bible, dated 1629, but more fo by a rich painted window full of fcriptural and hiftorical allufions, with patchings of armoria^ls of fome of the county gentry: thefe are too much in piecemeal to be fully explained, but they muft be a no ble treat to the experienced Antiquary. ' Our Saviour upon the crofs, with blood flowing from the wounds, with the difciples and female attendants around him, are luckily the moft central and perfect figures, and, as we had not long to ftay, took up moft of our thoughts. I obferved St. George and the Dragon ; and 'in the left corner a fmall figure at prayers, with a mantkd cloal^ and the F 4 bonnet 72 A Fortnight's Ramble bunnet of one of ouf kings. Towards the top, which feparates the fcripturral from the armorial expreffions, is: a. round pane with the arms of England and France encircled by the Garter — " honi soit *' Qur MAL Y pense." — I think the little -figure is meant for Edward the Third*, the inftitutor of that- order, and the pof- ture a humiliating; acknowledgement for the many victories he gained ; and, it is well known, that monarch, with all his foibles, had a fpnfe of Religion. We may, with probabildty, imagine it the work of that reign * ? In * " The window confifts of feven compartments, or partitions. In the ^hfrd^'^fiurth-, and fifth, are de- -pi£ted, iij full proportion, " the Crucifixion, with the Virgin Mary on the right, and the beloved Difcipks on the right fide of the crofs ; angels are expreffed, recei ving the facred blood from the five precious wounds.' Be- Ibvtr the crofs are a groupie of monks in their proper ha bits, with the abbot ia a veftment ; their names are written on label! iffuing from> their mouths ; the abbot's name is defaced, which would have given a date to the whole. In the fecond partition are the figures of St. George an3 ttie Dragon; In the fixth is reprefented St. *.' Ca- TO THE Lakes;. y^ In. the demolition of the abbey of FUr- nefs, when the barbarous, order of a ra pacious king took away the emoluments^ of the abbeys, regardlefs of the orna,- ments, this wreck of the great window was: buried, and, at a more enlightened period, it was dug up and placed: in its- prefent ftation. Neither my time nor my ftudies alfow me to write with irformation- of this cele-^ Cathiarine-, with the figores of miti-ed abbtots, and un derneath thera two monks drefled inveftments. lathe middle compartment above, are-finely paintejd, qiiaTterly, the arms pf En^and.and France^ bound with the garter, audits motto, probably done in the reign of Henry the - Third. The reft of the window is filled up by pieces of tracery, with fome coats armorial, and the arms of fe veral benefa£tors ; amongft whom are Lan.caft6r,~ Urf- wick, Harrington, Kirkby, Prefton, Middleton, and Millam. The Flemings paternal coat (viz» Guler, a fret ,bf fix pieces Argent) is in divers parts of this window, fome of them with a file of five points, or lambeaux, (vhich began to be ufed about the reign of King Edward; the Firft, as a difference for the eldefl fon, the fafhe* bei-ng living."-. ¦ Burne's Hiftory of Weftmorelandj This -window was purchafed by the pariftiioners of Windermere, from Furnefs ^bbey. , 3 _ birated 74 A Fortnight's Ramble brated relick, but I hope my memory has been raithfol in recollecting what I few. There is a curious epitaph, dated T627, on an old gentleman, written by himfelf. After this feaft of Reafon and Reli gion, between eight and nine we reim- barked for bur return : the, great ifland and leffer ones, which are trimmed cir cularly, look well, and the fight is much imprbved from the fquadrons having their colours ftill flying, though the commanding officer deferves a reprimand for not ordering them to be doufid at fun- fet A NAUTICAL HINT. We had a fmall rain for half a mile, but the heavens were grand, and pro- jnifed favourably ; the moon flione on the fcarce curling water, and the views were foftened by her beams. We rowed flowly on, and as we pafled between Low Wood TO THE Lakes, j^ Wood and the beach, where we em barked, feveral guns were fired ; the echo was oppofite, and then ran along Rydal hills. The water became glafly, and as we got in with^ the head of the bay, the echo varied with additional flaps, and trembled more in departure : it was half paft nine when we' landed, and the great chafm to the Weft ftill marked the influence of the fun. To fee Windermere to advantage, you ought to begin at the extremity, and you will find every profpeCt improve until yoVl open the Rydal mountains. CHAP. A Fortnight's Ramble CHAP. XI. patterdale. Large. Farms detrimental — A Walk to Pat- ' fer dale — More Defcription — Six magni- • ficent Mountains — The Vale of Patter dale — Wild Strawberries — The Church Tard — The King of Pat ter dale's Palace — Could not get Admittance — The^ Prin^e'^s Sons fine Children — Lyulph' s lower — March, quick one— Receipt , againfi Fa--- tigue — A hearty Meal — The Landlord — A Coin found — Cufiom relative to Jirag- gl^d Sheep — A Maid of Honour — The Queen thirsty. vy E fet out at nine along a good chaife road, feeing on the hill, to the right, a large fpace of ground, well drained, and all of it beautifully laid out: it is the pro- ' ••'%0 TifE DA^k"^^ ' ^7:7 property 'oF a perfon \vho i^verycha-' 'ritabte to the poor, but the farmer fa^s Tie has too much in hand : I have heard -fevtral of them fay they neither think he 'Willhreet with fuccefs, nor wifh that he "¦tti^y. ^I -'ntrver think ' it a pleafant fight "to fee -'^ rich man-keep-rnore land in'^his pbflef- 'fioh ' than what adds "to his domeftic amufemehts : many'farms fcatter dheer- "falntrfs atnohgft the occupiers, and plenty ^amongft the people ; and we could nbt 'help obfervitig with concern, it is too much a cuftom to monopbhze land ;ithe poor complain of it, though not with loudnefs, yet with sorrow. ^ We laboured up a hill about threa ^'miles,' and at every Tie'ft' took a retrofpec- tive vie'w bf the valley, a flieet of Winder mere, ;; a ?<3F-« "behind it, ahd 'Hawkfliead. We 'then dropt ddwh^Kirkftbne, at' the commtneeineht df 'the parifli of Pat,ter- ' M'ale ': at Wie -"bbttdm • "^ the road, "pa^rt ' ®f ^8 A Fortnight's Ramble of Bridder Water looks as if embayed iri mountains, with, trees and copfe-wood on its margin, giving it the appearance of a fifli-pond in a large garden ; wind ing on we come to a fmall waterfall^ of above one hundred yards defcent, widen ing at the bottom, and which, is ren dered ftill more beautiful by my friend's removing fome obftruCting ftones ; it then joins a little ftream, and finks under the road. Lower down we opened upon another hill, and perceived another caf cade ; we have now three in fight, and, although the leafi, that which I firft no ticed is the favourite. On entering the vale of Hartfop, we have a full command of Briddcr-water- This fmall dale, though not cloathed with good grafs, is prettily wooded, and is beneath a femicircular mountain with mifliapen interftices, forked like light ning, but which are the effeCts and conveyers of torrents ; this rugged moun tain hangs proudly over the valley, as if to *ro :rHE Lakes* ^9 to deter any inhabitants from fixiag there^ and I obferved but one^houfe. A heavy fliower detained us under a rough wall, which has luckily fome ftones taken out', and gives me an opportunity of keeping my paper dry. We then pro ceeded along Bridder- water, occafipnally feeing- the filver-tailed wheat-ear, fear fully endeavouring to hide itfelf from the fhadow of a cloud, and likewife feveral broods of wild ducks; - -' Crofl5ing the old bridge at the foot of the tarn, we command a grand view of Six Grains, which are valleys feparated by immenfe mountains. Dods is the fulleft promontory I ever faw, and feems as if it had bulged out from, and over grown^ a crefcent-formed hill-; nor muft I pais unnoticed a mountain with a foli- tary tree near the fummit, which is co vered from the North-weft wind by a bending rock. Thi? :8t) A Fortnight's Ramble The varieties -ctf verdure, heath, and barrennefs, upon thefe tremendous moun tains, according to the influence of the fun, -and^the rou^nefs intermixed,. give a folemn force to 4he mind, yet makes it -pleafed to enter the Yale of Patter dale. We pafs along this extenfive dale, with a river running through -meadows, in the midft of harveft: to the right, hanging woods, and we fee a very irre gular cafcade fliowering down the -hill, which we carry in fight near a mile, frequently feeing it through trees : to the left, the wood Was too thidc and clofe to defcribe, but was equally welcome, ~by prefenting us with plenty -of wild ftrawberries of that pleafant acid fo re- -fr-eftiing to the thirfty. We pafled fe veral wretched cottages, and came fud denly to the K.ing's ^Arms, wit-h -a firft fight of Ullfwater. After-erderihg din ner TOTUfeLAKfis. Si her we followed the road to the church *, which is the only burial grouhd I evfer faw ivithout a graVe-ftone. The quiet inhabitants of this kingdom are cbhtent to reft with their forefathers, having one green clod to cover them all, which may be in perfection wheh tombs fhall be no mpre. — ^I could not have felt * " MVhen at Patterdale I had heard of the following inftance of frugality in a former curate, but I was fo much taken up with living chara£lers I could not fuffici- ently truft my memory to relate it. On reading an old Gentleman's Magazine I abftraft the following : i " January 31, 1766, died the Reverend Mr. Mattlnfon, •' curate of Patterdale, in Weftmoreland, for 60 years. *' The firft infant he chriftened after he got Holy OrderS, " when fhe was nineteen years old agreed to marry him ; " and he alked her and himfelf in the church. By his " wife he had one fon and three daughters, and married •• them all in Tiis own church himfelf. His ftipend, " tilt within thefe twenty years, was only ;f.i2. fef " aniixini, and never reached to j^. 20. yet of this, by the " help of a good wife, he brought up his four children •' very well, and died at the age of 83, grandfather to •* 17 children, and worth one thousand Puunds." G more 82 A /Fortnight's Ramble more reverence (perhaps not {b much) had I trod amidft " the ftoried urns or '*' animated bufts," or had I feen the moft fuperb maufoleum that was ever raifed at the Shrine of Pride. — No! — nothing was ever formed by the hand of man that , could equal this verdant mo nument. On looking through the windows, I could diftinguiih no ornaments to de fcribe. It appeared the pooreft church I ever faw ; but it is the houfe of God, and it is exceeding our duty to find fault with it. The rotten trunk of a yew tree of amazing circumference, with embers of life ftill left, may challenge in age ' any one in Great Britain, as I am told it once did in fpreading branches. From this unlettered laft retreat of vil lagers, we had not far to go to the pa lace ; a palace that muft ever be re membered for being the refidence of the King of Patterdale ; and, from what we had heard of his Majefty, it was im- 3 poflible To THE Lakes. 8 j poflible not to have the greateft wilh to lee him. Curiofity, that fpur to idle minds, got the better of politenefs ; and we went up a large flight of broken fteps, and knocked at an old houfe that had once been handfome, and would ftill be fo in a picture. After a perfevering knock of fome minutes, a female fervant came to us, and we made an excufe by enquiring after profpefts ; but vain was our hopes of feeing, for the prefent, the Royal Family. Two fine healthful-look ing grand- children came out ; my friend gave each of them a Druidical half-peh- ny *, the fight of which, and the an cient look of the .palace, made me think I had fallen fome centuries back j but, as an audience was at this time impractica ble, I muft quit their majefties for the prefent; " but more of them hereafter.''* We went along the lake rifing by 'a good road, moft of the way covered by * Coined by the Parii Mine Company, G 2 trees, ^4 A Fortnights Ramble trees, with only a partial fight of the water, until we came to. an opening which gave us two miles of the lake, and three barren iflands ; on one of them the country people have heaped in rough ftones the .figure of a man ; it being cuf- tomary fsw" every perfon to add a ftone to. different iflnaped .heaps in places fel- dom frequented. v? The- whole was bound'ed by Lyulph's Tower * in Gbwborough Park, built lately by the.Duke of Norfolk, in memory of a Saxon hero, and as a ipiorting retreat. This caftle, fo neat its majeftic neigh bours , has an effeCt that fuits the taflte * Probability why it is called, Lyulph's tower. Ed mund the Firft, who cleared. his country of robbers, and conquered Cumberland, was. affaffinated at a Feaft by a daring outlaw of the hame of Lcolf,' and who, probabfy, was one of his Cumberland enemies ; — a(id as thefe parts were much .covered with wood, rthiey might be retreat* for robbers, who- were not held in deteftation, in the reign before Edmund I. He was the firft monarch that made it death to fteal, and than only the oldeft m^n in the gang was executed. of TO the Lakes. 85 of the fcene, and fliews the juft one of the noble owner. We proceeded to the jend of Patterdale, which feparates Weft moreland from Cumberland. On a rock lately defpoiled of its trees, we had a moft extenfive view, rounding an elbow of rich land, and prefenting g,t a diftance Stainmore hills, and part of Yorklhire : the mounts behind us were thick cloath ed, and there is an almoft perpendi cular one (conical topped) crowned with Ire.es. We were no fooner in the road, but we recollected five hours walking re quired a hearty meal, and we trudged jnerrily back again to a quick march — I always whiftle when I find myfelf grow ing fatigued. The inftant we arrived we fell-to. What we had for dinner was of no confequehce, never troubling ourfelves about fuch trifles 5 for, we were determined to be pleafed with whatever ^fis laid before us, : G 3 The 36 A Fortnight's Ramble The landlord had been in his hay- field. We aflced him to fit down, and we found him a well-informed man ; every one in i:his part of the world learns to read arid write ; and, although they work hard, they take care their children, are pro perly inftruCted. He is a very clever fello^^, and had penciled, upon the wall the view from his houfe ; he had fome choice books in the room where we dined, and he converfed fo fenfibly, I felt even refpeCl for him ; and a man muft have degraded himfelf to - have imagined he was his fuperior. In fpeaking of coins, he fliewed us a filver one of the 3d of Elizabeth, which he dug out of his orchard two years ago ; I never faw one in higher prefer vation, and, what I am pleafed to add, I purchafed it for half a crown, which 1 intend keeping in remembrance of ^ the Vale of Patterdale. The landlord's mo ther, TO THE Lakes. - - 8.7 ther, who is feVenty-five years of age, never recolleCts a piece of money being found in the valley before. When fheep ftray in thefe counties it is not ufual for the owners to look after them. There is an agreetnent between Pat terdale, Matterdale, and Legerthwaite^, that is too great a credit to the in habitants to omit fpeaking of, as it marks a liberal-minded people. They meet on St. Martin's day, to ex change their ftrayed flieep ; every farmer bringing thofe which do not belong to him ; no other expence is thought of, but the general one incurred, by feafting on roaft geefe and ale ; and they are fo happy with each other, they fometimes make a fecond day. 1 would walk a hundred miles to be prefent at fuch a fiffht. "fa" G 4 ' Whilft S8i A Fortnight's Ramble Whilft we were talking, we faw an ambling old woman, with a jug in her hand, go into the kitchen ; fhe was pccafionally fervant to ^be Royal Family,^ and the ^een was pleafed to be thirsty. CHAP. TO THE Lakes. CHAP. XIL patterdale. Set off again to . the Palace — Meet an old Woman — Who fhe was— Enter into. Con verfation with her Majesty— y^yo^z^ Gin — Her Majefiy' s Reafons for preferring Ale — The Difafier that gave us the Ho nour of her Company — Complains of the King-^Her white Hand — Why fhe fup~ pofes us rich— Her Poverty and Riches ' — -The King an old Fool — Obferve the King — Her Majefiy abufes him — Wants to fell 'two Wethers — The ^een get ting more fuddled — Her own Account of her Behaviour at Church — She gets worfe and worfe— The Parfon qf the Par ifh. AFTER admiring this antiquatedmaid pf honour, we had fo violent an impulfe to 90 A Fortnight's Ramble to fee the Royal Family, we immediately fet off" to' the Palace. We had not pro ceeded far before we met an old woman, with an earthen bottle in one hand, and a crooked flnck in the other; an old cloth (or what was once a whole hand kerchief) was bound round her head, with dirty remnants of a gown. On her turning round, I thought of the " Old ** Hag picking dry flicks and mumbling *' to herfelf." 1 had prepared my penny, when we were ftruck by a quick voice ; " A fine evening, gentlemen I" See ing the people leave their cottages, and the hay- makers lean over the gates, we concluded, and, not wrongfully, it was the Queen's betattered felf. We follow ed her to the public-houfe, and were fur- prized at our reception, though we had heard ftories that ought not to have made tis fo. My friehd entered into converfa tion wjth her majefty, when I felt my felf fo emboldened by her gracious fa miliarity, I drew my chair towards her, ' and called for fome gin, I own myfelf wrons: TO the Lakes. 91 wrong in this, particularly as her ma jefty faid, flie had not ate any thing for two days ; and, although it was a' fa vourite liquor, fhe would not tafte it ; but faid, *' I want fome ale to feed my fto- *' mach ;" which proves it muft be very nourifhing, and that the dregs, as one of our old poets calls them, turh t:o food. I win not quote" the couplet, though juft and natural, but go on to mention that fhe loudly complained*, " that ** damned b— — Brunfcal f had put a ** a fpider in my ale, and I could not *' drink it, and bed — to her." — She de fired the landlady to fill her bottle to take home with her, and then told us the * Think not, reader, this is an imaginary character, I introduce lier very words. Wheh a perfon is held up as a beacon, the delicate mind ought not to be fqueamifti at hearing immediate fafts'. Thofe who have the power of recolleflion fhould defcribe as they find, not as they wifli ; and Truth, in a coarfe garb, may be a leflbn to fome, though we may hope it will never be an example ,of imitation to any. ij- Is not Brunfcal a good name for a maid of honour? -' King 92 A Fortnight's Ramble King had broke her hahd and knee with his ftick ; this, we fufpeCted, was only to fliew us as fair a hand, as any queen's whatever, difgraced by a filthy pair of woollen mittens curling half up her arms.— She faid, " her poverty was a ^* gTeat grievance to her."— *^ But, I ^'' fuppofe, as you have rings on your fin- -^' gers, you are very rich ; mayhap a thou- '• fand a year. I had once a ring myfelf ; -*' but old Madam M — < — always wor-e a .*' golden one'." — She then bridled up, ahd allowed file had abundance of money, and that flie fpent a fhilling a day in drink, but very little in meat ; " and, to " be fure, I was very handfome wheq ^' young, and not w'tth child when mar- *' ried : I was a bold woman to venture *' upon fo ftout a man as the king,, but '* he, is now grown an old fool ; — but, I " tell you. Madam Dobfon, why don'fe " you bring me my ale, I called for it; *' half an hour a.o;o ?" , -o" l/Lx^ TO THE Lakes. ^3 Mrs. D knew what flie meant, and went for a glafs, though fhe. had not ordered it : fhe had fcarcely fwallowed the contents, before the king was obferved creeping towards the houfe. I could not help feeling refpeCt, he had fo fine a furrowed, face, his head inclined tOr ward;> the right flioulder, with a ragged .handkerchief tied under his chin, and his coat was much torn. He fat upon the table, and told her,, with a feeble voice, he was come to take her home.— • She not only abufed him, but ftruck him twice, and then gave him a glafs out of. her bottle to make amends. — I felt the utmoft indignation atherconduCt, and brought him a chair ; which he refufed, but feemed to take kindly, and, by way of acknowledgment, told me, " If you " chufe to buy a couple of fine we- *' thers *, you fliall have them very *' cheap.''' * They told us he did not keep any (heep.-aridvthey fuppofed he had received thefe wethers unde^ his leafe .of 94 A Fortnight's Ramble ** cheap." This offer was too much for my rifible mufcles, and I laughed moft heartily. The queen made fo many attacks upon her bottle, fhe became more noify, and fwore ftie had been drunk for two days ; ** and as for going to church, I have not *' been in one this feven years." — " Oh *• yes. Madam, (faid the landlady) you *' know you was when Mr. Myers ** preached, and you fmoked -your pipe in " church."— Oh ! d it, I recollea *' that : he was preaching how we fhould *' not only forgive a brother feven times, *' but feventy times feven." — Her majefty rofe up in church, and told him, '* I. ** have done it a hundred times, but no- " body minded me." After every replenifli fhe increafed in noife. She was rather approaching too of Ektertainments. — Sec his charafter, Chap ter XIV. near. TO THE Lakes. 95 near, and began to ftroke. the back of her hand acrofs her lips : I heard this was a fymptom of kifling ; and blame me not, ye fair, for flying from the royal falute : I fwept round her, and left to another wight that honour. We were now at tea, and flie faid and fang fuch droll things, it burft through my nofe, and almoft choaked me. We perceived flie was growing worfe ; and as we had feen quite fufficient of Patter dale royalty, we paid our hill, and made good our retreat. While we were thus unaccountably aftonifhed, the parfon of the parilh went by, in a pair of clogs, a coloured coat, and blue worfted ftockihgs ; — and with a large tree upon his flioulder. The land lord, who I ha,ve fince been informed was intended for the church, pointed him out to us. '1 ' -. ' CHAP. 96 A Fortnight's U amble CHAP. XIII. Strength of RecolleBion — A Rufh bearingi We returned the fame road \ve cahi6^ having only met two perfons in the morning. As we faw a man brufhing down a hill from a fteep flate quarry, we ftopped to aflc fome queftions. My friend afKed him if his name was not " Thomas Hay ton :" — it was, but he did not prove to be the perfon he. meant, though of the fame name. He aiked him if he ufed to be a fiage-player * ? — " Aye, Sur, bu " that's * My friend writes me this defcription of a ftage- player. " The cuftotn uf ftage-playing is very much " left off of late years ; I queftion whether any thing " now happens in fix or feven years. The plays they •' formerly afted were, Cato, Barbaroffa, Taming the > . •' Shrew ; to THE Lakes. 97 *' that's above twenty years ago."— If you could have fceh the man's face when my companion told him who he was, you hiuft have thought favourably of ihef^ mountaineers ; and I make no doubt but he muft have been a capital per* forihen His colour changed, and ha could fcarce fpeak ; and he at firft re ft fed the money offered him. Aftej we had left him, he ftood for fome time like a,ftatue, and then called after us, and told us, that an old man and his wife lived in the public-houfe below, that had once been his father's fervahts. — ^We went to them, and I had the fatisfaCtion of finding my friend was as much be loved when a boy, as he is now efteemed as a man. Scenes like thefe are in cPn- cord with a heart that wiflies well to all *' Shrew; much more in Tragedy than Comedy, as it •' had a greater effc'^ upon the audience.-— The per- '* formers were farmers' fons and farmers' fervants, ** by way of employment in long winter evenings, •* arid at a time of the year when they had very little "to do," H the 98 A Fortnight's Rambl^ the world. I drew put my purfe ; and was forry it was fo th'mly ftocked. How remarkable ! for four people to meet in fo folitary a place, in the only houfe , between Hartfop and Amblefide, in a diftant part of the country whence they allcarae, not having feen each other fpr thirty years ! The landlord, who was a b'^t of a far mer, told US- he vv^anted to look after fome flieep that fed upon a hill near our ¦ road. I could not help remarking with what fpeed the dog ran up the fliirts of themountain, obedient to his. call, and the motion of his hand. When the dog had done his duty, he barked down the hill, and came wagging his tail iUs much felf-approbation. The old man then talked what ^00^ fcholars all his children were ; and, by a hint of wifliing to get '-'¦ the finefi lad. " '/ If world provided for," I was con vinced. TO THfi. Lakes. 99 vinced, although he had not feen Mr. for thirty years, he was informed of the numbers he had befriended. We fhook hands with the old man, and then walked on, admiring the moun tains around us, and over which evening had thrown fo deep a fliade ; we faw di- vifions that were not vifible in tfie morning ; and when we reached the top of Kirkftone, we had a partial fight of the fea over Hawkefhead. Our rethrn was expeditious ; the events of the day were fine antidotes againft fa tigue. When we arrived at Amblefide, we faw feveral garlands fupported by men and little children, with a couple of fid dles ; we made two in the throng, and went to fee them planted in the church. Two young ladies graced the pulpit, and I never faw a fairer parfon and clerk in my life ; that's of courfe you know, for H 2 it loo A Fortnight's Ramble it was too dark to judge. I was forry to obferve many men came in with bats on : it certainly was not in the original inftitution ; but they, perhaps, thought Night would cover every thing. This is an old Roman catholic cuf tom, though without any fuperftitious remains. Againft the next Sunday the old ruflhtes that have ferved a year are removed, and the clerk is allowed a fmall fum to fupply frefh -gathered ones. CHAP. TO TilE X-AKES. 10^1 CHAP. XIV, THE KING OF PATTERDALE. His gre,()d Age— Suppofed why called fo — Afionlfking Accumulation of Wea^th^- Mode of trying firength of Ponies — Cafi away on an uninhabited Ifiand-^-Contri- ruance to eat his ViBuals, without his Af fifiant knowing he had any — His peculiar Mode cf letting Fields, &-c, — Partiality for Sugar- — Only out-cunninged in his A^nours— Excellent CharaBer of his Son —^His Mnjefiy's Reafonsfor not giving to the Poar-'-^The ^^en offers her Grand daughter in Mdrritige — ^RefpeB paid to ^er by the C^itttry People. I FEE 11* myfglf ^ a lofs to give a cha racter of his majefty, I have ev^y pof- ^J?|e refpeCt for his advanced age ; but H 3 the I02 A Fortnight's Ramble the meannefs of the mifer hinders me from paying it. He is now in his 93d year, and had a paternal eftate of from 150/. to 200/. a year, which has always given the (ima ginary) title of King of Patterdale to its pofleflbr : it is faid, from being formerly exonerated from fome particular tax, which might be owing to its very remote fituation, and not worth gathering. By his niggardly parfimonioufnefs he has realized his fortune, according to fome, to 600/. by many to 800/. a year ; and I have even heard him faid to be worth 40,000/. — A ftrong conftitution gave him an opportunity of being labo rious, and his induftry kept pace with his defire of gain. He knew to omit get ting one fliilling was a certain lofs of one penny a year for ever, befides com pound intereft, that accumulating con^ fideration to the Misers pf the day. He TO THE Lakes. ' [03 He had many ponies that he kept upon the common land, which he was entitled to from his landed property in the pa rilh: upon thefe lean beafts he carried his own charcoal over the raountains to the different forges ; he ufed to throw his hat in their faces to fee if they were able tp perform the journey ; - thofe that did not mind the hat were lucky enough to remain at home, and thofe which ran afide, were thought of fufficient .ftrength.. This may ferve as an example to thofe who keep unfortunate animals,, and fur- nifh a new mode of trying if they have any ftrength left : I recommend this to Bunbury, for his next edition of " Gam- :" JBADO." He was reckoned the beft boatman be tween Patterdale and Dunmallart Head ; and he ufed to convey his own flate and wood ; or, when other people wanted him, for a trifling fum per load. He H 4 was 1 04 A Fortnight's Ramble was once deeply laden with the latter, and was driven by a violent gale of wind upon the largeft ifland *. In this fitu ation he remained with his afliftant two days. Thepoor fellow, expeCting a fliort paflage, had made no provifioh ; his majefty always carried bread and cheefe in his poeket t© aveid going to ale- houfes, although he was never known to refufe, when he was offered to be treat ed. When he wanted to eat, he told the man he would go t& the other fide of the ifland to fee if the wind was likely to, change ; he then gormandi%ed away, and made the man believe he had pnly been to look after the weather. I muft now mention a cuftom he has long praCtifed, which faves him the expence of providing meals at home : — to ufe his own words, he- c^is them * On thsfe Igkcs the wii^ fometimes gathers roi^pd the t)i!'*> '^^^ ^"^^ ^ violent efftft. There \\% l.ately been a loaded boat and tiyo men Ipft on Windermere. 7 ** EN- TO THE LaKEB. 105 ** entertainments.'' He lets fome fields iand frhall houfes, as ex-prefTed in the agreement,' fpr fo many dinners and fup- pers, faking care that what are to him dainties are pres«ided for each fep^rati^ day. ¦ ' ' In his tea-drinkings, he takes from ten, to fourteen cups, ufing an immoderate quantity of fugar, of which he is fo fpnd, he generally carries fome loofe in his pocket ; if he omits a day, which was once rarely the cafe, it is looked iipon as fulfilled.— -I am told it was a hard bar gain to his tenants, but his great age ha$ rather turned in their favour. There are numberlefs ftories of him, ihrqughowt the cpuntry, in which his punning was always confpicuous, and paly in his a^nours has he been (fome times) pyer-regehed. Thefe are more funny to hear than it would be decent to relate. I have io6- A Fortnight's Ramble ^ I have not exceeded a tittle in what I heard of this patriarch mifer ; and I am thei mpre induced to write about him, becaufe I could not learn, he had ever performed one aCt of charity, through out a life, that Providence has length ened beyond the ufual ftage of man. Though " the ways of heaven are " dark and intricatej" -they, are always juft. Perhaps this man -is held up, -as a bea con, to thofe who might otherwife be mi- fers, for I -never faw people that appear lefs inclined to be fo than thofe around him ¦; and ' his fon is a confpicuous Ex ample of the contrary. Brought up in a peculiar manner, his benevolent cha racter fliines a juft contraft ; and the in habitants fay, when he gets pofleflion of the fortune, charity to the poor will be as diff'ufive in the richeft man in Patter dale as fordidnefs is now. The king al lows ¦ TO THE Lakes. 107 lows he nev^r got any thing by the poor ; why then fhould he give them any thing ? He fometimes has been heard to complain, that a man fhould be • cut off" in the prime of his life, at eighty or ninety years— if he could live to the age, of Methufalem, he might fave a little money ! The queen is many years younger than he is, but keeps pace with him in his paflion fpr money. She offered her granddaughter in marriage to my friend-, and faid, " the old rafcal fhould give " him 3000/. aye, guineas if he pleafed." After fo great an bfl^er, I had the cu riofity to aik her for a glafs of ale ; but Ihe had too much her bottle at heart, and turned it off^ with a fong. They told us Ihe was often more difguftful than when we faw her ; for it was one of her moderate fits of drinking. I mentioned before, the maid of ho nour' only occafionally waits upon them ; and log A FoRTNivas the firft time I went oi^t yrithput ^ flick, and I wpi^ld advife thofe who go up hijis to haye one. CHAP. TO THE Lakes. 137 CHAP. XIX. The Wefions — A Song to rock a Cradle by — Hawkefhead- — An Epitaph calculated to remind us of the Infi ability of human Life — School Boys, a noble Sight — Cheap- nefs of 'Boarding — A good School— A Debt of Honour — A Pafioral JDinner-^ People [who live f 6-^— Fine Stocks for fine Children — The: Rathay and the Brathay —'Haymakers at Dinner. After giving the waterfall we havq juft feen confiderably the preference to the pthers, we fet off to Ha!wkefhead, which commands Eftwaite water. We croffed two fine old bridges over the Rathay and the Brathay, feparating Weftjnpreland from Lancafhire. The firft river has two arches over it, ahd runs 138 A Fortnight's Ramble runs ftrong. The laft is facing a good houfe, where the infamous Gilberts, alias Weftons, concealed themfelves, fo noted for their robberies and forgeries, and fince executed. Thefe bad men had the knack of gaining the regard of the poor people, kept moft excellent horfes,' and hunted with the neighbouring gentle men. The Brathay has an ifland near the bridge, and has a mill-pond appearance until it glides towards Windermere, join ing the Rathay, and making a hand fome entrance into the lake, ^e then took the upper road until we came to a poor cottage, where a girl was rocking a cradle : I afked her to give me fome whey. — " I'll gi.hoa fum, if you'll ro/^ M' ** cradle a bit ;" — a talk I readily under took, to the tune of " Hufh, my dear, lie ftill and fiumber." We very foon came to Belmont, be longing to the Rev. Mr. Braithwaite, whifh TO THE Lakes. 139 which is a very handfome houfe, and the grounds about it well laid out. We counted ih one fiield fifty turkeys, inclu ding two or three broods ; and the land feems to have a good farmer for its own er. He has a fweet view of Eaft- waite water, the white- Wafhed town of Hawkefhead, ahd the church. The hiUs. around are fmall, but beautifully varie gated. The town of Hawkefhead has a good market-place, and it is endowed with a free-fchool, where upwards of one hun dred boys are at prefent educated. We went into the church-yard, and faw Bel- hiont in fine view, with a very com manding fight of the lake. The beauty of the church is much enhanced by be- • jng white, and having a row of win dows over the firft roof; a contraft With the blue flating, that has a piClurefque fffeCl, ' After I4P A Fortnight's Ramble After viewing the church, which is not remarkable for cleanlinefs, I took down the following epitaph : *' To the Memory of " Robert Benfon, and Sarah his wife, " of this parifh. " He died 19th Feb. 1750, aged 90 years.- " She died i6th Nov. 1769, aged 97. " They had four fons and fix daughters *' that lived to be men and women ; of " whom feven attended their mother to *' the grave, whofe ages made together *' 450 years. Their fon John, late of " London, merchant, caufed this plate " to be ereded." Of the feven who attended their mo* ther's funeral there is only one remain ing, and fhe is between eighty and ninety. This leffon ^of longevity and mortality is finely calculated to remind us of the in- ftability of human life. I ' The TO the Lakes. 141 The fchool-boys, whofe ruddy cheeks prove the healthfulnefs of the fituation, were in clufters on the hill. I cannot conceive a more pleafing fight than thefe young heroes made ; amongft the num ber was a youth we had .feen (all life) at Levens. He feemed to have a tear of recollection. As this was the firft day after holidays, and the fight of us re minded him of his friends, it was not to be wondered at.— To fhew you what a charming creature Nature is, we did not fay ten words to him at Levens ; but, as he had feen ^ us in a place he liked, vi'^ became a part of it, and he remained clofe to us as long as he could. — If Lavater had feen this boy in the two. lights we did, he would have faid, he has the life of a boy of fpirit, tempered , with fenfibility. There are many boarding-houfes for the boys, and, including wafhing, the expences do not exceed fourteen pounds a year. The head mafter has the credit of 1 42 A Fortnight's Ramble of fending out fome moft excellent f cho- Ia.rs ; and was expeCted home this day, from the perambulations he ufually takes during vacation-time. On our return, we took the loweft and the neareft road, but went a little out of our way to pay a debt of honour we had promifed to the girl that gave us fome whey. The family was at dinnef, and confifted of a young couple with three children, the eldeft not three years old. The cradle was ftill going, tied by a ^ong ftring to the father's * chair, who rocked with one hand whilft he ate with the other. They feemed to have lufty appetites ; their paftoral fare confifted of oat cakes, cheefe, and butter ; their beverage butter-milk and whey. When we went away, my friend over heard the wife fay, " Whau dun yaw think * I have heard with concern, the once induftripus father is dead, " they TO THE Lakes. 143 " they are ?" It is, fuch ftbcks as' thefe, that furnifh our warriors, our weavers, and hufbandmen, and by- the fwcat of their brows keep it from the idle. We fhould readily have joined the par ty, and partook with them ; but there did not feem fo much plenty as peace, and we left- them with our beft wifhes. Upon an old quarry on the firft com mon, fhaped like a battery, with two embrafures, and oppofite the head of Ballam Tarn, are four floping fields full of cattle and flieep. The left gives four interfeCted fights of Windermere ; and I dare venture to recommend it as a fitua tion capable of fhewing the varied beau ties of the lake ; befides, it is a good refting-place for walkers. We have like- wife Low Wood, and are fo diredly in the centre of that foliaged hill, the fum mit refembles the Peak of Teneriffe * ; *• The author once faw the fun rifing upon the Peak, in wonderful grandeur. 3 and 144 A Fortnight's Ramble and Amblefide mountain Ihews its big belly as if it was proud of its pof- feffions-. From Brathay bridge, Loughrig Fell rifes in a ridge of clumps that appear as if they were running a race until they form a point, which prefents another face from the window where I am wri ting, well wooded and watered, and compofes part of the valley that is our head quarters. This valley is a moft refrefliing fight after a fatiguing walk of fix hours, fuch as we have had, without a breath of air : but even this prefented fomething new ; for, when we looked down the lake, every objeCt was in reflection, and I thought it the cleareft mirrour I ever faw. But my muse fhall fpeak for me ; and you are to fuppofe the verfes were written at the head of Windermere. The TO THE Lakes. 145 -1' The glorious ore, that gilds th' unequall'd whole, Enforces rev'renceon th' enraptur'd foul ; Or ftrikes with, i/ifflfsf/f theprefumingeye. That meets his journey through the placid iky ; But what he cheers with wond'ring mind we view. And, gazing round, find beauties ever new. The lowing herds with diftant cafcades join ; The bleating (heep with tinkling founds pprabine ; The choral * brooks, moft mufical and near, "In fulleft harmony delight the ear; From wood to hill, from crag to fertile vales, Melodious eohoa ! tell their plaintive tales ; -With varied fpeed, through fightlefs caverns ftray. And, in the peaceful valleys, die avyay. No playful zephyrs the rich foliage fliake, Or curl the quiet bofom of the lake ; The trees, the crags, and tlie high-tufted fteep, Refie^t their beauties on th^ MtlRoitt. deep. The azure ibftnefs of a cloudlefs iky Tints on the furface^^a celeftial <3ye-; - And, when through 9p'nings of wild verdure feen, Adorns the ihade of Nature's liberal greerf. The little cot, that on the margin ftands, Ati equal thatch in the bright lake commands. ^ Nbt very diftant from the conjoining of the Rathay and Brathay, the feeders of the Lake, L ' The } 146 A Fortnight's Rambls The flieep, in clufters, underneath the ihade. In the dun umbrage of the deep are laid ; ' Or, as they ftray upon the daifled grafs, The ftragglers glide along the liquid glafs. Scenes fuch as thele the veteran Walkers cheer, Toil is forgot, — Contentment dwelleth near. The bufy hay- folks *, earlier than the fun. Quit not their labour when his courfe is done ; And many a time, on fuch a cloudlefs day. At morn 'twas herbage what at night is hay; Stbr'd in their houfehold granaries away. Oh ! what delight ! where rural quiet reigns T 'Tis peace to man, and plenty to the plains ; Bloom to the Fair, gives candour to the young, Health to the old, and mildnefs to the ftrong. Be wife, ye Villagers ! quit not your homes ; He ne'er gains comfort, that for lucre roams. Envy and Pride attend the road to wealth; Labour and Peace, to innocence and healtH. For .us — vvith humbled minds we gaze around. Until we fancy 'tis enchanted ground ; Prefumption thus, from the charm'd bofom driv'n, Aiid Ati-'is full — of Natukb and of Heav'n. * The grafs is fo fine,, that, in »day like this,- what was cut in the morning. is ofttn houfedin the evening. We TO THE Lakes., 1-47 We were this day agreeably enter tained on feeing fome hay-makers at din ner. "The loud laughs . befpoke their "vacant minds ;," and„though they were at a confiderable diftance, we could hear every word, echo is fo diftinCt in thefe valleys. I heard one man fay, " I tell ~" thee, I will kifs thee, Molly."—" Tha *''fliant," was the anfwer ; but we faw him do iti — and heard the fmack too. !T>^^i<^ l z chap. 1 43 A Fortnight's Ramble chap. XX. Roman Station — A large Frog — Charity — CharaBer of a good Man. Whilst my friend went upon Lough rig Fell, Mr. Kellet, the perfon who fhewed us civility at Troutbeck, took me towards Water head, where there has once been a Roman ftation*, but which is now more ufefully covered with good grafs, barley, and oats. Adjoin^ ing is an old barn, built from the ftones taken from the pavement. The road is not more than fix yards wide, imtil it reaches High-ftreet, which * No ftation could be better calculated for a large body of men ; at no great diftance from the fea, with frefli water near the fpot ; interfedling many roads, and eveiy hill-'has a comraand over an apj •oach to it. 4 Is TO THE Lakes. 149 is fix miles off, upon the top bf a hill ; it is then near twelve yards broad, and cohtinues that width a mile and a half I vifited the caufeway with refpeCl to the once lords of it, and took up a large ilone from a part made bare to afcertain its breadth. In doing this, I difturbed a large frog, that feemed full-blown with Roman pride ; and I replaced its antient c afi e Hum. Roman remains are often found ; and two years ago an urn full of coin was dug up. If to-morrow turns put favpurable, we purpofe mounting Helvellyn, and or dering a chaife to meet us — as we think it proper to enter upon a new ftation with a dafh, and that too often claims attention. As we are going, to leave Amblefide, it is but juftice to the neighbouring gen- L 3 tlemen 150 A Fortnight's Ramble tlemen to fay the poor fpeak of them with much aflTeClion. One gentleman, they fay, is rather given to " cholers" and " rages :" but they always like to fee him in them ; for he never fcolds any one, but foon after wards either gives or fends a mark of his bounty ; as a poor man told us, " Why, *' furs! Idunawbelieve there's a more ^^- nerofity n\on in aw th' world than he is.'' (( They are very partial to colonel T , whoj through life, has been remarkable for liberality of mind, and who with a fmall fortune does all the good he can. An inftance that happened this morning will verify the reft. My companion overheard him afking the landlord if he had room for all his hay ; on his faying he had not, he told him he would give him the ufe of one of his barns. When Providence beftows plentiful crops, how lucky it is tp have a neighbour, who is equally TO THE Lakes. '51 equally confiderate in time of plenty as charitable in fear city ! I would have done myfelf the honour of paying my refpeCts to this gentleman, in return for the attention he had for merly paid to fome of my family ; but it would have broke through our original plan : for, as we had travelled upwards of four , hundred miles purpbfely to fee- the Lakes, it would have been idle to have gone either to the right or to the left, when it would interfere with our giving up our whple time to them. If this fliould fall into his hands, he may recoUeCt me from' this remark* I am one of the two perfons fpoken of through his neighbourhood for their Ipng perambulations ; and I would wifh him to receive this as a proof of my knowledge pf, and efteem for, his ch?i-. raCter- L 4 CHAP. 152 A f'oRTNiGHT's Ramble CHAP. XXI. HELVELLYN. Full Moon — Courfe to Helvellyn— -Difficult Undertaking — Views — Violent Thirfi — A Tarn — Diffuadedfrom drinking. — A nar row Hill — Baffenthwaite Lake. Impatient for the mom, I rofe be-. tween three and four, and faw; we had a clear fky. The full moon was juft going to drop over the very point of Loughrig Fell, and tinged all around it with folem- nity. I was in the midft bf the fcene, when my friend (always punCtual to his time) fent me a candle, with notice that he was ready. I did not permit him to wait long, and before four o'clock we fet off. We TO THE LaK«&. 153 We began our courfe by Rydal HaU, guided by Robin Partridge ; and, as we furmounted the firft hills, took advan tage of the morning to exert ourfelves. "We did not fee the fup rife,. but obferved with pleafure its fide influence at a dif tance. We paffed the long chain until we came to Fairfield, which compofes that grand crefcent every perfon upon Windermere looks up to with fuch re fpeCt. In the rear of it is Flinty Grove, in Deep-dale Head, where we look down into the entrance of Patterdale, and over the champaign part of Weftmore land, including a large part of Cum-' berland. Angle tarn, famous for fifh, cuts the centre of the mountains before us, and, though but fmall, is deferving of note. The grove takes its name from fmall flints, and appears as if it had never pro duced one blade of verdure, whilft its , neigh- 154 A Fortnight's Ramble neighbour, St. Sunday Crag, is a bold moffy contraft. At one time we faw feven pieces of water ; and, as the tide was coming iri on the Lancafter fands, we had many falt-water lakes, which were terminated by the weftern fea, an expanfe of blue, far as the eye could reach, and throws all the lakes in the world out of fight ; for, wherever the ocean is to be feeri, the eye imperceptibly refts upon it ; and, I dare fay, if a man was in a contem plative mood, and had an opportunity of looking at fine land profpeCts on one ^fide,-and'the fea oh the other, he would forfake fubftance for furface — with fuch intuition does the mind dwell upon an expanfe of water, Ikirted by the ho- rizon.-' At a quarter paft feven, after a tight tug, we reached a mountain that would make a fine race-courfe. We then fteeply defcended to a tarn half a mile below TO THE Lakes. - j.^^ below us, and had a bird's-eye view of Grafsmere, at the fame time looking oyer Helm Crag, which has a ferru ginous appearance, defcending towards the tarn, which we judged to be an amazing depth, from its very dark look. This ' water is hid in three mountains, headed by Seat Sandal. When we came to it, I was with difficulty difluaded from drinking, I had fuch an ungovern able thirft upon me— I looked-— and longed — but conquered. We then clambered to a, heap of ftones upon Grifdale Pike, or, as it is called by the country pepple in remem brance of fome ruftic fun, "' dolly waggon pike ;" and I may venture to fay flie has a more cohimahding profpeCl than any Dolly in the kingdom. To the Weft, immenfe mountains, that hide the vale of Borrowdale, -fhewing three lakes ¦and the fea bounding them : to the Eaft, , fleecy clouds are rolling about the hills : ^n^ fhe appears (from our fituation) the * ' ' head 156 A Fortnight's Ramble head of a delightful valley, and of Ullf water ; plainly Ihewing us Gowborough Park, Dunmallart Head, and the outlet of the lake. We are in the midft of fharo v/hirl- J- winds, which ruftle up the dry mofs, and, by lifting up the flcirts of my coat, have given fome fine coolers to my back. Thefe eddies are as refrefhing as a fea- breeze in hot climates, and which is erh- phatically called " The Doctor." On Whelp fide we fee Baffenthwaite lake ; and, after declining in order to afcend the South-eaft flank of Helvellyn, a hill, a mile long, extends to the eaft- ward ; fo very narrow you might ap parently fit acrofs any part of the ridge. ¦ — The clouds are fiying before the wind, and reflect their fhadows fo fantaftically, that beggars what we admired when upon Windermere. But, as we have had a hard march, I will clofe this chapter. CHAP. TO THE Lakes. 157 CHAP. XXII. HELVELLYN. Helvellyn Man — Differently named— Li" berty taken by the Author out of Compli ment to the Duke of Norfolk — Afiight Sketch of his CharaBer — Appearance of Ullfwater Lake from Helvellyn — Defcent to a Spring— Our extreme Joy—^A Copy of Verfes. At half paft nine we reached Helvel lyn Man, the higheft point of this fa mous mountain. As many hills and par ticular parts of mountains have different names, according to the whim of fepa- rate villages, or the fhapes they appear ih to them, and as the fummit of Hel vellyn has feveral, I would not wifh to be 15* A Fortnight's RAMBLfi be thought officious, if I fhould call the higheft point Norfolk Point, in ho nour of the noble Duke, who has been upon it. Ypu may not only overlook many hundred acres of his property, but you have a great command over a coun try through which his benevolence is un bounded. It is not fo much from his exalted rank, as his familiar manners, that he has gained the ineftimable love of the peo ple ; he fpeaksto every one he r^eets, and he takes as much pleafure in ftooping into a cottage, as the proud man does at bowing into a palace. Make enquiry from the firft man, woman, or child, you meet in the North ; and if your heart vallies the great in proportion as, they are good, you will be proud of your no ble countryman. The view is growing more hazy ; ftill the magnificence around us is beyond defcription ; mountains towering above hills, ' TO TliE Lakes. v^g hills, as if they were parents of numerous families, and Helvellyn is the centre of them. Skiddow is below us to the North. Crofs Fell is large enough to be vifible from an exalted fummit, and is only exceeded by Ingleborough in Yorkfhire, which holds her crowned head amidft a chain of hills, and feems from her height de ferving of her royal appearance. Old Man is juft in fight, and Old Friends Ought not to be forgotten.-^ Place Fell cuts off a branch of Ullfwater, and makes the fhape of the lake refemble' a -pair of breeches ; inlaid with pafturage upon ground called the Old Church, be caufe there had probably been one there, and which is as rich as nature and in<- duftry can make it. Juft under is Red tarn, fhaped like a Bury pear : if I had but a draught of it, it would be worth all the fruit in the ¦^ world, i65) A FoRTKiOHT's Ramble world, for my tongue cleaves to the roof of my mouth. \ Ravens are croaking ; and the wind, which did not blow when I began to write, is coming on in whiftling flurries. We took a fweep to the right, and, defcending about two hundred yards, came to a charming fpring, with many fheep about it, furrounded by a fmall plot of the livelieft verdure, which muft be a nibbling treafure to them ; we will fuppofe they hold their converzationes here, and they flew at our approach. None but thofe who know the joy of meeting a fpring when it is not expeCted, can conceive my feelings when I found myfelf feated on the wet grafs ; I would inftantly have fwallowed a quantity, but my friend, with the affiftance of pru dence, reminded me I had half a manchet in my pocket, which I fteeped, and feafted fomewhat in the fame manner that TO THE Lakes. i6f that Gil Bias and the ftroliing player did, which adventure the facetious Le Sage, with his accuftomed happinefs of defcription, has handed down to us. When I had ate my bread, I clpfed my mouth with the beverage, and faw, whilft my head was fqueezed under the herbage, how eagerly I enjoyed the limpid draught. The followino; verfes * were beg-un upon Helvellyn, and fince finifhed in re membrance of the refrefhment received from the fpring, vifited Auguft 2, 1792. The reader will be difappointed if he expe'Cts any of the fine-fpun thoughts of fafhionable poetry. They are plain verfes, that will tell you the progrefs of our la borious walk, and they may perhaps fa-. tigue you; but recolleCt, they may not infringe upon poetical propriety if they do, for they are upoi;i a fatiguing fubjeCt. * See the Gentleman's Magazine for Noveaiber, 1792. M I. THE 1 62 A Fortnight's Ramble I. THE'fuli-orb'd moon o'er Loughrig * FelT, Ting'd the rough crag with golden fpell At the approach of morn ; No clouds the lofty cliffs o'erhung. No breath of wind refrefhing fung Through the npflanding corn. IL O'er mountains high, to valleys deep. And higher flill, and ftill more fteep, We brulh'd the early dew. Toil wet the brow ; the beauties round Leflen'd the labour of the ground. And fpurr'd us to purfue. in. Ranging the eye with full delight, A fheet of water cheer'd the fight, Entomb'd in mountains drear. My Mentor urg'd me to go on — *' Leave, leave the tempting draught alone, •' For danger lurketh there. * The head of Amblefide valley from the Salutatioa um. IV. Again TQ THE LAKEa. .. 163 IV. Again we toil'd — ra fteep afcerit * Made me wifh parched tongue repent I had not dar'd to try. The choice was paft — yet through the toil The eye was pleafur'd alt the white, And cover'd many a figh. r V. Ye Naiads, of the brooks £0 gay. That on the cryftal furface play, Invifible to all ; Should youVetire beneath the deep. May you in peaceful caverns fleep, LuU'd by the cataraft's fjll. -' VI. Or, if on airy wing you fly, Attend the cleaving, thirfty figh, To mountains bend your way; Exert your powers, and from below - Enforce fome hidden fount to flow, T' affuage the heat pf day. * Grifdale Pik?. M 2 VII. Helvellyn's 164 A Fortnight's Ramble VII. Helvellyn's height at laft we gain'd, And, panting for relief, remain'd To mark th' extenfion round ; Then down with lighter pace we bent ; A SPRING 1— the cleareft Heav'n e'er fent — I kifs'd the moiften'd ground. VIII. Eager I drew the cooling ftream, And all fatigu; was gone — a dream ! Helvellyn's praife to fing ; Thy carpet ,was the livelieft green. Thy fheep the fwifteft I have fecn^ All owing to thy fpring. IX. Thy profpefts are beyond compare ; Mountains, and dales, and hills appear. And Ocean bounds the whole ; Thy bubbling was the fweeteft found That ever tinkled o'er the ground To lull th' enraptur'd foul. X. Neareft .,«- to THE Lakes. i 65 Neareft to Heaven * ! — unrivall'd flow; May torrents ne'er deface thy brow. No feafon dry thy courfe ! May all thy iheep untroubled live. And man the limpid draught receive ' At thy enliv'ning fource ! Then fhall bold man Helvellyn's views make known ; Refrelh'd by thee — ^on Skiddovtf's height look down. * I believe, the higheft fpring inEngland^ M 3 CHAP. 1 66 A Fortnight's Ramble ClfAP. XXIII. helvellyn. Vtm'ity on overlooking fix Mountains — Moffy Sheathing giving way — Rolling Stones down Helvellyn— Caution in the Defcent — Wyburn Lake — A Sheep-Birth — A grand Canopy — A hearty Breakfafi — And a chatty old Woman. The fix magnificent mountains, we looked up to with fuch admiration when we went to Patterdale, were under Hel vellyn ; and the idea ftruck me that I was their fuperior. Great part of the moflTy fheathing is either wafhed away by torrents of rain, or difrobed by whirlwinds, perhaps by both; and I fhould not wonder if it would to the Lakes. 167 would foon be bare, for, when a rent is once made, it muft give way. On a part near the fummit, where there has (I think) been a watch-tower, we tried the experiment of rolling ftones down a precipice. Many have been de lighted in tumbling them down young hills ; they may therefore imagine a large ftone bouncing off with a great bow, then dafhing from fide to fide of in dented ragged chafms, until it jumped upon a heap of ftones, or hopped dif- tantly into the valley. After our luxurious banquet, we de fcended progreffively, until we came, to another range, which was fteep and un- pleafant, being covered with loofe ftones we could not truft to. We then came to that rife which is only feen from the high road, and which is often fuppofed the top of the mountain. Here we opened upon the peaceful view of Wy burn, beautiful though unadorned with M 4 trees ; 1 68 A Fortnight's Ramble treds ; its crooked-fjded lake, from the darknefs of its colour, rhuft be very" deep. 1 took an opportunity of refting upon a fnug fheep-birth, that was almoft .an afylum to me,- for we were obliged to , traverfe with the utmoft caution, the ground was fo hard and fteep ; and, al- • though I was mafter of my refolution, as . 1 had only one arm to depend upon, the hand of which v\'^as wearily bliftered ; I vrould not, ^s^hilft defcending, have looked at any thing but my feet, for all the pro fpeCts in the .univerfe *. * Partridge, who afts as' guide, as boots, poftilion, and boatman, at the Salutation Inn, might have brought us down an eafier defcent; but, as he had been out with a (haife all night, he was perhaps induced, fronn fa- " tigue, to take us the neareft way. We never refted five niinutts, that he did not fall alleep, and gave us a little nafal mufic, and which hindered me noting fo fully as I wiflipd to have done. I think it proper to give this caution, that future ramblers may make choice of which road they pleafe. As to honeft Partridge, he meant '¦ HO wrong, for he is fo bold a mountriineer, he can go any where that a flieep could, and, I dare fay, thinks every perfcn can do the fame. How- TO THE Lakes. 169 However, between ten and eleven we found ourfelves in the high road, and tript lightly to the Cherry-tree. I have always remarked, after defcending a fteep mountain, I feel lighter and walk brifker than my ufual beft 'pace. We were, to the weftward of the opening of Seat Sandal, a canopy I have mentioned more than once before, particularly in the grand rain fcene, when on Helm Crag ; and which rnuft always be deferving of remembrance, as I now leave it, perhaps, for the laft time. The public-houfe is half way between Amblefide and Kefwick, and they gave us a breakfaft fit for labouring men. Wc had mutton ham, eggs, butter-milk, whey, tea, bread and butter, and they aflced us if we chofe to have any cheefe, all for feven-pence apiece. Do not imagine, good reader, that we glutton nized ; we did not forget our repaft upon Helvellyn— however, we did our duty at this fecond breakfaft. Tw@ 1 70 A Fortn ight's Ramble Two grandmothers were in the kitch en ; one was employed in nurfing, the other in toafting bread, and the land lady in fpreading out the table. One of tbe old women was between eighty and ninety, and faid fhe had feen fixteen landlords out in a houfe that wifhed to oppofe them. She was a chatty old lady, and, as both my friend and I wifhed to give free fcope to every one we fpoke to, fhe had the clack of her fex, and the privilege of years to fay what fhe pleafed ; fhe performed both parts of queftions and anfwers, and told us fhe had been a pretty fhepherdefs in her time, and that fhe had been too often upon Skiddow in her youth to be ill in her old age. I mention thefe to make known how healthful and cheery they live under the Cherry-tree. I think a chatty old woman, when fhe is not too much Upon thediffu- five. TO THE LAjfES- 17? five, is a moft cheerful companion, and ought to command a refpe6tful hearing. We concluded this naorning walk was very near thirty miles along a range of hills ; for, although we rofe up fome of them flow, we could not help fometimes defcending very faft. From the point where we began to mount Rydal Hill, to ^the part of the road where we defcended,, was nine miles upon a level ; and we had above a mile to return to the Cherry- free, which lengthened • our tiijie to - above feyen hours. CHAP. 172 A Fortnight's Ramble CHAP. XXIV. KESWICK. Road to Kefwick — Kefwick Fair-^Once fa mous for Leather — Reafons for its Decay — Mirth replaces Profit. The road along Wyburn Lake is plea fant. There are three neat bridges over fiilall grafs-plot iflands, which were fet off to advantage from a groupe of cattle gra zing upon them, and fpreading in the ebb water around. The overhanging rocks are often grand, and the road being good we fpanked along. Two miles farther we faw the head of a waterfall flowing from Legerthwaite tarn ; it was buried about one hundred yards in a chafm its former force had occafioned, came out with the force of water from a ftcam-en- gine. TO THE Lakes. 173 gine, , and we then loft it again. We once faw it from the irregularity of the rock in five feparations. There was a fhady hill on the oppofite fide of the. road, whofe dark brow looked refrefhed from the life the waterfall gave the fcene. . This road is well variegated, arid we ftopped two miles from Kefwick to take a kind of leave of Helvellyn, though we knew we were to fee it again. At the fame time we had a fight of Skiddow. Thefe mountains, towering over all around them, feemed to challenge each other for pre-eminence ; and the decifion might be on either fide, if we were to judge from the eye only. The hedges, as you approach the town, are fingularly pretty, and the woodbine was charmingly entwined. The vale of Kefwick is rich, but too broad and extenfive fOr landfcape. As we ap proached the town, it looked neat ; and the church, which is feparated from it, is I ;r4 A Foktwight's Ramble is a handfome double-roofed one. When we entered, it was their annual fair ; there were but few booths, and thofe moftly for gew-gaws. It was once a conf- fiderable market for leather, arid within thefe ten years there ufed to be ten or a dozen waggon-loads of that ftaple ; but a market has been eftablilhed at Settle in Yorkfhire, that has deftroyed their trade, and there is not this day one fkin to be fold. However, there is a difpofition to recolledt it, and it will probably Be always a red-letter day, for a fiddle is twanging in every ale-houfe, and they feem determined to make up in mirth what is wanting in profit. CHAP. TO THE Lakes. 1^5 CHAP. XXV. Crofstlyuuaiie's Mufeum — '¦Refinement in lit^ tie Vagrants — Defcription of the Play- Houfe — Their Mufic — A full Houfe — Reafons for leaving it— Awoke hy-Dan-^ e'mg — A Mind Fidler, We went in the afternoon to fee Crofs- thwaite's Mufeum, and entered to the mufic of one of his new-invented ^Eolian harps. He fhewed us feveral other fpe- cimens of his mechanical talents, and perhaps he poffelfes fome valuable curi- ofities. We were fo pleafed with his ap parent naivete of manners and defire to oblige, we purchafed his plan of the lakes, and found it ufeful. I would re commend ftrangers to drop a fhilling, at leaft, at the Mufeum. In rainy wea ther 176 A Fortnight's Ramble ther it muft be a good morning's lounge. As to the little quarrels amongft the Vir tuosos of the town, travellers fhould pay no attention to them, but encourage merit wherever they find it ; for, in lit tle ftates as well as in great ones, " Doc tors will difagree." When you leave the' Mufeum, a hand- organ ftrikes up, and he never fees any of his cuftomers pafs the houfe without a tune of acknowledgement ; I think we got about fix. You will eafily find out where he lives ; for, in his hand-bills, he fays it is " the largeft houfe in town," and he has glaffes in every dire6tion to fhew him people' paffing in the ftreet. We afterwards walked to the head of the lake, to judge what we had in future to expe£t. Some children troubled us by afking for money, and ufelefsly run ning before us to open a gate. We gave one of the boys a penny, and becaufe one halfpenny was a bad one, he afked us to TO THE Lakes. 177 lo change it. This refinement of beg gary in the. young vagrant hindered us from countenancing them ; and they ceafed to trouble us. In the evening we went to fee the Mer chant of Venice in an unroofed houfe. The fky was vifible through niches of boards laid acrofs the upper beams. The Walls were decorated, or rather hid, with caft-off fcenes, which fhewed in many places a rough unplaftered wall. Some of the a£tors performed very well, and fome very middling. Their po verty fhall ftop the pen of criticifm ; and their endeavours were well expreffed by their motto-^" to please." Between the a£ts, a boy, feated upon an old rufh chair in one corner of the ' ftage, ftruck up a fcrape of a fiddle. By his drefs, which was once a livery, we fuppofe he was a , fervant of all work, and had belonged to the manager in bet- N 'ter 178 A Fortnight's Ramble ter days. But I muft do Shylock the juftice to fay, h6 performed well ; and altholdgh no perfon bawled out " this is " the Jew that Shakfpeare drew," when he was expreffing his fatisfadtion at An tonio's misfortunes, a little girl in the gal lery roared, " O mammy ! mammy ! what " a fad wicked fellar that man is !" The houfe was as full as it could pof fibly cram, and my friend counted but thirty-fix fhillings' worth of fpedtators in the pit, at eighteen pence a head, in cluding a young child that fquealed a fecond to the Crowdero of the houfe". Perhaps, as the a6tors were fo near the audience, it was frightened by Shylock' s terrific look. Whilft I remained, not even the " Hufh a be babby" of its mother had any effect. I found it fo extremely hot, and I felt fome knees prefs fo hard upon my back, againft a piece of curtain which com- 2 pofed TO THE Lakes. ' 179 pofed the feparation of pit and gallery, that i took my departure, and enjoyed a walk to the head of Derwenter lake. The moon was in fplendour, and had juft efcaped out of a cloud that had really a terrific look. ; Skiddow and the hills to the right were buried in blacknefsi, and there was an eafterly breeze which feem ed to afiift the moon in getting the bet ter of her fable "enemies. It was a fight that well repaid me for having left the play-houfe, and fent me to bed in full thought of ferioufnefs : but I was foon awoke by the found of a fiddle from the next alehoufe, and by moft vi olent dancing to it. ' I threw up my win dow, with a determination to be pleafed at what kept me awake. Applaufe and laughter attended every dancer. The in- ftrument was continually going ; but, with all my endeavours, I could only make out one tune ; and, although I never heard any thing like it before, it is. ftill buzzing in my head. As to mufic, N 2 what i8o A Fortnight's Ramble what fignified mufic ! Such dancing as theirs wanted but little to induce the heel and toe to beat tirae to each other ; and they were determined to wear lea ther, if they could not fell it. , Whilft I am writing, a blind fidler is reeling by the inn, and, as well as I can- make out, is playing Lady Coventry's minuet, with his own variations.. CHAF. TO THE Lakes. i8; CHAP. XXVI. derwenter lake. Went upon the Lake' — A Bottom Wind' — Ef feB on the Boat — Floating Ifiand-;— Sili)er Hill — Beautiful Compafs of the Lake- Its Clearnefs — Loivdore Water-Fall— Wild Fruit — Curly-headed Children. We had Hutton's boat, and failed . roijnd Pocklington's ifland, which is de corated with St. Mary's church, built as an object ; a boat-houfe in imitation of a Weftmoreland chapel ; a fort, and a decent porter's lodge. The houfe feems more calculated for ' viewing the various profpe6ts around it, than for fetting them off: and it would appear to greater advantage if [it , were ' > N 3 white- i82 A Fortnight's Ramble white- wafhed ; but it is now f^dom in habited, and the novelty of^arregatta is evaporated. At Portinfcale tnere is an other houfe belonging to the fari^^OWner, pleafantly fituated ; but the wings have fuch a moufe-trap look, it is a disfigured obje6t. The wind was foutherly, and, although very moderate, the lake was violently agi tated by what is called a bottom wind, which occafioned fuch confufion upon the furface, we were obliged to keep clofe in land ; fo very near, one of the oars often touched ground ; in many places it was poppling, as I have feen when a ftrong current oppofes a ftrong wind ; and in others the waves were high, and covered with breakers. The guide was afraid to venture on the middle of the lake, as he faid it would be dan gerous. This I could hardly think ; but- it mjght have been laborious, as we had pnly two oars to row and fteer an un wieldy TO THE Lakes. 183 wieldy boat, and we might have got a ducking from the fpray. It is faid, Kefwick Lake often wears this appearance a day or two previous to a ftorm ; and, when violently agitated at the bottom, an ifland arifes, and re mains upon the furface fome time ; on the laft emerging, it was fplit in the mid dle, and the guide failed through it. The grafs and the mofs are as green as a meadow, which foon unite and become confiftent : there are very few people in the neighbourhood who have not been upon it. We paffed all the iflands, and opened upon a retired bay, which prefented us with Silver Hill, a houfe built in the cottage ftyle, and, from not attempting at finery, has an interefting appearance ; but I think it would look more in cha- ra6ter if it was roofed with thatch- in- ftead of blue flate. — The owner of it, v^ho is one of your great farmers, has N 4 made 1 84 A Fortnight's Ramble m.ade a road along the fide of the moun tain, leading from Kefwick to Butter mere, hoping to induce the country peo ple to prefer it to a lower one theyihave been accuftomed to ; but they are either afraid of being blown into the lake in rough weather, or are fo fond of the old path, they are returned to it again, and the new one is a defacement to the hill. Nearly oppofite to Silver Kill is Bar row Cafcade hall, a third uninhabited houfe, belonging to the owner of the ifland, a perfon who farms a good deal. This gentleman's land may be known by handfome gates, and the initials of his name in wood, that reach from the top to the bottgm of them. The ftimmer- houfe, and a waterfall, fhewing its foam through the trees, have a pleafing ef- fe6t ; the houfe, too, Avould look well if the Vv'ings were raifed, or if it was with out them, and if there was a door in front. Here TO THE Lakes. 185 Here it is one mile and a half acrofs, and comprehends an almoft circular piece ofwaterj which, as a lake, far furpaffes Windermere. We made a crefcent to the outlet, and found it margined by thick reeds, and the cleareft water I ever faw, fhewing at a great depth its green bottom., We landed near a public-houfe, and walked up to a ruinous mill at the foot of Low- dore waterfall. It muft be a tremendous cataradt after rain ; but the weather has been fo long fair, we were only left to judge from the rugged ftones which reach to the fummit, and which muft have been left by torrents. It looks as if the afcent, was difficult ; but I am told it is not. Two perpendicular rocks are cen tinels, and though the one to the right appears as tall as the oppofite, we are deceived from fituation, for it is, not half , the height. As 86 A Fortnight's Ramble As you defcend from thefe rocks, ftep afide, and you may find, as we did, the largeft wild ftrawberrries I ever eat, and innumerable rafpberries. After a deli cious tafte, we met three children hand in hand, with heads as rough as curls could make them. I gave each of them a half-penny ; and, without being able to diftinguifh whether they were boys or girls, they threw their little poles at me. Dr. Dalton, in an elegant poem ad- dreffed to two young ladies at White haven, fpeaking of the rocks of Lodore, has the following beautiful refle6tions ; *' Horrors like thefe at firft alarm. But foon with favage grandeur charm. And raife to nobleft thought the mind ; Thus nigh thy fall, Lodore, reclin'd ; The craggy cliff, impending wood, Whofe fhadows mix o'er half the flood ; The gloonhy clouds, with folemn fail. Scarce lifted by the languid gale O'er the capp'd hill, and darken'd vale ; ) The TO THE Lakes. 187 The rav'ning kite, and bird of Jove, Which round th' aerial ocean rove, And, floating on the billowylky. With full expanded pinions fly, . Their fluttering or their bleating prey, Thfence with death-dooming eye furvey ; Channels by rocky torrents torn, Rocks to the Lake,iH thunder borne. Or fuch as o'er our heads appear Sufpended in their mid career. To ftart again at his command, Who rules fire, water, air, and land; I view with wonder and delight, A pleafing, tho' an awful fight. For, feen with them, their verdant iftes Soften with more delicious fmiles, More tempting twine their empty bowers, More lively glow their purple flowers ; More fmoothly flopes the border gay. In fairer circle bends the bay. And laft, to fix our wand'ring eyes. Thy roofs, O Kefwick, brighter rife. The lake and lofty hills between. Where giant Skidaw fliuts the fcene." Amongft other particulars, he laments the violations of thofe facred woods and groves, by.the Commiffioners of Green wich i88 ' A Fortnight's Ramble wdch Hofpital ordering the woods to be cut down, which had for ages fhaded the margin and promontories of that lovely lake — For, " Where fhe rude ax witb, heaved ftrolce Was never heard the nymphs to daunt. Or fright them from their hallow'd haunt," There is, alas ! now, — " The lonely mountain o'er, And the refounding fhore, A voice of weeping heard and loud lament ; From haunted fpring and dale, Edg'd with poplar pale, The parting Genius is with fighing fent : With flower-in woven trefTes torn, The nymphs in twilight fhade of tangled thickets mourn." CHAP. TO THE Lakes. i8g CHAP. XXVII. DERWENTER LAKE. Bowdore Stone-^and many others forced from th^ir Parent — Scope for Botany-r-^ Barrowdale — Afcend Cafile Crag — In^ ; terior Richnefs of Barrowdale — Wad Mine — Herbert's Ifiand. — A RefieBion o^. it — The Lady Derwentwater's Efcape-^— Manager s Speech on having a t hin Houfe .^ — A fhort Account of him. VV E proceeded into the entrance of Barrowdale, and came near the una dorned, but piAurefque, village of Grange. Huge and mis-fhapen rocks were overhanging the road; on the break ing up of a froft, points of them are ac- euftomed to give way, and we faw many 3 fmooth i^o A Fortnight's Ramble fmooth places whence they were forced. Roots of old, oak, hard as the rock, and in fome parts feemingly engrafted in it, had a ftriking effect ; and the whole was ^ grand affemblage of the fublime. One piece, named Bowdore Stone, which juft fkirts the road, demands be ing fpoken of, and one fhould think would have required an earthquake to have removed it *. It is many hundred thoufand tons weight, and has fallen in fo nice a mariner, it feems in equili brium : a fmall oak and afh grow in lit tle niches where you Canriot fee any foil. The time of feparation from its parent rock is unknown. Hutton has remem bered it twenty years, and does not think the trees grown. A fliepherd has built * Bowdore Stone is nineteen yards and a half in length, and nine feet and a half in heighth ; it is by no means one entire ftone, but a confolidated mafs, forced by fonte fhock from its native bed ; but at what period no authentic account can be obtained. a loofe TO THE Lakes. 19 i a loofe wall on both fides ^to fold his fheep, or I am told it would refemble the keel of a large fhip . Two hundred yards before we came to Bowdore Stone we faw an old crooked hawthorn grow out of an old crooked oak ; and, at fome diftance beyond it, an afh out of a holly. I mention thefe engraftments becaufe I believe they are occafioned either by the wind, or by birds conveying berries, ^nd are not the ftudied experiment of man * Thofe who have a tafte for botany muft be well repaid by fcrutinizing the mpfs 'and plants with which this neigh- * This is by no means unfrequent in the North, ef pecially in the vicinity of rooks and daws, which drop feeds of various fhrubs into apertures or interftices of a tree, and which are nourifhed by decayed leaves, and moifture dropping from the parent ; they flourifh W'ith apparent vigour for a time, but when the fcanty foil be comes infufficient for their raaturer growth they wither and decay. bourhood 192 A Fortnight's Ramble bourhood abounds ; they may wander away a few hours with pleafure, and col- ledt many things worth inveftigating and preferving. As we advanced farther into Barrowdale we faw feveral of the quarry-men taking advantage of the dinner hour to wafh themfelves in the brook. We mounted Caftle Crag up a fteep zig-zag of loofe pieces of blue flate, until we came within a hundred and fifty yards of the top, which gave a good view of the vale and its mountains ; Eagle Crag*, Bull moun tain -f, and others equally ragged. Upon reviewing the lake, the agitation, which was fo violent as' we have noticed, had ceafed. We faw the ifland ; the houfe Ikirted our right, Crofthwaite church on * From, the eagle frequently building upon it. + The perfon who farms the land, which includes this mountain, is obliged to keep a bull for the ufe of the valley ; the echo is fo loud he makes himfelf mad very foon; arid I believe it is now compromifed, the TO THE. Lakes. 193 the deft ; and, while we were admiring; tit^to the fun darted put, and fhewed the jsvhote in fuch fair chara6ter, Kef- (wif k and its vales were plairily feen, and Skiddow. for the firft time appeared a back-ground diftance. Not expecting this grand luminary, it .was .a moft *en- qhanting -fyrprize. f Curijofity ought to have led .us tO the fummit, r;for it was once a Roman ila- tion ; biat we are told a trace ^ of it is fcarcely; difcernible. There have been :many flate, quarries upon the crag, which have 'J entirely obliterated > the appeiarance of ancient fortifications; .for, the miners are not inclined to pay much attention to* them, if there are any ftones jthat can be otherwife ufeful. After feafting over the patqr^l.beauties .around us, we entered farther into Bar rowdale * ; where the-mountains form a -gr^rid * In the year 1745, all the farmers from, a gi-eat dif tance drove their- cattle into this retired valley, as a O fafety , 194 A Fortnight's Ramble grand amphitheatre, yet neither fo mags- nificentor pleafing as the one around our chafte favourite, Graffmere lake. Thefe mountains have been, and we will ftiH hope are,, rich in internal wealth. The houfehold inhabitants farm their own eftates, and the working-rnen moftlj get their bread in lead mines or in flate quarries. At this place there is the only wad mine * in the kingdom as yet dif- Go vered, which has been occafion ally worked and, clofed fince the days of queen Elizabeth : now they are afraid the mine is exhaufted, and they are after a retrieving fearch. In days of its fplenr dour, as much as was wanted for general confumption. was foon procured, and fafety agaiiift' the rebel forces ; which vras a noble- fupply for their favourite Duke. The days of incurflons- ' are imprinted|on the minds of the people about the Lakes ; •and the rebel army enteredinto a part ofEngjand where they had the moft rooted enemies.. * ^ack lead. 3 It To THE Lakes. ¦ , 195 it was then clofed fpr a time ; however, they have a large ftock in referye. ] The guide told us, he heard one of the workmen affirm he could get the value of one thoufand pounds worth in half an hour * ; when it is known how eafily it is procured, an,d how valuable a fingle pound weight is, it is to be credited. * Mines, producing a fimilar kind of metal, have been found both in Germany and Scotland ; but the qua lity is very inferior, and the quantity procured from their richeft veins is ' inconfiderable when compared to this, I had an opportunity offering this fully illuftrated in the year 1781. An a£tion was brought againfi: a perfon at Kefwick, for furreptitioufly obtaining wad from this mine, and configning it to an agent in London. The plea fet up by the defendant was, that other mines of the fame kind were worked in Scotland, &e. The profecu- tor exhibited in court ftveral fpecimcns, which, upon infpedlion by fcientific people, were fpund to differ ma terially in excellence from that of Kefwick ; and no one piece larger than an hen's egg, it was alleged, had ever been got in Germany or Scotland. Verdi£l for the plaintiff. O 3 We 196 A FoiiTNiGHT*s k amble We returnied to our boat, and made a dire6l line to Hubert's ifland, fo called after a religious heriiiit ; the crumbled remains of his habitation are ftillfeen ; and I even think for a worldly-minded man it would be no bad occafional re treat. We walked through- a long ave nue of fir trees (take care not to tuihble, the fallen fir is fo flippery), and planted ourfelves under the fhade of fome large hollies, where we enjoyed a cool retreat, and as hearty a dinner as if we had been lords of the wad-mine. I afterwards traverfed the ifland. The trees are various, high, and open ; and I returned with a blade of grafs meafuring fix and a half feet. , I then landed upon Derwent ifland, the once fumptuous re fidence of the unfortunate earl. There are ipany ftately trees, and I noticed very tall fycamores growing out of the bptr tom of hollies that,^ had fallen to the faw. You TO THE LakE§. - ¦' l<)1 You may trace the walls of the houfe ; but the materials were ufed to build ft ef- wick Town-hall, and' the inn in which I am writing. A farm-houfe is built on the oppofite fhore, where the ftables once ftood; and that fide of the lake is for feited to Greenwich Hofpital. ' I could not help giving way to a cer tain gloom of confideration. I was the only perfon upon the ifland; a place once gladdened with the found of wealth and hofpitality : but, by a mifguided anji ill-judged caufe, one of the fineft pro perties in the.kingdom was confifcat;ed : innumerable nettles have fpruiig up where, the manfion once ftood— vagran,t emblems of diffolved property ; for,- all its once-boafted grandeur is no more ! The earl of Derwentwater was much beloved, and he is handed down to the prefent people with refpe6t. They had O 3 fo 19S A Fortnight's Ramble , fo ftrongly the idea his lady perfuaded him to take the caufe he did, fhe became the hatred of the country, and, to avoid the effects of it, fhe one evening made her efcape over Walloh Crag, a very fteep afcent covered with loofe ftones. It was certainly a bold attempt ; but, what is an undaunted woman incapable of undertaking, when her mind is afloat with either love or hatred ! We had not far to go to the pier, which clofed a very pltiafant excurfion. My friend went to the play ; but, as there were no more than four people in the houfe, the poor itinerants were obliged to return the money, which the manager did with a dafli of humour that did his acting great credit ; for it could not come from the heart. " Gentlemen, be- " fore I return you your money, I will firft *• fliew you our elegant Theatre." The fcene was drawn up — and the fcene was clofed — and fo, good night to you. I had TO THE Lakes, 199 1 had remembered the manager when* he was in much better plight, and have often heard general laughter at a ftroke of humour he introduced in the charadter of Serjeant Kite, which is not in the play. Reading the articles of war to the af frighted clowns, he added, " Whatfo- " everoflacer or foldier fhall be found *' guilty of building a church out of his *' pay, fhall fuffer death, or fuch other ** punifhment as fhall be inflicted upon *' him by the fentence of a court mar-p *' tial."' As I was at that time recruiting, and out of remembrance to former days, I fent for him, and purchafed fome tickets. His faded garb was thread-bare, and two pins in a certain part of his inexprefftbles fupplied the place of buttons. I alked him fome leading queftions, that made him fpeak about me ; but I found he was rather entering too fully into my follies ; and, as I did not think it fair to, expofe O 4 myfelf ioQ A Fort'nig-ht's Ramble myfelf too much before my friend, I turned thd conv^rfatibfii; In regard' to the manager, I knew I was fafe. Fif teen years abfence ha? cortcealed' my for- irier features under the bulk that has g.a'- thered around therii'. - ;.*,.,-. "J i-X> When we left Kefwick, I retrirned him the tickets under my name ; and I dare fay he -vt^ould be much furprized to find who it was that had purchafed them. ^>r5k.i5; I ¦ CHAP, x'xvrii. BUTTERMERE, Enchanting Walk — Newland Valley^^Ruf tic Civility — Two Waterfalls — Mountain Pafiures — The Village of Buttermere. We intended ftarting between two and three, in hopes of feeing the fetting moon, and the rifing fun upon Skiddow. We were not fo fortunate, for it rained and blew hard all night, and it was fine when we went - to bed : thus far the lake yef terday foreboded right. I was fo vexed at this difappointment, I was defer vedly punifhed by being kept awake. How ever, the morning i.s clear, and we are , going to fet off to Buttermere. We M3 A Fortnight's Ramble We paffed along the Cockermouth road- for a mile and a half ; then turned towards Newland valley, keeping a moft enchanting fight of Baffenthwaite Lake, and frequently of Derwentwater, Kef- "wick appearing to the beft advantage it can be feen in, Inftead of keeping the road, we dropt down fome fine paftures, until we came to a deep brook. The bridge had been carried away, a vi6tim to the flood?, which obliged us to go higher than the point we intended making ; however, we found a ladder fome good-natured farmer had laid acrofs for general accommodation. Before we reached the brook, we faw a treble-trunked oak ; the centre trunk was hollow, and a mountain- afli grew out of it ; about two yards down it. We broke a hole with our fticks, and the afh was ftrong and healthy. Wc TO THE Lakes. 203 We now reached the fide of the hill ; and, being at a lofs which way to pro ceed, an old woman upwards of ninety, who was keeping houfe whilft the family were at harveft, dire6ted us to the head of Newland, where we ftopped at a large farm-houfe, and afked for fom£ whey. They had two machines at work (each. of which could churn thirty pounds), and were making butter for falting. In an inftant we had two bowls of whey, and half a dozen hands offered us chairs. We were pleafed in thinking every trifle in terefting that fo agreeably proves the ac tive civility of thefe mountaineers : and who would not ? We had an eafy afcent to the head of Newland (a chaife could go up it) ,wliere there are two waterfalls upon one face of a mountain; the largeft is a Very fine one, and, I fhould think, at any time equal to Lowdore, except in the terrific. It has now much the advantage ; the hills 204 A Fortnight's Ramble hills around are covered with fheep and cattle; and, as you return, your eye upon the rich vale, you may fee Saddle Back, and look down upon the top of Caftle Crag : you then pafs a defile, and, after a regular defcent of two miles, come fud denly upon Buttermere chapel, with a fight of its ftraggled viUage, and Crum- raack lake. The head mountain and two fide ones are the moft beautiful car pets I ever faw, particularly the one to the right, which is covered^ with in numerable fheep ; and, although above two miles in length, and of a confidera ble circumference, it is not defaced by one ftone. CHAP. TO THE Lakes. 205 CHAP. XXIX. BUTTERMERE. A Guide — 'Difagreeable Walk — Buttermere and Crummack Lakes-^Sound ofScule- Force Waterfall — Its delicate EffeB — De fcription of it — Reafons why the Inhabi- , . tants do not know the Names of their Mokn- '. tains — Natural Child — -Candour of his Mother — Manner of fupportingTheir' Poor —^Chapel and School ^both rdne— Without a Clergyman — -Inhabitants ufed to chufe their own — Schoolmafier officiates as Parfon — Their Regret at the want ^of one. After ordering fome dinner at a fmall ale-houfe, we got a fon of Crifpin to at tend us to the cafcade. The road we took was very uneven and boggy, with a num- 2o6 A Fortnight's Ramble a number of beau-traps*. As we af cended, we gained a full view of both Buttermere and Crummock lakes, fepa rated by good land and a deep river. There are two fmall iflands upon the latter, and at the . bottom the country looks fertile; it is about two railes to the waterfall, and we found it an un comfortable tafk. But mountain-trou bles vanifh the inftant you behold the obje6t of a walk. ¦ My ears firft caught the mellow found, and, after clambering over a rough wall, we came fuddenly upon the caufe of it. I was loft in admiration ; in one of thofe vacant delights, in which the mind thinks of nothing but what is before it, and makes you feel yourfelf more than man ; I required a tap over the fhoulder to return to mortality. I received it, and I thus feebly defcribe the caufe of it. * Stones in marfliy or foft ground, which, by heed- lefsly flepping on one fide of them, throw water over the Aockings. Scale- TO THE LAKESr rojr , V Scale-Force waterfall is fewO' hundred ?feet perpendicular,, except where it flufhes over a fmall jut. The fteep on both fides is covered with variety of mofs, fern, afh„ and oak, all fed by the conftant fpray^ and flourifh in indefcribable verdure. The delicacy of the ette£t is heightened by being in a narrow chafjant, a hundred yards in the rock, before it rufhes into the lower fall, at the point of which you have , the grand view. Clainber up the left fide, and look into the firft bafin,.and^ although you may be wet with the fpray, you cannot help feeling the folemnity of this deep, this mufical abyfs, enchant ing as verdure and. melody can make it» There has been no rain fbr nine days ^ yet it far exceeds any thing of the kind I ever faw, and the boafted one at Coo * in Germany finks below comparifoUf Ifup- * I once had the curiofity to ride over a moft dread ful way to fee this Waterfall. We were no fooner there bufe 2o8 A FoRTNJGhT's Ramble I fuppofe we (fa^w it in the beft ftatej^ could' be perceived in.; had it been after • rain, but-men and women began by throwing ; dogs, above the head of the fall. Our party were fo difgufted with it, We paid them to deufl. Many of the poof creatures were hme : fontefimes theyare-Jnfcfcyenotigh'ta'hrt -againft a piece of rotk, ind sre'^daflied to death. Thofe ithat fi]!:yive, .fteial ¦away.=.as ¦tif they felt ithey wer&vidlims to the unfiseling boors.. The 'king of Swieden was. there. the year before ; and they were furprized we could not be ipleafed with this cruel paflime, " becaufe he was; arid, thotrgh unfortunate in his 'd'eat-h,'-atid -i hero -through life, of allowed humanity. I can.&eV.er ifoi^et-thcifhwy iof a poor cow, the '/6«OTa»i?- baorst forced -down this wa terfall, for his diverfion ; the beaft had a leg broke, and his majefiy was fo pleafed with the novelty, it was car ried rovnid" to'the head of the' fall again, and was fo lucky to fpoil more'fport — for — it was killed. The chapel was abotit the fize of Buttermere chapeJ, and the Cure told us lie did not receive ten pounds a .y«ar. But I obferved the inhabitants had !\ greedinefs for mo ney, and a rudenefs of manners becaufe "we could not fa- fisfy them all ; which does not difgrace our Englifli moun taineers. And, although two out of four of the party were an Englifh and an Irifh curate, to fliew the happy ', pre- TO THE Lakes. - 209 rain, it might have filled us with aftb- nifhment ; but what would have become of the verdure of the fides ? The foam would have nearly covered them. As we faw it, every part was in unifonwith the mufic it created ; the mind compre hended it, and carried away one of the moft inimitable fcenes that ever enriched the fancy of man, or graced the pencal of a Moore. Ou afking the guide the names of dif ferent hills, he faid, " In this valley we " call them fo and fo — but other guides *' have^i'eh them feck * fine neames, we *' do naw .recollect um ; bu we mun naw *' contract um, as they thinken umfelves " cleverer folks than we are." prejudice of their education, w?hen the Cure complained of ihe poverty of his receipts, they gave with liberality, and he received with the fubm'iflion of a learned beggaf accnflomed (by rnfrnuation) to afk, * Such. P We 2IO A Fortnight's Ramble We met a rofy boy with a fatchel on his back ; he was. going to one of the houfeholders for a ftated time. The poor live araong the farmers in propor tion as they are affeffed, and they are al ways treated like one of the family. The only pauper at prefent is this little alien ; his mother knew her frailties too well, and was too honeft to fwear to a father ; therefore the villagers have taken the boy amongft them, and are going to fend him to fchool. They faid with concern, until a fort night ago they have had no regular fchoolmafter thefe two years ; in fhort, fince the period of chufing their clergy ¦> man was taken frOm them. The chapel and the fchool ferve for both purpofes, and I could almoft reach the roof with my head. The inhabitants, time out of mind, ufed to appoint their own clergyman, and he was generally chofen TO THE Lakes. * 211 chofen with full confent ; perhaps it was the very pooreft livelihood in the king dom, even with the addition of Queeii Anne's bounty ; but it was a vehicle for a minor prieft to get fuperior orders, and there never was a want of candi^ dates : they now fay they have loft their right, at any rate they do not claim one ; knd, whatever may be the reafon, they are left to ' go to Heaven as quietly as they can *. By the augmentation from Queen Anne's bounty, it requires inftitution as a vicarage by ftatute, and confe- quently a refident minifter is indifpen- fable." The fchoolmafter, without be ing a clergyman, officiates as fuch ; and one from Lorton, the parifh-church, comes about once in fix weeks to admi- nifter the facrament, which may be the means of preferving the bounty. * As the chapel enjoys Queen Anne's bounty, fliould not the Diocefan take care they have a proper paftor ? but I cannot fuppofe he is informed of it. P 2 'In 212 A FoRTNIGHt'S RaMBLE In this forlorn manner is the fervice performed in the village of Buttermere. Luckily it could hot have happened in a viijage where it appears lefs wanted ; but, as good harmlefs people always re gret the lofs of a good cuftom, they re gret it. CHAP. TO THE Lakes. 2 1 : CHAP. XXX. BUTTERMERE. Nuftiberof Families — Their Riches — Mode of paying Ale Duty, and qf providing Provifions— Of procuring Surgeons for the Sick-'— A Rainbow — Never but one Chaife in the Valley — Sally of Buttermere. The village confifts of fourteen fami lies, and fpme of them are rich people ; that is, they may have fifty pounds a year landed property, and healthful flocks of fheep. We looked into a kitchen that Crifpin faid belonged to the richeft man in the place ; and I never faw fur- nittire Ihine brighter in my life ; to be fure, it was Saturday, and that is a po- lifhing day in eyery cottage in the king- P 3 dom; Si 4 A Fortnight's Ramble dom ; and many a time and oft, in the humble period of n)y varied life, have I been delighted to fee the Saturday polifh, under a thatch which feemed never to want it, and where my honoured and honeft friend has ftill the hufbandman who lived with his father forty years ago. His fuccefs might place him in what is called a modern good houfe, but his heart keeps him under the roof that was refpecled by his father ; and, from the decency v/ith which he brings up his fmiling family, 1 dare think the name of DiTCHFrELD will always be the owner of it. 1 1 ope always to fee it fo, and would fooner vifit it than the, fineft houfe of grandeur. We had fait provifions and vegetables for dinner, and I do not think there was a frefh joint in the valley. The ale was home-brewed, and good, but rather too ftrong for our tafte. If you are fond of ftrong ale, I muft tell you, Buttermere is reckoned famous for it. 5 Wine TO THE Lakes, 215 Wine and fpirits * are not fold here, and they are fo far from the excife, they pay their duty by compofition, ten- pence halfpenny a week ; the landlady fays they do not fometimes fell fix penny worth a week ; but, as her hufband is one of the head quarry- men, his companions often make amends, for " her ale is as " gud as ony in aw Chriftendum." On our return, we met a woman with a loaded horfe ; fhe had been to Kefwick market, laying-in meat and other necef- faries for herfelf and neighbours. This amicable cuftom is equalled by the fol lowing ; when a perfon is fick, or a wo man about to lie-in, a horfe man is fent to Kefwick or Cockermouth for a fur- ,* A ftranger came to this ale-houfe, faid he was very ill, arid afked for a glafs of fpirits. She told him, fhe had no licence to fell any ; but, in compaffion to his fitu ation, gave him a glafs. He forced her to be paid for it; —then lodged an information againft her; and fhe was obliged to pay the Fine. P 4 geon. 2i6 A Fortnight's Ramble, geon, and the neighbours fend a relay of horfes to expedite him. We reached the defile with a frefh breeze, but a hot fun. We were afraid we fhould have been much incommoded by lofing the former ; luckily the moun tain that kept the breeze from us, like- wife hid the fun ; fo we enjoyed a plea fant walk along a gentle defcent. I men tion this for information to thofe who may walk or ride this road, as, after fix in the evening, it is under fhade until you come to Portinfcale. When we came to the Cockermouth road, we had a rich fight of a rainbow extending from Kefwick, and juft inclu ding Lbwdore fall. It was rendered more beautiful by a watery tinge on the tops of the hills, and by the fun's partially leaving them fhewing which was the higheft. The TO THE Lak?:s. 217 The landlady had never feen. but one chaife in the valley, which came from Cockermouth, and left it at the Kefwick road ; fh^ fpoke of it as a phasnomenon. I have fince met with the party ; it was an excurfion foon after marriage. They are too valuable to their numerous friends, amongft which number I have the ha'p- pinefs to think myfelf, ever to run any more mountain rifks. They were not aware of the danger, and I believe this cured them. sally of buttermere. Her mother and fhe were fpinning wool len yarn in the back kitchen. On our go ing into it, the girl flew away as fwift as a mountain fheep, and it was not until our return from Scale Force that we could fay we firft faw her. She brought in part of our dinner, and feemed to be about fifteen. Her hair wajs thick and long, of a dark brown, and, though un adorned 21 8 A Fortnight's Ramble adorned with ringlets, did not feem to want them ; her face was a fine oval, with full eyes, and lips as red as vermi lion ; her cheeks had more of the lily than the rofe ; ' and- although fhe had never been out of the village (and I hope will have n,o ambition to wifh it), fhe had a manner about her which feemed better calculated to. fet off drefs, than drefs her. She was a very Lavinia, " Seeming, when uuadorn'd, adorn'd the moft," When we firft faw her at her diftaff, after fhe had got the better of her firft ffears, fhe looked an angel ; and I doubt not but fhe is the reigning lily of the valley. Ye travellers of the Lakes, if you vifit this obfcure place, fuch you will find thei fair SALLY OF buttermere. CHAP. TO THE Lakes. 219 CHAP.XXXL 'SKIDDOW. Surmount Skiddozv — Delightful Views — The Source of the River Caldew — Ifie of Man — Ireland — The Sunfetting in Scotland — Severe Cold — Dotterell. We arrived at half paft feven at the vicarage ; and from a hprfc-itone in- the court-yard had a noble command of Derwentwater. Turn in at a gate, and both lakes are feen. Winding to the right. We have a complete fight of La- trigg, a mountain pafture, and we foon ,front moft of the mountains of Cumber land, including Black Coomb in Lan cafhire. We overlook the grange of Barrowdale, the vales of Newland and , St. 2 20 A Fortnight's Ramble ¦ St. John's, and to the eaftward Burns and Thilkirk. As we proceed up Skiddow, we fee a very fmall fpring, from which the Caldew has its rife ; and, as it defcends, we can notice its increafing breadth, from the many ftragglers it takes in. The Caldew runs with great velocity through moft romantic valleys, until it paffes by Carlifte ; it afterwards falls into the Eden, a river that has previoufly re ceived many others, and then nobly en ters the Irifh fea at RoclifFe. When we reach the top, we open the crown of In gleborough, and the range of hills to the champaign part of Northumberland ; we have the Chiviot hills, and the great chain to the point of Mull in Gallo way. The fun is fetting over Hawthorn ifland, belonging, to lord Selkirk, par tially tinging both coafts. And I cannot omit an opportunity of faying, it is a glorious emblem of an Union that has made two people one, and, by making ¦ q our TO THE LakSS. '221 our ihterefts the fame, ftOjpped a tide of Britifh blood, and turned our hatred into affe6tion. By carrying the eye to the Mull of Galloway, vve juft fee the North of Ireland, and diftin6tly the length of the Ifle of Man. The river Derwent runs by Cocker mouth into the fea at Workington, both which places are very vifible; as is St. Bee's Head, above the harbOur of W^hite- haven, with upwards of twenty vdJeJs under fail. Tarn Waddling, near Plumpton in this county, and bordering tip04i Nor thumberland, from being folitary, looks \f-tii even in th^e growing haze around it, as every littk variety tends to fet off the great whole. The fun is dropping over the Seottifh hills,, and at a quarter paft eight is joffc departed to etiiighteii- otJier worlds ; its laft powers have ma'de the writing red as 22i A Fortnight's Rambl^ as blood. Solway Frith, though an arm of the fea, appears like an immenfe lake, and the Heavens have fuch a variety of tints, vain muft be every attempt to de- pidt them; We were at the fartheft heap of ftoneS, covered from the Eaft wind, when I wrote the above. The air was thin and cool, but, when we took our departure, , we were obliged to run over the hard fur face as expeditioufly as we could, and, before we were under cover from the wind, drops (not poetical) ran down our cheeks, and, faving your prefence, uninvited from my nofe. My fingers were almoft benumbed ; but, when we came under cover from the wind, we took titne to breathe, and found the evening foft and fine. We faw fome dotterels upon the fum mit, that let us approach within eight yards ; and, if I had not thrown a ftone at them, I dare fay we might have come near ;; ¦ TO' Ti-iE Lakes. 223 near enough to have thrown " fait on «" their tails." They fuck their food from under the fmall ftones, under which they build their neft§ ; and, what is re markable, -have only frequented. Skiddow feven years. Thefe birds are fat and fweet flavoured,, have only three claws, a long cylindrical bill, and are rather above the fize of a thrufh, though coloured like .one, excepting a black ftreak upon the head; It is with difficulty they can 'be forced to leave Skiddow ; and, .when they do, they never reft long upon other mountains. Hutton has one in his re- pofitory, the recoUedtion of which gives me an opportunity of defcribing it*. * " The dotterel builds and incubates upon the higheft mountain; in this country, and • early in the fpring de fcends to the lower craggy hills, -efpecially in the vicinity of Ortoh and Afby, where many of them are fhot, as well for their delicacy of tafte, 'as for their feathers, which are in high eflimation with the anglers, for making ar- fificial flies." CHAP. 224 A Fortnight's Ramble CHAP. XXXIL Mountains — The old Man— ^Skiddow — Hel vellyn, and Helm Crag. I Have obferved all the large mountains run from South-eaft to North- weft, and there are generally three ranges, inclu ding the fummit ; lefler hills are as uncer tain as the Waves. The profpedts from the Old Man are extenfive, but not fo interefting as from Helvellyn or Skiddow : the afcent is te dious, from being obliged to go the greateft part of the way by fhort uneven zigzags, made to convey flate from the quarries, and which tend to craze the head. I am told, when the weather is clear TO THE Lakes. 225 - clear, you may count twenty lakes, and the fummit is not defaced by a ftone. The fpxing will be foUnd a pleafant con fideration, and willjielp toleflfen fatigu^e ; but you will find yourfelf fo very hot, you muft drink with great caufion ; a gulp of brandy, or forcing yOurfelf to^ eat, will leffen the danger ; and, although I drank without feeling any hurt, it is too dangerous an experiment to recommend, and I think it my duty to advife the thirfty not to imitate me. The hills to the South-weft of Skid dow lool^ed grand, from variety of light and fhade. We were fo much abova them, they refembled gigantic waves after a ftorm ; and as we did not fee Ire land, the Frith of Solway, or the Ifle of Man, from any other mountain, tliey enhance the other beauties they can boaft of ; nor does any of the lakes look fo well fro^n an eminence as Derwentwater, it is fo charniingly indented. There is no Q^ fpring ±26 A F^OllTiTlOST^S RAMELfe fpring upon Skiddow * ; but, as the af^ cent is eafy,, it is not fo much wanted.- It has oiice had a moffy fheathing, which has been long giveii to the whirlwinds* The want of it may, perhaps, be the rea- * The rtiotintain of Sktdaw is abont eleven hundred yards perpendicular from the level of Broadv/ater, it is biparted at the fummit, beating fome refemblance to thef antient poetic ParnafTus ; and, with a kind of majeftic emulation, beholds Scruffcl Hill before it in Annandaie in Scotland. By thefe two mountains, according as the mifty clouds afcend or fall, the neighbouring fliepherds make their prognoftication of the change of the Weather, which probably gave rife to the following diftich : If Skidaw hath a cap, Scruffel wots full well of that. There is alfo another faying^ very commonly ufed in thefe parts, concerning the height of this hill with two wihers in this kingdom : ' Skidaw, Lanvellin, and Cafticand, Are the higheft hills in all England. Upoij the top of this mountain there is a blue flate ftone, about five feet and a half high, which they call Skidaw Man. . 7 fon TO THE LAkES. 237 Ion of dotterels frequenting it, and may fix a preiod for the fpeculatift to imagine when it was left barCi The approach to Helvellyn along the Rydal hills gives a multiplicity of land- fcapes, fhewing the fame mountains in various fhapes. The defcent is difl&cult, incommoded by loofe ftones, fmall rocks, or dry hard ground ; I was obliged to prefs. fo hard againft my ftick, the ball of my hand fuffered - very much." It is more centrical than Skiddow, and the fpring is a treafure ; perhaps the diffi culty we furmounted tended to make us, think it the monarch of Britifli moun tains, for we certainly call it fo. I be lieve mankind in general is inclined to feel the recolle6tion of paft labour more fatisfa6tory than paft eafe ;- and, as I am feated quietly in my own chamber fome time after having finifhed my ramble, Helvellyn increafes in favour every day. QjJ Although 228 A Fortnight's Ramble Although we afcended many hills higher than Helm Crag, as it has never been vifited by ftrangers, and the afcent is fo very difficult, I think it deferves being mentioned in fpeaking of moun tains. Many of the mountains we journeyed over before we reached Helvellyn, and in the road to Buttermere and Patterdale, were noble ones ; but, for want of a guide, I cannot diftinguifh their names.' CHAP. TO THE Lakes 229 CHAP. XXXIII. Cajlle Hill-^Afhnefs Rock— Hutton the Guide — His Refearches — His Gratitude 'r— Kefw'ick Bellman. VASTLE Hill commands both lakes, ind is fo near Kefwick, we would recom mend thofe who have not time to mount Skiddow not to fail vifiting it. We af terwards walked through a fhady lane to Barrow cafcade, which in this dry fea fon has much the advantage of its neigh- .:bour, the boafted Lowdore. We went round the pleafure-ground, and faw fome (Valuable oaks, fuch as ought to cover pur wafte land ; many hundred thoufand ^cres of which ftill bear the name of fo- refts, without producing one tree, I think there is much fatisfa6tion in Jooking at 0^3 young 230 A Fortnight's Ramble young plantations, as to future navies ; and every lover of his country ought tQ regret when he fees a woodlefs foreft, We came out near a bridge, which put us with little trouble in the way to Afh- nefs rock. Planting ourfelves under a fhade, we overlook Lowdore into the gorge of Barrowdale ; a turn of the head gives the ferpentine river to Grange bridge, terminating with a well-cloathed clump, and rugged mountains * over hanging it, and which we had paffec^ over in our excurfion to Buttermere. We have the fame fight of Baffen thwaite as we. had from Caftle Hill, with the advantage of taking in the extenfive range from Walloh Crag. As we called it rather an idle morn-. ing, we went to Hutton's Mufeuni. He has all the minerals, fpars, and rocks of * Over one of which a young mountaineer miftook his way two months ago, and was daflied to piece*. the TO THE Lakes. 231 the mquntains, and a very wQll-chofen botanical coHedlion. My friend added a new fhilling and fix-pence to his coins, which look very bright amongft the rufty Romans ;, and, as he faid, " would be a •' fine fight for the country people." The poor fellow did not know how to make amends for the little we did for him ; and he told us, with tears in his eyes, *' Gentlemen, I don't really know how to thank you, but I'll tell you what I'll do '-^I'll fend you frelh char, whenever you W.apt it, as cheap as I get it myfglf," His merit and modefty (as far as we (jould judge) keep pace with each other, and he feems- to deferve encouragertient, He tpils day and night, during the fea-- fon, at the defire of ftrangers, and is ju- dicioufly acquainted with Mr, Weft's jftationsi having often been with him when he fixed upon them. In winter fie is eitlipr fcrutinizing the hills for fof- 0^4 fjls, 232 A Fortnight's Ramble fils, or in bad weather following the humble occupation of a weaver ; and,' what adds greatly to his merit, he never received but one quarter's fchooling. Some people have expreffed themfelves diffatisfied with his fmall houfe and his little Mufeum. Poor fellow ! he has not money enough to make them larger. It is a very improper mode of judging ; they fhould recolle6t, if he has a little Mufeum, he has but a little fortune ; and if he has a fmall houfe, he has a large family. Think thus, ye travellers, who are journeying to pleafe yourfelves ; and furely a fhilling will not be thrown away on Hutton's Mufeum. This is the man ner my friend thought, and for every thing this civil man did for us his fhil.. lings became larger pieces. Whilft we were at his houfe, Crofs thwaite, the bellman, went by ; we were taking * TO THE Lakes. £33 taking notice how diftin6tly he fpoke ; and were told, he had been married fixty-five years- to his prefent wife, has had many children, apprentices*, and fervahts, yet never had one death in his family. ^ He wa^ once a reputable flioe-maker^ CHAP. 2,3 4 A Fo BT N I g^t's R am BLS CHAP. XXXIV. "Jhe EffeB of E.cho on the Lake— -An Irifhmajt's Account: of the Lake of KiU iarney, |T was a calm evening, and Hutton took a large wall-piece in his boat. We tried three difcharges. ^The echoes an fwered by rufhing froni feveral hills, and then died away amidft the rocks pf Bar rowdale. I do not pretend to defcribe the vibration, nor how long it continued ; if I was to fay near a rninute, fome peor pie might think I exaggerated ; but thofe who have heard it on an equally fine evening would fay I do not fpeak with juftice if I did not allow it upwards of thirty feconds. Wh?^ TQ THE Lakes. 235 When we were oppofite Walloh Crag, Hutton, with a fhrill call, produced five diftin6t echoes, and they died away with the tremble of an ./^olian harp. Let the Lake-fanciers make the experiment, and they will be amply gratified, perhaps more on this lake than on any pther j the fituatipn pf the mountains^ with the rough tops of fome of them, are well calculated fqr effect, the diftances being peither too great, nor too confined, . I wa? Ipunging about the head of the lake, waiting for my party, and faw twp fifhermen turnipg, it ; one was better dr6ffed than the other, and, by the mo tion pf his right hand, feemed to be abufing him ; he ftopped frequently, and then darted forward. ' Curiofity induced me to go nearer, and I obferved the An tonio of the other evening ; and, by the (gxtended moqth of the countryman, he was taking in one pf the fineft fpeeches ,ever 236 A Fortnight's Ramble ever rehearfed ; but, what muft be of more confequence to the theatrical hero, they had caught many fifh, and I fup pofe the idea of a good fupper filled him with imaginary greatnefs. A boat full pf fervants foon afterwards went jovially off: a man came running to the beach, and hollowed after them to take him in : they either would not hear him, pr did not chufe to mind him. He expreffed his difappointment with fonie oaths : but, as I thought it was hard he fhould lofe his opportunity, I defired hira to ftep forward into our boat. *' Blefllngs- thank you now ; I'll giv? *' you a hand at a pull of an oar if you *' want one." I told him we were going to hear the effe£t pf an echo, " Echoes ! " ¦ — why there is not fuch an echo in " all the world as Killarney's ; it wiU *' anfwer you fairly nine tinie§," Wc TO THE Lakes. '-31 We rowed towards Hubert's Ifland, and made the firft difcharge about Silver Hill. I afked the Irifhman if he did not think it was equal to Killarney's, for it anfwered more than nine times ? — " No, *' no. Sir, no! for, befides the nine times, *' tlidre is nine anfwers tp it :" but he al- lo>yed> when he had heard Cormorant Rocks againft Walloh Crag, " By Jafus I " never heard anything like that in all my " life :" and I dare venture to fav, as he is going over the water, Kefwick's fair lake will rebound nine times nine, allow ing for reverberating diftanoe. CHAP. z^S A Fortnight's RAmble Chap. xxxv. OBSERVATIONS: Remarks and Obfervations, previous to led-*' ving the Lakes, which, t hope, may not be deemed 'intruding. - ' • In anfwer to fome queftions made to a gentleman refiding in the North, I have the pleafure of tranfcribing part of a let ter, which, will introduce fome honeft cuftoms, that cannot fail proving ac ceptable to ftrangers. " The queftion you afk, refpedting the *' blackfmithSjWas almoft univerfalwith- *' in my memory. The neighbours, on " an appointed day, went with their *' horfes and carts, and conveyed as *' many coals, gratis, as were fufficient "for To THS Lakes* ' i^^ "'for one year's confumption; this was *' generally done in the Spring, previous "'' to the commencement of their tillage, *'' that poor Vulcan might have no " excufe for idleilefs, or negle6>, from " want of fuel, cihd that every inhabitant' *' might have his pldugh-fhare and coui- *' ter properly fharpened againft the ex- " igeht time ; thus you v/ill obferve, that *' accommodation was mixed with clia- *' rity. It gives me pain to remark, *' that this laudable cuftom is banifhed *' from what we efteem our more po- *^ Jifhed places. At the fame time I am " happy to obferve, the cuftom is ftill *' preferved in the more fequeftered parts, *' where primitive poverty, and unaf- *' fe6ted manners, prevail over modern- *' refinement. " The cuftom of prefenting donations ** at the marriages of all ranks and de- *' grees in the North is ftill in ufe, but •* more {a among the lower order. " Every 540 A Fortnight's Ramble *' Every neighbour, and all th^ kinsfolk, *' prefent fomething, according to their *' ability — ^half a dozen pewter plates, *' half a dozen knives and forks, candle- *' fticks, tea-kettle, bedding, and vari- *' ous other articles of furniture ; fo that *' a poor bride, upon the day of her *' nuptials, has a houfe comfortably fur- *' nifhed. Pity but fuch a cuftom fhould *' become univerfal. *' A fervant girl, who has continued in " the fame fervitude feven years, is en- *' titled upon her marriage to a copper " kettle, generally containing from fotlr *' to fix gallons ; this is always prefented, " except the bride chufes fome other " equivalent in lieu of it. *' Another remarkable cuftom at chrif- *' tenings ftill prevails in the dales of *' the North. Upon the day of celebra- *' ting the ceremony, all the matrons in *' the neighbourhood affemble at the joy- »« ful t6 TliE Lakes. ' 241 « " fut houfe, and each brings as a pre-*- " fent, to the good woman in the ftraw, .** either a, pound of fugar, a pound of "butter. Or fix-penriy- worth of wheaten *' bread. The bread is cut in thin flices, *' and placed in rows One above another^ "in a large kettle of twenty or thirty *' gallons. The butter .and fugar are " diffolved in a feparate one, and then *' poured upon, the bread, where it con* *' tinues until it has boiled for fome *' fpace, and the bread is perfectly fa* " turated with the mixture; it is then " taken out, and ferved up by way of de* " fert. This curious difh is called But tered Sops. , R 3 -^ ' ^<3^ 246 A Fortnight's Ramble fpe'the New Change in the market-place. I never heard the Scriptures fo diftorted, • and, I dare fay, there were more hearers than would attend afternoon's fervice at church. Is it not difgracefiil, that it fhould be allowed in a part of the town that is un der the immediate prptedtion bf the ma- giftrates ? ;¦ The clerk wa« a thin-gutted contraft— the very look Wefton ufed to put on in Do6tor Laft, when he returns for his ihoes, with the addition of the face bp- ing more lengthened either by religion or hypocrify. The brawler had fome times his hand on this curious head; and fometimes feemed to point to him as ^ fan6timonious example, Theire' 350 A Fortnight's Ramble There cannot be a fairer proof of the foundnefs of our Religion than the harmlefs lives the inhabitants of the Lakes live. The mountains around them not only preferve it undifturbed, but ferve as barriers to keep out many follies and vices, which are afloat amongft people that unjuftly think themfelves more en lightened. The. country gentlemen give the poor leave to angle in tlie lakes and rivers, and t'ney often take more than fupplies their families. Net-fifhing is farmed, and char is never caught by the hook.. This fifh frequents the deepeft part of the Lakes, and is only found in fome of them ; Windermere, Coniftone, and Buttermere, are the beft fupplied ; many are totally without, although they have communica tion with lakes that abound with them ; and, notwithftanding Ullfwater is as deep as Windermere, they do not thrive fo well in it, but are of equal flavour. Small TO THE Lakes. 251 Small quantities are taken in Haws-wa ter. Pike are not found in Ullfwater ; but a particular fpecies of trout, called the grey trout, is almoft peculiar to it-- felf : it is beaked like a falmon, ,and of vaft bulk ; fome have been taken from thirty to forty pounds, of a very delicate tafte. Perch and trout • are abundant every where ; and pike are in general common ; but, what is a circumftance too remarkable to omit, when char quif Windermere to fpawn, they go up thfe fame neck of water with the trout, and then take to the Brathay, the trout to the Rathay. In mowing they juft cut fufficient for a family to work, as they have few hands, and the weather is not to be depended upon. The mower does not bend low to his fcythe, but takes a long fweep, then raifes himfelf very ereA, until the back of the fcythe touchers his hams. I think the motion full as graceful as that made yfe of by the failors in the Mediterranean when 252 A Fortnight's Ramble when rowing "; and it would be as much admired, if it^was a foreign cuftom in^ ftead of a North-of-Englahd one. After it is mown, they fhake it with their hands ; and, as it is moftly fine grafs, if the weather proves favourable it is houfed the next day ; fometimes carrying it Home in fmall carts, fometimes on horfe- back or wheelbarrows, or, when they have more children than money, by hay cocks faftened on a man's fhoulders like a knapfack. . They then proceed upon another plot, and are. indefatigable until it is dark, which does not always put a period to their labour. The woods, which add greatly to the witchcraft of the country, and to the wealth of their owners, are cut down in about fourteen years"; fo you may ob ferve the progreffive growth, beginning on the fecond year with a head as curly as the Africans. Thefe copfes are beau-^ tified with various trees, and with one I never fa\y in the South, the round- leafed alder. TO THE Lakers. - ^ 35^ alder, which ferves to make wooden- fhoes, not fuch as were worn in France, that pinched, fo fevferely in the days of defpotifm ; nor yet fuch as are fo ex tended at this period of their unbridled •licentioufnefs, but fuch as are well cal culated for an induftrious people to trudge dry-fhod through marfhy grounds ; and, by way of making them laft longer, they bind them with plates of iron. Nuts and apples are this year fcarce, and the fruit in general fmall and ill- tafted ; but, even if they were as good as they could be, you would be made wel come, for they never put themfelves to the expence of having a garden-lock. Their fuel confifts of peat and turf ; the fraell of which is uncomfortable to thofe un-' accuftomed to it. This fuel occafions fuch a cloud of fmoke, it Ipoks pidlu-^ refque iffuing,from a neat cottage, with a contraft of wood and water near it. Groufe 554- A Fortnight's Ramble Groufe is not fo plentiful as it ufed to be. The countrymen fay, it is owing to the ftri6tnefs of the land-owners, as there are more birds of prey than for merly, which are greater poachers and lamb-deftroyers than man. A certain fum is given for every eagle or raven that is killed. This is a dangerous under taking ; for they are obliged to be let over the mountains by ropes, and the eagle fights hard in defence of its neft *, nor could it be taken if the man was not to cover himfelf with wool to entangle the claws. There are very few fmall birds. Thefe tit-bits are foon deftroyed by the num ber of becks and claws which are after them. Thofe we did fee feemed afraid to fhew themfelves, and burrowed in the 'thick foliage, as if they had been * There are never more than two eggs in an eaglcV neft, and one is generally addled. 5 ac- TO THE Lakes. 255 accuftomed to keep a good look-out; but I did not hear one fongfter during the tour, except a lonefofhe lark in But termere, and that fcarcely for a mi nute. Crifpin, the guide, faid they had many of them in the fpring, and fpoke as if he thought there had not been any of them in the fouthern parts of Eng land ; in fhort, out of his own valley, where all his ideas feemed to be concen tered. The high roads are in general in ex cellent repair, and the commons welL fupplied with finger-pofts. A road once made will laft a long while ; the firft ex- pence is heavy, but they are not bur- thened by after-repairs, or the traveller by turnpikes. I I do not think his Majefty has more loyal fubjedts in his dominions ; and, if Mr. Pitt Ihould caft a look upon this humble produ6tion, I have the fatibfac- tion 256 A Fortnight's RAMBtfi tion of telling him, the Proclamation was upon all the church-doors, and they looked as clean as the day they were put up, except that we could fometimes trace the mark of a finger that had con ned it over. . But why need I mention this ? I make no doubt he already knows it ; for I faw Mr. Bellingham, who was once one of his private fecretaries, in a fmall town, making remarks upon a droll fporting fign ; and of courfe every thing he faw, which was of national con fequence, ¦ would get to head quarters at laft. The air upon the mountains , is fo ple^r, I fancied myfelf as brifk as the fheep around me ; and the hilarity I en joyed was fuch as I have felt after, drink^ ing champaigne, with the difference of a longer continuance without the relax ation it occafions. A certain gaiety per* vades me at the recolIe6tion, and I truft it win pleafure my fancjr when ever TO THE Lakes. 257 ever it burfts upon my memory. I am' affured, whatever I wrote upon thofe noble elevations are as faithfully deli neated as my time would allow ; my eye ran over them with a dafli of per- fpicuity, and indelibly fixed their beau ties in the mind. '•" ^f^^^^T- CHAP. ?58 A Foutnight's Rambi® CHAP. XXXVI. The Road to Penrith — The Beacon — RicB^ Country — The Borderers — The Cafile.- A.S we afcended the hill towards Pen rith,, idly feated in a chaife, we took a parting fight of the Lake^ and I even thought the houfe on the ifland looked well. We then paffed along the vale of Threlkeld, with feveral miles of delight-* ful profpe6ls and good road, until we came upon an extenfive common, famous^ for drearinefs and large flocks of geefe. As we had been regaled for fome time with variety, I thought it a good oppor tunity to enjoy the pleafures of retro- fpe6tion, and was again amidft the fcenes we had left. I was brufhing the morning dew, and returning at evening with: TO THE Lakes, 259 with my mind full of the day — I was at tending Echo with its beft effe6ts — I was laughing at the Irifhman — and enjoying a bowl of whey in a cottage — a con founded jolt awoke me from my reverie. By degrees, a fine country opened, and at the twelfth mile-ftone we faw the hof- pitable roof of Greyftock Caftle. The land kept improving, and corn-fields began to fhew their yellow heads ; tall afh-trees kept the fun from tis ; and at twelve we entered Penrith, on a market- day, rendered more bufy, from the bifhop of Carlifle holding his vifitation and con firmation. Penrith * is a handfome town ; many of the houfes are built of a reddifh ftone ; it would be a great .improvement if they would, pull down their fhambles, and fome old houfes, which difgrace an other- wife-good market-place. * Penrith fignifies, in tlie Britifli, Red Hill, and hath its name from tfee hill of red flone adjoining. S 2 I went 26o A Fortnight^S Ramble I went in the afternoon upon the Bea con, and had a fine champaign coun try all around, with waving corn upon it, as thick as in any part of England. ' I had no perfon with me to defcribe the different views ; but I could obferve this hill was well fituated to overlook the in- curfions made by the borderers in days of difcord, and to give fignals to the many caftles fcattered about in order to make a fortie upon them, or for the people to retire to when the enemy was too powerful. I felt with fatisfadtion, that the rich fields, far as tbe eye could reach, would not only fupply the inhabitants v/ith bread, but produce a granary that could "furnifh an extent of country with that divine gift. I faw part of Ullfwater, and many of the mountains we had left. As it is a very eafy afcent, do not fall going upon it; the fides are beautifully purpled, and th-re TO THE Lakes. 261 there are feveral quarries of red ftone, from which they have built the church. I then croffed the Eamont, and walked' to the caftle, a ruin in its laft ftage ; it has been encircled by a ditch, with two draw-bridges, and is faid to have been built by Henry the Sixth, and was the refidence, for a fhort time, of Richard the Third. It is dilapidating very faft. The rude hands of Ignorance and Rapa cioufnefs have been more deftrudtive to it than time, and, ere long, the fite only will remain. The mind has a certain feel of forrow in feeing the poor founda tion of a once-not>le caftle that has been torn afunder ; and the owner of fuch property degrades himfelf, who permits it to be ufed for park-walls, barns, or rao dern houfes. It is from fuch falfe tafte that our grandeft ruins have been hur ried to decay, and the reverence we owe to our anccftors has been lefTened. CHAP. 262 A Fortnight's Ramble CHAP. XXXVII. The Church — Ravages of the Plague — An- t'lent Stones in the Church-Tard — Vulgar Opinion about them — RefpeB for the Grave of an old Woman, On the morrow, ari old gentleman, near eighty, who was churchwarden when the Scotch went through in 1 745, amufed us with many ftories of that day ; they had made a deep impreflion, and are of courfe often repeated. He civilly went with me into the church *, which was * This church was built in the years 1720, 17:1, 1722. At this time, Dr. Hugh Todd was vicar, who, although a man of exemplary piety and great erudition, yet his deportment amongft his paiifhioners was haughty and fupercilious in the extreme," which ccnfeqvientiy gave TO THE Lakes. 263 ¦was rebuilt early in this century, except the fteeple, which is the antient one:. I wrote down the follpwing account, from a ftone near the communion-table, ¦of the numbers that perifhed by the plague in .15 9 8m. In Penrith 2260. Kendal 2500. Richmond 2200.. Carlifle 1196. gave«o'ifence, injured the caufe of morality, andTendered • his literary acquifitioris of fmall reputation among his flock. ^ A wag, who^probably thought himfelf the Mar- -tial of his day, wrote the following epigram, more re markable, probably, for its truth and farcaftic turn, than for its wit: or Tefinemect, which he affi-xed to the -church -door. " A new church. And an old fleeple,; A proud prieft. And a perverfe people.'" S 4 There 264 A Fortnight's Ramble There is a bounding-ftone in the coun try, where provifions were daily left for the fufferers. Penrith muft have been confiderably more populous than it is at prefent ; for, it does not contain more inhabitants than perifhed by that dreadful fcourge. The church is handfome, and the lower pillars are compofed of fingle ftones, three yards and a half in height. Some of the windows have remnants of paint ings, that were taken from the old ones ; and there are two plain brafs chande liers, with infcriptions round them, men tioning they are the gift of the Duke of Cumberland, in remembrance of the , loyalty of the town, in 1 745. In the church-yard there arc two pyra- midical ftones, about four yards afunder, with four odd-fliaped ones in the fepara tion, all of them of hard ftone, except one,, which is the red ftone, and, from 6 being TO THE Lakes. 265 heing fofter, is reduced to half the fize of the others. You may juft diftinguifh remnants of hieroglyphics on one of them ; and as one ftone is fhaped fome thing like th^ back of a boar, and as this country was in the midft of a foreft, it may be the monument of a man famous for deftroying them *. I could get no intelligence of its anti quity ; vulgar opinion fpeaks of it as the burial-place of an extraordinary-fized * The people have a tradition, that a famous knight- errant, one Sir Ewan Casfariiis, was biiried here, who, in his time, made a mighty havock amongil thofe beafls in Inglewood foreft. Mr. Page, who was fchoolmafter at Penrith from 1581 to 1591, has in his writings left this memorandum : that a flranger-gentleman coming to an inn there defired to have fome of the principal in-; habitants to fup with him, whereupon Mr. Page and fome others attended him. The ftranger told them, he came to fee the antiquities of the place ; and,, drawing out a paper, faid, that SirFTugh Casfarius had an her mitage fomewhere thereabouts, called Sir Hugh's Par lour ; and, this place was fome time afterwards opened by one William Turner, who there found the great long i)idnk-bones of & man, and a broad fvvord. man. 2^6 A Fortnight's Ramble man, and the feparation is meant for his height. I afked feveral people about it, and found that every one had a myf. teriohs opinion of his own ; but, as the ¦ wonderful makes the eafieft impreflions xm. vacant minds, his antediluvian fize has many favourers. However, induced by curiofity, they have lately dug to the depth of fix yards, without meeting any trace to reward the refearck. The above remark was made in confequence of en- ¦quiries on the fpot. The interefting note on the other fide was fent me by the Reverend Mr. Holme. There is likewife a fingle ftone as an tient as the others. I left thefe obfcure antiques, and found, not far from them, a brafs plate againft the church, near the grave of Alice Atkinfbn, aged 112; and felt more refpe£t; in treading over her remains than upon the others, which probably contain no other proof of anti quity than what is above ground. I :CHAP. TO THE Lakes. 267 CHAP. XXXVIII. ullswater. Ullfwater Lake-^—F'irfi Arm of it — Singular Prefervation of a Man and his Horfe — Martindale Valley arid Fells^Famous for the Wild Stag — -Grand Appearance qf Helvellyn — Gomoborough Park — Deer, Cattle, &?ble — ? A modern Shrubbery — -Why Ullfwezter Lake exceeds the others. »¦ \^E landed near Lyulph's Tower, whofe rugged walls fa fuitably anfwer the fcenes around it. I muft again men tion the Duke of Norfolk ; for, when here, he never ufes chairs, but \V'Ooden forms, and hm a long hpfpitable board for a tjible. The four towers have fine profpefts from them; but, I was forry to fee, the rain 272 A Fortnight's- Ramble rain had committed great depredation, owing to the rugged building of the walls, or perhaps becaufe it was done by contradt. We afcended to the waterfall, through z thick wood that hangs along the path, until you come to a bridge that might have grown in its fituation. After fpeak ing of the incomparable Scale Force, I did not intend faying more of cafcades ; but this, though fparing of water, is only exceeded by one oi the prides of Buttermere ; for we muft not forget the fair Sally as the firft. The bridge*, the road, the feat, every thing that art has added, appear as if they were formed by Nature. I croffed the oppofite brow, and looked into the bafin that receives the water from a diminutive fall. I then * The bridge, a friend tells me, was foon afterwards waflied away. bent TO THE Lakes. 27 j bent my way to within a mile of the fpot where I had made remarks from the Amblefide journey. I could here fee the formation of the lake, with the three iflands ; and had a good peep in.to Pat terdale. Ullfwater is fhaped like the letter Z made by a bad penman : when We faw it from Helvellyn, fhe top arm was not vifible, which occafioned its looking like « pair of breeches. We reimbarked at four, after trying another difcharge. I dare fay it would have had a fine effect, had the day been fufficiently calm. The; ruflies from Place Fell were loud, but the wind t-ook away the departing found. Clouds were ga thering on the head mountains, and, as we left them under a frefh fail, they were foftened by the diftance. After we came to the old church, the farm was a neat object, and we had a chearful fight of Dunmallart Head. T We 274 A Fortnight's Ramble We returned to Penrith on the village fide of theJEamont, along narrow fhaded lanes, until we came to Eamont Bridge, near which is a plot of ground called King Arthur's Round Table*, a place where tournaments, in days of chivalry, are traditioned by the country pepple to have been held; the two approaches whence we will fuppofe the champions en tered the lift are ftill vifible, and you may rnark out accommodations for the fpec- tators. According to my ideas of thofe extravagancies, they could not poffibly exceed the reprefentation of them at the Hay-market ; at leaft fo I thought ; and I care not if I infringe upon the laws of chivalry by the comparifon. * Rapin, in his encomium upon Arthur, page 39, fays, *• He is faid to have inflituted the Ord~er of the *' Knights of the Round Table, fo famous in ro- *? mances. Though this inftitution has given occafion " for many fabulous relations, it is not therefore to be •• deemed altogether chimerical." In r T To THE LakE«. 275 In the evehirig we went with the good old gentleman into a fhrubbery * ; and, though fp old, he walked ftoutly-to the laft. — I forget the name of the place. Afh feems to thrive particularly well ; one, tree is the ftraighteft I ever faw. You have good commanding views — you fee a caftle f built by the countefs of Pembroke---Penrith caftle, and Helyel- lyn heights. The river winds through the grounds broad and clear, with a mill. beautified into an obje6t. I was glad to get put of the fhrubbery • for fhrubberies are plentiful in the South of England, and my head was too full of moiintains, lakes, and valleys, to wifh to be interrupted by the moft perfect pleafure-ground in the world. I am not yet far enough from the wild fcenes of * Suppofed to be Bird Nefl, from the profpeS it af forded. t firougham. Cafile. T 2 Ns^ 276 A Fortnight's Ramble Nature, to be pleafed with any thing that is ftudied. Much as I admired the other lakes, 1 cannot help giving preference to Ullf water : every arm prefents new beauties — HelvellyN'^ — the interior mountains— - the village and plain of Patterdale- — ^Place Fell — the iflands — the tower — Gowbo rough Park — thevale of Martindale — the rough mountains, and the fertile ones — Dunmallart Head — Yes ! every houfe, from Water Milloch to the pooreft cot tage, appears in its proper place, with out difpleafing the eye by attempts at fi nery ; and there is a chaftenefs about ths whole, that makes it the choiceft gift of Nature I ever faw. CHAP. TO, the Lakes, 277 CHAP. XL. Leqve Penrith — Carpet ManufaBory — A ColleBion of Timber—Of Hayfiacks — 'Knipe Scarr — Vale and. Village of Bamp ton — Hawfwater Lake — Bampton Free- School— -A Village-School a good Nurfery for Morals — Druidical Stones at Shap— The Abbey — ¦The Conclufion — A Copy of Verfes. Left Penrlth, to go to Shap ; fent for ward the carriage, whilft we went to look at a regular-built village, which is buf thinly inhabited ; many of the houfes are unfinifhed, and there were cattle in fome pf them. We afterwards walked to a carpet manufactory under the infpe6tion of Mr. Bloom. It is beautiful in the ex treme, in point of colouring, and the T 3 thick' 278 A Fo'Ati^iGHT's Ramble thicknefs of the work ; and is a credit to the patfonizer, not only for the workman- Ihip, but for the employment given to many orphans, t^ken from the Foundling Hofpital ; however, he has a large ftock on hand. " ' We proceeded through Lowther Park'. The houfe was burnt down in the late Lord's tiihe. There ,is a confiderable depofit of timber intended to be ufed in the rebuilding of it, which was, buried many years under ground, but is nbw thatched over. Oppofite there are "the greateft quantity and the largeft hay- ftacks I ever faw. On Knipe Scarr there are plantations of thick pines confpicuous throughout the country ; this command overlooks the vale and village of Bampton, a val ley beautifully fcattered with farm-houfes. We then followed the road to Rofe-Gil'l Head, where we have a foftened view of the vale, and a pleafant fight of Hawf- K - water. TO THE Lakes. 279 ^vater. As well as I can judge (for we had only a fifli-pond fight of it), it is fur-^ rounded by woody hills, and rich mea dows overtopped by fells. After the water has left the lake, it forms a bold cafcade at Thornthwaite Mill, and then runs by the town. The Free-fchool of Bampton not only gives education to the neighbours, but has produced men who have been con fpicuous in the world. Bifhop Gibfon and Judge Wilfon received the rudi ments of their education here ; and fe veral whom we may rank amongft our London merchants, and, if not in as ex alted, in as ufeful, and honourable a line of life as any our country can boaft of.' A good fchool in a quiet valley is well calculated to engraft the moft falutgry impreffions' on a young mind. Uncpn^ taminatedby bad example, he has only tq attend to good ; for, every One around hira is almoft a.s innocent as himfelf, or, T 4 what 28o A Fortnight's Ramble what approaches near to it, whatever is bad is difcountenanced. When he has laid in his little ftock, which generally confifts of juft enough of Latin to make him underftand Englifh grammatically, a thorough knowledge of accompts, and writing a good hand, he is qualified to be of fervice to the mer chant and to himfelf. He learns that induftry is a perpetual recommendation ; and, from not having a fufficiency of fortune to be idle (even were he inclined to it), his perfeverance paves the way to future fuccefs. When he arrives in London, he has a rough 'polifh-— ii I may be allowed the ex preffion. The~ roughnefs is the diale6t, which gradually lofes its harflmefs, and, in proportion as you value the man, wears quite away. The pol'iff is a found-prin cipled education, which can never be obliterated : it not only ferves as a check tp youthful faults, but is the Mentor which TO the Lakes. 281 which hinders them from growing into habits, and • the pilot that reftores the erring mind to its village redtitude. Numbers of Druidical-ftones * (or, as fome people fay, in honour of Danifh heroes) * " Thefe ftones are certainly Druidical ; they oc cupy an area upwards of half a mile in length, and be tween twenty and thirty yards in breadth ; they ftand nearly parallel to each other, rather rounding at the top. Many df them are three or four yards in diameter, at eight, ten, or twelve yards diftance, which .are of fuch immenfe weight that no carriage now in ufe could fup- port them. Undoubtedly this has been 'a place of Druid worfhip, as it is known they always performed in the open air, within this kind of inclofure, - fhaded with wood, as this place in antient times appears to have been, although ther^ is fcarce a tree to be'feen (Shap Thorn only excepted, planted on the top of the hill foi: t>e diredion of travellers). At the high end of this place of worfliip, there is a circle of the like flones, about eighteen feet in diameter, which was their Saniium SanBorum, and place of worfhip. The flone is a kind of gratiite, and when broken appears beautifully varie gated with bright fliining fpots like fpar. The country people have blafled and carried away fome of thefe flonej for the foundation-flones of buildings. ' The building of Shap 282 A Fortn ight's Ramble heroes) are fcattered about Shap, Thef are different from the mother-ftone of the neighbourhood ; yet they feem too large to have been brought by art, and too carelefs on the furface to have been formed there, Shap Abbey was built in 1 158, and has been difmantled to build paltry houfes. Part of the fteeple, with trees upon it that have withered with age, and cells tinder the once body of the abbey, are the only remains of this ruin ; it has been fhamefully deftroyed. A fine ftream runs near it, and the ground produces fweet grafs, and hay that is all fragrance ! There has been a bridge near the ab» bey, but it has been forced away by tor rents, and you are obliged to ftep over the remains in vifiting thefe ruins froni Shap village. The monaftic fathers ge- Shap abbey vvas no injury to this fine piece of antiquity, being entirely built of free-flone from a neighbouring quarry. 7 nerally TO THE Lakes. 2^85 ¦nerally chofe fertile, fituations, which gives us the liberty of thinking they were full as fond of feafting as of fafting. AI7 though this abbey is almoft literally dif- folved, the fuperftitious effects of old -dafs infe»!¦- Mm, \'< ,'t^ ^u, - '"'Ki^S^K^ !>%|. f^m^'