There is a wall some hundred yards from the summit, on the south-westerly flank of High Crag; near this—­at a point close by, two large holly trees—­the boy might have sheltered himself against the north-eastern wind, and have got a closer and better view of the road between Barngates and Outgate, and Randy Pike and Outgate.

  Here, too, he could possibly hear the sound of the stream in the
  dingle or woody hollow immediately at his feet; but I am far from
  content with this as being the spot the poet watched from.

There is again a fourth possible look-out place, to which you will remember I directed your attention, nearer Randy Pike.  The slope, covered with larches, rises up from the Randy Pike Road to a precipitous crag which faces north and east.

From this, a grand view of the country between Randy Pike and Pullwyke is obtained, and if the bridle paths might—­as is possible, but unlikely—­be called two highways, then this crag could be spoken of as rising from the meeting place of the two highways.  For the old Hawkshead Road passed along to the east, within calling distance (say ninety yards), and a bridle road from Pullwyke, now used chiefly by the quarrymen, passed within eighty yards to the west; while it is certain that the brook below, when swollen by winter rains, might be loud enough to be heard from the copse.  This crag is known as Coldwell or Caudwell Crag, and is situated about half a mile east-south-east of the High Crag.

It has this much in its favour, that a wall of considerable age crests its summit, and one can whilst sitting down on a rock close behind it be sheltered from the north and east, and yet obtain an extensive view of the subadjacent country.  IF it were certain that the ponies when they got to Pullwyke did not go up towards Water Barngates, and so to Hawkshead, then there is no crag in the district which would so thoroughly answer to all the needs of the boys, and to all the points of description the poet has placed on record.

But it is just this IF that makes me decide on the Pullwyke Crag—­the one first described—­as being the actual spot to which, scout-like, the schoolboys clomb, on that eventful ‘eve of their dear holidays;’ while, at the same time, it is my firm conviction that Wordsworth—­as he painted the memories of that event—­had also before his mind’s eye the scene as viewed from Coldwell and High Crag.”

Ed.

* * * * *

NOTE VI.—­COLERIDGE’S LINES TO WORDSWORTH, ON HEARING ‘THE PRELUDE’ RECITED BY HIM AT COLEORTON, IN 1806

The following is a copy of a version of these ‘Lines’, sent by Coleridge to Sir George Beaumont, at Dunmow, Essex, in January, 1807.  The variations, both in the title and in the text, from that which Coleridge finally adopted (see p. 129), are interesting in many ways: