Then you proceed to the Citty wch is walled round full of towers Except on the river side wch serves for the wall. They seeme ye best in repaire of any walled Citty I know tho’ in some places there are little breaches, but the Carving and battlements and towers Lookes well. I enter’d the west gate. There are 12 gates in all and 36 Churches, which is to be seen in a Clear Day altogether on the Castle walls—I told 30 myself there. They are built all of flints well headed or Cut wch makes them Look blackish and shineing. The streetes are all well pitch’d wth small stones and very Clean, and many very broad streetes: yt I Entred in first was very broad for 2 Coaches or Carts to pass on Either side, and in the middle was a great well house wth a wheele to wind up the water for the good of ye publick. A Little further is a Large pond walled up wth brick a mans height wth an Entrance on one End. A Little farther was a building on which they were at work, design’d for a water house to supply ye town by pipes into their houses wth water. At a Little distance was another such a pond walled in as I described before. These things fill up the middle of this spacious streete wch is for use and also ornament, ye spaces Each side being so broad. This brings you into a broad space Called the Hay market wch is on a hill, a very steep descent all well pitch’d as before: this Comes to another space for a market to sell hoggs in, and opens farther into divisions of buildings that begins severall streetes yt runs off good Lengths and are of a tollerable size. One runs along behind wch is all for stalls for ye Country butchers that bring their meate for ye supply of ye town, wch pay such a Rent for them to ye town. On ye other side are houses of ye town butchers, ye Inhabitants: by it is a Large market for fish, wch are all at a Little distance from ye heart of ye Citty, so is not annoy’d wth them. There is a very Large market place and hall and Cross for fruite and little things Every day, and also a place under pillars for ye Corn market.
The building round here is Esteemed ye best and here is the town Hall, but all their buildings are of an old form, mostly in deep poynts and much tileing as has been observ’d before, and they playster on Laths wch they strike out into squares like broad free stone on ye outside, wch makes their fronts Look pretty well; and some they build high and Contract ye roofes resembling the London houses, but none of brick Except some few beyond the river wch are built of some of ye Rich factors like ye London buildings. There is in ye middle of ye town the Duke of Norfolks house of Brick and stone, wth severall towers and turrets and balls yt Looks well, wth Large gardens, but ye Inside is all demolished only ye walls stand and a few Roomes for offices but nothing of state or tollerable for use.
On ye Castle hill you see ye whole Citty at once, being built round it: its a vast place and takes up a Large tract of ground, its 6 miles in Compass.
Here is the County hall and Goale where ye assizes are held and ye Sessions. Nothing of ye Castle remaines but a green space, and under it is also a Large space for ye beast market, and 3 tymes in ye year is there a very great faire kept to wch resort a vaste Concourse of people, and wares—a full trade. Ye whole Citty Lookes Like what it is, a Rich thriveing Industrious place; Satturday is their great market day. They have beside ye town hall a hall distinct wch is the scaleing hall where their stuffs are all measured, and if they hold their breadths and Lengths they are scaled, but if they are deffective there is a fine Layd on ye owner and a private marke on ye stuff wch shews its defficiency.
There was also ye mint which they Coyn’d, but since the old money is all new Coyn’d into mill’d money, that Ceases. Here there is a ffine large Cathedrall and very Loftly, but nothing remarkable of monuments or else: by it is 3 hospitalls for boys girls and old people who spinn yarne, as does all ye town besides for ye Crapes, Callimancos and damaskes wch is ye whole business of the place. Indeed they are arrived to a great perfection in worke, so fine and thinn and glossy; their pieces are 27 yards in Length and their price is from 30 shillings to 3 pound as they are in ffineness. A man Can weave 13 yards a day, I saw some weaveing; they are all Employ’d in spinning, knitting weaveing, dying, scouring or bleaching stuffs. Their hospitalls are well provided for; there are 32 women in one as many men in ye other, there is also a good free schoole. There is a great many Cerimonyes in ye Choice and Swearing their major: they Elect him the first day of May and yn prepare for his being sworne on Holly Thursday. They new washe and plaister their houses wth in and without wch they strike out in squares like free stone. All ye streete in wch this mayor Elect’s house, is very exact in beautifying themselves and hanging up flaggs ye Coullrs of their Companyes, and dress up pageants and there are playes and all sorts of show that day—in Little what is done at ye Lord major of London show. Then they have a great feast wth fine flaggs and scenes hung out, musick and danceing. I was in ye hall they keep their feast in and saw some of their preparations: for that day being about a fortnight to it. The town is a mile and a halfe from ye North to ye South gate. Just by one of ye Churches there is a wall made of flints that are headed very finely and Cut so exactly square and Even to shutt in one to another that ye whole wall is made without Cement at all they say, but it appears to be very little if any morter; it Looks well, very smooth shineing and black.
A great many descenters are in this Citty, the Gentlewoman that was my acquaintance there dyed 10 dayes before I came thither so I made no great stay there but to see about ye town.
Thence I went to Windham a Little market town 5 miles, mostly on a Causey ye Country being Low and moorish, and ye Road on ye Causey was in many places full of holes tho’ its secured by a barr at which passengers pay a penny a horse in order to the mending ye way, for all about is not to be Rode on Unless its a very dry summer. Thence we went mostly through Lanes where you meete ye ordinary people knitting 4 or 5 in a Company under the hedges. To Attlborough, 5 mile more to a Little village, still finding the Country full of spinners and Knitters: thence to Thetford 6 miles more, wch was formerly a large place but now much decay’d and the ruines only shews it dimentions. There is a very high hill quite round stands up on one side of it and Can scarcely be ascended so steep. Here I Lay, wch is still in Norfolk. Next day I went to Euston Hall wch was ye Lord arlingtons and by his only daughters marriage wth ye Duke of Grafton is his sons by her. Its two mile from thetford, it stands in a Large parke 6 miles about. Ye house is a Roman H of brick: 4 towers wth balls on them; the windows are Low and not sashes Else ye roomes are of a good size and height, a good stair case full of good pictures, a Long gallery hung wth pictures at Length, on ye one side the Royal family from K: Henry ye 7th by ye Scottish race, his Eldest daughter down to ye present King William and his queen Mary. The other side are forreign princes from ye Emperour of Moroccoe, ye Northern and Southern princes and Emperour of Germany. There is a square in ye middle where stands a billiard table, hung wth outlandish pictures of Heroes; there is Count Egmint and Horn &c &c, but ye End of ye Roome is ye Duke and Dutchess of Grafton’s picture at length. Thence I enter’d into dineing and drawing roome and bed Chambers of a very good size and good fret work on ye Cieling: in one of the roomes was ye Dutchess of Cleavelands picture in a sultaness dress, the Duke of Grafton being King Charles ye seconds base son by her. There was also another picture of ye Royal family. K Charles ye firsts 5 Children altogether. I have often seen 3 wch was K: Charles ye second, K: James and ye Princess of Orange; but here was also ye Lady Elizabeth and ye Duke of Glocester a Little Infant on a pillow. In another place there is the queen mothers picture the Lady Henrietta drawn Large. There is a fine hall and parlour below pav’d wth free stone. There are good gardens wth fountaines and some stone statutes, a Cannall by ye side, a Large Court at ye Entrance wth 3 Iron barr gates wch open to ye ffront, divided wth stone pillars and balls. Ye Court wth out is walled round and ye wall is Carry’d a great Length round ye back yards. Within this is another Court wth Iron spike pallasadoes divided Every 2 or 3 yards by little stone pillars with balls. There are severall Rows of trees runs of a great length thro’ the parke a visto to ye front of ye house, wch lookes nobly tho’ not just of ye new modell’d way of building. At ye back gate I crossed over ye river Waveney wch is ye division of ye two County’s and enter’d Suffolk and pass’d over perfect downs, Champion Country just like Salisbery plaine; and ye winds have a pretty power here and blows strongly in ye winter not well to be Endured.
So to St Edmundsbery 8 mile, but as has been often observ’d before, the miles are very long. I pass’d by two or 3 Little villages, and about 2 mile off there is ye town of St Edmds Bury wch appeares standing on a great hill, ye towers and buildings Look so Compact and well together wth the trees and gardens thick about it ye prospect was wonderfully pleasant. A mile off by a little village I descended a hill which made ye prospect of ye town still in view and much to advantage, its but two parishes. Ye market Cross has a dyal and Lanthorn on ye top, and there being another house pretty Close to it high built wth such a tower and lanthorn also, wth ye two Churches towers and some other buildings pretty good, made it appear nobly at a distance. This high house is an apothecarys—at least 60 stepps up from ye ground and gives a pleaseing prospect of ye whole town. Severall streetes but no good buildings Except this, the rest are great old houses of timber and mostly of ye old forme of ye Country wch are long peaked roofes of tileing. This house is the new mode of building; 4 roomes of a floore pretty sizeable and high, well furnish’d, a drawing roome and Chamber full of China and a damaske bed Embroyder’d: 2 other Roomes, Camlet and Mohaire beds; a pretty deale of plaite in his wives Chambers and parlours below, and a large shop. He is esteem’d a very Rich man. He shewed me a Curiosity of an Herball all written out wth Every sort of tree and herb dryed and Cut out and pasted on the Leaves; it was a doctor of Physicks work that left it him a Legacy at his Death, it was a fine thing and would have delighted me severall dayes but I was passant. There was two streetes were broad and very Long, out of wch ran a Cross 5 or 6 streetes more wch are as good as in most Country towns—they are well pitch’d wth small stones. There are many descenters in ye town—4 meeteing places wth ye Quakers and anabaptists. There is only the ruines of ye abby walls and the fine gate at the Entrance that remaines—stone, well Carv’d. It seemes to be a thriveing Industrious town; 4 gates in it.
There are a great deale of Gentry wch Lives in ye town, tho’ there are no good houses but wch are old and rambling ones. They are in that they Call the green, a space by ye Churches wch are pretty near together. They are pretty Large but nothing Curious in them—stone buildings—no monuments worth notice. They keep them very Clean and neate and have a moveable scaffold to Clean the roofe and windows and walls. Its a very dear place, so much Company Living in the town makes provision scarce and dear: however its a good Excuse to raise the Reckoning on strangers.
Thence I went to admiral Russells who is now Lord orfford, a long 10 mile, and Loseing my way made it 12 mile; its pretty good way. I passed by a village or two, and in a mile of Lord orffords house I Enter Cambridgeshire, wch stands 3 mile from New market. You Ride in sight of New market heath where the Races are—its good Road; here are severall good gardens well kept good gravell and green walks wth fine greens and flowers, walled in and all the outhouses very handsome. A Coach yard and stables in the middle of wch is a Large gate into ye ground, and built over wth a high lanthorn where hangs the Clock and bell: this stands higher than ye house like a tower; ye house being a flatt Roofe leaded and railed round full of Chimneys, but this tower I saw 10 mile off. All ye out offices built round a Court very handsome. The hall is very noble paved wth free stone, a squaire of black marble at Each Corner of ye freestone: there are two fine white marble tables veined wth bleu; its wanscoated wth wall nut tree, the pannells and Rims round wth mulbery tree yt is a Lemon Coullour, and ye moldings beyond it round are of a sweete outlandish wood not much differing from Cedar but of a finer Graine, the Chaires are all the same: its hung wth pictures att full proportion of ye Royal family all in their Coronation Robes, from Charles the first to his Majesty wth ye Queen also, and at the End is Prince George and Princess Ann in their Robes of Crimson velvet and Dukes Coronet as Duke and Dutchess of Cumberland. The whole house is finely furnish’d wth differing Coulld Damaske and velvets, some ffigured and others plaine, at Least 6 or 7 in all Richly made up after a new mode. In ye best drawing roome was a very Rich hanging gold and silver and a Little scarlet, mostly tissue and brocade of gold and silver and border of green damaske round it; ye window Curtain ye same green damaske round it ye window Curtain ye same green damaske, and doore Curtains. There was no Looking-glass but on ye Chimney piece and just opposite in ye place a Looking glass used to be was 4 pannells of glass in Length and 3 in breadth set together in ye wanscoate. Ye same was in another drawing roome wch was for my Lord. The dining roome had this Looking glass on ye top peers between the three windows; it was from ye top to ye bottom 2 pannells in breadth and 7 in Length so it shews one from top to toe. The roomes were all well wanscoated and hung and there was ye finest Carv’d wood in fruitages, herbages, gumms, beasts, fowles &c. very thinn and fine all in white wood wth out paint or varnish. Ye severall sorts of things thus Carv’d were Exceeding naturall all round. The Chimney pieces and ye sconces stand on Each side the Chimney, and the glasses in those Chambers where were Loose Looking-glasses, wch were wth fine Carv’d head and frames some of the naturall wood others Gilt, but they were ye largest Looking-glasses I Ever saw. There was a great flower pott Gilt Each side the Chimney in the dineing Roome for to sett trees in. Ye great Curiosity of this wood Carving about ye Doores Chimneys and sconces, together wth ye great Looking Glass pannells is much talked of and is ye finest and most in quantety and numbers thats to be seen any where. There is very fine China and silver things and irons and jarrs and perfume potts of silver. Ye common Roomes are all new, Convenient and neate with Double doores lined to prevent noises. Ye Stair Case is wanscoated, very noble, fine Pictures, there is ye battle at la Hogue a Large sea piece wth an jnscription of ye admiralls valour when ye great ship ye Gunn was burnt and mightily valued by ye ffrench King.