INTRODUCTION. 15 



Wilton, looking out of the carriage window, exclaimed, • Bless me ! never before did I see roads 

 mended with such materials!' This, of course, drew my attention to what had so strongly- 

 excited his wonder ; and I must confess that my astonishment was but little less than his own ; 

 for I beheld a labourer with a large hammer breaking to pieces a nearly circular ornamented 

 stone, half as large as the fore-wheel of our carriage, and resembling in form a coiled-up serpent, 

 or snake. We instantly stopped the chaise, and inquired of the man the name of the stone, 

 and where it came from. ' This, Sir,' he rephed, ' is a snake-stone, and comes from yonder 

 quarry, where there are thousands of them.' Upon hearing this, we all alighted, and with 

 surprise examined some of the unbroken stones, which, though evidently bearing the form of 

 an unknown animal, were composed of solid rock. As we sauntered along, the carriage 

 following us, we came to a neat building on the road-side, which a sign in the hedge opposite 

 denoted to be a house of public entertainment. Hoping to gain more satisfactory information 

 respecting the objects that had so much excited our curiosity, we entered this literally hedge 

 ale-house, and on being shown into a neat room, the casement of which, surrounded by roses 

 and honeysuckles in full bloom, opened into a garden redolent with fragrance and beauty, 

 from the wild profusion of its flowers and shrubs, we determined to rest awhile, and partake of 

 such refreshment as the cottage might afford. While these were preparing, Frank Wilton, 

 whose restless curiosity leaves nothing unobserved, was examining the contents of the old oaken 

 mantel-shelf, and suddenly cried out, ' Well ! if the object of travelling is to behold novelties 

 and wonders, surely this county will afford that gratification in the highest degree ; for among 

 the curious things on this mantel-piece, there is not one of which I have ever seen its like 

 before.' The articles now passed under my examination, and with no better success ; for 

 I had never observed anything similar, nor could I form a rational conjecture respecting their 

 nature. 



" While thus engaged, our landlady made her appearance, and from her we learnt that this 

 was her collection of curiosities, gathered from the neighbouring counti-y ; and she readily 

 imparted to us all she knew of the subject. Taking up one of the stones, which resembled those 

 we had seen on the road, — ' This,' she said, ' is a petrified snake, with which this neighbour- 

 hood abounds. These were once fairies that inhabited these parts, and, for their crimes, were 

 turned first into snakes, and then into stones. Here'— showing a stone of a conical form — ' is 

 one of the fairies' night-caps, ' now also become stone.' ' Do, madam,' addressing Emma, 

 ' pray observe this pattern ; is it possible lace-work like this should ever have been worked by 

 human hands ? This — and this — are pieces of bones of giants, who lived here after the fairies 

 were destroyed.' These bones, she informed us, were frequently dug up in several parts of 

 the county, as well as innumerable thunderbolts,'^ some of which she also showed us, afSrming that 

 they were the very thunderbolts by which the giants were in their turn annihilated. 



" We all listened attentively to this discourse, and on my smiling, when she withdrew, at the 

 romantic account we had received, Wilton strenuously defended our good landlady's narration, 

 and declared, he thought it was not without a fair .share of probability. On the return of our 

 hostess, I did not venture to express any doubt of the truth of her story, but merely requested 

 to know if she was aware of there being anywhere a more extensive collection of similar 

 curiosities. ' To be sure. Sir,' she replied, ' our University has a museum full of them ; and 

 if you be going through Oxford, it will be well worth your while to see it.' 



" After taking refreshment, we left our kind and communicative hostess, but not with an 

 intention of immediately visiting the Museum of the University. On the contrary, I felt that, 



' A Cidaris, or turban-echinite ; see Plate LIII. ^ .BfZemjirtas, popularly termed " thunderbolts," Plate LIX. 



