[5] Precisely what, at this very date, Napoleon was ordering Soult to do—one of the many instances of Moore’s extraordinary “prescience.” Had Moore yielded to the clamours of his Army for a continued advance, he would simply have played into Napoleon’s hands. OLD ENGLISH COTTAGE HOMES; OR, VILLAGE ARCHITECTURE OF BYGONE TIMES. PART VII. Brick seems, as we pointed out in our last paper, to have been generally preferred to stone for house and cottage building in this country from the sixteenth century, but during the earlier centuries, and in places where good stone was easily procurable, the latter was frequently used, even in the erection of cottages. A charming example dating from the fourteenth century exists in a very perfect condition at West Dean in Sussex. It has graceful and elegant traceried stone-cut windows and doorways, and is a carefully constructed little building showing excellent though simple Gothic details. [Illustration: AT AMERSHAM.] Cottages built of brick with stone “dressing” are common all over England, especially in almshouses. At Amersham are six little cottages built round an open courtyard. An inscription over the archway leading to the garden informs us that these cottages were built by “Sir William Drake, Barronet (_sic_), in the year of our Lord 1657, to the glory of God, and for the relief of six poor widows well reputed in this parish.” It is a pleasant home for these good old people and a pretty retreat where they may spend the remainder of their days in peace. There are many such in England: would there were many more! How far more pleasant it is to think of these poor old souls quietly living out the few months or years of existence, waiting for God to call them, in such an abode rather than in a workhouse, with its hard and fast rules, or some pretentious-looking asylum where official charity seems to stare one in the face at every turn. No doubt in these modern institutions sanitary arrangements are better, and matters are more practically attended to, but something seems to be wanting in them: they do not look like “homes.” We may perhaps be too sentimental, and possibly are arguing from what we should ourselves feel if placed in a similar situation, indeed we have known cases in which the poor old folks in the country have rejoiced at their quaint old habitations being pulled down and replaced by brand new houses. [Illustration: AT WEST DEAN, SUSSEX.] We were once drawing two streets, one a bit of a pretty old village, and the other a modern suburban street which we had tried to make look as detestable as possible, when a lady called upon us and looked at the two. “Ah,” said she, “I am so glad that these tumbledown old cottages are going to be replaced by your smart and cheerful-looking villas!” We thought at first that it was a joke, but no, she was absolutely serious!