Page:Views in Suffolk, Norfolk, and Northamptonshire.djvu/49

 previously to the battle, as an annoyance to the town. Here was a camp of extraordinary strength, with this prodigious mount in the middle: on its summit is a deep cavity, in which a number of men may stand entirely concealed. Castle Hill is judged to be the largest of an artificial kind in this kingdom, and is surrounded by three ramparts, which were formerly divided by ditches: the ramparts are still in good preservation. When beheld from the summit of this hill, the adjacent country presents a cheerless prospect; and the only recompense obtained by climbing such a steep, is the bird's-eye view it affords of the town, which being close to its base, has a singular and pleasing appearance, displaying a charming variety of domestic scenery. Thetford, in its prosperous state, could boast of no fewer than eight Monasteries, many remains of which are yet visible, particularly of one founded by Roger Bigod. The gateway of this abbey still exists, together with lofty portions of its walls and great part of its foundations. The gateway is tolerably perfect, and exhibits a fine specimen of the architecture of its time. Some slender and elegant columns are still adhering to the standing walls, which are composed principally