From London to Land’s End(从伦敦到尽头)

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From London to Land's End

From London to Land's

End

By Daniel Defoe

From London to Land's End

Sir,

I find so much left to speak of, and so many things to say in every part

of England, that my journey cannot be barren of intelligence which way

soever I turn; no, though I were to oblige myself to say nothing of

anything that had been spoken of before.

I intended once to have gone due west this journey; but then I should

have been obliged to crowd my observations so close (to bring Hampton

Court, Windsor, Blenheim, Oxford, the Bath and Bristol all into one letter;

all those remarkable places lying in a line, as it were, in one point of the

compass) as to have made my letter too long, or my observations too light

and superficial, as others have done before me.

This letter will divide the weighty task, and consequently make it sit

lighter on the memory, be pleasanter to the reader, and make my progress

the more regular: I shall therefore take in Hampton Court and Windsor

in this journey; the first at my setting out, and the last at my return, and the

rest as their situation demands.

As I came down from Kingston, in my last circuit, by the south bank

of the Thames, on the Surrey side of the river; so I go up to Hampton

Court now on the north bank, and on the Middlesex side, which I mention,

because, as the sides of the country bordering on the river lie parallel, so

the beauty of the country, the pleasant situations, the glory of innumerable

fine buildings (noblemen's and gentlemen's houses, and citizens' retreats),

are so equal a match to what I had described on the other side that one

knows not which to give the preference to: but as I must speak of them

again, when I come to write of the county of Middlesex, which I have now

purposely omitted; so I pass them over here, except the palace of Hampton

only, which I mentioned in "Middlesex," for the reasons above.

Hampton Court lies on the north bank of the River Thames, about two

small miles from Kingston, and on the road from Staines to Kingston

Bridge; so that the road straightening the parks a little, they were obliged

to part the parks, and leave the Paddock and the great park part on the

other side the road--a testimony of that just regard that the kings of

England always had, and still have, to the common good, and to the

From London to Land's End

service of the country, that they would not interrupt the course of the road,

or cause the poor people to go out of the way of their business to or from

the markets and fairs, for any pleasure of their own whatsoever.

The palace of Hampton Court was first founded and built from the

ground by that great statesman and favourite of King Henry VIII, Cardinal

Wolsey; and if it be a just observation anywhere, as is made from the

situation of the old abbeys and monasteries, the clergy were excellent

judges of the beauty and pleasantness of the country, and chose always to

plant in the best; I say, if it was a just observation in any case, it was in

this; for if there be a situation on the whole river between Staines Bridge

and Windsor Bridge pleasanter than another, it is this of Hampton; close to

the river, yet not offended by the rising of its waters in floods or storms;

near to the reflux of the tides, but not quite so near as to be affected with

any foulness of the water which the flowing of the tides generally is the

occasion of. The gardens extend almost to the bank of the river, yet are

never overflowed; nor are there any marshes on either side the river to

make the waters stagnate, or the air unwholesome on that account. The

river is high enough to be navigable, and low enough to be a little

pleasantly rapid; so that the stream looks always cheerful, not slow and

sleeping, like a pond. This keeps the waters always clear and clean, the

bottom in view, the fish playing and in sight; and, in a word, it has

everything that can make an inland (or, as I may call it, a country) river

pleasant and agreeable.

I shall sing you no songs here of the river in the first person of a water-

nymph, a goddess, and I know not what, according to the humour of the

ancient poets; I shall talk nothing of the marriage of old Isis, the male river,

with the beautiful Thame, the female river (a whimsey as simple as the

subject was empty); but I shall speak of the river as occasion presents, as it

really is made glorious by the splendour of its shores, gilded with noble

palaces, strong fortifications, large hospitals, and public buildings; with

the greatest bridge, and the greatest city in the world, made famous by the

opulence of its merchants, the increase and extensiveness of its commerce;

by its invincible navies, and by the innumerable fleets of ships sailing

upon it to and from all parts of the world.

From London to Land's End

As I meet with the river upwards in my travels through the inland

country I shall speak of it, as it is the channel for conveying an infinite

quantity of provisions from remote counties to London, and enriching all

the counties again that lie near it by the return of wealth and trade from the

city; and in describing these things I expect both to inform and divert my

readers, and speak in a more masculine manner, more to the dignity of the

subject, and also more to their satisfaction, than I could do any other way.

There is little more to be said of the Thames relating to Hampton

Court, than that it adds by its neighbourhood to the pleasure of the

situation; for as to passing by water to and from London, though in

summer it is exceeding pleasant, yet the passage is a little too long to

make it easy to the ladies, especially to be crowded up in the small boats

which usually go upon the Thames for pleasure.

The prince and princess, indeed, I remember came once down by

water upon the occasion of her Royal Highness's being great with child,

and near her time--so near that she was delivered within two or three days

after. But this passage being in the royal barges, with strength of oars,

and the day exceeding fine, the passage, I say, was made very pleasant,

and still the more so for being short. Again, this passage is all the way

with the stream, whereas in the common passage upwards great part of the

way is against the stream, which is slow and heavy.

But be the going and coming how it will by water, it is an exceeding

pleasant passage by land, whether we go by the Surrey side or the

Middlesex side of the water, of which I shall say more in its place.

The situation of Hampton Court being thus mentioned, and its founder,

it is to be mentioned next that it fell to the Crown in the forfeiture of his

Eminence the Cardinal, when the king seized his effects and estate, by

which this and Whitehall (another house of his own building also) came to

King Henry VIII. Two palaces fit for the kings of England, erected by

one cardinal, are standing monuments of the excessive pride as well as the

immense wealth of that prelate, who knew no bounds of his insolence and

ambition till he was overthrown at once by the displeasure of his master.

Whoever knew Hampton Court before it was begun to be rebuilt, or

altered, by the late King William, must acknowledge it was a very

From London to Land's End

complete palace before, and fit for a king; and though it might not,

according to the modern method of building or of gardening, pass for a

thing exquisitely fine, yet it had this remaining to itself, and perhaps

peculiar--namely, that it showed a situation exceedingly capable of

improvement, and of being made one of the most delightful palaces in

Europe.

This her Majesty Queen Mary was so sensible of, that, while the king

had ordered the pulling down the old apartments, and building it up in that

most beautiful form which we see them now appear in, her Majesty,

impatient of enjoying so agreeable a retreat, fixed upon a building

formerly made use of chiefly for landing from the river, and therefore

called the Water Galley, and here, as if she had been conscious that she

had but a few years to enjoy it, she ordered all the little neat curious things

to be done which suited her own conveniences, and made it the pleasantest

little thing within doors that could possibly be made, though its situation

being such as it could not be allowed to stand after the great building was

finished, we now see no remains of it.

The queen had here her gallery of beauties, being the pictures at full-

length of the principal ladies attending upon her Majesty, or who were

frequently in her retinue; and this was the more beautiful sight because the

originals were all in being, and often to be compared with their pictures.

Her Majesty had here a fine apartment, with a set of lodgings for her

private retreat only, but most exquisitely furnished, particularly a fine

chintz bed, then a great curiosity; another of her own work while in

Holland, very magnificent, and several others; and here was also her

Majesty's fine collection of Delft ware, which indeed was very large and

fine; and here was also a vast stock of fine china ware, the like whereof

was not then to be seen in England; the long gallery, as above, was filled

with this china, and every other place where it could be placed with

advantage.

The queen had here also a small bathing-room, made very fine, suited

either to hot or cold bathing, as the season should invite; also a dairy, with

all its conveniences, in which her Majesty took great delight. All these

things were finished with expedition, that here their Majesties might

From London to Land's End

repose while they saw the main building go forward. While this was

doing, the gardens were laid out, the plan of them devised by the king

himself, and especially the amendments and alterations were made by the

king or the queen's particular special command, or by both, for their

Majesties agreed so well in their fancy, and had both so good judgment in

the just proportions of things, which are the principal beauties of a garden,

that it may be said they both ordered everything that was done.

Here the fine parcel of limes which form the semicircle on the south

front of the house by the iron gates, looking into the park, were by the

dexterous hand of the head gardener removed, after some of them had

been almost thirty years planted in other places, though not far off. I

know the King of France in the decoration of the gardens of Versailles had

oaks removed, which by their dimensions must have been above an

hundred years old, and yet were taken up with so much art, and by the

strength of such engines, by which such a monstrous quantity of earth was

raised with them, that the trees could not feel their remove--that is to say,

their growth was not at all hindered. This, I confess, makes the wonder

much the less in those trees at Hampton Court gardens; but the

performance was not the less difficult or nice, however, in these, and they

thrive perfectly well.

While the gardens were thus laid out, the king also directed the laying

the pipes for the fountains and JET-D'EAUX, and particularly the

dimensions of them, and what quantity of water they should cast up, and

increased the number of them after the first design.

The ground on the side of the other front has received some alterations

since the taking down the Water Galley; but not that part immediately next

the lodgings. The orange-trees and fine Dutch bays are placed within the

arches of the building under the first floor; so that the lower part of the

house was all one as a greenhouse for sometime. Here stand advanced,

on two pedestals of stone, two marble vases or flower-pots of most

exquisite workmanship--the one done by an Englishman, and the other by

a German. It is hard to say which is the best performance, though the

doing of it was a kind of trial of skill between them; but it gives us room,

without any partiality, to say they were both masters of their art.

From London to Land's End

The PARTERRE on that side descends from the terrace-walk by steps,

and on the left a terrace goes down to the water-side, from which the

garden on the eastward front is overlooked, and gives a most pleasant

prospect.

The fine scrolls and BORDURE of these gardens were at first edged

with box, but on the queen's disliking the smell those edgings were taken

up, but have since been planted again--at least, in many places--nothing

making so fair and regular an edging as box, or is so soon brought to its

perfection.

On the north side of the house, where the gardens seemed to want

screening from the weather or the view of the chapel, and some part of the

old building required to be covered from the eye, the vacant ground, which

was large, is very happily cast into a wilderness, with a labyrinth and

ESPALIERS so high that they effectually take off all that part of the old

building which would have been offensive to the sight. This labyrinth

and wilderness is not only well designed, and completely finished, but is

perfectly well kept, and the ESPALIERS filled exactly at bottom, to the

very ground, and are led up to proportioned heights on the top, so that

nothing of that kind can be more beautiful.

The house itself is every way answerable on the outside to the

beautiful prospect, and the two fronts are the largest and, beyond

comparison, the finest of the kind in England. The great stairs go up

from the second court of the palace on the right hand, and lead you to the

south prospect.

I hinted in my last that King William brought into England the love of

fine paintings as well as that of fine gardens; and you have an example of

it in the cartoons, as they are called, being five pieces of such paintings as,

if you will believe men of nice judgment and great travelling, are not to be

matched in Europe. The stories are known, but especially two of them--

viz., that of St. Paul preaching on Mars Hill to the self-wise Athenians,

and that of St. Peter passing sentence of death on Ananias--I say, these two

strike the mind with the utmost surprise, the passions are so drawn to the

life; astonishment, terror, and death in the face of Ananias, zeal and a

sacred fire in the eyes of the blessed Apostle, fright and surprise upon the

From London to Land's End

countenances of the beholders in the piece of Ananias; all these describe

themselves so naturally that you cannot but seem to discover something of

the like passions, even in seeing them.

In the other there is the boldness and courage with which St. Paul

undertook to talk to a set of men who, he knew, despised all the world, as

thinking themselves able to teach them anything. In the audience there is

anticipating pride and conceit in some, a smile or fleer of contempt in

others, but a kind of sensible conviction, though crushed in its beginning,

on the faces of the rest; and all together appear confounded, but have little

to say, and know nothing at all of it; they gravely put him off to hear him

another time; all these are seen here in the very dress of the face--that is,

the very countenances which they hold while they listen to the new

doctrine which the Apostle preached to a people at that time ignorant of it.

The other of the cartoons are exceeding fine but I mention these as the

particular two which are most lively, which strike the fancy the soonest at

first view. It is reported, but with what truth I know not, that the late

French king offered an hundred thousand LOUIS D'ORS for these pictures;

but this, I say, is but a report. The king brought a great many other fine

pieces to England, and with them the love of fine paintings so universally

spread itself among the nobility and persons of figure all over the kingdom

that it is incredible what collections have been made by English gentlemen

since that time, and how all Europe has been rummaged, as we may say,

for pictures to bring over hither, where for twenty years they yielded the

purchasers, such as collected them for sale, immense profit. But the rates

are abated since that, and we begin to be glutted with the copies and frauds

of the Dutch and Flemish painters who have imposed grossly upon us.

But to return to the palace of Hampton Court. Queen Mary lived not to

see it completely finished, and her death, with the other difficulties of that

reign, put a stop to the works for some time till the king, reviving his good

liking of the place, set them to work again, and it was finished as we see it.

But I have been assured that had the peace continued, and the king lived to

enjoy the continuance of it, his Majesty had resolved to have pulled down

all the remains of the old building (such as the chapel and the large court

within the first gate), and to have built up the whole palace after the

From London to Land's End

manner of those two fronts already done. In these would have been an

entire set of rooms of state for the receiving and, if need had been, lodging

and entertaining any foreign prince with his retinue; also offices for all the

Secretaries of State, Lords of the Treasury, and of Trade, to have repaired

to for the despatch of such business as it might be necessary to have done

there upon the king's longer residence there than ordinary; as also

apartments for all the great officers of the Household; so that had the

house had two great squares added, as was designed, there would have

been no room to spare, or that would not have been very well filled. But

the king's death put an end to all these things.

Since the death of King William, Hampton Court seemed abandoned

of its patron. They have gotten a kind of proverbial saying relating to

Hampton Court, viz., that it has been generally chosen by every other

prince since it became a house of note. King Charles was the first that

delighted in it since Queen Elizabeth's time. As for the reigns before, it

was but newly forfeited to the Crown, and was not made a royal house till

King Charles I., who was not only a prince that delighted in country

retirements, but knew how to make choice of them by the beauty of their

situation, the goodness of the air, &c. He took great delight here, and,

had he lived to enjoy it in peace, had purposed to make it another thing

than it was. But we all know what took him off from that felicity, and all

others; and this house was at last made one of his prisons by his rebellious

subjects.

His son, King Charles II., may well be said to have an aversion to the

place, for the reason just mentioned--namely, the treatment his royal father

met with there--and particularly that the rebel and murderer of his father,

Cromwell, afterwards possessed this palace, and revelled here in the blood

of the royal party, as he had done in that of his sovereign. King Charles

II. therefore chose Windsor, and bestowed a vast sum in beautifying the

castle there, and which brought it to the perfection we see it in at this day--

some few alterations excepted, done in the time of King William.

King William (for King James is not to be named as to his choice of

retired palaces, his delight running quite another way)--I say, King

William fixed upon Hampton Court, and it was in his reign that Hampton

From London to Land's End

Court put on new clothes, and, being dressed gay and glorious, made the

figure we now see it in.

The late queen, taken up for part of her reign in her kind regards to the

prince her spouse, was obliged to reside where her care of his health

confined her, and in this case kept for the most part at Kensington, where

he died; but her Majesty always discovered her delight to be at Windsor,

where she chose the little house, as it was called, opposite to the Castle,

and took the air in her chaise in the parks and forest as she saw occasion.

Now Hampton Court, by the like alternative, is come into request

again; and we find his present Majesty, who is a good judge too of the

pleasantness and situation of a place of that kind, has taken Hampton

Court into his favour, and has made it much his choice for the summer's

retreat of the Court, and where they may best enjoy the diversions of the

season. When Hampton Court will find such another favourable juncture

as in King William's time, when the remainder of her ashes shall be swept

away, and her complete fabric, as designed by King William, shall be

finished, I cannot tell; but if ever that shall be, I know no palace in Europe,

Versailles excepted, which can come up to her, either for beauty and

magnificence, or for extent of building, and the ornaments attending it.

From Hampton Court I directed my course for a journey into the

south-west part of England; and to take up my beginning where I

concluded my last, I crossed to Chertsey on the Thames, a town I

mentioned before; from whence, crossing the Black Desert, as I called it,

of Bagshot Heath, I directed my course for Hampshire or Hantshire, and

particularly for Basingstoke--that is to say, that a little before, I passed into

the great Western Road upon the heath, somewhat west of Bagshot, at a

village called Blackwater, and entered Hampshire, near Hartleroe.

Before we reach Basingstoke, we get rid of that unpleasant country

which I so often call a desert, and enter into a pleasant fertile country,

enclosed and cultivated like the rest of England; and passing a village or

two we enter Basingstoke, in the midst of woods and pastures, rich and

fertile, and the country accordingly spread with the houses of the nobility

and gentry, as in other places. On the right hand, a little before we come

to the town, we pass at a small distance the famous fortress, so it was then,

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FromLondontoLand'sEnd1FromLondontoLand'sEndByDanielDefoeFromLondontoLand'sEnd2Sir,Ifindsomuchlefttospeakof,andsomanythingstosayineverypartofEngland,thatmyjourneycannotbebarrenofintelligencewhichwaysoeverIturn;no,thoughIweretoobligemyselftosaynothingofanythingthathadbeenspokenofbefore.Iintendedonceto...

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