The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-11-16
The Heart Of England.
The Red Horse Inn-siraiford en- Avon
WARWICK CASTLE,

one day In spring when earth and air wer5
flooded with sunshine and the birds were impro-
vlsng love songs on every tree, solitary trav-
eller might have been seen, and in fact was seen
by two erooms and an errand boy, to approach
the massive oaken portal of an old baronial
castle. To him when he had knocked opened
cheerful and tidy maiden who hurried him
away to the porters lodge with an air of SO
much eagerness and enthusiasm that he ex-
pectad to see nothing less thsn the respectable
ghost haunting these ancient precincts But
when he was ushered into the little room he
saw that its walls and angles were ornamented
with ancient swords, battle-axes and armor,
and that in the centre was an immense kettle
of polished metal, looking a good deal like the
useful vessels in which at this season of the
year our country people boil soap, at the same
time, as an American humorist alleges,
''aboosin' the nabOrs." Behind this kettle,
then, did the tidy maiden assume the attitude
of the historic muse and address winged words
to your amazed correspondent; not in the dull,
weary, mechanical way peculiar to the English
guide, but 10 accents high and clear: 'This,'
said she, sis the porridge-pot Of Guy of War
wick, who in Saxon times was Lord OF this cas-
eAOs 4AohJ CcutuiI6o dSO tul5 0uy, WHO was a
giant over nine feet tall, as you may see by the
size of his armor, which is before you, used to
remove his food from the pot with the flesh
fork which hold iu my hand" Thereupon,
seizing the fork with both hands-for it was
large enough for Neptune's tIident-this curious
maiden smote the resounding metal again and
again, to show, as she said with an indescriba-
bic cir of triumph, that after all these years
there was mot crack in it," 1t is now used
as punch bowl on great occasions, and at the
christening of the present Earl was filled to
the bri n with wine, spirits and other ingredi-
ents Of the beverage in question. And it was
not till the sole auditor of these important his
torcal facts had listened to minute inventory
of everything, even to the very lemons which
contributed to the glories of that memorable
bowl of punch that he was permitted to bsstow
the customary fee and receive in return the
customary "thank you, much obliged thank
you'-a redupicated form of acknowledge
ment which would be highly gratifying were it
not, taking one week with another so very
costly to the sight-seer.
And it was thus that your correspondent en-
tered "Warwick Castle" residence Of George
Guy Grevile, Earl of Brooke and Warwick.
in the county of Warwickshire shall not
tell you of the castle and its treasures and
works of art, for sinca it is the only genuine
baronal castle 10 England that is sull kept in
repair and occupied, every guide book and all
English letters ara full of it. Lat me tell you
rather that after a tail-coated attendant had
shown me the state apartments with their
original Vandykes and other works of the old
masters, the Queen Anne bedrooms, the orna-
ments in buhl and ormolu, the old cabinets
and arms, the apartments in which distin-
guished persons had ''once slept" and after he,
great and gorgeous as he was, had obsequiously
received the usual obolus, L escaped to the
park and heard with delight for the first time
the notes of the real Robin Redbreast the black
bird ard the thrush, and saw the "pals primrose"
aud the daisy growing wild, and the buttercup
and honest dandelon showing their familiar
faces as frankly as at homs Aud thanks to
you, golden dandelion, and greeting to you,
fair buttercup appearing thus pleasantly to
me like early friends in land that is all so
new and strange to me- Here you are
har1 by castle wall, growing on
his lordshp's lawn, neighbors to SOL
emn yews and venerable cedars of Lebanon
and immemorial elms, and braver in your
fnery than all his lordship's finerJ within.
You and the star, in heaven ara all the old
friends have seen for many a day. And even
the stars are not quite as 1 left them-for does
not the Great Bear come visibly nearer over
head in his course? Is not the pole star full
eight degrees higher above the horizon? And
are not the Chari9teer and the "starry Gemi-
nj" hanging ''oyer Orions grave" far down in
the South west? But the best way to see
aural England is in vagabondish, irresponsi- |
bic way, as the tramps and the birds see it; |
and so perhaps L was fortunate in having no |
who would perhaps have desired to |
inspect the old Warwick church while L was |
bent on gathering wild flowers along the hedge |
rows and green lanes, and gossipiug with such |
affable people as L CHANGED to meet. Many |
such found in the neighborhood. especially of |
the old lady variety. They told me most of |
the Earl and his household, as if that were the |
only theme that coali possibly interest a ra-
tional being, and one old crone who was work
ing in garden aud who said she had been |
the Earls nurse and had been ne
elected and forgotten, ASSURED me that "my |
LADY, and the young peopie in their walks
about the premises would often stop and con-
verse with ''such as she" as pleasantly and |
kindly as if they were not 'geutlefolks"
Poor old soul! her bleared eyes frightened and |
her skinny gugers, fresh from their. delyiug in |
the soil, shook with emotion as she said this;
as if few kind words from the "gentlefolks''
made her ample amends for the hard life she
had led in their service, and the Sights which
she declared she had suffered.
The Injustice of the relation existing between
the idle and worthless lich and the industrious
and producing poor is no more fagrant in Eng
land than in America, only circumstances pre-
sent 1t mora vvidly to the mind. In both
countries it is but the result OF incomplete So
cial evolution. Mankind on their way from
complete savagery and mutual antagonism to