The fifth wonder is Mamtour wch is a high hill that Looks Exactly round, but on the side next Castleton wch is a Little town in the High Peake on that side its all broken that it Looks just in resemblance as a great Hay-Ricke yts Cut down one halfe on one side—that describes it most naturall. This is all sand, and on that broken side the sand keeps trickling down allwayes Especially when there is the Least wind of wch I believe this Country scarce Ever is wthout; many places of the hill Looks hollow and Loose wch makes it very dangerous to ascend and none does attempt it, ye sand being Loose slips ye foote back againe.
The 6th wonder is at Casleton 4 mile from Elderhole; its a town Lyes at ye foote of an Exceeding steep hill wch Could not be descended by foote or horse, but in a Compass and yt by ye Roads returning to and agen on ye side of ye hill at Least 4 tymes before we Could gaine ye bottom or top of sd Hill. This is wch they Call the Devills Arse a peake, the hill on one End jutting out in two parts and joyns in one at ye top, this part or Cleft between you Enter a great Cave wch is very Large, and severall poor Little houses in it built of Stone and thatch’d Like Little Styes, one seemed a Little bigger in which a Gentleman Liv’d and his wife yt was worth above 100£ a year wch he left to his brother, Chooseing rather Like a hermite to Live in this sorry Cell. One Mr Midleton who was wth us sd he had dined wth them there on Carrots and Herbs, and yt he was dead and his wife a year or two since. Now none but very poor people Live there wch makes some small advantage by begging and by Lighting the strangers into the Cave wch beyond this you Enter so straight a passage. At the mouth you stoop very Low Even upon yr Breast and Creep in, when you are about a yard or two’s Length you stand upright, it being Lofty in manner of Poole’s Hole only the Rock hangs down in so many places that there is often Cause of Stooping very Low to pass by ym, and here ye ground you tread on is all sand and firme, only ye Rocks do drip water in many places wch makes it damp and strikes Cold to you, but Excepting the pillars of Rock in some places that hang down ye most of it is very Lofty and a great Ecchoe like a Church. You pass a good way by ye Light of many Candles haveing Lost ye sight of day from ye first stooping Entrance. At Last you Come to a river they Call it, a great water it is and very deep, they say its about 12 yards over and some do go on it wth a Little boate to ye other side but I would not venture. There was one Gentlewoman in our Company sd she had once been Carry’d over on 2 mens shoulders, but they waded above their waste in water, so I would not be for so dangerous I was sure it was a difficult Enterprise, and when you are over yt side they go over but such places as was pass’d before wch Leads to another such a water wch some men have pass’d over and so have gone on to a third water, but there ye Rocks hung so Low as almost to touch ye water wch hindred their proceeding. That water I saw was strange, so deep and large and look’d like a standing water but whether it were or not Could not tell, no Doubt but it has a passage thro’ the veines of ye Earth or Else would swell so as to Cause a bursting out of ye Earth—it seemed to have a motion wth it, All these things shewes the great wisdom and power of our blessed Creator to make and maintaine all things within its own Bounds and Limits wch have a tendency to worke out ruine to ye whole frame of ye world if not bridled by Gods Command.
The seventh wonder is a flowing and Ebbing Well between this town and Buxton wch Ceases its miraculous motion but on Great raines which Raises the springs, and then, the man wch was wth us told me he had seen it severall tymes in ye winter when ye springs were high to Ebb and flow severall tymes in a hour, wch appear’d by ye Rise and fall of ye water from ye Edge of ye well, and the man seem’d to be a good sober man, Mr Middleton it was, so that its Likely when the springs are high the water from the sea may have a quicker flux and Reflux thro’ the Channells of ye Earth, but this is a good distance from ye sea or Ebbing and flowing Rivers.
From Castleton to Buxton is 6 mile, but they are very long. You might go 10 of miles near London as soon as you are going halfe so many here.
Thence we went to Ashburn 16 miles where I saw some of their Copper mines where they dig them like a well, but secure ye side wth wood and turffe bound wth ye wood like Laths or frames aCross and long wayes to secure it. This is a pretty neate market town; thence to Uxeter 8 mile, and we Cross a River on a long Bridge and so we enter Staffordshire wch has quite a different soyle, sand and gravell and some Clay, and very pretty sort of pebbles in the ground—some of a bright green like an Emerald, others vein’d, some Clear like Christall. This Country is well wooded and full of Enclosures, good Rich Ground, is Extreamely differing from Darbyshire. Just before we Came to Uxeter we pass by a very Exact house and Gardens of one Mr Cotten a justice of peace, its Brick and Coyn’d wth stone, the Gardens or Courts very Compleate, but it stands in a Low moorish ground to show this worlds good is not perfect but has its foule as well as faire Side and with all its Conveniency’s Must Labour under some difficultyes. We pass thro’ a deep and Long water just by, but ye bottom was hard gravell, this supply’s severall mills wch are used for their prepareing ye metal they take out of ye mines. I had a piece of Copper given me by One of ye managers of ym.
Thence we Came to Woolsley 7 mile, to a Relations house Sr Charles Woolsley whose Lady was my Aunt, where we dined. Ye house stands in a fine parke; ye house is an old building and but Low, its built round a Court: there is a Large Lofty hall in ye Old fashion, a dineing and drawing roome on ye one hand, and a little parlour on the other, the best roomes were newer built wth Chambers over them, and a very good staircase well wanscoated and Carv’d wth good pictures. Ye Rest of the house is all old and Low and must be new built. Ye Gardens are good, both gravell and Green walks; there is a good River runns by it wch has dwarfe trees and honysuckles and binds on the Bancks, there is a great deale of good fruite and there are severall walks, one shady wth high trees wch my Aunt told me my mother liked to walke in and so was Call’d her walke. I eate a sort of flatt strawbery like a button, wch grew in a second Crop from ye same strawberys Roote wch produces its first Crop a sort of Large garden Strawberries and this sort afterwards. In this Country they burn all this tyme of ye year July, their ffern and make ye ashes up in balls and so keep to make Lye for driveing their Ruck of Cloth’s wch whitens them much. Not farre from hence they have ye mines of the fine sort of Coale that is hard and will be pollished like black marble, for salts or boxes or such Like, ye only difference it will not bear ye fire as marble does, Else it resembles it very much; there were of these mines just by but now they have Come to ye End of this veine and so there is none within 6 or 7 mile.
This is ye pitt Coale, yts Cloven and burns Like a Candle, and makes white ashes Like ye Scotch-Coale. Ye same sort is in Nottinghamshire. From hence we went to Litchfield 7 mile, a sandy Road full of fine pebbles; Litchfield stands Low, there is a greate standing water as I have seen just by ye town, wch does often flow ye grounds after Raines, so the Road is secured wth a banck and a breast wall of a good Length into ye town—as a Long Causy or bridge ye Road is, and there are some few Arches here and there to Carry off ye water. Ye water has very good ffish in it but it must be muddy; its the privilege of ye Magistrates only to have fishing or to go about it wth a little boate. The town has good houses, ye Close has ye Bishops and Deanes and prebends houses wch are good; the streetes are very neate and handsome, ye Breadth and length very well and the building handsome. The minster is a stately structure but old, ye outside has been finely Carv’d and full of Images as appears by the nitches and pedistalls wch remaine very Close all over the walls, and still just at ye front remaines some Statues of ye Kings of Jerusalem and some angels and Cherubims. At ye door is a Large statue of King Charles ye Second, and all about ye door is fine Carving of flowers Leaves, birds and beasts and some saints and apostles statues. The Inside of ye Church is very neate being new but there is but Little painting; there are two Quires, one old one wth organs and seates, ye other new wch is very Large wth Organs and fine Carving in ye wood; here are 2 organs. There is a painting over the Communion table of peach Collour satten Like a Cannopy wth gold fringe, and its drawn so well that it lookes like a Reall Cannopy. There is some remaines of a Castle, ye walls and some of the towers remaine. The wall that Encompasses ye town is what Encompasses the Church and goes from thence.
We went thence to Colehill 12 mile, and pass’d by severall good houses. Here I saw ye way of makeing Runnet as they do in Cheshire—they take ye Reed bag and Curd and haveing washed it Clean, salt it and breake ye Curd small about ye bag, so drye them, being stretch’d out with sticks like a glove, and so hang them in a Chimney till you need it, then Cut a piece off this as big as halfe a Crown and boyle it in a little water wch water will turn ye milke better than any made runnet and its freshe. This is a pretty little market town and stands on a hill.
Thence to Coventry all on a Levell 8 mile. I Came by severall pretty seates, one on the Left hand of Sr Andrew Hacket stands in a parke and good gardens walled in, and on the Right hand we Came Close to a very pretty new built house wth severall Rows of firrs, the outward Court Came in a Compass wth open Barrgates just to the Road, and a brick bridge from the Court at one side quite Cross ye highway: we drove under it wch Leads to a parke that runs along on the other hand. The house was brick and Coyn’d with stone and the windows the same, 8 windows in the front and ye Lawrells and greens look’d very pretty. Coventry stands on the side of a pretty high hill and as you approach it from the adjacent hill you have the full prospect. The spire and steeple of one of the Churches is very high and is thought the third highest in England. In the same Church yard stands another large Church wch is something unusuall two such great Churches together; their towers and the Rest of ye Churches and high buildings make the town appear very fine, the streetes are broad and very well pitch’d wth small stone. The Cross is noted and ye finest building in England for such a thing, and in my phancy it very much resembles ye picture of ye tower of Babel, its all stone Carv’d very Curiously, and there are 4 divisions Each being less than another to ye top, and so its Piramidy forme. In Each partition is severall nitches for statues quite round it where are kings and queens, and just on Each side before Each statute is their arms and ye arms of England and the arms of ye town, and so its adorn’d wth Coullours and gilding in their proper places as in the garments and Crowns or Coronets, and finely Carv’d wth angels and Cherubims and all sorts of beasts, Birds, flowers in garlands, and Leaves—this in Every division; there is variety quite up to the top wch is finely Carv’d and Gilt. This is ye biggest place in ye town, and ye streete very broad and runs off a great length, and most of ye streetes are very good. Ye buildings are mostly of timber work and old. There is a water house at the End of ye town wch from springs does supply by pipes ye whole town wth water in ye manner that London is. There is also a water wch serves severall mills yt belong to the town; it seems to be a thriveing good trading town and is very Rich. They have a great publick stock belonging to ye Corporation above 3 thousand pound a year for publick schooles, Charity and ye maintenance of their severall publick Expences, of their Magistrates and Companyes, the majority of the heads are now in ye sober men, so its Esteem’d a ffanatick town, and there is Indeed the largest Chapple and ye greatest number of people I have ever seen of ye Presbiterian way. There is another meeteing place in ye town of ye Independants wch is nott so bigg, but tho’ they may differ in some small things, in ye maine they agree and seeme to Love one another wch was no small sattisfaction to me, Charity and Love to ye brethren being ye Characteristicall marke of Christs true Disciples.
Coventry has one thing remains Remarkable not to be omitted, the statue of a man Looking out of a window wth his Eyes out, and is a monument as history tells us of some priviledges obtein’d by a Lady wife, to the nobleman who was lord of ye town, and she was to purchase them by passing on horse back through ye town naked wch he thought she would not do, but out of zeale to relieve ye town from some hard bondage she did, and Commanded all windows and doores to be shutt and none to appear in the streete on pain of death wch was obey’d by all; but one man would open a window and Looke out and for his impudence had this judgment on him to be struck blind; this statute is his resemblance and one day in a year they Remember ye good Lady by some rejoyceing. There are severall good walks about ye town, and a large parke above ye town wch most people walk in: thence we went to Warwick. Coventry is joyn’d to Litchfield under one Bishop and yt wch I wonder at that the Bishop and most of ye dignatorys and abundance of Gentry Rather Chooses to Live at and near all about Litchfield tho’ it stands so low and waterish, than at Coventry wch is a pleasanter scituation and better buildings. There is Sr Tho: Nortons house at ye end of ye town and a large parke. From Coventry to Warwick going about to see an acquaintance of our Company we made it 10 mile, and went in sight of ye Lord Liegh on ye Left hand, wch Lay all along by ye River Aven; it stands Low very well wooded.