Morning journal and courier., 1892-08-20

ty-Its Famous Norman Cathedral
Mausoleum for Prelates, Potentate
and Princes-Quaint City Scenes.
WINCHESTER, England, Aug. 8.
| To the Editor OF the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
Perhaps the best place, for a time, {.
muse upon the ancient city of winoheste
and its historic surroundings is the sem
init of St. Giles hill, which, within tn
borough bounds, rises high above tn
roofs of the city, almost within a stone'
throw of the east window of its mighty
cathedral.
Cushioned in its velvety beds of scented
clover, you feel the gentle breeze coming
| softly over the Hampshire downs. Il
sends myriad wisps of feathery clouds
across the blue vault above. These check
er the valley and city foliage and roof,
with changeful srabesques of sun
shine and shadow In and out OF thest
your fancy plays hide and seek with the
annals, legends and wraiths of winches
ter's long ago.
Round about this lovely Hampshir,
valley threaded by the cleaning Itchen
beloved haunt of Isaac Walton, Is q won
drous wreath of story dim and legend old
Over to the north is Slichester, an exhaust
less mine of Roman remains, within whose
walls the Usurper Constantine was invest
ed with the purple, and legend has 1t tha,
King Arthur there received his crown.
Near It is Basing, site of one of the lord.
lest castles of early England. A little
nearer Winchester still is Oldham, birth
place of the famous old grammarian, VIII
liam Lilly. To the northeast, at Andover,
Anlaf the Dane promised King Ethelred
never to recommepce hostilities against the
English. Just below this is Danebury
Hill with it's famous Roman encampment.
Just west of you is the sleepy hamlet of
King Sambourp, where John of Gaunt had
his old time palace. AT the same distance,
to the east near Alresford, are the great
Tichborne estates. And near by to the
south is Romsey, with it's quaintest old
abbey church in England and the New
Forest depths, where the arrow from Tyr
rel's bow pierced the heart of ruffian Ru-
If you were standing on this hill of st.
Giles on an autumn morning, the hum of
the city below would recall a quaint old
scene of four or five hundred years ago,
for the spot was the site of one of the
most wonderful fairs In all the world of
that antique time. 1t was famous St
Giles fair The whole plateau of the hill
was covered by a second town, shut in by
a high wooden pslisade. By royal edict
all trade was not only stopped in Winches-
ter itself, but in all other towns within a
radius of seven leagues.
From St. Giles day, September l, to
September z. the vigil of the Nativity of
the Blessed Virgin, all traders from all the
world might come. After the latter date
a fine for tardiness was imposed. The fair
continued in this queer old town of queer
old wooden booths until September Is.
The bishop of Winchester had his stall, as
we'll as his customs duties and other fines
from other dealers. Several monas'eries
dealt in wine aud spices. And the for
eigners from Normandy and the low conn
tries, GLAND, and such distant regions,
and the vendors and buyers from across
broad English counties, abode gipsy fash
ion on the hilltop.
What quaint folk, costumes, wares and
scenes must have once crowded this now
silent hill. Each street was devoted to
one manner of wares or one nation.
Wines, spices, draperies, goldsmiths'
wares, brassworkers', potters' and furri-
ers' goods and weapons were here. Nor
mans, Poles, Dutch, Italians, Spaniards.
Algerians, Co'nishmen,. then accounted
west of England bsrbarians, mingled to-
gether in common interest. Then there
was the strange medley of buyers, sight
seers and citizens, mobiles and ladies in the
rich costumes of the period; men in tunic
and mantle, long hose and pointed shoes;
women in straight graceful gowns and
wimples; artificers, servants, yokels and
monks.
At this quaint forerunner of interna-
tional exhibitions there was a "Piepowder
court" having rule over the dusty shsnks,
pedlars and mountebanks, the pieds pou
dreux; and to this court of quick invita-
ton and rapid disposal came all fair folk
delinquents. At the end of tie long and
dusty day the marshal rode forth from the
court Pavilion and issued proclamation
that all business must cease and stalls be
closed. So the citizens withdrew, leaving
the palisaded hill Gown silent and light
less, save for tho twinkling here and there
of wick in lamp or mortar, the only fire
allowable within the precincts of the mart
from sundown to sunrise. This most ia
nous of England's old-tims fairs was con-
tinued until quarter of century ago.
Then, as Dean Kitchin writes, GAS the
city grew stronger and the fair weaker, il
slid down st. Giles hill and entered the
town where its noisy ghost still holds rev.
el once year"
All this was very long ago, but the wise
old annalists count this antiquity as moth
ing. One can go with them, If not in all
faith, still with pleasant curiosity, a long
way back of this once famous English fair.
They will tell you that Winchester is per-
hsps the oldest city in Britain. They
point to st. Cstharine's hill, over there
just at the southern edge of the city, still
plainly disclosing the fortified camp of
Vespssiau, who conquered the place from
Belge, whence its Roman name, Venta
Belgarum.
Far, far beyond these they have seen
with clear Shistorio eyes. They will tell
you In all seriousness that Winchester was
founded eight hundred and ninety two
years before the Christian era. That
would be one hundred and thirty nine
years before the founding of Rome, or a
matter of two thousand seven hundred
and eighty four years agol A king of an
cient Britain, Sudor Rous Hudihrass, is
said to have been the royal founder; and it
was his son, Blsdud, who built and en-
riched with the indistinguishable fires of
Minerva the fine old Somersetshire city of
Bath.
Some things about royal Winchester's
antiquity and history are easy enough to
know with exactitude, and they mellow
the thought perspective of the rare old
town charmingly, invest every gray old
stone of the place with wonderful sssocis-
tion interest, and give to every tone of the
huge old cathedral bells the thrilling voice
of richly storied past.
julius Caesar visited the city, B. G. 81,
| and the Emperor Vespaeian n few years
later occupied it and built walls, vestiges
of which remain. For the next five hun
dred years Winchester was celebrated for
its magnificent embroideries for the impe-
rial court, examples of which remain.
Egbert, the first king of all England, was
crowned here, and established a sort of
empire with sub kings, under him, out of
which came the English monarchial and
nobility systems of to day.
The first English guild of merchants
was established here in S56. The wise
laws of Alfred were made here, the first
great survey of the kingdom was COM
pleted mere, aud in the scriptorium of the
very cathedral you will now find in Win
chester, in 500, was done that wonderful
specimen of Winchester illumination
known as the Golden Book of Edgar.
The first standard measures ever possessed
by England were ordered and made here
under ediet of King Edgar, and you will
| Gnd kbaza ;daptioal p,eaauraa In fha Win.