“The Cross a perfect victory gained,
“Thus was its mightiness maintained.”
This castle is curiously constructed. It is placed on the summit of a neck of land, both sides of which are precipitous. The keep is at the outer extremity of this neck, and the high rock on which it stands towers perpendicularly from the valley to the height of some four hundred feet. The main part of the castle was on the neck of land, and at the inner end of the neck was a very strong gate-tower and other buildings. These three portions of the castle were joined together by strong walls: but if the gate-tower was forced the garrison could first of all defend the centre, which was divided by a great ditch from the gate-tower; and, finally, they could retire into the keep, which formed a castle in itself. Thus the assailants had to take three separate fortresses.
The tower and considerable fragments of the other parts of this castle still remain, wrapped in solitude. The old hall can still be traced. Where the knights caroused and the ladies smiled is now the haunt of the owl, who sleeps among the branches of ivy that are gradually forcing out the stones from the old walls.
IVY-GIRT RUINS.
From the ruined, crumbling wall,
Ancient fragments downwards fall,
No longer held in iron grasp
By ivy hands, which twining clasp
Those ancient towers and turrets grey,