Yesterday forenoon I went out alone, and plunged12 headlong into London, and wandered about all day, without any particular object in view, but only to lose myself for the sake of finding myself unexpectedly among things that I had always read and dreamed about. The plan was perfectly13 successful, for, besides vague and unprofitable wanderings, I saw, in the course of the day, Hyde Park, Regent's Park, Whitehall, the two new Houses of Parliament, Charing14 Cross, St. Paul's, the, Strand15, Fleet Street, Cheapside, Whitechapel, Leadenhall Street, the Haymarket, and a great many other places, the names of which were classic in my memory. I think what interests me most here, is the London of the writers of Queen Anne's age,—whatever Pope, The Spectator, De Foe17, and down as late as Johnson and Goldsmith, have mentioned. The Monument, for instance, which is of no great height nor beauty compared with that on Bunker Hill, charmed me prodigiously18. St. Paul's appeared to me unspeakably grand and noble, and the more so from the throng19 and bustle20 continually going on around its base, without in the least disturbing the sublime21 repose22 of its great dome23, and, indeed, of all its massive height and breadth. Other edifices24 may crowd close to its foundation, and people may tramp as they like about it; but still the great cathedral is as quiet and serene25 as if it stood in the middle of Salisbury Plain. There cannot be anything else in its way so good in the world as just this effect of St. Paul's in the very heart and densest26 tumult27 of London. I do not know whether the church is built of marble, or of whatever other white or nearly white material; but in the time that it has been standing28 there, it has grown black with the smoke of ages, through which there are nevertheless gleams of white, that make a most picturesque29 impression on the whole. It is much better than staring white; the edifice would not be nearly so grand without this drapery of black.
I did not find these streets of the old city so narrow and irregular as I expected. All the principal ones are sufficiently30 broad, and there are few houses that look antique, being, I suppose, generally modern-fronted, when not actually of modern substance. There is little or no show or pretension31 in this part of London; it has a plain, business air,—an air of homely32, actual life, as of a metropolis33 of tradesmen, who have been carrying on their traffic here, in sober earnest, for hundreds of years. You observe on the sign-boards, "Established ninety years in Threadneedle Street," "Established in 1109,"—denoting long pedigrees of silk-mercers and hosiers,—De Foe's contemporaries still represented by their posterity34, who handle the hereditary35 yardstick36 on the same spot.
I must not forget to say that I crossed the Thames over a bridge which, I think, is near Charing Cross. Afterwards, I found my way to London Bridge, where there was a delightful37 density38 of throng. The Thames is not so wide and majestic39 as I had imagined,—nothing like the Mersey, for example. As a picturesque object, however, flowing through the midst of a city, it would lose by any increase of width.
Omnibuses are a most important aid to wanderers about London. I reached home, well wearied, about six o'clock. In the course of the day, I had seen one person whom I knew,—Mr. Clarke, to whom Henry B——— introduced me, when we went to see the great ship launched on the Dee. This, I believe, was in Regent Street. In that street, too, I saw a company of dragoons, beautifully mounted, and defensively armed, in brass40 helmets and steel cuirasses, polished to the utmost excess of splendor41. It was a pretty sight. At one of the public edifices, on each side of the portal, sat a mounted trooper similarly armed, and with his carbine resting on his knee, just as motionless as a statue. This, too, as a picturesque circumstance, was very good, and really made an impression on me with respect to the power and stability of the government, though I could not help smiling at myself for it. But then the thought, that for generations an armed warrior42 has always sat just there, on his war-steed, and with his weapon in his hand, is pleasant to the imagination,— although it is questionable43 whether his carbine be loaded; and, no doubt, if the authorities had any message to send, they would choose some other messenger than this heavy dragoon,—the electric wire, for instance. Still, if he and his horse were to be withdrawn44 from their post, night or day (for I suppose the sentinels are on duty all night), it seems as if the monarchy46 would be subverted47, and the English constitution crumble48 into rubbish; and, in honest fact, it will signify something like that, when guard is relieved there for the last time.
September 8th.—Yesterday forenoon S——-, the two eldest50 children, and I went forth into London streets, and proceeded down Regent Street, and thence to St. James's Park, at the entrance of which is a statue of somebody,—I forget whom. On the very spacious gravel-walks, covering several acres, in the rear of the Horse Guards, some soldiers were going through their exercise; and, after looking at them awhile, we strolled through the Park, alongside of a sheet of water, in which various kinds of ducks, geese, and rare species of waterfowl were swimming. There was one swan of immense size, which moved about among the lesser51 fowls52 like a stately, full-rigged ship among gunboats. By and by we found ourselves near what we since have discovered to be Buckingham Palace,—a long building, in the Italian style, but of no impressiveness, and which one soon wearies of looking at. The Queen having gone to Scotland the day before, the palace now looked deserted53, although there was a one-horse cab, of shabby aspect, standing at the principal front, where doubtless the carriages of princes and the nobility draw up. There is a fountain playing before the palace, and water-fowl love to swim under its perpetual showers. These ducks and geese are very tame, and swim to the margin54 of the pond to be fed by visitors, looking up at you with great intelligence.
S——- asked a man in a sober suit of livery (of whom we saw several about the Park), whose were some of the large mansions55 which we saw, and he pointed57 out Stafford House, the residence of the Duke of Sutherland, —a very noble edifice, much more beautiful than the palace, though not so large; also the house of the Earl of Ellesmere, and residences of other noblemen. This range of mansions, along the park, from the spot whence we viewed them, looks very much like Beacon58 Street, in Boston, bordering on the Common, allowing for a considerable enlargement of scale in favor of the Park residences. The Park, however, has not the beautiful elms that overshadow Boston Common, nor such a pleasant undulation of surface, nor the fine off-view of the country, like that across Charles River. I doubt whether London can show so delightful a spot as that Common, always excepting the superiority of English lawns, which, however, is not so evident in the London parks, there being less care bestowed59 on the grass than I should have expected.
From this place we wandered into what I believe to be Hyde Park, attracted by a gigantic figure on horseback, which loomed60 up in the distance. The effect of this enormous steed and his rider is very grand, seen in the misty61 atmosphere. I do not understand why we did not see St. James's Palace, which is situated62, I believe, at the extremity63 of the same range of mansions of which Stafford House is the opposite end. From the entrance of Hyde Park, we seem to have gone along Piccadilly, and, making two or three turns, and getting bewildered, I put S——- and the children into a cab, and sent them home. Continuing my wanderings, I went astray among squares of large aristocratic-looking edifices, all apparently64 new, with no shops among them, some yet unfinished, and the whole seeming like a city built for a colony of gentlefolks, who might be expected to emigrate thither65 in a body. It was a dreary66 business to wander there, turning corner after corner, and finding no way of getting into a less stately and more genial67 region. At last, however, I passed in front of the Queen's Mews, where sentinels were on guard, and where a jolly-looking man, in a splendidly laced scarlet68 coat and white-topped boots, was lounging at the entrance. He looked like the prince of grooms69 or coachmen. . . .
The corner of Hyde Park was within a short distance, and I took a Hansom at the cab-stand there, and drove to the American Despatch70 Agency, 26 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, having some documents of state to be sent by to-day's steamer. The business of forwarding despatches to America, and distributing them to the various legations and consulates72 in Europe, must be a pretty extensive one; for Mr. Miller73 has a large office, and two clerks in attendance.
From this point I went through Covent Garden Market, and got astray in the city, so that I can give no clear account of my afternoon's wanderings. I passed through Holborn, however, and I think it was from that street that I passed through an archway (which I almost invariably do, when I see one), and found myself in a very spacious, gravelled square, surrounded on the four sides by a continuous edifice of dark brick, very plain, and of cold and stern aspect. This was Gray's Inn, all tenanted by a multitude of lawyers. Passing thence, I saw "Furnival's Inn" over another archway, but, being on the opposite side of the street, I did not go thither. In Holborn, still, I went through another arched entrance, over which was "Staples74 Inn," and here likewise seemed to be offices; but, in a court opening inwards from this, there was a surrounding seclusion75 of quiet dwelling-houses, with beautiful green shrubbery and grass-plots in the court, and a great many sunflowers in full bloom. The windows were open; it was a lovely summer afternoon, and I have a sense that bees were humming in the court, though this may have been suggested by my fancy, because the sound would have been so well suited to the scene. A boy was reading at one of the windows. There was not a quieter spot in England than this, and it was very strange to have drifted into it so suddenly out of the bustle and rumble49 of Holborn; and to lose all this repose as suddenly, on passing through the arch of the outer court. In all the hundreds of years since London was built, it has not been able to sweep its roaring tide over that little island of quiet. In Holborn I saw the most antique-looking houses that I have yet met with in London, but none of very remarkable76 aspect.
I think I must have been under a spell of enchantment77 to-day, connecting me with St. Paul's; for, trying to get away from it by various avenues, I still got bewildered, and again and again saw its great dome and pinnacles78 before me. I observe that the smoke has chiefly settled on the lower part of the edifice, leaving its loftier portions and its spires79 much less begrimed. It is very beautiful, very rich. I did not think that anything but Gothic architecture could so have interested me. The statues, the niches81, the embroidery82, as it were, of sculpture traced around it, produced a delightful effect. In front of St. Paul's there is a statue of Queen Anne, which looks rather more majestic, I doubt not, than that fat old dame83 ever did. St. Paul's churchyard had always been a place of immense interest in my imagination. It is merely the not very spacious street, running round the base of the church,—at least, this street is included in the churchyard, together with the enclosure immediately about the church, sowed with tombstones. I meant to look for the children's book-shop, but forgot it, or neglected it, from not feeling so much interest in a thing near at hand as when it seemed unattainable.
I watched a man tearing down the brick wall of a house that did not appear very old; but it surprised me to see how crumbly the brick-work was, one stroke of his pick often loosening several bricks in a row. It is my opinion that brick houses, after a moderate term of years, stand more by habit and courtesy than through any adhesive84 force of the old mortar85.
I recommenced my wanderings; but I remember nothing else particularly claiming to be mentioned, unless it be Paternoster Row,—a little, narrow, darksome lane, in which, it being now dusk in that density of the city, I could not very well see what signs were over the doors. In this street, or thereabouts, I got into an omnibus, and, being set down near Regent's Circus, reached home well wearied.
September 9th.—Yesterday, having some tickets to the Zoological Gardens, we went thither with the two eldest children. It was a most beautiful sunny day, the very perfection of English weather,—which is as much as to say, the best weather in the world, except, perhaps, some few days in an American October. These gardens are at the end of Regent's Park, farthest from London, and they are very extensive; though, I think, not quite worthy86 of London,—not so good as one would expect them to be,—not so fine and perfect a collection of beasts, birds, and fishes, as one might fairly look for, when the greatest metropolis of the world sets out to have such a collection at all.—My idea was, that here every living thing was provided for, in the way best suited to its nature and habits, and that the refinement87 of civilization had here restored a garden of Eden, where all the animal kingdom had regained88 a happy home. This is not quite the case; though, I believe, the creatures are as comfortable as could be expected, and there are certainly a good many strange beasts here. The hippopotamus89 is the chief treasure of the collection,—an immense, almost misshapen, mass of flesh. At this moment I do not remember anything that interested me except a sick monkey,—a very large monkey, and elderly he seemed to be. His keeper brought him some sweetened apple and water, and some tea; for the monkey had quite lost his appetite, and refused all ordinary diet. He came, however, quite eagerly, and smelt90 of the tea and apple, the keeper exhorting91 him very tenderly to eat. But the poor monkey shook his head slowly, and with the most pitiable expression, at the same time extending his hand to take the keeper's, as if claiming his sympathy and friendship. By and by the keeper (who is rather a surly fellow) essayed harsher measures, and insisted that the monkey should eat what had been brought for him, and hereupon ensued somewhat of a struggle, and the tea was overturned upon the straw of the bed. Then the keeper scolded him, and, seizing him by one arm, drew him out of his little bedroom into the larger cage, upon which the wronged monkey began a loud, dissonant92, reproachful chatter93, more expressive94 of a sense of injury than any words could be.
Observing the spectators in front of the cage, he seemed to appeal to them, and addressed his chatter thitherward, and stretched out his long, lean arm and black hand between the bars, as if claiming the grasp of any one friend he might have in the whole world. He was placable, however; for when the keeper called him in a gentler tone, he hobbled towards him with a very stiff and rusty95 movement, and the scene closed with their affectionately hugging one another. But I fear the poor monkey will die. In a future state of being, I think it will be one of my inquiries96, in reference to the mysteries of the present state, why monkeys were made. The Creator could not surely have meant to ridicule97 his own work. It might rather be fancied that Satan had perpetrated monkeys, with a malicious98 purpose of parodying99 the masterpiece of creation!
The Aquarium100, containing, in some of its compartments101, specimens102 of the animal and vegetable life of the sea, and, in others, those of the fresh water, was richly worth inspecting; but not nearly so perfect as it might be. Now I think we have a right to claim, in a metropolitan103 establishment of this kind, in all its departments, a degree of perfection that shall quite outdo the unpractised thought of any man on that particular subject.
There were a good many well-dressed people and children in the gardens, Saturday being a fashionable day for visiting them. One great amusement was feeding some bears with biscuits and cakes, of which they seemed exceedingly fond. One of the three bears clambered to the top of a high pole, whence he invited the spectators to hand him bits of cake on the end of a stick, or to toss them into his mouth, which he opened widely for that purpose. Another, apparently an elderly bear, not having skill nor agility104 for these gymnastics, sat on the ground, on his hinder end, groaning105 most pitifully. The third took what stray bits he could get, without earning them by any antics.
At four o'clock there was some music from the band of the First Life-Guards, a great multitude of chairs being set on the greensward in the sunshine and shade, for the accommodation of the auditors106. Here we had the usual exhibition of English beauty, neither superior nor otherwise to what I have seen in other parts of England. Before the music was over, we walked slowly homeward, along beside Regent's Park, which is very prettily107 laid out, but lacks some last touch of richness and beauty; though, after all, I do not well see what more could be done with grass, trees, and gravel-walks. The children, especially J——-, who had raced from one thing to another all day long, grew tired; so we put them into a cab, and walked slowly through Portland Place, where are a great many noble mansions, yet no very admirable architecture; none that possessed108, nor that ever can possess, the indefinable charm of some of those poor old timber houses in Shrewsbury. The art of domestic architecture is lost. We can rear stately and beautiful dwellings109 (though we seldom do), but they do not seem proper to the life of man, in the same way that his shell is proper to the lobster110; nor, indeed, is the mansion56 of the nobleman proper to him, in the same kind and degree, that a hut is proper to a peasant.
From Portland Place we passed into Regent Street, and soon reached home.
September 10th.—Yesterday forenoon we walked out with the children, intending for Charing Cross; but, missing our way, as usual, we went down a rather wide and stately street, and saw before us an old brick edifice with a pretty extensive front, over which rose a clock-tower,—the whole dingy111, and looking both gloomy and mean. There was an arched entrance beneath the clock-tower, at which two Guardsmen, in their bear-skin caps, were stationed as sentinels; and from this circumstance, and our having some guess at the locality, we concluded the old brick building to be St. James's Palace. Otherwise we might have taken it for a prison, or for a hospital, which, in truth, it was at first intended for. But, certainly, there are many paupers112 in England who live in edifices of far more architectural pretension externally than this principal palace of the English sovereigns.
Seeing other people go through the archway, we also went, meeting no impediment from the sentinels, and found ourselves in a large paved court, in the centre of which a banner was stuck down, with a few soldiers standing near it. This flag was the banner of the regiment113 of guards on duty. The aspect of the interior court was as naked and dismal114 as the outside, the brick being of that dark hue almost universal in England. On one side of the court there was a door which seemed to give admission to a chapel16, into which several persons went, and probably we might have gone too, had we liked. From this court, we penetrated115 into at least two or three others; for the palace is very extensive, and all of it, so far as I could see, on the same pattern,—large, enclosed courts, paved, and quite bare of grass, shrubbery, or any beautiful thing,—dark, stern, brick walls, without the slightest show of architectural beauty, or even an ornament116 over the square, commonplace windows, looking down on those forlorn courts. A carriage-drive passes through it, if I remember aright, from the principal front, emerging by one of the sides; and I suppose that the carriages roll through the palace, at the levees and drawing-rooms. There was nothing to detain us here any long time, so we went from court to court, and came out through a side-opening. The edifice is battlemented all round, and this, with somewhat of fantastic in the shape of the clock-tower, is the only attempt at ornament in the whole.
Then we skirted along St. James's Park, passing Marlborough House,—a red brick building,—and a very long range of stone edifices, which, whether they were public or private, one house or twenty, we knew not. We ascended117 the steps of the York column, and soon reached Charing Cross and Trafalgar Square, where there are more architectural monuments than in any other one place in London; besides two fountains, playing in large reservoirs of water, and various edifices of note and interest.
Northumberland House, now, and for a long while, the town residence of the Percys, stands on the Strand side,—over the entrance a lion, very spiritedly sculptured, flinging out his long tail. On another side of the square is Morley's Hotel, exceedingly spacious, and looking more American than anything else in the hotel line that I have seen here.
The Nelson monument, with Lord Nelson, in a cocked hat, on its top, is very grand in its effect. All about the square there were sundry118 loungers, people looking at the bas-reliefs on Nelson's Column, children paddling in the reservoirs of the fountains; and, it being a sunny day, it was a cheerful and lightsome, as well as an impressive scene. On second thoughts, I do not know but that London should have a far better display of architecture and sculpture than this, on its finest site, and in its very centre; for, after all, there is nothing of the very best. But I missed nothing at the time.
In the afternoon S——- and I set out to attend divine service in Westminster Abbey. On our way thither we passed through Pall119 Mall, which is full of club-houses, and we were much struck with the beauty of the one lately erected120 for the Carleton Club. It is built of a buff-colored or yellowish stone, with pillars or pilasters of polished Aberdeen granite121, wonderfully rich and beautiful; and there is a running border of sculptured figures all round the upper part of the building, besides other ornament and embroidery, wherever there was room or occasion for it. It being an oblong square, the smooth and polished aspect in this union of two rich colors in it,—this delicacy122 and minuteness of finish, this lavish123 ornament—made me think of a lady's jewel-box; and if it could be reduced to the size of about a foot square, or less, it would make the very prettiest one that ever was seen. I question whether it have any right to be larger than a jewel-box; but it is certainly a most beautiful edifice. We turned down Whitehall, at the head of which, over the very spot where the Regicides were executed, stands the bronze equestrian124 statue of Charles I.,—the statue that was buried under the earth during the whole of Cromwell's time, and emerged after the Restoration. We saw the Admiralty and the Horse-Guards, and, in front of the latter, the two mounted sentinels, one of whom was flirting125 and laughing with some girls. On the other side of the street stands the Banqueting-House, built by Inigo Jones; from a window of which King Charles stepped forth, wearing a kingly head, which, within a few minutes afterwards, fell with a dead thump126 on the scaffold. It was nobly done,— and nobly suffered. How rich is history in the little space around this spot!
I find that the day after I reached London, I entirely127 passed by Westminster Abbey without knowing it, partly because my eyes were attracted by the gaudier128 show of the new Houses of Parliament, and partly because this part of the Abbey has been so much repaired and renewed that it has not the marks of age. Looking at its front, I now found it very grand and venerable; but it is useless to attempt a description: these things are not to be translated into words; they can be known only by seeing them, and, until seen, it is well to shape out no idea of them. Impressions, states of mind, produced by noble spectacles of whatever kind, are all that it seems worth while to attempt reproducing with the pen.
After coming out of the Abbey, we looked at the two Houses of Parliament, directly across the way,—an immense structure, and certainly most splendid, built of a beautiful warm-colored stone. The building has a very elaborate finish, and delighted me at first; but by and by I began to be sensible of a weariness in the effect, a lack of variety in the plan and ornament, a deficiency of invention; so that instead of being more and more interested the longer one looks, as is the case with an old Gothic edifice, and continually reading deeper into it, one finds that one has seen all in seeing a little piece, and that the magnificent palace has nothing better to show one or to do for one. It is wonderful how the old weather-stained and smoke-blackened Abbey shames down this brand-newness; not that the Parliament houses are not fine objects to look at, too.
Yesterday morning we walked to Charing Cross, with U—— and J——-, and there took a cab to the Tower, driving thither through the Strand, Fleet Street, past St. Paul's, and amid all the thickest throng of the city. I have not a very distinct idea of the Tower, but remember that our cab drove within an outer gate, where we alighted at a ticket-office; the old royal fortress129 being now a regular show-place, at sixpence a head, including the sight of armory130 and crown-jewels. We saw about the gate several warders or yeomen of the guard, or beefeaters, dressed in scarlet coats of antique fashion, richly embroidered131 with golden crowns, both on the breast and back, and other royal devices and insignia; so that they looked very much like the kings on a pack of cards, or regular trumps132, at all events. I believe they are old soldiers, promoted to this position for good conduct. One of them took charge of us, and when a sufficient number of visitors had collected with us, he led us to see what very small portion of the Tower is shown.
There is a great deal of ground within the outer precincts; and it has streets and houses and inhabitants and a church within it; and, going up and down behind the warder, without any freedom to get acquainted with the place by strolling about, I know little more about it than when I went in,—only recollecting133 a mean and disagreeable confusion of brick walls, barracks, paved courts, with here and there a low bulky turret134, of rather antique aspect, and, in front of one of the edifices, a range of curious old cannon135, lying on the ground, some of them immensely large and long, and beautifully wrought136 in brass. I observed by a plan, however, that the White Tower, containing the armory, stands about in the centre of the fortress, and that it is a square, battlemented structure, having a turret at each angle. We followed the warder into the White Tower, and there saw, in the first place, a long gallery of mounted knights137, and men at arms, which has been so often described that when I wish to recall it to memory I shall turn to some other person's account of it. I was much struck, however, with the beautiful execution of a good many of the suits of armor, and the exquisite138 detail with which they were engraved139. The artists of those days attained140 very great skill, in this kind of manufacture. The figures of the knights, too, in full array, undoubtedly141 may have shown a combination of stateliness and grace which heretofore I have not believed in,—not seeing how it could be compatible with iron garments. But it is quite incomprehensible how, in the time of the heaviest armor, they could strike a blow, or possess any freedom of movement, except such as a turtle is capable of; and, in truth, they are said not to have been able to rise up when overthrown142. They probably stuck out their lances, and rode straight at the enemy, depending upon upsetting him by their mass and weight. In the row of knights is Henry VIII.; also Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, who must have been an immensely bulky man; also, a splendid suit of armor, gilded143 all over, presented by the city of London to Charles I.; also, two or three suits of boys' armor, for the little princes of the House of Stuart. They began to wear these burdens betimes, in order that their manhood might be the more tolerant of them. We went through this gallery so hastily that it would have been about as well not to have seen it at all.
Then we went up a winding144 stair to another room, containing armor and weapons, and beautiful brass cannon, that appeared to have been for ornament rather than use, some of them being quite covered with embossed sculpture, marvellously well wrought. In this room was John of Gaunt's suit, indicating a man seven feet high, and the armor seems to bear the marks of much wear; but this may be owing to great scrubbing, throughout the centuries since John of Gaunt died. There, too, we saw the cloak in which Wolfe fell, on the Plains of Abraham,—a coarse, faded, threadbare, light-colored garment, folded up under a glass case. Many other things we might have seen, worthy of being attended to, had there been time to look at them.
Following into still another room, we were told that this was Sir Walter Raleigh's apartment, while confined in the Tower, so that it was within these walls that he wrote the History of the World. The room was formerly145 lighted by lancet windows, and must have been very gloomy; but, if he had the whole length of it to himself, it was a good space to walk and meditate146 in. On one side of the apartment is a low door, giving admittance, we were told, to the cell where Raleigh slept; so we went in, and found it destitute147 of any window, and so dark that we could not estimate its small extent except by feeling about. At the threshold of this sleeping-kennel, there were one or two inscriptions148, scratched in the wall, but not, I believe, by Raleigh.
In this apartment, among a great many other curious things, are shown the devilish instruments of torture which the Spaniards were bringing to England in their Armada; and, at the end of the room, sits Queen Elizabeth on horseback, in her high ruff and faded finery. Very likely none of these clothes were ever on her actual person. Here, too, we saw a headsman's block,—not that on which Raleigh was beheaded, which I would have given gold to see, but the one which was used for the Scotch149 Lords Kilmarnock, Lovat, and others, executed on account of the Rebellion of 1745. It is a block of oak, about two feet high, with a large knot in it, so that it would not easily be split by a blow of the axe150; hewn and smoothed in a very workmanlike way, and with a hollow to accommodate the head and shoulders on each side. There were two or three very strong marks of the axe in the part over which the neck lay, and several smaller cuts; as if the first stroke nearly severed151 the head, and then the chopping off was finished by smaller blows, as we see a butcher cutting meat with his cleaver152. A headsman's axe was likewise shown us,—its date unknown.
In the White Tower we were shown the Regalia, under a glass, and within an iron cage. Edward the Confessor's golden staff was very finely wrought; and there were a great many pretty things; but I have a suspicion, I know not why, that these are not the real jewels,—at least, that such inestimable ones as the Koh-i-noor (or however it is spelt) are less freely exhibited.
The warder then led us into a paved court, which he said was the place of execution of all royal personages and others, who, from motives153 of fear or favor, were beheaded privately154. Raleigh was among these, and so was Anne Boleyn. We then followed to the Beauchamp Tower, where many state prisoners of note were confined, and where, on the walls of one of the chambers155, there are several inscriptions and sculptures of various devices, done by the prisoners,—and very skilfully157 done, too, though perhaps with no better instrument than an old nail. These poor wretches158 had time and leisure enough to spend upon their work. This chamber156 is lighted by small lancet windows, pierced at equal intervals159 round the circle of the Beauchamp Tower; and it contains a large, square fireplace, in which is now placed a small modern stove. We were hurried away, before we could even glance at the inscriptions, and we saw nothing else, except the low, obscure doorway160 in the Bloody161 Tower, leading to the staircase, under which were found the supposed bones of the little princes; and lastly, the round, Norman arch, opening to the water passage, called the Traitor's Gate. Finally, we ate some cakes and buns in the refreshment-room connected with the ticket-office, and then left the fortress. The ancient moat, by the way, has been drained within a few years, and now forms a great hollow space, with grassy162 banks, round about the citadel163.
We now wished to see the Thames, and therefore threaded our way along Thames Street, towards London Bridge, passing through a fish-market, which I suppose to be the actual Billingsgate, whence originated all the foul164 language in England. Under London Bridge there is a station for steamers running to Greenwich and Woolwich. We got on board one of these, not very well knowing, nor much caring, whither it might take us, and steamed down the river, which is bordered with the shabbiest, blackest, ugliest, meanest buildings: it is the back side of the town; and, in truth, the muddy tide of the Thames deserves to see no better. There was a great deal of shipping165 in the river, and many steamers, and it was much more crowded than the Mersey, where all the ships go into docks; but the vessels166 were not so fine. By and by we reached Greenwich, and went ashore167 there, proceeding168 up from the quay169, past beer-shops and eating-houses in great numbers and variety. Greenwich Hospital is here a very prominent object, and after passing along its extensive front, facing towards the river, we entered one of the principal gates, as we found ourselves free to do.
We now left the hospital, and steamed back to London Bridge, whence we went up into the city, and, to finish the labors170 of the day, ascended the Monument. This seems to be still a favorite adventure with the cockneys; for we heard one woman, who went up with us, saying that she had been thinking of going up all her life, and another said that she had gone up thirty years ago. There is an iron railing, or rather a cage, round the top, through which it would be impossible for people to force their way, in order to precipitate171 themselves, as six persons have heretofore done. There was a mist over London, so that we did not gain a very clear view, except of the swarms172 of people running about, like ants, in the streets at the foot of the Monument.
Descending173, I put S——- and the children into a cab, and I myself wandered about the city. Passing along Fleet Street, I turned in through an archway, which I rightly guessed to be the entrance to the Temple. It is a very large space, containing many large, solemn, and serious edifices of dark brick, and no sooner do you pass under the arch than all the rumble and bustle of London dies away at once; and it seems as if a person might live there in perfect quiet, without suspecting that it was not always a Sabbath. People appear to have their separate residences here; but I do not understand what is the economy of their lives. Quite in the deepest interior of this region, there is a large garden, bordering on the Thames, along which it has a gravel-walk, and benches where it would be pleasant to sit. On one edge of the garden, there is some scanty174 shrubbery, and flowers of no great brilliancy; and the greensward, with which the garden is mostly covered, is not particularly rich nor verdant175.
Emerging from the Temple, I stopped at a tavern176 in the Strand, the waiter of which observed to me, "They say Sebastopol is taken, sir!" It was only such an interesting event that could have induced an English waiter to make a remark to a stranger, not called for in the way of business.
The best view we had of the town—in fact, the only external view, and the only time we really saw the White Tower—was from the river, as we steamed past it. Here the high, square, battlemented White Tower, with the four turrets177 at its corners, rises prominently above all other parts of the fortress.
September 13th.—Mr. ———, the American Minister, called on me on Tuesday, and left his card; an intimation that I ought sooner to have paid my respects to him; so yesterday forenoon I set out to find his residence, 56 Harley Street. It is a street out of Cavendish Square, in a fashionable quarter, although fashion is said to be ebbing178 away from it. The ambassador seems to intend some little state in his arrangements; but, no doubt, the establishment compares shabbily enough with those of the legations of other great countries, and with the houses of the English aristocracy. A servant, not in livery, or in a very unrecognizable one, opened the door for me, and gave my card to a sort of upper attendant, who took it in to Mr. ———. He had three gentlemen with him, so desired that I should be ushered179 into the office of the legation, until he should be able to receive me. Here I found a clerk or attache, Mr. M———, who has been two or three years on this side of the water; an intelligent person, who seems to be in correspondence with the New York Courier and Enquirer180. By and by came in another American to get a passport for the Continent, and soon the three gentlemen took leave of the ambassador, and I was invited to his presence.
The tall, large figure of Mr. ——— has a certain air of state and dignity; he carries his head in a very awkward way, but still looks like a man of long and high authority, and, with his white hair, is now quite venerable. There is certainly a lack of polish, a kind of rusticity181, notwithstanding which you feel him to be a man of the world. I should think he might succeed very tolerably in English society, being heavy and sensible, cool, kindly182, and good-humored, with a great deal of experience of life. We talked about various matters, politics among the rest; and he observed that if the President had taken the advice which he gave him in two long letters, before his inauguration183, he would have had a perfectly quiet and successful term of office. The advice was, to form a perfectly homogeneous cabinet of union men, and to satisfy the extremes of the party by a fair distribution of minor184 offices; whereas he formed his cabinet of extreme men, on both sides, and gave the minor offices to moderate ones. But the antislavery people, surely, had no representative in the cabinet. Mr. ——— further observed, that he thought the President had a fair chance of re-nomination, for that the South could not, in honor, desert him; to which I replied that the South had been guilty of such things heretofore. Mr. ——— thinks that the next Presidential term will be more important and critical, both as to our foreign relations and internal affairs, than any preceding one,—which I should judge likely enough to be the case, although I heard the sane185 prophecy often made respecting the present term.
The ambassador dined with us at Rock Park a year or two ago, and I then felt, and always feel, as if he were a man of hearty186 feeling and simplicity187, and certainly it would be unjust to conclude otherwise, merely from the fact (very suspicious, it is true) of his having been a life-long politician. After we had got through a little matter of business (respecting a young American who has enlisted188 at Liverpool), the Minister rang his bell, and ordered another visitor to be admitted; and so I took my leave. In the other room I found the Secretary of Legation,—a tall, slender man of about forty, with a small head and face,—gentlemanly enough, sensible, and well informed, yet I should judge, not quite up to his place. There was also a Dr. B——— from Michigan present, and I rather fancy the ambassador is quite as much bored with visitors as the consul71 at Liverpool. Before I left the office, Mr. ——— came in with Miss Sarah Clarke on his arm. She had come thither to get her passport vised; and when her business was concluded, we went out together.
She was going farther towards the West End, and I into the city; so we soon parted, and I lost myself among the streets and squares, arriving at last at Oxford189 Street, though even then I did not know whether my face were turned cityward or in the opposite direction. Crossing Regent Street, however, I became sure of my whereabout, and went on through Holborn, and sought hither and thither for Grace Church Street, in order to find the American Consul, General Campbell; for I needed his aid to get a bank post-bill cashed. But I could not find the street, go where I would; so at last I went to No. 65 Cheapside, and introduced myself to Mr. ———, whom I already knew by letter, and by a good many of his poems, which he has sent me, and by two excellent watches, which I bought of him. This establishment, though it has the ordinary front of dingy brick, common to buildings in the city, looks like a time-long stand, the old shop of a London tradesman, with a large figure of a watch over the door, a great many watches (and yet no gorgeous show of them) in the window, a low, dark front shop, and a little room behind, where there was a chair or two. Mr. ——— is a small, slender young man, quite un-English in aspect, with black, curly hair, a thin, dark, colorless visage, very animated190 and of quick expression, with a nervous temperament191. . . . He dismounted from a desk when my card was handed to him, and turned to me with a vivid, glad look of recognition.
We talked, in the first place, about poetry and such matters, about England and America, and the nature and depth of their mutual192 dislike, and, of course, the slavery question came up, as it always does, in one way or another. Anon, I produced my bank post-bill; and Mr. ——— kindly engaged to identify me at the bank, being ready to swear to me, he said, on the strength of my resemblance to my engraved portrait. So we set out for the Bank of England, and, arriving there, were directed to the proper clerk, after much inquiry193; but he told us that the bill was not yet due, having been drawn45 at seven days, and having two still to run,—which was the fact. As I was almost shillingless, Mr. ——— now offered to cash it for me. He is very kind and good. . . . Arriving at his shop again, he went out to procure194 the money, and soon returned with it. At my departure he gave me a copy of a new poem of his, entitled "Verdicts," somewhat in the manner of Lowell's satire195. . . . Mr. ——— resides now at Greenwich, whither he hoped I would come and see him on my return to London. Perhaps I will, for I like him. It seems strange to see an Englishman with so little physical ponderosity196 and obtuseness197 of nerve.
After parting from him, it being three o'clock or thereabouts, I resumed my wanderings about the city, of which I never weary as long as I can put one foot before the other.
Seeing that the door of St. Paul's, under one of the semicircular porches, was partially198 open, I went in, and found that the afternoon service was about to be performed; so I remained to hear it, and to see what I could of the cathedral. What a total and admirable contrast between this and a Gothic church! the latter so dim and mysterious, with its various aisles199, its intricacy of pointed arches, its dark walls and columns and pavement, and its painted glass windows, bedimming even what daylight might otherwise get into its eternal evening. But this cathedral was full of light, and light was proper to it. There were no painted windows, no dim recesses200, but a wide and airy space beneath the dome; and even through the long perspective of the nave201 there was no obscurity, but one lofty and beautifully rounded arch succeeding to another, as far as the eye could reach. The walls were white, the pavement constructed of squares of gray and white marble. It is a most grand and stately edifice, and its characteristic stems to be to continue forever fresh and new; whereas such a church as Westminster Abbey must have been as venerable as it is now from the first day when it grew to be an edifice at all. How wonderful man is in his works! How glad I am that there can be two such admirable churches, in their opposite styles, as St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey!
The organ was played while I was there, and there was an anthem202 beautifully chanted by voices that came from afar off and remotely above, as if out of a sunny sky. Meanwhile I looked at such monuments as were near; chiefly those erected to military or naval203 men,—Picton, General Ponsonby, Lord St. Vincent, and others; but against one of the pillars stands a statue of Dr. Johnson,—a noble and thoughtful figure, with a development of muscle befitting an athlete. I doubt whether sculptors204 do not err205 in point of taste, by making all their statues models of physical perfection, instead of expressing by them the individual character and habits of the man. The statue in the market-place at Lichfield has more of the homely truth of Johnson's actual personality than this.
St. Paul's, as yet, is by no means crowded with monuments; there is, indeed, plenty of room for a mob of the illustrious, yet to come. But it seems to me that the character of the edifice would be injured by allowing the monuments to be clustered together so closely as at Westminster, by incrusting the walls with them, or letting the statues throng about the pedestals of columns. There must be no confusion in such a cathedral as this, and I question whether the effect will ever be better than it is now, when each monument has its distinct place, and as your eye wanders around, you are not distracted from noting each marble man, in his niche80 against the wall, or at the base of a marble pillar. Space, distance, light, regularity206, are to be preserved, even if the result should be a degree of nakedness.
I saw Mr. Appleton of the Legation, and Dr. Brown, on the floor of the cathedral. They were about to go over the whole edifice, and had engaged a guide for that purpose; but, as I intend to go thither again with S——-, I did not accompany them, but went away the quicker that one of the gentlemen put on his hat, and I was ashamed of being seen in company with a man who could wear his hat in a cathedral. Not that he meant any irreverence207; but simply felt that he was in a great public building,—as big, nearly, as all out of doors,—and so forgot that it was a consecrated208 place of worship. The sky is the dome of a greater cathedral than St. Paul's, and built by a greater architect than Sir Christopher Wren209, and yet we wear our hats unscrupulously beneath it.
I remember no other event of importance, except that I penetrated into a narrow lane or court, either in the Strand or Fleet Street, where was a tavern, calling itself the "Old Thatched House," and purporting210 to have been Nell Gwyn's dairy. I met with a great many alleys211 and obscure archways, in the course of the day's wanderings.
September 14th.—Yesterday, in the earlier part of the day, it poured with rain, and I did not go out till five o'clock in the afternoon; nor did I then meet with anything interesting. I walked through Albemarle Street, for the purpose of looking at Murray's shop, but missed it entirely, at my first inquisition. The street is one of hotels, principally, with only a few tradesmen's shops, and has a quiet, aristocratic aspect. On my return, down the other sidewalk, I did discover the famous publisher's locality; but merely by the name "Mr. Murray," engraved on a rather large brass plate, such as doctors use, on the door. There was no sign of a book, nor of its being a place of trade in any way; and I should have taken the house to be, if not a private mansion, then a lawyer's office.
At seven o'clock S——-, U——, and I went to dine with Mr. R—— S——— in Portland Place. . . . Mr. S———'s house is a very fine one, and he gave us a very quiet, elegant, and enjoyable dinner, in much better taste and with less fuss than some others we have attended elsewhere. Mr. S——— is a friend of Thackeray, and, speaking of the last number of The Newcomes,—so touching212 that nobody can read it aloud without breaking down,—he mentioned that Thackeray himself had read it to James Russell Lowell and William Story in a cider-cellar! I read all the preceding numbers of The Newcomes to my wife, but happened not to have an opportunity to read this last, and was glad of it,—knowing that my eyes would fill, and my voice quiver. Mr. S——— likes Thackeray, and thinks him a good fellow. Mr. S——— has a—or I don't know but I ought better to say the—beautiful full-length picture of Washington by Stuart, and I was proud to see that noblest face and figure here in England. The picture of a man beside whom, considered physically213, any English nobleman whom I have seen would look like common clay.
Speaking of Thackeray, I cannot but wonder at his coolness in respect to his own pathos214, and compare it with my emotions, when I read the last scene of The Scarlet Letter to my wife, just after writing it,—tried to read it rather, for my voice swelled215 and heaved, as if I were tossed up and down on an ocean as it subsides216 after a storm. But I was in a very nervous state then, having gone through a great diversity of emotion, while writing it, for many months. I think I have never overcome my own adamant217 in any other instance.
Tumblers, hand-organists, puppet-showmen, bagpipers, and all such vagrant218 mirth-makers, are very numerous in the streets of London. The other day, passing through Fleet Street, I saw a crowd filling up a narrow court, and high above their heads a tumbler, standing on his head, on the top of a pole, that reached as high as the third story of the neighboring Houses. Sliding down the pole head foremost, he disappeared out of my sight. A multitude of Punches go the mounds219 continually. Two have passed through Hanover Street, where we reside, this morning. The first asked two shillings for his performance; so we sent him away. The second demanded, in the first place, half a crown; but finally consented to take a shilling, and gave us the show at that price, though much maimed in its proportions. Besides the spectators in our windows, he had a little crowd on the sidewalk, to whom he went round for contributions, but I did not observe that anybody gave him so much as a halfpenny. It is strange to see how many people are aiming at the small change in your pocket. In every square a beggar-woman meets you, and turns back to follow your steps with her miserable220 murmur221. At the street-crossings there are old men or little girls with their brooms; urchins222 propose to brush your boots; and if you get into a cab, a man runs to open the door for you, and touches his hat for a fee, as he closes it again.
September 15th.—It was raining yesterday, and I kept within doors till after four o'clock, when J——- and I took a walk into the city. Seeing the entrance to Clement's Inn, we went through it, and saw the garden, with a kneeling bronze figure in it; and when just in the midst of the Inn, I remembered that Justice Shallow was of old a student there. I do not well understand these Inns of Court, or how they differ from other places. Anybody seems to be free to reside in them, and a residence does not seem to involve any obligation to study law, or to have any connection therewith. Clement's Inn consists of large brick houses, accessible by narrow lanes and passages, but, by some peculiar223 privilege or enchantment, enjoying a certain quiet and repose, though in close vicinity to the noisiest part of the city. I got bewildered in the neighborhood of St. Paul's, and, try how I might to escape from it, its huge dusky dome kept showing itself before me, through one street and another. In my endeavors to escape it, I at one time found myself in St. John's Street, and was in hopes to have seen the old St. John's gate, so familiar for above a century on the cover of the Gentleman's Magazine. But I suppose it is taken down, for we went through the entire street, I think, and saw no trace of it. Either afterwards or before this we came upon Smithfield, a large irregular square, filled up with pens for cattle, of which, however, there were none in the market at that time. I leaned upon a post, at the western end of the square, and told J——- how the martyrs224 had been burnt at Smithfield in Bloody Mary's days. Again we drifted back to St. Paul's; and, at last, in despair of ever getting out of this enchanted225 region, I took a Hansom cab to Charing Cross, whence we easily made our way home.
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1
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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portico
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| n.柱廊，门廊 | |
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landmarks
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| n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址） | |
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boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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imbued
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| v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等） | |
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dinginess
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| n.暗淡，肮脏 | |
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hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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charing
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| n.炭化v.把…烧成炭，把…烧焦( char的现在分词 )；烧成炭，烧焦；做杂役女佣 | |
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strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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prodigiously
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| adv.异常地，惊人地，巨大地 | |
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throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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dome
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edifices
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| n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
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serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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densest
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| 密集的( dense的最高级 )； 密度大的； 愚笨的； （信息量大得）难理解的 | |
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tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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pretension
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| n.要求；自命，自称；自负 | |
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homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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posterity
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hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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yardstick
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| n.计算标准，尺度；评价标准 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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density
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| n.密集，密度，浓度 | |
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majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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questionable
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| adj.可疑的，有问题的 | |
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withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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monarchy
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| n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国 | |
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subverted
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| v.颠覆，破坏（政治制度、宗教信仰等）( subvert的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某人）道德败坏或不忠 | |
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crumble
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| vi.碎裂，崩溃；vt.弄碎，摧毁 | |
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rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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50
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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51
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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52
fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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53
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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54
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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55
mansions
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| n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 ) | |
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56
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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57
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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58
beacon
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| n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔 | |
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59
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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60
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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61
misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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62
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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63
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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64
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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65
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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66
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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67
genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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68
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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69
grooms
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| n.新郎( groom的名词复数 )；马夫v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的第三人称单数 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗 | |
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70
despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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71
consul
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| n.领事；执政官 | |
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72
consulates
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| n.领事馆( consulate的名词复数 ) | |
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73
miller
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| n.磨坊主 | |
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74
staples
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| n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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75
seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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76
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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77
enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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78
pinnacles
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| 顶峰( pinnacle的名词复数 )； 顶点； 尖顶； 小尖塔 | |
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79
spires
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| n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 ) | |
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80
niche
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| n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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81
niches
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| 壁龛( niche的名词复数 )； 合适的位置[工作等]； （产品的）商机； 生态位（一个生物所占据的生境的最小单位） | |
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82
embroidery
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| n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品 | |
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83
dame
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| n.女士 | |
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84
adhesive
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| n.粘合剂；adj.可粘着的，粘性的 | |
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85
mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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86
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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87
refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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88
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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89
hippopotamus
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| n.河马 | |
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90
smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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91
exhorting
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| v.劝告，劝说( exhort的现在分词 ) | |
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92
dissonant
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| adj.不和谐的；不悦耳的 | |
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93
chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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94
expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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95
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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96
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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97
ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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98
malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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99
parodying
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| v.滑稽地模仿，拙劣地模仿( parody的现在分词 ) | |
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100
aquarium
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| n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸 | |
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101
compartments
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| n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层 | |
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102
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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103
metropolitan
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| adj.大城市的，大都会的 | |
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104
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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105
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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106
auditors
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| n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生 | |
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107
prettily
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| adv.优美地；可爱地 | |
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108
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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109
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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110
lobster
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| n.龙虾，龙虾肉 | |
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111
dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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112
paupers
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| n.穷人( pauper的名词复数 )；贫民；贫穷 | |
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113
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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114
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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115
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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116
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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117
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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118
sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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119
pall
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| v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕 | |
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120
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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121
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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122
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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123
lavish
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| adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍 | |
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124
equestrian
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| adj.骑马的；n.马术 | |
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125
flirting
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| v.调情，打情骂俏( flirt的现在分词 ) | |
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126
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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127
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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128
gaudier
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| adj.花哨的，俗气的( gaudy的比较级 ) | |
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129
fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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130
armory
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| n.纹章，兵工厂，军械库 | |
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131
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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132
trumps
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| abbr.trumpets 喇叭；小号；喇叭形状的东西；喇叭筒v.（牌戏）出王牌赢（一牌或一墩）( trump的过去式 )；吹号公告，吹号庆祝；吹喇叭；捏造 | |
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133
recollecting
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| v.记起，想起( recollect的现在分词 ) | |
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134
turret
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| n.塔楼，角塔 | |
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135
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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136
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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137
knights
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| 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 | |
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138
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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139
engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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140
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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141
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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142
overthrown
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| adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词 | |
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143
gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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144
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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145
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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146
meditate
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| v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想 | |
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147
destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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148
inscriptions
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| （作者）题词( inscription的名词复数 )； 献词； 碑文； 证劵持有人的登记 | |
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149
scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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150
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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151
severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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152
cleaver
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| n.切肉刀 | |
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153
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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154
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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155
chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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156
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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157
skilfully
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| adv. (美skillfully)熟练地 | |
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158
wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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159
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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160
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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161
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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162
grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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163
citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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164
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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165
shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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166
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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167
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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168
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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169
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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170
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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171
precipitate
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| adj.突如其来的；vt.使突然发生；n.沉淀物 | |
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172
swarms
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| 蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
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173
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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174
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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175
verdant
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| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
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176
tavern
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| n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店 | |
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177
turrets
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| （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 | |
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178
ebbing
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| （指潮水）退( ebb的现在分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落 | |
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179
ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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180
enquirer
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| 寻问者，追究者 | |
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181
rusticity
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| n.乡村的特点、风格或气息 | |
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182
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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183
inauguration
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| n.开幕、就职典礼 | |
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184
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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185
sane
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| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
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186
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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187
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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188
enlisted
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| adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持） | |
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189
Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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190
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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191
temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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192
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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193
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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194
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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195
satire
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| n.讽刺，讽刺文学，讽刺作品 | |
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196
ponderosity
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| n.沉重，笨重；有质性；可称性 | |
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197
obtuseness
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| 感觉迟钝 | |
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198
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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199
aisles
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| n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊 | |
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200
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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201
nave
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| n.教堂的中部；本堂 | |
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202
anthem
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| n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌 | |
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203
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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204
sculptors
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| 雕刻家，雕塑家( sculptor的名词复数 )； [天]玉夫座 | |
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205
err
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| vi.犯错误，出差错 | |
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206
regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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207
irreverence
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| n.不尊敬 | |
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208
consecrated
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| adj.神圣的，被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣，给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 )；奉献 | |
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209
wren
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| n.鹪鹩；英国皇家海军女子服务队成员 | |
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210
purporting
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| v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的现在分词 ) | |
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211
alleys
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| 胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径 | |
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212
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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213
physically
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| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
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214
pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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215
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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216
subsides
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的第三人称单数 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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217
adamant
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| adj.坚硬的，固执的 | |
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218
vagrant
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| n.流浪者，游民；adj.流浪的，漂泊不定的 | |
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219
mounds
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| 土堆，土丘( mound的名词复数 )； 一大堆 | |
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220
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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221
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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222
urchins
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| n.顽童( urchin的名词复数 )；淘气鬼；猬；海胆 | |
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223
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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224
martyrs
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| n.martyr的复数形式；烈士( martyr的名词复数 )；殉道者；殉教者；乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情） | |
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225
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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