troops,
and lived in an encampment of tents during the six weeks which the sale
lasted. Almost everything of value was then dispersed. Mrs. Hare and
her husband afterwards resided at Hurstmonceux Place, the new house
which Wyatt was commissioned to build, and lived there in such
extravagance that they always spent a thousand a year more than their
income, large as it was, and annually sold a farm from the property to
make up the deficiency. It was a proverb in the neighbourhood at that
time that 'people might hunt either Hares or foxes'."

And thus it stood, a ruined shell, until comparatively recent years.
The many curious staircases built in the thicknesses of the walls, the
secret underground passages, and the general isolation on the edge of
the marsh, all contrived to render the ruin an ideal rendezvous for
smugglers and a suitable depository for their stores of contraband.

Now, fortunately, the castle is in the hands of one who, appreciating
such a possession, is taking steps to prevent any further decay, and
with a loving care and a sense of fitness is proceeding with the
delicate task of necessary restoration.

BATTLE ABBEY

To Battle is the excursion of paramount interest from the popular point
of view. The association with one of the most momentous events in the
history of the land, the peculiar entertainment of standing on the
actual ground where the battle took place and the "last of the English"
fell, the intrinsic pleasure in the inspection of a ruin at once rich
in memories and comely in setting,--all contrive to make it the
pilgrimage into the country around. Other ruins may surpass it in
degree of preservation, in individual reminiscence, in charm of
situation, but none, not even Pevensey, can vie with the Abbey in
strength of appeal.

It was erected on the actual place of the contest. On the eve of the
battle, when the rival forces were assembled and ready for the shock of
arms, William, in a sudden fit of piety--or nervousness--made a solemn
vow that, should victory be his, he would found a mighty church, in
token of his thankfulness for the Divine intervention. And when it was
all over, and the English had fallen, he quickly made good his promise.
Practical men came to him urging the unsuitable nature of the site,
high up on the hill-side away from all water. Rather would they build
down there in the hollow, where the springs ever gushed forth freely.
But not so William: the chur