"Art come to confess him too, Father Marsh?" and with that
they plucked him by the beard, mocking and ill-treating him. But, filled
with joy that he was accounted worthy to suffer, he passed from them
into the great hall, at that period a large and lofty room, which, as
tradition reports, would have "dined all the monarchs of Europe, and all
their trains." It has since been much curtailed of its proportions,
modern improvements having appropriated it to more useful purposes. The
wainscots were enriched with choice and beautiful carvings, representing
bucks' heads, flowers, and portraits of the most distinguished ancestors
of the family. So numerous and varied were these ornaments, that, it is
commonly reported, the artist wrought out his apprenticeship in
executing this grand work, which for minuteness and the astonishing
number and ingenuity of the devices, perhaps exceeded most of the like
nature throughout the realm. Amongst other whimsical fancies was a ton
crossed with a bar, having the cyphers A and B above and below, which
worthless and absurd pun, a sort of emblematic wit much cultivated by
our forefathers, indicated the name of the founder, Sir Andrew Barton.
Pages:
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359