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that in winter the precipice was in some parts so glazed over
with ice, from the water trickling down the surface, as to make
it appear like a sheet of alabaster. From other parts of the
impending rocks hung great and enormous icicles, which made it
appear like a huge organ.
After the eye had traversed over a rich and fertile vale,
variegated with woods and country houses, the prospect was
terminated with a chain of lofty mountains, which run in a
direction from south to north, parallel to the course of the
river. The nearest were not above two or three miles off, and
looked like the bold and surly sentries of a legion that seemed
stationed behind them. On our return we were amused with
prospects of a different nature. The church and town before us
enlivened the scene: some mill wheels, between them and the
river, added an agreeable variety with their motion. The vale
beneath seemed to dilate and expand itself: the few parts of it
which were visible, afforded sufficient ground to the imagination
to conceive an assemblage of the most entertaining objects.
Ingleborough, whose head was wrapt in a cloud, stood the farthest
to the south in the rank of the mountains which faced us.
After breakfast, we walked by the side of the river to the
bridge. The channel is deep, the stream rapid, among rocks, the
banks on each side covered with trees of various foliage, which
serve both as a defence and ornament. The bridge is the most
lofty, strong, ancient, and striking to the eye of a stranger, of
any I have yet seen. It is built of freestone, has three arches
(two large and one smaller) the height from the surface of the
water to the top of the centre arch, except in a flood, is about
twelve yards. The arches are of the ribbed sort, which makes the
appearance the more grotesque. There is no memorial of its
foundation - a negative argument of its vast antiquity. We were
indeed amused with one anecdote of its founder, which seemed to
be a remnant of the ancient mythology of the north, and one
instance, among many, of easily accounting for any thing that is
marvellous. The country people have a tradition that it was
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