iddaw, the bare crags of the rounded summits being
elevated over three thousand feet, and beyond it the hills and moors of
the Skiddaw Forest stretch northward to the Solway, with the Scruffel
Hill beyond. Upon a slope of the mountain, not far from Keswick, is a
Druids' circle, whose builders scores of centuries ago watched the mists
on Skiddaw's summit, as the people there do now, to foretell a change of
weather as the clouds might rise or fall, for they tell us that

"If Skiddaw hath a cap,
Scruffel wots full well of that."

THE BORDER CASTLES.

At Kendal, in Westmorelandshire, are the ruins of Kendal Castle, a relic
of the Norman days, but long since gone to decay. Here lived the
ancestors of King Henry VIII.'s last wife, Queen Catharine Parr.
Opposite it are the ruins of Castle How, and not far away the quaint
appendage known as Castle Dairy, replete with heraldic carvings. It was
in the town of Kendal that was made the foresters' woollen cloth known
as "Kendal green," which was the uniform of Robin Hood's band.

In the northern part of the county, on the military road to Carlisle,
are the ruins of Brougham Castle, built six hundred years ago. It was
here that the Earl of Cumberland magnificently entertained King James I.
for three days on one of his journeys out of Scotland. It is famous as
the home of the late Henry, Lord Brougham, whose ancestors held it for
many generations. The manor-house, known as Brougham Hall, has such
richness, variety, and extent of prospect from its terraces that it is
called the "Windsor of the North." Lord Brougham was much attached to
his magnificent home, and it was here in 1860 that he finished his
comprehensive work on the _British Constitution_, and wrote its famous
dedication to the queen, beginning with the memorable words, "Madame, I
presume to lay at Your Majesty's feet a work the 'result of many years'
diligent study, much calm reflection, and a long life's experience." In
close proximity to the castle is the Roman station Brocavum, founded by
Agricola in A.D. 79. Its outline is clearly defined, the camp within the
inner ditch measuring almost one thousand feet square. Various Roman
roads lead from it, and much of the materials of the outworks were built
into the original Brougham Castle.

[Illustration: ROAD THROUGH CATHEDRAL CLOSE, CARLISLE.]

The Solway and its firth divide England from Scotland, and this
borderland has been the scene of many deadly feuds, thou