The town of Warwick, I think, has been considerably9 modernized10 since I first saw it. The whole of the central portion of the principal street now looks modern, with its stuccoed or brick fronts of houses, and, in many cases, handsome shop windows. Leicester Hospital and its adjoining chapel11 still look venerably antique; and so does a gateway12 that half bestrides the street. Beyond these two points on either side it has a much older aspect. The modern signs heighten the antique impression.
February 5th, 1860.—Mr. and Mrs. Bennoch are staying for a little while at Mr. B———'s at Coventry, and Mr. B——— called upon us the other day, with Mr. Bennoch, and invited us to go and see the lions of Coventry; so yesterday U—— and I went. It was not my first visit, therefore I have little or nothing to record, unless it were to describe a ribbon-factory into which Mr. B——— took us. But I have no comprehension of machinery13, and have only a confused recollection of an edifice14 of four or five stories, on each floor of which were rows of huge machines, all busy with their iron hands and joints15 in turning out delicate ribbons. It was very curious and unintelligible16 to me to observe how they caused different colored patterns to appear, and even flowers to blossom, on the plain surface of a ribbon. Some of the designs were pretty, and I was told that one manufacturer pays 500 pounds annually17 to French artists (or artisans, for I do not know whether they have a connection with higher art) merely for new patterns of ribbons. The English find it impossible to supply themselves with tasteful productions of this sort merely from the resources of English fancy. If an Englishman possessed18 the artistic19 faculty20 to the degree requisite21 to produce such things, he would doubtless think himself a great artist, and scorn to devote himself to these humble22 purposes. Every Frenchman is probably more of an artist than one Englishman in a thousand.
We ascended23 to the very roof of the factory, and gazed thence over smoky Coventry, which is now a town of very considerable size, and rapidly on the increase. The three famous spires24 rise out of the midst, that of St. Michael being the tallest and very beautiful. Had the day been clear, we should have had a wide view on all sides; for Warwickshire is well laid out for distant prospects25, if you can only gain a little elevation26 from which to see them.
Descending27 from the roof, we next went to see Trinity Church, which has just come through an entire process of renovation, whereby much of its pristine28 beauty has doubtless been restored; but its venerable awfulness is greatly impaired29. We went into three churches, and found that they had all been subjected to the same process. It would be nonsense to regret it, because the very existence of these old edifices30 is involved in their being renewed; but it certainly does deprive them of a great part of their charm, and puts one in mind of wigs31, padding, and all such devices for giving decrepitude33 the aspect of youth. In the pavement of the nave34 and aisles35 there are worn tombstones, with defaced inscriptions36, and discolored marbles affixed37 against the wall; monuments, too, where a mediaeval man and wife sleep side by side on a marble slab38; and other tombs so old that the inscriptions are quite gone. Over an arch, in one of the churches, there was a fresco39, so old, dark, faded, and blackened, that I found it impossible to make out a single figure or the slightest hint of the design. On the whole, after seeing the churches of Italy, I was not greatly impressed with these attempts to renew the ancient beauty of old English minsters; it would be better to preserve as sedulously40 as possible their aspect of decay, in which consists the principal charm. . . .
On our way to Mr. B———'s house, we looked into the quadrangle of a charity-school and old men's hospital, and afterwards stepped into a large Roman Catholic church, erected41 within these few years past, and closely imitating the mediaeval architecture and arrangements. It is strange what a plaything, a trifle, an unserious affair, this imitative spirit makes of a huge, ponderous42 edifice, which if it had really been built five hundred years ago would have been worthy43 of all respect. I think the time must soon come when this sort of thing will be held in utmost scorn, until the lapse44 of time shall give it a claim to respect. But, methinks, we had better strike out any kind of architecture, so it be our own, however wretched, than thus tread back upon the past.
Mr. B——— now conducted us to his residence, which stands a little beyond the outskirts45 of the city, on the declivity46 of a hill, and in so windy a spot that, as he assured me, the very plants are blown out of the ground. He pointed47 to two maimed trees whose tops were blown off by a gale48 two or three years since; but the foliage49 still covers their shortened summits in summer, so that he does not think it desirable to cut them down.
In America, a man of Mr. B———'s property would take upon himself the state and dignity of a millionaire. It is a blessed thing in England, that money gives a man no pretensions50 to rank, and does not bring the responsibilities of a great position.
We found three or four gentlemen to meet us at dinner,—a Mr. D——— and a Mr. B———, an author, having written a book called "The Philosophy of Necessity," and is acquainted with Emerson, who spent two or three days at his house when last in England. He was very kindly51 appreciative52 of my own productions, as was also his wife, next to whom I sat at dinner. She talked to me about the author of "Adam Bede," whom she has known intimately all her life. . . . Miss Evans (who wrote "Adam Bede") was the daughter of a steward53, and gained her exact knowledge of English rural life by the connection with which this origin brought her with the farmers. She was entirely54 self-educated, and has made herself an admirable scholar in classical as well as in modern languages. Those who knew her had always recognized her wonderful endowments, and only watched to see in what way they would develop themselves. She is a person of the simplest manners and character, amiable55 and unpretending, and Mrs. B——— spoke56 of her with great affection and respect. . . . Mr. B———, our host, is an extremely sensible man; and it is remarkable57 how many sensible men there are in England,—men who have read and thought, and can develop very good ideas, not exactly original, yet so much the product of their own minds that they can fairly call them their own.
February 18th.—. . . . This present month has been somewhat less dismal58 than the preceding ones; there have been some sunny and breezy days when there was life in the air, affording something like enjoyment59 in a walk, especially when the ground was frozen. It is agreeable to see the fields still green through a partial covering of snow; the trunks and branches of the leafless trees, moreover, have a verdant60 aspect, very unlike that of American trees in winter, for they are covered with a delicate green moss61, which is not so observable in summer. Often, too, there is a twine62 of green ivy63 up and down the trunk. The other day, as J——- and I were walking to Whitnash, an elm was felled right across our path, and I was much struck by this verdant coating of moss over all its surface,—the moss plants too minute to be seen individually, but making the whole tree green. It has a pleasant effect here, where it is the natural aspect of trees in general; but in America a mossy tree-trunk is not a pleasant object, because it is associated with damp, low, unwholesome situations. The lack of foliage gives many new peeps and vistas64, hereabouts, which I never saw in summer.
March 17th.—J——- and I walked to Warwick yesterday forenoon, and went into St. Mary's Church, to see the Beauchamp chapel. . . . On one side of it were some worn steps ascending65 to a confessional, where the priest used to sit, while the penitent66, in the body of the church, poured his sins through a perforated auricle into this unseen receptacle. The sexton showed us, too, a very old chest which had been found in the burial vault67, with some ancient armor stored away in it. Three or four helmets of rusty68 iron, one of them barred, the last with visors, and all intolerably weighty, were ranged in a row. What heads those must have been that could bear such massiveness! On one of the helmets was a wooden crest—some bird or other—that of itself weighed several pounds. . . .
April 23d.—We have been here several weeks. . . . Had I seen Bath earlier in my English life, I might have written many pages about it, for it is really a picturesque5 and interesting city. It is completely sheltered in the lap of hills, the sides of the valley rising steep and high from the level spot on which it stands, and through which runs the muddy little stream of the Avon. The older part of the town is on the level, and the more modern growth—the growth of more than a hundred years—climbs higher and higher up the hillside, till the upper streets are very airy and lofty. The houses are built almost entirely of Bath stone, which in time loses its original buff color, and is darkened by age and coal-smoke into a dusky gray; but still the city looks clean and pure as compared with most other English towns. In its architecture, it has somewhat of a Parisian aspect, the houses having roofs rising steep from their high fronts, which are often adorned69 with pillars, pilasters, and other good devices, so that you see it to be a town built with some general idea of beauty, and not for business. There are Circuses, Crescents, Terraces, Parades, and all such fine names as we have become familiar with at Leamington, and other watering-places. The declivity of most of the streets keeps them remarkably70 clean, and they are paved in a very comfortable way, with large blocks of stone, so that the middle of the street is generally practicable to walk upon, although the sidewalks leave no temptation so to do, being of generous width. In many alleys71, and round about the abbey and other edifices, the pavement is of square flags, like those of Florence, and as smooth as a palace floor. On the whole, I suppose there is no place in England where a retired72 man, with a moderate income, could live so tolerably as at Bath; it being almost a city in size and social advantages; quite so, indeed, if eighty thousand people make a city,—and yet having no annoyance73 of business nor spirit of worldly struggle. All modes of enjoyment that English people like may be had here; and even the climate is said to be milder than elsewhere in England. How this may be, I know not; but we have rain or passing showers almost every day since we arrived, and I suspect the surrounding hills are just about of that inconvenient74 height, that keeps catching75 clouds, and compelling them to squeeze out their moisture upon the included valley. The air, however, certainly is preferable to that of Leamington. . . .
There are no antiquities76 except the abbey, which has not the interest of many other English churches and cathedrals. In the midst of the old part of the town stands the house which was formerly77 Beau Nash's residence, but which is now part of the establishment of an ale-merchant. The edifice is a tall, but rather mean-looking, stone building, with the entrance from a little side court, which is so cumbered with empty beer-barrels as hardly to afford a passage. The doorway78 has some architectural pretensions, being pillared and with some sculptured devices—whether lions or winged heraldic monstrosities I forget—on the pediment. Within, there is a small entry, not large enough to be termed a hall, and a staircase, with carved balustrade, ascending by angular turns and square landing-places. For a long course of years, ending a little more than a century ago, princes, nobles, and all the great and beautiful people of old times, used to go up that staircase, to pay their respects to the King of Bath. On the side of the house there is a marble slab inserted, recording79 that here he resided, and that here he died in 1767, between eighty and ninety years of age. My first acquaintance with him was in Smollett's "Roderick Random," and I have met him in a hundred other novels.
His marble statue is in a niche80 at one end of the great pump-room, in wig32, square-skirted coat, flapped waistcoat, and all the queer costume of the period, still looking ghost-like upon the scene where he used to be an autocrat81. Marble is not a good material for Beau Nash, however; or, if so, it requires color to set him off adequately. . . .
It is usual in Bath to see the old sign of the checker-board on the doorposts of taverns82. It was originally a token that the game might be played there, and is now merely a tavern-sign.
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1
renovation
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| n.革新，整修 | |
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antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
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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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picturesquely
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varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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modernized
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| 使现代化，使适应现代需要( modernize的过去式和过去分词 )； 现代化，使用现代方法 | |
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chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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gateway
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| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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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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joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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annually
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| adv.一年一次，每年 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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requisite
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| adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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spires
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| n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 ) | |
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prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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pristine
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| adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的 | |
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impaired
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| adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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edifices
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| n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
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wigs
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| n.假发，法官帽( wig的名词复数 ) | |
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wig
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| n.假发 | |
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decrepitude
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| n.衰老；破旧 | |
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nave
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| n.教堂的中部；本堂 | |
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aisles
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| n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊 | |
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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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affixed
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| adj.[医]附着的，附着的v.附加( affix的过去式和过去分词 )；粘贴；加以；盖（印章） | |
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slab
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| n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上 | |
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fresco
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| n.壁画；vt.作壁画于 | |
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sedulously
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| ad.孜孜不倦地 | |
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41
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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ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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declivity
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| n.下坡，倾斜面 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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50
pretensions
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| 自称( pretension的名词复数 )； 自命不凡； 要求； 权力 | |
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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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appreciative
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| adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的 | |
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steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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verdant
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| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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twine
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| v.搓，织，编饰；（使）缠绕 | |
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ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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vistas
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| 长条形景色( vista的名词复数 )； 回顾； 展望； （未来可能发生的）一系列情景 | |
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ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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penitent
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| adj.后悔的；n.后悔者；忏悔者 | |
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vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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alleys
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| 胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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inconvenient
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| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
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catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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antiquities
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| n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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recording
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| n.录音，记录 | |
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niche
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| n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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autocrat
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| n.独裁者；专横的人 | |
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taverns
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| n.小旅馆，客栈，酒馆( tavern的名词复数 ) | |
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