We did so: whereupon he commenced giving us the
history of the building of the cathedral, which he nar-
rated in a whisper that could not have been heard ten
feet from him, ftid yet, at the whole distance of the
diameter of the dome, which is at least one hundred
feet, we heard every syllable distinctly. In concluding
he spoke of Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of the
wonderful building, and proposed the question : " Do



Digitized by VjOOQIC



42 RANDOM SKETCHES AND

you ask for his monument ?" to which he replied, "cir-
cumspice" — look around. We again commenced the as-
cent, being advised that we were not yet half way to the
ball on the dome. Another guide led the way, which
now became narrow and difficult of ascent. We began
to climb steps that were nearly perpendicular. At
length we had to leave our hats and overcoats, and creep
through holes and passages that would barely admit one
at a time. The guide stopped, and told us to go on.
At last we reached a point beyond which we could
proceed no farther; and here we seated ourselves,
in the ball on the top of the dome, four hundred and
four feet above the pavement ; a ball which, from the
street below, does not look to be larger than a flour-
barrel.
