Page:Over fen and wold; (IA overfenwold00hissiala).pdf/214

 A medieval rhyme has been preserved to us that relates the traditional reputations these religious establishments respectively had. Of this rhyme there are two versions, one is as follows:—

Ramsey, the bounteous of gold and of fee; Crowland, as courteous as courteous may be; Spalding the rich, and Peterborough the proud; Sawtrey, by the way, that poore abbaye, Gave more alms in one day Than all they.

The other version runs more fully thus:—

Ramsey, the rich of gold and of fee, Thorney, the flower of many a fair tree, Crowland, the courteous of their meat and drink, Spalding, the gluttons, as all people do think, Peterborough, the proud, as all men do say: Sawtrey, by the way, that old abbey, Gave more alms in one day than all they.

From Crowland we decided to drive some nine and a half miles on to Spalding, where we proposed to spend the night; or rather the map decided the matter, for our choice of roads out of Crowland, unless we went south, was limited to this one; it was a pure case of "Hobson's choice," to Spalding we must go, and thither we went. Mounting the dog-cart once more we were soon in the open country; our road, like that of the morning, was level and winding, with the far-reaching fens all around, that stretched away through greens, yellows, russets, and grays to a hazy horizon of blue. A short distance on our way by the roadside we observed a large notice-board, that claimed our