It was to Dawport, or Darport, that Dean Swift usually sailed from Dublin at the beginning of the eighteenth century for his frequent visits to his brother wits, Addison and Steele.  It was strange how many common sayings of to-day were his in origin such as, “There is none so blind as they that won’t see,” and, “A penny for your thoughts.”  Like many witty people, he must needs have his little joke.  He was made Dean of St. Patrick’s, Dublin, in 1713, and was accustomed to preach there each Sunday afternoon, and was said to have preached on the same subject on sixteen consecutive occasions.  On making his seventeenth appearance he asked the congregation if they knew what he was going to preach about.  Most of them answered “Yes,” while others replied “No.”  “Some of you say Yes,” said the Dean, “and some of you say No.  Those who know, tell those who don’t know,” and he immediately pronounced the benediction and left the pulpit!

At Chester he was accustomed to stay at the “Yacht Inn” in Watergate Street, the old street of Roman origin, which led westwards to the river beneath the River Gate.  A dean is a dean, and his dignity must be preserved in a Cathedral city.  Of a Dean of Chester of the early nineteenth century it is recounted that he would never go to service at the Cathedral except in stately dignity, within his stage coach with postillions and outriders, and would never even take his wife with him inside.  Dean Swift probably announced his arrival to his brother of Chester as one king announces his approach to another king.  But the story goes that a great cathedral function was on and no one came to welcome the great man.  Perhaps there was a little excuse, for most likely they had suffered from his tongue.  But, however much they might have suffered, they would have hurried to see him had they foreseen his revenge.  And perhaps a poor dinner had contributed to the acidity of his mind when he scratched on one of the windows the following verse: 

  Rotten without and mouldering within. 
  This place and its clergy are all near akin!

It is a far cry from the battle of Brunanburch to Dean Swift, but the thought of Anlaf took us back to Ireland, and Ireland and Chester were closely connected in trade for many centuries.

So it was with thoughts of our homeland that we retired for the night after adding another long day’s walk to our tour.

(Distance walked thirty-two and a half miles.)

Saturday, October 14th.

The long, straggling street of Aspatria was lit up with gas as we passed along it in the early morning on the road towards Maryport, and we marched through a level and rather uninteresting country, staying for slight boot repairs at a village on our way.  We found Maryport to be quite a modern looking seaport town, with some collieries in the neighbourhood.  We were told that the place had taken its name from Mary Queen of Scots; but we found this was not correct,