MR. RATS ITINERARIES, 



ITINERARY I. 



August the 9th, 1658, I began my journey from 

 Cambridge, and rode that night to Northampton, thirty- 

 one miles. At Higham Ferrers I took notice of a great 

 antient stone building, which they call the college. 

 Northampton is an old town, but indifferently handsome, 

 the houses all built of timber, notwithstanding the plenty 

 of stone dug in that country. It hath a very spacious 

 market-place, and old castle demohshed, and an indifferent 

 good wall. There, in Mr. Brooker's garden, I saw divers 

 physical plants, and took especial notice of lupinus luteus 

 odoratus [probably L. luteus Linn.] which was very luxu- 

 riant there ; the soil where it grew was sandy, and the 

 place warm. Great plenty of cabbage, and roots, and 

 onions, and the like, are planted near this town. 



August the 10th, I travelled from Northampton to 

 Warwick, by the way passing through Daventry, eight 

 miles distant ; and in sight of Holdenby House, which 

 was a very stately pile of building, and a pleasant situa- 

 tion ; and then by Shuckborough, where lives an ancient 

 family of that name. Hereabout are found star-stones, 



* The following ' Itineraries' were published in 1760 by Mr. Scott, and 

 are selections made from Ray's original journals. It is manifest that they 

 were not intended for publication, being only Ray's private notes of such 

 things as seemed most interesting to him. In the present reprint no alte- 

 ration has been made ; even the erroneous spelling of the names of places 

 being retained as in the original. The editor has added between brackets 

 [ ], the modern names of the plants and animals mentioned, and occasionally 

 appended a foot-note. 



