Transcriber's note: Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). Small capital text has been replaced with all capitals. Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=). The carat character (^) indicates that the following letter is superscripted (example: SCALE 4 F^T to 1 I^N). * * * * * A BOOK OF THE WEST VOL. I. DEVON BY THE SAME AUTHOR LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE THE TRAGEDY OF THE CÆSARS THE DESERT OF SOUTHERN FRANCE STRANGE SURVIVALS SONGS OF THE WEST A GARLAND OF COUNTRY SONG OLD COUNTRY LIFE YORKSHIRE ODDITIES FREAKS OF FANATICISM A BOOK OF FAIRY TALES OLD ENGLISH FAIRY TALES A BOOK OF NURSERY SONGS AN OLD ENGLISH HOME THE VICAR OF MORWENSTOW THE CROCK OF GOLD [Illustration: SWEET HAY-MAKERS] A BOOK OF THE WEST BEING AN INTRODUCTION TO DEVON AND CORNWALL BY S. BARING-GOULD VOL. I. DEVON WITH THIRTY-FIVE ILLUSTRATIONS METHUEN & CO. 36 ESSEX STREET, W.C. LONDON 1899 PREFACE In this "Book of the West" I have not sought to say all that might be said relative to Devon and Cornwall; nor have I attempted to make of it a guide-book. I have rather endeavoured to convey to the visitor to our western peninsula a general idea of what is interesting, and what ought to attract his attention. The book is not intended to supersede guide-books, but to prepare the mind to use these latter with discretion. In dealing with the history of the counties and of the towns, it would have swelled the volumes unduly to have gone systematically through their story from the beginning to the present; it would, moreover, have made the book heavy reading, as well as heavy to carry. I have chosen, therefore, to pick out some incident, or some biography connected with the several towns described, and have limited myself thereto. My object then must not be misunderstood, and my book harshly judged accordingly. There are ten thousand omissions, but I venture to think a good many things have been admitted which will not be found in guide-books, but which it is well for the visitor to know, if he has a quick intelligence and eyes open to observe. In the Cornish volume I have given rather fully the stories of the saints who have impressed their names indelibly on the land. It has seemed to me absurd to travel in Cornwall and have these names in the mouth, and let them remain _nuda nomina_. They have a history, and that is intimately associated with the beginnings of that of Cornwall. But their history has not been studied, and in books concerning Cornwall most of the statements about them are wholly false. I have not entered into any critical discussion concerning moot points. I have left that for my "Catalogue of the Cornish Saints" that is being issued in the _Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall_.