out at last to look
at the sun, a great stone had fallen and closed the entrance, so that
there was no return to the shadow. The impassable precipice shuts off
our former selves of yesterday, forcing us to look out over the sea
only, or up to the deeper heaven.

"These breadths draw out the soul; we feel that we have wider thoughts
than we knew; the soul has been living, as it were, in a nutshell, all
unaware of its own power, and now suddenly finds freedom in the sun and
the sky. Straight, as if sawn down from turf to beach, the cliff shuts
off the human world, for the sea knows no time and no era; you cannot
tell what century it is from the face of the sea. A Roman trireme
suddenly rounding the white edge-line of chalk, borne on wind and oar
from the Isle of Wight towards the gray castle at Pevensey (already old
in olden days), would not seem strange. What wonder could surprise us
coming from the wonderful sea?"

[Illustration: _Beachy Head from the Shore._]

[Sidenote: EAST DEAN]

The road from Birling Gap runs up the valley to East Dean and Friston,
two villages among the Downs. Parson Darby's church at East Dean is
small and not particularly interesting; but it gave Horsfield, the
county historian, the opportunity to make one of his infrequent jokes.
"There are three bells," he writes, "and 'if discord's harmony not
understood,' truly harmonious ones." Horsfield does not note that one of
these three bells bore a Latin motto which being translated signifies

Surely no bell beneath the sky
Can send forth better sounds than I?

The East Dean register contains a curious entry which is quoted in
Grose's _Olio_, ed. 1796:--"Agnes Payne, the daughter of Edward Payne,
was buried on the _first day of February_. Johan Payne, the daughter of
Edward Payne, was buried on the _first day of February_.

"In the death of these two sisters last mentioned is one thing worth
recording, and diligently to be noted. 'The elder sister, called Agnes,
being very sicke unto death, _speechless_, and, as was thought, past
hope of speakinge; after she had lyen twenty-four hours without speach,
at last upon a suddayne cryed out to her sister to make herself ready
and to come with her. Her sister Johan being abroad about other
business, was called for, who being come to her sicke sister,
demaundinge how she did, she very lowde or earnestly bade her sister
make ready--she staid for her, and could not go without her. Within ha