the surrounding country this was one of the
strongest fortresses in England, and it was also one of the last to
yield to the Norman Conquest, its reduction causing King William heavy
loss. Afterwards he regarded it as among his most loyal strongholds. The
lofty tower, and indeed the whole cathedral, are landmarks for the
entire country round, and from the rising ground at Cambridge, fully
twenty miles to the southward, can be seen standing out against the sky.
From the dykes and fields and meadows that have replaced the marshes
along the Cam and Ouse the huge tower can be seen looming up in stately
grandeur. It is almost the sole attraction of the sleepy little country
town. The great feature of this massive cathedral is the wonderful
central octagon, with its dome-like roof crowned by a lofty lantern,
which is said to be the only Gothic dome of its kind in existence in
England or France. We are told that the original cathedral had a central
tower, which for some time showed signs of instability, until on one
winter's morning in 1321 it came down with an earthquake crash and
severed the cathedral into four arms. In reconstructing it, to ensure
security, the entire breadth of the church was taken as a base for the
octagon, so that it was more than three times as large as the original
square tower. Magnificent windows are inserted in the exterior faces of
the octagon, and the entire cathedral has been recently restored. It was
to Bishop Cox, who then presided over the see of Ely, that Queen
Elizabeth, when he objected to the alienation of certain church
property, wrote her famous letter:

"PROUD PRELATE: You know what you were before I made you what you
are; if you do not immediately comply with my request, by God, I
will unfrock you."

"ELIZABETH R."

[Illustration: OLD BITS IN ELY.

1. Old passage from Ely street to Cathedral Ford.
2. Entrance to Prior Crawdon's Chapel.
3. Old houses in High Street.]

The bishop, it is almost unnecessary to say, surrendered. The town
contains little of interest beyond some quaint old houses.

PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL.

[Illustration: PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL.]

North-westward of Ely, and just on the border of the Fenland, Saxulf, a
thane of Mercia who had acquired great wealth, founded the first and
most powerful of the great Benedictine abbeys of this region in the year
655. Around this celebrated religious house has grown the town of
Peterborough, now