t was, after a vigorous defence, yielded to the conquerors by the
inevitable fate of things at that time. The old house is, indeed,
demolished but the successor of the family, the first Duke of Bolton, has
erected a very noble fabric in the same place, or near it, which,
however, is not equal to the magnificence which fame gives to the ancient
house, whose strength of building only, besides the outworks, withstood
the battery of cannon in several attacks, and repulsed the Roundheads
three or four times when they attempted to besiege it. It is incredible
what booty the garrison of this place picked up, lying as they did just
on the great Western Road, where they intercepted the carriers, plundered
the waggons, and suffered nothing to pass--to the great interruption of
the trade of the city of London.

Basingstoke is a large populous market-town, has a good market for corn,
and lately within a very few years is fallen into a manufacture, viz., of
making druggets and shalloons, and such slight goods, which, however,
employs a good number of the poor people, and enables them to get their
bread, which knew not how to get it before.

From hence the great Western Road goes on to Whitchurch and Andover, two
market-towns, and sending members to Parliament; at the last of which the
Downs, or open country, begins, which we in general, though falsely, call
Salisbury Plain. But my resolution being to take in my view what I had
passed by before, I was obliged to go off to the left hand, to Alresford
and Winchester.

Alresford was a flourishing market-town, and remarkable for this--that
though it had no great trade, and particularly very little, if any,
manufactures, yet there was no collection in the town for the poor, nor
any poor low enough to take alms of the parish, which is what I do not
think can be said of any town in England besides.

But this happy circumstance, which so distinguished Alresford from all
her neighbours, was brought to an end in the year ---, when by a sudden
and surprising fire the whole town, with both the church and the market-
house, was reduced to a heap of rubbish; and, except a few poor huts at
the remotest ends of the town, not a house left standing. The town is
since that very handsomely rebuilt, and the neighbouring gentlemen
contributed largely to the relief of the people, especially by sending in
timber towards their building; also their market-house is handsomely
built, but the church not y