large/6138/signsofchange_1209_librivox_64kb_mp3/signsofchange_05_morris_64kb_23
large/6138/signsofchange_1209_librivox_64kb_mp3/signsofchange_05_morris_64kb
English
6138
How strange it would be to us if we could be landed in fourteenth century England; unless we saw the crest of some familiar hill, like that which yet bears upon it a symbol of an English tribe, and from which, looking down on the plain where Alfred was born, I once had many such ponderings, we should not know into what country of the world we were come: the name is left, scarce a thing else. HOW STRANGE IT WOULD BE TO US IF WE COULD BE LANDED IN FOURTEENTH CENTURY ENGLAND UNLESS WE SAW THE CREST OF SOME FAMILIAR HILL LIKE THAT WHICH YET BEARS UPON IT A SYMBOL OF AN ENGLISH TRIBE AND FROM WHICH LOOKING DOWN ON THE PLAIN WHERE ALFRED WAS BORN I ONCE HAD MANY SUCH PONDERINGS WE SHOULD NOT KNOW INTO WHAT COUNTRY OF THE WORLD WE WERE COME THE NAME IS LEFT SCARCE A THING ELSE
 rough husbandry of the tilled parts, the unimproved breeds of cattle, sheep, and swine; especially the latter, so lank and long and lathy, looking so strange to us; the strings of packhorses along the bridle-roads, the scantiness of the wheel-roads, scarce any except those left by the Romans, and those made from monastery to monastery: the scarcity of bridges, and people using ferries instead, or fords where they could; the little towns, well bechurched, often walled; the villages just where they are now (except for those that have nothing but the church left to tell of them), but better and more populous; their churches, some big and handsome, some small and curious, but all crowded with altars and furniture, and gay with pictures and ornament; the many religious houses, with their glorious architecture; the beautiful manor-houses, some of them castles once, and survivals from an earlier period; some new and elegant; some out of all proportion small for the importance of their lords. MMON PASTURE QUITE UNINCLOSED THE ROUGH HUSBANDRY OF THE TILLED PARTS THE UNIMPROVED BREEDS OF CATTLE SHEEP AND SWINE ESPECIALLY THE LATTER SO LANK AND LONG AND LATHY LOOKING SO STRANGE TO US THE STRINGS OF PACK HORSES ALONG THE BRIDLE ROADS THE SCANTINESS OF THE WHEEL ROADS SCARCE ANY EXCEPT THOSE LEFT BY THE ROMANS AND THOSE MADE FROM MONASTER TO MONASTERY THE SCARCITY OF BRIDGES AND PEOPLE USING FERRIES INSTEAD OR FORDS WHERE THEY COULD THE LITTLE TOWNS WELL BECHURCHED OFTEN WALLED THE VILLAGES JUST WHERE THEY ARE NOW EXCEPT FOR THOSE THAT HAVE NOTHING BUT THE CHURCH LEFT TO TELL OF THEM BUT BIGGER AND MORE POPULOUS THEIR CHURCHES SOME BIG AND HANDSOME SOME SMALL AND CURIOUS BUT ALL CROWDED WITH ALTARS AND FURNITURE AND GAY WITH PICTURES AND ORNAMENT THE MANY RELIGIOUS HOUSES WITH THEIR GLORIOUS ARCHITECTURE THE BEAUTIFUL MANOR HOUSES SOME OF THEM CASTLES ONCE AND SURVIVALS FROM AN EARLIER PERIOD SOME NEW AND ELEGANT SOME OUT OF ALL PROPORTION SMALL FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR LORDS
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