ilQ THE iiisTuuv OF Tin: south- westeux to liis courtiti-s uii the sea-sliorc at Soiitliaini»ton. The cathedral, which Professor Willis luis so ably described, and Avhieh to this day bears traces of the .^axon iieriod, is a noble nionuincnt of the piety and unstinted niuniiioencc ■with vhiel) it uas soni^ht to make God's house surpass in beauty and grandeur all other buildings. (^uecn Enuna, the mother of E.hvard the Confessor, here justified her innocence by ]>assing through the her}- ordeal of Avalking unscathed over hot ploughshares. "Walkclyn. fust lii.^hop of Winchester after the Conquest, nearly rebuilt this cathedral, and a long line of succeeding bisho])s, amongst Avhoin are conspicuous St. S^Yithin, Henry de Blois, Peter dc la lloche (De rupibus), William of A)yke- ham, the founder of the ancient and celebrated college, Cardinal Beaufort, Waynflete. Bishop ][ontagu, and Bishop AndrcAvs, is now represented by that much revered and able prelate, our present bishop, who so worthily fills the chair at this meeting as your President. It was Winchester ^Yhich first heard the sound of the curfew bell, and there that book of titles to property, so hated by the Saxons, was com- piled and named by them Domesday ]3ook. There the splendid Abbey of Hyde, within whose precincts the body of King Alfred rests, lasted to the time of Henry VHI., when it fell with other monastic institutions ; and the Castle, Hall, and Palace of King Charles H. attest the partiality with which it was viewed by the sovereign of England. It must be a satisfaction to you to know that this Hall, Avhere the assize courts have hitherto been held, is being restored to its ancient beauty, and will Un-in a part of the new county buildings. Jn jjassing away (icin Winchester, we should cast our eyes a little lower down the river to the Hospital of St. Cross, where the dole of l»read and beer is still given away faithfully, even to modern pilgrims ; and then, follow- ing down the valley of the Itchen, we at last reach South- ampton. This town camiot boast the same antiquities as Winchester, but its interest is also very considerable. Its name is iound in the ancient Biitish town Anton or Hantono, which is situated on the river An or Ant(jn, and gave its name at once to the present town and county. Bittern was the site of the Roman Clansentum, the i-emains of which may l;c seen in the garden and ground which now belong
