""Tis hard to die in spring!' were the touching words he said, situation afforded them the opportunity of becoming acquainted with the position and movements of the As cheerfully the light stole in, the sunshine Scottish army. m. rt. from the stat. is Mains round his bed. "Tis hard to die in spring, when the green earth looks so gay; forth Hall (Mrs. Surtees), the plea- I shall not see the peach-blossom!' 'twas thus they heard him say. 'God placed me in a Paradise!' so spake his grateful heart As And grateful still, from all he loved when blessed he, in life and death, to whom, summon'd to depart. so called, 'twas given, Before aught faded here, to pass from Paradise to Heaven."-Mrs. Southey. The oak-tree at the end of the Mainsforth terrace was planted by Sir Walter Scott during one of the many visits which he paid here. The dryness of the gravel soil has given occasion to the local proverb, "Rain in April, rain in May, Or Mainsforth farewell to corn and hay." sant old-fashioned house and terraced garden of the late Robert Surtees, author of the History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham,' one of the best existing specimens of a county history, and one to which the editor of the present volume is deeply indebted. Death unfortunately cut short the work of Surtees at the end of the third volume, and though a fourth was afterwards edited from his notes by his friend George Taylor of Witton le Wear, the entire history was never completed. Mr. Surtees kept up an animated correspondence on border ballads and tales with Sir [rt. 2 m. Bishop Middleham, the Walter Scott, and among others sup- chief residence of the Bishops of plied him with the ballads of Barth- Durham from the Conquest to the ram's Dirge and Featherstonhaugh, close of the 14th centy. Here the which were in reality his own com- bishops maintained, if not a castle, position, though both were inserted at least a strong, well-guarded manorby Sir Walter in his Border Min-house, surrounded by an extensive strelsy, and in the notes to his demesne, which was retained wholly Metrical Romances, under the im- in the hands of its lords. Bp. Robert pression that they were ancient bal- de Insula died here in 1283; and lads. The historian's ballads of Sir here, "in the lesser chamber," exJohn le Spring and Langley Dale are pired, in 1316, the pious Bishop not less striking specimens of (imita- Kellaw. Bishop Richard de Bury tion of) ancient poetry. The efforts of distributed 100s. amongst the poor Surtees disinterred many local tra- whenever he journeyed from hence ditions and stories which were thus to Durham. All that remains of the preserved from oblivion. His ami- castle are deep indented lines of able qualities and personal excel- foundation and mossy fragments of lence endeared him to every class of masonry, as hard as the crag on society. His Christian faith, prin- which they stand. Mr. Surtees, ciples, and hopes, are best described writing in 1820, says, "The last in his own memorable words: "I am remaining portion of the building, a very sensible of the hardness of low, oblong, arched room, was remy heart, and of my totally cor- moved several years ago. Near its rupt nature. My only hope is in N.E. angle, a narrow, subterranean the merits of Christ, but I cannot passage was traced, paved with broad hope for his grace unless I strive to flags, and descending rapidly towards obtain it. What is our business? the north of carved or sculptured To make our election sure, to take stone nothing remains; only the old heed to our own salvation. Libera barn across the road, to the N., has nos, Domine Jesu! audi nos." perhaps formed part of the offices of the castle, and the farm-buildings on what is called the Island Hill, appear to have been built with the squared stones brought from the ruin." The Church is said to have been built by Bishop Beck (1283-1310) on the site of a more ancient building, many fragments of which are built into the existing walls. It is in the E. E. style. This ch., the first to be restored in the county of Durham, was recovered almost from ruin at the sole expense of Mrs. Surtees, the widow of the historian, who has done honour to her husband's name by carrying out a design of which he had often spoken. The monument of Surtees is in the chancel, and his grave (with an iron grille, copied from the chapel at Warwick) is on the edge of the steep and sunny churchyard. Phillpotts, Bishop of Exeter, was vicar of Bishop-Middleham, 1806-13. 66 The water of the Skerne, which flows S.E. of the village, contains 12 different kinds of fish: viz., roach; dace; chub; gudgeon; minnow; miller's thumb; stickleback; trout (rarea); pike; barbut; eel; lamprey. The bogs, which are intersected by the rly., are rich in a botanical point of view; and among the plants which grow here are Pinguicula vulgaris, butterwort; Primula farinosa, bird'seye primrose; Gentiana amarella, bell-wort; Hyoscyamus niger, henbane; Parnassia palustris, grass of Parnassus; Pyrola secunda, serrated winter-green; Ranunculus lingua, spearwort; Trollius Europæus, globeflower. The Primula, elsewhere a rare plant, here often colours a large space of ground with its pink flowers during the month of June.] Diverging to the 1. the railway reaches Durham by a lofty viaduct, whence there is a really magnificent view of the venerable cathedral, with its massive and stately towers, and the noble old castle of the palatinebishops, crowning a steep wooded hill, while the nearer hollow is occupied by the town, with its red roofs half shrouded in smoke. 271 m. Durham Stat., which is situated on a steep artificial embankment on the N.W. of the town, m. from the Cathedral and from the Inns, to which there are omnibuses. Durham (Inn: Turner's County Hotel) is an ancient and decaying town of 14,833 inhab. It has 4 suburbs, Framwellgate, Gillygate, Crossgate, and Elvet. The principal and more ancient portion is for the most part built on the abrupt side of a hill, which is crowned by the Cathedral and Castle. This hill is a peninsula surrounded on 3 sides by the Wear. On the 4th it was formerly isolated by a moat which extended from Framwellgate to Elvet Bridge, to the existence of which, Claypath (formerly Clay-port, once Cleur-port or Sluice-gate) still bears testimony. The town is entered from the station by Framwellgate Bridge, of 2 ancient arches, 90 ft. in span. It was originally erected by Bp. Flambard in 1120, but rebuilt in the 15th centy. There is a lovely view looking up the Wear to the "Prebends' Bridge," while the Castle and Cathedral crown the wooded heights on the 1. Hence a steep narrow street of ancient houses leads to the Market Place, where the old palace of the Nevilles, Earls of Westmoreland, stood in former times. This square has still a striking appearance, though its picturesqueness has been greatly destroyed in later years. The lower or N. side is occupied by the modern Gothic Ch. of St. Nicholas, in front of which, upon a lofty pedestal, is a bronze equestrian statue of the late Marquis of Londonderry by Monti, inaugurated Dec. 1861. On the W. is the Town Hall, originally founded by Bp. Tunstall in 1555, but rebuilt from plans of Hardwicke in 1851. It contains portraits of Charles II. and of Bp. Crewe, The statute of Neptune was given by George Bowes, Esq., in 1729, as was the quaint octagonal conduit it formerly surmounted, which has been replaced by a modern Gothic fountain. A beautiful cross (brought from Maiden's Bower), which once stood beside it, was totally destroyed in 1781. The Cathedral is reached from hence by a steep street on the rt., the upper part of which is occupied by the official buildings connected with the extinct palatinate. At the foot of Queen's Street stood the N. gate of the Castle, long used as a County Gaol, but destroyed. Beyond, on the 1., are the offices of the Exchequer under the Crown, and the Court of Probate, on passing which the visitor enters the wide open space called of Shakespeare, copies of the English Prayer-Books of 1549 and 1552, with several of the service-books of the Sarum use; a very early English New Testament, about 1530. 3. The Lecture Rooms of the University, the Divinity Lecture Room being the Old Grammar School. 4. The Consistory Court (formerly held in the Galilee). N. is the Castle, which, built and embellished by a long line of palatine bishops, continued to be an episcopal residence till 1833, when the University, by which it is at present occupied, was founded by Bp. VanMildert. The site of the existing building was first occupied by the palace of the early Saxon Bishops of Durham, which was burnt down in 1069, and rebuilt by the Conqueror as a castle in 1072. This second edifice probably only occupied the mound where the keep now stands, but, being injured by fire, was again The Palace Green. On its N. side is the Castle, on its S. the Cathedral. The E. is occupied by Cosin's Hall, once the residence of the Archdea-rebuilt by Bp. Pudsey, about the year cons of Northumberland (adjoining which on the N. stood the Episcopal Mint), and the Alms Houses, originally founded by Bp. Langley, and refounded by Bp. Cosin, which are now used as buildings connected with the University, new Almshouses being erected below. The W. side of the square is occupied by-1. The Exchequer, formerly containing offices connected with the temporal courts of the see (Chancery, Exchequer, Pleas, &c.), but now connected with the University, and containing a valuable collection of books, bequeathed by Dr. Routh, President of Magdalen College, Oxford. 2. Bp. Cosin's Library, with a door surmounted by his arms, impaling those of the see, with the inscription, "Non minima pars eruditionis est bonos nosse libros"-containing a collection of books, chiefly theological, which were intended by the bishop for the especial use of the clergy of the diocese. Among the more valuable works are a very fine copy of the 1st edition 1174: of this period the Norm. chapel In castle into repair, ornamenting and and sang in the musicians' gallery wainscoting the great hall (this for the entertainment of Queen Marwainscoting is now removed). build-guerite, the flower of France."ing a porch in front of the Gothic Fordyce. door of Hatfield, and erecting the great Black Staircase. Bp. Crewe repaired the shell of the octagonal tower and the N.W. turret of the Castle, upon which his arms, half episcopal, half noble, are still to be seen. From this time the bad taste of the 18th centy. began its work of destruction. Bp. Butler removed the tapestry from the old dining-room, and supplied its present ornaments. Bp. Trevor completed injuries which his predecessor had commenced, but been unable to finish, in the N. side of the Castle. Bp. Egerton made the present common-room, destroying much valuable work of Hatfield's period. Bp. Thurlow caused the octagonal tower to be destroyed. Bp. Barrington rebuilt Tunstall's gateway, but preserved its ancient Norm. | in 1820. arch, and repaired the whole building of the Castle. The keep has been rebuilt since the Castle was given up to the University, and the end of the hall, cut off by Bp. Neile, has been restored. The original fortifications of the Castle extended round all the brow of the hill not occupied by the Cathedral and its precincts, and enclosed the Ballium, from whence the street called the Bailey derives its name. Of its 5 gates, that on the N., which divided Sadler Street from the N. Bailey, was rebuilt by Bp. Langley in 1417, and used from that time as a gaol. This gate was a fine specimen of the architecture of the age, and very strong, the outward or lower side being defended by a gate and portcullis, within which was a recess constructed with sallyports and galleries for the annoyance of assailants who might force the first gate. The upper side was secured by double gates. It was taken down Among the guests who have been entertained within these walls by the | princes palatine were the Empress Matilda and her son, afterwards Henry II., King John, Henry III., Edward I., Edward II., Edward III. and Philippa of Hainault, James I. of Scotland and his queen, Jane, the daughter of the Earl of Somerset; Henry VI., the Princess Margaret, daughter of Henry VII. (on her way to join her husband, James IV. of Scotland), the Earl of Surrey, James I., and Charles I. Tradition tells that, shortly after the battle on the banks of the Carron, Sir William Wallace and Robert Bruce were also at Durham Castle, at the same time with Scotland's formidable enemy Edward Longshanks, and that Wallace gained access to the Castle in the garb of a minstrel, and played | 66 | The Castle is at present entered from the N.W. corner of Palace Green by the Norm. arch of Bp. Pudsey, built in 1174. This arch has been preserved, while the tower above it has been twice rebuilt, first by Bp. Tunstall early in the 16th centy., and again by Bp. Barrington in 1791. The doors and bolts, which belong to the original building, are curious. On passing the gate the visitor finds himself in the courtyard of the Castle; on the S. is the gateway, | on the E. the keep, restored upon the old foundations since the Castle has been in possession of the University, and occupied as rooms for students; on the N.E. is the Chapel of Bp. Tunstall; on the N. the two original halls of Pudsey, disused and divided by Bp. Hatfield; on the W. the present hall and kitchen: all these buildings are adorned with the arms of their different episcopal founders. Entering the building at its N.W. corner, a passage leads to the Norm. Chapel, now only used as a passage The original length of the hall is marked on the outside by two of Bp. Hatfield's Gothic windows, which still remain beyond its S. extremity. to the keep. This chapel, which may | of that which originally existed at the perhaps be considered as belonging S. end. From the foot of the present to the original Norm. Castle, was dais to the S. end of the present hall blocked up for many years on the is just half the length of the original outside by the raising of the em- building. The dais itself was also bankment which runs round the cut off by Bp. Neile, and enclosed in keep of the Castle. It consists of a a chamber known as the Black Parnave and aisles, and is lighted by lour, but this was restored about 1848 small round-headed windows on the by a subscription of members of the N. side. Three other windows for- University. merly existed at the E. end, and under each was an altar, still marked in the pavement. The cross-ribs, or arches above the columns, are of regular masonry, and in no portion, except in the capitals, is any decoration manifest. The columns are round and massive; the angular ornaments on their capitals resemble the Ionic volute, and their other ornaments are curious. One represents a hunting-scene, depicting the rising sun, a man holding a horse, 2 hounds in a leash, and a stag, on its 4 sides respectively. The pavement of the chapel is coeval, and presents a regular pattern of herring-feast which took place in this hall was bone work. A staircase near the entrance of the chapel leads up to what is now called the Norman Gallery, containing a very remarkable range of Norm. arches, decorated internally with the zigzag ornament. These originally gave light to the upper hall of Bp. Pudsey, which was disused and divided by Bp. Hatfield when the present hall was built. It is now partitioned off into rooms for students. A door at the end of this gallery leads to The Black Staircase, erected by Bishop Cosin (1665), and a striking and picturesque example of that period. It is usually approached from below, when the first door on the 1. conducts the visitor to the Great Hall of Bp. Hatfield, 101 ft. long and 32 wide, but much shorn of its original proportions by Bp. Fox, who cut off its S. end and divided it into rooms, erecting the two small minstrel galleries which now appear, in the place The portraits at the lower end are those of Bp. Van Mildert, and the members of the chapter who founded the University; the pictures of the Apostles were brought from Spain by Mordaunt, Earl of Peterborough; the collection of portraits of English Bishops was made by Bp. Cosin, who is himself represented at the S. extremity, between Charles I. and II. The pikes and halberts are relics of the feudal bishops. The last great in 1827, when Bp. Van Mildert entertained the Duke of Wellington, who was then staying at Wynyard. Sir W. Scott, who was among the guests, has left an amusing description of the festivity. Beyond the hall is the Buttery, in front of which stands a huge chest strongly bound with iron, which is supposed to be one of those which once enclosed St. Cuthbert. Close beside it is the entrance to the kitchen, which is of great size, and originally had three fireplaces. Higher on the Black Staircase a door on the 1. leads to the raised walk which encircles the keep, and which is worth visiting for the variety of its views. The Keep, which stands on an artificial mound, 44 ft. high, is of octagonal form, 63 ft. in diameter, and has been rebuilt by Salvin on the ancient Norman foundations of the Conqueror. An oak screen separates the staircase from Bishop Tunstall's Gallery, now rehung with the ancient, though faded tapestry, |