244 SENT TO ENGLAND 



remember that it was nearly a foot deep with rushes and we sat 

 around a long table and over two hundred took lunch so it can be 

 easily understood the number of men that could be fed in one of 

 those castles in the olden time. After a few more visits to places 

 of importance, we went back to Leamington Spa for the night, 

 where we had a grand dinner and more music and dancing on the 

 green. 



Next morning, bright and early, we were in the carriages 

 again and taken this time to Stratford-on-Avon. I forgot to 

 mention, in speaking of Warwick Castle, that the Avon ran past 

 the Castle and some of us went down and took a boat and crossed 

 the river, and looked up at the castle from the far side. When we 

 went to Stratford, it was to make a pilgrimage to the home of 

 Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway. I remember, in 

 going up the narrow old stairs, in her quaint little house, that I 

 remarked that the steps were almost worn away by the multitudes 

 who had made the pilgrimage, as we had. After seeing the sights 

 in Stratford-on-Avon, we were all taken to the church and a 

 lecture recited for our edification, being the known history of 

 Shakespeare and of Anne, his wife. After that, we lunched with 

 one of the local celebrities. Later, we went where there was a 

 village filled with tents and thousands of spectators and all the 

 gentry in the country, and afterwards we took carriage and went 

 to the Earl of Erne's estate. 



The only thing I can remember about this is that it was near 

 Coventry and there he told us that his ancestors were Cavaliers, 

 while the Marquis of Warwick was in favor of Cromwell and they 

 were constantly squabbling and sometimes fighting. He showed 

 us a picture of Charles First, which had only been lately discovered 

 in the castle. Some one had painted another picture over it so 

 that his did not show. Some one thought there might be a pic- 

 ture underneath and they got it cleaned and, behold, this picture 

 of Charles First, one of the best extant, was unfolded. 



Again, we returned to headquarters and, the next day, I think 

 by train, we went to Birmingham, and here we were entertained 

 by Sir Thomas Montague, the mayor, and saw the sights in the 

 city and round it. This ended our trip, but, in less than a month 



