"Go! Your lover lives!" cried Cromwell. "Curfew shall not ring to-night!"
Wide they flung the massive portals, led the prisoner forth to die,
All his bright young life before him. 'Neath the darkening English sky
Bessie came, with flying footsteps, eyes aglow with love-light sweet;
Kneeling on the turf beside him, laid his pardon at his feet.
In his brave, strong arms he clasped her, kissed the face upturned and
white,
Whispered: "Darling, you have saved me; curfew will not ring to-night!"
The "Great Peter" bell was presented to Exeter Cathedral in the
fifteenth century by Bishop Peter Courtenay, and when re-cast in 1676
weighed 14,000 lb., being then considered the second largest bell in
England. The curfew was tolled on "Great Peter" every night at eight
o'clock, and after that hour had been sounded and followed by a short
pause, the same bell tolled the number of strokes correspending with the
day of the month. This was followed by another short pause, and then
eight deliberate strokes were tolled.
Ever since the time of William the Conqueror there appeared to have been
too many churches in Exeter, for it was said that thirty-two were known
to have existed at the time of the Conquest, and that in the year 1222
the Bishop reduced the number to nineteen, of which sixteen still
remained at the time of our visit, while the sites of the remaining
three could be located.
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