ago Keswick. 
of its (ides, trees and fa rubs climbed to the very fumrnit. 
Before us lay the wood from which we had lately palled, 
under whofe lliade Lodore-houfe and enciofures were feen 
inclining towards the lake ; above which, the lofty pre¬ 
cipice, the waterfall, and Shepherd’s Crag, were feen in 
their variety of beauties ; whilft all beyond the mountains 
formed a crefcent, enclafping a fheet of water of two miles 
circuit. Mountain behind mountain, and rock behind 
rock, fell here in fine perfpeftive, and brought to our 
minds thofe aiionifhing fcenes which cha’rafterize the pen¬ 
cil of Salvator. We palled from hence, in our return to 
Kefwick, by the coaft, where we were faown a cliff that 
projebled over the lake, called Eve’s Crag, from its bear¬ 
ing fome limilitude to a female coloflean llatue. We 
next paffed Wallow Crag, in which a large opening is 
formed by the parting of the rocks, bearing the name of 
Lady’s Rake, from the efcape lady Derwentwater made 
tiiere, by climbing the horrid and ftupendous heights with 
inch jewels and valuables as fae could fecure, when her un¬ 
fortunate lord was apprehended. We now reached Lord’s 
I (land, containing fome acres covered with wood-, where 
are the remains of a manfion of the Derwentwater family. 
Formerly this was only a peninfula; but, when the place 
was made the refidence of the Radclilfs and Derwentwa- 
ters, it was fevered from the main land by a ditch, over 
which wa.s thrown a draw-bridge. Travellers cannot be¬ 
hold the ruins of this place, without yielding a ligh for 
the follies of the world, and bewailing the dire eflebls 
which attend ambition and the crimes of princes. 
“The fifa of this lake are trouts, pike, eels, and perch. 
The romantic fcenes upon the lake induced us to take 
a beat at night, under favour of the moon, which was 
near the full. We began our voyage foon after the moon 
was rifen, and had illuminated the top of Skiddaw, but 
from the intercepting mountains had not (within theafeent 
of an hour) reached the lake. We were Turrounded with 
a folemn gloom ; the ftillnei; of the evening rendered the 
voice of the waterfalls tremendous, as they, in all their 
variety of founds, were re-echoed from every cavern 5 the 
fummits of the rocks began to receive the riling rays, and 
appeared as if crowned with turrentsof filver, from which 
the liars departed for their nightly round. As the night 
advanced, objecls arofe to view as if furging on the firft 
morning from chaos ; the water Was a plain of fable, 
fprinkled over with gems, reflefled from the ftarry firma¬ 
ment ; the groves, which hung upon the feet of the moun¬ 
tains, were hid in darknefs, and all was one grave and 
majeftic circle of faadow: 
Rifing in cloudy majefty, at length 
A parent queen unveil’d her peerlefs light. 
And o’er the dark her iilver mantle threw. 
When the long-protrafled fhades, the mountains call; on 
the bofom of the lake, faowed the vaftnefs of thofe malfes 
from whence they proceeded; and Hill, as the moon arofe 
higher in the horizon, the diftant objects began to be 
more illumined, and the whole prefented us with a noble 
.moon-light piece, delicately touched by the hand of na¬ 
ture, and far fuppafang thofe humble fcenes which we had 
'often viewed in the works of the Flemifa painters. Mills 
began to arife on the lake, and, by reafon of the air which 
bore them aloft being confined and eddying within this 
deep circle, they were whirled round, and carried' up¬ 
wards like a column, which, fo foon as it approached the 
rays of the moon, had a molt wonderful appearance, and 
refembled a pillar of light. The moon’s mild beams now 
gliilened on the waters, and touched the groves, the cliffs, 
and the iflands, with a rneeknefs of colouring which ad¬ 
ded to the folemnity of the night. Every bay and pro¬ 
montory afiumed an appearance different from what it had 
by day-light; the little dells which wind round the feet 
of the mountains, as they were ihadowed by interpofing 
objebls, or filvered by the moon, afforded moll enchant¬ 
ing fcenes; where we might have wandered, with delight, 
till morn. Where the lake narrows, and runs up in a 
creek, towards Borrowdale, the rocks looked tremendous,' 
almoft faulting us from the face of heaven ; the cliffs were 
llruck with icanty gleams of light, which gained their 
paifage through the interftices of the hills, or chafms in 
the rocks, and ferved only to difeover their horrible over¬ 
hanging fronts ; their mighty caverns, where the water 
llruck by our oars made a hollow found ; their deformed 
and frowning brows, the hanging farubs with which they 
were bearded, their fparkling waterfalls that trilled from 
faelf to faelf, the whole half feen and half concealed, 
leaving imagination at large to magnify the images of 
their grandeur and horrible magnificence: 
“ The purfuit which engaged 11s next morning was to 
gain the fumrnit of Skiddaw, which, by the winding pals 
we were obliged to make, afforded a laborious afeent of 
five miles. The profpect from this eminence well reward¬ 
ed our fatigue. To the fouth-eaft, we had a view over 
the tops of mountains, one fucceeding to or overlooking 
the other ; a feene of chaos and mighty confufion ! This 
was the profpedl which Dr. Brown delcribed by the image 
of ‘a tempeltuous fea of mountains.’ Below us lay the 
lake with all the beauties of its margin, together with the 
vale of Kefwick, and the waters of Baflenthwaite, as if 
delineated on a chart. To the fouth, the hills towards 
Cockermouth, though lefs rugged and romantic than thofe 
towards the -fouth-eaft, were yet no lefs ftupendous. To 
the north-well we had the profpecl of a wide and barren, 
heath, extending its plains to Caiiifle, and terminated by 
the mountains of Scotland. To the north-eaft, we re¬ 
gained the profpefl of that fpacious circus in which Pen¬ 
rith Hands, the queen of the vale, over-topped by Crofs- 
Fell, which forms the moll diftant back ground. The air 
was remarkably (harp and thin, compared with that in the 
valley ; and refpiration feemed to be performed with a 
kind of atlhmatic opprefiion. Whilft we remained upon 
the mountain, over the hills which lie between Kefwick 
and Cockermouth, denfe and dark vapours began to rife 5 
and, in a little time, as they advanced upon a fouth-weft 
wind, concealed thofe heights we had viewed half an hour 
before clear and diftintfl. Our guide was very earneft with 
us to quit the mountain, as he prognofticated the hazard 
of being wet, and of lofing our way in the heavy vapour, 
from a llorm then collecling, which he affured us would 
foon cover Skiddaw. The circumltance was too lingular 
to be left by people curious in their oblervations on natu¬ 
ral events. We defired our guide would take care of him- 
felf, and leave us to our plealure ; but the good attendant 
had a due fenfe of our impropriety in wilhing to be left 
there, and determined to Hay by us. The clouds ad¬ 
vanced with accelerated fpeed; a hollow biaft founded 
amongft the hills and deils which lay below, and feemed 
to fiy from approaching darknefs ; the vapour rolled down 
the oppofite valley of Newland, and appeared to tumble 
in mighty faeets and -volumes from the brow of each 
mountain into the vale of Kefwick and over the lakes. 
Whilft we admired this phenomenon, the clouds below us 
gradually attended, and we foon found the fumrnit of 
Skiddaw totally fitrrounded, whilft we on every fide look¬ 
ed down upon an angry and impetuous lea, heaving its 
billows. We were rejoicing in this grand fpebtacle of na¬ 
ture, and thinking ourlelves fortunate in having beheld 
fo extraordinary an event, when, to our aftonifhment and 
confufion, a violent burlt of thunder, engendered in the 
vapour below, l'tunned our fenfe, being repeated from 
every rock, and down every dell, in horrid uproar ; at the 
fame time, from the agitation of the air, the mountain 
feemed to tremble; at the explofion, the clouds were in- 
ftantaneoully illuminated, and from innumerable chafms 
fent forth ilreams of lightning. Our guide lay upon-the 
earth terrified and amazed, in his ejaculations accufing us 
of prefumption and impiety. Danger made 11s lolemn ; 
we had 110-where to fly for fafety, no place to cover our 
heads ; to defeend, was to ruth into the inflammable vapour 
front whence our perils proceeded, to ftay was equally ha¬ 
zardous ; for now the clouds, which had received fuch a 
1 conculfioa 
