B l a c k l e a e l
for a week at a time at any table in the parilh ; and lailly, a hardened I
/ark, i. e. a ihirt o f coarfe linnen.
Saw, at Dotfior Brownrigg’ s, of Ormathwaite, whofe hofpitality I 5
experienced for two days, great-variety of the ores of Borrowdalt, I
fuch as lead, common and fibrous, black-jack, and black-lead or wad. I
The laft is found in greater quantities.and purity in thole mountains I
than in other parts o f the world. Is.the property o f a few gentle-1
men, who, leail the markets fhould be glutted, open the mine only I
once in feven years, then caufe it to be filled and otherwife fecured I
from the depredations of the neighboring miners, who will run any I
rifque to procure fo valuable an article, for the beft fells from eight I
to twelve ibillings a pound. The legiilature hath alfo guarded their I
property by making the robbery, felony.
It is o f great ufe in making pencils, black lead crucibles for I
fufing o f metals, for calling of bombs and cannon-balls, cleaning 1
arms, for glazing o f earthen-ware ; and fome afiert that it may be I
,ufed medicinally to eafe the pains of gravel, Hone, ilranguary, and I
colick: it has been fuppofed, but without foundation, to have been jf
.the melanteria and pnigitis of Dio/corides: Dr. Merret calls it Nigrm'k
fabrilis, and the people o f the country, killow and wad, from the co-1
loring quality ; killow, or collow, fignifying the dirt of coal, and wad i
feems derived from waad, a deep dying plant *.
T ill of late years the fuperftition o f the Bel-tein was kept up in §
.thefe parts, and in this rural facrifice it was cultomary for the performers
to bring with them boughs o f the mountain alh.
* M. S. Letter CfBilhop Nichel/on to Doitor Windward, Aug, 5 , 1713.
Continue
I 'Continue m , jo u r .« ,, put, .long M | i
keep aboveBttlfentbwaiie water, at a fmall cultivated dtftance from
i t : this lake is a fine expanfe of four miles in length, bounded on
o n e fide by high hills, wooded in many places to their bottoms ; on
the other fide by fields and the fkirts of Skiddaw. • ;
}. Marks of the plough appear on the tops of many of the hills. •
Tradition fays, that in the reign o f King John, the Pope curfed all
the lower grounds, and thus obliged the inhabitants to make the
hills arable : but I rather believe that John himfelf drove them to
this cruel neceffity, for out of refentment o f their declining to follow
his ftandards to the borders of Scotland, he cut down their hedges,
levelled the ditches, and gave all the cultivated trafts of the North
i -to t"he‘beafts of chace, on his return from his expedition.
I From Mr. Spedyn’s of Armethwaite, at the lower extremity o f the
lake, have a fine view of the whole. Near this place the Derwent
quits the lake, palling under Ouze bridge, confifting o f three arches.
I Salmons come up the river from the fea about Michaelmas, and force
their way through both lakes as far as Borrowdale. They had lately
been on their return, but the water near the bridge proving too lhal-
low to permit them to proceed, they were taken by dozens, in very
bad order, in the nets that were drawing for trout at the end o f the
. lake.
On a hill near this fpot is a circular Britijh entrenchment 5 and I
was told of others of a fquare form, at a few miles diitance, at the
foot of Caermote; I fuppofe Roman.
The country now begins to lower, ceafes to be mountanous, but
fwells into extenfive rifings. Ride near the Derwent, and pafs
through the hamlets of Jfel, Blincraik and Redmain; in a few places
H wooded,