The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-17


NOT long since the writer crossed
! London Bridge and entered St. Savior.s
church, where he found. the tomb OF
Edmond Shakespeare, the Younger
brother of the great bard Immediate
~ back of the church is the site of
the Globe Theater in which the famous
plays We're enacted by Burbage and
others OF lesser note Here came Raj
eigh. Southampton, and even ROYALTY
itself to hear The Merchant of Ven
ICE, julius Caesar" and Macbeth"
little to the south is the plot. now
occupied by warehouses, where once
stood the old Tabard Inn, at which
Chaucer represents his pilgrims to have
! gathered before starting on the way TO
Canterbury.
! Standing on this spot one can readily
| imagine the 'sundry folk"-the knight,
the young squire. the clerk of Oxen
ford, the parson, the nun, the abbess.
the wife Of Bath, the man of law. ana,
by no means least, mine host, Harry
Bailey
The modern pilgrim goes by rail,
leaving Holburn Viaduct station and
almost Immediately crossing the
Thames. From the railway bridge we
can see on the right the spires OF the
; Parliament building and Westminster
Abbey, and on the left, ST. Paufs, the
Tower. and the lofty monument In re-
|
don. We are soon in Kentish fields
riding swiftly through the hop lands,
the crop almost ready to pick. The
hills, the elms. the apple orchards, and
| the old, long-roofed farm houses re-
| mind one of New England more than
all sides are the cast houses, where the
! hops are cured, the conical roofs re-
volving with the wind-like vanes. Ar
rived in Canterbury. we found our
selves crowded out of the buss Of the
! leading hotel by a numerous, snowy
and exclusive" American party whom
we had experienced in another part OF
England. We quickly hired landau
at the same price of the buss fare and
arriving first at the public house, Sc
cured the best rooms, and from the
| landing witnessed an alteration be-
tween the landlord and the travellers
who, coming from democratic America,
wish to -Herod aristocrats in the
old country.
After a well-cooked lunch, worthy OF
mention in this kingdom-we drove out
to Harbledown to the ST. Nicholas Hos
pital for Lepers, and there struck the
old road over which pilgrims were
wont to proceed to the shrine OF 81.
Thomas. Here is the old well, whose
waters were supposed to have quaiities
for the healing of leprosy. Hither the
BLACK Prince came during his last
davs. in the vain hope OF curing tuoer-
culosis from the same font, and his
arms, the three ostrich feathers are
carved upon the stone arch over the
well. The motto, Itch diem, is sun
to be seen cut in the rock. We then
returned to Canterbury through the
long country road, and entered the
walls under the ancient gate, the only
remaining bar" Of the town. Going
ND High street. the main thoroughfare,
we stopped at the corner OF Mercery
Lane. to observe the old Chequers Inh'
where pilgrims were wont to IND shel-
ter The ancient stone hosiery is now
used as a dry goods store, and ap-
narentIy will last another 500 years. a
few wards down Mercery Lane brought
us to Burgate street. Here we passed
through the beautiful stone arch, mucn
worn by time, and entered the Cathe-
dral precincts. Service in the Cathe-
dral was just about to begin, and We
were kindly conducted to seats near
the lecturn. The grand organ music,
the responses from the choir or boys
and Young men, re-echoing through the
vast arches of the nave, is equalled py
nothing upon this earth. Inc Cathe-
dral itself is part of the great instru-
ment. All other music is like tones
from the catgut strings without the
body of the violin to resound IN nar
mony with them. Cathedral music mas
meIlowness impossible to describe.
Canon Mason read the prayers and the
lessons.
After service a verger conducted
those who wished. around the great
building. and explained the most IN
teresting features. Our American
friends were in the party ana Hlaoe
tbemse,ves obnoxious to the guide py
interrupting him with qaie'-
.,ons when he refused to answer any
more. and patiently intimated that Ne
would explain as best he could they
kept up CALCULATIONS of oh yes!-
remember it so WE'LL" One OF tnef
number. a fearful and wonderful ola
maid; dressed in widows weeds COT
rected the guide occasionally. When
he spoke of Archbishop Lans1oh' ol
Magma Charter fame, she ooseiseu
.or ,-aSf stephen Langton; ietl