state in which Shakspere would see them. A reduced copy of this view appears opposite. There is another view, shewing the back of the house from the river, preserved in the hall, and which appears to have been painted about the reign of James II. It shews the building to have been at that time precisely in the same condition; and as all modernisation has affected the interior principally, the exterior aspect is now much the same as it was in the days of the Poet.

Passing through the old gate, we enter the court-yard, which, in place of the old fountain and circular tank of water, is now laid out in flower-beds. The hall is entered by a porch having the family arms and crest at each angle. We give a view of the interior as it is now. It has undergone alterations since Washington Irving thus described it in his Sketch-book: "The ceiling is arched and lofty; and at one end is a gallery, in which stands an organ [this has now been removed]. The weapons and tro