OF SELBORNE 23 



whole circumference, 2646 yards, or very near a mile and 

 an half. The length of the north-west and opposite side 

 is about 704 yards, and the breadth of the south-west end 

 about 456 yards. This measurement, which I caused to 

 be made with good exactness, gives an area of about sixty- 

 six acres, exclusive of a large irregular arm at the north-east 

 corner, which we did not take into the reckoning. 



On the face of this expanse of waters, and perfectly 

 secure from fowlers, lie all day long, in the winter season, 

 vast flocks of ducks, teals, and wigeons, of various denom- 

 inations ; where they preen and solace, and rest themselves, 

 till towards sun-set, when they issue forth in little parties 

 (for in their natural state they are all birds of the night) to 

 feed in the brooks and meadows; returning again with the 

 dawn of the morning. Had this lake an arm or two more, 

 and were it planted round with thick covert (for now it is 

 perfectly naked), it might make a valuable decoy. 



Yet neither its extent, nor the clearness of its water, nor 

 the resort of various and curious fowls, nor its picturesque 

 groups of cattle, can render this meer so remarkable as the 

 great quantity of coins that were found in its bed about 

 forty years ago. But, as such discoveries more properly 

 belong to the antiquities of this place, I shall suppress all 

 particulars for the present, till I enter professedly on my 

 series of letters respecting the more remote history of this 

 village and district. 



LETTER IX 



TO THOMAS PENNANT, ESQUIRE 



By way of supplement, I shall trouble you once more on 

 this subject, to inform you that Wolmer, with her sister 

 forest Ayles Holt, alias Alice Holt,^ as it is called in old 



1 " In Rot. Inquisit. de statu forest, in Scaccar. 3 6. Ed. 3. it iscalled jiisholt." 

 In the same, " Tit. Woolmer and Aisholt Hantisc. Dominus Rex habet 



unam capellam in haia sua de Kingesle." " Haia, sepes, sepimentum, 



parens : a Gall, haie and hayey Spelman's Glossary. 



