1800.]  ‘fournal written during @ hafty Ramble to the Lakes. 
difficulty that the horfes kept on their feet, 
and that the leaft paufe muft inevitably 
have hurried us to the bottom; but the 
fublimity of attendant objects well com- 
peniates forthe afcent. Gther ftupendous 
mountains rife around, and the uncommon 
radiance which fhone from behind fome 
_awful clouds refting on one of them, 
heightened the grandeur of the fcene, and 
feemed to give a glimpfe of the glory of. 
brighter worlds. As we loft thefe, other 
hills, other vales, and other lakes opened 
upon us, till the fhades of evening limited 
our view. Sometimes we were led down 
fteep declivities, through deep woods; and 
"as we had only the light of Jupiter, throw- 
ing a faint gleam on the furrounding moun- 
" tains, imagination was left to ‘* body forth 
the forms of things unfeen ;”” and had the 
tower where the banditti were fheltered pre- 
fented itfelf, the {cenes defcribed fo inimita- 
bly inUdolpho,had been realized. The miles 
feemed long to part of our party, till faint 
lights glimmering in diftant cottages, now 
vanifhing, and now re- appearing, feemed to 
promile us Amblefide. At length its 
' cheerful inns appeared gaily lighted, the 
windows were flung open, and groups who 
had thrown off care were recruiting for the 
pleafurable fatigues of a new day. This 
was not to be our fate at prefent, for no 
accommodation was to he obtained, either 
for ourfelves, or our horfes ; and we were 
obliged to proceed to Low-wood, uncer- 
tain whether we could be taken in there ; 
fortunately we found room, though during 
feveral weeks before not a bed could have 
been obtained at that hour. ‘The ample 
comforts of an Englifh inn were perhaps 
never more fully felt, and the next morn- 
ing proving wet, we fat down content and 
pailive ; the day however clearing, we fet 
forward for Graffmere. This lake did 
not ftrike us as Conifton had done; it is in 
~ aftyle of milder, but perhaps more finifhed, 
beauty. Its ifland, containing abeut fix 
‘acres, is a lovely ornament, **juft touch- 
ed, not fpoiled, by art.””>. Thechurch and 
parfonage are beautifully fituated at the 
northern end of the lake, and itis impof- 
'. ible not to imagine the little dwellings 
which ornament this lovely vale the abodes 
of peace. The houfe of entertainment is 
juft of the order one would with an inn to 
be amid fuch fcenery; and Newton, its hoft, 
is a pleafant intelligent guide. After row- 
ing on the lake, we wifhed to afcend Helm- 
crag, its higheft attendant mountain. 
Though not much encouraged by our 
guide, who had never before been folicited 
to conduét females thither, we fet out; 
and from’ the fcenery that epened on our 
to new fhades of peace. 
15 
afcent, did not regret the attempt. In 
fome places it was tteep and difficult, and 
obliged us to climb on our hands and 
knees. In our way we were glad to paule, 
to contemplate one of the tarns which helps 
to fupply Graflmere. Thefe {mall lakes, 
at the fummit of mountains, and furround- 
ed by others, have a very fingular appear- 
‘ance, and to the eye not accuftomed to 
them form one of the greateft wonders of 
the fcenery. The upper part of this moun- 
tainis rifted into very fingular chafms ; its 
utmoft fummit is an immenfe pointed crag, 
which forms a grand finifh. In the mid- 
dle of this is a large cleft, through which 
you can look into a deep tremendous 
chafm, which would contain fome thou- 
fands of people. What we had feen, and 
what we had yet to fee, of this world of 
wonders, here lay ftretched before us: 
Graffmere, repofing in tranquil beauty on_ 
our right ; a long valley, guarded by ma- 
jefic mountains, with proud Helvellyn 
towering o’er their rear, extended itfelf 
on the left. Through this we could juft 
difcern the road we had to traverfe, wind 
ing like a thread at their bafe, and promi- 
fing to lead us to new fcenes of grandeur, 
We defcended 
with lefs fatigue than we expected; and as 
the fhadows were now lengthening, fet off 
immediately to go to Wythburn, where 
we were told that we could have accoms 
modation for the night, as it was too late 
to go to Kefwick. 
By the time we reached thedeftined fpot, 
we could fcarcely fee any thing, and on 
being informed we could have beds, glad- 
ly alighted. The miftrefs and the maid, 
without gowns, and without fhoes, were 
jointly finifhing the bufinefs of the day, 
and, although not eight o’clock, we found 
they were preparing for bed, faying, 
<< We mun be up, and feedle the hufe be 
lete cum!”” _ The.turf was foon lighted, 
and we gat fome tolerable coffee, amidit 
accompaniments which perhaps heightened. 
its ze{t; but, on opening the doors which 
fecreted the beds, fights and {cents pre- 
fented themfelves, which we were not dif- 
pofed to encounter. On going ta fee how 
we could be accommodated above, we 
found an old woman, the mother of our 
hoftefs, and a great lad, her grandfon, had 
been hauled out of one bed, and another 
was fhewn us with not a bit of curtain, 
while the damp mould from the wall hung 
over the pillow; a third, however, was 
much more tolerable, and the woman af- 
fured us we fhould have new blankets and 
clean fheets; this was accordingly pre- 
pared, and kindly affigned to Mrs. H. and 
myfelf. 
