1081.] i) Pedeftrian Excurfion through England and Wales, “103: 
it has the additional advantage of com- 
manding the whole circleof horizon. Al- 
fred’s tower again obtrudes itfelf upon ob- 
fervation from this new point of vifion. 
Weft Knoyle, to which I immediately de- 
fcended, (to join my companion) from the 
extremity of this ridge, is an extenfive 
though tcattered village; but offered no 
particular food for our obfervation. 
From hence the road winds, over a 
chain of hills, through narrow lanes, fhady 
and delightful to the eye, with now and 
then a cottage or two, a farm-houfe, or a 
blackfmith’s fhop, till coming toa place 
where the road divides point-blank to right 
and left. Here we were at. fome lofs 
which path to purfue ; cill luckily catch- 
ing-a glimpfe of the church overa ftile, 
we fixed our ¢yes upon this as our north- 
ftar, and directed our courfe accordingly, 
over fields and quags, till at laft weary and 
hungry we arrived at 
Mere; where the circumftance ofour being 
on foot, and perhaps the additions made 
to our appearance by the laft part of our 
journey, procured us but a cold reception. 
Ait the firft inn we applied to the houfe 
«vas full; and at the fecond (the Angel) 
the good landlady eyed us with fome evi- 
dent figns of jealoufly, before fhe yielded 
her reluctant aflent to our inquiries. Some 
cold leg of lamb, however, fome lamb- 
chops, and a fallad, foon fatisfied the 
cravings of the inward man, and reftored 
us and ultimately mine hoftefs of the Angel 
to good humour ; and we were fumptucuf- 
ly lodged in anapartment, hung not indeed 
with modern chintz—nor with ancient ta- 
piftry—no; but with cloths, daubed witha 
profane hunting-match, and a facred le- 
gend in imitation of that once famcus 
clothof Arras. But as Balaam’s afs only 
brayed and the hounds only yelped on 
canvas, we contrived to fleep very foundly 
till nine o’clock 
Thurfday, Fuly 6. Mere is but a 
ftrageling fort of town, indifferently built. 
The little crofs, or market-hovfe, is a 
mean edifice ; and the greateft curiofity we 
remarked was a publick-houfe fign, which 
exhibits a forry black dog, with a coronet 
round his neck, and achain ; over whichis 
written ‘* The Old George !”” i 
A manufactory of ticks is carried on 
here, at which women earn upon an 
average from 4s. to qs. 6d. per week— 
though there are fome who get 7s. and even 
7s. 6d. Menfrom $s. togs. 6d. It fur- 
nifhes no employment for children. La- 
bourers in hufbandry receive 7s. per week,. 
The farms are moftly large, from 3 to7 or 
Zool. ayear. Scarcely any from 50 to 
MontTuity Mas. No. 77. 
tool. None of the cottagers (as might be 
expected) have any cows, 
_ Having taken our morning repaft and 
our morning lounge, we quitted Mere; and 
having paffed the houfe of Mrs. Grofe 
(widow of the famous Antiquary), we 
turned off to the right, to 
Stour-bead, the juftly celebrated feat of 
Sir Richard Hoare. 
time in admiring the paintings, (feveral 
of which—particularly ‘* The Wife-men’s 
Offerings,” and ‘* The Death of Dido,” 
though a copy, deferve more particular 
notice) our attention was next directed to 
the gardens, the leaft interefling object in 
which (becaufe fo theatrically artificial— 
for it only performs by command ofthe 
turn-cock) is the cafeade. Barring this 
foppery, the grounds are in good tafte ; 
and the decorations (the Doric temple on 
the lake, the Chinefe bridge, the fine 
hanging plantations, the arch leading to ° 
the grotto, the grotto itfelf, and the 
nymph fleeping there, the antique Gothic 
crofs (formerly an ornament to the city of 
Briftol), the urn, emboffed with Bachana- 
lian revels, the temple of the fun, and the 
pantheon, all deferve their feparate por- 
tions of attention. In this laft in particu- 
lar, are fome very fine ftatues. They ara 
as follows ‘* Peace”? anda ** Diana,” two 
cafts in metal; a ‘* Flora,” charming 
from the beautiful fimplicity of its drapery; 
a Hercules,” truly Herculean; fub- 
lime in ftrength, without bombattic diftor- 
tion of mufcle—(fome of our fablime pain- 
ters of the mew {chool would do well to 
ftudy it.) a ** Livia Augufta, as Ceres,” 
equally captivating from the beauty of the 
features and fine reprefentation of the fim- 
plicity of ancient drapery. 
marbie by Ryfbach. ‘ Meleager,’’ and 
the. ‘* Egyptian Ifis,”’ are in plafter of 
Paris. 
The terrace, an extenfive ride, com- 
manding a rich variety of profpeé; .and 
Alfred’s tower, a modern triangular build- 
ing of brick, and of very great height, 
>) 
were the next objects of our attention. , 
From the top of this we commanded one 
of thofe extenfive prof{peéts, which fill the 
eye with prefent wonder, but from the 
indiftin€tnefs of their objects leave but few 
traces on the remembrance. 
After thefe birds-eye profpeéts we 
would gladly have repofed ourfelves.in fome 
fcene of humble fequeftration; and Ar- 
thur’s vale, of which we had heard talk, 
as one of the beautiful objects of thefe ex-_ 
tenfive grounds, feemed by its name to 
promife what we withed ; but in our featch 
for this, we only lo% ourfelyes in entan- 
gling 
Having paffed fome: - 
Thefe are in - 
