defended the Place, is ftill ftanding. It is well-peopled, and has five Churches. This Place is memorable for the Experiment of King Canute, who, to filence the Flattery of his Courtiers, feated himfelf on the Banks of the River, with all his Regal Ornaments, and commanded the Tide not to approach his Footstool.

About a Mile from this Town, on the Banks of the River Itching, is a vaft large Pile of Earth, which rifes in the Form of a Cone, from a large wide Foundation, of great Extent and Circumference, which they call Bevis-Mount. It is fuppofed to be an antient Fortification, thrown up by the Saxons, under the Command of Bevis, to oppofe the Paffage of the Danes over the River, who lay encamped on the other Side. The River is not very large, but the Tide running up into it a good Way beyond the Town, forms a kind of Bay juft under this Mount, which being contiguous to an Eftate belonging to the late Earl of Peterborough, his Lordship purchafed it, and converted it into a kind of Wilderness; and as it was full of Trees and Brambles, he cut through them divers circular and intricate Walks and Labyrinths. His Lordship ufed frequently to divert himself by dropping his Friends in the midit of this Wilderness, and, ftealing away, let them wander up and down, till they found their Way out of it. The Mount terminates above, as is feigned of Parnaffus, in a kind of Fork; and between the two Spires 18 a Bowling-green, or Parterre, adorned with fine Italian Marble Statues, brought by his Lordfhip from abroad. It lies open on the Side facing the River, and, when the Tide is in, gives a moft agreeable Profpect. On one Side of this Parterre, declining gradually from the Top of one of the Spires to the Green, is planted a little Vineyard, exposed to the South; and on the other Side, on the very Summit of the Spire, ftands a Summer-house, elegantly built and contrived, with a good Cellar under it, where his Lordship kept his Wines, having no good Cellarage at his House,

which is near a Quarter of a Mile from the Mount, from which his Lordship called it Bevis-Mount. He intended to rebuild the Houfe, and convert all the Grounds lying between it and the Mount into Gardens, had he lived a little longer.

There are many things fabled here of Bevis, as there are in Wales and Cornwall of King Arthur, both of whom have fuffered much from Legendary Writers and Tradition; for as King Arthur perform'd many brave and gallant Acts in War, and was of great bodily Strength, fo Bevis, who was a Saxon Lord, was a Man of much military Courage and Conduct, as well as perfonally ftrong. He was a great Oppofer of the Normans, and followed them down to Wales, and gave them Battle, near Caerdiff, in Glamorganshire, but was there defeated. It is faid his Sword may be ftill feen at Arundel Castle; yet there are fome who, from the Fables with which their Stories are mingled, doubt whether ever there were fuch Perfons as either of them.

Within thefe few Years, Southampton has been much reforted to for Sea bathing; and it must be owned, it is a very convenient Place for that ufeful and falutary Purpofe; but in this Particular is not to be compared to Portsmouth.

On the Left-hand, about three Miles down the River, are the Ruins of the once celebrated Littleley or Nettley-Abbey; the Church of which has a little Part of the Roof flanding, with many Rooms, as the Refectory, &c. which till diftinctly fhew what a handfome Edifice it once was. Round the Whole are large Mounds, Part of which kept up the Bounds of Fithponds above, whofe Overflowings were conveyed down for fresh Water, to a Fort on the Banks of the River, which is fuppofed to have been erected as a Defence to the Abbey. Though the Floors of the Fort are gone, yet the Walls are still perfect and intire; and the Moat round it remains, and Water' in it. The largest Ivies I ever faw grow out of the Ruins of the Abbey

Abbey and Church. The great Church of Romsey (of which Town hereafter) and this, feem to have been built on a like Model..

At Southampton, I took a Paffage over to the Isle of Wight, and in two Hours arrived at Cowes, by the Way paffing by Calfhot Castle.

This Caftle is on the Eaft Point of the New Foreft. It is fuppofed capable of guarding the Entrance into Southampton Water, which is not two Miles broad, and the Channel for Ships very narrow. About two Miles from the Caffle, on the oppofite Side, is the Mouth of the River Hamble, in which the Tide flows up part of 12 Miles to Bishop's-Walton.

Cowes is the chief Sea-port Town in this Island, and, in time of War, the general Place of Rendezvous for. Merchant fhips waiting for Convoys, being fecur'd, in fome measure, by the Guns of the Castle, but more by the Neighbourhood of Portsmouth. We walked four Miles, and came to

Newport, the principal Town in the Island, which returns two Members to Parliament. It is large and populous.

The Ifland is very pleafant, and fo fruitful, that One Year's Crop will ferve the Inhabitants for feven Years; who therefore fupply Portsmouth, and the Parts adjacent, with the Surplus. It abounds particularly in Corn, Cattle, Hares, Rabbets, Wild-fowl, Fish, &c. It is 60 Miles in Circumference. Its Militia is the beft difciplined in England. Its Wool, in Fineness, is next to that of Cotswold. Carrisbrook Caftle, now in Ruins, is noted for being the Place of Imprisonment of King Charles I. carried thither from Hurst Castle, a Caftle built by Henry VIII. for the Security of the New Forest.

Sanham, in the Isle of Wight, has alfo a Castle; fo has South-Yarmouth in Norfolk, and which returns two

Members to Parliament.

Spithead,

Spithead, (between Portsmouth and this Ifland) and St. Helen's, near the Isle of Wight, are famous for the Rendezvous of the Royal Navy of England.

Appledore-come is a very beautiful Seat in this Ifle, belonging to the late Sir Robert Worley, Bart.

Near a Village called Ryd are the Ruins of Quar Abbey, now a Farm houfe, whofe Situation is beautiful, in the midst of fine Woods and Meads.

This Ifland is noted for having been once advanced to the Title of a Kingdom, by King Henry VI. in behalf of Henry Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, his great Favourite, who was crowned King of Wight, and of the Ifles of Jersey and Guernsey, in 1445. but, dying two Years after, the Ifle loft the Title; for King Edward IV. who fucceeded Henry, beftowed it upon his Father-in-law, Richard Woodville, Earl Rivers, with the Title of Lord of Wight, as the late Earl of Derby was, and as the prefent Duke of Athol is, Lord of the Ile of Man.

Returning to Southampton, I was at the Extent of my propofed Journey Weit, intending to look no farther this Way for the prefent. I went North-eaft, leaving Winchester a little on the Left; and came into the Portsmouth Road at Petersfield, a Town chiefly noted for its Inns, and standing in the Middle of a Country that used to abound with Oak-timber, and which returns two Members to Parliament. From hence we came to Alton, and in the Road thither began a little to tafte the Pleasure of the Western Downs, which reach from Winchefter almoft to that Place.

The Duke of Bolton has two noble Seats in this County, one between Alton and Alresford, and one at Bafing, of which hereafter.

Alton, is a fmall Market-town, of no Note; neither is there any confiderable Manufacture in all this Part of England, except a little Drugget and Shalloon-mak ing; otherwise the whole Counties of Kent, Suffex,

Surry,

Surry and Hampshire, are not employed in any con. fiderable Woolen Manufacture.

From Alton we came to Farnham, a large populous Market-town, the fartheft that Way in the County of Surry, from London; and, excepting Hempstead and London, as we obferved above, was once the greatest Corn-market in England, particularly for Wheat, of which vaft Quantities used to be brought hither every Market-day. But for fome Years paft, its Market for Corn has very much dwindled; but it has fo greatly improved in its Hops, for upwards of 50 Years together, that it may be faid to outdo Canterbury, Maidfione, and any of the Places in Kent, moft noted for that Commodity; and this not only in Quantity, but Goodness. In fhort, all the Neighbourhood about Farnham is one general Hop-ground; and, to fhew the Excellency of the Product, Farnham Hops now lead the Price at all Markets in England. Their Superiority in this Article is owing to their great Care in picking, drying, and fine Bagging.

At this Town is a Caftle built by a Bishop of Winchefter, which has been in a conftant Succeffion poffeffed by the Bishops of that Diocese ever fince King Stephen's Time to this Day, though the prefent Bishop has not been there thefe 12 Years; for though it is a fine Situation, and affords a noble Profpect, yet it is bleak, and the Apartments are too extenfive to be warm. The Kitchen Utenfils exhibit a pleasing Idea of the old English Hofpitality; for which benevolent Purpofe fuch immenfe Revenues were formerly given to Ecclefiaftics. This Palace is a magnificent Structure, it is deeply moated, and ftrongly walled, with Towers at proper Diftances. It ftands upon the Edge of an Hill, where there is a fine Park, ftocked with 700 Head of Deer, the Property of the Bishop, who has them fent, together with Fruit from the Garden, &c. to fupply his Table at Chelsea.

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