Know you the fair hill, crowned by a clump1 of trees, with a zone around its waist, and a carpet of smooth turf spread out upon its banks, arising from the well-wooded and well-watered meads in the immediate2 vicinity of the ancient city of Winchester? If you are a Wykehamist, you know it well. Graven on the brow of the hill is a labyrinth3, or maze4, the work of a poor student, who, being debarred from the delights of home during the holiday season, occupied his weary hours in this strange task, while his heart-sickness found relief in a ditty, still sung by his successors at Wykeham’s famous school. The legend goes on to relate that the hapless youth, who thus carved a memorial on the hill, pined away and died beneath one of the trees on its summit. If so, his gentle spirit must still haunt the spot! Lower down, an entrenchment5, deeply cut in the chalk, and attributed to the Dane, encompasses7 the hill. The base of the mount is washed by the silver Itchen—a stream dear to old Izaak Walton, whose remains8 have rested, ever since his “ninety 111years and more” were told, in the adjacent cathedral. Other hills there are hard by—as Saint Giles’s, whereon the greatest fair in England was annually9 held from the period of the Conquest to the reign10 of Henry VI.; and Saint Mary Magdalene’s, on which the Empress Maud and the valorous prelate Henry de Blois, brother of King Stephen, met to treat—but neither of these eminences11 are comparable in beauty of form, or in charm of situation, to fair Saint Catherine’s Hill.
If you are a Wykehamist, we repeat, you well know Saint Catherine’s Hill. Oft, in happy, bygone days—far too soon flown—have you wended, with a joyous13 band of your schoolfellows, across the meadows and by the brink14 of the meandering15 Itchen towards your favourite hill. Oft, in summer-tide, have you plunged16 into the deep pool hard by the mill—oft have you thrown the line upon the glassy water and dragged forth17 the speckled trout—oft have you lingered on the rustic18 bridge and watched the light skiff, rowed by a comrade, shoot swiftly under it—oft have you joined the merry groups seated on the banks at the foot of the hill, or started in the mimic19 chase with the fleetest runners of the crew—oft have you climbed the steep sides of the eminence12, have tracked its circling trench6, threaded the intricacies of its maze, or, reclining beneath the shade of its tree, enjoyed the glorious prospect20 of the ancient city commanded from the point. Oft thence have you gazed upon the turrets21 and crocketed pinnacles22 of the venerable pile, erected23 by your benefactor24, the revered25 William of Wykeham. Deep is the debt you owe him. Nobler seat of learning there cannot be than Winchester College; second only in architectural beauty to regal Eton. Well-nigh five hundred years has your famous school endured. May it last five hundred more!
Beautiful, most beautiful, is, now-a-days, the view from Saint Catherine’s Hill; but in the middle of the 16th century, when we must now regard it, it was infinitely26 more so. From this height, the fine old city, skirted on the south by lordly trees, was beheld27 in its highest perfection. Thronged28 with convents, colleges, hospitals, churches, and other buildings of ancient date, and great beauty of architecture, and boasting one of the grandest cathedrals in the kingdom, 112Winchester had then a grave, monastic air—something of which it yet retains, despite the many and grievous changes it has undergone. True, its religious communities and charitable establishments had been suppressed by Henry VIII., and their revenues seized upon, but the spoiler had spared the edifices30. Most of these monasteries31 and convents were restored by Mary, and the long exiled monks32 and nuns33 had just got back to their old abodes34.
The aspect of Winchester, however, at the epoch35 in question, was martial36, as well as monastic. Besides well-fortified walls, flanked by numerous towers, and defended by bastions, the city possessed37 two large castles, one of which, built by William the Conqueror38, occupied a commanding position on the south-west, and covered a vast area with its works and outworks. This fine old Norman castle, eventually demolished39 by Cromwell, was besieged40 and taken by the Dauphin of France in the reign of John, but it held out gallantly41 against Simon de Montfort and the barons42 in the days of Henry III. In Mary’s time it was in good repair, and well supplied with ordnance43 and men.
Wolvesey Castle, as the other fortress44 was called, stood in the lower part of the city, to the south-east of the cathedral. Though less advantageously situated45 than the upper strong-hold, it rivalled it in magnitude. The two giants tried their strength in the time of the warlike Henry de Blois, but were too well matched for any decided46 result to ensue. Wolvesey Castle was built by the valiant47 prelate we have just mentioned on the site of the old Saxon palace wherein Egbert, Alfred, Edgar, and Canute had dwelt, and derived48 its name from the tribute of wolves’ heads exacted from the Welsh princes by Edgar, and paid at the palace gates. Soon after the completion of Wolvesey by De Blois, it was attacked by the Empress Maud, who had possession of the upper fortress, and was invested at the same time by the Earl of Gloucester, and David, King of Scotland, but it held out against all its assailants. During this conflict the city suffered much from the contending parties, but especially from the adherents49 of Stephen. Fire-balls thrown from Wolvesey Castle caused a tremendous conflagration50, whereby the Abbey of Saint Mary, the royal palace, the suburb of Hyde, with its superb 113monastery of Saint Grimbald, commenced by Alfred the Great, and a multitude of churches were destroyed. Dismantled51 by Henry II., who dreaded52 its strength, Wolvesey was restored and refortified at a later period, and afforded shelter from the barons to the half-brothers of Henry III. During all this time, and for upwards53 of another century, Wolvesey was occupied by bishops55, who belonging to the church militant56, kept it in a good state of defence. Later on, it became less of a fortress, and more of an episcopal palace, and such it was at the period of our history, for though none of its fortifications were destroyed, and its walls, towers, and donjon were still standing57, the buildings were devoted58 to pacific purposes. Great trees were allowed to grow up in its courts, and fair gardens were laid out beneath its walls. The principal apartments were in the keep, and here Mary was now lodged59, while her large retinue60 found ample accommodation in the numerous towers and outbuildings. Gardiner had fitted up the palace splendidly for his royal mistress’s reception. During her stay at Wolvesey, unbounded hospitality reigned61 there; and never at any time—not even in 1522, when Henry VIII. feasted the Emperor Charles V. in its halls—had greater profusion62 been displayed within the castle. Of this vast and stately pile, demolished by Cromwell, some picturesque63 ruins, o’ergrown with ivy64, are still left, attesting65 its former extent and grandeur66.
Wolvesey Castle was connected by a subterranean67 passage with the cathedral, so that communication could be kept up with that edifice29 during a siege. Opposite the gate-tower was the noble entrance to Wykeham’s College. Near at hand was another college, founded by John de Pontissara, and still nearer, the hospital called “La Carité,” appertaining to the cathedral. Tall trees sheltered these edifices, and added to their beauty. Indeed, this part of the city was so densely68 planted with timber, that it looked like a grove69.
The most striking object in old Winchester, as in the existing city, was the cathedral. This ancient and splendid structure demands a far more lengthened70 description than we are able to afford it. The scene of many highly important events, it has been the place of coronation of our 114earlier kings, and their mausoleum. Egbert, Edmund the son of Alfred the Great, Edred, Canute, and Hardicanute, found here a sepulchre. Alfred’s honoured remains, temporarily deposited within the cathedral, were afterwards removed to the adjacent abbey of Hyde, which he commenced, but did not live to complete. Here, amongst other holy personages, Saint Swithun, Bishop54 of Winchester in the ninth century, the patron saint of the city and the cathedral, found a grave. Here, also, lie the bones of many an illustrious prelate—Bishops Walkelin, Edyngton, and Wykeham; Bishops de Blois and Waynflete, Cardinal71 Beaufort, Prior Silkstede, Bishop Fox, and Gardiner himself, of whom our story treats. Built at different epochs, Winchester Cathedral offers examples of various styles of architecture, which, though dissimilar, produce a magnificent whole. Upon its site stood a more ancient church, reared by the Saxon king, Kenewalch, which was partially72 pulled down in the 11th century, when the present edifice was commenced by Bishop Walkelin, who preserved such portions of the original fabric73 as suited his design. The greater part of the east end of the existing structure, including the massive central tower, is Walkelin’s work; and that tower, though somewhat heavy, is a noble specimen74 of Norman architecture. Considerable alterations75 were next made, towards the close of the 12th century, by Bishop Godfrey de Lucy, who rebuilt the Lady Chapel76. About 1350, a new nave77 was commenced by Bishop Edyngton, and the work was continued by the illustrious William of Wykeham, and after him by Cardinal Beaufort, and brought to a completion by Bishop Waynflete. The vast and lofty columns on either side of the nave, each pillar being about twelve feet in diameter, produce a grand effect, and the coup78 d’?il of the interior from the great western portal is superb beyond description. The transepts, wherein may still be seen the huge round pillars and vast circular arches, piled one upon another to the roof—the original work of Walkelin—constitute, perhaps, the most interesting part of the edifice.
Brief allusion79 can only be made to the marvels80 of the choir81; to its elaborately carved stalls with their miserères, canopies82, pinnacles, and other ornaments84; to the magnificent 115carved screen behind the altar-piece; to the glories of the great east and west windows; to the superb chantries of Cardinal Beaufort, Bishop Waynflete, and Bishop Fox, all of extraordinary beauty and richness. On the south side of the nave, and exhibiting infinite richness of ornament83 and extreme delicacy85 of carving86, is the mortuary chapel of William of Wykeham, in which may be seen a recumbent marble statue of that venerated87 personage, his head supported by angels, and three kneeling figures at his feet. In the north aisle88, near the presbytery, is the mortuary chapel of Bishop Gardiner. In the Silkstede Chapel, in the south transept, will be found the lowly grave of gentle Izaak Walton.
And now a word in regard to the city itself. The early history of Venta, Caer Gwent, or the White City, as Winchester was originally called, is lost in obscurity, but the remote antiquity89 of the place is unquestionable. The Celt, the Roman, the Saxon, the Dane, and the Norman, have successively occupied the spot. Whether good King Arthur held his court in the White City, and banqueted his peerless knights90 at the Round Table, still preserved in the castle hall, may be doubted. But it is certain that, as the residence of our great Saxon kings, and the seat of their government, Winchester was the most important city in the island. In the days of Cerdic it was the capital of the West Saxons, and, on the dissolution of the Heptarchy, it became the metropolis91 of England. The most illustrious name connected with Winchester is that of Alfred the Great. Compelled to abandon the city for a while to the Danes, this great monarch92 and lawgiver retook it, restored it to its pristine93 splendour, and dwelt within it to his latest day. Canute also had his palace in Winchester, and died there. From Egbert to Edward the Confessor—a period of two hundred and forty years—all our old Saxon kings were crowned within the cathedral, and most of them found graves in its vaults94. William the Conqueror loved Winchester, and strengthened it by the proud castle on the hill. William Rufus was buried in the cathedral, and the saints deposited there, resenting the intrusion of so impious a monarch upon their resting-place, caused the great tower to fall down. During the usurpation95 of Stephen, Winchester 116became, as we have shown, the scene of dire96 conflicts between the Empress Maud and Bishop de Blois. Henry III., surnamed of Winchester, was born within the city; and so was Arthur, eldest97 son of Henry VII., but the latter died too young to do credit to his birth-place. Edward I. held divers98 parliaments in the city, and partially restored its consequence. Great feasting occurred in Wolvesey Castle, with jousting99 and triumphs, when the Emperor Charles V., as we have previously100 related, was for a week the guest of Henry VIII. Of the crushing effect produced upon the city by the Reformation we have already spoken. It was now just recovering from the blow. Modern Winchester comes not within our scope. But the city is still beautiful, still picturesque. Though reft of more than half of its olden attractions, it still boasts its grand cathedral, its famous college, and its exquisite101 and unique hospital of Saint Croix. Retaining these, the city of Egbert, of Alfred, and Canute, must ever be one of the most interesting in the kingdom.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
clump
|
|
| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
immediate
|
|
| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
labyrinth
|
|
| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
maze
|
|
| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
entrenchment
|
|
| n.壕沟，防御设施 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
trench
|
|
| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
encompasses
|
|
| v.围绕( encompass的第三人称单数 )；包围；包含；包括 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
remains
|
|
| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
annually
|
|
| adv.一年一次，每年 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
reign
|
|
| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
eminences
|
|
| 卓越( eminence的名词复数 )； 著名； 高地； 山丘 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
eminence
|
|
| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
joyous
|
|
| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
brink
|
|
| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
meandering
|
|
| 蜿蜒的河流，漫步，聊天 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
plunged
|
|
| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
rustic
|
|
| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
mimic
|
|
| v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
prospect
|
|
| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
turrets
|
|
| （六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
pinnacles
|
|
| 顶峰( pinnacle的名词复数 )； 顶点； 尖顶； 小尖塔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
ERECTED
|
|
| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
benefactor
|
|
| n. 恩人，行善的人，捐助人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
revered
|
|
| v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
infinitely
|
|
| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
beheld
|
|
| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
thronged
|
|
| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
edifice
|
|
| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
edifices
|
|
| n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
monasteries
|
|
| 修道院( monastery的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
monks
|
|
| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
nuns
|
|
| n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
abodes
|
|
| 住所( abode的名词复数 )； 公寓； （在某地的）暂住； 逗留 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
epoch
|
|
| n.(新)时代；历元 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
martial
|
|
| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
possessed
|
|
| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
conqueror
|
|
| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
demolished
|
|
| v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
besieged
|
|
| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
gallantly
|
|
| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
barons
|
|
| 男爵( baron的名词复数 )； 巨头； 大王； 大亨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
ordnance
|
|
| n.大炮，军械 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
fortress
|
|
| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
situated
|
|
| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
valiant
|
|
| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
derived
|
|
| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
adherents
|
|
| n.支持者，拥护者( adherent的名词复数 )；党羽；徒子徒孙 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
conflagration
|
|
| n.建筑物或森林大火 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
dismantled
|
|
| 拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
dreaded
|
|
| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
upwards
|
|
| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
bishop
|
|
| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
bishops
|
|
| （基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
militant
|
|
| adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
devoted
|
|
| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
lodged
|
|
| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
retinue
|
|
| n.侍从；随员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
reigned
|
|
| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
profusion
|
|
| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
picturesque
|
|
| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
ivy
|
|
| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
attesting
|
|
| v.证明( attest的现在分词 )；证实；声称…属实；使宣誓 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
grandeur
|
|
| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
subterranean
|
|
| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
densely
|
|
| ad.密集地；浓厚地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
grove
|
|
| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
lengthened
|
|
| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
cardinal
|
|
| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
partially
|
|
| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
fabric
|
|
| n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
specimen
|
|
| n.样本，标本 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
alterations
|
|
| n.改动( alteration的名词复数 )；更改；变化；改变 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
chapel
|
|
| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
nave
|
|
| n.教堂的中部；本堂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
coup
|
|
| n.政变；突然而成功的行动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
allusion
|
|
| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
marvels
|
|
| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
choir
|
|
| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
canopies
|
|
| （宝座或床等上面的）华盖( canopy的名词复数 )； （飞行器上的）座舱罩； 任何悬于上空的覆盖物； 森林中天棚似的树荫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
ornament
|
|
| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
ornaments
|
|
| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
delicacy
|
|
| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
carving
|
|
| n.雕刻品，雕花 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
venerated
|
|
| 敬重（某人或某事物），崇敬( venerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
aisle
|
|
| n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
antiquity
|
|
| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
knights
|
|
| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
metropolis
|
|
| n.首府；大城市 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
monarch
|
|
| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
pristine
|
|
| adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
vaults
|
|
| n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
usurpation
|
|
| n.篡位；霸占 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
dire
|
|
| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
eldest
|
|
| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
divers
|
|
| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
jousting
|
|
| （骑士）骑马用长矛比武( joust的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
previously
|
|
| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
exquisite
|
|
| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |