Imayalsoadd,thatitappearsbysomepapersinmypossession,thattheofficersorCountryKeepersontheborder,wereaccustomedtotormenttheirprisonersbybindingthemtotheironbarsoftheirchimneys,toextortconfession。
NOTETOCHAPTERXXXI
NoteF——Ulrica’sDeathsong。
Itwillreadilyoccurtotheantiquary,thattheseversesareintendedtoimitatetheantiquepoetryoftheScalds——theminstrelsoftheoldScandinavians——therace,astheLaureatesohappilytermsthem,``Sterntoinflict,andstubborntoendure,Whosmiledindeath。’’
ThepoetryoftheAnglo-Saxons,aftertheircivilisationandconversion,wasofadifferentandsoftercharacter;butinthecircumstancesofUlrica,shemaybenotunnaturallysupposedtoreturntothewildstrainswhichanimatedherforefathersduringthetimeofPaganismanduntamedferocity。
NOTETOCHAPTERXXXII
NoteG——RichardCur-de-Lion。
TheinterchangeofacuffwiththejollypriestisnotentirelyoutofcharacterwithRichardI。,ifromancesreadhimaright。
IntheverycuriousromanceonthesubjectofhisadventuresintheHolyLand,andhisreturnfromthence,itisrecordedhowheexchangedapugilisticfavourofthisnature,whileaprisonerinGermany。Hisopponentwasthesonofhisprincipalwarder,andwassoimprudentastogivethechallengetothisbarterofbuffets。TheKingstoodforthlikeatrueman,andreceivedablowwhichstaggeredhim。Inrequital,havingpreviouslywaxedhishand,apracticeunknown,Ibelieve,tothegentlemenofthemodernfancy,hereturnedtheboxontheearwithsuchinterestastokillhisantagonistonthespot——_See,inEllis’sSpecimensofEnglishRomance,thatofCur-de-Lion_。
NOTETOCHAPTERXXXIII
NoteH——Hedge-Priests。
Itiscurioustoobserve,thatineverystateofsociety,somesortofghostlyconsolationisprovidedforthemembersofthecommunity,thoughassembledforpurposesdiametricallyoppositetoreligion。AgangofbeggarshavetheirPatrico,andthebandittioftheApennineshaveamongthempersonsactingasmonksandpriests,bywhomtheyareconfessed,andwhoperformmassbeforethem。Unquestionably,suchreverendpersons,insuchasociety,mustaccommodatetheirmannersandtheirmoralstothecommunityinwhichtheylive;andiftheycanoccasionallyobtainadegreeofreverencefortheirsupposedspiritualgifts,are,onmostoccasions,loadedwithunmercifulridicule,aspossessingacharacterinconsistentwithallaroundthem。
HencethefightingparsonintheoldplayofSirJohnOldcastle,andthefamousfriarofRobinHood’sband。Norweresuchcharactersideal。ThereexistsamonitionoftheBishopofDurhamagainstirregularchurchmenofthisclass,whoassociatedthemselveswithBorderrobbers,anddesecratedtheholiestofficesofthepriestlyfunction,bycelebratingthemforthebenefitofthieves,robbers,andmurderers,amongstruinsandincavernsoftheearth,withoutregardtocanonicalform,andwithtornanddirtyattire,andmaimedrites,altogetherimproperfortheoccasion。
NOTETOCHAPTERXLI。
NoteI——CastleofConingsburgh。
WhenIlastsawthisinterestingruinofancientdays,oneoftheveryfewremainingexamplesofSaxonfortification,I
wasstronglyimpressedwiththedesireoftracingoutasortoftheoryonthesubject,which,fromsomerecentacquaintancewiththearchitectureoftheancientScandinavians,seemedtomepeculiarlyinteresting。Iwas,however,obligedbycircumstancestoproceedonmyjourney,withoutleisuretotakemorethanatransientviewofConingsburgh。Yettheideadwellssostronglyinmymind,thatIfeelconsiderablytemptedtowriteapageortwoindetailingatleasttheoutlineofmyhypothesis,leavingbetterantiquariestocorrectorrefuteconclusionswhichareperhapstoohastilydrawn。
ThosewhohavevisitedtheZetlandIslands,arefamiliarwiththedescriptionofcastlescalledbytheinhabitantsBurghs;andbytheHighlanders——fortheyarealsotobefoundbothintheWesternIslesandonthemainland——Duns。PennanthasengravedaviewofthefamousDun-DornadillainGlenelg;andtherearemanyothers,allofthembuiltafterapeculiarmodeofarchitecture,whicharguesapeopleinthemostprimitivestateofsociety。
ThemostperfectspecimenisthatupontheislandofMousa,neartothemainlandofZetland,whichisprobablyinthesamestateaswheninhabited。
Itisasingleroundtower,thewallcurvinginslightly,andthenturningoutwardagainintheformofadice-box,sothatthedefendersonthetopmightthebetterprotectthebase。
Itisformedofroughstones,selectedwithcare,andlaidincoursesorcircles,withmuchcompactness,butwithoutcementofanykind。Thetowerhasnever,toappearance,hadroofingofanysort;afirewasmadeinthecentreofthespacewhichitencloses,andoriginallythebuildingwasprobablylittlemorethanawalldrawnasasortofscreenaroundthegreatcouncilfireofthetribe。But,althoughthemeansoringenuityofthebuildersdidnotextendsofarastoprovidearoof,theysuppliedthewantbyconstructingapartmentsintheinteriorofthewallsofthetoweritself。Thecircumvallationformedadoubleenclosure,theinnersideofwhichwas,infact,twofeetorthreefeetdistantfromtheother,andconnectedbyaconcentricrangeoflongflatstones,thusformingaseriesofconcentricringsorstoriesofvariousheights,risingtothetopofthetower。
Eachofthesestoriesorgallerieshasfourwindows,facingdirectlytothepointsofthecompass,andrisingofcourseregularlyaboveeachother。Thesefourperpendicularrangesofwindowsadmittedair,and,thefirebeingkindled,heat,orsmokeatleast,toeachofthegalleries。Theaccessfromgallerytogalleryisequallyprimitive。Apath,ontheprincipleofaninclinedplane,turnsroundandroundthebuildinglikeascrew,andgivesaccesstothedifferentstories,intersectingeachoftheminitsturn,andthusgraduallyrisingtothetopofthewallofthetower。Ontheoutsidetherearenowindows;andImayadd,thatanenclosureofasquare,orsometimesaroundform,gavetheinhabitantsoftheBurghanopportunitytosecureanysheeporcattlewhichtheymightpossess。
SuchisthegeneralarchitectureofthatveryearlyperiodwhentheNorthmenswepttheseas,andbroughttotheirrudehouses,suchasIhavedescribedthem,theplunderofpolishednations。InZetlandthereareseveralscoresoftheseBurghs,occupyingineverycase,capes,headlands,islets,andsimilarplacesofadvantagesingularlywellchosen。IremembertheremainsofoneuponanislandinasmalllakenearLerwick,whichathightidecommunicateswiththesea,theaccesstowhichisveryingenious,bymeansofacausewayordike,aboutthreeorfourinchesunderthesurfaceofthewater。ThiscausewaymakesasharpangleinitsapproachtotheBurgh。
Theinhabitants,doubtless,werewellacquaintedwiththis,butstrangers,whomightapproachinahostilemanner,andwereignorantofthecurveofthecauseway,wouldprobablyplungeintothelake,whichissixorsevenfeetindepthattheleast。
ThismusthavebeenthedeviceofsomeVaubanorCohornofthoseearlytimes。
Thestyleofthesebuildingsevincesthatthearchitectpossessedneithertheartofusinglimeorcementofanykind,northeskilltothrowanarch,constructaroof,orerectastair;
andyet,withallthisignorance,showedgreatingenuityinselectingthesituationofBurghs,andregulatingtheaccesstothem,aswellasneatnessandregularityintheerection,sincethebuildingsthemselvesshowastyleofadvanceintheartsscarcelyconsistentwiththeignoranceofsomanyoftheprincipalbranchesofarchitecturalknowledge。
Ihavealwaysthought,thatoneofthemostcuriousandvaluableobjectsofantiquarieshasbeentotracetheprogressofsociety,bytheeffortsmadeinearlyagestoimprovetherudenessoftheirfirstexpedients,untiltheyeitherapproachexcellence,or,asismorefrequentlythecase,aresuppliedbynewandfundamentaldiscoveries,whichsupersedeboththeearlierandrudersystem,andtheimprovementswhichhavebeeningrafteduponit。Forexample,ifweconceivetherecentdiscoveryofgastobesomuchimprovedandadaptedtodomesticuse,astosupersedeallothermodesofproducingdomesticlight;wecanalreadysuppose,somecenturiesafterwards,theheadsofawholeSocietyofAntiquarieshalfturnedbythediscoveryofapairofpatentsnuffers,andbythelearnedtheorieswhichwouldbebroughtforwardtoaccountfortheformandpurposeofsosingularanimplement。
Followingsomesuchprinciple,IaminclinedtoregardthesingularCastleofConingsburgh——ImeantheSaxonpartofit——
asastepinadvancefromtherudearchitecture,ifitdeservesthename,whichmusthavebeencommontotheSaxonsastootherNorthmen。Thebuildershadattainedtheartofusingcement,andofroofingabuilding,——greatimprovementsontheoriginalBurgh。Butintheroundkeep,ashapeonlyseeninthemostancientcastles——thechambersexcavatedinthethicknessofthewallsandbuttresses——thedifficultybywhichaccessisgainedfromonestorytothoseaboveit,Coningsburghstillretainsthesimplicityofitsorigin,andshowsbywhatslowdegreesmanproceededfromoccupyingsuchrudeandinconvenientlodgings,aswereaffordedbythegalleriesoftheCastleofMousa,tothemoresplendidaccommodationsoftheNormancastles,withalltheirsternandGothicgraces。
Iamignorantiftheseremarksarenew,oriftheywillbeconfirmedbycloserexamination;butIthink,that,onahastyobservation,ConingsburghoffersmeansofcuriousstudytothosewhomaywishtotracethehistoryofarchitecturebacktothetimesprecedingtheNormanConquest。
ItwouldbehighlydesirablethatacorkmodelshouldbetakenoftheCastleofMousa,asitcannotbewellunderstoodbyaplan。
TheCastleofConingsburghisthusdescribed:——
``Thecastleislarge,theouterwallsstandingonapleasantascentfromtheriver,butmuchovertoptbyahighhill,onwhichthetownstands,situatedattheheadofarichandmagnificentvale,formedbyanamphitheatreofwoodyhills,inwhichflowsthegentleDon。Nearthecastleisabarrow,saidtobeHengist’stomb。Theentranceisflankedtotheleftbyaroundtower,withaslopingbase,andthereareseveralsimilarintheouterwalltheentrancehaspiersofagate,andontheeastsidetheditchandbankaredoubleandverysteep。Onthetopofthechurchyardwallisatombstone,onwhicharecutinhighrelief,tworavens,orsuch-likebirds。Onthesouthsideofthechurchyardliesanancientstone,ridgedlikeacoffin,onwhichiscarvedamanonhorseback;andanothermanwithashieldencounteringavastwingedserpent,andamanbearingashieldbehindhim。Itwasprobablyoneoftherudecrossesnotuncommoninchurchyardsinthiscounty。Seeitengravedontheplateofcrossesforthisvolume,plate14。fig。1。ThenameofConingsburgh,bywhichthiscastlegoesintheoldeditionsoftheBritannia,wouldleadonetosupposeittheresidenceoftheSaxonkings。ItafterwardsbelongedtoKingHarold。TheConquerorbestoweditonWilliamdeWarren,withallitsprivilegesandjurisdiction,whicharesaidtohaveextendedovertwenty-eighttowns。Atthecornerofthearea,whichisofanirregularform,standsthegreattower,orkeep,placedonasmallhillofitsowndimensions,onwhichliessixvastprojectingbuttresses,ascendinginasteepdirectiontopropandsupportthebuilding,andcontinuedupwardsupthesideasturrets。Thetowerwithinformsacompletecircle,twenty-onefeetindiameter,thewallsfourteenfeetthick。Theascentintothetowerisbyanexceedingdeepflightofsteepsteps,fourfeetandahalfwide,onthesouthsideleadingtoalowdoorway,overwhichisacirculararchcrossedbyagreattransomstone。Withinthisdooristhestaircasewhichascendsstraightthroughthethicknessofthewall,notcommunicatingwiththeroomonthefirstfloor,inwhosecentreistheopeningtothedungeon。Neitheroftheselowerroomsislightedexceptfromaholeinthefloorofthethirdstory;theroominwhich,aswellasinthataboveit,isfinishedwithcompactsmoothstonework,bothhavingchimney-pieces,withanarchrestingontripleclusteredpillars。Inthethirdstory,orguard-chamber,isasmallrecesswithaloop-hole,probablyabedchamber,andinthatflooraboveanicheforasaintorholy-waterpot。MrKingimaginesthisaSaxoncastleofthefirstagesoftheHeptarchy。MrWatsonthusdescribesit。Fromthefirstfloortothesecondstory,thirdfromtheground,isawaybyastairinthewallfivefeetwide。
Thenextstaircaseisapproachedbyaladder,andendsatthefourthstoryfromtheground。Twoyardsfromthedoor,attheheadofthisstair,isanopeningnearlyeast,accessiblebytreadingontheledgeofthewall,whichdiminisheseightincheseachstory;andthislastopeningleadsintoaroomorchapeltenfeetbytwelve,andfifteenorsixteenhigh,archedwithfree-stone,andsupportedbysmallcircularcolumnsofthesame,thecapitalsandarchesSaxon。Ithasaneastwindow,andoneachsideinthewall,aboutfourfeetfromtheground,astonebasinwithaholeandironpipetoconveythewaterintoorthroughthewall。Thischapelisoneofthebuttresses,butnosignofitwithout,foreventhewindow,thoughlargewithin,isonlyalongnarrowloop-hole,scarcelytobeseenwithout。Ontheleftsideofthischapelisasmalloratory,eightbysixinthethicknessofthewall,withanicheinthewall,andenlightenedbyalikeloop-hole。Thefourthstairfromtheground,tenfeetwestfromthechapeldoor,leadstothetopofthetowerthroughthethicknessofthewall,whichattopisbutthreeyards。Eachstoryisaboutfifteenfeethigh,sothatthetowerwillbeseventy-fivefeetfromtheground。Theinsideformsacircle,whosediametermaybeabouttwelvefeet。Thewellatthebottomofthedungeonispiledwithstones。’’——Gough’s_EditionOfCamden’sBritannia_。SecondEdition,vol。iii。p。267。
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