The beggar was punished for his
imposture by being set in the stocks.
This story is introduced into the first scene of the second act; of the
second part of "Henry VI.," a reproduction of a St. Albans legend in
which some students of the play will find an argument for attributing
the play to Francis Bacon, who lived close by and would be likely to
know the stories current in the town.
#The Tower and Bells.#--The ringing loft is reached by a staircase
starting from the door near the north-west corner of the north arm of
the transept. The steps were originally built of Roman bricks, but at
the time of the restoration had fresh treads of stone laid on them, so
that the ascent is an easy one; from this staircase one passes along the
triforium gallery of the western side of the transept, and then up a
staircase in the turret at the north-west angle of the tower to a room
whose floor is above the flat ceiling of the lantern visible from the
floor of the church. The bells are in the next story, and at no great
height above the floor of the ringing loft. In the ringing loft may be
seen boards on which are inscribed records of several memorable sets of
changes that have been rung, with the dates, the number of changes, the
time occupied, which was generally between three and four hours, and the
names of the ringers and the number of the bell that each one pulled.
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