1799.] 
tween thefe rocks and the famous fub- 
terranean cavern, called Wookey-Hole ; 
about fix miles off. The difcovery was 
made by means of a lady’s lap-dog, who 
embarked, more eut of neceffity than 
choice, on the ftream that runs through 
this latter place, and effected a terranau- 
tic expedition, in the courfe of a few 
hours, as far as Cheddar. 
Wookey-Hole is a great curiofity o 
its kind, and has been the fubje& of fre- | 
quent defcription. Fancy has almoft ex- 
haufted her ftores in finding out refem- 
blances between an old witch, with her’ 
houfehold conveniences about her, and 
the accidental formation of the furround- 
‘ing rock:—bacon, cheefe, grid-irons, 
ftools, tables, and even a train of cats, 
have not been over-looked. Nature, 
when fhe made this cavity, certainly 
feems to have been in fportive mood ; 
but not altogether fo plaftic as fume ad- 
mirers of this place would with to repre- 
fent. 
I faid there was a communication :— 
as it is fo handy, I could wifh your 
readers would fancy themfelves conveyed 
through it back again to Cheddar. ‘Lhe 
paflage is dark, and incommodioufly 
narrow ; but they will foon arrive at 
their journey’s end. Day-light, you per- 
ceive, already appears ;—and now they 
are fafely landed, under the lofty clifts 
which they before fo lately vifited, I beg 
they will look up, and contemplate the 
ftupendous height of thefe clifts, while I 
proceed with my narration. 
About ten years ago, a gentleman 
walking beneath thefe clifts, heard the 
cry of hownds above, and prefently after, 
faw the object of their purfuit, (which 
was a fox) coming with a bold leap over 
the higheft clift. For about fifty yards, 
(which is fomething lefs than half way) 
he defcended fteadily, with his tail ex- 
panded like a parafol. Here, unfortu- 
nately, he loft his balance, and finithed 
his expedition to the ground in rather a 
confufed and diforderly manner. He was 
far, however, from being difconcerted ; 
for, having alighted, and fufpecting his 
new acquaintance at the bottom to have 
no better intentions towards him than 
the dogs above, he endeavoured to efcape 
a fecond time ; but all in vain :—he ran 
only twenty yards, and refigned himitelt 
at laft to his fate. 
This faét in natural hiftory being ra- 
ther curious, and attefted by a refpeét- 
able -perfon, who was eye-witnefS of it, 
and who ftill lives at the place where it 
happened, I thought, Mr. Editor, and 
Remarks on the principal Italian Poets. 
4st 
hope you will think fo too, that its re- 
cital- was not altogether foreign to the 
purpofe of fuch a mifcellaneous epiftle as 
this. I now return back to finifh my 
rout. 
From Wookey to Wells is three miles 
at this laft place the cathedral will be 
found a fine fpecimen of early Norman 
architecture. 
Half way between Wells and Briftol, 
is the village of Chew-Magna; in the 
neighbourhood of! which is feen a vener- 
able temple of our Druidical anceftors, 
in high perteétion. ‘The ftones form a 
circle, but are not fo large as thofe in 
fome other places of a fimilar kind. On 
breaking them, they appear red m_ the 
infide; and, as there is no quarry neary 
which yields a fimilar ftone, they are fup- 
pofed to be a compofition. No continu- 
ation of ftones, imitating the finuous 
bendings of the {nake,-is difcoverable 
here branching’ off from the circle 5 as is 
the cafe at Aubery, in Wiltfhire, de- 
fcribed by Dr. StuKELEY. — Poflibly 
the temple at Chew-Magna differed as 
much from the latter, as a paltry parifh- 
church of modern days does from York 
Cathedral. 
At the-top: of. Dundry-Hill, between’ 
the laft menticned place and Briftol, is a 
fall. quarry by the road fide, where ex- 
cellent little fpecimens of the cornu-am- 
monis and ¢chint are found: at Keyn{- 
ham, between Bath and Briftol, they are 
of a larger fize, and in greater abund- 
ance. Ihe country-people here call them 
{nake-ftones, and wonder they never find 
them with heads on! 
As TI do not recolle& any thing elfe 
very curious in this neighbourhood, 
I conclude, Sir, &c. 
Fune 4. 1799. AS) Be 
eet 7 aaa 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
WAS lately much gratified with-an 
account given in one of your mifcel> 
lanies of modern Italian literature. The 
catalogue fhewed, that the nature of the 
principal works it enumerated was fush 
as renders them capable of being tran{- 
fufed, by tranflating them into the Englifh 
languace, with little diminytion of their 
{pirit. And Italy docs not, like France, 
pour forth works of fuch importance, as 
to make it unpleafant and inconvenient to 
wait for a tranflation. As I had {pent 
much time and labour in acquiring the 
Italian, I naturally recurred, As a juftifi- 
cation of my¥élf, to thofe celebrated names, 
whofe works are fuppofed incapable of 
tranilution 
