_For the door of the cell in Newgate, where Mrs. Brownrigg
the ’prentice-cide was confined
previous to her execution._
For one long term, or e’er her trial came,
Here Brownrigg lingered. Often have these cells
Echoed her blasphemies, as with shrill voice
She screamed for fresh Geneva. Not to her
Did the blithe fields of Tothill, or thy street,
St. Giles, its fair varieties expand;
Till at the last, in slow-drawn cart, she went
To execution. Dost thou ask her crime?
_She whipped two female ’prentices to death,
And hid them in the coal-hole._ For her mind
Shaped strictest plans of discipline. Sage schemes,
Such as Lycurgus taught, when at the shrine
Of the Orthyan goddess he bade flog
The little Spartans: such as erst chastised
Our Milton when at college. For this act
Did Brownrigg swing. Harsh laws! but time shall come
When France shall reign, and laws be all repealed!
Adjoining the Keep, or Marten’s Tower, is a small chamber, or <g>Oratory</g>,
remarkable for the elegance of its proportions, and the chaste but
elaborate style of its ornaments. The lancet-pointed window, encircled
by rows of delicately-carved rosettes, is in fine preservation.--_See
the opposite page._
The narrow path which, at a height of six feet above the ground,
connects this portion of the castle with the donjon tower, commands a
range of beautiful scenery, the prominent features of which are the
lawns and groves of Persefield, the precipitous but picturesque banks of
the river, with a noble background for the picture in the commanding
summit of the Wynd Cliff, which overlooks the scene.
The <g>West Gate</g>, a Gothic archway, strongly defended by a double
portcullis, with moat and drawbridge, opens into the fourth or principal
court already noticed; and as portions of Roman brick are here observed
in the masonry, some doubts have arisen as to its date: but whether
furnished from an earlier building on the spot, or transported hither
from the ruins of Caerleon, is a question which, so far as the writer
could ascertain, is still undecided. It seems very
[Illustration]
probable, however, that the commanding site occupied by the present
castle was originally that of a strong military post, built and
garrisoned by the Romans, the ruins of which were converted into a
Norman fortress by William Fitzosborne.
In the view from the right bank of the Wye, the western gate is seen in
all its elegant and massive proportions. The square tower, with its
machicolated parapet, angular turrets, and vertical balustrariæ--through
which flights of arrows or other missiles met the assailants--give a
striking foreground to the picture; while the contiguous towers and
bastions, lessening as they recede, and assuming new and often fantastic
shapes, present a vast and highly diversified mass of buildings. Here
clothed with trees and shrubs, there jutting forward in bare and broken
fragments, and here again rising sheer and high from the water’s edge,
their huge blocks of masonry seem as if they were rather the
spontaneous work of nature than the laborious productions of art. In
this view are comprised the whole line of embattled walls flanking the
river, the new bridge, and part of the lower town; the rocky boundaries
to the southward, with the modern quay, where the daily steamer
discharges her cargo and passengers. The precipitous cliffs, by which
the river is there confined, terminate upwards in wooded and pastoral
scenes--enlivened here and there by cottages and farms, which command
some remarkable and striking views of the river, the town and castle,
with its western landscapes of hill, forest, and park-like scenery. A
short way beyond the extreme verge of the engraving, the river Wye will
shortly be spanned by a magnificent bridge, part of the South Wales
Railway, now in progress.
[Illustration]
<g>An arched Chamber</g>, cut in the natural rock overhanging the river at a
great height, is supposed to have been used as a prison, but more
probably as a store-room; for, by anchoring the boats close to the rock,
their cargoes for the service of the garrison, whether provisions[28] or
ammunition, could be easily hoisted into security by means of a
windlass; and no doubt, under the cloud of night, and with a
spring-tide, many a goodly bark has been thus relieved of its freight;
nor is it improbable that adventurous captives may have thus found their
way to some friendly bark, and regained their freedom.[29] In the hands
of a skilful romance writer, this scene might be turned to excellent
account--more particularly if the descending basket contained a damsel
“flying from tyrants jealous,” and her lover-knight stood in the boat to
receive her--all heightened by such dramatic machinery as midnight, with
the tender hopes and imminent hazards of the enterprise, would easily
supply. But all this is foreign to the spirit of archæology, which turns
with disdain from such puerile vanities, and beckons us forward to the
breach where the iron balls of the Commonwealth were directed with such
fury in the last assault. Their batteries played from the opposite
height, which the guide will point out as the commanding position which
rendered the cause of the defenders so useless and desperate, and added
another triumph to the Parliamentary cannon.
[Illustration]
<g>The Passage</g>, or gallery, leading down to the vaulted chamber, is
accurately shown in the annexed woodcut. It has an air of Gothic
antiquity that harmonizes well with the place, for its pointed style and
proportions clearly show that it belongs to the earliest portion of the
structure. The massive arch, seen through the opening, is that of the
mysterious chamber already noticed. The window,[30] terminating the
vista, overlooks the river, and seems to project from the precipitous
rocks that here form an impregnable barrier to the fortress; and even
when the tide is at its full, the window seems suspended at a dizzy
height above the water. The uses to which the passage and its chamber
were originally applied, were probably those of a temporary refuge and
retreat; and were, no doubt, well understood and appreciated by the
Norman castellan, to whom the means of successful resistance or safe
retreat were the grand objects in a feudal residence.
<g>Such</g> are the general features of this ancient stronghold.[31] But on the
minuter points of its history, architecture, and internal arrangements,
our restricted limits will not permit us to enlarge; but, aided by
faithful engravings and woodcuts, the descriptions, however brief, may
serve to convey a detailed and correct notion of the whole.
<g>Persefield.</g>--In the immediate environs, many objects are found to invite
the traveller’s attention; but, as a combination of rich English
scenery, the attractions of Persefield, or Piercefield, stand
pre-eminent. The house and grounds are thus briefly described: The
latter extend westward along the precipitous banks of the Wye, as shown
in the engraving. On the north is the Wind-Cliff, or Wynd Cliff. The
grounds are divided into the lower and upper lawn by the approach to the
house, a modern edifice, consisting of a stone centre and wings, from
which the ground slopes gracefully but rapidly into a valley profusely
shaded with ornamental trees. To give variety to the views, and disclose
the native grandeur of the position, walks have been thrown open through
the woods and along the precipitous margin of the river, which command
the town, castle, and bridge of Chepstow, with the Severn in the
distance, backed by a vast expanse of fertile valleys and pastoral
hills. But to describe the romantic features of this classic residence
with the minuteness they deserve, would far exceed our limits; it is a
scene calculated to inspire the poet as well as the painter; and it is
gratifying to add that, by the taste and liberality of the owner,
strangers are freely admitted to the grounds and walks of Persefield.
<g>The Wynd Cliff.</g>--This lofty eminence commands one of the finest and most
varied prospects in the United Kingdom; while the scenery of the Cliff
has a particular charm for every lover of the picturesque. Poet,
painter, and historian, have combined their efforts to make it a place
of pilgrimage; but, to be seen in all its beauty, the rich and various
tints of autumn and a bright sun are indispensable accessories. It may
be called the “Righi” of the Wye, commanding a vast circumference of
fertile plains and wooded hills, all enlivened
[Illustration: _Chepstow Castle and Town._