Chapter III: Diana's Grove

by Bram Stoker

　　Curiosity took Adam Salton out of bed in the early morning, but whenhe had dressed and gone downstairs; he found that, early as he was,Sir Nathaniel was ahead of him. The old gentleman was quiteprepared for a long walk, and they started at once.Sir Nathaniel, without speaking, led the way to the east, down thehill. When they had descended and risen again, they foundthemselves on the eastern brink of a steep hill. It was of lesserheight than that on which the Castle was situated; but it was soplaced that it commanded the various hills that crowned the ridge.All along the ridge the rock cropped out, bare and bleak, but brokenin rough natural castellation. The form of the ridge was a segmentof a circle, with the higher points inland to the west. In thecentre rose the Castle, on the highest point of all. Between thevarious rocky excrescences were groups of trees of various sizes andheights, amongst some of which were what, in the early morninglight, looked like ruins. These--whatever they were--were ofmassive grey stone, probably limestone rudely cut--if indeed theywere not shaped naturally. The fall of the ground was steep allalong the ridge, so steep that here and there both trees and rocksand buildings seemed to overhang the plain far below, through whichran many streams.Sir Nathaniel stopped and looked around, as though to lose nothingof the effect. The sun had climbed the eastern sky and was makingall details clear. He pointed with a sweeping gesture, as thoughcalling Adam's attention to the extent of the view. Having done so,he covered the ground more slowly, as though inviting attention todetail. Adam was a willing and attentive pupil, and followed hismotions exactly, missing--or trying to miss--nothing."I have brought you here, Adam, because it seems to me that this isthe spot on which to begin our investigations. You have now infront of you almost the whole of the ancient kingdom of Mercia. Infact, we see the whole of it except that furthest part, which iscovered by the Welsh Marches and those parts which are hidden fromwhere we stand by the high ground of the immediate west. We cansee--theoretically--the whole of the eastern bound of the kingdom,which ran south from the Humber to the Wash. I want you to bear inmind the trend of the ground, for some time, sooner or later, weshall do well to have it in our mind's eye when we are consideringthe ancient traditions and superstitions, and are trying to find therationale of them. Each legend, each superstition which we receive,will help in the understanding and possible elucidation of theothers. And as all such have a local basis, we can come closer tothe truth--or the probability--by knowing the local conditions as wego along. It will help us to bring to our aid such geological truthas we may have between us. For instance, the building materialsused in various ages can afford their own lessons to understandingeyes. The very heights and shapes and materials of these hills--nay, even of the wide plain that lies between us and the sea--havein themselves the materials of enlightening books.""For instance, sir?" said Adam, venturing a question."Well, look at those hills which surround the main one where thesite for the Castle was wisely chosen--on the highest ground. Takethe others. There is something ostensible in each of them, and inall probability something unseen and unproved, but to be imagined,also.""For instance?" continued Adam."Let us take them Seriatim. That to the east, where the trees are,lower down--that was once the location of a Roman temple, possiblyfounded on a pre-existing Druidical one. Its name implies theformer, and the grove of ancient oaks suggests the latter.""Please explain.""The old name translated means 'Diana's Grove.' Then the next onehigher than it, but just beyond it, is called 'mercy'--in allprobability a corruption or familiarisation of the word mercia, witha Roman pun included. We learn from early manuscripts that theplace was called Vilula Misericordiae. It was originally a nunnery,founded by Queen Bertha, but done away with by King Penda, thereactionary to Paganism after St. Augustine. Then comes youruncle's place--Lesser Hill. Though it is so close to the Castle, itis not connected with it. It is a freehold, and, so far as we know,of equal age. It has always belonged to your family.""Then there only remains the Castle!""That is all; but its history contains the histories of all theothers--in fact, the whole history of early England." SirNathaniel, seeing the expectant look on Adam's face, went on:"The history of the Castle has no beginning so far as we know. Thefurthest records or surmises or inferences simply accept it asexisting. Some of these--guesses, let us call them--seem to showthat there was some sort of structure there when the Romans came,therefore it must have been a place of importance in Druid times--ifindeed that was the beginning. Naturally the Romans accepted it, asthey did everything of the kind that was, or might be, useful. Thechange is shown or inferred in the name Castra. It was the highestprotected ground, and so naturally became the most important oftheir camps. A study of the map will show you that it must havebeen a most important centre. It both protected the advancesalready made to the north, and helped to dominate the sea coast. Itsheltered the western marches, beyond which lay savage Wales--anddanger. It provided a means of getting to the Severn, round whichlay the great Roman roads then coming into existence, and madepossible the great waterway to the heart of England--through theSevern and its tributaries. It brought the east and the westtogether by the swiftest and easiest ways known to those times.And, finally, it provided means of descent on London and all theexpanse of country watered by the Thames."With such a centre, already known and organised, we can easily seethat each fresh wave of invasion--the Angles, the Saxons, the Danes,and the Normans--found it a desirable possession and so ensured itsupholding. In the earlier centuries it was merely a vantage ground.But when the victorious Romans brought with them the heavy solidfortifications impregnable to the weapons of the time, itscommanding position alone ensured its adequate building andequipment. Then it was that the fortified camp of the Caesarsdeveloped into the castle of the king. As we are as yet ignorant ofthe names of the first kings of Mercia, no historian has been ableto guess which of them made it his ultimate defence; and I supposewe shall never know now. In process of time, as the arts of wardeveloped, it increased in size and strength, and although recordeddetails are lacking, the history is written not merely in the stoneof its building, but is inferred in the changes of structure. Thenthe sweeping changes which followed the Norman Conquest wiped outall lesser records than its own. To-day we must accept it as one ofthe earliest castles of the Conquest, probably not later than thetime of Henry I. Roman and Norman were both wise in their retentionof places of approved strength or utility. So it was that thesesurrounding heights, already established and to a certain extentproved, were retained. Indeed, such characteristics as alreadypertained to them were preserved, and to-day afford to us lessonsregarding things which have themselves long since passed away."So much for the fortified heights; but the hollows too have theirown story. But how the time passes! We must hurry home, or youruncle will wonder what has become of us."He started with long steps towards Lesser Hill, and Adam was soonfurtively running in order to keep up with him.