The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1865-07-28

80 lN'AiAtAhEns DDOkN. kOlllt
chained Mss, and in fact everything
IN 1t seemed to belong to an age that
dreamed not OF America. The old
sexton took me ali over the cathedral
showed me where the monks Jolly
dogs they were, no doubt-did their
cooking and eating; where they kept
their wines and valuables, their secret
places of escape built within the mas
sive walls and reaching from vault to
roof; their seats in the chapel and
elsewhere so constructed that if, when
on them they allowed the god OF
sleep to possess them but for mo-
meLt, down they would tumble with a
crash that could be heard all over
transept nave, and choir and in fact
all that was interesting
The dimensions of the Cathedral
are.-Length, from east to west, three
hundred and fifty feet; nave, one hun
bred and sixty; choir, one hundred
and twenty-five; lady chapel, sixty
1--WE, trnusept from north to south, one
hundred and eighty; breadth of nave,
choir, and aisles, seventy-four and one
half feet; south wing of transept,
eighty feet square; heigth of nave and
choir, seventy-eght feet tower, one
hundred twenty seven; lady chapel
thirty-three north wing Of transept,
thirfy-nino feet broad.
The Church of st. John the Baptist
is without the city walls, upon an ele-
walton oyerhanging the north bank of
the Dee, and the churchyard com
mands a charming and extensive view
The ruins adjoining are exceedingly
interesting ana full Of pictures. The
foundation Of the church is ascribed
to Ethelred. King of Mercia, and stated
on the authority of Giraldus, to have
taken place III the year $50
''The year OF grace. six hundred four score nine. "
$50 saith my author, Brton, Giradusn
King Ethelred, minding most the bliss Of
heaven"
''Edihed college church. notable and famous. ="
I'm the suburbs of Chester, pleasant and beau
tcous
'la the honour Of God and the Baptist St. John. s.
'Aith the help of Bishop Wuliiice and good
eNhortatiuu
This inscription is now affixed to a
pillar on the north side of the church
The following curious passage is
quoted from an early writer King
Ethered, minding to build a church,
was told that where be should see a
"white hind. there he should build a
church; which white hind he saw in
"the place where st. Johns church
now standeth, and in remembrance
whereof, his picture was placed in the
wall of the said church, which vet
"standeth on the side of the steeple.
towards the west, having a white hind
sin his hand When entire, St.
Johns was a magnificent pile The
tower once stood in the centre. but
falling down in 1914, was never re-
built The nave and choir, fitted up
and repaired in 1851, now form the
parish church in which public worship
is celebrated On the south wall of
the churchyard was an ancient build
ing called the 'anchoutes cell, which
is said TO be the spot where Earl Har-
old retired after the battle Of Hast
ings, in 1866 monkish chronicle be-
ing extant, which denies the fact of
his death in that fight, and states that
he lived for some time after at Ches-
ter, in the disguise Of a monk. In
ITO, two skeletons were discovered
here in coffin shaped cavities, scooped
out of the rock
st. Peters church has a most ven
cradle look, but will not compare in
interest tc st. Johns. 1t stands in the
centre Of the city where the four prin-
cipal streets meet and close to the an
cient site Of the high cross. In tow
er are eight bells, east in 1903, where
of six are IA peal; on the treble is en-
graved, "When you ring, I'll sing |
now propose to abandon the works of
the monks and their masters, and take
you with me around the famous old
walls of Chester, to me infinitely more
enjoyable than aught else iii this won
derfully interesting town 1t is well
to do the Cathedral and churches first,
rs they were done only three or four
hundred years since, while the wall
was first built some eighteen hundred
years ago AIarius, King of the Brit
ons, A. ID. 73, was the man, according
to Vale Royal, to whom l dotf my
-stove-pipe for the inexpressible,
ecstatic enjoyment which l derived in
going oyer his wonderful piece of ma
sonry. Leland and Selden, both au-
thors of credit, attribute to the Ro-
mans the foundation of Chester.
And according to Geoifrey, Higden,
Bradshaw, the monk, and Howe, it is
, of an origin more ancient than Rome
itself, and was only re-ediiied by the
DICTIONARIES, but these authors give no
: other authority than vague tradition
while the truth of Leland and Selden' Is
account find substantial witnesses i'll
the walls of Chester at this date. From
almost every point beautiful pros
pect is to be had; the walls having
been built on an elevated piece OF
ground in the centre OF an immense
, valley, watered by the winding Dee
and its tributaries, reached the
: wall from the north side by fight OF
stone steps-concayed by use almost
, to the bottom of each--and found the
first special object of interest to be the
T Phoenix Tower, a lofty structure, used
in 1913, by the Painters and Station
orc' G~,,,,opv xuboea o,oct oon ot,ll ba