Of Dartmoor and Us Borderland. 8i
- Hard by the wayside I found a cross,
That made me breathe a pray'r upon the spot. — • *•«••* Methought, the claims of Charity to urge More forcibly, along with Faith and Hope, The pious choice had pitch'd upon the verge Of a delicious slope, Giving the eye much variegated scope; — 'Look round,' it whisper 'd, *on that prospect rare, Those vales so verdant, and those hills so blue ; Enjoy the sunny world, so fresh, and fair.'*'* The cross stands near the centre of the down, and not far from the highway leading to Tavistock. It has a very rugged appearance, and the depth of the arms, which are roughly shapen, will at once strike the observer as being much greater than is generally the case, this being no less than eighteen inches. The shaft measures four feet eight inches from the bottom to the under surface of the arms ; its full height being seven feet nine inches. In width it is about twelve or thirteen inches, and in thickness varies from ten to twelve. The arms are two feet four inches across. This venerable cross leans slightly on one side, and its rude fashioning presents a great contrast to the care displayed in the shaping of the Windypost. On the south-east face there is something which bears a faint resemblance to an incised cross, but the granite is so much worn by the weather that it is impossible to determine with any degree of certainty whether the marks are artificial or not. It will be noticed that the cross stands within a circular enclosure formed by a low bank of turf, which includes a small quarry in its area. This enclosure is four hundred and seventy feet in circumference, the measurement being taken on the top of the bank^ which is much overgrown with heather in places. On the further side of the road, and on the verge of the down, is a piece of wall having the appearance of the remains of some building. The site is known as Monkeys* Castle, which is probably a corruption of monkSf and may point to some connection with the brothers of the abbey. • Hood, Ode to Rae Wilson.
