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In these daies of Ours it is indifferently well peopled and
frequented, having water plentie, by reason of the River turned
and conveighed divers waies into it, lying somewhat in length
from East to West, and containeth about a mile and a halfe in
circuit within the wals: which open at six gates, and have every
one of them their suburbs reaching forth without, a good way. On
the Southside of the West gate there mounteth up an old castle,
which often times hath been besieged, but most sore and
streightly, above the rest what time as Mawd the Empresse held it
against King Stephen, and at length by a rumour given out that
she was dead, and causing her selfe to be caried out in a coffin
like a coarse deceived the enemy. As concerning that round table
there, hanging up agaiinst the wall which the common sort useth
to gaze upon with great admiration, as if it had been King
Arthurs table, I have nothing to say about this, That, as any man
which vieweth it well may easily perceive, it is nothing so
antient as King Arthur. For, in latter times when for the
exercise of armes and feats of warlike prowesse, those runnings
at tilt, and martiall justlings or torneaments, were much
practised: they used such tables least any contention or offence
for prioritie of place should through ambition arise among Nobles
and Knights assembled together. And this was a custome of great
antiquitie, as it may seeme. For, the antient Gaules, as
Athenaeus writeth, were wont to sit about round tables, and their
Esquiers stood at their backs, holding their shields. About the
mids of the citie, but more inclining to the South, Kenelwalch
King of the West-Saxons after the subversion of that Colledge of
Monkes which flourished in the Romans time, (as William of
Malmesburie saith) First founded to the glorie of God, the
faire[st] Church that was in those daies, in which verie place,
the posteritie afterwards in building of a Cathedral seat for the
Bishop, although it were more stately than the first, yet
followed just in the verie same steppes. In this Sea, there have
sitten since Wina, whom the said Kenelwalch ordained the first
Bishop there, Many Bishops some renowned for their wealth and
honourable port, and some for holinesse of life. But among other,
Saint Swithin continueth yet of greatest fame, not so much for
his sanctitie, as for the raine which usually falleth about the
Feast of his translation in July, by reason the Sunne [riseth]
then Cosmically with Praesepe and Aselli, noted by antient
writers to be rainie constellations, as not for his weeping, or
other weeping Saints Margaret the Virgine, and Marie Magdalen,
whose feasts are shortly after, as some superstitiously credulous
have beleeved.
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This by the way, pardon mee I praie you, for I digresse
licentiously. Th[ese] Bishops of Winchester have beene aunciently
by a certaine peculiar prerogative that they have, Chancellours
to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and for long time now Prelats to
the order of the Garter: and they have from time to time to their
great cost reedified this church, and by name, Edington and
Walkelin, but Wickham especially: who built all the West part
there of downe from the quire, after a new kind of worke, I
assure you, most sumptuously. In the mids of which building is to
bee seene his owne tombe of decent modestie betweene two pillers.
And these Bishops have ever and anon consecrated it to new
Patrons and Saints, as to Saint Amphibalus, Saint Peter, Saint
Swithin, and last of all to the holy Trinitie: by which name it
is knowne at this day. The English Saxons also, had this Church
in great honour for the sepulture of certaine Saints and Kings
there, (whose bones are Richard Fox the Bishop gathered, and
shrining them in certaine little gilded coffers placed them
orderly with their severall Inscriptions in the top of that wall
which encloseth the upper part of the quire) and they called it
in times past Ealden Mynsder, that is The old Minster, for
difference from another more lately built which was named
Net[th]an Mynsder, that is, The new Minster; which Aelfred
founded; and for the building of houses of office belonging to
the same purchased of the Bishop a plot
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