its origin in a castle on a rock. This rock, with the
castle that crowns the summit of it, rears its lofty head now in the
very centre of the town, with deep valleys all around it. This rock, or
rather rocky hill,--for it is nearly a mile in circumference,--is very
steep on all sides but one. On that side there is a gradual slope, a
mile or more in length, leading down to the level country. A great many
centuries ago the military chieftains of those days built the castle on
the hill. About the same time the monks built a monastery on the level
ground at the foot of the long slope leading down from the castle. The
rocky hill was an excellent place for the castle, for there was a
hundred feet of almost perpendicular precipice on all sides but one, and
on that side there was a convenient slope for the people who lived in
the castle to go up and down; and thus, by fortifying this side, and
making slight walls on all the other sides, the whole place would be
very secure. The level ground below, too, was a very good place for the
monastery or abbey; for it was easily accessible from all the country
around, and was, moreover, in the midst of a region of fertile land,
easy for the lay brethren to till. There was no necessity that the abbey
should be in a fortified place, for such establishments were considered
sacred in those days, and even in the most furious wars they were seldom
molested.

In process of time a palace was built by the side of the abbey. This
palace and a part of the ruins of the abbey still remain. Of course,
when the palace was built, a town would gradually grow up near it. Many
noblemen of the realm came and built houses along the street which led
from the palace up to the castle--now called High Street. The fronts of
these houses were on the street, and the gardens behind them extended
down the slopes of the ridge on both sides, into the deep valleys that
bordered them. Little lanes were left between these houses, leading down
the slopes; but they were closed at the bottom by a wall, which was
built along at the foot of the descent on each side, and formed the
enclosure of the town.

In process of time the town extended down into these valleys, and then
to the other hills beyond them. Then bridges were built here and there
across the valleys, to lead from one hill to another, and tunnels and
other subterranean passages were made, to connect one valley with
another, until, finally, the town assumed the ver