THE FACE OF THE COUNTRY. 



79 



is store and breeding of yong Catelle but little or no 

 Come or Habitation. 



** Ther runnith at this Place called Simondsbath a 

 Ryver betwixt to great Morisch Hills in a deepe 

 Botom and there is a Bridge of wood over this Water. 

 The Water in Somer most communely runnith flat 

 upon stones easy to be passid over, but when Raynes 

 come and stormes of Wyntre it ragith and ys depe. 

 Alwayss this Streame is a great deale bigger Water 

 than Ex is at Exford, yet it resortith unto Ex Ryver. 



" The boundes of Somersetshire go beyond this 

 streame one way by North-West a 2 miles or more to 

 a place caullid Spanne and the Tourres ; for ther be 

 Hillokes of Yerth cast up of auncient tyme for 

 Markes and Limites betwixt Somersetshir and 

 Devonshire, and hereabout is the Limes and 

 Boundes of Exmore Forest. 



" From Simonsbath Bridge I rode up a high 

 Morisch Hylle and so passing by 2 miles in lyke 

 ground, the soyle began to be somewhat fruteful 

 and the Hilles to be full of Enclosures, until I cam 

 a 3 miles farther to a poore village caullid Bray- 

 forde where runnith a Broke by likelihood resorting 

 to Simonsbath Water and Ex." 



The chief interest of the quotation, w^hich is the 

 oldest known description of the country, lies in the 

 fact that the traveller was struck by the amount of 

 cattle, and by the number of small enclosures he saw 

 as he rode down the track from Span Head bv Yard 

 Down. 



N 2 



