I’d rather walk a hundred miles,
    And run by night and day. 
  Than have that carriage halt for me
    And hear my Lady say: 
  “Now pray step in and make no din,
    Step in with me to ride;
  There’s room, I trow, by me, for you
    And all the world beside!”

The church at Tavistock was dedicated to St. Eustachius, for we were now quite near Cornwall, a land of saints with all kinds of queer names.  The church had the appearance of having passed through the ordeal of some severe restorations, but we saw many objects of interest therein.  There was a tomb with effigies of Judge Granville, his wife, and three sons and four daughters, erected in 1615 by his widow after she had married again—­a circumstance that might give rise to some speculations.  The children’s heads had all been knocked off, and the boys had disappeared altogether; probably, we thought, taken prisoners by some of Cromwell’s men to serve as ornaments elsewhere.  There was also a monument to the Fitze family, including a figure of Sir John Fitze, the last of the line, who was buried at Twickenham; but whether he was the hero of the legend or not we could not ascertain.

Thomas Larkham, who was vicar from 1649 to 1660, stood out against the Act of Conformity, and was dismissed.  But he kept a diary, and a page of it had been preserved which referred to the gifts presented to him after being deprived of his stipend.

1653, Nov. 30th.—­The wife of Will Hodges brought me a fat goose; Lord, do them good!  Edward Cole sent by his daughter a turkey; Lord, accept it! Dec. 2nd.—­Sara Frowt a dish of butter; accept, Lord! Dec. 6th.—­Margaret Sitwell would not be paid for 2-1/2 lbs. of butter; is she not a daughter of Abraham?  Father, be pleased to pay her.  Walter Peck sent me, Dec. 14th, a partridge, and Mr. Webb the same day pork and puddings; Lord, forget not!  Mrs. Thomasin Doidge—­Lord, look on her in much mercy—­Dec. 19th, gave me 5s. Jan. 25th.—­Mrs. Audry sent me a bushel of barley malt for housekeeping; Lord, smell a sweet savour!  Patrick Harris sent me a shoulder of pork,—­he is a poor ignorant man.  Lord, pity him!

There was a curious thirteenth-century chest, trapezium in form, and said to be the only one of that shape in the West of England.  It was of carved oak, and called a treasure chest, because it had a secret recess at the back where the priest kept a jewel with which he fastened his robes.  Another old chest contained some ancient Latin writings, the earliest of which bore the dates 1285, 1325, and 1370, written in old lettering with what was known as “monk’s ink,” made from vegetables.  Some of the documents bore seals with rush rings attached, and there was a black-letter Bible, and a chained book dated 1588, the year of the Spanish Armada.  We were also shown four pewter flagons for Communion wine, all of the time of Charles I, two churchwardens having each given one in 1633 and two other wardens one each in 1638.  Asked why so many were required, we were informed that in those days all the people were compelled to come to church, and it was nothing unusual for quarts of wine to be used at one Communion, at a cost of several pounds!  But in those days Holy Communion was only administered four times a year!