44 WOODSTOCK 



spirit was dismissed to the regions of the blessed. I, with 

 two brothers and two sisters, followed her remains across 

 the country, from Leamington to our family vault in 

 Hampshire, which we reached on the fourth day, passing 

 by Stratford-on-Avon, Woodstock, Oxford, Wallingford, 

 Reading, Alton, and Peters field. 



At the first-mentioned town, the birth-place of our 

 immortal bard, we did not stop ; but two or three years 

 afterwards, in passing through, I visited what was once 

 his residence, then standing, and had the honour of 

 inscribing my name, in a book kept for that purpose, 

 immediately under those of the two Austrian Archdukes, 

 who had passed through but the day before, as well as 

 on the walls of his bedroom. I also sat in the same 

 chair in which, I was told by an aged female, his supposed 

 lineal descendant, it was his custom to indulge after 

 quitting the busy scenes of the metropolis — saw the 

 monument or rather effigy erected in the church to his 

 memory, and read his epitaph, written by the English 

 Roscius, which I thought did not sufficiently express the 

 enthusiastic admiration which has always been felt for 

 the writings that bear his name. 



At "Woodstock we rested for the night, which gave us 

 an oj^portunity of viewing that splendid national reward 

 to the renowned commander who led our armies to victory 

 on the Continent, foiled the ambition of the Grand 

 Monarque, and made his name famous in our annals. At 

 this time it was inhabited by his descendant — a necessi- 

 tous recluse. At Oxford we stopped but long enough 

 to admire the architectural beauties of its High Street, 

 and for me to Avish to change the scene of my daily 



