it was. It is still a wooded land. There are no sterile patches, no ugly intervals, no naked tracts of sand or earth. All is green, and better than in the early days in this-that the cheerfulness of peace is on it, and the "stately homes" are more frequent, and the villages need no rampart, but expand in security, and, it must be added, often with a system of architecture to which distance alone can lend enchantment.

The Castle was very strong. These keeps were built so that there was no chance of a surprise. Massive gates placed in security beyond deep ditches were let into the walls, well defended by battlement and flanking towers. Drawbridges and portcullises might be forced, but there the enemy only found himself at the beginning of his work.

Narrow passages led to other defences, and the Keep itself was reached by a stair so narrow that one man only could enter at a time.

The walls of the lowest storey showed only tiny shot- or loop-holes. The second storey showed more of these, but so narrow that no torch could be thrown in. The third storey had windows so high in the wall that arrows or bolts shot from below could only hit the arch of the opening, to fall back harmless.

The top storeys were filled with weapons that could throw darts, stones, and heavy balls, so assailants could not easily take a Norman keep.

The Normans had taste as well as strength, and