Old Hampshire Mapped
Cobbett's Hampshire
Transcription (65)downs
snow
Glory, Sir
Featherstone, Henry, Sir
Bramdean
Petersfield
Alfred the Great
Danes
battle
exciseman
taxes
When we began to get up towards the Downs, we, to our great surprise, saw them covered with Snow. 'Sad times coming on for poor SIR GLORY,' said I to Richard. 'Why?' said Dick. It was too cold to talk much; and, besides, a great sluggishness in his horse made us both rather serious. The horse had been too hard ridden at Burghclere, and had got cold. This made us change our route again and instead of going over the downs towards Hambledon, in our way to see the park and the innumerable hares and pheasants of SIR HARRY FEATHERSTONE, we pulled away more to the left, to go through BRAMDEAN, and so on to PETERSFIELD, contracting greatly our intended circuit. And, besides, I have never seen BRAMDEAN, the spot on which, it is said, ALFRED fought his last great and glorious battle with the DANES. A fine country for a battle, sure enough! We stopped at the village to bait our horses; and, while we were in the public-house, an EXCISEMAN came and rummaged it all over, taking an account of the various sorts of liquor in it, having the air of a complete master of the premises, while a very pretty and modest girl waited on him to produce the diverse bottles, jars, and kegs. I wonder whether ALFRED had a thought of any thing like this, when he was clearing England from her oppressors?
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