and guarded by a Whitechapel bull-cdog, who, like another Cerberus, sits
growling at the gate to fright away the child of poverty, and insult the
less wealthy pedestrian.

Happy country! where every man can consult his own taste, and build
according to his own fancy, amalgamating in one structure all the known
orders and varieties, Persian, Egyptian, Athenian, and European.

Croydon in 1573 contained the _archiepiscopal palace_ of the celebrated
Archbishop Parker, who, as well as his successor Whitgift, here had
frequently the honour to entertain Queen Elizabeth and her court: the
manor since the reign of William the Conqueror has belonged to the
Archbishops of Canterbury. The church is a venerable structure, and the
stately tower, embowered with woods and flanked by the Surrey hills,
a most picturesque and commanding object; the interior contains some
monuments of antiquity well worthy the attention of the curious. The
town itself has little worthy of note except the hospital, ~282~~founded
by Archbishop Whitgift for a warder and twenty poor men and women,
decayed housekeepers of Croyden and Lambeth: a very comfortable and
well-endowed retirement.

"This was formerly the King's road," said coachee, "but the radicals
having thought proper to insult his majesty on his passing through to
Brighton during the affair of the late Queen, he has ever since gone by
the way of Sutton: a circumstance that has at least operated to produce
one christian virtue among the inhabitants, namely, that of humility;
before this there was no _getting change_ for a civil sentence from
them."

To Merstham seven miles, the road winds through a bleak valley called
Smithem Bottom, till recently the favourite resort of the cockney
gunners for rabbit-shooting; but whether from the noise of their
harmless double-barrel _Nocks_, or the more dreadful carnage of the
Croydon poachers, these animals are now exceedingly scarce in this
neighbourhood. Just as we came in sight of Merstham, the distant view
halloo of the huntsman broke upon our ears, when the near-leader rising
upon his haunches and neighing with delight at the inspiring sound, gave
us to understand that he had not always been used to a life of drudgery,
but in earlier times had most likely carried some daring Nimrod to the
field, and bounded with fiery courage o'er hedge and gate, through dell
and brake, outstripping the fleeting wind to gain the honour of _the
brush_. Ere we had gained