58 PAPEKS, ETC, 



trenches circling it, and between each of thein an earthen 

 wall. On the very top of the hill, is an area of 20 acres or 

 more, where, in several places, as Leland observes, may be 

 seen the foundatlons of walls, and there was much dusky 

 blue stone wbich the people of the adjolning villages had 

 in his time carried away besides coins ; Stowe, teils us of a 

 silver horse shoe there digged up in the mernory of that 

 age ; and Leland describes it in a kind of ecstasy, " Good 

 Lord says he, what deep ditches, what high walls, what 

 precipices are here ; in short, I look upon it as a very great 

 wonder both of art and nature." How far it may be con- 

 sidered a wonder of nature, I cannot say ; but that it is a 

 wonder of primeval art, I think no one who sees it will 

 deny. The high walls and foundations of wall as well as all 

 traces of the internal arrangeinent of this great military 

 Station, have totally disappeared, but the outer fortifications 

 of the hill are in a tolerable State of preservation. What 

 outworks there may have been, cannot now be ascertained, 

 as, with the exception of the traces of some platforms pro- 

 bably stations for slingers on the south-side, everything 

 outside the main fortification has been obliterated by mo- 

 dern agriculture ; but there are the vast trenches with their 

 earthen walls, on some of which, I thought I could trace 

 the remains of a low breastwork of dry masonry. There 

 are at present three entrances, easily to be made out ; the 

 first, on the Last side, is that now used as an approach to 

 the field occupying the area within the fortification, and 

 has been so enlarged and made easy of access, for the con- 

 venience of the tenant, as to have entirely lost its ancient 

 character, so much as to render it almost doubtful whether 

 it be original or not ; but, on the whole, I think it probable 

 that there was an entrance at this point. The next is at 

 the South East angle of the place, and, having crossed the 



