﻿THROUGH 
  THE 
  HEART 
  OF 
  ENGLAND 
  IN 
  A 
  CANOE 
  

  

  48' 
  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  K. 
  T. 
  Evans 
  

  

  THE 
  FERRY 
  AT 
  BABEOCKHYTHE 
  HAS 
  ITS 
  PEACE 
  IN 
  ENGLISH 
  POETRY 
  

  

  This 
  picturesque 
  spot 
  is 
  mentioned 
  in 
  Matthew 
  Arnold's 
  "Gipsy 
  Scholar." 
  Note 
  the 
  rope 
  by 
  

  

  which 
  the 
  ferry 
  is 
  operated. 
  

  

  sign-board 
  was 
  painted 
  by 
  Sir 
  Hamo 
  

   Thorneycroft, 
  and 
  represents 
  a 
  rose 
  in 
  a 
  

   glass 
  of 
  beer, 
  in 
  which 
  liquid 
  it 
  appears 
  

   to 
  be 
  flourishing 
  greatly. 
  Over 
  the 
  sign- 
  

   board 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  penthouse 
  to 
  act 
  as 
  a 
  

   defense 
  against 
  the 
  weather. 
  

  

  passing 
  the 
  scene 
  op 
  the 
  

   worth" 
  tragedy 
  

  

  KENIE- 
  

  

  Four 
  miles 
  below 
  is 
  the 
  ferry 
  (see 
  

   above) 
  where 
  Matthew 
  Arnold 
  saw 
  the 
  

   Scholar-Gipsy 
  "crossing 
  the 
  stripling 
  

   Thames 
  at 
  Bablockhythe," 
  and 
  about 
  a 
  

   mile 
  on 
  the 
  right 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Cumnor, 
  

   where 
  was 
  enacted 
  the 
  tragedy 
  of 
  Amy 
  

   Robsart, 
  described 
  by 
  Sir 
  Walter 
  Scott 
  

   in 
  "Kenilworth." 
  

  

  At 
  this 
  point 
  we 
  could 
  see 
  Oxford, 
  but 
  

   as 
  the 
  river 
  describes 
  a 
  great 
  horseshoe 
  

   curve, 
  it 
  was 
  some 
  time 
  before 
  we 
  ap- 
  

   proached 
  the 
  outskirts 
  of 
  the 
  city. 
  The 
  

   sordid 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  miles, 
  

   covered 
  with 
  railways, 
  warehouses, 
  and 
  

   gasometers, 
  is 
  only 
  equaled 
  by 
  the 
  mem- 
  

   ory 
  of 
  its 
  departed 
  glories. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  left, 
  where 
  now 
  is 
  a 
  cemetery, 
  

   stood 
  the 
  great 
  Abbey 
  of 
  Osney. 
  and 
  just 
  

  

  below 
  the 
  old 
  keep 
  of 
  Oxford 
  Castle 
  

   rears 
  its 
  hoary 
  head 
  from 
  among 
  the 
  

   hideous 
  litter 
  and 
  lumber 
  of 
  a 
  gas-works 
  

   and 
  a 
  railway 
  ; 
  yet 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  scene 
  of 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  most 
  romantic 
  adventures 
  of 
  the 
  

   Middle 
  Ages. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  year 
  1142 
  King 
  Stephen 
  was 
  

   besieging 
  the 
  castle, 
  in 
  which 
  was 
  his 
  

   rival, 
  Matilda. 
  A 
  frost 
  set 
  in. 
  followed 
  

   by 
  a 
  heavy 
  snowstorm, 
  and 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  

   the 
  garrison 
  was 
  desperate. 
  But 
  Matilda 
  

   was 
  a 
  true 
  Plantagenet. 
  With 
  four 
  

   chosen 
  knights, 
  dressed 
  all 
  in 
  white, 
  she 
  

   stole 
  out 
  of 
  a 
  little 
  postern 
  gate, 
  and 
  

   under 
  cover 
  of 
  darkness 
  fled 
  across 
  the 
  

   frozen 
  river 
  and 
  over 
  the 
  snows 
  to 
  Abing- 
  

   don, 
  seven 
  long 
  miles 
  away, 
  where 
  help 
  

   awaited 
  her. 
  

  

  A 
  little 
  farther 
  on 
  the 
  river 
  divides 
  

   and 
  passes 
  under 
  the 
  old 
  Grand 
  Pont, 
  or 
  

   Folly 
  Bridge, 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  Oxford's 
  

   aquatic 
  life. 
  

  

  OXFORD 
  A 
  TOWN 
  THAT 
  BELONGS 
  TO 
  THE 
  

  

  WORLD 
  

  

  Oxford 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  those 
  towns 
  which, 
  

   like 
  Rome, 
  Prague, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  others, 
  are 
  

  

  