Though it was quite late, we decided to go on to Nottingham, about twenty miles farther, where we could be sure of good accommodation.  It seemed easy to reach the city before dark, but one can hardly travel on schedule with a motor car—­at least so long as pneumatic tires are used.  An obstinate case of tire trouble just as we got outside of Newark meant a delay of an hour or more, and it was after sunset before we were again started on our journey.  There is a cathedral at Southwell, and as we permitted no cathedral to escape us, we paused there for a short time.  It is a great country church of very unusual architecture, elevated to the head of a diocese in 1888.  The town of Southwell is a retired place of evident antiquity and will be remembered as having been the home of Lord Byron and his mother for some time during his youth.  The route which we followed to Nottingham was well off the main highway—­a succession of sharp turns and steep little hills that made us take rather long chances in our flight around some of the corners.  But, luckily, the way was clear and we came into Nottingham without mishap, though it became so dark that we were forced to light our lamps—­a thing that was necessary only two or three times during our summer’s tour.

Our route south from Nottingham was over a splendid and nearly level road that passes through Leicester, one of the most up-to-date business towns in the Kingdom.  I do not remember any place outside of London where streets were more congested with all kinds of traffic.  The town is of great antiquity, but its landmarks have been largely wiped out by the modern progress it has made.  We did not pause here, but directed our way to Lutterworth, a few miles farther, where the great reformer, John Wyclif, made his home, the famous theologian who translated the bible into English and printed it two hundred years before the time of Martin Luther.  This act, together with his fearless preaching, brought him into great disfavor with the church, but owing to the protection of Edward III, who was especially friendly to him, he was able to complete his work in spite of fierce opposition.  Strangely enough, considering the spirit of his time, Wyclif withstood the efforts of his enemies, lived to a good old age, and died a natural death.  Twenty years afterward the Roman Church again came into power and the remains of the reformer were exhumed and burned in the public square of Lutterworth.  To still further cover his memory with obloquy, the ashes were thrown into the clear, still, little river that we crossed on leaving the town.  But his enemies found it too late to overthrow the work he had begun.  His church, a large, massive building with a great, square-topped tower, stands today much as it did when he used to occupy the pulpit, which is the identical one from which he preached.  A bas-relief in white marble by the American sculptor, Story, commemorating the work of Wyclif, has been placed in the church at a cost of more than ten thousand dollars, and just outside a tall granite obelisk has been erected in his honor.  In cleaning the walls recently, it was discovered that under several coats of paint there were some remarkable frescoes which, being slowly uncovered, were found to represent scenes in the life of the great preacher himself.