Page:The Cornwall coast.djvu/298

 292 THE CORNWALL COAST Good Samaritan. This last is so named, not very aptly, because it proved the destruction of an East Indiaman, the Good Samantan, many years since ; but as it is an ill wind that blows no one any good, so it is certain that the wreck of this richly-cargoed vessel provided the womanfolk of the district with fine silks and satins for many years after. We can thus understand the point of the local saying, "It is time for a Good Samaritan to come." The coast-people's attitude towards wrecks has never been one of ingratitude — except when Preventive officers proved too wary. Dig- gory Island, a little to the north, has two natural arches, making a fine spectacle at floodtide. Perhaps it is partly by reason of its contrast with the wild, stark coast that the far-famed Vale of Lanherne has won its reputation. It is a spot that has excited the enthusiasm of painters, versifiers, and guide-books ; yet probably its chief charm is the surprise of its sylvan and pastoral character in a tract of country that is not notable for either. Counties farther east can show hundreds of such scenes ; but the quiet rusticity and woodland features here come with a special touch of sooth- ing and repose after the long, bare moorlands, sandy dunes, and stern, naked cliffs. There is also another attraction — the convent of Lanherne, once the manor-house of the Arundells. Mr. Baring-Gould says that " Lanherne lies in the loveliest vale in Cornwall " ; Mr. Hind says, " the Vale of Lanherne did not rouse my enthusiasm." Most visitors agree with the Rector of Lew Trenchard. The mansion, now the convent, came into possession of the " great Arundells " in 1231 by marriage with a daughter of John de Lanherne. It was in the reign of Henry VII. that a later Arundell pur-