The Right Hon. Sidney Herbert's Address. 



5 



which I have alluded — the better part of them is underground. 

 (Hear and a laugh) . However I must say that we in South Wiltshire 

 should be perfectly callous to all good and wise impressions, if we 

 were not to set some value upon the antiquities we possess. (Hear, 

 hear). Without wishing to draw any invidious comparisons 

 between this county and other parts of England, I may say that I 

 know scarcely any district so rich as ours — it is a perfect epitome 

 of history. (Applause). Here you have the monuments of the 

 Druids (one of them the finest in the world); you have close by the 

 camp of Vespasian: and down the river the great camp of Old 

 Sarum; you have upon every headland which juts into the valley 

 the marks of earth- works thrown up in the struggle between the 

 various races, who one after another, took possession of, and main- 

 tained these strongholds for a time, and then yielded their rough 

 conquests to their successors. Then, again, at Clarendon you have 

 a noble monument of the great struggle between the church and 

 the secular power ; and if you go three miles in a contrary direction 

 you will find evidences of that struggle which was conducted against 

 Beckett by Henry the II., and which was terminated with 

 Henry the VIII. Of that monarch I will say nothing. I believe 

 we are not disposed in these times to look upon him as a monarch, 

 but rather to dwell upon certain domestic failings which he 

 possessed ; but I must recall to the minds of those who are disposed 

 to visit with indiscriminate censure one of the most energetic 

 sovereigns that ever ruled over this country, that up to a certain 

 period of his life — whether for statesmanship, for grace, for learning, 

 or for wit, he was one of the most admired monarchs this country 

 ever possessed. (Hear, hear). He had the misfortune to live too 

 long — he had the misfortune to display great vices; but setting 

 aside that portion of his life, I take this opportunity of speaking 

 on behalf of one who has no friends (laughter), and I must say that 

 King Henry the VIII has received at the hands of posterity very 

 hard measure indeed. (Hear, hear) . Pardon me for this digression, 

 and permit me now to state — as my friend Mr. Scrope has spoken 

 of the advantage of this institution to the county generally — that 

 there is one advantage which ought not to be overlooked. It is, 



