ands, swimming on one
occasion through the enemy's fire with some despatches for a distant
ship, carrying the papers in his mouth, displaying a courage worthy of
admiration. He distinguished himself in the Battle of Bantry Bay. As an
enemy of France and Spain, he triumphed in many a fierce fight.
Returning home flushed with victory, his ship and all on board were lost
on the Scilly Isles in an October gale. Some uncertainty hangs over his
last moments. It is asserted that he swam to shore alive, and that he
was put to death for the sake of his ring of emeralds and diamonds. An
ancient woman is stated to have confessed as much. For the honour of
human nature, we would fain believe the story to be untrue. A still
greater Norfolk hero was Lord Nelson, who is buried in St. Paul's
Cathedral. 'My principle,' said Nelson, on one occasion, 'is to assist
in driving the French to the devil, and in restoring peace and happiness
to mankind.' Whether he succeeded as regards the former we are not in a
position to state; but peace and happiness, alas! are still far from
being the common property of mankind. The rectory house at Burnham
Thorpe, where Nelson was born, exists no longer. Sir Cloudesley Shovel
lived in a castellated stone house in the small agricultural village of
Cockthorpe, originally fortified as a defence against the incursions of
smugglers. A room in this house, entered by a doorway arched over with
stone, is shown, which is still called by the villagers Sir Cloudesley's
drawing-room.

A chapter might be written about the Norfolk Cokes. Sir Edward Coke, the
great lawyer, was buried at Tittleshale, in Norfolk. The well-known
Coke, the distinguished agriculturist, inhabited that splendid Holkham,
the fame of which exists in our day. It was begun by Lord Leicester in
1734, and finished by his Countess in 1764. Blomefield, the well-known
Norfolk historian, speaks of it as a noble, stately, and sumptuous
palace. Lord Coke and Lord Burlington were men of similar tastes and
pursuits, and were diligent students of classical and Italian art. The
Holkham Library still contains treasures rich and rare. Many of the
latter formed part of the library of Sir Edward Coke; the title-page of
the first edition of the 'Novum Organum,' published in 1620, bears the
design of a ship passing through the Pillars of Hercules into an
undulating sea. The Holkham copy is adorned by the inscription, 'Ex dono
auctoris.'

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