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PICTURESQUE VIEWS
ON THE
RIVER WYE.
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Bualt
B-mEEIOKD
Rol'.s
Pi&urefque Views
ON THE
IVER WYE,
FROM
Its Source at Plinlimmon Hill, to its Junction
WITH THE
SEVERN below CHEPSTO Ws
WITH
OBSERVATIONS
O N
THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS, AND OTHER WORKS OF
ART, IN ITS VICINITY :
BY SAMUEL IRELAND,
AUTHOR OF
*' A Piflurefque Tour through Holland, Brabant, and part of France j"
AND,
Of " Pi&urefque Views on the Rivers Thame9, Medway,
«* Warwickshire Avon," &c.
Lontion :
FUBLISHED BV R. FAULDER, NEW BOND STREET J
AND T. EGERTON, WHITEHALL.
I797-
C v )
PREFACE.
• g »--q^'.'^$"< 2'. i. ' i>
JTX M O N G S T the numerous rivers with
which our Ifland is fo richly ornamented
and fertilized, the Wye, our preient fubjecl:
of inveftigation, though in no very widely
extended courfe, and itfelf only a tributary
ftream, is yet in the production of the fub-
lime, of the grand and majeftic proudly
eminent above its fellows. In a courfe of
about eighty miles, the utmoft diilance it
meafures from its fource, to its junction
with the Severn, fo various and fuch an in-
terefting piclurefque fcenery is perhaps no
a where
( vi )
where to be found, either in this or any
other country.
Nature and Art have moft. happily
combined in opening their richeft flores to
diverfify and fpread fertility, grandeur and
beauty over the country through which it
flows : for its environ is not lefs highly dif-
tinguifhed and drefled by the hand of art
with caftles, abbies, and villas beautifully
feated on its banks, than it is itfelf favoured
by nature, in the {hiking interchange of
fhoal and flood, wood and rock, meadow
and precipice. With fo much, and in
fo many various ways to allure and intereft,
it was not poffible that all its charms could
have efcaped either the penetrating eye of
Tafte and Genius, or the pencil of the in-
quifitive, refined, and fyftematkal Amateur,
and
( vii )
and accordingly many of its moil ftriking
features have employed the pens and the
pencils of our Writers and Artifts ; but they
have, all of them, been either detached
views and fingle objects, or, if more has
been comprehended in the defign of the
amateur or artift, the execution has been
partial, imperfec~l, or foreign to the fubject.
The whole has never been fully exhibited to
the tye of the lover of the fcenes of nature
faithfully delineated. One ingenious au-
thor indeed has given obfervations upon
the river, and fuch as have unqueftionably
merited the high commendations they have
received from the admirers of the pictu-
refque and beautiful : and he has accompa-
nied his obfervations with drawings. He
does not however profefs to give exact repre-
sentations, or portraits of the various ob-
a 2 jeel:
( vlli )
jects that prfent themfelves, but aims ra*
ther at exhibiting their general effect on
the eye, when confidered technically, and as
piQurefquc forms by the learned and pro-
fefTed artiit.
Without interfering therefore with
the plan of that much admired writer, or
arrogating to himfelf fuperior fcience or
knowledge of his iubje£*- f the author of
this W0ik has, in conformity with his ori-
ginal intention, felecrol this river from
an: :n^ft thofe not yet defcribed, in order to
complete his hiftc y of the principal rivers
of this country : and, unable as he feels
himfelf to lender juftice to the dignity of
his fubjecr, he builds his claim to public
favor, on the fidelity with which he flatters
himfelf he has delineated the fcenery. He
would
( * )
wouM wifh, and it is his aim, that h'.s
drawings fh^uld, like the tranfparent mirror
of his ftr "am, truly reflet the landfcape
that exifts around, as well as the objecls
that decorate its banks. And, content with
the fimple charms and i arieties of nature,
he cannot prevail upon himfelf to contem-
plate in every winding of the dream the
forms of his own idea, the image of his
own mind and ito complicated famenefs,
reflected again, and again j but gives to his
reader that, which, if he vifits the fpot,
he trulls he will rind, and, if the fpot is
known to him already, he affures himfelf
he will recognize.
The tremendous floods, which, in the
beginning of the year 1795, fubfequent to
that, in which thefe drawings were made,
having
( * )
having fo completely fwept away feveral an-
cient, as well as elegant flruttures thrown
acrols Jiis ftream, may perhaps giv t iorne
additional value to the (ketches of them here
introduced. If not elfewhere preferved,
icarce a veflige of them remains to be re-
fbrted to by the artift or by the architect,
whofe profeffion muft peculiarly enable him
to do more juftice to the nature of the
fabric.
The Hiftory, and Picturefque Views of
the River Severn are in great forwardnefs,
and will, it is prefumed, be ready for publi-
cation, in Two Volumes, Royal Octavo, in
the courfe of next year.
PRINTS
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Piclurefque Views
O N T H E
RIVER WYE.
'* Pllnlimmon's high praifc no longer Mufe defer;
*' What once the Druids told, how great thofe floods mould bft,
« That here (moft mightie hill) derive thernfelves from thee.
«« The Bards with furie rapt, the Britim youth among,
«* Unto the charming harpe, thy future honor fong
" In brave and loftle ftraines : — "
Drayton.
SECTION I.
PROMa fmall fpring near the fummit of
Plinlimmon Hill, the boundary of the nor-
thern part of Cardiganfhire, our river Wye
derives its fource. Killing from a fpacious
hollow in this mountain, the water falls in
a narrow ftreamlet feveral hundred yards
A nearly
( 2 )
nearly perpendicular, till meeting with ir&
rious fmall currents, it foon prefents itfelf in
the fhape of an immenfe cataract, rolling
with aftoniihing rapidity over the rocky
prominencies which feeni to impede its
courfe. The name of this river appears
anciently to have been a common appel-
lation, either for river or water. Cam-
den fays, that the word gwy or wy fignifies
water, and inftanees the following names
which have that termination, as proofs of
his opinion ; viz. Lhugwy, Dowrdwy, Ed-
wy, Conwy, Elwy, Towy, Tawy, &c. &c.
From the fame ridge of mountains, within
two miles of the fource of the Wye, the
rivers Severn and Rydall derive their origin :
the latter of which empties itfelf into the
Irifh fea at Aberyftwith. The views from-
this huge and dreary hill are wild and ex-
tenfive beyond defcription ; they exhibit
mountains, rolling as it were, over each
other, and under the mo ft fublime forms and
beau-
{ 3 )
tauti ful hues, varying and fhifting till they
jnfenfibly lofe themfelves and melt into the
horizon. We were peculiarly fortunate in
having a bright and clear day to view in all
its grandeur this fublime and picturefque
fcenery; an advantage which an experienced
guide informed us had fcarce ever occured
■during a courfe of many years in thofe airy
regions, where it was almoft invariably his
fate to encounter a heavy and hazy atmof-
phere, commonly attended with rain. On
this lofty mountain the famous Owen Glyn-
dwr, in the fummer of 1401, polled him-
felf, fays the hiftorian, £c with great policy
" at the head of a hundred and twenty men
f< of arms. 5 ' The fituation of Plinlimmon
Hill being on the limits of Cardiganshire and
Montgomeryshire, was admirably adapted
for receiving the fuccours of his vafTals and
friends from every part of the principality.
From this faftnefs his adherents, who were
She terror of all that oppofed him, were per-
A 2 pctually
( 4- )
petually making excurfions, and plundering
the neighbouring counties j amongft which
Montgomeryfliire appears to have been the
greateft fufferer.
The birth of this renowned hero, of
Wales, which happened on the 28th of
May, 1354, appears by Hollingfhed and
others, to have been marked with ftrange
prefages of celebrity : he fays, that his cru^
elty was foretold at his nativity, by the
wonderful circumftance of '< his father's
<c horfes being found (landing that night in
<c the (table up to their bellies in bloody"
and Shakfpeare, in the following lines, put
into the mouth of Glyndwr, thus defcribes
the vain glorious chieftain,
—" At my birth
" The front of Heav'n was full of fiery fhapes ;
" The goats ran from the mountains, and the herds
(( Were itrangely clamorous in the frighted fields s
f Thefe fignshave marked me extraordinary,
«' And all the courfes of my life do fiievv,
M I am not in the roll of common men."
A (till
( 5 )
A ftill more extraordinary circumftance
is attached to the hiftory of this Welch
phenomenon. Jolo Goch, a celebrated bard,
has not heritated to confider the great event
of hi birth, as equal in importance to man-
kind w.th that of Jefus ChrifL
Thf river Wye, in this its earlieft ftage,
is peculiarly marked with features of the
grand and fublime : its amazing rapidity is
perpetually interrupted by immenfe large
{tones and rocky fubftances, and the rufh of
its waters produces a folemn noife, that
feems as if they were
M Chiding the ftones that flopp'd their courfe.**
The fpots of verdure and broken ground
in the vicinity of this rude fcene, the dark
fhades of rock, and beetling brows of the
hills with which it is bounded on either fide,
form a fpectacle as majeflic and awful as
the
( 6 )
the untaught imagination can paint, or that
can prefent itfelf to the eye throughout
the range of this ifland.
It is fimple nature in her pureft and
grander!: form, and without a trace of her
handmaid art, without either caftle, church,
or ruin : objects that more than form the
beautiful in picture, that are efTentially ne^
cefTary, and can alone give dignity to the
feeble works of man ; without thefe the
fcenery is here complete.
For feveral miles the country wears
nearly the fame afpect j one continued un-
dulating line of hills forms the diitancej
and the river, though of no confiderable
width, continues gently to roll over its
rocky and gravelly bed, " making fweet
H mufic with the enamelled Hones 5"
" Giving a gentle kifs to every fedge
*f He overtaketh in his pilgrimage."
At
( 7 )
At a diftance of about fix miles from
its fource, in a village called Cumergar, the
Wye receives a considerable body of water
from the river Caftah This River is full in
view, and forms a beautiful object from the
road, on the way to what is called the Devil's
Bridge, At Cumergar is a wooden bridge
called Pont-rhyd Gallad : it is the firft that
is thrown acrofs this river, and the fcenery
around it is extenfive and beautiful. The
Wye here lofes much of its impetuofity and
confequently of its grandeur : its rocky bed
is foftened and in many places fpread with a
mere gravelly fubftance, and at this fummer
feafon is confiderably narrowed, and fre-
quently left perfectly dry. From the conti-
nual accefiion, however, of fprings and
rills, that iflue from the neighbouring moun-
tains, it is not known to remain long in
that jftate. From hence, on an eafy afcent,
a tolerable road leading to Llanidlos runs pa-
rallel with the fkeam, and affords a beautiful
ride
C 8 )
tide till we approach the wretched village of
Llangerig : amoii^ft whofe clay cottages
without chimneys, churlifh boors, and four
milk and black bread, the only refrelh-
ment it fupplied, our weary fpirits were
filled with rapture at the beauties of that
fituation, to which extreme penury, favage
nature, or infenfibility could alone be in-
different : They were fo impreflive, that
within a mile of this village we determined
to flop, flattering ourfelves with the hope
that by the aid of the pencil, we might be
enabled to give the characteriftic features of
a country, which we utterly defpair by any
powers of language that we could com-
mand in any adequate manner to commu-
nicate.
About three miles below Llangerig^ irt a,
fouthern direction, the river Darnel, which
derives its fource from the hills that bear its
name, empties itfelf into the Wye, Pur-
fuing
( 9 )
fuing the courfe of the river, the Nanerth
rocks in an extent of near three miles, form
a beautiful fcreen to its northern bank.
On this fpot the Wye, in an eafy bend,
gently rolls over its rugged bed, while the af-
cending road, girting the immenfe hills that
are enriched with fpreading oaks and luxu-
riant underwood, peculiarly invited the pen-
cil : Through thefe, the rocks in various
fantaftic forms, perpetually break upon the
eye, and the cottages interfperfed among the
diftant hills, relieve the wide-fpread and ex-
tended fcenery. On the brow of a rifing
hill, in the fore ground, a group of cattle
which covered it, feemed at the inftant, as
if placed there by defign to complete the
view. Beneath, the gentle river Marteg, the
receptacle of many fmaller ftreams that arife
in the vicinity of Llanidlos, ripling over its
pebbly bed, lofes its name and its current in,
the broader channel of the Wye.
B SEC-
( » )
SECTION. II.
F>
ROM Nanerth rocks, after a pleafant
ride of about three miles on the bank of the
Wye, we reached Rhaidr Gwy; the word
Rhaidr fignifies a cataract, or fall of water,
and is frequently applied to thofe falls,
among the mountains of Snowden in Car-
narvonfhire.
Camden feems to think that from trie
word Rhaidr, the county of Radnor, through
the weft angle of which, this river directs
its courfe derived its name. The bridge at
Rhaidr confifts of one wide arch, which from
its bafe forms a very large fegment of a cir-
cle. It is a plain ftruclure and has little but
its romantic accompaniments to recommend
it ; the immenfe pile of rocks on which it
(s elevated, carries the arch (o high as to
B 2 afford
( I* )
afford from beneath it, an extenfive profpect
of the adjoining country, in which a fmali
Wellh building called Cvvmtather Church
appears in a whimfical point of view. The
annexed fketch was taken from below the
bridge, where the combination of objects is
wonderfully grand ; and in this dry ieafon,
difplays in full force the ponderous rocky
fubftances of which it is compofed. But in
confequence of this drought, we had the
misfortune to lofe the difplay and thun-r
der of its cataract, which a lefs friendly ftate
of the elements would have exhibited in all
its grandeur. The (tones over which the
waters in this vicinity roll, are of an immenfe
fize, and in their forms, partake both of the
majeftic, and the grotefque j their diverfified
hues, and vad angular prominencies afford
in certain lights and in fome feafons of the
day, under the rays of a bright fun the mod
brilliant and picturefque effect. Over the
bridge paffes the high road that leads to Aber
ryfhvyth^
( «3 )
jryftwith, and a more rugged and dreary path,
is perhaps fcarce to be trod in any of the fre-
quented parts of this principality. Rhaidr,
though now but a miferable place, derived
formerly fome confequence from its caflle,
which was advantageoufly fituatedin a nook
of the river not far from the bridge, but
of which no trace at prefent remains. Near
the fpot whereon the caflle flood is a deep
trench cut out of a folid rock, and not far
diflant, are feveral large Tumuli, or Bar-
rows, called in Welfh, Kern, and Keido.
Thefe are conjectured to have been raifed as
memorials of the dead. Camden confirms
this idea, and obferves, not very confiftently
indeed with the refpect due to the me-
mory of the departed, * c that it is flill the
cuftom to caft heaps of flones on the
graves of malefactors and felf mur-
^ derers.'*
At what period the caflle at Rhaidr was
built
«<
a
( H )
built is not afcertained, but it was repaired
by Rhys Prince of South Wales in the reign
of Richard the firit, and near it fays Cam-
den, " is a vaft wildernefs rendered very
?' difmal by many crooked ways and high
" mountains, into which as a proper place
u of refuge, that bane of his native country,
" King Vortigern, whofe very memory the
M Britons curfe, withdrew himfelf, when he
** had at laft repented of his abominable
<c wickednefs, in calling in the Englifh
c * Saxons, and inceftuoufly marrying his own
« { daughter."
His addrefs to the Barons, on the fub-
jecl of calling in the aid of the Saxons, is
thus recorded by an anonymous author.
My Lords, vain compliment would fuit but ill
The prefent time, I therefore briefly thank you,
But e'er we part, fain would I crave your hearing.
Our Troops have now been long difus'd to War —
Y et do not th : nk I mean their fame to tarnifl),
« Or
( '5 )
gt Or on a Briton throw the damned flur
** Of (hameful cowardice. No, my good Lords,—
*' But though their ribs do ferve as caftle walls,
<4 And faft imprifon their ftrong Lion hearts,
" Yet e'en the Lion, when full gorg'd with food
" Will bafk and tamely lay him down to fleep— «
" Then in fuch fort, hath undifturbed peace,
" And want of cuftom, (nature's fubftitute,
" That changes e'en our very properties)
" Soften'd their manhood. Then t'were policy
" That we fhould court the Saxons to our aid !
" This too will in our Britons raife the flame
" Of bright and generous emulation.
*' Say Lords ! doth this my propofition pleafe you?
Below Rhaidr we foon loft fight of that
immenfe rocky fcenery, fo eminently charac-
terizing its neighborhood, and every reach
of the river yielded additional richnefs and
verdure. A detail of each minute change
of profpecl: that occurs in a tour of this
nature, however gratifying at the moment
to the eye of the curious and picturefque
traveller, would be tedious and unintereft-
ing ; it is therefore the bufinefs of deicrip-
tion
t 16 )
tion to record only the moft material ob-
jects as they occur, and leave imagination
to paint the reft. About three miles below
Rhaidr, the Wye receives a confiderable
fupply of water from the rivers Eland and
Clanven, which unite at a diftance of about
four miles from their conflux with our ri-
ver. Below this a copious rtream called th£
Ither, which in its courfe receives the Dulas
and Comar, makes a confiderable addition to
the waters of the Wye. From the brow of
a hill about two miles before we reach the
town of Builthj the fcenery is peculiarly
beautiful, the river fpreads itfelf into a bay,
and the immenfe rocky fubltances with
which its bed has hitherto been fpread, rife
here in various detached forms many yards
above its furface, exhibiting fo many fniali
iilands, and agreeable breaks in the fore
ground of the landfcape
The annexed view was fketched front
this
( '7 ;
this fpot, in which it is much to be regret-
ted that the bridge of Builth could not be
introduced, as it would confiderably have
added to the beauty of the fcenery. huilth
is a town of little confequence, yet from its
antiquity, and the falubrity of its air, it be-
comes highly deferving our attention. We
happened to be there on a market day, when
the town was fo thronged with people, that
we could fcarcely pafs through it. It re-
fembled rather a fair than a market, and the
immenfe croud collected together, prefented
to the eye a fcene in effect, fimilnr to that of
one continued mafs of long blue cloaks,
apparently in perpetual motion. Not a
houfe, nor a liable but was occupied, and it
was really a matter of aftonifhment, that in
fo fmall a town, and on fo common an oc-
cafion as that of a weekly market, fuch a
vaft concourfe of people fhould have been
afTembled ; but a market or fair, is the pride
C and
( «» )
and glory of the Welfh ; and, happy fouls !
why mould they not in a fultry fummer's
day, enjoy the fuffocating luxury of a long
blue cloak, as well as the Londoner his
fummer theatre, amidfl u the raging dog
" ftar's heat,"
In an extenfive tour through Wales, I
witnefTed a fcene at Aberyflwith very fimilar
to that I have juft defcribed, and as the fur-
rounding objects were there more peculiarly
marked with the pi£turefque than thofe
at Builth, a reprefentation of the fcene,
although at a confiderable diftance from
hence, may perhaps not prove unacceptable
to the reader. In this view appears part of
the cancellated dwelling of Uvedale Price,
Efq; a man not lefs diftinguifhed for the
elegance with which he cultivates the fine
arts, than for his powers of difcrimination,
and the accuracy with which he defines them.
The
( '9 )
The houfe is recently erected on the fliore,
and commands an extenfive profpect of
the Tea, the only one in fact it does com-
mand.
At this market or fair, the ufual arti-
fices to amufe and delude, were exhibited
with the ufual fuccefs ; other centuries
revolve, and other generations arife, but
ruftic manners remain unchanged, the
fame purfuits occupy the mind, and the
fame toys interefl and beguile. There were,
tc Ribbands of all the colors ith' rain-
" bow. Dancing and mufic, ballads all piti*
" ful and true, one of a fifti that appeared
c< upon the coaft, on Wednefday the four-
<c fcore of April, forty thoufand fadom
<{ above water/' Autolicus with all his
rhetoric could not more artfully have dis-
played his wares, nor could the following
lines have had a better effect on his audi-
tors than the tricks prefented here.
C 2 " Lawn
( *» )
" Lawn as white as driven fnow,
" Cyprus, black as e'er was crowi
*' Gloves as fweet as d imafk rofes,
<c Mafks for faces, and for nofes ;
** Bugle bracelets, necklace amber,
11 Perfume fo r a lady's chamber ;
" Golden quoifs, and ftomachers,
" For my lads to givs their dears ;
" Pins and poking-fticks of fteel,
" What maids lack from head to heal :
W Come, buy of me, come : come, buy, come, buyg,
" Buy, lads, or elfe your lafTes cry : come buy."
Builth is happily encompaffed with a
range of hills that afford fhelter to the place,
and fcreen the neighbouring woods with
which it is enriched. On the fkirt of the
town Hand the remains of an ancient caftle;
they comprife near four acres of ground,
and though not fufficiently matted to form
an object for the pencil, yet the remaining
fragments convey a general idea o f its for-
mer dignity.
The eminence which is contiguous to
the
( « )
the remains of the fortrefs, denotes what the
Romans called the Prefidium. This caftle is
reported to have been erected by the Breofes
and Mortimers, after the demolition of a
former one by Rhys ap GryfFydh. Ptolomy
calls the town of Builth, Bullaeum Silurum,
from whence it derived its name, but Doctor
Horiely is inclined to think that the ancient
Bullaeum of Antoninus, was at Ufke in
Monmouthihire, from the ruins of g,
Roman fort, or city, being found there.
The neighbourhood of that place is flill
called Bualht,
Traversing the vicinity of the caftle,
our Welfh guide pointed out to us a field
at about two miles diftance, called Cavan, in
which Prince Llewellyn is reported to have
been buried, and fo fertile he obferved was
the foil, that each item bore two heads of
corn.
From
( «« )
From the fame authority, we are told that
as that Prince was one day croffing the field
in difguife, he afked of an old woman the
name of a fmall brook that ran acrofs it,
who replied, it was called Nantytrrad,
then faid he, let it in future be named
Cwm Llewellyn, for that mall be the burial
place of that Prince. Where is there a
Welchmen who does not deplore the lofs of
his brave Llewellyn ? but our guide drew
much confolation from their being yet a
good Prince of Wales, who in the hour of
need, would certainly defend and fight for
his countrymen. Llewellyn is reported to
have been murthered in a fmall caftle that
flood at a place called Llechryd, about
one mile from Buiith, while he was medi-
tating his efcape into Glamorganfhire. A
modern houfe, with a moat furrounding it
that includes about three acres, marks the
fpot whereon the caftle flood. Buiith Caftle
is well htuated for defence, it flands on an
eminence,
( *3 )
eminence, and the point of land, is in part
furrounded by the beautiful river Irvon,
which in a femicircular direction winds its
courfe into the Wye, about half a mile
above the town. This river is of confider-
able width, and derives its fource from
the hills in the vicinity of Strata Florida
in the county of Cardigan j thence after
taking a fouth weft direction it winds to-
wards the north eaft, and falls into the Wye
near Builth, Within a fmall diftance of
its junction with our river, it receives a
brook called the Wevery, which rifes on the
Brecknockfhire hills abought eight miles
diftant, and produces remarkable high fla-
voured falmon and trout 4
Near to the Wye a new ftone bridge is
building over the Irvon, contiguous to the
old one which was of wood. This new
ftruclure confifts of fix eliptical arches ; it
is erecting at the joint expence of the coun-
ties
C *4 )
ties of Brecon and Radnor. The elevated
ipan of the upper circle of this bridge, how-
ever neceflary here from the great floods
that happen in the winter fealoii, is yet a tafte
too prevalent in the general con u ruction of
our bridges. The bed of the upper furface
is ufually fo high as to become a large
fegment of a circle ; this cufrom militates
not only againft every principal of utility to
the horfe and traveller, but fhuts out the ge-
neral profpec~t, which even by an artift whofe
ideas are not too narrowly confined to his
own fcience, mould in a country like this
be made an object of fome consideration.
In Italy and France, a contrary fyftem
has very judicioufly been adopted, by which
means, in every point of view the eye finds
relief from the dtverfified fcenery around.
This practice is fupported by the claffical
productions of the elegant Claude Lorraine,
who, whether he defigns from nature, or has
recouife
( »s )
recourfe to his own refined ideas of his art,
always adheres to this principle. Near Builth
are the remains of Llandrindod-wells, once in
high efteem, and celebrated for their excellent
medicinal quality. This fpring of water
irTues out of the fide of a rock, which is of
the flate kind, it is ftrongly impregnated with
nitrous fait, fulphur, and freel ; and produces
an effect fimilar to the waters of Scarborough
and Cheltenham, but it is of a more power-
fully quality. The wells are now greatly in
decay, and confequently are not fo much fre-
quented as formerly, On a high hill named
Caven Durris, about a mile from Builth,
David Thomas, Efq; has erecled a handfome
flone refidence, which when viewed from the
town, appears too much expofed, but on
a near approach, is found to be happily
fcreened from the northern winds by the fur-
rounding hills : It command a very noble
and extenfive view, as well on its own level
towards the South, as from that part which
D looks
Jooks down towards the town of Builth, and
at the fame time includes a beautiful com-
mand of the meandering courfe of the rivers
Wye and Irvon, and of the extenfive bridge
of Builth in the vale beneath. This bridge
is a fimple and well conftructed modern edi-
fice, confifting of fix arches, within a mile of
which a fmall river called the Dihono having
a fmall bridge of one arch thrown over it,
empties itfelf into the Wye. From the ferry
a little below, a beautiful reach of the river
terminates in a view of the fmall remains of
Aberadway caftle, of which no hiftory is to
be traced. Its ruin is very infignificant, little
more than a flone wall, now ever grown with
ivy remains. At the extremity of it are the
fragments of two round towers. Thefc
rude fpecimens of art, are finely con-
tracted by the adjoining and truly wonder-
ful productions of nature. Thefe are an im-
menfe range of rocks running parrallel with
the river, exhibiting a variety of the moil
ftrangc
( *7 )
itrange and fantaftic forms imaginable. In
different points of view, they convey to the
mind, the idea of fo many towers and catties
fhooting from amidfl the oak coppices and
other fhiubs that inrich this majeftic fce-
nery. Thefe vaft prominencies in their va-
rious fhapes, received at the inftant of view-
ing them, additional grandeur and effecl
from the folemn (hade, produced by a decli-
ning fun, and prefented a fcene truly wor-
thy the pencil of a Salvator, or amongft our
countrymen, his rival, the late John Morti-
mer. Near this charming fpot, the river
Edwa, from which thefe rocks derive their
.name, empties itfelf into our river. For
a confiderable diflance in paffing down the
Wye, we have on a fmaller fcale perpe-
tual breaks of the fame rocky kind of
fcenery till we reach Llangoed, the feat of
Mr. Edwards j from hence we ride through
a charming wood of young oaks, ranged
for a confiderable diflance on an elevated
D 2 bank;
( *8 )
bank of the Wye, they give at each breal^
and opening, an enchanting view of our
beautiful and picturefque river, which on
the approach to a village called Swains,
about a mile diftant, wears the appearance
of an extenfive bay, while the mountains in
the back ground gradually recede, and the
general face of the landfcape aflumes a new
character. In the annexed view of Glafe-
bury, the fcene when contrafted with that
at Aberedway or at Builth, will befl illuf-
trate this idea, here all around wears an
air of placidity j the river's rocky bed no,
more agitates the water in its courfe, it flows
a tranquil and a gentle ftream, reflected on
whofe glafly furface under the evening's
lengthening fhade
" Down bend its banks, the trees depending grow 5
" And fkies beneath with anfw'ring colors glow.
In the midft of this rich and beautiful
valley, an elegant Hone bridge of {even
arches
( 2 9 )
arches is thrown acrofs the river. It was
built about fourteen years ago by the family
qf Edwards, under the direction of their
father, the celebrated architect of Pont-y-
pridd. The adjoining view was made in
Auguft, 1794 i in the enfuing winter the
bridge was totally deftroyed, which will in
in fome degree give value to this fketch,
as a memorial of that which is at prefent,
little more than a wreck ; every arch of
it having been blown up by the torrent
pf ice, which poured down on the very fud-
den thaw, after the long frofl in the begin-
ing of 1795.
SEC-
( 3« )
SECTION III.
Kj N our approach to the town of Hay,
we pafs its fmall church, fituated on a high
and clayey bank of the river, from whence
the town and adjoining objects, afford little
worthy the attention of the artift. To pre-
face this feclion, I have therefore felected a
general view of the town and furrounding
country, from a fpot about a mile below the
bridge, which prefents a fcene highly en-
riched by an afiemblage of woods, meadows,
and corn fields, at once extenfive, and in a
peculiar degree interefting.
The town is happily fituated on the
declivity of a hill, on which the houfes rifing
gradually, convey the idea of a place of in-
finitely more confequence than really it pof-
fefTes, and in no fmall degree gives the ge-
neral
C 3* )
tteral outline of an Italian Iandfcape. f h£
face of this fcenery and bridge is fully illus-
trative of the pofition laid down in the lafl
feclion, of the fuperior beauty of flat bridges
over thofe that are elevated. This bridge
is formed of feven arches and in the year
1795, met with a fimilar fate to the prece-
ding one, and which were thrown acrofs
the torrents that pour themfelves along the
vallies of this mountainous country.
The purple hue of the diftance called
the black mountains* affords a good back-
ground to this fcenery, which is heightened
by the rich glow of a noon-tide fun, dart-
ing at the inftant, and giving force and re-
lief to every object. Thefe mountains ex*
tend fourteen or fifteen miles towards a
place called Monmouth Cap, about eight
miles from Abergavenny. The head of
water in the fore groud of the view, is
formed from a fmall river called Boonewayne
Brook,
( 33 )
Brook, which fupplies the neigbouring mill
with water ; the goat who flood browfing
on a high bank of the river before us, was
an object we were not accuftomed to meet,
with even in Wales, as I do not remember
to have ken more than three, in the courfo
of a long tour through this country.
The town of Hay was formerly called
Hain, it derives its name from the Britifli
word Tregclhi, which, fays Camben " may
" be rendered Hafely, or Hafleton 5 it ap-
" pears to have been well known to the
* c Romans, fome remains of their walls
" being ftill viable, and many of their coins
" having been found here." He likewife
fays " the ancient town was confumed
<c by fire by the profligate rebel, Owen
" Glyndwr or Glendower, in his marches
u through this country." Our divine bard
has put the following lines into the mouth
E of
( 34 )
of Glendower, when ipeaking of his anta>
gonifh
" Three times hath Henry Bolingbroke made head
<c Againft my pow'r, thrice from the banks of lfye t
" And fandy-bottom'd Severn, have I fent
" Him bootlefs home, and weather-beaten back."
This place anciently belonged to Wil-
liam de Brus, Lord of Brecknock, and was
nearly deftroyed by Lewis, Dauphin of
France, in 1216, who had been invited into
England by the Barons difaffected to King
John.
The town of Hay is fituated on the ex-
treme angle of Brecknockfhire, and on the
borders of Herefordfhire. Near the church,
on the higheil land on the brink of the ri-
ver, there anciently flood a cattle built by
the Normans, of which little more now
remains than a mound of earth, and the en-
trench-
( 35 )
trenchments that furround it. The prefent
caftle ftands nearly in the centre of the
town. Its Gothic entrance, and the Ivy
over-growing the remains of the ancient
tower, produce a ftriking effect on the ap-
proach to this venerable ruin.
A large houfe adjoining, is the pro-
perty of Richard Wellington, Efq j It is
erected on the fite of the old caftle, and ap-
pears to have been the work of the age of
James I. Within a few years, it has been
modernized, by which it has in fome degree
been ftripped of that fmall fhare of the pic-
turefque, that in fome inftances is to be
found even in that barbarous age of archi-
tecture. As the caftle is not generally no-
ticed by the traveller, nor has any print that
I can learn, ever yet been given of it, the
annexed view may not prove unacceptable to
the curious enquirer. On quitting Hay,
the Wye receives a considerable body of
E 2 water
( 3« )
water from the river Dulas, acrofs which is
a ftone bridge of one arch. Thus afiifted,
our river becomes a copious ftream, and has
been long rendered navigable in the winter
feafons. For this purpofe two flatutes
were paffed in parliament, the one in the
fourteenth of Charles II. the other in the
feventh of William III.
About two miles below the town, the
ruin of the once famous Clifford cattle pre-
fents itfelf ; it frauds on a confiderable emi-
nence on the bank of the Wye, is well fitu-
ated for defence, and forms a boundary to
the weflern part of the county of Hereford,
Its walls are not fufficiently high, nor are
the parts fo broken and irregular as to afford
a complete piclurefque object, but it has yet
confiderable attractions to merit the notice
of the fpeculative and inquifitive traveller,
Camden lays, that it is recorded in doom's-.
day book, to have been built by William.
Fitzofborn.
( 37 )
Fitzofborn, Earl of Hereford. It came after-
wards to Walter, the fon of Richard de
Ponts, a Norman, who came into England
with William the Conqueror, Walter took
his name of De Clifford from this caftle, and
from him defcended the illuftrious family
of the earls of Cumberland. We fhall not
enter into a detail of the warlike exploits
performed in this place, but confine our-
felves to the well known ftory of fair Ro-
famond, daughter of an earl of Clifford,
who was born in this caftle. The ftory,
whether fabulous or true, has been deemed
not unworthy the attention, both of the
poet and hiftorian. Mafter Hollinfhead in
his ufual quaintnefs of ftyie, thus fpeaks of
King Henry the fecond's incontinence, and
of his particular attachment to the fair
Rofamond, " for not contented with the
" ufe of his wife, he kept many concubines,
< c but namely lie delited moil in the com-
" panic
( 3» )
" panie of a pleafant damofell, whome he
" 'cleped the rofe of the world, the common
" people named hir Rofamond, for hir pairing
" beautie, propernefle of perfon, and plea-
' f fant wit, with other amyable qualities,
" being verily a rare and peerelefTe peece in
" thofe days. He made for hir an houfe
" at Woodftocke in Oxfordfhire, like to a
" laberinth, that is to meane, wrought like
" a knot in a garden, called a maze, with
cc fuch turnings and windings in and out,
" that no creature might finde her nor
<£ come to hir, except he were inftruc~ted by
the king, or fuch as were fecrete with him
in that matter. But the common report
of the people is, that the queene finally
found her out by a filke thread, whiche
" the king had drawne forth of hir chamber
* £ with his foote, and dealte with hir in fuch
V lharpe and cruell wife, that me lyved not
<; long after. She was buried in the Nun-
" lie
u
. t
:-
( 39 )
" rie of Godflow befide Oxforde, with thefc
C{ verfes upon hir tumbe. "
* c Hie jacet in tumulo, Rofamundi non Rofamunda,
** Non redolet fed olet, quae redolere folet."
We cannot quit this fubjecl, the family
of the De Cliffords, without adverting to
another of its noble defcendants, George Clif-
ford, the third earl of Cumberland, who in
1525, was advanced to the dignity of an earL
The feats of this adventurous and renowned
warrior, are tranfmitted to us by various
hiftorians, and though to many perfons they
may be well known, yet fome mention of
him in this place, may not be thought irre-
levant to our fubjecl:. This nobleman was
one of the peers who fat in judgment on
Mary Queen of Scots, and became after-
wards a great favourite of her coufm Eliza-
beth.
( 4o )
beth. He fignalized himfelf highly at fea*
in various engagements againft the Spa-
niards, and behaved with much intrepidity
during the memorable encounter with the
invincible Armada. In confequence of his
gallantry the Queen created him an Admi-
ral, and a few years after, a Knight of
the Garter; he was likewife one of the
lords fent out with the forces to reduce the
Earl of EfTex. He died in London at
the Savoy, at the age of forty feven, in
the year 1605.
We cannot pafs over a ftriking inftance
of gallantry, in this extraordinary hero, as
recorded by Mr. Pennant, which appears
fully to keep pace with his bravery as a
naval commander. " At an audience,
'* which the earl had after one of his
" expeditions, Queen Elizabeth, perhaps
H defrgnedly, dropped one of her gloves.
His
( 41 )
" His lordfhip took it up, and prefented it
,£ to her j upon winch Hie gracioufiy de-
" fired him to keep it as a mark of her
" efteem. He adorned the glove with dia-
<£ monds, and wore it in the front of his
" high crowned hat on days of tour-
" nament." This circumftance is recorded
in a very curious and rare print of the earl,
engraved by Robert White, in which the
glove appears. Another inftance of the
queen's favor to this earl of Cumberland,
was, her appointing him her champion in
her tilting matches, in which exercife he
excelled all the nobility of his time. His
magnificent armour worn in this age of chi-
valry, was adorned with rofcs and fleur de
lis, and is now preferved at Appleby Caftle
in Weftmoreland. He married Margaret,
third daughter of Francis earl of Bedford,
by whom he had three children, two fons
who died young, and a daughter named
F Anne,
( 4* )
Anne, who was fucceffively married to Ri-
chard earl of Dorfet, and to Philip earl of
Pembroke and Montgomery.
This lady appears by the following
letter to have inherited with the family
eftates, all the bravery and fpirit of her
great anceflors. Sir Jofeph Williamfon,
when fecretary of flate to Charles the II.
wrote to the Countefs, wifhing to name a
candidate to her for the borough of Ap-
pleby, to which fhe returned the following
fpirited anfwer " I have been bullied by an
<c u fur per, I have been neglected by a court,
" but I will not be dictated to by a fubject.
* 4 Your man fhan't fland."
" AN N E, DORSET;
" Pembroke and Montgomery."
Dr.
( 43 )
Dr. Campbell, in his Philofophy of
Rhetoric, highly commends the expreflion
of this letter, he fays, " an ordinary fpirit
" would have employed as many pages to
" exprefs the fame thing, as there are af-
if firmations in this fhort letter." Of this
extraordinary lady, Dr. Donne remarked,
'* that in her younger years, fhe knew well
" how to difcourfe of all things, from pre-
" deftination, to flea-filk."
From this digreflion, which we hope will
not prove uninterefling, we return again to
the main fubject of our enquiry.
The winding and mazy courfe of the
Wye in about two miles, brings us to
Whitney, where, in 1794, the piers and
part of the arches of a new ftone bridge
were in great forwardnefs, but in the fuc-
ceeding fpring, the whole was fwept away
F 2 by
( 44 ;
by that fudden thaw and torrent, whofe de-
vastations we have more than once had oc-
cafion to notice. In this unfiniflied ftate,
the bufy fcenery of the various artificers
at work, a ferry boat perpetually in motion,
and the diftant village church, peeping above
the hills in the back ground, produced alto*
gether a fubject well worthy the pencil ; but
from the confined nature of this work, and
the abundant rich, and luxuriant fcenery, we
have yet to difplay, we feel it impofllble to
infert every object in picture, however highly
it may merit our notice in defcription. Paf-
fing feveral beautiful villages, we reach WiU
lerfley, in the vicinity of which, the extenfive
range of Merbidge Hills afforded us, from
their fummit, a grand and extenfive view of
the furrounding country. Another noble
object prefents itfelf in this neighbourhood,
which bears the name of Brobery's Scar : its
principal attractions are the bold and ma^
jectic
( 45 )
jeftic ronghnefTes of its form, that contrail
beautifully with the views, more immedi-
ately upon the eye, on the bank of our river.
Hence, amidft a profufion of rich and beau-
tiful fcenery, at a place called Rhydfpence,
the river quits Radnorihire, and glides its
eafy courfe towards Bradwardin. This town
flands on an eafy afcent on the bank of
the Wye, and prefents itfelf in a happy point
of view above the bridge, the northern bank
of the river rifes to a confiderable height,
and is richly cloathed with (h rubbery. In
the annexed view we have aimed at a repre-
fentation of this beautiful and romantic
fcene. The river here acquires a confider-
able width, and though in a dry feafon,
has a proportionable depth of water. In
this vicinity there was formerly a caftle, of
which very little remains. This place gave
birth, and name to the famous Thomas
Bradwardin, Archbifliop of Canterbury,
who,
( 46 )
who, from his variety of knowledge and
proficiency in the abftrufe branches of learn-
ing, obtained his title of Doctor Profundus.
Below this village we glided down this deep
and majeftic flream, amidfl a rich and fertile
country, till we reached Mocca's Court, the
feat of Sir George Cornwall, Bart. It is plea-
fantly fituated on an eminence, on the fou-
thern bank of the Wye, within a fpacious
park, and commands a full and extenfive
view of the beautiful meanderings of the
river.
This place was anciently called Moches t
and formed a part of the poffeflions of
St. Guthlach, in the City of Hereford.
The ancient houfe Hood below the fite of
the prefent, which is a modern flructure,
and was in part built from the ruin of
Bredwardin Caftle. In defcending towards
Hereford we paffed a variety of elegant
villas,
( 47 )
Villas, rich in fituation, and very happily
fele&ed as fummer refidences ; amongft thefe
Belmont, the feat of Dr. Matthews, is pecu-
liarly worthy of attention. The views from
hence, in each direction of the river, are
highly attractive, and art and nature under
the guidance of tafte, are happily combined
to produce a rich and beautiful effecl.
SEC-
( 49 )
SECTION. IV.
_1 H I S view of the ancient bridge and
venerable cathedral of Hereford, affords the
moil: piclurefque, and ftriking combination
of objects, that came within our obfervation.
The bridge is of (lone, and con fills of eight
Gothic arches, it is evidently of great anti-
quity, but at what period it was built, his-
tory affords little information on which we
can rely. Leland conjectures that it was
erecled about the fame time with the caftle,
that is, foon after the conquefl.
The prefent beautiful cathedral, fays
Camden, " was founded by bifhop Reinelm,
" in 1079, in the reign of Henry I. and by
" his fuccefTors was enlarged, by adding to it
" a neat college and fine houfes for the pre-
" bendaries." The BiQiop, he likewife fays,
* G " has
( 5° >
" has three hundred and two churches in lib
diocefe." The revenues of the bifhopric were
valued, in the 26th of Henry VIII. at eight
hundred and thirty one pounds fourteen (hil-
lings and a penny. The prefent venerable
flruclure has undergone many changes, and
has been greatly encreafed and beautified by
feveral of its bifhops fince its firft erection,
a- circumstance that naturally followed from
the immenfe expenfe attending fuch an un-
dertaking, which muft at any period have
greatly exceeded the income, even of the
wealthier! abbot or biihop that the church
bus yet known. The fimilarity of parts in
the ftyle of its architecture, has induced fome
perfons to conjecture that it was all built at
the fame period : this I judge could not
have been the cafe, there is more reafon ta
believe that the earlier! forms feived as a
model for future ages to work upon. It has
undergone fhameful depredations : the chief
of which were occafioned by the puritanical-
principles
( 5' )
principles of the laft century, when a blind
•zeal upon religious fubjects devoted the
moll beautiful and venerable veftiges of an-
tiquity to ruin and deftruction, as abomi-
nations hateful in the eyes of God and man.
The form of the arches feems to indicate
that the earlier part of this building was
erected about the sera of the Saxon archi-
tecture ; its columns are peculiarly pon-
derous and maffive, they appear to have
been erected ct not for an age, but for all
<c time." Some monuments of their bifhops
ftill remain, amongft which, in the north
wing is the fhrine of bifhop Cantilupe.
The monument of the family of the Bo-
huns, in the library is curious, and deferves
the attention of the antiquary : a recumbent
figure is laying beneath a pointed Gothic
arch, round which are a number of hogs,
covered with a kind of body cloth, on
which are painted the arms of the family,
each hog having before him an apple to
G 2 which
( 5* )
which he feems fmelling. This ancient fa-
mily of the Bohuns and the Lacies earls of
Hereford, are faid by fome writers to have
been the founders of Hereford caftle, which
Leland afTerts " to have been one of the
" f aire ft, largeft, and ftrongeft in England/*
The preceding view of Hereford was made
in the fummer of 1794, at which time the
tower of the cathedral was furrounded with
a fcaffold, and the whole of the building
under a thorough repair, from the dreadful
accident that happened in the year 1786 :
On the 17th day of April in that year,
about half paft fix in the evening, the weft
tower of the cathedral with part of the
body of the church unfortunately fell down.
The above accident did not happen with-
out giving evident figns of gradual decay,
both from the dropping of many ftones,
and the fettling of the arches, which had
been remarked for two or three years pre-
vious to the event. This dreadful cataf-
trophe
( 53 )
trophe was diffidently forefeen to prevent
any fatal confequences. No lives were
loft though many perfons were pafling the
church yard at the time, and we of this day
have the lefs reafon to deplore the accident,
as the rulers of this church, have had the
good fenfe to make ufe of the rare talents of
an architect, whole knowledge of the Gothic,
and natural tafte for grandeur and fimpli-
city, fo peculiarly fitted him for the office
of rcftoring this venerable fabric to its true
characleriftical dignity, and who does not
appear to have deviated from the original
defign, where it was poflible to conform to it.
One principal improvement has been the
removing fome walls that encircled a mate-
rial part of the church, by which means
a view was opened, of two beautiful cha-
pels, called Stanbury and Audley, that had
been long concealed from the public eye.
Mr. Wyat's eftimate of the repair of
this
( 54 )
this building was feven thoufand pounds, five
thoufand of which was raifed by fubferip-
tion. But I am imformed that to complete
this repair, the whole expenfe will amount to
at lead thirteen thoufand pounds.
This magnificent ftructure has ever been
confidered by the antiquary, notwithstanding
its irregularity, as a fplendid fpecimen of the
piety and munificence of our early church-
men ; and the arched roof of the upper crofs
aide, fupported by a fingle pillar, is peculi-
arly cleferving attention. Tradition fays, it
was erected in the reien of William Rufus,
by Robert de Lozinga, fecond bifhop of the
fee of Hereford. The height of the tower
was one hundred and twenty- five feet, upon
which was a lofty fpire, that has, fince the
accident, been taken down.
*
On the fite on which this cathedral
ilands there was anciently a church, founded
durin
rr
O
( 55 )
during the zenith of the Saxon heptarchy
about the ninth century, foon after which
it became a cathedral, and Hereford was
made the fee of a bifhop. The cathedral
was dehroyed, and the city facked in the
reign of Edward the Confeflbr, by Grif-
fin prince of South Wales who made the
bifhop prifoner. At the Norman invafion
the city was in ruins, and within its walls
and the fuburbs, there were not, according
to doomfday book, more than one hundred
and three men.
At a fmall diftance from the cathedral
ftands the vicar's college, it forms a fquare,
within which is a plain but venerable cloifter.
From its elevated fituation, it commands a
beautiful view of the meandering courfe of
our river Wye, and its fertile and verdant
banks. Although it is not the profefTed in-
tention of this work to enter into a minute
hiflory of cities, or towns, yet the anti-
quity
( 56 )
quity of this venerable place demands our
attention, and cannot be pafTed over in
filence, we fhall therfore mention the once
elegant building of the chapter houfe, of
which, though but a fmall fragment pre-
fents itfelf, there is yet fufficient of the
picturefque to attract the notice of the
curious traveller, nor can the remains of
the Black Fryers with its beautiful crofs, or
rather ftone pulpit, be paffed unnoticed,
the latter is here preferved in a wood cut
from a fketch made on the fpot in 1 794.
The
( 57 )
The building is Hexagonal, open at
every fide, and round it is a flight of fix
fteps. The fhaft of the crofs which is bro-
ken off, refts on a table of the fame form
in the centre of the building, and fpreads
itfelf towards the roof in ramifications
that produce a very beautiful effects Some
of the embattlemcnts yet remain on the
upper part of the building, the whole
of which appears to have been finifhed
with great care and elegance. From this
building, fermons were delivered by the
fryers, who were then extremely popular,
to the multitude who were fheltered un-
der the cloifter, that it is prefumed, fur-
rounded this building. An hofpital in
1 6 14, was founded on the fite whereon
Hood the black fryars, by Sir Thomas
Coningfby of Hampton Court, in this
county, who was then proprietor of the
ruins, and by him it was endowed with
confiderable eftates in Leicefterihire, and
H was
C 58 )
was intended as a relief to the worti out
foldier and fuperannuated faithful fervanti
The city of Hereford, appears by its
remaining walls, to have been well and
regularly fortified, and its caftle muft have
been a very capital fortrefs. The fite
whereon it Hood retains the name of Caflie
Green, and affords a pleafant retreat, com-
manding a very beautiful view of the river
beneath and of the furrounding country.
This being a remarkable dry feafon, barges
have been laying at Hereford for upwards
four months, for want of water to carry
them down.
The principal articles of navigation are
timber, bark, and grain, and the back car-
riage, is coals from Ledbrook and other
places below Rofs. Hereford is not favour-
ably fituated for manufactures or commerce,
It is ill fupplied with fuel, and that not
good,
( 59 )
good, and the uncertain flate of the river,
from its fhoals and great rapidity, prevents
that conftant and uniform navigation which
can alone fupport a regular and extenfive
trade. To remove thefe barriers, feveral at-
tempts, I am informed, have been made, but
the eftimate of expenfes has been fo enor-
mous, that the meafure has always proved
abortive.
Quitting Hereford, the Wye bends its
courfe round a point of land for a dis-
tance of near two miles, when we are again
brought almoft as near to the town, as
when we quitted it. The river as we
pafTed down, ltill continued its circuitous
windings, but with a more placid furface,
feldom meeting any obftruclion in its
courfe, from thofe rocky fubftances that
formed the grand characleriftic of the
ftream in its earlier ftages. The general
face of the country is rich in verdure,
H 2 and
( 60 )
and the cattle grazing on the banks of
the river or laving in its dream, are objects
that perpetually contribute to enliven the
fceae.
About fix miles below Hereford, the
Wye receives the river Lug, one of the
three principal rivers in this county j it de-
rives its fource from the mountains in the
north eaft part of Radnor (hire, and running
eaft, through Herefordfhire to Leominfter,
takes a fouth eaft direction towards the
Wye ; in its courfe it is joined by feveral
fmaller ftreams, and on its near approach
to our river, becomes a ftream of consi-
derable magnitude. About a mile from
the bank of the Wye, this river runs
through the pleafant village of Mordiford,
and adds much to the picturefque fcenery of
the place. On the eaft end of the church
of Mordiford is reprefented in plafter, an
enormous dragon or ferpent, the hiftory of
which
( 6l )
which is thus recorded. Some centuries ago,
we know not when, a dragon is reported
to have been the devourer of all the cattle
on the adjoining hills called OfFwood, and
was a monfter of fuch terrific qualities, that
no one could for a great length of time, be
found hold enough to undertake his deftruc-
tion, till at length a pardon being granted
to a comdemned ciiminal, on condition
that he would undertake it, he atchieved his
purpofe, by flaying the dragon as he was fo-
lacing himfelf in a cyder hogftiead. This
wonderful relation, feems to be generally cre-
dited by the people in the neighbourhood,
as no doubt it was at the building of this
edifice, or this ftrange monfter would not
have been reprefented in fo terrific a form,
and in fo confpicuous a place as the front of
the church. After relating this wonderful
circumftancc, may we be permitted to quote
another, not lefs fo from the learned Cam-
den, He fays, that <e near the conflux of
" the
( 6* )
<c the Lug and the Wye, eaftward, a hill
" which they call Marcley hill, did in the
<c year 1575, roufe itfelf as it were out of
ic fleep, and for three days together, fnoving
" its prodigious body forward with a hor-
" rible roaring noife, and overturning every
" thing in its way, raifed itfelf (to the
" great aftonifhment of the beholders) to a
ff higher place j by that kind of earthquake,
<c I fuppofe, which the Naturalifts call Braf-
" matia." On a hill adjoining the village,
a large Irone houfe has been recently erected
by a Mr. Hereford, which deferves notice
from the extenfive and beautiful view it
commands of Hereford and the furrounding
country.
About a mile below Mordiford, we
pafs a large brick manfion belonging to the
Duke of Norfolk, called Holme Lacy, for-
merly the feat of the ancient family of the
Scudamores. On this fite flood an abbey
for
( 63 )
for Premonftratenfian cannons, dedicated to
the Virgin Mary and Thomas a Becket,
founded by William Fitzwain in the be-
ginning of the reign of Henry the third;
the houfe is a flat uninterefting building,
but comprifes within its view a beautiful
and piclurefque profpect on the oppofite
flde of the river, called Fownhope. The
village is fituated amidfl a rich thicket of
verdant and woody fcenery, on an exten-
five (lope rifing from a rocky bank of the
Wye.
This richly diverfified hill, is at a pro-
per diftance from the eye, to enable it dis-
tinctly to mark the feveral fpecies of trees
of which it is compofed ; thefe cannot be
more aptly defcribed, than in the lines of
Dyer, on a fimilar fubjec~t, in his charming
poem of Grongar Hill.
<c
The
( 6+ )
* c The gloomy pine, the poplar blue^
" The yellow beech, the fable yew,
" The flender fir, that taper grows,
" The flurdy oak, with broad fpread boughs."
Amonst the few houfes that are fcat-
tered on this beautiful fcene, the principal
are thofe of Mr. Lechmere, and Mr. Pur-
chafe, who has a conuderable brewery here.
A little below the next bend of the river, a
range of hills called Capier hills, form a rich
fcreen to the northern bank of the Wye.
Thefe hills are upwards of a mile and a half
in length, and are principally covered with
oak trees, the foil which is of a reddiiTi
call, frequently breaks through the verdure
of its plantations, and gives a warm and
animated tinge to the landfcape. A high
road pafFes the fummit of thefe hills, that
commands a beautiful profpect of the fur-
rounding country, and the meandering river
beneath. Near Brookhampton on Capier
hill, is the remain of a very large fquare
camp,
( 65 )
camp called Wobnry, it appears to be dou-
ble trenched, but narrow ard near half a
mile in length. About five years ago, near
three acres of thefe hills fell into the Wye
and narrowed its courfe, but it has from
that circumftance, obtained a more confider-
able depth than we have before witneffed
in this river, being now in a dry feafon, up-
wards of five feet deep.
On the left of the river, at Aram (lone,
is a tine view of the village of King's Ca-
ple fituated amidft: a beautiful aifemblage of
woods. Below this fpot on the oppofite
bank is Hare wood, the reiidence of the Hof-
kins's an ancient family in the county of
Hereford. This place is peculiarly worthy
notice, as it compofed part of the foreft of
Harewood, in which Ethelwold, king Edgar's
minifter had a caftle. Here Mafon fixed the
fcene, for his dramatic poem of Elfrida, and
thus he defcribes the fcene before us
I " How
C 66 )
<l How nobly docs this venerable wood,
" Gilt with the glories of the orient fun
" Embofom yon fair manfion ! the foft air
" Salutes me with moft cool and temp'rate breath ;
" And as I tread, the flow'r befprinkled lawn
" Sends up a gale of fragrance. I mould guefs,
" If e'er content deign'd vifit mortal clime,
" This was her place of deareft relidence."
From hence amidft a rich and woody
country, admitting from its famenefs little
variety worthy either the pen or pencil, we
purfued our courfe down the gentle flream
till we reached the pleafant village of Sel-
leck ; its church is of a fingular conftruc-
tion, and no lefs fo is that of an epitaph I
copied in the church yard, on the tomb-
Hone of one Richard Addis who died in
1788, aged 80.
" When Chrift come riding on the clouds
" To view the world abroad,
" Angels and faints crying aloud
" Rife dead and meet the Lord;"
On the oppofitc fice of the river, a
little
( 6/ )
little below Harewood, is a fine grove of
trees called Capie Tump, where an annual
feftival is held from all the neighbouring
towns, and where
" AH the village train, from labor free,
" Lead up their fpoits beneath the fpreading tree."
About two miles below Selleck, we
were gratified with the mod beautiful and
luxuriant view of Rofs, that I believe the
country from any point affords.
SEC
( 69 )
SECTION V.
o
N the approach to Rofs, a fine amphi-
theatre of trees called Afhwood. fkirts the
fouthern bank of the Wye. From this
charming fpot, near three miles above Rofs,
The annexed view which comprehends the
principal objects that compofe the beauti-
ful in picture fque landfcape was fketched.
The town is fituated on the declivity of a
hill at a happy diftance, and not too obtrn-
five on the eye ; the rifing hills with which
it is fcreened give a boldnefs of character to
the fituation, nor is the winding of the ri-
ver, and verdure of the country that enrich
its banks, lefs charactereftic of this delight-
ful neighbourhood. The hill to the right of
the town is called the Chafe, and that on the
left, Penyard-wood, on which formerly flood
a caftle, faid to have been deftroyed in the
civil
( 7° )
civil wars. The white fpire of Rofs
church " bofomed high in tufted trees'*
has at this diftance an effect peculiarly
pleafing, but on a nearer approach, the
town obtrudes too much on the eye, and
the piclurefque and beautiful, gradually
difappear.
Rofs, abftracled from its elevated and
delightful fituation, has little to render it
worthy attention ; the profpect from the
church yard a fpot to which the traveller
is generally conducted on his arrival, dis-
plays a very extenfive and inchanting land-
fcape both above and below the town.
The beautiful and meandering courfe of
the river beneath, enriched with pleafure
boats conftantly in motion, in their paffage
to and from Chepftow, gives life and beauty
to the fcene. Thefe boats are lightly con-
irrucled and are navigated by three men, ei-
ther
( 7' )
ther wlfh or without a fail. The heavy
mafs of building called the Town Hall,
from its general appearance conveys a faint
idea of the worfl flyle of Saxon architec-
ture j it is a ponderous and unmeaning
heap of flone, huddled together in the
taftelefs reign of James the firft, by one
John Abel who erecled a fimilar building at
Hereford j they vie with each other in want
of tafle, and have nothing to render them
worthy notice but their abfurdity, which I
believe is not to be equalled by the dullefl
architect of that or any other period. At
one end of the building, intended I prefume
as an ornament, there is a nofelefs bull:, fup-
pofed to be that of the merry monarch
Charles the fecond. In fuch a flate of de-
cay is the flone of which this edifice is com-
pofed, together with the heavy flyle of its
architecture, that it has every appearance of
having been erecled as far back as the
time of the Saxons.
Not-
( n )
Notwithstanding the difadvantage
under which this building labors, I have
yet confidered the general view of which it
forms a part as not devoid of intereft, it
comprizes the houfe in which the man of
Rofs refided till his death, now known by
the fign of the King's Arm Inn. As every
the mod trifling circumftance relative to a
character fo highly diftinguifhed by the pen
of Pope, and ftill more highly dignified by
the general voice of the people of Rofs be-
comes interesting, I have here thought fit
to give a view of the houfe in which he
refided, and the adjoining buildings.
To the benevolent John Kyrle, a name
aim oft loft in the fuperior title of the
Good Man of Rofs this town owes moil
of its improvements and charitable infti-
tutions.
He was born at Whitehoufe, in the
parifti
>
V
^
s-. ^
fc.
\
is.
* -v
v
( 73 )
parlfh of Dymock, in the county of Here-
ford in 1637, ferved the office of fherirT for
the county in 1683, and died in 1724.
From an income of only five hundred
pounds a year, this good man appears to
have derived every happinefs to himfelf and
to have diffufed it with uncommon bene-
volence to all around him. This exem-
plary character has been fo intereftingly
delineated by the pen of Pope, that the in-
troduction of the following lines although
well known, will need no apology for their
infertion in this work.
Rife honefl: mufe ! and fing the Man of Rofs :
Pleas'd Vaga echoes thro' her winding bounds,
And rapid Severn hoarfe applaufe refounds.
Who hung With woods yon mountain's fultry brow ?
From the dry rock, who bade the waters flow ?
Not to the fkies in ufelefs columns toft,
Or in proud falls magnificently lo^,
But clear, and artlcfs, pouring thro' the plain
Health to the fick, and folace to the fwain.
K " Whofe
( 74 )
ct Whofc caufe-way parts the vale with fhady rows '
tl Whofe feats the weary traveller repofe I
'* Who taught the heaven directed fpire to rife ?
" The Man of Rofs> each lifping babe replies.
<c Behold the market-place with poor o'erfpread !
" The Alan of Rofs divides the weekly bread ;
" He feeds yon alms-houfe, neat, but void of ftate,
<c Where age, and want fit fmiling at the gate ;
" Him portion'd maids, apprentic'd orphans blefr,
" The young who labor, and the old who reft.
" Is any fick ? the Alan of Rofs relieves,
u Prescribes, attends, the medicine makes, and gives/'
" Is there a variance ? enter but his door,
" Balk'd are the courts, and contefr is no more.
" Defpairing Quacks with curfes fled the place,
" And vile Attorneys, now an ufelefs race.
J3." Thrice happy man ! enabled to purfue
" What all fo wifh, but want the power to do !
" Oh fay, what fums that gen'rous hand fupply ?
" What mines to fwell that boundlefs charity ?
P." Of debts and taxes, wife and children clear,
" This man pofTcft — five hundred pounds a year.
" Blufh, grandeur, blufh ! proud courts withdraw your
blaze,
Ye little ftars ! hide your diminifhed rays.
«
B." And what ? no monument, infcnption, itone?
<l His race, his form, his name alinoft unknown ?
P." Who builds a church to God, and not to fame,
<l Will never mark the marble with his name :
( 75 )
<c Go, fearch it there, where to be born and die,
«* Of rich and poor makes all the hiftory ;
" Enough that virtue fill'd the fpace between
u Prov'd by the ends of being, to have been."
The allufion of the poet, to a neglect in
not raifing a monument to the good man's
name, no longer exifts, for in 1776 a neat
mural tablet was erected to his memory in
the chancel of the church, by Colonel Mo-
ney, to defray the expence of which, the fum
of three hundred pounds was bequeathed by
a Lady Kinnoul, whofe property devolving
to the Colonel, the good intention of the
lady was by him accomplished. On this
tablet the following lines are infcribed.
" This monument was erected in me-
" mory of Mr. John Kyrle, commonly cal-
" led the Man of Rofs."
It is fomewhat fingular that neither his
age, nor the time of his death, are here
K 2 men-
( /6 )
mentioned. The defign for the monument
was made by a Mr. Marfh of this town,
who nas int roduced a buft of the good man
that bears little refemblance to either of
L^e two portraits I met with in Rofs j one
of thefe is in the poiTeflion of Philip Jones
Elq; a gentleman, who by marriage with
a defcendant of John Kyrle, enjoys all his
property, and by his urbanity renders himfelf
a worthy reprefentative of that exemplary
character. This picture appears to be that
of a perfon about thirty fix years of age,
and is evidently the work of Sir Peter Lely.
The other portrait was at the King's Arms
Inn, formerly the rehdence of John Kyrle,
as defcribed in the view given in this feclion,
it reprefents him at a more advanced period
of life, and on that account, although ill
painted, it was preferred to the former as
he is exhibited nearer the clofe of a life,
long and happily fpent in the promo-
tion of virtue, and to the honor of human
nature.
J n ii v Kr es i, E,
' "ommoniy cal/td tie .//•/// '/'/i
/'///■ /,r ,r. //;/,/>/,/ A/./r. / 7707.
/\ /!,///, w SCUil
( 77 )
mtu re. I flatter myfelf the annexed etching
f/om this pi6ture will not prove unacceptable
to the admirer and collector of portraits, as
I do not remember to have ever feen a
print of this exalted character. The origi-
nal is faid to have been fketched from the
life unknown to Mr. Kyrle, on a funday
whilft he was attending divine fervice. He
had often been folicited to iit for his pic-
ture, but no inducement could prevail on
him to comply with the requeft of his
friends.
It is reported of Mr. Kyrle, that his
ordinary mode of drefs, was very plain, and
fo mean as even to fugged: the idea of in-
digence and want. And even more unfa-
vourable conclufions have been made, from
his general appearance, for upon no better
foundation, it is faid that when travelling
in Oxfordfhire on hoiTeback, he was appre-
hended near Benfon, upon a fufpicion of
having
( 78 )
having committed a robbery in a neigh-
bouring county. I need not add that this
charge was di ('millet the inftant his name
was made known to the magiftracy.
We cannot quit this town without no-
ticing to the picturefque traveller, a charm-
ing walk made by Mr. Kyrle, which led to
what he called his farm, it commands a
beautiful view of the devious windings of
the river beneath, and Wilton cattle, bridge 3
&c. on the oppofite fhore.
SEC-
( 79 )
SECTION VI.
A
BOUT a mile below Rofs, Wilton
Caftle firft attracts our attention. This
ruin is fituated on the margin of the Wye,
and affords with its furrounding objects in
many points of view, fcenes not unworthy
the attention of the antiquary or admirer of
piclurefque objects. Its weftern walls and
round towers are in the mofl perfect ftate
of prefervation, but the annexed view, com-
prifing a part of the bridge, is felected as
mofl appropriate to the defign of this work
and to exemplify the courfe of the river.
The caftle has formerly covered a confider-
able extent of ground, the greater part of
which is now ufed as a garden. Camden
fays " that king John gave Wilton with
" the caftle to Henry Longchamp and that
it
( *° )
" it came by marriage to William Fitz-
" hugh, and not long after, in King Ed-
" ward the firfl's time, to Reginald Grey,
" Juftice of Chefter, from whom by a long
" defcent it came to Lord Grey of Wilton,
M whofe fon Arthur Lord Grey was Lord
c< Deputy of Ireland." This noble pcrfon
merits particular attention, as having been
the early patron of our Spencer the poet,
who accompanied him to Ireland as his
fecretary.
In the county of Cork, at a place called
Kilcolman, Spencer is reported to have fini-
fhed his excellent poem of the Fairy Queen.
The River Mulla, fo often mentioned by
him, ran through the grounds of the houfe
in which he refided. His gratitude to his
patron is thus recorded, in a fonnet ad-
dreffed to him, and is prefixed to the poem.
<t
Moft
( 8. )
11 Moft noble 1 rd the pillor of my life,
" And patrone of my mufes pupillage :
" Through whofe large bountie, poured on me rife
* In the firft feafon of my feeble age,
*' I nowe doe live bound yours by vaflalage 5" &c;
At what period Wilton Caftle went out
of the family of the Greys is not mention-
ed, but it afterwards belonged to the Lord
Chandos, from w'.om it defcended to the
duke of Chandos who built Canons in
Middlefex. The remains of this caftle, With
Aconbury, Dewfall, and other confiderable
eftates in the neighbourhood bolonging to
this family, amounting to near four thou-
fand pounds per annum, were fold fome
years ago to the governors of Guy's Hof-
pital. The caftle is reported to have been
principally deftroyed by fire, but at what
period is not afcertained. In fupport of this
idea we obferved, that towards the ends of
the timbers, many of them appeared to have
L been
( 32 )
been much burned. On this fpot an afleitl-
blage of rich and woody fcenery, forma the
leading feature of the vicinity of our river,
and about two miles below Wilton bridge
I would advife the admirer of the truly
grand in landfcape, to afcend the hill in
the high road to Monmouth, where at a
place called Pencreek, the eye is feafted
with one of the mod magnificent views
this river affords. The diftant church of
Rofs, its neighboring woods and hills, and
the meandering courfe of the Wye, all com-
bine from hence to form this facinating
fcene. Here the courfe of the river is pecu-
liarly marked, its channel is nobly formed,
and wears a grandeur not to be met with
in any other river we have yet fecn in this
country.
Amidst a Variety of enchanting views,
paffing from one bend of the river to ano-
ther, Goodrich cattle, on the Commit of a
bold
( «3 )
bold promontary, amidft an elegant wood-
land fcene, nobly raifes its ruined battle-
ments, as if frowning on the ftream beneath.
On afcending- the hill to contemplate
the fpoils of Time, who ravages alike the
forms of beauty and the tower of ftrength,
by leaving for a moment the ordinary path
and psfting up what is called Conduit hill,
Walford church, Rofs, and the Surrounding
country, at a happy diftance, combine to
form a landfcape of peculiar richnefs and
beauty. Hiitory does not inform us at what
period this caftle was erected, but we find
that early as the fifth year of the reign
of King John, William Marfhall, Earl of
Pembroke had a grant of it. From this
family it came to Talbot, Earl of Shrews-
bury, in the reign of Edward the third, and
in the twentieth year of Richard the Second,
Sir John Scudamore of Holme Lacy was
conitituted its conftable, during the min-
L 2 tritv
( 8 4 )
ority of John Lord Talbot, in whofe family
it continued till the fourteenth of James
the Firft ; at which period Gilbert Talbot,
Earl of Shrewfbury died, leaving three
daughters his coheirefles. Elizabeth the
fecond daughter was married to Henry de
Grey, Earl of Kent, by which marriage he
became pofTefTor of this manor, which con-
tinue d in the family till the death of Henry
Duke of Kent in 1740* after which it was
fold to Thomas Griffin, Efq; Vice Admiral
of the White, whofe fecond fon, the Re-
verend Dr. Griffin of Hadnock near Mon-
mouth, is its prefent owner.
This celebrated caflle was nearly fquare,
covering a fpace of ground forty eight yards
by fifty two, it was defended at each angle
by four large round towers, one of which
formed an irregular Heptagon. Through a
perfect Gothic arch, we are led to a fpacious
hall of good proportion overgrown with ivy,
adjoin-
( $$ )
adjoining which is an area, prefenting the
remmns of a lofty fquare building, with cir-
cular arched windows in the Saxon ftyle,
refembling Gundulph's tower at Rochefter
caftle. Bv the fragment of a (lone flaircafe,
we nfcend another embattled tower, through
which at a great depth appears the immenfe
fofle, or trench, which is hewn out of a
(olid rock, and is twenty yards in breadth.
Here was once a draw-bridge and two gates
with recefTes between each, evidently inten-
ded as places of fafety for its guards, who
unfeen might annoy the enemy. The va-
rious points from which this caftle may be
viewed to advantage, would afford ample
matter for the antiquary, artilr, and military
architect.
Quitting this fpot, feveral views of
the caftle prefented themfelves, but they
were all undignified and uninterefting when
compared with thofe we had before contem-
plated
( S6 )
plated. Thr country on the oppofite fide of
the river towards the village of Walford, is
peculiarly beautiful. In the church of Wal-
ford, one of the aifles is now called Kyrle*a
chapel, it was erected by that famil for
their private ufe, before it became a parochial
church j about a mile below the caftle, is a
fmall remain of Goodrich priory j a few Go-
thic windows are yet ftanding, and part of
the chapel which is now converted to a gra-
nary ; the whole affords an object furficient
to attract the notice of the curious.
•v
?J%M3g|k\
y*z
Tjr» ... ..* .^ff.. , ! . . h ,;!|Hi:i :. . .; ,. ;, «ff3
mm
:brk
M
yiiaim
3U3umUil .,_
. safe -^^S^S^Hj^^
This
( s 7 ;
This priory was a monaftery of the or-
der of black cannons regular of St. Auguf-
tine, founded and endowed with the king's
licence in the twentieth of Edward the
fourth, 1347. Its fituation correfponds with
the happy choice ufually made by the an-
cient porTefTors of religious houfes, it ftands
in a fertile valley, watered by one of the
finefl rivers in the kingdom. The building
with the lands contiguous to the caftle are
occupied by a Mr. Bellamy. From the
afcent, approaching the village of Good-
rich > a rich and extenfive view prefents
itfelf acrofs the foreil of Dean, from whence
Rure-dean church happily breaks upon the
eye.
Here the Wye in a long and ferpentine
reach, appears in a perfpective point of view
and affords a pleafing and happy termination
to the fcenery -, its banks are fcreened on the
fouth, by an extenfive coppice wood, and on
the
C 88 )
the north, by fertile meadows rifing towards
Biihop s- wood, from which a coniiderable
iron furnace in tins vicinity derives its name.
From tone cparriss in thi? neighbor*
ho lew bridge at Briftoi was priiici-
I j ucued.
Passing down the river, the next ob-
ject that attracts our notice is Courtfield,
the feat of the Vaughan family.
This fpot is rendered remarkable from
Henry the fifth having been nurfed in the
neighbourhood. That prince we are told,
was when you:?g of a weak and fickly habit,
and was placed under the care of a coun-
tefs of Salifbury, from which circumftance
in all probability 3 the original name of this
place which was Greyfield, was changed to
the appellation it now bears. We next ap-
proach Lidbroke colliery and very large and
extenfive wharf, from whence a confutable
commerce
( S 9 )
commerce in coals is carried on to Rofs,
Hereford and other places. This productive
, mine is the property of Lord Gage. With
all the dark and dingy attributes of this
place, involved as it is in fmoke, and begirt
with coal barges, it yet affords a very plea-
fing and interefting landfcape. The high
road that afcends the woody hill, fcreen-
ing the back ground of this wharf, is per-
petually enlivened by horfes and carriages
in this footy fable commerce, while on the
bank of the river beneath, the lading and
unlading the veffels, afford additional bufi-
nefs and variety to the fcene. This view
is finely contrafled on a fudden bend of the
river a little below, where all is tranquil and
ferene. The picturefque village of Welch
Bicknor prefents itfelf in a rich valley on
the right bank of the Wye, happily over-
fhaded by a thicket of woods, ranged in a
grand and circular fweep. Thcfe are called
M Hawk-
( 9* )
Bawkwood and Packwood, and extend about
a mile along the bank of the river. The
village church and parfonage houfe, group
in a form peculiarly beautiful and inter-
efting.
In the body of the church, fronting the
reading defk, is a cumbent whole length fe-
male figure, well fculptured in a darkifli co-
loured flone. Traditional report fays it re-
prefents the countefs of Saiifbury, whom
we have juft mentioned as having nurfecl
king Henry the fifth. She holds a child in
each arm. This effigy is highly worthy of
notice. The drapery is in a loofe and free
£tyle, and the general contour of the whole
befpeaks it the work of an artift of talent.
A little below this fcene,,the Wye is bounded
on the oppofite fhore by a long range of
hills, beautifully cloath-d with verdure, and
divei'fified by a rich and broken, foil of a
warm
( !>' )
warm and reddifti hue, frequently over
clouded with (hades of fmoak that ifllie
from the various kilns, kept continually
burning near this fpot. Thefe circum-
stances trifling and adventitious as they may
appear, give relief and effect to the picture-
refque and beautiful in landfcape. Ap-
proaching the foot of Cold-well rocks, a
fcene fublime and majeflic prefents itfelf.
The grand prominencies are overhung with
richly varied tufts of oak, and other fhrub-
beries, occafionally contrafted and relieved
by deep and fhadowy dells, formed by the
various lime kilns on their furface. Some
of the moft prominent of Cold- well rocks,
we are informed have by fome gentle-
men of the bar, in their paffage down this
river, been chriftened after the names of
our principal council. The connection is
not obvious, or readily traced.
M 2 Here
( 9* )
Here we quitted the barge to afcend
thefe majeftic rocks, which by an immenfe
and craggy deep, we with difficulty accom-
plished, and reached the fummit called Sy-
mond's Gate. This talk, arduous as it is
mould not not deter the traveller from pur-
fuing this courfe, as by means of it he will
avoid a dull and uninterefting pafTage on
the water of full three miles to the new
Weir, and by pafling over thefe rocks he
will enjoy a fublimity of fcenery that will
amply repay his toil and labour. As we
afcend thefe fuperb maffes of ftone, the rich
and extenfive fcenery that furrounds us, is
every moment unfolding itfelf : the fummit
is richly overgrown with wild thyme, and
variegated flowers, and is crowned with the
rich and deep foliage of the noble oak
" Here all the air a folemn ftillnefs holds"
fave the difiant lowing of cattle, and from
his
( 93 )
his rocky bed, the dirge like evening fong
of the owl, that floats along the gale.
From hence Goodrich caftle, which
we imagined we had left far behind, breaks
fuddenly upon the eye, and appears from
the immenfe winding of the river to be a
near object.. The new weir, and adjoining
waterfall, with the furrounding rich and
healthy hills afford from this fpot a combi-
nation of objects, that defervedly rank
among the firft views on the river, or per-
haps in this country.
The village of Whitechurch in the cen-
tre of the vale beneath, with the vaft hills
beyond it, afford a fublime termination to
this reach of the river.
At Whitechurch is a fecond ferry called
Hunfon's Rope. This ferry although (even
miles
( 94 )
miles diftant by water from that of Good-
rich, is only one mile by land, a linking in-
ftance of the very appropriate and charac-
teriftical title of our river, which from its
mazy and circuitous courfe, is juftly de-
nominated the Vaga, or Wye.
SEC
( 95 )
SECTION VIL
DESCENDING towards the new Weir
by a courfe not lefs rugged than that by
which we afcended, the fatigue we had un-
dergone, was amply repaid by the gratifica-
tion we received in fome of the moft beau-
tiful views that can be imagined. Thefe
prefented themfelves through the various
breaks of the rocks, or openings of the fur-
rounding woods with which they are en-
riched. The ferpentine winding of the
river, and the vaft prominencies and fan-
tailic forms of the rocks in its vicinity, give
an air of folemn gloom and grandeur to the
fcene. From the approach to the Weir,
the annexed view was felected, it com-
prifes all the principal objects that could
be admitted within the limits of a fcale (o
circumfciibed. The innumerable circum-
stances
( 9« )
fiances that aid this grand and fublime
fcene, are fuch as to render it almoft im-
poflible for the pencil, to render it juftice
The iron forges on the oppofite fide of the
river, not lefs from their appearance than
from the important purpofes they anfwer
in human life, give an intereft to this ef-
of nature, while the awful found of the
iron hammers beating the fiery mafs, awa-
kens in the mind new fenfations giving
dignity and grandeur to the fubjeft. This
piclurefque fcene is much heightened by
the immenfe volumes of fparkling fmoak
that are continually iffuing from the forges,
thefe give a pleafing though tranfitory re-
lief to the fombre, and diftant hiils that
terminate the view. Around thefe works
are fcattered great maffes of half burned
ore, coal, and cinders, and interfperfed on
the barren and extenfive moor in the vici-
nity, arc many humble cottages of the va-
rious workmen employed in the manufac-
tory.
( 97 )
Sory. The roaring of the waters from the
cafcade of the Weir adjoining to this work
has a grand effect, its fall is precipitate al-
though at no great height, nor is it per-
ceived from above the dream.
The river here receives a considerable
degree of agitation from the huge mafles of
ft one, either fwept down by the ftream, or
hurled from the fummit of the neighbour-
ing rocks. Here the Wye increafes in
width, and its current is fo ftrong, that
it is with extraordinary labour and diffi-
culty the barges are towed up. I have (qqix
eight or ten men throwing themfelves on
the earth on every pull, to give force to their
exertions.
In this part of the river is frequently
feen a fmall fifhing boat on a lingular con-
ftruction, called a corricle, it is ribbed with
laths or fplit twigs, and is covered with a
N ftrong
( 98 )
ftrong pitched canvas, to prevent its leak-
ing, it is about five feet and a half long
and four broad. In the middle is a feat
that holds one man, who fits with a paddle
in one hand while he fifties with the other*
His labour nniihed, he throws the corricle
over his fhoulder and retires to his home.
A little below the weir the river fcenery
is terminated by what is called King Ar-
thur's plain, or Doward hills. To the tra-
veller who is bold enough to attempt the
fummit of thefe hills, the views will afford
ample variety both in the beautiful and fub-
lime. Camden conjectures, that on thefe
hills there has anciently been a fortification,
and what makes it more probable is, that
in digging there for iron ore, and lime
ftone, he fays <* broad arrow heads have
" been found, and not long ago, the great-
" eft part of the bones of a gigantic per-
ct fon were found here interred, in a place
" that
( 99 )
*' that feemed to be arched over." What-
ever may have been the ancient deftination
of this fpot, its prefent attractions proceed
from the very extenfive and richly diverfified
profpects that prefent themfelves from every
point of view. On a fpot adjoining to the
wood on the extremity of this hill, is a ca-
vern that bears the name of King Arthur's
Hall j it is faid to extend by a fubteraneous
paflage from hence to the new weir, a dis-
tance of about a mile. Many fabulous
and romantic tales have been attached to
the hiftory of this hall, but the fact ap-
pears to be fimply this, that it was a ca-
vern, from whence was dug a rich mine of
iron ore, that fupplied the adjoining fur-
naces.
A detached cl utter of rocks called St.
Martins', or the three Sifters, fomewhat re-
fembling but much inferior to thofe at Cold-
well, fkirt the river in pafTing down, near
N 2 which
( 100 )
which at a fhort reach called St. Martini
Well, the flream is fuppofed to have a great-
er depth of water than in any other part.
At the extremity of this reach from a beauti-
ful vale, King Arthur's plain again prefents
kfelf, affirming a new and cancellated form,
and here every ftroak of the oar gives va-
riety to the fcene ? and every object feems to
vary its fituation. The vail: affemblage of
rocks we have juft contemplated, appear
to vanifh and melt into a diftant hill, ri-
fing from a craggy bafe on the margin of
the river.
About two miles before we reach Mon-
mouth, Hadnock houfe and the beauties of
its fituation juftly demand our attention,
It is fituated on the edge of the foreft of
Dean, and ftands on the brow of a hill,
commanding a fafcinating view of the mean-
dering Wye, that gently glides beneath its
rocky hills ; thefe are enriched with ver-
dant
• '. t.
( ioi )
dant coppice woods that fcreen this beau-
tiful fpot, the refidence of the Rev. Dr.
Griffin, whom we have before mentioned.
From hence along the bafe of the hills, a
road running parallel with the river that
kads on to Monmouth.
SEC-
( io 3 )
SECTION VIIL
Q
U I T T I N G Hadnock, we are gratified
with a diftant view of the bridge and town
of Monmouth. The folitary church of
Dixton on the oppcnte bank of the river,
although deficient in accompaniments is yet
a characleriftic and interesting feature in the
fore ground of the landfcape ; and it con-
tinues to be fuch, though fince this di awing
was executed, its interior received in the
great flood in 1795 very material injury ;
the water having forced its w,y through the
windows and doors, and torn up th pulpit,
pews and pavement.
Monmouth bridge is of ftone, and
confifls of fix irregular arches. The town
derives its name from its fituation at the
conflux
( *<H )
conflux of the Wye and Mynwye, gene-
rally, and by the Welfh particularly pro*,
nounced Monnow.
A great part of Monmouth is encom-
pafFed by this river which empties itfelf
into the Wye at the lower end of the town;
where a very ancient bridge and gateway,
formerly a barrier againft the Welfh, is
thrown acrofs this mountain ftream. It is
ibmewhat extraordinary, that neither hif-
tory or tradition, although they are both
mentioned by Leland in his itinerary, afford
any information as to the period in which
they were built. Independent however of
hiftorical evidence, they bear fuch unequivo-
cal marks of antiquity, that the picturefque
effect they produce, gives them ample claim
to a place in this work. The annexed plate
will we flatter ourfelves, convey a faithful
reprefentation of this venerable remain, and
in
( '°5 )
in fome degree illuftrate the fltuation of the
town itfelf j which though low, is feated in a
fpot at once both pleafing and romantic.
Monmouth had anciently four gates,
and the fuburb was defended by a wall and
deep ditch on each fide, except that next the
river. As far back as Leland's time, the
walls and every other embattled part but the
fquare tower were in a ftate of ruin. The
church is an entire modern ftructure.
Monmouth has high claim to confi-
deration and refpecr, from its having given
birth to our fifth Henry the conqueror of
France, whofe active fpirit, warlike quali-
ties, and fuperior Ikill in horfemanfhip, par-
ticularly at a time when to be accompliih-
cd, was indifpenfible to the character of a
gentleman, and the cavalry fervice began to
be in a manner appropriated to men of this
O rank,
( ic6 )
rank, are thus enchantingly, and with all:
the eafe and grace of the gallant and prince-
ly horfeman he defcribes, delineated by our
matchlefs bard.
et I fow young Harry with his beaver on,
c< His cuifles on his thighs, gallantly arm'd,
<{ Rife from the ground like feather'd Mercury,
" And vaulted with fuch eafe into his feat
" As if an angel dropp'd down from the clouds,
" To turn and wind' a fiery pegafus,
* l And witch the world with feats of horfemanfllip. ,,
Henry was born in the caftle of Mon-
mouth, of which little more remains than a
few fragments of walls, and an elevation or
mound of earth, juft fufficient to afcertain
its fite 3 and to demon urate how evanefcent
and tranfitory are all human things ; the
ftrong embattled fortrefs as well as the cra-
dle of princes. Such once were to be found
on this fpot 5 and that this awful truth may
be more ftrongly imprelTed and exemplified,
though
( l0 7 )
though there yet remains more vifible and
palpable evidence of one than of the other,
let it be remembered, that the record of
hiftory will retain the memory of the birth
place of Henry, when all traces of the caftle
fhall have pafted away, and even its fite fhall
as ineffectually be fought after as at this
hour the image of its former fplendour.
In this caftle Edward the fecond, after
he had been made prifoner by his queea
Ifabella, in 1326, was for a time confined.
Having in the fouth weft direction of the
town, with fome difficulty obtained a iketch
of the ruin of the caftle that partakes much
of the piclurefquc, it is here given as an il-
luftration of this venerable fpot. The ri-
ver Monnow beautifully winds beneath its
ruined walls, the wooden bridge that is
thrown acrofs the ftream, and the rich and
verdant fcenery of its hilly bank, all confpire
to produce a landfcape highly deferving a
O 2 place
( io3 )
place in this work. The remains of the
caftle, denote it to be of Roman construc-
tion, Camden fays that from the king's re-
cords, a caftle was {landing here in a flou-
ri filing ft ate, as early as the time of William
the Conqueror, and that it was rebuilt by
John Baron of Monmouth, about the year
1240.
This town has not only the honor of
giving birth to a great king, but likewife
to a great hiftorian, Galfredius Arthurius,
Bifhop of St. Afaph, better known by the
name of Jeffery of Monmouth. He is fup-
pofed to have been educated at this place,
which had then a benedicline monastery, or
convent of black monks, founded in 1 240
by Wihenoe de Monemue, or Monmouth.
Monasteries were at that time the principal
feminaries for learning in this country, as
Oxford and Cambridge had not then rifen
to any great celebrity, and were at that peri-
od much depreffed in confequence of the Da-
nifh
( io 9 )
nifh invafion. Jeffery was made arch deacon
of Monmouth in 1251, and was foon after-
wards created bifhop of St. xAfaph. He tranf-
lated the hiftory of Britain from the Britifh
language into Latin, a work faid to have
bsen difcovered by Walter Mapaeus while in
Armorica, and brought by him into Eng-
land, where meeting with Jeffery of Mon-
mouth, a man profoundly verfed in the hif-
tory and antiquities of Britain, and an ele-
gant writer for the period in which he lived
the talk was entrusted to him. Merlin's
prophecies he alfo tranflated from Britifh
verfe into Latin profe. This work was of
cffential fervice to the Welch chieftain Owen
Clendwr, whofe high pretenfions to fove-
riegnty were conftantly favoured and chc-
riihed by thefe prophecies. The veracity of
Jeffery, as an hifforian, has been doubted by
many j Camden fays that his relation of
Brutus and his fucceflbrs ought to be in-
Urely difregarded. It may however be ob-
ferved
( «o )
ferved in favour of this writer, from the
teftimony of Giraldus Cambrenlis his con-
temporary, that at that period the Welch
bards and minftrels from early traditional ac-
counts, received and tranfmitted with a mix-
ture of religious reverence and awe a folemnly
repeated the genealogy of their princes and
heroes, from Roderic the Great to iEneas,
and from iEneas lineally to Adam.
If this fhould not altogether be thought
to add much to their probable authenticity,
it will ferve to warrant the introduction of
the hiftory, to fhew at leaft that he was not
the author of the fiction -, and, in tracing
the origin of nations, tales to the full as fa-
bulous are to be met with in the pages of
Biany of our graver!: and approved writers.
To the few early hi (tori an s of our own
we owe much, and amongft thefe Jeffery
deferves every re/pecr, and we are bound to
regret
( •«« )
regret that in fucceeding times, the beft
hiftories of this country will be found to
have been the labors of foreigners. A frag-
ment of Monmouth Priory, we have pre-
ferved as a tribute to the memory of the
hiftorian who was there educated. The
Gothic window that appears in view re-
mains very perfect, and appertains to a ve-
nerable ancient chamber, which he is re-
ported to have occupied as a ftudy. From
the nature of its foundation, the free fchool
at Monmouth particularly deferves our no-
tice. Burton, in his hiflory of Wales,
gives this relation of William Jones its foun-
der : he fays, " Wm. Jones was born at
" Monmouth, and forced to quit his coun-
" try for not being able to pay ten groats.
" Coming to London he became firft a
w porter, and then a factor ; and going
" over to Hamburgh, had fuch a vent for
" Welch cottons, that he gained a very
el confiderable eflate in a fhort time. He
" founded
ii
ft
u
" founded a fair fchool in Monmouth, al-
•• lowing fifty pounds yearly to the mafter,
a and a hundred pounds falary to a lee-
turer, befides a ftately alms houfe for
twenty poor people, each of them having
two rooms and a garden, and half a
" crown a week ; all which he left to the
" overfight of the company of haberdafhers
" in London, who difcharge their truft
" therein to this day." Another account of
the founder is thus given, but with lefs
credibility. That he was a native of New-
land, a few miles diftant from Monmouth,
and having quitted it when young to feek
his fortune, he returned at an advanced pe-
riod of life, in an apparent flate of indi-
gence, although very rich, and applied to
his native town for relief as a pauper,
which being refufed, he took his revenge on
the people by retiring to Monmouth, and
there difpenfing that wealth, that was in-
tended to enrich his native place.
We
( "3 )
We cannot quit the pleafant town of
Monmouth without noticing the maflive pile
of its goal. Built in a lofty and healthy fpor,
and in the form of an ancient caftle ; it
frowns over the country, and imprefles the
idea of rigorous confinement and the impos-
sibility of efcape. At the time we vifited
this expenfive and fpacious work, it con-
tained only one folitary inhabitant, and he
a prifoner for only a very trivial offence*
As our goals inereafe in magnitude, it is
with pleafure we have frequently had occa-
fion to remark that there is a decreafe of
inhabitants, nor is it lefs worthy of obfer-
vation that the humanity of fupplying even
thofe who lead deferve it, with decent ac-
commodation, as well as the bleffing of light
and air, before denied to them, is now moft
liberally granted.-
Perhaps it may not be too much to
infer from hence, that the immenfity of the
P bulk
C H4 )
bulk of thefe buildings, in the confpicuous
fituation in which they are now placed, may
imprefs the multitude with fuch a terror of
the confequence of crimes, as in fome de-
gree to prevent a commiffion of them.
This building itands on an eminence, and
commands a fine view of the town and fur-
rounding country.
SEC-
C us )
SECTION IX.
\/UITTING Monmouth on an ex-
curfion to Rhaglan Cattle, we afcended a
confiderable hill about a mile from the
town, that afforded one of the mod luxu-
riant landfcapes we had witnefled in the
courfe of our route. From this eminence,
the rich valley in which Monmouth is fitu-
ated, and the beauties of the (unrounding
country, are highly illuftrative of Gray's
opinion of the charming fituation of this
place. He rapturoufly defcribes this fcene
as " the delight of his eyes and the very
« feat of pleafure," We have attempted to
give an idea of this much admired fpot in the
annexed plate.
The ride to Rhaglan Caftle, a diftance of
p 2 about
( ir<5 )
about fix miles, amply gratified us for thb
deviation from our main purfuit.
This magnificent remain of ancient
fplendor Hands on an elevated fituation
commonly called Twyn-y-ciros, which fig-
nifies in Welch the cherry hill ; and, as we
approach it from the village, appears to
wear that folemn and majeftie air highly
chara&eriftic of the fpirit of the times in
which it flourifhed. The external view
here fele&ed, we flatter ourfelves will not
only convey the beft idea of its extent and
magnificence, but is a point from which
we do not remember to have ever feen it re-
prefented. This noble building, which may
rather be terminated a cancellated boufe than
a cattle, is in many parts, frill in good pre-
fervation. It was ere&ed in the reign of
Henry VII. and does not therefore boaft of
great antiquity ; many additions were made
to it about the time of Elizabeth, thefe
confti-
( 111 )
conflitute, the moft elegant parts of thi's
fuperb pile, and are to be found in the
windows of the grand hall, or banqueting
room ; the ornaments of the frieze and cor-
nice are light and elegant, and in the beft
tafte of that time. To the left of this hall,
was a large court one hundred feet long,
and fixty feet broad, well arched and orna-
mented, with curious (lone work both on
the walls and windows. In the midft of
the court was a pleafant marble fountain
called the White Horfe -. the following re-
mark of Dr. Griffin, relative to the white
horfe may not prove uninterefting. " I re-
" member," fays he, " fome years ago,
u they ufed to fhew here part of the body
" of a black horfe, which flood in the
u middle of fome water that fupplied the
c * caftle, and was a fountain. I was told
" the parliamentarians poifoned the water
during the fiege, and that the flone horfe
" abforbed the poifon j it was very hard,
ft but
*t
( "8 )
but on being (truck, or rubbed with any
hard fubftance, emitted a very offenfivc
** fmell. Perhaps I had the legend very
" imperfectly, and it fhould have been ad-
" ded, the poifon turned the white horfe
u into a black one." The caftle is fur-
rounded by a wide fofle thirty feet broad,
wherein was originally placed an artificial
water work, which fpouted up water to the
height of the caflle, and contains within it
two acres, one of which appears to have
been encompafted with domeftic offices, fuch
as kitchen, brewhoufe, &c. and in which
there is an oven, and fire range of fuch ex-
traordinary dimenfions, as to fatisfy us,
that there were times in which they were
not wholly occupied in feats of arms.
In this building every precaution has
b^n ufed to guard and fecure the approaches
to it ; and the utmoft magnificence is to be
obferved in every part of the interior, even
in
( "9 )
in the domeftic offices. The ftaircafe and
afcent to the grand apartments are peculiarly
noble ; and beneath the areas which are
vaulted, are various fubterraneous apart-
ments, and extenfive cellars of the mod ex-
cellent workmanfhip. The citadel, which is
octagonal, is furrounded by a moat, and
itands at a (mail diftance from the caftle :
its principal parts are in a perfect ftate
of prefervation. This noble caftle is in the
pofTeffion of the Duke of Beaufort, whofe
anceftor, the Marquis of Worcefter in the
time of Charles the firft, added and fortified
many extenlive out works, by which he was
enabled to hold it for the king's ufe till
his imprifonment at Holmby. It once con-
tained a garrifon of eight hundred men, and
was the laft caftle that furrendered to the
parliament forces, then under the command
of Sir Thomas Fairfax. This event hap-
pened on the nineteenth of Auguft 1646,
and is reported to have been effected by a fe-
male
( I 20 )
male in the garrifon, and by the the ufe of
a very ordinary female engine, the mere wa-
ving a handkerchief, as a fignal for the in-
troduction of Cromwell* s party. If this were
fo 9 politics were probably by no means the
primary incentives of this lady's zeal, and
there were doubtlefs fecret articles in this
treaty, unknown to the befieging general.
The window at which fhe appeared is flill
ftewn.
The more probable account is, that from
the very long fiege it fuftained, the upper
part was undermined, and the timbers being
burnt a great part of it fell down. Soon
after its furrender, the caftle was demo-
lifhed and left, in nearly the fame ftate
in which it now remains. The lofs to the
family is fuppofed to be upwards of a hun-
dred thoufand pounds, befides the forfeiture
of an eftate of twenty thoufand a year.
Three confiderable parks of remarkable fer-
tility
( '21 )
tility, and richly flocked with deer, once
appertained to this caftle.
Returning to Monmouth we refumed
our pafTage down the Wye, on a morning, one
of the moft beautiful ever beheld . The retro-
fpective view of Monmouth on pafling down,
the fpire of the church, the town, bridge, and
furrounding fcene, though inferior to that
above, yet in fome refpecls exhibited a very
piclurefque landfcape. The hills oppofite
to Monmouth, are called the Kemmin
Rocks, on the fummit of which Mr. Phi-
lip Hard wick, an architect, has erected a
flone building for the reception of his
friends, called Philip's Court. This fpot
commands a view moft extenfive and diver-
sified, and will well repay the labour of
climbing up what John Bunyan would juftly
call Hill Difficulty. To thofe who vifit this
fpot it may be worth the trouble of going
Q^ about
( 122 )
about a mile further to view, amongtf:
many others, an immenfe large rock called
the Back Stone -, a name probably derived
from the deer having fheltered themfelves
under it when the adjacent country was in
the form of a park. Its fituation is on the
extreme edge of the hill -, and, though of
an immenfe fize, it flands on an angular
point, and is fo nicely balanced, as to be
with a very fmall degree of force, fet in
motion and fhaken. Approaching the junc-
tion of the Monnow with the Wye, the fide
fcenes of the river, increafe in richnefs
both of woody, and verdant fcenery,, and
with fuch agreable breaks in the diftance as
to produce an enchanting effect.
A little below this point, a fmall
river called the Trothe, or Trothey, unites
itfelf with our Wye, on whofe banks they
jointly pafs, near a a refpectable manfion
called
< 12 3 )
fca 1 !ed Troy-houfe, in the pofleffion of the
Duke of Beaufort, to whom it defcended
from Sir Charles Somerfet.
Sir Charles was the third fon of Ed-
ward Earl of Worcefter, and married the
daughter and heirefs of Sir William Powell
of Troy, by whom he acquired a confide-
rable eftate, and added much influence to
the houfe of Worcefter. The prefent edi-
fice notwithstanding it was defigned by
Inijo Jones, has little that can recommend
it to notice. It is ufed merely as a lodge,
and is occafionally only occupied by the fa-
mily. A few portraits decorate its walls,
but they are not of confequence fuflicient to
take the traveller far out of his way. The
cradle wherein Harry of Monmouth is re-
ported to have been rocked is here exhibited
as a great curiofity, but the frefhnefs of its
velvet, its nails and appendages, befpeak it
rather to have been the receptable of one of
Q^2 . the
( I2 4 )
the Beaufort family in the time of Charles
the fecond.
To thofe however who are fond of cra-
dles (and in their fecond childhood, amongft
our old lady antiquaries, fome fuch there
may be) the annexed fketch of one, the ap-
pearance of which befpeaks it as not un-
likely to have been of that time, and which
is in the poflefiion of the Reverend Mr.
Ball of Newlands, a few miles from Mon-
mouth, may not prove an unacceptable
regale.
It
( »5 )
It is made of oak without any cover-
ing, and is fufpended by two iron rings, by
which it receives motion on the leaft touch
or action of the child j it is three feet long,
one foot four deep, and one foot fix wide ;
it is ornamented at the top of the fuppor-
ters, which are octagonal, with two birds,
refembling eagles, but their beaks are bro-
ken off. The following anecdote relative to
Troy houfe, extracted from the " Apo-
" thegms of the Earl of Worcefter," it is
prefumed will be thought not unworthy a
place in this work.-
<c Sir Thomas Somerfet, brother to the
* c Marquis of Worcefler, had a houfe which
" was called Troy, five miles from Rhaglan
" caftle. This Sir Thomas being a com-
" plete gentleman, delighted much in fine
" gardens and orchards, where by the bene-
" fit of art, the earth was made fo grateful
*- to him at the fame time, that the king
" (Charles
( »6 )
" (Charles the firft) happened to be at his
" brother's houfe, that it yielded him where-
*' withal to fend his brother a prefent ; and
" fuch an one as (the times and the feafons
16 considered) was able to make the king
" believe, that the fovereign of the planets
" had now changed the poles, and that
" Wales (the refufe and the outcaft of the
" fair garden of England) had fairer and
<{ riper fruit than England's bowels had
<4 on all her beds. This prefent, given to
<c the marquis, he would not fuffer to be
<£ prefented to the king by any hand but
<£ his own. In comes the marquis then, at
'• the end of the fupper, led by the arm,
<c with a flow pace, exprefling much Spanifti
* c gravity, with a filver difli in each hand,
" filled with rarities ; and a little bafket on
** his arm as a referve, when making his
obeifance he thus fpeaks : May it pleafe
your Majefly, if the four elements could
5' have been robbed to have entertained your
" Majefty,
<i
a
( "> )
" Majefty, I think I had but done my duty,
* { but I muft do as I may. If I had fent
ct to Briftol for fome good things to enter-
" tain your Majefty, that would have been
" no wonder at all. If I had procured
" from London, fome goodnefs that might
" have been acceptable to your Majefty, that
" would have been no wonder. But here I
<c prefent you, Sir, (placing his dimes upon
6t the table) with that which came not from
" Lincoln that was, nor London that is,
u nor York that is to be, but from Troy.'*
Whereupon the king fouled and anfvvered
the marquis ; " Truly my Lord, I have heard
" that corn grows where Troy town flood j
" but I never thought there had grown any
" apricots before." Whereupon the mar-
quis replied, " Any thing to pleafe your
i{ Majefty." When my lord marquis de-
parted the prefence, one told him that he
would make a very good courtier j remem-
ber well, replied the marquis, that I faid
one
( «* )
one thing which may give fome hopes of
me : Any thing to pleafe your majefty.
Amidst a rich though hilly fcenery,
beautiful in its forms and happily diveriified
by a multitude of fmall farms, that exhibit
evident marks of improving cultivation in
this, yet very improvable, though fertile
country, we reach Redbrook. Here a con-
fiderable manufactory of iron and tin gives
a new and pleafing variety to the fceneiy
and buftle on our river. Some of the iron
ore ufed here comes from Coldford, and
other places in the neighbourhood of the
foreft of Dean, but the greater part is
brought from Lancafhire.
About a mile and a half below Red-
brook, the Wye receives a further fupply
from a fmall dream called Whitebrook ;
about the diftance of a mile from whence
flands St. Briaval's Caftle. It is fituated on
an
( I2 9 )
an eminence, and though fo near the river,
is from the water too indiftinc~t an object
for the pencil. This is to be regretted, as
the woody declivities on each fide of it are
beautiful in their forms, and difplay a fcene
uncommonly rich and elegant ; but on
quitting the boat we found a nearer view of
the caftle, well worthy a place in this work,
and a proper ornament of its fubje6t. The
annexed fketch exhibits a north eafl view of
the caftle, and the remains of the moat
that in part furrounded it.
The diftant Monmouthlhire hills form
a good termination to the fcene, while the
adjoining church and general face of the
landfcape prefents a view, in its ftyle and
and character, materially varying from any
we have yet met with. From the remains
of this caftle it appears to have been a place
of great ftrength, and of considerable ex-
tent -, it was bnilt by Miles, Earl of Here-
R ford,
( l ft )
ford, in the reign of King Henry I. whofe
third fon named Mahel, Camden informs
us, was here overtaken by " God's judg-
" ments for his rapacious ways, inhuman
" cruelties, and boundlefs avarice. For
" being courteoufly entertained here by
" Walter de Clifford, the caftle taking fire,
" he loft his life by the fall of a (tone on
" his head, from the higheft tower." The
cuftody of St. Briaval's,. with the Foreft of
Dean, was granted to John de Monemouth,
in the eighteenth year of King John. The
Earl of Berkeley is the prefent conftable,
and the Duke of Beaufort, under whofe di-
rection the caftle is kept in a good ftate of
repair,, is lard of the manor. The tower in
the weft front is now uied as a Driibn.
From hence, the views of the furroundin^
country are extenfive and beautiful - 3 and
here the meandering of the Wye paints the
landfcape, as in its general courfe, and
fpreads- richnefs and fertility In the vallies
through
( «3' )
through which it flows. Returning to our
boat we pafled Big's Weir, near which, on
the bank of the Wye, is the feat of General
Rooke, whofe father captured Gibraltar.
It is fituated in the midrt of a rich paf-
turage, and commands a full view of the
river, and that interefting variety of moving
objects, which its bufy commerce here pre-
fents. Amidft a range of beautiful fcenery,
we pafs the pleafant village of Llandogar
about a mile below. Here the river forms
a fmooth and glafTy bay, through which the
white failed vefTel is feen conftantly gliding,
or lying moored on the more to take in her
freight. The undulating hills, called the
Hudnelis, form a beautiful back ground to
this charming fcene, of which the annexed
view will give a faint idea.
A little below is Cadithil Weir, from
whence we dropped pleafantly down the
R 2 ftream
ft ream to another village called Brook's
Weir, which is confidered a half way dis-
tance from Monmouth to Chepftow. At
this place the goods fent from Monmouth
are fhipped and conveyed in larger veflels to
Br ftol. The river, in an eafy meandering
courfe, foon brought us within view of the
moft picturefque object on its banks, the
fplendid and very elegant ruin of Tintern
Abbey,
tc Thefe are fair fcenes where if art whilom trod,
" Led by the worll of guides fell tyranny,
" And with lefs fuperftition, we now trace
" Pier footfleps with delight; and pleas'd revere
" What once we fhould have hated."
Approaching this fublime and fequef-
tered fpot, the enthunaftic lover of fimpli-
city in art and nature, the admirer of the
pifturefque and beautiful, the antiquary
and the moralift will feel the effect, as it
were, of enchantment, and become loft al-
moft in a pleafing melancholy. The fleepy
hills,
X
s
tN
( l 33 )
hills ? the hanging woods, the xo^'^%
fiream, the nodding ruin, the furviving
monuments of fallen grandeur and beauty
in decay ; the conftrucled fpace, the fkiilnels
and retirment, all confpire to imprefs the
mind with awe, and for a moment withdraw
from its vain purfuit of wealth and power,
and ab(tra6l it from the world. On this re-
main, a very able writer has remarked, that
<c were the building ever fo beautiful, in-
" compared as it is with fhabby houfes, it
" could make no appearance from the ri-
f< ver." In this we effentially differ, and
prefent the annexed view in fupport of our
opinion. Here every cottage appears as it
really exifts on the fpot -, and the petty, or
if* you pleafe paltry accompaniments to
which he alludes, appear to us £o far from
diminifhing the grandeur of the general
efFecr, that they ferve rather on the con-
trary as a fcale, and give magnitude to the
principal objecr.
The
( '34 )
The ruined windows, pillars, and
mouldings are all of them very elegant fpe-
cimens of the moil perfect ftyle of Gothic
architecture. That wreck and defolation to
which the revolution of opinion, the wafte-
ful rapacity and tyranny of Henry, had
fubjec"ted this lovely fpot, would have pre-
fented only marks of violence, and under
the pretence of religion, the ravaging arm
of an unprincipled barbarian. It is to the
gentler tyranny, the filent and progreflive
ravages, of time, that we owe many of
thofe delicate touches and features of beauty
that embelliih this elegant and interelting
ruin. Thefe have contributed to foften
down the (harper edges of the duffel, and,
by blending its variegated tufts of mofs,
and fpreading and overhanging with its
loofe drapery, and many tinted greens, the
highly wrought ornaments and fculpture of
the place, have given to the whole a richnefs
and mellownefs, far beyond the reach of art.
The
( '35 )
The fmall gothic Gate at the entrance
from the water, was evidently an adjunct
of the abbey, and the remaining fmall
buildings adjoining, formed part of its out-
offices. The abbey was founded A. D. 1 1 3 1.
by Walter de Clare, for monks of the Cif-
tercian order: and dedicated to Saint Mary.
About the time of the revolution, here were
thirteen religious houfes, whofe eftates were
eftimated according to Dugdale at one hun-
dred and ninety- two pounds, one fhilling
and four pence per annum. The fite was
granted in the twenty-eighth of Henry the
VIII. to Henry Earl of Worcefter, from
whom it has defcended to the prefent Duke
of Beaufort.
On entering this fublime ruin the mind
is (truck with a reverential and religious
awe : a fenfation which can be no more ex-
prefled by words, than it can in this full ex-
tent be excited by all the graces of Grecian
propor-
( «3* )
proportions, and all the decencies of ortho-
dox worfhip. The noble cluttered column?
form a beautiful fcene in perfpeclive j and,
while fome of the rich Gothic ornaments
and pointed arches above, prelent themielves
as if magically fufpended, and raife an idea
of grandeur, accompanied, if not with alarm
with fome degree of furprife, the various
ruinated fragments of capitals and pillars
below, which lie fcattered indifcriminately
and in part overgrown and buried in beds
of wild flowers and verdant tendrils, create
an interefting diforder, and fuggeft ideas,
though perhaps of a melancholy tinge, yet
fo far from a diftreffing nature as to lull the
mind to a repofe, congenial to the general
turn of the furrounding fcenery.
Th e fmooth and trim manner in which
the ground is here kept, is not, according to
our conception, very much in unifon with
the affemblage of objects around, where
broken-
( J 37 )
brokennefs and irregularity are the principal
and leading features of the place, the tame-
nefs and uniformity produced by it, are in-
congruous and out of character.
•The weftern window, although in point
of proportion rather too wide for its height,
is yet a curious fpecimen of the ancient Go-
thic, and no contemptible ftudy for one who
is fmitten with a true paffion for the an-
tique. The roof of the building is entirely
fallen in, and with it forne of the pillars are
loft, but their bafes ftill remain above the
furface of the ground, fo as to enable the
antiquary, if he has the leaft of the archi-
tect about him, very eafily to give a ground
plot of the whole.
In the middle of the nave, the lofty
arches which once fupported the fleeple, rife
high above the reft ; but though they retain
S their
( '38 )
their forms, they are reduced to a mere
ridge of ftone.
The neighbouring iron works belonging
to Mr. Tanner of Monmouth, will afford
a different fcene, and mould be vifited by
every traveller. Here the quiet and repofe
of the cottage is happily contracted by the
activity and buftle of the forge.
In paffing along the river fide to the
iron works, many beautiful paflages in land-
fcape prefent themfelves j they are compofed
of woody and diverfined hills, fimilar to
thofe adjoining to the abbey, but heightened
by the bufy fcenes of the labourer and ar-
tificer, conftantly employed in the adjacent
manufactory. The iron works are princi-
pally fupplied from Furnefs in Lancafhire
with ere, which is difolved by the biafts of
immenfe bellows that are worked by means
of
( *39 )
of cylinder pumps. The beft qualities of
the ore are feparated from the drofs by a
water wheel and hammers, by which opera-
tion con r iderable quantities of pure metal
are collected, and the powder is fold to the
glafs houfes. Various forges are here con-
trived for the purpofe of forming the muti-
lated ore into proper fizes, from the largeft
bar of iron, to the fmalleft wire.
S 2 SEC-
( Hi )
SECTION X.
B
ENDING our courfe down the Wye
we pais a promontory, from whence the
eaftern extremity of the abbey prefents it-
felf ; but here all is flat and uninterefting,
compared with the fcene we have jufl quit-
ted. In this point of view the tottering
and folitary pillar, remaining in the centre
of the great eaft window, appears to be
fcarce able to fupport itfelf j thus circum-
flanced it is fortunate for the antiquary that
very little of the fabric depends upon it,
or a great part of that venerable ftru&ure
would, ere long, inevitably come to the
ground with it.
We were foon deprived of any further
view of this elegant remain by a tfrong
wind and tide, which quickly hurried us
down
C 142 )
down the ftream ; but fcenes like thefe, on
which the mind has long dwelt in v }p ~
ling meditation nre not r?fyi*~ flaced by
a mere change of place : they on the con-
trary are rather cherifhed by the preceding
fcenery, by the gloom of the rock, the re-
pofe of the meadow, and the ftillnefs of the
gliding ftream ; nor do they difappear till
we mix in the bufy hum of men, till we
plunge into the more tumultuous fcene of
human life and human paflions.
Having paffed much beautiful fcenery
nearly of the ftyle and character of that
which we witneffed about Tintern, here we
again difcover the eaftern bank of the Wye
fcreened with rocky fubftances, not unlike
thofe at Cold well. Thefe fubftances are
called the Thorn, and Black Cliffs. The
water at this place is much difcoloured, and
acquires a thick and clayey hue, evidently
produced by the influx of the tide, which is
heue
( 143 )
here very vifible, and which from the Severn
fea, and the low marfhy land on its mores is
fo impregnated with mud, and imports it in
fuch quantities as to foul the pearly trelTes
of the Wye, even to a degree of deformity.
" The torrent flood,
" Thy molten chryftal fills with mud,
" Tho' thy lofty head be crown'd
a With many a tower and terras round."
We now approach the rocks that ter-
minate the grounds of Persfield; thefe arc
tremendous projections hanging over the
river, and in their form refemble fo many
baftions of a caftle. They are twelve in
number, and bear the name of the Twelve
Apoftles ; a thirteenth in the fame range is
terminated by a flender flone about five
feet in height, which is called St. Peter's
Thumb. In this fpot we are flruck with
a wonderful reverberation of found, fuch
as mull afford a curious fpeculation to the
philofo-
( 144 )
philofophical inquirer into the nature and
properties of air, and that conformation of
earth and rock and woody accompaniment,
which are neceiiary to produce with fuch
continued repercuflion, an echo fo clear and
diftinc~l. A little below thefe rocks a perfon,
fome years ago, fell unhurt from an im-
menfe height into the woods on the margin
of the river. This almoft. miraculous inter-
pofition on his behalf, wrought very little
effect upon his life and manners, for fo
hardened and incapable was he of being
acted upon, either by the recollection of
mercies or the dread of punifhment, that,
having not long after attended the execution
of a friend for a robbery, he conceived in
his mind the plan of a fimilar crime, per-
petrated it, and fuffered the fame fate. So
that his refcue from a watery grave feems to
have ferved little purpofe beyond that of ve-
rifying the adage, that he, who is deftined
to the halter, may brave the precipice and
the
( MS )
the flood. A little lower down the river
we pafs the rocks, from the fudden and pre-
cipitate fall they prefent, called the Lover's
Leap. Had he not happily been caught by
the fhrubbery planted below, Mr. Morris
the former pofTefTor, had here fallen a f;cri-
fice to his pafiion for thofe limple charms of
nature, which he explored and drefTed with
a correfpondent tafte. He added to their va-
riety without lefTening their intereft. Since
that time a profefTed improver has been let
in, and the confequence, not the natural
confequence, has been that with his roller
and fhears, infipid uniformity has identified
the ever changeful fcene -, and the flime of
this fnail has fcarce lefs deformed its dells,
its craggy hills, and its groves, than has the
mud of the Severn that polluted its waters.
To prevent any fuch accident in future this
gentleman foon after fixed a rail on the edge
of the precipice. By a fteep and unpleafant
path, the traveller, from thefe rocks, has
T fome-
( '46 )
fometimes afcended to the grounds of Pen-
field. A circular bend of the river now dis-
played to our view the noble ruin of Chep-
flow cattle. The Situation of this vener-
able building is finking. It is built on the
fummit of an immenfe perpendicular rock 7
into which it appears rivetted, or rather to
be growing out of it j as from the top o£
the battlements, down to the bafe of the cliff
on the margin of the river, it is one conti-
nued range of precipice.
This majeftic remain, is from the pre-
fent point of view peculiarly interefting, and
in its effect highly piclurefque. The an-
cient Gothic entrance partly in ruin, the ir-
regular breaks and prominencies in the ge-
neral form of the building, which is a mix-
ture of the Norman and Saxon ftyle, are m
many parts overgrown with large clumps of
ivy and variegated fhrubs, fometimes beauti-
fully cluttered among the fragments of the
cattle^
oN
^
•S
•8
C 147 )
caftle, and again falling down and enriching
the white and awful cliff below.
The adjoining bridge from its height,
lingular conftrucrion, and relative fituation
to the caftle has a romantic air, and is well
calculated to give general effect to the land-
fcape.
On the oppofite more, the different forms
of the cliffs and rich verdure with which
they are cloathed, and the mails of the vef-
fels from behind the bridge breaking on the
eye, complete the fcene, and render it al-
together a happy group of objects for the
pencil. This bridge is built with timber,
and the boards which compofe the floor,
are fo laid as to yield to the water and play
fome inches, It is feventy feet above the
fur face of the river, and is fo conftructed
iti confequence of the impetuofity of the
tide, which, j-uft as it rumes in from the Se-
T 2 vera
( «4« )
vern fea, being here fuddenly confined
wi'liin a narrow channel, is frequently
known to have ri fen forty feet. As it
divides the counties of Gloucefter and Mon-
mouth, it is kept in repair at their joint-
expence.
According to fome accounts, Chep-
flow caftle appears formerly to have occupied
a confiderable fpace of ground, not lefs it is
prefumed than five acres. About fix hun-
dred years fince, it was rebuilt by Gilbert
Eari of Pembroke, furnamed Strongbow.
This Gilbert was fecond fon of Gilbert de
Clare, from him it came after various grants
to Charles Somerfet, a fon of the third Duke
of Beaufort, afterwards Earl of Worcefter,
and from him it defcended to the prefent
duke.
The premifes have been for many
years under a leafe for lives, the laft of
which
( »49 )
fahich is at prefent in 1 794, an aged woman V
who (hews the caftle in which fhe was born,
Amongft the feveral buildings ftill remain-
ing, the chapel demands attention, it is
fpacious and has been much ornamented.
Twelve large niches with fimicircular arches
over them, are formed in the walls. They
have feats which are chair high above the
floor. The ufes to which they were ap-
propriated is not clearly afcertained. The
grand entrance on the eaft fide, is a noble
and venerable remain of the Norman ftile
q{ building, it ftands between two lofty
towers, and is in a good ftate of preferva-
tion. Much of the Roman wall, in the
north weft angle of the chapel, appears in
the courfes of bricks between the ftone fa-
cings.
In the civil difTentions of the laft cen-
tury, this caftle was confidered of great im-
portance
( 15° )
portance to both parties, and a garrifon was
continued here after the restoration. A fpa-
cious apartment is flill fhewn in which
Henry Maitin, one of the king's judges, was
confined a clofe prifoner for twenty feven
years.
The life of this remarkable man was
fpared, he having furrendered himfelf con-
formable to the proclamation iflued, when
that event took place. His eflates in Berk-
ihire, which were confiderable, were fequef-
tered, and here he refided till 1680, when
according to Anthony Wood, he died fud*
denly while at dinner, at the age of 78.
He was buried in Chepftow church, and on
his tomb Hone were engraved the following
lines. As they are now obliterated and are
faid to have been written by himfelf, they
may be thought worth preferving. The
Epitaph is an Acroftic.
HERE }
( '5' )
HERE, SEPTEMBER THE NINTH,
WAS BURIED
A TRUE ENGLISHMAN,
Who in Berkfhire, was well known
To love his country's freedom 'bove his own ;
But being immured full twenty year,
Had time to write as doth appear.
HIS EPITAPH.
H ere or elfewhere, (all's one to you, to me
E arth, air, or water, gripes my ghoftly duft,
N one knows how foon to be by fire fet free :
R eader if you an oft try'd rule will truft,
Y ou'U gladly do and fuffer what you mufr.
M y time was fpent in ferving you, and you
A nd death's my pay, it feems, and welcome too$.
R evenge deftroying but itfelf, while I,
T o birds of prey leave my old cage and fly.
E xamples preach to the eye : care then, mine fays,
N ot how you end, but how you fpend your days.
Some years after its interment, by or-
der of the then clergyman, the body was
removed to an obfcure fituation, that the
church
church might not be difgraced by containing
the allies of a regicide. Chepflow parilh
church, formed a part of the old priory be-
longing to the Benedictine monks founded in
the reign of King Stephen. Leland fays this
was a cell to Bermondfey abbey, but it does
not appear to be fo in the Firft Fruits Office ;
as no rent, or penfion by way of acknow-
ledgement, is there recorded to that abbey.
The ftyle of building of this church
is pure Norman, the arches of the nave are
circular, which are fupported by fquare maf-
five pillars in a very perfect flate. The en-
trance to the well: front is in a very fine ftyle,
of the fame architecture, the proportions
are juft, and the pillars and mouldings are
richly decorated in the tafte of that period.
As we have quoted ore monumental in-
fcription, from this ancient receptacle of
the dead, we flatter ourfelves that we may
without making an obituary of this work,
be
( 'S3 )
be permitted to contrail: the two follow-
ing. The firfl was on a fea captain, who
died in 1774.
The blufterous blafls, and Neptune's waves,
Have toft me too, and fro ;
In fpite of all, by God's decree
I harbour here below.
Here I am anchor'd with many of our fleet,
But we fhall fail again, our Admiral Chrift to meek
The following is on John Davis, a
jockey of this town, who feems determined
in his technical phrafes to outdo, not only
the captain, but to diftance all that may
hereafter be faid on the fubject.
'Tis vain to trufl: to human ftrength, or art,
When God doth ftrive, ye will fmall aid impart
As my mifhap, 'tho fkill'd in riding, fhows
That the Almighty, horfe and rider throws.
Be then prepar'd, my friends, fincc accidents
May in an inftant hurry you from hence.
From Chepftow by a very pleafant ride
we vifued the charming grounds of Perf-
U field
( 154 >
field a fpot where nature has been uncom-
monly profufe, not only in the difpofition
of the beautiful Hopes and waving lawns
that enrich and compofe the grounds them-
felves, but in the extenfive and diverfified
fcenery that ftrikes the eye, from every point
of view. I have here felected from amidft
a profufion of magnificent and fafcinating
objects, rarely to be met with in this or any
other country, a very extenfive iketch that
includes Chepftow caftle, and the town be-
neath, together with the rocky cliffs defign-
ed as it were by nature to bound the courfe
of the Wye, whofe beautiful meandering
extends for a diftance of three miles, and
then lofes itfelf in the greater waters of ths
Severn. Here
<£ PleasM Vags pourM
6i His fea green ftreams, deep murmuring beneath
" The hanging bovvers and glittering rocks ; while wide
* l The rougher Severn ftretch'd his arm, beitrew'd
M With (Lining fails, to the capaciois tccan."
This
( i5S )
This enchanting fcene is bounded by
the Gloucefrerlhire and Sonerfctuhire hills,
and affords a fubject for landfcape, more
fublime and piclurefque than the mo3: fer-
tile imagination can conceive. An attempt
to defcribe every beautiful object that pre-
fects itfelf within the circuit of thefe
grounds, would in the recital be tedious and
Unlnterefting, I (hall therefore only obferve,
that the fcenery on this fpot is perpetually
diverfified, and nature every where rifes be-
yo.id the reach of art. The enciofed view,
though I may in my attempt have merited
the pi aife of fidelity, will I fear convey but
a faint and unimpreflive idea of that fcenery
which, is adapted only to the talent and pen-
cil of a Claude Lorraine.
In contemplating this magnificent and
ftupendous alfemblage of nature and art,
we are led as it were inftincYively to deplore
the melancholy reverfe of fortune, that fad-
U 2 deneJ
( «5<5 )
den?d the laft days of the original defigner
and owner of this charming fpot ; of him
whofe elegant mind and munificent hand
coal J, out of the rude uncultivated mafs s
project and raife to the higher! flate of per-
fection a monument of tafte, that mufl
remain an ornament to his country.
We could not take our leave of Chep-
flow, without giving a retrofpective view of
the caftle, and its tremendous rocky bafe
and diftant fcenery over which we had juft
paded. The romantic bridge and bufy fcene
on the water, all combined to aid the landr
fcape, and to give a further illuflration of
this fafcinating place. Chepftow, the grand
and central port of the commerce of our
river, is here finely difplayed by the throng
that lined the wharf, and the grove of trad-
ing veflels through which we palled. The
lofty and high impending fcreen of rocks,
on either fide the river, rendered our pafTage
down
C '57 )
down the ftream delightful. Amongft thefe
the red rocks and Hard wick cliff are pecu-
liarly attractive, in the latter many large
appertures have been dug that are paflable,
and extend forty, or fifty yards from the
entrance, and in the vicinity is a remarkable
fine well of water, that gives the name of
Thorn well to a beautiful range of woods,
adjoining the termination of Hardwick cliff.
The annexed view of what are called
the Tied Rocks, will give a general idea of the
face of the river, in our pafiage down to the
mouth of the Wye, where we found the
tide uncommonly rapid, and where if the
wind is brifk, the waters are troublefomely
rough.
It is here matter of much regret, that
we cannot with fidelity introduce the dif-
tant Severn, which would have rendered the
view more complete. At Ewen's rocks,
about
( >5S )
about a mile below, that noble river breaks
extenfively on the eye, and prefents a beau-
tiful fcene, but it is altogether an inferior
one to that before us.
At the conflux of the Wye, or in the
vicinity of Beacuiey, (the old paffage houfe)
the Severn is feen to greater advantage. The
diftant hills of Glouceiierfhire and Somer-
fetfhire, beautifully interfering each other
in varied tints, while intervening objects of
carries, villages, and manfions of the weal-
thy and great on the oppofite more, richly
diverfify and compleat the whole. The dif-
tance, compofed of Walton hills about ten
miles below, breaks beautifully on the eye,
and forms a happy termination acrofs King's-
road and the Briftol channel.
From hence the groups of veflels that
are conftantlv moored near the mouth of the
Briftol Avon, although at a diftance of near
three
( '59 )
three miles, are perfectly diftinguifhable.
The immenfe quantity of (hipping perpetu-
ally palling and repaying before the eye,
convey a magnificent idea, both of that ce-
lebrated mart of our country, the city of
Briftol, and of the extenfive commerce of
the Severn, a river, memorable and facred
almofl as the wizard Dee in ancient fong ;
a torrent before the grandeur of whofe flood,
our more beautiful Wye feels diminished and
fubmits her humbler and tributary ftream, a
torrent whofe guardian fpirit we fhall at
another, and we truft no very diflant day
hope to invoke, and with
" Shepherds in the feftival of peace
" Carol her goodnefs loud in ruftic lays,
** And throw fweet garland wreaths into her ftream
" Of panfies, pinks, and gaudy daffodils.
FINIS.
(0
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University of California Library
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