What though in solemn silence all
Move round the dark terrestrial ball;
What though no real voice nor sound
Amidst their radiant orbs be found?
In Reason's ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice;
For ever singing as they shine,
"The Hand that made us is divine."
After resting a short time and carefully writing down the instructions
given us as to how to reach Stonehenge, and the way thence to Amesbury,
we resumed our journey; and near the place where we crossed the River
Avon we had the first indication of our proximity to Stonehenge by the
sight of an enormous stone lying in the bed of the stream, which we were
told was like those we should find at Stonehenge. It was said to be one
that the Druids could not get across the stream owing to its great size
and weight, and so they had to leave it in the river. The country became
still more lonely as we walked across Salisbury Plain, and on a dark wet
night it might quite come up to the description given of it by Barham in
the _Ingoldsby Legends_ in "The Dead Drummer, a Legend of Salisbury
Plain," the first verse of which runs:
Oh, Salisbury Plain is bleak and bare,
At least so I've heard many people declare,
For I fairly confess I never was there;--
Not a shrub nor a tree, not a bush can you see;
No hedges, no ditches, no gates, no stiles,
Much less a house, or a cottage for miles;--
It's a very sad thing to be caught in the rain
When night's coming on upon Salisbury Plain.
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