ANTIQUITIES.

91

1293, is now in being. The extensive outworks faced with stone,were added in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, who thus prepareda prison for the unfortunate Charles; the history of whosetnelancholy detention here, is well known. It seems that theapartments inhabited by him, are nowin a state of ruin; and sotransient is tradition, that it is not certainly known out of whichof the windows he attempted his escape. The Governor of theisland, has his residence in the castle, but his apartments, thoughtolerably extensive, are by no means magnificent, and far fromeh eerful, as only one window in the whole, looks out of the in-closure of the castle, or has the least enjoyment of the beautifulview it commands.

The situation of the castle is on a projecting steep knoll of thechalk range of hills, whose summit its buildings and outworksnearly cover. Its mouldering Avails richly mantled with ivy,the keep rising proudly above the rest of the buildings, and theelegant gate, make it an object of very considerable beauty, andas such it has exercised the pencils of numerous artists.

Cowes castle is one of the numerous small forts erected byHenry VIII . along the southern coast of England, with a view ofsecuring it against the insults of invaders. It now consists of asemicircular platform towards the sea, on which are mountedtwelve heavy guns. A range of buildings forms the diameter tothe semicircle, and in it are lodgings for the governor andgunner, and a magazine. The exterior part of the central build-ing forms a part of a circle, and is the remainder of an originalfound tower, which was once a story higher than it now is, andhad embrasures on its summit for cannon. A small etching byFrancis Place, Esq., without a date, but probably done about