t not know'st who first did place thee there.
Ill did those mightie men to trust thee with their storie;
Thou hast forgot their names who rear'd thee for their glorie;
For all their wondrous cost, thou that hast serv'd them so,
What 'tis to trust to tombes by thee we easily know."

WILTON HOUSE.

[Illustration: SOUTH-EAST VIEW OF WILTON HOUSE.]

[Illustration: FIRE-PLACE IN DOUBLE-CUBE ROOM.]

[Illustration: THE LIBRARY, WILTON HOUSE.]

Returning along the valley of the Avon past the almost lifeless town of
Amesbury, where there formerly was a grand Benedictine monastery long
since gone to decay, we cross over to the Wiley Vale, and at about three
miles distance from Salisbury come to the Earl of Pembroke's seat at
Wilton House. The ancient town of Wilton--or, as it was originally
called, Willytown--stands at the confluence of the rivers Nadder and
Wiley. The Britons established it, and it was one of the capitals of the
West Saxons. It was famous long before the Norman Conquest, and it
afterwards obtained renown from the number and importance of its
monastic establishments, having had no less than twelve parish churches,
though not a trace of its abbey now remains. Henry VIII. dissolved it,
and gave the site and buildings to Sir William Herbert, who was
afterwards created Earl of Pembroke, and from its relics Wilton House
was largely constructed. The town is now chiefly noted as the
manufactory of Axminster and Wilton carpets, dextrously woven by
operatives who use most primitive machinery. The Earl's Park adjoins the
town, and in it is Wilton House, one of the grandest palaces in England,
standing upon the site of the abbey. The buildings were designed by
Holbein, and the garden front being burned in 1648, was rebuilt soon
afterwards, while the entire structure was enlarged and remodelled
during the present century, the cloisters being then added for the
display of the fine collection of sculptures. The plan of the house is a
quadrangle, with a glazed cloister occupying the central square. Within
this cloister and the hall leading to it are the well-known Pembroke
Marbles--statues, busts, urns, vases, bassi-relievi, and fragments of
great value from Grecian and Roman works. This collection was formed
during the last century, being gathered by the then earl from various
sources. In the hall are statues, but its chief interest comes from the
numerous suits of armor with which it is adorned, chiefly memoria