inst them, where there is a good road for ships to put in on occasions
of bad weather, is Portland Castle, and the road is called Portland Road.
While I was here once, there came a merchant-ship into that road called
Portland Road under a very hard storm of wind; she was homeward bound
from Oporto for London, laden with wines; and as she came in she made
signals of distress to the town, firing guns for help, and the like, as
is usual in such cases; it was in the dark of the night that the ship
came in, and, by the help of her own pilot, found her way into the road,
where she came to an anchor, but, as I say, fired guns for help.

The venturous Weymouth men went off, even before it was light, with two
boats to see who she was, and what condition she was in; and found she
was come to an anchor, and had struck her topmasts; but that she had been
in bad weather, had lost an anchor and cable before, and had but one
cable to trust to, which did hold her, but was weak; and as the storm
continued to blow, they expected every hour to go on shore and split to
pieces.

Upon this the Weymouth boats came back with such diligence that in less
than three hours they were on board them again with an anchor and cable,
which they immediately bent in its place, and let go to assist the other,
and thereby secured the ship. It is true that they took a good price of
the master for the help they gave him; for they made him draw a bill on
his owners at London for 12 pounds for the use of the anchor, cable, and
boat, besides some gratuities to the men. But they saved the ship and
cargo by it, and in three or four days the weather was calm, and he
proceeded on his voyage, returning the anchor and cable again; so that,
upon the whole, it was not so extravagant as at first I thought it to be.

The Isle of Portland, on which the castle I mentioned stands, lies right
against this Port of Weymouth. Hence it is that our best and whitest
freestone comes, with which the Cathedral of St. Paul's, the Monument,
and all the public edifices in the City of London are chiefly built; and
it is wonderful, and well worth the observation of a traveller, to see
the quarries in the rocks from whence they are cut out, what stones, and
of what prodigious a size are cut out there.

The island is indeed little more than one continued rock of freestone,
and the height of the land is such that from this island they see in
clear weather above half over the Channel to F