way from London to Edinburgh. In Newcastle, despite its numerous
relics of antiquity, one's mind is ever dominated by the potent Present,
whereas in Alnwick, it is ever under the spell of the dreamy Past. The
quaint, irregular stone-built houses are touched with the sober hues of
antiquity, and seem to take their character from the great baronial
relic of feudal times. The history of the town is chiefly a record of

"Old unhappy far-off things,
And battles long ago."

It was founded by the Saxons, who styled it Alainwick, "the town on the
clear water." Like Carlisle, its history is largely one of attack and
retaliation. The Scottish Sovereigns were peculiarly unfortunate at
Alnwick. For here Malcolm Canmore was speared to death in 1093, and
William the Lion made prisoner in 1174, and inside the castle of to-day
with its gilded ceilings, luxurious upholstery, and majestic mantels of
Italian workmanship and marbles, are still to be seen the dour dungeons
in which many a Scot died miserably while the Percy and his retainers
feasted above. King John burned Alnwick to the ground in 1216, David I.
besieged and captured it. Each of the Edwards visited the place. It was
again devastated by the Scots in 1427. In 1463, it was held for Edward
IV., and in 1464 it fell into the hands of Queen Margaret. Royalists and
Roundheads occupied Alnwick during the wars between Charles and his
Parliament, but after 1700 it settled down to comparative quiet. The
Castle, of course, dominates the place. There is what William Howitt
calls "an air of solemn feudality" overhanging the whole town. Streets
and buildings, and the general tone harmonize well with the prevailing
conditions. Only one of its four gates survives--the gloomy, old,
weather-beaten Bondgate, built by the haughty Hotspur about the year
1450. The Cross dates from the same period. The most interesting and
venerable structure is the Church of St. Mary and St. Michael, founded
about the beginning of the 14th century, Perpendicular in style, and
abundant in Percy memorials. But the chief object of interest is the
Castle with the Castle enclosure (some five acres in extent). The Castle
itself is the most magnificent specimen of a feudal fortress in England,
a verdict in which all who see it will agree. What an extraordinarily
fascinating and profoundly impressive place, from the very stones of the
courtyard to the defiant-looking warrior figures on the battlements of
the bar