The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-21
THE MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY AUGUST a. 18s2TWELyE PAGES

lege after Wykeham's school which still
one of the most interesting of British COL
leges, stands here to-day just as it then
stood against the southern edge of the
velvety Cathedral close Here Mary re-
ceived Philip and their unfortunate nup-
tials were concluded; while the great struct-
ure now standing beside the castle and used
as the Royal Barracks, was built by Charles
IL, though he never lived to see 1t COM
pleted, as sumptuous residence for himself
and pretty Nell" GwYnne.
And SO on and on the grim old story runs.
But by and by, the dark masses OF verdi
ure, the square Norman tower and the
ridge of the mighty nave rising above the
banks OF leafy lines and the peninsula
formed by the vAgrant Itchen, covered
with sward and flowers, tempts you down
by winding paths from St. Giles hill and
you are soon standing beside the ancient
city cross. 1t was built over 500 years ago
in the reign OF Henry VI, just before his
murder by Gloster, and has, besd es its fine
old grouping Of saints in the upper inches
the carved figures of William of Wykeham,
the famous founder of Winchester school
of Florence de Lun, Winchester's first
mayor, 7OS years ago; the martyr st. Law
renee and King Alfred the Great.
You are now in the center of Winchester
in High street. You suddenly recall the
curious fact that in all but one OF these old
cathedral towns you have found a High
street II matters not whether it
were high or low. High street it
had been ever since there had been
an English tongue. Every place of interest
to be seen is only few moments walk off
or on this old familiar street. So, in all
other English cathedral towns as here be-
meath the city cross, however cramped its
surroundings, is the ancient "mercate
square" or market place, aud jagged, zig
gag thorouRhfares lead TO the cross from
outlying picturesque spots and quarters.
All about are half-timbered houses, pro-
jecting story over story into the market
place; and you wonder how long before
from sheer age they will tumble, red roofs
first, over in the clean, cool space below
Quaint shops are pinched in between staid
old mansions Bandboxes Of inns speck the
gray faoades with gilt and color. Worn
steps, scrubbed merciessly and washed
with white lead into tiny vestibules gay
with cleaning brass knockers and rare old
colored glass.
Just there, to the right, is a wynd or
close, grayer. more medley of gables over
hanging roofs and protruding windows than
the narrow street where you are standing
1t is NOISY old Minister street. You saunter
into its shadows. At its southern end is an
inviting vista Of foliage and light. You
will find more gray heads here than in any
other equal distance In England. Gray old
men and gray old women silently sit musing
over gray old wares in their gray old shops
1t is all so startinglY suggestive of age
and decay that you hasten on. Suddenly
one side Of the shadowy passageway stops
short and there before you is one of the
sweetest sights in England 1t is the great
cathedral close, surrounded by ivy-hung
fourteenth century houses, its area threaded
and silvered by the vaRrant Itchen stream
masses Of lines rising here and there above
and the cathedral of royal Winchester
sho wing in patches and bits, just limiting of
its grand proportions through the riffs OF
luxurient lime tree leaves
From where you stand storing the scene
in your memory, an avenue of lines, re-
vealing the famous walks Of Trinity gar
dens, Cambridge leads diagonally across
the close to the cathedraps entrance beneath
its great west window. To the left across
the wide reach OF sward are few Struggling
graves. To the right, fewer still rise white
against the green. The foliage of the over
hanging lines is so dense that you cannot
see the sky. Among the leaves, at this
time of the year, is a wealth of sweet-smell-
ing, yellow green flowers. 1t is wonder
fully still here. Now and again a withered
blossom fluttering to the stone walk or q
robin or blackblrd hopping soberly in and
out among the ordsn graves, almost startes
you.
the gray breaks through tie green. The
north transept is frat partially unveiled.
Then the wide, low tower, the entire vast
west front, the long range Of pinnaoled but
tresses to the north of the nave, and the
roofs OF the bishops palace aud deanery to
the south, are gradually disclosed, and at
the right is a most ancient wall, penetrated
by a low erched entrance which, In former
times, gave subterranean passage to the
royal palace. stud it all 80 little or long
as y0u may your VIII ITO being is filed and
thrilled by lis ma ssty, beauty and repose.
AlIqu ty shyOuds the begin ming of Chris.
tieuiJy at Winchester. The cathedral OK
is.ed under Vortigern and Utber Pendra-
gon. In nearly every particular as you will
find it to-day, this cathedral has stood since
$50 or upward Of 1000 years; while the
earlier cathedral church on the site OF the
present structure was founded and endowed
1858 years ago. Winchester having been
royal Winchester hundreds of years before
London was more than a marshy fishing
village, the colossal exterior and royal in-
terror as well as the vast number and archt-
tectural splendor of its royal ecclesiastio
sepulchers and monuments are at once &C.
counted for.
On entering this cathedral and taking a
position under the great west window, you
find nave, choir and vault simplya males
tic study in mellowed and subdued gray.
The tremendous proportions of the columns
they are twelve feet in diameter, the dis
lance betw cen them or the intercolumni-
alton being only about two diameters of the
columns-are SO great that there is not a
break in their line on either side, save mid
Way along the southern tier where stands
Bishop Wykeham's noble ohantry and tomb,
through the entire length OF nave and choir,
the greatest Of any cathedral in England.
The nave columns and vault and the
choir seem to focus in one far, high, tremu-
lous film of light in the upper visible portion
Of the east window, above the marble altar
screen. The space is SO vast, the proper