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embraces the solitude of the graveyard, the beautiful curve made 
by the river, and the fine ruins of the church. We will now go 
to the top of the rock on the opposite side of the river from 
whence we look directly down upon the ruins of the Abbey 
Church. From this point of view everything else seems to be 
shut off except the beauty of the ruins, and our thoughts 
instinctively turn to the builders of the Abbey. 
Here we must place ourselves in touch with Emerson, the 
great American poet, who in all probability visited the spot. 
We have only a meagre life of Emerson published which gives 
us very little information as to what parts of England he visited. 
But we learn when he came from America and landed at Liver- 
pool, his first visit was to Wordsworth in 1833, and the scenery 
of the North. The probability therefore is that Wordsworth 
would direct him to Bolton Abbey by the same road as he took 
himself. _This fine poem when read in sight of the Abbey seems 
just what we might have expected him to write under the cir- 
cumstances. 
**O’er England’s Abbey hends the sky 
As on its friends with kindred eye. 
For out of thoughts interior sphere 
These wonders rose to upper air ! 
And Nature gladly gave them place, 
Adopted them into her race, 
And granted them an equal state, 
With Andes and with Ararat.” 
To get another and picturesque view of the ruins of Bolton 
Abbey we must continue our journey along the lower part of 
the Holme Terrace so as to get the east end of the Abbey 
Church separate from the rest of the buildings. This was the 
favourite position in which Cox took it, especially the picture of 
Bolton Abbey which was exhibited in 1831. In this picture he 
takes his stand at a considerable distance from the building, 
having a bend of the right bank of the Wharfe hiding the 
western end which is now the parish church. The foreground 
of the picture is taken up largely by the bend which slopes to 
the river. There are cows quietly grazing in the shadow of the 
hill, and a farm servant is coming towards the spectator with a 
pail of milk upon his head. This arrangement gives a pastoral 
air to the picture, and we see Bolton Abbey forming part of a 
fine English country landscape. It is very interesting to know 
that it was while sketching Bolton Abbey and the neighbour- 
hood that Cox first began to try his hand at painting in oil 
colours. There was another drawing which Cox made of Bolton 
Abbey taken from the opposite side of the river. The description 
of the drawing by Cox’s biographer is most interesting. He 
says, ‘The large drawing of Bolton Abbey mentioned in the 
foregoing letter is very highly finished, and is unusually brilliant 
