royal city of Winchester, which lies on the slopes and along the bed of
a chalk valley watered by the River Itchen. The greater part of the
present city is situated on the right bank of the river, while the best
general view of it is justly considered to be that obtained by looking
across the Vale of Chilcomb, from the road to Portsmouth. Of the Itchen
valley, with its rich meadows and tranquil stream, William Cobbett was
an enthusiastic admirer. "There are few spots in England", he exclaims,
"more fertile, or more pleasant, none, I believe, more healthy. The
fertility of this vale and of the surrounding country is best proved by
the fact that, besides the town of Alresford, and that of Southampton,
there are seventeen villages, each having its parish church, upon its
borders. When we consider these things, we are not surprised that a spot
situated about halfway down this vale should have been chosen for the
building of a city, or that that city should have been for a great
number of years the place of residence for the kings of England."

To-day the beautiful river winds in and out of the ancient streets, and
among the meadow lands, much as it did when Cobbett penned his _Rural
Rides_, although many charming examples of domestic architecture, which
then graced what was probably the most attractive High Street in
England, have been demolished or restored beyond recognition. As it
flows through the city proper, the river is divided up into a number of
small streams abounding in trout; but after a brief course these
rivulets unite just below the city, from whence the waterway is said to
be navigable all the way to Southampton. The bridge at the foot of the
High Street marks the former limit of the navigability of the river, and
is the reputed site of the legend concerning St. Swithun and the old
woman to whom the saint restored her eggs.

Before the advent of the railway, that great destroyer of our ancient