|
|
|
Page 267:-
sprinkled to all appearance with fire, and sparks of it flying in
every direction, as if struck out of the ground from under their
feet. They are as much alarmed with it, as the country people are
with the will-with-a-wisp, or mariners with the luminous vapour
of the delapsed Castor and Pollux. Though the dark and dreary
moor is broken into thousands of luminous particles, like so many
glow-worms, when troubled by the benighted traveller, yet if any
of this natural phosphorous is brought before a lighted candle,
its splendour immediately vanishes, and shrinks back into its
original dull and dark state of sordid dirt. While we were
endeavouring to account for this curious phenomenon on the
principles of putrefaction and electricity, we arrived at the
first object of this lateral excursion from the turnpike-road,
Gatekirk-Cave. [1] The brook that runs through it forms a fine
natural bason of transparent water at its egress, where we
entered the cave, gradually increasing in depth till about five
or six feet at the most. I believe every one present thought it
resembled the cave described by Ovid in the second of his
Metamorphoses, where Actaeon unfortunately met with Diana and her
nymphs amusing themselves with bathing, when separated from his
companions during the chase.-
Vallis erat piceis et acula densa cupressu,
Nomine Gargaphie; succinctoe cura Dianoe;
Cujus in extremo est antrum nemorlae recessu,
Arte laboratum nulla: simulaverat artem
Ingenio natura suo: nam pumice vivo,
Et levibus tophis nativum duxerat arcum.
Fons sonat a dextra, tenui pellucidus unda,
Margine gramineo patulos succinctus hiatus.
Hic Dea silvarum venatu fessa solebut
Virgineos artus liquido perfundere rore.
Ovid, b.3. fab.2.
|
|
|
|
[1]
A furlong or two before we arrived at Gatekirk, we paased (sic) a
little cascade, amongst some hollow limestone rocks, which would
be a fine embellishment to a gentleman's garden or park. All the
ground about seemed hollow, and we saw various chasms and empty
spaces between the strata of rocks, though none worth a
particular description in a country abounding with such a variety
of a superior nature.
|
