Crime & punishment > Peveril of the Peak > Volume 2

PliVEllIL OF THE PEAK.
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erected for the express purpose > cotiuects the
island with the main-land. The whole space is
surrounded by double walls of great strength and
thickness; and the access to the interior, at the
time which we treat of, was only by two flights
of steep and narrow steps, divided from each
other by a strong tower and guard-house; under
the former of which, there is an entrance arch.
The open space within the walls extends to two
acres, and contains many objects worthy of anti¬
quarian curiosity. There were, besides the castle
itself, two cathedral churches, dedicated, the ear¬
lier to Saint Patrick, the later to Saint Ger¬
main ; besides two smaller churches; all of which
had become, even in that day, more or less ruin¬
ous. Their decayed walls, exhibiting the rude
and massive architecture of the most remote pe¬
riod, were composed of a ragged greystone,
which formed a singular contrast with the bright
red freestone of which the window-cases, corner¬
stones, arches, and other ornamental parts of the
building were composed.
Besides these four ruinous churches, the space
of ground inclosed by the massive exterior walls of
Holm-Peel exhibited many other vestiges of the
olden time. There was a square mound of earth,
facing, with its angles to the points of the com¬
pass, one of those motes, as they were called, on
which, in ancient times, the northern tribes elect¬
ed or recognized their chiefs, and held their so¬
lemn popular assemblies, ox: comitia. There was