Connecticut western news., 1877-06-15
Legend of the Lambton Worm

We were at Chester-le-Street, a pretty little bucolic town in North Durham, with an ancient odOr of Rome and Had rian about it. It was balmy June morning when we started, The sun was climbing sky of cloudless azure an American October, soul-eXhilarat- ing sky. A western breeze came with tluttering freshness from the distant moorlands. The dew lay in diamond drops on the thick grass that fringed the fragrant lane. The larks were caroling over head. The gray linnets were stirring among the leaves. The hare hopped across the road in front, and regarded us with familiarity that told of game laws aud game preserves. We were, indeed, traversing the beau tiful estate of the Earl of Durham; and, as we strode along, recalled for my companions edification the Legend of the Lambton Worm: ... ..,. .--.-f
 "An ancient heir of the castle wonder situated SO beautifully on the velvet green knoll of the wooded hill around which the Wear glides like broad rib bon-was fishing, as was his usual pro- fane custom, in the river on Sunday. He hooked a small worm or eft, which he carelessly threw into well, and thought no more of the incident. The worm liked it's new quarters, and grew till the we'll was too small to hold it.
 Fifty yards distant flowed the Wear, and there the worm betook itself, usually lying part of the day coiled round a crag in the middle of the stream. 1t | also frequented green mound near the | well, where it Tapped itself nine times round, leaving vermicular traces which are to be seen until this day. Grown | to this prodigious size, the worm be- came the terror of the country, and l among other enormities, it levied d con- | tribution9 of nine cows milk daily, which was always placed for it at the green hill, and, in default of the lacteal swill, the creature devoured man and beast. Young Lambton, meanwhile, had totally repented him of his former life and conversation. He had, more- over, purified himself in bath of holy
 water, taken the sign of the cross, and joined the Crusaders, On his return effects of his youthful imprudences, and immediately undertook to relieve the district of the tyrant monster. After several severe comOats, in which the crusader was foiled byhis enemy power of self-union, he found 1t expedient to add policy to courage. Not perhaps possessing too much of the former quail | ity, he went to witch, or wise woman, and, by her advice armed himself in a coat-of-mail, studded with razor blades. Thus prepared, he placed himself on | the crag in the river, and awaited the monsters arrival. The worm came as usual, and immediately wound himself round the knight with great fury, cut ting himself into sections, which the stream washed away, and thus pre- vented the possibility of reunion.'' 4
 ''Of course there is still a sequel: The witch had promised Lambton suc- cess only on the condition that he should slay the first living thing which met his sight after the victory. To avoid the pos sibility of human slaughter, the knight had directed his father that as soon as he heard him sound three blasts on his bugle horn in token of success he should release his favorite greyhound, which
 was designed to be the sacrifice. On hearing his sons bugle, the old man was so overjeyed that he forgot the in junction, and ran with open arms to meet the conqueror. Instead of com hitting a parricide, the knight went to the witch, who pronounced, as the. al- formative of disobeying her original in structions, the penalty that no chief of | the house of Lambton should die in his bed for nine generations. There ap- peared nothing very terrible in this to the martial mind of the young man, and the penalty was accepted, and-as the history of the. Lambton family from the | twelfth century proves-seems to have
 been mysteriously exacted.-Appleton' s
 Journal. F''3s