SOILES : FAIRY KINGS, BECKET'S PATH, PASTURES. 



As to the green circles on the downes, vulgarly called faiery circles (dances), I presume they are 

 generated from the breathing out of a fertile subterraneous vapour. (The ring-worme on a man's flesh is 

 circular. Excogitate a paralolisme between the cordial heat and ye subterranean heat, to elucidate this 

 phenomenon.) Every tobacco-taker knowes that 'tis no strange thing for a circle of smoke to be 

 whiff d out of the bowle of the . pipe ; but 'tis donne by chance. If you digge under the turf'e of 

 this circle, you will find at the rootes of the grasse a hoare or mouldinesse. But as there are 

 fertile steames, so contrary wise there are noxious ones, which proceed from some mineralls, iron, 

 &c. ; which also as the others, cceteris paribus, appear in a circular forme. 



In the common field of Winterbourn is the celebrated path called S'. Thomas Becket's 



path. It leads from the village up to Clarendon Parke. Whether this field be sown or lies fallow, 

 the path is visible to one that lookes on it from the hill, and it is wonclerfull. But I can add yet 

 farther the testimonies of two that I very well know (one of them my servant, and of an excellent 

 sight) that will attest that, riding in the rode from London one morning in a great snow, they did see 

 this path visible on the snow. S*. Thomas Becket, they say, was sometime a cure priest at Winter- 

 bourn, and did use to goe along this path up to a chapel] in Clarendon Parke, to say masse, and very 

 likely 'tis true : but I have a conceit that this path is caused by a warme subterraneous steanie from 

 a long crack in the earth, which may cause snow to dissolve sooner there than elsewhere : and 

 consequently gives the dissolving snow a darker colour, just as wee see the difference of whites in 

 damask linnen. 



The right reverend father in God, Seth, Lord Bishop of Salisbury, averres to me that at Silchester 

 in Hampshire, which was a Roman citie, one may disceme in the come ground the signe of the 

 streetes ; nay, passages and hearthes : which also Dr. Jo. Wilkins (since Lord Bishop of Chester) did 

 see with him, and has affirm'd the same thing to me. They were there, and saw it in the spring. 



e 



1 ita res accendunt lumina rebus."- LUCRETIUS. 



The pastures of the vale of Wliite Horse, sc. the first ascent below the plaines, are as rich a turf'e 

 as any hi the kingdom of England : e. g. the Idovers at Daimtesey, of good note in Smithfield, which 

 sends as fatt cattle to Smythfield as any place in this nation ; as also Tytherton, Queenfield, 

 Wroughton, Tokenham, Mudgelt, Lydyard Tregoz, and about Cricklad, are fatting groiuids, the 

 garden of Wiltshire. 



In a little meadow called Mill-mead, belonging to the farme of Broad Chalke, is good peate, which 

 in my father's time was digged and made use of; and no doubt it is to be found in many other places 

 of this country, if it were search't after. But I name it onely to bring in a discovery that S r 

 Christopher Wren made of it, sc. that 'tis a vegetable, which was not known before. One of the 

 pipes at Hampton Court being stop't, S r Christopher commanded to have it opened (I think he say'd 

 'twas an earthen pipe), and they found it choak't with peate,* which consists of a coagmentation of 

 small fibrous vegetables. These pipes were layd in Cardinal Wolsey's time, who built the house. 



Earth growing. In the court of Mrs. Sadler's, the great house in the close in Salisbury, the 



* I believe that in y e pipes was nothing else but Alga fontalis trichodes, (C. B.) which is often found in conduit pipes. 

 See my Synopsis. [JOHN RAT.] 



