172 THE MUSIC OF WILD FLOWERS 



Close, and laid quietly to rest " without ostentation " 

 in Prior Silkstede's Chapel, in the south transept of the 

 Cathedral. A large black marble slab was afterwards 

 placed over his remains, with an inscription believed to 

 have been written by Thomas Ken ; and quite recently 

 the east window above his grave has been filled with 

 stained glass in memory of the " honest fisherman," 

 who passed the last years of his honoured life in the 

 uppermost house on the right side of Dome Alley, in 

 the Close of Winchester. 



" The house next ye Dean's stable," as the Wainscot 

 Book calls No. 3 i.e. the residence adjoining the 

 mediaeval guest-house or Pilgrims' Hall, and built 

 partly within it was allotted to Dr John Nicholas, 

 Warden of College, known to all Wykehamists as the 

 builder of " School." He was appointed prebendary 

 by Bishop Morley in 1684, three months after the death 

 of Izaak Walton ; and having finished " School " in 

 1687, ne a * nce set about putting his prebendal resi- 

 dence into order. From the many points of similarity 

 between the decoration of " School " and that of No. 3, 

 it would seem that Dr Nicholas employed the same 

 architect, believed to be Sir Christopher Wren, or at 

 anyrate the same workmen. The cornice-work at the 

 top of the wide oaken staircase of No. 3, decorated 

 with the Nicholas coat-of-arms, corresponds to the 

 cornice-work of " School," and the fine oak panelling 

 is of the same pattern. Our Wainscot Book gives 

 particulars of this later work. It appears that Dr 

 Nicholas spent the sum of 73, 195. a considerable 

 sum in those days on wainscot work, giving as much 

 as 6s. 6d. a yard for the wide oak boards with which he 

 panelled "the parlor and drawing- Rome." It was 



