New-York tribune., 1906-04-18
4 Book of British History and
Romance.

:. has a double claim upon US. II de-
So an old. ancient" district packed with
So associations OF the most dramatic ans
hs.-.s,ue sort and il describes il with sinru-
.,,,sness. ana mingling with these memo
former time are records OF that i'm
n-.,, region Of the imagination. the country Of
- T5a-dy's novels Here are identified for
b,Us ard downs. the towns and villages
- buildings which the novelist has chosen
~' s-or,ep-ork for his characters. Here IS
+o,e House the home OF Bathshehs
rs,ne exactly as 81 appears in the story Of
49,, oaks sweetheart: here is Wool Manor
she .'Weubridge" Of poor Tess's brief
b.--,,or with Angel Clare: these and many
s,sres of tho novels are portrayed by the
=, rlsvsrlv. hut not more effectively than
t.ve already been shown TO us by the
.ns, AS we turn these pages we see more
ua, than ever before IN how mastery a
- HARDY has conveyed into his books the
. sou,I Of the countryside, what realism he
" .l~s,,e5 from his use OF actual places and
cures as well of traditional romRnces.
80 instances. and rural characteristics
- have not Vet died out No novelist has
- -no-e powerfully interpreted 10 mankind
y, we and spirit Of a given spot Of Gods earth
n given period
Terr
:. ,boprh T. includes some portions or other
-,iss Il was f. olden times the kingdom Of
:. vTest Saxons. but its name as Mr.. Holland
-.-,nss rs had disappeared until Hardy re-
- r. The Roman occupation had previously
,-,ch, 10 Il a civilization, Vestiges of which
IN ,euain IL fragments OF roads. villas and
.ssvss There are two bridges. indeed. near
yr.-rovth lthe Budmouth Regis OF Hardy
-.t,b ere vet So far perfect that they are in
..nv llsa as Ihey were fifteen hundred years
go The Saxon invaders and the Danes who
allowed the Romans die not leave much else
,sme ground, but the spade and pick go on
-sysslnr from year 10 year the buried memo
-sls of the RoTnans-now an exquisite bit OF
,sysnent now a group ~ ornaments or coins
~ hrs of pottery. The prosperity which those
.,-lv oonquerors brought 10 the region came
.s-t with the N0rmans and Wessex waXed fat
.pesceful industry until disturbance arose with
ne suppression Of the religious houses under
zsrry VII Iu the days of the Armada all wes-
,r rushed 70 defend the British coast, even
"a. little rshiug hamlets contributing men OF
--rsev The region suffered somewhat IN the
clvn War. bur even more in the progress from
bo-aer 70 border Of the brutal scoundrel JEFF
t-sys The fugitive Monmouth was captured
nsar Kinlborne-a WesseK woman betrayed him
ana tradition says that a curse fell upon her
snd her family az that moment. The Bloody
Assize' followed upon the departure Of the
wrssche6 prisoner. Jefreys made all the west
sr Aceldama; some places quite depopulated.
and nothing 10 be seen in 'em but forsaken
walls, unlucky gIhbets, and ghostly csrcasses.
Nothing could be liker he'll than al those parts;
nothing SO like the Devil as he" Wareham, the
"AHglebury' OF the novels. was the chief place
Bloody Bank is still the name Of the spot
where three Of Nonmouth's unhappy men were
hanged drawn and qUartered. Their heads,
which were nailed 10 & wooden tower. were Sc
ag1y taken down by friends and hidden under
bs1 IN one II the houses in the High street
EEl they could be safely buried. The authorf-
Ties raised a hue and cry and searched many
Of the houses, hut failed TO find the poor rem
rants OF mortality. Thirteen youths were exc
euted at Lyme, one OF them being a gentle
man Of family and fortune who was engaged 10
the sister of The High Sheriff The girl, IL is
recorded, threw herself at the feet OF Jeffreys.
begging for the life Of her betrothed, but the
!nage drove her from him with hideous Jest"
Al Dorchesjer-the DGrnovaris OF the Romans.
ne 'Casterbridge' Of Hardy and his own home
was the scene OF bitter cruelty. More than three
hundred persons. many n whom were absolutely
Innocent Of anything like treason were thrown
.1io the Ja.l
On tie day after his arrival for the assize. Jef
W w. ose Nlose l0aEing Is stu pointed out IN High
from ,he windows OF which in those 6aTs n was
Fss-lle O. see tie gaol and even watch executions
xaicA as it inculcatod mercy the CHIEF Justice
"a seen o. laugh or the following day. thirty
- sr 5e reatea6d and 6ToT5eatsT 0rt T3eT GoN 5
- .alalous llaEe, were. with one exception found
8 Vt 80 md 1-r.w
" asys later Then. to shorten the rroceedines
sF.lsss G-oItc1 -use By which two officers visit
q sae pms lIers u Eaol, with a promise Of mercy
= tney confessed 10 their supposed crimes. Nan;-
az ths but found 10 ther cost mat II vas ,,1eTe
-t.l,e ~ re brutal Chief Justice 10 enable him
p sentenced 20 - death. OF whom thirteen were
: Seereys favorites were able 10 purchase their
: To'a l.ayi-s alge sums for the cleuency grant
-. s.ae 't those, however, that Jefrreys re-
l-ie'ea from death sentence had lite cause-s,ch
- oe almost incredible cruelty of the Chief
s.cs-to bless lis leniency. Several we're con
cSs7-T 49,, ~ 't whipped through every town in the
'~4s ol 'Hlpriso.l rnent and heavy fines.
DoFchester has in later days also been a place
g execution. and Hardy. when a school boy.
'4tlessed from his perch in q tree the hanging
Y poor woman in the jailvard It is thought
aa' The scene may have suggested some Of the
.l'laen's attendant upon the end OF his heroine
Tess
mere are many curious historical episodes TO
Traced in weymouth. From its shores King
1Ies'an sent adrift 70 die IN an open boat.
.-'9-' sails or oa-s. his half-brother Edwin,
--'h he suspected of plotting against him
--sFe too. In the time OF Edward the Confessor.
: related that the Queen Mother. Emma. un-
-1"ent the trial by ordeal. disproving the ac-
@~~Lon against her by passing "unhurt with
e Ieet over nine redhot ploughshares-' IL
% Member - Parliament from Weymouth
sAo Moved in 1854 that the crown and title OF
arg should be offered 10 Cromwell. A comic
WY q the period when George III visited the
N"h concerns the worthy Mayor thereof he
ss'snced 70 present the address Of welcome and
af'ssd OF kneeliug. according TO instructions, ne