tour through the eastern counties of england-第24章

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plains　called　Newmarket　Heath；　where　passing　the　Devil's　Ditch；

which　has　nothing　worth　notice　but　its　name；　and　that　but　fabulous

too；　from　the　hills　called　Gogmagog；　we　see　a　rich　and　pleasant

vale　westward；　covered　with　corn…fields；　gentlemen's　seats；

villages；　and　at　a　distance；　to　crown　all　the　rest；　that　ancient

and　truly　famous　town　and　university　of　Cambridge；　capital　of　the

county；　and　receiving　its　name　from；　if　not；　as　some　say；　giving

name　to　it；　for　if　it　be　true　that　the　town　takes　its　name　of

Cambridge　from　its　bridge　over　the　river　Cam；　then　certainly　the

shire　or　county；　upon　the　division　of　England　into　counties；　had

its　name　from　the　town；　and　Cambridgeshire　signifies　no　more　or

less　than　the　county　of　which　Cambridge　is　the　capital　town。



As　my　business　is　not　to　lay　out　the　geographical　situation　of

places；　I　say　nothing　of　the　buttings　and　boundings　of　this　county。

It　lies　on　the　edge　of　the　great　level；　called　by　the　people　here

the　Fen　Country；　and　great　part；　if　not　all；　the　Isle　of　Ely　lies

in　this　county　and　Norfolk。　　The　rest　of　Cambridgeshire　is　almost

wholly　a　corn　country；　and　of　that　corn　five　parts　in　six　of　all

they　sow　is　barley；　which　is　generally　sold　to　Ware　and　Royston；

and　other　great　malting　towns　in　Hertfordshire；　and　is　the　fund

from　whence　that　vast　quantity　of　malt；　called　Hertfordshire　malt；

is　made；　which　is　esteemed　the　best　in　England。　　As　Essex；　Suffolk；

and　Norfolk　are　taken　up　in　manufactures；　and　famed　for　industry；

this　county　has　no　manufacture　at　all；　nor　are　the　poor；　except　the

husbandmen；　famed　for　anything　so　much　as　idleness　and　sloth；　to

their　scandal　be　it　spoken。　　What　the　reason　of　it　is　I　know　not。



It　is　scarce　possible　to　talk　of　anything　in　Cambridgeshire　but

Cambridge　itself；　whether　it　be　that　the　county　has　so　little　worth

speaking　of　in　it；　or；　that　the　town　has　so　much；　that　I　leave　to

others；　however；　as　I　am　making　modern　observations；　not　writing

history；　I　shall　look　into　the　county；　as　well　as　into　the

colleges；　for　what　I　have　to　say。



As　I　said；　I　first　had　a　view　of　Cambridge　from　Gogmagog　hills；　I

am　to　add　that　there　appears　on　the　mountain　that　goes　by　this

name；　an　ancient　camp　or　fortification；　that　lies　on　the　top　of　the

hill；　with　a　double；　or　rather　treble；　rampart　and　ditch；　which

most　of　our　writers　say　was　neither　Roman　nor　Saxon；　but　British。

I　am　to　add　that　King　James　II。　caused　a　spacious　stable　to　be

built　in　the　area　of　this　camp　for　his　running　homes；　and　made　old

Mr。　Frampton；　whom　I　mentioned　above；　master　or　inspector　of　them。

The　stables　remain　still　there；　though　they　are　not　often　made　use

of。　　As　we　descended　westward　we　saw　the　Fen　country　on　our　right；

almost　all　covered　with　water　like　a　sea；　the　Michaelmas　rains

having　been　very　great　that　year；　they　had　sent　down　great　floods

of　water　from　the　upland　countries；　and　those　fens　being；　as　may　be

very　properly　said；　the　sink　of　no　less　than　thirteen　counties　…

that　is　to　say；　that　all　the　water；　or　most　part　of　the　water；　of

thirteen　counties　falls　into　them；　they　are　often　thus　overflowed。

The　rivers　which　thus　empty　themselves　into　these　fens；　and　which

thus　carry　off　the　water；　are　the　Cam　or　Grant；　the　Great　Ouse　and

Little　Ouse；　the　Nene；　the　Welland；　and　the　river　which　runs　from

Bury　to　Milden　Hall。　　The　counties　which　these　rivers　drain；　as

above；　are　as　follows：…





Lincoln；　Warwick；　Norfolk；

*　Cambridge；　Oxford；　Suffolk；

*　Huntingdon；　Leicester；　Essex；

*　Bedford；　*　Northampton

Buckingham；　*　Rutland。



Those　marked　with　（*）　empty　all　their　waters　this　way；　the　rest　but

in　part。





In　a　word；　all　the　water　of　the　middle　part　of　England　which　does

not　run　into　the　Thames　or　the　Trent；　comes　down　into　these　fens。



In　these　fens　are　abundance　of　those　admirable　pieces　of　art　called

decoys　that　is　to　say；　places　so　adapted　for　the　harbour　and

shelter　of　wild　fowl；　and　then　furnished　with　a　breed　of　those　they

call　decoy　ducks；　who　are　taught　to　allure　and　entice　their　kind　to

the　places　they　belong　to；　that　it　is　incredible　what　quantities　of

wild　fowl　of　all　sorts；　duck；　mallard；　teal；　widgeon；　&c。；　they

take　in　those　decoys　every　week　during　the　season；　it　may；　indeed；

be　guessed　at　a　little　by　this；　that　there　is　a　decoy　not　far　from

Ely　which　pays　to　the　landlord；　Sir　Thomas　Hare；　500　pounds　a　year

rent；　besides　the　charge　of　maintaining　a　great　number　of　servants

for　the　management；　and　from　which　decoy　alone；　they　assured　me　at

St。　Ives　（a　town　on　the　Ouse；　where　the　fowl　they　took　was　always

brought　to　be　sent　to　London）　that　they　generally　sent　up　three

thousand　couple　a　week。



There　are　more　of　these　about　Peterborough；　who　send　the　fowl　up

twice　a　week　in　waggon…loads　at　a　time；　whose　waggons　before　the

late　Act　of　Parliament　to　regulate　carriers　I　have　seen　drawn　by

ten　and　twelve　horses　a…piece；　they　were　laden　so　heavy。



As　these　fens　appear　covered　with　water；　so　I　observed；　too；　that

they　generally　at　this　latter　part　of　the　year　appear　also　covered

with　fogs；　so　that　when　the　downs　and　higher　grounds　of　the

adjacent　country　were　gilded　with　the　beams　of　the　sun；　the　Isle　of

Ely　looked　as　if　wrapped　up　in　blankets；　and　nothing　to　be　seen　but

now　and　then　the　lantern　or　cupola　of　Ely　Minster。



One　could　hardly　see　this　from　the　hills　and　not　pity　the　many

thousands　of　families　that　were　bound　to　or　confined　in　those　fogs；

and　had　no　other　breath　to　draw　than　what　must　be　mixed　with　those

vapours；　and　that　steam　which　so　universally　overspreads　the

country。　　But　notwithstanding　this；　the　people；　especially　those

that　are　used　to　it；　live　unconcerned；　and　as　healthy　as　other

folks；　except　now　and　then　an　ague；　which　they　make　light　of；　and

there　are　great　numbers　of　very　ancient　people　among　them。



I　now　draw　near　to　Cambridge；　to　which　I　fancy　I　look　as　if　I　was

afraid　to　come；　having　made　so　many　circumlocutions　beforehand；　but

I　must　yet　make　another　digression　before　I　enter　the　town　（for　in

my　way；　and　as　I　came　in　from　Newmarket；　about　the　beginning　of

September）；　I　cannot　omit；　that　I　came　necessarily　through

Stourbridge　Fair；　which　was　then　in　its　height。



If　it　is　a　diversion　worthy　a　book　to　treat　of　trifles；　such　as　the

gaiety　of　Bury　Fair；　it　cannot　be　very　unpleasant；　especially　to

the　trading　part　of　the　world；　to　say　something　of　this　fair；　which

is　not　only　the　greatest　in　the　whole　nation；　but　in　the　world；

nor；　if　I　may　believe　those　who　have　seen　the　mall；　is　the　fair　at

Leipzig　in　Saxony；　the　mart　at　Frankfort…on…the…Main；　or　the　fairs

at　Nuremberg；　or　Augsburg；　any　way　to　compare　to　this　fair　at

Stourbridge。



It　is　kept　in　a　large　corn…field；　near　Casterton；　extending　from

the　side　of　the　river　Cam；　towards　the　road；　for　about　half　a　mile

square。



If　the　husbandmen　who　rent　the　land；　do　not　get　their　corn　off

before　a　certain　day　in　August；　the　fair…keepers　may　trample　it

under　foot　and　spoil　it　to　build　their　booths；　or　tents；　for　all

the　fair　is　kept　in　tents　and　booths。　　On　the　other　hand；　to

balance　that　severity；　if　the　fair…keepers　have　not　done　their

business　of　the　fair；　and　removed　and　cleared　the　field　by　another

certain　day　in　September；　the　ploughmen　may　come　in　again；　with

plough　and　cart；　and　overthrow　all；　and　trample　into　the　dirt；　and

as　for　the　filth；　dung；　straw；　etc。　necessarily　left　by　the　fair…

keepers；　the　quantity　of　which　is　very　great；　it　is　the　farmers'

fees；　and　makes　them　full　amends　for　the　trampling；　riding；　and

carting　upon；　and　hardening　the　ground。



It　is　impossible　to　describe　all　the　parts　and　circumstances　of

this　fair　exactly；　the　shops　are　placed　in　rows　like　streets；

whereof　one　is　called　Cheapside；　and　here；　as　in　several　other

streets；　are　all　sorts　of　trades；　who　sell　by　retail；　and　who　come

principally　from　London　with　their　goods；　scarce　any　trades　are

omitted　…　goldsmiths