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L A V E N G R O
THE SCHOLAR, TME (iVr.-V,
THE PRIEST
BY GEORGE BORROW
A V'WK'.'nrON «..(,'NTAINTN<- I HE T .sALlT.-r^L-^i jv r
UMi:. MS. VAK'f^» i;\?. Vi.M.AM L.''l Y
AND r'OIES n\ TIT: \L'T!'0. ^'F
7HEI.I>V- 0- *:i:OKGI- LO-.:.^AV
LONDON
JOHN MURRAY. ALljr.MARLi: STREL'i'
i
LAVENGRO
THE SCHOLAR. THE GYPSY,
THE PRIEST
BY GEORGE BORROW
A NEW EDITION CONTAINING THE UNALTERED TEXT
OF THE ORIGINAL ISSUE; SOME SUPPRESSED
EPISODES NOW PRINTED FOR THE FIRST
TIME J MS. VARIORUM. VOCABULARY
AND NOTES BY THE AUTHOR OF
THE LIFE OF GEORGE BORROW
LONDON
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET
1907
First EDmoN • 1851
Second Edition
Third Edition 187a
Fourth Edition zSSB
Fifth Edition 1896
Sixth (Definitive) Edition . 6/- Mcarch, 2900
Reprinted . July^ 1902
Reprinted ....••• May^ 1904
R^rinted .... Thin Paper . Ati^,^ 1905
Reprinted 6/- . Jan,, 1907
Rented . Sept,t Z907
Reprinted a/6 net . Sept,, 1907
■y
•-
[OBidDTAL Tneui Paos.]
4
lVvENGRO;
THE SCHOMB-THE GYP8Y-THE PBIEST.
Bt GEORGE BOBBOW,
4IITBOB or *'tHB BIBLK ni SPAIX" AKD "TBI OYPSIU OF BBAXM
W THBEB YOLUMBS— YOIi. L
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
■
1861.
ADVERTISEMENT.
(1851.)
In compliance with the advice of certain friends who are
desirous that it may not be supposed that the following
. work has been written expressly for the present times, the
author begs leave to state that it was planned in the year
1842, and all the characters sketched before the conclusion
of the yeajr 1843. The contents of the volumes here offered
to the public have, with the exception of the Preface,
existed in manuscript for a very considerable time.
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
(1851.)
In the following pages I have endeavoured to describe a
dream, partly of study, partly of adventure, in which will
be found copious notices of books, and many descriptions
of life and manners, some in a very unusual form.
The scenes of action lie in the British Islands. Pray
be not displeased, gentle reader, if perchance thou hast
imagined that I was about to conduct thee to distant
lands, and didst promise thyself much instruction and
entertainment from what I might tell thee of them. I do
assure thee that thou hast no reason to be displeased,
inasmuch as there are no countries in the world less known
by the British than these selfsame British Islands, or where
more strange things are every day occurring, 'Whether in
road or street, house or dingle.
The time embraces nearly the first quarter of the
present century. This information, again, may perhaps be
anything but agreeable to thee ; it is a long time to revert
to — ^but fret not thyself, many matters which at present
much occupy the public mind originated in some degree
towards the latter end of that period, and some of them
will be treated of.
The principal actors in this dream, or drama, are, as
you will have gathered from the title-page, a Scholar, a
Gypsy, and a Priest Should you imagine that these three
form one, permit cat to assure you that you are very much
mistaken* Should there be something of the Gypsy
manifest in the Scholar, there is certainly nothing of the
Priest With respect to the Gypsy — decidedly the most
entertaining character of the three — there is certainly no-
thing of the Scholar or the Priest in him ; and as for the
§
:o
viii PREPACB OP iSsi,
Priest, though there may be something in him both of
scholarship and gypsyism, neither the Scholar nor the
Gypsy would feel at all flattered by being confounded
with him.
Many characters which may be called subordinate will
be found, and it is probable that some of these characters
will afford much more interest to the reader than those
styled the principal. The favourites with the writer are a
brave old soldier and his helpmate, an ancient gentlewoman
who sold apples, and a strange kind of wandering man and
his wife.
Amongst the many things attempted in this book is
the encouragement of charity, and free and genial manners,
and the exposure of humbug, of which there are various
kinds, but of which the most perfidious, the most debasing,
and the most cruel, is the humbug of the Priest
Yet let no one think that irreligion is advocated in this
book. With respect to religious tenets, I wish to observe
that I am a member of the Church of England, into whose
communion I was baptised, and to which my forefathers
belonged. Its being the religion in which I was baptised,
and of my forefathers, would be a strong inducement to me
to cling to it; for I do not happen to be one of those
choice spirits " who turn from their banner when the battle
bears strongly against it, and go over to the enemy," and
who receive at first a hug and a '' viva/' and in the sequel
contempt and spittle in the face ; but my chief reason for
belonging to it is, because, of all Churches calling them-
selves Christian ones, I believe there is none so good, so
well founded upon Scripture, or whose ministers are, upon
the whole, so exemplary in their lives and conversation, so
well read in the Book from which they preach, or so versed
in general learning, so useful in their immediate neighbour-
hoods, or so unwilling to persecute people of other
denominations for matters of doctrine.
In the communion of this Church, and with the religious
consolation of its ministers, I wish and hope to live and die,
and in its and their defence will at all times be ready, if
required, to speak, though humbly, and to fight, though
feebly, against enemies, whether carnal or spiritual.
PREFACE OP 1851.
And is there no prieslcraft in the Church of England ?
There is certainly, or rather there was, a modicum of priest-
craft in the Churdi of England, but I have generally found
that those who are most vehement against the Church of
England are chiefly dissatisfied with her because there is
only a modicum of that article in her. Were she stuffed
to the very cupola with it, like a certain other Church,
they would have much less to say against the Church of
England.
By the other Church I mean Rome. Its system was
once prevalent in England, and, during the period that it
prevailed there, was more prolific of debasement and crime
than all other causes united. The people and the govern-
ment at last becoming enlightened by means of the
Scripture, spumed it from the island with disgust and
horror, the land instantly after its disappearance becoming
a fair field, in which arts, sciences, and all the amiable
virtues flourished, instead of being a pestilent marsh where
swine-like ignorance wallowed, and artful hypocrites, like
so many wills-o'-the-wisp, played antic gambols about,
around and above debased humanity.
But Popery still wished to play her old part, to regain
her lost dominion, to reconvert the smiling land into the
pestilential morass, where she could play again her old
antics. From the period of the Reformation in England
up to the present time, she has kept her emissaries here —
individuals contemptible in intellect, it is true, but cat-like
and gliding, who, at her bidding, have endeavoured, as
much as in their power has lain, to damp and stifle every
genial, honest, loyal and independent thought, and to
reduce minds to such a state of dotage as would enable
their old Popish mother to do what she pleased with them.
And in every country, however enlightened, there are
always minds inclined to grovelling superstition — minds
fond of eating dust and swallowing clay — minds never at
rest, save when prostrate before some fellow in a surplice ;
and these Popish emissaries found always some weak
enough to bow down before them, astounded by their
dreadful denunciations of eternal woe and damnation to
any who should refuse to believe their Romania ; but they
PREP ACS OP 1851.
played a poor game — the law protected the servants of
Scripture, and the priest with his beads seldom ventured
to approach any but the remnant of those of the eikono-
latry — representatives of worm-eaten houses, their debased
dependants and a few poor crazy creatures among the
middle classes — ^he played a poor game, and the labour was
about to prove almost entirely in vain, when the English
Legislature, in compassion or contempt, or, yet more pro-
bably, influenced by that spirit of toleration and kindness
whidi is so mixed up with Protestantism, removed almost
entirely the disabilities under which Popery laboured, and
enabled it to raise its head and to speak out almost without
fear.
And it did raise its head, and, though it spoke with
some little fear at first, soon discarded every relic of it ;
went about the land uttering its damnation cry, gathering
around it — and for doing so many thanks to it — the
favourers of priestcraft who lurked within the walls of the
Church of England ; frightening with the loudness of its
voice the weak, the timid and the ailing; perpetrating,
whenever it had an opportunity, that species of crime to
which it has ever been most partiaX—deaMed robbery;
for as it IS cruel, so is it dastardly. Yes, it went on enlist-
ing, plundering and uttering its terrible threats till — ^till it
became, as it always does when left to itself, a fool, a very
fool. Its plunderings might have been overlooked, and so
might its insolence, had it been common insolence, but
it — , and then the roar of indignation which arose from
outraged England against the viper, the frozen viper which
it had permitted to warm itself upon its bosom.'
But thanks. Popery, you have done all that the friends
of enlightenment and religious liberty could wish ; but if
ever there were a set of foolish ones to be found under
Heaven, surely it is the priestly rabble who came over from
Rome to direct the grand movement, so long in its getting
up.
But now again the damnation cry is withdrawn, there is
a subdued meekness in your demeanour, you are now once
more harmless as a lamb. Well, we shall see how the trick
— " the old trick" — will serve you.
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
(187a.)
Lavmgro made its first appearance more than one and
twenty years ago. It was treated in anything but a
courteous manner. Indeed, abuse ran riot, and many said
that the book was killed. If by killed was meant knocked
down and stunned, which is die Irish acceptation of the
word — ^there is a great deal about Ireland in the book —
they were right enough. It was not dead, however, oh dear
no I as is tolerably well shown by the present edition, which
has been long called for.
The chief assailants of the book were the friends of
Popery in England. They were enraged because the
audior stood up for the religion of his fathers, his country,
and the Bible, against the mythology of a foreign priest
As for the Pope — ^but the Pope has of late had his mis-
fortunes, so no harsh language. To another subject I
From the Pope to the Gypsies ! From the Roman Pontiff
to the Romany Chals I
A very remarkable set of people are the Gypsies ;
frequent mention is made of them in Lavengro^ and from
their peculiar language the word ''Lavengro" is taken.
They first attracted notice in Germany, where they ap-
peared in immense numbers in the early part of the fifteenth
century, a period fraught with extraordinary events: the
coming of the Black Death ; the fortunes and misfortunes
of the Emperor Sigismund ; the quarrels of the Three
Popes — the idea of three Popes at one time I — ^the burning
alive of John Huss ; the advance of the Crescent, and the
battle of Agincourt. They were of dark complexion, some
of them of nearly negro blackness, and spoke a language
of their own, though many could converse in German and
xii PREFACE OP 187a.
other tongues. They called themselves Zingary and
Romany Chals, and the account they gave of themselves
was that they were from Lower Egypt, and were doing
penance, by a seven years* wandering, for the sin of their
forefathers, who of old had refused hospitality to the Virgin
and Child. They did not speak truth, however ; the name
they bore, Zingary, and which, slightly modified, is still
borne by their descendants in various countries, shows that
they were not from Egypt, but from a much more distant
land, Hindostan; for Zingaro is Sanscrit, and signifies
a man of mixed race, a mongrel ; whilst their conduct was
evidently not that of people engaged in expiatory pilgrim-
3ge ; for the women told the kosko bokht, the good luck,
the buena ventura; kaured, that is, filched money and
valuables from shop-boards and counters by a curious
motion of the hands, and poisoned pigs and hogs by means
of a certain drug, and then begged, and generally obtained,
the carcases, which cut up served their families for food ;
the children begged and stole ; whilst the men, who it is
true professed horse-clipping, farriery and fiddling, not
unfrequently knocked down travellers and plundered them.
The hand of justice of course soon fell heavily upon them ;
men of Egypt, as they were called, were seized, hung, or
maimed ; women scourged or branded ; children whipped ;
but no severity appeared to have any effect upon the
Zingary ; wherever they went (and they soon found their
way to almost every country in Europe), they adhered to
their evil practices. Before the expiration of the fifteenth
century bands of them appeared in England with their
horses, donkeys and tilted carts. How did they contrive
to cross the sea with their carts and other property ? By
means very easy to people with money in their -pockets,
which the Gypsies always have, by paying for their pas-
sage ; just' as the Hungarian tribe did, who a few years ago
came to England with their horses and vehicles, and who,
whilst encamping with their English brethren in the love-
liest of all forests, Epping Wesh, exclaimed " Sore si mensar
St men ".♦
The meaning of Zingary, one of the names by which
* We are all relations, all aUke ; all who are with us are ourselves.
PREFACE OP 187a. xiii
the pseudo-penitents from Lower Egypt called themselves,
has been given above. Now for that of the other, Romany
Chals, a name in which the English Gypsies delight, who
have entirely dropped that of Zingary. The meaning of
Romany Chals is lads of Rome or Rama ; Romany signify-
ing that which belongs to Rama or Rome, and Chal a son
or lad, being a Zingaric word connected with the SAilo of
Scripture, the meaning of which may be found in the
Lexicon of the brave old Westphalian Hebraist, Johannes
Buxtorf.^
The Gypsies of England, the Zigany, Zigeuner, and
other tribes of the Continent, descendants of the old
Zingary and Romany Chals, retain many of the charac-
teristics of their forefathers, and, though difTering from
each other in some respects, resemble each other in many.
They are much alike in hue and feature ; speak amongst
themselves much the same tongue ; exercise much the same
trades, and are addicted to the same evil practices. There
is a little English Gypsy gillie, or song, of which the
following quatrain is a translation, containing four queries,
to all of which the English Roman6 might respond by
Ava, and the foreign Chal by the same affirmative to the
three first, if not to the last : —
Can yoa speak the Roman tongue ?
Can yoa make the fiddle ring ?
Can yon poison a jolly hog ?
And split the stick for the linen string ?
So much for the Gypsies. There are many other
things in the book to which perhaps the writer ought to
advert ; but he is weary, and, moreover, is afraid of weary-
ing others. He will, therefore, merely add that every book
must eventually stand or fall by its deserts ; that praise,
however abundant, will not keep a bad book alive for any
considerable time, nor abuse, however virulent, a good one
for ever in the dust; and he thinks himself justified in
saying, that were there not some good in Lavengro, it
would not again be raising its head, notwithstanding all
it underwent one and twenty years ago.
1 Chal is simply the contraction of c^avd/, a form cognate with ehavard the
diminutive of chaud, a lad. Chavdl is still common in Spain, both among the
Gypsies and the kiwer orders of Spaniards.— Ep.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER L
rAoi
I
Birth — My Father— Tamerlane— Ben Brain— French Protestants— East
AngUa— Sorrow and Ttoublet— Thie Peace— A Beautiful Child— Foreign
Grave— Mirron— Alpine Country— Embleois— Slow of Speech— The Jew
—Strange Getturet • • •
CHAPTER U.
Barracks and Lodging»— A Camp— The Viper— A Delicate Child— Black-
berry Time— Meum and Tuum — Hytbe— The Golgotha — Daneman's
Skull— Superhuman Stature— Stirring Times— The Sea-Bord . • 9
CHAPTER III.
Pretty D . . .—The Venerable Church— The Stricken Heart— Dormant
Energies- The Small Packet— Nerves— The Books— A Picture— Moun-
tein-hke Billows— The Foot-Print— Spirit of De Foe— Reasoning Powers
—Terrors of God— Heads of the Dragons— High-Church Clerk— A
Journey— ^Tbe Drowned Country « IS
CHAPTER IV.
Norman Cross— Wide Expanse— Vive I'Empereur— Unpruned Woods— Man
with the Bag— Froth and Conceit- 1 b^ your Pardon— Growing Timid
—About Three o^Clock— Taking One's Ease— Cheek on the (Sound-
King of the A^pers — French King— Frenchmen and Water . • • 13
CHAPTER V.
The Tent— Man and Woman — Dark and Swarthy— Manner of Speaking —
Bad Money— Transfixed— Faltering Tone— Uttle Basket— High Opinion
—Plenty of Good— Keeping Guard— Tilted Cart— Rubricab— Jasper—
The Right Sort— The Horseman of the Lane— John Newton— IIm Alarm
—Gentle Brothers 09
CHAPTER VI.
Three Years— Lilly's Grammar — Proficiency— Ignorant of Figures— The
School Bell — Order of Succession- Persecution— What are we to do ?—
Northward— A Goodly Scene— Haunted Ground— Feats of Chivalry-
Rivers— Over the Brig 38
CHAPTER VII.
The Castle— A Fathef^s Inquiries— Scotch Language— A Determination— Bui
hin Digri— Good Scotchman— Difference of Races — Ne'er a Haggis—
Pugnadogi People— What are ye, Man?— The Nor Loch— Gestures
Wild— The Bickar— New Town Champion— Wild Looking Figure-
Headlong • • • « • • 41
xvi CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VIII.
FAOl
Expert Qimben— The CrifK-Somethiiig Red— The Horrible Edge— David
Hamrt— Fine Materials— The Greatest Victory— Extraordinary Robber
—The Ruling Paision p
CHAPTER IX.
Napoleon- The Storm— The Cove— Up the Country— The Trembling Hand
—Irish— Tough Battle— Tipperary Hills— Elegant Lodgings— A Speech
—Fair Specimen— Orangemen 56
CHAPTER X.
Protestant Young Gentlemen- The Greek Letters— Open Chimney— Murtagh
—Paris and Salamanca— Nothing to Do— To Whit, to Whool— T%e
Pack of Cards— Before Christmas . 69
CHAPTER XI.
Templemore — Devil's Mountain — No Companion— Force of Circumstance-
Way of the World— Ruined Castle— Grim and Desolate— The Donjon-
Old Woman— My ovm House 66
CHAPTER Xn.
A Visit— Figure of a Man— The Dog of Peace— The Raw Wound- The
Guard-Room— Boy Soldier — Person in Authority — Never Solitary^
Clergyman and Family — Still Hunting— Fairy Man — Near Sunset—
Bagg— Left-Handed Hitter— Irish and Supernatural— At Swanton
Morley » .... 71
CHAPTER XIIL
Groom and Cob— Strength and Symmetry— Where's the Saddle?— The First
Ride— No more Fatigue — Love for Horses — Pursuit of Words — Philo-
log&t and Pegasus— The Smith— What more, Agrah?— Sassanach Ten
Pence 78
CHAPTER XIV.
A fine old City— Norman Master- Work— Lollards' Hole— Good Blood— The
Spaniard's Sword— Old Retired Officer— Writing to a Duke— God Help
the Child — Nothing like Jacob— Irish Brigades — Old Sergeant Meredith
— I have been Young— idleness— Only Course Open — The Bookstall—
A Portrait— A Banished Priest 84
CHAPTER XV.
Monsieur Dante— Condemned Musket— Sporting— Sweet Rivulet — The Earl's
Home— The Pool— The Sonorous Voice — What dost thou Read ?— Man
of Peace — 2^har and Mishna— Money Changers 91
CHAPTER XVI.
Fair of Horses— Looks of Respect— The Fast Trotter— Pair of Eyep— Strange
Men — ^Jasper, Your Pal — Force of Blood — Young Lady with Diamonds
—Not quite so Beautiful 97
CONTENTS. xvii
CHAPTER XVII.
PAOB
The Tents— Pleasant Discourse— I am Pharaoh— Shifting for One's Self—
Horae-Shoes— This is Wonderfiil— Bless your Wisdom— A Pretty
ManoBUvie— 111 Day to the Romans — My Name is Heme— Singular
People— An Original Speech— Word Master— Speakmg Romanly • zoa
, CHAPTER XVIIL
Fitted for a Churchman— Erratic Course— The Bitter
Draught- Principle of Woe— Thou Wonldst be Joyous— What Ails You ?
—Poor Child of Clay X09
CHAPTER XIX.
Agreeable Delusions— Youth— A Profession— Ab Gwilym— Glorious English
Law— There They Pass— My Dear Old Master— The Deal Desk-
Language of the Tents— Where is Morfydd?— <3o To— Only Onoe—
[Physiognomy— The Poet Parkinson] 1x3
CHAPTER XX.
Silver Grey— Good Word for Everybody— A Remarkable Youth— Clients-
Grades in Society— The Archdeacon— {The Wake of Freya}— Reading
the Bible ..••.••••,... 196
CHAPTER XXL
The Eldest Son— Saying of Wild Finland— The Critical Time— Vaunting
Polls— One TUng Wanted— A Father's Blessing— Miracle of Art— The
Pope's Home— Young Enthusiast— Pictures en England— Pttsist and
Wrestle— The Little Dark Man 134
CHAPTER XXIL
Desire lor Novd^r— Lhes of the Lawless— Countenances— Old Yicoroan and
Dune— We Live Near the Sea— Uncouth-looking Volume— The Other
Condition— Diaoitheao— A Dilemma — The Antinomian— Lodowick
MnggletOD— Almost Blind— Anders Vedd 139
CHAPTER XXIII.
The Two Individuals— The Long Pipo— The Germans— Wsrther— The
Female Quaker— Suickle— Gibbon— Jesus of Bethlehem— Fill Your Glass
—Sbakespeare— English at Minden— Melancholy Swayne Vonved— The
Fifth Dinner— Strange Doctrines— Are You Happy ?— Improve Yourself
in German t • 146
f CHAPTER XXIV.
^ Th« Alehouse Keeper— Compossion for the Rich— Old English Gentleman-
How is this ?— Madeira— The Greek Parr— Twenty Languages— Whiter's
Health— About the Fight— A Sporting Gentleman— The Flattened Nose
—Lend us that Pintle— The Surly Nod 153
CHAPTER XXV.
Doubts— Wise King of Jerusalem— Let Me Seo— A Thousand Yeai»—
Nothinff New— The Crowd— The Hymn— Faith— Charles Wesley-
There He Stood— Farewell, Brother— Death— Sun, Moon and Stars—
Wfaid on the Heath. 159
I
xviii CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXVI.
PAOB
The Flower of the QnM-^D^ys-jd^Ea^i^sm-'Tbe ReDdeK?oiis--Jew»—
Bruisers of England^Winter, Spring— Well-earned Bays— The Fight— >
Huge Black Cloud— Frame of Adamant — The Storm— Dakkeripens —
The Barouche— The Rain-Gushes . . . . • x66
CHAPTER XXVII.
My Father— Prematnre Decay-— The Easy Chair— A Few Questk>ns— So Yoo
Told Me— A Difficult Language— They Call it Haik— Misused Op-
portunities— Saul — Want of Candour — Don't Weep — Heaven Forgive
Me — Dated from Paris — I Wish He Were Here — A Father*s Remini-
scences— Farewell to Vanities . ..••... xyt
CHAPTER XXVIII.
My Brother's Arrival— The Interview— Night— A Dying Father— Christ • 179
CHAPTER XXIX.
The Greeting— Queer Figure— Cheer Up— The Cheerful Fire— It Will Do—
The Sally Forth— Trepidation— Let Him Come in x8x
CHAPTER XXX.
The Sinister Glance— Excellent Correspondent— Quite Original — My System
— A Losing Trade — Merit — Starting a Review — What Have You Got ?—
Stop \^Dairym4ut*s Daughter^^OiSoid. Principles — More Conversation
—How is This? 185
CHAPTER XXXL
The Walk— London's Cheape— Street of the Lombards— Strange Bridge-
Main Arch— The Roaring Gulf— The Boat— Cly-Faking— A Comfort—
The Book— The Blessed Woman— No Trap 191
CHAPTER XXXII.
The Tanner— {Cromwell— The Dairyman*! Dattghtery^Ttat Hotel— Drink-
ing Claret — London Toumal— New Field— Commonplaceness — Hie
Three Individaals— Botheration — Frank and Ardent • • . • X96
CHAPTER XXXIIL
Dine with the Publisher— Religions — ^Na Animal Food— Unprofitable Dis-
cussions— Principles of Criticism — ^The Book Market — Newgate Lives —
Goethe a Drug— German Acquirements — Moral Dignity • • . aoa
CHAPTER XXXIV.
The Two Volumes— A Young Author— Intended Editor— Qointillan — Loose
Money • ,',",- 007
CHAPTER XXXV.
Francis Ardry— Certain Sharpers— Brave and Eloquent— Opposites— Flinging
the Bones— Strange Places — Doe Fightmg— Learning and Letters-
Batch of Dogs— Redoubled Application • • • • aog
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXXVL
rAos
Oocapatioin—TYBdttttors Traditore— Ode to the Miit— Apple and Pear^
Reviewing— Current Literature^Obcford-like Manner— A Plain Story —
IU-rqsa]Ated Mind— Unsnoffsd Candle— Strange Dreams • . 914
CHAPTER XXXVII.
My Brother— Fits of Cirlng— M^or Elect— The Committee— The Norman
Arch— A Word of Greek— Church and State— At My Own Expense— If
Yon Pleaae 219
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Painter of the Heroic— 111 Go I— A Modest Peep— Who is This?— A
Capital Pharaoh — Disproportionably Short — Imaginary Picture—
English Figures 223
CHAPTER XXXIX.
No Ambofity Whatever— Interference— Wondrons Farrago— Brandt and
Simensee— What a Life 1— The Hearse— Mortal Relics— Grsat Poei-^
Fashkm and Fame— What a Difference t—[Portobello] • ... 397
CHAPTER XL.
London Bridge— Why. Not?— Evoy Heart has its Bitters— Wicked Boys—
- GrvememfBbok — Such a Fright — Honour Bright • . • . 340
CHAPTER XLI.
Decease of the Review— Homer Himself— Bread and Cheese— Finger and
Thumb— Impossible to Find— Something Grand— Universal Mixture-
Some Other Publisher 844
CHAPTER XLII.
Francis Ardry— That Won't do, Sir— Observe my Gestures— I Think You
Improve— Better than Politics— Delightful Young Frenchwoman— A
Burning Shame— Magnificent Impudence— Paunch— Voltaire— Lump of
248
CHAPTER XLIIL
Progress— GkMrious John— Utterly Unintelligible— What a Diiferaioe 1 • 253
CHAPTER XLIV.
The Old Spot— A Long History- Thou Shalt Not Steal— No Harm— Edoca-
tion— Necessity — Foam on Your Lip— Apples and Pears— What Will
YouRead-Metaphor-The Fur Cap— I Don't Know Him • • • 055
CHAPTER XLV.
Bought and Exchanged— Quite Empty— A New Firm— Bibles— Countenance
of a Lion— Clap of Thunder— A Tmoe with This— I Have Lost It—
deafly a R]|tht— Goddess of the Mint • • . • • • t6o
CHAPTER XLVI.
sonnter- Drag Him
— Hdngs of Importance— Philological Matters— Mother of Languages—
The Pi^pocket-^range Renoounter— Drag Him Along— A Great Service
lotber
»6S
o CONTENTS,
^—— — — — — — — ^— ^— — — ^— i^— — — — ^— I ■ ■ ■ — ^— ^i—^—— — ^ I .
CHAPTER XLVII.
PAOK
New Acq«aintuioe— Wired Caaes^Bread and Wtn&— Armenian Colonies-
Learning Without Mone7~What a Language— The Tide— Your Foible
— Learning of the Haiks — Old Proverb — Prosing Invitation . • 969
CHAPTER XLVIII.
What to do— Strong Enough— Fame and Profit— Alliterative Euphony—
Excellent Fellow— Listen to Me — A Plan — Bagnigge Wdls . . » *74
CHAPTER XUX.
Singular Personage— A Large Sum— Papa of Rome— We are Christians-
Degenerate Anneaiaos — Roots of Ararat — Regular Features . .978
CHAPTER U
Wish Fulfilled— fijctraordiitaiT Figure— Bueno— Noah— The Two Fbcet I
Doo't Bbune Him— Too Fond of Moaej— Were I an Armenian a8i
CHAPTER LL
The One Half-Crown— Merit In Patience— Oementer of Friendship— Dread-
ful Porplextty— The Usual Guttural— Armenian Letters-^Mucb Indebted
to You — Pure Helplessness — Dumb People 284
CHAPTER LIL
Kind of Stupor— Peace of Qod— Divine Hand— Farewell. Child— The Fair—
Massive Edifice— Battered Tart— Lost I Lost !— Good Day, Gentlemen 888
CHAPTER LIIL
Singular TaUft— No Mooejr— Qgt ^ Employ— My Bonnet— We of the
Thimble— Good Wagea— Wisely Resolved— Strangest Way in the World
—Fat Gentleman— Not Such Another— First Edition— Not Very Fast—
Won't Cloee— Avdla Gorgio— Alarmed Look age
CHAPTER LIV.
Mr. Petulencro— Rommanv Rye— Lil Writers— One's Ovm Horn— Lawfully
Easnt Money— The wooded Hill— A Great Favourite— The Shop
Window— Much Wanted 999
CHAPTER LV.
Bread and Water— Fan* Plar— Fashionable Life— Colonel B ^Joseph Sell
—Tt^ Kindly Glow— Eiasiest -Manner Imaginable 3P3
CHAPTER LVL
Considerably Sobered— Power of Writing— The Tempter— Hungry Talent—
jiy 5
Coi
Work Concluded 906
CHAPTER LVII.
Nervous Look— The Bookseller's Wife— The Last Stake— Terms— God
Forbidt—Wm You Come to Tea?— A Light Heart .... 909
CONTENTS. nd
CHAPTER LVIII.
4Ddispositioii— A Resolntion— Poor EqiUTaleats— The Piece of Gold—- Flasb-
ing Eyes — How Beaatifal t — Boojour, Monsieur 311
CHAPTER LIX.
The Milestone— The Meditation-- Want to Get Up?— The Off-hand Leader
--Sixteen Shillings— The Near-hand Wheeler— AU Right . . .3x5
CHAPTER LX.
like Still Hour— A Thrill— The Wondrous Circle— The Shepherd— Heaps
and &irrows — What do you Mean?^Milk of the Plains— Hengist
spared it— No Presents 318
CHAPTER LXL
The River— Arid Down»— A Prospect 33a
CHAPTER LXn.
The Hostelry — Life Uncertain— Open Countenance— The Grand Point-
Thank you. Master— A Hard Mother— Poor Dear I — Considerable Odds
—The Better Coontry— English Fashion— Landlord-looking Person . 334
CHAPTER LXni.
Primitive Habits — Rosy-faced Damsel— A Pleasant Moment — Suit of Black
—The Furtive Glance— The Mighty Round— Degenerate Times— The
Newspaper— The Evfl Chance— I CongratulaU You .... 300
CHAPTER LXIV.
New Acquaintance— Old French Style— The Portrait— Tadtumity— The
Evergreen Tree — The Dark Hour— The Flash- Ancestors— A Fortunate
Man— A Posthumous Child— Antagonistic Ideas — ^The Hawks— Flaws
— The Pony— Irresistible Impulse— Favourable Crisis — The Topmost
Branch— Twenty Feet— Heartily Ashamed 334
CHAPTER LXV.
Maternal An»et^— The Baronet— Liule Zest— Country Life— Mr. Speaker I
—The Cravmg— Spirited Address— An Author 342
CHAPTER LXVI.
Trepidations— Subtle Pnnciple— Perverse Imagination— Are they Mine^—
Another Book— How Hard I— Agricultural Dinner— Incomprehensible
Actions— Inmost Bosom— Give it Up— Chance Resemblance— Rascally
Newspaper ••• 346
CHAPTER LXVII.
Dteuxbed Slumbers— The Bed-Post— Two Wizards— What can I Do?— Real
Library— The Rev. Mr. Platitude— Tolenitk>n to Dissenters— Paradox-
Sword of Sl Peter— Enemy to Humbug— High Prindples— False Con-
ooid— The Damsel— What Religion?— Farther ConvenatXMi— That
would never Do 1— May You Prosper I .....•• 551
nil CONTENTS.
CHAPTER LXVin.
Elastic StOH-DiaooDSoIate Party— Not the Season— Mend Your Draught-
Good Ale— Crotchet— Hammer and Tongs— Schoolmaster— True Eden
Life— Flaming Tinman — ^Twice my Size— Hard at Work— ^lX-£92t—
Wife— Gr^ Moll— A Bible~«Half and Half— What to do— Halflnclmed
—In No Time— On One Condition— Don't Stare— Like the Wind . . 359
CHAPTER LXIX.
Effects of Com— One Night Longer— The Hoofs— A Stumble— Are You
Hurt?— What a Difference — Drowsy— Maze of Bushes— Housekeeping
—Sticks and Furze— The Drilt-way— Account of Stock— Anvil and
Bellowa— Twenty Years 369
CHAPTER DUL
New Professbn— Beautiful Night— Jupiter— Sharp and Shrill— The Rom-
many Chi— All Alone— Three and Sixpence— What is Rommany?— Be
OYil— Puraco Tute— Slight Start— She Will Be Grateful— The Rustling 375
CHAPTER LXXL
Friend of Slingsfay— All Quiet— Danger— The Two Cakes^Children in the
Wood— Don't be Angry— In Deep Thought— Temples Throbbing—
Deadly Sick— Another Blow— No Answer^How Old are You?— Play
and Sacrament— Heavy Heart— Song of Poison— Dlgw of GypsiiGS— The
Dog— Ely's Church— Get Up. Bebee— The Vehicle— Can you Speak 1—
The Oil • • . . • 381
CHAPTER LXXIL
Desired Effect— The Three Oaks— Winifred— Things of Ttme— With Godii
Will- The Preacher— Creature Comforts— Croesaw— Welsh and English
-•Mayor of Chester 391
CHAPTER LXXIII.
Morning Hymn— Much Alone— John Bunyan— Beholden to Nobody— Sixty-
five— ^ber Greeting— Early Sabbaths— Finny Brood— The Porch— No
Fortune-telling— The Master's Niece— Doing Good— Two or Three
Things — Groans and Voices— Pechod Ysprydd Glan • • . . 396
CHAPTER LXXIV.
The Following Day— Pride— Thriving Trade— Tylwyth Teg— Ellis Wyn—
Sleeping Bard— Incalculable Good— Fearful Agony— The Tale • • 403
CHAPTER LXXV.
Takine a Cup— Getting to Heaven — After Breakfast — ^Wooden Gallery —
Mechanical Habit — Reserved and Gloomy— Last Words — A Long Time
—From the Clouds— Ray of Hope— Momentary CluU— Pleasing
Anticipation • • • . 407
CHAPTER LXXVL
Hasty Farewell— Lofty Rock— Wrestlings of Jacob— No Rest— Ways of
Providenoe— Two Females — Foot of the Cross — Enemy of Souls — Per-
plexed^Lueky Hour— Valetudinarian — Methodists— Fervent in Prayer
-*You Saxons— Weak Creature9--^Very Agreeable— Almost Happy^
Kindness and Solicitude • . . . 413
i
^
CONTENTS. zxtii
CHAPTER LXXVII.
FAOB
Getting Late— Seven Yean Old— Chastening— Go Forth— London Bridge—
Same £ye»— Common Occurrence — Very Sleepy 421
CHAPTER LXXVin.
Low and Calm— Much Better— Blessed Effect— No Answer— Such a Sermon 434
CHAPTER LXXIX.
D«ep Interest— Goodly Country- Two Mansions— Welshman's Candle—
Beautiful Universe— Godly Discourse— Fine Church— Points of Doctrine
—Strange Adventures— Paltrv Cause— Roman Pontiff— Evil Spirit . 426
CHAPTER LXXX.
The Bonier— Thank Yoa Both— Pipe and Fiddle— Taliesin . • • •431
CHAPTER LXXXL
At a Funeral— Two Days Ago— Very Coolly— Roman Woman— Well and
Hearty — Somewhat Dreary — Plum Pudding— Roman Fashion — Quite
Different— The Dark Lane — Beyond the Time— Fine Fellow— Such a
Scruggia— Like a Wild Cat— Fair Play— Pleasant Enough Spot— No
Gk>ves 433
CHAPTER LXXXH.
Offence and Defence— I'm Satisfied— Fond of Solitude— Possession of Property
— Chal Devlehi— Wmiiing Path •...•••• 441
CHAPTER LXXXUL
Highbr Poetical— Volondr— Grecian Mvthok)|or— Making a Petul— Tongues
01 Flame ■ Hammering— Spite of Dukkerm — Heaviness. • • 444
CHAPTER LXXXIV.
Seven] Causes— From and Eftes— Gloom and Twilight— What Should I Do ?
—Our Father— Fellow Men— What a Mercy {—Almost Calm— Fresh
Store— History of Saul— Pitch Dark . 448
CHAPTER LXXXV.
Free and iDdependent— I Don't See Why— Oats— A Noise— Unwelcome
Visitors— What's the Matter ?— Good Day to Ye— The TaQ Girl— Dovre-
fidd— Blow on the Face— Civil Enough— What's This?— Vulgar Woman
— Hands Off— Gasping for Breath— Long Melford— A Prettv Manoeuvre
—A Long Draught— %igns of Animation— It Won't Do — No Malice*
BftdPeo^ • • 453
CHAPTER LXXXVI.
At Tea— Vapours— Isopd Berners— Softly and Kindly— Sweet Pretty
Creature— Bread and Water— Two Sailors— Tnith and Constancy—
Very Strangely • ^ • • •4^3
CHAPTER LXXXVII.
Hribbwbof VoioM- No Offenoe— Nodding— The Gucrti « • •4^
XXIV CONTENTS.
CHAPTER LXXXVIIL
PAQB
A Radical—Simple-Looking Man— Church of England— The President—
Aristocracy — Gin and Water — Mending tlw Roads — Persecuting
Church— Simon de Montfort— Broken Bells— Get Up— Not for the Pope
—Quay of New York— Mumpers* Dingle— No wish to Fight— First
Draught— A Poor Pipe— Half a crown Broke 469
CHAPTER LXXXIX.
The Dingle— Give them Ale— Not over Complimentary — America— Goodly
Land— Washington— Promiscuous Company — Language ot the Roads
— ^The Old Women — Numerals— The Man in Black • • . 477
CHAPTER XC.
Buona Sera- Rather Apprehensive— The Steep Bank— Lovely Virgin— Hospi-
tality— ^Tory Minister— Custom of the Country— Sneering Smile-
Wandering Zigan— Gypsies' Cloaks — Certain Faculty— Acute Answer
— Various Ways— Addio— Best Hollands ...... 48a
. CHAPTER XCL
Ekcohioiis— Advamiroiis English— Opaque Forests— The Greatest Patience 489
CHAPTER XCn.
The Landlord— Rather Too Old— Without a Shilling— Reputation— A Fort-
night Ago— Liquids— The Main Chance— Respectability— Irrational
Beings — Parliament Cove — My Brewer . 491
CHAPTER XCHL
Another Visit— A la Margutte— Clever Man— Napoleon's Estimate— Another
Sutue 496
CHAPTER XCIV.
Prerogative— Feeling of Gratitude— A Long Hbtory— Alliterative Style-
Advantageous Specimen— Jesuit Benefice— Not Sufficient — Queen Stork's
Tragedy — Good Sense — Grandeur and Gentility — Ironmonger's
Daughter— Clan Mac-Sycophant— Lick-Spittles—A Curiosity— News-
paper Editors— Charles the Simple— High-flying Ditty— Dissenters —
Lower Classes— Priestley's House— Horseflesh*— Aostin— Renovating
(llas»— Money— Quite Original ........ 499
CHAPTER XCV.
Wooded Retreat— Fresh Shoes— Wood Fire- Ash, when Green— Queen of
China— Cleverest People— What's a Declension ?— The First Noun —
Thunder— Deep Olive— What Do You Mean?— Koul Adonai— The
Thick Bushes— Wood Pigeon— Old Goethe 5x0
CHAPTER XCVI.
A Shout- A Fire Ball— See to the H(Jbes— Passing Away— Gap in the
Hedge— On Three Wheels— Why Do You Stop?— No Craven Heart—
The Cordial— Across the Country— Small Bags 517
r
/
m
CONTENTS. IX?
CHAPTER XCVII.
Fire of Gharaoal— TIm New Comer— No Wonder I— Not a Blacksmitb— A
Lofe AfEidr— Gretna Green— A Cool Thoosand— Family Estates-
Borough Interest— Grand Education— Let us Hear— Already Quarrel-
ling—Honourable Parents— Most Heroically— Not Common BK>ple—
F^esh Charcoal Saa
CHAPTER XCVIIL
Ab Eiordium— Fine Shipa— High Barbaiy Captains— Free-Bom Englishmen
—Monstrous Figure— Swash-Buckler— The Grand Coaches— The Foot*
men — ^A Travelling Expedition — Black Jack — Nelson's Cannon— Phar-
aoh's Butler— A DiUgenoe— Two Passengers— Sharking Priest— Virgilio
'-Lessons in Italian— ^Two Opinions— Holy Maxy- raestly Confeder-
ates—Methodist Chapel— Eternal City— Foaming at the Mouth— Like a
Sepulchre— All for Themselves 599
CHAPTER XCIX.
A Cloister- Half-Englisb— New Acquaintance— Fits of Absence— Turning
Papist — Purposes of Charity— Fordgn Religion — Melancholy — Elbowing
and Pushing— Outlandish Sight— The Figure— I Don't Care for You—
RosT-faced Rascal— One Good- Religion of my Country— Fellow of
Spirit— A Dispute— The Next Morning— Female Doll— Proper Dignity
—Fetish Country S40
CHAPTER C
NotUmr but Gloom— Sporting Character— Gouty Tory— Servant's Club—
PaOtict— Reformado Footman— Perontkm— Good-Night « • • 549
Editor's Postscript . • • 553
*'<*" 555
GyptyLirt ...... S68
►
A
LIST OP ILLUSTRATIONS
George Borrow, from the Portrait by Phillips,
R.A., in the possession of John Murray
{photogravure) Frontispiece
Edinburgh Castle To face page 45
A Typical Irish Castle (Cashel) .
Entrance to Grammar School, Norwich • .
The Erpingham Gate, Norwich, from the Cathe-
dral Close .......
Earlham Hall, near Norwich • • . •
" Marshland Shales **
Rackham's Offices, Tuck*s Court, St. Giles',
Norwich •«.....
William Taylor of Norwich (a 1765, d. 1836) .
Stonehenge
Mumpers' Dingle ••••••
68
84
88
93
98
114
146
318
444
LAVENGRO.
(1851.)
CHAPTER I.
Om an evening of July, in the year i8*S at East D , a
beautiful little town in a certain district of East Anglia, I firet
saw the light^
My father was a Cornish man, the youngest, as I have heard
him say, of seven brothers. He sprang from a family of
gentlemen, or, as some people would call them, gentiildtres, for
they were not very wealthy ; they had a coat of arms, however,
and lived on their own property at a place called Tredinnock,
which being interpreted means the house on the hUl^ which house
and the neighbouring acres had been from time immemorial
in their possession. I mention these particulars that the reader
may see at once that I am not altogether of low and plebeian
origin ; the present age is highly aristocratic, and I am convinced
that the public will read my pages with more zest from being
told that I am a gentilldtrt by birth with Cornish blood * in my
veins, of a family who lived on their own property at a place
bearing a Celtic name, signifying the house on the hill, or more
strictly the house on the hillock.
My father was what is generally termed a posthumous child
— ^in other words, the gtnHll&ire who begot him never had the
satisfkction of invoking the blessing of the Father of All upon his
head, having departed this life some months before the birth of
his youngest son. The boy, therefore, never knew a father's
care ; he was, however, well tended by his mother, whose favourite
he was ; so much so, indeed, that his brethren, the youngest of
whom was considerably older than himself, were rather jealous of
1 MS,, *' On the fifth day of July, 1803, at East D , a beautiful little town
to the western division of Norfolk, I first saw the light ".
• " In CornwaU are the best gentlemen." — Com. Frov*
I
i LA VBNGRO. [1758.
him. I never heard, however, that they treated him with any
marked unkindness; and it will be as well to observe here
that I am by no means well acquainted with his early
history, of which, indeed, as I am not writing his life, it is not
necessary to say much. Shortly after his mother's death, which
occurred when he was eighteen, he adopted the profession of
arms, which he followed during the remainder of his life, and in
which, had circumstances permitted, he would probably have
shone amongst the best By nature he was cool and collected,
slow to anger, though perfectly fearless, patient of control, of
great strength, and, to crown all, a proper man with his hands.
With far inferior qualifications many a man has become a
field-marshal or general ; similar ones made Tamerlane, who was
not a gentii/d^re, but the son of a blacksmith, emperor of one-
third of the world ; but the race is not always for the swift, nor
the battle for the strong, indeed I ought rather to say very seldom ;
certain it is, that my father, with all his high military qualifications,
never became emperor, field-marshal, or even general ; indeed, he
had never an opportunity of distinguishing himself save in one
battle, and that took place neither in Flanders, Egypt, nor on the
banks of the Indus or Oxus, but in Hyde Park.
Smile not, gentle reader, many a battle has been fought in Hyde
Park, in which as much skill, science and bravery have been
displayed as ever achieved a victory in Flanders or by the Indus.
In such a combat as that to which I allude, I opine that even
Wellington or Napoleon would have been heartily glad to cry for
quarter ere the lapse of five minutes, and even the Blacksmith
Tartar would, perhaps, have shrunk from the exponent with whom,
after having had a dispute with him,^ my father engaged n single
combat for one hour, at the end of which time the champions
shook hands and retired, each having experienced quite enough
of the other's prowess. The name of my father's antagonist was
Brain.
What! still a smile? did you never hear that name before?
I cannot help it ! Honour to Brain, who four months after the
event which I have now narrated was champion of England,
having conquered the heroic Johnson. Honour to Brain, who
at the end of other four months, worn out by the dreadful blows
which he had received in his many ' combats, expired in the arms
of my father, who read the Bible to him in his latter moments —
Big Ben Brain.
1 AfS.t "after being insulted by him**.
* So in MSS, ; " manly." an erratum.
«77a-l
MY PARENTS.
You no longer smile, even you have heard of Big Ben.
I have already hinted that my father never rose to any very ex-
alted rank in his profession, notwithstanding his prowess and other
qualifications* After serving for many years in the line> he at last
entered as captain in the militia raiment of the Earl of ,^
at that period just raised, and to which he was sent by the Duke
of York to instruct the young levies in military manoeuvres and
discipline ; and in this mission I believe he perfectly succeeded,
competent judges having assured me that the regiment in question
soon came by his means to be considered as one of the roost
brilliant in the service, and inferior to no regiment of the line in
appearance or discipline*
As the head-quarters of this corps were at D , the duties
of my father not unirequently carried him to that place, and it was
on one of these occasions that he became acquainted with a
young person of the neighbourhood, for whom he formed an
attachment, which was returned ; and this young person was my
mother.
She was descended from a hmi\y of French Protestants, natives
of Caen, who were obliged to leave their native country when old
Louis, at the instigation of the Pope, thought fit to revoke the
Edict of Nantes. Their name was Petrement, and I have reason
for believing that they were people of some consideration ; that
they were noble hearts and good Christians they gave sufficient
proof in scorning to bow the knee to the tyranny of Rome. So
they left beautiful Normandy for their faith's sake, and with a few
louis d'ors in their purse, a Bible in the vulgar tongue, and a
couple of old swords, which, if report be true, had done service
in the Huguenot ?rars, they crossed the sea to the isle of civil
peace and religious liberty, and established themsdves in East
Anglia.
And many other Huguenot families bent their steps thither,
and devoted themselves to agriculture or the mechanical arts ;
and in the venerable old city, the capital of the province, in the
northern shadow of the Castle of De Burgh, the exiles built for
themselves a church where they praised God in the French tongue,
and to which, at particular seasons of the year, they were in the
habit of flocking from country and from town to sing —
" Thou hast provided for us a goodly earth ; Thou waterest
her furrows, Thou sendest rain into the little valleys thereof.
Thou makest it soft, with the drops of rain, and blessest the
increase of it".
1 J/5., *• Orfbnl -.
\
/
LA VBNGRO. [1793.
I have been told that in her younger da3r8 my mother was
strikingly handsome ; this I can easily believe. I never knew her
in her youth, for though she was very young when she married
my father (who was her senior by many years) she had attained
the middle age befoje I was bom, no children having been
vouchsafed to my parents in the early stages of their union.
Yet even at the present day, now that years threescore and ten
have passed over her head, attended with sorrow and troubles
manifold, poorly chequered with scanty joys, can I look on that
countenance and doubt that at one time beauty decked it as
with a glorious garment? Hail to thee, my parent! as thou
sittest there, in thy widow's weeds, in the dusky parlour in
the house overgrown with the lustrous ivy of the sister isle,
the solitary house at the end of the retired court shaded by lofty
poplars. Hail to thee, dame of the oval face, olive complexion,
and Grecian forehead; by thy table seated with the mighty
volume of the good Bishop Hopkins spread out before thee;
there is peace in thy countenance, my mother ; it is not worldly
peace, however, not the deceitful peace which lulls to bewitching
slumbers, and from which, let us pray, humbly pray, that every
sinner may be roused in time to implore mercy not in vain !
Thine is the peace of the righteous, my mother, of those to
whom no sin can be imputed, the score of whose misdeeds has
been long since washed a?ray by the blood of atonement, which
imputeth righteousness to those who trust in it. It was not
always thus, my mother; a time was, when the cares, pomps
and vanities of this world agitated thee too much ; but that time
is gone by, another and a better has succeeded, there is peace
now on thy countenance, the true peace; peace around thee,
too, in thy solitary dwelling, sounds of peace, the cheerful
hum of the kettle and the purring of the immense Angola,
which stares up at thee from its settle with its almost human
eyes.
No more earthly cares and affections now, my mother ? Yes,
one. Why dost thou suddenly raise thy dark and still brilliant
eye from the volume with a somewhat startled glance? What
noise is that in the distant street ? Merely the noise of a hoof—
a sound common enough ; it draws nearer, nearer, and now it
stops before thy gate. Singular I And now there is a pause, a
long pause. Ha ! thou hearest something — ^a footstep, a swift
but heavy footstep I thou risest, thou tremblest ; there is a hand
on the pin of the outer door ; there is some one in the vestibule ;
and now the door of thy apartment opens ; there is a reflection
1800-1803.] JOHN AND GBORGB. 5
on the mirror behind thee — a travelling hat, a grey head and
sunburnt face. ^^ My dearest Son ! " " My darling Mother ! "
YeSi mother, thou didst recognise in the distant street the
hoof-tramp of the wanderer's horse.
I was not the only child of my parents ; I had a brother some
three years older than myself. He was a beautiful child; one
of those occasionally seen in England, and in England alone ;
a rosy, angelic face, blue eyes, and light chestnut hair. It was
not exactly an Anglo-Saxon countenance, in which, by-the-bye,
there is generally a cast of loutishness and stupidity ; it partook,
to a certain extent, of the Celtic character, particularly in the fire
and vivacity which illumined it ; his face was the mirror of his
mind; perhaps no disposition more amiable was ever found
amongst the children of Adam, united, however, with no incon-
siderable portion of high and dauntless spirit So great was his
beauty in infancy, that people, especially those of the poorer
classes, would foUow the nurse who carried him about in order
to look at and bless his lovely face. At the age of three mcmths
an attempt was made to snatch him from his mother's arms in
the streets of London, at the moment she was about to enter a
coach; indeed, his appearance seemed to operate so powerfully
upon every person who beheld him* that my parents were under
continual apprehension of losing him ; his b^uty, however, was
perhaps surpassed by the quickness of his parts. He mastered
his letters in a few hours, and in a day or two could 'decipher
the names of people on the doors of houses and over the shop
windows.
As he grew up, his personal appearance became less prepos-
sessing, his quickness and cleverness, however, rather increased ;
and I may say of him, that with respect to everything which he
took in hand he did it better and more speedily than any other
person* Perhaps it will be asked here, what became of him?
Alas ! alas ! his was an early and a foreign grave. As I have said
before, the race is not always for the swift, nor the battle for the
strong.
^d now, doubtless, after the above portrait of my brother,
painted in the very best style of Rubens, the reader will conceive
himself justified in expecting a full-length one of myself, as a
child, for as to my present appearance, I suppose he will be
tolerably content with that flitting glimpse in the mirror. But he
must excuse me ; I have no intention of drawing a portrait of
myself in childhood ; indeed it would be difficult, for at that
time I never looked into mirrors. No attempts, however, were
LA VBNGRO. fiSos.
ever made to steal me in my infancyi and I never heard that my
parents entertained the slightest apprehension of losing me by
the hands of kidnappers, though I remember perfectly well that
people were in the habit of standing still to look at me, ay, more
than at my brother ; from which premises the reader may form any
conclusion with respect to my appearance which seemeth good
unto him and reasonable. Should he, being a good-natured
person and always inclined to adopt the charitable side in any
doubtful point, be willing to suppose that I, too, was eminently
endowed by nature with personal graces, I tell him frankly that
I have no objection whatever to his entertaining that idea;
moreover, that I heartily thank him, and shall at all times be
disposed, under similar circumstances, to exercise the same
species of charity towards himself.
With respect to my mind and its qualities I shall be more
explicit ; for, were I to maintain much reserve on this point, many
things which appear in these memoirs would be highly mysterious
to the reader, indeed incomprehensible. Perhaps no two indivi-
duals were ever more unlike in mind and disposition than my
brother and myself. As light is opposed to darkness, so was that
happy, brilliant, cheerful child to the sad and melancholy being
who sprang from the same stock as himself, and was nurtured by
the same milk.
Once, when travelling in an Alpine country, I arrived at a
considerable elevation; I saw in the distance, &r below, a
beautiful stream hastening to the ocean, its rapid waters here
sparkling in the sunshine, and there tumbling merrily in cascades.
On its banks were vineyards and cheerful villages ; close to wheie
I stood, in a granite basin with steep and precipitous sides,
slumbered a deep, dark lagoon, shaded by black pines, cypresses
and yews. It was a wild, savage spot, strange and singular;
ravens hovered above the pines, filling the air with their uncouth
notes, pies chattered, and I heard the cry of an eagle from a
neighbouring peak; there lay the lake, the dark, solitary and
almost inaccessible lake ; gloomy shadows were upon it, which,
strangely modified as gusts of wind agitated the surface, occasion^
ally assumed the shape of monsters. So I stood on the Alpine
elevation, and looked now on the gay distant river, and now at
the dark granite-encircled lake close beside me in the lone
solitude, and I thought of my brother and myself. I am no
moraliser; but the gay and rapid river and the dark and silent
lake, were, of a verity, no bad emblems of us two.
Sp far from bein^ quick aind clever like my brother^ and abl^
tios.] ^^J2 JBW. 7
to riiral the litenoy feat which I have recorded of him, many
years elapsed before I was able to understand the nature of
betters* or to connect them. A lover of nooks and retired corners,
I was as a child in the habit of fleeing from society, and of sitting
Jor hours together with my head on my breast. What I was
thinking about, it would be difficult to say at this distance of
time ; I remember perfectly well, however, being ever conscious
of a peculiar heaviness within me, and at times of a strange
sensation of fear, which occasionally amounted to horror, and
for which I could assign no real cause whatever.
By nature slow of speech, I took no pleasure in conversation,
nor in hearing the voices of ray fellow-creatures. When people
addressed me I not unfrequently, especially if they were strangers,
turned away my head from them, and if they persisted in their
notice burst into tears, which singularity of behaviour by no
means tended to dispose people in my favour. I was as much
disliked as my brother was deservedly beloved and admired. My
parents, it is true, were always kind to me ; and my brother, who
was good nature itself, was continually lavishing upon me every
mark of affection.
There was, however, one individual who, in the days of my
childhood, was disposed to form a favourable opinion of me. One
day, a Jew — I had quite forgotten the circumstance, but I was long
subsequently informed of it — one day a travelling Jew knocked
at the door of a fisirmhouse in which we had taken apartments. I
was near at hand, sitting in the bright sunshine, drawing strange
lines on the dust with my fingers, an ape and dog were my com-
panions. The Jew looked at me and asked me some questions,
to which, though I was quite able to speak, I returned no answer.
On the door being opened, the Jew, after a few words, probably
relating to pedlary, demanded who the child was, sitting in the
sun ; the maid replied that I was her mistress's youngest son, a
child weak Aere^ pointing to her forehead. The Jew looked at
me again, and then said : " Ton my conscience, my dear, I believe
ftat you must be troubled there yourself to tell me any such thing.
It is not my habit to speak to children, inasmuch as I hate them,
because they often follow me and fling stones after me ; but I no
sooner looked at that child than I was forced to speak to it His
not answering me shows his sense, for it has never been the
custom of the wise to fling away their words in indifferent talk
and conversation. The child is a sweet child, and has all the look
of one of our people's children. Fool, indeed ! did I not see his
e^es sparkle just now when the monkey seized the dog by the
LA VBNGRO. [1805
ear? they shone like my own diamonds — does your good lady
want any, real and fine? Were it not for what you tell me, I
should say it was a prophet's child. Fool, indeed ! he can write
already, or I'll forfeit the box which I carry on my back, and for
which I should be loth to take two hundred pounds ! " He then
leaned forward to inspect the lines which I had traced. All of a
sudden he started back, and grew white as a sheet ; then, taking off
his hat, he made some strange gestures to me, cringing, chattering,
and showing his teeth, and shortly departed, muttering something
about " holy letters," and talking to himself in a strange tongue.
The words of the Jew were in due course of time reported to my
mother, who treasured them in her heart, and from that moment
began to entertain brighter hopes of her youngest-born than she
had ever before ventured to foster.
CHAPTER II.
I HAVE been a wanderer the greater part of my life; indeed I
remember only two periods, and these by no means lengthy, when
I was, strictly speaking, stationary. I was a soldier's son, and as
the means of my father were by no means sufficient to support
two establishments, his family invariably attended him wherever
he went, so that from my infancy I was accustomed to travelling
and wandering, and looked upon a monthly change of scene and
residenct as a matter of course. Sometimes we lived In barracks,
sometimes in lodgings, but generally in the former, always eschew-
ing the latter from motives of economy, save when the barracks
were inconvenient and uncomfortable ; and they must have been
highly so indeed to have discouraged us from entering them ; for
though we were gentry (pray bear that in mind, gentle reader),
gentry by birth, and incontestably so by my father's bearing the
commission of good old George the Third, we were notjlne gentry^
but people who could put up with as much as any genteel Scotch
family who find it convenient to live on a third floor in London,
or on a sixth at Edinburgh or Glasgow. It was not a little that
could discourage us. We once lived within the canvas walls of a
camp, at a place called Pett, in Sussex ; and I believe it was at
this place that occurred the first circumstance, or adventure, call
it which you will, that I can remember in connection with my-
self. It was a strange one, and I will relate it.
It happened that my brother and myself were playing one
evening in a sandy lane, in the neighbourhood of this Pett camp ;
our mother was at a slight distance. All of a sudden, a bright
yellow, and, to my infantine eye, beautiful and glorious object
made its appearance at the top of the bank from between the
thick quickset, and, gliding down, began to move across the lane
to the other side, like a line of golden light. Uttering a cry of
pleasure, I sprang forward, and seized it nearly by the middle.
A strange sensation of numbing coldness seemed to pervade my
whole arm, which surprised me the more as the object to the eye
appeared so warm and sunlike. I did not drop it, however, but,
))olding it up, looked at it intently, as its head dangled about 9
(9)
lo LA VBNGRO, [1806.
foot from my hand. It made no resistance ; I felt not even the
shghtest struggle; but now my brother began to scream and
shriek like one possessed. " O mother, mother 1 ** said he, " the
viper I my brother has a viper in his hand 1 " He then, like one
frantic, made an effort to snatch the creature away from me. The
viper now hissed amain, and raised its head, in which were eyes
like hot coals, menacing, not myself, but my brother. I dropped
my captive, for I saw my mother running towards me ; and the
reptile, after standing for a moment nearly erect, and still hissing
furiously, made off, and disappeared. The whole scene is now
before me, as vividly as if it occurred yesterday — the goigeous
viper, my poor dear frantic brother, my agitated parent, and a
frightened hen clucking under the bushes; and yet I was not
three years old.
It is my firm belief that certain individuals possess an inherent
power, or fascination, over certain creatures, otherwise I should
be unable to account for many feats which I have witnessed, and,
indeed, borne a share in, connected with the taming of brutes and
reptiles. I have known a savage and vicious mare, whose stall
it was dangerous to approach, even when bearing provender, wel-
come, nevertheless, with every appearance of pleasure, an uncouth,
wiry-headed man, with a frightfully seamed face, and an iron hook
supplying the place of his right hand, one whom the animal had
never seen before, playfully bite his hair and cover his ftice with
gentle and endearing kisses; and I have already stated how a
viper would permit, without resentment, one child to take it up
in his hand, whilst it showed its dislike to the approach of another
by the fiercest hissings. Philosophy can explain many strange
things, but there are some which are a far pitch above her, and
this is one.
I should scarcely relate another circumstance which occurred
about this time but for a singular effect which it produced upon
my constitution. Up to this period I had been rather a delicate
child ; whereas, almost immediately after the occurrence to which
I allude, I became both hale and vigorous, to the great astonish-
ment of my parents, who naturally enough expected that it would
produce quite a contrary effect.
It happened that my brother and myself were disporting
ourselves in certain fields near the good town of Canterbury. A
female servant had attended us, in order to take care that we
came to no mischief She, however, it seems, had matters of
her own to attend to, and, allowing us to go where we listed,
^m^tined in ope corner of a field, in earnest conversation witli
i8o6-7.] HYTHE, ix
a red<oated dragoon. Now it chanced to be blackberry time,
and the two children wandered under the hedges, peering
anxiously among them in quest of that trash so grateful to
urchins of their degree. We did not find much of it, however,
and were soon separated in the pursuit. All at once I stood
still, and could scarcely believe my eyes. I had come to a spot
where, almost covering the hedge, hung clusters of what seemed
fruit, deliciously-tempting fruit — something resembling grapes of
various colours, green, red and purple. Dear me, thought I,
how fortunate! yet have I a right to gather it? is it mine? for
the observance of the law of meum and tuum had early been
impressed upon my mind, and I entertained, even at that tender
age, the utmost horror for theft ; so I stood staring at the varie-
gated dusters, in doubt as to what I should do. I know not how
I argued the matter in my mind ; the temptation, however, was
at last too strong for me, so I stretched forth my hand and ate.
I remember perfectly well, that the taste of this strange fruit was
by no means so pleasant as the appearance ; but the idea of eating
fruit was sufficient for a child, and, after all, the flavour was much
superior to that of sour apples, so I ate voraciously. How long
I continued eating I scarcdy know. One thing is certain, that I
never left the field as I entered it, being carried home in the arms
of the dragoon in strong convulsions, in which I continued for
several hours. About midnight I awoke, as if from a troubled
sleep, and beheld my parents bending over my couch, whilst the
regimental surgeon, with a candle in his hand, stood nigh, the
light feebly reflected on the whitewashed walls of the barrack-
room*
Another circumstance connected with my infancy, and I have
done. I need offer no apology for relating it, as it subsequently
exerdsed considerable influence over my pursuits. We were, if
I remember right, in the vicinity of a place called Hythe, in Kent
One sweet evening, in the latter part of summer, our mother took
her two little boys by the hand, for a wander about the fields.
In the course of our stroll we came to the village church ] an old
grey-headed sexton stood in the porch, who, perceiving that we
were strangers, invited us to enter. We were presently in the
interior, wandering about the aisles, looking on the walls, and
inspecting the monuments of the notable dead. I can scarcely
state what we saw ; how should I ? I was a child not yet four
jrears old, and yet I think I remember the evening sun streaming
to through a stained window upon the dingy mahogany pulpit,
tad flin^ng a rich lustre upon the faded tin^ of an ancient
z« LA VBNGRO. [1806-7.
banner. And now once more we were outside the building,
where, against the wall, stood a low-eaved pent-house, into which
we looked. It was half-filled with substances of some kind, which
at first looked like large grey stones. The greater part were lying
in layers ; some, however, were seen in confused and mouldering
heaps, and two or three, which had perhaps rolled down from
the rest, lay separately on the floor. " Skulls, madam," said the
sexton ; " skulls of the old Danes ! Long ago they came pirating
into these parts ; and then there chanced a mighty shipwreck, for
God was angry with them, and He sunk them ; and their skulls,
as they came ashore, were placed here as a memorial. There
were many more when I was young, but now they are fast dis-
appearing. Some of them must have belonged to strange fellows,
madam. Only see that one; why, the two young gentry can
scarcely lift it!" And, indeed, my brother and myself had
entered the Golgotha, and commenced handling these gnm
relics of mortality. One enormous skull, lying in a comer, had
fixed our attention, and we had drawn it forth. Spirit of eld, what
a skull was yon I
I still seem to see it, the huge grim thing ; many of the others
were large, strikingly so, and appeared fully to justify the old man's
conclusion that their owners must have been strange fellows ; but,
compared with this mighty mass of bone, they looked small and
diminutive, like those of pigmies ; it must have belonged to a
giant, one of those red-haired warriors of whose strength and
stature such wondrous tales are told in the ancient chronicles
of the north, and whose grave-hills, when ransacked, occasionally
reveal secrets which fill the minds of puny modems with astonish-
ment and awe. Reader, have you ever pored days and nights
over the pages of Snorro? probably not, for he wrote in a
language which few of the present day understand, and few
would be tempted to read him tamed down by Latin dragomans.
A brave old l>ook is that of Snorro, containing the histories and
adventures of old northern kings and champions, who seemed to
have been quite different men, if we may judge from the feats
which they performed, from those of these days. One of the
best of his histories is that which describes the life of Harald
Haardraade, who, after manifold adventures by land and sea,
now a pirate, now a mercenary of the Greek emperor, became
King of Norway, and eventually perished at the battle of Stanford
Bridge, whilst engaged in a gallant onslaught upon England.
Now, I have often thought that the old Kemp, whose mouldering
$kull in the golgotha of Hythe my brother and myself could
la©;.] STIRRING TIMES. 13
scarcely lilt, must have resembled in one respect at least this
Harald, whom Snorro describes as a great and wise raler and a
determined leader, dangerous in battle, of fair presence, and
measuring m height just Jhe e/ls,* neither more nor less.
I never forgot the Daneman's skull ; like the apparition of the
viper in the sandy lane, it dwelt in the mind of the boy, affording
copious food for the exercise of imagination. From that moment
with the name of Dane were associated strange ideas of strength,
daring, and superhuman stature ; and an undefinable curiosity for
all that is connected with the Danish race began to pervade me ;
and if, long after, when I became a student, I devoted myself
with peculiar eest to Danish lore and the acquirement of the old
Norse tongue and its dialects, I can only explain the matter by
the early impression received at Hythe from the tale of the old
sexton, beneath the pent-house, and the sight of the Danish skull
And thus we went on straying from place to place, at Hythe
toKlay, and perhaps within a week looking out from our hostel-
window upon the streets of old Winchester, our motions ever in
accordance with the '' route ** of the regiment, so habituated to
change of scene that it had become almost necessary to our
existence. Pleasant were those days of my early boyhood ; and
a melancholy pleasure steals over me as I recall them. Those
were stirring times of which I am speaking, and there was much
passing around me calculated to captivate the imagination. The
dreadful struggle which so long convulsed Europe, and in which
England bore so prominent a part, was then at its hottest; we
were at war, and determination and enthusiasm shone in every
face ; man, woman and child were eager to fight the Frank, the
hereditary, but, thank God, never dreaded enemy of the Anglo-
Saxon race. " Love your country and beat the French, and then
never mind what happens,** was the cry of entire England. Oh,
those were days of power, gallant days, bustling days, worth the
bravest days of chivalry, at least ; tall battalions of native warriors
were marching through the land; there was the glitter of the
bayonet and the gleam of the sabre; the shrill squeak of the
fife and loud rattling of the drum were heaid in the streets of
country towns, and the loyal shouts of the inhabitants greeted
the soldiery on their arrival, or cheered them at their departure.
And now let us leave the upland, and descend to the sea-bord ;
there is a sight for you upon the billows I A dozen men-of-war
are gliding majestically out of port, their long buntings streaming
* Nonregian tUft-Hibout eight feet
14 LA VBNORO. [1807-8.
from the top-gallant masts, calling on the skulking FreDchman to
come forth from his bights and bays ; and what looms upon us
▼onder from the fog-bank in the east? a gallant frigate towing
behind her the long low hull of a crippled privateer, which but
three short days ago had left Dieppe to skim the sea, and whose
crew of ferocious hearts are now cursing their imprudence in an
Enghsh hold. Stirring times those* which I love to recall, for
they were days of gallantry and enthusiasmi and were moreover
the days of my boyhood.
^ __
CHAPTER IIL
And when I was between six and seven years of age we were once
more at D — — , the place of my birth, whither my father had been
despatched on the recruiting service. I have already said that it
was a beautiful little town — at least it was at the time of which I
am speaking ; what it is at present I know not, for thirty years and
more have elapsed since I last trod its streets. It will scarcely
have improved, for how could it be better than it then was ? I
love to think on thee, pretty, quiet D , thou pattern of an
English coimtry town, with thy clean but narrow streets branching
out from thy modest market-place, with thine old-fashioned houses,
with here and there a roof of venerable thatch, with thy one half-
aristocratic mansion, where resided thy Lady Bountiful — she, the
generous and kind, who loved to visit the sick, leaning on her
golden-headed cane, whilst the sleek old footman walked at a
respectful distance behind. Pretty, quiet D , with thy vener-
able church, in which moulder the mortal remains of England's
sweetest and most pious bard.
Yes, pretty D , I could always love thee, were it but for
the sake of him who sleeps beneath the marble slab in yonder
quiet chancel. It was within thee that the long-oppressed bosom
heaved its last sigh, and the crushed and gentle spirit escaped
from a world in which it had known nought but sorrow. Sorrow !
do I say ? How faint a word to express the misery of that bruised
reed ; misery so dark that a blind worm like myself is occasionally
tempted to exclaim, Better had the world never been created
than that one so kind, so harmless, and so mild, should have
undergone such intolerable woe ! But it is over now, for, as there
is an end of joy, so has affliction its termination. Doubtless the
Ail-wise did not afflict him without a cause. Who knows but
within that unhappy frame lurked vicious seeds which the sun-
beams of joy and prosperity might have called into life and
vigour? Perhaps the withering blasts of misery nipped that
which otherwise might have terminated in fruit noxious and
lamentable. But peace to the unhappy one, he is gone to his
rest; the deathlike face is no longer occasionally seen timidlf
('5)
i6 LA VBNGRO. [1809-xa
and mournfully looking for a moment through the window-pane
upon thy market-place, quiet and pretty D ; the hind in thy
neighbourhood no longer at evening-fall views, and starts as he
views, the dark lathy figure moving beneath the hazels and alders
of shadowy lanes, or by the side of murmuring trout streams;
and no longer at early dawn does the sexton of the old church
reverently doff his hat, as, supported by some kind friend, the
death-stricken creature totters along the church-path to that
mouldering edifice with the low roof, inclosing a spring of
sanatory waters, built and devoted to some saint — if the legend
over the door be true, by the daughter of an East Anglian
king.
But to return to my own history. I had now attained the
age of six. Shall I state what intellectual progress I had been
making up to this period ? Alas ! upon this point I have little to
say calculated to afford either pleasure or edification. I had
increased rapidly in size and in strength ; the growth of the mind,
however, had by no means corresponded with that of the body.
It is true, I had acquired my letters, and was by this time able to
read imperfectly, but this was all ; and even this poor triumph
Qver absolute ignorance would never have been effected but for
the unremitting attention of my parents, who, sometimes by threats,
sometimes by entreaties, endeavoured to rouse the dormant energies
of my nature, and to bend my wishes to the acquisition of the
rudiments of knowledge; but in influencing the wish lay the
difficulty. Let but the will of a human being be turned to any
particular object, and it is ten to one that sooner or later he
achieves it At this time I may safely say that I harboured
neither wishes nor hopes ; I had as yet seen no object calculated
to call them forth, and yet I took pleasure in many things which
perhaps unfortunately were all within my sphere of enjoyment. I
loved to look upon the heavens, and to bask in the rays of the
sun, or to sit beneath hedgerows and listen to the chirping of
the birds, indulging the while in musing and meditation as far
as my very limited circle of ideas would permit ; but, unlike my
brother, who was at this time at school, and whose rapid progress
in every branch of instruction astonished and delighted his pre-
ceptors, I took no pleasure in books, whose use, indeed, I could
scarcely comprehend, and bade fair to be as arrant a dunce as
ever brought the blush of shame into the cheeks of anxious and
affectionate parents.
But the time was now at hand when the ice which had hitherto
bound the mind of the child with its benumbing power was to
t8o9-xa] THE SMALL PACKEt. iy
be thawed, and a world of sensations and ideas awakened to
which it had hitherto been an entire stranger. One day a young
lady, an intimate acquaintance of our family, and godmother to
my brother, drove up to the house in which we dwelt ; she staid
some time conversing with my mother, and on rising to depart she
put down on the table a small packet, exclaiming : '* I have brought
a h'ttle present for each of the boys : the one is a History of
England, which I intend for my godson when he returns from
school, the other is " and here she said something which
escaped my ear, as I sat at some distance, moping in a comer :
*'I intend it for the youngster yonder," pointing to myself; she
then departed, and, my mother going out shortly after, I was left
alone.
I remember for some time sitting motionless in my corner,
with my eyes bent upon the ground ; at last I lifted my head and
looked upon the packet as it lay on the table. All at once a
strange sensation came over me, such as I had never experienced
before— a singular blending of curiosity, awe and pleasure, the
lemembrance of which, even at this distance of time, produces a
remarkable eflect upon my nervous system. What strange things
are the nerves — I mean those more secret and mysterious ones in
which I have some notion that the mind or soul, call it which you
will, has its habitation ; how they occasionally tingle and vibrate
before any coming event closely connected with the future weal
or woe of the human being. Such a feeling was now within me,
certainly independent of what the eye had seen or the ear had
heard. A book of some description had been brought for me, a
present by no means calculated to interest me ; what cared I for
books? I had already many into which I never looked but from
compulsion; friends, moreover, had presented me with similar
things before, which I had entirely disregarded, and what was
there in this particular book, whose very title I did not know,
calculated to attract me more than the rest ? yet something within
told me that my fate was connected with the book which had
been last brought ; so, after looking- on the packet from my corner
for a considerable time, I got up and went to the table.
The packet was lying where it had been left — I took it up ;
had the envelope, which consisted of whitish brown paper, been
secured by a string or a seal, I should not have opened it, as I
should have considered such an act almost in the light of a crime ;
the books, however, had been merely folded up, and I therefore
considered that there could be no possible harm in inspecting
them, more especially as I had received no injunction to the
a
i8 LA VBNGRO. [1809- zO.
contrary. Perhaps there was something unsound in this reasoning,
something sophistical; but a child is sometimes as ready as a
grown-up person in finding excuses for doing that which he is
inclined to. But whether the action was right or wrong, and I
am afraid it was not altogether right, I undid the packet. It
contained three books, two from their similarity seemed to be
separate parts of one and the same work -, they were handsomely
bound, and to them I first turned my attention. I opened them
successively and endeavoured to make out their meaning ; their
contents, however, as far as I was able to understand them, were
by no means interesting : whoever pleases may read these books
for me, and keep them too, into the bargain, said I to myself.
I now took up th^ third book. It did not resemble the others,
being longer and considerably thicker ; the binding was of dingy
calf-skin. I opened it, and as I did so another strange thrill of
pleasure shot through my frame. The first object on which my
eyes rested was a picture ; it was exceedingly well executed, at
least the scene which it represented made a vivid impression upon
me, which would hardly have been the case had the artist not
been faithful to nature. A wild scene it was — a heavy sea and
rocky shore, with mountains in the background^ above which the
moon was peering. Ngt far from the shore, upon the water, was
a boat with two figures in it, one of which stood at the bow,
pointing with what I knew to be a gun at a dreadful shape in the
water; fire was flashing from the muzzle of the gun, and the
monster appeared to be transfixed. I almost thought I heard its
cry. I remained motionless, gazing upon the picture, scarcely
daring to draw my breath, lest the new and wondrous world
should vanish of which I had now obtained a glimpse. " Who
are those people, and what could have brought them into that
strange situation ? '* I asked of myself ; and now the seed of
curiosity, which had so long lain dormant, began to expand, and I
vowed to myself to become speedily acquainted with the whole
history of the people in the boat. After looking on the picture
till every mark and line in it were familiar to me, I turned over
various leaves till I came to another engraving ; a new source of
wonder — a low sandy beach on which the furious sea was breaking
in mountain-like billows; cloud and rack deformed the firma-
ment, which wore a dull and leaden-like hue; gulls and other
aquatic fowls were toppling upon the blast, or skimming over the
tops of the maddening waves — "Mercy upon him! he must be
drowned 1 " I exclaimed, as my eyes fell upon a poor wretch who
appeared to be striving to reach the shore ; he was upon his legs
i8o9-xa] SPIRIT OP DB FOB. 19
but was evidently half-smothered with the brine ; high above his
head curled a horrible billow, as if to engulf him for ever. " He
must be drowned! he must be drowned 1" I almost shrieked,
and dropped the book* I soon snatched it up again, and now
my eye lighted on a third picture : again a shore, but what a sweet
and lovely one, and how I wished to be treading it ; there were
beautiful shells lying on the smooth white sand, some were empty
like those I had occasionally seen on marble mantelpieces, but
oat of others peered the heads and bodies of wondrous crayfish ;
a wood of thick green trees skirted the beach and partly shaded it
from the rays of the sun, which shone hot above, while blue waves
slightly crested with foam were gently curling against it; there
was a human figure upon the beach, wild and uncouth, clad in the
skins of animals, with a huge cap on his head, a hatdiet at his
girdle, and in his hand a gun ; his feet and l^s were bare ; he
stood in an attitude of horror and surprise ; his body was bent far
back, and his eyes, which seemed starting out of his head, were
fixed upon a mark on the sand — a large distinct mark — a human
footprint I
Reader, is it necessary to name the book which now stood
open in my hand, and whose very prints, feeble expounders of its
wondrous lines, had produced within me emotions strange and
novel ? Scarcely, for it was a book which has exerted over the
minds oi Englishmen an influence certainly greater than any other
of modem times, which has been in most people's hands, and with
the contents of which even those who cannot read are to a certain
extent acquainted ; a book from which the most luxuriant and
fertile of our modern prose writers have drunk inspiration ; a
book, moreover, to which, from the hardy deeds which it narrates,
and the spirit of strange and romantic .enterprise which it tends
to awaken, England owes many of her astonishing discoveries both
by sea and land, and no inconsiderable part of her naval glory.
Hail to thee, spirit of De Foe I What does not my own poor
self owe to thee ? England has better bards than either Greece or
Rome, yet I could spare them easier far than De Foe, ^* unabashed
De Foe," as the hunchbacked rhymer styled him.
The true chord had now been touched.' A raging curiosity
with respect to the contents of the volume, whose engravings had
fascinated my eye, burned within me, and I never rested until I
had fully satisfied it. Weeks succeeded weeks, months followed
months, and the wondrous volume was my only study and principal
source of amusement For hours together I would sit poring over
a page till I had become acquainted with the import of every line.
LA VBNORO. [i8o9-xa
My progress, slow enough at first, became by degrees more rapid,
till at last, under "a shoulder of mutton sail," I found myself
cantering before a steady breeze over an ocean of enchantment,
so well pleased with my voyage that I cared not how long it might
be ere it reached its termination.
And it was in this manner that I first took to the paths of
knowledge.
About this time I began to be somewhat impressed with
religious feelings. My parents were, to a certain extent, religious
people; but, though they had done their best to afibrd me
instruction on religious points, I had either paid no attention to
what they endeavoured to communicate, or had listened with an
ear far too obtuse to derive any benefit. But my mind had now
become awakened from the drovrsy torpor in which it had lain so
long, and the reasoning powers which I possessed were no longer
inactive. Hitherto I had entertained no conception whatever of
the nature and properties of God, and with the most perfect
indifference had heard the Divine name proceeding from the
mouths of the people — frequently, alas! on occasions when it
ought not to be employed; but I now never heard it without
a tremor, for I now knew that God was an awful and inscrutable
being, the maker of sdl things; that we were His children, and that we
by our sins, had justly offended Him ; that we were in very great
peril from His anger, not so much in this life, as in another and far
stranger state of being yet to come ; that we had a Saviour withal
to whom it was necessary to look for help: upon this point,
however, I was yet^venr much in the dark, as, indeed, were most
of those with whom I was connected. The power and terrors
of God were uppermost in my thoughts ; they fascinated though
they astounded me. Twice every Sunday I was regularly taken
to the church, where from a comer of the large, spacious pew,
lined with black leather, I would fix my eyes on the dignified
high-church rector, and the dignified high-church clerk, and watch
the movement of their lips, from which, as they read their
respective portions of the venerable liturgy, would roll many a
portentous word descriptive of the wondrous works of the Most
High.
Rutor, *'Thou didst divide the sea, through Thy power:
Thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters."
Philoh, "Thou smotest the heads of Leviathan in pieces:
and gavest him to be meat for the people in the wilderness."
Rector, *'Thou broughtest out fountains and waters out of
the hard rocks : Thou driedst up mighty waters."
x809-ia] HIGH-CHURCH CLERK. ai
Maai^
PhiloA. "The day is Thine, and the night is Thine: Thou
hast prepared the light and the sun.'*
Peace to your memories dignified rector and yet more dignified
derk ! by this time ye are probably gone to your long homes, and
your voices are no longer heard sounding down the aisles of .the
▼enerable church ; nay, doubtless, this has already long since been
the fote of him of the sonorous " Amen ! ^ — ^the one of the two
whO| with all due respect to the rector, principally engrossed my
boyish admiration-^e^ at least, is scarcely now among the living I
Living I why, I have heard say that he blew a fife — for he was a
musical as well as a Christian professor — a bold fife« to cheer the
Guards and the brave Marines as they marched with measured
step^ obeying an insane command, up Bunker's height, whilst the
rifles of the sturdy Yankees were sending the leaden hail sharp
and thick amidst the red-coated ranks ; for Philoh had not always
been a man of peace, nor an exhorter to turn the other cheek to
the smiter, but had even arrived at the dignity of a halberd in his
country's service before his six-foot form required rest, and the
grey-haired veteran retired, after a long peregrination, to his
native town, to enjoy ease and respectability on a pension of
^'eighteen-pence a day"; and well did his fellow-townsmen act
whm, to increiise that ease and respectability, and with a thought-
ful r^jard for the dignity of the good church service, they made
him clerk and precentor — the man of the tall form and of the
audible voioe, which sounded loud and clear as his own Bunker
fife. Well, peace to thee, thou fine old chap, despiser of dissen-
ter^ and hater of papists, as became a dignified and high-church
deik; if thou art in thy grave the better for thee; thou wert
fitted to adore a bygone time, when loyalty was in vogue, and
smiling content ky like a sunbeam upon the land, but thou
wouldst be sadly out of place in these days of cold philosophic
htitudinarian doctrine, universal tolerism^ and half-concealed
rebellion — ^rare times, no doubt, for papists and dissenters, but
which would assuredly have broken the heart of the loyal soldier
of George the Third, and the dignified high-church derk of pretty
D .
We passed many months at this place. Nothing, however,
occurred requiring any particular notice, relating to myself, beyond
what I have already stated, and I am not writing the history of
others. At length my father was recalled to his regiment, which at
that time was stationeid at a place called Norman Cross, in Lincoln-
shire, or rather Huntingdonshire, at some distance from the old
town of Peterborough. For this place he departed, leaving my
aa LAVBNGRO. [i8io-ix.
mother asd myself to follow in a few days. Our journey was a
singular one. On the second day we reached a marshy and fenny
country, which owing to immense quantities of rain which had
lately fallen, was completely submerged. At a large town we got
on board a kind of passage-boat, crowded with people ; it had
neither sails nor oars, and those were not the days of steam-
vessels ; it was a treck-schuyt, and was drawn by horses.
Young as I was, there was much connected with this journey
which highly surprised me, and which brought to my remembrance
particular scenes described in the book which I now generally
carried in my bosom. The country was, as I have already said,
submerged — entirely drowned-*no land was visible; the trees
were growing bolt upright in the flood, whilst farmhouses and
cottafftti were standing insulated ; the horses which drew us were
up tolhe knees in water, and, on coming to blind pools and
" greedy depths," were not unfrequently swimming, in which case
the boys or urchins who mounted them sometimes stood, some-
times knelt, upon the saddle and pillions. No accident, however,
occurred either to the quadrupeds or bipeds, who appeared
respectively to be quite aufait in their business, and extricated
themselves with the greatest ease from places in which Pharaoh
and all his host would have gone to the bottom. Nightfall
brought us to Peterborough, and from Ihence we were not slow
in reaching the place of our destination.
^' \
CHAPTER IV.
And a strange place it was, this Norman Cross, and, at the time
of which I am speaking, a sad cross to many a Norman, being
what was then styled a French prison, that is, a receptacle for
captives made in the French war. It consisted, if I remember
right, of some five or six casernes, very long, and immensely
high ; each standing isolated from the rest, upon a spot of ground
which might average ten acms, and which was fenced round with
lofty palisades, the whole being compassed about by a 4fnrering
wall, beneath which, at intervals, on both sides sentinels were
stationed, whilst, outside, upon the field, stood commodious
wooden barracks, capable of containing two regiments of infantry,
intended to serve as guards upon the captives. Such was the
station or prison at Norman Cross, where some six thousand
French and other foreigners, followers of the grand Corsican,
were now immured.
What a strange appearance had those n^ighty casernes, with their
blank blind walls, without windows or grating, and their slanting
roofs, out of which, through orifices where the tiles had been
removed, would be protruded dozens of grim heads, feasting their
prison-sick eyes on the wide expanse of country unfolded from
that airy height Ah ! there was much misery in those casernes ;
and from those roofs, doubtless, many a wistful look was turned in
the direction of lovely France. Much had the poor inmates to
endure, and much to complain o^ to the disgrace of England be
it said— of England, in general so kind and bountiful. Rations
of carrion meat, and bread from which I have seen the very
hounds occasionally turn away, were unworthy entertainment
even for the most ruffian enemy, when helpless and a captive;
and such, alas ! was the fare in those casernes. And then, those
visits, or rather ruthless inroads, called in the slang of the place ^
"straw-plait hunts," when, in pursuit of a contraband article,
which the prisoners, in order to procure themselves a few of the
necessaries and comforts of existence, were in the habit of making,
> MS., '* ia regimental tlaDg *'•
(23)
34 LA VBNGRO. [1810-zi
red-coated battalions were marched into the prisons, who, with
the bayonet's point, carried havoc and ruin into every poor
convenience which ingenious wretchedness had been endeavour-
ing to raise around it; and then the triumphant exit with the
miserable booty ; and, worst of all, the accursed bonfire, on the
barrack parade, of the plait contraband, beneath the view of the
glaring eyeballs from those lofty roofs, amidst the hurrahs of the
troops, frequently drowned in the curses poured down from above
like a tempest-shower, or in the terrific war-whoop of " PTve
fEmpereur/'*
It was midsummer when we arrived at this place, and the
weather, which had for a long time been wet and gloomy, now
became bright and glorious. I was subjected to but little control,
and passed my time pleasantly enough, principally in wandering
about the neighbouring country. It was flat and somewhat fenny,
a district more of pasture than agriculture, and not very thickly
inhabited I soon became well acquainted with it. At the
distance of two miles from t&e station was a large lake, styled in
the dialect of the country a '' mere,'' about whose borders tall
reeds were growing in abundance. This was a frequent haunt of
mine; but my favourite place of resort was a wild sequestered
spot at a somewhat greater distance. Here, surrounded with
woods, and thick groves, was the seat of some ancient family,
deserted by the proprietor, and only inhabited by a rustic servant
or two. A place more solitary and wild could scarcely be
imagined ; the garden and walks were overgrown with weeds and
briars, and the unpruned woods were so tankled as to be almost
impervious. About this domain I would wander till overtaken
by fatigue, and then I would sit down with my back against some
beech, elm or stately alder tree, and, taking out my TOok, would
pass hours in a state of unmixed enjoyment, my eyes now fixed
on the wondrous pages, now glancing at the sylvan scene around ;
and sometimes I would drop the book and listen to the voice of
the rooks and wild pigeons, and not unfrequently to the croaking
of multitudes of frogs from the neighbouring swamps and fens.
In going to and from this place I frequently passed a tall,
elderly individual, dressed in rather a quaint &shion, with a skin
cap on his head and stout gaiters on his legs ; on his shoulders
hung a moderate sized leathern sack ; he seemed fond of loitering
near sunny banks, and of groping amidst furze and low scrubby
bramble bushes, of which there were plenty in the neighbourhood
of Norman Cross. Once I saw him standing in the middle of a
dusty road, looking intently at a large mark which seemed to have
iSio-xx.] THE SNAKE HUNTER. «5
been drawn across it, as if by a walking-stick. " He must have
been a \arge one/' the old man muttered half to himself, '' or he
would not have left such a trail, I wonder if he is near ; he seems
to have moved this way/' He then went behind some bushes
which grew on the right side of the road, and appeared to be
in quest of something, moving behind the bushes with his head
downwards, and occasionally striking their roots with his foot.
At length he exclaimed, " Here he is 1 " and forthwith I saw him
dart amongst the bushes. There was a kind of scuffling noise,
the rustling of branches, and the crackling of dry sticks. *' I
have him!" said the man at last; "I have got hikn!" and
presently he made his appearance about twenty yards down the
road, holding a* large viper in his hand. " What do you think of
that, my boy?" said he^ as I went up to him; *'what do you
think of catching such a thing as that with the naked hand ? "
"What do I think?" said I. "Why, that I could do as much
myselfl" " You do," said the man, " do you ? Lord I how the
young people in these days are given to conceit; it did not
use to be so in my time; when I was a child, cbilder knew
how to behave themselves ; but the childer of these days are full
of conceit, full of froth, like the mouth of this viper " ; and with
bis forefinger and thumb he squeezed a considerable quantity of
foam from the jaws of the viper down upon the road " The
childer of these days are a generation of — God forgive me, what
was I about to say ! " said the old man ; and opening his bag he
thrust the reptile into it, which a{^)eared far from empty. I
passed on. As I was retvu^ning, towards the evening, I overtook
the old man, who was wending in the same direction. " Good-
evening to you, sir," said I, taking ofif a cap which I wore on my
head. " Good-evening," said the old man ; and then, looking at
me, " How's this ? " said he, " you ar'n't, sure, the child I met in
the morning?" '*Yes," said I, ''I am; what makes you doubt
It?" ''Why, you were then all froth and conceit," said the old
man, " and now you take off your cap to me" " I beg your
pardon," said I, ''if I was frothy and conceited; it ill becomes a
child like me to be so." " That's true, dear," said the old man ;
"well, as you have begged my pardon, I truly forgive you."
"Thank you," said I; "have you caught any more of those
things?" "Only four or five," said the old man; "they are
getting scarce, though this used to be a great neighbourhood for
5iem." " And what do you do with them ? " said I ; "do you
carry them home and plav with them ! " "1 sometimes play with
one or two that I tamet' said tlie old man ; " but I hunt them
36 LA VBNGRO. [1810-1 1.
mostly for the fat which they contain, out of which I make unguents
which are good for various sore troubles, especially for the
rheumatism. ' " And do you get your living by hunting these
creatures?" I demanded. "Not altogether," said the old man;
"besides being a viper-hunter, I am what they call a herbalist,
one who knows the virtue of particular herbs ; I gather them at
the proper season, to make medicines with for the sick." "And do
you live in the neighbourhood ? " I demanded. " You seem very
fond of asking .questions, child. No, I do not live in this
neighbourhood in particular, I travel about ; I have not been in
this neighbourhood till lately for some years."
From this time the old man and myself formed an acquaint-
ance; I often accompanied him in his wanderings about the
neighbourhood, and on two or three occasions assisted him in
catching the reptiles which he hunted. He generally carried a
viper with him which he had made quite tame, and from which
he had extracted the poisonous fangs ; it would dance and perform
various kinds of tricks. He was fond of telling me anecdotes
connected with his adventures with the reptile species. '* But,"
said he one day, sighing, " I must shortly give up this business, I
am no longer the man I was, I am become timid, and when a
person is timid in viper-hunting he had better leave off, as it is
quite clear his virtue is leaving him. I got a fright some years
ago, which I am ouite sure I shall never get the better of; my
hand has been shaty more or less ever since." " What frightened
you?" said I. "I had better not tell you," said the old man,
"or you may be frightened too, lose your virtue, and be no longer
good for the business." " I don't care," said I ; " I don't intend
to follow the business ; I dare say I shall be an officer, like my
father." " Well," said the old man, " I once saw the king of the
vipers, and since then " "The king of the vipers ! " said I,
interrupting him; "have the vipers a king?" "As sure as we
have," said the old man, "as sure as we have King George
to rule over us, have these reptiles a king to rule over them."
"And where did you see him?" said I. "I will tell you," said
the old man, "though I don't like talking about the matter.
It may be about seven years ago that I happened to be far down
yonder to the west, on Uie other side of England, nearly two hun-
dred miles from here, following my business. It was a very sultry
day, I remember, and I had been out several hours catching
creatures. It might be about three o'clock in the afternoon,
when I found myself on some heathy land near the sea, on the
ridge of a hill, the side of which, nearly as far down as the sea,
iSio-ii.] KING OP THE VIPERS. 97
was heath ; but on the top there was arable ground, which had
been planted, and from which the harvest had been gathered —
oats or barley, I know not which — but I remember that the
ground was covered with stubble. Well, about three o'clock, as
I told you before, what with the heat of the day and from having
walked about for hours in a lazy way, I felt very tired; so I
determined to have a sleep, and I laid myself down, my head just
on the ridge of the hill, towards the field, and my body over the
side down amongst the heath ; my bag, which was nearly filled
with creatures, lay at a little distance from my face ; the creatures
were struggling in it, I remember, and I thought to myself, how
much more comfortably off I was than they ; I was taking my ease
on the nice open hill, cooled with the breezes, whilst they were in
the nasty close bag, coiling about one another, and breaking their
very hearts, all to no purpose ; and I felt quite comfortable and
happy in the thought, and little by little closed my eyes, and fell
into the sweetest snooze that ever I was in in all my life; and
there I lay over the hill's side, with my head half in the field, I
don't know how long, all dead asleep. At last it seemed to me
that I heard a noise in my sleep, something like a thing moving,
very faint, however, far away ; then it died, and then it came again
upon my ear as I slept, and now it appeared almost as if I heard
crackle, crackle ; then it died again, or I became yet more dead
asleep than before, I know not which, but I certainly lay some
time without hearing it. All of a sudden I^ecame awake^ and
there was I, on the ridge of the hill, with my cheek on the ground
towards the stubble, with a noise in my ear like that of something
moving towards me, amongst the stubble of the field ; well, I lay
a moment or two listening to the noise, and then I became
frightened, for I did not like the noise at all, it sounded so odd ;
so I rolled myself on my belly, and looked towards the stubble.
Mercy upon us I there was a huge snake, or rather a dreadful
viper, for it was all yellow and gold, moving towards me, bearing
its head about a foot and a half above the ground, the dry stubble
crackling beneath its outrageous belly. It might be about five
yards off when I first saw it, making straight towards me, child,
as if it would devour me. I lay quite still, for I was stupefied
with horror, whilst the creature came still nearer; and now it was
nearly upon me, when it suddenly drew back a little, and then —
what do you think ? — it lifted its head and chest high in the air,
and high over my face as I looked up, flickering at me with its
tongue as if it would fly at my face. Child, what I felt at that
moment I can scarcdy say, but it was a sufficient punishment for
all the sins I ever committed ; and there we two were, I looking
a8 LAVBNGRO. [1810-11.
up at the viper, and the viper looking down upon me, flickering
at me with its tongue. It was only the kindness of God that
saved me : all at once there was a loud noise, the report of a gun,
for a fowler was shooting at a covey of birds, a little way off in the
stubble. Whereupon the viper sunk its head, and immediately
made off over the ridge of the hill, down in the direction of the
sea. As it passed by me, however — and it passed close by me —
it hesitated a moment, as if it was doubtful whether it should not
seize me ; it did not, however, but made off down the hill. It has
often struck me that he was angry with me, and came upon me
unawares for presuming to meddle with his people, as I have always
been in the habit of doing."
" But," said I, "how do you know that it was the king of the
vipers ? "
" How do I know?** said the old man, "who else should it
be ? There was as much difference between it and other reptiles
as between King George and other people."
"Is King George, then, different from other people?" I
demanded.
" Of course," said the old man ; " I have never seen him
myself, but I have heard people say that he is a ten times greater
man than other folks ; indeed, it stands to reason that he must be
different from the rest, else people would not be so eager to set
him. Do you think, child, that people would be fools enough to
run a matter of twenty or thirty miles to see the king, provided
King George "
" Haven't the French a king ? I demanded.
" Yes," said the old man, " or something much the same, and
a queer one he is ; not quite so big as King George, they say, but
quite as terrible a fellow. What of him ? "
'* Suppose he should come to Norman Cross 1 '*
" What should he do at Norman Cross, child ? "
" Why, you were talking about the vipers in your bag breaking
their hearts, and so on, and their king coming to help them.
Now, suppose the French king should hear of his people being in
trouble at Norman Cross, and "
" He can't come, child," said the old man, rubbing his hands,
"the water lies between. The French don't like the water;
neither vipers nor Frenchmen take kindly to the water, child."
When the old man left the country, which he did a few days
after the conversation which I have just related, he left me the
reptile whidi he had tamed and rendered quite harmless by
removing the fangs. I was in the habit of feeiding it with milk,
and frequently carried it abroad with me in my walks.
CHAPTER V.
Omb day it happen^ tfaaty being on my rambles, I entered a green
lane which I had never teeti before ; at first it was rather narrow,
but as I advanced it became considerably wider ; in the middle was
a drift-way with deep ruts, but right and left was a space carpeted
with a swaj^ of trefoil and clover ; there was no lack of trees, chiefly
ancient oaks, which, flinging out their arms from either side, nearly
formed a canopy, and afforded a pleasing shelter from the rays of
the sun, which was burning fiercely above. Suddenly a group of
objects attracted my attention. Beneath one of the largest of the
trees, upon the grass, was a kind of low tent or booth, from the top
of which a thin smoke was curling ; beside it stood a couple of light
carts, whilst two or three lean horses or ponies were cropping the
herbage which was growing nigh. Wondering to whom this odd
tent could belong, I advanced till I was close before it, when I
found that it consisted of two tilts, like those of waggons, placed
upon the ground and fironting each other, connected behind by a
sail or large piece of canvas, which was but partially drawn across
the top ; upon the ground, in the intervening space, was a fire,
over which, supported by a kind of iron crowbar, hung a caldron.
My advance had been so noiseless as not to alarm the inmates,
who consisted of a man and woman, who sat apart, one on each
side of the fire ; they were both busily employed — the man was
carding plaited straw, whilst the woman seemed to be rubbing
something with a white powder, some of which l2^ on a plate
beside her. Suddenly the man looked up, and, perceiving me,
uttered a strange kind of cry, and the next moment both the
woman and himself were on their feet and rushing upon me.
I retreated a few steps, yet without turning to flee. I was
not, hwever, without apprehension, which, indeed, the appear-
ance of these two people was well calculated to inspire. The
woman was a stout figure, seemingly between thirty and forty;
she wore no cap, and her long hair fell on either side of her
head, like horse-tails, half-way down her waist ; her skin was
dark and swarthy, like that of a toad, and the expression of her
countenance was particularly evil ; her arms were bare, and her
(»9)
50 LAVBNGRO. [1810-11.
bosom was but half-concealed by a slight bodice, below which she
wore a coarse petticoat, her only other article of dress. Th^ man
was somewhat younger, but of a figure equally wild ; his frame
was long and lathy, but his arms were remarkably short, his neck
was rather bent, he squinted slightly, and his mouth was much
awry ; his complexion was dark, but, unlike that of the woman,
was more ruddy than livid ; there was a deep scar on his cheek,
something like the impression of a halfpenny. The dress was
quite in keeping with the figure: in his hat, which was slightly
peaked, was stuck a peacock's feather ; over a waistcoat of hide,
untanned and with the hair upon it, he wore a rough jerkin of
russet hue; smallclothes of leather, which had probably once
belonged to a soldier, but with which pipeclay did not seem to
have come in contact for many a year, protected his lower man
as far as the knee ; his legs were cased in long stockings of blue
worsted, and on his shoes he wore immense old-fashioned buckles.
Such were the two beings who now came rushing upon me ;
the man was rather in advance, brandishing a ladle in his hand.
" So I have caught you at last,'^ said he ; " 111 teach ye, you
young highwayman, to come skulking about my properties ! "
Young as I was, I remarked that his manner of speaking was
different from that of any people with whom I had been in the
habit of associating. It was quite as strange as his appearance,
and yet it nothing resembled the foreign English which I had
been in the habit of hearing through the palisades of the prison ;
he could scarcely be a foreigner.
•' Your properties I " said I ; " I am in the King's Lane. Why
did you put them there, if you did not wish them to be seen ? "
" On the spy," said the woman, " hey ? I'll drown him in the
sludge in the toad-pond over the hedge."
" So we will," said the man, " drown him anon in the mud ! "
" Drown me, will you ? " said I ; " I should like to see you !
What's all this about? Was it because I saw you with your
hands full of straw plait, and my mother there "
"Yes," said the woman ; ''what was I about ?"
Myself. How should I know ? Making bad money, perhaps !
And it will be as well here to observe, that at this time there
was much bad money in circulation in the neighbourhood,
generally supposed to be fabricated by the prisoners, so that this
&lse coin and straw plait formed the standard subjects of
conversation at Norman Cross.
" 111 strande thee," said the beldame, dashing at me. " Bad
money, is it ? "
t8xo-xx.] EGYPTIANS. S<
'* Leave him to me, wifelkin," said the man, interposing ; " you
shall now see how I'll baste him down the lane."
Afyse/f. I tell you what, my chap, you had better put down
that thing of yours ; my father lies concealed within my tepid
breast, and if to me you offer any harm or wrong, 1*11 call him
forth to help me with his forked tongue.
Afan. What do you mean, ye Bengui's bantling? I never
beard such discourse in all my life ; playman's speech or French-
man's talk — which, I wonder ? Your father ! tell the mumping
villain that if he comes near my fire I'll serve him out as I will
you. Take that — Tiny Jesus! what have we got here? Oh,
delicate Jesus I what is the matter with the child ?
I had made a motion which the viper understood ; and now,
partly disengaging itself from my bosom, where it had lain perdu,
it raised its head to a level with my face, and stared upon my
enemy with its glittering eyes.
The man stood like one transfixed, and the ladle with which
&e had aimed a blow at me, now hung in the air like the hand
which held it ; his mouth was extended, and his cheeks became of
a pale yellow, save alone that place which bore the mark which I
have already described, and this shone now portentously, like fire.
He stood in this manner for some time ; at last the ladle fell from
his hand, and its falling appeared to rouse him from his stupor.
'* I say, wifelkin," said he in a faltering tone, *' did you ever
see the like of this here ? "
But the woman had retreated to the tent, from the entrance of
which her loathly face was now thrust, with an expression partly
of terror and partly of curiosity. After gazing some time longer
at the viper and myself, the man stooped down and took up the
ladle; then, as if somewhat more assured, he moved to the tent,
where he entered into conversation with the beldame in a low voice.
Of their discourse, though I could hear the greater part of it, I
understood not a single word ; and I wondered what it could be,
for 1 knew by the sound that it was not French. At last the man,
in a somewhat louder tone, appeared to put a question to the
woman, who nodded her head affirmatively, and in a moment or
two produced a small stooU which she delivered to him. He
placed it on the ground, close by the door of the tent, first rubbing
it with his sleeve, as if for the purpose of polishing its surface.
Man, Now, my precious little gentleman, do sit down here
by the poor people's tent ; we wish to be civil in our slight way.
Don't be angry, and say no; but look kindly upon us, and
satisfied, my precious little God AUnighty
La VBtfGkO. [i8io-tt.
Woman, Yes, my gorgious angel, sit down by the poor bodies'
fire, and eat a sweetmeat We want to ask you a question or two ;
only first put that serpent away.
Myself. I can sit down, and bid the serpent go to sleep, that's
easy enough ; but as for eating a sweetmeat, how can I do that ?
I have not got one, and where am I to get it ?
IVoman. Never fear, my tiny tawny, we can give you one,
such as you never ate, I dare say, however far you may have come
The serpent sunk into its usual resting-place, and I sat down
on the stool. The woman opened a box, and took out a strange
little basket or hamper, not much larger than a man's fist, and
formed of a delicate kind of matting. It was sewed at the top ;
but., ripping it open with a knife, she held it to me, and I saw, to
my surprise, that it contained candied fruits of a diark green hue,
tempting enough to one of my age. " There, my tiny," said she ;
" taste, and tell me how you like them."
"Very much," said I ; "where did you get them?"
The beldame leered upon me for a moment, then, nodding
her head thrice, with a knowing look, said : " Who knows better
than yourself, my tawny ? "
Now, I knew nothing about the matter ; but I saw that these
strange people had conceived a very high opinion of the abilities
of their visitor, which I was nothing loath to encourage. I there-
fore answered boldly, " Ah 1 who indeed ! "
" Certainly," said the man ; " who should know better than
yourself, or who so well ? And now my tiny one, let me ask you
one thing — ^you didn't come to do us any harm ?"
"No," said I, "I had no dislike to you; though, if you were
to meddle with me "
Man. Of course, my gorgious, of course you would ; and
quite right too. Meddle with you! — ^what right have we? I
should say it would not be quite safe. I see how it is; you
are one of them there ; — and he bent his head towards his left
shoulder.
Myself. Yes, I am one of them — for I thought he was alluding
to the soldiers, — ^you had best mind what you are about, I can
tell you.
Man. Don't doubt we will for our own sake ; Lord bless you,
wifelkin, only think that we should see one of them there when
we least thought about it. Well, I have heard of such things,
though I never thought to see one; however, seeing is be-
lieving. Well ! now you are come, and are not going to dc
i6io-xx.l THE EGYPTIANS. JS
us any mischief, I hope you will stay ; you can do us plenty of
good if you will.
Myself, What good can I do you ?
Man. What good ? plenty ! Would you not bring us luck ? I
have heard say, that one of them there always does, if it will but
settle down. Stay with us, you shall have a tilted cart all to
yourself if you like. We'll make you our little Grod Almightyi
and say our prayers to you every morning!
Myself. That would be nice; and if you were to give me
plenty of these things, I should have no objection. But what
would my father say? I think he would hardly let me.
Man, Why not ? he would be with you ; and kindly would
we treat him. Indeed, without your father you would be nothing
at all.
Myself. That's true ; but I do not think he could be spared
from his regiment. I have heard him say that they could do
nothing without him.
Man. His regiment! What are you talking about? — what
does the child mean ?
Myself. What do I mean I why, that my father is an officer
man at the barracks yonder, keeping guard over the French
prisoners*
Man, Oh ! then that sap Is not your father !
Myself What, the snake ? Why, no ! Did you think he was ?
Man. To be sure we did. Didn't you tell me so ?
Myself Why, yes ; but who would have thought you would
have believed it? It is a tame one. I hunt vi^^ers and tame
them.
Man. O — ^h!
" O— h ! '* grunted the woman, " that's it, is it ?*
The man and woman, who during this conversation had
resumed their former positions within the tent, looked at each
other with a queer look of surprise, as if somewhat disconcerted
at what they now heard. They then entered into discourse with
each other in the same strange tongue which had already puzzled
me. At length the man looked me in the face, and said, some-
what hesitatingly, ''so you are not one of them there, after
all?"
Myself One of them there? I don't know what you mean.
Man. Why, we have been thinking you were a goblin — a
devilkin ! However, I see how it is : you are a sap-engro, a
chap who catches snakes, and plays tricks with them ! Well, it
comes very nearly to the same thing; and if you please to list
3
34 LA VENGRO. [x8xo-xx.
with us, and bear us pleasant company, we shall be glad of you.
rd take my oath upon it that we might make a mort of money by
you and that sap, and the tricks it could do; and, as you seem
fly to everything, I shouldn't wonder if you would make a prime
hand at telling fortunes.
" I shouldn't wonder," said I.
Man. Of course. And you might stiU be our God Almighty,
or at any rate our clergyman, so you should live in a tilted cart
by yourself and say prayers to us night and morning — to wifelkin
here, and all our family ; there's plenty of us when we are all
together; as I said before^ you seem fly, I shouldn't wonder if
you could read.
'*0h, yesl" said I, "I can read;" and, eager to display my
accomplishments, I took my book out of my pocket, and opening
it at random, proceeded to read how a certain man whilst
wandering about a certain solitary island, entered a cave, the
mouth of which was overgrown with brushwood, and how he
was nearly frightened to death in that cave by something which
he saw.
*' That will do," said the man ; " that's the kind of prayers for
me and my family, ar'n't they, wifelkin ? I never heard more deli-
cate prayers in all my life 1 Why, they beat the rubricals hollow I
— and here comes my son Jasper.^ I say, Jasper, here's a
young sap-engro that can read, and is more fly than yourself.
Shake hands with him; I wish ye to be two brothers."
With a swift but stealthy pace Jasper came towards us from
the farther part of the lane ; on reaching the tent he stood still,
and looked fixedly upon me as I sat upon the stool; I looked
fixedly upon him. A queer look had Jasper ; he was a lad of some
twelve or thirteen years, with long arms, unlike the singular being
who called himself his JFather ; his complexion was ruddy, but his
face was seamed, though it did not bear the peculiar scar which
disfigured the countenance of the other; nor, though roguish
enough, a certain evil expression which that of the other bore,
and which the face of the woman possessed in a yet more remark-
able degree. For the rest, he wore drab breeches, with certain
strings at the knee, a rather gay waistcoat, and tolerably white
shirt ; under his arm he bore a mighty whip of whalebone with
a brass knob, and upon his head was a hat without either top
or brim.
y There^ Jasper 1 shake hands, with the sap-engra"
^ MS,, " Ambrote" throughout the book.
i8io-ix«] JASPER. 55
'*Can he box, fiither?" said Jasper, surveying me rather
contemptuously. ''I should think not, he loolu so puny and
small."
''Hold your peace, toclV* said the man; "he can do more
than that — I teU you he's fly; he carries a sap about, which
would sting a ninny like you to dead."
" What, a sap^ngro 1 " said the boy, with a singular whine,
and, stooping down, he leered curiously in my &ce, kindly,
however, and then patted me on the head* ''A sap-engro,".
he ejaculated; "lori"
" Yes, and one of the right sort," said the man ; *' I am glad we
have met with him ; he is going to list with us, and be our clergy-
man and God Almighty, a'n't you, my tawny ?"
" I don't know," said I ; "I must see what my father will say."
"Your father; bahl" but here he stopped, for a sound
was heard like the rapid galloping of a horse, not loud and
distinct as on a road, but dull and heavy as if upon a grass
sward; nearer and nearer it came, and the man, starting up,
rushed out of the tent, and looked around anxiously. I arose
from the stool upon which I had been seated, and just at that
moment, amidst a crashing of boughs and sticks, a man on horse-
back bounded over the hed^ into the lane at a few yards' distance
from where we were ; from the impetus of the leap the horse was
nearly down on his knees ; the rider, however, by dint of vigorous
handling of the reins, prevented him from falling, and then rode
up to the tent. **Tis Nat," said the man; "what brings him
here?" The new comer was a stout, burly fellow, about the
middle age; he had a savage, determined look, and his face was
nearly covered over with carbuncles ; he wore a broad slouching
hat, and was dressed in a grey coat, cut in a fashion which I
afterwards learnt to be the genuine Newmarket cut, the skirts
being exceedingly short ; his waistcoat was of red plush, and he
wore broad corduroy breeches and white top-boots. The steed
which carried him was of iron grey, spirited and powerful, but
covered with sweat and foam. The fellow glanced fiercely and
suspiciously around, and said something to the man of the tent
in a harsh and rapid voice. A short and hurried conversation
ensued in the strange tongue. I could not take my eyes off this
new comer. Oh^ that half-jockey half-bruiser countenance, I
never forgot it! More than fifteen years afterwards I found
myself amidst a crowd before Newgate; a gallows was erected,
and beneath it stood a criminal, a notorious malefactor. I
recognised him at once; the horseman of the lane is now
36 LA VBNGRO. [x8xo-ix.
beneath the fatal tree, but nothing altered ; still the same man ;
jerking his head to the right and left with the same fierce and
under glance, just as if the affairs of this world had the same
kind of interest to the last ; grey coat of Newmarket cut, plush
waistcoat, corduroys, and boots, nothing altered ; but the head,
alas ! is bare and so is the nedc. Oh, crime and virtue, virtue
and crime 1 — it was old John Newton, I think, who, when he
saw a man going to be hanged, said : *' There goes John Newton,
but for the grace of God I "
But the lane, the lane, all was now in confusion in the lane ;
the man and woman were employed in striking the tents and in
making hurried preparations for departure ; the boy Jasper was
putting the harness upon the ponies and attaching them to the
carts ; and, to increase the singularity of the scene, two or three
wild-looking women and girls, in red cloaks and immense black
beaver bonnets, came from I know not what direction, and, after
exchanging a few words with the others, commenced with fierce
and agitated gestures to assist them in their occupation. The
rider meanwhile sat upon his horse, but evidently in a state of
great impatience ; he muttered curses between his teeth, spurred
the animal furiously, and then reigned it in, causing it to rear itself
up nearly perpendicular. At last he said : ** Curse ye, for Romans,
how slow ye are 1 well, it is no business of mine, stay here all day
if you like ; I have given ye warning, I am off to the big north
road. However, before I go, you had better give me all you have
of that."
''Truly spoken, Nat, my pal," said the man; ''give it him,
mother. There it is ; now be off as soon as you please, and rid
us of evil company."
The woman had handed him two bags formed of stocking,
half full of something heavy, which looked dirough them for all
the world like money of some kind. The fellow, on receiving
them, thrust them without ceremony into the pockets of his coat,
and then, without a word of farewell salutation, departed at a
tremendous rate, the hoofs of his horse thundering for a long
time on the hard soil of the neighbouring road, till the sound
finally died away in the distance. The strange people were not
slow in completing their preparations, and then, flogging their
animals terrifically, hurried away seemingly in the same direction.
The boy Jasper was last of the band. As he was following
the rest, he stopped suddenly, and looked on the ground appearing
to muse ; then, turning round, he came up to me where I was
standing, leered in my £sice, and then, thrusting out his hand, he
x8xo-ix.] JASPER. 37
said, '* Good-bye, Sap, I dare say we shall meet again, remember
we are brothers, two gentle brothers."
Then whining forth, "What a sap-engro, lor I" he gave me a
parting leer, and hastened away.
I remained standing in the lane gazins; after the retreating
company. "A strange set of people,** said I at last, ''I wonder
who thqr can be,"
CHAPTER VI.
Years passed on, even three years ; during this period I had
increased considerably in stature and in strength, and, let ^ us
hope^ improved in mind ; for I had entered on the study of the
Latin language. The very first person to whose care I was
entrusted for the acquisition of Latin was an did friend of my
fiather's, a clergyman who kept a seminary at a town the very
next we visited after our departure from "the Cross". Under
his instruction, however^ I continued only a few weeks, as we
speedily left the place. ''Captain," said this divine, when my
father came to take leave of him on the eve of our departure, " I
have^a friendship for you, and therefore wish to give you a piece
of advice concerning this son of yours. You are now removing
him from my care; you do wrong, but we will let that pass.
Listen to me : there is but one good school book in the world —
the one I use in my seminary — Lilly's Latin Grammar, in which
your son has already made some progress. If you are anxious
for the success of your son in life, for the correctness of his
conduct and the soundness of his principles, keep him to Lilly's
Grammar. If you can by any means, either fair or foul, induce
him to get by heart Lilly's Latin Grammar, you may set your
heart at rest with respect to him ; I, myself, will be his warrant
I never yet knew a boy that was induced, either by fair means or
foul, to learn Lilly's Latin Grammar by heart, who did not turn
out a man, provided he lived long enough.
My father, who did not understand the classical languages,
received with respect the advice of his old friend, and from that
moment conceived the highest opinion of Lilly's Latin Grammar.
During three years I studied Ully's Latin Grammar under the
tuition of various schoolmasters, for I travelled with the r^ment,
and in every town in which we were stationary I was invariably
(God bless my father !) sent to the classical academy of the place.
It chanced, by good fortune, that in the generality of these schools
the grammar of Lilly was in use ; when, however, that was not the
case, it made no difference in my educational course, my father
always stipulating with the masters that I should be daily examined
a8^
i8ia.] LILLVS GRAMMAR. 39
in Lilly. At the end of the three years I had the whole by heart ;
you had only to repeat the first two or three words of any sentence
in any part of the book, and forthwith I would open cry, commenc*
ing without blundering and hesitation, and continue till you
were glad to beg me to leave off, with many expressions of
admiration at my proficiency in the Latin language. Sometimes,
however, to convince you how well I merited these encomiums, I
would follow you to the bottom of the stair, and even into the
street, repeating in a kind of sing-song measure the sonorous lines
of the golden sdioolmaster. If I am here asked whether I under-
stood anything of what I had got by heart, I reply — *' Never mind,
I understand it all now, and believe that no one ever yet got Lilly's
Latin Grammar by heart when young, who repented of 3ie feat at
a mature age "•
And when my father saw that I had accomplished my task,
he opened his mouth, and said, '* Truly this is more than I
expected. I did not think that there had been so much in you,
either of application or capacity ; you have now learnt all that is
necessary, if my friend Dr. B ^'s opinion was sterling, as I
have no doubt it was. You are still a child, however, and must
yet go to school, in order that you may be kept out of evil com-
pany. Perhaps you may still contrive, now you have exhausted
the bam, to pick up a grain or two in the barnyard You are still
ignorant of figures, I believe, not that I would mention figures in
the same day with Lilly's Grammar."
These words were uttered in a place called , in the north,
or in the road to the north, to which, for some time past, our
corps had been slowly advancing. I was sent to the school of the
place, which chanced to be a day school. It was a somewhat
extraordinary one, and a somewhat extraordinary event occurred to
me within its walls.
It occupied part of the farther end of a small plain, or square,
at the outskirts of the town, close to some extensive bleaching
fields. It was a long low building of one room, with no upper
storey ; on the top was a kind of wooden box, or sconce, which I
at first mistook for a pigeon-house, but which in reality contained a
bell, to which was attached a rope, which, passing through the
ceiling, hung dangling in the middle of the school-room. I am
the more particu^ in mentioning this appurtenance, as I had
soon occasion to scrape acquaintance with it in a manner not
very agreeable to my feelings. The master was very proud of his
bell, if I might judge from the foct of his eyes being frequently
tnmed to that part of the ceiling from which the rope depended.
40 LA VENGRO. [x8xa.
Twice every day, namely, after the morning and evening tasks
had been gone through, were the boys rung out of school by the
monotonous jingle of this belL This ringing out was rather a
lengthy afiiadr, for, as the master was a man of order and method,
the boys were only permitted to go out of the room one by one ;
and as they were rather numerous, amounting, at least, to one
hundred, and were taught to move at a pace ot suitable decorum,
at least a quarter of an hour elapsed from the commencement of
the march before the last boy could make his exit The office
of bell-ringer was performed by every boy successively ; and it so
happened that, the very first day of my attendance at the school,
the turn to ring the bell had, by order of succession, arrived at
the place which had been allotted to me ; for the master, as I
have already observed, was a man of method and order, and every
boy had a particular seat, to which he became a fixture as long as
he continued at the school
So, upon this day, when the tasks were done and completed,
and the boys sat with their hats and caps in their hands, anxiously
expecting the moment of dismissal, it was suddenly notified to me,
by the urchins who sat nearest to me, that I must get up and ring
the bell. Now, as this was the first time that I had been at the
school, I was totally unacquainted with the process, which I had
never seen, and, indeed, had never heard of till that moment I
therefore sat still, not imagining it possible that any such duty could
be required of me. But now, with not a little confusion, I perceived
that the eyes of all the boys m the school were fixed upon me.
Presently there were nods and winks in the direction of the bell-
rope; and, as these produced no effect, uncouth visages were
made, like those of monkeys when enraged ; teeth were gnashed,
tongues thrust out, and even fists were bent at me. The master,
who stood at the end of the room, with a huge ferule under his
arm, bent full upon me a look of stem appeal ; and the ushers,
of whom there were four, glared upon me, each from his own
particular comer, as I vainly turned, in one direction and another,
in search of one reassuring look.
But now, probably in obedience to a sign from the master,
the boys in my immediate neighbourhood began to maltreat me.
Some pinched me with their fingers, some buffeted me, whilst
others pricked me with pins or the points of compasses. These
arguments were not without effect. I sprang from my seat, and
endeavoured to escape along a double line of benches, thronged
with boys of all ages, from the urchin of six or seven, to the
nondescript of sateen or seventeen. It was like running the
i8ia.] THE SCHOOL BELL. 41
gauntlet; every one, great or small, pinching, kicking, or other-
wise maltreating me as I passed by.
Goaded on in this manner, I at length reached the middle of
the room, where dangled the bell-rope, the cause of all my
sufferings. I should have passed it — for my confusion was so
great, that I was quite at a loss to comprehend what all this could
mean, and almost believed myself under the influence of an ugly
dream — but now the boys who were seated in advance in the
row, arose with one accord, and barred my farther progress ; and
one, doubtless more sensible that the rest, seizing the rope, thrust
it into my hand. I now began to perceive that the dismissal of
the school, and my own release from torment, depended upon this
self same rope. I therefore in a fit of desperation, pulled it once
or twice, and then left off, naturally supposing that I had done
quite enough. The boys who sat next the door, no sooner heard
the bell, tlmn, rising from their seats, they moved out at the door.
The bell, however, had no sooner ceased to jingle, than they
stopped short, and, turning round, stared at the master, as much
as to say, ''What are we to do now?" This was too much
for the patience of the man of method, which my previous
stupidity had already nearly exhausted. Dashing forward into
the mididle of the room, he struck me violently on the shoulders
with his ferule, and snatching the rope out of my hand, exclaimed,
with a stentorian voice, and genuine Yorkshire accent, '* Prodigy
of ignorance I dost not even know how to ring a bell ? Must I
myself instruct thee?" He then commenced pulling at the bell
with such violence, that long before half the school was dismissed
the rope broke, and the rest of the boys had to depart without
their accustomed music.
But I must not linger here, though I could say much about
the school and the pedagogue highly amusing and diverting,
which, however, I suppress, in order to make way for matters of
yet greater interest On we went^ northwards, northwards 1 and,
as we advanced, I saw that the country was becoming widely
different from those parts of merry England in which we had
Ereviously travelled. It was wilder and less cultivated, and more
roken with hills and hillocks. The people, too, of these regions
appeared to partake of something of the character of their country.
They were coarsely dressed ; tall and sturdy in frame ; their voices
were deep and guttural ; and the half of the dialect which they
spoke was unintelligible to my ears.
I often wondered where we could be going, for I was at this
time about as ignorant of geography as I was of most other things
42 LA VBNGRO. [iBiy
However, I held my peace, asked no questions, and patiently
awaited the issue.
Northward, northward, still ! And it came to pass that, one
morning, I found myself extended on the bank of a river. It was
a beautiful morning of early spring; small white clouds were
floating in the heaven, occasionally veiling the countenance of
the sun, whose light, as they retired, would again burst forth,
coursing like a race-hotse over the scene — and a goodly scene it
was I Before me^ across the water, on an eminence, stood a white
old city, surrounded with lofty walls, above which rose the tops of
tall houses, with here and there a church or steeple. To my right
hand was a long and massive bridge» with many arches and of
antique architecture, which travers^ the river. The river was a
noble one, the broadest that I had hitherto seen. Its waters, of
a greenish tinge, poured with impetuosity beneath the narrow
arches to meet the sea, close at hand, as the boom of the billows
breaking distinctly upon a beach declared. There were songs
upon the river from the fisher-barks ; and occasionally a chorus,
plaintive and wild, such as I had never heard before, the words
of which I did not understand, but which, at the present time,
down the long avenue of years, seem in memory's ear to sound
like " Horam, coram, dago ". Several robust fellows were near me,
some knee-deep in water, employed in hauling the seine upon the
strand. Huge fish were struggling amidst the meshes — princely
salmon, — ^their brilliant mail of blue and silver flashing in the
morning beam ; so goodly and gay a scene^ in truth, had never
greeted my boyish eye.
And, as I gazed upon the prospect, my bosom b^;an to heave,
and my tears to trickle. Was it the beauty of the scene which
gave rise to these emotions? Possibly; for though a poor
ignorant child — a half-wild creature — I was not insensible to the
loveliness of nature, and took pleasure in the happiness and
handiworks of my fellow-creatures. Yet, perhaps, in something
more deep and mysterious the feelings which then pervaded me
might originate. Who can lie down on £lvir Hill without
experiencing something of the sorcery of the place ? Flee from
Elvir Hill, young swain, or the maids of Elle will have power
over you, and you will go elf-wild I — so say the Danes. I had
unconsciously laid myself down upon haunted ground ; and I am
willing to imagine that what I then experienced was rather
connected with the world of spirits and dreams than with what I
actually saw and heard around me. Surely the elves and genii of
ihc place were conversing, by tome inscrutable means, with the
1813.] BERWICK'UPON-TWEBD. 43
lirinciple of intelligence lurking within the poor uncultivated clod 1
Perhaps to that ethereal principle, the wonders of the past, as
connected with that stream, the glories of the present, and even
the history of the future, were at that moment being revealed.
Of how many feats of chivalry had those old walls been witness,
when hostile kings contended for their possession ? — ^how many
an army from the south and from the north had trod that old
bridge ? — what red and noble blood had crimsoned those rushing
waters ? — what strains had been sung, ay, were yet being sung, on
its banks ? — some soft as Doric reed ; some fierce and sharp as
those of Norwegian Skaldaglam ; some as replete with wild and
wizard force as Finland's runes, singing of Kalevala's moors, and
the deeds of Woinomoinen 1 Honour to thee, thou island stream I
Onward may thou ever roll, fresh and green, rejoicing in thy
bright past, diy glorious present, and in vivid hope of a triumphant
future 1 Flow on, beautiful one I — ^which of the world's streams
canst thou envy, with thy beauty and renown? Stately is the
Danube, rolling in its might through lands romantic with the wild
exploits of Turk, Polak, and Magyar ! Lovely is the Rhine 1 on
its shelvy banks grows the racy grape ; and strange old keeps of
robber-knights of yore are reflected in its waters, from picturesque
crags and airy headlands ! — yet neither the stately Danube, nor
the beauteous Rhine, with all their fame, though abundant,
needst thou envy, thou pure island stream ! — and far less yon
turbid river of oldi not modem, renown, guigling beneath the
walls of what was once proud Rome, towering Rome, Jupiter's
town, but now vile Rome, crumbling Rome, Batuscha's town, far
less needst thou envy the turbid Tiber of bygone fame, creeping
sadly to the sea, surcharged with the abominations of modern
Rome — how unlike to thee, thou pure island stream 1
And, as I lay on the bank and wept, there drew nigh to me a
man in the habiliments of a fisher. He was bare-legged, of a
weather-beaten countenance, and of stature approaching to the
gigantic ''What is the calktnt greeting for?" said he, as he
stopped and surveyed me. ''Has ony body wrought ye ony
harm?"
" Not that I know of^" I replied, rather guessing at than
understanding his question; " I was crying because I could not
help it ! I say, old one, what is the name of this river ? "
" Hout ! I now see what you was greeting at — ^at your ain
ignorance, nae doubt — 'tis very great I Weel, I will na fash you
with reproaches, but even enlighten ye, since you seem a decent
man's cmuiDi and you speir a civil question. Yon river it called
44 LA VBNGRO. [18x3.
the Tweed; and yonder, over the brig, is Scotland. Did je
never hear of the Tweed, my bonny man ? "
*' No," said I, as I rose from the grass, and proceeded to cross
the bridge to the town at which we had arrived the preceding
night ; " I never heard of it ; but now I have seen it, I shall not
soon forget it I **
CHAPTER VIL
It was not long before we found ourselves at Edinburgh, or rather
in the Castle, into which the regiment marched with drums
beating, colours flying, and a long train of baggage-waggons
behind. The Castle was, as I suppose it is now, a garrison for
soldiers. Two other regiments were already there; the one an
Irish, if I remember right, the other a small Highland corps.
It is hardly necessary to say much about this Castle, which
everybody has seen; on which account, doubtless, nobody has
ever yet thought fit to describe it — at least that I am aware. Be
this as it may, I have no intention of describing it, and shall
content myself with observing, that we took up our abode in that
immense building, or caserne, of modern erection, which occupies
the entire eastern side of the bold rock on which the Castle stands.
A gallant caserne it was — the best and roomiest that I had
hitherto seen — rather cold and windy, it is true, especially in the
winter, butxommanding a noble prospect of a range of distant
hiUs, which I was told were ** the hieland hills," and of a broad
arm of the sea, which I heard somebody say was the Firth of
Forth.
My brother, who, for some years past, had been receiving his
education in a certain celebrated school in England, was now with
us ; and it came to pass, that one day my father, as he sat at
table, looked steadfiastly on my brother and myself, and then
addressed my mother : ** During my journey down hither I have
lost no opportunity of making inquiries about these people, the
Scotch, amongst whom we now are, and since I have been here I
have observed them attentively. From what I have heard and
seen, I should say that upon the whole they are a very decent set
of people ; they seem acute and intelligent, and I am told that
their system of education is so excellent, that every person is
learned — more or less acquainted with Greek and Latin. There
is one thing, however, connected with them, which is a great
drawback — the horrid jargon which they speak. However learned
they may be in Greek and Latin, their English is execrable; and
yet Tm told it is not so bad as it was. I was in company the
(45)
46 LA VBNGRO. [1813
other day with an Englishman who has resided here many years.
We were talking about the country and its people. 'I should
like both very well/ said I, * were it not for the language. I wish
sincerely our Parliament, which is passing so many foolish acts
every year, would pass one to force these Scotch to speak English.'
'I wish so too/ said he. 'The language is a disgrace to the
British Government ; but, if you had heard it twenty years ago,
captain ! — if you bad heard it as it was spoken when I first came
to Edinburgh!'"
"Only custom," said my mother. *'I dare say the language
is now what it was then."
" I don't know," said my father ; ''though I dare say you are
right ; it could never have been worse than it is at present But
now to the point. Were it not for the language, which, if the
boys were to pick it up, might ruin their prospects in iife^ — were
it not for that, I should very much like to send them to a school
there is in this place, which everybody talks about — the High
School, I think they call it. Tis said to be the best school in
the whole island ; but the idea of one's children speaking Scotch
— ^broad Scotch I I must think the matter over."
And he did think the matter over; and the result of his
deliberation was a determination to send us to the school Let
me call thee up before my mind's eye, High School, to which,
every morning, the two English brothers took their way from the
proud old Oistle through the lofty streets of the Old Town.
High School I-— called so, I scarcely know why ; neither lofty in
thyself, nor by position, being situated in a fiat bottom ; oblong
structure of tawny stone, with many windows fenced with iron
netting — with thy long hall below, and thy five cliambers above,
for the reception of the five classes, into which the eight hundred
urchins, who styled thee instructress, were divided. Thy learned
rector and his four subordinate dominies ; thy strange old porter
of the tall form and grizzled hair, hight Boee, and doubtless of
Norse ancestry, as his name declares ; perhaps of the blood of
Bui hin Digri, the hero of northern song — ^the Jomsborg Viking
who clove Thorsteinn Midlangr asunder in the dread sea battle of
Horunga Vog, and who, when the fight was lost and his own two
hands smitten off, seized two chests of gold with his bloody
stumps, and, springing with them into the sea, cried to the scanty
relics of his crew, "Overboard now, all Bui's lads I" Yes, I
remember all about thee, and how at eight of every mom we were
all gathered together with one accord in the long hall, from which,
after the litanies had been read (for so I will call them, being an
i8x5.] HIGH SCHOOL. 47
Episcopalian), the five classes from the five sets of benches trotted
off in long files, one boy after the other, up the five spiral stair-
cases of stone, each class to its destination; and well do I
remember how we of the third sat hushed and still, watched by
the eye of the dux, until the door opened^ and in walked that
model of a good Scotchman, the shrewd, intelligent, but warm-
hearted and kind dominie, the respectable Carson.
And in this school I b^an to construe the Latin language,
which I had never done before, notwithstanding my long and
diligent study of Lilly, which illustrious grammar was not used at
Edinburgh, nor indeed known. Greek was only taught in the
fifth or highest class, in which my brother was ; as for myself, I
never got beyond the third during the two years that I remained
at this seminary. I certainly acquired here a considerable insight
in the Latin tongue ; and, to the scandal of my father and horror
of my mother, a thorough proficiency in the Scotch, which, in
less than two months, usurped the place of the English, and so
obstinately maintained its ground, that I still can occasionally
detect its lingering remains. I did not spend my time unpleasantly
at this school, though, first of all, I had to pass through an ordeal
''Scotland is a better country than England," said an ugly,
blear-eyed lad, about a head and shoulders taller than myself, the
leader of a gang of varlets who surrounded me in the play-ground,
on the first day, as soon as the morning lesson was over. "Scot-
land is a far better country than England, in every respect **
''Is it?" said L "Then you ought to be very thankful for
not having been born in England."
" That's just what I am, ye loon ; and every morning when I
say my prayers, I thank God for not being an Englishman. The
Sootch are a much better and braver people than the English."
"It may be so," said I, "for what I know — indeed, till I
came here, I never heard a word either about the Scotch or their
country."
"Are ye making fun of us, ye English puppy?" said the
blear^yed lad; "take that I" and I was presently beaten black
and blue. And thus did I first become aware of the difference
of races and their antipathy to each other.
" Bow to the storm, and it shall pass over you." I held my
peace, and silently submitted to the superiority of the Scotch —
in numberu This was enough ; from an object of persecution I
soon became one of patronage, especially amongst the champions
of the class. "The English," said the blear-eyed lad, "though a
wee bit behind the Scotch in strength and fortitudej are nae to
4B LA VBNGRO. [1813
be sneezed at, being far ahead of the Irish, to say nothing of the
French, a pack of cowardly acoundrets. And with regard to the
English country, it is na Scotland, it is true, but it has its gude
properties; and, though there is ne'er a haggis in a' the land,
there's an unco deal o' gowd and siller* I respect England, for
I have an auntie married there."
The Scotch are certainly a most pugnacious people; their
whole history proves it. Witness their incessant wars with the
English in the olden time, and their internal feuds, highland and
lowland, clan with clan, family with fomily, Saxon with Gael In
my time, the school-boys, for want, perhaps, of English urchins
to contend with, were continually fighting with each other ; every
noon there was at least one pugilistic encounter, and sometimes
three. In one month I witnessed more of these encounters than
I had ever previously seen under similar circumstances in England
After all, there was not much harm done. Harm! what harm
could result from short chopping blows, a hug, and a tumble?
I was witness to many a sounding whack, some blood shed, " a
blue ee" now and then, but nothing more. In England, on the
contrary, where the lads were comparatively mild, gentle, and
pacific, I had been present at more than one death caused by
blows in boyish combats, in which the oldest of the victors had
scarcely reached thirteen years; but these blows were in the
jugular, given with the full force of the arm shot out horizontally
from the shoulder.
But, the Scotch — though by no means proficients in boxing (and
how should they box, seeing that they have never had a teacher ?)
— are, I repeat, a most pugnacious people ; at least they were in
my time. Anything served them, that is, the urchins, as a
pretence for a fray, or, Dorically speaking, a dicker; every street
and close was at feud with its neighbour ; the lads of the school
were at feud with the young men of the college, whom they pelted
in winter with snow, and in summer with stones ; and then the
feud between the Old and New Town !
One day I was standing on the ramparts of the castle on the
south-western side which overhangs the green brae, where it slopes
down into what was in those days the green swamp or morass,
called by the natives of Auld Reekie the Nor Loch; it was a
dark gloomy day, and a thin veil of mist was beginning to settle
down upon the brae and the morass. I could perceive, however,
that there was. a skirmish taking place in the latter spot. I had
an indistinct view of two parties — apparently of urchins — and I
beard whoops and shrill cries. Eager to know the cause of this
xSis-l ^^fi BtCkBRS. 49
disturbance, I left the castle, and descending the brae reached
the borders of the morass, where was a runnel of water and
the remains of an old wall, on the other side of which a narrow
eth led across the swamp; upon this path at a little distance
fore me there was ''a bicker'*. I pushed forward, but had
scarcely crossed the ruined wall and runnel, when the party
nearest to me gave way, and in great confusion came running m
my direction. As they drew nigh, one of them shouted to me,
*'Wha are ye, mon? are ye o' the Auld Toon?" I made no
answer. ''Ha! ye are o' the New Toon; De'il tak ye, we'll
moorder ye;** and the next moment a huge stone sung past my
head. " Let me be, ye fiile bodies," said I, " I'm no of either of
ye, I liye yonder aboon in the casde." ''Ah I ye live in the
castle ; then ye're an auld tooner ; come gie us your help, mon,
and dinna stand there staring like a dunnot, we want help sair
eneugh. Here are stanes."
For my own part I wished for nothing better, and, rushing
forward, I placed myself at the head of my new associates, and
commenced flinging stones fiast and desperately. The other
party now gave way in their turn, closely followed by ourselves ;
I was in the van and about to stretch out my hand to seize the
hindermost boy of the enemy, when, not being acquainted with
the miry and difficult paths of the Nor Loch, and in my eagerness
taking no heed of my footing, I plunged into a quagmire, into which
I sank as far as my shoulders. Our adversaries no sooner per-
ceived this disaster, than, setting up a shout, they wheeled round and
attacked us most vehemently. Had my comrades now deserted
me, my life had not been worth a stmw's purchase, I should either
have been smothered in the quag, or, what is more probable, had
my brains beaten out with stones; but they behaved like true
Scots, and fought stoutly around their comrade, until I was
extricated, whereupon both parties retired, the night being near
at hand.
"Ye are na a bad hand at flinging stanes," said the lad
who first addressed me, as we now returned up the brae ; " your
aim is right dangerous, mon, I saw how ye skelpit them, ye
maun help us agin thae New Toon blackguards at our next
bicker."
So to the next bicker I went, and to many mbre, which
speedily followed as the summer advanced ; the party to which I
had given my help on the first occasion consisted merely of
outlyers, posted about half way up the hill, for the purpose of
overlooking the movements of the enemy.
4
50 LA VBNGRO. [1813-
Did the latter draw nigh in any considerable force, messengeis
were forthwith despatched to the '^auld toon," especially to the
filthy alleys and closes of the High Street, which forthwidi would
di^orge swarms ot bare-headed and bare-footed " callants/' who,
with gestures wild and "eldrich screech and hollo," might fre-
quently be seen pouring down the sides of the hill. I have seen
upwards of a thousand engaged on either side in these frays,
which I have no doubt were full as desperate as the fights
described in the Iliad, and which were certainly much more
bloody than the combats of modern Greece in the war of in-
dependence. The callants not only employed their hands in hurling
stones, but not unfrequently slings ; at the use of which they were
very expert, and which occasionally dislodged teeth, shattered
jaws, or knocked out an eye. Our opponents certainly laboured
under considerable disadvantage, being compelled not only to
wade across a deceitful bog, but likewise to clamber up part of a
steep hill before they could attack us ; nevertheless, their deter-
mination was such, and such their impetuosity, that we had
sometimes difficulty enough to maintain our own. I shall never
forget one bicker, the last indeed which occurred at that time, as
the authorities of the town, alarmed by the desperation of its
character, stationed forthwith a body of police on the hill side to
prevent, in future, any such breaches of the peace.
It was a beautiful Sunday evening, the rays of the descending
sun were reflected redly from the grey walls of the castle, and from
the black rocks on which it was founded. The bicker had long
since commenced, stones from sling and hand were flying; but
the callants of tlie New Town were now carrying everything before
them.
A full-grown baker's apprentice was at their head; he was
foaming with rage, and had taken the field, as I was told, in order
to avenge his brother, whose eye had been knocked out in one ot
the late bickers. He was no slinger, or finger, but brandished in
his right hand the spoke of a cart-wheel, like my countryman Tom
Hickathrift of old in his encounter with the giant of the Lincoln-
shire fen. Protected by a piece of wicker-work attached to his
left arm, he rushed on to the fray, disregarding the stones which
were showered against him, and was ably seconded by his
followers. Our own party was chased half way up the hill, where
I was struck to the ground by the baker, after having been foiled
in an attempt which I had made to fling a handful of earth into
his eyes. All now appeared lost, the Auld Toon was in full
retreat I myself lay at the baker's feet, who had just raised his
^
1813.] THB BICKERS. $1
spoke, probably to give me the c{mf de grAce^ — it was an awful
moment Just then I heard a shout and a rushing sound. A
wild-looking figure is descending the hill with terrible bounds ; it
is a lad of some fifteen years ; he is bare-headed^ and his red
uncombed hair stands on end like hedgehogs' bristles ; his frame
is lithy, like that of an antelope, but he has prodigious breadth of
chest ; he wears a military undress, that of the regiment, even of
a drummer, for it is wild Davy, whom a month before I had seen
enlisted on Leith Links to serve King George with drum and
drumstick as long as his services might be required, and who,
ere a week had elapsed, had smitten with his fist Drum-Major
Elxigood, who, incensed at his own inaptitude, had threatened
him with the cane ; he has been in confinement for weeks, this is
the first day of his liberation, and he is now descending the hill
with horrid bounds and shoutings; he is now about five yards
distant, and the baker, who apprehends that something dangerous
is at hand prepares himself for the encounter ; but what avails the
strength of a baker, even full grown ? — what avails the defence of
a wicker shield? what avails the wheel-spoke, should there be an
opportunity of using it, against the impetus of an avalanche or a
cannon ball? — for to either of these might that wild figure be
compared, which, at the distance of five yards, sprang at once with
head, hands, feet and body, all together, upon the champion of
the New Town, tumbling him to the earth amain. And now it
was the turn of the Old Town to triumph. Our late discomfited
host, returning on its steps, overwhelmed the fallen champion
with blows of every kind, and then, led on by his vanquisher who
had assumed his arms, namely, the wheelspoke and wicker shield,
fairly cleared the brae of their adversaries, whom they drove down
headlong into the morass.
CHAPTER VIII.
Meanwhile I had become a daring cragsman, a character to
which an English lad has seldom opportunities of aspiring; for
in England there are neither crags nor mountains. Of these,
however, as is well known, there is no lack in Scotland, and the
habits of individuals are invariably in harmony with the country in
which they dwell. The Scotch are expert climbers, and I was
DOW a Scot in most things, particularly in language. The castle
in which I dwelt stood upon a rock, a bold and craggy one, which,
at first sight, would seem to bid defiance to any feet save those
of goats and chamois ; but patience and perseverance generally
enable mankind to overcome things which, at first sight, appear
impossible. Indeed, what is there above man's exertions ? Un-
wearied determination will enable him to run with the horse, to
swim with the fish, and assuredly to compete with the chamois
and the goat in agility and sureness of foot To scale the rock
was merely child's play for the Edinbro' callants. It was my own
favourite diversion. I soon found that the rock contained all
manner of strange crypts, crannies, and recesses, where owls
nestled, and the weasel brought forth her young; here and there
were small natural platforms, overgrown with long grass and
various kinds of plants, where the climber, if so disposed, could
stretch himself, and either give his eyes to sleep or his mind to
thought ; for capital places were these same platforms either for
repose or meditation. The boldest features of the rock are
descried on the southern side, where, after shelving down gently
firom the wall for some distance, it terminates abruptly in a
precipice, black and horrible, of some three hundred feet at least,
as if the axe of nature had been here employed cutting sheer
down, and leaving behind neither excrescence nor spur — a dizzy
precipice it is, assimilating much to those so frequent in the flinty
hills of Northern Africa, and exhibiting some distant resemblance
to that of Gibraltar, towering in its horridness above the neutral
ground.
It was now holiday time, and having nothing particular where-
with to occupy myself, I not unfrequently passed the greater part
x8i5*i4*] DAVID HAGGART. 53
of the day upon the rocks. Once, after scaling the western crags,
and creeping round a sharp angle of the wall, overhung by a kind
of watch tower, I found myself on the southern side. Still keeping
dose to the wall, I was proceeding onward, for I was bent upon a
long excursion which should embrace half the circuit of the castle,
when suddenly my eye was attracted by the appearance of some-
thing red, far below me ; I stopped shorty and, looking fixedly
upon it, perceived that it was a human being in a kind of red
jacket, seated on the extreme verge of the precipice, which I
have already made a faint attempt to describe. Wondering who
it could be, I shouted; but it took not the slightest notice,
remaining as immovable as the rock on which it sat. ^ I should
never have thought of going near that edge," said I to myself;
''however, as you have done it, why should not I? And I
should like to know who you are." So I commenced the
descent of the rock, but with great care, for I had as yet never
been in a situation so dangerous ; a slight moisture exuded from
the palms of my hands, my nerves were tingling, and my brain
was somewhat dizzy — and now I had arrived within a few yards
of the figure, and had recognised it : it was the wild drummer
who had turned the tide of battle in the bicker on the Castle
Brae. A small stone which I dislodged now rolled down the
rock, and tumbled into the abyss close beside him* He turned
his head, and after looking at me for a moment somewhat vacantly,
he resumed his f(»mer attitude. I drew yet nearer to the horrible
edge ; not dose, however, for fear was on me.
''What are you thinking of, David?" said I, as I sat behind
him and trembled, for I repeat that I was afraid.
David Hdggart, I was thinking of Willie Wallace.
Myst^. You had better be thinking of yourself, man. A
strange place this to come to and think of William Wallace.
David Haggart. Why so? Is not his tower just beneath our
feet?
Myself. You mean the auld ruin by the side of the Nor Loch
— ^the ugly stane bulk, from the foot of which flows the spring
into the dyke, where the watercresses grow?
David Haggart. Just sae, Geordie.
Myself. And why were ye thinking of him? The English
hanged him long since, as I have heard say.
David If aggart. I was thinking that I should wish to be like him.
Myself Do ye mean that ye would wish to be hanged ?
David Ha^rt. I wad na flinch firom that, Geordie, if I
might be a great man first.
54 LA VBNGRO. [1813-14.
Myself. And wha kens, Davie, how great you may be, even
without hanging? Are ye not in the high road of preferment?
Are ye not a bauld drummer already ? Wha kens how high ye
may rise? perhaps to be general, or drum-major.
David Haggart, I hae na wish to be drum-major ; it were na
great things to be like the doited carle, Else-than-gude, as they
call him ; and, troth, he has nae his name for naething. But I
should have nae objection to be a general, and to fight the
French and Americans, and win myself a name and a fame like
Willie Wallace, and do brave deeds, such as I have been reading
about in his story book.
Myself, Ye are a fule, Davie ; the story book is full of lies.
Wallace, indeed I the wuddie rebel ! I have heard my father
say that the Duke of Cumberland was worth twenty of Willie
Wallace.
David Haggart. Ye had better sae naething agin Willie
Wallace, Geordie, for, if ye do, De'il hae me, if I dinna tumble
ye doon the craig.
Fine materials in that lad for a hero, yon will say. Yes,
indeed, for a hero, or for what he afterwards became. In other
times, and under other circumstances, he might have made what
is generally termed a great man, a patriot, or a conqueror. As
it was, the very qualities which might then have pushed him on
to fortune and renown were the cause of his ruin. The war
over, he fell into evil courses; for his wild heart and ambitious
spirit could not brook the sober and quiet pursuits of honest
industry.
"Can an Arabian steed submit to be a vile drudge?" cries
the fatalist Nonsense ! A man is not an irrational creature, but
a reasoning being, and has something within him beyond mere
brutal instinct The greatest victory which a man can achieve
is over himself, by which is meant those unruly passions which
are not convenient to the time and place. David did not do
this ; he gave the reins to his wild heart, instead of curbing it,
and became a robber, and, alasl alas! he shed blood — under
peculiar circumstances, it is true, and without malice prepense
— and for that blood he eventually died, and justly; for it
was that of the warden of a prison from which he was escaping,
and whom he slew with one blow of his stalwart arm.
Tamerlane and Haggart! Haggart and Tamerlane! Both
these men were robbers, and of low birth, yet one perished on
an ignoble scaffold, and the other died emperor of the world
1813-14.] DAVID HAGGART. 55
Is this justice? The ends of the two men were widely dissimilar
— yet what is the intrinsic difference between them ? Very great
indeed; the one acted according to his lights and his country,
not so the other. Tamerlane was a heathen, and acted according
to his lights ; he was a robber where all around were robbers, but
he became the avenger of God — God's scourge on unjust kings,
on the cruel Bajazet, who had plucked out his own brothers'
eyes; he became to a certain extent the purifier of the East,
its regenerator; his equal never was before, nor has it since
been seen. Here the wild heart was profitably employed, the
wild strength, the teeming brain. Onward, Lame one 1 Onward,
Tamur — ^lankl Haggart. . • .
But peace to thee, poor David I why should a mortal worm be
sitting in judgment over thee? The Mighty and Just One has
already judged thee, and perhaps above thou hast received pardon
for thy crimes, which could not be pardoned here below ; and
now that thy feverish existence has closed, and thy once active
form become inanimate dust, thy very memory all but forgotten,
I vrill say a few words about thee, a few words soon also to be
forgotten. Thou wast the most extraordinary robber that ever
lived within the belt of Britain ; Scotland rang with thy exploits,
and England, too, north of the Humber; strange deeds also
didst thou achieve when, fleeing from justice, thou didst find
thyself in the Sister Isle ; busy wast thou there in town and on
curragh, at fair and race-course, and also in the solitary place.
Ireland thought thee her child, for who spoke her brogue better
than thyself? — she felt proud of thee, and said, " Sure, O'Hanlon
is come again." What might not have been thy fate in the far
west in America, whither thou hadst turned thine eye, saying, '* I
will go there, and become an honest man I " But thou wast not
to go there, I>avid — the blood which thou hadst shed in Scotland
was to be required of thee ; the avenger was at hand, the avenger
of blood. Seized, manacled, brought back to thy native land,
condemned to die, thou wast left in thy narrow cell and told to
make the most of thy time, for it was short : and there, in thy
narrow cell, and thy time so short, thou didst put the crowning
stcme to thy strange deeds, by that strange history of thyself,
penned by tixy own hand in the robber tongue. Thou mightest
have been better employed, David 1 — ^but the ruling passion was
strong with thee, even in the jaws of death. Thou mightest have
been better employed ! — but peace be with thee, I repeat, and th€
Almighty's grace and pardon.
CHAPTER IX.
Onward, onward I and after we had sojourned in Scotland nearly
two years, the long continental war had been brought to an end ;
Napoleon was humbled for a time, and the Bourbons restored to
a land which could have well have dispensed with them. We
returned to England, where the corps was disbanded, and my
parents with their family retired to private life. I shall pass over
in silence the events of a year, which offer little of interest as far
as connected with me and mine Suddenly, however, the sound
of war was heard again ; Napoleon had broken forth from Elba,
and everything was in confusion. Vast military preparations were
again made, our own corps was levied anew, and my brother
became an officer in it ; but the danger was soon over, Napoleon
was once more quelled and chained for ever, like Prometheus, to
his rock. As the corps, however, though so recently levied, had
already become a very fine one, thanks to my father's energetic
drilling, the Government very properly determined to turn it to
some account, and, as disturbances were apprehended in Ireland
about this period, it occurred to them that they could do no better
than despatch it to that country.
In the autumn of the year 1815 we set sail from a port in
Essex ; we were some eight hundred strong, and were embarked
in two ships, very large, but old and crazy ; a storm overtook us
when off Beachy Head, in which we had nearly foundered. I
was awakened early in the morning by the howling of the wind,
and the uproar on deck. I kept myself close, however, as is still
my constant practice on similar occasions, and waited the result
with that apathy and indifference which (violent sea-sickness is
sure to produce. We shipped several seas, and once the vessel
missing stays — which, to do it justice, it generally did at every
third or fourth tack — ^we escaped almost by a miracle from being
dashed upon the foreland. On the eighth day of our voyage we
were in sight of Ireland. The weather was now calm and serene,
the sun shone brightly on the sea and on certain green hills in the
distance, on which I descried what at first sight I believed to be
(56)
iSis-] IRELAND. 57
two ladies gathering flowerSi which, however, on our nearer
ai^roach, proved to be two tall white towers, doubtless built for
some purpose or other, though I did not learn for what.
We entered a kind of bay, or cove, by a narrow inlet ; it was
a beautiful and romantic place this cove, very spacious, and being
nearly land-locked, was sheltered from every wind. A small
island, every inch of which was covered with fortifications, appeared
to swim upon the waters, whose dark blue denoted their immense
depth ; tall green hills, which ascended gradually from the shore,
formed the background to the west ; they were carpeted to the
top with turf of the most vivid green, and studded here and there
with woods, seemingly of oak; there was a strange old castle
half-way up the ascent, a village on a crag — ^but the mists of
morning were half veiling the scene when I surveyed it, and
the mists of time are now hanging densely between it and
my no longer youthful eye ; I may not describe it ; — ^nor will I
try.
Leaving the ship in the cove, we passed up a wide river in
boats till we came to a city where we disembarked. It was a large
city, as large as Edinbuiigh to my eyes ; there were plenty of fine
bouses, but little neatness ; the streets were full of impurities ;
handsome equipages rolled along, but the greater part of the
population were in rags ; beggars abounded ; there was no lack
of merriment, however ; boisterous shouts of laughter were heard
on every side. It appeared a city of contradictions. After a few
days' rest we marched from this place in two divisions. My father
commanded the second ; I walked by his side.
Our route lay up the country ; the country at first offered no
very remarkable feature ; it was pretty, but tame. On the second
day, however, its appearance had altered, it had become more
wild ; a range of distant mountains bounded the horizon. We
passed through several villages, as I suppose I may term them,
of low huts, the walls formed of rough stones without mortar,
the roof of flags laid over watdes and wicker-work ; they seemed
to be inhabited solely by women and children ; the latter were
naked, the former, in general, blear-eyed beldames, who sat beside
the doors on low stools, spinning. We saw, however, both men
and women working at a distance in the fields.
I was thirsty ; and going up to an ancient crone, employed in
the manner which I have described, I asked her for water; she
looked me in the fiice, appeared to consider for a moment, then
tottering into her hut, presently reappeared with a small pipkin of
milk, which she offered to me with a trembling hand. I drank
58 LA VBNGRO. [1815
the milk ; it was sour, but I found it highly refreshing. I then
took out a penny and offered it to her, whereupon she shook her
head, smiled, and, patting my face with her skinny hand, murmured
some words in a tongue which I had never heard before.
I walked on by my father's side, holding the stirrup-leather of
his horse ; presently several low uncouth cars passed by, drawn
by starved cattle ; die drivers were tall fellows, with dark features
and athletic frames — ^they wore long loose blue cloaks with sleeves,
which last, however, dangled unoccupied ; these cloaks appeared
in tolerably good condition, not so their under garments. On
their heads were broad slouching hats ; the generality of them
were bare-footed. As they passed^ the soldiers jested with them
in the patois of East Anglia, whereupon the fellows laughed and
appeared to jest with the soldiers ; but what they said who knows,
it being in a rough guttural language, strange and wild. The
soldiers stared at each other, and were silent.
** A strange language that 1 " said a young officer to my father,
'' I don't understand a word of it ; what can it be ? "
*' Irish,'' said my father, with a loud voice, ''and a bad
language it is ; I have known it of old, that is, I have often heard
it spoken when I was a guardsman in London. There's one
part of London where all the Irish live — at least all the worst of
them — and there they hatch their villanies and speak this tongue ;
it is that which keeps them together and makes them dangerous.
I was once sent there to seize a couple of deserters — ^Irish — who
had taken refuge among their companions; we found them in
what was in my time called a Atn^ that is, a house where only
thieves and desperadoes are to be found. Knowing on what kind
of business I was bound, I had taken with me a sergeant's party ;
it was well I did so. We found the deserters in a large room,
with at least thirty ruffians, horrid-looking fellows, seated about a
long table, drinking, swearing, and talking Irish. Ah! we had
a tough batde, I remember; Uie two fellows did nothing, but sat
still, thinking it best to be quiet ; but the rest, with an ubbubboo,
like the blowing up of a powder-magazine, sprang up, brandishing
their sticks ; for these fellows always carry sticks with them, even
to bed, and not unfrequently spring up in their sleep, striking left
and right"
" And did you take the deserters ? " said the officer.
" Yes," said my father ; " for we formed at the end of the room,
and charged with fixed bayonets, which compelled the others to
yield notwithstanding their numbers ; but the worst was when we
got out into the street; the whole district had become alarmed.
x8i5.] CLONMEL. 59
and hundreds came pouring down upon us — ^men, women, and
children. Women, did I say ! — they looked fiends, half naked,
with their hair hanging down over their bosoms ; they tore up the
▼ery pavement to hurl at us, sticks rang about our ears, stones,
and Irish — I liked the Irish worst of all, it sounded so horrid,
especially as I did not understand it It's a bad language."
"A queer tongue," said I, "I wonder if I could learn it?"
** Learn it t " said my hther ; ** what should you learn it for?
— however, I am not afraid of that It is not like Scotch ; no
person can leain it, save those who are bom to it, and even in
Ireland the respectable people do not speak it, only the wilder
sort, like those we have passed."
Within a day or two we had reached a tall range of mountains
running north and south, which I was told were those of Tipperary ;
along the skirts of these we proceeded till we came to a town, the
principal one of these regions. It was on the bank of a beautiful
river, which separated it from the mountains. It was rather an
ancient place, and might contain some ten thousand inhabitants ;
I found that it was our destination ; there were extensive barracks
at the £uther end, in which the corps took up its quarters ; with
respect to ourselves, we took lodgings in a house which stood in
the principal street.
*^ You never saw more degant lodgings than these, captain,"
said the master of the house, a tall, hand^me, and athletic man
who came up whilst our little family were seated at dinner late in
the afternoon of the day of our arrival ; " they beat anything in
this town of Clonmel. I do not let them for the sake of interest,
and to none but gentlemen in the army, in order that myself and
my wife, who is from Londonderry, may have the advantage of
pleasant company, genteel company ; ay, and Protestant company,
captain. It did my heart good when I saw your honour ride in
at the head of all those fine fellows, real Protestants, I'll engage,
not a Papist among them — they are too good-looking and honest-
looking for that. So I no sooner saw your honour at the head of
your army, with that handsome young gentleman holding by your
stirrup, than I said to my wife. Mistress Hyne, who is from
Londonderry, ' God bless me,' said I, ' what a truly Protestant
countenance, what a noble bearing, and what a sweet young
gentleman. By the silver hairs of his honour — and sure enough
I never saw hairs more regally silver than those of your honour —
by his honour's gray silver hairs, and by my own soul, which is
not worthy to be mentioned in the same day with one of them —
it would be no more than decent and civil to run out and welcome
6o LAVENGRO. [i8xs
such a father and son coming in at the head of such a Protestant
military.' And then my wife, who is from Londonderry, Mistress
Hyne, looking me in the face like a fairy as she v^ ' You may say
that/ says she. ' It would be but decent and civil, honey.' And
your honour knows how I ran out of my own door and welcomed
your honour riding, in company with your son who was walking ;
how I welcomed ye both at the head of your royal regiment, and
how I shook your honour by the hand, saying, I am glad to see
your honour, and your honour's son, and your honour's royal
military Protestant r^ment And now I have you in the house,
and right proud I am to have ye one and all : one, two, three,
four, true Protestants every one, no Papists here; and I have
made bold to bring up a bottle of claret which is now waiting
behind the door; and, when your honour and your family have
dined, I will make bold too to bring up Mistress Hyne, from Lon-
donderry, to introduce to your honour's lady, and then we'll drink
to the health of King George, God bless him ; to the ' glorious and
immortal ' — ^to Boyne water — ^to your honour's speedy promotion
to be Lord Lieutenant, and to the speedy downfall of the Pope
and Saint Anthony of Padua."
Such was the speech of the Irish Protestant addressed to my
fieither in the long lofty dining-room with three windows, looking
upon the High street of the good town of Clonmel, as he sat at
meat with his family, after saying grace like a true-hearted respect-
able soldier as he was.
"A bigot and an Orangeman 1" Oh, yesl It is easier to
apply epithets of opprobrium to people than to make yourself
acquainted with their history and position. He was a specimen,
and a faxt specimen^ of a most remarkable body of men, who
during two centuries have fought a good fight in Ireland in the
cause of civilisation and religious truth ; they were sent as colonists,
few in number, into a barbarous and unhappy country, where ever
since, though surrounded with difficulties of every kind, they have
maintained their ground ; theirs has been no easy life, nor have
their lines &llen upon very pleasant places ; amidst darkness they
have held up a lamp^ and it would be well for Ireland were all her
children like these her adopted ones. '' But they are fierce and
sanguinary," it is said. Ay, ay I they have not unfrequently
opposed the keen sword to the savage pike. ''But they are
bigoted and narrow-minded." Ay, ay 1 they do not like idolatry,
and will not bow the knee before a stone 1 " But their language
is frequently indecorous.*^ Go to, my dainty one, did ye ever
listen to the voice of Papist cursing ?
i8z5.] CLONMBL. 6z
The Irish Protestants have fieiults, numerous ones; but the
greater number of these may be traced to the peculiar circum-
stances of their position. But they have virtues, numerous ones ;
and their virtues are their own, their industry, their energy, and
their undaunted resolution are their own. They have been
vilified and traduced — bet what would Ireland be without them ?
I repeat, that it would be well for her were all her sons no worse
than these much calumniated children of her adoption.
CHAPTER 2L
Wb continued at this place for some months, during which time
the soldiers performed their duties, whatever they were; and I,
having no duties to perform, was sent to school. I had been to
English schools, and to the celebrated one of Edinburgh; but
my education, at the present day, would not be what it is —
p^ect, had I never had the honour of being alumnus in an Irish
seminary.
'' Captain," said our kind host, " you would, no doubt, wish
that the young gentleman should enjoy every advantage which the
town may afford towards helping him on in the path of genteel
learning. It's a great pity that he should waste his time in idle-
ness—-doing nothing else than what he says he has been doing
for the last fortnight — fishing in the river for trouts which he
never catches, and wandering up the glen in the mountain in
search of the hips that grow there. Now, we have a school here,
where he can learn the most elegant Latin, and get an insight into
the Greek letters, which is desirable ; and where, moreover, he
will have an opportunity of making acquaintance with all the
Protestant young gentlemen of the place, the handsome well-
dressed young persons whom your honour sees in the church on
the Sundays, when your honour goes there in the morning, with
the rest of the Protestant military; for it is no Papist school,
though there may be a Papist or two there — a few poor farmers'
sons from the country, with whom there is no necessity for your
honour's child to form any acquaintance at all, at all I "
And to the school I went, where I read the Latin tongue and
the Greek letters, with a nice old clergyman, who sat behind a
black oaken desk, with a huge Elzevir Flaccus before him, in a
long gloomy kind of hall, with a broken stone floor, the roof
festooned with cobwebs, the walls considerably dilapidated, and
covered over with strange figures and hieroglyphics, evidently
produced by the application of burnt stick ; and there I made
acquaintance with Uie Protestant young gentlemen of the place,
who, with whatever klat they might appear at church on a
Sunday, did assuredly not exhibit to much advantage in the
(6a)
18x5-] MURTAGH. 63
school-room on the* week* days, either with respect to clothes or
looks. And there I was in the habit of sitting on a large stone,
before the roaring fire in the huge open chimney, and entertaining
certain of the Protestant young gentlemen of my own age, seated
on similar stones, with extraordinary accounts of my own adven-
tures and those of the corps, with an occasional anecdote extracted
from the story-books of Hickathrift and Wight Wallace, pretending
to be conning the lesson all the while.
And there I made acquaintance, notwithstanding the hint of
the landlord, with the Papist "gasoons," as they were called, the
farmers' sons from the countrv ; and of these gasoons, of which
there were three, two might be reckoned as nothing at all ; in
the third, however, I soon discovered that there was something
extraordinary.
He was about sixteen years old, and above six feet high,
dressed in a gray suit ; the coat, from its size, appeared to have
been made for him some ten years before. He was remarkably
narrow-chested and round-shouldered, owing, perhaps, as much to
the tightness of his garment as to the hand of nature. His &ce
was long, and his complexion swarthy, relieved, however, by certain
freckles, with which the skin was plentifully studded. He had
strange wandering eyes, gray, and somewhat unequal in size ; they
seldom rested on the book, but were generally wandering about
the room from one object to another. Sometimes he would fix
them intently on the wall ; and then suddenly starting, as if from
a reverie, he would commence making certain mysterious move-
ments with his thumbs and forefingers, as if he were shuffling
something from him.
One morning, as he sat by himself on a bench, engaged in
this manner, I went up to him and said, " Good day, Murtagh ;
yoQ do not seem to have much to do."
" Faith, you may say that, Shorsha dear 1 it is seldom much to
do that I have."
" And what are you doing with your hands ? "
** Faith, then, if I must tell you, I was e'en dealing with the
cards."
** Do you play much at cards ? "
''Sorra a game, Shorsha, have I played with the cards since
my uncle Phdim, the thief, stole away the ould pack, when he
went to settle in Uie county Waterford 1 "
*' But you have other things to do ? "
"Sorra anything else has Murtagh to do that he cares about;
and that makes me dread so going home at nights."
LA VBNOrtO. [181S.
"I should like to know all about you; where do you live,
joy?"
** Faith, then, ye shall know all about me, and where I lire.
It is at a place called the Wilderness that I live, and they call it
so, because it is a fearful wild place, without any house near it but
my father's own ; and that's where I live when at home."
** And your father is a farmer, I suppose ? "
" You may say that ; and it is a farmer I should have been,
like my brother Denis, had not my uncle Phelim, the thief 1 tould
my lather to send me to school, to learn Greek letters, that I
might be made a saggart of and sent to Paris and Salamanca."
" And you would rather be a farmer than a priest? "
'* You may^ say that 1 for, were I a £urmer, like the rest, I
should have something to do, like the rest, something that I
cared for, and I should come home tired at night and fall asleep,
as the rest do, before the fire; but when I comes home at night I
am not tired, for I have been doing nothing all day that I care
for ; and then I sits down and stares about me, and at the fire^
till I become frighted ; and then I shouts to my brother Denis,
or to the gasoons, ' Get up, I say, and let's be doing something ;
tell us a tale of Finn-ma-Coul, and how he lay down in the
Shannon's bed and let the river flow down his jaws ! ' Arrah,
Shorsha, I wish you would come and stay with us, and tell us
some o' your sweet stories of your ownsdf and the snake ye
carried about wid ye. Faith, Shorsha dear! that snake bates
anything about Finn-ma-Coul or Brian Boroo, the thieves two, bad
luck to them 1 "
'* And do they get up and tell you stories ? "
'* Sometimes they does, but oftenmost they curses me and
bids me be quiet ! But I can't be quiet, either before the fire or
abed ; so I runs out of the house, and stares at the rocks, at the
trees, and sometimes at the cloudis, as they run a race across the
bright moon ; and the more I stares, the more frighted I grows,
till I screeches and holloas. And last night I went into the barn
and hid my face in the straw ; and there, as I lay and shivered in
the straw, I heard a voice above my head singing out ' To whit,
to whoo 1 ' and then up I starts and runs into the house, and falls
over my brother Denis, as he lies at the fire. ' What's that for ? '
says he. 'Get up, you thief!' says I, 'and be helping me. I
have been out in the barn, and an owl has crow'd at me! '"
" And what has this to do with playing cards ? "
" Little enough, Shorsha dear I — If there were card-playing, I
should not be frighted."
iSzs-] MURTAGM. 65
" And why do you not play at cards ? "
" Did I not tell you that the thief, my uncle Phelim, stole away
the pack ? If we had the pack, my brother Denis and the gasoons
would be ready enough to get up from their sleep before the fire,
and play cards with me for ha'pence, or eggs, or nothing at all ;
but the pack is gone — bad luck to the thief who took it 1 "
" And why don't you buy another ? "
*^ Is it of buying you are speaking? And where am I to get
the money?"
'< Ah ! that's another thing ! "
*' Faith it is, honey! — And now the Christmas holidays is
coming, when I shaU be at home by day as well as night, and
then what am I to do? Since I have been a saggarting, I have
been good for nothing at all — neither for work nor Greek — only
to play cards 1 Faith, it's going mad I will be I "
" I say, Murtagh 1 "
•• Yes, Shorsha dear I "
*' I have a pack of cards."
" You don't say so, Shorsha mavoumeen ! you don't say that
you have cards fifty-two ? "
** I do, though ; and they are quite new — never been once
used."
"And you'll be lending them to me, I warrant? "
" Don't think it I But I'll sell them to you, joy, if you like."
^*£[anam man Diaull am I not after telling you that I have
no money at all?"
"But you have as good as money, to me, at least; and I'll
take it in exchange."
" What's that, Shorsha dear ? "
•• Irish I "
"Irish?"
" Yes, you speak Irish ; I heard you talking it the other day
to the cripple. You shall teach me Irish."
" And is it a language-master you'd be making of me ? "
"To be sure I — what better can you do? — it would help you
to pass your time at school You can't learn Greek, so you must
teach Irish 1 "
Before Christmas, Murtagh was playing at cards with
his brother Denis, and I could speak a considerable quantity
of broken Irish.
'
CHAPTER XI.
When Christmas was over, and the new year commenced, we
broke up our quarters, and marched away to Templemore. This
was a large military station, situated in a wild and thinly inhabited
country. Extensive bogs were in the neighbourhood, connected
with the huge bog of Allan, the Palus Mseotis of Ireland. Here
and there was seen a ruined castle looming through the mists of
winter; whilst, at the distance of seven miles, rose a singular
mountain, exhibiting in its brow a chasQ, or vacuum, just, for all
the world, as if a piece had been bitten out ; a feat which, according
to the tradition of the country, had actually been performed by
his Satanic majesty, who, after flying for some leagues with the
morsel in his mouth, becoming weary, dropped it in the vicinity of
Cashel, where it may now be seen in the shape of a bold bluff hill,
crowned with the ruins of a stately edifice, probdbly built by
some ancient Irish king.
We had been here only a few days, when my brother, who, as
I have before observed, had become one of his Majesty's officers,
was sent on detachment to a village at about ten miles' distance.
He was not sixteen, and, though three years older than myself,
scarcely my equal in stature, for I had become tall and large-
limbed for my age; but there was a spirit in him that would not
have disgraced a general ; and, nothing daunted at the considerable
responsibility which he was about to incur, he marched sturdily
out of the barrack-yard at the head of his party, consisting of
twenty light-infantry men, and a tall grenadier sergeant, selected
expressly by my father for the soldier-like qualities which he
possessed, to accompany his son on this his firat expedition. So
out of the barrack-yard, with something of an air, marched my
dear brother, his single drum and fife playing the inspiring old
melody,
Marlbrouk is gone to the wars,
He'll never return no more 1
I soon missed my brother, for I was now alone, with no being
(66)
i8x4] TBMPLBMORB.
at all assimilating in age* with whom I could exchange a word.
Of late years, from being almost constantly at school, I had cast
aside, in a great degree, my unsocial habits and natural reserve,
but in the desolate region in which we now were there was no
school ; and I felt doubly the loss of my brother, whom, moreover,
I tenderly loved for his own sake. Books I had none, at least
such " as I cared about ; " and with respect to the old volume,
the wonders of which had first beguiled me into common reading,
I had so frequently pored over its pages, that I had almost got its
contents by heart. I was therefore in danger of falling into the
same predicament as Murtagh, becoming "frighted" from having
nothing to do ! Nay, I had not even his resources ; I cared not
for cards, even if I possessed them, and could find people disposed
to play with them. However, I made the most of circumstances,
and roamed about the desolate fields and bogs in the neighbour-
hood, sometimes entering the cabins of the peasantry, with a
'^ God's blessing upon you, good people 1 " where I would take
my seat on the " stranger's stone " at the corner of the hearth,
and, looking them full in the &ce, would listen to the carles and
carlines talking Irish.
Ah, that Irish ! How frequently do circumstances, at first
sight the most trivial and unimportant, exercise a mighty and
permanent influence on our habits and pursuits I — how frequently
is a stream turned aside from its natural course by some little rpck
or knoll, causing it to make an abrupt turn 1 On a wild road in
Ireland I had heard Irish spoken for the first time ; and I was
seized with a desire to learn Irish, the acquisition of which, in
my case, became the stepping-stone to other languages. I had
previously learnt Latin, or rather Lilly; but neither Latin nor
Lillymadie me a philologist I had frequently heard French and
other languages, but had felt little desire to become acquainted
with them ; and what it may be asked, was there connected with
the Irish calculated to recommend it to my attention ?
First of all, and principally, I believe, the strangeness and
singularity of its tones ; then there was something mysterious and
uncommon associated with its use. It was not a school language,
to acquire which was considered an imperative duty -, no, no ; nor
was it a drawing-room language, drawled out occasionally, in
shreds and patches, by the ladies of generals and other great
dignitaries, to the ineffable dismay of poor officers' wives.
Nothing of the kind; but a speech spoken in out-of-the-way
desolate places, and in cut-throat kens, where thirty ruffians, at
the sight of the king's minions, would spring up with brandished
68 LA VBNORO. [x8i&
sticks and an ** ubbubboo, like the blowing up of a powder-
magazine''. Such were the points connected with the Irish,
which first awakened in my mind the desire of acquiring it ; and
by acquiring it I became, as I have already said, enamoured of
languages. Having learnt one by choice, I speedily, as the reader
will perceive^ learnt others, some of which were widely different
fh>m Irish.
Ah, that Irish 1 I am much indebted to it in more ways than
one. But I am afraid I have followed the way of the world,
which is very much wont to neglect original friends and bene-
factors. I frequently find myself, at present, turning up my nose
at Irish, when I hear it in the street ; yet I have still a kind of
regard for it, the fine old language :
A labhair Padruic nHnsrfml nan riegh.
One of the most peculiar features of this part of Ireland is the
ruined castles, which are so thick and numerous that the face of
the country appears studded with them, it being difficult to choose
any situation from which one, at least, may not be descried.
They are of various ages and styles of architecture, some of great
antiquity, like the stately remains which crown the Crag of
Cashel; others built by the early English conquerors; others,
and probably the greater part, erections of the times of Elizabeth
and CromwelL The whole, speaking monuments of the troubled
and insecure state of the country, from the most remote periods
to a comparatively modem time.
From the windows of the room where I slept I had a view of
one of these old places — an indistinct one, it is true, the distance
being too great to permit me to distinguish more than the general
outline. I had an anxious desire to explore it It stood to the
south-east ; iu which direction, however, a black bog intervened,
which had more than once baffled all my attempts to cross it.
One morning, however, when the sun shone brightly upon the
old building, it appeared so near, that I felt ashamed at not being
able to accomplish a feat seemingly so easy ; I determined, there-
fore, upon another trial. I reached the bog, and was about to
venture upon its black surface, and to pick my way amongst its
innumerable holes, yawning horribly, and half filled with water
black as soot, when it suddenly occurred to me that there was
a road to the south, by following which I mig^t find a more
convenient route to the object of my wishes. The event justified
my expectations, for, after following the road for some three miles,
A;;^'
-i
•
x8x6.] rHE RUINED CASTLE. 69
l.« nil ■ I ■ > .
seemingly in the direction of the Devil's Mountain, I suddenly
beheld the casde on my left
I diverged from the road, and, crossing two or three iields,
came to a small grassy plain, in the midst of which stood the
castle. About a gun-shot to the south was a small village, which
had, probably, in ancient days, sprung up beneath its protection.
A kind of awe came over me as I approached the old building. The
sun no longer shone upon it, and it looked so grim, so desolate
and solitary; and here was I in that wild country, alone with
that grim building before me. The village was within sight, it is
true ; but it might be a village of the dead for what I knew ; no
sound issued from it, no smoke was rising from its roofs, neither
man nor beast was visible, no life, no motion — it looked as desolate
as the castle itself. Yet I was bent on the adventure, and moved
on towards the castle across the green plain, occasionally casting
a startled glance around me ; and now I was close to it.
It was surrounded by a quadrangular wall, about ten feet in
height, with a square tower at each corner. At first I could dis-
cover no entrance ; walking round, however, to the northern side,
I found a wide and lofty gateway with a tower above it, similar
to those at the angles of the wall ; on this side the ground sloped
gently down towards the bog, which was here skirted by an abun-
dant growth of copsewood, and a few evergreen oaks. I passed
through the gateway, and found myself within a square enclosure
of about two acres. On one side rose a round and lofty keep, or
donjon, with a conical roof, part of which had fallen down, strew-
ing the square with its ruins. Close to the keep, on the other
side, stood the remains of an oblong house, built something in
the modem style, with various window-holes ; nothing remained
but the bare walls and a few projecting stumps of beams, which
seemed to have been half burnt. The interior of the walls was
blackened, as if by fire ; fire also appeared at one time to have
raged out of the window-holes, for the outside about them was
black, portentously sa
'* I wonder what has been going on here ! " I exclaimed.
There were echoes along the walls as I walked about the
court I entered the keep by a low and frowning doorway : the
lower floor consisted of a large dungeon-like room, with a vaulted
roof; on the left hand was a winding staircase in the thickness
of the wall ; it looked anything but inviting ; yet I stole softly
up, my heart beating. On the top of the first flight of stairs was
an arched doorway ; to the left was a dark passage ; to the right,*
stain leading still higher. I stepped under the arch and found
TO .^ LAVBNGRO. \ [1816
myself in an apartment somewhat similar to the one below, but
higher. There was an object at the farther end.
An old woman, at least eighty, was seated on a stone, cower-
ing over a few sticks burning feebly on what had once been a
right noble and cheerful hearth ; her side-glance was towards the
doorway as I entered, for she had heard my footsteps. I stood
suddenly still, and her haggard glance rested on my face.
'* Is this your house, mother ? " I at length demanded, in the
language which I thought she would best understand.
•■ " Yes, my house, my own house ; the house of the broken-
hearted."
" Any other person's house ? " I demanded.
** My own house, the beggar's house^the accursed house of
Cromwell I "
CHAPTER XIL
Onb morning I set out, designing to pay a visit to my brothor at
the place where he was detached ; the distance was rather con-
siderable, yet I hoped to be back by evening fall, for I was now
a shrewd walker, thanks to constant practice. I set out early,
and directing my course towards the north, I had in less than
two hours accomplished considerably more than half of the
journey. The weather had at first been propitious : a slight frost
bad rendered the ground firm to the tread, and the skies were
dear ; but now a change came over the scene : the skies darkened
and a heavy snow-storm came on ; the road then lay straight
through a bog, and was bounded by a deep trench on both sides ;
I was making the best of my way, keeping as nearly as I could
in the middle of the road, lest, blinded by the snow which was
frequently borne into my eyes by the wind, I might fall into the
dyke, when all at once I heard a shout to windward, and turning
my eyes I saw the figure of a man, and what appeared to be an
animal of some kind, coming across the bog with great speed, in
the direction of mysdf ; the nature of the ground seemed to ofier
but little impediment to these beings, both clearing the holes and
abysses which lay in their way with surprising agility ; the animal
was, however, some slight way in advance, and, bounding over
the d^ce, appeared on the road just before me* It was a dog, of
what species I cannot tell, never having seen the like before or
since ; the head was large and round, the ears so tiny as scarcely
to be discernible, the eyes of a fiery red ; in size it was rather
small than large, and the coat, which was remarkably smooth, as
yMte as the DBilling flakes. It placed itself directly in my path,
and showing its teeth, and Imstling its coat, appeared determined
to prevent my progress* I had an ashen stick in my hand, with
whidi I threatened it ; this, however, only served to increase its
fory ; it rushed upon me, and I had the utmost difficulty to pre-
serve myself from its £ui^
** What are you doing with the dog, the fairy dog ? " said a
ooaa who at this time likewise cleared the dyke at a bound.
71
f»
7a LA VBNGRO, [1816.
He was a very tall man, rather well-dressed as it should seem ;
his garments, however, were like my own, so covered with snow
that I could scarcely discern their quality.
" What are ye doing with the dog of peace ? "
** I wish he would show himself one," said I ; '' I said nothing
to him, but he placed himself in my road, and would not let me
pass."
" Of course he would not be letting you till he knew where
ye were going."
" He*s not much of a fairy," said I, "or he would know that
without asking ; tell him that I am going to see my brother."
'* And who is your brother, little Sas ?
" What my father is, a royal soldier.'
"Oh, ye are going then to the detachment at ; by my
shoul, I have a good mind to be spoiling your journey."
"You are doing that already," said I, "keeping me here
talking about dogs and fairies ; you had better go home and get
some salve to cure that place over your eye ; it's catching cold
youll be, in so much snow."
On one side of the man's forehead there was a raw and staring
wound, as if from a recent and terrible blow.
" Faith, then I'll be going, but it's taking you wid roe I will
be."
" And where will you take me ? "
" Why, then, to Ryan's Castle, little Sas."
"You Qo not speak the language very correctly," said I;
** it is not Sas you should call me — 'tis Sassannach" and forth-
with I accompanied the word with a speech full of flowers of
Irish rhetoric.
The man looked upon me for a moment, fixedly, then, bend-
ing his head towards his breast, he appeared to be undergoing
a kind of convulsion, which was accompanied by a sound some-
thing resembling laughter ; presently he looked at me, and there
was a broad grin on his features.
" By my shoul, it's a thing of peace I'm thinking ye."
But now with a whisking sound came running down the road
a hare ; it was nearly upon us before it perceived us ; suddenly
stopping short, however, it sprang into the bog on the right-hand
side ; after it amain bounded the dog of peace, followed by the
man, but not until he had nodded to me a &rewell salutation.
In a few moments I lost sight of him amidst the snow-flakes.
The weather was again clear and fine before I reached the
place of detachment It was ^ little wooden barrack, sunounded
x8i&] LOUGHMORB., 73
by a wall of the same material ; a sentinel stood at the gate, I
passed by him, and, entering the building, found myself fn a rude
kind of guard-room ; several soldiers were lying asleep on a wooden
couch at one end, others lounged on benches by the side of a turf
fire. The tall sergeant stood before the fire, holding a cooking
utensil in his left hand; on seeing me, he made the military
salutatioHi
"Is my brother here?" said I, rather timidly, dreading to
hear that he was out, perhaps for the day.
''The ensign is in his room, sir," said Bagg, "I am now
preparing his meal, which will presendy be ready ; you will find
the ensign above stairs," and he pointed to a broken ladder which
led to some place above.
And there I found him — ^the boy soldier — ^in a kind of upper
lofty so low that I could touch with my hands the sooty rafters ;
the floor was of rough boards, through the joints of which you
could see the gleam of the soldiers' fire, and occasionally discern
their figures as they moved about; in one comer was a camp
bedstead, by the side of which hung the child's sword, gorget, and
sash ; a deal table stood in the proximity of the rusty grate, where
smoked and smouldered a pile of black turf from the bog — a deal
table without a piece of baize to cover it, yet fraught with things
not devoid of interest : a Bible, given by a mother ; the Odyssey,
the Greek Odyssey; a flute, with broad silver keys; crayons,
moreover, and water colours, and a sketch of a wild prospect
near, which* though but half finished, afibrded ample proof of the
excellence and skill of the boyish hand now occupied upon it.
Ah ! he was a sweet being, that boy soldier, a plant of early
promise, bidding fair to become in after time all that is great,
good, and admirable. I have read of a remarkable Welshman,
of whom it was said, when the grave closed over him, that he
could frame a harp, and play it ; build a ship, and sail it ; com-
pose an ode, and set it to music. A brave fellow that son of
Wales — but I had once a brother who could do more and better
than this, but the grave has closed over him, as over the gallant
Welshman of yore ; there are now but two that remember him —
the one who bore him, and the being who was nurtured at the
same breast. He was taken, and I was left ! Truly, the ways of ^
Providence are inscrutable.
"You seem to be very comfortable, John," said I, looking
around the room and at the various objects which I have described
above : ''you have a good roof over your head, and have all your
things about you."
74 LA VBNGRO. |.i8i6.
" Yes, I am very comfortable, George, in many respects ; I
am, moreover, independent, and feel myself a man for the first
time in my life — independent did I say ? — that's not the word, I
am something much higher than that ; here am I, not sixteen yet,
a person in authority, like the centurion in the book there, with
twenty Englishmen under me, worth a whole legion of his
men, and that fine fellow Bagg to wait upon me, and take my
orders. Oh ! these last six weeks have passed like hours of
heaven."
** But your time must frequently hang heavy on your hands ;
this is a strange wild place, and you must be very solitary ? "
'* I am never solitary ; I have, as you see, all my things about
me, and there is plenty of company below stairs. Not that I mix
wi^ the soldiers ; if I did, good-bye to my authority ; but when I
am alone I can hear all their discourse through the planks, and I
often laugh to myself at the funny things they say."
" And have you any acquaintance here ? "
"The very best; much better than the Colonel and the rest,
at their grand Templemore ; I had never so many in my whole
life before. One has just left me, a gentleman who lives at a
distance across the bog ; he comes to talk with me about Greek,
and the Odyssey, for he is a very learned man, and understands
the old Irish and various other strange languages. He has had a
dispute with Bagg. On hearing his name, he called him to him,
and, after looking at him for some time with great curiosity, said
that he was sure he was a Dane. Bagg, however, took the com-
pliment in dudgeon, and said that he was no more a Dane than
himself, but a true-bom Englishman, and a sergeant of six years'
standing."
" And what other acquaintance have you ? "
** All kinds ; the whole neighbourhood can't make enough of
me. Amongst others there's the clergyman of the parish and his
family ; such a venerable old man, such fine sons and daughters !
I am treated by them like a son and a brother — I might be always
with them if I pleased ; there's one drawback, however, in going
to see them ; there's a horrible creature in the house, a kind of
tutor, whom they keep more from charity than anything else ; he
is a Papist and, they say, a priest; you should see him scowl
sometimt)s at my red coat, for he hates the king, and not unfre-
quently, *¥hen the king's health is drunk, curses him between his
teeth. 1 once got up to strike him, but the youngest of the
sisters, wno is the handsomest, caught my arm and pointed to her
forehead."
x8i6.] JBRRY GRANT. 75
-*
"And what does your duty consist of? Have you nothing
else to do than pay visits and receive them ? ^
** We do what is required of us : we guard this edifice, perform
our evolutions, and help the excise ; I am frequently called up in
the dead of night to go to some wild place or other in quest of an
illicit still ; this last part of our duty is poor mean work, I don't
like it, nor more does Bagg ; though without it, we should not see
much active service, for the neighbourhood is qnitt; save the
poor creatures with their stills, not a soul is stirring. Tis true,
there's Jerry Grant."
" And who is Jerry Grant ? "
** Did you never hear of him ? that's strange, the whole country
is talking about him ; he is a kind of outlaw, rebel, or robber,
all three, I daresay; there's a hundred pounds offered for his
head."
" And where does he live ? "
" His proper home, they say, is in the Queen's County, where
he has a band ; but he is a strange fellow, fond of wandering about
by himself amidst the bogs and mountains, and living in the old
castles ; occasionally he quarters himself in the peasants' houses,
who let him do just what he pleases ; he is free of his money, and
often does them good turns, and can be good-humoured enough,
so they don't dislike him. Then he is what they call a fairy man,
a person in league with ^ries and spirits, and able to work much
harm by supernatural means, on which account they hold him in
great awe ; he is, moreover, a mighty strong and tall fellow. Bagg
has seen him."
"Has he?"
" Yes ! and felt him ; he too is a strange one. A few days
ago he was told that Grant had been seen hovering about an old
castle some two miles off in the bog ; so one afternoon what does
he do but, without saying a word to me — for which, by-the-bye,
I ought to put him under arrest, though what I should do without
Bagg I have no idea whatever — ^what does he do but walk off to
the castley intending, as I suppose, to pay a visit to Jerry. He
had some difficulty in getting there on account of the turf-holes
in the bog, which he was not accustomed to ; however, thither at
last he got and went in. It was a strange lonesome place, he
says^ and he did not much like the look of it ; however, in he
went, and searched about from the bottom to the top and down
agaioi but could find no one; he shouted and hallooed, but
nobody answered, save the rooks and choughs, which started up
in great numbers. ^I hav6 lost my trouble,' said Bagg, and left
76 LA VBNGRO. Lz8x&
the castle. It was now late in the afternoon, near sunset, when
about half-way over the bog he met a man "
" And that man was "
*' Jerry Grant ! there's no doubt of it Bagg says it was the
most sudden thing in the world. He was moving along, making
the best of his way, thinking of nothing at all save a public-house
at Swanton Morley, which he intends to take when he gets home
and the regiment is disbanded — though I hope that will not be for
some time yet : he had just leaped a turf-hole, and was moving on,
when, at the distance of about six yards before him, he saw a fellow
coming straight towards him. Bagg says that he stopped short,
as suddenly as if he had heard the word halt, when marching at
double-quick time. It was quite a surprise, he says, and he can't
imagine how the fellow was so close upon him before he was
aware. He was an immense tall fellow — Bagg thinks at least two
inches taller than himself — ^very well dressed in a blue coat and
buff breeches, for all the world like a squire when going out hunt-
ing. Bagg, however, saw at once that he had a rogui^ air, and
he was on his guard in a moment. ' Good evening to ye^ sodger,'
says the fellow, stepping close up to Bagg, and staring him in the
face. 'Good evening to you, sirl I hope you are well,' says
Bagg. 'You are looking after some one? ' says the fellow.
'Just so, sir,' says Bagg, and forthwith seized him by the collar;
the man laughed, Bagg says it was such a strange awkward laugh.
' Do you know whom you have got hold of, sodger?' said he. ' I
believe I do, sir,' said Bagg, 'and in that belief will hold you fast
in the name of King George, and the quarter sessions ;' the next
moment he was sprawling with his heeb in the air. Bagg says
there was nothing remarkable in that ; he was only flung by a
kind of wrtetling trick, which he could easily have baffled, had
he been aware of it ' You will not do that again, sir,' said he,
as he got up and put himself on his guard. The fellow laughed
again more strangely and awkwardly than before ; then, bending
his body and moving his head from one side to the other as a cat
does before she springs, and crying out, ' Here's for ye, sodger 1 '
he made a dart at Bagg, rushing in with his head foremost
' That will do, sir,' says Bagg, and drawing himself back he put
in a left-handed blow with all the force of his body and arm, just
over the fellow's right eye — Bagg is a left-handed hitter, you must
know — and it was a blow of that kind which won him ills famous
battle at Edinburgh with the big Highland sergeant. Bagg sajrs
that he was quite satisfied with the blow, more especially when he
saw the fellow reel, fling ant his arms, and &11 to the ground.
i8i«.l BAOO. 77
'And now, sir/ said he, ' III make bold to hand you over to the
quarter sessions, and, if there is a hundred pounds for taking you,
who has more right to it than myself? ' So he went forward, but
ere he could lay hold of his man the other was again on his legs,
and was prepared to renew the combat They grappled each
other — Bagg says he had not much fear of the result, as he now
felt himaelf the best man, the other seeming half stunned with the
blow — ^but just then there came on a blast, a horrible roaring wind
bearing night upon its wings, snow, and sleet, and hail. Bagg says he
had the fdlow by the throat quite fasf, as he thought, but suddenly
he became bewildered, and knew not where he was ; and the man
seemed to melt away from his grasp, and the wind howled more
and more, and the night poured down darker and darker, the
snow and the sleet thicker and more blinding. ' Lord have mercy
upon us 1 ' said Bagg.
Myself. A strange adventure that ; it is well that Bagg got
home alive.
John. He says that the fight was a fair fight, and that the
fling he got was a fair fling, the result of a common enough
wrestling trick. But with respect to the storm, which rose up
just in time to save the fellow, he is of opinion that it was not
fair, but something Irish and supernatural.
Myself. I dare say he's right. I have read of withcraft in
the Bible.
John. He wishes much to have one more encounter with the
fellow ; he says that on &ir ground, and in flne weather, he has
no doubt that he could master him, and hand him over to the
quarter sessions. He says that a hundred pounds would be no
bad thing to be disbanded upon ; for he wishes to take an inn at
Swanton Morley, keep a cock-pit, and live respectably.
Myself He is quite right; and now kiss me, my darling
brother, for I must go back through the bog to Templemore.
CHAPTER XIIL
And it came to pass that, as I was standing by the door of the
barrack stable, one of the graoms came out to me, saying, " I say,
young gentleman, I wish you would give the cob a breathing this
fine morning."
" Why do you wish me to mount him ? ** said I ; " you know
he is dangerous. I saw him fling you off his back only a few
days ago.*'
" Why I that's the very thing, master. I'd rather see anybody
on his back than myself; he does not like me; but, to them he
does, he can be as gentle as a lamb."
" But suppose," said I, " that he should not like me ? "
"We shall soon see that, master," said the groom; *' and, if
so be he shows temper, I will be the first to tell you to get
down. But there's no fear of that ; you have never angered or
insulted him, and to such as you, I say again, he'll be as gentle as
a lamb."
"And how came you to iusult him," said I, "knowing his
temper as you do ? "
"Merely through forgetfulness, master. I was riding him
about a month ago, and having a stick in my hand, I struck him,
thinking I was on another horse, or rather thinking of nothing at
all. He has never foigiven me^ though before that time he was
the only friend I had in the world ; I should like to see you on
him, master."
" I should soon be off him ; I can't ride."
" Then you are all right, master ; there's no fear. Trust him
for not hurting a young gentleman, an officer's son who can't ride.
If you were a blackguard dragoon, indeed, with long spurs, 'twere
another thing ; as it is, he'll treat you as if he were the elder
brother that loves you. Ride 1 he'll soon teach you to ride, if
you leave the matter with him. He's the best riding master in
all Ireland, and the gentlest."
The cob was led forth ; what a tremendous creature I I had
frequently seen him before, and wondered at him ; he was barely
fifteen hands, but he had the girth of a metropolitan dray-horse,
(78)
itid] THB FIRST RIDB. 79
his head was small in comparison with his immense neck, which
carved down nobly to his wide back. His chest was broad and
fine, and his shoulders models of symmetry and strength; he
stood well and powerfully upon his legs, which were somewhat
short. In a word, he was a gallant specimen of the genuine Irish
cob, a species at one time not uncommon, but at the present day
nearly extinct.
" There ! '* said the groom, as he looked at him, half-admir-
ingly, half-sorrowfuUy, " with sixteen stone on his back, he'll trot
fourteen miles in one hour ; with your nine stone, some two and
half more, ay, and clear a six-foot wall at the end of it."
" I'm half afraid, " said I ; " I had rather you would ride him."
" I'd rather so, too, if he would let me ; but he remembers
the blow. Now, don't be afraid, young master, he's longing to
go out himself. He's been trampling with his feet these three
days, and I know what that means ; he'll let anybody ride him
but myself, and thank them ; but to me he says, ' No I you
struck me'".
" But, *' said I, " where's the saddle ? "
« Never mind the saddle ; if you are ever to be a frank rider,
you must begin without a saddle ; besides, if he felt a saddle, he
would think you don't trust him, and leave you to yourself.
Now, before you mount, make his acquaintance — see there, how
he kisses you and licks your face, and see how he lifts his foot,
that's to shake hands. You may tfust him — ^now you are on his
back at last ; mind how you hold the bridle — gently, gently 1 I'ts
not four pair of hands like yours can hold him if he wishes to be
off. Mind what I tell you — leave it all to him." t^
Off went the cob at a slow and gentle trot, too fast and rough,
however, for so inexperienced a rider. I soon felt myself sliding
off, the animal perceived it too, and instantly stood stone stiU till
I had righted myself; and now the groom came up : " When you
feel yourself going, " said he, '* don't lay hold of the mane, that's
no use; mane never yet saved man from falling, no nibre than
straw firom drowning ; it's his sides you must cling to with your
calves and feet, till you learn to balance yourself. That's it, now
abroad with you ; I'll bet my comrade a pot of beer that you'll
be a regular rough rider by the time you come back."
And so it proved ; I followed the directions of the groom, and
the cob gave me every assistance. How easy is riding, after the
first timidity is got over, to supple and youthful limbs ; and there
is no second fear. The creature soon found that the nerves of
his rider were in proper tone. Turning his head half round he
LA VBNGRO. [i8i«.
made a kind of whining noise, flung out k little foam, and set
oE
In less than two hours I had made the circuit of the Devil's
Mountain, and was returning along the road, bathed with per-
spiration, but screaming with delight; the cob laughing in his
equine way, scattering foam and pebbles to the left and r^ht,
and trotting at the rate of sixteen miles an hour.
Oh, that ride ! that first ride ! — ^most truly it was an epoch in
my existence ; and I still look back to it with feelings of longing
and regret. People may talk of first love — it is a very agreeable
^event, I dare say — but give me the flush, and triumph, and
glorious sweat of a first ride, like mine on the mighty cob ! My
whole frame was shaken, it is true ; and during one long week I
could hardly move foot or hand ; but what of that ? By that one
trial I had become free, as I may say, of the whole equine
species. No more fatigue, no more stiffness of joints, after that
first ride round the Devil's Hill on the cob.
Oh, that cob I that Irish cob I — may the sod lie lightly over
the bones of the strongest, speediest, and most gallant of its
kind ! Oh ! the days when, issuing from the barrack-gate of
Templemore, we commenced our hurry-skurry just as inclination
led — now across the fields — direct over stone walls and running
brooks — mere pastime for the cob ! — sometimes along the road
to Thurles and Holy Cross, even to distant Cahirl — what was
distance to the cob?
It was thus that the passion for the equine race was first
awakened within me — a passion which, up to the present time,
has been rather on the increase than diminishing. It is no blind
passion ; the horse being a noble and generous creature, intended
by the All- Wise to be the helper and friend of man, to whom he
stands next in the order of creation. On many occasions of my life
I have been much indebted to the horse, and have found in him
a friend and coadjutor, when human help and sympathy were not
to be obtained. It is therefore natural enough that I should love
the horse ; but the love which I entertain for him has always been
blended with respect ; for I soon perceived that, though disposed
to be the firiend and helper of man, be is by no means inclined to
be his slave ; in which respect he differs from the dog, who will
crouch when beaten ; whereas the horse spurns, for he is aware
of his own worth, and that he carries death within the horn of his
heel. If, therefore, I found it easy to love the horse, I found it
equally natural to respect him.
I much question whether philology, or the passion for
i8z6.] HORSBS AND LANGUAGES. 8i
languages, requires so little of an apology as the love for horses.
It has been said, I believe, that the more languages a man
speaks, the more a man is he ; which is very true, provided he
acquires languages as a medium for becoming acquainted with
the thoughts and feelings of the various sections into which the
human race is divided; but, in that case, he should rather be
termed a philosopher than a philologist — between which two the
difference is wide indeed 1 An individual may speak and read a
dozen languages, and yet be an exceedingly poor creature, scarcely
half a man ; and the pursuit of tongues for their own sake, and
the mere satisfaction of acquiring them, surely argues an intellect
of a very low order ; a mind disposed to be satisfied with mean
and grovelling things; taking more pleasure in the trumpery
casket than in the precious treasure which it contains, in the
pursuit of words, than in the acquisition of ideas.
I cannot help thinking that it was fortunate for myself, who
am, to a certain extent, a philologist, that with me the pursuit of
languages has been always modified by the love of horses ; for
scarcely had I turned my mind to the former, when I also
mounted the wild cob, and hurried forth in the direction of the
Devil's Hill, scattering dust and flint-stones on every side ; that
ride, amongst other things, taught me that a lad with thews and
sinews was intended by nature for something better than mere
word-culling; and if I have accomplished anything in after life
worthy of mentioning, I believe it may partly be attributed to the
Ideas which that ride, by setting my blood in a glow, infused into
my brain. I might, otherwise, have become a mere philologist ;
one of those beings who toil night and day in culling useless
words for some opus magnum which Murray will never publish,
and nobody ever read — beings without enthusiasm, who, having
never mounted a generous steed, cannot detect a good point in
P^asus himself; like a certain philologist, who, though ac-
quainted with the exact value of every word in the Greek and
Latin languages, could observe no particular beauty in one of the
most glorious of Homer's rhapsodies.^ Wdat knew he of Pegasus ?
he had never mounted a generous steed ; the merest jockey, had
the strain been interpreted to him, would have called it a brave
song Ir— I return to the brave cob.
On a certain day I had been out on an excursion. In a
> MS., " like Um philologist Sctliger, wbo^ though acquainted with the eanct
filue of emy word iu the Latin language, could lee no beauty in the ' Enchant-
ments of C^idia,' the master-piece of the prince of Roman poets. What knew
he," etc
6
8a LA VBNGRO. [1816.
cross-road, at some distance from the Satanic hill^ the animal
which I rode cast a shoe. By good luck a small village was at
hand, at the entrance of which was a large shed, from which
proceeded a most furious noise of hammering. Leading the cob
by the bridle, I entered boldly. " Shoe this horse, and do it
quickly, a gough, " said I to a wild gnmy figure of a man, whom
I found alone, fashioning a piece of iron.
" Arrigodyuit t " said the fellow, desisting from his work and
staring at me.
'* O yes, I have money," said I, " and of the best ; " and I
pulled out an English shilling.
" Tabhair chugam^'' said the smith, stretching out his grimy
hand.
** No, I shaVt,*' said I ; " some people are glad to get their
money when their work is done."
The fellow hammered a little longer and then proceeded to
shoe the cob, after having first surveyed it with attention. He
performed his job rather roughly, and more than once appeared
to give the animal unnecessary pain, frequently making use of
loud and boisterous words. By the time the work was done, the
creature was in a state of high excitement, and plunged and tore.
The smith stood at a short distance, seeming to enjoy the irrita-
tion of the animal, and showing, in a remarkable manner, a huge
fiing, which projected ft'om the under jaw of a very wry mouth.
** You deserve better handling," said I, as I went up to the
cob and fondled it ; whereupon it whinnied, and attempted to
touch my face with its nose.
*' Are ye not afraid of that beast ? " said the smith, showing
his fang. '' Arrah, it's vicious that he looks ! "
" It's at you, then ! — I don't fear him ; " and thereupon I
passed under the horse, between his hind legs.
" And is that all you can do, agrah ? " said the smith*
"No," said I, " I can ride him."
" Ye can ride him, and what else, agrah ? "
** I can leap him over a six-foot wall," said I.
** Over a wall, and what more, agrah ? "
•* Nothing more," said I ; '* what more would you have ? "
" Can you do this, agrah ? " said the smith, and he uttered a
word which I had never heard before, in a sharp pungent tone.
The effect upon myself was somewhat extraordinary, a strange
thrill ran through me ; but with regard to the cob it was terrible ;
the animal forthwith became like one mad, and reared and kicked
with the utmost desperation.
i8i6.1 THE FAIRY SMITH. 83
" Can yoa do that, agrah ? " said the smith.
"What is it?" said I, retreating, "I never saw the horse so
before."
" Go between his legs, agrah," said the smith, ^ his hinder
legs ; " and he again showed his fang. .
" I dare not," said I, "he would kill me.''
" He would kill ye I and how do ye know that, agrah ? **
** 1 feel he would," said I, " something tells me so."
'* And it tells ye truth, agrah ; but it's a fine beast, and it's
a pity to see him in such a state : Is agam atCt kigeas " — ^and here
he uttered another word in a voice singularly modified, but sweet
and almost plaintive ; the effect of it was as instantaneous as that
of the other, but how dififerent ! — the animal lost all its fury and
became at once calm and gentle. The smith went up to it, coaxed
and patted it, making use of various sounds of equal endearment ;
then turning to me, and holding out once more the grimy hand,
he said : " And now ye will be giving me the Sassanach tenpence,
agrah?"
CHAPTER XIV.
From the wild scenes which I have attempted to describe in the
latter pages I must now transport the reader to others of a widely
different character. He must suppose himself no longer in Ire-
land, but in the eastern comer of merry England. Bogs, ruins
and mountains have disappeared amidst the vapours of the west :
I have nothing more to say of them ; the region in which we are
now is not famous for objects of that kind ; perhaps it flatters
itself that it can produce fairer and better things, of some of which
let me speak ; there is a fine old city before us, and first of that
let me speak.
A fine old city, truly, is that, view it from whatever side you
will ; but it shows best from the east, where the ground, bold and
elevated, overlooks the iniT and fertile valley in which it stands.
Gazing from those heights, the eye beholds a scene which cannot
fail to awaken, even in the least sensitive bosom, feelings of plea-
sure and admiration. At the foot of the heights flows a narrow
and deep river, with an antique bridge communicating with a long
and narrow suburb, flanked on either side by rich meadows of the
brightest green, beyond which spreads the city, the fine old city,
perhaps the most curious specimen at present extant of the genu-
ine old English town. Yes, there it spreads from north to south,
with its venerable houses, its numerous gardens, its thrice twelve
churches, its mighty mound, which, if tradition speaks true, was
raised by human hands to serve as the grave heap of an old
heathen king, who sits deep within it, with his sword in his hand
and his gold and silver treasures about him. There is a grey old
castle upon the top of that mighty mound ; and yonder, rising three
hundred feet above the soil, from among those noble forest trees, be-
hold that old Norman master-work, that cloud-encircled cathedral
spire, around which a garrulous army of rooks and choughs con-
tinuaJly wheel their flight. Now, who can wonder that the children
of that fine old city are proud of her, and offer up prayers for her
prosperity? I, myself, who was not born within her walls, offer
up prayers for her prosperity, that want may never visit her
cottages, vice her palaces, and that the abomination of idolatry
(84)
i8i6-X7.] NORWICH. 85
I
_ _ ■ 1 1 ' . ' -
may never pollute her temples. Ha, idolatry ! the reign of
idolatry has been over there for many a long year, never more,
let us hope, to return ; brave hearts in that old town have borne
witness against it and sealed their testimony with their hearts'
blood — most precious to the Lord is the blood of His saints 1 we
are not far from hallowed ground. Observe ye not yon chalky
precipice to the right of the Norman bridge ? On this side of the
stream, upon its brow, is a piece of ruined wall, the last relic of
what was of old a stately pile, whilst at its foot is a place called
the Lollards' Hole ; and with good reason, for many a saint of
God has breathed his last beneath that white precipice, bearing
witness against Popish idolatry, midst flame and pitch ; many a
grisly procession has advanced along that suburb, across the old
bridge, towards the Lollards' Hole: furious priests in front, a
calm pale martyr in the midst, a pitying multitude behind. It
has had its martyrs, the venerable old town !
Ah ! there is good blood in that old city, and in the whole
circumjacent region of which it is the capital. The Angles pos-
sessed the land at an early period, which, however, they were
eventually compelled to share with hordes of Danes and North-
men, who flocked thither across the sea to found hearthsteads on
its fertile soil. The present race, a mixture of Angles and Danes,
still preserve much which speaks strongly of their northern an-
cestry; amongst them ye will find the light-brown hair of the
north, the strong and burly forms of the north, many a wild
superstition, ay, and many a wild name connected with the ancient
history of the north and its sublime mythology ; the warm heart
and the strong heart of the old Danes and Saxons still beats in
those regions, and there ye will find, if an3rwhere, old northern
hospitality and kindness of manner, united with energy, persever-
ance and dauntless intrepidity ; better soldiers or mariners never
bled in their country's battles than those nurtured in those regions
and within those old walls. It was yonder, to the west, that the
great naval hero of Britain first saw the light ; he who annihilated
the sea pride of Spain and dragged the humbled banner of France
in triumph at his stem. He was bom yonder towards the west,
and of him there is a glorious relic in that old town ; in its dark
flint guildhouse, the roof of which you can just descry rising above
that maze of buildings, in the upper hall of justice, is a species of
glass shrine, in which the relic is to be seen : a sword of curious
workmanship, the blade is of keen Toledan steel, the heft of
ivory and mother-of-pearl. 'Tis the sword of Cordova, won in
bloodiest fiay off St Vincent's promontory, and presented by
M LA VBNGkO. [1816-17
-■'■■■■ ■ I I I n ■ ■
Nelson to the old capital of the much-loved land of his birth.
Yes, the proud Spaniard's sword is to be seen in yonder guild-
house, in the glass case affixed to the wall ; many other relics has
the good old town, but none prouder than the Spaniard's sword.
Such was the place to which^ when the war was over, my
father retired : it was here that the old tired soldier set hiznseLT
down with his little family. He had passed the greater part of
his life in meritorious exertion in the service of his country, and
his chief wish now was to spend the remainder of his days in
quiet and respectability; his means, it is true, were not very
ample; fortunate it was that his desires corresponded with them :
with a small fortune of his own, and with his half-pay as a royal
soldier, he had no fears for himself or for his faithful partner and
helpmate ; but then his children I how was he to provide for them ?
how launch them upon the wide ocean of the world ? This was,
perhaps, the only thought which gave him uneasiness, and I
believe that many an old retired officer at that time, and under
similar circumstances, experienced similar anxiety; had the war
continued, their children would have been^ of course, provided for
in the army, but peace now reigned, and the military career was
closed to all save the scions of the aristocracy, or those who were
in some degree connected with that privileged order, an advantage
which few of these old officers could boast of; they had slight
influence with the great, who gave themselves very little trouble
either about them or their families.
'' I have been writing to the Duke/' said my father one day
to my excellent mother, alter we bad been at home somewhat
better than a year, *' I have been writing to the Duke of York
about a commission for that eldest boy of ours. He, however,
affords me no hopes ; he says that his list is crammed with names,
and that the greater number of the candidates have better claims
than my son."
** I do not see how that can be,** said my mother.
"Nor do I," replied my father. "I see the sons of bankers
and merchants gazetted every month, and I do not see what
claims they have to urge, unless they be golden ones. However,
I have not served my king fifty years to turn grumbler at this
time of life. I suppose that the people at the head of affairs
know what is most proper and convenient ; perhaps when the lad
sees how difficult, nay, how impossible it is that he should enter
the army, he will turn his mind to some other profession; I
wish he may I "
'*I think he has already,'' said my mother; "you see how
1816-17.] NORWICH. 87
fond he is of the arts, of drawing and painting, and, as far as I
can judge, what he has already done is very respectable; his
mind seems quite turned that way, and I heard him say the other
day that he would soqner be a Michael Angelo than a general
officer. But you are always talking of him ; what do you think
of doing with the other child ? "
''What, indeed!" said my father; "that is a consideration
irfiich gives me no little uneasiness. I am afraid it will be much
more difficult to settle him in life than his brother. What is he
fitted for, even were it in my power to provide for him ? God
help the child 1 I bear him no ill-will, on the contrary all love
and affection ; but I cannot shut my eyes ; there is something so
strange about him 1 How he behaved in Ireland ! I sent him
to school to leam Greek, and he picked up Irish 1 ''
" And Greek as well," said my mother. " I heard him say
the other day that he could read St. John in the original tongue."
"You will find excuses for him, I know," said my father.
''You tdl me I am always talking of my first-bom; I might
retort by saying you are always thinking of the other ; but it is
the way of women always to side with the second-bom. There's
whatVher-name in the Bible, by whose wiles the old blind man
was induced to give to his second son the blessing which was the
birthright of the other. I wish I had been in his place 1 I should
not have .been so easily deceived I no disguise would ever have
caused me to mistake an impostor for [my first-bora. Though I
must say for this boy that he is nothing like Jacob ; he is neither
smooth nor sleek, and, though my second-born, is already taller
and larger than his brother/'
" Just so," said my mother, " his brother would make a far better
Jacob than he."
" I will hear nothing against my first-born," said my father,
" even in the way of insinuation : he is my joy and pride — the
very image of myself in my youthful days, long before I fought
Big Ben, though perhaps not quite so tall or strong built. As for
the other, God bless the child ! I love him, I'm sure ; but I
must be blind not to see the difference between him and his
brother. Why, he has neither my hair nor my eyes ; and then
his countenance I why, 'tis absolutely swarthy, God forgive me !
I had almost said like that of a gypsy, but I have nothing to say
against that ; the boy is not to be blamed for the colour of his
face, nor for his hair and eyes ; but, then, his ways and manners 1
I confess I do not like them, and that they give me no little
uneasiness. I know that he kept very strange company when he
LA VBNGRO. [181617.
was in Ireland ; people of evil report, of whom terrible things
were said — horse-witches and the like. I questioned him once
or twice upon the matter, and even threatened him, but it was of no
use ; he put on a look as if he did not understand me, a regular
Irish look, just such a one as those rascals assume when they wish
to appear all innocence and simplicity, and they full of malice and
deceit all the time. I don't like them ; they are no friends to old
England, or its old king, God bless him I They are not good
subjects, and never were ; always in league with foreign enemies.
When I was in the Coldstream, long before the Revolution, I
used to hear enough about the Irish brigades kept by the French
kings, to be a thorn in the side of the English whenever opportunity
served. Old Sergeant Meredith once told me, that in the time of
the Pretender there were always in London alone, a dozen of
fellows connected with these brigades, with the view of seducing
the king's soldiers from their all^iance, and persuading them to
desert to France to join the honest Irish, as they were called.
One of these traitors once accosted him and proposed the matter
to him, offering handfuls of gold if he could induce any of his
comrades to go over. Meredith appeared to consent, but secretly
gave information to his colonel ; the fellow was seized, and certain
traitorous papers found upon him ; he was hanged before Newgate,
and died exulting in his treason. His name was Michael Nowlan.
That ever son of mine should have been intimate with the Papist
Irish, and have learnt their language I "
** But he thinks of other things now,'* said my mother.
" Other languages, you mean," said my father. " It is strange
that he has conceived such a zest for the study of ^languages ; no
sooner did he come home than he persuaded me to send him to
that old priest to learn French and Italian, and, if I remember
right, you abetted him ; but, as I said before, it is in the nature
of women invariably to take the part of the second-bom. Well,
there is no harm in learning French and Italian, perhaps much
good in his case, as they may drive the other tongue out of his
head. Irish 1 why, he might go to the university but for that ;
but how would he look when, on being examined with respect to
his attainments, it was discovered that he understood Irish?
How did you learn it ? they would ask him ; how did you become
acquainted with the language of Papists and rebels? The boy
would be sent away in disgrace."
*' Be under no apprehension, I have no doubt that he has long
since forgotten it."
"I am glad to hear it," said my fisither; **fnT, between our-
I I
ft
'~v
/ '-
/
\
;
1816-17.] NORWICH. 89
\ ^
I sdvesi I love the poor child ; ay, quite as well as my first-born.
I I trust they will do well, and that God will be their shield and
i guide ; I have no doubt He will, for I have read something in
( the Bible to that effect. What is that text about the young ravens
being fed ? "
'* I know a better than that/' said my mother ; " one of
David's own words, ' I have been young and now am grown old,
yet never have I seen the righteous man forsaken, or hi^ seed
begging their bread '."
i I have heard talk of the pleasures of idleness, yet it is my own
* firm belief that no one ever yet took pleasure in it. Mere idle-
ness is the most disagreeable state of existence, and both mind
and body are continually making efforts to escape from it. It
has been said that idleness is the parent of mischief, which is
very true ; but mischief itself is merely an attempt to escape from
the dreary vacuum of idleness. There are many tasks and
occupations which a man is unwilling to perform, but let no one
think that he is therefore in love with idleness ; he turns to some-
thing which is more agreeable to his inclination, and doubtless
more suited to his nature ; but he is not in love with idleness.
A boy may play the truant from school because he dislikes books
and study ; but, depend upon it, he intends doing something the
while — to go fishing, or perhaps to take a walk ; and who knows
I but that from such excursions both his mind and body may derive
more benefit than from books and school ? Many people go to
sleep to escape from idleness ; the Spaniards do ; and, according
to the French account, John Bull, the 'squire, hangs himself in
the month of November ; but the French, who are a very sensible
people, attribute the action, " i unegrande enviede sedhennuyer; "
he wishes to be doing something, say they, and having nothing
better to do, he has recourse to the cord.
It was for want of something better to do that, shortly after
my return home, I applied myself to the study of languages. By
the acquisition of Irish, with the first elements of which I had
become acquainted under the tuition of Murtagh, I had con-
tracted a certain zest and inclination for the pursuit. Yet it is
probable, that had I been launched about this time into some
agreeable career, that of arms, for example, for which, being the
son of a soldier, I had, as was natural, a sprt of penchant, I
might have thought nothing more of the acquisition of tongues
of any kind; but, having nothing to do, I followed the only
course suited to my genius which appeared open to me.
So it came to pass that one day, whilst wandering listlessly
i
I
90 LA VENGRO. [1816-17.
about the streets of the old town, I came to a small book-stall,
and stopping, commenced turning over the books ; I took up at
least a dozen, and almost instantly flung them down. What were
they to me? At last, coming to a thick volume, I opened iti
and after inspecting its contents for a few minutes, I paid for it
what was demanded, and forthwith carried it home.
It was a tessara-glot grammar — a strange old book, printed
somewhere in Holland, which pretended to be an easy guide to
the acquirement of the French, Italian, Low Dutch, and English
tongues, by means of which any one conversant in any one of
these languages could make himself master of the other three.
I turned my attention to the French and Italian. The old book
was not of much value ; I derived some benefit from it, however,
and, conning it intensely, at the end of a few weeks obtained some
insight into the structure of these two languages. At length I
had learnt all that the book was capable of informing me, yet
was still far from the goal to which it had promised to conduct
me. ''I wish I had a master?" I exclaimed; and the master
was at hand. In an old court of the old town lived a certain
elderly personage, perhaps sixty, or thereabouts ; he was rather
tall, and something of a robust make, with a countenance in
which bluffness was singularly blended with vivacity and grimace ;
and with a complexion which would have been ruddy, but for a
yellow hue which rather predominated. His dress consisted ot
a snuff-coloured coat and drab pantaloons, the former evidently
seldom subjected to the annoyance of a brush, and the latter ex-
hibiting here and there spots of something which, if not grease,
bore a strong resemblance to it ; add to these articles an immense
frill, seldom of the purest white, but invariably of the finest
French cambric, and you have some idea of his dress. He had
rather a remarkable stoop, but his step was rapid and vigorous,
and as he hurried along the streets, he would glance to the right
and left with a pair of big eyes like plums, and on recognising
any one would exalt a pair of grizzled eyebrows, and slightly kiss
a tawny and ungloved hand. At certain hours of the day he
might be seen entering the doors of female boarding-schools,
generally with a book in his hand, and perhaps another just
peering from the orifice of a capacious back pocket ; and at a
certain season of the year he might be seen, dressed in white,
before the altar of a certain small popish chapel, chanting from
the breviary in very intelligible Latin^ or perhaps reading from the
desk in utterly unintelhgible English. Such was my preceptor in
the French and Italian tongues. " Exul sacerdos ; vone banished
e^rit I came into England twenty-five years ago, ' my dear.' "
CHAPTER XV.
So I studied French and Italian under the tuition of the banished
priest, to whose house I went r^ularly every evening to receive
instruction. I made considerable progress in the acquisition of
the two languages. I found the French by far the most difficult,
chiefly on account of the accent, which my master himself pos-
sessed in no great purity, being a Norman by birth. The Italian
was my favourite.
'* Pous serez un jour un grand philologue^ num chtr^ said
the old man, on our arriving at the conclusion of Dante's Hell.
" I hope I shall be something better," said I« " before I die,
or I shall have lived to little purpose."
*' That's true, my dear! philologist — one small poor dog.
What would you wish to be ? '*
'* Many things sooner than that ; for example, I would rather
be like him who wrote this book.**
" Quai^ Monsieur Dante t He was a vagabond, my dear,
forced to fly from his country. No, my dear, if you would be
like one poet, be like Monsieur Boileau ; he is the poet"
" I don't think so."
** How, not think so ! He wrote very respectable verses ;
lived and died much respected by everybody. T'other, one bad
dog, forced to fly from his country — died with not enough to
pay his undertaker."
** Were you not forced to flee from your country ? "
" That very true ; but there is much difference between me
and this Dante* He fled from country because he had one bad
tongue which he shook at his betters. I fly because benefice
gone, and head going ; not on account of the badness of my
tongue."
" Well," said I, " you can return now ; the Bourbons are
lestored."
" I find myself very well here ; not bad country. // est vrai
^e la JF^ance sera toujours la France; but all are dead there
who knew me. I find myself very well here. Preach in popish
(91)
99 LA VBNGRO. [1817
chapel, teach schismatic, that is Protestant, child tongues and
literature. I find myself very well ; and why ? Because I know
how to govern my tongue ; never call people hard names. Ma
fin\ ily a beaucoup de difference enire mot et ce sacrk de Dante.^
Under this old man, who was well versed in the southern
languages, besides studying French and Italian, I acquired some
knowledge of Spanish. But I did not devote my time entirely to
philology ; I had other pursuits. I had not forgotten the roving
life I had led in former days, nor its delights; neither was I
formed by Nature to be a pallid indoor student. No, no I I was
fond of other and, I say it boldly, better things than study. I
had an attachment to the angle, ay, and to the gun likewise. In
our house was a condemned musket, bearing somewhere on its
lock, in rather antique characters, "Tower, 1746"; with this
weapon. I had already, in Ireland, performed some execution
among the rooks and choughs, and it was now again destined to
be a source of solace and amusement to me, in the winter season,
especially on occasions of severe frost when birds abounded.
Sallying forth with it at these times, far into the country, I seldom
returned at night without a string of bullfinches, blackbirds, and
linnets hanging in triumph round my neck. When I reflect on
the immense quantity of powder and shot which I crammed down
the muzzle of my uncouth fowling-piece, I am less surprised at
the number of birds which I slaughtered, than that I never blew
my hands, face, and old honey-combed gun, at one and the same
time, to pieces.
But the winter, alas 1 (I speak as a fowler) seldom lasts in
England more than three or four months ; so, during the rest of
the year, when not occupied with my philological studies, I had
to seek for other diversions. I have already given a hint that I
was also addicted to the angle. Of course there is no comparison
between the two pursuits, the rod and line seeming but very poor
trumpery to one who has had the honour of carrying a noble
firelock. There is a time, however, for all things ; and we return
to any favourite amusement with the greater zest, from being
compelled to relinquish it for a season. So, if I shot birds in
winter with my firelock, I caught fish in summer, or attempted so
to do, with my angle. I was not quite so successful, it is true,
with the latter as with the former — possibly because it afforded
me less pleasure. It was, indeed, too much of a listless pastime
to inspire me with any great interest. I not unfrequently fell into
a doze whilst sitting on the bank, and more than once let my rod
drop from my hands into the water.
z8x7.] BARLHAM. 93
■ ' ■ ■ '. " ■" ■ ■■ ■ .11 -1 1— ■ , ■
At some distance from the city, behind a range of hilly ground
which rises towards the south-west, is a small river, the waters of
which, after many meanderings, eventually enter the principal
river of the district, and assist to swell the tide which it roUs down
to the ocean. It is a sweet rivulet, and pleasant it is to trace its
course from its spring-head, high up in the remote regions of
Eastern Anglia, till it arrives in the valley behind yon rising
ground ; and pleasant is that valley, truly a goodly spot, but most
lovely where yonder bridge crosses the little stream. Beneath its
arch the waters rush garrulously into a blue pool, and are there
stilled for a time, for the pool is deep, and they appear to have
sunk to sleep. Farther on, however, you hear their voice again,
where they ripple gaily over yon gravelly shallow. On the left,
the hill slopes gently down to the margin of the stream. On the
right is a green level, a smiling meadow, grass of the richest decks
the side cf the slope ; mighty trees also adorn it, giant elms, the
nearest of which, when the sun is nigh its meridiaoi^ fling a broad
shadow upon the fiace of the pool ; through yon vista you catdi a
glimpse of the ancient brick of an old English halL It has a
stately look, that old building, indistinctly seen, as it is, among
those umbrageous trees ; you might almost suppose it an earl's
home ; and such it was, or rather upon its site stood an earl's
home, in days of old, for there some old Kemp, some Sigurd, or
Thorkild, roaming in quest of a hearthstead, settled down in the
gray old time, when Tbor and Freya were yet gods, and Odin was
a portentous name. Yon old hall is still called the Earl's Home,
though the hearth of Sigurd is now no more, and the bones of the
old Kemp, and of Sigrith his dame, have been mouldering for a
thousand years in some neighbouring knoll — perhaps yonder, where
those tall Norwegian pines shoot up so boldly into the air. It is
said that the old earl's galley was once moored where is now that
blue pool, for the waters of that valley were not always sweet;
yon valley was once an arm of the sea, a salt lagoon, to which the
war-bnrks of '* Sigurd, in search of a home,'' found Uieir way.
I \vaa in ibe habit of spending many an hour on the banks of
that rivulet, with my rod in my hand, and, when tired with anglings
would stretch m>^elf on the grass, and gaze upon the waters as
they glided past ; and not unfrequently, divesting myself of my
dress, I would plunge into the deep pool which I have already
mentioned, for I had long since learned to swim. And it came tc
pass, that on one hot summer's day, after bathing in the pool, I
passed along the meadow till I came to a shallow part, and,
wading over to the opposite side, I adjusted my dress, and com-
94 LA VENGRO. [1817.
«
menced fishing in another pool, beside which was a small clump
of hazels.
And there I sat upon the bank, at the bottom of the hill which
slopes down from "the Earl's Home"; my float was on the
waters, and my back was towards the old hall. I drew up many
fish, small and great, which I took from off the hook mechanically
and flung upon the bank, for I was almost unconscious of what I
was about, for my mind was not with my fish. I was thinking of
my earlier years — of the Scottish crags and the heaths of Ireland —
and sometimes my mind would dwell on my studies — on the
sonorous stanzas of Dante, rising and falling like the waves of the
sea—- or would strive to remember a couplet or two of poor
Monsieur Boileau.
"Canst thou answer to thy conscience for pulling all those
fish out of the water, and leaving them to gasp in the sun ? " said
a voice, clear and sonorous as a bell.
I started, and looked round. Close behind me stood the tall
figure of a man, dressed in raiment of quaint and singular fashion,
but of goodly materials. He was in the prime and vigour of
manhood ; his features handsome and noble, but fiill of calmness
and benevolence ; at least I thought so, though they were some-
what shaded by a hat of finest beaver, with broad drooping eaves.
" Surely that is a very cruel diversion in which thou indulgest,
my young friend,*' he continued.
" I am sorry for it, if it be, sir," said I, rising ; " but I do not
think it cruel to fish."
*' What are thy reasons for not thinking so? "
" Fishing b mentioned frequently in Scripture. Simon Peter
was a fisherman."
" True ; and Andrew and his brother. But thou forgettest :
they did not follow fishing as a diversion, as I fear thou doest
Thou readest the Scriptures ? "
"Sometimes."
"Sometimes? not daily? that is to be regretted. What pro-
fession dost thou make? I mean to what religious denomination
dost thou belong, my young friend ? "
" Church."
'*It is a very good profession — there is much of Scripture
contained in its liturgy. Dost thou read aught besides the
Scriptiu-es?"
" Sometimes.'*"
" What dost thou read besides ? "
" Greek, and Dante."
1817.] THE MAN OP PBACB. 95
*' Indeed I then thou hast the advantage over myself; I can
only read the former. Well, I am rejoiced to find that thou hast
other pursuits besides thy fishing. Dost thou know Hebrew ? "
" No."
"Thou shouldst study it Why dost thou not undertake the
gtudy?"
" I have no books."
^ I will lend thee books, if thou wish to undertake the study.
I live yonder at the hall, as perhaps thou knowest. I have a
library there, in which -are many curious books, both in Greek
and Hebrew, which I will show to thee, whenever thou mayest
find it convenient to come and see me. Farewell 1 I am glad to
find that thou hast pursuits more satisfinctory than thy cruel
fbhing."
And the man of peace departed, and left me on the bank of
the stream. Whether from the effect of his words, or from want
of inclination to the sport, I know not, but from that day I became
less and less a practitioner of that ** cruel fishing "• I rarely flung
line and angle into the water, but I not unfrequently wandered
by the banks of the pleasant rivulet. It seems singular to me, on
reflection, that I never availed myself of his kind invitation. I
say singular, for the extraordinary, under whatever form, had long
had no slight interest for me ; and I had discernment enough to
perceive that yon was no common man. Yet I went not near
him, certainly not from bashfulness, or timidity, feelings to which
I had long been an entire stranger. Am I to regret this ? perhaps,
for I might have learned both wisdom and righteousness from
those calm, quiet lips, and my after-course might hdve been
widely different. As it was, I fell in with other guess companions,
from whom I received widely different impressions than those I
might have derived from him. When many years had rolled on,
long after I had attained manhood, and had seen and suffered
much, and when our first interview had long since been effaced
from the mind of the man of peace, I visited him in his venerable
hall, and partook of the hospitality of his hearth. And there I
saw his gentle partner and his fair children, and on the morrow
he showed me the books of which he had spoken years before,
by the side of the stream. In the low quiet chamber, whose one
window, shaded by a gigantic elm, looks down the slope towards
the pleasant stream, he took from the shelf his learned books,
Zohar and Mishna, Toldoth Jesu and Abarbenel.
^' I am fond of these studies,'' said he, " which, perhaps, is
not to be wondered at, seeing that our people have been compared
96 LA VBNGRO. [18x7.
to the Jews. In one respect I confess we are similiar to them :
we are fond of getting money. I do not like this last author, this
Abarbenely the worse for having been a money-changer. I am a
banker myself, as thou knowest"
And would there were many like him, amidst the money-
changers of princes ! The hall of many an earl lacks the bounty,
the i»dace of many a prelate the piety and learning, which adorn
the quiet Quaker's home 1
CHAPTER XVI.
I WAS Standing on the castle hill in the midst of a fair of horses.
I have already had occasion to mention this castle. It is the
remains of what was once a Norman stronghold, and is perched
upon a round mound or monticle, in the midst of the old city
Steep is this mound and scarped, evidently by the hand of man ;
a deep gorge, over which is flung a bridge, separates it, on the
south, from a broad swell of open ground called *' the hill ; "
of old the scene of many a tournament and feat of Norman
chivalry, but now much used as a show-place for cattle, where
those who buy and sell beeves and other beasts resort at stated
periods.
So it came to pass that I stood upon this hill, observing a £sur
of horses.
The reader is already aware that I had long since conceived
a passion for the equine race, a passion in which circumstances
had of late not permitted me to indulge. I had no horses to ride,
but I took pleasure in looking at them ; and I had already attended
more than one of these fairs: the present was lively enough,
indeed, horse fairs are seldom dull. There was shouting and
whooping, neighing and braying; there was galloping and trot-
ting ; fellows with highlows and white stockings, and with many
a string dangling from the knees of their tight breeches, were
running desperately, holding horses by the halter, and in some
cases dragging them along ; there were long-tailed steeds, and
dock-tailed steeds of every degree and breed ; there were droves
of wild ponies, and long rows of sober cart horses ; there were
donkeys, and even mules : the last rare things to be seen in damp,
misty England, for the mule pines in mud and rain, and thrives
best with a hot sun above and a burning sand below. There
were — oh, the gallant creatures! I hear their neigh upon the
wind; there were — goodliest sight of all — certain enormous
quadrupeds only seen to perfection in our native isle, led about
by dapper grooms, their manes ribandcd and their tails curiously
dubbed and balled. Ha I ha I — how distinctly do they say, ha I
hal
(97) 7
98 LA VBNGRO. [1817.
An old man draws nigh, he is mounted on a lean pony, and
he leads by the bridle one of these animals ; nothing very remark-
able about that creature, unless in being smaller than the rest and
gentle, which they are not ; he is not of the sightliest look ; he is
almost dun, and over one eye a thick film has gathered. But
stay I there is something remarkable about that horse, there is
something in his action in which he differs from all the rest. As
he advances, the clamour is hushed I all eyes are turned upon
him — what looks of interest — of respect — and, what is this?
people are taking off their hats — surely not to that steed 1 Yes,
verily I men, especially old men, are taking off their hats to that
one-eyed steed, and I hear more than one deep-drawn ah I
"What horse is that?" said I to a very old fellow, the
counterpart of the old man on the pony, save that the last wore a
ikded suit of velveteen, and this one was dressed in a white frock.
** The best in mother England," said the very old man, taking
a knobbed stick from his mouth, and looking me in the face, at
first carelessly, but presently with something like interest ; ** he
is old like myself, but can still trot his twenty miles an hour.
You won't live long, my swain ; tall and overgrown ones like
thee never does ; yet, if you should chance to reach my years,
you may boast to thy great grand hdfs, thou hast seen Marshland
Shales."
Amain I did for the horse what I would neither do for earl or
baron, doffed my hat ; yes ! I doffed my hat to the wondrous
horse, the fast trotter, the best in mother England ; and I, too,
drew a deep ah ! and repeated the words of the old fellows around.
"Such a horse as this we shall never see again ; a pity that he is
so old."
Now during all this time I had a kind of consciousness that
I had btten tl^ object of some person's observation ; that eyes
were fastened upon me from somewhere in the crowd. Some-
times I thought myself watched from before, sometimes from
behind; and occasionally methought that, if I just turned my
head to the right or left, I should meet a peering and inquiring
glance ; and, indeed, once or twice I did turn, expecting to see
somebody whom I knew, yet always without success ; though it
appeared to me that I was but a moment too late, and that some
one had just slipped away from the direction to which I turned,
like the figure in a magic lanthorn. Once I was quite sure that
there were a pair of eyes glaring over my right shoulder ; my
attention, however, was so fully occupied with the objects which
I have attempted to describe, that I thought very little of this
i8i7.) TOMBLAND FAIR. gg
coming and going, this flitting and dodging of I knew not whom
or what. It was, after all, a matter of sheer indifference to me
who was looking at m& I could only wish, whomsoever it might
be, to be more profitably employed; so I continued enjoying
what I saw; and now there was a change in the scene, the
wondrous old horse departed with his aged guardian; other
objects of interest are at hand ; two or three men on horseback
are hurrying through the crowd, they are widely different in their
appearance from the other people of the fair; not so much in
dress» for they are clad something after the fashion of rustic
jockeys, but in their look — no light brown hair have they, no
ruddy cheeks, no blue quiet glances belong to them; their
features are dark, their locks long, black and shining, and their
eyes are wild ; they are admirable horsemen, but they do not sit
the saddle in the manner of common jockeys, they seem to float
or hover upon it, like gulls upon the waves ; two of them are
mere striplings, but the third is a very tall man with a countenance
heroically l>^utiful, but wild, wild, wild. As they rush along,
the crowd give way on all sides, and now a kind of ring or circus
is formed, within which the strange men exhibit their horseman-
ship, rushing past each other, in and out, after the manner of a
reel, the tall man occasionally balancing himself upon the saddle,
and standing erect on one foot. He had just regained his seat
after the latter feat, and was about to push his horse to a gallop,
when a figure started forward close from beside me, and laying
his hand on his neck, and pulling him gently downward, appeared
to whisper something into his ear ; presently the tall man raised
hts head, and, scanning the crowd for a moment in the direction
in which I was standing, fixed his eyes full upon me, and anon the
countenance of the whisperer was turned, but only in part, and
the side-glance of another pair of wild eyes was directed towards
my face, out the entire visage of the big black man half stooping
as he was, was turned full upon mine.
But now, with a nod to the figure who had stopped him, and
with another inquiring glance at myself, the big man once more
put his steed into motion, and after riding round the ring a few
more times darted through a lane in the crowd, and followed by
his two companions disappeared, whereupon the figure who had
whispered to him and had subsequently remained in the middle
of the space, came towards me, and cracking a whip which he
held in his hand so loudly that the report was nearly equal to that
of a pocket pistol, he cried in a strange tone : —
" What ! the sap-cngro ? Lor I the sap-engro upon the hill 1 **
xoo LA VBNGRO. [1817.
" I remember that word," said I, '' and I almost think I remem-
ber you. You can't be "
*' Jasper, your pal ! Truth, and no lie, brother."
'^ It is strange that you should have known me/' said I. " I
am certain, but for the word you used, I should never have re-
cognised you."
'' Not so strange as you may think, brother ; there is some-
thing in your face which would prevent people from forgetting
you, even though they might wish it ; and your face is not much
altered since the time you wot of, though you are so much grown.
I thought it was you, but to make sure I dodged about, inspect-
ing you. I believe you felt me, though I never touched you ; a
sign, brother, that we are akin, that we are dui palor — two rela-
tions. Your blood beat when mine was near, as mine always
does at the coming of a brother ; and we became brothers in that
lane."
** And where are you staying ? " said I ; ''in this town ? "
" Not in the town ; the like of us don't find it exactly whole-
some to stay in towns ; we keep abroad. But I have little to do
here — come with me and I'll show you where we stiuy."
We descended the hill in the direction of the north, and
passing along the suburb reached the old Norman bridge, which
we crossed ; the chalk precipice, with the ruin on its top, was
now before us ; but turning to the left we walked swiftly along,
and presently came to some rising ground, which ascending, we
found ourselves upon a wild moor or heath.
" You are one of them," said I, '* whom people call "
"Just so," said Jasper; "but never mmd what people call
us."
'' And that tall handsome man on the hill, whom you whim-
pered ? I suppose he's one of ye. What is his name ? "
'* Tawno Chikno," said Jasper, " which means the small one ;
we call him such because he is the biggest man of all our nation.
You say he is handsome, that is not the word, brother ; he's the
beauty of the world. Women run wild at the sight of Tawno.
An earl's daughter, near London — a fine young lady with diamonds
round her nedc — fell in love with Tawno. I have seen that lass
on a heath, as this may be, kned down to Tawno, clasp his feet,
begging to be his wife — or anything else — if she might go with
him. Sut Tawno would have nothing to do with her. ' I have
a wife of my own,' said he, * a lawful Rommany wife, whom I
love better than the whole world, jealous though she sometimes
be'."
i8i7.] MOUSBHOLD HEATH. loi
'* And is she very beautiful ? '* said I.
" Why, you know, brother, beauty is frequently a matter of
taste ; however, as you ask my opinion, I should say not quite so
beautiful as himself."
We had now arrived at a small valley between two hills or
downs, the sides of which were covered with furze. In the midst
of this valley were various carts and low tents forming a rude kind
of encampment ; several dark children were playing about, who
took no manner of notice of us. As we passed one of the tents,
however, a canvas screen was lifted up, and a woman supported
upon a crutch hobbled out. She was about the middle age, and,
besides being lame, was bitterly ugly; she was very slovenly
dressed, and on her swarthy features iU nature was most visibly
stamped She did not deign me a look, but addressing Jasper in
a tongue which I did not understand, appeared to put some eager
questions to him.
'* He's coming," said Jasper, and passed on. '* Poor fellow,"
said he to me, " he has scarcely been gone an hour and she's
i'ealous already. Well," he continued, "what do you think of
ler ? you have seen her now and can judge for yourself— that 'ere
woman is Tawno Chikno's wife 1 "
CHAPTER XVII.
Wb went to the farthest of the tents, which stood at a slight dis-
tance from the rest, and which exactly resembled the one which I
have described on a former occasion ; we went in and sat down,
one on each side of a small fire which was smouldering on the
ground, there was no one else in the tent but a tali tawny woman
of middle age, who was busily knitting. " Brother," said Jasper^
'* I wish to bold some pleasant discourse with you."
" As much as you please,** said I, " provided you can find
anything pleasant to talk about."
** Never fear," said Jasper ; <' and first of all we will talk of
yourself. Where have you been all this long time ? "
** Here and there," said I^ '' and far and near, going about
with the soldiers ; but there is no soldiering now, so we have sat
down, father and family, in the town there.
" And do you still hunt snakes ? " said Jasper.
'* No," said I, " I have given up that long ago ; I do better
now : read books and learn languages."
"Well^ I am sorry you have given up your snake-hunting;
many's the strange talk I have had with our people about your
snake and yourself, and how you frightened my father and mother
in the lane."
" And where are your father and mother ? "
" Where I shall never see them, brother ; at least, I hope so."
"Not dead?"
'' No, not dead ; they are bitchadey pawdeL"
" What's that ? "
" Sent across — ^banished."
^' Ah I I understand ; I am sorry for them. And so you are
here alone ? "
** Not quite alone, brother ! "
** No, not alone ; but with the rest — Tawno Chikno takes care
of you."
"Takes care of me, brother I
" Yes, stands to you in the place of a father — keeps you out
of harm's way."
(loa)
If
i8x7.] PLEASANT DISCOURSE. X03
ff
" What do you take me for, brother 7 **
** For about three years older than myself.*'
** Perhaps ; but you are of the Gorgios» and I am a Rommany
Chal. Tawno Chikno take care of Jasper Petulengro !
" Is that your name ?
•* Don't you like it ?
'^ Very much, I never heard a sweeter ; it is something like
what you call me."
** The horse-shoe master and the snake-fellow, I am the first."
"Who gave you that name? "
" Ask Pharaoh."
" I would, if he were here, but I do not see him."
" I am Pharaoh."
" Then you are a king."
" Chachipen, pal."
" I do not understand you."
" Where are your languages ? You want two things, brother :
mother sense and gentle Rommany."
'' What makes you think that I want sense ? "
^* That, being so old, you can't yet guide yourself 1 "
" I can r^ul Dante, Jasper."
" Anan, brother."
** I can charm snakes, Jasper."
" I know you can, brother."
** Yes, and horses too ; bring me the most vicious in the land,
if I whisper he'll be tame."
"Then the more shame for you — a snake-fellow — a horse-
witch — and alil-reader — yet you can't shift for yourself. I laugh
at you, brother I "
" Then you can shift for yourself? "
'* For myself and for others, brother."
'* And what does Chikno ? "
"Sells me horses, when I bid him. Those horses on the
chong were mine."
" And has he none of his own ? "
** Sometimes he has ; but he is not so well off as myself.
When my father and mother were bitchadey pawdel, which, to
tell you the truth, they were, for chiving wafodo dloovu, they left
me all they had, whidi was not a little, and I became the head
of our family, which was not a small one. I was not older than
vou when that happened ; yet our people said they had never a
better krallis to contrive and plan for them and to keep them in
order. And this is so well known, that many Rommany Chals,
X04 LA VENGRO. [1817.
not of our family, come and join themselves to us, living with us
for a time, in order to better themselves, more especially those of
the poorer sort, who have little of their own. Tawno is one of
these."
" Is that fine fellow poor ? "
" One of the poorest, brother. Handsome as he is, he has
not a horse of his own to ride on. Perhaps we may put it down
to his wife^ who cannot move alK)ut, being a cripple, as you saw."
** And you are what is called a Gypsy King ? "
" Ay, ay ; a Rommany Krai."
" Are there other kings ? "
" Those who call themselves so ; but the true Pharaoh is
Petulengro."
" Did Pharaoh make horse-shoes? "
" The first who ever did, brother."
•* Pharaoh lived in Egypt."
" So did we once, brother."
" And you left it ? "
•' My fathers did, brother."
" And why did they come here ? "
" They had their reasons, brother.**
" And you are not English ? "
" We are not Gorgios."
" And you have a language of your own ? "
" Avali."
" This is wonderful."
*< Ha, ha t " cried the woman, who had hitherto sat knitting at
the farther end of the tent, without saying a word, though not
inattentive to our conversation, as I could perceive by certain
glances which she occasionally cast upon us both. ** Ha, ha I "
she screamed, fixing upon me two eyes, which shone like burning
coals, and which were filled with an expression both of scorn and
malignity, " It is wonderful, is it, that we should have a language
of our own ? What, you grudge the poor people the speech they
talk among themselves ? That's just like you Gorgios, you would
have everybody stupid, single-tongued idiots, like yourselves. We
are taken before the Poknees of the gav, myself and sister, to give
an account of ourselves. So I says to my sister's little boy, speak-
ing Rommany, I sa3r8 to the little boy who is with us, * Run to my
son Jasper, and the rest, and tell them to be off, there are hawks
abroad *. So the Poknees questions us, and lets us go, not being
able to make anything of us ; but, as we are going, he calls us
back. *Good woman,' says the Poknees,' what was that I heard
i8i7.] A RUM LANGUAGE. 105
yoa say just now to the little boy ? ' 'I was telling him, your
worship, to go and see the time of day, and, to save trouble, I
said it in our own language.' ' Where did you get that language?'
says the Poknees. ' Tis oar own language, sir,' I tells him, ' we
did not steal it' * Shall I tell you what it is, my good woman ? '
says the Poknees. ' I would thank you, sir/ says I, ' for 'tis often
we are asked about it.' ' Well, then,' says the Poknees, ' it is no
language at all, merely a made-up gibberish/ ' Oh, bless your
wisdom,' says I, with a curtsey, ' you can tell us irtiat our language
is without understanding it ! ' Another time we meet a parson.
*Good woman,' says he, 'what's that you are talking? Is it
broken language ? ' 'Of course, your reverence,' says I, ' we are
broken people ; give a shilling, your reverence, to the poor broken
woman.' Oh, these Grorgios I they grudge us our very language ! "
" She called you her son, Jasper ? "
" I am her son, brother."
" I thought you said your parents were "
" Bitchadey pawdel ; you thought right, brother. This is my
wife's mother."
" Then you are inarried, Jasper ? "
" Ay, truly ; I am husband and father. You will see wife and
chabo anon."
" Where are they now ? "
" In the gav, penning dukkerin."
" We were talking of language, Jasper ? "
" True, brother."
" Yours must be a rum one ? "
" Tis called Rommany."
" I would gladly know it,"
" You need it sorely."
•• Would you teach it me ? "
" None sooner."
" Suppose we begin now."
" Suppose we do, brother."
" Not whilst I am here," said the woman, flinging her knit-
ting down, and starting upon her feet ; " not whilst I am here shall
thisGoigio learn Rommany. A pretty manoeuvre, truly ; and what
would be the end of it ? I goes to the farming ker with my sister
to tell a fortune, and earn a few sixpences for the chabes. I see .
a jolly pig in the yard, and I says to my sister, speaking Rom-
many, ' I)o so and so,' says I ; which the farming man hearing,
asks what we are talking about. ' Nothing at all, master,' says I ;
* something about the weather ' ; when who should start up from
106 LA VBNGRO. [1817.
behind a pale, where he has been listening, but this ugly gorgioi
crying out, ' They are after poisoning your pigs, neighbour ! ' so
that we are glad to run, I and my sister, with perhaps the farm-
engro shouting after us. Says my sister to me, when we have
got fairly off, ' How came that ugly one to know what you said to
me ? ' Whereupon I answers, ' It all comes of my won Jasper, who
brings the gorgio to our fire, and must needs be teaching him '.
' Who was fool there ? ' says my sister. ' Who, indeed, but my
son Jasper,' I answers. And here should I be a greater fool to
sit still and suffer it ; which I will not da I do not like the look of
him ; he looks over-gorgious. An ill day to the Romans when he
masters Rommany ; and when I says that, I pens a true dukkerin.^
'' What do you call God, Jasper ? "
'' You had better be jawing,** said the woman, raising her voice
to a terrible scream ; " you haid better be moving off, my Gorgio ;
hang you for a keen one, sitting there by the fire, and stealing my
language before my face. Do you know whom you have to deal
with ? Do you know that I am dangerous ? My name is Heme,
and I comes of the hairy ones ! "
And a hairy one she looked I She wore her hair clubbed
upon her head, fastened with many strings and ligatures; but
now, tearing these off, her locks, originally jet black, but now
partially grizzled with age, fell down on every side of her, covering
her face and back as far down as her knees. No she-bear of
Lapland ever looked more fierce and hairy than did that woman,
as, standing in the open part of the tent, with her head bent down,
and her shoulders drawn up, seemingly about to precipitate herself
upon me, she repeated, again and again,—
" My name is Heme, and I comes of the hairy ones I *'
" I call God Duvel, brother."
" It sounds very like Devil."
" It doth, brother, it doth.**
" And what do you call divine, I mean godly ? '*
" Oh f I call that duvelskoe.'*
*' I am thinking of somethings Jasper."
''What are you thinking of, brother? "
"Would it not be a rum thing if divine and devilish were
originally one and the same word ? "
" It would, brother, it would "
From this time I had frequent interviews with Jasper, some-
times in his tent, sometimes on the heath, about which we would
roam for hours, discoursing on various matters. Sometimes
i8i7-iai ~ word^mastbr:* wj
mounted on one of his horses, of which he had several, I would
accompany him to various fairs and markets in the neighbourhoody
to which he went on his own afTairs, or those of his tribe. I soon
found that I had become acquainted with a most singular people,
whose habits and pursuits awakened within me the highest interest.
Of all c(Hinected with them, however, their language was doubtless
that which exercised the greatest influence over my imagination.
I had at first some suspicion that it would prove a mere made-up
gibberish. But I was soon undeceived. Broken, corrupted, and
half in ruins as it was, it was not long before I found that it was
an original speech, far more so, indeed, than one or two others of
high name and celebrity, which, up to that time, I had been in
the habit of regarding with respect and veneration. Indeed,
many obscure points connected with the vocabulary of these
languages, and to which neither classic nor modem lore afforded
any clue, I thought I could now clear up by means of this strange
broken toi^e, spoken by people who dwelt among thickets and
furze bushes, in tents as tawny as their feces, and whom the
generality of mankind designated, and with much semblance of
justice, as thieves and vagabonds. But where did this speech
come from, and who were they who spoke it? These were
questions which I could not solve, and which Jasper himsdC
when pressed, confessed his inability to answer. *' But, whoever
we be, brother,** said he, " we are an old people, and not what
folks in general imagine, broken gorgios; and, if we are not
Egyptians, we are at any rate Rommany chals t "
''Rommany chals 1 I should not wonder after all," said I,
"that these people had something to do with the founding of
Rome. Rome, it is said, was built by vagabonds ; who knows
but that some tribe of the kind settled down thereabouts, and
called the town which they built after their name ; but whence
did they come originally ? ah ! there is the difficulty."
But abandoning these questions, which at that time were iax
too profound for me, I went on studying the language, and at the
same time the characters and manners of these strange people.
My rapid progress in the former astonished, while it delighted,
Jasper. "Well no longer call you Sap-engro, brother/' said he;
"but rather Lav-engro, which in the language of the gorgios
meaneth Word Master." " Nay, brother,'* said Tawno Chikno,
with whom I had become very intimate, " you had better call him
Cooro-mengro, I have put on the gloves with him, and find him a
pure fist master ; I like him for that, for I am a Cooro-mengro
myself, and was born at Brummagem."
io8 LA VBNGRO. [18x7-18
" I likes him for his modesty," said Mrs. Chikno ; '' I never
hears any ill words come from his mouth, but, on the contrary,
much sweet language. His talk is golden, and he has taught my
eldest to say his prayers in Rommany, which my rover had never
the grace to do." ** He is the pal of my rom,*' said Mrs. Petulengro,
who was a very handsome woman, '' and therefore I likes him,
and not less for his being a rye ; folks calls me high-minded, and
perhaps I have reason to be so ; before I married Pharaoh I had
an offer from a lord — I likes the young rye, and, if he chooses to
follow us, he shall have my sister. What say you, mother ? should
not the young rye have my sister Ursula ? '*
" I am going to my people," said Mrs. Heme, pladng a bundle
upon a donkey, which was her own peculiar property ; " I am
going to Yorkshire, for I can stand this no longer. You say you
like him ; in that we differs : I hates the goigio, and would like,
speaking Rbmanly, to mix a little poison with his waters. And
how go to Lundra, my children, I goes to Yorkshire. Take my
blessing with ye, and a little bit of a gillie to cheer your hearts
with when ye are weary. In all kinds of weather have we lived
together ; but now we are parted, I goes broken-heartcd. I can't
keep you company ; ye are no longer Rommany. To gain a bad
brother, ye have lost a good mother."
CHAPTER XVIII.
So the gypsies departed : Mrs. Heme to Yorkshire, and the rest
to London. As for myself, I continued in the house of my parents,
passing my time in much the same manner as I have already
described, prmcipally in philological pursuits. But I was now
sixteen, and it was highly necessary that I should adopt some
Erofession, unless I intended to fritter away my existence, and to
e a useless burden to those who had given me birth. But what
profession was I to choose ? there being none in the wide world
perhaps for which I was suited ; nor was there any one for which
I felt any decided inclination, though perhaps there existed within
me a lurking penchant for the profession of arms, which was
natural enough, as, from my earliest infancy, I had been accustomed
to military sights and sounds ; but this profession was then closed,
as I have already hinted, and, as I believe, it has since continued,
to those who, like myself, had no better claims to urge than the
services of a father.
My father, who, for certain reasons of his own, had no very high
opinion of the advantages resulting from this career, would have
gladly seen me enter the Church. His desire was, however,
considerably abated by one or two passages of my life, which
occurred to his recollection. He particularly dwelt on the
unheardof manner in which I had picked up the Irish language,
and drew from thence the conclusion that I was not fitted by
nature to cut a respectable figure at an English university. " He
will fly o£f in a tangent," said he, ''and, when called upon to
exhibit his skill in Greek, will be found proficient in Irish; I
have observed the poor lad attentively, and really do not know
what to make of him ; but I am afraid he will never make a
churchman I" And I have no doubt that my exceUent father
was right, both in his premises and the conclusion at which he
arrived. I had undoubtedly, at one period of my life, forsaken
Greek for Irish, and the instructions of a learned Protestant
divine for those of a Papist gassoon, the card-fancying Murtagh ;
and of late, though I kept it a strict secret, I had abandoned in a
(109)
zio LA VBNGRO. [x8i8.
great measure the study of the beautiful Italian, and the recitation
of the sonorous terzets of the Divine Comedy, in which at one
time I took the greatest delight, in order to become acquainted
with the broken speech, and yet more broken songs, of certain
houseless wanderers whom I had met at a horse fair. Such an erratic
course was certainly by no means in consonance with the sober
and unvarying routine of college study. And my father, who was
a man of excellent common sense, displayed it, in not pressing
me to adopt a profession which required qualities of mind which
he saw I did not possess.
Other professions were talked of, amongst which the law;
but now an event occurred which had nearly stopped my career,
and merged all minor points of solicitude in anxiety for my life.
My strength and appetite suddenly deserted me^ and I began to
pine and droop. Some said that I had overgrown myself, and
that these were the symptoms of a rapid decline ; I grew worse
and worse, and was soon stretched upon my bed, from which it
seemed scarcely probable that I should ever more rise, the
physicians themselves giving but slight hopes of my recovery ;
as for myself, I made up my mind to die, and felt quite resigned.
I was sadly ignorant at that time, and, when I thought of death,
it appeared to me little else than a pleasant sleep, and I wished
for sleep, of which I got but little. It was well that I did not
die that time, for I repeat that I was sadly ignorant of many im-
portant things. I did not die, for somebody coming, gave me
a strange, bitter draught ; a decoction, I believe, of a bitter root
which grows on commons and desolate places; and the person
who gave it me was an ancient female, a kind of doctress, who
had been my nurse in my infancy, and who, hearing of my state,
had come to see me ; so I drank the draught, and became a little
better, and I continued taking draughts made from the bitter
root till I manifested symptoms of convalescence.
But how much more quickly does strength desert the human
frame than return to it i I had become convalescent, it is true, but
my state of feebleness was truly pitiable. I believe it is in that
state that the most remarkable feature of human physiology fre-
quently exhibits itself. Oh, how dare I mention the dark feeling
of mysterious dread which comes over the mind, and which the
lamp of reason, though burning bright the while, is unable to
dispel I Art thou, as leeches say, the concomitant of disease —
the result of shattered nerves? Nay, rather the principle of
woe itself, the fpuntain head of all sorrow co-existent with man,
whose influence be feels when yet unborui and whose workings
1818-19.] THE BITTER DRAUGHT. xii
he testifies with his earliest cries, when, '* drowned in tears/ he
first beholds the light ; for, as the sparks fly upwards, so is man
bom to trouble, and woe doth he bring with him into the worlds
even thyself* dark one» terrible one, causeless, unbegotten, with-
out a father. Oh, how unfrequently dost thou bresdc down the
barriers which divide thee from the poor soul of man, and over-
cast its sunshine with thy gloomy shadow ! In the brightest days
of prosperity — ^in the midst of health and wealth — ^how sentient
is the poor human creature of thy neighbourhood ! how instinc-
tively aware that the flood-gates of horror may be cast open, and
the dark stream engulf him for ever and ever ! Then is it not
lawful for man to exclaim, '* Better that I had never been born ! ^
Fool, for thyself thou wast not bom, but to fulfil the inscrutable
decrees of thy Creator ; and how dost thou know that this dark
principle is not, afler all, thy best friend ; that it is not that which
tempers the whole mass of thy corruption ? It may be, for what
thou knowest, the mother of wisdom, and of great works ; it is
the dread of the honor of the night that makes the pilgrim hasten
on his way. When thou feelest it nigh, let thy safety word be
** Onward'*; if thou tarry, thou art overwhelmed. Courage!
build great works — ^'tis urging thee — it is ever nearest the favou-
rites of God — the fool knows little of it Thou wouldst be joyous,
wottldst thou ? then be a fool. What great work was ever the
result of joy, the puny one ? Who have been the wise ones, the
mighty ones, the conquering ones of this earth ? the joyous ? I
believe not. The fool is happy, or comparatively so-~certainly
the least sorrowful, but he is still a fool ; and whose notes are
sweetest, those of the nightingale, or of the siUy lark ?
** What ails you, my child ? " said a mother to her son, as he
lay on a couch under the influence of the dreadful one ; " what
ails you ? you seem afraid ! "
Bay. And so I am ; a dreadful fear is upon me.
Maihtr, But of what ; there is no one can harm you ; of \K^hat
are you apprehensive ?
Bey. Of nothing that I can express \ I know not what I am
afraid of, but afraid I am.
Maiher* Perhaps you see sights and visions ; I knew a lady
ooce who was continually thinking that she saw an armed man
threaten her, but it was only an imagination, a phantom of the
brsun.
Bey. No armed man threatens me ; and 'tis not a thing like
that would cause me any fear. Did an armed man threaten me,
iia LAVBNGRO. [1818-19.
I would get up and fight him ; weak as I am, I would wish for
nothing better, for then, perhaps, I should lose this fear ; mine
\a a dread of I know not what, and there the horror lies.
Mother. Your forehead is cool, and your speech collected
Do you know where you are ?
Bqy^ I know where I ami and I see things just as they are ;
you are beside me, and upon the table there is a book which
was written by a Florentine ; all this I see, and that there is no
ground for being afraid. I am, moreover, quite cool, and feel no
pain— but, but
And then there was a burst of ^^gemitij sospiri ed alH guai^.
Alas, alas, poor child of clay ! as the sparks fly upward, so wast
thou bom to sorrow — Onward 1 ^
1 J/5. noU: " Written in 1843 ".
CHAPTER XIX.
It has been said by this or that writer, I scarcely know by whom,
that, in proportion as we grow old, and oar time becomes short,
the swifter does it pass, until at last, as we approach the
borders of the grave, it assumes all the speed and impetuosity of
a river about to precipitate itself into an abyss ; this is doubtless
the case, provided we can carry to the grave those pleasant
thoughts and delusions which alone render life agreeable, and to
which even to the very last we would gladly ding; but what
becomes of the swiftness of time, when the mind sees the vanity
of human pursuits ? which is sure to be the case whep its fondest,
dearest hopes have been blighted at the very moment when the
harvest was deemed securCi What becomes from that moment,
I repeat, of the shortness of time ? I put not the question to
those who have never known that trial ; they are satisfied with
themselves and all around them, with what they have done and
vet hope to do ; some carry their delusions with them to the
t>orders of the grave, ay, to the very moment when they fall into
it ; a beautiful golden cloud surrounds them to the last, and such
talk of the shortness of time ; through the medium of that cloud
the world has ever been a pleasant world to them ; their only
rtgtet is that they are so soon to quit it ; but oh, ye dear delud^
httuts, it is not every one who is so fortunate 1
To the generality of mankind there is no period like youth.
The generality are far from fortunate; but the period of youth,
even to the least so, offers moments of considerable happiness,
for they are not only disposed, but able to enjoy most things
within their reach. With what trifles at that period are we content ;
the things from which in after-life we should turn away in disdain
please us then, for we are in the midst of a golden cloudy and
everything seems decked with a golden hue. Never during any
portion of my life did time flow on more speedily than during the
two or three years immediately succeeding the period to whidi we
arrived in the preceding chapter. Since then it has flagged often
enough ; sometimes it has seemed to stand entirely still; and the
("3^ 8
z 14 LA VBNGRO. [ 1819.
reader may easily judge how it fares at the present, from the
circumstance of my taking pen in hand, and endeavouring to
write down the passages of my life — a last resource with most
people. But at the period to which I allude I was just, as I may
say, entering upon life ; I had adopted a profession, and — to keep
up my character, simultaneously with that profession — ^the study
of a new language ; I speedily became a proficient in the one, but
ever remained a novice in the other : a novice in the law, but a
perfect master in the Welsh tongue.
Yes I very pleasant times were those, when within the womb
of a lofty deal desk, behind which I sat for some eight hours
every day, transcribing (when I imagined eyes were upon me)
documents of every description in every possible hand, Biackstone
kept company with Ab Gwilym — the polished English lawyer of
the last century, who wrote long and prosy chapters on the rights of
things — ^with a certain wild Welshman, who some four hundred years
before that time indited immortal cowydds and odes to the wives
of Cambrian chieftains — ^more particularly to one Morfydd, the
wife of a certain hunchbacked dignitary called by the poet face-
tiously Bwa Bach — generally terminating with the modest request
of a little private parlance beneath the green wood bough, with no
other witness than the eos, or nightingale, a request which, if the
poet himself may be believed — ^rather a doubtful point — ^was
seldom, very seldom, denied. And by what strange chance had
Ab Gwilym and Biackstone, two personages so exceedingly
different, been thus brought together? From what the reader
already knows of me, he may be quite prepared to find me
reading the former ; but what could have induced me to take up
Biackstone, or rather the law ?
I have ever loved to be as explicit as possible; on which
account, perhaps, I never attained to any proficiency in the law,
the essence of which is said to be ambiguity ; most questions may
be answered in a few words, and this among the rest, though
connected with the law. My parents deemed it necessary that I
should adopt some profession, they named the law ; the law was
as agreeable to me as any other profession within my reach, so I
adopted the law, and the consequence was, that Biackstone, pro-
bably for the first time, found himself in company with Ab Gwilym.
By adopting the law I had not ceased to be Lavengro.
So I sat behind a desk many hours in the day, ostensibly
engaged in transcribing documents of various kinds. The scene of
my labours was a strange old house, occupying one side of a long
and narrow court, into which, however, the greater number of the
( •
i8i9^] ENGLISH LA W. 1x5
windows looked not, but into an extensive garden, filled with
fruit trees, in the rear of a large, handsome house, belonging to a
highly respectable gentleman, who^ mcyennant un dimceur con-
stdirabU^ had consented to instruct my father's youngest son in
the mysteries of glorious English law. Ah 1 would that I could
describe the good gentleman in the manner which he deserves ;
he has long since sunk to his place in a respectable vault, in the
aisle of a very respectable church, whilst an exceedingly respect-
able marble aiab against the neighbouring wall tells on a Sunday
some eye wandering from its prayer-book that his dust lies below ;
to secure such respectabilities in death, he passed a most respect-
able life. Let no one sneer, he accomplished much ; his life was
peaceful, so was his death. Aie these tnfies? I wish I could
describe him, for I loved the man, and with reason, for he was
ever kind to me, to whom kindness has not always been shown ;
and he was, moreover, a choice specimen of a class which no
longer exists — a gentleman lawyer of the old school. I would
fain describe him, but figures with which he has nought to do
press forward and keep him from my mind's eye ; there they pass,
Spaniard and Moor, Gypsy, Turk, and livid Jew. But who is
that 7 what that thick pursy man in the loose, snuif-coloured great-
coat, with the white stockings, drab breeches, and silver buckles
on his shoes? that man with the bull neck, and singular head,
immense in the lower part, especially about the jaws, but tapering
upwaffd like a pear ; Uie man with the bushy brows, small grey
eyes, replete with cat-like expression, whose grizzled hair is cut
close, and whose ear-lobes are pierced with small golden rings ?
Oh I that is not my dear old master, but a widely diJerent person-
age. Bon jmtr^ Monsieur Vidocq I expressions de ma pari h
MonsUur U Baron Taylor^ But here comes at last my veritable
old master I
A more respectable-looking individual was never seen; he
really looked wiiat he was, a gentleman of the law — there was
nothing of the pettifogger about him. Somewhat under the middle
size, and somewhat rotund in person, he was always dressed in a
foil sm't of Mack, never worn long enough to become threadbare.
His face was rubicund, and not without keenness ; but the most
remarkable thing about him was the crown of his head, which was
bald, and shone like polished ivory, nothing moxe white, smooth,
and lustrous. Some people have said that he wore false calves,
probably because his black silk stockings never exhibited a
wrinkle; they might just as well have said that he waddled,
ii/5.. "AMoosieiir Peyraoourt ' or ** PierroDOurt *'.
ii6 LAVENGRO. [1819.
because his shoes creaked; for these last, which were always
without a speck, and polished as his crown, though of a different
hue, did creaky as he walked rather slowly. I cannot say that I
ever saw him walk tet.
He had a handsome practice, and might have died a very
rich man, much richer than he did, had he not been in the habit
of giving rather expensive dinners to certain great people, who
gave him nothing in return, ezoqpt their company ; I could never
discover his reasons for doing so, as he always appeared to me a
remarkably quiet man, by nature averse to noise and bustle ; but
in all dispositions there are anomalies. I have already said that
he lived in a handsome house, and I may as well here add that
he had a very handsome wife, who both dressed and talked ex*
ceedingly well.
So I sat behind the deal desk, engaged in copying documents
of various kinds ; and in the apartment in which I sat, and in the
adjoining ones, there were others, some of whom likewise copied
documents, while some were engaged in the yet more difficult
task of drawing them up ; and some of these, sons of nobody,
were paid for the work they did, whilst others, like myseU^
sons of somebody, paid for being permitted to work, which
as our principal observed, was but reasonable, forasmuch as we
not unfrequently utterly spoiled the greater part of the work
intrusted to our hands.
There was one part of the day when I generally found myself
quite alone, I mean at the hour when the rest went home to their
principal meal ; I, being the youngest, was left to take care of the
premises, to answer the bell, and so forth, till relieved, which was
seldom before the expiration of an hour and a half, when I my-
self went home ; this period, however, was anything but disagree-
able to me, for it was then that I did what best pleased me, and,
leaving off copying the documents, I sometimes indulged in a fit
of musing, my chin resting on both my hands, and my elbows
planted on the desk ; or, opening the desk aforesaid, i would take
out one of the books contained within it, and the book which I
took out was almost invariably, not Blackstone, but Ab Gwilym.
Ahf that Ab Gwilym ! I am much indebted to him, and it were
ungrateful on my part not to devote a few iines to him and his
songs in this my#history. Start not, reader, I am not going to
trouble you with a poetical dissertation ; no, no 1 I know my duty
too well to introduce anything of the kind ; but I, who imagine I
know several things, and amongst others the workings of your
mind at this moment, have an idea that you are anxious to learn
i8i^] AB QWILYM. 1x7
A little, a yery little, more about Ab Gwiljrm than I have hitherto
told you, the two or three words that I have dropped having
awakened within you a languid kind of curioiity. I have no
hesitation in saying that he makes one of the some half-docen
leally great poets whose verses, in whatever language they wrote^
exist at the present day, and are more or less known. It matters
little how I first became acquainted with the writings of this man,
and how the short thick volume, stufied fiill with his immortal
imaginii^;8, first came into my hands. I was studying Welsh,
and I fdOi in with Ab Gwiljrm by no very strange <^ance. But
before I say more about Ab Gwilym, I must be permitted — I
really must — ^to say a word or two about the language in which
he wrote, that same " Sweet Welsh ^ If I remember right, I
found the language a difficult one ; in mastering it, however, I
derived unexpected assistance from what of Irish remained in
my head, and I soon found that they were cognate dialects,
springing fixnn some <dd tongue which itself perhaps, had sprung
from one much older. And here I cannot help observing
cursorily that I every now and then, whilst studying this Welsh,
generally supposed to be the original tongue of Britain, en-
countered words which, according to the lexioographen, were
venoable words, highly expressive, showing the wonderful power
and originality of tibe Wdsh, in which, however, they were no
longer used in common discourse, but were relics, precious relics,
of Uie first speech of Britain, perhaps of the world; with which
words, however, I was already well acquamtCMl, and which I had
picked up, not in learned books, classic books, and in tongues of
old renown, but whilst listening to Mr. Petulengro and Tawno
Cfaikno talking over their every-day a&ivs in the language of
the tents ; which circumstance did not fieul to give rise to deep
reflection in those moments when, planting my elbows on the
deal desk, I rested my chin upon my hands. But it is probable
that I should have abandoned the pursuit of the Welsh language,
after obtaining a very superficial acquaintance with it| had it not
been for Ab Gwilym.
A strange songster was that who, pretending to be captivated
by every woman he saw, was, in reality, in love with nature
alone — wild, beautiful, solitary nature — her mountains and cas-
cades, her forests and streams, her birds, fishes, and wild animals.
Go to^ Ab Gwiljrm, with thy pseudo-amatory odes, to Morfydd,
or this or that other lady, fair or ugly ; little didst thou care for
any of them, Dame Nature was thy love, however thou mayest
seek to disguise the truUi. Yes, yes, send thy love-message to
ii8 LAVENGRO. [1819.
Morfydd, the fair wanton. By whom dost tboa send it, I would
know? by the salmon, forsooth, which haunts the rushing stream !
the glorious salmon which bounds and gambols in the flashing
water, and whose ways and circumstances thou so well describest
— see, there he hurries upwards through the flashing water.
Halloo t what a glimpse of glory — but where is Morfydd the
while? What, another message to the wife of Bwa Bach? Ay,
truly ; and by whom ? — ^the wind I the swift wind, the rider of
the world, whose course is not to be stayed ; who gallops o'er the
mountain, and, when he comes to broadest river, asks neither for
boat nor ferry ; who has described the wind so well — ^his speed
and power ? But where is Morfydd ? And now thou art awaiting
Morfydd, the wanton, the wife of the Bwa Bach ; thou art awaiting
her beneath the tall trees, amidst the underwood ; but she comes
not ; no Morfydd is there. Quite right, Ab Gwilym ; what wantest
thou with Morfydd ? But another form is nigh at hand, that of
red Reynard, who, seated upon his chine at the mouth of l^is
cave, looks very composedly at thee ; thou startest, bendest thy
bow, thy cross-bow, intending to hit Reynard with the bolt just
about the jaw; but the boW breaks, Reynard barks and dis-
appears into his cave, which by thine own account reaches hell —
and then thou ravest at the misfortune of thy bow, and the non-
appearance of Morfydd, and abusest Reynard. Go to, thou
carest neither for thy bow nor for Morfydd, thou merely seekest
an opportunity to speak of Reynard ; and who has described him
like thee? the brute with the sharp shrill cry, the black reverse of
melody, whose iace sometimes wears a smile like the devil's in the
Evangile. But now thou art actually with Morfydd ; yes, she has
stolen from the dwelling of the Bwa Bach and has met thee
beneath those rocks — she is actually with thee, Ab Gwilym ; but
she is not long with thee, for a storm comes on, and thunder
shatters the rocks — Morfydd flees I Quite right, Ab Gwilym;
thou hadst no need of her, a better theme for song is the voice of
the Lord — the rock shatterer — ^than the frail wife of the Bwa
Bach. Go to, Ab Gwilym, thou wast a wiser and a better man
than thou wouldst fain have had people believe.
But enough of thee and thy songs ! Those times passed
rapidly away ; with Ab Gwilym in my hand, I was in the midst
of enchanted ground, in which I experienced sensations akin to
those I had felt of yore whilst spelling my way through the
wonderful book — ^the delight of my childhood I say akin, for
perhaps only once in our lives do we experience unmixed wonder
and delif^t; and these I had already known.
iSi^ THB POET PARKINSON. 119
[It was my own fault if I did not acquire considerable know-
ledge of life and character, in the place to which my kind parents
had sent me. I performed the tasks that were allotted to me in
the profession I had embraced, if not very scrupulously, yet,
perhaps as well as could be expected in one who was occupied
by many and busy thoughts of his own. I copied what was set
before me^ and admitted those who knocked at the door of the
sanctuary of law and conveyancing, performing the latter office
indeed from choice, long after it had ceased to be part of my
duty by the arrival of another, and of course a junior, pupil.
I scarcely know what induced ine to take pleasure in this
taskj yet there can be no doubt that I did take pleasure in it,
otherwise I should scarcely have performed it so readily. It has
been said, I believe, that whatever we do am amort, we are sure
to do well, and I dare say that, as a general rule, this may
bold good. One thing is certain, that with whatever satisfaction
to myself I performed the task, I was not equally fortunate in
pleasing my employer, who complained of my want of discrimina-
tion and yet, strange as it may seem, this last is a quality upon
which I not only particularly valued myself at the time, but still
do in a high degree. I made a point never to admit any persons
without subjecting them to the rigorous investigation of die pair
of eyes that providence had been pleased to place in my head.
To Uiose who pleased me not, I was little better than a Cerberus
whom it was very difficult to pass; whilst to others, I was all
easiness and condescension, ushering them straight to the sanctum
sanctorum, in which, behind a desk covered with letters and
papers, stood — for he never sat down to his desk — the respectable
individual whose lawful commands to obey and whose secrets to
keep I had pledged myself by certain articles duly stamped and
signed.
'^This will never do," said he to me one day; ''you will
make me a bankrupt, unless you alter your conduct There is
scarcely one of my respectable clients but complains of your
incivility. I speak to you, my poor boy, as much on your own
account as on mine. I quite tremble for you. Are you aware of
the solecisms you commit? Only yesterday you turned Sir
Edward from the door, and immediately after you admitted
Parkinson the poet 1 What an insult to a gentleman to be turned
from the door, and a strolling vagabond to be admitted before
his eyes ! "
*' I can't help it," said I ; '' I used my best powers of discrim-
ination ; I looked both full in the face, and the one struck me as
X90 LA VENGRO. [1819.
being an honest man, whilst the other had the verj look of a
slave driver."
^* In the h.ct ? Bless me ! But you looked at their diess, I
suppose ? You looked at Sir Edward's dress ? "
**No/' said I, " I merely looked at his countenance."
'* Which you thought looked like that of a slave driver. Well,
he's been in the Indies, where he made his fortune ; so, perhaps,
you may not be so far out However, be more cautious in future \
look less at people's countenances and more at their 1 dare
say you understand me : admit every decent person, and if you
turn away anybody, pray let it be the poet Parkinson . . ."
Keeping the admonition of my principal in view, I admitted
without word or comment, provided the possessors had a decent
coat to their backs, all kinds of countenances — ^honest counten-
ances, dishonest countenances, and those which were neither.
Amongst all these, some of which belonged to naval and military
officers, notaries public, magistrates, bailiffs, and young ecclesi-
astics— ^die latter with spotless neck-doths and close-shaven chins
— ^there were three countenances which particularly pleased me :
the first being that of an ancient earl, who wore a pig-tail, and
the back of whose coat was white with powder: the second,
that of a yeoman ninety years old and worth ^^90,000, who,
dressed in an entire suit of whitish corduroyt sometimes slowly
trotted up the court on a tall heavy steed, which seemed by no
means imused to the plough. The third was that of the poet
Parkinson.
I am not quite sure that I remember the business which
brought this last individual so frequently to our office, for he paid
us a great many visits.
I am inclined to believe, however, that he generally carried
in his pocket a bundle of printed poems of his own composition,
on the sale of which he principally depended for his subsistence.
He was a man of a singular, though to me by no means unpleasant
countenance ; he wore an old hat and a snuff-coloured greatcoat,
and invariably carried in his hand a stout cudgel like a man much
in the habit of walking, which he probably was, from the circum-
stance of his being generally covered with dust in summer, and in
winter splashed with mud from head to foot.
'* You cannot see the principal to day, Mr. Parkinson," said I
to him once, as unannounced he entered the room where I sat
alone ; '' he is gone out and will not return for some time."
'' Well, thars unfortunate, for I want to consult him on some
particular business."
z8i9.] THB FIRST CASE. ni
'^What business is it? Perhaps I can be of service to you.
Does it relate to the common law P"*
" I suppose so, for I am told it is a common assault ; but I
had better wait till the gentleman comes home You are rather
too young; and besides I have other matters to consult him
about; I have two or three papers in my pocket . . •**
V You cannot see him to-digty," said I ; ^ but you were talking
of an ananh* Has any one been beating you ?**
** Not exactly ; I got into a bit of a ruffle, and am threatened
with an action."
" Oh t so you have been beating somebody."
" And if I did, how could I help it ? I'll tell you how it hap-
pened. I have a gift of making verses, as perhaps you know —
in hctt everybody knows. When I had sowed my little trifle of
com in the bit of ground that my &ther left me, having nothing
better to do, I sat down and wrote a set of lines to my lord, in
whidi I told him what a fine old gentleman he was. Then I
took my stidk and walked off to , wherey after a little diffi-
culty, I saw my lord, and read the verses to him which I had
made, offering to print them if he thought proper. Well, he
was mightily pleased with them, and said they were too good to
be printed, and b^ged that I would do no such thing, which I
promised him I would not, and left him, not before, however,
he had given me a King James* guinea, which they say is worth
two of King George's. Well, I made my bow and went to the
village, and in going past the ale-house I thought I would just
step in, which I did. The house was full of people, chiefly
&rmers, and when they saw me they asked me to sit down and
take a glass with them, which I did, and being called upon for
a song I sang one, and then b^gan tdking about myself and how
much my lo^ thought of me, and I repeated the lines which I
had written to him, and showed them Uie James* guinea he had
given me. You should have seen the fiu^es they cast upon me
at the sight of the gold ; they couldn't stand it, for it was a con-
firmation to their envious hearts of all I had told them. Presently
one called me a boasting fool, and getting up said that my lord
was a yet greater fool for listening to me, and then added that
the lines I had been reading were not of my own making. ' No^
yoQ dog,' said he^ * they are not of your own making ; you got
somebodv to make them for you.' Now, I do not mind being
called a boaster, nor a dog either, but when he told me that my
verses were not my own, I couldn't contain myself, so I told him
he lied, whereupon he flung a gbss of liquor in my face, and I
knocked him down."
133 LA VBNGRO. [1819.
'* Mr. Parkinson, ' said I» *' are you much in the habit of
writing verses to great people ? " »
"Great and small. I consider nothing too high or too
low. I have written verses upon the king, and upon a prize oz ;
for the first I got nothing, but the owner of the ox at Christmas
sent me the better part of the chine."
'* In (act, you write on all kinds of subjects."
" And I carry them to the people whom I think they'll please."
" And what subjects please b^ ? "
** Animals ; my work chiefly lies in the country, and people
in the country prefer their animate to anything else."
** Have you ever written on amatory subjects ? "
" When young people are about to be married, I sometimes
write in that style ; but it doesn't take. People think, perhaps,
that I am jesting at them, but no one thinks I am jesting at bis
horse or his ox when I speak well of them. There was an old
lady who had a peacock ; I sent her some lines upon the bird ;
she never forgot it, and when she died she left me the bird
stuffed and ten pounds."
'' Mr. Parkinson, you put me very much in mind of the Welsh
baids."
*' The Weteh what?"
*< Bards. Did you never hear of them ? "
" Can't say that I ever did."
" You do not understand Welsh ? "
" I do not."
" Well, provided you did, I should be strongly disposed to
imagine that you imitated the Welsh bards."
" I imitate no one," said Mr. Parkinson ; *' though if you
mean by the Welsh bards the singing bards of the country, it is
possible we may resemble one another ; only I would scorn to
imitate anybody, even a bard."
" I was not speaking of birds, but bards — ^Webh poets — and
it is surprising how mud^ the turn of your genius coincides with
theirs. Why, the subjects of hundreds of their compositions are
the very subjects which you appear to delight in, and are the
inost profitable to you — beeves, horses, hawks — which, they de-
scribed to their owners in colours the most glowing and natural,
and then begged them as presents. I have even seen in Wdsh
an ode to a peacock.**
" I can't help it," said Parkinson, ** and I tdl you again that
I imitate nobody."
" Do you travel much about ? '^
zSi9.] JUDGE AND JURY. las
" Aye, ftye. As soon as I have got my seed into the ground,
or my crop into my barn, I lock up my home and set out from
bouse to house and village to village» and many is the time I sit
down beneath the hedges and take out my pen and inkhom.
It is owing to that, I suppose, that I have been called the flying
poet/' . . . [JVan/ing.]
" It appears to me, young man/' said Parkinson, " that you
are making game of me."
" I should as much scorn to make game of any one, as you
would scorn to imitate any one, Mr. Parkinson."
" Well, so much the better for us both. But we'll now talk
of my affair. Are you man enough to give me an opinion upon
it?"
"Quite so,* said I, *' Mr. Parkinson. I understand the case
clearly, and I unhesitatingly assert that any action for battery
brought against, you would be flung out of court, and the bringer
of said action be obliged to pay the costs, the original assault
having been perpetiated by himself when he flung the liquor in
your face ; and to set your mind perfectly at ease I will read to
you what Lord Chief Justice Blackstone says upon the subject."
** Thank you," said Parkinson, after I had read him an entire
chapter on the rights of persons, expounding as I went along.
" I see you understand the subject, and are a respectable young
man — ^which I rather doubted at first from your countenance,
which shows the folly of taking against a person for the cast of
his face or the glance of his eye. Now, I'll maintain that you
are a respectable young man, whoever says to the contrary ; and
that some day or other you will be an honour to your profession
and a credit to your friends. I like chapter and verse when I
ask a question, and you have given me both ; you shall never
want my good word; meanwhile, if there is anything that I can
oblige you in "
** There is, Mr. Parkinson, diere is."
"Well, what is it?"
** It has just occurred to me that you could give me a hint
or two at versification. I have just commenced, but I find it no
easy matter, the rhymes are particularly perplexing."
" Are you quite serious ? "
"Quite so; and to convince you, here is an ode of Ab
Gvrilym which I am translating, but I can get no farther than
the first verse."
"Why, that was just my case when I first began,*' said
Pairkinaon.
134 ^^ VBNGRO. [1619.
*
** I think I have been tolerably successful in the first verse,
and that I have not only gotten the sense of the author, but that
alliteration, which, as you may perhaps be aware, is one of the
most peculiar features of Welsh poetry. In the ode to which I
allude the poet complains of the barbarity of his mistress, Mor-
fydd, and what an unthankful task it is to be the poet of a beauty
so proud and disdainful, which sentiment I have partly rendered
thus : —
Mins if a task by no mmhs meny,
in which you observe that the first word of the line and the last
two commence with the same letter, according to the principle
of Welsh prosody. But now cometh the difiiculty. What is the
rhyme for merry ? "
" Zondonderryt" said the poet without hesitation, "as you
will see by the poem which I addressed to Mr. C, the celebrated
Whig agriculturist, on its being reported that the king was about
to pay him a visit: —
Bui if in our town k$ would wish to be msrry
Pray donH let him bring with him Lord Londonderry^
which two lines procured me the best friend I ever had in my
Hfe."
•' They are certainly fine lines," I observed, " and I am not
at all surprised that the agriculturist was pleased with them ; but
I am afraid that I cannot turn to much account the hint which
they convey. How can I possibly introduce Londonderry into
my second line ? "
" I see no difficulty," said Parkinson ; "just add:^
/ iing proud Mary of Londonderry
to your first line, and I do not see what objection could be made
to the couplet, as they call it.**
" No farther," said I, " than that she was not of Londonderry^
which was not even built at the time she lived."
" Well, have your own way," said Parkinson ; ** I see that
you have not had the benefit of a classical education."
" What makes you think so ? "
" Why, you never seem to have heard of poetical license."
" I see," said I, " that I must give up alliteration. Allitera-
tion and rhyme together will, I am afraid, be too much for me.
Perhaps the couplet had best stand thus : —
/ long have had a duty hard^
I long have been fair Morfydi^t bard.
i«i9.] EXIT PORTA. wj
** That won't do," said Parkinson.
"Why not?"
*' Because 'tis not English. Bard, indeed ! I tell you what,
young man, you have no talent (or poetry; if you had, you
would not want my help. No, no; cleave to your own pro-
fession and you will be an honour to it, but leave poetry to me.
I counsel you as a friend. Good-morning to you. "J
CHAPTER XX.
" I AM afiaid that I have not acted very wisely in putting this boy
of oars to the law," said my father to my mother, as they sat
together one summer evening in their little garden, beneath the
shade of some tall poplars.
Yes, there sat my father in the garden chair which leaned
against the wall of his quiet home, the haven in which he had
sought rest, and, praise be to God, found it, after many a year of
poorly requited toil ; there he sat, with locks of silver gray which
set off so nobly his fine bold but benevolent face^ his faithful
consort at his side, and his trusty dog at his feet — an eccentric
animal of the genuine regimental breed, who, bom amongst red-
coats, had not yet become reconciled to those of any other hue,
barking and tearing at them when they drew near the door, but
testifying his fond reminiscence of the former by hospitable
waggings of the tail whenever a uniform made its appearance — at
present a very unfrequent occurrence.
" I am afraid I have not done right in putting him to the
law," said my father, resting his chin upon his gold-headed bamboo
cane.
*' Why, what makes you think so?" said my mother.
" I have been taking my usual evening walk up the road, with
the animal here," said my father ; " and, as I walked along, I
overtook the boy's roaster, Mr. S- .^ We shook hands, and
after walking a little way farther, we turned back together, talking
about this and that ; the state of the country, the weather, and
the dog, which he greatly admired ; for he is a good-natured man,
and has a good word for everybody, though the dog all but bit
him when he attempted to coax his head ; after the dc^, we b^an
talking about the boy ; it was myself who introduced that subject :
I thought it was a good opportunity to learn how he was getting
on, so I asked what he thought of my son ; he hesitated at first,
seeming scarcely to know what to say ; at length be came out
iJ/5., "SimpMa^
("6)
i8aa] KING'S COURT. 127
With 'Oh, a very extiaordinaiy youth, a most remarkahlc youth
indeed, captain I' * Indeed,' said I, ' I am glad to hear it, but I
hope you find him steady ? ' ' Steady, steady,' said he, * why, yes,
he's steady, I cannot say that he is not steady.' ' Come, come,'
said I, beginning to be rather uneasy, * I see plainly that you are
not altogether satisfied with him ; I was afraid you would not be,
far, though he is my own son, I am anything but blind to his
imperfections : but do tell me what particular fault you have to
find with him; and I will'do my best to make him alter his
conduct.' 'No fault to find with him, captain, I assure you, no
fimlt whaterer ; the youth is a remarkable youth, an extraordinary
youth, only' — As I told you before, Mr. S is the best-natured
man in the world, and it was only with the greatest difficulty that
I could get him to say a single word to the disadvantage of the
boy, for whom he seems to entertain a very great regard. At last
I forced the truth from him, and grieved I was to hear it ; though
I must confess I was somewhat prepared for it It appears that
the lad has a total want of discrimination."
" I don't understand you," said my mother.
" You can understand nothing that would seem for a moment
to impugn the conduct of that child. I am not, however, so
blind ; want of discrimination was the word, and it both sounds
well, and is expressive* It appears that, since he has been placed
whane he is, he has been guilty of the grossest blunders ; only the
other day, Mr. S told me, as he was engaged in close con-
versation with one of his principal clients, the boy came to tell
him that a person wanted particularly to speak with him ; and, on
going out, he found a lamentable figure with one eye, who came
to a^ for chanty; whom, nevertheless, the lad had ushered into
a private room, and installed in an arm-chair, like a justice of the
peace, instead of teUmg him to go about his business — now what
did that show, but a total want of discrimination ? "
" I wish we may never have anything worse to reproach him
with," said my mother.
*' I don't know what worse we could reproach him with," said
my father : " I mean of course as far as his profession is con*
cemed: discrimination is the very key-stone; if he treated all
people alike, he would soon become a b^;gar himself; there are
grades in society as well as in the army ; and according to those
mrades we should fashion our behaviour, else there would instantly
be an end of all order and discipline. I am afraid that the child
is too condescending to his inferiors, whilst to his superiors he is
apt to be unbending enough ; I don't believe that would do in
123 LA VBNGRO. [i8ao
the world ; I am sure it would not in the army. He told me
another anecdote with respect to his behaviour, which shocked
me more than the oth^ had done. It appears that his wife, who,
by-the^bye, is a very fine woman, and highly fiishionabley gave
him permission to ask the boy to tea one evraing, for she is
herself rather partial to the lad ; there had been a great dinner
party there that day, and there were a great many foshionable
people, so the boy went and behaved very well and modestly for
some time, and was rather noticed, till, unluckily, a very great
gentleman, an archdeacon I think, put some questions to him,
and, finding that he understood the languages, began talking to
him about the classics. What do you think ? the boy had the
impertinence to say that the classics were much overvalued, and
amongst other things that some horrid fellow or other, some.
Welshman I think (thank God it was not an In'shman), was a
better poet than Ovid ; the company were of course horrified ;
the ardideacon, who is seventy years of age, and has ;£7ooo a
year, took snuff and turned away. Mrs. S-- — turned up her
eyes, Mr. S , however, told me with his usual good-nature
(I suppose to spare my feelings) that he rather enjoyed the thing,
and thought it a capital joke."
'< I think so too,'* said my mother.
*' I do not," said my father ; ** that a boy of his years should
entertain an opinion of his own — I mean one which militates
against all established authority — is astounding ; as well might a
raw recruit pretend to offer an unfavourable opinion on the manual
and platoon exercise; the idea is preposterous; the lad is too
independent by half. I never yet knew one of an independent
spirit get on in the army ; the secret of success in the army is the
spirit of subordination."
"Which is a poor spirit after all," said my mother; **but the
child is not in the army."
*' And it is well for him that he is not," said my father ; " but
you do not talk wisely, the world is a field of battle, and he who
leaves the ranks, what can he expect but to be cut down ? I call
his present behaviour leaving the ranks, and going vapouring
about without orders ; his only chance lies in falling in again as
quick as possible ; does he think he can carry the day by himself?
an opinion of his own at these years ! I confess I am exceedingly
uneasy about the lad."
[** I am not," said my mother ; " I have no doubt that Provid-
ence will take care of him."
" I repeat that I am exceedingly uneasy," said my faiher ; " I
i«2a] THE " IVAKB OP FREYA ». 129
can't help being so, and would give my largest piece of coin to
know what kind of part he will play in life."
**Snch curiosity is blamabte," said my mother, "highly so.
Let us leave these things to Providence, and hope for the best;
but to wish to pry into thefuture, which is hidden from us, and
wisely too, is mighty wicked. Tempt not Fravidence. I eaiiy
contracted a dread of that sin. When I was only a child, some«
thing occurred connected with divii^ into the future^ which had,
I hope, a salutary effect on my subsequent conduct. The fright
which I got then, I shall never forget. But it is getting dark, and
we had better go into the house."
" We are well enough here," said my father ; '* go on with
your discourse. You were speaking of tempting Providence, and
of having been frightened."
'* It was a long time ago," said my mother, " when I was quite
a child, and I was only a humble assistant in the affair. Your
wish to dive into the future brought it to my recollection. It was,
perhaps, only a foolish affair sifter all, and I would rather not
talk about it, especially as it is growing dark. We had better
go in."
'' A tale with any terror in it is all the better for being told in
die dark hour," said my father ; " you are not afraid, I hope."
*^Afiraid, indeed! Of what should I be afraid? And yet I
know not how it is, I feel a chill, as if something was casting a
cold shadow upon n>e. By-the-bye, I have often heard that child
talk of ao indescribable fear which sometimes attacks him and
which he calls the shadow. I wonder if it at all resembles what I
am feeling now I"
" Never mind the child or his shadow," said my father, '< but
let us hear the story."
** I have no objection to tell it ; but perhaps after all it is mere
nonsense and will only make you laugh."
'' Why, then, so much the better \ it will perhaps drive from
my head what Mr. Simpson told me, which I certainly considered
to be no laughing matter, though you and he did. I would hear
the story by all means."
" Well, so you shall. Tis said, however, that a superstition
lies at the bottom of it, as old as the Danes. So, at least, says
the child, who by some meaons or other has of late become
acquainted with their language. He says that of old they wor-
shipped a god whose name vras Frey, and that this Frey had a
wife."
" Indeed I ^ said my father, *' and v^o told you this ? "
o
1 30 LA VENGRO. [182a
''Why, the child," said my mother hesitatingly; "it was he
that told me."
" I am afraid that it will indeed prove a foolish story/' sa;d
my father; "the child is mixed up with it already."
" He is fwt mixed up with it," said my mother. ** What I
am about to relate occurred many a long year before he was bom.
But he is fond of hearing odd tales ; and some lime ago when he
was poorly, I told him this one amongst others, and it was then
he made the observation that it is a relic of the worship of the
Danes. Truly the child talked both sensibly and learnedly. The
Danes, he said, were once a mighty people, and were masters of
the land where we at present are ; that they had gods of their
own, strange and wild like themselves, and that it was their god
Frey who gave his name to what we call Friday."
" All this may be true," said my father, *' but I should never
think of quoting the child as an authority."
'' You jpust not be too hard on him," said my mother. "So
this Frey nad a wife whose name was Freya, and the child says
that the old pagans considered them as the gods of love and
marriage, and worshipped them as such; and that all young
damsds were in the habit of addressing themselves to Freya in
their love adventures, and of requesting her assistance. He told
me, and he quite frightened me when he said it, that a certain
night ceremony, in which I took part in my early youth, and
which is the affair to which I have alluded, was in every point
heathenish, being neither more nor less than an invocation to this
Freya, the wife of the old pagan god."
"AndT what ceremony might it be?" demanded my fiaither.
** It is getting something dark, ' he added, glancing around.
'*It is so," said my mother; ''but these tales, you know, are
best suited to the dark hour. The ceremony was rather a
singular one; the child, however, explains it rationally enough.
He says that this Freya was not only a very comely woman, but
also psffticularly neat in her person, and that she invariably went
dressed in snow-white b'nen."
''And how came the child to know all this? '* demanded my
fiither.
" Oh, that's his af&ir. I am merely repeating what he tells
tne. He reads strange books and converses with strange people.
What he says, however, upon this matter, seems sensible enough,
lliis Freya was fond of snow-white linen."
" And what has that to do with the story ? "
" Everything. I have told you that the young maidens were
iSaa] THB " WAKB OP FRBYA ». 13c
ai the habit of praying to her and requesting her fitvour and
aasistance in their love adventures, which it seems she readily
granted to those whom she took any interest in. Now the
readiest way to secure this interest and to procure her assistance
in any matter of the heart, was to flatter her on the point where
she was the most sensible. Whence the offering.''
'^ And what was the offering ? "
** It was once a common belief that the young maiden who
should wash her linen white in pure running water and should
'watch' it whilst drying before a fire from eleven to twelve at
night, would, at the stroke of midnight, see the face of the man
appear before her who was destined to be her husband, and the
child says that this was the ' Wake of Fnya '."
''I have heard of it before," said my father, *'but under
another name. So you were engaged in one of these watchings."
'' It was DO fault of mine," said my mother ; " for, as I told
yoo, I was very young, scarcely ten years of t%t ; but I had a
sister considerably older than myself, a nice girl, but somewhat
giddy and mther unsettled Perhaps, poor tlung, she had some
cause ; for a young man to whom she had been betrothed, had
died suddenly, which was of course a terrible disappointment to
her. Well, it is at such times that strange ideas, temptations
perhaps, come into our head. To be brief, she had a mighty
desire to know whether she was doomed to be married or not. I
remember that at that time there were many odd beliefs and
superstitions which have since then died away ; for those times
were not like these; there were highwaymen in the land, and
people during the winter evenings used to sit round the fire and
tell wonderful tales of those wild men and their horses ; and these
tales diey would blend with ghost stories and the like. My sister
was acquainted with all the tales and superstitions afloat and believed
in than. So she determined upon the wake, the night-watch of
Fre^ as the child calls it. But with all her curiosity she was a
timid creature, and was afraid to perform the ceremony alone.
So she told me of her plan, and begged me to stand by her.
Now, though I was a child, I had a spirit of my own and likewise
a curiosity ; and though I had other sisters, I loved her best of all
of them, so I promised her that I would stand by her. Then we
made our prepuations. The first thing we did was to walk over
to the town, which was about three miles distant — ^the pretty
little rural town which you and the child admire so much, and in
the neighbourhood of which I was bom — ^to purchase the article
we were in need of. After a considerable search we found such
iSt LA VENORO. IiSao.
an one as we thought would suit. It was of the best Holland,
and I remember that it cost us all the little pocket money we
could muster. This we brought home ; and that same night my
sister put it on and wore it for that once only. We had washed
it in a brook on the other side of the moor. I remember the
spot well ; it was in a little poql beneath an old hollow oak. The
next night we entered on the ceremony itself.
'' It happened to be Saturday, which was lucky for ub, as my
fa&er that night would be at the town, whither he went every
Saturday to sell grain ; for he fiurmed his own little estate, as you
know."
" I remember him well," said my father ; " he preferred ale to
wine."
'' My father was of the old race," said my mother, '* and lived
in the days of the highw^vymen and their horses, when * ale was
ale,' as he used to say, and ' was good for man and beast '• We
knew that on the night in question he would not be home till very
lite ; so we offered to sit up for him in lieu of the servant, who was
glad enough in such weather, and after a hard day's work, to escape
to her bed. My mother was indisposed and had retired to rest
early. Well do I remember that night; it was the beginning ot
December, and the weather for some time past had been piercingly
cold. The wind howled through the leafless boughs, and there was
every appearance of an early and severe winter, as indeed befel.
Long before eleven o'clock all was hushed and quiet widiin the
house, and indeed without (nothing was heard), except the cold
wind which howled mournfully in gusts. The house was an old
farm-house, and we sat in the large kitchen with its stone floor,
awaiting the first stroke of the eleventh hour. It struck at last,
and then all pale and trembling we hung the garment to dry
before the fire which we had piled up with wood, and set the
door ajar, for that was an essential point. The door was lofty
and opened upon the farmyard, through which there was a kind
of thoroughfare, very seldom used, it is true, and at each end of it
there was a gate by which wayfarers occasionally passed to shorten
the way. There we sat without speaking a word, shivering with
cold and fear, listening to the clock which went slowly, tick,
tick, and occasioually starting as the door creaked on its hinges,
or a half-burnt billet fell upon the hearth. My sister was ghastly
white, as white as the garment which was drying before the fire*
And now half an hour had elapsed and it was time to tturn. . .
This we did, I and my sister, without saying a word, and then we
again sank on our chairs on either side of the fire. I was tired.
xSm] THE « WAKB OP PREY A \ 131
and as the clock went tick-a-tick, I began to feel myself dozing.
I did doze, I believe. All of a sudden I sprang up. The clock
was striking one, two, but ere it could give the third chime,
mercy upon us ! we heard the gate slam to with a tremendous
noise. • . ."
" Well, and what happened then ? "
" Happened 1 before I could recover myself, my sister had
sprung to the door and both locked and bolted it. The next
moment she was in convulsions. I scarcely knew what happened ;
and yet it appeared to me for a moment that something pressed
i^ainst the door with a low moaning sound. Whether it was the
wind or not, I can't say. I shall never forget that night. About
two hours later, my father came home. He^ad been set upon
by a highwayman whom he beat off."
" And what was the result ? "
**The result? why, my sister was ill for many weeks. Poor
thing, she never throve, married poorly, flung herself away."
** I don't see much in the story,'' said my father ; " I should
have laughed at it, only there is one thing I don't like."
"What is that?"
''Why, the explanation of that strange child. It seems so
odd that he should be able to interpret it The idea came this
moment into my head. I daresay it's all nonsense, but, but . • •"
^ " Oh, I daresay it's nonsense. Let us go in."
" If, after all, it should have been the worship of a demon !
Your sister was punished, you say — she never throve ; now how
do we know that you may not be punished too ? That child with
his confusion of tongues "
" I really think you are too hard upon him. After all, though
not, perhaps, all you could wish, he is not a bad child ; he is
always ready to read the Bible. Let us go in ; he is in the room
above us ; at least he was two hours ago. I left him there bend-
ing over his books ; I wonder what he has been doing all this
time. Let us go in, and he shall read to us."]
" I am getting old," said my father ; " and I love to hear the
Bible read to me, for my own sight is something dim ; yet I do
not wish the child to read to me this night, I cannot so soon
foiget what I have heard ; but I hear my eldest son's voice, he is
now entering the gate ; he shall read the Bible to us this night
What say you ? "
CHAPTER XXL
Thb ddest son > The regard and affection which my fatner
entertained for his first-bom were natural enough, and appeared
to none more so than myself, who cherished the same feelings
towards him. What he was as a boy the reader already knows,
for the reader has seen him as a boy ; fain would I describe him
at the time of which I am now speaking, when he had attained the
verge of manhood, but the pen fails me, and I attempt not the
task; and yet it ought to be an easy one, for how fi«quently does
his form visit my mind's eye in slumber and in wakefulness, in
the light of day, and in the night watches ; but last night I saw
him in his beauty and his strength ; he was about to speak, and
my ear was on the stretch, when at once I awoke, and there was
I alone, and the n^ht storm was howling amidst the branches of
the pines which surround my lonely dwelling: "Listen to the
moaning of the pine, at whose root thy hut is fiutened," — a
saying £at, of wild Finland, in which there is wisdom ; I listened,
and thought of life and death. • . . Of ail human beings that I
have ever known, that elder brother was the most inuik and
generous, ay, and the quickest and readiest, and the hesi adapted
to do a great thing needful at the critical time, when the delay of
a poment would be fatal I have known him dash from a steep
bank into a stream in his full dress, and pull out a man who was
drowning; yet there were twenty otheis bathing in the water, who
might have saved him by putting out a hand, without inconveni-
ence to themselves, which, however, they did not do, but stared
with stupid surprise at the drowning one's struggles. Yes, whilst
some shouted from the bank to those in the water to save the
drowning one, and those in the water did nothing, my brother
neither shouted nor stood still, but dashed from the bank and did
the one thing needful, which, under such circumstances, not one
man in a million would have done. Now, who can wonder that
a biave old man should love a son like this, and prefer him to
any other?
" My boy, my own boV| you are the very image of mysdf the
day I took off my coat m the park to fight Big Ben/' said my
(»34)
iSaxJ " THB ELDEST SONJ' 135
father, on meeting his son wet and dripping, immediately after hb
bold feat And who cannot excuse the honest pride of the old man
— the stout old man ?
Ay, old man, that son was worthy of thee, and thou wast
worthy of such a son ; a noble specimen wast thou of those strong
single-minded Englishmen, who, without making a parade either
of religion or loyalty, feared God and honoured their king, and
were not particularly friendly to the French, whose vaunting polls
they occasionally broke, as at Minden and Malplaquet, to the
confusion vast of the eternal foes of the English land. I, who
was so little like thee that thou understoodst me not, and in whom
with justice thou didst feel so little pride, had yet perception
enough to see sdl thy worth, and to feel it an honour to be able
to call myself thy son ; and if at some no distant time, when the
foreign enemy ventures to insult our shore, I be permitted to
break some vaunting poll, it will be a triumph to me to think that,
if thou hadst lived, diou wouldst have hailed the deed, and mightest
yet discover some distant semblance to thyself, the day when thou
didst all but vanquish the mighty Brain.
I have already spoken of my brother's taste for painting, and
the progress he had made in that beautiful art It is probable
that, if circumstances had not eventually diverted his mind from
the pursuit, he would have attained excellence, and left behind
him some enduring monument of his powers, for he had an
imagination to conceive, and that yet rarer endowment, a hand
capable of giving life, body, and reality to the conceptions of his
mind ; periuy>s he wanted one thing, the want of which is but too
often fatal to the sons of genius, and without which genius is little
mcve than a splendid toy in the hands of the possessor — persever-
ance, dogged perseverance, in his proper calling ; otherwise, though
the grave had closed over him, he might still be living in the
admiration of his fellow-creatures. O ye gifted ones, follow your
calling, for, however various your talents may be, ye can have
but one calling capable of leading ye to eminence and renown ;
follow resolutely the one straight path before you, it is that of
your good angel, let neither obstacles nor temptations induce ye
to leave it; bound along if you can ; if not on hands and knees
follow it, perish in it, if needful ; but ye need not fear that ; no
one ever yet died in the true path of his calling before he had
attained the pinnacle. Turn into other paths, and for a momentary
advantage or gratification ye have sold your inheritance, your
immortality. Ye will never be heard of after death.
** My father has given me a hundred and fifty pounds," said
136 LA VENGRO. [i8ai.
my brother to me one morning, ^and something which is better-—
his blessing. I am going to leave you."
•'Where are you going?"
" Where ? to the great city ; to London, to be sure.''
" I should like to go with you."
" Pooh," said my brother, '^ what should you do there ?" But
don't be discouraged, I daresay a time will come when you too will
go to London."
And, sure enough, so it did, and all but too soon.
" And what do you purpose doing there ? " I demanded*
*' Oh, I go to improve myself in art, to place mjrself under
some master of high name, at least I hope to do so eventually.
I have, however, a plan in my head, which I should wish first to
execute; indeed, I do not think I can test till I have done so;
every one talks so much about Italy, and the wondrous artists
which it has produced, and the wondrous pictures which are to be
found there ; now I wish to see Italy, or rather Rome, the great
city, for I am told that in a certain room there is contained the
grand miracle of art."
'* And what do you call it ? "
"The Transfiguration, painted by one Rafael, and it is said to
be the greatest work of the greatest painter which the world has
ever known. I suppose it is because everybody says so, that I
have such a strange desire to see it. I have already made myself
well acquainted with its locality, and think that I could almost
find my way to it blindfold. When I have crossed the Tiber,
which, as you are aware, runs through Rome, I must presently
turn to the right, up a rather shabby street, which communicates
with a large square, the farther end of which is entirely occupied
by the front of an immense church, with a dome, which ascends
almost to the clouds, and this church they call St. Peter's."
" Ay, ay," said I, " I have read about that in Keysler's Travels/'
" Before the church, in the square, are two fountains, one on
either side, casting up water in showers; between them, in the
midst, is an obelisk, brought from Egypt, and covered with
mysterious writing; on your right rises an edifice, not beautiful
nor grand, but huge and bulky, where lives a strange kind of
priest whom men call the Pope, a very horrible old individual,
who would fain keep Christ in leading-strings, calls the Virgin
Mary the Queen of Heaven, and himself God's Lieutenant*Genera]
upon earth.*'
" Ay, ay,** said I, " I have read of him in Fox's Book of
Martyrsr
itoij 'OLD CROMB.' 137
" Well, I do not go straight forward up the flight of steps
conducting into the church, but I turn to the right, and, passing
under the piazza, find mysdf in a court of the huge bulky house;
and then ascend various staircases, and pass along various corridors
and galleries, all of which I couM describe to you, though I have
never seen them ; at last a door is unlocked, and we enter a room
rather high, but not particularly large, commimicating with another
room, into which, however, I do not go, though there are noble
things in that second room — ^immortal things, by immortal artists ;
amongst others, a grand piece of Corregio ; I do not enter it, for
the grand picture of the world is not there: but I stand still
immediately on entering the first room, and I look straight before
me, neither to the right nor left, though there are noble things
both on the right and left, for immediately before me at the
£mher end, hanging against the wall, is a picture which arrests
me, and I can see nothing else, for that picture at the fiuther end
hanging against the wall is the picture of the world . * "
Yes, go thy way, young enthusiast, and, whether to London
town or to old Rome, may success attend thee ; yet strange fears
assaO me and misgivings on thy account. Thou canst not rest,
thou say'st, till thou hast seen the picture in the chamber at old
Rome hanging over against ^e wall; ay, and thus thou dost
exemplify &y weakness — thy strength too, it may be — ^for the
one idea, fantastic yet lovely, which now possesses thee, could
only have originated in a genial and fervent brain. Well, go, if
thou must go ; yet it perhaps were better for thee to bide in thy
native land, and there, with fear and trembling, with groanings,
with straining eyeballs, toil, drudge, slave, till thou hast made
excellence thine own ; thou wilt scarcely acquire it by staring at
the picture over against the door in the high chamber of old
Rome. Seekest thou inspiration ? thou needest it not, thou hast
it already ; and it was never yet found by crossing the sea. What
hast thou to do with old Rome, and thou an Englishman ? ** Did
thy blood never glow at the mention of thy native land?** as an
artist merely ? Yes, I trow, and with reason, for thy native land
need not grudge old Rome her ** pictures of ^e world '* ; she has
pictures of her own, *' pictures of England" ; and is it a new thing
to toss up caps and shout — England against the world? Yes,
against the world in all, in all ; in science and in arms, in minstrel
strain, and not less in the art <' which enables the hand to deceive
the intoxicated soul by means of pictures "•* Seek'st models ? to
*lUO|MtOC}i
158 LA VBNQRO. [1831.
Gainsborough and Hogarth turn, not names of the world, may
be^ but English names — and England against the world 1 A living
master? why, there be comes I thou hast had him long, he has
long guided thy young hand towards the excellence which is yet
far from thee, but which thou canst attain if thou shouldst persist
and wrestlCf even as he has donet, midst gloom and despondency
— ay, and even contempt ; he who now comes up the creaking
stair to thy little studio in the second floor to inspect thy last
effort before thou departest, the little stout man whose face is veiy
dark, and whose eye is vivacious ; that man has attained excellence^
destined some day to be acknowledged, though not till he is cold,
and his mortal part returned to its kindred clay. He has painted,
not pictures of the world, but English pictures, such as Gains-
borough himself might have done; beautiful rural pieces, with
trees which might well tempt the wild birds to perch upon them :
thou needest not run to Rome, brother, where lives the old Mario-
later, after pictures of the world, whibt at home there are pictures
of England ; nor needest thou even go to London, the big city,
in search of a master, for thou hast one at home in the old East
Anglian town who can instruct thee whilst thou needest instruc-
tion. Better stay at home^ brother, at least for a season, and toil
and strive 'midst groanings and despondency till thou hast attained
excellence even as he has done — the little dark man with the
brown coat and the top-boots, whose name will one day be con-
sidered the chief ornament of the old town, and whose works will
at no distant period rank among the proudest pictures of England
— and England against the world l-Ahy master, my brother, thy,
at present, all too little considered master — Crome.
CHAPTER XXII.
But to proceed with my own story : I now ceased all at once to
take much pleasure in the pursuits which formerly interested me,
I yawned over Ab Gwiljon ; even as I now in my mind's eye
perceive the reader yawning over the present pages. What was
the cause of this ? Constitutional lassitude, or a desire for novelty ?
Both it is probable had some influence in the matter, but I rather
think that the latter feeling was predominant The parting words
of my brother had sunk into my mind. He had talked of travel-
ling in strange regions and seeing strange and wonderful objects,
and my imagination fell to work and drew pictures of adventures
wOd and fitntastici and I thought what a fine thing it must be to
travel, and I wished that my father would give me his blessing,
and the same sum that he had given my brother, and bid me go
forth into the world ; always forgetting that I had neither talents
nor energies at this period which would enable me to make any
sttCcessftS figure on its stage.
And then I again sought up the book which had so captivated
me in my infimcy, and I read it through ; and I sought up others
of a similar character, and in seeking for them I met books also
of adventure, but by no means of a harmless description, lives of
wicked and lawless men, Munay and Latroon — ^boo3u of singular
power, but of coarse and prurient imagination — books at one time
highly in vogue; now deservedly forgotten, and most difficult to
be found.
And when I had gone through these books, what was my
state of mind? I had derived entertainment firom their perusal,
but they left me more listless and unsettled than before, and I
really knew not what to do to pass my time* My phOological
studies had become distastefiil, and I had never taken any pleasure
in the duties of my profession. I sat behind my desk in a state of
torpor, my mind almost as blank as the paper before me, on which
I rarely traced a line. It was always a relief to hear the bell rin^
as it afforded me an opportunity of doing something which I was
yet capable of doing, to rise and open the door and stare in the
(139)
140 LA VBNORO. [z8aa
countenances of the visitors. All of a sudden I fell to studying
countenances, and soon flattered myself that I had made consider-
able progress in the science.
"There is no faith in countenanceSi" said some Roman of
old; "trust anything but a person's countenance." "Not trust
a man*s countenance?" say some modems, "why, it is the only
thing in many people that we can trust ; on which account they
keep it most assiduously out of the way. Trust not a man's words
if you please, or you may come to very erroneous conclusions ;
but at all times place implicit confidence in a man's countenance
in which there is no deceit ; and of necessity there can be none.
^ If people would but look each other more in the foce, we should
^have less cause to complain of the deception of the world ; noth-
ing so easy as physiognomy nor so useful." Somewhat in this
latter strain I thought, at the time of which I am speaking. I
am now older, and let us hope, less presumptuous. It is true
that in the course of my life I have scarcely ever had occasion
to repent placing confidence in individuals whose countenances
have prepossess^ me in their fisivour ; though to how many I may
have been unjust, from whose countenances I may have drawn
unfavourable conclusions, is another matter.
But it had been decreed by Fate, which governs our every
action, that I was soon to return to my old pursuits. It was
written that I should not yet cease to be Lavengro, though I had
become, in my own opinion, a kind of Lavater. It is singular
enough that my renewed ardour for philology seems to have been
brought about indirectly by my physiognomical researches, in
which had I not indulged, the event which I am about to relate^
as far as connected with myself, might never have occurred.
Amongst the various countenances which I admitted during the
period of my answering the bell, there were two which particularly
pleased me, and which belonged to an elderly yeoman and his
wife, whom some, little business had brought to our law sanctuary.
I believe they experienced from me some kindness and attention,
which won the old people's hearts. So, one day, when their
little business had been brought to a conclusion, and they chanced
to be alone with me, who was seated as usual behind the deal desk
in the outer room, ^e old man with some confusion began to tell
me how grateful himself and dame felt for the many attentions I
had shown them, and how desirous they were to make me some
remutieratfon. " Of course," said the old man, " we must be
cautious what we offer to so fine a young gentleman as yourself;
we have* however, something we think will just suit the occasion,
ztan] THE DANES. 141
a strange kind of thing which people say is a book, though no one
that my <lame or myself have shown it to can make anything out
of it ; so as we are told that you are a fine young gentleman, who
can read all the tongues of the earth and stars, as the Bible says,
we thought* I and my dame, that it would be just the thing you
would like ; and my dame has it now at the bottom of her
basket."
*' A booky" sad I, '* how did you come by it ? "
** We live near the sea," said the old man ; ** so near that
sometimes our thatch is wet with the spray ; and it m^y now be a
year ago that there was a fearful storm, and a ship was driven
ashore during the night, and ere the mom was a com{dete wredc.
When we got up at da^ight, there were the poor shivering crew
at our door ; they were foreigners, red-haired men, whose speech
we did not understand ; but we took them in, and warmed them»
and they remained with us three days ; and when they went away
they left behind them this thing, here it is» part of the contents of
a box which was washed ashore."
** And did you learn who they were ? "
'*Why, yes; they made us understand ttat they were
Danes."
Danes I thought I, Danes! and instantaneously, huge and
grisly, appeared to rise up before my vision the skull of the old
pirate Dane, even as I haid seen it of yore in the pent-house of the
ancient church to which, with my mother and my brother, I had
wandered on the memorable summer eve.
And now the old man handed me the book ; a strange and
onoouth-looking volume enough. It was not very large, but in-
stead of the usual covering was bound in wood* and was compressed
with strong iron clasps. It was a printed book, but the pages
were not of paper, but vellum, and the characters were black, and
resembled those generally termed Gothic.
** It is certainly a curious book," said I ; ^' and I should like
to have it, bat I can't think of taking it as a gift, I must give you
an equivalent, I never take presents from anybody."
The old man whispered with his dame and chuckled, and then
turned his £Bice to me and said, with another chuckle : ** Well, we
have agreed about the price ; but maybe you will not consent."
** I don't know," said I ; " what do you demand ? "
** Why, that you shake me by the hand, and hold out your
cheek to my old dame, she has taken an affection to you."
** 1 shall be very glad to shake you by the hand," said I, " but
aa Cor the other condition it requires consideration."
14a LA VBNORO. [itea
" No coorideration at aU,** said the old man, with
like a sigh ; '' she thinks you like her son, our only child
was lost twenty years ago in the waves of the North
*' Oh, that alters the case altogether," said I, ** and of comae
I can have no objection."
And now, at once, I shook off my listlessness, to enable me
to do which nothing could have happened more opportune than
the above event The Danes, the Danes 1 And I was at last to
become acquainted, and in so singular a manner, with the speedi
of a people which had as fiur back as I could remember exerdaed
the strongest influence over my imagination, as how should they
not 1 — ^in infancy there was the summer-eve adventure, to which I
often looked back, and always with a kind of strange interest, with
respect to those to whom such gigantic and wondrous bones could
belong as I had seen on that occasion ; and more than this, I had
been in Ireland, and there, under peculiar circumstances, this
same interest was increased tenfold I had mingled much whilst
there with the genuine Irish — a wild, but kind-hearted raoe^ whose
conversation was deeply imbued with traditionary km, connected
with the early history of their own romantic 1an<^ and from them
I heard enough of the Danes, but nothing commonplace^ for they
never mentioned them but in tenns which tallied well with my
own preconceived ideas. For at an early period the Danes had
invaded Ireland, and had subdued it, and, though eventually
driven out, had left behind them an enduring remembrance in
the minds of the people, who loved to speaik of their strength and
their stature, in evidence of which they would point to the ancient
rnths or mounds, where the old Danes were buried, and where
bones of extraordinary size were occasionally exhumed. And as the
Danes surpassed other people in strength, so, according to my
narrators, they also excelled all others in wisdom, or rather in
Draoiiheac^ or Magic, for they were powerful sorcerers, they said,
compared with whom the faory men of the present day knew
nothing at all, at all I and, amongst other wonderful things, they
knew how to make strong beer from the heather that grows upon
the b<^ Little wonder if the interest^ the mjrsterious interest,
which I had early felt about the Danes, was increased tenfold by
my sojourn in Ireland.
And now I had in my possession a Danish book, which, from
its appearance, might be supposed to have belonged to the very
old Danes indeed ; but how was I to turn it to any account ? I
had the book, it is true, but I did not understand the language
i8m.] MUGQLBTONIANS. 143
and how was I to overcome that difficulty ? hardly by poring over
the book ; yet I did pore over the book, daily and nightly, till my
eyes were dim, and it appeared to me ev^y now and then I
enconntered words which I understood — English words, though
stiangely disguised ; and I said to myself, courage 1 English and
Danish are cognate dialects, a time will come when I shiJi under*
stand this Dsmish ; and then I pored over the book again, but
with all my poring I could not understand it ; and then I became
angry, and I bit my lips till the blood came ; and I ooounonally
tore a handful from my hair and flung it upon the floor, but that
did not mend the matter, for still I did not understand the book,
iHiich, however, I began to see was written in rhyme — a circum-
stance rather difficult to discover at firsts the arrangement of the
lines not differing from that which is employed in prose ; and its
being written in rhyme made me only Uw more eager to under*
stand it.
But I toiled in vain, for I had neither gnunmar nor dictionary
of the language ; and when I sought for them could procure
neither ; and I was much dispirited, till suddenly a bright thought
came into my head, and I said, although I cannot obtain a
dictionary or grammar, I can perhaps obtain a Bible in this
language, and if I can procure a BiUe, I can learn the language,
for the BiUe in every tongue contains the same thing, and I have
only to compare the words of the Danish Bible with those of
tiie English, and, if I persevere, I shall in time acquire the
language of the Danes ; and I was pleased with the thought,
which I considered to be a bright one, and I no longer bit my
lips, <x tore my hair, but took my hat, andi going forth, I flung
my hat into the air.
And when my hat came down, I put it on my head and x
commenced running, directing my course to the house of the ^
Antinomian preacher, who sold books, uid whom I knew to
have Bibles in various tongues amongst the number, and I
arrived out of breath, and I found the Antinomian in his little
library, dusting his books ; and the Antinomian clergyman was a
tall man of about seventy, who wore a hat with a broad brim and
a shallow crown, and whose manner of speaking was exceedingly
nasal ; and when I saw him, I cried, out of breath, " Have you a
Danish Bible?" and he replied, *<What do you want it for,
friend ? " and I answered, ^* to learn Danish by ; " " and may be
to learn thy duty, " replied the Antinomian preacher. ''Truly, I
have it not; but, as you are a customer of mine, I will endeavour
10 procure you one^ and I will write to that laudable society
144 ^ VSNORO. [iSad.
which men call the Bible Society, an unworthy member of which
I am, and I hope by next week to procure what you desire."
And when I heard these words of the old man, I was very
glad, and my heart yearned towards him, and I would fain enter
into conversation with him ; and I said, ** Why are you an
Antinomian ? For my part, I would lather be a dog than belong
to such a religion.'' ^* Nay* friend," said the Antinomian, " thou
forejudgest us ; know that those who call us Antinomians call us
so despitefuUy, we do not acknowledge the designation." '' Then
you do not set all law at nought?" said I. *'Far be it from
us,'* said the old man, " we only hope that, being sanctified by
the Spirit from above^ we have no need of the law to keep us in
order. Did you ever hear tell of Lodowick Muggleton ? " '' Not
I." ^That is strange; know then that he was the founder of
our poor society, and after him we are frequently, though op-
probriously, termed Muggletonians, for we are Christians. Here
is his book, which, perhaps, you can do no better than purchase,
you are fond of rare books, and this is both curious and rare ; I
will sell it cheap. Thank you, and now be gone, I will do all I
can to procure the Bible."
And in this manner I procured the Danish Bible, and I com-
menced my task ; first of all, however, I locked up in a closet the
volume which had excited my curiosity, saying, ''Out of this
closet thou comest not till I deem myself competent to read
thee," and then I sat down in right earnest, comparing every line
in the one version with the corresponding one in the other ; and
I passed entire nights in this manner, till I was almost blind, and
the task was tedious enough at first, but I quailed not, and soon
began to make progress. And at first I had a misgiving that the
old book might not prove a Danish book, but was soon reassured
by reading many words in the Bible which I remembered to have
seen in the book ; and then I went on right merrily, and I found
that the language which I was studying was by no means a
difificult one, and in less than a month I deaned myself able to
read the book.
Anon, I took the book from the closet, and proceeded to make
myself master of its contents ; I had some difiiculty, for the
language of the book, though in the main the same as the
language of the Bible, differed from it in some points, being
apparently a more ancient dialect ; by degrees, however, I over-
came this difficulty, and I understood the contents of the booki
and well did they correspond with all those ideas in which I had
indulged connected with the Danes. For the book was a book
of ballads, about the deeds of knights and champions, and men
of huge stature ; ballads which from time immemorial had been
sung in the North, and which some two centuries before the time
of which I am speaking had been collected by one Anders Vedel,
who lived with a certain Tycho Brahe, and assisted him in
making observations upon the heavenly bodies, at a place called
Uranias Castle, on the litde island of Hveen, in the Cattegat.
*w
CHAPTER XXIIL
It might be some six months after the events last recorded, that
two individuals were seated together in a certain room, in a
certain street of the old town which I have so frequently had
occasion to mention in the preceding pages ; one of them was an
elderly, and the other a very young man, and they sat on either
side of the fire-place, beside a table, on which were fruit and
wine; the room was a small one, and in its furniture exhibited
notliing remarkable. Over the mantelpiece, however, hung a
small picture with naked figures in the foreground, and with
much foliage behind. It might not have struck every beholder,
for it looked old and smoke-dried ; but a connoisseur, on inspect-
ing it closely, would have pronounced it to be a Judgment of
Paris, and a masterpiece of the Flembh School.
The forehead of the elder individual was high, and perhaps
appeared more so than it really was, from the hair being carefully
brushed back, as if for the purpose of displaying to the best
advantage that part of the cranium ; his eyes were large and full,
and of a light brown, and might have been called heavy and dull,
had they not been occasionally lighted up by a sudden gleam —
not so brilliant, however, as that which at every inhalation shone
from the bowl of the long clay pipe he was smoking, but which,
from a certain sucking sound which about this time began to be
heard from the bottom, appeared to be giving notice that it
would soon require replenishment from a certain canister, which,
together with a lighted taper, stood upon the table beside
him.
** You do not smoke?" said he, at length, laying down his
pipe, and directing his glance to his companion.
Now there was at least one thing singular connected with this
last, namely, the colour of his hair, which, notwithstanding his
extreme youth, appeared to be rapidly becoming grey. He had
very long limbs, and was apparently tall of stature, in which
he differed from his elderly companion, who must have been
somewhat below the usual height.
(146)
Wiu-iAH Taylor op Norwich (bo
to •
m
» k .
* k •
laSi.] THE ANGLO'GBRMANIST. 147
"No, I can't smoke," said the youth in reply to the observa-
tion of the other. '' I have often tried, but could never succeed
to my satisfaction."
** Is it possible to become a good German without smoking ? "
said the senior, half-speaking to himself.
'* I dare say not," said the youth ; " but I shan't break my
heart on that account."
" As for breaking your heart, of course you would never think
of such a thing ; he is a fool who breaks his heart on any ac-
count j but it is good to be a German, the Germans are the most
philosophic people in the world, and the greatest smokers ; now
I trace their philosophy to their smoking."
"I have heard say their philosophy is all smoke — is that
your opinion ? "
" Why,'no ; but smoking has a sedative effect upon the nerves,
and enables a man to bear the sorrows of this life (of which every
one has his share) not only decently, but dignifiedly. Suicide is
not a national habit in Germany as it is in England."
" But that poor creature, Werther, who committed suicide,
was a German."
** Werther is a fictitious character, and by no means a feli-
citous one ; I am no admirer either of Werther or his author.
But I should say that, if there was a Werther in Germany, he
did not smoke. Werther, as you very justly observe, was a poor
creature."
" And a very sinful one ; I hav6 heard my parents say that
suicide is a great crime."
*' Broadly, and without qualification, to say that suicide is
a crime, is speaking somewhat unphilosophically. No doubt
suicide, under many circumstances, is a crime, a very heinous one.
When the father of a family, for example, to escape from certain
difficulties, commits suicide, he commits a crime ; there are those
around him who look to him for support, by the law of nature,
and he has no right to withdraw himself from those who have a
claim upon his exertions ; he is a person who decamps with other
people's goods as well as his own. Indeed, there can be no
crime which is not founded upon the depriving others of some*
thing which belongs to them. A man is hanged for setting fire
tahis house in a crowded city, for he burns at the same time or
damages those of other people ; but if a man who has a house on
a heath sets fire to it, he is not hanged, for he has not damaged
or endangered any other individual's property, and the principle
of revenge, upon which all punishment is founded, has not been
248 LA VBNGRO. [i Sax.
aroused Similar to such a case is that of the man who, without
any family ties, commits suicide ; for example, were I to do the
thing this evening, who would have a right to c^ me to account ?
I am alone in the world, have no family to support and, so far
from damaging any one, should even benefit my heir by my ac-
celerated death. However, I am no advocate for suicide under
any circumstances ; there is something undignified in it, unheroic,
un-Germanic. But if you must commit suicide — and there is no
knowing to what people may be brought — always contrive to do
it as decorously as possible ; the decencies, whether of life or
of death, should never be lost sight ofl I remember a^ female
Quaker who committed suicide by cutting her throat, but she did
it decorously and decently : kneeling down over a pail, so that
not one drop fell upon the floor, thus exhibiting in her last act
that nice sense of neatness for which Quakers are distinguished.
I have always had a respect for that woman's memory."
And here, filling his pipe from the canister, and lighting it at
the taper, he recommenced smoking calmly and sedately.
"But is not suicide forbidden in the Bible?" the youth
demanded.
"Why, no; but what though it were I — the Bible is a respect-
able book, but I should hardly call it one whose philosophy is of
the soundest. I have said that it is a respectable book ; I mean
respectable-from its antiquity^ and from containing, as Herder says,
' the earliest records of the human race,* though those records are
far from being dispassionately written, on which account they are
of less value than they otherwise might have been. There is too
much passion in the Bible, too much violence ; now, to come to
all trudi, especially historic truth, requires cool, dispassionate in-
vestigation, for which the Jews do not appear to have ever been
famous. We are ourselves not famous for it, for we are a
passionate people ; the Germans are not — ^they are not a passion-
ate people — ^a people celebrated for their oaths: we are. The
Germans have many excellent historic writers, we — 'tis true we
have Gibbon« You have been reading Gibbon — ^what do you
think of him ? *'
** I think him a very wonderful writer."
" He is a wonderful writer — one sui generis — uniting the per-
spicuity of the English — for we are perspicuous — ^witb the cool*
dispassionate reasoning of the Germans. Gibbon sought after
the truth, found it, and made it clear.*'
** Then you think Gibbon a truthful writer."
"Why, yes ; who shall convict Gibbon of falsehood ? Many
i8ai.] GIBBON. 149
people have endeavoured to convict Gibbon of falsehood ; they
have followed him in his researches, and have never found him
once tripping. Oh, he's a wonderful writer ! his power of con-
densation is admirable ; the lore of the whole world is to be
found in his pages. Sometimes in a single note he has given us
the result of the study of years ; or, to speak metaphoric^ly, * he
has ransacked a thousand Gulistans, and has condensed aU his
fragrant booty into a single drop of otto \"
*'But was not Gibbon an enemy to the Christian faith ?**
"Why, no-;^he was rather an enemy to priestcraft, so am I ;
and when I say the philosophy of the Bible is in many respects
unsound, I always wish to make an exception in favour of that
part of it which contains the life and sayings of Jesus of Bethlehem,
to which I must always concede my unqualified admiration — of
Jesus, mind you ; for with his followers and their dogmas I have
nothing to do. Of all historic characters, Jesus is the most
beautiful and the most heroic. I have always been a friend to
hero-woTship, it is the only rational one, and has always been
in use amongst civilised people — ^the worship of spirits is
synonymous with barbarism — it is mere fetish; the savages
oif West Africa are all spirit worshippers. But there is some-
thing i^ilosophic in the worship of the heroes of the human
race, and the true hero is the benefactor. Brahma, Jupiter,
Bacdius, were all benefactors, and, therefore, entitled to the
worship of their respective peoples. The Celts worshipped
Hesus, who taught them to plough, a highly useful art. We, who
have attained a much higher state of civilisation than the Celts
ever did, worship Jesus, the first who endeavoured to teach men
to behave decently and decorously under all circumstances ; who
was the foe of vengeance, in which there is something highly
indecorous; who had first the courage to lift his voice against
that violent dogma, 'an eye for an eye'; who shouted conquer,
but conquer with kindness ; who said put up the sword, a violent,
onphilosophic weapon; and who finally died calmly and de-
corously in defence of his philosophy. He must be a savage who
denies worship to the hero of Golgotha."
" But he was something more than a hero ; he was the Son of
God, wasn't he?"
The elderly individual made no immediate answer ; but, alter
a few more whifis from his pipe, exclaimed : " Come, fill your
glass 1 How do you advance with your translation of Tell ? "
" It is nearly finished ; but I do not think I shall proceed with
it ; I begin to tbiiik the original somewhat dull."
ISO LA VBNGRO. [i8ai-
" There you are wrong ; it is the masterpiece of Schiller, the
first of German poets."
'' It may be so, " said the youth. '' But, pray excuse me, I do
not think very highly of German poetry. I have lately been read-
ing Shakespeare, and, when I turn from him to the Germans —
even the best of them — they appear mere pigmies. You will
pardon the liberty I perhaps take in saying sa"
" I like that every one should have an opinion of his own/'
said the elderly individual; "and, what is more, declare it.
Nothing displeases me more than to see people assenting to
everything that they hear said ; I at once come to the conclusion
that they are either hypocrites, or there is nothing in them. But,
with respect to Shakespeare, whom I have not read for thirty
years, is he not rather given to bombast, 'crackling bombast,' as
I think I have said in one of my essays ? **
'' I daresay he is," said the youth ; *' but I can't help thinking
him the greatest of all poets, not even excepting Homer. I would
sooner have written that series of plays, founded on the fortunes
of the House of Lancaster, than the Iliad itself. The events
described are as lofty as those sung by Homer in his great work,
and the characters brought upon the stage still more interesting.
I think Hotspur as much of a hero as Hector, and young Henry
more of a man than Achilles ; and then there is the fat knight,
the quintessence of fun, wit, and rascality. Falstafif is a creation
beyond the genius even of Homer^*'
" You almost tempt me to read Shakespeare again — ^but the
Germans ? "
''I don't admire the Germans," said the youth, somewhat
excited. *' I don*t admire them in any point of view. I have
heard my father say that, though good sharpshooters, they can't
be much depended upon as soldiers; and that old Sergeant
Meredith told him that Minden would never have been won but
for the two English regiments, who charged the French with fixed
bayonets, and sent them to the right-about in double-quick time.
With respect to poetry, setting Shakespeare and the English
altogether aside, I think there is another Gothic nation, at least,
entitled to dispute with them the palm. Indeed, to my mind,
there is more genuine poetry contained in the old Danish book
which I came so strangely by, than has been produced in Germany
firom the period of the Niebelungen Lay to the present."
" Ah, the Koempe Viser ? " said the elderly individual, breath-
ing forth an immense volume of smoke, which he had been
collecting during the declamation of his young companion. '' There
i8«i.J LEVI ALIAS MUCA. 151
are singular things in that book, I must confess ; and I thank you
for showing it to me, or rather your attempt at translation. I was
struck with that ballad of Orm Ungarswayne, who goes by night
to the grave-hill of his father to seek for counsel. And then,
again, that strange melancholy Swayne Vonved, who roams about
the world propounding people riddles ; slaying those who cannot
answer, and rewarding those who can with golden bracelets.
Were it not for the violence, I should say that l^llad has a philo-
sophic tendency. I thank you for making me acquainted with
the book, and I thank the Jew Mousha for making mc acquainted
with you."
''That Mousha was a strange customer," said the youth,
collecting himself.
"He was a strange customer," said the elder individual,
breathing forth a gentle cloud. " I love to exercise hospitality to
wandering strangers, especially foreigners ; and when he came to
this place, pretending to teach German and Hebrew, I asked him
to dinner. After the first dinner, he asked me to lend him five
pounds ; I i^d lend him five pounds. After the fifth dinner, he
asked me to lend him fifty pounds ; I did noi lend him the fifty
pounds."
' " He was as ignorant of German as of Hebrew," said the
youth; ''on whidh account he was soon glad, I suppose, to
transfer his pupil to some one else."
" He told me," said the elder individual, " that he intended
to leave a town where he did not find sufficient encouragement ;
and, at the same time, expressed regret at being obliged to abandon
a certain extraordinary pupil, for whom he had a i^articular regard.
Now I, who have taught many people German from the love
which I bear to it, and the desire which I feel that it should be
generally diffused, instantly said, that I should be happy to take
bis pupil off his hands, and afford htm what instruction I could
in German, for, as to Hebrew, I have never taken much interest
in it Such was the origin of our acquaintance. You have been
an apt scholar. Of late, however, I have seen little of you — what
is the reason ? "
The youth made no answer.
" You think, probably, that you have learned all I can teach
you ? Well, perhaps you are right."
"Not so, not so," said the young man eagerly; "before I
knew you^ knew nothing, and am still very ignorant ; but of late
my Other's health has been very much broken, and he requires
attention ; his spirits also have become low, which, to tell you the
isa LA VBNGRO. [iSai.
truth, he attributes to my misconduct. He says that I have
imbibed all kinds of strange notions and doctrines, which will, in
all probability, prove my ruin, both here and hereafter; which—
which "
" Ah ! I understand," said the elder, with another calm whiff.
" I have always had a kind of respe<5t for your father, for there is
something remarkable in his appearance, something heroic, and I
would fain have cultivated his acquaintance ; the feeling, however,
has not been reciprocated. I met him, the other day^ up the
road, with his cane and dog, and saluted him ; he did not return
my salutation."
*' He has certain opinions of his own," said the youth, "which
are widely different from those which he has heard that you
profess."
*' I respect a man for entertaining an opinion of his own,** said
the elderly individual. " I hold certain opinions ; but I should
not respect an individual the more for adopting them. All I wish
for is tolerance, which I myself endeavour to practise. I have
always loved the truth, and sought it ; if I have not found it, the
greater my misfortune."
" Are you happy ? " said the young man.
*' Why, no I And, between ourselves, it is that which induces
me to doubt sometimes the truth of my opinions. My life, upon
the whole, I consider a failure ; on which account I would not
counsel you, or any one, to follow my example too closely. It is
getting late, and you had better be going, especially as your father,
you say, is anxious about you. But, as we may never meet again»
I think there are three things which I may safely venture to press
upon you. The first is, that the decencies and gentlenesses should
never be lost sight of, as the practice of the decencies and gentle-
nesses is at all times compatible with independence of thought
and action. The second thing which I would wish to impress
upon you is, that there is always some eye upon us ; and that it
is impossible to keep anything we do from the world, as it will
assuredly be divulged by somebody as soon as it is his interest
to do so. The third thing which I would wish to press upon
you "
"Yes," said the youth, eagerly bending forward.
" Is " and here the elderly individual laid down his pipe
upon the table — "that it will be as well to go on improving
yourself in German 1 "
CHAPTER XXIV.
'' HoLLOAi master I can you tell us where the fight is likely to
be?"
Such were the words shouted out to me by a short thick
fellow in brown top-boots, and bare-headed, who stood, with his
hands in his pockets, at the door of a country alehouse as I was
passing by.
Now, as I knew nothing about the fight, and as the appearance
of the man did not tempt me greatly to enter into conversation
with him, I merely answered in the negative and continued my
way.
It was a fine lovely morning in May, the sun shone bright
above, and the birds were carolling in the hedgerows. I was
wont to be cheerful at such seasons, for, firom my earliest recollec*
tion, sunshine and the song of birds have been dear to me ; yet,
about that period, I was not cheerful, my mind was not at rest ;
I was debating within myself, and the debate was dreary and un-
satisfactory enough. I sighed, and turning my eyes upward, I
ejaculated : " What is truth ? " But suddenly, by a violent effort
breaking away from my meditations, I hastened forward; one
mile^ two miles, three miles were speedily left behind ; and now
I came to a grove of birch and other trees, and opening a gate I
passed up a kind of avenue, and soon arriving before a large
brick house, of rather antique appearance, knocked at the door.
In this house there lived a gentleman with whom I had
business. He was said to be a genuine old English gentleman,
and a man of considerable property ; at this time, however, he
wanted a thousand pounds, as gentlemen of considerable property
every now and then do. I had brought him a thousand pounds
in my pocket, for it is astonishing how many eager helpers the
rich find, and with what compassion people look upon their
distresses. He was said to have good wine in his cellar.
" Is your master at home ? " said I, to a servant who appeared
at the door.
** His worship is at home, young man," said the servant, as
he looked at my shoes, which bore evidence that I had come
154 LA VBNGRO. [i8aa
walking. *' I beg your pardon, sir/' he added, as he looked me
in the face.
''Ay, ay, servants," thought I, as I followed the man into the
house, " always look people in the face when you open the door,
and do so before you look at their shoes, or you may mistake the
heir of a Prime Minister for a shopkeeper's son."
I found his worship a jolly, red-faced gentleman, of about
fifty-five; he was dressed in a green coat, white corduroy
breeches, and drab gaiters, and sat on an old-fashioned leather
sofa, with two small, thorough-bred, black English terriers, one
on each side of him. He had all the appearance of a genuine
old English gentleman who kept good wine in his cellar.
'' Sir," said I» '' I have brought you a thousand pounds ; ** and
I said this after the servant had retired, and the two terriers had
ceased their barking, which is natural to all such dogs at the sight
of a stranger.
And when the magistrate had received the money, and signed
and returned a certain paper which I handed to him, he rubbed
his hands, and looking very benignantly at me, exclaimed : —
''And now, young gentleman, that our business is over,
perhaps you can tell me where the fight is to take place?"
" I am sorry, sir,*' said I, " that I can't inform you, but
everybody seems to be anxious about it;" and then I told him
what had occurred to me on the road with the alehouse keeper.
" I know him," said his worship ; " he's a tenant of mine, and
a good fellow, somewhat too much in my debt, though. But how
is this, young gentleman, you look as if you had been walking ;
you did not come on foot ? "
" Yes, sir, I came on foot"
" On foot I why, it is sixteen miles."
" I shan't be tired when I have walked back."
•' You can't ride, I suppose ? "
" Better than I can walk."
"Then why do you walk?"
" I have frequently to make journejrs connected with my
profession ; sometimes I walk, sometimes I ride, just as the whim
takes me."
" Will you take a glass of wine ? "
" Yes.'^
" That's right ; what ^lall it be ? "
" Madeira ! "
The magistrate gave a violent slap on his knee ; " I like your
taste," said he, " I am fond of a glass of Madeira myself, and can
iSaa] THB MA GISTRA TB. 155
give you such a one as you will not drink every day ; sit down,
young gentleman* you shall have a glass of Madeira, and the
best I have."
Thereupon he got up, and, followed by his two terriers, walked
slowly out of the room.
I looked round the room, and, seeing nothing which promised
me much amusement, I sat down, and fell again into my former
train of thought
" What is truth ? " said I.
" Here it is," said the magistrate, returning at the end of a
quarter of an hour, followed by the servant with a tray ; '' here's
the true thing, or I am no judge, far less a justice. It has been
thirty years in my cellar last Christmas. There,'' said he to the
servant, "put it down, and leave my young friend and me to
ourselves. Now, what do you think of it?"
" It is very good," said I.
" Did you ever taste better Madeira? "
** I never before tasted Madeira."
** Then you ask for a wine without knowing what it is? "^
'* I ask for it, sir, that I may know what it is."
" Well, there is logic in that, as Parr would say ; you have
heard of Parr?"
"Old Parr?"
"Yes, old Parr, but not that Parr; you mean the English, I
the Greek Parr, as people call him."
" I don't know him."
" Perhaps not — rather too young for that, but were you of my
age, you might have cause to know him, coming from where you
do. He kept school there, I was his first scholar; he flogged
Greek into me till I loved him — ^and he loved me. He came to
see me last year, and sat in that chair; I honour Parr — he knows
much, and is a sound man."
" Does he know the truth ? "
'* Know the truth ! he knows what's good, from an oyster to
an ostrich — he's not only sound but round."
" Suppose we drink his health ? "
"Thank you, boy: here's Parr's health, and Whiter's."
"Who is Whiter?"
"Don't you know Whiter? I thought everybody knew Reverend
Whiter, the philologist, though I suppose you scarcely know what
that means. A man fond of tongues and languages, quite out
of your way — he understands some twenty; what do you say
to that?*
156 LA VBNGRO. [1820.
*' Is he a sound man ? "
^'Why, as to that, I scarcely know what to say; he has got
queer notions in his head — ^wrote a book to prove that all words
came originally from the earth — ^who knows ? Words have roots,
and roots live in the earth ; but, upon the whole, I should not
call him altogether a sound man, though he can talk Greek nearly
as fast as Parr.'*
" Is he a round man ? "
"Ay, boy, rounder than Parr; TU sing you a song, if you
like, which will let you into his character: —
' Give me the haunch of a back to eat, and to drink Madeira old,
And a gentle wife to rest with, and in my arms to fold.
An Arabic book to study, a Norfolk cob to ride,
And a house to live in ihttded with trees, and near to a river side ;
With such good things around me, and blessed with good health withal,
Though I should live for a hundred years, for death I would not call.*
Here's to Whiter's health — so you know nothing about the fight ? **
<' No, sir ; the truth is, that of late I have been very much
occupied with various matters, otherwise I should, perhaps, have
been able to afford you some information. Boxing is a noble art."
" Can you box ? "
" A little."
" I tell you what, my boy ; I honour you, and, provided your
education had been a little less limited, I should have been glad
to see you here in company with Parr and Whiter ; both can box.
Boxing is, as you say, a noble art — a truly English art; may I
never see the day when Englishmen shall feel ashamed of it, or
blacklegs and blackguards bring it into disgrace ! I am a magis-
trate, and, of course^ cannot patronise the thing very openly, yet I
sometimes see a prize-fight I saw the Game Chicken beat GuUey."
•' Did you ever see Big Ben ? "
" No, why do you ask ? '* But here we heard a noise, like
that of a gig driving up to the door, which was immediately
succeeded by a violent knocking and ringing, and after a little
time, the servant who had admitted me made his appearance in
the room.
''Sir/* said he, with a certain eagerness of manner, " here are
two gentlemen waiting to speak to you."
^* Gentlemen waiting to speak to me ! who are they ? "
^* I don't know, sir,'' said the servant ; '* but they look like
sporting gentlemen, and — and " — here he hesitated ; '^ from a
word or two they dropped, I almost think that they come about
the fight"
i8aa] THURTBLL AND PAINTER. 157
''About the fight," said the magistrate. "No, that can
hardly be ; however, you had better show them in."
Heavy steps were now heard ascending the stairs, and the
servant ushered two men into the apartment Again there was
a barking, but louder than that which had been directed against
myself, for here were two intruders ; both of them were remark-
able looking men, but to the foremost of them the most particular
notice may well be accorded: he was a man somewhat under
thirty, and nearly six feet in height. He was dressed in a blue
coat, white corduroy breeches, fastened below the knee with
small golden buttons; on his legs he wore white lamb's-wool
stockings, and on his feet shoes reaching to the ankles ; round his
neck was a handkerchief of the blue and bird's-eye pattern ; he
wore neither whiskers nor moustaches, and appeared not to
delight in hair, that of his head, which was of a light brown, being
closely cropped; the forehead was rather high, but somewhat
narrow ; the face neither broad nor sharp, perhaps rather sharp
than broad ; the nose was almost delicate ; the eyes were grey,
with an expression in which there was sternness blended with
something approaching to feline ; his complexion was exceedingly
pale, relieved, however, by certain pockmarks, which here and
there studded his countenance ; his form was athletic, but lean ;
his arms long. In the whole appearance of the man there was a
blending of the bluff and the sharp. You might have supposed
him a bruiser ; his dress was that of one in ail its minutiae ; some-
thing was wanting, however, in his manner — the quietness of the
professional man ; he rather looked liked one performing the part
— ^well — ^vcry well — but still performing a part. His companion 1
— there, indeed, was the bruiser — ^no mistake about him : a tall,
massive man, with a broad countenance and a flattened nose;
dressed iike a bruiser, but not like a bruiser going into the ring ;
he wore white topped boots, and a loose brown jockey coat.
As the first advanced towards the table, behind which the
magistrate sat, he doffed a white castor from his head, and made
lather a genteel bow; looking at me, who sat somewhat on one
side^ he gave a kind of nod of recognition.
**MsLy I request to know who you are, gentlemen?" said the
magistrate.
'*Sir," said the man in a deep, but not unpleasant voice,
"allow me to introduce to you my friend, Mr. ^ the celebrated
pugilist ; " and he motioned with his hand towards the massive
man with the flattened nose.
" And your own name, sir ? ** said the magistrate.
"My name is no nutter,^ said the man ; "were I to mention
Z58 LA VBNGRO. [i8ao
it to you, it would awaken within you no feeling of interest. It
is neither Kean nor Belcher, and I have as yet done nothing to
distinguish myself like either of those individuals, or even like
my friend here. However, a time may come — we are not yet
buried ; and whensoever my hour arrives, I hope I shall prove
myself equal to my destiny, however high-*-
' Like bird that's bred amongst the Helicons '."
And here a smile half-theatrical passed over his features.
'' In what can I oblige you, sir ? ** said the magistrate.
" Well, sir ; the soul of wit is brevity ; we want a place for an
approaching combat between my friend here and a brave from
town. Passing by your broad acres this fine morning we saw a
pightle, which we deemed would suit. Lend us that pightle, and
receive our thanks; 'twould be a favouj, though not much to
grant: we neither ask for Stonehenge nor for Tempe."
My friend looked somewhat perplexed ; after a moment, how-
ever, he said, with a firm but gentlemanly air : *' Sir, I am sorry
that I cannot comply with your request ".
"Not comply!'' said the man, his brow becoming dark as
midnight; and with a hoarse and savage tone: ''Not comply]
why not?"
'* It is impossible, sir ; utterly impossible I "
" Why so ? "
''I am not compelled to give my reasons to you, sir, nor
to any man."
" Let me beg of you to alter your decision," said the man
in a tone of profound respect.
** Utterly impossible, sir ; I am a magistrate."
" Magistrate 1 then fare ye well, for a green-coated buffer and
a Harmanbeck."
**Sirl" said the magistrate, springing up with a face fiery
with wrath.
But, with a surly nod to me, the man left the apartment;
and in a moment more the heavy footsteps of himself and his
companion were heard descending the staircase.
<' Who is that man?" said my friend, turning towards me.
" A sporting gentleman, well known in the place from which
I come."
" He appeared to know you."
"I have occasionally put on the gloves with him."
*' What is his name ? ^
»J/S., "JohnThurtdl".
CHAPTER XXV.
There was one question which I was continually asking myself
at this period, and which has more than once met the eyes of the
reader who has followed me through the last chapter. ''What
is truth?" I had involved myself imperceptibly in a drear>
labyrinth of doubt, and, whichever way I turned, no reason-
able prospect of extricating myself appeared. The means by
which I had brought myself into this situation may be very
briefly told ; I had inquired into many matters, in order that I
might become wise, and I had read and pondered over the words
of the wise, so called, till I had made myself master of the sum
of human wisdom ; namely, that everything is enigmatical and
that man is an enigma to himself; thence the cry of '^ What is
truth ? " I had ceased to believe in the truth of that in which
I had hitherto trusted, and yet could find nothing in which I
could put any fixed or deliberate belief. I was, indeed, in a
labyrinth I In what did I not doubt ? With respect to crime and
virtue I was in doubt ; I doubted that the one was blameable and
the other praiseworthy. Are not all things subjected to the law
of necessity ? Assuredly ; time and chance govern all things :
yet how can this be? alasl
Then there was myself; for what was I born? Are not all
things bom to be forgotten ? That's incomprehensible : yet is it
not so ? Those butterflies fall and are forgotten. * In what is man
better than a butterfly ? All then is bom to be forgotten. Ah 1
that was a pang indeed ; 'tis at such a moment that a man wishes
to die. The wise king of Jerusalem, who sat in his shady arbours
beside his sunny fishpools, saying so many fine things, wished to
die, when he saw that not only all was vanity, but that he himself
was vanity. Will a time come when all will be forgotten that now
18 beneath the sun ? If so, of what profit is life ?
In truth, it was a sore vexation of spirit to me when I saw, as
the wise man saw of old, that whatever I could l)ppe to perform
must necessarily be of very temporary duration ; iand if so, why
do it ? I said to myself, whatever name I can acquire, will it
endure for eternity? scarcely so. A thousand years? Let me
0S9) *
ite LA VENGRO. [i8^
see 1 What have I done already ? I have learnt Welsh, and
have translated the songs of Ah Gwilym, some ten thousand lines,
into English rhyme ; I have also learnt Danish, and have rendered
the old book of ballads cast by the tempest upon the beach
into corresponding English metre. Good 1 have I done enough
already to secure mysdf a reputation of a thousand years ? No^
no I certainly not ; I have not the slightest ground for hoping that
my translations from the Welsh and Danish will be read at the
end of a thousand years. Well, but I am only eighteen, and I
have not stated all that I have done ; I have leamt many other
tongues, and have acquired some knowledge even of Hebrew and
Arabic. Should I go on in this way till I am forty, I must then
be very learned; and perhaps, among other things, may have
translated the Talmud, and some of the great works of the
Arabians. Pooh t all thb is mere learning and translation, and
such will never secure immortality. Translation is at best an
echo, and it must be a wonderful echo to be heard after the lapse
of a thousand years. No 1 all I have already done, and all I may
yet do in the same way, I may reckon as nothing — ^mere pastime ;
something else must be done. I must either write some grand
original work, or conquer an empire ; the one just as easy as the
other. But am I competent to do either? Yes, I think I am,
under favourable circumstances. Yes, I think I may promise
myself a reputation of a thousand years, if I do but give myself the
necessary trouble. Well ! but what's a thousand years after all, or
twice a thousand years ? Woe is me t I may just as well sit stilL
''Would I had never been bomP I said to myself; and a
thought would occasionally intrude. But was I ever born? Is
not all that I see a lie — a deceitful phantom ? Is there a world,
and earth, and sky? Berkeley's doctrine — Spinosa's doctrine!
Dear reader, I had at that time never read either Berkeley or
Spinosa. I have still never read them; who are they, men of
yesterday? "All is a lie — ^all a deceitful phantom,'' are old
cries ; they come naturally from the mouths of those, who, casting
aside that choicest shield against madness, simplicity, would fain
be wise as God, and can only know that they are naked. This
doubting in the " universal all ** is almost coeval with the human
race : wisdom, so called, was early sought after. All is a lie — a
deceitful phantom — ^was said when the world was yet young ; its
surface, save a scanty portion, yet untrodden by human foot, and
when the great tortoise yet crawled about. Ail is a lie, was the
doctrine of Buddh ; and Buddh lived thirty centuries before the
wise king of Jerusalem, who sat in his arbours^ beside his sunny
fishpools, sayiDg many fine things, and» amongst others, " There
is nothing new under the sun 1 "
One day, whilst I bent my way to the heath of which I have
q)oken on a former occasion, at the foot of the hills which formed
it I came to a place where a wagon was standing, but without
horses, the shafts resting on the ground ; there was a crowd about
it, which extended half-way up the side of the neighbouring hilL
The wagon was occupied by some half a dozen men; some
sitting, others standing. They were dressed in sober-coloured
habiliments of black or brown, cut in plain and rather uncouth
fashion, and partially white with dust ; their hair was short, and
seemed to have been smoothed down by the application of the
hand ; all were bare-headed — ^sitting or standing, all were bare-
headed. One of them, a tall man, was speaking, as I arrived ;
ere^ however, I could distinguish what he was saying, he left off,
and then there was a cry for a hymn ''to the glory of God" —
that was the word. It was a strange-sounding hymn, as well it
might be, for everybody joined in it: there were voices of all
kinds, of men, of women, and of children — of those who could
sir^ and of those who could not — a thousand voices all joined,
and all joined heartily ; no voice of all the multitude was silent
save mine. The crowd consisted entirely of the lower classes,
labourers, and mechanics, and their wives and children — dusty
people, unwashed people, people of no account whatever, and yet
they did not look a mob. And when that hymn was over — and
here let me observe that, strange as it sounded, I have recalled
that hynm to mind, and it has seemed to tingle in my ears on
occasions when all that pomp and art could do to enhance
religious solemnity was being done — in the Sistine Chapel,
what time the papal band was in full play, and the choicest
choristers of Italy poured forth their melodious tones in presence
of Batuschca and his cardinals — on the ice of the Neva, what
time the long train of stately priests, with their noble beards and
their flowing robes of crimson and gold, with their ebony and
ivory staves, stalked along, chanting their Sclavonian litanies in
advance of the mighty Emperor of the North and his Pribeijensky
guard of giants, towards the orifice through which the river, rut>-
ning below in its swiftness, is to receive the baptismal lymph—
when the hymn was over, another man in the wagon proceeded
to address the people ; he was a much younger man than the last
speaker ; somewhat square built and about the middle height ; his
Cace was rather broad, but expressive of much intelligence, and
II
i6a LA VENQRO. [i8m.
with a peculiar calm and serioas look ; the accent in which he
spoke indicated that he was not of these parts, but from some
distant district The subject of his address was fisdth, and how
it could remove mountains. It was a plain address, without any
attempt at ornament, and delivered in a tone which was neither
loud nor vehement The speaker was evidently not a practised
one — once or twice he hesitated as if for words to express his
meaning, but still he held on, talking of faith, and how it could
remove mountains : '* It is the only thing we want, brethren, in
this world ; if we have that, we are indeed rich, as it will enable
us to do our duty under all circumstances, and to bear our lot,
however hard it may be — and the lot of all mankind is hard —
;he lot of the poor is hard, brethren — and who knows more of the
poor than I ? — a poor man myself, and the son of a poor man :
but are the rich better off? not so, brethren, for God is just.
The rich have their trials too : I am not rich myself, but I have
seen the rich with careworn countenances ; I have also seen them
in mad-houses ; from which you may learn, brethren, that the lot
of all mankind is hard ; that is, till we lay hold of faith, which
makes us comfortable under all circumstances ; whether we ride
in gilded chariots or walk bare-footed in quest of bread ; whether
we be ignorant, whether we be wise, — ^for riches and poverty,
ignorance and wisdom, brethren, each brings with it its peculiar
temptations. Well, under all these troubles, the thing which I
would recommend you to seek is one and the same — faith ; faith
in our Lord Jesus Christ, who made us and allotted to each his
station. Eadi has something to do, brethren. Do it, therefore,
but always in fiauth ; without faith we shall find ourselves some-
times at fault; but with faith never — for 6dth can remove the
difficulty. It will teach us to love life, brethren, when life is
becoming bitter, and to prize the blessings around us ; for as every
man has his cares, brethren, so has each man his blessings. It
will likewise teach us not to love life over much, seeing that we
must one day part with it. It will teach us to face death with
resignation, and will preserve us from sinking amidst the swelling
of the river Jordan."
And when he had concluded his address, he said : '* Let us
sing a hymn, one composed by Master Charles Wesley — he was
my countryman, brethren.
* Jesus, I cast my soul on Thee,
Mighty and merciful to save;
Thou shalt to death go down with me
And lay me gently in the grave.
itea] " BARB WBLL, BROTHER I " 163
This body then ahall rest in hope,
This body which the worms destroy ;
For Thou shalt surely raise me up,
To glorious liie suid endless joy.* '*
FareweU, preacher with the plain coat, and the calm, serious
look I I saw thee once again, and that was lately — only the other
day. It was near a fishing hamlet, by the sea-side, that I saw
the preacher again. He stood on the top of a steep monticle,
used by pilots as a look-out for vessels approaching that coast,
a dangerous one, abounding in rocks and quicksands. There he
stood on the monticle, preaching to weather-worn fishermen and
mariners gathered below upon the sand. "Who is he?" said I
to an old fisherman, who stood beside me with a book of hymns
in his hand ; but the old man put his hand to his lips, and that
was the only answer I received. Not a sound was heard but the
voice of the preacher and the roaring of the waves ; but the voice
was heard loud above the roaring of the sea, for the preacher now
spoke with power, and his voice was not that of one who hesitates.
There he stood — ^no longer a young man, for his black locks were
become gray, even like my own ; but there was the intelligent face,
and the calm, serious lodk which bad struck me of yore. There
stood the preacher, one of those men — and, thank God, their
number is not few — who, animated by the spirit of Christ, amidst
much poverty, and, alas I much contempt, persist in carrying
the light of the Gc^pel amidst the dark parishes of what, but for
their instrumentality, would scarcely be Christian England. I
would have waited till he had concluded, in order that I might
speak to him and endeavour to bring back the ancient scene to
his recollection, but suddenly a man came hurrying towards the
monticle, mounted on a speedy horse, and holdhig by the bridle
one yet more speedy, and he whispered to me : ** Why loiterest
thou here? — knowest thou not all that is to be done before
midnight ? " and he flung me the bridle ; and I mounted on the
horse of great speed, and I followed the other, who had already
galloped off. And as I departed, I waved my hand to him on the
monticle, and I shouted, " Farewell, brother 1 the seed came up at
last, after a long period 1 " and then I gave the speedy horse his
way, and leaning over the shoulder of the galloping horse, I said :
** Would that my life had been like his — even like that man's 1 *'
I now wandered along the heath, till I came to a place where,
beside a thick furze, sat a man, his eyes fixed intently on the red
ball of the setting sun.
"That's not you, Jasper P"*
164 LA VBNGRO. [i8ao.
" Indeed, brother ! "
" I've not seen you for years."
" How should you, brother? "
'* What brings you here ? **
** The fight, brother."
" Where are the tents ?"
" On the old spot, brother.'
" Any news since we parted ?
"Two deaths, brother."
"Who are dead, Jasper?"
"Father and mother, brother.**
"Where did they die?"
" Where they were sent, brother."
"And Mrs. Heme?"
" She's alive, brother."
" Where is she now ? "
" In Yorkshire, brother."
"What is your opinion of death, Mr. Petulengro?" said I, as
I sat down beside him.
" My opinion of death, brother, is much the same as that in
the old song of Pharaoh, whidi I have heard my grandam sing : —
' Cana marel o manus chivios andi puv,
Ta rovel pa leste o chavo ta romi '.
When a man dies, he is cast into the earth, and his wife and child
sorrow over him. If he has neither wife nor child, then his
father and mother^ I suppose ; and if he is quite alone in the
world, why, then, he is cast into the earth, and there is an end of
the matter."
" And do you think that is the end of a man ? "
" There's an end of him, brother, more's the pity."
" Why do you say so ? "
" Life is sweet, brother."
" Do you think so ? "
"Think so! There's night and day, brother, both sweet
things; sun, moon and stars, brother, all sweet things; there's
likewise the wind on the heath. Life is very sweet, brother; who
would wish to die ? "
" I would wish to die ^"
" You talk like a gorgio — which is the same as talking like a
fool — ^were you a Rommany Chal you would talk wiser. Wish to
die, indeed ! A Rommany Chal would wish to live for ever I "
" In sickness, Jasper?**
iSaa] EGYPTIAN ETHICS. 165
" There's the sun and stars, brother."
'• In blindness, Jasper?"
"There's the wind on the heath, brother; if I could only
feel that, I would gladly live for ever. Dosta> we'll now go to the
tents and put on the gloves ; and I'll tiy to make you feel what
a sweet thuig it is to be alive, brother I '
CHAFfER XXVI.
How for everything there is a time and a season, and then how
does the glory of a thing pass from it, even like the flower of the
grass I This is a truism, but it is one of those which are continu-
ally forcing themselves upon the mind. Many years have not
passed over my head, yet during those which I can call to remem-
brance, how many things have I seen flourish, pass away, and
become forgotten, except by myself, who, in spite of all my
endeavours, never can forget anything. I have known the time
when a pugilistic encounter between two noted champions was
almost considered in the light of a national affiiir ; when tens of
thousands of individuab, high and low, meditated and brooded
upon it, the first thing in the morning and the last at night, until
the great event was decided. But the time is past, and many
people will say, thank God that it is ; all I have to say is, that
the French still live on the other side of the water, and are still
casting their eyes hitherward — and that in the days of pugilism
it was no vain boast to say, that one Englishman was a match for
two of t'other race ; at present it would be a vain boast to say so,
for these are not the days of pugilism.
But those to which the course of my narrative has carried me
were the days of pugilism ; it was then at its height, and conse-
quently near its decline, for corruption had crept into the ring ;
and how many things, states and sects among the rest, owe their
decline to this cause 1 But what a bold and vigorous aspect
pugilism wore at that time ! and the great battle was just then
coming off; the day had been decided upon, and the spot — a
convenient distance from the old town ; and to the old town were
now flocking the bruisers of England, men of tremendous renown.
Let no one sneer at the bruisers of England — ^what were the
gladiators of Rome, or the bull-fighters of Spain, in its palmiest
days, compared to England's bruisers ? Pity that ever corruption
should have crept in amongst them — but of that I wish not to
talk , let us still hope that a spark of the old religion, of which
they were the priests still lingers in the breasts of Englishmen.
Ci66)
rfflaa] THE BRUISERS OP ENGLAND. 167
There they come, the bruisers^ from far London, or from wher-
ever else they might chance to be at that time, to the great
rendezvous in the old city ; some came one way, some another :
some of tip-top reputation came with peers in their chariots, for
glory and fame are such fair things that even peers are proud to
have those invested therewith by their sides ; others came in their
own gigs, driving their own bits of blood, and I heard one say :
*' I have driven through at a heat the whole iii miles, and only
stopped to bait twice *\ Oh, the blood-horses of old England I
but they too have had their day — for everything beneath the sun
there is a season and a time. But the greater number come just
as they can contrive ; on the tops of coaches, for example ; and
amongst these there are fellows with dark sallow faces and
sharp shining eyes ; and it is these that have planted rottenness
in the core of pugilism, for they are Jews, and, true to their kind,
have only base lucre in view.
It was fierce old Cobbett, I think, who first said that the Jews
first introduced bad faith amongst pugilists. He did not always
speak the truth, but at any rate he spoke it when he made that
observation. Strange people the Jews — endowed with every gift
but one, and that the highest, genius divine^ — genius which can
alone make of men demigods, and elevate them above earth and
what is earthy and what is grovelling ; without which a clever
nation — and who more clever than the Jews ? — ^may have Ram-
bams in plenty, but never a Fielding nor a Shakespeare; a
Rothschild and a Mendoza, yes — but never a Kean nor a Belcher.
So the bruisers of England are come to be present at the grand
fight speedily coming off; there they are met in the precincts of
the old town, near the Field of the Chapel, planted with tender
saplings at the restoration of sporting Charles, which are now
become venerable elms, as high as many a steeple ; there they
are met at a fitting rendezvous, where a retired coachman, with
one leg, keeps an hotel and a bowling-green. I think I now see
them upon the bowling-green, the men of renown, amidst hundreds
of people with no renown at all, who gaze upon them with timid
wonder. Fame, after all, is a glorious thing, though it lasts only
for a day. There's Cribb, the champion of England, and perhaps
the best man in England ; there he is, with his huge, massive
figure, and face wonderfully like that of a lion. There is Belcher,
the younger, not the mighty one, who is gone to his place, but the
Teucer Belcher, the most scientific pugilist that ever entered a
ring, onlv wanting strength to be, I won't say what. He appears
to walk before me now, as he did that evening, with his white hat.
i68 LA VBNGRO. [x8aa
white greatcoat, thin, genteel figure, springy step, and keen, deter-
mined eye. Crosses him — what a contrast ! — grim, savage Shelton,
who has a civil word for nobody, and a hard blow for anybody —
hard ! one blow, given with the proper play of his athletic arm,
will unsense a giant Yonder individual, who strolls about with
his hands behind him, supporting his brown coat lappets, under-
sized, and who looks anything but what he is, is the king of the
light weights, so called, — Randall I the terrible Randall, who has
Irish blood in his veins ; not the better for that, nor the worse ; and
not far from him is his last antagonist, Ned Turner, who, though
beaten by him, still thinks himself as good a man, in which he is,
perhaps, right, for it was a near thing ; and ** a better shentleman,**
in which he is quite right, for he is a Welshman. But how shall
I name them all ? they were there by dozens, and all tremendous
in their way. There was Bulldog Hudson and fearless Scroggins,
who beat the "-.jnqueror of Sam the Jew. There was Black
Richmond — no, he was not there, but I knew him well ; he was
the most dangerous of blacks, even with a broken thigh. There
was Purcell, who could never conquer till all seemed over with
him. There was— what ! shall I name thee last? ay, why not?
I believe that thou art the last of all that strong family still above
the sod, where mayst thou long continue — true piece of English
stuff, Tom of Bedford — sharp as winter, kind as spring.
Hail to thee, Tom of Bedford, or by whatever name it may
please thee to be called. Spring or Winter. Hail to thee, six-foot
Englishman of the brown eye, worthy to have carried a six-foot
bow at Flodden, where England's yeomen triumphed over Scot-
land's king, his clans and chivalry. Hail to thee, last of England's
bruisers, i^r all the many victories which thou hast achieved —
true English victories, unbought by yellow gold ; need I recount
them ? nay, nay 1 they are already well known to &me — sufficient
to say that Bristol's Bull and Ireland's Champion were vanquished
by thee, and one mightier still, gold itself, thou didst overcome ;
for gold itself strove in vain to deaden the power of thy arm ; and
thus thou didst proceed till men left off challenging thee, the un-
vanquishable, the incorruptible. 'Tis a treat to see thee, Tom of
Bedford, in thy " public " in Holbom way, whither thou hast
retired with thy well-earned bays. 'Tis Friday night, and nine
by Holbom clock. There sits the yeoman at the end of his long
room, siuTounded by his friends : glasses are filled, and a song is
the cry, and a song is sung well suited to the place ; it finds an
echo in every heart — fists are clenched, arms are waved, and the
portraits of the mighty fighting men of yore, Broughton and Slack
iSml] THB "BATTLE'' OP JULY 17. 169
and Ben, which adorn the walls, appear to smile grim approbation,
whilst many a manly voice joins in the bold chorus : —
*' Here's a health to old honest John Boll,
When he*8 gone we shan't find such another,
And with hearts and with glasses brim full,
We will drink to old England, his mother ".
Bat the fight ! with respect to the fight, what shall I say ?
Little can be said about it — ^it was soon over ; some said that the
brave from town, who was reputed the best man of the two, and
whose form was a perfect model of athletic beauty, allowed him-
self for lucre vile, to be vanquished by the massive champion
with the flattened nose. One thing is certain, that the former
was suddenly seen to sink to the earth before a blow of by no
means extraordinary power. Time, time I was called ; but there
he lay upon the ground apparently senseless, and from thence he
did not Uft his head till several seconds after the umpires had de-
clared his adversary victor.
There were shouts ; indeed, there's never a lack of shouts to
celebrate a victory, however acquired ; but there was also much
grinding of teeth, especially amongst the fighting men from town.
''Torn has sold us," said they, ''sold us to the yokels; who
would have thought it?" Then there was fresh grinding of
teeth, and scowling brows were turned to the heaven ; but what
is this ? is it possible, does the heaven scowl too ? why, only a
quarter of an hour ago — but what may not happen in a quarter
of an hour ? For many weeks the weather had been of the most
glorious description, the eventful day, too, had dawned gloriously,
and so it had continued till some two hours after noon; the
fight was then over ; and about that time I looked up — ^what a
glorious sky of deep blue, and what a big, fierce sun swimming
high above in the midst of that blue ; not a cloud — ^there had
not been one for weeks — not a cloud to be seen, only in the far
west, just on the horizon, something like the extremity of a black
wing ; that was only a quarter of an hour ago, and now the whole
northern side of the heaven is occupied by a huge black cloud,
and the sun is only occasionally seen amidst masses of driving
vapour ; what a change i but another fight is at hand, and the
pugilists are clearing the outer ring ; how their huge whips come
crashing upon the heads of the yokeb ; blood flows, more blood
than in the fight: those blows are given with right good-will,
those are not sham blows, whether of whip or fist ; it is with fist
that grim Shelton strikes down the big yokel; he is always
dangerous, grim Shdtoni but now particularly so, for he has lost
I70 LA VBNGRO. [iBzo.
ten pounds betted on the brave who sold himself to the yokels ;
but the outer ring is cleared; and now the second fight com-
mences; it is between two champions of less renown than the
others, but is perhaps not the worse on that account. A tall thin
boy is fighting in the ring with a man somewhat under the middle
size, with a frame of adamant ; that's a gallant boy I he's a yokd,
but he comes from Brummagem, and he does credit to his extraction ;
but his adversary has a frame of adamant : in what a strange light
they fight, but who can wonder, on looking at that frightful cloud
usurping now one half of heaven, and at the sun struggling with
sulphurous vapour ; the face of the boy, which is turned towards
me, looks horrible in that light, but he is a brave boy, he strikes
his foe on the forehead, and the report of the blow is like the
sound of a hammer against a rock ; but there is a rush and a
roar over head, a wild commotion, the tempest is banning to
break loose; there's wind and dust, a crash, rain and hail ; is it
possible to fight amidst such a commotion ? yes 1 the fight goes
on ; again the boy strikes the man full on the brow, but it is of
no use striking that man, his frame is of adamant. " Boy, thy
strength is beginning to give way, and thou art becoming confused ; "
the man now goes to work, amidst rain and hail. " Boy, thou
wilt not hold out ten minutes longer against rain, hail, and the
blows of such an antagonist."
And now the storm was at its height ; the black thunder-
cloud had broken into many, which assumed the wildest shapes
and the strangest colours, some of them unspeakably glorious ;
the rain poured in a deluge, and more than one water-spout was
seen at no great distance : an immense rabble is hurrying in one
direction ; a multitude of men of all ranks, peers and yokels,
prize-fighters and Jews, and the last came to plunder, and are
now plundering amidst that wild confusion of hail and rain, men
and horses, carts and carriages. But all hurry in one direction,
through mud and mire; there's a town only three miles distant,
which is soon reached, and soon filled, it will not contain one-
third of that mighty rabble ; but there's another town fiirther on
— ^the good old city is farther on, only twelve miles ; what's tliat !
who'll stay here ? onward to the old town.
Hurry skurry, a mixed multitude of men and horses, carts
and carriages, all in the direction of the old town ; and, in the
midst of all that mad chrong, at a moment when the rain gushes
were coming down with particular fury, and the artillery of the
sky was pealing as I had never heard it peal before, I felt some
one seize me by the arm — I turned round and beheld Mr. Petul-
engro
i82a] THURTBLL. 171
^ I can't hear you, Mr. Petulengro," said I ; for the thunder
drowned the words which he appeared to be uttering.
'' Deaiiginni/' I heard Mr. Petulengro say, "it thundereth.
I was asking, brother, whether you believe in dukkeripens ? "
" I do not, Mr. Petulengro ; but this is strange weather to be
asking me whether I believe in fortunes."
'* Grondinni," said Mr. Petulengro, ** it haileth. I believe in
dukkeripens, brother."
" And who has more right," said I, ** seeing that you live by
them ? But this tempest is truly horrible."
" Deaiginni, grondinni ta villaminni ! It thundereth, it haileth,
and also fliuneth," said Mr. Petulengro. "Look up there,
brother 1**
I looked up. Connected with this tempest there was one
feature to which I have already alluded — the wonderful colours
of the clouds. Some were of vivid green ; others of the brightest
orange ; others as black as pitch. The gypsy's finger was pointed
to a particular part of the sky.
" What do you see there, brother ? •
" A strange kind of cloud"
"What does it look like, brother? "
'* Something like a stream of blood."
" That cloud foreshoweth a bloody dukkeripen."
" A bloody fortune i " said I. " And whom may it betide ? "
" Who knows 1 " said the gypsy.
Down the way, dashing and splashing and scattering man,
borse and cart to the left and right, came an open barouche^
drawn by four smoking steeds^ with postillions in scarlet jackets,
uid leather skull-caps. Two forms were conspicuous in it ; that
pf the successful bruiser and of his friend and backer, the sport-
tog gentleman of my acquaintance.
'* His I " said the g3rpsy, pointing to the latter, whose stem
features wore a smile of triumph, as, probably recognising me in
the crowd, he nodded in the direction of where I stood, as the
barouche hurried by.
There went the barouche, dashing through the rain gushes,
utd in it one whose boast it was that he was equal to " either
fortune "« Many have heard of that man— many may be desirous
of knowing yet more of him. I have nothing to do with that
tnan's after-life— he fulfilled his dukkeripen. "A bad, violent
nun I " Softly friend ; when thou wouldst speak harshly of the
dead, remember that thou hast not yet fulfilled thy own duk-
keripen!
CHAPTER XXVII
My father, as I have already informed the reader, had been en-
dowed by nature with great corporeal strength ; indeed, I have
been assured that, at the period of his prime, his figure had de-
noted the possession of almost Herculean powers. The strongest
forms, however, do not always endure the longest, the very excess
of the noble and generous juices which they contain being the
cause of their premature decay. But, be that as it may, the
health of my father, some few years after his retirement from the
service to the quiet of domestic life, underwent a considerable
change ; his constitution appeared to be breaking up ; and he
was subject to severe attacks from various disorders, with which,
till then, he had been utterly unacquainted. He was, however,
wont to rally, more or less, after his illnesses, and might still oc-
casionally be seen taking his walk, with his cane in his hand, and
accompanied by his dog, who sympathised entirely with him,
pining as he pined, improving as he improved, and never leaving
the house save in his company ; and in this manner matters went
on for a considerable time, no very great apprehension with
respect to my father's state being raised either in my mother's
breast or my own. But, about six months after the period at
which I have arrived in my last chapter, it came to pass that my
father experienced a severer attack than on any previous occasion.
He had the best medical advice ; but it was easy to see, from
the looks of his doctors, that they entertained but slight hopes of
bis recovery. His sufferings were great, yet he invariably bore
them with unshaken fortitude. There was one thing remarkable
connected with his illness ; notwithstanding its severity, it never
confined him to his bed. He was wont to sit in his little parlour,
in his easy chair, dressed in a £aded regimental coat, his dog at
his feet, who would occasionally lifl his head from the hearth-rug
on which he lay, and look his master wistfully in the foce. And
thus my father spent the greater part of his time, sometimes in
prayer, sometimes in meditation, and sometimes in reading the
Scriptures. I frequently sat with him ; though, as I entertained a
(172)
x8m.] the day op tub WILL. 173
great awe for my father, I used to feel rather ill at ease, when, as
sometimes happened, I found myself alone with him.
" I wish to ask you a few questions," said he to me, one day
after my mother had left the room.
** I will answer anything you may please to ask me, my dear
father."
" What have you been about lately ? "
''I have been occupied as usual, attending at the office at the
appointed hours."
•* And what do you do there ? "
** Whatever I am ordered."
" And nothing else ? "
** Oh, yes ! sometimes I read a book."
'• Connected with your profession ?"
** Not always ; I have been lately reading Armenian "
"Whafsthat?"
" The language of a people whose country is a region on the
other side of Asia Minor."
" WeU ! "
''A region abounding with mountains."
"WeUl"
" Amongst which is Mount Ararat"
"Well!"
** Upon which, as the Bible informs us, the ark rested.'
*• Well ! "
*^ It is the language of the people of those regions."
"So you told me."
** And I have been reading the Bible in their language."
" Well ! "
** Or rather, I should say, in the ancient language of these
people; from which I am told the modem Armenian difiers
considerably."
•• Well ! "
"As much as the Italian from the Latin."
"Well!"
'' So I have been reading the Bible in ancient Armenian."
" You told me so before."
** I found it a highly difficult language."
•*Yes."
'* Differing widely from the languages in general with which f
am acquainted."
"Yes."
*' Exhibiting, however, some features in common with then"
174 LA VBNGRO. [182a.
"Yes."
*' And sometimes agreeing remarkably in words with a ceitain
strange wild speech wi£ which I became acquainted "
"Irish?"
" No, father, not Irish — ^with which I became acquainted by
die greatest chance in the world."
" Yes."
** But of which I need say nothing further at present, and
which I should not have mentioned but for that fact."
•'WeU!"
" Which I consider remarkable/'
" Yes."
" The Armenian is copious."
"Is it?"
" With an alphabet of thirty-nine letters, but it is harsh and
gutturaL"
''Yes."
"Like the language of most mountainous people — the
Armenians call it Haik."
"Do they?"
" And themselves, Haik, also ; they are a remarkable people,
and, though their original habitation is the Mountain of Ararat,
they are to be found, like the Jews, all over the world."
" Well I "
" Well, father, that's all I can tell you about the Haiks, or
Armenians."
" And what does it all amount to ? "
"Very little, father; indeed, there is very little known about
the Armenians ; their early history, in particular, is involved in
considerable mystery."
"And, if you knew all that it was possible to know about
them, to what would it amount ? to what earthly purpose could you
turn it ? have you acquired any knowledge of your profession ? **
" Very little, fether."
" Very little 1 Have you acquired all in your power ? *
" I can't say that I have, father."
" And yet it was your duty to have done so. But I see how
it is, you have shamefully misused your opportunities ; you are
like one, who, sent into the field to labour, passes his time in
flinging stones at the birds of heaven."
" I would scorn to fling a stone at a bird, father."
" You know what I mean, and all too well, and this attempt
to evade deserved reproof by feigned simplicity is quite in character
Z823.] ARMENIAN. 175
widi your general behaviour. I have ever observed about you a
want of frankness, which has distressed me ; you never speak of
what you are about, your hopes, or your projects, but cover yoiu*-
self with mystery. I never knew till the present moment that you
were acquainted with Armenian/'
** Because you never asked me, father; there's nothing to
conceal in the matter — I will tell you in a moment how I came to
learn Armenian. A lady whom I met at one of Mrs. 's
parties took a fanqr to me, and has done me the honour to allow
me to go and see her sometimes. She is the widow of a rich
clergyman, and on her husband's death came to this place to live
bringing her husband's library with her. I soon found my way to
it, and examined every book. Her husband must have been a
learned man, for amongst much Greek and Hebrew I found
several volumes in Armenian, or relating to the language/'
" And why did you not tell me of this before ? "
" Because you never questioned me ; but, I repeat, there is
nothing to conceal in the matter. The lady took a fancy to me,
and, being fond of the arts, drew my portrait; she said the
expression of my countenance put her in mind of Alfleri's Saul."
*' And do you stiU visit her?"
'*No, she soon grew tired of me, and told people that she
found me very stupid; she gave me the Armenian books,
uowevcr.
'* Saul," said my father, musingly, *' Saul, I am afraid she was
only too right there; he disobeyed the commands of his master,
and brought down on his head the vengeance of Heaven — he
became a maniac, prophesied, and flung weapons about him."
" He was, inde^, an awfiil character — I hope I shan't turn
out like him."
''God forbid 1" said my father, solemnly; ''but in many
respects you are headstrong and disobedient like him. I placed
you in a profession, and bought you to make yourself master of
it* by giving it your undivided attention. This, however, you
did not do, you know nothing of it, but tell me that you are
acquainted with Armenian ; but what I dislike most is your want
of candour — you are my son, but I know little of your real
history ; you may know fifty things for what I am aware ; you may
know how to shoe a horse, for what I am aware."
"Not only to shoe a horse, father, but to make horse-shoes."
" Perhaps so," said my father ; " and it only serves to prove
what I was just saying, that I know little about you."
" But you easily may» my dear father ; 1 wili tell you anything
276 LA VBNGRO. [i&st.
m
that you may wish to know — shall I inform you bow I learnt Co
make horse-shoes ? "
'' No/' said my father ; " as you kept it a secret so long, it
may as well continue so still. Had you been a frank, open-heaxted
boy> like one I could name, you would have told me all about it
of your own accord. But I now wish to ask you a serious question
— what do you propose to do ? "
"To do, father?"
'* Yes ! the time for which you were articled to your profession
will soon be expired, and I shall be no more."
'' Do not talk so, my dear father, I have no doubt that you
will soon be better."
" Do not flatter yourself; I feel that my days are numbered.
I am soon going to my rest, and I have need of rest, for I am
weary. There, there, don't weep ! Tears will help me as little
as they will you ; you have not yet answered my question. Tell
me what you intend to do? "
" I really do not know what I shall do."
"The military pension which I enjoy will cease with my
life. The property which I shall leave behind me will be barely
sufficient for the maintenance of your mother respectably. I
again ask you what you intend to do. Do you think you can
support yourself by your Armenian or your other acquirements ? "
" Alas 1 I think little at all about it ; but I suppose I must
push into the world, and make a good fight, as becomes the son
of him who fought Big Ben : if I can't succeed, and am driven to
the worst, it is but dying '*
'* What do you mean by dying ? "
" Leaving the world ; my loss would scarcely be felt I have
never held life in much value, and every one has a right to
dispose as he thinks best of that which is his own."
"Ah! now I understand you; and well I know how and
where you imbibed that horrible doctrine, and many similar ones
which I have heard from your own mouth ; but I wish not to
reproach you — I view in your conduct a punishment for my own
sins, and I bow to the will of God. Few and evil have been my
days upon the earth ; little have I done to which I can look back
with satisfaction. It is true I have served my king fifty years, and
I have fought with — Heaven forgive me, what was I about to say I
— but you mentioned the man's name, and our minds willingly
recall our ancient follies. Few and evil have been my days upon
earth, I may say with Jacob of old, though I do not mean to say
that my case is so hard as his ; he had many undutiful children^
i8a3-l WAITING. ifj
whilst I have only ; but I will not reproach you. I have
also like him a son to whom I can look with hope, who may yet
preserve my name when I am gone, so let me be thankful ; per-
haps, after all, I have not lived in vain. Boy, when I am gone,
look up to your brother, and may God bless you both. There,
don't weep ; but take the Bible, and read me something about
the old man and his children."
My brother had now been absent for the space of three years«
At first his letters had been frequent, and from them it appeared
that he was following his profession in London with industry ;
they then became rather rare, and my father did not always
communicate their contents. His last letter, however, had filled
him and our whole little family with joy ; it was dated from Paris,
and the writer was evidently in high spirits. After describing in
eloquent terms the beauties and gaieties of the French capital,
he informed us how he had plenty of money, having copied a
celebrated picture of one of the Italian masters for a Hungarian
nobleman, for which he had received a laige sum. *' He wishes
me to go with him to Italy,** added he, "but I am fond of in-
dqiendence ; and, if ever I visit old Rome, I will have no patrons
near me to distract my attention." But six months had now
elapsed from the date of this letter, and we had heard no further
intelligence of my brother. My father's complaint increased ; the
gout, his principal enemy, occasionally mounted high up in his
system, and we had considerable difficulty in keeping it from the
stomadi, where it generally proves fatal. I now devoted almost
the whole of my time to my father, on whom his faithful partner
also lavished every attention and care. I read the Bible to him,
which was his chief delight ; and also occasionally such other
books as I thought might prove entertaining to him. His spirits
were generally rather depressed. The absence of my brother
seemed to prey upon his mind. "I wish he were here,'' he
would frequently exclaim, " I can't imagine what has become of
him ; I trust, however, he will arrive in time." He still sometimes
rallied, and I took advantage of those moments of comparative
ease to question him upon the events of his early life. My
attentions to him had not passed unnoticed, and he was kind,
fatherly, and unreserved. I had never known my father so
entertaining as at these moments, when his life was but too
evidently drawing to a close. I had n6 idea that he knew and
had seen so much ; my respect for him increased, and I looked
uponhim almost with admiration. His anecdotes were in general
highly curious ; some of them related to people in the highest
It
178 LA VBNGRO. [ifiaa-
stations, and to men whose names were closely connected with
some of the brightest glories of our native land He had
frequently conversed — almost on terms of familiarity — with good
old George. He had known the conqueror of Tippoo Saib ; and
was the friend of Townshend, who, when Wolfe fell, led the
British grenadiers against the shrinking regiments of Montcalm.
'* Pity," he added, ** that when old — old as I am now — ^he should
have driven his own son mad by robbing him of his plighted
bride ; but so it was ; he married his son's bride. I saw him lead
her to the altar ; if ever there was an angelic countenance^ it was
that girl's ; she was almost too fair to be one of the daughters of
women. Is there anything, boy, that you would wish to ask me?
now is the time."
''Yes, father; there is one about whom I would fain question
you."
''Who is it? shall I tell you about EUiot?"
"No, father, not about Elliot; but pray don't be angry; I
should like to know something about Big Ben."
"You are a strange lad," said my father; "and, though of
late I have b^;un to entertain a more favourable opinion than
heretofore, there is still much about you that I do not understand.
Why do you bring up that name? Don't you know that it is one
of my temptations? You wish to know something about him.
Well! I will oblige you this once, and then farewell to such
vanities — something about him. I will tell you — ^his — ^skin when
he flung off his clothes — ^and he had a particular knack in doing
so— his skin, when he bared his mighty chest and back for
combat ; and when he fought, he stood so if I remember
right — ^his skin, I say, was brown and dusky as that of a toad.
Oh me 1 I wish my elder son was here."
CHAPTER XXVIIL
At last my brother arrived ; he looked pale and unwell ; I met
him at the door. '' You have been long absent ! " said I.
'* Yes/' said he^ "perhaps too long; but how is my father?^
" Very poorly/' said I, *' he has had a fresh attack ; but where
have you been of late ? "
" Far and wide," said my brother ; " but I can't tell you any-
thing now, I must go to my father. It was only by chance that
I heard of his illness."
" Stay a moment/' said I. " Is the world such a fine place
as you supposed it to be before you went away ? **
" Not quite/' said my brother, " not quite ; indeed I wish —
but ask me no questions now, I must hasten to my father.*'
There was another question on my tongue, but I forebore ;
for the eyes of the young man were full of tears. I pointed with
my finger, and the young man hastened past me to the arms of
his father.
I forebore to ask my brother whether he had been to old
Rome.
What passed between my father and brother I do not know ;
the interview, no doubt, was tender enough, for they tenderly
loved each other; but my brother's arrival did not produce the
beneficial effect upon my father which I at first hoped it would ;
it did not even appear to have raised his spirits. He was com-
posed enough, however. " I ought to be grateful," said he; "I
wished to see my son, and God has granted me my wish ; what
moie have I to do now than to bless my little family and go ? "
My father's end was evidently at hand.
And did I shed no tears? did I breathe no sighs? did I
never wring my hands at this period? the reader will perhaps be
asking. Whatever I did and thought is best known to God and
myself; but it will be as well to observe, that it is possible to feel
deeply and yet make no outward sign.
And now for the closing scene.
At the dead hour of night, it might be about two, I wa»
awakened from sleep by a cry which sounded from the toont
(179)
i8o LA VBNGRO. [zSn Pbb^ 94.
immediately below that in which I slept. I knew the cry, it was
the cry of my mother, and I also knew its import ; yet I made no
effort to rise^ for I was for the moment paralysed. Again the cry
sounded, yet still I lay motionless — ^the stupidity of horror was
upon me. A third time, and it was then that, by a violent effort
bursting the spell which appeared to bind me, I sprang from the
bed and rushed downstairs. My mother was running wildly
about the room ; she had awoke and found my father senseless in
the bed by her side. I essayed to raise him, and after a few
efforts supported him in the bed in a sitting posture. My
brother now rushed in, and snatching up a light that was burning,
he held it to my fother's face. ** The surgeon, the surgeon ! " 1^
cried ; then dropping the light, he ran out of the room followed
by my mother ; I remained alone, supporting the senseless form
of my father ; the light had been extinguished by the fall, and an
almost total darkness reigned in the room. The form pressed
heavily against my bosom — at last methought it moved. Yes, I
was right, there was a heaving of the breast, and then a gasping.
Were those words which I heard? Yes, they were words, low
and indistinct at first, and then audible. The mind of the dying
man was reverting to former scenes. I heard him mention names
which I had often heard him mention before. It was an awful
moment; I felt stupefied, but I still contrived to support my
dying father. There was a pause, again my father spoke : I heard
him speak of Minden, and of Meredith, the old Minden sergeant,
and then he uttered another name, which at one period of his life
was much on his lips, the name of but this is a solemn moment !
There was a deep gasp : I shook, and thought all was over ; but
I was mistaken — my father moved and revived for a moment ;
he supported himself in bed without my assistance. I make no
doubt that for a moment he was perfectly sensible, and it was
then that, clasping his hands, he uttered another name clearly,
distinctly — it was the name of Christ With that name upon his
lips, the brave old soldier sank back upon my bosom, and, with
his hands still clasped, yielded up his soul.
[Eftd of Vol /., 1851.1
CHAPTER XXIX.
•* One-and-ninepence, sir, or the things which you have brought
with you will be taken away from you 1 *'
Such were the first words which greeted my ears, one damp,
misty morning in March, as I dismounted from the top of a coach
in the yard of a London inn.
I turned round, for I felt that the words were addressed to
myself. Plenty of people were in the yard — porters, passengers,
coachmen, ostlers, and others, who appeared to be intent on
anything but myself, with the exception of one individual whose
business appeared to lie with me, and who now confronted me at
the distance of about two yards.
I looked hard at the man — and a queer kind of individual he
was to look at — a rakish figure, about thirty, and of the middle
size, dressed in a coat smartly cut, but threadbare, very tight
pantaloons of blue stuff, tied at the ankles, dirty white stockings,
and thin shoes, like those of a dancing-master ; his features were
not ugly, but rather haggard, and he appeared to owe his com-
plexion less to nature than carmine ; in fact, in every respect, a
very queer figure.
" One-and-ninepence, sir, or your things will be taken away
from you 1 " he said, in a kind of lisping tone, coming yet nearer
tome.
I still remained staring fixedly at him, but never a word
answered. Our eyes met ; whereupon he suddenly lost the easy
impudent air which he before wore. He glanced, for a moment,
at my fist, which I had by this time clenched, and his features
became yet more haggard ; he Altered ; a fresh " one-and-nine-
pence " which he was about to utter, died on his lips ; he shrank
oack, disappeared behind a coach, and I saw no more of him.
" One-and-ninepence, or my things will be taken away from
me I" said I to myself, musingly, as I followed the porter to whom
I had delivered my scanty baggage ; "am I to expect many of
these greetings in the big world ? Well, never mind; I think I
know the counter-sign P' And I clenched my fist yet harder
than before.
(i8i)
i8a LA VBNGRO. [aND April, '24
So I followed the porter through the streets of London, to a
lodging which had been prepared for me by an acquaintance.
The morning, as I have before said, was gloomy^ and the streets
through which I passed were dank and filthy ; the people, also,
looked dank and filthy ; and so, probably, did I, for the night
had been rainy, and I had come upwards of a hundred miles on
the top of a coach ; my heart had sunk within me by the time we
reached a dark narrow street in which was the lodging.
" Cheer up, young man," said the porter, " we shall have a
fine afternoon I '*
And presently I found myself in the lodging which had been
prepared for me. It consisted of a small room, up two pair of
stairs, in which I was to sit, and another still smaller above it, in
which I was to sleep. I remember that I sat down, and looked
disconsolate about me— everything seemed so cold and dingy.
Yet how little is required to make a situation — ^however cheerless
at first sight— cheerful and comfortable. The people of the
house, who looked kindly upon me, lighted a fire in the dingy
grate ; and, then, what a change t — the dingy room seemed dingy
no more I Oh, the luxury of a cheerful fire after a chill night's
journey 1 I drew near to the blazing grate, rubbed my hands
and felt glad.
And, when I had warmed myself, I turned to the table, on
which, by this time, the people of the house had placed my
breakfast ; and I ate and I drank ; and, as I ate and drank, I
mused within myself, and my eyes were frequently directed to a
small green box, which constituted part of my luggage, and which,
with the rest of my things, stood in one comer of the room, tOl at
last, leaving my breakfast unfinished, I rose, and, going to the box,
unlocked it, and took out two or three bundles of papers tied
with red tape, and, placing them on the table, I resumed my seat
and my breakfast, my eyes intently fixed upon the bundles of
papers all the time.
And when I had drained the last cup of tea out of a dingy
teapot, and ate the last slice of the dingy loaf, I untied one of
the bundles, and proceeded to look over the papan, which were
closely written over in a singular hand, and I read for some time^
till at last I said to myself, " It will do "• And then I looked at
the other bundle for some time, without untying it ; and at last I
said, '* It will do also ". And then I turned to the fire, and,
putting my feet against the sides of the grate, I leaned back on
my chair, and, with my eyes upon the fire, fell into deep thought
And there I continued in thought before the fire, until my
i8a4.] '*THB BIO WORLD." 183
eyes dosed, and I fell asleep ; which was not to be wondered at,
after the fatigue and cold which I had lately undergone on the
ooacb-top ; and, in my sleep, I imagined myself still there, amidst
darkness and rain, hurrying now over wild heaths, and now along
roads overhung with thick and umbrageous trees, and sometimes
methought I heard the horn of the guard, and sometimes the
voice of the coachman, now chiding, now encouraging his horses,
as they toiled through the deep and miry ways. At length a
tremendous crack of a whip saluted the tympanum of my ear,
and I started up broad awake, nearly oversetting the chair on
which I reclined — and, lo 1 I was in the dingy room before the
fire, which was by this time half-extinguished. In my dream I
had confounded the noise of the street with those of my night
journey ; the crack which had aroused me I soon found proceeded
from the whip of a carter, who, with many oaths, was flogging his
team below the window.
Looking at a clock which stood upon the mantel-piece, I per-
ceived that it was past eleven ; whereupon I said to myself, " I am
wasting my time foolishly and unprofitably, forgetting that I am
now in the big world, without anything to depend upon save my
own exertions"; and then I adjusted my dress, and, locking up
the bundle of papers which I had not read, I tied up the other,
and, taking it under my arm, I went down stairs ; and, after ask-
ing a question or two of the people of the house, I sallied forth
into the street with a determined look, though at heart I felt
somewhat timorous at the idea of venturing out alone into the
mazes of the mighty city, of which I had heard much, but of
which, of my own knowledge, I knew nothing.
I had, however, no great cause for anxiety in the present in-
stance ; I easily found my way to the place which I was in quest
of-*one of the many new squares on the northern side of the
metropolis, and which was scarcely ten minutes' walk from the
street in which I bad taken up my abode. Arriving before the
door of a tolerably large house which bore a certain number, I
stood still for a moment in a kind of trepidation, looking anxiously
at the door ; I then slowly passed on till I came to the endjof the
squaie, where I stood still and pondered for awhile. Suddenly,
however, like one who has formed a resolution, I clenched my
right hand, flinging my hat somewhat on one side, and, turning
back with haste to the door before which I had stopped, I sprang
up the steps, and gave a loud rap, ringing at the same time the
bdl of the area. After the lapse of a minute the door was
opened by a maid-servant of no very cleanly or prepossessing
i84 LA VBNGRO. [1824.
appearance, of whom I demanded, in a tone of some hauteur^
whether the master of the house was at home. Glancing for a
moment at the white paper bundle beneath my arm, the handmaid
made no reply in words^ but, with a kind of toss of her head, flung
the door open, standing on one side as if to let me enter. I did
enter; and the handmaid, having opened another door on the
right hand, went in, and said something which I could not hear;
after a considerable pause, however, I heard the voice of a man
say, '^ Let him come in " ; whereupon the handmaid, coming out,
motioned me to enter, and, on my obeying, instantly dos^ the
door behind m^
CHAPTER XXX.
There were two individuals in the room in which I now found
myself; it was a small study, surrounded with bookcases, the
window looking out upon the square. Of these individuals he
who appeared to be the principal stood with his back to the fire-
place. He was a tall, stout man, about sixty, dressed in a loose
morning gown. The expression of his countenance would have
been bluff but for a certain sinister glance, and his complexion
might have been called rubicund but for a considerable tinge ot
bilious yellow. He eyed me askance as I entered. The other,
a pale, shrivelled-looking person, sat at a table apparently engaged
with an account-book ; he took no manner of notice of me, never
(mce lifting his eyes from the page before him.
"Well, sir, what is your pleasure?" said the big man, in a
rough tone, as I stood Uiere looking at him wistfully — as well I
might — for upon that man, at the time of which I am speaking,
my principal, I may say my only, hopes rested.
** Sir," said I, " my name is so-and-so, and I am the bearer of
a letter to you from Mr. so-and-so, an old friend and corres-
pondent of yours."
The countenance of the big man instantly lost the suspicious
and lowering expression which it had hitherto exhibited ; he strode
forward and, seizing me by the hand, gave me a violent squeeze.
*' My dear sir," said he, " I am rejoiced to see you in London.
I have been long anxious for the pleasure — ^we are old friends,
though we have never before met Taggart,"^ said he to the
man who sat at the desk, ** this is our excellent correspondent, the
friend and pupil of our other excellent correspondent."
The pale, shrivelled-looking man slowly and deliberately
raised his head from the account-book, and surveyed me for a
moment or two ; not the slightest emotion was observable in his
countenance. It appeared to me, however, that I could detect a
droll twinkle in his eye ; his curiosity, if he had any, was soon
iJ/5., "Bartlett".
(l8S)
i86 LA VBNGRO. [1&14.
gratified ; he made me a kind of bow, pulled out a snuff-box, took
a pinch of snuff, and again bent his head over the page.
*' And now, my dear sir," said the big man, " pray sit down,
and tell me the cause of your visit I hope you intend to remain
here a day or two."
''More than that," said I, " I am come to take up my abode
in London."
'' Glad to hear it ; and what have you been about of late ? got
anything which will suit me ? Sir, I admire your style of writing,
and your manner of thinking ; and I am much obliged to my
good friend and correspondent for sending me some of your
productions. I inserted them all^ and wished there had been
more of them— quite original, sir, quite; took with the public,
especially the essay about the non-existence of anything. I don't
exactly agree with you, though ; I have my own peculiar ideas
about matter — as you know, of course, from the book I have
published. Nevertheless, a very pretty piece of speculative
philosophy — ^no such thing as matter — impossible that there
should be — ex mhiio — what is the Greek ? I have forgot — very
pretty indeed; very original"
'' I am afraid, sir, it was very wrong to write such trash, and
yet more to allow it to be published."
" Trash ! not at all ; a very pretty piece of speculative philo-
sophy; of course you were wrong in saying there is no world.
The world must exist, to have the shape of a pear ; and that the
world is shaped like a pear, and not like an apple, as the fools of
Oxford say, I have satisfactorily proved in my book. Now, if
there were no world, what would become of my system? But
what do you propose to do in London ? "
''Here \s the letter, sir," said I, "of our good friend, which I
have not yet given to you ; I believe it will explain to you the
circumstances under which I come."
He took the letter, and perused it with attention. "Hem I"
said he, with a somewhat altered manner, " my friend tdls me that
you are come up to London with the view of turning your literajcy
talents to account, and desiies me to assist you in my capacity of
publisher in bringing forth two or three works which you have
prepared. My good friend is perhaps not aware that for some
time past I have given up publishing — ^was obliged to do so — ^had
many severe losses — do nothing at present in that line, save
sending out the Magazine once a month ; and, between ourselves
am thinking of disposing of that — ^wish to retire — ^high time at my
age— so you see ^
1024.] SIR RICHARD. 187
*' I am very sorry, sir, to hear that you cannot assist me " (and
I remember that I felt very nervous) ; " I had hoped—"
"A losing trade, I assure you^ sir; literature is a drug.
Taggart, what o'clock is it?"
''Well, sir!'' said I, rising, ''as you cannot assist me, I will
DOW take my leave ; I thank you sincerely for your kind reception,
and wOl trouble you no longer."
" Oh, don't go. I wish to have some further conversation with
you ; and perhaps I may hit upon some plan to benefit you. I
honour merit, and always make a point to encourage it when I
can ; but Taggart, go to the bank, and tell them to dishonour
the bill twelve months after date for thirty pounds which becomes
due to-morrow. I am dissatisfied with that fellow who wrote the
fairy tales, and intend to give him all the trouble in my power.
Make haste."
Taggart did not appear to be in any particular haste. First
of all, he took a pinch of snuff, then, rising firom his chair, slowly
and deliberately drew his wig, for he wore a wig of a brown colour,
rather more over his forehead than it had previously been, buttoned
his coat, and, taking his hat, and an umbrella which stood in a
comer, made me a low bow, and quitted the room.
" Well, sir, where were we ? Oh, I remember, we were talking
about merit. Sir, I always wish to encourage merit, especially
when it comes so highly reconunended as in the present instance.
Sir, my good firiend and correspondent speaks of you in the
highest terms. Sir, I honour my good friend, and have the
highest respect for his opinion in all matters connected with
literature — ^rather eccentric though. Sir, my good friend has
done my periodical more good and more harm than all the rest
of my correspondents. Sir, I shall never forget the sensation
caused by the appearance of his article about a certain personage
whom he proved — and I think satisfactorily — ^to have been a
legionary soldier — ^rather startling, was it not? The S ^ of
the world a common soldier, in a marching regiment ! — original,
but startling; sir, I honour my good friend."
"So you have renounced publishing, sir," said I, "with the
exception of the Magazine ? "
" Why, yes ; except now and then, under the rose ; the old
coachman, you know, likes to hear the whip. Indeed, at the present
moment, I am thinking of starting a Review on an entirely new and
original principle ; and it just struck me that you might be of high
utility in the undertaking — what do you think of the matter ? "
ti/5., •«8ivloar".
388 LA VBNGRO. [1824.
^* I should be happy, sir, to render you any assistance, but I
am afraid the employment you propose requires other qualifica-
tions than I possess ; however, I can make the essay. My chief
intention in coming to London was to lay before the world what
I had prepared ; and I had hoped by your assistance "
'^ Ah 1 I see, ambition I Ambition is a yery pretty thing ; but,
sir, we must walk before we run, according to the old saying-*
what is that you have got under your arm ? "
'* One of the works to which I was alluding ; the one, indeed,
which I am most anxious to lay before the world, as I hope to
derive from it both profit and reputation."
*' Indeed 1 what do you call it ? "
'* Ancient songs of Denmark, heroic and romantic, translated
by myself, with notes philological, critical and historical."
" Then, sir, I assure you that your time and labour have been
entirely flung away; nobody would read your ballads, if you
were to give them to the world to-morrow.*'
*' I am sure, sir, that you would say otherwise if you would
permit me to read one to you ; " and, without waiting for the
answer of the big man, nor indeed so much as looking at him,
to see whether he was inclined or not to hear me, I undid my
manuscript, and with a voice trembling vrith eagerness, I read to
the following effect : —
Buckshank bold and Elfinstone,
And more than I can mention here,
They caused to be built so stout a ship,
And unto Iceland they would steer.
They launched the ship upon the main,
Which bellowed like a wrathful bear;
Down to the bottom the vessel sank,
A laidly Trold has dragged it there.
Down to the bottom sank young Roland.
And round about he groped awhile ;
Until he found the path which led
Unto the bower of EUenlyle.
" Stop 1 " said the publisher ; " very pretty, indeed, and very
original ; beats Scott hollow, and Percy too : but, sir, the day for
these things is gone by ; nobody at present cares for Percy, nor
for Scott, either, save as a novelist ; sorry to discourage meri^ sir,
but what can I do ? What else have you got ? "
"The songs of Ab Gwilym, the Welsh bard, also translated by
myself, with notes critical, philological and historicaL"
iaa4.] PHILIPPICS. 1^9
" Pass on— what else ? "
" Nothing else/' said I, folding up my manuscript with a sigh^
** unless it be a romance in the German style ; on which, I confess^
I set Tery little Talue."
"Wfld?"
*• Yes, sir, very wild."
" Like the Miller of the Black Valley ? "
•* Yes, sir, very much like the Miller of the Black Valley.''
"Well, that's better," said the publisher; "and yet, I don't
know, I question whether any one at present cares for the miller
himself. No, sir, the time for those things is also gone by ;
German, at present, is a drug ; and, between ourselves, nobody
has contributed to make it so more than my good friend and
correspondent; but, sir, I see you are a young gentleman of
infinite merit, and I always wish to encourage merit. Don't
you think you could write a series of evangelical tales?"
" Evangelical tales, sir ? "
" Yes, sir, evangelical novels."
" Something in the style of Herder?"
" Herder is a drug, sir ; nobody cares for Herder — thanks to
my good friend. Sir, I have in yon drawer a hundred pages
about Herder, which I dare not insert in my periodical ; it would
sink it, sir. No, sir, something in the style of the /dairyman's
Daughter!*
" I never heard of the work till the present moment"
"Then, sir, procure it by all means. Sir, I could afford as
much as ten pounds for a well-written tale in the style of the
Dairyman's Daughter; that is the kind of literature, sir, that
sells at the present day ! It is not the Miller of the Black Valley —
no, sir, nor Herder either, that will suit the present taste; the
evangelical body is becoming very strong, sir — the canting
scoundrels ^
"But, sir, surely you would not pander to a scoundrelly
taste?"
" Then, sir, I must give up business altogether. Sir, I have a
great respect for the goddess Reason — an infinite respect, sir;
indeed, in my time, I have made a great many sacrifices for her ;
but, sir, I cannot altogether ruin myself for the goddess Reason.
Sir, I am a friend to Liberty, as is well known ; but I must also
be a fiiend to my own family. It is with the view of providing
for a son of mine that I am about to start the Review of which I
was speaking. He has taken it into his head to marry, sir, and I
must do something for him, for he can do but little for himself.
]^ LA VBNORO, [z8a4.
Well, SIT, I am a friend to Liberty, as I said before, and likewise a
friend to Reason ; but I tell you frankly that the Review which I
intend to get up under the rose, and present him with when it is
established, will be conducted on Oxford principles." ^
*' Orthodox principles, I suppose you mean, sir?"
"I do, sir; I am fio linguist, but I believe the words are
synonymous."
Much moreconveriation passed between us, and it was agreed
that I should become a contributor to the Oxford Review. I
stipulated, however, that, as I knew little of politics, and cared
less, no other articles should be required from me than such as
were connected with belles-lettres and philology ; to this the big
man readily assented. ''Nothing will be required from you,"
said he, '' but what you mention ; and now and then, perhaps, a
paper on metaphysics. You understand German, and perhaps it
would be desirable that you should review Kant; and in a
review of Kant, sir, you could introduce to advantage your
peculiar notions about ex nihilo,** He then reverted to the subject
of the Dairyman's Daughter^ which I promised to take into con-
sideration. As I was going away, he invited me to dine with him
on the ensuing Sunday.
" That's a strange man 1 " said I to myself, after I had left the
house, " he is evidently very clever ; but I cannot say that I like him
much, with his Oxford Reviews and Dairyman's Daughters. But
what can I do ? I am almost without a friend in the world. I
wish I could find some one who would publish my ballads, or my
songs of Ab Gwilym. In spite of what the big man says, I am
convinced that, once published, they would bring me much fame
and profit But how is this ? — what a beautiful sun I — ^the porter
was right in saying that the day would dear up — I will now go to
my dingy lodging, lock up my manuscripts and then take a stroll
about the big city."
1 MS., " High Tory principles ' .
CHAPTER XXM.
So I set out on my walk to see the wondey of the big city, and, as
chance would have it, I directed my course to the east. The day,
as I have already said, had become very fine, so that I saw the
great city to advantage, and the wonders thereof and much I
admired all I saw ; and, amongst other things, the huge cathedral,
standing so proudly on the most commanding ground in the big
city; and I looked up to the mighty dome, surmounted by a
golden cross, and I said within myself: ^*That dome must needs
be the finest in the world " ; and I gazed upon it till my eyes
reeled, and my brain became dizzy, and I thought that the dome
would fall and crush me ; and I shrank within myself, and struck
yet deeper into the heart of the big city.
*' O Cheapside ! Cheapside 1 " said I, as I advanced up that
mighty thoroughfare, " truly thou art a wonderful place for hurry,
noise and riches I Men talk of the bazaars of the East — I have
never seen them, but I dare say that, compared with thee^
they are poor places, silent places, abounding with empty boxes.
O thou pride of London's east I — mighty mart of old renown 1 —
for thou art not a place of yestercky : long before the Roses
red and white battled in fair England, thou didst exist — a place of
throng and bustle — ^a place of gold and silver, perfumes and fine
linen. Centuries ago thou couldst extort the praises even of the
fiercest foes of England. Fierce bards of Wales, sworn foes of
England, sang thy praises centuries ago ; and even the fiercest of
them all. Red Julius himself, wild Glendower's bard, had a word
of praise for London's ** Cheape," for so the bards of Wales styled
thee in their flowing odes. Then, if those who were not English,
and hated England and all connected therewith, had yet much
to say in thy praise, when thou wast fisir inferior to what thou art
now, why should true-born Englishmen, or those who call them-
selves so, turn up their noses at thee, and scoff thee at the present
day, as I believe they do? But, let others do as they will, I, at
least, wh# am not only an Englishman, but an East Englishman,
will not turn up my nose at thee, but will praise and extol thee,
calling thee mart of the world — ^a place of wonder and astonish-
ment ] — and, were it right and fitting to wish that anything should
(191)
194 LA VBNGRO. [1824.
endure for ever, I would say prosperity to Cheapside, throughout
all ages — may it be the world's resort for Inerchandise^ world
without end.
And when I had passed through the Cheape I entered another
street, which led up a kind of ascent, and which proved to be the
street of the Lombards, called so from the name of its founders ;
and I walked rapidly up the street of the Lombards, neither
looking to the right nor left, for it had no interest for me^ though
I had a kind of consciousness that mighty things were being
transacted behind its wall^f; but it wanted the throng, bustle and
outward magnificence of the Cheape, and it had never been
spoken of by " ruddy bards I " And, when I had got to the end
of the street of the Lombards, I stood still for some time, de-
liberating within m3rself whether I should turn to the right or the
left, or go straight forward, and at last I turned to the right, down
a street of rapid descent, and presently found myself upon a bridge
which traversed the river which runs by the big city.
A strange kind of bridge it was; huge and massive, and
seemingly of great antiquity. It had an arched back, like that of
a hog, a high balustrade^ and at either side, at intervals, were
stone bowers bulking over the river, but open on the other side,
and furnished with a semicircular bench. Though the bridge was
wide — ^very wide — it was all too narrow for the concourse upon it.
Thousands of human beings were pouring over the bridge. But
what chiefly struck my attention was a double row of carts and
wagons, the generality drawn by horses as large as elephants, each
row striving hard in a different direction, and not unfrequently
brought to a standstill. Oh the cracking of whips, the shouts and
oaths of the carters, and the grating of wheels upon the enormous
stones that formed the pavement! In fact, there was a wild
hurly-burly upon the bridge, which nearly deafened me. But, if
upon the bridge there was a confusion, below it there was a con-
fusion ten times confounded. The tide, which was fast ebbing,
obstructed by the immense piers of the old bridge, poured beneath
the arches with a fall of several feet, forming in the river below as
many whirlpools as there were arches. Truly tremendous was the
roar of the descending waters, and the bellow of the tremendous
gulfs, which swallowed them for a time, and then cast them
forth, foaming and frothing from their horrid wombs. Slowly
advancing along the bridge, I came to the highest {Jbint, and
there I stood still, close beside one of the stone bowers, in which,
beside a fruitstall, sat an old woman, with a pan of charcoal at
her feet, and a book in her hand, in which she appeared to be
reading intently^ There I stood, just above the principal archi
1824.1 THE STROLL. 193
looking through the balustrade at the scene that presented itself —
and such a scene ! Towards the left bank of the river, a forest of
masts, thick and close, as far as the eye could reach ; spacious
wharfs, sunnounted with gigantic edifices ; and, far away, Caesar's
Castle, with its White Tower, To the right, another forest of
masts, and a maze of buildings, from which, here and there, shot
up to the sky chimneys taller than Cleopatra's Needle, vomit-
ing forth huge wreaths of that black smoke which forms the
canopy— occasionally a gorgeous one — of the more than Babel
city. Stretching before me, the troubled breast of the mighty
river, and, immoliately below, the main whirlpool of the Thames
— the Maelstrom of the bulwarks of the middle arch — a grisly
pool, which, with its superabundance of horror, fascinated me.
Who knows but I should have leapt into its depths? — I have
heard of such things — but for a rather startling occurrence which
broke the spelL As I stood upon the bridge, gazing into the jaws
of the pool, a small boat shot suddenly through the arch beneath
my feet. There were three peisons in it; an oarsman in the
middle, whilst a man and a woman sat at the stem. I shall never
forget the thrill of horror which went through me at this sudden
apparition. What ! — a boat — ^a small boat — passing beneath that
arch into yonder roaring gulf! Yes, yes, down through that awful
water-way, with more than the swiftness of an arrow, shot the
boat, or skiff, right into the jaws of the pool. A monstrous
breaker curls over the prow — there is no hope; the boat is
swamped, and all drowned in that strangling vortex. No! the
boat, which appeared to have the buoyancy of a feather, skipped
over the threatening horror, and the next moment was out of
danger, the boatman — a true boatman of Cockaigne that —
elevating one of his sculls in sign of triumph, the man hallooing,
and the woman, a true Englishwoman that— of a certain class-*
waving her shawl. Whether any one observed them save myself,
or whether the feat was a common one, I know not ; but nobody
appeared to take any notice of them. As for myself, t was so
excited, that I strove to clamber up the balustrade of the bridge,
in order to obtain a better view of the daring adventurers. Before
I could accomplish my design, however, I felt myself seized by the
body, and, turning my head, perceived the old fruit-woman, who
was clinging to me.
" Nay, dear I don't— don't ! " said she. " Don't fling yourself
over — perhaps you may have better luck next time ! "
" I was not going to fling myself over," said I, dropping from
the balustrade ; '* how came you to think of such a thing ? "
13
194 LA VBNGRO. [1834.
'^Why, seeing you clamber up so fiercely, I thought you
might have had ill luck, and that you wished to make away with
yourself."
" 111 luck/' said I, going into the stone bower and sitting down.
" What do you mean ? ill luck in what ?^'
" Why, no great harm, dear ! cly-faking, perhaps."
''Are you coming over me with dialectSi" said I, "speaking
unto me in fashions I wot nothing of?''
" Nay, dear 1 don't look so strange with thpse eyes of your'n,
nor talk so strangely ; I don't understand you."
" Nor I you ; what do you mean by dy-faking ?"
'' Lor, dear I no harm ; only taking a handkerchief now and then."
" Do you take me for a Uiief ? "
" Nay, dear 1 don't make use of bad language ; we never calls
them thieves here, but prigs and fakers : to tdl you the truth, dear,
seeing you spring at that lailing put me in mind of my own dear
son, who is now at Bot'ny : when he had bad luck, he always used
to talk of flinging himself over the bridge ; and, sure enough,
when the traps were after him, he did fling himself into the river,
but that was off the bank ; nevertheless, the traps pulled him out,
and he is now sufiering his sentence ; so you see you may speak
out, if you have done anything in the harmless line, for I am my
son's own mother, I assure you."
"So you think there's no harm in stealing?"
" No harm in the world, dear I Do you think my own child
would have been transported for it, if there had been any liarm
in it? and what's more, would the blessed woman in the book
here have written her life as she has done, and given it to the
world, if there had been any harm in faking? She^ too, was
what they call a thief and a cut-purse ; ay, and was transported for
it, like my dear son ; and do you think she would have told the
world so, if there had been any harm in the thing? Oh, it is a
comfort to me that the blessed woman was transported, and came
back — for come back she did, and rich too — ^for it is an assurance
to me that my dear son, who was transported too, will come back
like her."
" What was her name ? ''
, " Her name, blessed Mary Flanders."
" Will you let me look at the book ? "
" Yes, dear, that I will, if you promise me not to run away
with it."
I took the book from her hand; a short thick volume, at
least a century old, bound with greasy black leather. I turned
the yellow and dog's-eared pages, reading here and there a
iSh-] LONDON BRIDGE. 195
sentence. Yes, and no mistake ! ^is pen, his style, his spirit
might be observed in every line of the uncouth-looking old
volume — ^the air, the style, the spirit of the writer of the book
which first taught me to read. I covered my face with my hand,
and thought of my childhood.
''This is a singular book,^ said I at last; "but it does not
Bppeai to have been written to prove that thieving is no harm,
but rather to show the terrible consequences of crime : it contains
a deep moral."
" A deep what, dear ? "
''A but no matter, I will give you a crown for this
volume."
** No, dear, I will not sell the volume for a crown."
*' I am poor," said I ; " but I will give you two silver crowns
for your volume."
" No, dear, I will not sell my volume for two silver crowns ;
no, nor for the golden one in the king's tower down there;
without my book I should mope and pine, and perhaps fling
myself into the river ; but I am glad you like it, which shows that
I was right about you, after all ; you are one of our party, and
you have a flash about that eye of yours which puts me just in
mind of my dear son. No, dear, I won*t sell you my book ; but,
if you like, you may have a peep into it whenever you come this
way. I shall be glad to see you ; you are one of the right sort,
for, if you had b^n a common one, you would have run away
with the thing ; but you scorn such behaviour, and, as you are so
flash of your money, though you say you are poor, you may give
me a tanner to buy a little baccy with ; I love baccy, dear, more
by token that it comes from the plantations to which the blessed
woman was sent"
" What's a tanner ? " said I.
"Lorl don't you know> dear? Why, a tanner is sixpence;
and, as you were talking just now about crowns, it will be as well
to tell you that those of our trade never calls them crowns, but
bulls ; but I am talking nonsense, just as if you did not know all
that already, as well as myself; you are only shamming — Fm no
trap, dear, nor more was the blessed woman in the book. Thank
you, dear — ^thank you for the tanner ; if I don't spend it, I'll keep
it in remembrance of your sweet face. What, you are going ? —
well, first let me whisper a word to you. If you have any dies to
sell at any time, I'll buy them of you ; all safe with me ; I never
'peachy and scorns a trap; so now, dear, God bless you! and
give you good luck. Thank you for your pleasant company, and
thank you for the tanner."
CHAPTER XXXII.
"Tanner!" said I musingly, as I left the bridge; "Tanner!
what can the roan who cures raw skins by means of a preparation
of oak bark and other materials have to do with the name which
these fakers, as they call themselves, bestow on the smallest silver
coin in these dominions ? Tanner ! I can't trace the connection
between the man of bark and the silver coin, unless journeymen
tanners are in the habit of working for sixpence a day. But I
have it," I continued, flourishing my hat over my head, " tanner,
in this instance, is not an English word." Is it not surprising
that the language of Mr. Petulengro and of Tawno Chikno, is
continually coming to my assistance whenever I appear to be at a
nonplus with respect to the derivation of crabbed words ? I have
made out crabbed words in iEschylus by means of the speech of
Chikno and Petulengro, and even in my Biblical researches I
have derived no slight assistance from it. It appears to be a
kind of picklock, an open sesame, Tanner — Tawno! the one is
but a modification of the other; they were originally identical,
and have still much the same signification. Tanner, in the
language of the apple-woman, meaneth the smallest of English
silver coins; and Tawno, in the language of the Petulengros,
though bestowed upon the biggest of the Romans, according to
strict interpretation, significth a little child.
So I left the bridge, retracing my steps for a considerable
way, as I thought I had seen enough in the direction in which I
had hitherto been wandering.
[At last I came to a kind of open place from which three large
streets branched, and in the middle of the place stood the figure
of a man on horseback. It was admirably executed, and I stood
still to survey it.
*'Is that the statue of Cromwell?" said I to a drayman who
was passing by, driving a team of that enormous breed of horses
which had struck me on the bridge.
"Who?" said the man in a surly tone, stopping short. -
" Cromwell,** said I ; " did you never hear of Oliver Cromwell ? '* J
*'Oh, Oliver,'* said the drayman, and a fine burst of intel-
(196)
x8a4.] CROMWELVS STATUE. 197
Ugence lighted op his broad English countenance. '<To be
sure I have ; yes, and read of him toa A fine fellow was Oliver,
master, and the poor man's friend. Whether that's his figure,
though, I can't say. I hopes it be«" Then touching his luit to
me, he followed his gigantic team, turning his head to look at the
Statue as he walked along.
That man had he lived in Oliver's time would have made a
capital ironside, especially if mounted on one of those dray horses
of his. I remained looking at the statue some time longer.
Turning round, I perceived that I was close by a bookseller's shop,
into which, after deliberating a moment, I entered. An elderly,
good-tempered looking man was standing behind the counter.
*' Have you the Dairyman's Daughter f** I demanded.
''Just one copy, young gentleman," said the bookseller,
rubbing his hands; ''you are just in time, if you want one; all
the rest are sold."
" What kind of character does it bear ? "
" Exc^lent character, young gentleman ; great demand for it ;
held in much esteem, especially by the Evangelical party."
" Who are the Evangelical party ? "
" Excellent people, young gentleman, and excellent customers
of mine," rubbing his hamls; "but setting that aside," he
continual gravely, "religious, good men."
" Not a set of canting scoundrels ? "
The bookseller had placed a small book upon the counter;
but he now suddenly snatched it up and returned it to the shelf;
then looking at me full in the face, he said, quietly: '* Young
gentleman, I do not wish to be uncivil, but you had better leave
Xh& shop."
'* I beg your pardon if I have offended you, but I was merely
repeating what I had heard."
"Whoever told you so must be either a bad, or a very
ignorant, man."
" I wish for the book."
" You shall not have it at any price."
"Why not?"
" I have my reasons," said the bookseller.
" Will you have the kindness," said I, " to tell me whose statue
it is which stands there on horseback ? "
"Charles the First"
" And where is Crom well's ? "
" You may walk far enough about London, or, indeed, about
Ei^land, bdbre you will find a statue of Cromwell, young gentle-
man."
xgS LA VBNGRO. [1824.
^* Well, I could not help thinking that was his."
" How came you to think so ? "
^* I thought it would be just the place for a statue to the most
illustrious Englishman. It is where I would place one were I
prime minister."
'< Well, I do think that Charles would look better a little farther
down, opposite to Whitehall, for example,*' said the bookseller,
rubbing his hands. " Do you really wish to have the book ? "
** Very much."
*' Well, here it is ; no price, young gentleman ; no price — can't
break my word — give the money, if you like, to the beggars in the
street. Cromwell is the first Englishman who endeavoured to put
all sects on an equality. Wouldn't do, though — ^world too fond
of humbug — still is. However, good day, young gentleman, and
when you are prime minister, do not forget the two statues."]
I should say that I scarcely walked less than thirty miles about
the big city on the day of my first arrival. Night came on, but
still I was walking about, my eyes wide open, and admiring
everything that presented itself to them. Everything was new to
me, for everything is different in I^ndon from what it is elsewhere
— ^the people, their language, the horses, the timt ensemble — even
the stones of London are different from others — at least it appeared
to me that I had never walked with the same ease and facility on
the flag-stones of a country town as on those of London ; so I
continued roving about till night came on, and then the splendour
of some of the shops particularly struck me. '* A regular Arabian
nights' entertainment! " said I, as I looked into one on Cornhill,
gorgeous with precious merchandise^ and lighted up with lustres,
the rays of which were reflected from a hundred mirrors.
But, notwithstanding the excellence of the London pavement,
I began about nine o'clock to feel myself thoroughly tired;
painfully and slowly did I drag my feet along. I also felt very
much in want of some refreshment, and I remembered that since
breakfast I had taken nothing. I was now in the Strand, and,
glancing about, I perceived that I was close by an hotel, which
bore over the door the somewhat remarkable name of Holy
Lands. Without a moment's hesitation I entered a well-lighted
passage^ and, turning to the left, I found myself in a well-lighted
coffee-room, with a well-dressed and frizzled waiter before me.
"Bring me some claret," said I, for I was rather faint than
hungry, and I felt ashamed to give a humbler order to so well-
dressed an individual. The waiter looked ^t me for a moment ;
then, making a low bow, he bustled off, and I sat myself down in
x8t4.I ^^^ "H0L7 LANDS''. 199
the box nearest to the window. Presently the waiter returned,
bearing beneath his left arm a long bottle, and between the
fingers of his right hand two large purple glasses ; placing the
latter on the table, he produced a cork-screw, drew the cork in a
twinkling, set the bottle down before me with a bang, and then,
standing still, appeared to watch my movements. You think I
don't know how to drink a glass of claret, thought I to myself.
I'll soon show you how we drink claret where I come from ; and,
filling one of the glasses to the brim, I flickered it for a moment
between my eyes and the lustre, and then held it to my nose;
having given that organ full time to test the bouquet of the wine,
I applied the glass to my lips, taking a large mouthful of the
wine, which I swallowed slowly and by degrees, that the palate
might likewise have an opportunity of performing its functions.
A second mouthful I disposed of more summarily ; then, placing
the empty glass upon the table, I fixed my eyes upon the bottle,
and said — ^nothing ; whereupon the waiter, who had been observ-
ing the whole process with considerable attention, made me a
bow yet more low than before, and turning on his heel, retired
with a smart chuck of his head, as much as to say. It is all right ;
the young man is used to claret.
And when the waiter had retired I took a second glass of the
wine, which I found excellent ; and, observing a newspaper lying
near me, I took it up and began perusing it. It has been
observed somewhere that people who are in the habit of reading
newspapers every day are not unfrequently struck with the excel-
lence of style and general talent which they dispby. Now, if
that be the case, how must I have been surprised, who was
reading a newspaper for the first time, and that one of the best
of the London Journals! Yes, strange as it may seem, it was
nevertheless true, that, up to the moment of which I am speaking,
I had never read a newspaper of any description. I of course
had frequently seen journals, and even handled them; but, as
for reading them, what were they to me?-^I cared not for news.
But here I was now with my cb^et before me, perusing, perhaps,
the best of all the London Journals — it was not the — and I was
astonished: an entirely new field of literature appeared to be
opened to my view. It was a discovery, but I confess rather an
unpleasant one; for I said to myself, if literary talent is so very
common in London, that the journals, things which, as their very
name denotes, are ephemeral, are written in a style like the article
I have been perusing, how can I hope to distinguish myself in
this fajg town, when, for the life of me, I don't think I could
200 LA VENGRO. [1824.
write anything half so clever as what I have been reading. And
then I laid down the paper, and fell into deep musing ; rousing
myself from which, I took a glass of wine, and pouring out another,
bqgan musing again. What I have been reading, thought I, is
certainly very clever and very talented ; but talent and cleverness
I think I have heard some one say are very common-place things,
only fitted for everyday occasions. I question whether die man
who wrote the book I saw this day on the bridge was a clever
man ; but, after all, was he not something much better ? I don't
think he could have written this article, but then he wrote the
book which I saw on the bridge. Then, if he could not have
written the article on which I now hold my forefinger — ^and I do
not believe he could — ^why should I feel discouraged at the
consciousness that I, too, could not write it ? I certainly could
no more have written the article than he could; but then, like
him, though I would not compare myself to the man who wrote
the book I saw upon the bridge, I think I could — and here I
emptied the glass of claret — write something better.
Thereupon I resumed the newspaper; and, as I was before
struck with the fluency of style and the general talent which it
displayed, I was now equally so with its common-placeness and
want of originality on every subject ; and it was evident to me
that, whatever advantage these newspaper-writers might have over
me in some points, they had never studied the Welsh bards,
translated Kaempe Viser, or been under the pupilage of Mr.
Petulengro and Tawno Chikno.
And as I sat conning the newspaper three individuals entered
the room, and seated themselves in the box at the farther end of
which I was. They were all three very well dressed ; two of
them elderly gentlemen, the third a young man about my own
age, or perhaps a year or two older. They called for coffee ; and,
after two or three observations, the two eldest commenced a con-
versation in French, which, however, though they spoke it fluently
enough, I perceived at once was not their native language ; the
young man, however, took no part in their conversation, and
when they addressed a portion to him, which indeed was but
rarely, merely replied by a monosyllable. I have never been a
listener, and I paid but little heed to their discourse, nor indeed
to themselves; as I occasionally looked* up, however, I could
perceive that the features of the young man, who chanced to be
seated exactly opposite to me, wore an air of constraint and
vexation. This circumstance caused me to observe him more
particularly than I otherwise should have done : his features were
i8s4.] FRANCIS ARDRY aoi
handsome and prepossessing; he had dark brown hair, and a
high-arched forehead. After the lapse of half an hour, the two
elder indiyiduals, having finished their coffee, called for the
waiter, and then rose as if to depart, the young man^ however,
still remaining seated in the box. The others, having reached
the door, turned found, and, finding that the youth did not follow
them, one of them called to him with a tone of some authority ;
whereupon the young man rose, and, pronouncing half audibly
the word "botheration," rose and followed them. I now observed
that he was remarkably tall. All three left the house. In about
ten minutes, finding nothing more worth reading in the news-
paper, I laid it down, and though the claret was not yet exhausted,
I was thinking of betaking myself to my lodgings, and was about
to call the waiter, when I heard a step in the passage, and in
another moment, the tall young man entered the room, advanced
to the same box, and, sitting down nearly opposite to me, again pro-
nounced to himself, but more audibly than before, the same word.
" A troublesome world this, sir," said I, looking at him.
''Yes," said the young man, looking fixedly at me; "but I
am afraid we bring most of our troubles on our own heads — at
least I can say so of myself," he added, laughing. Then, after a
pause, " I beg pardon," he said, " but ahi I not addressing one
of my own country ? "
'* Of what country are you ? " said I.
" Ireland."
"I am not of your country, sir; but I have an infinite
veneration for your country, as Strap said to the French soldier.
Will you take a glass of wine ? "
"Ah^ de itmt tnon antr, as the parasite said to Gil Bias," cried
the young man, laughing. " Here's to our better acquaintance i "
And better acquainted we soon became ; and I found that, in
making the acquaintance of the young man, I had, indeed, made
a valuable acquisition ; he was accomplished, highly connected,
and bore the name of Francis Ardry.^ Frank and ardent he was,
and in a very little time had told me much that related to himself,
and in return I communicated a general outline of my own history ;
he listened with profound attention, but laughed heartily when I
told him some particulars of my visit in the morning to the
publisher, whom he had frequently heard of.
We left the house together.
'* We shall soon see each other again," said he, as we separated
at the door of my lodging.
> AfS. , " Afden " thronghoot.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
On the Sunday I was punctual to my appointment to dine with
the publisher. As I hurried along the square in which his house
stoodi my thoughts were fixed so intently on the great man that
I passed by him without seeing him. He had observed me,
however^ and joined me just as I was about to knock at the door.
" Let us take a turn in the square," said he, " we shall not dine for
half an hour."
"Well," said he, as we were walking in the square, "what
have you been doing since I last saw you?"
"I have been looking about London," said I, "and I have
bought the Dairyman* s Daughter; here it is."
'* Pray put it up," said the publisher; " I don't want to look
at such trash. Well, do you think you could write anything like
it?"
«' I do not," said I.
" How is that ? " said the publisher, looking at me.
" Because," said I, " the man who wrote it seems to be per-
fectly well acquainted with his subject ; and, moreover, to write
from the heart."
'* By the subject you mean
" Religion.'
jeci you mean — "
•«
<' And a'n't you acquainted with religion ?
** Very little."
<' I am sorry for that," said the publisher seriously, *< for he
who sets up for an author ought to be acquainted not only with
religion, but religions, and indeed with all subjects, like my good
friend in the country. It is well that I have changed my mind
about the DairymarCs Daughter^ or I really don't know whom I
could apply to on the subject at the present moment, unless to
himself; and after all, I question whether his style is exactly
suited for an evangelical novel."
" Then you do not wish for an imitation of the Dairymaris
Daughter f "
"I do not, sir; I have changed my mind, as I told you
(ao2)
4Ta AnL, '94.] THE SUNDA 7 DINNER. 903
before ; I wish to employ you in another line, but will communicate
to you my intentions after dinner."
At dinner, besides the publisher and myself, were present his
wife and son, with his newly-married bride ; the wife appeared a
quiet, respectable woman, and the young people looked very happy
and good-natured ; not so the publisher, who occasionally eyed
both with contempt and dislike. Connected with this dinner
there was one thing remarkable; the publisher took no animal
food, but contented himself with feeding voraciously on rice and
vegetables, prepared in various ways.
" You eat no animal food, sir ? " said I.
"I do not, sir," said he; "I have forsworn it upwards of
twenty years. In one respect, sir, I am a Brahmin. I abhor
taking away life — the brutes have as much right to live as
ourselves.*'
" But," said I, ** if the brutes were not killed, there would be
such a superabundance of them, that the land would be overrun
with them."
" I do not think so, sir ; few are killed in India, and yet there
is plenty of room."
"But," said I, ''Nature intended that they should be de-
stroyed, and the brutes themselves prey upon one another, and it
is well for themselves and the world that they do sa What would
be the state of things if every insect, bird and worm were left to
perish of old age?"
" We will change the subject," said the publisher ; *' I have
never been a friend to unprofitable discussions."
I looked at the publisher with some surprise, I had not been
accustomed to be spoken to so magisterially; his countenance
was dressed in a portentous frown, and his eye looked more
sinister than ever; at that moment he put me in mind of some of
those despots of whom I had read in the history of Morocco,
whose word was law. He merely wants power, thought I to
myself, to be a regular Muley Mehemet ; and then I sighed, for
I remembered how very much I was in the power of that man.
The dinner over, the publisher nodded to his wife, who
departed, followed by her daughter-in-law. The son looked as if
he would Willingly have attended them ; he, however, remained
seated; and, a small decanter of wine being placed on the table,
the publisher filled two glasses, one of which he handed to
myself, and the other to his son, saying: ''Suppose you two
drink to the success of the Review. I would join you," said he,
addressing himself to me, "but I drink no wine; if I am a
304 LA VBNORO. [1844.
Brahmin with respect to meat, I am a Mahometan with respect
to wine."
So the son and I drank success to the Review, and then the
young man asked me various questions; for example — ^how I liked
London? — Whether I did not think it a very fine place? —
Whether I was at the play the night before ? — and whether I was
in the park that afternoon? He seemed preparing to ask me
some more questions; but, receiving a furious look from his
fether, he became silent, filled himself a glass of wine^ drank it
off, looked at the table for about a minute, then got up, pushed
back his chair, made me a bow, and left the room.
"Is that young gentleman, sir," said I, "well versed in the
prindples of criticism ? "
" He is not, sir/' said the publisher; "and, if I place him at
the head of the Review ostensibly, I do it merely in the hope of
procuring him a maintenance; of the principle of a thing he
knows nothing, except that the principle of bread is wheat, and
that the principle of that wine is grape. Will you take another
gbss ? "
I looked at the decanter ; but not feeling altogether so sure
as the publisher's son with respect to the principle of what it
contained, I declined taking any more.
" No, sir," said the publisher, adjusting himself in his chair,
"he knows nothing about criticism, and will have nothing more
to do with the reviewals than carrying about the books to those
who have to review them ; the real conductor of the Review will
be a widely different person, to whom I will, when convenient,
introduce you. And now we will talk of the matter which we
touched upon before dinner : I told you then that I had changed
my mind with respect to you ; I have been considering the state
of the market, sir, the book market, and I have come to the
conclusion that, though you might be profitably employed upon
evangelical novels, you could earn more money for me, sir, and
consequently for yourself, by a compilation of Newgate lives and
trials."
" Newgate lives and trials ! "
" Yes, sir," said the publisher, " Newgate lives and trials ; and
now, sir, I will briefly state to you the services which I expect you
to perform, and the terms I am willing to grant. I expect you,
sir, to compile six volumes of Newgate lives and trials, each
volume to contain by no manner of means less than one thousand
pages ; the remuneration which you will receive when the work is
completed will be fifty pounds, which is likewise intended to cover
i8&f] THB TASK. 205
any expenses yon may incur in procuring books, papers and
manuscripts necessary for the compilation. Such will be one of
your employments, sir, — such the terms. In the second place,
yoa will be expected to make yourself useful in the Review
— generally useful, sir — doing whatever is required of you ; for it
is not customary, at least with me, to permit writers, especially
young writers, to choose their subjects. In these two departments,
sir, namely, compilation and reviewing, I had yesterday, after due
consideration, determined upon employing you. I had intended
to employ you no further, sir — at least for the present ; but, sir,
this morning I received a letter from my valued friend in the
country, in which he speaks in terms of strong admiration (I
don't overstate) of your German acquirements. Sir, he says that
it would be a thousand pities if your knowledge of the German
language should be lost to the world, or even permitted to sleep,
and he entreats me to think of some plan by which it may be
turned to account Sir, I am at all times willing, if possible, to
oblige my worthy friend, and likewise to encourage merit and
talent ; I have, therefore, determined to employ you in German."
" Sir," said I, rubbing my hands, " you are very kind, and so
is our mutual friend ; I shall be happy to make myself useful in
German ; and if you think a good translation from Goethe — his
• Sorrows ' for example, or more particularly his 'Faust ' "
"Sir," said the publisher, "Goethe is a drug; his 'Sorrows'
are a drug, so is his 'Faustus,' more especially the last, since that
fool rendered him into English. No, sir, I do not want you
to translate Goethe or anything belonging to him ; nor do I want
you to translate anything from the German ; what I want you to
do, is to translate into German. I am willing to encourage merit,
sir; and, as my good friend in his last letter has spoken very
highly of your German acquirements, I have determined that you
shall translate my book of philosophy into German.''
"Your book of philosophy into German, sir?"
** Yes, sir ; my book of philosophy into German. I am not a
drug, sir, in Germany, as Goethe is here, no more is my book. I
intend to print the translation at Leipzig, sir ; and if it turns out
a profitable speculation, as I make no doubt it will, provided the
translation be well executed, I will make you some remuneration.
Sir, your remuneration will be determined by the success of your
translation."
•• But, sir "
** Sir," said the publisher, interrupting me, " you have heard
my intentions ; I consider that you ought to feel yourself highly
306 LAVBNGRO. [1824.
gratified by my intentions towards you ; it is not frequently that
I deal with a writer, especially a young writer, as I have done
with you. And now, sir, permit me to inform you that I wish to
be alone. This is Sunday aftemooo» sir ; I never go to church,
but I am in the habit of spending part of every Sunday afternoon
alone — ^profitably, I hope, sir — in musing on the magnificence of
nature and the moral dignity of man."
i
CHAPTER XXXIV.
*' What can't be cured must be endured," and '*it is hard to kick
against the pricks ''•
At the period to which I have brought my history, I bethought
me of the proverbs with which I have headed this chapter, and
determined to act up to their spirit. I determined not to fly in
the face of the publisher, and to bear — ^what I could not cure —
his arrogance and vanity. At present, at the conclusion of nearly
a quarter of a century, I am glad that I came to that determination,
which I did my best to carry into effect.
Two or three days after our last interview, the publisher made
his appearance in my apartment; he bore two tattered volumes
under his arm, which he placed on the table. " I have brought
you two volumes of lives, sir," said he, ** which I yesterday found
in my garret ; you will find them of service for your compilation.
As I always wish to behave liberally and encourage talent, especi-
ally youthful talent, I shall make no charge for them, though I
should be justified in so doing, as you are aware that, by our
agreement, you are to provide any books and materials which
may be necessary. Have you been in quest of any ? "
" No," said I, " not yet."
*' Then, sir, I would advise you to lose no time in doing so ;
you must visit all the bookstalls, sir, especially those in the by-
streets and blind alleys. It is in such places that you will find
the description of literature you are in want of. You must be up
and doing, sir ; it will not do for an author, especially a young
author, to be idle in this town. To-night you will receive my
book of philosophy, and likewise books for the Review. And,
by-the-bye, sir, it will be as well for you to review my book of
philosopby for the Review, the other Reviews not having noticed
it Sir, before translating it, I wish you to review my book of
philosophy for the Review."
" I shall be happy to do my best, sir."
•* Very good, sir ; 1 should be unreasonable to expect anything
beyond a person's best. And now, sir, if you please, I will
(207)
ao8 LAVBNGRO. [1824.
conduct you to the future editor of the Review. As you are to
co-operate, sir, I deem it right to make you acquainted."
The intended editor was a little old man, who sat in a kind of
wooden pavilion in a small garden behind a house in one of the
purlieus of the city, composing tunes upon a piana The walls
of the pavilion were covered with fiddles of various sizes and
appearances, and a considerable portion of the floor occupied
by a pile of books all of one size. The publisher introduced
him to me as a gentleman scarcely less eminent in literature than
in music, and me to him as an aspirant critic — a young gentleman
scarcely less eminent in philosophy than in philology. The con-
versation consisted entirely of compliments till just before we
separated, when the future editor inquired of me whether I had
ever read Quintilian ; and, on my replying in the negative, ex-
pressed his surprise that any gentleman should aspire to become
a critic who had never read Quintilian, with the comfortable
information, however, that he could supply me with a Quintilian
at half-price, that is, a translation made by himself some years
previously, of which he had, pointing to the heap on the floor,
still a few copies remaining unsold. For some reason or other,
perhaps a poor one, I did not purchase the editor's translation of
Quintilian.
" Sir," said the publisher, as we were returning from our visit
to the editor, " you did right in not purchasing a drug. I am not
prepared, sir, to say that Quintilian is a drug, never having seen
him ; but I am prepared to say that man's translation is a drug,
judging from the heap of rubbish on the floor ; besides, sir, you
will want any loose money you may have to purchase the descrip-
tion of literature which is required for your compilation."
The publisher presently paused before the entrance of a very
forlorn-looking street. " Sir," said he, after looking down it with
attention, ** I should not wonder if in that street you find works
connected with the description of literature which is required for
your compilation. It is in streets of this description, sir, and
blind alleys, where such works are to be found. You had better
search that street, sir, whilst I continue my way."
I searched the street to which the publisher had pointed, and,
in the course of the three succeeding days, many others of a
similar kind. I did not find the description of literature alluded
to by the publisher to be a drug, but, on the contrary, both scarce
and dear. I had expended much more than my loose money
long before I could procure materials even for the first volume
of my compilation.
CHAPTER XXXV.
One evening I was visited by the tall young gentleman, Francis
Ardry, whose acquaintance I had formed at the coffee-house.
As it is necessary that the reader should know something more
about this young man, who will frequently appear in the course
of these pages, I will state in a few words who and what he was.
He was born of an ancient Roman Catholic family in Ireland ;
his parents^ whose only child he was, had long been dead. His
father, who had survived his mother several years, had been a
spendthrift, and at his death had left the family property consider-
ably embarrassed. Happily, however, the son and the estate fell
into the hands of careful guardians, near relations of the family, by
whom the property was managed to the best advantage^ and every
means taken to educate the young man in a manner suitable
to his expectations. At the age of sixteen he was taken from a
celebrated school in England at which he had been placed, and
sent to a small French University, in order that he might form
an intinoate and accurate acquaintance with the grand language
of the continent. There he continued three years, at the end of
which be went, under the care of a French abb^, to Germany and
Italy. It was ii> this latter country that he first began to cause
his guardians serious uneasiness. He was in the hey-day of
youth when he visited Italy, and he entered wildly into the
various delights of that fascinating region, and, what was worse,
falling into the hands of certain sharpers, not Italian, but English,
he was fleeced of considerable sums of money. The abb6, who,
it seems, was an excellent individual of the old French school,
remonstrated with his pupil on his dissipation and extravagance ;
but, finding his remonstrances vain, very properly informed the
j^uardians of the manner of life of his charge. They were not
slow in commanding Francis Ardry home; andt as he was
entirely in their power, he was forced to comply. He had been
about three months in London when I met him in the coffee-room,
and the two elderly gentlemen in his company were his guardians.
At this time they were very solicitous that he should choose for
(f09) 14
^i6 La vbngro. [1824.
himself a profession» offering to his choice either the army or law
— ^he was calculated to shine in either of these professions — ^for,
like many others of his countrymen, he was brave and eloquent ;
but he did not wish to shackle himself with a profession. As,
however, his minority did not terminate till he was three-and-
twenty, of which age he wanted nearly two years, during which
he would be entirely dependent on his guardians, he deemed it
expedient to conceal, to a certain degree, his sentiments, tempor-
ising with the old gentlemen, with whom, notwithstanding his
many irregularities, he was a great favourite, and at whose death
he expected to come into a yet greater property than that which
he inherited from his parents.
Such is a brief account of Francis Ardry — of my friend Francis
Ardry ; for the acquaintance, commenced in the singular manner
with which the reader is acquainted, speedily ripened into a friend-
ship which endured through many long years of separation, and
which still endures certainly on my part, and on his — if he lives ;
but it is many years since I have heard from Firancis Ardry.
And yet many people would have thought it impossible for
our friendship to have lasted a week, for in many respects no two
people could be more dissimilar. He was an Irishman, I an
Englishman; he fiery, enthusiastic and open-hearted, I neither
fiery, enthusiastic nor open-hearted; he fond of pleasure and
dissipation^ I of study and reflection. Yet it is of such dis-
similar elements that the most lasting friendships are formed:
we do not like counterparts of ourselves. " Two great talkers will
not travel far together," is a Spanish saying ; I will add^ " Nor two
silent people '^ ; we naturally love our opposites.
So Francis Ardry came to see me, and right glad I was to see
him, for I had just flung my books and papers aside, and was
wishing for a little social converse ; and when we had conversed
for some little time together, Francis Ardry proposed that we
should go to the play to see Kean ; so we went to the play, and
saw — not Kean, who at that time was ashamed to show himself,
but — ^a man who was not ashamed to show himself, and who
people said was a much better man than Kean — as I have no
doubt he was — though whether he was a better actor I cannot say,
for I never saw Kean.^
1 The MS, devdops this puagraph fts f oUows :-^
So Francis Ardry called upon me, and Hght glad I was that he did so ; and
after we had sat conversing for some time, he said, " Did you ever see Kean ? *
"No/' said I, " but I have heard boUi of hhn and of Belcher. Isboukllike
to see either, especially the latter. Where are they to be found ?"
1B24-] BCCBNTRIC PLACES. six
Two or three evenings after, Francis Ardry came to see me
again, and again we went out together, and Francis Ardry took
me to — shall I say ? — ^why not ? — a gaming-house, where I saw
people playing, and where I saw Francis Ardry play and lose five
guineas, and where I lost nothing, because I did not play, though
1 fdt somewhat inclined ; for a man with a white hat and a spark-
ling eye held up a box which contained scHnething which rattled,
and asked me to fling the bones. " There is nothing like flinging
the bones ! " said he, and then I thought I should like to know
what kind of thing flinging the bones was ; I, however, restrained
myself. " There is nothing like flinging the bones 1 " shouted the
man, as my friend and myself left the room.
Long life and prosperity to Francis Ardry I but for him I should
not have obtainc^d knowledge which I did of the strange and
eccentric places of London. Some of the places to which he took
me were very strange places mdeedl but, however strange the
" I know nothing of the latter," said Frank, ** but if you wish to see Kean,
fOQ had better come with roe where he will appear to-night after a long absence.
The public are anxiously waiting for him, intending to pdt him off the stage."
" And what has he done," said I, " to be pelted off the stage ? "
" What is very naughty,'* said Frank ; " breaking one of the commandments."
" And did be break the commandment on the stage ? "
" No," said Frank, " I never beard that he broke it on the stage, except in
the way of his profession."
*' Then, wnat have the public to do with the matter ?"
*' Tbej think they have,** said Frank.
And then we went out together to see Shakespeare's " Richard," or rather we
went to see the man who was to personate Shakespeare's " Richard "—and so did
tboasands ; we did not see him, however. There was a great tumult, I remember,
in the theatre. The man who was to perform the part of Richard, and who it
was said was the best hand for interpreting the character that had ever appeared
on the stage, had a short time before been involved in a disgraceful afciir, and
this was to be his first appearance on the stage since the discovoy. The oonse-
mience was that crowds nocked to the theatre with the firm intention of expressing
weir indignation. " We will pelt his eves out," said a man who sat beside me
in the pit — ^for we sat in the pit— and who bore the breach of all the command-
ments m his face. The actor in question, however, who perhaps heard the threats
which were vented against him, very prudently kept out ot the way, and the
manager coming forward informed the public that another would perform the
port — whereupon there was a great uproar. *' We have been hnposed upon,'*
said the individual who sat beside me. '* I came here for nothing else than to
pelt that scoundrel off the stage." The uproar, however, at length subsided,
and the piece commenced. In a little time there was loud applause. The actor
who had appeared in plaoe of the other was performinjg. " What do you cltq>
for ? " said I to the individual by my side, who was dappmg most of alL " What
do I clap for?" said the man. "Why, to encoorafe Macready, to be sure.
Don*t you see bow divinely he acts? why, he beats Kean hollow. Besides that,
be*s a moral man, and I hke morality." ** Do you mean to say," said I, " that
he was never immoral ? " "I neither know nor care," said the man ; " all I know
is that he has never been found ouL It will never do to encourage a public man
who has been found out. No, no 1 the morality of the itafi must be Men alUr."
ais LA VBNORO. [1824
places were, I observed that the inhabitants thought there were
no places like their several places, and no occupations like their
several occupations; and among other strange places to which
Francis Ardry conducted me, was a place not far from the abbey
church of Westminster.
Before we entered this place our ears were greeted by a con-
fused hubbub of human voices, squealing of rats, barking of dogs,
and the cries of various other aniinals. Here we beheld a kind of
cock*pit, around which a great many people, seeming of all ranks,
but chiefly of the lower, were gathered, and in it we saw a dog
destroy a great many rats in a very small period ; and when the
dog had destroyed the rats, we saw a fight between a dog and a
bear, then a fight between two dogs, then
After the diversions of the day were over, mv (riend introduced
me to the genius of the place, a small man of about five feet high,
with a very sharp countenance, and dressed in a brown jockey
coat, and top boots. '' Joey," ^ said he, " this is a friend of mine."
Joey nodded to me with a patronising air. ^* Glad to see you, sir !
— ^want a dog?"
"No," said I.
*' You have got one, then — want to match him ? "
" We have a dog at home,'' said I, " in the country ; but I can't
say I should like to match him. Indeed^ I do not like dog-
fighting."
" Not Uke dog-fighting ! " said the man, staring.
" The truth is, Joe, that he is just come to town."
"So I should think; he looks rather green — not like dog-
fighting ! "
" Nothing like it, is there, Joey ? "
" I should think not ; what is like it ? A time will come, and
that speedily, when folks will give up everything else, and follow
dog-fighting."
" Do you think so ? " said I.
" Think so ? Let me ask what there is that a man wouldn't
give up for it?"
"Why," said I, modestly, "there's religion."
" Religion 1 How you talk. Why, there's myself, bred and
bom an Independent, and intended to be a preacher, didn't I
give up religion for dog-fighting ? Religion, indeed ! If it were
not for the rascally law, my pit would fill better on Sundays than
any other time. Who would go to church when they could come
MS, " Charlie " and " Cbarlie'i" throuchooL
i«a4.1 DOG'PIGHTING. «i3
to my pit? Religion ! why, the parsons themselves come to my
pit ; and I have now a letter in my pocket from one of them, asking
me to send him a dog."
"Well, then, politics," said 1.
" Politics 1 Why, the gemmen in the House would leave Pitt
himself, if he were alive, to come to my pit. There were three of
the best of them here to-night, all great horators. Get on with
you, what comes next?"
" Why, there's learning and letters."
"Pretty things, truly, to keep people from dog-fighting 1 ^Vhy,
there's the young gentlemen from the Abbey School comes here
in shoals, leaving books, and letters, and masters too. To tell
you the truth, I rather wish they would mind their letters, for a
more precious set of young blackguards I never seed. It was
only the other day I was thinking of calling in a constable for my
own protection, for I thought my pit would have been torn down
by them."
Scarcely knowing what to say, I made an observation at random.
"You show by your own conduct," said I, "that there are other
things worth following besides dog-fighting. You practise rat-
catching and badger-baiting as well."
The dog-fiancier eyed me with supreme contempt.
"Your friend here," said he, "might well call you a new one.
When I talks of dog-fighting, I of course means rat-catching and
badger-baiting, ay, and bull-baiting too, just as when I speaks
religiously, when I says one I means not one but |hree. And
talking of religion puts me in mind that I have something else to
do besides chafling here, having a batch of dogs to send off by
this night's packet to the Pope of Rome."
But at last I had seen enough of what London had to show,
whether strange or common-place, so at least I thought, and I
ceased to accompany my friend in his rambles about town, and
to partake of his adventures. Our friendship, however, still
continued unabated, though I saw, in consequence, l&ss of him.
I reflected that time was passing on, that the little money I had
brought to town was fast consuming, and that I had nothing to
depend upon but my own exertions for a fresh supply; and I
returned with redoubled application to my pursuits.
[
CHAPTER XXXVI.
I coMPiLBD the ChronicUs of Newgate; I reviewed books for the
Review established on an entirely new principle ; and I occasion-
ally tried my best to translate into German portions of the
publisher's philosophy. In this last task I experienced more than
one difficulty. I was a tolerable German scholar, it is true, and
I had long been able to translate from German into English with
considerable facility ; but to translate from a foreign language into
your own, is a widely different thing from translating from
your own into a foreign language; and, in my first attempt to
render the publisher into German, I was conscious of making
miserable failures, from pure ignorance of German grammar;
however, by the assistance of grammars and dictionaries, and by
extreme perseverance, I at length overcame all the difficulties
connected with the German language. But alas! another
difficulty remained, far greater than any connected with German
— 2l. difficulty connected with the language of the publisher — ^the
language which the great man employed in his writings was very
hard to understand; I say in his writings, for his colloquial
English was plain enough. Though not professing to be a scholar,
he was much addicted, when writing, to the use of Greek and
Latin terms, not as other people used them, but in a manner of
his own, which set the auUiority of dictionaries at defiance ; the
consequence was, that I was sometimes utterly at a loss to under-
stand the meaning of the publisher. Many a quarter of an hour
did I pass at this period staring at periods of the publisher, and
wondering what he could mean, but in vain^ till at last, with a
shake of the head, I would snatch up the pen, and render the
publisher literally into German. Sometimes I was almost tempted
to substitute something of my own for what the publisher had
written, but my conscience interposed; the awful words Traduitore
iraditore commenced ringing in my ears, and I asked myself
whether I should be acting honourably towards the publisher,
who had committed to me the delicate task of translating him I
into German; should I be acting honourably towards him, in
making him speak in German in a manner different from that in
(a 14)
i8a4.] PUBUSHBR'S PHILOSOPHY, 9x5
1 r-— 1 IIUIBB M-^^^^^^l ^ 1^ I II l^B III ■ I IHI
which he expressed himself in English ? No, I could not reconcile
such conduct with any principle of honour; by substituting
something of my own in lieu of these mysterious passages of the
publisher, I might be giving a fatal Mow to his whole system of
phflosophy. Besides, when translating into English, had I treated
foreign authors in this manner? Had I treated the minstrels of
the Kiaempe Viser in this manner? Na Had I treated Ab
Gwilym in this manner? Even when translating his Ode to the
Mist, in which he is misty enough, had I attempted to make
Ab Gwilym less misty? No; on referring to my translation, I
found that Ab Gwilym in my hands was quite as misty as in his
own. Then, seeing that I had not ventur^ to take liberties with
people who had never put themselves into my hands for the
purpose of being rendered, how could I venture to substitute my
own thoughts and ideas for the publisher's, who had put himself
into my Imnds for that purpose? Forbid it every proper feeling 1
-*— so I told the Germans in the publisher's own way, the
publisher's tale of an apple and a pear.
I at first felt much inclined to be of the publisher's opinion
with respect to the theory of the pear. After all, why should the
earth be shaped like an apple, and not like a pear? — it would
certainly gain in appearance by being shaped like a pear. A pear
being a handsomer fruit than an apple, the publisher is probably
right, thought I, and I will say that he is right on this point in
the notice which I am about to write of his publication for the
Review. And yet I don't know, said I, after a long fit of musing
— I don't know but what there is more to be said for the Oxford
theory. The world may be shaped like a pear, but I don't know
that it is ; but one thing I know, which is, that it does not taste
like a pear ; I have always liked pears, but I don't like the world.
The worid to me tastes much more like an apple, and I have
never liked af^les. I will uphold the Oxford theory ; besides, I
am writing in an Oxford Review, and am in duty bound to uphold
the Oxford theory. So in my notice I asserted that the world
was round ; I quoted Scripture, and endeavoured to prove that
the world was typified by the apple in Saipture, both as to shape
and properties. "An apple is round," said I, "and the world is
round ; the apple is a sour, disagreeable fruit, and who has tasted
much of the world without having his teeth set on edge?" I,
however, treated the publisher, upon the whole, in the most
urbane and Oxford-like manner; complimenting him upon his
style, acknowledging the general soundness of his views, and only
diflering with him in the affair of the apple and pear.
3t6 la VBNGRO, [i8a4.
I did not like reviewing at all- it was not to my taste ; it was
not in my way ; I liked it far less than translating the publisher's
philosophy, for that was something in the line of one whom a
competent judge had sumamed ** Lavengro**. I never could under-
stand why reviews were instituted ; works of merit do not require
to be reviewed, they can speak for themselves, and require no
praising ; works of no merit at all will die of themselves, they
require no killing. The Review to which I was attached was, as
has been already intimated, established on an entirely new plan ;
it professed to review all new publications, which certainly no
Review had ever professed to do before, other Reviews never
pretending to review more than one-tenth of the current literature
of the day. When I say it professed to review all new publications,
I should add, which should be sent to it; for, of course, the
Review would not acknowledge the existence of publications, the
authors of which did not acknowledge the existence of the Review.
I don't think, however, that the Review had much cause to com-
plain of being n^lected ; I have reason to believe that at least
nine-tenths of the publications of the day were sent to the Review,
and in due time reviewed. 1 had good opportunity of judging.
I was connected with several departments of the Review, though
more particularly with the poetical and philosophic ones. An
English translation of Kant's philosophy made its appearanc^(on
my table the day before its publication. In my notice of this
work, I said that the English shortly hoped to give the Germans
a quid pro quo. I believe at that time authors were much in the
habit of publishing at their own expense. All the poetry which
I reviewed appeared to be published at the expense of the authors.
If I am asked how I comported myself, under all circumstances,
as a reviewer, I answer, I did not forget that I was connected
with a Review established on Oxford principles, the editor of which
had translated Quintilian. All the publications which fell under
my notice I treated in a gendemanly and Oxford-like manner, no
personalities — no vituperation — ^no shabby insinuations; decorum,
decorum was the order of the day. Occasionally a word of admoni-
tion, but gently expressed, as an Oxford under-graduate might have
expressed it, or master of arts. How the authors whose publications
were consigned to my colleagues were treated by them I know not ;
I suppose they were treated in an urbane and Oxford-like manner,
but I cannot say ; I did not read the reviewals of my colleagues, I
did not read my own after they were printed. I did not like
reviewing.
Of all my occupations at this period I am it^^ to confess I
x8«4.] RBFLBCTION& aiy
Vked that of compiling the Newgate Lives and Trials the best ;
that is, after I had sunnoiinted a kind of prejudice which I
oxiginaiiy entertained. The trials were entertaining enough ; but
the hves — ^how full were they of wild and racy adventures^ and in
what racy, genuine language were they told. What struck me
most with respect to these lives was the art which the writers,
whoever they were, possessed of telling a plain story. It is no easy
thing to teU a story plainly and distinctly by mouth ; but to tell
one on paper is difficult indeed, so many snares lie in the way.
People are afraid to put down what is common on paper, they
seek to embellish their narratives, as they think, by philosophic
speculations and reflections ; they are anxious to shine, and people
who are anxious to shine can never tell a plain story. "So
I went with them to a music booth, where they made me almost
drunk with gin, and t)egan to talk their flash language, which I
did not understand," says, or is made to say, Henry Simms, executed
at Tyburn some seventy years before the time of which I am speak-
ing. I have always looked upon this sentence as a masterpiece
of the narrative style, it is so concise and yet so very clear. As I
gazed on passages like this, and there were many nearly as good
in the Newgate Lhes^ I often sighed that it was not my fortune to
have to render these lives into German rather than the publisher's
phik>sophy — his tale of an apple and pear.
Mine was an ill-regulated mind at this period. As I read over
the lives of these robbers and pickpockets, strange doubts began
to arise in my mind about virtue and crime. Years before, when
quite a boy, as in one of the early chapters I have hinted, I had
been a necessitarian ; I had even written an essay on crime (I have
it now before me, penned in a round, boyish hand), in which I
attempted to prove that there is no such thing as crime or virtue,
all our actions being the result of circumstances or necessity.
These doubts were now again reviving in my mind ; I could not
for the life of me imagine how, taking all circumstances into
consideration, these highwaymen, these pickpockets, should have
been anything else than highwaymen and pickpockets ; any more
than how, taking all circumstances into consideration. Bishop
Latimer (the reader is aware that I had read Fox*s Book of
Martyrs) should have been anything else than Bishop Latimer.
I had a very ill-regulated mind at that period.
My own peculiar ideas with respect to everything being a lying
dream began also to revive. Sometimes at midnight, after having
toiled for hours at my occupations, I would fling myself back on
my chair, look about the poor apartment, dimly lighted by an
«x8 LA VBNGRO. [1894.
unsnuffed candle, or upon 'die heaps of boolu and papers before
me, and exclaim : '' Do I exist ? Do these things, which I think
I see about me, exist, or do they not ? Is not everything a dream
— a deceitful dream ? Is not ibis apartment a dream-^e furni-
ture a dream ? The publisher a dream — ^his philosophy a dream ?
Am I not myself a dream — dreaming about translating a dream ?
I can't see why all should not be a dream ; what's the use of the
reality ? " And then I would pinch myself, and snuff the burdened
smoky light. ** I can't see, for the life of me, the use of all this ;
therefore, why should I think that it exists ? If there was a chance,
a probability of all this tending to anything, I might believe ; but
-^ — ** and then I would stare and think, and after some time
shake my head and return again to my occupations for an hour or
two ; and then I would perhaps shake, and shiver, and yawn, and
look wistfully in the direction of my sleeping apartment; and
then, but not wistfully, at the papers and books before me ; and
sometimes I would return to my papers and books ; but oftener I
would arise, and, after another yawn and shiver, take my light,
and proceed to my sleeping chamber.
They say that light fare begets light dreams ; my fore at that
time was light enough, but I had anything but light dreams, for
at that period I had all kind of strange and extravagant dreams,
and amongst other things I dreamt that the whole world had
taken to dog-fighdng; and that I, myself, had taken to dog-fighting,
and that in a vast circus I backed an English bulldog against the
bloodhound of the Pope of Rome.
CHAPTER XXXVIL
0ns morning I arose somewhat later that usual, having been
occupied during the greater part of the night with my literary toil.
On descending from my chamber into the sitting-room I found a
person seated by the fire, whose glance was directed sideways to
the table, on which were the usual preparations for my morning's
meal. Forthwith I gave a cry, and sprang forward to embrace
the person ; for the person by the fire, whose glance was directed
to the table, was no one else than my brother.
^'And how are things going on at home?" said I to my
brother, after we had kissed and embraced. ''How is my
mother, and how is the dog?"
'' My mother, thank God, is tolerably well,** said my brother,
" but very much given to fits of crying. As for the dog, he is not
so well ; but we will talk more of these matters anon," said my
brother, again glancing at the breakfast things: "I am very
hungry, as you may suppose, i^er having travelled all night"
Thereupon I ezertei myself to the best of my ability to
perform the duties of hospitality, and I made my brother welcome
— I may say more than welcome; and, when the rage of my
brother's hunger was somewhat abated, we recommenced talking
about the matters of our little family, and my brother told me
much about my mother ; he spoke of her fits of crying, but said
that of late the said fits of crymg had much diminished, and she
appeared to be taking comfort ; and if I am not much mistaken,
my brother told me that my mother had of late the prayer-book
frequently in her hand, and yet oftener the Bible.
We were silent for a time ; at last I opened my mouth and
mentioned the dog.
''The dog," said my brother, "is, I am afraid, in a very poor
way; ever since the death he has done nothing but pine and
take on. A few months ago, you remember, he was as plump
and fine as any dog in the town ; but at present he is little more
than skin and bone. Once we lost him for two days, and never
expected to see him again, imagining that some mischance had
(219)
970 LA VBNGRO. [29TR Apil, '24.
befallen him; at length I found him — where do you think?
Chancing to pass by the churchyard, I found him seated on the
grave ! "
" Very strange," said I ; *' but let us talk of something else.
It was very kind of you to come and see me."
*' Oh, as for that matter, I did not come up to see you, though
of course I am very glad to see you, having been rather anxious
about you, like my mother, who has received only one letter from
you since your departure. No, I did not come up on purpose to
see you ; but on quite a different account. You must know that
the corporation of our town have lately elected a new mayor, a
person of numy qualifications — big and portly, with a voice like
Boanerges ; a religious man, the possessor of an immense pew ;
loyal, so much so that I once heard him say that he would at any
time go three miles to hear any one sing 'God save the King *;
moreover, a giver of excellent dinners. Such is our present
mayor; who, owing to his loyalty, his religion, and a little,
perhaps, to his dinners, is a mighty favourite; so much so that
the town is anxious to have his portrait painted in a superior
style, so that remote posterity may know what kind of man he
was, the colour of his hair, his air and gait. So a committee was
formed some time ago, which is still sitting ; that is, they dine
with the mayor every day to talk over the subject. A few days
since, to my great surprise, they made their appearance in my
poor studio, and desired to be favoured with a sight of some of
my paintings ; well, I showed them some, and, after looking at
them with great attention, they went aside and whispered. 'He'll
do,' I heard one say ; ' yes, he'll do,' said another; and then they
came to me, and one of them, a little man with a hump on his
back, who is a watchmaker, assumed the ofSce of spokesman, and
made a long speech (the old town has been always celebrated
for orators) in which he told me how much they had been
pleased with my productions (the old town has been always
celebrated for its artistic taste), and, what do you think? offered
me the painting of the mayor's portrait, and a hundred pounds
for my trouble.
"Well, of course I was much surprised, and for a minute or
two could scarcely speak ; recovering myself, however, I made a
speech, not so eloquent as that of the watchmaker, of course,
being not so accustomed to speaking; but not so bad either,
taking everything into consideration, telling them how flattered I
felt by the honour which they had conferred in proposing to me
such an undertaking; expressing, however, my fears that I was
ia34^] JOHN'S VISIT. aax
not competent to the task, and concluding by saying what a pity
It was that Crome was dead. 'Crome,' said the little man,
'Crome; yes, he was a clever man, a very clever man in his way;
be was good at painting landscapes and farm-houses, but he
would not do in the present instance, were he alive. He had no
conception of the heroic, sir. We want some person capable of
representing our mayor striding under the Norman arch out of
the cathedml.' At the mention of the heroic, an idea came at
once into my head. ' Oh,' said I, ' if you are in quest of the
heroic, I am glad that you came to me; don't mistake me,' I
continued, ' I do not mean to say that I could do justice to your
subject, though I am fond of the heroic ; but I can introduce you
to a great master of the heroic, fully competent to do justice to
your mayor. Not to me, therefore, be the painting of the picture
given, but to a friend of mine, the great master of the heroic, to
die best, the strongest, ry KfmsrUrr^y I added, for, being amongst
ocators, I thought a word of Greek would tell."
" WeH," said I, "and what did the orators say ? "
"They gazed dubiously at me and at one another," said my
brother ; "at last the watchmaker asked me who this Mr. Christo
was ; adding, that he had never heard of such a person ; that,
from my recommendation of him, he had no doubt that he was a
very clever man, but that they should like to kpow something
more about him before giving the commission to him. That he
had heard of Christie the great auctioneer, who was considered
to be«an excellent judge of pictures; but be supposed that I
scarcely Whereupon, interrupting the watchmaker, I told
him that I alluded neither to Christo nor to Christie, but to the
painter of Laaarus rising from the grave, a painter under whom I
had myself studied during some months that I had spent in
London, and to whom I was indebted for much connected with
the heroic."
"I have heard of him," said the watchmaker, "and his
paintings too ; but I am afraid that he is not exactly the gentle^
man by whom our mayor would wish to be painted. I have
heard say that he is not a very good friend to Church and State.
Come, young man," he added, " it appears to me that you are too
modest ; I like your style of painting, so do we all, and — why
should I mince the matter ? — the money is to be collected in the
town, why should it go into a stranger's pocket, and be spent in
London?"
Thereupon I made them a speech, in which I said that art
had nothing to do with Church and State, at least with English
LA VBNORO. [1834.
Church and State, which had never encouraged it; and that,
though Church and State were doubtless very fine things, a man
might be a very good artist who cared not a straw for either. I then
made use of some more Greek words, and told them how painting
was one of the Nine Muses, and one of the most independent
creatures alive, inspiring whom she pleased, and asking leave of
nobody ; that I should be quite unworthy of the favours of the
Muse if, on the present occasion, I did not recommend them a
man whom I considered to be a much greater master of the
heroic than myself; and that, with regard to the money being
spent in the city, I had no doubt that they would not weigh for a
moment such a consideration against the chance of getting a true
heroic picture for the city. I never talked so well in my life, and
said so many flattering things to the hunchback and his friends,
that at last they said that I should have my own way ; and that
if I pleased to go up to London, and bring down the painter of
Lazarus to paint the mayor^ I might; so they then bade me
farewell, and I have come up to London.
*' To put a hundred pounds into the hands of "
"A better man than myself," said my brother, ''of course.'
*' And have you come up at your own expense?"
** Yes/' said my brother, " I have come up at my own expense."
I made no answer, but looked in my brother's face. We then
returned to the former subjects of conversation, talking of the
dead, my mother, and the dog.
After some time my brother said : '' I will now goeto the
painter, and communicate to him the business which has brought
me to town ; and, if you please, I will take you with me and
introduce you to him ".^ Having expressed my willingnesSi we
descended into the street*
•f
1 The AfS. odds : *" It will, perhnps, be as well, first of all, to go to tin
exhibition of British art, which is at present open. I hear he has a picture there,
which he has just finished. We will look at it, and from that you may form a
toIeraUe estimate of his powers.' Thereupon my brother led the way, and we
presently found ourselves m the Oallery of British Art."
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Thb painter of the heroic resided a great way off, at the western
end of the town. We had some difficulty in obtaining admission
to him, a maid-seryant, who c^ned the door, eyeing us some-
what suspiciously ; it was not until my brother had said that he
was a friend of the painter that we were permitted to pass the
threshold. At length we were shown into the studio, where we
found the painter, with an easel and brush, standing before a huge
piece of canvas, on which he had lately commenced painting a
heroic picture. The painter might be about thirty-five years old ;
he had a dever, intelligent countenance, with a shaip grey eye;
his hair was dark brown, and cut it-la Rafaeli as I was subsequently
toldj that is, there was little before and much behind ; he did not
wear a neckcloth, but, in its stead, a black riband, so that his
neck, which was rather fine, was somewhat exposed ; he had a
broad, muscular breast, and I make no doubt that he would have
been a very fine figure, but unfortunately his legs and thighs were
scnnewhat short He recognised my brotho*, and appeared glad
to see him.
" What brings you to London ? ^ said he.
Whereupon my brother gave him a brief account of his com?
inission. At the mention of the hundred pounds, I observed the
eyes of the painter glisten. '* Really," said he, when my brother
had concluded, " it was very kind to think of me. I am not very
fond of painting portraits ; but a mayor is a mayor, and there is
something grand in that idea of the Norman arch. I'll go ; more-
over, I am just at this moment confoundedly in need of money,
and when you knocked at the door, I don't mind telling you, I
thought it was some dun. I don't know how it is, bat in the
capital they have no taste for the heroic, they will scarce look at a
heix>ic picture ; I am glad to hear that they have better taste in
the provinces. FU go ; when shall we set off? "
Thereupon it was arranged between the painter and my brother
that they should depart the next day but one ; they then began to
talk of art. << I'll stick to the heroic," said the painter ; *' 1 now
as4 LAVBNGRO. [1844.
and then dabble in the comici but what I do gives me no pleasure,
the comic is so low; there is nothing like the heroic. I am
engaged here on a heroic picture," said he, pointing to the
canvas ; " the subject is * Pharaoh dismissing Moses from Egypt,'
after the last plague — the death of the first-bom; it is not
far. advanced — ^that finished figure is Moses " : they both looked
at the canvas, and I, standing behind, took a modest peep. The
picture, as the painter said^ was not far advanced, the Pharaoh
was merely in outline ; my eye was, of course, attracted by the
finished figure, or rather what the painter had called the
finished figure ; but, as I gazed upon it, it appeared to me that
there was something defective — something unsatisfactory in the
figure. I concluded, however, that the painter, notwithstanding
what he had said, had omitted to give it the finishing touch. ** I
intend this to be my best picture,*' said the painter; '*what I
want now is a face for Pharaoh ; I have long been meditating on
a face for Pharaoh." Here, chancing to cast his eye upon my
countenance, of whom he had scarcely taken any manner of
notice, he remained with his mouth open for some time. " Who
is this?" said he at last. " Oh, this is my brother, I foigot to
introduce him "
We presently afterwards departed; my brother talked much
about the painter. *'He is a noble fellow,'* said my brother;
" but, like many other noble fellows, has a great many enemies ; he
is hated by his brethren of the brush — all the land and water-scape
painters hate him — but, above all, the race of portrait painters,
who are ten times more numerous than the other two sorts, detest
him for his heroic tendencies. It will be a kind of triumph to
the last, I fear, when they hear he has condescended to paint a
portrait ; however, that Norman arch will enable him to escape
from their malice— that is a capital idea of the watchmaker, that
Norman arch."
I spent a happy day with my brother. On the morrow he went
again to the painter, with whom he dined ; I did not go with him.
On his return he said: *'The painter has been asking a great
many questions about you, and expressed a wish that you would
sit to him as Pharaoh; he thinks you would make a capital
Pharaoh ". '^ I have no wish to appear on canvas," said I ;
"moreover, he can find much better Pharaohs than myself; and,
if he wants a real Pharaoh, there is a certain Mr. Petulengro."
"Petulengro?" said my brother; "a strange kind of fellow came
up to me some time ago in our town, and asked me about you ;
when I inquired his name^ he told me Petulengro. No, he will
1834-] THS MAYOtCS PORTRAIT. 935
not do, he is too short ; by-the-bye, do you not think that figure
of Moses is somewhat short ?" And then it appeared to me that
I had thought the figure of Moses somewhat short, and I told my
brother so. '' Ah I " said my brother.
On the morrow my brother departed with the painter for the
old town, and there the painter painted the mayor. I did not see
the picture for a great many years, when, chancing to be at the
old town, I beheld it.
The original mayor was a mighty, portly man, with a bull's
head, black hair, body like that of a dray horse, and legs and
thighs corresponding ; a man six foot high at the least. To his
bull's head, black hair and body the painter had done justice ;
there was one point, however, in which the portrait did not
correspond with the original — the legs were disproportionably
short, the painter having substituted his own legs for those of the
mavor, which when I perceived I rejoiced that I had not consented
to oe painted as Pharaoh, for, if I had, the chances are that he
would have served me in exactly a similar way as he had served
Moses and the mayor.
Short legs in a heroic picture will never do ; and, upon the
whole, I think the painter's attempt at the heroic in painting the
mayor of the old town a decided failure. If I am now asked
whether the picture would have been a heroic one provided the
painter had not substituted his own legs for those of the mayor,
I must say, I am afraid not. I have no idea of making heroic
pictures out of English mayors, even with the assistance of
Norman arches; yet I am sure that capital pictures might be
made out of English mayors, not issuing from Norman arches,
but rather from the door of the^ Checquers " or the " Brewers
Three ". The painter in question had great comic power, which
he scarcely ever cultivated ; he would fain be a Rafael, which he
never could be, when he might have been something quite as
good — ^another Hogarth ; the only comic piece which he ever
presented to the world being something little inferior to the best
of that illustrious master. I have often thought what a capital
picture might have been made by my brother's friend, if, instead
of making the mayor issue out of the Norman arch, he had painted
him moving under the sign of the ''Checquers," or the "Three
Brewers," with mace — yes, with mace, — the mace appears in the
picture issuing out of the Norman arch behind the mayor, — ^but
likewise with Snap, and with whiffler, quart pot, and frying pan,
Billy Blind, and Owlenglass, Mr. Petulengro and Pakomovna;
then, had he clapped his own legs upon the mayor, or any one
»5
426 LA VBNGRO. [1834.
dse in the ooncoiirse^ what matter? But I repeat that I have no
hope of making heroic pictures out of English mayors, or, indeed,
out of English figures in general. England may be a land of
heroic hearts, but it is not, properly, a land of heroic figures, or
heroic posture-making, Italy what was I going to say about
Italy?
CHAPTER XXXIX.
And now once more to my pursuits, to my Uvts and Trials.
However partial at first I might be to these lives and trials, it was
not long before they became regular trials to me, owing to the
whims and caprices of the publisher. I had not been long
connected with him before I discovered that he was wonderfully
fond of interfering with other people's business — at least with the
business of those who were under his control. What a life did
his unfortunate authors lead 1 He had many in his employ toiling
at all kinds of subjects — I call them authors because there is
something respectable in the term author, though they had little
authorship in, and no authority whatever over, the works on which
diey were engaged. It is true the publisher interfered with some
colour of reason, the plan of all and every of the works alluded to
having originated with himself; and, be it observed, many of his
plans were highly clever and promising, for, as I have already
had occasion to say, the pubhsher in many points was a highly
clever and sagacious person ; but he ought to have been contented
with planning the works originally, and have left to other people
the task of executing them, instead of which he marred everything
by his rage for interference. If a book of fairy tales was being
compiled, he was sure to introduce some of his philosophy,
explaining the faiiy tale by some theory of his own. Was a
book of anecdotes on hand, it was sure to be half-filled with
8a]rings and doings of himself during the time that he was
common councilman of the city of London. Now, however
fond the public might be, of fairy tales, it by no means relished
them in conjunction with the publisher's philosophy ; and however
fond of anecdotes in general, or even of the publisher in particular
— for indeed there were a great many anecdotes in circulation
about him which the public both read and listened to very
readily — ^it took no pleasure in such anecdotes as he was disposed
to relate about himself. In the compilation of my Lives and
TrialSf I was exposed to incredible mortification, and ceaseless
trouble, from this same rage for interference. It is true be could
(as?)
%a LA VBNORO. [1824.
not introduce his philosophy into the work, nor was it possible
for him to introduce anecdotes of himself, having never had the
good or evil fortune to be tried at the bar ; but he was continually
introducing — what, under a less apathetic government than the
one then being, would have infallibly subjected him, and perhaps
myself, to a tnal — his politics; not his Oxford or pseudo politics,
but the politics which he really entertained, and which were of
the most republican and violent kind. But this was not all;
when about a moiety of the first volume had been printed, he
materially altered the plan of the work ; it was no longer to be a
collection of mere Newgate lives and trials, but of lives and trials
of criminals in general, foreign as well as domestic. In a little
time the work became a wondrous farrago, in which Konigs-
mark the robber figured by the side of Sam Lynn, and tibe
Marchioness de BrinviUiers was placed in contact with a Chinese
outlaw. What gave me the most trouble and annoyance, was the
publisher's remembering some life or trial, foreign or domestic,
which he wished to be inserted, and which I was forthwith to go
in quest of and purchase at my own expense: some of those
lives and trials were by no means easy to find. "Where is
Brandt and Struensee ? " cries the publisher ; " I am sure I don't
know," I replied ; whereupon the publisher falls to squealing like
one of Joey's rats. " Find me up Brandt and Struensee by next
morning, or " •*Have you found Brandt and Struensee?"
cried the publisher, on my appearing before him next morning.
" No," I reply, *' I can hear nothing about them ; " whereupon
the publisher falls to bellowing like Joey's bull. By dint of
incredible diligence, I at length discover the dingy volume
containing the lives and trials of the celebrated two who had
brooded treason dangerous to the state of Denmark. I purchase
the dingy volume, and bring it in triumph to the publisher, the
perspiration running down my brow. The publbher takes the
dingy volume in his hand, he examines it attentively, then puts
it down ; his countenance is calm for a moment, almost benign.
Another moment and there is a gleam in the publisher's sinister
eye; he snatches up the paper containing the names of the
worthies which I have intended shall figure in the forthcoming
volumes — ^he glances rapidly over it, and his countenance once
more assumes a terrific expression. " How is this?" he exclaims;
"I can scarcely believe my eyes — the most important life and
trial omitted to be found in the whole criminal record — ^what
gross, what utter negligence 1 Where's the life of Fanner Patch ?
Where's the trial of Yeoman Patch ? "
I3TH July, '24.] THE PROCESSION. ss9
"What a life ! what a dog's life ! " I would frequently exclaim,
after escaping from the presence of the publisher.
One day, after a scene with the publisher similar to that which
I have described above, I found myself about noon at the bottom
of Oxford Street, where it forms a right angle with the road which
leads or did lead to Tottenham Court. Happening to cast my
eyes around, it suddenly occurred to me that something uncommon
was expected ; people were standing in groups on the pavement —
the upstair windows of the houses were thronged with faces,
especially those of women, and many of the shops were partly,
and not a few entirely closed. What could be the reason of all
this ? All at once I bethought me that this street of Oxford was
no other than the far-famed Tyburn way. Oh, oh, thought I, an
execution ; some handsome young robber is about to be executed
at the farther end; just so, see how earnestly the women are
peering; perhaps another Harry Symms — Gentleman Harry as
they called him — is about to be carted along this street to Tyburn
tree; but then I remembered that Tyburn tree had long since
been cut down-, and that criminals, whether young or old, good-
looking or ugly, were executed before the big stone gaol, which
I had looked at with a kind of shudder during my short rambles
in the city. What could be the matter? Just then I heard
various voices cry ''There it comes ! " and all heads were turned
up Oxford Street, down which a hearse was slowly coming : nearer
and nearer it drew ; presently it was just opposite the place where
I was standing, when, turning to the left, it proceeded slowly
along Tottenham Road; immediately behind the hearse were
three or four mourning coaches, full of people, some of which,
from the partial glimpse which I caught of them, appeared to be
foreigners; behind these came a very long train of splendid
carriages, all of which, without one exception, were empty.
''Whose Ixxly is in that hearse?" said I to a dapper-looking
individual seemingly a shopkeq>er, who stood beside me on the
pavement, looking at the procession.
*' The mortal relics of Lord Byron,** said the dapper-looking
individual, mouthing his words and smirking, "the illustrious
poet, which have been just brought from Greece, and are being
conveyed to the family vault in shire."
"An illustrious poet, was he?" said I.
" Beyond all criticism,'' said the dapper man ; '^ all we of the
rising generation are under incalculable obligation to Byron; I
mysdfi in particular, have reason to say so ; inidl my correspond-
ence my t^e is formed on the Byronic model."
•50 LA VBNGRO. [1824.
I looked at the individual for a moment, who smiled and
smirked to himself applause, and then I turned my eyes upon the
hearse proceeding slowly up the almost endless street This man,
this Byron, had for many years past been the demigod of England,
and his verses the daily food of those who read, from the peer to
the draper's assistant ; all were admirers, or rather worshippers, of
Byron, and all doated on his verses ; and then I thought of those
who, with genius as high as his, or higher, had lived and died
neglected. I thought of Milton abandoned to poverty and blind-
ness ; of witty and ingenious Butler consigned to the tender
mercies of bailiffs ; and starving Otway : they had lived n^lected
and despised, and, when they died, a few poor mourners only had
followed them to the grave ; but this Byron had been made a half-
god of when living, and now that he was dead he was followed
by worshipping crowds, and the very sun seemed to come out on
purpose to grace his funeral. And, indeed, the sun, which for
many days past had hidden its fiice in clouds, shone out that
morn with wonderful brilliancy, flaming upon the black hearse and
its tall ostrich plumes, the mourning coaches, and the long train
of aristocratic carriages which followed behind.
*' Great poet, sir," said the dapper-looking man, ''great poet,
but unhappy."
Unhappy ? yes, I had heard that he had been unhappy ; that
he had roamed about a fevered, distempered man, taking pleasure
in nothing — that I had heard; but was it true? was he really
unhappy? was not this unhappiness assumed, with the view of
increasing the interest which the world took in him ? and yet who
could say? He might be unhappy and with reason. Was he a
real poet, after all? might he not doubt himself? might he not
have a lurkii^ consciousness that he was undeserving of the
homage which he was receiving? that it could not last? that he
was rather at the top of fashion than of fame ? He was a lordling,
a glittering, gorgeous lordling: and he might have had a con-
sciousness that he owed much of his celebrity to being so ; he
might have felt that he was rather at the top of fashion than of
fame. Fashion soon changes, thought I eagerly to myself; a
time will come, and that speedily, when he will be no longer in the
fashion ; when this idiotic admirer of his, who is still grinning at
my side, shall have ceased to mould his style on Byron's ; and
this aristocracy, squirearchy, and what not, who now send
their empty carriages to pay respect to the ^ishionable corpse,
shall have transferred their empty worship to some other animate
or inanimate thing. Wdl, perhaps after all it was better to have
X824.] LORD BYRON. «3i
been mighty Milton in bis poverty and blindness — witty and
ingenious Butler consigned to the tender mercies of bailiffs, and
starving Otway ; they might enjoy more real pleasure than this
lordling; they must have been aware that the world would one
day do them justice — fame after death is better than the top of
faishion in life. They have left a fame behind them which shall
never die, whilst this lordling — a time will come when he
will be out of fashion and forgotten. And yet I don't know;
didn't he write " Childe Harold " and that ode ? Yes, he wrote
"Childe Harold " and that ode. Then a time will scarcely come
when he will be forgotten. Lords, squires and cockneys may pass
away, but a time will scarcely come when ''Childe Harold " and that
ode will be forgotten. He was a poet, after all, and he must have
known it; a r^ poet, equal to to what a destiny ! rank,
beauty, fashion, immortality — he could not be unhappy ; what a
difference in the fate of men — I wish I could think he was unhappy.
I turned away.
" Great poet, sir,*' said the dapper man, turning away too, '' but
unhappy — ^fate of genius, sir ; I, too, am frequently unhappy."
Hurrying down the street to the right, I encountered Francis
Ardry.
" What means the multitude yonder ? '' he demanded.
"They are looking after the hearse which is carrying the
remains of Byron up Tottenham Road."
'' I have seen the man,*' said my friend, as he turned back
the way he had come, '* so I can dispense with seeing the hearse
— I saw the living man at Venice — ah, a great poet."
[" I don't think so," said I.
" Hey I " said Frands Ardry .1
** A perfumed lordling."
"Ah!"
** With a white hand loaded with gawds."
••Ah!"
"Who wrote verses."
•• Ah I "
•• Replete with malignity and sensualism."
•• Yes I "
•* Not half so great a poet as Milton."
••No?"
•' Nor Butler."
••No?"
" Nor Otway.**
1 Mrdfti throii|;ttout the AfS-
*^ LA VBNORO. [i8a4.
"No?"
'*Nor that poor boy Chatterton, who^ maddened by rascally
patrons and publishers, took poison at last"
" No ? " said Francis Ardry.
''Why do you keep saying ^No' t I tell you that I am no
admirer of Byron."
" Well,'' said Frank, " don't say so to any one else. It will be
thought that you are envious of his glory, as indeed I almost
think you are."
'* Envious of him ! " said I ; " how should I be envious of him ?
Besides, the man's dead, and a live dog, you know "
"You do not think so," said Frank, ''and at this moment I
would wager something that you would wish for nothing better
than to exchange places with that lordling, as you call him, cold
as he is."
" Well, who knows ? " said I. " I really think the man is over-
valued. There is one thing connected with him which must ever
prevent any one of right feelings from esteeming him ; I allude to
his incessant abuse of his native land, a lan^ too, which had
made him its idol."
" Ah 1 you are a great patriot, I know," said Frank. " Come, as
you are fond of patriots, I will show you the patriot, /ar excellence!^
" If you mean Bolus Jones," said I, " you need not trouble
yourself; I have seen him already."
" I don't mean him/ said Frank. " By-the-bye, he came to
me the other day to condole with me, as he said, on the woes of
my bleeding country. Before he left me he made me bleed, for
he persuaded me to lend him a guinea. No, I don't mean him,
nor any one of his stamp ; I mean an Irish patriot, one who thinks
he can show his love for his country in no better way than by
beating the English."
^ Beating the English ? " said I ; " I should like to see him."
Whereupon taking me by the arm, Francis Ardry conducted
me through various alleys, till we came to a long street which
seemed to descend towards the south.
" What street is this ? " said I, when we had nearly reached the
bottom.
" It is no street at all," said my friend ; " at least it is not
called one in this city of Cockaine ; it is a lane, even that of St.
Martin; and that church that you see there is devoted to him.
It is one of the few fine churches in London. Malheureusement^
as the French say, it is so choked up by buildings that it is
X8S4-1 " PORTOBBLLO." «33
impossible to see it at twenty 3rards' distance from any side.
Whenever I get into Parliament, one of my first motions shall
be to remove some twenty score ojf the aforesaid buildings. But I
think we have arrived at the house to which I wished to conduct
you."
" Yes, I see, PartobtUo.'*
About twenty yards from the church, on the left-hand side of
the street or lane, was a mean-looking house having something of
the appearance of a fifth-rate inn. Over the door was written in
large characters the name of the haven, where the bluff old Vernon
achieved his celebrated victory over the whiskered Dons. Enter-
ing a passage on one side of which was a bar-room, Ardry enquired
of a middle-aged man who stood in it in his shirt-sleeves, whether
the captain was at home. Having received for an answer a surly
kind of *' yes," he motioned me to follow him, and after reaching
the end of the passage, which was rather dark^ he b^an to ascend
a narrow, winding stair. About half-way up he suddenly stopped,
for at that moment a loud, hoarse voice from a room above
commenced singing a strange kind of ditty.
"The captain is singing," said Frank, "and, as I live,
'Carolan's Receipt for drinking whisky'. Let us wait a moment
till he has done» as he would probably not like to be interrupted
in his melody."
CAROLAN*S RECEIPT.
■ Whether tick or sound m v receipt was the same,
To Stafford I stepp'd and better became ;
A visit to Stafford s bounteous hall
Was the best receipt of all, of all.
* Midnig^ht fell round us and drinking found us.
At morn zipxn flow'd his whisky ;
By his msight he knew *twas the only way true
To kMp Torlough alive and firisky.
■ Now deep healths quaffing, now screeching now laughing,
At my harp-strings tearing, and to madness nearing :
That was the life I led, and which I yet do ;
For I will swear it, and to all the world declare it,
If yon would fain be happy, you must aye be '
**Foh/^ said Francis Ardry, suddenly pushing open the door
of the room from which the voice proceeded ; " That's the word,
I think, captain."
"By my shoul, Mr. Francis Ardry, you enter with considerable
abruptness, sirt'' said one of two men who were seated smoking at
a common deal table, in a large ruinous apartment in which we
•34 ^^ VBNGRO. [iBia-
now found ourselves. " You enter with considerable abruptness,
sir/' he repeated ; 'Mo you know on whom you are intruding ?"
*' Perfectly well/' said Francis ; *' I am standing in the presence
of Torlough O' Donahue, formerly captain in a foreign service, and
at present resident in London for the express purpose of beating
all the English "
** And some of the Irish too, sir, H necessary/' said the captain
with a menacing look. '* I do not like to be broken in upon as if
I were a nobody. However, as you are here, I suppose I must
abide by it. I am not so little of a gentleman as to be deficient
in the rudiments of hospitality. You may both of you sit down
and make yourselves aisy."
But th^ was no such easy matter, the only two chairs in the
room being occupied by the captain and the other. I therefore
leaned against the door, while Ardry strolled about the apartment
The captain might be about forty. His head was immensely
large, his complexion ruddy, and his features rough, coarse and
strongly expressive of sullenness and ill-nature. He was about
the middle height, with a frame clumsily made, but denoting
considerable strength. He wore a blue coat, the la^^ts of
which were very narrow, but Sfj long that they nearly trailed upon
the ground. Yellow leathern breeches unbuttoned at the knee,
dazzling white cotton stockings and shoes with buckles, adorned
his nether man.
His companion, who was apparently somewhat older than
himself, was dressed in a coarse greatcoat and a glazed hat
exactly resembling those worn by hackneys. He had a quiet,
droll countenance, very much studded with carbuncles, and his
nose, which was very long, was of so hooked a description that
the point of it nearly entered his mouth.
"Who may this friend of yours be?" said the captain to
Ardry, after staring at me.
''A young gentleman much addicted to philosophy, poetry
and philology."
" Is he Irish ? "
" No, he is English ; but I have heard him say that he has a
particular veneration for Ireland."
" He has, has he ; by my shoul, then, all the better for him.
If he had not . • . Can he fight?"
" I think I have heard him say that he can use his fists when
necessary."
" He can, can he ? by my shoul, I should like to try him.
But first of all I have another customer to dispose o£ I have
sea4'] BISHOP SHARPS, ns
JQst determined to send a challenge to Bishop Sharpe whom
these English call the best of their light weights.^ Perhaps he
is, but if I don't "
" The Bishop is a good man/' interrupted his companion of
the greatcoat and glazed hat, in a strange croaky tone.
"Is it a good man that you are calling him?*' said the
captain. *' Well, be it so ; the more merit in my baiting him."
"Thafs true; but you have not beat him yet," said his
companion.
** Not bate him yet ? Is not there the paper that I am going
to write the challenge on? and is not there the pen and the ink
that I am going to write it with ? and is not there yourself, John
Turner, my hired servant, that's bound to take him the challenge
when 'tis written?"
" That's true ; here we are all four — ^pen, ink, paper, and John
Turner; but there's something else wanted to beat Bishop Sharpe."
"What else is wanted ?" shouted the captain.
" Why, to be a better man than he."
"And ain't I that man?"
"Why, that remains to be seen."
"Ain't I an Irishman?"
"Yes, I believe you to be an Irishman. No one, to hear you
talk, but would think you that, or a Frenchman. I was in
conversation with one of that kind the other day. Hearing
him talk rather broken, I asked him what countryman he was.
*What countryman are you?' said I. — *I?' said he, 'I am one
Frenchman,' and then he looked at me as if I should sink into
the earth under his feet. — ' You are not the better for that,' said
I; 'you are not the better for being a Frenchman, I suppose,'
said I. — 'How?' said he; 'I am of the great nation which has
won all the battles in the world.' — 'All the battles in the world ? '
said I. ' Did you ever hear of the battle of Waterloo ? ' said I. You
should have seen how blue he looked. ' Ah I you can't get over
ttiat,' said I ; ' you can't get over the battle of Waterloo,' said I."
"Is it the battle of Waterloo you are speaking of, you spal-
peen ? And to one who was there, an Irish cavalier, fighting in
the ranks of the brave French I By the powers 1 if the sacrifice
would not be too great, I would break this pipe in your foce."
"Why, as to &at, two can play at that," said he of the glazed
hat, smoking on very composedly. " I remember I once said so
to young Cope — you have heard of young Cope. I was vally to
young Cope and servant of all work twenty year ago at Brighton.
1 " Bishop Sbupe," a pugilist of thst name and time.
n$6 LA VBNGRO. [1804.
So one morning after I had carried up his boots, he rings the
bell as if in a great fury. ' Do you call these boots dean ? '
said young Cope, as soon as I showed myself at the door. ' Do
you call these clean?' said he, flinging one boot at my head,
and then the other. 'Two can play at that game,' said I,
catching the second boot in my hand, 'two can play at that
game,' said I, aiming it at young Cope's head — not that I meant
to fling it at young Cope's head, for young Cope was a gentleman;
yes, a gentleman, captain, though not Irish, for he paid me my
wages."
These last words seemed to have a rather quieting effect upon
the captain, who at the commencement of the speech had grasped
his pipe somewhat below the bowl and appeared by his glance to
be meditating a lunge at the eye of his eccentric servant, who
continued smoking and talking with great composure. Suddenly
replacing the end of his pipe in his mouth, the man turned to me^
and in a tone of great hauteur said : —
"So, sir, I am told by your friend there, that you are fond of
the humanities."
*' Yes," said I, '' I am very fond of humanity, and was always a
great admirer of the lines of Gay : —
* Cowards are cruel, but the brave
Love mercy and delight to save '."
'* By my shoul, sir, it's an ignorant beast I'm thinking ye. It
was not humanify I was speaking of, but the humanities^ which
have nothing at all to do with it" Then turning to Frank, he
demanded, "Was it not yourself, Mr. Francis Ardry, that told
me, when you took the liberty of introducing this person to me^
that he was addicted to philosophy, prosody, and what not?"
" To be sure I did," said Frank.
"Well, sir, and are not those the humanities, or are you as
ignorant as your friend here?"
"You pretend to be a humanist, sir," said he to me, "but I
will take the liberty of showing your utter ignorance. Now, sir,
do you venture to say that you can answer a question connected
with the Irish humanities?"
" I must hear it first," said I.
"You must hear it, must ye? Then you shall hear it to your
confusion. A pretty humanist I will show you to be; open your
ears, sir I " —
* Tfiubr aia simrmo bh&s V
> TJhw orv a^ my d$atk.
i8m«] IRISH POBTRY. 237
"Now, sir, what does the poet mean by saying that there
aie three looking after his death? Whom does he allude to, sir?
hey?"
"The devil, the worms, and his children," said I, "who are
looking after three things which they can't hope to get before he
18 dead — ^the children his property, the worms his body, and the
devil his soul, as the man says a little farther on."
The captain looked at me malignantly.
" Now, sir, are you not ashamed of yourself? "
" Wherefore ? ** said I. " Have I not given the meaning of the
poem?"
" You have expounded the elegy, sir, fairly enough ; I find no
fault with your interpretation. What I mean is this : Are you not
ashamed to be denying your country?"
"I never denied my country; I did not even mention it.
My friend there told you I was an Englishman, and he spoke the
truth."
" Sorrow be&ll you for saying so," said the captain. " But I
see how it is, you have been bought ; yes, sir, paid money, to deny
your country ; but such has ever been the policy of the English ;
they can*t bate us, so they buy us. Now here's myself. No
sooner have I sent this challenge to Bishop Sharpe by the hands
of my hired servant, than I expect to have a hundred offers to let
myself be beat What is that you say, sir ? " said he, addressing
his companion who had uttered a kind of inaudible sound — ** No
hopes of that, did you say ? Do you think that I could be bate
without allowing myself to be bate ? By the powers ! — but you
are beneath my notice.''
"Well, sir,'' said he, fixing his eyes on me, "though you have
cheek enough to deny your own country, I trust you have not
enough to deny the merit of the elegy. What do you think of the
elegy, sir?"
" I think it very sorry stuff," said I.
'^ Hear him ! " said ihe captain looking about him. " But he
has been bought, paid money, to deny his own country and all
that belongs to it Well, sir, what do you think of Carolan,
Carolan the Great? What do you think of his Receipt^
sir?"
" I think it very sorry stuff, too."
"Very well, sir, very well ; but I hope to make you give me
a receq)t for all this before you leave. One word more. I
suppose ottll next deny that we have any poetry or music at
alL"
«58 LA VBNGRO. [1844.
** Far be it from me to say any such thing. There is one song
connected with Ireland which I have always thought very fine, and
likewise the music that accompanies it"
^ I am glad to hear it, sir ; there is one piece of Irish poetry
and music which meets your approbation I Pray name the piece,
sir."
" Croppies Lie Down /"
The captain sprang to his feet like one electrified.
" What, sir ? " said he.
«' Croppies Lie Down/"
The captain dashed his pipe to shivers against the table ; then
tucking up the sleeves of his coat, he advan<^ to within a yard of
me, and pushing forward his head somewhat in the manner of a
bull-dog when about to make a spring, he said in a tone of
suppre^ed fury : " I think I have heard of that song before, sir ;
but nobody ever yet cared to sing it to me. I should admire to
hear from your lips what it is. Perhaps you will sing me a line or
two."
" With great pleasure," said I : —
* There are many brave rivers run into the sea,
But the best of them all is Boyne water for me ;
There Croppies were vanquished and terrified fled,
With Jamie the runagate kins at their head.
When crossing the tord
In the name of the Lord,
The conqueror brandished his conquering iword ;
Then down, down. Croppies lie down 1 *
'' By the powers ! a very pretty song, and much obliged am I
to ye for singing it, more especially as it gives me an opportunity
of breaking your head, you long-limbed descendant of a Boyne
trooper. You must deny your countr)% must ye? ye dingy
renegade! — the black North, but old Ireland still. But here's
Connemara for ye — take this — and this Och, murther! —
What have we got here . . . ? "
... . ..•«.•• •
''Who and what is this O'Donahue?" said I to Frank Ardry
after we had descended into the street.
" An ill-tempered Irishman," said Frank, ** the most disagree-
able animal alive, once a rare bird on the earth. His fitther, after
having taught him some Irish and less I^tin, together with an
immoderate hatred of the English, sent him abroad at the age of
sixteen to serve the French. In that service he continued until
the time of the general peace, when he quitted it for the Austrian.
I894-] '• COA CH, YOUR HONOUR ? " a39
I first became acquainted with him at Vienna, where he bore the
rank of captain, but had the character of a notorious gambler.
It was owing, I believe, to his gambling practices that he was
eventually obliged to leave the Austrian service. He has beex?
in London about six months, where he supports himself as best
he can, chiefly, I believe, by means of the gaming-table. His
malignity against England has of late amounted almost to insanity,
and has been much increased by the perusal of Irish newspapers
which abound with invective against England and hyperbolical
glorification of Ireland and the Irish. The result is that he has
come to the conclusion that the best way for him to take revenge
for the injuries of Ireland and to prove the immense superiority
of the Irish over the English will be to break the head of Bishop
Sharpe in the ring."
" Well," said I, " I do not see why the dispute, if dispute there
be, should not be settled in the ring."
*' Nor I either," said Frank, ** and I could wish my countrymen
to choose none other than O'Donahue. With respect to England
and Bishop Sharpe . . ."
At that moment a voice sounded close by me : '' Coach, your
honour, coach? Will carry you anywhere you like.'* I stopped,
and lo the man of the greatcoat and glased hat stood by my side.
'' What do you want ? " said I. *' Have you brought me any
message from your master?"
*' Master ? What master ? Oh 1 you mean the captain. I
left him rubbing his head. No, I don't think you will hear any-
thing from him ip a hurry ; he has had enough of you* All I
wish to know is whether you wish to ride."
" I thought you were the captain's servant."
** Yes, I look after the spavined roan on which he rides about
the Park, but he's no master of mine — he doesn't pay me. Who
cares? I don't serve him for money. I like to hear his talk
about Bishop Sharpe and beating the English — Lord help him 1
Now, where do you wish to go ? Any coach you like — any coach-
man— ^and nothing to pay."
" Why do you wish me to ride ? " said I.
*' Why, for serving out as you did that poor silly captain. I
think what he got will satisfy him for a time. No more talk about
Bishop Sharpe for a week at least. Come, come along, both of
you. The stand is dose by, and I'll drive you myself."
" Will you ride ? " said I to Francis Ardry.
" No," said Frank.
** Then come alone. Where shall I drive you ? "
"To London Bridge."!
CHAPTER XL.
So I went to London Bridge, and again took my station on the
spot by the booth where I had stood on the former occasioa
The booth, however, was empty ; neither the apple-woman noi
her stall were to be seen. I looked over the balustrade upon the
river ; the tide was now, as before, rolling beneath the arch with
frightful impetuosity. As I gazed upon the eddies of the whirlpool,
I thought within myself how soon human life would become
extinct there ; a plunge, a convulsive flounder, and all would be
over. When I last stood over that abyss I had felt a kind of impulse
— a £Eiscination : I had resisted it — I did not plunge into it. At
present I felt a kind of impulse to plunge ; but the impulse was
of a different kind ; it proceeded from a loathing of life. I looked
wistfully at the eddies — ^what had I to live for? — ^what, indeed I
I thought of Brandt and Struensee, and Yeoman Patch — should I
yield to the impulses-why not? My eyes were fixed on the
eddies. All of a sudden I shuddered; I thought I saw heads in
the pool; human bodies wallovnng confusedly; eyes turned up
to heaven with hopeless horror ; was that water, or Where
was the impulse now ? I raised my eyes from the pool, I looked
no more upon it — I looked forward, far down the stream in the
distance. "Hal what is that? I thought I saw a kind of Fata
Morgana, green meadows, waving groves, a rustic home; but in
the far distance — I stared — I stared — a Fata Morgana — ^it was
gone
>i
I left the balustrade and walked to the farther end of the
bridge, where I stood for some time contemplating the crowd ; I
then passed over to the other side with the intention of returning
home; just half-way over the bridge, in a booth immediately
opposite the one in which I had formerly beheld her, sat my
friend, the old apple-woman, huddled up behind her stalL
"Well, mother," said I, "how are you?*' The old woman
lifted her head with a startled look.
" Don't you know me?" said L
Yes, I think I. do. Ah, yes," said she, as her features
(240 )
t8a4.] WICKBD BOYS. d4t
beamed with recollection, " I know you, dear ; you are the young
lad that gave me the tanner. Well, child, got anything to sell ?"
*< Nothing at alV said I.
"Bad luck?"
^ Yes," said I, "bad enough, and ill usage."
"Ah, I suppose they caught ye; well, child, never mind,
better luck next time ; I am glad to see you."
"Thank you," said I, sitting down on the stone bench; " I
thought you had left the bridge — why have you changed your
«de?"
The old woman shook.
" What is the matter with you," said I, " are you ill ? "
" No, child, no ; only "
" Only what ? Any bad news of your son ? "
"No child, no; nodiing about my son. Only low, child-—
every heart has its bitters."
"That's true," said I; "well, I don't want to know your
sorrows; come, where's the book?"
The apple-woman shook more violently than before, bent
herself down, and drew her cloak more closely about her than
before. " Book, child, what book ? "
" Why, blessed Mary, to be sure."
"Oh, that; I ha'n't got it, child— I have lost it, have left it
at home."
"Lost it," said I; "left it at home — ^what db you mean?
Come, let me have it"
" I ha'n't got it, child."
" I believe you have got it under your cloak."
"Don't tell any one, dear; don't — don't/' and the apple
woman burst into tears.
" What's the matter with you? " said I, staring at her.
" You want to take my book from me ? "
" Not I, I care nothing about it ; keep it, if you like, only
tell me what's the matter? "
" Why, all about that book."
"The book?"
" Yes, they wanted to take it from me."
" Who did ? "
" Why, some wicked boys. I'll tell you all about it Eight
or ten days ago, I sat behind my stall, reading my book ; all of
a sudden I felt it snatched from my hand ; up I started, and see
three rascals of boys grinning at me ; one of them held the book
in his hand. ' What book is this ? ' said he, grinning at it.
i6
M LA VBNGRO. [1834.
^What do you want with my book?' said I, dutching at it over
my stall, ' give me my book.' * What do you want a book for ? '
said he, holding it back ; ' I have a good mind to fling it into the
Thames.' * Give me my book/ I shrieked ; and» snatching at it,
I fell over my stall, and all my fruit was scattered about Off ran
the boys— off ran the rascal with my book. Oh dear, I thought
I should have died; up I got, however, and ran alter them as
well as I could. I thought of my fruit ; but I thought more of my
book« I left my fruit and ran after my book. ' My book I my
book ! ' I shrieked, ' murder 1 theft 1 robbery I ' I was near being
crushed under the wheels of a cart ; but I didn't care — I followed
the rascals. * Stop them ! stop them T I ran nearly as fast as they
— they couldn't run very fjast on account of the crowd. At last
some one stopped the rascal, whereupon he turned round, and
flinging the book at me, it fell into the mud ; well, I picked it up
and kissed it, all muddy as it was. 'Has he robbed you ?' said
the man. 'Robbed me, indeed; why, he had got my book.'
'Oh, your book,' said the man, and laughed, and let the rascal
go. Ah, he might laugh, but "
"Well, goon."
" My heart beats so. Well, I went back to my booth and
picked up my stall and my fruits, what I could find of them. I
couldn't keep my stall for two days, I got such a fright, and when
I got round I couldn't bide the b(x>th where the thing had
happened, so I came over to the other side. Oh, the rascals, if
I could but see them hanged."
" For what."
" Why for stealing my book."
" I thought you didn't dislike stealing, that you were ready
to buy things — there was your son, you know "
" Yes, to be sure."
" He took things."
" To be sure he did."
" But you don*t like a thing of yours to be taken."
"No» that's quite a different thing; what's stealing hand-
kerchiefs, and that kind of thing, to do with taking my book;
there's a wide difference — don't you see?"
"Yes, I see."
"Do you, dear? well, bless your heart, I'm glad you da
Would you like to look at the book ? "
" Well, I think I should."
'' Honour bright?" said the apple- woman, looking me in the
eyes.
x8j4.] " HONOUR BRIGHT ? " 243
** Honour bright/' said I, looking the apple-woman in the eyes.
** Well then, dear, here it is," said she, taking it from under
her cloak ; " read it as long as you like, only get a little farther
into the booth. Don't sit so near the edge — you might
f>
I went deep into the booth, and the apple-woman, bringing
her chair round, almost confronted me. I commenced reading
the book, and was soon engrossed by it; hours passed away,
once or twice I lifted up my eyes, the apple-woman was still
confronting me: at last my eyes began to ache, whereupon I
returned the book to the apple-woman, and giving her another
tanner, walked away.
CHAPTER XLI.
Time passed away, and with it the Review, which, contrary to
the publisher's expectation, did not prove a successful speculation.
About four months after the period of its birth it expired, as all
Reviews must for which there is no demand. Authors had
ceased to send their publications to it, and, consequently, to
purchase it ; for I have already hinted that it was almost entirely
supported by authors of a particular class, who expected to see
their publications foredoomed to immortality in its pages. The
behaviour of these authors towards this unfortunate publication I
can attribute to no other cause than to a report which was in-
dustriously circulated, namely, that the Review was low, and that
to be reviewed in it was an infallible sign that one was a low
person, who could be reviewed nowhere else. So authors took
fright ; and no wonder, for it will never do for an author to be
considered low. Homer himself has never yet entirely recovered
from the injury he received by Lord Chesterfield's remark, that
the speeches of his heroes were frequently exceedingly low.
So the Review ceased, and the reviewing corps no longer
existed as such ; they forthwith returned to their proper avocations
— the editor to compose tunes on his piano, and to the task of
disposing of the remaining copies of his Quintilian — the inferior
members to working for the publisher, being to a man dependanti
of his; one, to composing fairy tales; another, to collecting
miracles of Popish saints ; and a third, Newgate lives and trials.
Owing to the bad success of the Review, the publisher became
more furious than ever. My money was growing short, and I
one day asked him to pay me for my labours in the deceased
publication.
"Sir," said the publisher, "what do you want the money
for?''
"Merely to live on," I replied; "it is very difficult to live
in this town without money."
"How much money did you bring with you to town?"
demanded the publisher.
(*44)
j
I
1 _•_ . A. i **
"
B24,] BREAD AND CHEESE, t^ 245
** Some twenty or thirty pounds," I replied.
«* And you have spent it already? "
" No," said I, " not entirely ; but it is fast disappearing."
' Sir," said the publisher, " I believe you to be extravagant ;
yes, sir, extravagant !
" On what grounds do you suppose me to be so? "
" Sir," said the publisher, •* you eat meat."
*'Yes," said I, ''I eat meat sometimes: what should I eat?"
" Bread, sir," said the publisher; "bread and cheese."
So I do, sir, when I am disposed to indulge ; but I cannot
often afford it — it is very expensive to dine on bread and cheese,
especially when one is fond of cheese, as I am. My last bread
and cheese dinner cost me fourteen pence. There is drink,
sir ; with bread and cheese one must drink porter, sir."
" Then, sir, eat bread — bread alone. As good men as yourself
have eaten bread alone; they have been glad to get it, sir. If
with bread and cheese you must drink porter, sir, with bread
alone you can, perhaps, drink water, sir."
However, I got paid at last for my writings in the Review, not,
it is true, in the current coin of the realm, but in certain bills ;
there were two of them, one payable at twelve, and the other at
eighteen months after date. It was a long time before I could
turn these bills to any account ; at last I found a person who, at
a discount of only thirty per cent., consented to cash them ; not,
however, without sundry grimaces, and, what was still more galling,
hdlding, more than once, the unfortunate papers high in air
between his forefinger and thumb. So ill, indeed, did I like
this last action, that I felt much inclined to snatch them away.
I restrained myself, however, for I remembered that it was very
difficult to live without money, and that, if the present person did
not discount the bills, I should probably find no one else that
would.
But if the treatment which I had experienced from the
publisher, previous to making this demand upon him, was difficult
to bear, that which I subsequently underwent was far more so ;
his great delight seemed to consist in causing me misery and
mortification ; if, on former occasions, he was continually sending
me in quest of lives and trials difficult to find, he now was con-
tinually demanding lives and trials which i^ was impossible to
find, the personages whom he mentioned never having lived, nor
consequently been tried. Moreover, some of my best lives and
trials which I had corrected and edited with particular care, and
on which I prided myself no little, he caused to be cancelled after
246 LAVBNGRO. [18214.
— ^ I _ -L 1- ■ -rm- -m-n-t 1 ^^M^i^rw^ i_«mm__m_i i
they had passed through the press. Amongst these was the life
of " Gentleman Harry ". " They are drugs, sir," said the publisher^
" drugs ; that life of Harry Simms has long been the greatest drug
in the calendar — ^has it not, Taggart?"
Taggart made no answer save by taking a pinch of snufid
The reader has» I hope, not forgotten Taggart, whom I mentioned
whilst giving an account of my first morning's visit to the publisher.
I beg Taggart's pardon for faiavmg been so long silent about him ;
but he was a very silent man — ^yet there was much in Taggart —
and Taggart had always been civil and kind to me in his peculiar
way.
" Well, young gentleman," said Taggart to me one mommg,
when we chanced to be alone a few days after the afiair of the
cancelling, " how do you like authorship ? "
** I scarcely call authorship the drudgery I am engaged in,"
said I.
" What do you call authorship ? " said Taggart.
" I scarcely know," said I ; ** that is, I can scarcely express
what I think it."
*' Shall I help you out?" said Taggart, turning round his
chair, and looking at me.
" If you like," said I.
'* To write something grand," said Taggart, taking snuff; " to
be stared at — ^lifted on people's shoulders "
"Well," said I, "that is something like it."
Taggart took snuff. "Well," said he, "why don't you write
something grand ? "
" I have," said I.
What ? " said Taggart.
Why," said I, " there are those ballads."
Taggart took snuff.
*^ And those wonderful versions from Ab Gwilym."
Taggart took snuff again.
" You seem to be very fond of snuff," said I, looking at him
angrily.
Taggart tapped his box.
" Have you taken it long ? "
" Three-and-twenty years."
" What snuff do you take? "
" Universal mixture."
" And you find it of use ? '•
Taggart tapped his box.
" In what respect? " said L
CI
X894-] TAGQART. 247
" In many — there is nothing like it to get a man through ;
but for snuff I should scarcely be where I am now."
" Have you been long here ? "
"Three-and- twenty years."
" Dear me," said I ; " and snuff brought you through ? Give
me a pinch — ^pah, I don't like it," and I sneezed.
'^ Take another pinch," said Taggart.
"No/' said I, •' I don't like snuff"
" Then you will never do for authorship — at feast for this
kind."
** So I begin to think— what shall I do ? "
Taggart took snuff.
" You were talking of a great work — ^what shall it be ? "
Taggart took snuff.
'* Do you think I could write one? "
Taggart uplifted his two forefingers as if to tap, he did not,
however.
" It would require time," said I, with half a sigh.
Taggart tapped his box.
" A great deal of time ; I really think that my ballads '*
Taggart took snuff.
** If published would do me credit I'll make an effort, and
offer them to some other publisher."
Taggart took a double quantity of snulL
CHAPTER XLIL
Occasionally I called on Francis Ardry. This young gentleman
resided in handsome apartments in the neighbourhood of a
fashionable square, kept a livery servant, and upon the whole,
lived in very good style. Going to see him one day, between
one and two, I was informed by the servant that his master was
engaged for the moment, but that, if I pleased to wait a few
minutes, I should find him at liberty. Having told the man that
I had no objection, he conducted me into a small apartment
which served as antechamber to a drawing-room; the door of
this last being half-open, I could see Francis Ardry at the farther
end, speechifying and gesticulating in a very impressive manner.
The servant, in some confusion, was hastening to close the door,
but, ere he could effect his purpose, Francis Ardry, who had
caught a glimpse of me, exclaimed, '' Come in— come in by all
means," and then proceeded, as before, speechifying and ges-
ticulating. Filled with some surprise, I obeyed his summons.
On entering the room I perceived another individual to whom
Francis Ardry appeared to be addressing himself; this other was
'a short, spare man of about sixty ; his hair was of a badger grey,
and his face was covered with wrinkles — without vouchsafing me
a look, he kept his eye, which was black and lustrous, iixed full
on Francis Ardry, as if paying the deepest attention to his
discourse. All of a sudden, however, he cried with a sharp,
cracked voice, " that won't do, sir ; that won't do— more vehem-
ence— ^your argument is at present particularly weak; therefore,
more vehemence — you must confuse them, stun them, stultify
them, sir "; and, at each of these injunctions, he struck the back of
his right hand sharply against the palm of the left. " Good, sir —
good 1 '' he occasionally uttered, in the same sharp, cracked tone,
as the voice of Francis Ardry became more and more vehement
*' Infinitely goodl'' he exclaimed, as Francis Ardry raised his
voice to the highest pitch ; "and now, sir, abate; let the tempest
of vehemence decline — gradually, sir; not too fast. Good, sir —
very good T' as the voice of Francis Ardiy declined gradually in
(248)
1824.] THE ELOCUTIONIST. 349
vehemence. '* And now a little pathos, sir — try them with a little
pathos. That won't do, sir — that won't do/' — as Francis Ardry
made an attempt to become pathetic, — '' that will never pass for
pathos — ^with tones and gesture of that description you wUl never
redress the wrongs of your country. Now, sir, observe my gestures,
and pay attention to die tone of my voice, sir."
Thereupon, making use of nearly the same terms which
Francis Ardry had employed, the individual in black uttered
several sentences in tones and with gestures which were intended
to express a considerable degree of pathos, though it is possible that
some people would have thought both the one and the other highly
ludicrous. After a pause, Francis recommenced imitating the
tones and the gestures of his monitor in the most admirable
manner. Before he had proceeded far, however, he burst into
a fit of laughter, in which I should, perhaps, have joined, provided
it were ever my wont to laugh. '* Ha, ha 1 " said the other, good
humouredly, ''you are laughing at me. Well, well, I merely
wished to give you a hint ; but you saw very well what I meant ;
upon the whole, I think you improve. But I must now go, having
two other pupils to visit before four."
Then taking from the table a kind of three-cornered hat^ and a
cane headed with amber, he shook Francis Ardry by the hand ;
and, after glancing at me for a moment, made me a half-bow,
attended with a strange grimace, and departed.
*' Who is that gentleman ? " said I to Francis Ardry as soon as
we were alone.
"Oh, that is *' said Frank smiling, "the gentleman who
gives me lessons in elocution."
" And what need have you of elocution ? "
" Oh, I merely obey the commands of my guardians," said
Francis, "who insist that I should, with the assistance of ,^
qualify myself for Parliament ; for which they do me the honour
to suppose that I have some natural talent I dare not disobey them,
for, at the present moment, I have particular reasons for wishing
to keep on good terms with them."
" But," said I, " you are a Roman Catholic, and I thought
that persons of your religion were excluded from Parliament ? "
" Why, upon that very thing the whole matter hinges ; people
of our religion are determined to be no longer excluded from
Parliament, but to have a share in the government of the nation.
Not that I care anything about the matter ; I merely obey the
IMS. (apfMrattly) '• I- ," b« M p. flT^.
aso LAVBNGRO, [1824.
will of my guardians ; my thoughts are fixed on something better
than politics."
*' I understand you," said I ; " dog-fighting — well, I can easily
conceive that to some minds dog-fighting " ^
*' I was not thinking of dog-fighting/' said Francis Ardry,
interrupting me.
" Not thinking of dog-fighting 1 " I ejaculated.
" No," said Francis Ardry, "something higher and much more
rational than dog-fighting at present occupies my thoughts."
" Dear me," said I, '' I thought I heard you say, that there
was nothing like it ! "
" Like what ? ** said Francis Ardry.
'' Dog-fighting, to be sure," said I.
" Pooh," said Francis Ardry ; " who but the gross and unrefined
care anything for dog-fighting? That which at present engages
my waking and sleeping thoughts is love — divine love — there is
nothing like /Ao/. Listen to me, I have a secret to confide to
you."
And then Francis Ardry proceeded to make me his confidant
It appeared that he had had the good fortune to make the
acquaintance of the most delightful young Frenchwoman imagin-
able, Annette La Noire by name,' who had just arrived from her
native country with the intention of obtaining the situation of
governess in some English family ; a position which, on account
of her many accomplishments, she was eminently qualified to fill.
Francis Ardry had, however, persuaded her to relinquish her
intention for the present, on the ground that, until she had
become acclimated in England, her health would probably
suffer, firom the confinement inseparable from the occupation in
which she was desirous of engaging; he had, moreover — for it
appeared that she was the most frank and confiding creature in
the world — succeeded in persuading her to permit him to hire for
her a very handsome first floor in his own neighbourhood, and to
accept a few inconsiderable presents in money and jewellery. " I
am looking out for a handsome gig and horse," said Francis
Ardry, at the conclusion of his narration ; " it were a burning
shame that so divine a creature should have to go about a place
like London on foot, or in a paltry hackney coach."
<* But," said I, ''will not the pursuit of politics prevent your
devoting much time to this fair lady ? "
^MS,, *' is quite ai raoonal an amosement at politici ".
* L0 Nmr in M& .4 . and in Rtm. Ryt, app.
ias4-] ^^^ NCIPA TION. asx
■
^It will prevent me devoting all my time," said Francis
Ardiy. "as I gladly would; but what can I do? My guardians
wish me to qualify myself for a political orator, and I dare not
offend them by a refusal. If I offend my guardians, I should find
it impossible — ^unless I have recourse to Jews and money-lenders
— to support Annette, present her with articles of dress and
jewellery, and purchase a horse and cabriolet worthy of conveying
her angelic person through the streets of London."
After a pause, in which Francis Ardry appeared lost in
thought, his mind being probably occupied with the subject of
Annette, I broke silence by observing: ** So your fellow-religionists
are really going to make a serious attempt to procure their
emancipation ? "
" Yes," said Francis Ardry starting from his reverie ; " every-
thing has been arranged ; even a leader has been chosen, at least
for us of Ireland, upon the whole the most suitable man in the
woiid for the occasion — a barrister of considerable talent, mighty
voice, and magnificent impudence. With emancipation, liberty
and redress for the wrongs of Ireland in his mouth, he is to
force his way into the British House of Commons, dragging
myself and others behind him — he will succeed, and when he is in
he will cut a figure ; I have heard himself,^ who has heard him
speak, say that he will cut a figure."
" And is ^ competent to judge ? " I demihded.
''Who but he?" said Francis Ardry ;'* no one questions his
judgment concerning what relates to elocution. His fiime on that
point is so well established, that the greatest orators do not
disdain occasionally to consult him ; C ' himself, as I have
been told, when anxious to produce any particular effect in the
House, is in the habit of calling in ^ ((x consultation."
*' As to matter, or manner? " said I.
"Chiefly the latter," said Francis Ardry, "though he is
competent to give advice as to both, for he has been an orator in
his day, and a leader of the people ; though he confessed to me
that he was not exactly qualified to play the latter part — ' I want
paunch,' said he."
" It w not always indispensable," said I ; "there is an orator
in my town, a hunchback and watchmaker, without it, who not
only leuls the people, but the mayor too ; perhaps he has a
succedaneum in his hunch ; but, tell me, is Uie leader of your
movement in possession of that which wants ? "
> J«., •• L ^,- or "T," •MS,, " CAAiiiiig''.
953 LA VBNGRO. [18^4.
V No more deficient in it than in brass," said Francis Ardry.
'' Well," said I^ " whatever his qualifications may be, I wish
him success in the cause which he has taken up— I love religious
liberty."
" We shall succeed/' said Francis Ardry ; " John Bull upon
the whole is rather indifferent on the subject, and then we are
sure to be backed by the Radical party, who^ to gratify their
political prejudices, would join with Satan himsdf."
''There is one thing," said I, ''connected with this matter
which surprises me — ^your own lukewarmness. Yes, making
every allowance for your natural predilection for dog-fighting, and
your present enamoured state of mind, your apathy at the
commencement of such a movement is to me unaccountable."
" You wotlld not have cause to complain of my indifierence,"
said Frank, "provided I thought my country would be benefited
by this movement ; but I happen to know the origin of it The
priests are the originators, ' and what country was ever benefited
by a movement which owed its origin to them ? ' so says Voltaire,
a page of whom I occasionally read. By the present move they
hope to increase their influence, and to further certain designs
which they entertain both with regard to this country and
Ireland. I do not speak rashly or unadvisedly. A strange
fellow — ^a half-Italian, half-English priest, — who was recom-
mended to me*by my guardians, partly as a spiritual, partly as a
temporal guide — has let me into a secret or two ; he is fond of a
glass of gin and water, and over a glass of gin and water cold,
with a lump of sugar in it, he has been more communicative,
perhaps, than was ^together prudent. Were I my own master,
I would kick him, politics and religious movements, to a
considerable distance. And now, if you are going away, do so
quickly ; I have an appointment with Annette, and must make
myself fit to appear before her.''
CHAPTER XLIIL
By the month of October I had, in spite of all difficulties and
obstacles, accomplished about two-thirds of the principal task
which I had undertaken, the compiling of the Newgate lives ; I
had also made some progress in translating the publisher's
philosophy into German. But about this time I began to see
very clearly that it was impossible that our connection should
prove of long duration ; yet, in the event of my leaving the big
man, what other resource had I ? another publisher? But what
had I to offer? There were my ballads, my Ab Gwilym; but
then I thought of Taggart and his snuff, bis pinch of snuff.
However, I determined to see what could be done, so I took my
ballads under my arm, and went to various publishers ; some
took snuff, others did not, but none took my ballads or Ab
Gwilym, they would not even look at them. One asked me if I
had anything else — ^he was a snuff-taker — I said yes ; and going
home returned with my translation of the German novel, to which
I have before alluded. After keeping it for a fortnight, he
returned it to me on my visiting him, and, taking a pinch of
snuff, told me it would not do. There were marks of snuff on
the outside of the manuscript, which was a roll of paper bound
with red tape, but there were no marks of snuff on the interior of
the manuscript, from which I concluded that he had never
opened it.
I had oflen heard of one Glorious John, who lived at the
western end of the town ; on consulting Taggart, he told me that
it was possible that Glorious John would publish my ballads and
Ab Gwilym, that is, said he, taking a pinch of snuff, provided
you can see him ; so I went to the house where Glorious John
resided, and a glorious house it was, but I could not see Glorious
John. I called a dozen times, but I never could see Glorious
John. Twenty years after, by the greatest chance in the world,
I saw Glorious John, and sure enough Glorious John published
my books, but they were different books from the first ; I never
offered my t)allads or Ab Gwilym to Glorious John. Glorious
(253)
254 ^^ VENGRO. [1834.
V
John was no snuff-taker. He asked me to dinner, and treated
me with superb Rhenish wine. Glorious John is now gone to
his rest, but I — what was I going to say ? — the world will never
forget Glorious John.
So I returned to my last resource for the time then being — ^to
the publisher, persevering doggedly in my labour. One day, on
visiting the publisher, I found him stamping with fury upon
certain fragments of paper.
"Sir," said he, '*you know nothing of German; I have
shown your translation of the first chapter of my Philosophy to
several Germans: it is utterly unintelligible to them.*' "Did
they see the Philosophy?" I replied. "They did, sir, but they
did not profess to understand English.'' "No more do I," I
replied, " if that Philosophy be English."
The publisher was furious — I was silent For want of a pinch
of snuff, I had recourse to something which is no bad substitute
for a pinch of snuff to those who can't take it, silent contempt ;
at first it made the publisher more furious, as perhaps a pinch of
snuff would ; it, however, eventually calmed him, and he ordered
me back to my occupations, in other words, the compilation. To
be brief, the compilation was completed, I got paid in the usual
manner, and forthwith left him.
He was a clever man, but what a difference in clever men I
CHAPTER XLIV.
It was post mid-winter, and I sat on London Bridge, in
company with the old apple-woman : she had just returned to
the other side of the bridge to her place in the booth wheie I
had originally found her. This she had done after repeated
conversations with me ; " she liked the old place best," she said,
which she would never have left but for the terror which she
experienced when the boys ran away with her book. So I sat
with her at the old spot, one afternoon past mid-winter, reading
the book, of which I had by this time come to the last pages. I
had observed that the old woman for some time past had shown
much less anxiety about the book than she had been in the habit
of doing. I was, however, not quite prepared for her offering to
make me a present of it, which she did that afternoon; when,
having finished it, I returned it to her, with many thanks for the
pleasure and instruction I had derived from its perusal. " You
may keep it, dear," said the old woman, with a sigh ; " you may
carry it to your lodging, and keep it for your own."
Looking at the old woman with surprise, I exclaimed : " Is it
possible that you are willing to part with the book which has
been your source of comfort so long?"
Whereupon the old woman entered into a long history, from
which I gathered that the book had become distasteful to her ;
she hardly ever opened it of late, she said, or if she did, it was
only to shut it again ; also, that other things which she had been
fond of, though of a widely different kind, were now distasteful to
her. Porter and beef-steaks were no longer grateful to her palate,
her present diet chiefly consisting of tea, and bread and butter.
"Ah," said I, "you have been ill, and when people are ill,
they seldom like the things which give them pleasure when they
are in health." I learned, moreover, that she slept little at night,
and had all kinds of strange thoughts ; that as she lay awake
many things connected with her youth, which she had quite
forgotten^ came into her mind. There were certain words that
came into her mind the night before the last, which were con-
tinually humming in her ears: I found that the words were,
* Thou shalt not steal ".
(^55)
256 LA VBNGRO. [1835.
On inquiring where she had first heard these words, I learned
that she had read them at school, in a book called the primer ;
to this school she had been sent by her mother, who was a poor
widow, who followed the trade of apple-selling in the very spot
where her daughter followed it now. It seems that the mother
was a very good kind of woman, but quite ignorant of letters, the
benefit of which she was willing to procure for her child; and
at the school the daughter learned to read, and subsequently
experienced the pleasure and benefit of letters, in being able to
read the book which she found in an obscure closet of her
mother's house, and which had been her principal companion
and comfort for many years of her life.
But, as I have said before, she was now dissatisfied with
the book, and with most other things in which she had taken
pleasure ; she dwelt much on the words, " Thou shalt not steal " ;
she had never stolen things herself, but then she had bought
things which other people had stolen, and which she knew ^d
been stolen ; and her dear son had been a thief, which he perhaps
would not have been but for the example which she set him in
buying things from characters, as she called them, who associated
with her.
On inquiring how she had become acquainted with these
characters, I learned that times had gone hard with her ; that she
had married, but her husband had died after a long sickness,
which had reduced them to great distress; that her fruit trade
was not a profitable one, and that she had bought and sold things
which had been stolen to support herself and her son. That for
a long time she supposed there was no harm in doing so, as her
book was full of entertaining tales of stealing; but she now
thought that the book was a bad book, and that learning to read
was a bad thing ; her mother had never been able to read, but
had died in peace, though poor.
So here was a woman who attributed the vices and follies of
her life to being able to read ; her mother, she said, who could
not read, lived respectably, and died in peace ; and what was the
essential difference between the mother and daughter, save that
the latter could read? But for her literature she might in all
probability have lived respectably and honestly, like her mother,
and might eventually have died in peace, which at present she
could scarcely hope to do. Education had failed to produce any
good in this poor woman ; on the contrary, there could be little
doubt that she had been injured by it. Then was education a
bad thing ? Rousseau was of opinion that it was ; but Rousseau
ites-] NBCBSSITY. 957
was a Fienchmaiii at least wrote in French, and I cared not the
snap of my fingers for Rousseau. But education has certainly
been of benefit in some instances ; well, what did that prove,
but that partiality existed in the management of the affitirs of the
world. If education was a benefit to some, why was it not a
benefit to others? Could some avoid abusing it, any more than
others could avoid turning it to a profitable account? I did not
see how they could ; this poor simple woman found a book in
her mother's closet ; a book, which was a capital book for those
who could turn it to the account for which it was intended ; a
book, from the perusal of which I felt myself wiser and better,
but which was by no means suited to the intellect of this poor
simple woman, who thought that it was written in praise of thieving ;
yet she found it, she read it, and — and I felt myself getting into
a maze; what is right? thought I; what is wrong? Do I exist?
Does the world exist? if it does, every action is bound up with
necessity.
** Necessity ! " I exclaimed, and cracked my finger joints*
** Ah, it is a bad thing," said the old woman.
"What is a bad thing?" said I.
•* Why, to be poor, dear."
"You talk like a fool," said I, " riches and poverty are only
different forms of necessity."
"You should not call me a fool, dear; you should not call
your own nu)ther a fool"
" You are not my mother," said I.
"Not your mother, dear? — no, no more I am; but your
calling me fool put me in mmd of my dear son, who often used
to call me fool — and you just now looked as he sometimes did^i
with a blob of foam on your lip."
^ After all, I don't know that you are not my mother."
" Don't you, dear? I'm glad of it ; I wish you would make it
out."
"How should I make it out? who can speak from his own
knowledge as to the circumstances 'of his birth ? Besides, before
attempting to establish our relationship, it would be necessary to
prove that such people exist/'
"What people dear?"
" You and I."
" Lord, child, you are mad ; that book has made you so."
"Don't abuse it," said I; "the book is an excellent one,
that is, provided it exists."
" I wish it did not," said the old woman ; but it shan't long ;
17
€56 LA VBNQRQ. [1895.
I'll bum it, or fling it into the riTO — the voices of ni^t tell me
to do sa"
"Tell the voices/' said I, ''that they talk nonsense; die
book, if it exists, is a good book, it contains a deep moral ; have
you read it aU?"
"All the funny parts, dear; all about taking things, and the
manner it was done; as for the rest, I could not exactly make it
ouf
** Then the book is not to blame; I repeat that the book b a
good book, and contains deep morality, always supposing that
there is such a thing as morality, whidi is the same thing as
supposing that there is anything at all."
'' Anything at all 1 Why, a'n't we here on this bridge, in my
booth, with my stall and my "
"Apples and pears, baked hot, you would say — I don't know;
all is a mystery, a deep questioa It is a question, and probably
always will be, whether there is a world, and consequently apples
and pears ; and, provided there be a world, whether that world
be like an apple or a pear."
" Don't talk so, dear."
" I won't ; we will suppose that we all exist — ^world, ourselves,
apples, and pears : so you wish to get rid of the book?**
" Yes, dear, I wish you would take it"
" I have read it, and have no further use for it ; I do not need
books : in a little time, perhaps, I shall not have a {rface wherein
to deposit myself, far less books."
<' Then I will fling it into the river."
" Don't do that ; here, give it me* Now iriiat shall I do with
it? you were so fond of it"
" I am so no longer."
" But how will you pass your time? what will you read? "
" I wish I had never learned to read» or, if I had, that I had
only read the books I saw at school : the primer or the other."
" What was the other? "
" I think they called it the Bible : all about jGod, and Job,
and Je^us."
" Ah, I know it"
*• You have read it ? is it a nice book — all true ? "
"True, true — I don't know what to say; but if the world be
true, and not all a lie, a fiction, I don't see why the Bible, as they
call it, should not be true. By-the-bye, what do you call Bible in
your tongue, or, indeed, book of any kind ? as Bible merely means
a book.'*
ia«5-] METAPHOR. «59
"What do I call the Bible in my language, dear?**
" Yes, the language of those who bring you things.*
" The language of those who did, dear ; they bring them now
no longer. 'Riey cadi me fool, as you did, dear, just now ; they
call kimng the Bible, which means taking a false oath, smacking
calfskin."
''That's metaphor," said I, "English, but metaphorical;
what an odd language 1 So you would like to have a Bible, —
shaU I buy you one ? '*
'' I am poor, dear— no money since I left off the other trade."
"Well, then, Til buy you one."
" No, dear, no ; you are poor, and may soon want the money ;
but if you can take me one conveniently on the sly, you know —
I think you may, for, as it is a good book, I suppose there can be
no harm in taking it."
''That will never do," said I, "more espedally as I should be
sure to be caught, not having made taking of things my trade ;
but I'll tell you what I'll do — try and exchange this book of yours
for a Bible ; who knows for what great things this same book of
yours may serve?"
"Well, dear," said the old woman, "do as you please; I
should like to see the — ^what do you call it? — BiUe, and to read
it, as you seem to think it true."
" Yes,'* said I, " seem ; that is the way to express yourself in
this maze of doubt — I seem to think — these apples and pears
seem to be— and here seems to be a gentleman who wants to
purchase either one or the other."
A person had stopped before the apple-woman's stall, and was
glancing now at the fruit, now at the old woman and myself; he
wore a blue mantle, and had a kind of fur cap on his head ; he
was somewhat above the middle stature ; his features were keeni
but rather hard; there was a slight obliquity in his vision.
Selecting a small apple, he gave the old woman a penny; then,
after looking at me scrutinizingly for a moment, he moved from
the booth in the direction of Southwark.
" Do you know who that man is ? " said I to the old woman.
" NO)" said she, " except that he is one of my best customers ;
he frequently stops, takes an apple, and gives me a penny ; his is
the only piece of money I have taken this blessed day. I don't
know him, but he has once or twice sat down in the booth with
two strange-looking men — Mulattos, or Lascars, I think they call
them.
^
CHAPTER XLV.
In pursuance of my promise to the old woman, I set about pro-
curing her a Bible with all convenient speed, placing the book
which she had intrusted to me for the purpose of exdumge in my
pocket. I went to several shops, and asked if Bibles were to be
had : I found that there were plenty. When, however, I informed
the people that I came to barter, they looked blank, and declined
treating with me, saying that they did not do business in that
way. At last I went into a shop over the window of which I saw
written, ** Books bought and exchanged " : there was a smartish
young fellow in the shop, with black hair and whiskers. ** Yon
exchange? " said I. ** Yes," said he, *' sometimes, but we prefer
selling ; what book do you want ? " <* A Bible,'' said I. '' Ah," said
he, '' there's a great demand for BiUes just now ; all kinds of people
are become very pious of late," he added, grinning at me ; "I am
afraid I can't do business with you, more especially as the master
is not at home. What book have you brought?" Taking the
book out of my pocket, I placed it on the counter. The young
fellow opened the book, and inspecting the title-page, burst into
a loud laugh. " What do you laugh for ? " said I, angrily, and half
clenching my fist. " Laugh ! " said the young fellow ; " laugh I
who could help laughing ? " "I could," said I ; " I see nothing to
laugh at ; I want to exchange this book for a Bible." <* You do ? "
said the young fellow ; " well, I daresay there are plenty who would
be willing to exchange, that is, if they dared. I wish master were
at home ; but that would never do^ either. Master's a family man,
the Bibles are not mine, and master being a family man, is sharp,
and knows all his stock ; I'd buy it of you, but, to teU you the
truth, I am quite empty here," said he, pointing to his pocket, " so
I am afraid we can't deal."
Whereupon, looking anxiously at the young man, " what am
I to do?" said I ; " I really want a Bible ".
" Can't you buy one ? " said the young man ; '* have you no
money?"
" Yes," said I, " I have some, but I am merely the agent of
another; I came to exchange, not to buy; what am I to do?"
(s6o)
fftes-] THE BXCHANGB. ^i #
■ I *' in 1——^ ■■Mill I — »—— ^— ^
'^I don't know," said the young man, thoughtfoHy, laying
down the book on the counter ; ** I don't know what you can do |
I think you will find some difficulty in this bartering job, the
trade are rather precise." All at once he laughed louder that
before ; suddenly stopping; however, he put on a very grave look
*'Take my advice," said he; ^ there is a firm established in thii
neighbourhood which scarcely sells any books but Bibles ; they
are very ridi, and pride themselves on selling their books at the
lowest possible price ; apply to them, who knows but what they
will exx^ange with you ? "
Thereupon I demanded with some eagerness of the young
man the direction to the pbce where he taught it possible that
I might effect the exchange — ^which direction the young fellow
cheerfully gave me, and, as I turned away^ had the civility ta
wish me success.
I had no difficulty in finding the house to which the young
fellow directed me; it was a very laige house, situated in a
square, and upon the side of the house was written in huge
letters, " Bibles^ jnd other religious books ".
At the door of the house were two or three tumbrils, in the
act of bdng loaded with chests, very much resembling tea-
eheita; one of the chests falling down, burst, and out flew,
not tea, but various books, in a neat, small size, and in neat
leather covers ; Bibles, said I,— Bibles, doubtless. I was not
quite right, nor quite wrong ; picking up one of the books, I
looked at it for a moment, and found it to be the New Testa*
ment. " Come, young lad," said a man who stood by, in the
dicss of a portor, ** put that book down, it is none of yours ; if
you want a book, go in and deal for one."
Deal, thought I, deal, — ^the man seems to know what I am
coming about, — and going in, I presently found myself in a very
huge room. Behind a counter two men stood with their backs
10 a sfdendid fire, warming themselves, for the weather was cold.
Of these men one was dressed in brown, and the other was
diessed in Uack; both were tall men — he who was dressed in
brown was thin, and had a particularly ill-natured countenance ;
the man dressed in black was bulky, his features were noble, but
they were those of a lion.
"What is your business, young man?" said the precise
personage, as I stood staring at him and his companion.
" I want a BiUe," said I.
'' What price, what size ? " said the predse-lookmg man.
" As to size^" said I, " I should like to have a large one
i
262 LA VSNORO. [xSss-
--that 18, if you can aSbid me one— -I do not oome to
buy."
** Oh, friend," said the precise-looking man, '' if you come
hers expecting to have a Bible for nothing, you are mistalrfn —
we "
"I would scorn to have a Bible for nothing,*' said I, ''or
anything else; I came not to beg, but to batter; there is no
shame in that, especially in a country like this, where all folks
barter."
''Oh, we don't barter," said the precise man, "at least
Bibles ; you had better depart."
" Stay, brother," said the man with the countenance of a lion,
" let us ask a fiew questions ; this may be a very important case ;
perhaps the young man has had convictions."
*' Not I," I exclaimed, " I am convinced of nothing, and with
regard to the Bible — I don't believe ^
" Hey I " said the man with the lion countenance, and there
he stopped. But with that " Hey " the walls of the house seemed
to shake, the windows rattled, and the porter whom I had seen in
front of the house came running up the steps, and looked into
the apartment through the glass of the door.
There was silence for about a minute — the same kind of
silence which succeeds a clap of thunder.
At last ^he man with the lion countenance, who had kept his
eyes fixed upon me, said calmly : " Were you about to say that
you don't believe in the Bible, young man ? "
" No more than in anything else," said I ; " you were
of convictions — I have no convictions. It is not easy to
in the Bible till one is convinced that there is a Bible."
" He seems to be insane," said the prim*looking man, " we
had better order the porter to turn him out"
'* I am by no means certain," said I, "that the porter could
turn me out ; always provided there is a porter, and this system
of ours be not a lie, and a dream."
"Come," said the lion-looking man, impatiently, "a truce
with this nonsense. If the porter cannot turn you out, perhaps
some other person can; but to the point — ^you want a Bible?"
" I do," said I, " but not for myself; I was sent by another
person to offer something in exchange for one."
" And who is that person ? "
"A poor old woman, who has had what you call coovictioos^
— ^heard voices, or thought she heard them — I forgot to ask her
whether they were loud ones."
xaas-l " ^VE LOST IT I" ^l §
"What has she sent to offer in exchange?" said the man,
without taking any notice of the concluding part of my
speech.
" A book," said I.
" Let me see it"
*' Nay, brother," said the precise man, " this will never do ; if
we once adopt the system of barter, we shall have all the holders
of useless rubbish in the town l^>plying to us."
'< I wish to see what he has brought," said the other ;
"perhaps Baxter, or Jewell's Apology, either of whidi would
make a valuable addition to our collection. Well, young man,
what's the matter with you?"
I stood like one petrified; I had put my hand into my
pocket— the book was gone.
** What's the matter ? " repeated the man with the lion
countenance, in a voice very much resembling thunder.
" I have it not— I have lost it 1 "
" A pretty story, truly," said the precise-looking man, "lost it !"
** You had better retire," said the other.
" How shall I appear before the party who intrusted me with
the book? She will certainly think tbat I have purloined it, not-
withstanding all I can say; nor, indeed, can I blame her —
appearances are certainly against me."
" They are so— you had better retire."
I moved towards the door. " Stay, young man, one word
more ; there is only one way of proceeding which would induce
me to believe that you are sincere."
*< What is that ? " said I, stopping and looking at him
anxiously.
*' The purchase of a Bible."
'' Purchase I " said I, " purchase I I came not to purchase*
but to barter ; such was my instruction, and how can I barter if I
have lost the book ? "
The other made no answer, and turning away I made for the
door; all of a sudden I started, and turning round, *' Dear me,"
said I, '* it has just come into my head, that if the book was lost
by my negligence, as it must have been, I have clearly a right to
make it good".
No answer.
*' Yes," I repeated, " I have clearly a right to make it good ;
how glad I am ! see the effect of a little reflection. I will pur-
chase a Bible instantly, that is, if I have not lost " and with
considerable agitation I felt in my pocket.
^ a64 LAVBNGRO. [iteS-
The prim-looking man smiled : ** I rappose," said he, " that
he has lost his money as well as book ".
"No," said I, "I have not;" and pulling out my hand I
displayed no less a sum than three half-crowns.
'' O, noble goddess of the Mint I " as Dame Charlotta
Noidenflycht, the Swede, said a hundred and fifty years ago,
"great is thy power; how energetically the possessicHi of thee
speaks in fovour of man's character 1 "
"Only half a crown for this Bible?" said I, putting down
the money, " it is worth three ; " and bowing to the man of the
noble features, I departed with my purchase.
" Queer customer," said the prim-looking man, as I was aboot
to close the door — ''don't like him."
" Why, as to that, I scarcely know what to say," said he of
the countenance of a lion.
CHAPTER XLVI.
A PEW days after the occurrence of what is recorded in the last
chapter, as I was wandering in the City, chance directed my
ibotsteps to an alley leading from one narrow street to another
in the neighbourhood of Chei^de. Just before I reached Uie
month of the alley, a man in a greatcoat, closely followed by
another, passed it; and, at the moment in which they were
passing, I observed the man behind snatch something from the
pocket of the other ; whereupon, darting into the street, I seized
the hindermost man by the collar, crying at the same time to the
other, " My good friend, this person has just picked your pocket ".
The individual whom I addressed, turning round with a start,
glanced at me, and then at the person whom I held. London
is die place for strange rencounters. It appeared to me that I
recognised both individuals — ^the man whose pocket had been
picked and the other; the latter now began to struggle violently ;
*^ 1 have picked no one's pocket," said he. " Rascal," said the
other, " you have got my pocket-book in your bosom." << No, I
have not," said the other; and struggling more violently than
before, the pocket-book dropped from his bosom upon the ground.
The other was now tbont to lay hands upon the fellow, who
was still struggling^ " You had better take up your book," said
I ; *' I can hold him." He followed my advice, and, taking up
hk pocket-book, surveyed my prisoner with a ferocious look,
occasionaJly glaring at me Yes, I had seen him before — it was
the stranger whom I had observed on London Bridge, by the
Mall of the old apple-woman, with the cap and ckiak; but,
instead of these, he now wore a hat and greatcoat. **Well,"
said I, at hut, '' what am I to do with this gentleman of ours ?**
nodding to the prisoner, who had now left off struggling. ** Shall
Ilethimso?''
"Gor* said the other; ''got The knave— 4he rsscal; let
Um go, indeed 1 Not so, he shall go before the Lord Mayor,
him along."
*' Oh, let me go," said the other : ''let me go; this is the first
(a6s)
a66 LA VBNORO. [1835.
offence, I assure ye — ^the first time I ever thought to do anything
wrong."
" Hold your tongue," said I, "or I shall be angry with you.
If I am not very much mistaken, you once attempted to cheat
me.
''I never saw you before in all my life," said the fellow«
though his countenance seemed to belie his words.
** That is not true," said I ; *' you are the man who attempted
to cheat me of one-and-ninepence in the coach-yard, on the first
morning of my arrival in London."
" I don't doubt it," said the other ; '' a confirmed thief; "
and here his tones became peculiarly sharp ; " I woidd fiun see
him hanged— crucified. Drag him along."
" I am no constable," said I ; " you have got your pocket-
book — I would rather you would bid me let him ga"
« Bid you let him go I " said the other almost fiiriously, " I
command — stay, what was I going to say? I was forgetting
myself," he observed more gently; "but he stole my pocket-
book ; if you did but know what it contained."
** Well, said I, " if it contains anything valuable, be the more
thankful that you have recovered it; as for the mani I will
help you to take him where you please ; but I wish you would
let him go."
The stranger hesitated, and there was an extraordinary play
of emotion in his features ; he looked ferociously at the pick-
pocket, and* more than once, somewhat suspiciously at myself;
at last his countenance cleared, and, with a good grace, he said,
"Well, you have done me a great service, and you have my
consent to let him go; but &e rascal shall not escape with
impunity," he exclaimed suddenly, as I let the man go, and
starting forward, before the fellow could escape, he struck him
a violet blow on the &ce. The man staggered^ and had nearly
fiillen ; recovering himself, however, he said : " I tell you what,
my fellow, if I ever meet you in this street in a dark night, and
I have a knife about me, it shall be the worse for you ; as for
yoUj young man," said he to me ; but, observing that the other
was making towards him, he left whatever he was about to say
unfinished^ and, taking to his heels, was out of si^ in a moment
The stranger and myself walked in the direction of Cheapside^
the way in which he had been originally proceeding; he was
silent for a few moments, at length he said : " You have really
done me a gpreat service* and I should be ungrateful not to
acknowledge it. I am a merchant; and a merchant's pocket-
t8a5.] LONDON BRIDGE PHILOLOGY. §67
book, as you parhaps knowt containi many things of importance ;
but young man/' he ezdaimed, '^ I think I have seen you before ;
I thought so at first, but where I cannot exactly say : where was
it?" I mentioned London Bridge and the old apple-woman.
''Oh," said he^ and smiled* and there was someOiing peculiar
in hii smile, "I remember now. Do you frequendy sit on
London Bridge?" "Occasionally," said I; "that old woman
is an old friend of mine." "Friend?" said the stranger, "I
am glad of it, for I shall know where to find you. At present I
am going to 'Change ; time you know is precious to a merchant."
We were by this time close to Cheapside. " Farewell," said he,
" I shall not forget this service. I trust we shall soon meet again."
He then shook me by the hand and went his way.
The next day, as I was seated beside the old woman in the
booth, the stranger again made his appearance, and after a word
or two, sat down b^de me; the old woman was sometimes
reading the Bible, which she had ahready had two or three days
in her possession, and sometimes discoursing with me. Our
discourse rolled chiefly on philological matters.
" What do you call bread in your language ? " said L
"You mean the language of those who bring me things to
buy, or who did ; for, as I told you before, I sha'n't buy any
more ; if s no language of mine, dear — they call bread pannam
in their language."
" Pannam t " said I, " pannam I evidently connected with, if
not derived from, the Latin panis; even as the word tanner, which
signifieth a sixpence, is connected with, if not derived from, the
Latin tener, which is itself connected with, if not derived from,
tawno or tawner, which, in the language of Mr. Petulengro, signi-
fieth a sucking child. Let me see, what is the term for bread in the
language of Mr. Petulengro ? Morro, or manro, as I have some-
times heard it called ; is there not some connection between these
words and panis? Yes, I think there is; and I should not
wonder if morro, manro, and panis were connected, perhaps
derived from the same root ; but what is that root ? I don t know
—I wish I did ; though, perhaps, I should not be the happier.
Morro— manro 1 I rather think morro is the oldest form ; it is
easier to say morro than manro. Morro 1 Irish, aran ; Welsh,
bara ; English, bread. I can see a resemblance between all the
words, and pannam too ; and I rather think that the Petulengrian
word*is the elder. How odd it would be if the language of
Mr. Petulengro should eventually turn out to be the mother of all
the languages in the world ; yet it is certain that Uiere are some
t68 LA VBNORO. [1885.
languages in wfaidi the tenns for bread have no cotmection
the word nsed by Mr. Petalengro, notwithstanding that those
languages, in many other points, ohibit a dose affinity to the
laniuage of the hotse-shoe master: for example* bread, in
Heorew, is Laham, which assuredly exhibits little similitude
to the word used by the aforesaid Petnlengra In Armenian
it is "
'' Zhats 1 " said the stranger starting up. '* By the PMriareh
and the Three Holy Churches, this is wonderful t How came
you to know aught of Armenian?''
CHAPTER XLVIL
Just as I was about to reply to the interrogation of my new-
formed acquaintancey a man, with a dusky countenance, probably
one of the Lascars, or Mulattos, of whom the old woman had
spoken, came up and whispered to him, and with this man he
presently departed, not howeyer before he had told me the place
of his abode, and requested me to visit him.
After the lapse of a few days, I called at the house which he
had indicated. It was situated in a dark and narrow street, in the
heart of the city, at no great distance from the Bank. I entered
a counting-room, in which a solitary clerk^ with a foreign look,
was writing. The stranger was not at home ; returning the next
day, however, I met him at the door as he was about to enter ; he
shook me warmly by the hand. " I am glad to see you," said
he, ** follow me, I was just thinking of you." He led me through
the counting-room to an apartment up a flight of stairs ; before
ascending, however, he looked into the book in which the foreign-
visaged clerk was writing, and, seemingly not satisfied with the
manner in which he was executing his task, he gave him two
or three cuffs, telling him at the same time that he deserved
crucifixion.
The apartment above stairs, to which he led me, was largef
with three windows which opened upon the street. The walls
were hung with wired cases, apparently containing books. There
was a table and two or three chairs ; but the principal article of
furniture was a long sofa, extending from the door by which we
entered to the farther end of Uie apartment. Seating himself
upon the sofa, my new acquaintance motioned me to a seat
beside him, and then, looking me full in the face, repeated his
former inquiry. " In the name of all that is wonderful, how
came you to know aught of my language?"
''There is nothing wonderful in tl^t,' said I ; "we are at the
commencement of a philological age, every one studies languages :
that is, every one who is fit for nothing else ; philology being the
last resource of dulness and ennui, I have got a little in advance
(a69)
•70 LA VENGRO. [1825.
of the throng, by mastering the Armenian alphabet; but I fore-
see the time when every unmarriageable miss, and desperate
blockhead, will likewise have acquired the letters of Mesroub,
and will know the term for breadi in Armenian, and perhaps that
for wine,"
'' Kini," said my companion ; and that and the other word
put me in mind of the duties of hospitality. ''Will you eat
bread and drink wine with me?"
"Willingly," said I. Whereupon my companion, unlocking
a closet, produced on a silver salver, a loaf of bread, with a
silver-handled knife, and wine in a silver flask, with cups of the
same metal. " I hope you like my fare," said he, afler we had
both eaten and drunk.
" I like your bread," said I, " for it is stale ; I like not your
wine, it is sweet, and I hate sweet wine."
"It is wine of Cyprus," said my entertainer; and, when I
found that it was wine of Cyprus, I tasted it again, and the second
taste pleased me much better than the first, notwithstanding that
I still thought it somewhat sweet. " So," said I, after a pause,
looking at my companion, " you are an Armenian."
"Yes," said he, ''an Armenian born in London, but not less
an Armenian on that account. My father was a native of Ispahan,
one of the celebrated Armenian colony which was established
there shortly after the time of the dreadful hunger, which drove
the children of Haik in swarms from their original country, and
scattered them over most parts of the eastern and western world.
In Ispahan he passed the greater portion of his life, following
mercantile pursuits with considerable success. Certain enemies,
however, having accused him to the despot of the place, of using
seditious language, he was compelled to flee, leaving most of his
property behind. Travelling in the direction of the west, he
came at last to London, where he established himself, and
where he eventually died, leaving behind a large property and
myself, his only child, the fruit of a marriage with an Armenian
English woman, who did not survive my birth more than
three months."
The Armenian then proceeded to tell me that he had carriei
on the business of his father, which seemed to embrace most
matters, from buying silks of Lascars, to speculating in the funds,
and that he had considerably increased the property which his
father had left him. He candidly confessed that he was wonder-
fully fond of gold, and said there was nothing like it for giving a
person respectabflity and consideration in the world; to which
i8a5.] THB ARMENIAN. tji
assertion I made no answer, being not exactly prepared to
contradict it.
And, when he had related to me his history, he expressed a
desire to know something more of myself, whereupon I gave him
the outline of my history, concluding with saying : " I am now a
poor author, or rather a philologist, upon the streets of London,
possessed of many tongues, which I find of no use in the world".
'' Learning without money is anything but desirable,'* said the
Armenian, ''as it unfits a man for humble occupations. It is
true that it may occasionally beget him friends ; I confess to you
that your understanding something of my language weighs more
with me than the service you rendered me in rescuing my pocket-
book the other day from the claws of that scoundrel whom I yet
hope to see hangad, if not crucified, notwithstanding there were
in that pocket-book papers and documents of considerable value.
Yes, that circumstance makes my heart warm towards you, for I
am proud of my language — as I indeed well may be — what a
language, noble and energetic t quite original, differing from all
others DOth in words and structure."
** You are mistaken," said I ; *' many languages resemble the
Armenian both in structure and words."
** For example ? " said the Armenian.
•' For example^" said I, "the English.'*
** The English," said the Armenian ; " show me one word in
which the English resembles the Armenian."
" You walk on London Bridge," said L
" Yes," said the Armenian.
*' I saw you look over the balustrade the other morning."
"True," said the Armenian.
" Well, what did you see rushing up through the arches with
noise and foam ? "
••>Vhat was it?" said the Armenian. "What was it? — ^you
don't mean the Hde t "
"Do I not?" said L
" Well, what has the tide to do with the matter ? "
" Much," said I ; " what is the tide? "
" The ebb and flow of the sea," said the Armenian.
" The sea itself; what is the Haik word for sea ? "
The Armenian gave a strong gasp ; then, nodding his head
thrice, '' you are right," said he, " the English word tide is the
Armenian for sea ; and now I begin to perceive that there are
many English words which are Armenian ; there is and
and there again in French there is — ^ and -•^ derived from the
•74 LA VBNGRO. [1825.
Annenian. How strange^ how singular — I thank you. It is a
proud thing to see that the language of my race has had so mudi
influence over the languages of the world."
I saw that all that rdated to his race waa the weak point of
the Armenian. I did not flatter the Armenian with respect to
his race or language* "An inconsiderable people/' said I,
''shrewd and industrious, but still an inconsidenU>le people. A
language bold and expressive, and of some antiquity, derived,
though perhaps not immediatdy, from some mtich older tongue.
I do not think that the Armenian has had any influence over
the formation of the languages oi the world. I am not much
indebted to the Armenian for the solution of any doubts ; where-
as to the language of Mr, Petulengro "
''I have heard you mention that name before," said the
Armenian ; " who is Mr. Petulengro ? "
And then I told the Armenian who Mr. Petulengro was. The
Armenian spoke contemptuously of Mr. Petulengro and his race.
'' Don't speak contemptuously of Mr. Petulengro," said I, "nor
of anything belonging to him. He is a dark, mysterious person-
age ; all connected with him is a mystery, especisdly his language ;
but I believe that his language is doomed to solve a great phOo-
logical problem — Mr. Petulengro "
''You appear agitated, "(said the Armenian; "take another
glass of wine ; you possess a great deal of philological knowledge,
but it appears to me that the language of this Petulengro is your
foible : but let us change the subject ; I fed much interested in
you, and would lain be of service to you. Can you cast
accounts?"
I shook my head.
" Keep books ? "
" I have an idea that I could write books," said I ; " but, as
to keepiiig them " and here again I shook my head.
The Armenian was silent some time ; all at once, glancing at
one of the wire cases, with which, as I have already said, the
walls of the room were hung, he asked me if I was well acquainted
with the learning of the Haiks. " The books in these cases," said
he, "contain the masterpieces of Haik learning."
"No," said I, "all I know of the learning of the Haiks is
their translation of the Bible."
" Ypu have never read Z ? "
" No," said I, " I have never read Z "
" I have a plan," said the Armenian ; ^ I think I can employ
you agreeably and profitably; I should Uke to see Z in an
I895-] ^^'^K ESOP. 973
English dress; you shall translate Z If you can read the
Scriptures m Armenian, you can translate Z He is our
Esop, the most acute and clever of all our moral writers — his
philosophy "
" I will have nothing to do with him/' said I.
" Wherefore ? " said the Armenian.
" There is an old proverb," said I, " that ' a burnt child
avoids the fire '. I have burnt my hands sufficiently with attempt*
ii^ to translate philosophy, to make me cautious of venturing
vpon It again ; " and then I told the Armenian how I had been
persuaded by the publisher to translate his {diilosophy into
German, and what sony thanks I had received ; ** and who
knows," said I, " but the attempt to translate Armenian philo*
sophy into English might be attended with yet moEre disagreeable
consequences.
Tbie Armenian smiled. *' You would find me very different
from the publisher."
** In many pcunts I have no doubt I should," I replied ; " but
at the present moment I feel like a bixd which has escaped from
a cage, and, though hungry, feels no disposition to return. Of
what nation is the dark man below stairs, whom I saw writing at
the desk?"
'* He is a Moldave/' said the Armenian ; *' the dog (and here
his eyes sparkled) deserves to be crucified, he is continually
making mistakes."
The Armenian again renewed his proposition about Z*-«»,
which I again refrised, as I felt but little inclination to place
myself beneath the jurisdiction of a person who was in the habit
of cuffing those whom he employed^ when they made mistakes.
I presently took my departure; not, however, before I had
received from the Armenian a pressing invitation to call upon
him whenever I should feel disposed*
th
CHAPTER XLVIII.
AnxioiIS thoughts frequently disturbed me at this time with
respect to what I was to do, and how support myself in the Great
City. My future prospects were gloomy enough, and I looked
forward and feared ; sometimes I felt half dispc»ed to accq)t the
offer of the Armenian, and to commence forthwith, under his
superintendence, the translation of the Haik £sop; but Uie
remembrance of the cuffs which I had seen him bestow upon the
Moldavian, when glancing over his shoulder into the ledger or
whatever it was on which he was employed, immediately drove
the indination from my mind. I could not support the idea of
the possibility of his staring over my shoulder upon my transla-
tion of the Haik Esop, and, dissatisfied with my attempts, treating
me as he had treated the Moldavian clerk ; placing myself in a
position which exposed me to such treatment, would indeed be
plunging into the fire after escaping from the iJ7ing pan. The
publisher, insolent and overbearing as he was, whatever he might
have wished or thought, had never lifted his hand against me» or
told me that I merited crucifixion.
What was I to do? turn porter? I was strong; but there
was something besides strength required to ply tbe trade of a
porter-— a mind of a particularly phlegmatic temperament, which
I did not possess. What should I do? — enlist as a soldier? I
was tall enough; but something besides height is required to
make a man play with credit the part of soldier, I mean a private
one — a spirit, if spirit it can be called, which will not only
enable a man to submit with patience to insolence and abuse,
and even to cuffs and kicks, but occasionally to the lash. I felt
that I was not qualified to be a soldier, at least a private one ;
far better be a drudge to the most ferocious of publishers^ editing
Newgate lives, and writing in eighteenpenny reviews — better to
translate the Haik Esop, under the superintendence of ten
Armenians, than be a private soldier in die English service; I
did not decide rashly — I knew something of soldiering. What
should I do ? I thought that I would make a last and desperate
attempt to dispose of the ballads and of Ab Gwilym.
X895-] WBAT TO DO f 475
I had still aa idea thatt provided I could persuade any spiriled
Kblisher to give these translations to the world, I should acquire
th considenihle fame and profit ; not, perhaps, a world-embracing
fame such as Byron's, but a &me not to be sneered at, which
would last me a oonsidecable time^ and would keep my heart from
breaking; — ^profit, not equal to that which Scott had made by his
wondrous novels, but which would prevent me from starving, and
enable me to achieve some other literary enterprise. I read and
re-read my ballads, and the more I read them the more I was
convinced that the public, in the event of their being published,
would freely purchase, and hail them with the merited applause.
Were not the deeds aiid adventures wonderful and heart^stirring,
from which it is true I could claim no merits being but the
translator; but had I not rendered them into English, with all
their mghud fire? Yes, I was confident I had; and I had no
doubt tlttt the public would say so. And then, with respect to
Ab Gwilym, had I not done as much justice to him as to the
Danish Ballads ; not only rendering frithfully his thoughts, ima*
gery and phraseoli^, but even preserving in my translation the
alliterative euphony which constitutes one of the most remarkable
features of Welsh prosody? Y^ I had accomplished all this;
and I doubted not that the public would receive my translations
from Ab Gwilym with quite as much eagerness as my verrion of
the Danish ballads. But I found the publishers as un^actable
as ever, and to this day the public has never had an opportunity
of doing justice to the glowing fire of my ballad versification, and
the alhterative euphony of my imitations of Ab Gwilym.
I had not seen Francis Ardry since the day I had seen him
taking lessons in elocution. One afternoon, as I was seated at
my table, my head resting on my hands, he entered my apartment ;
sitting down, he inquired of me why I had not been to see him.
** I might ask the same question of you," I replied. " Where-
fore have you not been to see me?" Whereupon Francis Ardry
told me that he had been much engaged in his oratorical exercises,
aJso in escorting the young Frenchwoman about to places of
public amusement ; he then again questioned me as to the reason
of my not having been to see him.
I returned an evasive answer. The truth was, that for some
time past my appearance, owing to the state of my finances, had
been rather shabby ; and I did not wish to expose a &shionable
voung man like Francis Ardry, who lived in a fashionable neigh-
bourhoodf to Uie imputation of having a shabby acquaintance
I was aware that Francis Ardry was an excellent fellow ; but, on
W!fi LA VSNGRO. [1825.
that very accounti I fdtp under existing drcumstatices, a
in risiting him.
It ifl very possible that he had an inkling of how matters stood,
as he presently b^an to talk of my afiairs and prospects. I told
him of my late ill success with the booksellers, and inveiglied
against their blindness to \hdi own interest in refosing to publish
my translations. " The last that I addressed myself to," said I,
" told me not to trouble him again, unless I could bring him a
decent novel or a tale."
'* Well," said Frank, ** and why did you not carry him a decent
novel or a tale?"
" Because I have neither," said I ; ** and to write them is, I
believe; above my capacity. At present I feel divested of all
energy — ^heartless and almost hopeless."
" I see how it is," said Fkancis Ardry, ** you have overworked
yourself, and, worst of all, to no purpose. Take my advice ; cast
all care aside, and only think of diverting yourself for a month at
least"
" Divert myself," said I ; '' and where am I to find the means ? *
" Be that care on my shoulders," said Francis Ardry. " Listen
to me — my uncles have been so delighted with the favourable
accounts which they have lately received from T of my
progress in oratory, that, in the warmth of their hearts, they
made me a present yesterday of two hundred pounds. This is
more money than I want, at least for the present; do me the
favour to take half of it as a loan — ^hear me," said he, observing
that I was about to interrupt him, " I have a plan in my head —
one of the prettiest in the world. The sister of my charmer is
just airived from France ; she cannot speak a word of En^ish ;
and, as Annette and myself are much engaged in our own matters,
we cannot pay her the attention which we should wish, and which
she deserves, for she is a truly fascinating creature, although
somewhat differing from niy charmer, having blue eyes and flaxen
hair ; whilst Annette, on the contrary — — But I hope you wHl
shortly see Annette. Now my plan is this — ^Take the money,
dress yourself fiuhionaUy, and conduct Annette's sister to Bag-
nigge Wells."
** And what should we do at Bagnigge Wells ? "
« Do ! " said Francis Ardry. " Dance ! "
** But," said I, *' I scarcely know anything of dancing."
** Then here's an excellent opportunity of improving yourseU
Like most Frenchwomeut she dances divinely ; however, if you
object to Bagnigge Wells and dancing, go to Brighton, and
i8as] FOOLISH PLAN. tjy
remain there a month or two, at the end of which time you can
return with your mind refreshed and invigorated, and materials,
perhaps, for a tale or noveL"
" I never heard a more foolish plan," said I, " or one less
likely to terminate profitably or satisfactorily. I thank you,
however, far your offer, which is, I daresay, well meant. If I am
to escape from my cares and troubles, and find my mind refreshed
and invigorated, I must adopt other means than conducting a
French demoiselle to Brighton or Bagnigge Wells, defraying the
eiqiense by bonowing from a friend"
CHAPTER XLIX.
Thb Armenian t I frequently taw this individual, availing myielf
of the permission which he had giyen me to call upon him. A
truly singular personage was he, with his love of amassing money,
and his nationality so strong as to be akin to poetry. Many an
Armenian I have subsequently known fond of money-getting, and
not destitute of national spirit; but never another, who, in the
midst of his schemes of lucre, was at all times willing to enter
into a conversation on the structure of the Haik language, or
who ever offered me money to render into English the fiibles
of Z— — in the hope of astonishing the stock-jobbos of the
Exchange with the wisdom of the Haik Bsop.
But he was fond of money, very fond. Within a little time I
had won his confidence to such a degree that he informed me that
the grand wish of his heart was to he possessed of two hundred
thousand pounds.
" I thmk you might satisfy yourself with the half/' said I.
''One hundred thousand pounds is a large sum."
''You are mistaken," said the Armenian, "a hundred thousand
pounds is nothing. My father left me that or more at his death.
No ; I shall never be satisfied with less than two."
^' And what will you do with your riches," said I, " when you
have obtained them ? Will you sit down and muse upon them,
or win you deposit them in a cellar, and go down once a day to
stare at them? I have heard say that the fulfilment of one's
wishes is invariably the precursor of extreme misery, and forsooth
I can scarcely conceive a more horrible state of existence than to
be without a hope or wish."
"It is bad enough, I dare say," said the Armenian ; "it will,
however, be time enough to think of disposing of the money
when I have procured it. I still fall short by a vast sum of the
two hundred tiiousand pounds."
I had occasionally much conversation with him on the state
and prospects of his nation, especially of that part of it which still
continued in the original country of the Haiks — ^Ararat and its
(a78)
1895-] ARARAT AGAIN. ^ ;i79
%
confines* which, it appeared, he had frequently visited. He
infonned me that since the death of the last Haik monarch,
which occurred in the eleventh century, Armenia had been
governed both temporally and spiritually by certain personages
called patriarchs ; Uieir temporal authority, however, was much
circumscribed by the Persian and Tuik, especially the former, of
whom the Armenian spoke with much hatred, whilst their spirit-
ual authority had at various times been considerably undermined
by the emissaries of the Papa of Rome, as the Armenian called
him*
'' The Papa of Rome sent his emissaries at an early period
amongst us," said the Armenian, '' seducing the minds of weak-
head^ people, persuading them that the hillocks of Rome are
higher than the ridges of Ararat ; that the Roman Papa has more
to say in heaven than the Armenian patriarch, and that puny
Latin is a better language than nervous and sonorous Haik."
"They are both dialects," said I, ''of the language of Mr.
Petulengro, one of whose race I believe to have been the original
founder of Rome; but, with respect to religion, what are the
chief points of your faith? you are Christians, I believe."
''Yes," said the Armenian, "we are Christians in our way;
we believe in God, the Holy Spirit, and Saviour, though we are
not pr^Mured to admit that the last personage is not only himself,
but the other two. We believe " and then the Armenian
told me of several things which the Haiks believed oi disbelieved.
" But what we find most hard of all to believe" said he, " is that
the man of the mole-hills is entitled to our allegiance, he not
being a Haik, or understanding the Haik language."
" But, by your own confession," said I, " he has introduced a
schism in your nation, and has amongst you many that believe
in him."
" It is true," said the Armenian, " that even on the confines
of Ararat there are a great number who consider that mountain
to be lower thu iht Ullocks of Rome ; but the greater numba
of degenerate Armenians are to be found amongst those who
have wandered to the west ; most of the Haik churches of the
west consider Rome to be higher than Ararat — ^most of the
Armenians of this place hold that dogma; I, however, have
sdways stood firm in the contrary opinion."
"Hat ha I" — ^here tiie Armenian laughed in his peculiar
manner — '* talking of this matter puts me in mind of an adventure
which lately befel me, with one of the emissaries of the Papa of
Rome, for the Papa of Rome has at present many emissaries in
aSo LA VBNQRO. [x8as.
this couQtryi in order to seduce the people bom their own quiet
religion to the savage heresy of Rome ; this fellow came to me
partly in the hope of converting me, but principally to extoit
money f(^ the purpose of farthering the dedgns of Rome in this
country. I humoured the fellow at first, keeping him in play for
nearly a month, deceiving and laughing at him. At last he
discovered that he could make nothing of me, and departed with
the scowl of Caii^has, whilst I cried after him : * The roots of
Ararat are du^ than those of Rome '."
The Armenian had occasionally reverted to the subject of the
translation of the Haik Esop, which he had still a luiking desire
that I should execute ; but I had invariably declined the under-
taking, without, however, stating my reasons. On one occasion,
when we had been conversing on the subject, the Armenian, who
had been observing my countenance for some time with much
attention, remarked, " Perhaps, after all, you are right, and you
might employ your time to better advantage. Literature is a fine
thing, especially Haik literature, but neither that nor any other
would be likely to serve as a foundation to a man's fortune : and
to make a fortune should be the principal aim of every one's
life ; therefore listen to me. Accept a seat at the desk opposite
to my Moldavian clerk, and receive the rudiments of a merchant's
education. You shall be instructed in the Armenian way of doing
business — I think you would make an excellent merchant.'*
"Why do you think so?"
*' Because you have something of the Armenian look."
*< I understand you," said I ; '* you mean to say that I squint?"
'' Not exactly/' said the Armenian, ** but thoe is certainly a
kind of irregulu'ity in your features: One eye appears to me
laiger than the other — ^never mind, but rather rejoice; in that
irregularity consists your strength. All people with regular features
are fools; it is veiy hard for them, youll say, but there is no
help : all we can do, who are not in such a predicament, is to
pity those who are. Well 1 will you accept my offer? No t you
are a singular individual ; but I must not forget my own concerns.
I must now go forth, having an appointment by which I hope to
make money."
CHAPTER L.
Ths fulfilment of the Armenian's grand wish was nearer at hand
than either he or I had anticipated. Partly owing to the success
of a bold speculation, in which he had some time previously
engaged, and partly owing to the bequest of a large sum of
money by one of his nation who died at this period in Paris, he
found himself in the possession of a fortune somewhat exceeding
two hundred thousand pounds ; this fact he communicated to me
one evening about an hour after the close of 'Change, the hour
at which I generally called, and at which I mostly found him at
home.
" Well," said I, ** and what do you intend to do next ? **
*' I scarcely know/' said the Armenian. " I was thinking of
that when you came in. I don't see anything that I can do, save
going on in my former course. After all, I was perhaps too
moderate in making the possession of two hundred thousand
pounds the summit of my ambition ; there are many individuals
m this town who possess three times that sum, and are not yet
satisfied. No, I think I can do no better than pursue the old
career; who knows but. I may make the two hundred thousand
three or four 7 — there is already a surplus, which is an encourage-
ment; however, we will consider the matter over a goblet of
wine; I have observed of late that you have become partial to
my Cyprus."
And it came to pass that, as we were seated over the Cyprus
wine, we heard a knock at the door. *' Adelante I " cried the
Armenian ; whereui)on the door opened, and in walked a some-
what extraordinary figure — a nutn in a long loose tunic of a stuff
striped with black and yellow; breeches of plush velvet, silk
stockings, and shoes with silver buckles. On his head he wore
a high-peaked hat ; he was tall, had a hooked nose, and in age
was about fifty.
"Welcome, Rabbi Manasseh," said the Armenian. *' I know
your knock — ^you are welcome ; sit down."
" I am welcome," said Manasseh, sitting down ; " he — he —
he I you know my knock — I bring you money— Am^/i^ / "
There was something very peculiar in the sound of that Imeno
— ^I never forgot it
(a8i)
289 LA VBNGRO. [1835.
Thereupon a conyemtion ensued between Rabbi Manaweh
and the Armenian, in a language which I knew to be Spanish,
though a peculiar dialect It rdated to a mercantile transaction.
The Rabbi sighed heavily as he delivered to the other a consider-
able sum of money.
" It is right/' said the Armeniani handing a receipt. " It is
right ; and I am ^uite satisfied."
** You are satisfied — ^you have taken money. Bumo^ I have
nothing to say against your being satisfied.'*
''Come, Rabbi," said the Armenian, ''do not despond; it
may be your turn next to take money ; in the meantime, can't
you be persuaded to taste my Cyprus?"
" He — ^he — ^he I sefior, you know I do not love wine. I love
Noah when he is himself; but, as Janus, I love him not But
you are merry, hteno ; you have a right to be so.'*
** Excuse me," said I, ''but does Noah ever appear as Janus?"
" He — ^he — he I " said the Rabbi, " he only appeared as Janus
once — una vn quando estuvo borracho ; which means "
" I understand," said I ; " when he was " and I drew
the side of my right hand sharply across my left wrist.
" Are vou one of our people ? " said the Rabbi.
" No,' said I, " I am one of the Goyim ; but I am only half
enlightened. Why should Noah be Janus, when he was in that
sUte?"
" He — ^he — he I you must know that in Lasan akhades wine
is janin."
"In Armenian, kini," said I; "in Welsh, gwin; Latin,
vinum; but do you think that Janus and janin are one?"
" Do I think ? Don't the commentators say so ? Does not
Master Leo Abarbenel say so in his Dialogues of Dhim Lovef*'
" But," said I, " I always thought that Janus was a god of the
ancient Romans, who stood in a temple open in time of war, and
shut in time of peace ; he was represented with two laces, which
—which *'
" He — ^he — he I ^ said the Rabbi, rising from his seat ; ''be
had two fiices, had he? And what did those two faces typify?
You do not know ; no, nor did the Romans who carved him with
two faces know why they did so ; for they were only half-
enlightened, like you and the rest of the Goyim. Yet they were
right in carving him with two faces looking from each other — ^they
were right, though they knew not why; there was a tradition
among them that thtjaninoso had two &ces, but they knew not
that one was for the world which was gone, and the other for the
world before him — for the drowned worid, and for the present, as
i8f5-] JANUS VINOSUS. 983
Master Leo Abarbend says in his Diahguis of Divine Love,
He — ^he — he I'' continued the Rabbi, who had by this time
advanced to the door, and» turning round, waved the two fore-
fingers of his right hand in our ^ces; ''the Goyim and Epi-
couraiyim are clever men, they know how to make money better
than we of Israel. My good friend there is a clever man, I Imng
him money, he never brought me any, bueno; I do not blame
him, he knows much, very much; but one thing there is my
friend does not know, nor any of the Epicureans, he does not
know the sacred thing — ^he has never received the gift of inter-
pretation which God alone gives to the seed — ^he has his gift, I
have mine — he is satisfied, I don't blame him, bueno.**
And with this last word in his mouth, he departed.
*' Is that man a native of Spain?'' I demanded.
''Not a native of Spain," said the Armenian, "though he is
one of those who call themselves Spanish Jews, and who are
to be found scattered throughout Europe, speaking the Spanish
language transmitted to them by their ancestors, who were
expelled from Spain in the time of Ferdinand and Isabella.''
" The Jews are a singular people," said I.
" A race of cowards and dastards," said the Armenian, " with-
out a home or country; servants to servants; persecuted and
despised by all."
"And what are the Haiks?" I demanded.
"Very different from the Jews," replied the Armenian ; "the
Haiks have a home — a country, and can occasionaUy use a good
sword ; though it is true they are not what they might be."
"Then it is a shame that they do not become so," said I ;
^ but they are too fond of money. There is yourself, with two
hundred thousand pounds in your pocket, craving for more, whilst
you might be turning your wealth to the service of your country."
"In what manner?" said the Armenian.
"I have heard you say that the grand oppressor of your
country^ is the Persian; why not attempt to free your country
from his oppression — ^you have two hundred thousand pounds,
and money is the sinew of war?"
" Would you, then, have me attack the Persian ? "
" I scarcely know what to say ; fighting is a rough trade, and
I am by no means certain that you are calculated for the scratch.
It is not every one who has been brought up in the school of Mr.
Petulengro and Tawno Chikno. All I can say is, that if I were
an Armenian, and had two hundred thousand pounds to back me.
I would attack the Persian."
" Hem I " said the Armenian.
CHAPTER LL
Okb morning on getting up I discovered that my whole worldly
wealth W18 reduced to one half-crown — ^throughout that day I
walked about in considerable distress of mind; it was now
requisite that I should come to a speedy decision with respect
to what I was to do ; I had not many alternatives, and, before I
had retired to rest on the night of the day in question, I had
determined that I could do no better than accept the first pro-
posal of the Armenian, and translate, under his superintendence,
the Haik Esop into English.
I reflected, for I made a virtue of necessity, that, after aD,
such an employment would be an honest and honourable one;
honest, inasmuch as by engaging in it I should do harm to
nobody; honourable, inasmuch as it was a literary task* which
not every one was capable of executing. It was not every one
of the booksellers' writers of London who was competent to
translate the Haik Esop. I determined to accept the offer of
the Armenian.
Once or twice the thought of what I might have to undergo
in the translation from certain peculiarities of the Armenian's
temper almost unsettled me; but a mechanical diving of my
hand into my pocket, and the feeling of the solitary half-crown,
confirmed me ; after all this was a life of trial and tribulation,
and I had read somewhere or other that there was much merit
in patience, so I determined to hold fisist in my resolution of
accepting the offer of the Armenian.
But all of a sudden I remembered that the Armenian appeared
to have altered his intentions towards me : he appeared no longer
desirous that I should render the Haik Esop into English for the
benefit of the stock-jobbers on Exchange, but rather that I should
acquire the rudiments of doing business in the Armenian fashion,
and accumulate a fortune, which would enable me to make a figure
upon 'Change with the best of the stock-jobbers. "Well," thought
I, withdrawing my hand from my pocket, whither it had i^in
mechanically dived, " after all, what would the world, what would
(284)
1895-1 ONE HALF-CROWN. «8s
tfiis city be, without commerce? I bdieve the world, and paitica-
larly this dty, would cut a very poor figure without commerce;
and then there is something poetical in the idea of doing business
after the Armenian tBobion, dealing with dark-bced Lascars and
Rabbins of the Sephardim. Yes, should the Armenian insist
upon it, I win accept a seat at the desk, opposite the Mol-
davian derk. I do not like the idea of cuffii similar to those the
Armenian bestowed upon the Moldavian derk ; whatever merit
there may be in patience, I do not think that my estimation of
the merit of patience would be suffident to induce me to remain
quietly sitting under the infliction of cuffii. I think I should, in
the event of his cuffing me, knock the Armenian down. Well,
I think I have heard it said somewhere, that a knock-down blow
is a great cementer of friendship ; I think I have heard of two
people being better friends than ever after the one had recdved
firom the other a knock-down blow/*
That night I dreamed I had acquired a colossal fortune, some
four hundred thousand pounds, by the Armenian way of doing
business, but suddenly awoke in dreadful perplexity as to how I
should dispose of it.
About nine o'clock next morning I set off to the house of the
Armenian ; I had never called upon him so early before, and
certainly never with a heart beating with so much eageniess;
but the situation of my affairs had become very critical, and I
thought that I ought to lose no time in informing the Armenian
that I was at length perfectly willing either to translate the Haik
Bsop under his superintendence, or to accept a seat at the desk
opposite to the Moldavian derk, and acquire the secrets of Ar-
menian commerce. With a quick step I (mtered the counting-
room, #here, notwithstanding the earliness of the hour, I fooml
the clerk busied as usual at his desk.
He had always appeared to me a singular being, this same
Moldavian derk. A person of fewer words cotild scarcely be
concdved. Provided his master were at home^ he would, on my
inquiring, nod his head ; and, provided he were not, he would
invariably reply with the monosylkble ''no," ddivered in a
strange guttural tone. On the present occasion, bdng full of
eagerness and impatience, I was about to pass by him to the
apartment above, without my usual inquiry, when he lifted his
head bom the ledger in which he was writing, and, laying down
his pen, motioned to me with his forefinger, as if to arrest my
progress; whereupon I stopped, and, wiUi a palpitating heart,
deimuided whether the mailer of the house was at home? The
986 LA VBNGRO. [1895.
Moldavian derk replied with his usual guttonl, and, opening hia
desk ensconced his head therein.
** It does not much matter,'* said It *' I suppose I shall find
him at home after 'Change ; it does not much nuuter» I can
return."
I was turning away with the intention of leaving the room ;
at this moment, howevert the head of the Moldavian derk
became visible, and I observed a letter in his hand, which he
had inserted in the desk at the same time with his head ; this
he extended towards me, making at the same time a side-long
motion with his head, as much as to say that it contained some-
thing which interested me.
I took the letter, and the Moldavian clerk forthwith resumed
his occupation. The back of the letter bore my name, written
in Armenian characters. With a trembling hand I broke the seal,
and, unfolding the letter, I behdd several lines also written in the
letters of Mesroub, the Cadmus of the Armenians.
I stared at the UneSy and at first could not make out a syllable
of their meaning ; at last, however, by continued staring, I dis-
covered that, though the letters were Armenian, the words were
English ; in about ten minutes I had contrived to dedpher the
sense of the letter ; it ran somewhat in this style : —
'* MY DEAR FRIKND, —
" The words which you uttered in qur last conversation
have made a profound impression upon me; I have thou^^t
them over day and nigh^ and have come to the condusion that
it is my bounden duty to attack the Persians. When diese lines
are delivered to you, I shall be on the route to Ararat. A
mercantile speculation will be to the world the ostensible motive
of my journey, and it is singular enough that one which offers
considerable prospect of advantage has just presented itself on
the confines of Penda. Think not, however, that motives of
lucre would have bem suffidently powerfiil to tempt me to the
East at Uie present moment. I may speculate it is true ; but
I should sou^cdy have undertaken the journey but for your
pungent words indting me to attack the Persians. Doubt not
that I will attack them on the first opportunity. I thank you
heartily for putting me in mind of my duty. I have hitherto,
to use your own words, been too fond of money-getting, like all
my countrymen. I am much indebted to you; farewdll and
may every prosperity await you."
For some time after I had dedphered the epistle^ I stood as
if rooted to the floor. I felt stunned— my last hope was gone
ifos-l THE MOLDA VIAN CLERK. 387
presently a feeling arose in. my mind — a feeling of self-reproach.
Whom had I to blame but myself for the departure of the Arme-
nian? Would he have ever thought of attacking the Persians
had I not put the idea into his head? he had told me in his
epistle that he was indebted to me for the idea. But for that,
he might at the present moment have been in London, increasing
his fortune by his usual methods, and I might be commencing
under his auspices the translation of the Haik Esop, wiUi the
promise, no doubt, of a considerable remuneration for my trouble ;
ot I might be taking a seat opposite the Moldamn clerk, and
imbibing the first rudiments of doing business after the Armenian
fashion, with the comfortable hope of realising, in a short time;
a fortune of three or four hundred thousand pounds ; but the
Armeqian was now gone, and fiuewell to the fine hopes I had
founded upon him the day before. What was I to do? I looked
wildly around, till my eyes rested on the Moldavian clerk, who
was writing away in his ledger with particular vehemence. Not
knowing well what to do or to say, I thought I might as well ask
the Moldavian derk when the Annenian had departed, and when
be thot^t he would return. It is true it ma^ered little to me
when he departed seeing that he was gone, and it was evident
that he would. not be back soon; but I knew not what to do,
and in pure helplessness thought I might as well ask ; so I went
up to the Moldavian clerk and asked him when the Armenian
had departed, and whether he had been gone two days or three ?
Whereupon the Moldavian clerk looking up from his ledger,
made certain signs, which I could by no means understand. I
stood astonished, but, presently recovering myself, inquired when
he considered it probable that the master would return, and
whether he thought it would be two months or — my tongue
filtered— two years ; whereupon the Moldavian clerk made more
signs than before, and yet more unintelligible; as I persisted,
however, he flung down his pen, and, putting his thumb into
bis mouth moved it rapidly, causing the nail to sound against
the lower jaw ; whereupon I saw that he was dumb, and harried
away, for I had always entertained a horror of dumb people,
having once heard my mother sayf when I was a childi diat
dumb people were half demoniacs, or little better.
CHAPTER UI
Leaviho the house of the Anneniaii, I strolled about for some
time; almost mechanically my feet conducted me to London
Bridge, to the booth in which stood the stall of the (M apple-
woman ; the sound of her voice aroused me, as I sat in a kind of
stupor on the stone bench beside her; she was inquiring what
was the matter with me.
At first, I believe, I answered her very incoherently, (or I
observed alarm beginning to depict itself upon her countenance.
Rousing myself however, I in my turn put a few questions to hcf
upon her present condition and prospects. The old woman's
countenance cleared up instantly ; she informed me diat she had
never been more comfortable in her life; that her trade, her
Aomsi tradc-^laying an emphasis on the word honest — ^had
increased of late wonderfully ; that her health was better, and,
above all, that she felt no fear and horror ^'here," laying her hand
on her breast
On my asking her whether she still heard voices in the night,
she told me that dae frequently did ; but that the present were
mild voices, sweet voices, encouraging voices, very different from
the former ones ; that a voice only the night previous, had cried
out about ** the peace of God/' in particularly sweet accents ; a
sentence which At remembered to have read in her early youth
in the primer, but which she had clean forgotten till the voice the
night before brought it to her recollection.
Aiker a pause, the old woman said to me : " I believe, dear,
that it is the blessed book you brought me which has wrought
this goodly change. How glad I am now that I can read ; but
oh what a difference between the book you brought to me and
the one you took away. I believe the one you brou^t is written
by the finger of God, and the other by "
** Don t abuse the book," said I, *' it is an excellent book for
those who can understand it ; it was not exactly suited to you,
and perhaps it had been better that you had never read it — and yet,
who knows? Peradventurc, if you had not read that book, you
(a88)
iTtH Mat, 1835.1 ^PARBWBLL, CHILD." a«9
would not have been fitted for the perusal of the one which you
say is written by the finger of God; " and, pressing my hand to
ny head, I fell into a deep fit of musing. "What, after all/'
thought I, ** if there should be more order and system in the
working of the moral world than I have thought ? Does there
not seem in the present instance to be something like the working
of a Divine hand ? I could not conceive why this woman, better
educated than her mother, should have been, as she certainly was,
a worse character than her mother. Yet perhaps this woman
may be better and happier than her mother ever was ; perhaps
she is so already — ^perhaps this world is not a wild, lying dream,
as I have occasionally supposed it to be."
But the thought of my own situation did not permit me to
abandon myself much longer to these musings* I started up.
" Where are you going, chUd ? " said the woman anxiously. " I
scarcely know," said I ; " anywhere." " Then stay here, child,"
said she ; " I have much to say to you." ** No," said I, " I shall
be better moving about;" and I was moving away, when it
suddenly occurred to me that I might never see this woman
again ; and turning round I oflfered her my hand, and bade her
good-bye. ''Farewell, child," said the old woman, ''and God
Uess you 1 " I then moved along the bridge until I reached the
Southwark side, and, still holding on my course, my mind again
became quickly abstracted from all surrounding objects.
At length 1 found myself in a street or road, with terraces on
either side, and seemingly of interminable length, leading, as it
would appear, to the south-east. I was walking at a great rate —
there were likewise a great number of people, also walking at a
great rate ; also carts and carriages driving at a great rate ; and
all, men, carts and carriages, going in the selfsame direction,
namely, to the south-east. I stopped for a moment and deliber-
ated whether or not I should proceed. What business had I in
that direction? I could not say that I had any particular
business in that direction, but what could I do were I to turn
back ? only walk about well-kno?m streets ; and, if I must walk,
why not continue in the direction in which I was to see whither
the road and its terraces led ? I was here in a terra incognita,
and an unknown place had always some interest for me ; more-
over^ I had a desire to know whither all this crowd was going,
and for what purpose. I thought they could not be going
far, as crowds seldom go Oeut, especially at such a rate; so I
walked on more lustily than before, passing group after group
of the crowd, and almost vieing in speed with some of tha
tgo LA VBNGRO. [1825.
carriages, especially the hackney-coaches ; and by dint of walking
at this rate, the terraces and houses becoming somewhat less
frequent as I advanced, I reached in about three-quarters of
an hour a kind of low dingy town, in the neighbourhood of the
river ; the streets were swarming with people, and I concluded,
from the number of wild-beast shows, caravans, gingerbread stalls,
and the like, that a £ur was being hdd. Now, as I had always
been partial to fairs, I felt glad that I had fallen in with the
crowd which had conducted me to the present one, and, casting
away as much as I was able all gloomy thoughts, I did my best
to enter into the diversions of the fair ; staring at the wonderful
representations of animals on canvas hung up before the shows
of wild beasts, which, by-the-bye, are frequently found much
more worthy of admiration than the real beasts themselves;
listening to the jokes of the merry-andrews from the platforms in
front of the temporary theatres, or admiring the splendid tinsel
dresses of the performers who thronged the stages in the intervals
of the entertainments ; and in this manner, occasionally gazing
and occasionally listening, I passed through the town till I came
in front of a large edifice looking full upon the majestic bosom of
the Thames.
It was a massive stone edifice, built in an antique style, and
black with age, with a broad esplanade between it and the river,
on which, mixed with a few people from the fair, I observed
moving about a great many individuals in quaint dresses of blue,
with strange three-cornered hats on their heads ; most of them
were mutilated; this had a wooden leg — this wanted an arm;
some had but one eye ; and as I gazed upon the edifice, and the
singular-looking individuals who moved before it, I guessed where
I was. *' I am at " said I ; '' these individuals are battered
tars of Old England, and this edifice, once the favourite abode of
Glorious Elizabeth, is the refuge which a grateful country has
allotted to them. Here they can rest their weary bodies ; at their
ease talk over the actions in which they have been injured ; and,
with the tear of enthusiasm flowing from their eyes, boast how
they have trod the deck of fame with Rodney, or Nelson, or others
whose names stand emblazoned in the naval annals of their
country."
Turning to the right, I entered a park or wood consisting of
enormous trees, occupying the foot, sides, and top of a hill, which
rose behind the town ; there were multitudes of people among
the trees, diverting themselves in various ways. Coming to the
top of the hill, I was presently stopped by a lofty wall, along
1835.] ORBBNWICH PAIR. sgi
which I walked, till, coming to a small gate, I passed through
and found myself on an extensive green plain, on one side
oounded in part by the wall of the park, and on the others, in the
distance, by extensive ranges of houses ; to the south-east was a
lofty eminence, partially clothed with wood. The plain exhibited
an animated scene, a kind of continuation of the fair below; there
were multitudes of people upon it, many tents, and shows ; there
was also horse-racing, and much noise and shouting, the sun
shining brightly overhead After gazing at the horse-racing for a
little time, feeling myself somewhat tired, I went up to one of the
tents, and laid myself down on the grass. There was much noise
in the tent. ** Who will stand me ? " said a voice with a slight
tendency to lisp. "Will you, my lord?" "Yes," said another
voice. Then there was a sound as of a piece of money banging
on a table. " Lost 1 lost 1 lost ! " cried several voices ; and then
the banging down of the money, and the " lost I lost I lost ! " were
frequently repeated ; at last the second voice exclaimed : " I will
try no more ; you have cheated me ". " Never cheated any one
in my life, my lord — all fair — all chance. Them that finds, wins
— them that can't find, loses. Any one else try ? Who'll try ?
Will you, my lord ? " and then it appeared that some other lord
tried, for I heard more money flung down. Then again the cry
of " Lost ! lost ! " — then again the sound of money, and so on.
Once or twice, but not more, I heard " Won ! won 1 " but the
predominant cry was "Lostl lost!" At last there was a con-
siderable hubbub, and the words "Cheat!" "Rogue!" and
" You filched away the pea ! " were used freely by more voices
than one, to which the voice with the tendency to lisp replied :
"Never filched a pea in my life; would scorn it Always glad
when folks wins ; but, as those here don't appear to be civil, nor
to wish to play any more, I shall take myself off with my table ;
soy good-day, gentlemen."
CHAPTER UII.
Presently a man emerged from the tent, bearing before him a
rather singular table ; it appeared to be of white deal, was ex-
ceedingly small at the top» and with very long legs. At a few
yards from the entrance he paused, and looked round, as if to
decide on the direction which he should take ; presently, his eye
glancing on me as I lay upon the ground, he started, and appeared
for a moment inclined to make off as quick as possible, table and
all. In a moment, however, he seemed to recover assurance,
and, coming up to the place where I was, the long legs of the
table projecting before him, he cried : " Glad to see you here» my
lord ".
" Thank you," said I, " it's a fine day-"
"Very fine, my lord; will your lordship play? Them that
finds, wins — them that don't find, loses."
" Play at what ? " said L
'* Only at the thimble and pea, my lord."
" I never heard of such a game."
" Didn't you ? Well, I'll soon teach you," said he, placing
the table down. '* All you have to do is to put a sovereign down
on my table, and to find the pea, which I put under one of my
thimbles. If you find it — ^and it is easy enough to find it — I
give you a sovereign besides your own : for them that finds, wins.^'
** And them that don't find, loses," said I ; *' no, I don't wish
to play."
" Why not, my lord ? "
" Why, in the first place, I have no money."
'*Oh, you have no money; that of course alters the case. If
you have no money, you can't play. Well, I suppose I must be
seeing after my customers,^ said he, glancing over the plain.
" Good-day," said I.
** Good-day," said the man slowly, but without moving, and
as if in reflection. After a moment or two, looking at me inquir-
ingly, he added : " Out of employ ? "
"Yes," said I, "out of employ."
(292)
1835-] PEA AND THIMBLS. 393
The man measured me with his eye as I lay on the ground.
At length he said : ** May I speak a word or two to you, my
lord?"
" As many as you please," said I.
*' Then just come a little out of hearing, a little farther on the
grass, if you please, my lord.^
"Why do you cdl me my lord?" said I, as I arose and
followed him.
" We of the thimble always calls our customers lords," said
the man ; '' but I won't call you such a foolish name any more ;
come along."
The man walked along the plain till he came to the side of a
dry pit, when looking round to see that no one was nigh, he laid
his table on the grass, and, sitting down with his legs over the
side of the pit, he motioned me to do the same. ** So you are in
want of employ," said he, after I had sat down beside him.
" Yes," said I, " I am very much in want of employ."
'* I think I can find you some.''
"What kind?" said I.
"Why," said the man, "I think you would do to be my
bonnet."
" Bonnet I " said I, " what is that ? "
" Don't you know ? However, no wonder, as you had never
heard of the thimble-and-pea game, but I will tell you. We of
the game are very much exposed; folks when they have lost their
money, as those who play with us mostly do, sometimes uses
rough language, calls us cheats, and sometimes knocks our hats
over our eyes; and what's more, with a kick under our table,
cause the top deals to fly off; this is the third table I have used
this day, the other two being broken by uncivil customers: so
we of the game generally like to have gentlemen go about with
us to take our part, mid encourage us, though pretending to know
nothing about us ; for example, when the customer says, ' I'm
cheated,' the bonnet must say, 'No, you a'n't, it is all right'; or,
when my hat is knocked over my eyes, the bonnet must square,
and say, * I never saw the man before in all my life, but I won't
see him ill-used'; and so, when they kicks at the table, the
bonnet must say, ' I won't see the table ill-used, such a nice table,
too; besides, I want to play myself;' and then I would say to
the bonnet, 'Thank you, my lord, them that finds, wins'; and
then the bonnet plays, and I lets the bonnet win."
" In a word," said I, "the bonnet means the man who covers
yoUf even as the real bonnel covers the head."
•94 ^^ VBNORO. [1835.
*' Just 80," said the loan, '' I see yoa ate awake, and would
soon make a first-rate bonnet"
"Bonnet," said I, musingly; ''bonnet; it is metaphoricaL"
*'l8it?" said the man.
" Yes," said I, " like the cant words "
" Bonnet is cant," said the man ; " we of the thimble, as well
as all clyfjaikers and the like, understand cant, as, of course, must
every bonnet ; so, if you are employed by me, you had better
learn it as soon as you can, that we may discourse together
without being understood by every one. Besides covering his
principal, a bonnet must have his eyes about him, for the trade
of the pea, though a strictly honest one, is not altogether lawful ;
so it is the duty of the bonnet, if he sees the constable coming,
to say, the gorgio's welling."
''That is not cant," said I, "that is the language of the
Rommany Chals."
" Do you know those people? " said the man.
" Perfectly," said I, " and their language too."
" I wish I did," said the man, " I would give ten pounds and
more to know the language of the Rommany Chals. There's
some of it in the language of the pea and thimble ; how it came
there I don't know, but so it is. I wish I knew it, but it is
difficult You'll make a capital bonnet; shall we close?"
"What would the wages be?" I demanded.
" Why, to a first-rate bonnet, as I think you would prove, I
could afibrd to give from forty to fifty shillings a week."
"Is it possible?" said I.
" Good wages, a'n't they ? " said the man.
"First rat^" said I; "bonneting is more profitable than
reviewing."
" Anan ? " said the num.
" Or transUting ; I don't think the Armenian would have
paid me at that rate for translating his Bsop."
"Who is he?" said the man.
"Esop?"
"No, I know what that is, Esop's cant for a hunchback;
bat t'other ? "
*' Yon should know," said I.
" Never saw the man in all my life."
"Yes, you have," said I, "and felt him too; don't you
remember the individual from whom you took the pocket-book?"
"Oh, that was he ; well, the less said about that matter the
better ; I have left off that trade, and taken to this, which is a
i8»5.1 HISTORY. «95
much better. Between ourselves, I am not sorry that I did not
carry off that pocket-book ; if I had, it might have encouraged
me in the trade, in which, had I remained, I might have been
lagged, sent abroad, as I had been already imprisoned; so I
determined to leave it off at all hazards, though I was hard up,
not having a penny in the world."
" And wisely resolved," said I, " it was a bad and dangerous
trade ; I wonder you should ever have embraced it."
" It is all very well talking/' said the man, " but there is a
reason for ever>'thing ; I am the son of a Jewess, by a military
officer," — and then the man told me his story. I shall not repeat
the man's story, it was a poor one, a vile one ; at last he observed :
" So that affair which you know of determined me to leave the
filching trade, and take up with a more honest and safe one ; so
at last I thought of the pea and thimble, but I wanted funds,
especially to pay for lessons at the hands of a master, for I knew
little about it."
" Well," said I, " how did you get over that difficulty ? "
** Why," said the man, " I thought I should never have got
over it. What funds could I raise ? I had nothing to sell ; the
few clothes I had I wanted, for we of the thimble must always
appear decent, or nobody would come near us. I was at my
wits' end ; at last I got over my difficulty in the strangest way in
the world."
"What was that?"
'' By an old thing which I had picked up some time before —
a book."
"A book?" said I.
" Yes, which I h^ taken out of your lordship's pocket one
day as you were walkmg the streets in a great hurry. I thought
it was a pocket-book at first, full of bank notes, perhaps," con-
tinued he, laughing. '' It was well for me, however, that it was
not, for I should have soon spent the notes ; as it was, I had
flung the old thing down with an oath, as soon as I brought it
home. When I was so hard up, however, after the affair with
that firiend of yours, I took it up one day, and thought I might
make something by it to support myself a day with. Chance or
something else led me into a grand shop ; there was a man there
who seemed to be the master, talking to a jolly, portly old
gentleman, who seemed to be a country squire. Well, I went up
to the first, and offered it for sale ; he took the book, opened it
at the title-page, and then all of a sudden his eyes glistened, and
he showed it to the fat, jolly gentleman, and his eyes glistened
296 LA VBNGRO. [1825.
too, and I heard him say * How singular ! ' and then the two
talked together in a speech I didn't understand — I rather thought
it was French, at any rate it wasn't cant ; and presently the first
asked me what I would take for the book* Now I am not
altogether a fool nor am I blind, and I had narrowly marked all
that passed, and it came into my head that now was the time for
making a man of myself, at any rate I could lose nothing by a
little confidence; so I looked the man boldly in the face, and
said : ' I will have five guineas for that book, there a*n't such
another in the whole world'. 'Nonsense,' said the first man,
' there are plenty of them, there have been nearly fifty editions to
my knowledge ; I will give you five shillings/ * No,' said I, ' I'll not
take it, for I don't like to be cheated, so give me my book again;
and I attempted to take it away from the fat gentleman's hand.
'Stop,' said the younger man, 'are you sure that you won't take
less?' 'Not a farthing,' said I; which was not altogether true,
but I said sa ' Well,' said the fat gentleman, ' I will give you what
you ask ; ' and sure enough he presently gave me the money ; so
I made a bow, and was leaving the shop, when it came into my
head that there was something odd in all this, and, as I had got
the money in my pocket, I turned back, and, making another
bow, said : ' May I be so bold as to ask why you gave me all this
money for that 'ere dirty book? When I came into the shop, I
should have been glad to get a shilling for it; but I saw you
wanted it, and asked five guineas.' Then they looked at one
another, and smiled, and shrugged up their shoulders. Then the
first man, looking at me, said : ' Friend, you have been a little too
sharp for us ; however, we can afford to forgive you, as my friend
here has long been in quest of this particular book; there are
plenty of editions, as I told you, and a common copy is not worth
five shillings ; but this is a first edition, and a copy of the first
edition is worth its weight in gold '."
•* So, after all, they outwitted you," I observed.
" Clearly," said the man ; '' I might have got double the price,
had I known the value; but I don't care, much good may it do
them, it has done me plenty. By means of it I have got into an
honest, respectable trade, in which there's little danger and plenty
of profit, and got out of one which would have got me lagged
sooner or later."
" But," said I, ** you ought to remember that the thing was
not yours ; you took it from me, who had been requested by a
poor old apple-woman to exchange it for a Bible."
"Well," said the man, ''did she ever get her Bible?"
UtoS-l •'BONNBTINOJ' 997
" Yes," said I, " she got her Bible."
" Then she has no cause to complain ; and, as for you, chance
or something else has sent you to me, that I may make you
reasonable amends for any loss you may have had. Here am I
ready to make you my bonnet, with forty or fifty shillings a week,
which you say yourself are capital wages."
'' I find no fault with the wages," said I, '' but I don't like the
employ."
** Not like bonneting," said the man ; '' ah, I see, you would
like to be principal ; well, a time may come — those long white
fingers of yours would just serve for the business."
'' Is it a difficult one?" I demanded.
**Why, it b not very easy: two things are needful — natural
talent, and constant practice ; but 111 show you a point or two
connected with the game ; " and, placing his table between his
knees as he sat over the side of the pit, he produced three
thimbles, and a small brown pellet, something resembling a pea.
He moved the thimble and pellet about, now placing it to all
appearance under one, and now under another ; " Under which
is it now?" he said at last. ''Under that," said I, pointing to
the lowermost of the thimbles, which, as they stood, formed a
kind of triangle. " No," said he, " it is not, but lilt it up ; " and,
when I lifted up the thimble, the pellet, in truth, was not under it.
''It was under none of them," said he, "it was pressed by my
little finger against my palm ; " and then he showed me how he
did the trick, and asked me if the game was not a funny one ;
and, on my answering in the affirmative, he said : " I am glad you
like it, come along and let us win some money".
Thereupon, getting up, he placed the table before him, and
was moving away; observing, however, that I did not stir, he
asked me what I was staying for. " Merely for my own pleasure,"
said I, " I like sitting here very well" " Then you won't close ? "
said the man. " By no means," I replied, " your proposal does
not suit me." " You may be principal in time," said the man.
'' That makes no difference," said I ; and, sitting with my legs
over the pit, I forthwith began to decline an Armenian noun.
"That a'n't cant," said the man ; " no, nor gypsy either. Well,
if you won't close, another will, I can't lose any more time," and
forthwith he departed.
And after I had declined four Armenian nouns, of different
declensions, I rose from the side of the pit, and wandered about
amongst the various groups of people scattered over the green.
Presently I came to where the man of the thimbles was standing.
1
agS LA VBNQRO. [1825.
with the table before him, and many people about him. '' Them
who finds, wins, and them who can't find, loses," he cried.
Various individuals tried to find the pellet, but all were unsuccess-
ful, till at last considerable dissatisfaction was expressed, and the
terms rogue and cheat were lavished upon him. ** Never cheated
anybody in all my life/' he cried ; and, observing me at hand,
"didn't I play £Eur, my lord?" he inquired. But I made no
answer. Presently some more played, and he permitted one or
two to win, and the eagerness to ^j with him became greater.
After I had looked on for some time, I was moving away ; just
then I perceived a short, thick personage, with a staff in his hand,
advancing in a great hurry ; whereupon with a sudden impulse, I
exclaimed : —
Shoon thimble-engro ;
Avella gorgio.
The man who was in the midst of his pea-and-thimble process, no
sooner heard the last word of the distich, than he turned an
alarmed look in the direction of where I stood; then, glancing
around, and perceiving the constable, he slipped forthwith his
pellet and thimbles into his pocket, and, lifting up his table, he
cried to the people about him, " Make way ! " and with a motion
of his head to me, as if to follow him, he darted off with a swift-
ness which the short, pursy constable could by no means rival ;
and whither he went, or what became of him, I know not, inas-
much as I turned away in another direction.
CHAPTER LIV.
And, as I wandered along the green, I drew near to a place
where several men, with a cask beside them, sat carousing in the
neighbourhood of a small tent. " Here he comes/' said one of
them, as I advanced, and standing up he raised his voice and
sang: —
Here the Oypsy gemman see,
With his Roman jib and his rome and drc^—
Rome and dree, rum and dry
Rally round the Rommany Rye.
It was Mr. Petulengro, who was here diverting himself with
several of his comrades ; they all received me with considerable
frankness. " Sit down, brother," said Mr. Petulengro, ** and take
a cup of good ale."
I sat down. " Your health, gentlemen," said I> as I took the
cup which Mr. Petulengro handed to me.
''Aukko tu pios adrey Rommanis. Here is your health
in Rommany, brother/' said Mr. Petulengro ; who, having refilled
the cup, now emptied it at a draught
''Your health in Rommany, brother/' said Tawno Chikno, to
whom the cup came next.
'' The Rommany Rye," said a third.
'' The Gypsy gentleman," exclaimed a fourth, drinking.
And then they all sang in chorus : —
Here the Oypsy gemman eee.
With his Roman jib and his rome and dree—
Rome and dree, mm and dry
Rally round the Rommany Rye.
"And now, brother," said Mr. Petulengro, ''seeing that you
have drunk and been drunkeOf you will perhaps tell us where you
have been, and what about ? "
" I have been in the Big City," said I, "writing His."
" How much money have you got in your podcet, brother?**
said Mr. Petulengro.
(«99)
300 LA VBNGRO. [1825.
'* Eighteen pence," said I ; "all I have in the world."
"I have been in the Big City, too," said Mr. Petulengro;
''but I have not written lils — I have fought in the ring — I have
fifty pounds in my pocket — I have much more in tibe world.
Brother, there is considerable difference between us."
"I would rather be the HI- writer, after all," said the tall,
handsome, black man ; '* indeed, I would wish for nothing better."
"Why so?" said Mr. Petulengro.
" Because they have so much to say for themselves," said the
black man, ** even when dead and gone. When they are laid in
the churchyard, it is their own fault if people a'n't talking of them.
Who will know, after I am dead, or bitchadey pawdel, that I was
once the beauty of the world, or that you, Jasper, were "
"The best man in England of my inches. That's true,
Tawno— 4iowever, here's our brother will perhaps let the world
know something about us."
"Not he," said the other, with a sigh; "heTl have quite
enough to do in writing his own lils, and telling the world how
handsome and clever he was ; and who can blame him ? Not I.
If I could write lils, every word should be about myself and my
own tacho Rommanis — my own lawful wedded wife, which is the
same thing. I tell you what, brother, I once heard a wise man
say in Brummagem, that ' there is nothing like blowing one's own
horn,' which I conceive to be much the same thing as writing
one's own liL"
After a little more conversation, Mr. Petulengro arose, and
motioned me to follow him. " Only eighteen pence in the world,
brother ! " said he, as we walked together.
"Nothing more, I assure you. How came you to ask me
how much money I had?"
"Because there was something in your look, brother, some-
thing very much resembling that which a person showeth who
does not carry much money in his pocket. I was looking at
my own face this morning in my wife's looking-glass — I did not
look as you do, brother."
"I believe your sole motive for inquiring," said I, "was to
have an opportunity of venting a foolish boast, and to let me
know that you were in possession of fifty pounds."
" What is the use of having money unless you let people know
you have it?" said Mr. Petulengro. "It is not every one can
read faces, brother; and, unless you knew I had money, how
could you ask me to lend you any?"
" I am not going to ask you to lend me any."
tSas.] BLACKHBATH. 301
** Then you may h&ve it without asking ; as I said before, I
have fifty pounds, all lawfully earnt money, got by fighting in the
ring — I will lend you that, brother."
" You are very kind," said I ; " but I will not take it."
"Then the half of it?"
" Nor the half of it ; but it b getting towards evening, I must
go back to the Great City."
" And what will you do in the Boro Foros ? "
** I know not," said I.
"Earn money?"
" If I can."
" And if you can't ? "
« Starve ! "
" You look ill brother," said Mr. Petulengro.
" I do not feel well ; the Great City does not agree with me.
Should I be so fortunate as to earn some money, I would leave
the Big City, and take to the woods and fields."
"You may do thatj brother," said Mr. Petulengro, ''whether
you have money or not Our tents and horses are on the other
side of yonder wooded hill, come and stay with us ; we shall aK
be glad of your company, but more especially myself and my
wife Pakomovna."
" What hill is that ? " I demanded.
And then Mr. Petulengro told me the name of the hill. *' We
shall stay on t'other side of the hill a fortnight," he continued ; " and
as you are fond of lil writing, you may employ yourself profitably
whilst there. You can write the lil of him whose dook gallops
down that hill every night, even as the living man was wont to
do long ago."
"Who was he?" I demanded.
"Jemmy Abershaw," said Mr. Petulengro; "one of those
whom we call Boro-drom-engroes, and the gorgios highwaymen.
I once heard a rye say that the life of that man would fetch
much money; so come to the other side of the hill, and write
the lil in the tent of Jasper and his wife Pakomovna."
At first I felt inclined to accept the invitation of Mr. Petu-
lengro ; a little consideration, however, determined me to decline
it I had always been on excellent terms with Mr. Petulengro,
but I reflected that people might be excellent friends when they
met occasionally in the street, or on the heath, or in the wood ;
but that these very people when living together in a house, to
say nothing of a tent, might quarrel. I reflected, moreover,
that Mr. Petulengro had a wife. I had always, it is true, been
30S LA VBNGRO. [1835.
a great fovourite with Mrs. Petulengro, who had frequently been
loud in her commendation of the young rye, as she called me,
and his turn of conversation; but this was at a time when I
stood in need of nothing, lived under my parents' roof, and
only visited at the tents to divert and to be diverted. The times
were altered, and I was by no means certain that Mrs. Petulengro,
when she should discover that I was in need both of shelter and
subsistence, might not alter her opinion both with respect to the
individual and what he said — stigmatising my conversation as
saucy discourse, and myself as a scurvy companion ; and that
she might bring over her husband to her own way of thinking,
provided, indeed, he should need any conducting. I therefore,
though without declaring my reasons, declined the offer of Mr.
Petulengro, and presently, after shaking him by the hand, bent
again my course towards the Great City.
I crossed the river at a bridge considerably above that hight
of London; for not being acquainted with the way, I missed
the turning which should have brought me to the latter. Sud-
denly I found myself in a street of which I had some recollection,
and mechanically stopped before the window of a shop at which
various publications were exposed ; it was that of the bookseller
to whom I had last applied in the hope of selling my ballads or
Ab Gwilym, and who had given me hopes that in the event of
my writing a decent novel, or a tale, he would prove a purchaser.
As I stood listlessly looking at the window, and the publications
which it contained, I observed a paper affixed to tiie glass by
wafers with something written upon it. I drew yet nearer for
the purpose of inspecting it ; the writing was in a fair round hand
— **A Novel or Tale is much wanted," was what wjw written.
CHAPTER LV.
M
•I
I MUST do something," said I, as I sat that night in my lonely
apartment, with some bread and a pitcher of water before me.
Thereupon taking some of the bread, and eating it, I con-
sidered what I was to do. ** I have no idea what I am to do,"
said I, as I stretched my hand towards the pitcher, "unless —
and here I took a considerable draught — I write a tale or a novel
That bookseller," I continued, speaking to myself, "is
certainly much in need of a tale or novel, otherwise he would
not advertise for one. Suppose I write one^ I appear to have
no other chance of extricating myself from my present difficulties;
surely it was Fate that conducted me to his window."
I will do it," said I, as 1 struck my hand against the table;
I will do it." Suddenly a heavy cloud of despondency came
over me. Could I do it? Had 1 the imagination requisite to
write a tale or a novel ? " Yes, yes," said I, as I struck my hand
again against the table, " I can manage it ; give me fair play, and
I can accomplish anything."
But should I have fair play? I must have something to
maintain myself with whilst I wrote my tale, and I had but
eighteen pence in the world. Would that maintain me whilst
I wrote my tale? Yes, I thought it would, provided I ate bread,
which did not cost much, and drank water, which cost nothing ;
it was poor diet, it was true, but better men than myself bad
written on bread and water; had not the big man told me so,
or something to that effect, months before?
It was true there was my lodging to pay for ; but up to the
present time I owed nothing, and perhaps, by the time the people
of the house asked me for money, I should have written a tale or
a novel, which would bring me in money ; I had paper, pens and
ink, and, let me not forget them, I had candles in my closet, all
paid for, to light me during my night work. Enough, I would
go doggedly to work upon my tale or novel.
But what was the tale or novel to be about ? Was it to be a tale
of fashionable life^ about Sir Harry Somebody, and the Countess
(303)
504 LA VBNGRO. [1825^
Something? But I knew nothing about fashionable people, and
cared less ; therefore how should I attempt to describe fashionable
life? What should the tale consist of? The life and adventures
of some one. Good — but of whom ? Did not Mr. Petulengro
mention one Jemmy Abershaw? Yes. Did he not tell me that
the life and adventures of Jemmy Abershaw would bring in much
money to the writer? Yes, but I knew nothing of that worthy.
I heard, it is true, from Mr. Petulengro, that when alive he
committed robberies on the hill, on the side of which Mr.
Petulengro had pitched his tents, and that his ghost still haunted
the hill at midnight ; but those were scant materials out of which
to write the man's life. It is probable, indeed, that Mr. Petulengro
would be able to supply me with further materials if I should
apply to him, but I was in a hurry, and could not afford the time
which it would be necessary to spend in passing to and from Mr.
Petulengro, and consulting him. Moreover, my pride revolted
at the idea of being beholden to Mr. Petulengro for the materials
of the history. No, I would not write the history of Abershaw.
Whose then — Harry Simms ? Alas, the life of Harry Simms had
been already much better written by himself than I could hope
to do it; and, after all, Harry Simms, like Jemmy Abershaw,
was merely a robber. Both, though bold and extraordinary men,
were merely highwaymen. I questioned whether I could compose
a tale likely to excite any particular interest out of the exploits of
a mere robber. I want a character for my hero, thought I,
something higher than a mere robber ; some one like — like Colonel
B . By the way, why should I not write the life and adven-
tures of Colonel B of Londonderry, in Ireland ?
A truly singular man was this same Colonel B of London-
derry, in Ireland ; a personage of most strange and incredible feats
and daring, who had been a partisan soldier, a bravo — who, assisted
by certain discontented troopers, nearly succeeded in stealing the
crown and regalia from the Tower of London ; who attempted to
hang the Duke of Ormond, at Tyburn ; and whose strange eventful
career did not terminate even with his life, his dead body, on the
circulation of an unfounded report that he did not come to his
death by fair means, having been exhumed by the mob of his
native place, where he had retired to die, and earned in the coj£n
through the streets.
Of his life I had inserted an account in the Newgate Lives and
Trials; it was bare and meagre, and written in the stiff, awkward
style of the seventeenth century ; it had, however, strongly capti-
vated my imaii^ination and I now thought that out of it something
1^5-] JOSEPH SSLL 36S
bettar could be made ; that, if I added to the adventures, and
purified the style, I might fashion out of it a very decent tale or
novel. On a sudden, however, the proverb of mending old
garments with new doth occurred to me. '^ I am afraid," said I,
"any new adventures which I can invent will not fadge well with
the dd tale ; one will but spoil the other." I had better have
nothing to do with Colonel B » thought I, but boldly and
independently sit down and write ^e life of Joseph Sell.
This Joseph Sell, dear reader, was a fictitious personage who
had just come into my head. I had never even heard of the
name, but just at that moment it happened to come into my head ;
I would write an entirely fictitious narrative, called the Z^ and
Adventures of Joseph Sell^ the Great TVaveller.
I had better begin at once, thought I ; and removing the
bread and the jug, which latter was now empty, I seized pen
and paper, and forthwith essayed to write the life of Joseph Sell,
but soon discovered that it is much easier to resolve upon a
thing than to achieve it, or even to commence it ; for the life of
me I did not know how to b^n, and, after trying in vain to write
a line, I thought it would be as well to go to bed, and defer my
projected undertaking till the morrow.
So I went to bed, but not to sleep. During the greater part
of the night I lay awake, musing upon the work which I had
determined to execute. For a long time my brain was dry and
unproductive; I could form no plan which appeared feasible.
At length I felt within my brain a kindly glow; it was the
commencement of inspiration ; in a few minutes I had formed
my plan ; I then began to imagine the scenes and the incidents.
Scenes and incidents flitted before my mind's eye so plentifiilly
that I knew not how to dispose of them; I was in a regular
embarrassment. At length I got out of the difficulty in the easiest
manner imaginable, namely, by consigning to the depths of
oblivion all the feebler and less stimulant scenes and incidents,
and retaining the better and more impressive ones. Before
rooming I had sketched the whole work on the tablets of my
mind, and then resigned myself to sleep m the pleasing conviction
that the most difficult part of my undertaking was achieved.
•o
CHAPTER LVI,
Rather Ute in the morning I awoke ; for a few minutes I lay
still« perfectly atill ; vxy ixnaginatioa was considerably sobered ;
the soeaes and situations which had pleased me so much over
night appeared to me in a &r less captivating guise that morning.
I felt hmguid and almost hopeless — ^the thought, however, of my
situation soon roused me — I must make an eifort to improve the
posture of my afiairs ; there was no time to be lost ; so I sprang
out of bedf breakfasted on bread and water, and then sat down
doggedly to write the life of Joseph Sell
It was a great thing to have formed my plan, and to have
arranged the scenes in my head, as I had done on the preceding
night. The chief thing requisite at present was the mere me-
cluinical act of committing them to paper. This I did not find
at first so easy as I could wish — I wanted mechanical skill ; but
I persevered, and before evening I had written ten ps^es. I
partook of some bread and water ; and, before I went to bed that
night, I had completed fifteen pages of my life of Joseph Sell,
The next day I resumed my task-*-I found my power of
writing considerably increased ; my pen hurried rapidly over the
paper^*-my brain was in a wooderfully teeming state; many
scenes and visions which I had not thought of before were evolved^
and, as fast as evolved, ^tten down ; they seemed to be more
pat to my purpose, and more natural to my history, than many
others which I had imagined before, and which I made now give
place to these newer creations : by about midnight I had added
thirty fresh pages to my Ztfi and Adventures rf Joseph Sell.
The third day arose — ^it was dark and dreary out of doors,
and I passed it drearily enough within; my brain appeared to
have lost much of its former glow, and my pen much of its power ;
I, however, toiled on, but at midnight had only added seven
pages to my history of Joseph Sell
On the fourth day the sun shone brightly — I arose, and,
having breakfasted as usual, I fell to work. My brain was this
day wonderfully prolific, and my pen never before or since glided
(3^)
ites-] ""A MERE DRUOr 507
so rapidly over the paper ; towards night I began to feel strangely
about the back part of my head* and my whole system was
extraordinarily atrected. I likewise occasionally saw double — a
tempter now -seemed to be at work within me.
''You had better leave off now for a short space^" said the
tempter, ''and go out and drink a pint of beer; you have still
one shilling left — if you go on at this rate, you will go mad— go
out and spend sixpence, you can afford it, more than half your
work is done." I was about to obey the suggestion of the
tempter, when the idea struck me that, if I did not complete the
work whilst the fit was on me^ I should never complete it ; so I
held on. I am almost afraid to state how many pages I wrote
that day of the life of Joseph Sell.
From this time I proceeded in a somewhat more leisurely
manner ; but, as I drew nearer and nearer to the completion of
my task, dreadful fears and despondencies came over me. It
will be too late, thought I ; by the time I have finished the work,
the bookseller will have been supplied with a tale or a novel. Is
it probable that* in a town like this, where talent is so abundant
— ^hungry talent too — a bookseller can advertise for a tale or a
novel, without being supplied with half a dozen in twenty-four
hours? I may as well fling down my pen — I am writing to no
purpose. And these thoughts came over my mind so often, that
at last, in utter despair, I flung down the pen. Whereupon the
tempter within me said : " And, now you have flung down the
pen, you may as well fling yourself out of the window; what
remains for you to do?" Why, to take it up again, thought I to
myself, for I did not like the latter suggestion at all — and then
forthwith I resumed the pen, and wrote with greater vigour than
before, from about six o'clock in the evening until I could hardly
see, when I rested for awhile, when the tempter within me again
said, or appeared to say : ''All you have been writing is stuff, it
will never do — 9l drug — a mere drug " ; and methought these last
words were uttered in the gruff tones of the big publisher. "A
thing merely to be sneezed at," a voice like that of Taggart
added ; and then I seemed to hear a sternutation, — as I probably
did, for, recovering from a kind of swoon, I found myself shiver-
ing with cold. The next day I brought my work to a conclusion.
But the task of revision still remained ; for an hour or two I
shrank from it, and remained gazing stupidly at the pile of paper
which I had written over. I was all but exhausted, and I dreaded,
on inspecting the sheets, to find them full of absurdities which I
had paid no regard to in the furor of composition. But the task.
9o8 LA VBNGRO. [iflas*
however trying to my nerves, most be got over ; at last, in a kind
of desperation, I entered upon it. It was hi from an easy one ;
there were, however, fewer errors and absurdities than I had
anticipated. About twelve o'clock at night I bad got over the
task of revision. "To-morrow, for the bookseller," said I, as my
beul sank on the pillow. '* Oh me f "
CHAPTER LVIl.
On arriving at the bookseller's shop, I cast a nervous look at the
windowi for the purpose of observing whether the paper had been
removed or not To my great deUght the paper was in its phu:e ;
with a beating heart I entered, there was nobody in the shop ; as
I stood at the counter, however, deliberating whether or not I
should call out, the door of what seemed to be a back-parlour
opened, and out came a well-dressed lady-like female, of about
thirty, with a good-looking and intelligent countenance. ^' What
IS your business, young man ?** said she to me, after I had made
her a polite bow. "I wish to speak to the gentleman of the
house," said I. ''My husband is not within at present," she
replied; ''what is your business?" "I have merely brought
something to show him," said I, "but I will call again." "If
you are the yoimg gentleman who has been here before," said
the lady, " with poems and ballads, as, indeed, I know you are,"
she added, smiling, " for I have seen you through the glass door,
I am afiraid it will be useless ; that is," she added with another
smile, "if you bring us nothing else." "I have not brought
you poems and ballads now," said I, "but something widely
different; I saw your advertisement for a tale or a novel, and
have written something which I think will suit ; and here it is,"
I added, showing the roll of paper which I held in my hand.
" Well," said the bookseller's wife, " you may leave it, though I
cannot promise you much chance of its being accepted. My
husband has already had several offered to him ; however, you
may leave it; give it me. Are you afraid to entrust it to me?"
she demanded somewhat hastily, observing that I hesitated.
" Excuse me," said I, " but it is all I have to depend upon in
the world ; I am chiefly apprehensive that it will not be read."
" On that point I can reassure you," said the good lady, smiling,
and there was now something sweet in her smile. " I give you
my word that it shall be read ; come again to-morrow morning at
eleven, when, if. not approved, it shall be returned to you."
I returned to my lodging, and forthwith betook myself to bed,
(3^)
510 LA VBNGRO. [1825.
notwithstanding the earliness of the hour. I felt tolerably tran-
quil ; I had now cast my last stake, and was prepared to abide
by the result. Whatever that result might be, I could have
nothing to reproach myself with ; I had strained all the energies
which nature had given me in order to rescue myself from the
difficulties which surrounded me. I presently sank into a sleep,
which endured during the remainder of the day, and the whole of
the succeeding night I awoke about nine on the morrow, and
spent my last threepence on a breakfast somewhat more luxurious
than the immediately preceding ones, for one penny of the sum
was expended on the purchase of milk.
At the appointed hour I repaired to the house of the book-
seller; the bookseller was in his shop. *' Ah," said he, as soon
as I entered, " I am glad to see yoiu" There was an unwonted
heartiness in the bookseller's tones, an unwonted benignity in his
face. ''So," said he, after a pause, ''you have taken my advice,
written a book of adventure; nothing like taking the advice,
young man, of your superion in age. Well, I think your book
will do, and so does my wife, for whose judgment I have a great
regard; as well I may, as she is the daughter of a first-rate
novelist, deceased I think I shall venture on sending your
book to the press." "But," said I, "we have not yet agreed
upon terms." "Terms, terms^" said the bookseller; "aheml
well, there is nothing like coming to terms at once. I will print
the book, and give you half the profit when the edition is sold."
" That will not do, said I ; " I intend shortly to leave London :
I must have something at once." "Ah, I see/' said the book-
seller, " in distress ; frequently the case with authois, especially
young ones. Well, I don't care if I purchase it of you, but you
must be moderate ; the public are very fastidious, and the
speculation may prove a losing one, after all Let me see, will
five hem" — he stopped. I looked the bookseller in the
face ; there was something peculiar in it. Suddenly it appeared
to me as if the voice of him of the thimble sounded in my ear :
" Now is your time, ask enough, never such another chance of es-
tablishing yourself; respectable trade, pea and thimble ". "Well,"
said I at last, '* I have no objection to take the ofier which you
were about to make, though I really think five-and-twenty guineas
to be scarcely enough, everything considered." " Five-and-twenty
guineas!" said the bookseller ; "are you — ^whatwas I going to
say — I never meant to offer half as much — I mean a quarter ; I
was going to say five guineas — I mean pounds ; I will, however,
make it up guineas." "That will not do," said I; "but, as I
1835.] TWENTY POUNDS. 3"
find we shall not deal, return me my manuscript, that I may
carry it to some one else." The bookseller looked blank. '* Dear
me," said he» '' I should never have supposed that you would have
made any objection to such an offer ; I am quite sure that you
would have been glad to take five pounds for either of the two huge
manuscripts of songs and ballads that you brought me on a former
occasion. ' " Well/' said I, '* if you will engage to publish either
of those two manuscripts, you shall have the present one for five
pounds." ** God forbid that I should make any such bargain,"
said the bookseller; "I would publish neither on any account;
but, with respect to this last book, I have really an inclination
to print it, both for your sake and mine; suppose we say ten
pounds." "No," said I, ** ten pounds will not do; pray restore
me my manuscript." " Stay," said the bookseller, ** my wife is in
the next room, I will go and consult her." Thereupon he went
into his back-room, where I heard him conversing with his wife
in a low tone ; in about ten minutes he returned. " Young
gentleman," said he, ''perhaps you will take tea with us this
evening, when we will talk further over the matter."
That evening I went and took tea with the bookseller and his
wife, both of whom, particularly the latter, overwhelmed me with
civility. It was not long before I learned that the work had been
already sent to the press, and was intended to stand at the head
of a series of entertaining narratives, from which my friends
promised themselves considerable profit The subject of terms
was again brought forward. I stood firm to my first demand for
a long time ; when, however, the bookseller's wife complimented
me on my production in the highest terms, and said that she
discovered therein the germs of genius, which she made no doubt
would some day prove ornamental to my native land, I consented
to drop my demand to twenty pounds, stipulating, however, that
I should not be troubled with the correction of the work.
Before I departed I received the twenty pounds, and departed
with a light heart to my lodgings.
Reader, amidst the difficulties and dangers of this life, should
you ever be tempted to despair, call to mind these latter chapters
of the life of Lavengro. There are few positions, however diffi-
cult, from which dogged resolution and perseverance may not
liberate you.
CHAPTER LVlll.
I HAD long ago determined to leave London as soon as the means
should be in my power, and, now that they were^ I determined to
leave the Great City ; yet I felt some reluctance to go. 7 would
fain have pursued the career of original authorship which had
just opened itself to me, and have written other tales of adventure.
The bookseller had given me encouragement enough to do so ;
he had assured me that he should be always happy to deal with
me for an article (that was the word) similar to the one I had
brought him, provided my terms were moderate ; and the book-
seller's wife, by her complimentary language, had given me yet
more encouragement. But for some months past I had been
hi from well, and my original indisposition, brought on partly by
the peculiar atmosphere of the Big City, partly by anxiety of
mind, had been much increased by the exertions which I had
been compelled to make during the last few days. I felt that,
were I to remain where I was, I should die, or become a
confirmed valetudinarian. I would go forth into the country,
travelling on foot, and, by exercise and inhaling pure air, en-
deavour to recover my health, leaving my subsequent movements
to be determined by Providence.
But whither should I bend my course? Once or twice I
thought of walking home to the old town, stay some time with
my mother and my brother, and enjoy the pleasant walks in the
neighbourhood; but, though I wished very much to see my
mother and my brother, and felt much disposed to enjoy the said
pleasant walks, the old town was not exactly the place to which I
wished to go at this present juncture. I was afraid the people
would ask, Where are your Northern Ballads ? Where are your
alliterative translations from Ab Gwilym — of which you were
always talking, and with which you promised to astonish the
world ? Now, in the event of such interrogations, what could I
answer? It is true I had compiled Newgate Lives and TYiais^
and had written the life of Joseph Sell, but I was afraid that the
people of the old town would scarcely consider these as equiva-
(31a)
S9if D May, 1895.] ^HiT DBPA RTURB. 313
lents for the Northern Ballads and the songs of Ab Gwilym. 1
would go forth and wander in any direction but that of the did
town.
But how one's sensibility on any particular point diminishes
with time i At present, I enter the old town perfectly indifferent
as to what the people may be thinking on the subject of the
songs and ballauis. With respect to the people themselves,
whether, like my sensibility, their curiosity has altogether evapor-
ated, or whether, which is at least equally probable, they never
entertained any, one thing is certain, that never in a single
instance have they troubled me with any remarks on the subject
of the songs and ballads.
As it was my intention to travel on foot» with a bundle and
a stick, I despatched my trunk containing some few clothes and
books to the old to¥m. My preparations were soon made; in
about three days I was in readiness to start.
Before departing, however, I bethought me of my old friend
the apple-woman of London Bridge. Apprehensive that she
might be labouring under the difficulties of poverty, I sent her a
piece of gold by the hands of a young maiden in the house in
which I lived. The latter punctually executed her commission,
but brought me back the piece of gold. The old woman would
not take it ; she did not want it, she said. " Tell the poor thin
lad," she added, " to keep it for himself, he wants it more than I."
Rather late one afternoon I departed from my lodging, with
my stick in one hand and a small bundle in the other, {Raping
my course to the south-west When I first arrived, somewhat
more than a year before, I had entered the city by the north-east
As I was not going home, I determined to take my departure in
the direction the very opposite to home.
Just as I was about to cross the street called the Haymarket
at the lower part, a cabriolet, drawn by a magnificent animal,
came dashing along at a furious rate ; it stopped close by the
curb-stone where I was, a sudden pull of the reins nearly
bringing the spirited animal upon its haunches. The Jehu who
had accomplished this feat was Francis Ardiy. A small beautiful
female, with flashing eyes, dressed in the extremity of fashion,
sat beside him.
''Holloa, firiend," said Fiancis Ardry, "whither bound?"
"I do not know," said I ; "all I can say is, that I am about
to leave London.**
'' And the means ? " said Francis Ardry.
f* I have them," said I, with a cheerful smile.
314 LAVBNGRO. [18*5.
i<
Qui est ului'ciV^ demanded the small female impatiently.
C^e$i mon ami le plus intime ; so you were about to
leav^ London without telling me a word/' said Francis Ardry
somewhat angrily.
'' I intended to have written to you/' said I : '' what a splendid
mare that is I "
^'Is she not?" said Francis Ardry, who was hdding in the
mare with difficulty ; '' she cost a hundred guineas."
" Quest'Ce quil ditV^ demanded his companion*
'' // dit que le cheoal est Men beauP
^^Allonst moH ami^ il est tard^* said the beauty, with a
scornful toss of her head ; " aliens I *'
** Encore un moment" said Francis Ardry; ''and when shall
I see you again ? "
'' I scarcely know," I replied : " I never saw a more splendid
turn-out"
'' Qtiest'Ce qtiilditf" said the lady again.
"II dit que tout ttquipage est en asset Ifon goitt'^
'* Allans^ ^est un ours^* said the lady ; ** U chevalmime en a
peur" added she, as the mare reared up on high.
''Can you find nothing else to admire but the mare and the
equipage?" said Francis Ardry reproachfully, after he had with
some difficulty brought the mare to order.
Lifting my hand, in which I held my stick, I took off my hat
" How b^utiful I " said I, looking the lady full in the face.
" Comment t " said the lady inquiringly.
" II dit que vous ites belle comme un ange" said Francis Ardry
emphatically.
"Mais d la bonne heure I arritet^ mom ami" said the lady to
Francis Ardry^ who was about to drive off; "je voudrais bien
causer un moment avec lui; arritezt il est dilicieux, Est-ce bien
ainsi que poustraitez vos amis f " said she passionately, as Francis
Ardry lifted up his whip. " Bonjour, Monsieur, bonjour" said
she, thrusting her head from the side and looking back, as Francis
Ardry drove off at the rate of thirteen miles an hour
CHAPTER LIX.
In about two hours I had cleared the Great City, and got beyond
the suburban villages, or rather towns, in the direction in which I
was travelling ; I was in a broad and excellent road, leading I
knew not whither. I now slackened my pace, which had hitherto
been great. Presently, coming to a milestone on which was
graven nine miles, I rested against it, and looking round towards
the vast city, which had long ceased to be visible, I fell into a
train of meditation.
I thought of all my ways and doings since the day of my first
arrival in that vast city. I had worked and toiled^ and, though I
had accomplished nothing at all commensurate with the hopes
which I had entertained previous to my arrival, I had achieved
my own living, preserved my independence, and become indebted
to no one. I was now quitting it, poor in purse, it is true, but
not wholly empty; rather ailing, it may be, but not broken in
health ; and, with hope within my bosom, had I not cause upon
the whole to be thankful ? Perhaps there were some who, arriving
at the same time under not more fayourable circumstances, had
accomplished much more, and whose future was hx more hopeful
— GockI I But there might be others who, in spite of all their
efforts, had been either trodden down in the press, never more to
be heard of, or were quitting that mighty town broken in purse,
broken in health, and, ohl with not one dear hope to cheer them.
Had I not, upon the whole, abundant cause to be grateful?
Truly, yes I
My meditation over, I left the milestone and proceeded on
my way in the same direction as before until the night began to
close in. I had always been a good pedestrian ; but now, whether
olring to indisposition or to not having for some time past been
much in the habit of taking such lengthy walks, I b^gan to fed
not a little weary. Just as I was thinking of putting up for the
night at the next inn or public-house I should arrive at, I heard
wfiat sounded like a coach coming up rapidly behind me.
Induced, perhaps, by the weariness which I felt, I stopped and
3i6 LA VENGRO. [1895.
looked wistfully in the direction of the sound ; presently up came
a coach, seemingly a mail, drawn by four bounding horses — there
was no one upon it but the coachman and the guard; when
nearly parallel with me it stopped. *' Want to get up ? " sounded
a voice in the true coachman-like tone — ^half-qu«ulouB| half-
authoritadve. I hesitated ; I was tired, it is true, but I had left
London bound on a pedestrian excursion, and I did not much
like the idea of having recourse to a coach after accomplishing so
very inconsiderable a distance. " Come, we can't be staying here
all night/' said the voice, more shaqply than before. " I can ride
a little way, and get down whenever I like," thought I ; and
sfmnging forward I clambered up the coach, and was going to sit
down upon the box, next the coachman. ''No, no," said the
coachman, who was a man about thirty, with a hooked nose and
red face, dressed in a fashionably cut greatcoat, with a fashionable
black castor on his head. " No, no, keep behind — the box a'n't
for the like of you," said he^ as he drove off; "the box is for
lords, <»* gentlemen at least." I made no answer. " D- that
off-hand leader," said the coachman, as the right-hand front horse
made a desperate start at something he saw in the road ; and,
half rising, he with great dexterity hit with his long whip the off-
hand leader a cut on the off cheek. " These seem to be fine
horses," said I. The coachman made no answer. "Nearly
thorough-bred," I continued ; the coachman drew his breath, with
a kind of hissing sound, through his teeth. "Come, young
fellow, none of your chaff. Don't you think, because jrou ride on
my mail, I'm going to talk to you about 'orses. I talk to nobody
ubout 'orses except lords." "Well," said I, "I have been
called a lord in my time." ** It must have been by a thimble-
rigger, then," said the coachman, bending back, and half- turning
his face round with a broad leer. "You have hit the mark
wonderfully," said I. "You coachmen, whatever else you may
be, are certainly no fools." "We a'n*t, a'n't we?" said the
coachman. "There you are right; and, to show vou that you
are, I'll now trouble you for your fare. If you have been amongst
the thimble-riggers you must be tolerably well cleared out. Where
are you going ? — to ? I think I have seen you there. The
fare is sixteen shillings. Come, tip us the blunt ; them that has
no money can't ride on my mail."
Sixteen shillings was a large sum, and to pay it would make a
considerable inroad on my slender finances ; I thought, at first,
that I would say I did not want to go so far ; but then the fellow
would ask at once where I wanted to go, and I was ashamed to
i8a5.1 AMBSBURY, WILTS. 517
acknowledge my utter ignorance of the road. I determined,
therefore, to pay the fare, with a tacit determination not to mount
a coach in future without knowing whither I was going. So I paid
the man the money, who, turning round, shouted to the guard —
" All right, Jem ; got fare to " and forthwith whipped on
his horses, especially the off-hand leader, for whom he seemed to
entertain a particular spite, to greater speed than before — ^the
horses flew.
A young moon gave a feeble light, partially illuminating a
line of road which, appearing by no means interesting, I the less
regretted having paid my money for the privilege of being hurried
along it in the flying vehicle. We frequently changed horses;
and at last my friend the coachman was replaced by another,
the very image of himself-— hawk nose, red hce, wiUi narrow-
rimmed hat and fiishionable benjamin. After he had driven
about fifty yards, the new coachman fell to whipping one of the
horses. "D-^ — this near-hand wheeler," said he, "the brute
has got a com." " Whipping him won't cure him of his com,"
said I. "Who told you to speak?" said the driver, with an oath ;
" mind your own business ; 'tisn't from the like of you I am to
leam to drive 'orses." Presently I fell into a broken kind of
slumber. -In an hour or two I was aroused by a rough voice —
" Got to f young man ; get down if you please "• I opened
my eyes — there was a dim and indistinct light, like that which
precedes dawn ; the coach was standing still in something like
a street ; just below me stood the guard. " Do you mean to
get down," said he, "or will you keep us here till morning?
other fares want to get up." Scarcely knowing what I did, I
took my bundle and stick and descended, wUlst two people
mounted. "All right, John," said the guard to the coachman,
springing up behind ; whereupon off whisked the coach, one or
two individuals who were standing by disappeared, and I was
left alone.
CHAPTER LZ.
AiTBR Standing still a minnte or tiro, oonsidering what I should
do, I moved down what appeared to be the street of a small
straggling town; presently I passed bj a church, which rose
indistinctly on my right hand ; anon there was the rustling of
foliage and the rushing of waters. I reached a bridge, benealh
which a small stream was running m the direction of die south.
I stopped and leaned over the parapet, for I have always loved to
look upon streams, especially at the still hours. '' What stream
is this, I wonder ?" said I, as I looked down from the parapet
into the water, which whirled and guigled below.
Leaving the bridge, I ascended a gentle acclivity, and presently
reached what appeared to be a tract of moory undulating ground.
It was now tolerably light, but there was a mist or haze abroad
which prevented my seeing objects with much precision. I felt chiD
in the damp air of the early mom, and walked rapidly forward.
In about half an hour I arrived where the road divided into two
at an angle or tongue of daric green swud. '* To the right or the
left?" said I, and forthwith took, without knowing why, the left-
hand road, along which I proceeded about a hundred yards,
when, in the midst of the tongue of sward formed by the two
roads, collaterally with myself, I perceived what I at first con-
ceived to be a small grove of blighted trunks of oaks, barked
and grey. I stood still for a moment, and then, turning off the
road, advanced slowly towards it over the sward; as I drew
nearer, I perceived that the objects which had attracted my
curiosity, and which formed a kind of circle, were not trees, but
immense upright stones. A thrill pervaded my system ; just
before me were two, the mightiest of the whole, tall as the stems
of proud oaks, supporting on their tops a huge transverse stone,
and forming a wonderful doorway. I knew now where I was, and,
laying down my stick and bundle^ and taking ofif my hat, I ad-
vanced slowly, and cast myself — it was folly, perhaps, but I could
not help what I did— cast myself, with my face on the dewy earth,
in the middle of the portal of giants, beneath the transverse stone.
(518)
• . (
xSas.] STONBHBNQB. SX9
The spirit of Stonehenge was strong upon me l^^^
And after I had remained with my face on the ground for
some time, I arose, placed my hat on my head, and taking up
my stick and bundle, wandered around the wondrous circle,
examining each individual stone, from the greatest to the least,
and then entering by the great door, seated myself upon an
immense broad stone^ one side of which was supported by
several small ones, and the other slanted upon the earth; and
there in deep meditation I sat for an hour or two, till the sun
shone in my face above the tall stones of the eastern side.
And as I still sat there, I heard the noise of bells^ and
presently a large number of sheep came browzing past the circle
of stones ; two or three entered, and grazed upon what they
could find, and soon a man also entered the circle at the northern
side.
" Early here, sir," said the man, who was tall, and dressed in
a dark green slop, and had all the appearance of a shepherd ; " a
traveller, I suppose?*'
" Yes," said I, ** I am a traveller ; are these sheep yours ? "
"They are, sir; that is, they are my master's. A strange
place this, sir," said he, looking at the stones; "ever here before?"
" Never in body, frequently in mind."
" Heard of the stones, I suppose ; no wonder — all the people
of the plain talk of them."
'' What do the people of the plain say of them ? ^
" Why, they say — How did they ever come here ? "
'' Do they not suppose them to have been brought ? "
' Who should have brought them ? "
'* I have read that they were brought by many thousand men."
"Where from?"
" Ireland"
" How did they bring them ? "
" I don't know."
" And what did they bring them for? "
** To form a temple^ perhaps."
"What is that ?'^
" A place to worship God in."
" A strange place to worship God in."
" Why ? "
" It has no roof."
" Yes, it has."
" Where? " said the man looking up.
" What do you see above you ? "
3ad LA VBtfGkO. t^^S-
•• The sky/*
"WcU?"
"WeU!"
** Have you anything to say ?"
'* How did these stones come here? "
" Are there other stones like th»e on the plains ? '' said I.
<<None; and yet there are plenty of strange things on these
downs."
" What are they ? "
"Strange heaps, and barrowsi and great walls of earth buflt
on the tops of hills."
** Do the people of the plain wonder how they came there?"
"They do not"
"Why?"
" They were raised by hands."
" And these stones ? "
" How did they ever come here ? "
" I wonder whether they are here? " said I.
"These stones?"
"Yes."
"So sure as the world," said the man; "and, as the world,
they will stand as long."
" I wonder whether there is a world"
*• What do you mean ? "
" An earth and sea, moon and stars, sheep and men.
"Do you doubt it?"
" Sometimes."
" I never heard it doubted before."
" It is impossible there should be a world."
" It a' n't possible there shouldn't be a world."
" Just so. ' At this moment a fine ewe attended by a larnb,
rushed into the circle and fondled the knees of the shepherd.
"I suppose you would not care to have some milk," said the
man.
" Why do you suppose so ? "
" Because, so be, there be no sheep, no milk, you know ; and
what there ben't is not worth having."
"You could not have argued better," said I; "that is,
supposing you have argued ; with respect to the milk, you may do
as you please."
" Be still, Nanny," said the man ; and {Nrodudng a tin vessel
from his scrip, he milked the ewe into it " Here is milk of the
plains, master/' said the man, as he handed the vessel to me.
•9
xto5.1 " ^ yON IS BRITISH. '* s^i
*< Where are those barrows and great walls of earth you were
speaking of/' said I, after I had drank some of the milk ; " are
there any near where we are ? "
" Not within many miles ; the nearest is yonder away/' said
the shepherd, pointing to the south-east. " It*s a grand place, that,
but not like this ; quite different, and from it you have a sight of
the finest spire in the world."
" I must go to it," said I, and I drank the remainder of the
milk ; " yonder, you say."
" Yes, yonder ; but you cannot get to it in that direction, the
river lies between."
"What river?"
"The Avon/'
" Avon is British," said I.
" Yes," said the man, " we are all British here."
" No, we are not," said I.
" What are we then ? "
" English."
" A n't they one ? "
" No/'
' ' Who were the British ? "
" The men who are supposed to have worshipped God in this
place, and who raised these stones."
" Where are they now ? "
"Our forefathers slaughtered them, spilled their blood all
about, especially in this neighbourhood, destroyed their pleasant
places, and left not, to use their own words, one stone upon
another."
"Yes, they did," said the shepherd, looking aloft at the
transverse stone.
"And it is well for them they did; whenever that stone,
which English hands never raised, is by English hands thrown
4own, woe, woe, woe to the English race; spare it, English 1
Hengist spared it ! — Here is sixpence."
" I won't have it," said the man.
"Why not?"
'* You talk so prettily about these str nes ; you seem to know
all about them."
" I never receive presents ; with respect to the stones, I say
with yourself, How did they ever come here 1 "
" How did they ever come here 1 " said the shepherd.
ai
CHAPTER LXI.
Leaving the shepherd, I bent my way in the direction pointed
out by him as that in which the most remarkable of the strange
remains of which he had spoken lay. I proceeded rapidly, making
ray way over the downs covered with coarse grass and fern ; with
respect to the river of which he had spoken, I reflected that, either
by wading or swimming, I could easily transfer myself and what
I bore to the opposite side. On arriving at its banks, I found it
a beautiful stream, but shallow, with here and there a deep place,
where the water ran dark and still.
Always fond of the pure lymph, I undressed, and plunged
into one of these gulfs, from which I emeiged, my whole frame in
a glow, and tingling with delicious sensations. After conveying
my clothes and scanty baggage to the farther side, I dressed, and
then with hurried steps bent my course in the direction of some
lofty ground ; I at length found myself on a high road, leading
over wide and arid downs; following the road for some miles
without seeing anything remarkable, I supposed at length that I
had taken the wrong path, and wended on slowly and disconso-
lately for some time, till, having nearly surmounted a steep hill,
I knew at once, from certain appearances, that I was near the
object of my search. Turning to the right near the brow of the
hill, I proceeded along a path which brought me to a causeway
leading over a deep ravine, and connecting the hill with another
which had once formed part of it, for the ravine was evidently
the work of art. I passed over the causeway, and found myself
in a kind of gateway which admitted me into a square space of
many acres, surrounded on all sides by mounds or ramparts of
earth. Though I had never been in such a place before, I knew
that I stood within the precincts of what had been a Roman
encampment, and one probably of the largest size, for many
thousand warriors might have found room to perform their evolu*
tions in that space, in which corn was now growing, the green
ears waving in the morning wind.
After I had gazed about the space for a time, standing in the
(322)
1835.] OLD SARUM. 333
gateway formed by the mounds, I clambered up the mound to
the left hand, and on the top of that mound I found myself at a
great altitude ; beneath, at the distance of a mile» was a fair old
city, situated amongst verdant meadows, watered with streams,
and from the heart of that old city, from amidst mighty trees, I
beheld towering to the sky the finest spire in the world.
After I had looked from the Roman rampart for a long time,
I hurried away, and, retracing my steps along the causeway, re-
gained the road, and, passing over the brow of the hill, descended
to the city of the spire.
CHAPTER LXII.
And in the old city I remained two days, passing my time as I
best could — inspecting the curiosities of the place, eating and
drinking when I felt so disposed, which I frequently did, the
digestive organs having assumed* a tone to which for many
months they had been strangers — enjoying at night balmy sleep
in a large bed in a dusky room, at the end of a corridor^ in a
certain hostelry in which I had taken up my quarters — receiving
from the people of the hostelry such civili^ and condescension
as people who travel on foot with bundle and stick, but who
nevertheless are perceived to be not altogether destitute of coin,
are in the habit of receiving. On the third day, on a fine sunny
afternoon, I departed from the city of the spire.
As I was passing through one of the suburbs, I saw, all on a
sudden, a respectable-looking female fall down in a fit ; several
persons hastened to her assistance. "She is dead," said one.
" No, she is not," said another. " I am afraid she is," said a
third. *' Life is very uncertain," said a fourth. " It is Mrs. "
said a fifth ; "let us carry her to her own house." Not being
able to render any assistance, I left the poor female in the hands
of her townsfolk, and proceeded on my way. I had chosen a
road in the direction of the north-west, it led over downs where
corn was growing, but where neither tree nor hedge were to be
seen; two or three hours' walking brought me to a beautiful
valley, abounding with trees of various kinds, with a delightful
village at its farthest extremity ; passing through it I ascended a
lofty acclivity, on the top of which I sat down on a bank, and
taking off my hat, permitted a breeze, which swept coolly and
refreshingly over the downs, to dry my hair, dripping from the
effects of exercise and the heat of the day.
And as I sat there, gazing now at the blue heavens, now at
the downs before me, a man came along the road in the direction
in which I had hitherto been proceeding : just opposite to me he
stopped, and, looking at me, cried: "Am I right for London,
master?"
z8»5-1 NORTH'WBST. Saft
He was dressed like a sailor, and appeared to be between
twenty-five and thirty years of age; he had an open manly
countenance, and there was a bold and fearless expression in his
eye.
" Yes," said I, in reply to his question ; " this is one of the
ways to London. Do you come from far ? '*
" From ,*' said the man, naming a well-known sea-port.
''Is this the direct road to London from that place?" I
demanded.
" No," said the man ; " but I had to visit two or three other
places on certain commissions I was entrusted with; amongst
others to , where I had to take a small sum of money. I
am rather tired, master; and, if you please, I will sit down beside
you."
" You have as much right to sit down here as I have," said I,
" the road is free for every one ; as for sitting down beside me,
you have the look of an honest man, and I have no objection to
your company."
*' Why, as for being honest, master," said the man, laughing
and sitting down by me, ''I hav'n't much to say — many is
the wild thing I have done when I was younger ; however, what
is done, is done. To learn, one must live, master ; and I have
lived long enough to learn the grand point of wisdom."
" What is that?" said L
" That honesty is the best policy, master."
" You appear to be a sailor," said I, looking at his dress.
** I was not bred a sailor," said the man, '' though, when my
foot is on the salt water, I can play the part — and play it well toa
I am now from a long voyage."
" From America? " said L
** Farther than that," said the man.
" Have you'any objection to tell me? " said I.
" From New South Wales," said the man, looking me full in
the face.
*' Dear me," said L
** Why do you say ' Dear me '? " said the man.
** It is a very long way off," said I.
** Was that your reason for saying so ? " said the man.
<« Not exactly," said L
"No," said the man, with something of a bitter smile; "it
was something else that made you say so ; you were thinking of
the convicts."
" Well," said I, " what then— you aie no convict."
|a6 LA VBNGRO. [i8as.
* - I -
" How do you know ? "
" You do not look like one."
** Thank you, master," said the man cheerfully ; <* and, to a
certain extent, you are right — ^bygones are bygones — I am no
longer what I was, nor ever will be again ; the truth, however, is
the truth — a convict I have been — a convict at Sydney Cove,"
"And you have served out the period for whidi you were
sentenced, and are now returned?"
" As to serving out my sentence," replied the man, " I can't
say that I did ; I was sentenced for fourteen years, and I was in
Sydney Cove little more than half that time. The truth is that I
did the Government a service. There was a conspiracy amongst
«ome of the convicts to murder and destroy — I overheard and
informed the Government ; mind one thing, however, I was not
concerned in it ; those who got it up were no comrades of mine,
but a bloody gang of villains. Well, the Government, in con-
sideration of the service I had done them, remitted the remainder
of my sentence ; and some kind gentlemen interested themselves
about me, gave me good books and good advice, and, being
satisfied with my conduct, procured me employ in an^ exploring
expedition, by which I earned money. In fact, the being sent to
Sydney was the best thing that ever happened to me in all my
life."
''And you have now returned to your native country.
Longing to see home brought you from New South Wales."
** There you are mistsdcen," said the man. "Wish to see
England again would never have brought me so £au: ; for, to tell
you the truth, master, England was a hard mother to me, as she
has proved to many. No, a wish to see another kind of mother
— a poor old woman whose son I am — ^has brought me back."
" You have a mother, then?" said I. " Does she reside in
London?"
" She used to live in London," said the man ; " but I am
afraid she is long since dead."
" How did she support herself? " said L
" Support herself! with difficulty enough ; she used to keep a
small stall on London Bridge, where she sold fruit ; I am afraid
she is dead, and that she died perhaps in misery. She was a
poor sinful creature ; but I loved her, and she loved me. I came
all the way back merely for the chance of seeing her^"
** Did you ever write to her," said I, " or cause others to write
to her?"
" I wrote to her myself," said the man, " about two years ago ;
tt
n
iftisO THE EX-CONVICT. 327
but I never received an answer. I learned to write very tolerably
over there, by the assistance of the good people I spoke of. As
for reading, I could do that very well before I went — my poor
mother taught me to read, out of a book that she was very fond
of; a strange book it was, I remember. Poor dearl what I
would give only to know that she is alive."
'' Life is very uncertain," said I.
" That is true," said the man, with a sigh.
We are here one moment, and gone the next," I continued.
As I passed through the streets of a neighbouring town, I saw
a respectable woman drop down, and people said she was dead.
Who knows but that she too had a son coming to see her from a
distance, at that very time."
"Who knows, Indeed," said the man. "Ah, I am afraid my
mother is dead. Well, God's will be done.''
" However," said I, " I should not wonder at your finding
your mother alive."
''You wouldn't?" said the man, looking at me wistfully.
" I should not wonder at all," said I ; " indeed, something
within me seems to tell me you will ; I should not much mind
betting five shillings to five pence that you will see your mother
within a week. Now, friend, five shillings to five pence "
''Is very considerable odds," said the man, rubbing his
hands; "sure you must have good reason to hope, when you
are willing to give such odds."
"After all," said I, "it not unfrequently happens that those
who lay the long odds lose. Let us hope, however. What
do you mean to do in the event of finding your mother
alive?"
" I scarcely know," said the man ; " I have frequently thought
that if I found my mother alive I would attempt to persuade her
to accompany me to the country which I have left — it is a better
country for a man — that is a free man — to live in than this ; how-
ever, let me first find my mother — if I could only find my
mother ! "
" Farewell,*' said I, rising. " Go your way, and God go with
you — I will go mine." " I have but one thing to ask you," said
the man. "What is that?" I inquired. "That you would
drink with me before we part — you have done me so much
good." "How should we drink?" said I; "we are on the top
of a hill where there is nothing to drink." " But there is a
village below," said the man ; " do let us drink before we part."
*' I have been through that village already/' said I, "and I do
328 LA VENGRO. [18^5.
not like turning back." "Ah," said the man sorrowfully, "you
will not drink with me because I told you I was "
'* You are quite mistaken/' said I, " I would as soon drink
with a convict as with a judge. I am by no means certain that,
under the same circumstances, the judge would be one whit
better than the convict. Come along I I will go back to oblige
you. I have an odd sixpence in my pocket, which I will change,
that I may drink with you." So we went down the hill together
to the village through which I had already passed, where, finding
a public-house, we drank together in true English fashion, after
which we parted, the sailor-looking man going his way and I
mine.
After walking about a dozen miles, I came to a town, where I
rested for the night. The next morning I set out again in the
direction of the north-west. I continued journeying for four
days, my daily journeys varying from twenty to twenty-five miles.
During this time nothing occurred to me worthy of any especial
notice. The weather was brilliant, and I rapidly improved both
in strength and spirits. On the fifth day, about two o'clock, I
arrived at a small town. Feeling hungry, I entered a decent-
looking inn. Within a kind of bar I saw a huge, fat, landlord-
looking person, with a very pretty, smartly-dressed maiden.
Addressing myself to the fat man, '' House I " said I, '^ house I
Can I have dinner, house?"
CHAPTER LXIII.
** Young gentleman/' said the huge, fat landlord, *' you are come
at the right time ; dinner will be taken up in a few minutes, and
such a dinner," he continued, rubbing bis hands, "as you will
not see every day in these times.'*
'* I am hot and dusty/' said I, ** and should wish to cool my
hands and face."
'* Jenny I " said the huge landlord, with the utmost gravity,
** show the gentleman into number seven that he may wash his
hands and face/'
" By no means," said I, *' I am a person of primitive habits,
and there is nothing like the pump in weather like this."
*' Jenny I " said the landlord, with the same gravity as before,
** go with the young gentleman to the pump in the back kitchen,
and take a clean towel along with you."
Thereupon the rosy-faced clean-looking damsel went to a
drawer, and producing a large, thick, but snowy-white towel, she
nodded to me to follow her ; whereupon I followed Jenny
through a long passage into the back kitchen.
And at the end of the back kitchen there stood a pump ; and
going to it I placed my hands beneath the spout, and said,
** Pump, Jenny," and Jenny incontinently, without laying down
the towel, pumped with one hand, and I washed and cooled my
heated hands.
And, when my hands were washed and cooled, I took off my
neckcloth, and unbuttoning my shirt collar, I placed my head
beneath the spout of the pump, and I said unto Jenny : ** Now^
Jenny, lay down the towel, and pump for your life ".
Thereupon Jenny, placing the towel on a linen-horse, took the
handle of the pump with both hands and pumped over my head
as handmaid had never pumped before; so that the water poured
in torrents from my head, my face, and my hair down upon the
brick floor.
And after the lapse of somewhat more than a minute, I called
out with a half-«trangled voice, ** Hold^ Jenny I " and Jenny
(3«9)
330 LA VENGRO. [1835.
desisted. I stood for a few moments to recover my breath, then
taking the towel which Jenny proffered, I dried composedly my
hands and head, my face and hair ; then, returning the towel to
Jenny, I gave a deep sigh and said : <' Surely this is one of the
pleasant moments of life ".
Then, having set my dress to rights, and combed my hair
with a pocket comb, I followed Jenny, who conducted me back
through the long passage, and showed me into a neat, sanded
parlour on the ground floor.
I sat down by a window which looked out upon the dusty
street ; presently in came the handmaid, and commenced laying
the table-cloth. *' Shall I spread the table for one, sir,*' said she,
" or do you expect anybody to dine with you ? "
'' I can't say that I expect anybody," said I, laughing inwardly
to myself; "however, if you please you can lay for two, so that
if any acquaintance of mine should chance to step in, he ma^
find a knife and fork ready for him.''
So I sat by the window, sometimes looking out upon the dusty
street, and now glancing at certain old-fashioned prints which
adorned the wall over against me. I fell into a kind of doze,
from which I was almost instantly awakened by the opening of
the door. Dinner, thought I ; and I sat upright in my chair.
No, a man of the middle age, and rather above the middle
height dressed in a plain suit of black, made his appearance, and
sat down in a chair at some distance from me, but near to the
table, and appeared to be lost in thought.
'* The weather is very warm, sir," said I.
'' Very," said the stranger laconically, looking at me for the
first time.
^ Would you like to see the newspaper ? " said I, taking up
one which lay on the window seat.
*' I never read newspapers," said the stranger, " nor, indeed
^" Whatever it might be that he had intended to say he
left unfinished* Suddenly he walked to the mantelpiece at the
farther end of the room, before which he placed himself with his
back towards me. There he remained motionless for some time;
at length, raising his hand, he touched the comer of the mantel-
piece with his finger, advanced towards the chair which he had
left, and again seated himself.
" Have you come far ? " said he, suddenly looking towards me,
and speaking in a frank and open manner, which denoted a wish
to enter into conversation. " You do not seem to be of this
place."
1825.] THB INN. 531
*' I come from some distance,'* said I ; '* indeed, I am walking
for exercise, which I find as necessary to the mind as the body.
I believe tliat by exercise people would escape much mental
misery."
Scarcely had I uttered these words when the stranger laid his
hand, with seeming carelessness, upon the table, near one of the
glasses; after a moment or two he touched the glass with his
finger as if inadvertently, then, glancing furtively at me, he with-
drew his hand and looked towards the window.
** Are you from these parts ? '* said I at last, with apparent
carelessness.
** From this vidnity," replied the stranger. " You think, then,
that it is as easy to walk off the bad humours of the mind as of
the body."
" I, at least, am walking in that hope," said I.
'* I wish you may be successful/' said the stranger ; and here
he touched one of the forks which lay on the table near him.
Here the door, which was slightly ajar, was suddenly pushed
open with some fracas, and in came the stout landlord, support-
ing with some difficulty an immense dish, in which was a mighty
round mass of smoking meat garnished all round with vegetables ;
so high was the mass that it probably obstructed his view, for it
was not until he had placed it upon the table that he appeared
to observe the stranger ; he almost started, and quite out of
breath exclaimed : ** God bless me, your honour ; is your honour
the acquaintance that the young gentleman was expecting ? "
** Is the young gentleman expecting an acquaintance ? " said
the stranger.
There is nothing like putting a good face upon these matters,
thought I to myself; and^ getting up, I bowed to the unknown.
" Sir," said I, '* when I told Jenny that she might lay the table-
doth for two, so that in the event of any acquaintance dropping
in he might find a knife and fork ready for him, I was merdy
jocular, being an entire stranger in these parts, and expecting no
one. Fortune, however, it would seem, has been unexpectedly
kind to me; I flatter myself, sir, that since you have been in
this room I have had the honour of making your acquaintance ;
and in the strength of that hope I humbly entreat you to honour
me with your company to dinner, provided you have not already
dined"
The stfanger laughed outright*.
" Sir," I continued, '' the round of beef is a noble one, and
seems exceedingly wdl boiled, and the landlord was just right
552 LA VBNGRO. [1815.
when he said I should hare such a dinner as is not seen every
day. A round of beef, at any rate such a round of beef as this,
is seldom seen smoking upon the table in these degenerate times.
Allow me, sir," said I, observing that the stranger was about to
speak, " allow me another remark. I think I saw you just now
touch the fork, I venture to hail it as an omen that you will
presently seize it and apply it to its proper purpose, and its com-
panion the knife also."
The stranger changed colour^ and gazed upon me in silence.
'^Do, sir," here put in the landlord; "do, sir, accept the
young gentleman's invitation. Your honour has of late been
looking poorly, and the young gentleman is a funny 3roung gentle-
man, and a clever young gentleman ; and I think it will do your
honour good to have a dinner's chat with the young gentleman."
" It is not my dinner hour," said the stranger ; " I dine con-
siderably later ; taking anything now would only discompose me ;
I shall, however, be most happy to sit down with the young gentle-
man ; reach me that paper, and, when the young gentleman has
satisfied his appetite, we may perhaps have a little chat together."
The landlord handed the stranger the newspaper, and, bowing,
retired with his maid Jenny. I helped myself to a portion of the
smoking round, and commenced eating with no little appetite.
The stranger appeared to be soon engrossed with the newspaper.
We continued thus a considerable time — the one reading and the
other dining. Chancing suddenly to cast my eyes upon the
stranger, I saw his brow contract ; he gave a slight stamp with
his foot, and flung the newspaper to the ground, then stooping
down he picked it up, first moving his forefinger along the floor,
seemingly slightly scratching it with his nail.
''Do you hope, sir," said I, "by that ceremony with the
finger to preserve yourself from the evil chance ? "
The stranger started; then, after looking at me for some
time in silence, he said : " Is it possible that you ? "
"Ay, ay," said I, helping myself to some more of the round,
" I have touched myself in my younger days, both for the evil
chance and the good. Can't say, though, that I ever trusted
much in the ceremony."
The stranger made no reply, but appeared to be in deep
thought; nothing further passed between us until I had con-
cluded the dinner, when I said to him : " I shall now be most
happy, sir, to have the pleasure of your conversation over a pint
of winel**.
The stranger rose ; " No, my young firiend," said he, smiliiic,
i8as.] THB INVITATION. 333
'* that would scarce be fair. It is my turn now^-pray do me the
favour to go home with me, and accept what hospitality my poor
roof can offer ; to tell you the truth, I wish to have some par-
ticular discourse with you which would hardly be possible in this
place. As for wine, I can give you some much better than you
can get here ; the landlord is an excellent fellow, but he is an
innkeeper, after all. I am going out for a moment, and will send
him in, so that you may settle your account ; I trust you will not
refuse me, I only live about two miles from here."
I looked in the face of the stranger — it was a fine intelligent
face, with a cast of melancholy in it. " Sir,*' said I, " I would
go with you though you lived four miles instead of two.''
'* Who is that gentleman ? " said I to the landlord, after I
had settled his bill ; " I am going home with him."
" I wish I were going too," said the fat landlord, laying his
hand upon his stomach. ** Young gentleman, I shall be a loser
by his honour's taking you away ; but, after all, the truth is the
truth — ^there are few gentlemen in these parts like his honour^
either for learning or welcoming his friends. Young gentleman,
I congratulate you."
CHAPTER LXIV.
I FOUND the stranger awaiting me at the door of the inn. ''Like
yourself, I am fond of walking," said he, " and when any little
business calls me to this place I generally come on foot."
We were soon out of the town, and in a very beautiful country.
After proceeding some distance on the high road, we turned off,
and were presently in one of those mazes of lanes for which
England is famous ; the stranger at first seemed inclined to be
taciturn ; a few observations, however, which I made, appeared
to rouse him, and he soon exhibited not only considerable powers
of conversation, but stores of information which surprised me. So
pleased did I become with my new acquaintance, that I soon
ceased to pay the slightest attention either to place or distance.
At length the stranger was silent, and I perceived that we had
arrived at a handsome iron gate and a lodge ; the stranger having
rung a bell, the gate was opened by an old man, and we proceeded
along a gravel path, which in about five minutes brought us to a
large brick house, built something in the old French style, having
a spacious lawn before it, and immediately in fi*ont a pond in
which were golden fish, and in the middle a stone swan discharg-
ing quantities of water from its bill. We ascended a spacious
flight of steps to the door, which was at once flung open, and two
servants with powdered hair, and in livery of blue plush, came
out and stood one on either side as we passed the threshold. We
entered a large hall, and the stranger, taking me by the hand,
welcomed me to his poor home, as he called it, and then gave
orders to another servant, but out of livery, to show me to an
apartment, and give me whatever assistance I might require in my
toilette. Notwithstanding the plea as to primitive habits which I
had lately made to my other host in the town, I offered no objec-
tion to this arrangement, but followed the bowing domestic to a
spacious and airy chamber, where he rendered me all those little
nameless offices which the somewhat neglected state of my dress
required. When everything had been completed to my perfect
satisfaction, he told me that if I pleased he would conduct me to
the library, where dinner would be speedily served.
(334)
iSas] THE A UTHOR. 335
In the library I found a table laid for two ; my host was not
there, having as I supposed not been quite so speedy with his
toilette as his guest. Left alone, I looked round the apartment
with inquiring eyes ; it was long and tolerably lofty, the walls from
the top to the bottom were lined with cases containing books of
all sizes and bindings ; there was a globe or two, a couch, and an
easy chair. Statues and busts there were none, and only one
painting, a portrait, that of my host, but not him of the mansion.
Over the mantelpiece, the features staringly like, but so ridicu-
lously exaggerated that they scarcely resembled those of a human
being, daubed evidently by the hand of the commonest sign-artist,
hung a half-length portrait of him of round of beef celebrity — my
st4irdy host of the town.
I had been in the library about ten minutes, amusing myself
as I best could, when my friend entered^ he seemed to have
resumed bis taciturnity — scarce a word escaped his lips till dinner
was served, when he said, smiling : " I suppose it would be merely
a compliment to ask you to partake ? **
''I don't know," said I, seating myself; "your first course
consists of troutlets, I am fond of troutlets, and I always like to
be companionable."
The dinner was excellent, though I did but little justice to it
from the circumstance of having already dined ; the stranger also,
though without my excuse, partook but slightly of the good cheer;
he still continued taciturn, and appeared lost in thought, and
every attempt which I made to induce him to converse was signally
unsuccessful.
And now dinner was removed, and we sat over our wine, and
I remember that the wine was good, and fully justified the enco-
miums of my host of the town. Over the wine I made sure that
my entertainer would have loosened the chain which seemed to
tie his tongue — but no ! I endeavoured to tempt him by various
topics, and talked of geometry and the use of the globes, of the
heavenly sphere, and the star Jupiter, which I said I had heard
was a very large star, also of the evergreen tree, which, according
to Olaus, stood of old before the heathen temple of Upsal, and
which I affirmed was a yew — but no, nothing that I said could
induce my entertainer to relax his taciturnity.
It grew dark, and I became uncomfortable ; " I must presently
be going," I at last exclaimed.
At these words he gave a sudden start ; *' Going," said he,
" are you not my guest, and an honoured one ? "
" You know best," said I ; '* but I was apprehensive I was an
intruder ; to several of my questions you have returned no answer "
336 LA VBNGRO. [i^.
** Ten thousand pardons i " he e»chimed, seising me by the
hand; ''but you cannot go now, I have much to talk to you
about — there is one thing in particular "
" If it be the evergreen tree at Upsal," said I, interrupting
him, '* I hold it to have been a yew — what else ? The eveigreens
of the south, as the old bishop observes, will not grow in the norths
and a pine was unfitted for such a locality, being a vulgar tree.
What else could it have been but the yew — the sacred yew which
our ancestors were in the habit of planting in their churchyards ?
Moreover, I affirm it to have been the yew for the honour of the
tree ; for I love the yew, and had I home and land, I would have
one growing before my front windows."
"You would do right ; the yew is indeed a venerable tree, but
it is not about the yew."
** The star Jupiter, perhaps ? "
*' Nor the star Jupiter, nor its moons ; an observation which
escaped you at the inn has made a considerable impression upon me."
"But I really must take my departure," said I ; "the dark
hour is at hand."
And as I uttered these last words, the stranger touched rapidly
something which lay near him, I forget what it was. It was the
first action of the kind which I had observed on his part since we
sat down to table.
"You allude to the evil chance," said I ; "but it is getting
both dark and late."
" I believe we are going to have a storm," said my friend,
" but I really hope that you will give me your company for a day
or two ; I have, as I said before, much to talk to you about"
" Well," said I, " I shall be most happy to be your guest for
this night ; I am ignorant <^ the country, and it is not pleasant to
travel unknown paths by night — dear me, what a flash of lightning 1 "
It had become very dark ; suddenly a blaze of sheet-lightning
illumed the room. By the momentary light I distinctly saw my
host touch another object upon the table.
" Will you allow me to ask you a question or two ? " said he
at last.
" As many as you please," said I ; "but shall we not have lights?"
" Not unless you particularly wish it," said my entertainer ; *' 1
rather like the dark, and though a storm is evidently at hand, neither
thunder not lightning have any terrors for me. It is other things I
quakeat^-I should rather say ideas. Now, permit me toaskyou "
And then my entertainer asked me various questions, to all
of which I answered unreservedly ; he was then silent for some
i8a5.] THB TOUCHING STORY. 337
time, at last he exclaimed : " I should wish to tell you the history
of my life ; though not an adventurous one, I think it contains
some things which will interest you ".
Without waiting for my reply he began. Amidst darkness
and gloom, occasionally broken by flashes of lightning, the
stranger related to me, as we sat at the table in the library, his
truly touching history.
" Before proceeding to relate the events of my life, it will not
be amiss to give you some account of my ancestors. My great-
grandfather on the male side was a silk mercer, in Cheapside, who,
when he died, left his son, who was his only child, a fortune oJf
one hundred thousand pounds, and a splendid business ; the son,
however, had no inclination for trade, the summit of his ambition
was to be a country gentleman, to found a family, and to pass
the remainder of his days in rural ease and digni^, and all this
he managed to accomplish; he disposed of his business, pur-
chased a beautiful and extensive estate for four score thousand
pounds, built upon it the mansion to which I had the honour of
welcoming you to-day, married the daughter of a neighbouring
squire, who brought him a fortune of five thousand pounds,
became a magistrate, and only wanted a son and heir to make
him completely happy; this blessing, it is true, was for a long
time denied him ; it came, however, at last, as is usual, when least
expected. His lady was brought to bed of my father, and then
who so happy a man as my grandsire ; he gave away two thousand
pounds in charities, and in the joy of his heart made a speech at
the next quarter sessions ; the rest of his life was spent in ease,
tranquillity and rural dignity; he died of apoplexy on the day that
my father came of age ; perhaps it would be difficult to mention
a man who in all respects was so fortunate as my grandfather;
his death was sudden, it is true, but I am not one of those who
pray to be delivered from a sudden death.
" I should not call my father a fortunate man ; it is true that
he had the advantage of a first-rate education ; that he made the
grand tour with a private tutor, as was the fashioi^ at that time ;
&at he came to a splendid fortune on the very day that he came
of age ; that for many years he tasted all the diversions of the
capital ; that, at last determined to settle, he married the sister of
a baronet, an amiable and accomplished lady, with a large fortune ;
that he had the best stud of hunters in the county, on which,
during the season, he followed the fox gallantly ; had he been a
fortunate man he would never have cursed his fate, as he was
frequently known to do ; ten months after his marriage his horse
32
S3S LA VBMGRO. (1895.
fell upon him, and so injured him, that he expired in a few days
in great agony. My grandfather was, indeed, a fortunate man;
when he died he was followed to the grave by the tears of the
poor — my father was not
" Two remarkable circumstances are coimected with my birth
— I am a posthumous child, and came into the world some weeks
before the usual time, the shock which my mother experienced
at my father's death having brought on the pangs of premature
labour ; both my mother's life and my own were at first despaired
of; we both, however, survived the crisis. My mother loved me
with the most passionate fondness, and I was brought up in this
house under her own eye — I was never sent to schooL
" I have already told you that mine is not a tale of adventure ;
my life has not been one of action, but of wild imaginings and
strange sensations; I was bom with excessive sensibility, and
that has been my bane. I have not been a fortunate man.
" No one is fortunate unless he is happy, and it is impossible
for a being constructed like myself to be happy for an hour, or
even enjoy peace and tranquillity ; most of our pleasures and pains
are th^ effects of imagination, and wherever the sensibility is
great, the imagination is great also. No sooner has my imagina-
tion raised up an image of pleasure, than it is sure to conjure up
one of distress and gloom ; these two antagonistic ideas instantly
commence a struggle in my mind, and the gloomy one generally,
I may say invariably, prevails. How is it possible that I should
be a happy man?
" It has invariably been so with me from the earliest period
that I can remember; the first playthings that were given me
caused me for a few minutes excessive pleasure ; they were pretty
and glittering; presently, however, I became anxious and per-
plexed, I wished to know their history, how they were made, and
what of — were the materials precious; I was not satisfied with
their outward appearance. In less than an hour I had broken the
playthings in an attempt to discover what they were made of.
" When I was eight years of age my uncle the baronet, who
was also my godfather, sent me a pair of Norway hawks, with
directions for managing them ; he was a great fowler. Oh, how
rejoiced was I with the present which had been made me, my joy
lasted for at least five minutes ; I would let them breed, I would
have a house of hawks ; yes, that I would — but—and here came
the unpleasant idea — suppose they were to fly away, how veiy
annoying ! Ah, but, said hope, there's little fear of that ; feed
them well and they will never fiy away, or if they do they will
iflasl ^^^ TOUCHING STORY. 559
come back, my uncle says so ; so sunshine triumphed for a little
time. Then the strangest of all doubts came into my head ; I
doubted the legality of my tenure of these hawks ; how did I
come by them? why, my uncle gave them to me, but how did
they come into his possession? what right had he to them?
after all, they might not be his to give^ — I passed a sleepless
night. The next morning I found that the man who brought
the hawks had not departed* ' How came my uncle by these
hawks?' I anxiously inquired. 'They were sent to him from
Norway, master, with another pair.' 'And who sent them?'
*That I don't know, master, but I suppose his honour can
tell you.' I was even thmking of scrawling a letter to my
unde to make inquiry on this point, but shame restrained me,
and I likewise reflected that it would be impossible for him to
give my mind entire satisfaction ; it is true he could tell who
sent him the hawks, but how was he to know how the hawks came
into the possession of those who sent them to him, and by what
right they possessed them or the parents of the hawks. In a
word, I wanted a clear valid title, as lawyers would say, to my
hawks, and I believe no title would have satisfied me that did not
extend up to the time of the first hawk, that is, prior to Adam ;
and, could I have obtained such a title, I make no doubt that,
young as I was, I should have suspected that it was full of flaws.
" I was now disgusted with the hawks, and no wonder, seeing
all the disquietude they had caused me ; I soon totally neglected
the poor birds, and they would have starved had not some of the
servants taken compassion upon them and fed them. My uncle,
soon hearing of my neglect, was angry, and took the birds away;
he was a very good-natured man, however, and soon sent me a
fine pony ; at first I was charmed with the pony, soon, however,
the same kind of thoughts arose which had disgusted me on a
former occasion. How did my uncle become possessed of the
pony ? This question I asked him the first time I saw him. Oh,
he had bought it of a gypsy, that I might learn to ride upon it.
A gypsy; I had heard that gypsies were great thieves, and I
instantly began to fear that the gypsy had stolen the pony, and it
is probable that for this apprehension I had better grounds than
for many others. I instantly ceased to set any value upon the
pony, but for that reason, perhaps, I turned it to some account ;
I mounted it, and rode it about, which I don't think I should
have done had I looked upon it as a secure possession. Had I
looked upon my title as secure, I should have prized it so much
that I should scarcely have mounted it for fear of injuring the
340 LA VBNGRO. [i8ts-
animal ; but now, caring not a straw for it, I rode it most un-
mercifully, and soon became a capital rider. This was very selfish
in me, and I tell the fact with shame. I was punished, however^
as I deserved ; the pony had a spirit of its own, and, moreover, it
bad belonged to gypsies ; once, as I was riding it furiously over
the lawn, applying both whip and spur, it suddenly lifted up its
heels, and flung me at least five yards over its head. I received
some desperate contusions, and was taken up for dead ; it was
many months before I perfectly recovered.
^ But it is time for me to come to the touching part of my
story. There was one thing that I loved better than the choicest
gift which could be bestowed upon me, better than life itself
— ^my mother; at length she became unwell, and the diought
that I might possibly lose her now rushed into my mind for the
first time ; it was terrible, and caused me unspeakable misery, I
may say horror. My mother became worse^ and I was not allowed
to enter her apartment, lest by my frantic exclamations of grief I
might aggravate her disorder. I rested neither day nor night, but
roamed about the house like one distracted. Suddenly I found
myself doing that which even at the time struck me as being highly
singular ; I found myself touching particular objects that were near
me, and to which my fingers seemed to be attracted by an irresistible
impulse. It was now the table or the chair that I was compelled
to touch ; now the bell-rope ; now the handle of the door ; now
I would touch the wall, and the next moment stooping down, I
would place the point of my finger upon the floor : and so I con-
tinued to do day after day ; frequently I would struggle to resist
the impulse, but invariably in vain. I have even rushed away
firom the objecti but I was sure to return, the impulse was too
strong to be resisted : I quickly hurried back, compelled by the
feeling within me to touch the object. Now, I need not tell you
that what impelled me to these actions was the desire to prevent
my mother's death ; whenever I touched any particular object, it
was with the view of baffling the evil chance, as you would call it
— in this instance my mother's death.
" A favourable crisis occurred in my mother's complaint, and she
recovered ; this crisis took place about six o'clock in the morning ;
almost simultaneously with it there happened to myself a rather
remarkable circumstance connected with the nervous feeling
which was rioting in my system. I was lying in bed in a kind of
uneasy doze, the only kind of rest which my anxiety, on account
of my mother, permitted me at this time to take, when all at once
I sprang up as if electrified, the mysterious impulse was upon
iSas-] THB TOUCHING STORT. 341
mCt and it urged me to go without delay, and climb a stately elm
behind the house, and touch the topmost branch ; otherwise — ^you
know the rest — ^the evil chance would prevail. Aficustomed for
some time as I had been, under this impulse, to perform extrava-
gant actions, I confess to you that the difficulty and peril of such
a feat startled me; I reasoned against the feeling, and strove
more strenuously than I had ever done before ; I even made a
solemn vow not to give way to the temptation, but I believe nothing
less than chains, and those strong ones, could have restrained me.
The demoniac influence, for I can call it nothing else, at length
prevailed ; it compelled roe to rise^ to dress myself, to descend
the stairs, to unbolt the door, and to go forth ; it drove me to the
foot of the tree, and it compelled me to climb the trunk ; this was
a tremendous task, and I only accomplished it after repeated falls
and trials. When I had got amongst the branches, I rested for
a time, and then set about accomplishing the remainder of the
ascent ; this for some time was not so difficult, for I was now
amongst the branches; as I approached the top, however, the
difficulty became greater, and likewise the danger; but I was a
light boy, and almost as nimble as a squirrel, and, moreover, the
nervous feeling was within me, impelling me upward. It was
only by means of a spring, however, that I was enabled to touch
the top of the tree ; I sprang, touched the top of the tree, and fell
a distance of at least twenty feet, amongst the branches ; had I
Cedlen to the bottom I must have been killed, but I fell into the
middle of the tree, and presently found myself astride upon one of
the boughs ; scratched and bruised all over, I reached the ground,
and regained my chamber unobserved ; I flung myself on my bed
quite exhausted ; presently they came to tell me that my mother
was better — they found me in the state which I have de-
scribed, and in a fever besides. The favourable crisis must
have occurred just about the time that I performed the magic
touch ; it certainly was a curious coincidence, yet I was not weak
enough, even though a child, to suppose that I had bafiled the
evil chance by my daring feat.
''Indeed, all the time that I was performing these strange
feats, I knew them to be highly absurd, yet the impulse to perform
them was irresistible — a mysterious dread hanging over me till
I had given way to it ; even at that early period I frequently used
to reason within myself as to what could be the cause of my pro-
pensity to touch, but of course I could come to no satisfactory
conclusion respecting it ; being heartily ashamed of the practice,
I never spoke of it to any one, and was at all times highly
solicitous that no one should observe my weakness.**
CHAPTER LXV.
After a short pause my host resumed his narration. "^Though
I was never sent to school^ my education was not n^lected on
that account; I had tutors in various branches of knowledge,
under whom I made a tolerable progress; by the time I was
eighteen I was able to read most of the Greek and Latin authors
with facility ; I was likewise, to a certain degree, a mathematician.
'* I cannot say that I took much pleasure in my studies ; my
chief aim in endeavouring to accomplish my tasks was to give
pleasure to my beloved parent, who watched my progress with
anxiety truly maternal My life at this period may be summed
up in a few words; I pursued my studies, roamed about the
woods, walked the green lanes occasionally, cast my fly in a trout
stream, and sometimes, but not often, rode a hunting with my
uncle.
" A considerable part of my time was devoted to my mother,
conversing with her and reading to her ; youthful companions I
had none, and as to my mother, she lived in the greatest retire-
ment, devoting herself to the superintendence of my education,
and the practice of acts of charity ; nothing could be more inno-
cent than this mode of life, and some people say that in innocence
there is happiness, yet I can't say that I was happy. A continual
dread overshadowed my mind, it was the dread of my.mother*s
death. Her constitution had never been strong, and it had been
considerably shaken by her last illness ; this I knew, and this I
saw — for the eyes of fear are marvellously keen. Well, things
went on in this way till I had come of age ; my tutors were then
dismissed, and my uncle the baronet took me in hand, telling my
mother liiat tt was high time for him to exert his authority ; that
I must see something of the world, for that, if I remained much
longer with her, I should be ruined. * You must consign him to
me,' said he, 'and I will introduce him to the world.' My mother
sighed and consented ; so my uncle the baronet introduced me to
the world, took me to horse races and to London, and endeavoured
to make a man of me according to his idea of the term, and in part
(342)
i8a5.] STORY CONTINUED. 343
succeeded. I became moderately dissipated — I say modeniteiyy
for dissipation had but little xest for me.
''Id this manner four years passed over. It happened that I
was in London in the height of the season with my uncle, at his
house; one morning he summoned me into the parlour, he was
standing before the fire, and looked very serious* ' I have had a
letter,' said he; 'your mother is very ill.' I staggered, and
touched the nearest object to me; nothing was said for two or
three minutes, and then my uncle put his lips to my ear and
whispered something. I fell down senseless. My mother was
I remember nothing for a long time — ^for two years I was out
of my mind ; at the end of this time I recovered, or partly so.
My uncle the baronet was very kind to me ; he advised me to
travel, he offered to go with me. I told him he was very kind,
but I would rather go by myself. So I went abroad, and saw,
amongst other things, Rome and the Pyramids. By frequent
change of scene my mind became not happy, but tolerably tranquil.
I continued abroad some years, when, becoming tired of travelling,
I came home, found my uncle the baronet alive, hearty, and
unmarried, as he still is. He received me very kindly, took me
to Newmarket, and said that he hoped by this time I was become
quite a man of the world ; by his advice I took a house in town,
in which I lived during the season. In summer I strolled from
one watering-place to another ; and, in order to pass the time, I
became very dissipated.
"At last I became as tired of dissipation as I had previously
been of travelling, and I determined to retire to the country, and
live on my paternal estate; this resolution I was not slow in
putting into effect ; I sold my house in town, repaired and re- ,
furnished my country house, and for at least ten years, lived a
regular country life ; I gave dinner parties, prosecuted poachers,
was charitable to the poor, and now and then went into my library ;
during this time I was seldom or never visited by the magic
impulse, the reason being, that there was nothing in the wide
world for which I cared sufficiently to move a finger to preserve it.
When the ten years, however, were nearly ended, I started out
of bed one morning in a fit of horror, exclaiming, ' Mercy, mercy I
what will become of me? I am afraid I shall go mad. I hove
lived thirty-five years and upwards without doing anything ; shall
I pass through life in this manner ? Horror 1 ' And thei> in
vapid succession I touched three different objects.
" I dressed myself and went down, determining to set about
something ; but what was I to do P-^there was the difficulty. I
544 ^^ VBNGRO. [1825.
ate no breakfast, but walked about the room in a state of distrac-
tion ; at last I thought that the easiest way to do something was
to get into Parliament, there would be no difficulty in that. I had
plenty of money, and could buy a seat : but what was I to do in
Parliament ? Speak, of course-— but could I speak ? ' 111 try at
once^' said I, and forthwith I rushed into the largest dining-room,
and, locking the door, I commenced speaking ; ' Mr. Speaker,' said
I, and then I went on speaking for about ten minutes as I best could,
and then I left off, for I was talking nonsense. No, I was not
formed for Parliament ; I could do nothing there. What — what
was I to do ?
'*Many, many times I thought this question over, but was
unable to solve it ; a fear now stole over me that I was unfit for
anything in the world, save the lazy life of vegetation which I had for
many years been leading ; yet, if that were the case, thought I, why the
craving within me to distinguish myself? Surely it does not occur
fortuitously, but is intended to rouse and call into exercise certain
latent powers that I possess? and then with infinite eagerness I
set about attempting to discover these latent powers. I tried an
infinity of pursuits, botany and geology amongst the rest, but in
vain ; I was fitted for none of them. I became very sorrowful
and despondent, and at one time I had almost resolved to plunge
again into the whirlpool of dissipation ; it was a dreadful resource,
it was true, but what better could I do?
" But I was not doomed to return to the dissipation of the
world. One morning a young nobleman, who had for some time
past shown a wish to cultivate my acquaintance, came to me in a
considerable huny. ' I am come to beg an important favour of
you,' said he; 'one of the county memberships is vacant — I
intend to become a candidate ; what I want immediately is a
spirited address to the electors. I have been endeavouring to
frame one all the morning, but in vain ; I have, therefore, recourse
to you as a person of infinite genius; pray, my dear friend,
concoct me one by the morning.' ' What you require of me,' I
replied, * is impossible ; I have not the gift of words ; did I possess
it I would stand for the county myself, but I can't speak. Only
the other day I attempted to make a speech, but left off suddenly,
utterly ashamed, although I was quite alone, of the nonsense I
was uttering.' * It is not a speech that I want,' said my friend,
'I can talk for three hours without hesitating, but I want an
address to circulate through the county, and I ^nd myself utterly
incompetent to put one together ; do oblige me by writing one for
mCf I know you can ; and, if at any time you want a person to
iSas] THB SURPRISE. 345
speak for you, you may command me not for three but for six
hours. Good morning ; to-morrow I will breakfast with you.' In
the morning he came again. 'WelV said he, 'what success?'
'Very poor,' said I; *but judge for yourself;' and I put into
his hand a manuscript of several pages. My friend read it through
with considerable attention. ' I congratulate you,' said he, * and
likewise myself; I was not mistaken in my opinion of you; the
address is too long by at least two-thirds, or I should rather say it
is longer by two-thirds than addresses generally are; but it will
do — I will not curtail it of a word. I shall win my election.'
And in truth he did win his election ; and it was not only his
own but the general opinion that he owed it to the address.
** But, however that might be, I had, by writing the address,
at last discovered what had so long eluded my search — ^what I
was able to do. I, who had neither the nerve nor the command
of speech necessary to constitute the orator — who had not the
power of patient research required by those who would investigate
the secrets of nature^ had, nevertheless, a ready pen and teeming
imagination. This discovery decided my fote — ^from that moment
I b^iame an author.'*
CHAPTER LXVI.
''An author," said I, addressing my host; "is it possible that I
am under the roof of an author?"
''Yes/' said my host, sighing, "my name is so and so, and I
am the author of so and so ; it is more than probable that you
have heard both of my name and works. I will not detain you
much longer wi^h my history ; the night is advancing, and the
storm appears to be upon the increase. My life since the period
of my becoming an author may be summed briefly as an almost
uninterrupted series of doubts, anxieties and trepidations. I see
clearly that it is not good to love anything immoderately in this
world, but it has been my misfortune to love immodeiatdy every-
thing on which I have set my heart This is not good, I repeat —
but where is the remedy ? The ancients were always in the habit
of saying, 'Practise moderation,' but the ancients appear to have
considered only one portion of the subject It is very possible to
practice moderation in some things, in drink and the like — to
restrain the appetites — ^but can a man restrain the affections of his
mind, and tell them, so far you shall go, and no farther ? Alas,
no ! for the mind is a subtle principle, and cannot be confined.
The winds may be imprisoned ; Homer says that Odysseus carried
certain winds in his ship, confined in leathern bags, but Homer
never speaks of confining the affections. It were but right that
those who exhort us against inordinate affections, and setting our
hearts too much upon the world and its vanities, would tdl us
how to avoid doing so.
" I need scarcely tell you, that no sooner did I become an
author, than I gave myself up immoderately to my vocation. It
became my idol, and, as a necessary consequence, it has proved a
source of misery and disquietude to me, instead of pleasure and
blessing. I had trouble enough in writing my first work, and I
was not long in discovering that it was one thing to wn'te a stirring
and spirited address to a set of county electors, and another widely
different to produce a work at all calculated to make an impression
upon the great world. I felt, however, that I was in my pn^>er
(346)
1825.1 THE SEQUEL. 347
sphere, and by dint of unwearied diligence and exertion I succeeded
in evolving from the depths of my agitated breast a work which,
though it did not exacdy please me, I thought would serve to
make an experiment upon the public; so I laid it before the
public, and the reception which it met with was far beyond my
wildest expectations. The public were delighted with it, but
what were my feelings ? Anything, alas ! but those of delight
No sooner did the public express its satisfaction at the result of
my endeavours, than my perverse imagination began to conceive
a thousand chimerical doubts ; forthwith I sat down to analyse it ;
and my worst enemy, and all people have their enemies, especially
authors — my worst enemy could not have discovered or sought
to discover a tenth part of the faults which I, the author and
creator of the unfortunate production, found or sought to find in
it. It has been said that love makes us blind to the &ults of the
loved object— common love does, perhaps — ^the love of a father
to his child, or that of a lover to his mistress, but not the inordin-
ate love of an author to his works, at least not the love which one
like myself bears to his works : to be brief, I discovered a thousand
feults in my work, which neither public nor critics discovered.
However, I was beginning to get over this misery, and to forgive
my work all its imperfections, when — and I shake when I mention
it — ^the same kind of idea which perplexed me with regard to the
hawks and the gypsy pony rushed into my mind, and I forthwith
commenced touching the objects around me, in order to baffle the
evil chance, as you call it ; it was neither more nor less than a
doubt of the l^ality of my claim to the thoughts, expressions and
situations contained in the book ; that is, to all that constituted
the book. How did I get them 1^ How did they come into my
mind? Did I invent them? Did they originate with myself?
Are they my own, or are they some other body's? You see into
what difficulty I had got ; I won't trouble you by relating all that
I endured at that time, but will merely say that after eating my
own heart, as the Italians say, and touching every object that
came in my way for six months, I at length flung my book, I
mean the copy of it which I possessed, into the fire, and began
another.
*' But it was all in vain ; I laboured at this other, finished it,
and gave it to the world ; and no sooner had I done so, than the
same thought was busy in my brain, poisoning all the pleasure
which I should otherwise have derived from my work. How did
I get all the matter which composed it ? Out of my own mind,
unquestionably ; but how did it come there — ^was it the indigenous
34* LA VBNGRO. [i8s»
growth of the mind ? Aiid then I would sit down and pondei
over the various scenes and adventures in my bode, endeavouring
to ascertain how I came originally to devise them, and by dint
of reflecting I remembered that to a sin^ word in convenalion,
or some simple accident in a street, or on a road, I was indebted
for some of the happiest portions of my work ; they were but tiny
seeds, it is true, which in the soil of my imagination had subse-
quently become stately trees, but I reflected that without them no
stately trees would have been produced, and that, consequently^
only a part in the merit of these compositions which charmed the
world — for they did charm the world — ^was due to myself Thus»
a dead fly was in my phiai, poisoning all the pleasure which I
should otherwise have derived from the result of my brain sweat.
* How hard 1 * I would exclaim, looking up to the sky, ' how hard I
I am like Virgil's sheep, bearing fleeces not for themselves/ But,
not to tire you, it fared with my second work as it did with my
flrst ; I flung it aside and, in order to forget it, I began a third,
on which I am now occupied; but the difficulty of writing
it is immense, my extreme desire to be original sadly cramping
the powers of my mind ; my fastidiousness being so great that I
invariably reject whatever ideas I do not think to be legitimately
my own. But there is one circumstance to which I cannot help
alluding here, as it serves to show what miseries this love of
originality must needs bring upon an author. I am constantly
discovering that, however original I may wish to be, I am continu-
ally producing the same things which other people say or write.
Whenever, after producing something which gives me perfect
satisfaction, and which has cost me perhaps days and nights of
brooding, I chance to take up a book for the sake of a little
relaxation, a book which I never saw before, I am sure to find in
it something more or less resembling some part of what I have
been just composing. You will easily conceive the distress which
then comes over me; 'tis then that I am almost tempted to
execrate the chance which, by discovering my latent powers,
induced me to adopt a profession of such anxiety and misery.
** For some time past I have given up reading almost entirely,
owing to the dread which I entertain of lighting upon something
similar to what I myself have written. I scarcely ever transgress
without having almost instant reason to repent. To-day, when I
took up the newspaper, I saw in a speech of the Duke of Rhodo
dendron, at an agricultural dinner, the very same ideas, and
almost the same expressions which I had put into the mouth of
an imaginary personage of mine, on a widely diflerent occasion ;
18S5-] THB SEQUEL. 549
you saw how I dashed the newspaper down — ^you saw how I
touched the floor; the touch was to baffle the evil chance, to
prevent the critics detecting any similarity between the speech of
the Duke of Rhododendron at the agricultural dinner, and the
speech of my personage. My sensibility on the subject of my
writings is so great, that sometimes a chance word is sufficient
to unman me, I apply it to them in a superstitious sense ; for
example, when you said some time ago that the dark hour was
coming on, I applied it to my works — it appeared to bode them
evil fortune; you saw how I touched, it was to baffle the evil
chance ; but I do not confine myself to touching when the fear of
the evil chance is upon me. To baffle it I occasionally perform
actions which must appear highly incomprehensible ; I have been
known, when riding in company with other people, to leave the
direct road, and make a long circuit by a miry lane to the place
to which we were going. I have also been seen attempting to
ride across a morass, where I had no business whatever, and in
which my horse finally sank up to its saddle-girths, and was only
extricated by the help of a multitude of hands. I have, of course,
frequently been asked the reason for such conduct, to which I
have invariably returned no answer, for I scorn dupUcity ; where-
upon people have looked mysteriously, and sometimes put their
fingers to their foreheads. * And yet it can't be,' I once heard an
old gentleman say; 'don't we know what he is capable of?' and
the old man was right ; I merely did these things to avoid the
evil chance, impelled by the strange feeling within me ; and this
evil chance is invariably connected with my writings, the only
things at present which render life valuable to me. If I touch
various objects, and ride into miry places, it is to baffle any
mischance befalling me as an author, to prevent my books getting
into disrepute ; in nine cases out of ten to prevent any expressions,
thoughts or situations in any work which I am writing from re-
sembling the thoughts, expressions and situations of other authors,
for my great wish, as I told you before, is to be original.
" I have now related my history, and have revealed to you the
secrets of my inmost bosom. I should certainly not have spoken
so unreservedly as I have done, had I not discovered in you a
kindred spirit I have long wished for an opportunity of dis-
coursing on the point which forms the peculiar feature of my
history with a being who could understand me ; and truly it was
a lucky chance which brought you to these parts ; you who seem to
be acquainted with all things strange and singular, and who are
as well acquainted with the subject of the magic touch as with aU
that relates to the star Jupiter, or the mysterious tree at Upsal."
350 LA VSNGRO. [iSas-
Such was the story which my host related to me in the library,
amidst the darkness, occasionally broken by flashes of lightning.
Both of us remained silent for some time after it was concluded.
" It is a singular story," said I, at last^ " though I confess that
I was prepared for some part of it. Will you permit me to ask
you a question ? "
" Certainly/' said my host
" Did you never speak in public ? " said I.
" Never."
" And when you made this speech of yours in the dining-room,
commencing with Mr. Speaker, no one was present ? "
^ None in the world, I double-locked the door ; what do you
mean ? "
" An idea came into my head — dear me» how the rain is pour*
ing — ^but, with respect to your present troubles and anxieties,
would it not be wise, seeing that authorship causes you so much
trouble and anxiety, to give it up altogether ? "
"Were you an author yourself," replied my host, "you would
not talk in this manner ; once an author, ever an author — ^besides,
whft could I do ? return to my former state of vegetation ? no,
much as I endure, I do not wish that ; besides, every now and
then my reason tells me that these troubles and anxieties a( mine
are utterly without foundation ; that whatever I write is the legiti-
mate growth of my own mind, and that it is the height of folly to
afflict myself at any chance resemblance between my own thoughts
and those of other writers, such resemblance being inevitable from
the fact of our common human origin. In short "
" I understand you," said I ; " notwithstanding your troubles
and anxieties you find life very tolerable ; has your originality ever
been called in question ? "
'* On the contrary, every one declares that originality con-
stitutes the most remarkable feature of my writings ; the man has
some faults, they say, but want of originality is certainly not one
of them. He is quite different from others ; a certain newspaper,
it is true, the ^ I think, once insinuated that in a certain work
of mine I had taken a hint or two from the writings of a couple of
authors which it mentioned; it happened, however, that I had
never even read one syllable of the writings of either, and of one
of them had never even heard the name ; so much for the dis-
crimination of the By-the-bye, what a rascally newspaper
that is ! "
"A very rascally newspaper," said I.
» Jl/5.. "The Times".
CHAPTER LXVIL
During the greater part of that night my slumbers were disturbed
by strange dreams* Amongst other things, I fancied that I was
my host; my head appeared to be teeming with wild thoughts
and imaginations, out of which I was endeavouring to frame a
book. And now the book was finished and given to the world,
and the world shouted ; and all eyes were turned upon me, and I
shrunk from the eyes of the world. And, when I got into retired
places, I touched various objects in order to baffle the evil chance.
In short, during the whole night, I was acting over the story which
I had beard before I went to bed.
At about eight o'clock I awoke. The storm had long since
passed away, and the morning was bright and shining ; my couch
was so soft and luxurious that I felt loth to quit it, so I lay some
time, my eyes wandering about the magnificent room to which
fortune had conducted me in so singular a manner; at last I
heaved a sigh ; I was thinking of my own homeless conditi(Mi, and
imagining where I should find myself on the following morning.
Unwilling, however, to indulge in melancholy thoughts, I sprang
out of b^ and proceeded to dress myself, and, whilst dressing, I
felt an irresistible inclination to touch the bed-post.
I finished dressing and left the room, feeling compelled, how-
ever, as I left it, to touch the lintel of the door. Is it possible,
thought I, that from what I have lately heard the long-forgotten in-
fluence should have possessed me again ? but I will not give way to
it ; so I hurried down stairs, resisting as I went a certain inclination
which I occasionally felt to touch the rail of the bannister. I was
presently upon the gravel walk before the house : it was indeed a
glorious morning. I stood for some time observing the golden
fish disporting in the waters of the pond, and then strolled about
amongst the noble trees of the park ; the beauty and freshness of
the morning — for the air had been considerably cooled by the late
storm — soon enabled me to cast away the gloomy ideas which had
previously taken possession of my mind, and, after a stroll of about
half an hour, I returned towards the house in high spirits. It is
(35')
554 LA VBNGRO. [1825.
true that once I felt very much inclined to go and touch the leaves
of a flowery shrub which I saw at some distance, and had even
moved two or three paces towards it ; but, bethinking myself, I
manfully resisted the temptation. " Begone 1 " I exclaimed, " ye
sorceries, in which I formerly trusted — begone for ever vagaries
which I had almost forgotten ; good luck is not to be obtained,
or bad averted, by magic touches ; besides, two wizards in one
parish would be too much, in all conscience."
I returned to the house, and entered the library; breakfast
was laid on the table, and my friend was standing before the
portrait which I have already said hung above the mantelpiece ; so
intently was he occupied in gazing at it that he did not hear me
enter, nor was aware of my presence till I advanced close to him
and spoke, when he turned round, and shook me by the hand.
'*What can possibly have induced you to hang that portrait
up in your library ? it is a staring likeness, it is true, but it appears
to me a wretched daub."
" Daub as you call it," said my friend, smiling, " 1 would not
part with it for the best piece of Raphael For many a happy
thought I am indebted to that picture — it is my principal source
of inspiration ; when my imagination flags, as of course it occa-
sionally does, I stare upon those features, and forthwith strange
ideas of fun and drollery begin to flow into my mind ; these I
round, amplify, or combine into goodly creations, and bring forth
as I find an opportunity. It is true that I am occasionally tor-
mented by the thought that, by doing this, I am committing
plagiarism ; though in that case, all thoughts must be plagiarisms,
all that we think being the result of what we hear, see or feel.
What can I do ? I must derive my thoughts from some source
or other ; and, after all, it is better to plagiarise from the features
of my landlord than from the works of Butler and Cervantes.
My works, as you are aware, are of a serio-comic character. My
neighbours are of opinion that I am a great reader, and so I am,
but only of those features — my real library is that picture."
** But how did you obtain it?"
"Some years ago a travelling painter came into this neigh-
bourhood, and my jolly host, at the request of his wife, consented
to sit for his portrait ; she highly admired the picture, but she
soon died, and then my fat friend, who is of an aflectionate dis-
position, said he could not bear the sight of it, as it put him in
mind of his poor wife. I purchased it of him for five pounds —
I would not take five thousand for it ; when you called that
picture a daub, you did not see all the poetry of it"
ift»5.) THB RBV. MR. PLATITUDB. 353
We sat down to breakfast ; my entertainer appeared to be in
much better spirits than on the preceding day ; I did not observe
him touch once ; ere breakfast was over a servant entered — ''The
Reverend Mr. Platitude, sir/' said he.
A shade of dissatisfaction came over the countenance of my
host. ''What does the silly pestilent fellow mean by coming
here?'' said he, half to himself; "let him come in/' said he to
the servant.
The servant went out, and in a moment reappeared, intro-
ducing the Reverend Mr. Platitude. The Reverend Mr, Plati-
tude, having what is vulgarly called a game leg, came shambling
into the room ; he was about thirty years of age, and about five
feet three inches high ; his face was of the colour of pepper, and
nearly as rugged as a nutmeg grater ; his hair was black ; with his
eyes he squinted, and grinned with his lips, which were very much
apart, disclosing two very irregular rows of teeth ; he was dressed
in the true I/ndtical fashion, in a suit of spotless black, and a
neckerchief of spotless white.
The Reverend Mr. Platitude advanced winking and grinning
to my entertainer, who received him politely but with evident
coldness ; nothing daunted, however, the Reverend Mr. Platitude
took a seat by the table, and, being asked to take a cup of coffee,
winked, grinned and consented.
In company I am occasionally subject to fits of what is gener-
ally called absence ; my mind takes flight and returns to former
scenes, or presses forward into the future. One of these fits of
absence came over me at this time — I looked at the Reverend
Mr. Platitude for a moment, heard a word or two that proceeded
from his mouth, and saying to myself, " You are no man for me,"
fell into a fit of musing — ^into the same train of thought as in the
morning, no very pleasant one — I was thinking of the future.
I continued in my reverie for some time, and probably should
have continued longer, had I not been suddenly aroused by the
voice of Mr. Platitude raised to a very high key. " Yes, my dear
sir," said he, " it is but too true ; I have it on good authority — ^a
gone church — a lost church — a ruined church — ^a demolished
church is the Church of England. Toleration to Dissenters!
oh, monstrous!"
" I suppose," said my host, " that the repeal of the Test Acts
will be merely a precursor of the emancipation of the Papists? "
" Of the Catholics," said the Reverend Mr. Platitude. " Ahem.
There was a time, as I believe you are aware, my dear sir, when
I f ms as much opposed to the emancipation of the Catholics as it
23
[
354 LA VBNGRO. [xSas
was possible for any one to be; but I was prejudiced, my dear
sir, labouring under a cloud of most unfortunate prejudice ; but
I thank my Maker I am so no longer. I have travelled, as you
are aware. It is only by travelling that one can rub off pre-
judices ; I think you will agree with me there. I am speaking
to a traveller. I left behind all my prejudices in Italy. The
Catholics are at least our fellow-Christians. I thank Heaven
that I am no longer an enemy to Catholic emancipation."
'*And yet you would not tolerate Dissenters?''
"Dissenters, my dear sir; I hope you would not class such a
set as the Dissenters with Catholics?''
** Perhaps it would be unjust," said my host, "though to
which of the two parties is another thing ; but permit me to ask
you a question : Does it not smack somewhat of paradox to talk
of Catholics, whilst you admit there are Dissenters? If there are
Dissenters, how should there be Catholics?"
"It is not my fault that there are Dissenters," said the
Reverend Mr. Platitude; "if I had my will I would neither
admit there were any, nor permit any to be."
" Of course you would admit there were such as long as they
existed ; but how would you get rid of them ? "
" I would have the Church exert its authority."
"What do you mean by exerting its authority?"
" I would not have the Church bear the sword in vain."
"What, the sword of St. Peter? You remember what the
founder of the religion which you profess said about the sword,
' He who striketh with it ' I think those who have called
themselves the Church have had enough of the sword. Two can
play with the sword, Mr. Platitude. The Church of Rome tried
the sword with the Lutherans : how did it fare with the Church
of Rome? The Church of England tried the sword, Mr.
Platitude, with the Puritans: how did it fare with Laud and
Charles?"
" Oh, as for the Church of England," said Mr. Platitude, <' I
have little to say. Thank God I left all my Church of England
prejudices in Italy. Had the Church of England known its true
interests, it would long ago have sought a reconciliation with its
illustrious mother. If the Church of England had not been in
some degree a schismatic church, it would not have fared so ill
at the time of which you are speaking ; the rest of the Church
would have come to its assistance. The Irish would have helped
it, so would the French, so would the Portuguese. Disunion has
always been the bane of the Church.*'
iSas.} **S0 MAN FOR MSr 555
Once more I fell into a reverie. My mind now reverted to
the past; methought I was in a small, comfortable room wain-
scoted with oak ; I was seated on one side of a fireplace, close
by a table on which were wine and fruit; on the other side of
the fire sat a man in a plain suit of brown, with the hair combed
back from his somewhat high forehead; he had a pipe in his
mouth, which for some time he smoked gravely and placidly^
without saying a word ; at length, after drawing at the pipe fot
some time rather vigorously, he removed it from his mouth, and
emitting an accumulated cloud of smoke, he exclaimed in a slow
and measured tone: ''As I was telling you just now, my good
chap, I have always been an enemy to humbug".
When I awoke from my reverie the Reverend Mr. Platitude
was quitting the apartment.
" Who is that person ? " said I to my entertainer, as the door
closed behind him.
" Who is he ? " said my host ; " why, the Rev. Mr. Platitude."
" Does he reside in this neighbourhood ? "
" He holds a living about three miles from here ; his history,
as far as I am acquainted with it, is as follows : His father was
a respectable tanner in the neighbouring town, who, wishing to
make his son a gentleman, sent him to college Having never
been at college myself, I cannot say whether he took the wisest
course; I believe it is more easy to unmake than to make a
gentleman; I have known many gentlemanly youths go to
college, and return anything but what they went Young Mr.
Platitude did not go to college a gentleman, but neither (Ud he
return one ; he went to college an ass, and returned a prig ; to
his original folly was superadded a vast quantity of conceit. He
told his &ther that he had adopted high principles, and was
determined to discountenance everything low and mean; ad-
vised him to eschew trade, and to purchase him a living. The
old man retired from business, purchased his son a living, and
shortly after died, leaving him what remained of his fortune.
The first thing the Reverend Mr. Platitude did after his father's
decease! was to send his mother and sister into Wales to live
upon a small annuity, assigning as a reason that he was averse
to anything low and that they talked ungrammatically. Wishing
to shine in the pulpit, he now preached high sermons, as he
called them, interspersed with scraps of learning. His sermons
did not, however, procure him much popularity ; on the contrary,
his church soon became nearly deserted, the greater part of his
flock going over to certain dissenting preachers, who had shortly
356 LA VBNGRO. [xtes*
before made their appearance in the neighbourhood. Mr. Plati-
tude was filled with wrath, and abused Dissenters in most un-
measured terms. Coming in contact with some of the preachers
at a public meeting, he was rash enough to enter into argument
with them. Poor Platitude ! he had better have been quiet, he
appeared like a child, a very infant in their grasp ; he attempted
to take shelta: under his college learning, but found, to his
dismay, that his opponents knew more Greek and Latin than
himself. These illiterate boors, as he had supposed them, caught
him at once in a false concord, and Mr. Platitude had to slink
home overwhelmed with shame. To avenge himself he applied
to the ecclesiastical court, but was told that the Dissenters could
not be put down by the present ecclesiastical law. He found
the Church of England, to use his own expression, a poor,
powerless, restricted Church. He now thought to improve his
consequence by marriage, and made up to a rich and beautiful
young lady in the neighbourhood ; the damsel measured him from
head to foot with a pair of very sharp eyes, dropped a curtsey, and
refused him. Mr. Platitude, finding England a very stupid place,
determined to travel ; he went to Italy ; how he passed his time
there he knows best, to other people it is a matter of little
importance. At the end of two years he returned with a real or
assumed contempt for everything English, and especially for the
Church to which he belongs, and out of which he is supported.
He forthwith gave out that he had left behind him all his Church
of England prejudices, and, as a proof thereof, spoke against
sacerdotal wedlock and the toleration of schismatics. In an evil
hour for myself he was introduced to me by a clergyman of my
acquaintance, and from that time I have been pestered, as I was
this morning, at least once a week. I seldom enter into any
discussion with him, but fix my eyes on the portrait over the
mantelpiece, and endeavour to conjure up some comic idea or
situation, whilst he goes on talking tomfoolery by the hour about
Church authority, schismatics, and the unlawfulness of sacerdotal
wedlock; occasionally he brings with him a strange kind of
oeing, whose acquaintance he says he made in Italy. I believe
he is some sharking priest, who has come over to proselytize and
plunder. This being has some powers of conversation and some
learning, but carries the countenance of an arch villain;
Platitude is evidently his tool"
" Of what religion are you ? " said I to my host.
"That of the Vicar of Wakefield — good, quiet. Church of
England, which would live and let live, practises charity, and rails
xaas-l OOOD'BYB. 357
at no one; where the priest It the husband of one wife, takes
care of his £unQy and his parish — such is the religion for me,
though I confess I have hitherto thought too little of religious
matters. When, however, I have completed this plaguy work oc
which I am engaged, I hope to be able to devote more attentior
to them."
After some further conversation, the subjects being, if I re-
member right, college education, priggism, church authority,
tomfoolery, and the like, I rose and said to my host, '' I must
now leave you".
" Whither are you going ? "
" I do not know."
''Stay iiere, then — you shall be welcome as many days,
months, and years as you please to stay."
" Do you think I would hang upon another man ? No, not
if he were Emperor of all the Chinas. I will now make my
preparations, and then bid you fisLrewell."
I retired to my apartment and collected the handful of things
which I carried with me on my travels.
"I will walk a little way with you," said my friend on my
return.
He walked with me to the park gate ; neither of us said any-
thing by the way. When we had come upon the road, I said :
'* Farewell now; I will not permit you to give yourself any
further trouble on my account Receive my best thanks for your
kindness ; before we part, however, I should wish to ask you a
question. Do you think you shall ever grow tired of authorship ? "
'' I have my fears," said my friend, advancing his hand to one
of the iron bars of the gate.
** Don't touch," said I, '' it is a bad habit. I have but one
word to add : should you ever grow tired of authorship follow
your first idea of getting into Parliament; you have words enough
at command; perhaps you want manner and method; but, in
that case, you must apply to a teacher, you must take lessons of
a master of elocution."
" That would never do I " said my host ; " I know myself too
well to think of applying for assistance to any one. Were I to
become a parliaments^ orator, I should wish to be an original
one, even if not above mediocrity. What pleasure should I take
in any speech I might make^ however original as to thought, pro-
vided the gestures I employed and the very modulation of my
voice were not my own 7 Take lessons, indeed 1 why, the fellow
who taught me, the professor, might be standing in the gallery
358 LA VSNORO. [1835.
whilst I spoke ; and, at the best parts of my speech, might say to
himself: ' That gesture is mine — ^that modulation is mine '. I could
not bear the thought of such a thing."
" Farewell/' said I, " and may you prosper. I have nothing
more to say."
I departed. At the distance of twenty yards I turned round
suddenly ; my friend was just withdrawing his finger from the bar
of the gate.
'< He has.been touching," said I, as I proceeded on my way ;
'' I wonder what was the evil chance he wished to baffle."
[End of Vol IL, 1851.)
CHAPTER LXVIIL
After walking some time, I found myself on the great road, at
the same spot where I bad turned aside the day before with my
new-made acquaintance, in the direction of his house. I now
continued my journey as before, towards the north. The weatheii
though beautiful, was much cooler than it had been for some time
past ; I walked at a great rate, with a springing and elastic step.
In about two hours I came to where a kind of cottage stood a
little way back from the road, with a huge oak before it, under
the shade of which stood a little pony and cart, which seemed to
contain various articles. I was going past, when I saw scrawled
over the door of the cottage, " Good beer sold here " ; upon which,
feeling myself all of a sudden very thirsty, I determined to go in
and taste the beverage.
I entered a well-sanded kitchen, and seated myself on a bench,
on one side of a long white table ; the other side, which was nearest
to the wall, was occupied by a party, or rather family, consisting of
a grimy-looking man, somewhat under the middle size, dressed in
faded velveteens, and wearing a leather apron — a rather pretty-
looking woman, but sun-burnt, and meanly dressed, and two
ragged children, a boy and girl, about four or five years oldL
The man sat with his eyes fixed upon the table, supporting his
chin with both his hands ; the woman, who was next to him, sat
quite still, save that occasionally she turned a glance upon her
husband with eyes that appeared to have been lately crying. The
children had none of the vivacity so general at their age. A more
disconsolate £imily I had never seen ; a mug, which, when filled,
might contain half a pint, stood empty before them ; a very dis-
consolate partv indeed.
'' House I said I ; " House ! " and then as nobody appeared,
I cried again as loud as I could, " House I do you hear me,
House ! "
" What's your pleasure, young man 7 " said an elderly woman,
who now made her appearance from a side apartment.
*' To taste your ale," said I.
C359)
S6o LA VBNORO. [zftrs-
''How much?" said the woman, stretching oat her hand
towards the empty mug upon the table.
'' The largest measure-full in your house/' said I, putting back
her hand gently. " This is not the season for half-pint mugs."
"As you will, young man," said the landlady, and presently
brought in an earthen pitcher which might contain about three
pints, and which foamed and frothed withaL
« Will this pay for it 7 " said I, putting down sixpence.
" I have to return you a penny," said the landlady^ putting her
hand into her pocket.
** I want no change," said I, flourishing my hand with an air.
"As you please, young gentleman," said the landlady, and
then making a kind of curtsey, she again retired to the side
apartment.
*' Here is your health, sir," said I to the grimy-looking man, as
I raised the pitcher to my lips.
The tinker, for such I supposed hun to be, without altering his
posture, raised his eyes, looked at me for a moment, gave a slight
nod, and then once more fixed his eyes upon the table. I took a
draught of the ale, which I found excellent ; ** won't you drink 7 "
said I, holding the pitcher to the tinker.
The man again lifted his eyes, looked at me, and then at the
pitcher, and then at me again. I thought at one time that he was
about to shake bis head in sign of refusal, but no, he looked once
more at the pitcher, and the temptation was too strong. Slowly
removing his head from his arms, he took the pitcher^ sighed,
nodded, and drank a tolerable quantity, and then set the pitchei
down before me upon the table.
''You had better mend your draught," said I to the tinker;
''it is a sad heart that never rejoices."
"That's true," said the tinker, and again raising the pitcher to
his lips, he mended his draught as I had bidden him, drinking a
larger quantity than before.
" Pass it to your wife," said I.
The poor woman took the pitcher from the man's hand;
before, however, raising it to her lips, she looked at the children.
True mother's heart, thought I to myself, and taking the half-pint
mug, I made her fill it, and then held it to the children, causing
each to take a draught The woman wiped her eyes with the
comer of her gown before she raised the pitcher and drank to my
health.
In about five minutes none of the family looked half so dis-
consolate as before, and the tinker and I were in deep discourse*
xSaS-l THE BVICTBD TINKER. 361
Oh, genial and gladdening is the power of good ale, the true
and proper drink of Englishmen. He is not deserving of the
name of Englishman who speaketh against ale, that is good ale,
like that which has just made merry the hearts of this poor family ;
and yet there are beings, calling themselves Englishmen, who say
that it is a sin to drink a cup of ale, and who, on coming to this
passage will be tempted to fling do¥m the book and exclaim:
" The man is evidently a bad man, for behold, by his own con-
fession, he is not only fond of ale himself, but is in the habit of
tempting other people with it ". Alas ! alas 1 what a number of
silly individuals there are in this world ; I wonder what they would
have had me do in this instance — ^given the afflicted family a cup
of cold water ? go to ! They could have found water in the road,
for there was a pellucid spring only a few yards distant from the
house, as they were well aware — but they wanted not water ; what
should I have given them? meat and bread ? go to 1 They were
not hungry ; there was stifled sobbing in their bosoms, and the
first mouthful of strong meat would have choked them. What
should I have given them ? Money t what right had I to insult
them by offering them money ? Advice ! words, words, words ;
friends, there is a time for everything ; there is a time for a cup
of cold water ; there is a time for strong meat and bread ; there is
a time for advice, and there is a time for ale ; and I have generally
found that the time for advice is after a cup of ale — I do not say
many cups ; the tongue then speaketh more smoothly, and the ear
listeneth more benignantly ; but why do I attempt to reason with
you? do I not know you for conceited creatures, with one idea —
and that a foolish one— a crotchet, for the sake of which ye would
sacrifice anything, religion if required — country ? There, fling down
my book, I do not wish ye to walk any farther in my company,
unless you cast your nonsense away, which ye will never do, for
it is the breath of your nostrils ; fling down my book, it was not
written to support a crotchet, for know one thing, my good people,
I have invariably been an enemy to humbug.
" Well," said the tinker, after we had discoursed some time,
<' I little thought when I first saw you, that you were of my own
trade."
Myself. — Nor am I, at least not exactly. There is not much
difference, 'tis true, between a tinker and a smith.
Tinker. — ^You are a whitesmith, then ?
Myself. — Not I, I'd scorn to be anything so mean ; no, friend,
black's the colour ; I am a brother of the horseshoe. Success to
the hammer and tonp.
56c LA VBNORO. [1835.
Tinker, — Well, I shouldn't have thought you were a blacksmith
by your hands.
Myself, — I have seen them, however, as black as youfii The
truth is, I have not worked for many a day.
Tinker. — Where did you serve first?
Mysetf. — In Ireland.
7Fff>^^.-— That's a good way off, isn't it 7
Myself, — Not very far ; over those mountains to the left, and
the run of salt water that lies behind them, there's Ireland.
Tinker. — It's a fine thing to be a scholar.
Myseff. — ^Not half so fine as to be a tinker.
7>Vi>fc^r.— How you talk I
Myself — Nothing but the truth ; what can be better than to
^be one's own master ? Now^ a tinker is his own master, a scholar
is not Let us suppose the best of scholars, a schoolmaster, for
example, for I suppose you will admit that no one can be higher
in scholarship than a schoolmaster; do you call his a pleasant
life? I don t; we should call him a sdiool-slave, rather than a
schoolmaster. Only conceive him in blessed weather like this, in
his close school, teaching children to write in copy-books, ** Evil
communication corrupts good manners," or *' You cannot touch
pitch without defilement," or to spell out of Abedariums, or to
read out of Jack Smith, or Sandford and Merton. Only conceive
him, I say, drudging in such guise firom morning till night, with-
out any rational enjoyment but to beat the children. Would you
compare such a dog's life as that with your own — ^the happiest
under heaven — ^true £den life, as the Germans would say, —
pitching your tent under the pleasant hedge-row, listenmg to the
song of the feathered tribes, collecting all the leaky kettles in the
neighbourhood, soldering and joining, earning your honest bread
by the trtiolesome sweat of your brow — ^making ten holes — hey,
what's this? what's the man crying for?
Suddenlv the tinker had covered his fiice with his hands, and
begun to sob and moan like a man in the deepest distress ; the
breast of his wife was heaved with emotion ; even the children
were agitated, the youngest began to roar.
Myseff, — ^What s the matter with you ; what are you all crying
l(Sout?
Tinker (uncovering his face). — Lord, why to hear you talk ;
isn't that enough to make anyoody cry — even the poor babes?
Yes, you said right, 'tis life in the garden of Eden — the tinker's ;
I see so now that I'm about to give it up.
Myseff* — Give it up 1 you must not Uiink of such a thing.
xSas-] TBB DANOBROUS BEAT. 565
Tinker. — No, I can't bear to think of it, and yet I must ;
what's to be done? How hard to be frightened to death, to be
driven off the roads.
Myself. — ^Who has driven you off the roads 7
Tinker.— Yfho I the Flaming Tinman.
^j^^.— Who IS he?
Tinker, — The biggest rogue in England, and the cruellest, or
he wouldn't have served me as he has done — I'll tell you all
about it. I was bom upon the roads, and so was my fiither
before me, and my mother too ; and I worked with them as long
as they lived, as a dutiful child, for I have nothing to reproach
myself with on their account ; and when my father died I took
up the business, and went his beat, and supported my mother for
the little time she lived ; and when she died I married this young
woman, who was not bom upon the roads, but was a small
tradesman's daughter, at Glo'ster. She had a kindness for me,
and, notwithstanding her friends were against the match, she
married the poor tinker, and came to live with him upon the
roads. Well, young man, for six or seven years I was the
happiest fellow breathing, living just the life you described just
now — respected by everybody in this beat ; when in an evil hour
comes this Black Jack, this flaming tinman, into these parts,
driven as they say out of Yorkshire — for no good, you may be
sure. Now, there is no beat will support two tinkers, as you
doubtless know ; mine was a good one, but it would not support
the flying tinker and myself, though if it would have supported
twenty it would have been all the same to the flying villain, who'll
brook no one but himself; so he presently finds me out, and
offers to fight me for the b^t. Now, being bred upon the roads,
I can fight a Uttle, that is with anything like my match, but I was
not going to fight him, who happens to be twice my size, and so
I told him; whereupon he knocks me down, and would have
done me f^irther mischief had not some men been nigh and
prevented him ; so he threatened to cut my throat, and went his
way. Well, I did not like such usage at all, and was woundily
frightened, and tried to keep as much out of his way as possiUe,
going anywhere but where I thought I was likely to meet him ;
and sure enough for several mcMiths I contrived to keep out of
his way. At last somebody told me he was gone back to York-
shire, whereupon I was glad at heart, and ventured to show
myself, going here and there as I did before. Well, young roan,
it was vesterday that I and mine set ourselves down in a lane
about five miles from here, and lighted our fixe, and bad our
3«4 LA VBSQRO. [xSaS-
dinner, and after dinner I sat down to mend three kettles and a
frying pan which the people in the neighbourhood had given me
to mend — for, as I told you before, I have a good connection,
owing to my honesty. Well, as I sat there hard at work, happy
as the day's long, and thinking of anything but what was to
happen, who should come up but this Black Jack, this king of the
tinkers, rattling along in his cart, with his wife, that they call Grey
Moll, by his side — ^for the villain has got a wife, and a maid
servant too ; the last I never saw, but they that has, says that she
is as big as a house, and young, and well to look at, which can't
be all said of Moll, who, though she's big enough in all conscience,
is neither young nor handsome. Well, no sooner does he see me
and mine, than giving the reins to Grey Moll, he springs out of
his cart, and comes straight at me ; not a word did he say, but
on he comes straight at me like a wild bull. I am a quiet man,
young fellow, but I saw now that quietness would be of no use,
so I sprang up upon my legs, and being bred upon the roads, and
able to fight a little, I squared as he came running in upon me,
and had a round or two with him. Lord bless you, young man,
it was like a fly fighting with an elephant — one of those big beasts
the show-folks carry about. I had not a chance with the fellow,
he knocked me here, he knocked me there, knocked me into the
hedge, and knocked me out again. I was at my last shifts, and
my poor wife saw it Now, my poor wife, though she is as gentle
as a pigeon, has yet a spirit of her own, and though she wasn't
bred upon the roads, can scratch a little, so when she saw me at
my last shifts, she flew at the villain — she couldn't bear to see her
partner murdered — and she scratched the villain's face. Lord
bless you, young man, she had better have been quiet: Grey
Moll no sooner saw what she was about, than springing out of the
cart, where she had sat all along perfectly quiet, save a little
whooping and screeching to encourage her blade — Grey Moll, I
say (my flesh creeps when I think of it — for I am a kind husband,
and love my poor wife)
Myself. — ^Take another draught of the ale ; you look frightened,
and it will do you good. Stout liquor makes stout heart, as Uie
man says in the play.
Tinker. — That's true, young man ; here's to you — ^where was
I? Grey Moll no sooner saw what my wife was about, than
springing out of the cart, she flew at my poor wife, clawed off her
bonnet in a moment, and seized hold of her hair. Lord bless
you, young man, my poor wife, in the hands of Grey Moll, was
r)othing better than a pigeon in the claws of a buzzard hawki or I
N
iSas-] BOSVILLB. S^S
in the hands of the Flaming Tinman, which when I saw, my heart
was fit to burst, and I determined to give up everything — every-
thing to save my poor wife out of Grey Moll's claws. '' Hold ! "
I shouted. '' Hold, both of you — Jack, MoU. Hold, both of
vou, for God's sake, and 111 do what you will : give up trade and
business, connection, bread, and everything, never more travel the
roads, and go down on my knees to yon m the bargain." Well,
this had some effect : Moll let go my wife, and the Blazing Tinman
stopped for a moment ; it was only for a moment, however, that
he left off*— all of a sudden he hit me a blow which sent me against
a tree ; and what did the villian then ? why the flying villain seized
me by the throat, and almost throttled me, roaring — what do you
think, young man, that the flaming villain roared out ?
Myself, — I really don't know — something horrible, I suppose
Jinher. — Horrible, indeed ; you may well say horrible, voung
man ; neither more nor less than the Bible — '' a Bible, a Bible 1 "
roared the Blazing Tmman ; and he pressed my throat so hard
against the tree that my senses began to dwaul away — a Bible, a
Bible, still ringing in my ears. Now, young man, my poor wife is
a Christian woman, and, though she travek the roads, carries a
Bible with her at the bottom of her sack, with which sometimes
she teaches the children to read — ^it was the only thing she brought
with her from the place of her kith and kin, save her own body
and the clothes on her back ; so my poor wife, half-distracted,
runs to her sack, pulls out the Bible, and puts it into the hand of
the Blazing Tinman, who then thrusts the end of it into my mouth
with such fiiry that it made my lips bleed, and broke short one
of my teeth which happened to be decayed. "Swear," said
he, "swear you mumping villain, take your Bible oath that you
will quit and give up the beat altogether, or I'll " — and then the
hard-hearted villain made me swear by the Bible, and my own
damnation, half-throttled as I was — ^to — to— I can't go on
Myself. — ^Take another draught — stout liquor
Tinker, — I can't, young man, my heart's too full, and what*s
more, the pitcher is empty.
Myself, — And so he swore you, I suppose, on the Bible, to
quit the roads ?
Tinker. — ^You are right, he did so, the gypsy villain.
Myself, — Gypsy ! Is he a gypsy ?
Tinker, — Not exactly ; what they call a half and half. His
father was a gypsy, and his mother, like mme, one who walked
the roads.
Myself, — Is he of the Smiths — ^the Petulengres 7
366 LA VBNORO. [1835.
Tinker. — I say, young man, you know a thing or two ; one
would think, to hear you talk, you had been bred upon the roads.
I thought none but those bred upon the roads knew anything of
that name — Petulengres I No, not he, he fights the Petulengres
whenever he meets them ; he likes nobody but himself, and wants
to be king of the roads. I believe he is a Boss, or a at any
rate he's a bad one, as I know to my cost.
Myself. — And what are you going to do 7
Tinker. — Do ! you may well ask that ; I don't know what to
do. My poor wife and I have been talking of that all the morn-
ing, over that half-pint mug of beer ; we can't determine on what's
to be done. All we know is, that we must quit the roads. The
villain swore that the next time he saw us on the roads he'd cut
all our throats, and seize our horse and bit of a cart that are now
standing out there under the tree.
Myseif, — ^And what do you mean to do with your horse and
cart?
Tinkir. — Another question I What shall we do with our cart
and pony ? they are of no use to us now. Stay on the roads I
will not, both for my oath's sake and my own. If we had a trifle
of money, we were thinking of going to Bristol, where I might get
up a little business, but we have none ; our last three farthings we
spent about the mug of beer.
Myself. — But why don't you sell your horse and cart 7
7?>i>^.— Sell them ? And who would buy them, unless some
one who wished to set up in my line ; but there's no beat, and
what's the use of the horse and cart and the few tools without the
beat?
Myself. — I'm half-inclined to buy your cart and pony, and
your beat too.
Tinker. — ^You I How came you to think of such a thing 7
Myself. — ^Why, like yourself, I hardly know what to do. I
want a home and work. As for a home, I suppose I can contrive
to make a home out of your tent and cart ; and as for work, I
must learn to be a tinker, it would not be hard for one of my
trade to learn to tinker ; what better can I do ? Would you have
me go to Chester and work there now 7 I don't like the thoughts
of it. If I go to Chester and work there, I can't be my own man ;
I must work under a master, and perhaps he and I should quarrel,
and when I quarrel I am apt to hit folks, and those that hit folks
are sometimes sent to prison ; I don't like the thought either of
going to Chester or to Chester prison. What do you think I
could earn at Chester?
zSas.] THB PURCHASE. ^
TSnker.^-^A matter of eleven shillings a week, if anybody would
employ you, which I don't think they would with those hands of
yours. But whether they would or not, if you are of a quarrel-
some nature, you must not go to Chester ; you would be in the
castle in no time. I don't know how to advise you. As for selling
you my stock, Fd see you farther first, for your own sake.
Myself.— ynxf}
Tinker. — ^Why I you would get your head knocked ofL Sup-
pose you were to meet him ?
Myself. — Pooh, don't be afraid on my account ; if I were to
meet him I could easily manage him one way or other. I know
all kinds of strange words and names, and, as I told you before, I
sometimes hit people when they put me out.
Here the tinker's wife, who for some minutes past had been
listening attentively to our discourse^ interposed, saying, in a low,
soft tone : *^ I really don't see, John, why you shouldn't sell the
young man the things, seeing that he wishes for them, and is so
confident ; you have told him plainly how matters stand, and if
anything ill should befidl him, people couldn't lay the blame on
you ; but I don't think any ill will befall him, and who knows but
God has sent him to our assistance in time of need."
'< I'll hear of no such thing," said the tinker ; '' I have drunk
at the young man's expense, and though he says he's quarrelsome,
I would not wish to sit in pleasanter company. A pretty fellow I
should be, now, if I were to lei him follow his own will. If he
once sets up on my beat, he's a lost man, his ribs will be stove in,
and his head knocked off his shoulders. There, you are crying,
but you shan't have your will, though ; I won't be the young
man's destruction If, indeed, I thought he could manage the
tinker — ^but he never can ; he says he can hit, but it's no use
hitting the tinker. ;-*crying still I you are enough to drive one mad.
I say, young man, I believe you understand a thing or two ; just
now you were talking of knowing hard words and names — I don't
wish to send you to your mischief — you say you know hard words
and names, lei us see. Only on one condition I'll sell you the
pony and things ; as for the beat it's gone, isn't mine— sworn away
by my own mouth. Tell me what's my name ; if you can't, may
I "
Myself. — Don't swear, it's a bad habiti neither pleasant nor
profitable. Your name is Slingsby — Jack Slingsby. There, don't
stare, there's nothing in my telling you your name : I've been in
these parts before, at least not very (bx from here. Ten years
ago, when I was little more than a child, I was about twenty miles
368 LA VBNORO. [1825.
from here in a post-chaise at the door of an inn, and as I looked
from the window of the chaise, I saw you standing by a gutter,
with a big tin ladle in your hand, and somebody called you Jack
Slingsby. I never forget anything I hear or see ; I can t, I wish
I could. So there's nothing strange in my knowing your name ;
indeed, there's nothing strange in an3rthing, provided you examine
it to the bottom. Now, what am I to give you for the things ?
I paid Slingsby five pounds ten shillings for his stock in trade,
cart, and pony — purchased sundry provisions of the landlady, also
a wagoner's frock, which had belonged to a certain son of hers,
deceased, gave my little animal a feed of com, and prepared to
depart.
** God bless you, young man," said Slingsby, shaking me by
the hand, '* you are the best friend I've had for many a day : I
have but one thing to tell you : ** Don't cross that fellow's path if
you can help it; and stay — should the pony refuse to go, just
touch him so, and he'll fly like the wind."
CHAPTER LX13L
It was two or three hours past noon when I took my departure!
from the place of the last adventure, walking by the side of my
little cart ; the pony, invigcMrated by the com, to which he was
probably not much accustomed, proceeded right gallantly; so
fiu: from having to hasten him forward by the particular applica*
tion which the tinker had pointed out to me, I had rather to
repress his eagerness, being, though an excellent pedestrian, not
unfrequently left behind. The country through which I passed was
beautiiful and interesting, but solitary: few habitations appeared.
As it was quite a matter of indifference to me in what direction I
went, the whole world being before me, I allowed the pony to
decide upon the matter ; it was not long before he left die high
road, bemg probably no friend to public places. I followed him
I knew not whither, but, from subsequent observation, have
reason to suppose that our course was in a north«west direction.
At length night came upon us, and a cold wind sprang up, which
was succeeded by a drizzling rain.
I had originally intended to pass the night in the cart, or to
Eitch my little tent on some convenient spot by the road's side ;
ut, owing to the alteration in the weathex, I thought that it
would be advisable to take up my quarters in any hedge alehouse
at which I might arrive. To tell the truth, I was not very sorry
to have an excuse to pass the night once more beneath a roof. I
had determined to live quite independent, but I had never before
passed a night by myself abroad, and felt a little apprehensive at
the idea ; I hoped, however, on the morrow, to be a little more
prepared for the step^ so I determined for one night—- only for
one night longer — ^to sleep tike a Christian ; but human determina-
tions are not always put into effect, such a thing as opportunity
is frequently wanting, such was the case here. I went on for a
considerable time, in expectation of coming to some rustic hostelry,
but nothing of the kind presented itself to my eyes ; the country
in which I now was seemed almost uninhabited, not a house of
any kind was to be seen — at least I saw none — though it is true
(369) 24
370 LA VBNGRO. [1825.
houses might be near without my seeing them, owing to the
darkness of the night, for neither moon nor star was abroad. I
heard, occasionally, the bark of dogs ; but the sound appeared to
come from an immense distance. The rain still fell, and the
ground beneath my feet was wet and miiy; in short, it was a
night in which even a tramper by profession would feel more
comfortable in being housed than abroad. I followed in the rear
of the cart, the pony still proceeding at a sturdy pace, till
methought I heard other hoofs than those of my own nag; I
listened for a moment, and distinctly heard the sound of hoofs
approaching at a great rate, and evidently from the quarter
towards which I and my little caravan were moving. We were in
a dark lane — so dark that it was impossible for me to see my own
hand. Apprehensive that some accident might occur, I ran
forward, and, seizing the pony by the bridle, drew him as near as
I could to the hedge. On came the hoofs — trot, trot, trot; and
evidently more than those of one horse; their speed as they
advanced appeared to slacken — ^it was only, however, for a
moment I heard a voice cry, ''Push on, this is a desperate
robbing place, never mind the dark"; and the hoofs came on
quicker than before. " Stop 1 " said I, at the top of my voice ;
'' stop 1 or — " Before I could finish what I was about to say
there was a stumble, a heavy &11, a cry, and a groan, and putting
out my foot I felt what I conjectured to be the head of a horse
stretched upon the road. ''Lord have mercy upon usl what's
the matter ? " exclaimed a voice. " Spare my life," cried another
voice, apparently from the ground ; " only spare my life, and take
all I have." "Where are you, Master Wise?" cried the other
voice. "Help! here, Master Bat," cried the voice from the
ground, " help me up or I shall be murdered." " Why, what's
Uie matter?" said Bat. "Some one has knocked me down,
and is robbing me," said the voice from the ground. "Helpl
murder I" cried Bat; and, regardless of the entreaties of the
man on the ground that he would stay and help him up, he mrged
his horse forward and galloped away as fiast as he could. I
remained for some time quiet, listening to various groans and
exclamations uttered by the person on the ground ; at length I
said, " Holloa 1 are you hurt ? " " Spare my life, and take all I
have ! " said the voice from the ground. " Have they not done
robbing you yet ? " said I ; " when they have finished let me
know, and I will come and help you." "Who is that?" said
the voice ; " pray come and help me, and do me no mischief. "
" You were saying that some one was robbing you," said I ;
18*5.1 MIDNIGHT ENCOUNTER. 371
'* don't think I 6hall come till he is gone away." ''Then you
ben't he?" said the voice. "Ar'n't you robbed?" said I.
" Can't say I be," said the voice ; " not yet at any rate ; but who
are you ? I don't know you." ** A traveller whom you and your
partner were going to run over in this dark lane; you almost
frightened me out of my senses." "Frightened!" said the
voice, in a louder tone ; " frightened I oh t " and thereupon I
heard somebody getting upon his legs. This accomplished, the
individual proceeded to attend to his horse, and with a little diffi-
culty raised him upon his legs also. " Ar'n't you hurt ? " said I.
" Hurt 1 " said the voice ; " not I ; don't think it, whatever the
horse may be. I tell you what, my fellow, I thought you were a
robber, and now I find you are not ; I have a good mind "
" To do what ? " " To serve you out ; ar'n't you ashamed ?"
" At What ? " said I ; " not to have robbed you ? Shall I set
about it now?" "Ha, ha I" said the man, dropping the bully-
ing tone which he had assumed; "you are joking — robbing I
who talks of robbing? I wonder how my horse's knees are ; not
much hurt, I think— only mired." The man, whoever he was,
then got upon his horse ; and> after moving him about a little,
said, "Good-night, friend; where are you?" "Here I am,"
said I, "just behind you. "You are, are you? Take that."
I know not what he did, but probably pricking his horse with the
spur the animal kicked out violently ; one of his heels struck me
on the shoulder, but luckily missed my face ; I fell back with the
violence of the blow, whilst the fellow scampered off at a great
rate. Stopping at some distance, he loaded me with abuse, and
then, continuing his way at a rapid trot, I heard no more of him.
" What a difference I * said I, getting up ; " last night I was
ftted in the hall of a rich genius, and to-night I am knocked down
and mired in a dark lane by the heel of Master Wise's horse — I
wonder who gave him that name ? And yet he was wise enough
to wreak his revenge upon me, and I was not wise enough to keep
out of his way. Well, I am not much hurt, so it is of little
consequence."
I now bethought me that, as I had a carriage of my own, I
might as wdl make use of it ; I therefore got into the cart, and,
taking the reins in my hand, gave an encouraging cry to the pony,
whereupon the sturdy little animal Started again at as brisk a pace
as if he had not already come many a long mile. I lay half-
reclining in the cart, holding the reins lazily, and allowing the
animal to go just where he pleased, often wondering where he
would conduct me. At length I felt drowsy, and my head sank
57a LA VENORO. [1845.
upon my breast ; I soon aroused myself, but it was only to doze
again ; this occurred several times. Opening my eyes after a doze
somewhat longer than the others, I found that the drizzling rain
had ceased, a comer of the moon was apparent in the heavens,
casting a fisdnt light ; I looked around for a moment or two, but
my eyes and brain were heavy with slumber, and I could scarcely
distinguish where we were. I had a kind of dim consciousness
that we were traversing an uninclosed country— perhaps a heath ;
I thought, however, that I saw certain laige bkck objects looming
in the distance, which I had a confused idea might be woods or
plantations ; the pony still moved at his usual pace. I did not
find the jolting of the cart at all disagreeable ; on the contrary, it
had quite a somniferous effect upon me. Again my eyes closed ;
I opened them once more, but with less perception in them than
before, looked forward, and, muttering something about woodlands,
I placed myself in an easier posture than I had hitherto done^ and
fiurly fell asleep.
How long I continued in that state I am unable to say, but I
believe for a considerable time ; I was suddenly awakened by the
ceasing of the jolting to which I had become accustomed, and of
which I was perfectly sensible in my sleep. I started up and
looked around me, the moon was still shining, and the dice of
the heaven was studded with stars ; I found myself amidst a maze
of bushes of various kinds, but principally hazel and holly, through
which was a path or driftway with grass growing on either side,
upon which the pony was already diligently browsing. I con-
jectured that this place had been one of the haunts of his former
master, and, on dismounting and looking about, was strengthened
in that opinion by finding a spot under an ash tree which, from
its burnt and blackened appearance, seemed to have been fre-
quently used as a fireplace. I will take up my quarters here,
thought I ; it is an excellent spot for me to commence my new
profession in ; I was quite right to trust myself to the guidance of
the pony. Unharnessing the animal without delay, I permitted
him to browse at free will on the grass, convinced that he would
not wander far from a place to which he was so much attached ;
I then pitched the little tent close beside the ash tree to which
I have alluded, and conveyed two or three articles into it, and
instantly felt that I had commenced housekeeping for the first
time in my life. Housekeeping, however, without a fire is a very
sorry affair, something like the housekeeping of children in dieir
toy houses ; of this I was the more sensible from feeling very cold
and shivering, owing to my late exposure to the rain, and sleeping
iSas-l HOUSBKBBPINO. 373
in the night air. Collecting, therefore, all the dry sticks and fiirze
I could find, I placed them upon the fireplace, adding certain
chips and a billet which I found in the cart, it having apparently
been the habit of Slingsby to carry with him a small store of fueL
Having then struck a spark in a tinder-box and lighted a match,
I set fire to the combustible heap, and was not slow in raising a
cheerful blaze ; I then drew my cart near the fire, and, seating
myself on one of the shafts, hung over the warmth with feelings
of intense pleasure and satisfaction. Having continued in this
posture for a considerable time, I turned my eyes to the heaven
in the direction of a particular star ; I, however, could not find
the star, nor indeed many of the starry train, the greater number
having fled, firom which circumstance, and from the appearance of
the sky, I concluded that morning was nigh. About this time I
again began to feel drowsy; I therefore arose, and having prepared
for myself a kind of couch in the tent, I flung myself upon it and
went to sleep.
I win not say that I was awakened in the morning by the
carolling of birds, as I perhaps might if I were writing a novel ; I
awoke because, to use vulgar language, I had slept my sleep out,
not because the birds were carolling around me in numbers, as
they had probably been for hours without my hearing them. I
got up and left my tent; the morning was ^et more bright than
that of the preceding day. Impelled by curiosity, I walk^ about,
endeavouring to ascertain to what place chance, or rather the
pony, had brought me; following the driftway for some timci
amidst bushes and stunted trees, I came to a grove of dark pines,
through which it appeared to lead ; I tracked it a few hundred
yards, but seeing nothing but trees, and the way being wet and
sloughy, owing to the recent rain, I returned on my steps, and,
pursuing the path in another direction, came to a sandy road
leading over a common, doubtless the one I had traversed the
preceding night My curiosity satisfied, I returned to my little
encampment, and on the way beheld a small footpath on the left
winding through the bushes, which had before escaped my obser-
vation. Having reached my tent and cart, I breakfasted on some
of the provisions which I had procured the day before, and then
Croceeded to take a regular account of the stock formerly possessed
y Slingsby the tinker, but now become my own by right of lawful
purchase.
Besides the pony, the cart, and the tent^ I found I was pos-
sessed of a mattress stufied with straw on which to lie, and a
blanket to cover me, the last quite clean and nearly new ; then
374 ^^ VBNGRO. [1825.
there was a fiying-pan and a kettle^ the first for cooking any food
which required cooking, and the second for heating any water
which I might wish to heat. I likewise found an earthen teapot
and two or three cups ; of the first I should rather say I found
the remains, it being broken in three parts, no doubt since it came
into my possession, which would have precluded the possibility of
my asking anybody to tea for the present, should anybody visit
me, even supposing I had tea and sugar, which was not the case.
I then overhauled what might more strictly be called the stock in
trade ; this consisted of various tools, an iron ladle, a chafing pan
and small bellows, sundry pans and kettles, the latter being of tin,
with the exception of one which was of copper, all in a state of
considerable dilapidation — ^if I may use the term ; of these first
Slingsby had spoken in particular, advising me to mend them as
soon as possible, and to endeavour to sell them, in order that I
might have the satis&ction of receiving some return upon the
outlay which I had made. There was likewise a small quantity
of block tin, sheet tin, and solder. '' This Slingsby," said I, " is
certainly a very honest man, he has sold me more than my
money's worth ; I believe, however, there is something more in
the cart." Thereupon I rumaged the farther end of the cart, and,
amidst a quantity of straw, I found a small anvil and bellows of
that kind which are used in forges, and two hammers such as
smiths use, one great, and the other small.
The sight of these last articles caused me no little surprise,
as no word which had escaped from the mouth of Slingsby had
given me reason to suppose that he had ever followed Uie occu-
pation of a smith ; yet, if he had not, how did he come by them ?
I sat down upon the shaft, and pondered the question deliberately
in my mind ; at length I concluded that he had come by them
by one of those numerous casualties which occur upon the roads,
of which I, being a young hand upon the roads, must have a very
imperfect conception ; honestly, of course— for I scouted the idea
that Slingsby would have stolen this blacksmith's gear — for I had
the highest opinion of his honesty, which opinion I still retain at
the present day, which is upwards of twenty years from the time
of which I am speaking, during the whole of which period I have
neither seen the poor fellow, nor received any intelligence of him-
CHAPTER LXX-
I PASSED the greater part of the day in endeavouring to teach
myself the mysteries of my new profession. I cannot say that
I was very successful, but the time passed agreeably, and was
therefore not ill spent. Towards evening I flung my work aside,
took some refreshment, and afterwards a walk.
This time I turned up the small footpath, of which I have
already spoken. It led in a zigzag manner through thickets of
hazel, elder and sweet briar; after following its windings for
somewhat better than a furlong, I heard a gentle sound of water,
and presently came to a small rill, which ran directly across the
path. I was rejoiced at the sight, for I had already experienced
the want of water, which I yet knew must be nigh at hand, as
I was in a place to all appearance occasionally frequented by
wandering people, who I was aware never take up their quarters
in places where water is difficult to be obtained. Forthwith I
stretched myself on the ground, and took a long and delicious
draught of the crystal stream, and then, seating myself in a bush,
I continued for some time gazing on the water as it purled tink-
ling away in its channel through an opening in the hazels, and
should have probably continued much longer had not the thought
that I had left my property unprotected compelled me to rise and
return to my encampment
Nig^t came on, and a beautifril night it was ; up rose the
moon, and innumerable stars decked &e firmament of heaven.
I sat on the shaft, my eyes turned upwards. I had found it :
there it was twinkling millions of miles above me, mightiest star
of the system to which we belong : of all stars, the one which
has the most interest for me — ^the star Jupiter.
Why have I always taken an interest in thee, O Jupiter? I
know nothing about thee, save what every child knows, that thou
art a big star, whose only light is derived from moons. And is
not that knowledge enough to make me feel an interest in thee ?
Ay, truly, I never look at thee without wondering what is going
on in thee ; what is life in Jupiter ? That there is life in Jupiter
(375)
576 LA VBNGRO. [1823.
who can doubt ? There is life in our own little star, therefore
there must be life in Jupiter, which is not a little star. But how
different must life be in Jupiter from what it is in our own little
star t Life here is life boieath the dear sun — life in Jupiter
is life beneath moons — four moons — no single moon is able to
illumine that vast bulk. All know what life is in our own little
star ; it is anything but a routine of happiness here, where the
dear sun rises to us every day : then how sad and moping must
life be in mighty Jupiter, on which no sun ever shines, and which
is never lighted save by pale moonbeams I The thought that
there is more sadness and melancholy in Jupiter than in this
world of ours, where, alas 1 there is but too much, has always
made me take a melancholy interest in that huge, distant star. ^
Two or three days passed by in much the same manner as the
first. During the morning I worked upon my kettles, and em-
ployed the remaining part of the day as I best could The whole
of this time I only saw two individuals, rustics, who passed by
my encampment without vouchsafing me a glance ; they pro-
bably considered themsdves my superiors, as perhaps they were*
One very brilliant morning, as I sat at work in very good
spirits, for by this time I had actually mended in a very creditable
way, as I imagined, two kettles and a frying-pan, I heard a voice
which seemed to proceed from the padi leading to the rivulet ;
at first it sounded from a considerable distance, but drew nearer
by degrees. I soon remarked that the tones were exceedingly
sharp and shrill, with yet something of childhood in them. Once
or twice I distinguished certain words in the song which the voice
was singing; the words were — ^but no, I thought again I was
probably mistaken — and then the voice ceased for a time ; pre-
sently I heard it again, close to the entrance of the footpath ; in
another moment I heard it in the lane or glade in which stood
my tent, where it abruptly stopped, but not before I had heard
the very words which I at first thought I had distinguished
I turned my head ; at the entrance of the footpath, which
might be about thirty yards from the place where I was sitting,
I perceived the figure of a young girl ; her fiice was tnm^
towards me, and she appeared to be scanning me and my en-
campment ; after a little time she looked in the other direction,
only for a moment, however; probably observing nothing in
that quarter, she again looked towards me, and almost immedi-
ately stepped forward; and, as she advanced, sang the song
which I had heard in the wood, the first words of which were
those which I have already alluded to ; —
iSasJ A VISIT. yrt
The Rommany chi
And the Rommany cbalf
Shall jaw tasaulor
To drab the bawlor»
And dook the gry
Of the farming lye.
A very pretty song, thought I, falling again bard to work upon
my kettle ; a very pretty song, which bodes the farmers much good.
Let them look to their cattle,
* All alone here, brother ? * said a voice close by me, in sharp
but not disagreeable tones.
I made no answer, but continued my work, click, click, with
the gravity which became one of my profession. I allowed at
least half a minute to elapse before I even lifted up my eyes.
A girl of about thirteen was standing before me ; her features
were very pretty, but with a peculiar expression ; her complexion
was a dear olive, and her jet black hair hung back upon her
shoulders. She was rather scantily dressed, and her arms and
feet were bare ; round her neck, however, was a handsome string
of corals, with ornaments of gold : in her hand she held a bulrush.
"All alone here, brother?" said the girl, as I looked up; "all
alone here, in the lane ; where are your wife and children ? "
" Why do you call me brother ? " said I ;" I am no brother of
yours. Do you take me for one of your people? I am no
gypsy; not I, indeed 1"
"Don't be aftaid, brother, you are no Roman — Roman in-
deed, you are not handsome enough to be a Roman ; not black
enough, tinker though you be. If I called you brother, it was
because I didn't know what else to call you. Marry, come up,
brother, I should be sorry to have you for a brother."
" Then you don't like me ? "
''Neither like you, nor dislike you, brother; what will you
have for that kekaubi?"
" What's the use of talking to me in that unchristian way ;
what do you mean, young gentlewoman?"
"Lord, brother, what a fool you are; every tinker knows
what a kekaubi is. I was asking you what you would have for
that kettle."
" Three-and-sixpence, young gentlewoman ; isn't it well
mended ? "
"Well mended! I could have done it better myself; three-
and-sixpence I it's only fit to be played at football with."
" I will take no less for it, young gentlewoman ; it has caused
mt a world of trouble."
378 LA VBNGRO. [1825.
'* I never saw a worse mended kettle. I say, brother, your
hair is white/'
" 'Tis nature ; your hair is black ; nature, nothing but nature."
" I am young, brother ; my hair is black — ^that's nature : you
are young, brother; your hair is white — that's not nature."
" I can't help it if it be not, but it is nature after all ; did you
never see grey hair on the young ? "
'* Never 1 I have heard it is true of a grey lad, and a bad one
he was. Oh, so bad."
" Sit down on the grass, and tell me all about it, sister; do to
oblige me, pretty sister."
" Hey, brother, you don't speak as you did — you don't speak
like a gorgio, you speak like one of us, you call me sister."
"As you call me brother; I am not an uncivil person after
all, sister."
" I say, brother, tell me one thing, and look me in the face —
there — do you speak Rommany ? "
" Rommany I Rommany I what is Rommany? "
"What is Rommany? our language, to be sure; tell me,
brother, only one thing, you don't speak Rommany?"
" You say it"
" I don't say it, I wish to know. Do you speak Rommany ? "
" Do you mean thieves' slang— cant ? no, I don't speak cant,
I don't like it, I only know a few words ; they call a sixpence a
tanner, don't they?"
** I don't know," said the girl, sitting down on the ground,
"I was almost thinking — weU^ never mind, you don't know
Rommanv. I say, brother, I Uiink I should like to have the
kekaubi.'
'* I thought you said it was badly mended ? "
" Yes, yes, brother, but "
" I thought you said it was only fit to be played at football
with?"
" Yes, yes, brother, but "
" What will you give for it ? "
" Brother, I am the poor person's child, I will give you six-
pence for the kekaubi."
" Poor person's child ; how came you by that necklace ? "
" Be civil, brother ; am Z to have the kekaubi ? "
" Not for sixpence ; isn't the kettle nicely mended?
" I never saw a nicer mended kettle, brother ; am I to have
the kekaubi, brother ? "
" You like me then ? "
99
iSas-l ^^^ IDENTIFICATION. 379
" I don't dislike you— I dislike no one ; there's only one» and
him I don't dislike, him I hate."
"Who is he?"
*' I scarcely know, I never saw him, but 'tis no affair of yours,
you don't speak Rommany ; you will let me have the kekaubi,
pretty brother ? "
*' You may have it, but not for sixpence, I'll give it to you."
" Parraco tute, that is, I thank you, brother ; the rikkeni
kekaubi is now mine. 0> rare! I thank you kindly, brother."
Starting up, she flung the buhush aside which she had hither-
to held in her hand^ and seizing the kettle, she looked at it for a
moment, and then began a kind of dance, flourishing the kettle
over her head the while, and singing —
The Rommany chi
And the Rommany chal,
ShaU jaw tasaulor
To drab the bawlor,
And dook the gry
Of the iarming rye.
M
" Good-bye, brother, I must be going.
'* Good-bye, sister ; why do you sing that wicked song ?
" Wicked song, hey, brother 1 you don't understand the song 1
" Ha, ha 1 gypsy daughter," said I, starting up and clapping
my hands, " I don't understand Rommany, don't I ? You shall
see; here's the answer to your gilli
'* The Rommany chi
And the Rommany chal
Love Luripen
And dukkeripen,
And hokkeripen.
And every pen
But Lachipen
And tatchipen."
The girl, who had given a slight start when I began, remained
for some time after I had concluded the song, standing motion-
less as a statue, with the kettle in her hand. At length she came
towards me, and stared me full in the face. " Grey, tall, and
talks Rommany," said she to hersel£ In her countenance there
was an expression which I had not seen before — an expression
which struck me as being composed of fear, curiosity and the
deepest hate. It was momentary, however, and was succeeded
by one smiling, frank, and open. " Ha, ha, brother," said she,
" well, I like you all the better for talking Rommany ; it is a
Sfio LA VBNGRO. [1895.
sweet language, isn t it ? especially as you sing it. How did you
pick it up? But you picked it up upon the roads, no doubt?
Ha, it was funny in you to pretend not to know it, and you so
flush with it all the time; it was not kind in you, however, to^
frighten the poor person's child so by screaming out, but it was
kind in you to give the rikkeni kekaubi to the child of the poor
person. She will be grateful to you ; she will bring you her little
dog to show you, her pretty juggal ; the poor person's child will
come and see you again ; you are not going away to-day, I hope,
or to-morrow, pretty brother, grey-hair'd brother — ^you are not
going away to-morrow, I hope?"
<' Nor the next day," said I, " only to take a stroll to see if I
can sell a kettle ; good-bye, little sister^ Rommany sister, ding}
sister."
<< Good-bye, tall brother," said the girl, as she departed,
singing :—
The Rommany chi, etc
" There's something about that girl that I don't understand,"
said I to myself ; '' something mysterious. However, it is nothing
to me, she knows not who I am, and if she did, what then ? "
Late that evening as I sat on the shaft of my cart in deep
meditation, with my arms folded, I thought I heard a rustling in
the bushes over against me. I turned my eyes in that direction,
but saw nothing. ''Some bird," said I; "an owl, perhaps;"
and once more I fell into meditation ; my mind wandered from
one thing to another — musing now on the structure of the Roman
tongue — ^now on the rise and fall of the Persian power — and now
on the powers vested in recorders at quarter sessions. I was!
thinking what a fine thing it must be to be a recorder of the peace,
when lifting up my eyes, I saw right opposite, not a culprit at the
bar, but, staring at me through a gap in the bush, a face wild and
strange, half-covered with grey hair ; I only saw it a moment, the
next it bad disappeared.
f»
CHAPTER LXXL
The next day at an early hour I harnessed my little pony, and,
putting my things in my cart, I went on my projected strpll.
Crossing the moor, I arrived in about an hour at a small Tillage,
from which, after a short stay, I proceeded to another, and from
thence to a third. I found that the name of Slingsby was well
known in these parts.
'' If you are a friend of Slingsby you must be an honest lad,
said an ancient crone ; " you shall never want for work whilst I
can give it you. Here, take my kettle, the bottom came out this
morning, and lend me that of yours till you bring it back. I'm
not afraid to trust you — not I. Don't hurry yourself, young man ;
if you don't come back for a fortnight I shan't have the worse
opinion of you."
I returned to my quarters at evening, tired but rejoiced at
heart ; I had work before me for several days, having collected
various kekaubies which required mending, in place of those which
I left behind — those which I had been employed upon during the
last few days. I found all quiet in the lane or glade, and, un-
harnessing my little horse, I once more pitched my tent in the old
spot beneath the ash, lighted my fire« ate my frugal meal, and
then, after looking for some time at the heavenly bodies, and
more particularly at the star Jupiter, I entered my tent, lay down
upon my pallet, and went to sleep.
Nothing occurred on the following day which requires any
particular notice, nor indeed on the one succeeding that. It was
about noon on the third day that I sat beneath the shade of the
ash tree ; I was not at work, for the weather was particularly hot,
and I felt but little inclination to make any exertion. Leaning
my back against the tree, I was not long in falling into a slumber.
I particularly remember that slumber of mine beneath the ash tree,
fior it was about the sweetest that I ever enjoyed ; how long I
continued in it I do not know ; I could almost have washed that
it had lasted to the present time. All of a sudden it appeared to
me that a voice cned in my ear, " Danger 1 danger I danger I "
(381)
38a LA VBNGRO. [1895.
Nothing seemingly could be more distinct than the words which
I heard ; then an uneasy sensation came over me, which I strove
to get rid of, and at last succeeded, for I awoke. The gypsy girl
was standing just opposite to me, with her eyes fixed upon my
countenance ; a singular kind of little dog stood beside her.
** Ha ! " said I, " was it you that cried danger ? What danger
is there?"
''Danger, brother, there is no danger; what danger should
there be. I called to my little dog, but that was in the wood ; my
little dog's name is not danger, but stranger ; what danger should
there be, brother ? "
''What, indeed, except in sleeping beneath a tree; what is
that you have got in your hand? "
" Something for you," said the girl, sitting down and proceed-
ing to untie a white napkin ; ** a pretty manricli, so sweet, so nice;
when I went home to my people I told my grandbebee how kind
you had been to the poor person's child, and when my grandbebee
saw tibe kekaubi, she said : ' Hir mi devlis, it won't do for the
poor people to be ungrateful ; by my God, I will bake a cake for
the young harko mescro '."
" But there are two cakes.*'
"Yes, brother, two cakes, both for you; my grandbebee
meant them both for you — but list, brother, I will have one of
them for bringing them. I know you will give me one, pretty
brother, grey-haired brother — which shall I have, brother ? "
In the napkin were two round cakes, seemingly made of rich
and costly compounds, and precisely similar in form, each weigh-
ing about half a pound.
" Which shall I have, brother? " said the gypsy girl
" Whichever you please."
" No, brother, no, the cakes are yours, not mine, it is for you
to say."
"Well, then, give me the one nearest you, and take the
other.
" Yes, brother, yes," said the girl ; and taking the cakes, she
flung them into the air two or three times, catchine; them as they
fell, and singing the while. " Pretty brother, grey-naired brother
— here, brother," said she, "here is your cake, this other is
mine."
" Are you sure," said I, taking the cake, " that this is the one
I chose ?'^
" Quite sure, brother ; but if you like you can have mine ;
there's no difference ; however — shall I eat ? "
1815.] THB POISONED CAKB. 583
"Yes, sister, cat"
" See, brother, I do ; now, brother, eat, pretty brother, grej-
haired brother."
" I am not hungry."
" Not hungry ! well, what then — ^what has being hungry to do
with th^ matter? It is my grandbebee's cake which was sent
because you were kind to the poor person '$ child ; eat, brother,
eat, and we shall be like the children in the wood that the gorgios
speak of."
*' The children in the wood had nothing to eat"
" Yes, they had hips and haws ; we have better. Eat, brother."
'' See, sister, I do," and I ate a piece of the cake.
"Well, broUier, how do you like it?" said the girl, looking
fixedly at me.
'' It is very rich and sweet, and yet there is something strange
about it ; I don't think I shall eat any more."
"Fie, brother, fie, to find fault with the poor person's cake;
see, I have nearly eaten mine,^
" That's a pretty little dog.'
" Is it not, brother ? that's my juggal, my little sister, as I call
her."
" Come here, Juggal," said I to the animal.
** What do you want with my juggal ? " said the girl.
" Only to give her a piece of cake," said I, offering the dog a
piece which I had just broken off.
** What do you mean ? " said the girl, snatching the dog away ;
" my grandbebee's cake is not for dogs."
" Why, I just now saw you give the animal a piece of yours."
" You lie, brother, you saw no such thing ; but I see how it
is, you wish to affront the poor person's child. I shall go to my
house."
" Keep stfll, and don't be angry ; see, I have eaten the piece
which I offered the dog. I meant no offence. It is a sweet cake
after all."
" Isn't it, brother ? I am glad you like it. Offence I brother,
no offence at all ! I am so glad you like my grandbebee's cake,
but she will be wanting me at home. Eat one piece more of
grandbebee's cake and I will go."
" I am not hungry, I will put the rest by.'
" One piece more before I go, handsome brother, grey-haired
brother."
" I will not eat any more, I have already eaten more than I
wished to oblige you ; if you must go, good-day to you.''
••
f»
584 t'^ VENGRO. (lizi.
The girl rose upon her feet, looked hard at me, then at the
remainder of the cake which I held in my hand, and then at me
again, and then stood for a moment or two, as if in deep thought;
presently an air of satis&ction came over her countenance, she
smiled and said : ** Well, brother, well, do as you please ; I merely
wished you to eat because you have been so land to the poor
person's child. She loves you so, that she could have wisheid to
have seen you eat it all ; good-bye, brother, I daresay when I am
gone you will eat some more of it, and if you don't I daresay you
have eaten enough to— to— show your love for us. After all, it
was a poor person's cake, a Rommany manridi, and all you
gorgios are somewhat gorgious. Farewell, brother, pretty brother,
grey-haired brother. Come, juggal."
I remained under the ash tree seated on the grass for a minute
or two, and endeavoured to resume the occupation in which I
had been engaged before I fell asleep, but I felt no inclination
for labour. I then thought I would sleep again, and once more
reclined against the tree, and slumbered for some little time, but
my sleep was more agitated than before. Something appeared to
bear heavy on my breast. I struggled in my sleep, fell on the grass,
and awoke ; my temples were throbbing, there was a burning in
my eyes, and my mouth felt parched ; the oppression about the
chest which I had felt in my sleep still continued* " I must shake
off these feelings," said I, "and get upon my 1^." I walked
rapidly up and down upon the green sward ; at length, feeling my
thirst increase, I directed my steps down the narrow path to the
spring which ran amidst the bushes ; arriving there, I knelt down
and drank of the water, but on lifting up my head I felt thirstier
than before ; again I drank, but with like results ; I was about to
drink for the third time, when I felt a dreadful qualm which
instantly robbed me of nearly all my strength. What can be the
matter with me, thought I; but I suppose I have made myself
ill by drinking cold water. I got up and made the best of my
way back to my tent ; before I reached it the qualm had seized
me again, and I was deadly sick. I flung myself on my pallet;
qualm succeeded qualm, but in the intervals my mouth was dry
and burning, and I felt a frantic desire to drink, but no water
was at hand, and to reach the spring once more was impossible :
the qualms continued, deadly pains shot through my whole frame ;
I could bear my agonies no longer, and I fell into a trance or
swoon. How long I continued therein I know not ; on recovering,
however, I felt somewhat better, and attempted to lift my head
off my couch ; the next moment, however, the qualms and pains
1825] MRS. HBRNB. 385
returned, if possible, with greater violence than before. I am
dying, thought I, like a dog, without any help; and then me-
thought I heard a sound at a distance like people singing, and
then once more I relapsed into my swoon.
I revived just as a heavy blow sounded upon the canvas of
the tent. I started, but my condition did not permit me to rise ;
again the same kind of blow sounded upon the canvas ; I thought
for a moment of crying out and requesting assistance, but an
inexplicable something chained my tongue, and now I heard a
whisper on the outside of the tent " He does not move, bebee,"
said a voice which I knew. ** I should not wonder if it has done
for him already ; however, strike again with your ran ; " and then
there was another blow, after which another voice cried aloud in
a strange tone : ** Is the gentleman of the house asleep, or is he
taking his dinner? " I remained quite silent and motionless, and
in another moment the voice continued: ''What, no answer?
what can the gentleman of the house be about that he makes no
answer ? Perhaps the gentleman of the house may be darning his
stockings ? " Thereupon a face peered into the door of the tent, at
the farUier extremity of which I was stretched. It was that of a
woman, but owing to the posture in which she stood, with her
back to the light, and partly owing to a large straw bonnet, I
could distinguish but very little of the features of her countenance.
I had, however, recognised her voice; it was that of my old
acquaintance, Mrs. Heme. " Ho, ho, sir ! " said she, ** here you
are. Come here, Leonora," said she to the gypsy girl, who
pressed in at the other side of the door ; " here is the gentleman,
not asleep, but only stretched out after dinner. Sit down on
your ham, child, at the door ; I shall do the same. There— you
have seen me before, sir, have you not ? "
''The gentleman makes no answer, bebee; perhaps he does
not know you."
" I have known him of old, Leonora," said Mrs. Heme ;
" and, to tell you the truth, though I spoke to him just now, I
expected no answer."
'* It's a way he has, bebee, I suppose? "
" Yes, child, it's a way he has."
** Take oflf your bonnet, bebee ; perhaps he cannot see your
Cftce.
" I do not think that will be of much use, child ; however, I
will take off my bonnet — there — and shake out my hair — there —
you have seen this hair before, sir, and this face "
'* No answer, bebee."
9%
386 LA VBNGRO. [iH%
"Though th€ one was not quite so grey, nor the other so
wrinkled."
" How came they so, bebee? "
" All along of this gorgio, child."
" The gentleman in the house, you mean, bebee."
'' Yes, child, the gentleman in the house. God grant that I
may preserve my temper. Do you know, sir, my name? My
name is Heme, which signifies a hairy individual, though neither
grey-haired nor wrinkled. It is not the nature of the Hemes to
be grey or wrinkled, even when they are old, and I am not old."
" How old are you, bebee ? "
''Sixty-five years, child — an inconsiderable number. My
mother was a hundred and ofie — a considerable age — when she
died, yet she had not on« grey hak, and not more than six
wrinkles — an inconsiderable number."
" She had no griefs, bebee? "
" Plenty, child, but not like mine."
" Not quite so hard to bear, bebee? "
" No, child ; my head wanders when I think of them. After
the death of my husband, who came to his end untimeously, I
went to live with a daughter of mine, married out among certain
Romans who walk about the eastern counties, and with whom for
some time I found a home and pleasant society, for they lived
right Romanly, which gave my heart considerable ^tisfaction,
who am a Roman bora, and hope to die so. When I say right
Romanly, I mean that they kept to themselves, and were not
much given to blabbing about their private matters in promiscuous
company. Well, things went on in this way for some time^ when
one day my son-in-law brings home a young gorgio of singular
and outrageous ugliness, and without much preamble, says to me
and mine, ' This is my pal, a'n't he a beauty ? fall down and
worship him '. ' Hold,' said I, ' I for one will never consent to
such foolishness.' "
"That .was right, bebee, I think I should have done the
same."
'' I think you would, child ; but what was the profit of it ?
The whole party makes an almighty of this gorgiOj lets him into
their ways, says prayers of his making, till things come to such a
pass that my own diaughter ssljs to me: ' I shall buy myself a veU
and fan, and treat myself to a play and sacrament '. ' Don't,'
says I ; says she, ' I should like for once in my life to be courtesied
to as a Christian gentlewoman \**
" Very foolish of her, bebee."
x8«5.1 " YOirVE TAKEN DROWS, SIRr 387
" Wasn't it, child ? Where was I ? At the £eui and sacra-
inent ; with a heavy heart I put seven score miles between us,
came back to the hairy ones, and found them over-given to gorgious
companions ; said I, * foolish manners is catching, all this comes
of that there gorgio'. Answers the child Leonora, ' Take comfort,
bebee, I hate the gorgios as much as you do '•"
** And I say so again, bebee, as much or more.'*
''Time flows on, I engage in many matters, in most miscarry.
Am sent to prison ; says I to myself, I am become foolish. Am
turned out of prison, and go back to the hairy ones, who receive
me not over courteously ; says I, for their unkindness, and my
own foolishness, all the thanks to that gorgia Answers to me
the child, * I wish I could set eyes upon him, bebee '."
" I did so, bebee ; go on."
''How shall I know him, bebee?" says the child. 'Young
and grey, tall, and speaks Romanly.' Runs to me the child, and
says, 'IVe found him, bebee '. ' Where, child ? ' says I. ' Come
with me, bebee,' says the child. 'That's he,' says I, as I looked
at my gentleman through the hedge."
" Ha, ha ! bebee, and here he lies, poisoned like a hog."
" You have taken drows, sir," said Mrs. Heme ; " do you
hear, sir ? drows ; tip him a stave, child, of the song of poison/'
And thereupon the girl clapped her hands, and sang —
The Rommany churl
And the Rommany girl,
To-morrow shall hie
To poison the sty.
And bewitch on the mead
The farmer's steed.
'* Do you hear that, sir ? " said Mrs. Heme ; " the child has
tipped you a stave of the song of poison : that is, she has sung it
Christianly, though perhaps you would like to hear it Romanly ;
you were always fond of what was Roman. Tip it him Romanly,
child."
" He has heard it Romanly already, bebee ; 'twas by that I
found him out, as I told you."
" Halloo, sir, are you sleeping ? you have taken drows ; the
gentleman makes no answer. God give me patience ! "
" And what if he doesn't, bebee ; isn't he poisoned like a hog?
Gentleman ! indeed, why call him gentleman? If he ever was one
he's broke, and is now a tinker, a worker of blue metaL"
" That's his way, child, to-day a tinker, to-morrow something
dse ; and as for being drabbed, I don't know what to say about it.**
388 LA VBNGRO. [iSs5-
" Not drabbed I what do you mean, bebee ? bat look there,
bebee ; ha, ha, look at the gentleman's motions."
" He is sick, child, sure enough. Ho, ho I sir, you have taken
drows ; what, another throe 1 writhe, sir, writhe, the hog died by
the drow of gypsies ; I saw him stretched at evening. That's
yourself, sir. There is no hope, sir, no help, you have taken
drow ; shall I tell you your fortune, sir, your dukkerin ? God
bless you, pretty gentleman, much trouble will you have to suffer,
and much water to cross ; but never mind, pretty gentleman, you
shall be fortunate at the end, and those who hate shall take off
their hats to you."
" Hey, bebee I " cried the girl ; ** what is this ? what do you
mean ? you have blessed the gorgio ! '*
" Blessed him ! no, sure ; what did I say ? (Mi, I remember,
Fm mad ; well, I can't help it, I said what the dukkerin dook
told me ; woe's me ; he'll get up yet."
" Nonsense, bebee I Look at his motions, he's drabbed, spite
of dukkerin."
*' Don't say so, child ; he's sick, 'tis true, but don't laugh at
dukkerin, only folks do that that know no better. I, for one, will
never laugh at the dukkerin dook. Sick again ; I wish he was
gone."
'* He'll soon be gone, bebee ; let's leave him. He's as good as
gone ; look there, he's dead."
" No, he's not, he'll get up — I feel it ; can't we hasten him ? "
" Hasten him 1 yes, to be sure ; set the dog upon him. Here,
juggal, look in there, my dog."
The dog made its appearance at the door of the tent, and
began to bark and tear up the ground.
*' At him, juggal, at him ; he wished to poison, to drab you.
HaUoo ! "
The dog barked violently, and seemed about to spring at my
face, but retreated.
" The dog won't fly at him, child ; he flashed at the dog with
his eye, and scared him. He'll get up."
'* Nonsense, bebee ! you make me angry ; how should he get
up?"
'* The dook tells me so, and, what's more, I had a dream. I
thought I was at York, standing amidst a crowd to see a man
hung, and the crowd shouted, ' There he comes 1 ' and I looked,
and lo 1 it was the tinker ; before I could cry with joy I was
whisked away, and I found myself in Ely's big church, which was
chock full of people to hear the dean preach, and aU eyes were
i8«5.] "HE'LL GBT UP YET!'' 589
tamed to the big pulpit ; and presently I heard them say, * There
he mounts ! ' and I looked up to the big pulpit, and, lo 1 the
tinker was in the pulpit, and he raised his arm and began to preach.
Anon, I found myself at York again, just as the drop fell, and I
looked up, and I saw, not the tinker, but my own self hanging in
the air."
** You are going mad, bebee ; if you want to hasten him, take
your stick and poke him in the eye.''
" That will be of no use» child, the dukkerin tells me so ; but
I will try what I can do. Halloo, tinker ! you must introduce
yourself into a quiet family, and raise confusion — must you?
You must steal its language, and, what was never done before,
write it down Christ ianly — must you ? Take that — ^and that ; "
and she stabbed violently with her stick towards the end of the
tent.
'* That's right, bebee, you struck his face; now, once more*
and let it be in the eye. Stay, what's that ? get up, bebee/'
" What's the matter, child ? "
" Some one is coming, come away."
'' Let me make sure of him, child ; he'll be up yet." And
thereupon Mrs. Heme, rising, leaned forward into the tent, and
supporting herself against the pole, took aim in the direction of the
&rtber end. '* I will thrust out his eye/' said she ; and, lunging
with her stick, she would probably have accomplished her purpose
bad not at that moment the pole of the tent given way, whereupon
she fell to the ground, the canvas falling upon her and her in-
tended victim.
" Here's a pretty affair, bebee," screamed the girl.
" He'll get up yet," said Mrs. Heme, from beneath the canvas.
"Get up! — ^get up yourself; where are you? where is your
Here, there, bebee, here's the door; there, make haste,
they are coming."
" He'll get up yet," said Mrs. Heme, recovering her breath ;
" the dook tells me so."
" Never mind him or the dook ; he is drabbed ; come away,
or we shall be grabbed— both of us."
" One more blow, I know where his head lies.'
"You are mad, bebee ; leave the fellow — gorgio avella.'
And thereupon the females hurried away.
A vehicle of some kind was evidently drawing nigh ; in a
little time it came alongside of the place where lay the fallen tent,
and stopped suddenly. There was a silence for a moment, and
then a parley ensued between two voices, one of which was that
ft
390 LA VBSGRO. [1825.
of a woman. It was not in English, bat in a deep guttural
tongue.
** Fethyw hano sydd yn garwedd yna or y ddaearf*^ said a
masculine voice.
" Yn wirumedd—l do not know what it can be," said the
female voice, in the same tongue.
** Here is a cart, and there are toob ; but what is that on the
ground ? "
*' Something moves beneath it ; and what was that — a groan ? "
" Shall I get down ? "
** Of course, Peter, some one may want your help."
" Then I will get down, though I do not like this place, it is
frequented by Egyptians, and I do not like their yellow faces, nor
their clibberty clabber, as Master Ellis Wyn says. Now, I am
down. It is a tent, Winifred, and see, here is a boy beneath it.
Merciful father 1 what a face 1 "
A middle-aged man, with a strongly marked and serious
countenance, dressed in sober-coloured habiliments, had lifted up
the stifling folds of the tent and was bending over me. " Can
you speak, my kd?" said he in English, ''what is the matter
with you? If you could but tell me, I could perhaps help
you *' '' What is it that you say ? I can't hear you. I will
kneel down ; " and he flung himself on the groimd, and placed
his ear dose to my mouth. ''Now speak if you can. Hey!
what 1 no, sure, God forbid 1 " then starting up, he cried to a
female who sat in the cart, anxiously looking on — Gwenwyni
Gwemvyn I yw y gwas wedi ei gwenwynaw. The oil! Winifred,
the oU I "
CHAPTER LXXII.
Thb oil, which the strangers compelled roe to take, produced the
desired efTecti though, during at least two hours, it was very doubt-
ful whether or not my life would be saved. At the end of that
period the man said, that with the blessing of God, he would
answer for my life. He then demanded whether I thought I
could bear to be removed from the place in which we were ? " for
I like it not," he continued, ''as something within me tells me
that it is not good for any of us to be here *\ I told him, as well
as I was able, that I, too, should be glad to leave the place;
whereupon, after collecting my things, he harnessed my pony,
and, with the assistance of the woman, he contrived to place me
in the cart ; he then gave me a draught out of a small phial, and
we set forward at a slow pace, the man walking by the side of the
cart in which I lay. It is probable that the draught consisted of
a strong opiate, for after swallowing it I fell into a deep slumber ;
^n my awaking, I found that the shadows of night had enveloped
the earth — we were still moving on. Shortly, however, after
descending a declivity, we turned into a lane, at the entrance of
which was a gate. This lane conducted to a meadow, through
the middle of which ran a small brook; it stood between two
rising grounds, that on the left, which was on the farther side of
the water, was covered with wood, whilst the one on the right,
which was not so high, was crowned with the white walls of what
appeared to be a farm-house.
Advancing along the meadow, we presently came to a place
where grew three immense oaks, almost on the side of the brook,
over which they flun^ their arms, so as to shade it as with a
canopy ; the ground beneath was bare of grass, and nearly as
hard and smooth as the floor of a barn. Having led his own cart
on one side of the midmost tree, and my own on the other, the
stranger said to me : " This is the spot where my wife and myself
generally tarry in the summer season, when we come into these
parts. We are about to pass the night here. I suppose you will
oave no objection to do the same? Indeed, I do not see what
{S9t\
39a LA VBNGRO. [1835.
else you could do under present circumstances." After receiving
my answer, in which I, of course, expressed my readiness to
assent to his proposal, he proceeded to unharness his horse, and,
feeling myself much better, I got down, and began to make
the necessary preparations for passing the night beneath the oak.
Whilst thus engaged^ I felt myself touched on the shoulder,
and, looking round, perceived the woman, whom the stranger
called Winifred, standing close to me. The moon was shining
brightly upon her, and I observed that she was very good-looking,
with a composed, yet cheerful expression of countenance ; her
dress was plain and primitive, very much resembling that of a
Quaker. She held a straw bonnet in her hand. '^I am glad
to see thee moving about, young man," said she, in a soft, placid
tone; "I could scarcely have expected it Thou must be
wondrous strong ; many, after what thou hast suffered, would not
have stood on their feet for weeks and months. What do I say ? —
Peter, my husband, who is skilled in medicine, just now told me
that not one in five hundred would have survived what thou hast
this day undergone ; but allow me to ask thee one thing. Hast
thou returned thanks to God for thy deliverance ? " I made no
answer, and the woman, after a pause, said : '' Excuse me, young
man, but do you know anything of God?" "Very little," I
replied, " but I should say He must be a wondrous strong person,
if He made all those big bright things up above there, to say no-
thing of the ground on which we stand, which bears beings like,
these oaks, each of which is fifty times as strong as myself, and
will live twenty times as long." The woman was silent for some
moments, and then said : " I scarcely know in what spirit thy
words are uttered. If thou art serious, however, I would caution
thee against supposing that the power of God is more manifested
in these trees, or even in those bright stars above us, than in thy-
self— they are things of time, but thou art a being destined to an
eternity ; it depends upon thyself whether thy eternity shall be
one of joy or sorrow."
Here she was interrupted by the man, who exclaimed from
the other side of the tree : "Winifred, it is getting late, you had
better go up to the house on the hill to inform our friends of our
arrival, or they will have retired for the night". "True," said
Winifred, and forthwith wended her way to the house in question,
returning shortly with another woman, whom the man, speaking
in the same language which I had heard him first use, greeted by
the name of Mary ; the woman replied in the same tongue, but
almost immediately said, in English : " We hoped to have heard
iSasl ^^^ WELSH PREACHER. 595
you speak to-night, Peter, but we cannot expect that now, seeing
that it is so late, owing to your having been detained by the way,
as Winifred tells me ; nothing remains for you to do now but to
sup — ^to-morrow, with God's will, we shall hear you". *' And to-
night, also, with God's will, provided you be so disposed. Let
those of your family come hither." "They will be hither
presently,^' said Mary, "for kno?nng that thou art arrived, they
will, of course, come and bid thee welcome." And scarcely had
she spoke, when I beheld a party of people descending the moon-
lit side of the hill. They soon arrived at the place where we
were; they might amount in all to twelve individuals. The
principal person was a tall, athletic man, of about forty, dressed
like a plain country farmer ; this was, I soon found, the husband
of Mary ; the rest of the group consisted of the children of these
two, and their domestic servants. One after another they all
shook Peter by the hand, men and women, boys and girls, and
expressed their joy at seeing him. After which, he said : " Now,
friends, if you please, I will speak a few words to you ''. A stool
was then brought him from the cart, which he stepped on, and
the people arranging themselves round him, some standing, some
seated on the ground, he forthwith began to address them in a
clear, distinct voice; and the subject of his discourse was the
necessity, in all human beings, of a change of heart
The preacher was better Uian his promise, for, instead of
speaking a few words, he preached for at least three-quarters of
an hour; none of the audience, however, showed the slightest
symptom of weariness ; on the contrary, the hope of each indi-
vidual appeared to hang upon the words which proceeded from
his mouths At the conclusion of the sermon or discourse, the
whole assembly again shook Peter by the hand, and returned
to their house, the mistress of the family saying, as she departed :
*' I shall soon be back, Peter, I go but to make anangements for
the supper of thyself and company " ; and, in effisct, she presently
returned, attended by a young woman, who bore a tray in her
hands. " Set it down, Jessy," said the mistress to the girl, " and
then betake thyself to thy rest ; I shall remain here for a little time
to talk with my friends." The girl departed, and the preacher and
the two females placed themselves on the ground about the tray.
The man gave thanks, and himself and his wife appeared to be
about to eat, when the latter suddenly placed her hand upon his
arm, and said something to him in a low voices whereupon he
exdaimed, " Ay, truly, we were both forgetful " ; and then getting
up^ he came towards me^ who stood a little way off, leaning
394 ^^ VBNGRO. [i8ss
■ -
against the wheel of my cart ; and, taking me by the hand, he
said : '' Pardon us^ young man, we were both so engaged in our
own creature<omfort8 that we forgot thee, but it is not too late
to repair our fault ; wilt thou not join us, and taste our bread and
milk ?" '' I cannot eat," I replied, '* but I think I could drink a
little milk ; " whereupon he led me to the rest, and seating me by
his side, he poured some milk into a horn cup, saying : " ' Croesaw\
That,*' added he with a smile, "is Welsh for welcome,"
The fare upon the tray was of the simplest description,
consisting of bread, cheese, milk and curds. My two friends
partook with a good appetite. ''Mary," said the preacher,
addressing himself to the woman of the house, "every time I
come to visit thee, I find thee less inclined to speak Welsh. I
suppose, in a little time, thou wilt entirely have forgotten
it; hast thou taught it to any of thy children?" *<The two
eldest understand a few words," said the woman, '' but my
husband does not wish them to learn it; he says sometimes,
jocularly, that though it pleased him to marry a Welsh wife, it
does not please him to have Welsh children. 'Who,' I have
heard him say, 'would be a Welshman, if he could be an
Englishman?'" "I for one,** said the preacher, somewhat
hastily; "not to be king of all England would I give up my
birthright as a Welshman. Your husband is an excellent person,
Mary, but I am afraid he is somewhat prejudiced." "You do
him justice, Peter, in saying that he is an excellent person," said
the woman ; "as to being prejudiced, I scarcely know what to
say, but he thinks that two languages in the same kingdom are
almost as bad as two kings." "That's no bad obsorvation,"
said the preacher, " and it is generally the case ; yet, thank God,
the Welsh and English go on very well, side by side, and I hope
will do so till the Almighty calls all men to their long account"
"They jog on very well now," said the woman; "but I have
heard my husband say that it was not always so, and diat the
Welsh, in old times, were a violent and ferocious people, for that
once tliey hanged the mayor of Chester." " Ha, ha \ " said the
preacher, and his eyes flashed in the moonlight; "he told you
that, did he?" "Yes," said Mary; "once, when the mayor of
Chester, with some of his people, was present at one of the fisurs
over the border, a quarrel arose between the Welsh and English,
and the Welsh beat the English and hanged the mayor." " Your
husband is a clever man,*' said Peter, "and knows a great deal;
did he tell you the name of the leader of the Welsh ? No ? tiien
I will : the Inder of the Welsh on that occasion was -**-- He
i8a5 ] " GOD PORGI VB MBr 395
was a powerful chieftain, and there was an old feud between him
and the men of Chester. Afterwards, when two hundred of the
men of Chester invaded his country to take revenge for their
mayor, he enticed them into a tower, set fire to it, and burnt
them all. That was a very fine, noble — God forgive me,
what was I about to say 1 — a very bad, violent man ; but, Mary,
this is very carnal and unprofitable conversation, and in holding
it we set a very bad example to the young man here — let us
change the subject."
They then began to talk on religious matters. At length
Mary departed to her abode, and the preacher and his wife
retired to their tilted cart.
'* Poor fellow, he seems to be almost brutally ignorant," said
Peter, addressing his wife in their native language, after they had
bidden me farewell for the night
" I am afraid he is/' said Winifred ; "yet my heart warms to
the poor lad, he seems so forlorn."
CHAPTER LXXIIL
I SLEPT soundly during that night, partly owing to the influence
of the opiate. Early in the morning I was awakened by die
voices of Peter and his wife, who were singing a morning hymn
in their own language. Both subsequently prayed long and
fervently. I lay still till their devotions were complete^ and
then left my tent "Good-morning," said Peter, "how dost
thou feel?" "Much better," said I, "than I could have
expected." " I am glad of it," said Peter. " Art thou hungry?
yonder comes our breakfast," pointing to the same young woman
I had seen the preceding night, who was again descending the
hill, bearing the tray upon her head.
" What dost thou intend to do, young man, this day ? " said
Peter, when we had about half finished breakfast " Do," said
I, "as I do other days, what I can." "And dost thou pass
this day as thou dost other days?" said Peter. "Why not?"
said I ; " what is there in this day different from the rest ? it
seems to be of the same colour as yesterday." "Art thou
aware," said the wife interposing, "what day it is? that it is
Sabbath ? that it is Sunday ? " " No," said I, " I did not know
that it was Sunday." " And how did that happen ? " said Wini-
fred with a sigh. "To tell you the truth/' said I, " I live verv
much alone, and pay very little heed to the passing of time. '
" And yet of what infinite importance is time," said Winifred.
" Art thou not aware that every year brings thee nearer to thy
end ? " "I do not think," said I, " that I am so near my end
as I was yesterday." " Yes thou art," said the woman ; " thou
wast not doomed to die yesterday; an invisible hand was watching
over thee yesterday ; but thy day wiU come, therefore improve
the time ; be grateful that thou wast saved yesterday ; and, oh I
reflect on one thing ; if thou hadst died yesterday, where wouMst
thou have been now?" " Cast into the earth, perhaps," said I.
" I have heard Mr. Petulengro say that to be cast into the earth
is the natural end of man. " Who is Mr. Petulengro ? " said
peter, interrupting his wife, as she was about to speak. " Master
(396)
ifasl DISCOURSE. 397
of the horse-shoe," said I, " and, according to his own account,
king of Egypt" "I understand," said Peter, "head of some
family of wandering Egyptians — they are a race utterly godless.
Art thou of them? — but no, thou art not, thou hast not their
yellow blood. I suppose thou belongest to the fomily of wander-
ing artisans called '• I do not like you the worse for belonging
to them. A mighty speaker of old sprang up from amidst that
family." "Who was he?" said I. "John Bunyan," replied
Peter, reverently, "and the mention of his name reminds me
that I have to preach this day; wilt thou go and hear? the
distance is not great, only half a mile." " No," said I, " I will
not go and hear." " Wherefore ? " said Peter. " I belong to
the church," said I, " and not to the congregations." " Oh !
the pride of that church," said Peter, addressing his wife in their
own tongue, " exemplified even in the lowest and most ignorant
of its members." "Then thou, doubtless, meanest to go to
church," said Peter, again addressing me; "there is a church
on the other side of that wooded hill. " No," said I, " I do not
mean to go to church." "May I ask thee wherefore?" said
Peter. "Because," said I, "I prefer remaining beneath the
shade of these trees, listening to the sound of the leaves, and
the tinkling of the waters."
"Then thou intendest to remain here?" said Peter, looking
fixedly at me. " If I do not intrude," said I ; " but if I do, I
will wander away; I wish to be beholden to nobody — ^perhaps
you wish me to go?" "On the contrary," said Peter, "I wish
you to stay. I begin to see something in thee which has much
mterest for me ; but we must now bid thee farewell for the rest
of the day, the time is drawing nigh for us to repair to the place
of preaching ; before we leave thee alone, however, I should wish
to ask thee a question : Didst thou seek thy own destruction
yesterday, and didst thou wilfully take that poison?" "No,"
said I; "had I known there had been poison in the cake, I
certainly should not have taken it" "And who gave it thee?"
said Peter. "An enemy of mine," I replied. "Who is thy
enemy?" " An Egyptian sorceress and poisonmonger." " Thy
enemy is a female. I fear thou hadst given her cause to hate
thee— of what did she complain?" "That I had stolen the
tongue out of her head." " I do not understand thee — is she
young?" "About sixty-five."
Here Winifred interposed. "Thou didst call her just now by
hard names, young man," said she ; " I trust thou dost bear no
malice against her.** "No," said I, "I bear no malice against
398 LA VBNGRO. (iftis-
her." **Thou art not wishing to deliver her into the hand of
what is called justice?" " By no means/' said I ; " I have lived
long enough upon the roads not to cry out for the constable when
my finger is broken. I consider this poisoning as an accident of
the roads ; one of those to which those who travel are occasion-
ally subject." ** In short, thou forgivest thine adversary ? " " Both
now and for ever," said I. " Truly," said Winifred, " the spirit
which the young man displayeth pleases me much : I should be
loth that he left us yet I have no doubt that, with the blessing
of God, and a little of thy exhortation, he will turn out a true
Christian before he leaveth us." " My exhortation ! " said Peter,
and a dark shade passed over his countenance ; '* thou fofgettest
what I am — I — I — ^but I am foigetting myself; the Lord's will be
done ; and now put away the things, for I perceive that our friends
are coming to attend us to the place of meeting."
Again the family which I had seen the night before
descended the hill from their abode. They were now dressed
in their Sunday's best The master of the house led the way.
They presently joined us, when a quiet, sober greeting ensued on
each side. After a little time Peter shook me by the hand and
bade me farewell till the evening; Winifred did the same, adding,
that she hoped I should be visited by sweet and holy thoughts.
The whole party then moved off in the direction by which we
had come the preceding night, Peter and the master leading the
way, followed by Winifred and the mistress of the family. As I
gazed on their departing forms, I felt almost inclined to follow
them to theu: place of worship. I did not stir, however, but
remained leaning against my oak with my hands behind me.
And after a time I sat me down at the foot of the oak with
my face turned towards the water, and, folding my hands, I fell
into deep meditation. I thought on the early Sabbaths of my
life, and the manner in which I was wont to pass them. How
carefully I said my prayers when I got up on the Sabbath mom,
and how carefully I combed my hair and brushed my clothes in
order that I might do credit to the Sabbath day. I thought of
the old church at pretty D , the dignified rector, and yet
more dignified clerk. I thought of England's grand Liturgy, and
Tate and Brady's sonorous minstrelsy. I thought of the Holy
Book, portions of which I was in the habit of reading between
service. I thought, too, of the evening walk which I sometimes
took in fine weather like the present, with my mother and brother
— a quiet, sober walk, during which I would not break into a run»
even to chase a butterfly, or yet more a honey-bee, being fully
iSas.] THB SABBATH DAY. 399
convinced of the dread importance of the day which God had
hallowed. And how glad I was when I had got over the Sabbath
day without having done anything to profane it. And how
soundly I slept on the Sabbath night after the toil of being very
good throughout the day.
And when I had mused on those times a long while, I sighed
and said to myself, I am much altered since then ; am I altered
for the better? And then I looked at my hands and my apparel,
and sighed again. I vras not wont of yore to appear thus on the
Sabbath day.
For a long time I continued in a state of deep meditation,
till at last I lifted up my ^es to the sun, which, as usual during
that glorious summer, was shining in unclouded majesty; and
then I lowered them to the sparkling water, in which hundreds
of the finny brood were disporting themselves, and then I thought
what a fine thing it was to be a fish on such a fine summer day,
and I wished myself a fish, or at least amongst the fishes ; and
then I looked at my hands again, and then, bending over the
water, I looked at my face in the crystal mirror, and started when
I saw it, for it looked squalid and miserable.
Forthwith I started up, and said to myself, I should like to
bathe and cleanse myself from the squalor produced by my late
hard life and by Mrs. Heme's drow. I wonder if there is any
harm in bathing on the Sabbath day. I will ask Winifred when
she comes home ; in the meantime I will bath^ provided I can
find a fitting place.
But the brook, though a very delightful place for fish to
disport in, was shallow, and by no means adapted for the
recreation of so large a being as myself; it was, moreover,
exposed, though I saw nobody at hand, nor heard a single
human voice or sound. Following the winding of the brook I
left the meadow, and, passing through two or three thickets, came
to a place where between lofty banks the water ran deep and
dark, and there I bathed, imbibing new tone and vigour into my
languid and exhausted frame.
Having put on my clothes, I returned by the way I had come
to my vehicle beneath the oak tree. From thence, for want of
something better to do, I strolled up the hill, on the top of which
stood the farm-house ; it was a large and commodious building
built principally of stone, and seeming of some antiquity, with a
porch, on either side of which was an oaken bench. On the
right was seated a young woman with a book in her hand, the
same who had brought the tray to my friends and myself.
400 LA VBNGRO. [1825.
"Good-day," said I, "pretty damsel, sitting in the farm
porch."
" Good-day," said the girl, looking at me for a moment, and
then fixing her eyes on her book.
*' That's a nice book you are reading," said T.
The girl looked at me with surprise. " How do you know what
book it is ? " said she.
" How do I know — never mind ; but a nice book it is — no love,
no fortune-telling in it."
The girl looked at me half offended. " Fortune-telling 1 " said
she, ** I should think not. But you know nothing about it ; *' and
she bent her head once more over the book.
"I tell you what, young person," said I, "I know all about
that book ; what will you wager that I do not ? "
" I never wager," said the girl.
'* Shall t tell you the name of it," said I, " O daughter of the
dairy ? "
The girl half started. " I should never have thought," said
she, half timidly, " that you could have guessed it."
" I did not guess it," said I, " I knew it ; and meet and proper
it is that you should read it."
'* Why so? "said the girl.
" Can the daughter of the dairy read a more fitting book than
the Dairyman's Daughter f "
" Where do you come from ? " said the girl.
" Out of the water," said I. " Don't start, I have been bathing ;
are you fond of the water ? "
•' No," said the girl, heaving a sigh ; " I am not fond of the
water, that is, of the sea ; " and here she sighed again.
"The sea is a wide gulf," said I, "and frequently separates
hearts."
The girl sobbed.
" Wliy are you alone here ? " said I.
" I take my turn with the rest," said the girl, " to keep at home
on Sunday." *
** And you are " said I.
"The master's niece!" said the girl. "How came you to
know it? But why did you not go with the rest and with your
friends?"
" Who are those you call my friends ? " said I.
" Peter and his wife."
*• And who are they?" said I.
" Do you not know ? " said the girl ; " you came with them."
iftiS-] ^^J5 DAIRYMAN'S DAUGHTER. 401
" They found me ill by the way/' said I ; "and they relieved
me : I know nothing about them."
*' I thought you knew everything," said the girl.
** There are two or three things which I do not know, and this
ia one of them. Who are they ? "
''Did you never hear of the great Welsh preacher, Peter
Williams ? ^'
" Never," said I.
" WeU," said the girl, " this is he, and Winifred is his wife, and
a nice person she is. . Some people say, indeed, that she is as good
a preacher as her husband, though of that matter I can say nothing,
having never heard her preach. So these two wander over all Wales
and the greater part of England, comforting the hearts of the people
with their doctrine, and doing all the good they can. They fre-
quently come here, for the mistress is a Welsh woman, and an
old friend of both, and then they take up their abode in the cart
beneath the old oaks down there by the stream."
" And what is their reason for doing so ? " said I ; " would it
not be more comfortable to sleep beneath a roof? "
" I know not their reasons," said the girl, " but so it is ; they
never sleep beneath a roof unless the weather is very severe. I
once heard the mistress say that Peter had something heavy upon
his mind ; perhaps that is the cause. If he is unhappy, all I can
say iS| that I wish him otherwise, for he is a good man and a
kind "
" Thank you," said I, " I will now depart."
"Hem !" said the girl, " I was wishing
" What ? to ask me a question ? "
t9
" Not exactly ; but you seem to know everything ; you men-
tioned* I think, fortune-telling."
" Do you wish me to tell your fortune? "
" By no means ; but I have a friend at a distance at sea, and
I should wish to know —
uia wisn lu kouw
€4
When he will come back ? I have told you already there
are two or three things which I do not know — this is another of
them. However, I should not be surprised if he were to come
back some of these days ; I would, if I were in his place. In the
meantime be patient, attend to the dairy, and read the Dairy-
man's Daughter when you have nothing better to do."
It was late in the evening when the party of the morning
returned. The farmer and his family repaired at once to their
abode, and my two friends joined me beneath the tree. Peter
sat down at the foot of the oak, and said nothing. Supper was
a6
409 LA VBNGRO. [1895.
brought by a servant, not the damsel of the porch. We sat round
the tray, Peter said grace, but scarcely anything else ; he appeared
sad and dejected, his wife looked anxiously upon him. I was as
silent as my friends ; after a little time we retired to our separate
places of rest.
About midnight I was awakened by a noise ; I started up and
listened ; it appeared to me that I heard voices and groans. In
a moment I had issued from my tent — ^all was silent — but the
next moment I again heard groans and voices ; they proceeded
from the tilted cart where Peter and his wife lay ; I drew near,
again there was a pause, and then I heard the voice of Peter, in
an accent of extreme anguish, exclaim : " Pechod Ysprydd Glan —
O peeked Ysprydd Glan I " and then he uttered a deep groan.
Anon, I heard the voice of Winifred, and never shall I forget the
sweetness and gentleness of the tones of her voice in the stillness
of that night I did not understand all she said — she spoke in
her native language, and I was some way apart ; she appeared to
endeavour to console her husband, but he seemed to refuse all
comfort, and, with many groans, repeated — ^^ Pechod Ysprydd
Gian—O pechod Ysprydd Glan i" I felt I had no right to pry
into their afflictions, and retired.
Now, "pechod Ysprydd Glan^' interpreted, is the sin against
the Holy Ghost
CHAPTER LXXIV.
Peter and his wife did not proceed on any expedition during the
following day. The former strolled gloomily about the fields, and
the latter passed many hours in the farm-house. Towards evening,
without saying a word to either, I departed with my vehicle, and
finding my way to a small town at some distance, I laid in a store
of various articles, with which I returned. It was night, and my
two friends were seated beneath the oak ; they had just completed
their frugal supper. '* We waited for thee some time," said Winifred,
" but finding that thou didst not come, we began without thee ; but
sit down, I pray thee, there is still enough for thee." " I will sit
down," said I, "but I require no supper, for I have eaten where
I have been." Nothing more particular occurred at the time.
Next morning the kind pair invited me to share their breakfast
" I will not share your breakfast," said I. " Wherefore not ? "
said Winifred anxiously. "Because,** said I, "it is not proper
that I be beholden to you for meat and drink." " But we are
beholden to other people," said Winifred. "Yes," said I, "but
you preach to them, and give them ghostly advice, which con-
siderably alters the matter; not that I would receive anything
from them, if I preached to them six times a day." " Thou art
not fond of receiving favours, then, young msui," said Winifred.
" I am not," said I. "And of conferring favours?" " Nothing
affords me greater pleasure," said I, "than to confer favours."
''What a disposition!" said Winifred, holding up her hands;
" and this is pride, genuine pride — that feeling which the world
agrees to call so noble. Oh, how mean a thing is pride ! never
before did I see all the meanness of what is called pride I "
"But how wilt thou live, friend?" said Peter; "dost thou not
intend to eat?" "When I went out last night," said I, " I laid
in a provision." " Thou hast laid in a provision ! " said Peter,
" pray let us see it Really, friend," said he, after I had produced
it, " thou must drive a thriving trade; here are provisions enough
to last three people for several days. Here are butter and eggs,
here is tea, here is sugar, and there is a flitch. I hope thou wilt
(403)
LA VENQRO. [1825.
let us partake of some of thy fare." '' I should be very happy
if you would," said I. " Doubt not but we shall," said Peter ;
*' Winifred shall have some of thy flitch cooked for dinner. In
the meantime, sit down, young man, and breakfiast at our expense
— ^we will dine at thine."
On the evening of that day, Peter and myself sat alone beneath
the oak. We fell into conversation ; Peter was at first melancholy,
but he soon became more cheerful, fluent and entertaining. I
spoke but little, but I observed that sometimes what I said
surprised the good Methodist. We had been silent some time.
At length, lifting up my eyes to the broad and leafy canopy of the
trees, I said, having nothing better to remark, "What a noble
tree ! I wonder if the fairies ever dance beneath it ? "
"Fairies ! " said Peter, " fairies ! how came you, young man,
to know anything about the fair family?"
"I am an Englishman," said I, "and of course know
something about fairies; England was once a famous place for
them."
" Was once, I grant you," said Peter, " but is so no longer.
I have travelled for years about England, and never heard them
mentioned before ; the belief in them has died away, and even
their name seems to be forgotten. If you had said you were a
Welshman, I should not have been surprised. The Welsh have
much to say of the Tylwyth Teg^ or faXx family, and many believe
in them."
"And do you believe in them ? " said I.
"I scarcely know what to say. Wise and good men have
been of opinion that they are nothing but devils, who, under the
form of pretty and amiable spirits, would fain allure poor human
beings ; I see nothing irrational in the supposition."
" Do you believe in devils, then ? "
" Do I believe in devils, young man 1 " said Peter, and his
frame was shaken as if by convulsions. " If I do not believe in
devils, why am I here at the present moment ? "
" You know best," said I ; " but I don't believe that fairies are
devils, and I don't wish to hear them insulted. What learned
men have said they are devils?"
" Many have said it, young man, and, amongst others, Master
Ellis Wyn, in that wonderful book of his, the Bardd CwsgP
" The Bardd Cwsg^' said I ; " what kind of book is that ? I
have never heard of that book before."
"Heard of it before; I suppose not; how should you have
heard of it before ! By-the-bye, can you read ? "
iSas.] THE SLEEPING BARD. 405
"Very tolerably," said I ; " so there are fairies in this boot
What do you call it— the Bardd Cwsg f "
"Yes, the Bardd Cwsg. You pronounce Welsh very fairly;
have you ever been in Wales ? "
" Never," said I.
** Not been in Wales ; then, of course, you don't understand
Welsh ; but we were talking of the Bardd Cwsg — yes, there are
fairies in the Bardd Cwsg — the author o^ it. Master Ellis Wyn,
was carried away in his sleep by them over mountains and valleys,
rivers and great waters^ incurring mighty perils at their hands, till
he was rescued from them by an angel of the Most High,, who
subsequently showed him many wonderful things.''
« I beg your pardon," said I "but what were those wonderful
things?"
" I see» young man," said Peter, smiling, " that you are not
without curiosity; but I can easily pardon anyone for being
curious about the wonders contained in the book of Master Ellis
Wyn. The angel showed him the course of this world, its pomps
and vanities, its cruelty and its pride, its crimes and deceits.
On another occasion, the angel showed him Death in his nether
palace, surrounded by his grisly ministers, and by those who are
continually falling victims to his power. And, on a third occasion,
the state of the condemned in their place of everlasting torment"
'* But this was all in his sleep," said I, '' was it not ? "
'* Yes," said Peter, " in his sleep ; and on that account the
book is called GweUdigaetkau y Bardd Cwsg, or. Visions of the
Sleeping Bard."
''I do not care for wonders which occur in sleep," said I.
'' I prefer real ones ; and perhaps^ notwithstanding what he says,
the man had no visions at all — ^they are probably of his own
invention."
" They are substantially true, young man," said Peter; " like
the dreams of Bunyan, they are founded on three tremendous
facts, Sin, Death, and Hell ; and like his they have done incalcul-
able good, at least in my own country, in the language in which
they are written. Many a guilty conscience has the Bardd Cwsg
aroused with its dreadful sights, its strong sighs, its puffs of smoke
from the pit, and its showers of sparks from the mouth of the yet
lower gulf of [the deep] Unknown. Were it not for the Bardd
Cwsg perhaps I might not be here."
'' I would sooner hear your own tale," said I, " than all the
visions of the Bardd Cwsg*'
Peter shook, bent his fonn nearly double, and covered his fiM:e
4o6 LA VBNGRO, [xa?5.
with his hands. I sat still and motionless^ with my eyes fixed
upon him. Presently Winifred descended the hill, and joined us.
"What is the matter?" said she, looking at her husband, who
still remained in the posture I have described He made no
answer; whereupon, laying her hand gently on his shoulder,
she said, in the peculiar soft and tender tone which I had heard
her use on a former occasion, "Take comfort, Peter; what has
happened now to afflict thee ? ** Peter removed his hands from
his face. " The old pain, the old pain," said he ; "I was talking
with this young man, and he would fain know what brought me
here, he would fain hear my tale, Winifred — my sin : O pechod
Ysprydd Glan I O pechod Ysprydd Glan I " and the poor man
fell into a more fearful agony than before. Tears trickled down
Winifred's face ; I saw them trickling by the moonlight, as she
gazed upon the writhing form of her afflicted husband. I arose
from my seat ; " I am the cause of all this," said 1, " by my folly
and imprudence, and it is thus I have returned your kindness and
hospitality ; I will depart from you and wander my way." I was
retiring, but Peter sprang up and detained me. " Go not," said
he, " you were not in fault ; if there be any fiault in the case, it
was mine ; if I suffer, I am but paying the penalty of my own
iniquity ; " he then paused, and appeared to be considering : at
length he said, " Many things which thou hast seen and heard
connected with me require explanation ; thou wishest to know my
tale, I will tell it thee, but not now, not to-night ; I am too much
shaken "•
Two evenings later, when we were again seated beneath the
oak, Peter took the hand of his wife in his own, and then, in
tones broken and almost inarticulate, commenced telling me his
talfr-^e tale of the Fechod Ysprydd Glan,
CHAPTER LXXr.
** I WAS bom in the heart of North Wales, the son of a respect-
able fanner, and am the youngest of seven brothers.
" My father was a member of the Church of England, and
was what is generally called a serious man. He went to church
r^ularly, and read the Bible every Sunday evening; in his
moments of leisure he was fond of holding religious discourse
both with his family and his neighbours.
" One autumn afternoon, on a week day, my father sat with
one of his neighbours taking a cup of ale by the oak table in our
stone kitchen. I sat near them, and listened to their discourse.
I was at that time seven years of age. They were talking of
religious matters. ' It is a hard matter to get to heaven,' said
my father. ' Exceedingly so,' said the other. ' However, I don't
despond, none need despair of getting to heaven, save those who
have committed the sin against the Holy Ghost.'
'* ' Ah I ' said my father, ' thank God I never committed that
— how awful must be the state of a person who has committed
the sin against the Holy Ghost ! I can scarcely think of it with-
out my hair standing on end ; ' and then my father and his
friend be^ui talking of the nature of the sin against the Holy
Ghost, and I heard them say what it was^ as I sat with greedy
ears listening to their discourse.
** I lay awake the greater part of the night musing upon what
I had heard. I kept wondering to myself what must be the state
of a person who had committed the sin against the Holy Ghosts
and how he must feel. Once or twice I felt a strong inclination
to commit it — ^a strange kind of fear, however, prevented me ; at
last I determined not to commit it, and having said my prayers,
I fell asleep.
" When I awoke in the morning the first thing I thought of
was the mysterious sin, and a voice within me seemed to say,
* Commit it*; and I felt a strong temptation to do so, even
stronger than in the night I was just about to yield, when the
same dread, of which I have already spoken, came over me, and,
U07)
4o8 LA VBNGRO. [1895.
springing out of bed, I went down on my knees. I slept in a
small room alone, to which I ascended by a wooden stair, open
to the sky. I have often thought since that it is not a good
thing for children to sleep alone.
" After breakfast I went to school, and endeavoured to em-
ploy myself upon my tasks, but all in vain ; I could think of
nothing but the sin against the Holy Ghost ; my eyes, instead of
being fixed upon my book, wandered in vacancy. My master
observed my inattention, and chid me. The time came for say-
ing my task, and I had not acquired it. My master reproached
me, and, yet more, he beat me ; I felt shame and anger, and I
went home with a full determination to commit the sin against
the Holy Ghost.
« But when I got home my father ordered me to do some-
thing connected with the farm, so that I was compelled to exert
myself ; I was occupied till night, and was so busy that I almost
forgot the sin and my late resolution. My work completed, I
took my supper, and went to my room ; I b^;an my prayers, and*
when they were ended, I thought of the sin, but the temptation
was slight ; I felt very tired, and was presently asleep.
"Thus, ybu see, I had plenty of time allotted me by a
gracious and kind God to reflect on what I was about to do.
He did not permit the enemy of souls to take me by surprisCi
and to hurry me at once into the commission of that which was
to be my ruin here and hereafter. Whatever I did was of my
own free will, after I had had time to reflect. Thus God is
justified ; He had no hand in my destruction, but, on the con-
trary. He did all that was compatible with justice to prevent it
I hasten to the fisital moment Awaking in the ni^ht, I deter-
mined that nothing should prevent my committmg the sin.
Arising from my bed, I went out upon the wooden g^lery, and
having stood for a few moments looking at the stars, with which
the heavens were thickly strewn, I laid myself down, and suppo^^
ing my face with my hand, I murmured out words of horror —
words not to be repeated — and in this manner I committed the
sin against the Holy Ghost
*' When the words were uttered I sat up upon the topmost
step of the gallery ; for some time I felt stunned in somewhat
the same manner as I once subsequently felt after being stung
by an adder. I soon arose, however, and retired to my bed,
where, notwithstanding what I had done, I was not slow in fall-
ing asleep.
*' I awoke several txam during the nighti each tiip^ with thf
iflas*] PETER'S STORY. 409
dim idea that something strange and monstrous had occurred,
but presently I fell asleep again ; in the morning I awoke with
the same vague feeling, but presently recollection returned, and
I remembered that I had committed the sin against the Holy
Ghost. I lay musing for some time on what I had done, and I
felt rather stunned, as before ; at last I arose and got out of bed,
dressed myself, and then went down on my knees, and was about
to pray from the force of mechanical habit ; before I said a word,
however, I recollected myself, and got up again. What was the
use of praying ? I thought ; I had committed the sin against the
Holy Ghost.
" I went to school, but sat stupefied. I was again chidden,
again beaten by my master. I felt no anger this time, and
scarcely heeded the strokes. I looked, however, at my master's
hce^ and thought to myself you are beating me for being idle,
as you suppose ; poor man, what would you do if you Imew I
had committed the sin against the Holy Ghost?
** Days and weeks passed by. I had once been cheerful, and
fond of the society of children of my own age ; but I was now
reserved and gloomy. It seemed to me that a gulf separated me
from all my fdlow-creatures. I used to look at my brothers and
schoolfellows, and think how different I was from them; they
had not done what I had. I seemed, in my own eyes, a lone,
monstrous being, and yet, strange to say, I felt a kind of pride
in being so. I was unhappy, but I frequently thought to myself,
I have done what no one else would dare to do ; there was some-
thing grand in the idea ; I had yet to learn the horror of my
conditioD.
'' Time passed on, and I began to think less of what I had
done ; I began once more to take pleasure in my childish sports ;
I was active, and excelled at football and the like all the lads of
my age. I likewise began, what I had never done before, to take
pleasure in the exercises of the school I made great progress
in Welsh and English grammar, and learnt to construe Latin.
My roaster no longer chid or beat me, but one day told my father
that he had no doubt that one day I should be an honour to
Wales.
" Shortly after this my father fell sick ; the progress of the
disorder was rapid; feeling his end approaching, he called his
children before him. After tenderly embracing us, he said : 'God
bless you, my children ; I am going from you, but take comfort,
I trust that we shall all meet again in heaven '•
*< M he uttered these last words, horror took entire possession
4IO LA VENGRO. (1835.
of me. Meet my father in heaven — how could I ever hope to
meet him there? I looked wildly at my brethren and at my
mother ; they were all bathed in tears, but how I envied them 1
They might hope to meet my father in heaven, but how different
were they from me — ^they haid never committed the unpardonable
sin.
*' In a few days my father died ; he left his family in comfort-
able circumstances, at least such as would be considered so in
Wales, where the wants of the people are few. My elder brother
carried on the hnn for the benefit of my mother and us alL In
course of time my brothers were put out to various trades. I
still remained at school, but without being a source of expense to
my relations, as I was by this time able to assist my master in
the business of the school.
** I was diligent both in self-improvement and in the instruction
of others; nevertheless, a horrible weight pressed upon my breast;
I knew I was a lost being ; that for me there was no hope ; that,
though all others might be saved, I must of necessity be lost : I
had committed the unpardonable sin, for which I was doomed to
eternal punishment, in the flaming gulf, as soon as life was over ! —
and how long could I hope to live? perhaps fifty years, at the
end of which I must go to my place ; and then I would count
the months and the days, nay, even the hours which yet inter-
vened between me and my doom. Sometimes I would comfort
myself with the idea that a long time would elapse before my
time would be out ; but then again I thought that, however long
the term might be, it must be out at last ; and then I would fall
into an agony, during which I would almost wish that the term
were out, and that I were in my place ; the honors of which I
thought could scarcely be worse than what I then endured.
" There was one thought about this time which caused me
unutterable grief and shame, perhaps more shame than grief. It
was that my father, who was gone to heaven, and was there daily
holding communion with his God, was by this timcaware of my
crime. I imagined him looking down from the clouds upon his
wretched son, with a countenance of inexpressible horror. When
this idea was upon me, I would often rush to some secret place
to hide myself— to some thicket, where I would cast myself on the
ground, and thrust my head into a thick bush, in order to escape
from the horror-struck glance of my father above in the clouds ;
and there I would continue groaning till the agony had, in some
degree, passed away.
*'The wretchedness of my state increasing daily, it at last
xtesO PETER'S STORY. 411
became apparent to the master of the school, who questioned me
earnestly and affectionately. I, however, gave him no satisfactory
answer, being apprehensive that, if I unbosomed myself, I should
become as much an object of horror to him as I had long been
to myself. At length he suspected that I was unsettled in my.
intellects; and, fearing probably the ill effect of my presence
upon his scholars, he advised me to go home — which I was glad
to do, as I felt myself every day becoming less qualified for the
duties of the office which I had undertaken.
"So I returned home to my mother and my brother, who
received me with the greatest kindness and affection. I now
determined to devote myself to husbandry, and assist my brother
in the business of the farm. I was still, however, very much
distressed. One fine mornings however, as I was at work in the
field, and the birds were carolling around me, a ray of hope
began to break upon my poor dark soul. I looked at the earth,
and looked at the sky, and felt as I had not done for many a year;
presently a delicious feeling stole over me. I was beginning to
enjoy existence. I shall never forget that hour. I flung myself
on the soil, and kissed it; then, springing up with a sudden
impulse, I rushed into the depths of a neighbouring wood, and,
falling upon my knees, did what I had not done for a long time —
prayed to God.
" A change, an entire change, seemed to have come over me.
I was no longer gloomy and despairing, but gay and happy. My
slumbers were light and easy; not disturbed, as bdbre, by
frightful dreams. I arose with the lark, and like him uttered a
cheerful song of praise to God, frequently and earnestly^ and was
particularly cautious not to do anything which I considered might
cause His displeasure.
"At church I was constant, and when there listened with
deepest attention to every word which proceeded from the mouth
of the minister. In a little time it appeared to me that I had
become a good, very good young man. At times the recollection
of the sin would return, and I would feel a momentary chill ; but
the thought quickly vanished, and I again felt happy and secure.
"One Sunday morning, after I had said my prayers, I felt
particularly joyous. I thought of the innocent and virtuous life
I was leading ; and when the recollection of the sin intruded for
a moment, I said, ' I am sure God will never utterly cast away
80 good a creature as myself. I went to church, and was as
usual attentive. The subject of the sermon was on the duty of
the Scriptures: all I knew of them was from the
413 LA VBNGRO. [1825.
Liturgy. I now, however, determined to read them, and perfect
the good work which I had begui. My father's Bible was upon
the shelf, and on that evening I took it with me to my chamber.
I placed it on the table, and sat down. My heart was filled with
pleasing anticipation. I opened the book at random, and began
to read; the first passage on which my eyes lighted was the
following : —
" * He who committeth the sin against the Holy Ghost shall
not be forgiven, either in this world or the next '."
Here Peter was seized with convulsive tremors. Winifi^
sobbed violently. I got up, and went away. Returning in about
a quarter of an hour, I found him more calm ; he motioned me
to sit down ; and, after a short pause, continued his narration.
CHAPTER LXXVL
"Where was I, young man? Oh, I remember, at the fatal
passage which removed all hope. I will not dwell on what I felt.
I closed my eyes, and wished that I might be dreaming ; but it
was no dream, but a terrific reality. I will not dwell on that
period, I should only shock you. I could not bear my feelings ;
so, bidding my friends a hasty farewell, I abandoned myself to
horror and despair, and ran wild through Wales, climbing moun-
tains and wading streams.
'' Climbing mountains and wading streams, I ran wild about ;
I was burnt by the sun, drenched by the rain, and had frequently
at night no other covering than the sky, or the humid roof of some
cave. But nothing seemed to affect my constitution ; probably
the fire which burned within me counteracted what I suffered
from without. During the space of three years I scarcely knew
what befel me ; my life was a dream — a wild, horrible dream ;
more than once I believe I was in the hands of robbers, and once
in the hands of gypsies. I liked the last description of people
least of all ; I could not abide their yellow faces, or their ceaseless
clabber. Escaping from these beings whose countenances and
godless discourse brought to my mind the demons of the deep
Unknown, I still ran wild through Wales, I know not how long.
On one occasion, coming in some d^ree to my recollection,
I felt myself quite unable to bear the horrors of my situation ;
looking round I found myself near the sea; instantly the idea came
into my head that I would cast myself into it, and thus anticipate
my final doom. I hesitated a moment, but a voice within me
seemed to tell me that I could do no better ; the sea was near,
and I could not swim, so I determined to fling myself into the
sea. As I was running along at great speed, in the direction of a
lofty rock, which beetled over the waters, I suddenly felt myself
seized by the coat. I strove to tear myself away, but in vain ;
looking round, I perceived a venerable, hale old man, who had
hold of me. * Let me go ! ' said I fiercely. * I will not let thee go,'
said the old man ; and now> instead of with one, he grtppled me
(413)
414 ^^ VBSGRO. (i8a5.
with both hands. ' In whose name dost thou detain me ? ' said I,
scarcely knowing what I said. ' In the name of my Master, who
made thee and yonder sea, and has said to the sea, so far shalt
thou come, and no farther, and to thee, thou shalt do no murder.'
' Has not a man a right to do what he pleases with his own ? '
said I. ' He has,' said the old man, ' but thy life is not thy own ;
thou art accountable for it to thy God. Nay, I will not let thee
go/ he continued, as I again struggled ; ' if thou struggle with me
the whole day I will not let thee go, as Charles Wesley says in
his Wrestlings of Jacob; and see, it is of no use struggling, for
I am, in the strength of my Master, stronger than thou ; ' and,
indeed, all of a sudden I had become very weak and exhausted ;
whereupon the old man, beholding my situation, took me by the
arm and led me gently to a neighbouring town, which stood
behind a hill, and which I had not before observed ; presently he
opened the door of a respectable-looking house, which stood
beside a large building having the appearance of a chapel, and
conducted me into a small room, with a great many books in it.
Having caused me to sit down, he stood looking at me for some
time, occasionally heaving a sigh. I was, indeed, haggard and
forlorn. ' Who art thou ? ' he said at last ' A miserable man,'
I replied. 'What makes thee miserable?' said the old man.
' A hideous crime,' I replied. ' I can find no rest ; like Cain, I
wander here and there.' The old man turned pale. * Hast thou
taken another's life? ' said he ; 'if so, I advise thee to surrender
thyself to the magistrate ; thou canst do no better ; thy doing so
will be the best proof of thy repentance ; and though there be no
hope for thee in this world there may be much in the next' * No,'
said I, ' I have never taken another's life.' ' What then, another's
goods ? If so, restore them seven-fold if possible : or, if it be
not in thy power, and thy conscience accuse thee, surrender thyself
to the magistrate, and make the only satisfaction thou art able.'
' I have taken no one's goods,' said I. ' Of what art thou guilty,
then ? ^said he. * Art thou a drunkard ? a profligate ? ' ' Alas, no,'
said I ; ' I am neither of these ; would that I were no worse 1 '
''Thereupon the old man looked steadfastly at me for some
time ; then, after appearing to reflect, he said : ' Young man, I
have a great desire to know your name '. ' What matters it to
you what is my name ? ' said I ; ' you know nothing of roe.'
'Perhaps you are mistaken,' said the old man, looking kindly
at me; 'but at all events tell me your name.' I hesitated a
moment, and then told him who I was, whereupon he exclaimed
with much emotion, ' I thought so ; how wonderful are the ways
xSaS-l PBTBIfS STORY. 415
of Providence I I have heard of thee, young man, and know thy
mother well. Only a month ago, when upon a journey, I experi-
enced much kindness from her. She was speaking to me of her
lost child, with tears ; she told me that you were one of the best of
sons, but that some strange idea appeared to have occupied your
mind. Despair not, my son. If thou hast been afflicted, I doubt
not but that thy affliction will eventually turn out to thy benefit ; I
doubt not but that thou wilt be preserved, as an example of the
great mercy of God. I will now kneel down and pray for thee,
my son.'
** He knelt down, and prayed long and fervently. I remained
standing for some time; at length I knelt down likewise. I
scarcely knew what he was saying, but when he concluded I said
' Amen *.
" And when we had risen from our knees, the old man left me
for a short time, and on his return led me into another room,
where were two females ; one was an elderly person, the wife of
the old man, the other was a young woman of very prepossessing
appearance (hang not down thy head, Winifred), who I soon
found was a distant relation of the old man. Both received me
with great kindness, the old man having doubtless previously told
them who I was.
** I staid several days in the good man's house. I had still
the greater portion of a small sum which I happened to have
about me when I departed on my dolorous wandering, and with
this I purchased clothes, and altered my appearance considerably.
On the evening of the second day, my fnend said : ' I am going
to preach, perhaps you will come and hear me '. I consented,
and we all went, not to a church, but to the large building next
the house ; for the old man, though a clergyman, was not of the
established persuasion, and there the old man mounted a pulpit,
and began to preach. ' Come unto Me, all ye that labour and
are heavy laden,* etc., etc, was his text. His sermon was long,
but I still bear the greater portion of it in my mind.
" The substance of it was that Jesus was at all times ready to
take upon Himself the burden of our sins, provided we came to
Him with a humble and contrite spirit, and begged His help.
This doctrine was new to me ; I had often been at church, but
had never heard it preached before, at least so distinctly. When
he said that all men might be saved, I shook, for I expected he
would add, all except those who had committed the mysterious
sin ; but no, all men were to be saved who with a humble and
contrite spirit would come to Jesus, cast themselves at the foot
4x6 LA VENGRO. [1895.
of His cross, and accept pardon through the merits of His blood-
shedding alone. * Therefore, my friends/ said he, in conclusion,
• despair not — ^however guilty you may be, despair not — ^however
desperate your condition may seem,* said he, fixing his eyes upon
me, 'despair not There is nothing more foolish and more
wicJced than despair ; overweening confidence is not more foolish
than despair ; both are the fisivourite weapons of the enemy of
souls.*
" This discourse gave rise in my mind to no slight perplexity.
I had read in the Scriptures that he who committeth a certain sin
shall never be forgiven, and that there is no hope for him either
in this world or the next. And here was a man, a good man
certainly, and one who, of necessity, was thoroughly acquainted
with the Scriptures, who told me that any one might be forgiven,
however wicked, who would only trust in Christ and in the merits
of His blood-shedding. Did I believe in Christ ? Ay, truly.
Was I willing to be saved by Christ? Ay, truly. Did I trust in
Christ? I trusted that Christ would save every one but mysei£
And why not myself? simply because the Scriptures* had told me
that he who has committed the sin against the Holy Ghost can
never be saved, and I had committed the sin against the Holy
Ghost — perhaps the only one who ever had committed it. How
could I hope? The Scriptures could not lie, and yet here was
this good old man, profoundly versed in the Scriptures, who bade
me hope ; would he lie ? No. But did the old man know my
case? Ah, no, he did not know my easel but yet he had bid
me hope, whatever I had done, provided I would go to Jesus.
But how could I think of going to Jesus, when the Scriptures
told me plainly that all would be useless ? I was perplexed, and
yet a ray of hope began to dawn in my soul. I thought of con-
sulting the good man, but I was afraid he would drive away the
small glimmer. I was afraid he would say, ' Oh, yes, every one is
to be saved, except a wretch like you ; I was not aware before
that there was anything so horrible — begone!' Once or twice
the old man questioned me on the subject of my misery, jut I
evaded him ; once, indeed, when he looked particularly benevo*
lent, I think I should have unbosomed myself to him, but we
were interrupted. He never pressed me much ; perhaps he was
delicate in probing my mind, as we were then of different
persuasions. Hence he advised me to seek the advice of some
powerful minister in my own church ; there were many such in
It, he said.
'* I staid several days in the family, during which time I more
t8a5.] PBTEIPS STORY. 417
than once heard my venamble friend preach; each time he
preached he exhorted his hearers not to despair. The whole
family were kind to me ; his wife frequently discoursed with me,
and also the young person to whom I have already alluded. It
appeared to me that the latter took a peculiar interest in my
&te.
" At last my friend said to me : ' It is now time thou shouldst
return to thy mother and thy brother'. So I arose, and departed
to my mother and my brother ; and at my departure my old friend
gave me his blessing, and his wife and the young person shed
tears, the last especially. And when my mother saw me, she
shed tears, and Ml on my neck and kissed me, and my brother
took me by the hand and bade me welcome ; and when our first
emotions were subsided, my mother said : ' I trust thou art come
in a lucky hour. A few weeks ago my cousin (whose favourite
thou always wast) died and left thee his heir — left thee the goodly
farm in which he Uved I trust, my son, that thou wilt now settle,
and be a comfort to me in my old days.' And I answered : ' I
will, if so please the Lord ' ; and I said to myself, ' God grant that
this bequest be a token of the Lord's favour '.
" And in a few days I departed to take possession of my farm ;
it was about twenty miles from my mother's house, in a beautiful
but rather wild district ; I arrived at the frdl of the leaf. All day
long I busied myself with my farm, and thus kept my mind em-
ployed. At night, however, I felt rather solitary, and I frequently
wished for a companion. Each night and morning I prayed fer-
vently unto the Lord ; for His hand had been very heavy upon
me, and I feared Him.
" There was one thing connected with my new abode, which
gave me considerable uneasiness — the want of spiritual instructioiL
There was a church, indeed, close at hand, in which service was
occasionally perfcmned, but in so hurried and heartless a manner
that I derived little benefit from it. The clergyman to whom the
benefice belonged was a valetudinarian, who passed his time in
London, or at some watering-place, entrusting the care of his
flock to the curate of a distant parish, who gave himself very
little trouble about the matter. Now, I wanted every Sunday to
hear from the pulpit words of consolation and encouragement,
similar to those which I had heard uttered from the pulpit by my
good and venerable friend, but I was debarred from this privilege.
At length, one day being in conversation with one of my labourers,
a staid and serious man, I spoke to him of the matter which lay
heavy upon my mind ; whereupon, looking me wistfully in the
«7
4i8 LA VENGRO. [1895.
hct, he said : * Master, the want of religious instruction in my
church was what drove me to the Methodists'. 'The Metho-
dists/ said I ; ' are there any in these parts ? ' ' There is a chapel,'
said he, 'only half a mile distant, at which there are two services
every Sunday, and other two during the week.' Now, it haf^ned
that my venerable friend was of the Methodist persuasion, and
when I heard the poor man talk in this manner, I said to him :
' May I go with you next Sunday?' * Why not ? ' said he ; so I
went with the labourer on the ensuing Sabbath to the meeting of
the Methodists.
'' I liked the preaching which I heard at the chapel very well,
though it was not quite so comfortable as that of my old friend,
the preacher being in some respects a different kind of man. It,
however, did me good, and I went again, and continued to do so,
though I did not become a regular member of the body at that
time.
*' I had now the benefit of religious instruction, and also to a
certain extent of religious fellowship, fcM: the preacher and various
members of his flock frequently came to see me. They were
honest, plain men, not exactly of the description which I wished
for, but still good sort of people, and I was g^d to see them.
Once on a time, when some of them were with me, one of them
inquired whether I was fervent in prayer. ' Very fiexvent,' said I.
' And do you read the Scriptures often ? ' said he. ' No,' said I.
' Why not ? ' said he. ' Because I am afraid to see there my own
condemnation.' They looked at each other, and said nothing at
the time. On leaving me, however, they all advised me to read
the Scriptures with fervency and prayer.
'' As I had told these honest people, I shrank from searching
the Scriptures ; the remembrance of the iatal passage was stiU
too vivid in my mind to permit me. I did not wish to see my
condemnation repeated, but I was very fervent in prayer, and
almost hoped that God would yet forgive me by virtue of the
blood-shedding of the Lamb. Time passed on, my a£&irs pros-
pered, and I enjoyed a certain portion of tranquillity. Occasion-
ally, when I had nothing else to do, I renewed my studies. Many
is the book I read, especially in my native language, for I was
always fond of my native language, and proud of being a Welsh-
man. Amongst the books I read were the odes of the great Ab
Gwilym, whom thou, friend, hast never heard of; no, nor any of
thy countrymen, for you are an ignorant race, you Saxons, at
least with respect to all that relates to Wales and Welshmen,
1 likewise read the book of Master Mis Wyn. The latter work
ites-] PBTB^S STORY. 419
possessed a smgular fascination for me, on account of its wonder-
fal delineations of the tonnents of the nether world.
" Bat man does not love to be alone ; indeed, the Scripture
says that it is not good for man to be alone. I occupied my
body with the pursuits of husbandry, and I improved my mind
with the perusal of good and wise books ; but, as I have already
said, I frequently sighed for a companion with whom I could
exchange ideas, and who could take an interest in my pursuits ;
the want of such a one I more particularly felt in the long winter
evenings. It was then that the image of the young person whom
I had seen in the house of the preacher frequently rose up distinctly
before my mind's eye, decked with quiet graces — hang not down
your head, Winifred — and I thought that of all the women in the
world I should wish her to be my partner, and then I considered
whether it would be possible to obtain her. I am ready to ac-
knowledge, friend, that it was both selfish and wicked in me to
wish to fetter any human being to a lost creature like myself,
conscious of having committed a crime for which the Scriptures
told me there is no pardon. I had, indeed, a long struggle as to
whether I should make the attempt or not — selfishness, however,
prevailed. I will not detain your attention with relating all that
occurred at this period — suffice it to say that I made my suit and
was successful ; it is true that the old man, who was her guardian,
hesitated, and asked several questions respecting my state of
mind. I am afraid that I partly deceived him, perhaps he
partly deceived himself ; he was pleased that I had adopted his
profession — we are all weak creatures. With respect to the young
person, she did not ask many questions ; and I soon found that I
had won her heart. To be brief, I married her ; and here she is,
the truest wife that ever man had, and the kindest. Kind I may
well call her, seeing that she shrinks not from me, who so cruelly
deceived her, in not telling her at first what I was. I married
her, friend, and brought her home to my little possession, where
we passed our time very agreeably. Our affairs prospered, our
garners were full, and there was coin in our purse. I worked in
the field ; Winifred busied herself with the dairy. At night I
frequently read books to her, books of my own country, friend ;
I likewise read to her songs of my own, holy songs and carols
which she admired, and which yourself would perhaps admire,
could you understand them; but I repeat, you Saxons are an
ignorant people with respect to us, and a perverse, inasmuch as
you despise Welsh without understanding it. Every night I
prayed fervently, and my wife admired my gift of prayer.
440 LA VBNGRO. [18S5.
'' One night, after I bad been reading to my wife a portion of
Ellis Wyn, my wife said : ' This is a wonderful book, and contain-
ing much true and pleasant doctrine ; but how is it that you, who
are so fond of good books, and good things in general, never read
the Bible ? You read me the book of Master Ellis Wyn, you read
me sweet songs of your own composition, you edify me with your
gift of prayer, but yet you never read the Bible.' And when I
heard her mention the Bible I shook, for I thought of my own
condemnation. However, I dearly loved my wife, and as she
pressed me, I commenced on that very night reading the Bible.
All went on smoothly for a long time ; for months and months I
did not find the fatal passage, so that I almost thought that I had
imagined it. My affairs prospered much the while, so that I was
almost happy, taking pleasure in everything around me, — ^in my
wife, in my farm, my books, and compositions, and the Welsh
language; till one night, as I was reading the Bible, feeling
particularly comfortable, a thought having just come into my head
that I would print some of my compositions, and purchaJse a
particular field of a neighbour — oh, God — God 1 I came to the
fatal passage.
"Friend, friend, what shall I say? I rushed out. My wife
followed me, asking me what was the matter. I could only
answer with groans — for three days and three nights I did little
else than groan. Oh, the kindness and solicitude of my wife I
' What is the matter, husband, dear husband ? ' she was continu-
ally saying. I became at last more calm. My wife still persisted
in asking me the cause of my late paroxysm. It is hard to keep
a secret fi-om a wife, especially such a wife as mine, so I told my
wife the tale, as we sat one night — ^it was a mid-winter night —
over the dying brands of our hearth, after the familyjhad retired to
rest, her hand locked in mine, even as it is now.
** I thought she would have shrunk from me with horror ; but
she did not ; her hand, it is true, trembled once or twice ; but
that was all At last she gave mine a gentle pressure; and,
looking up in my face, she said — what do you think my wife said,
young man ? "
" It is impossible for me to guess," said I.
** * Let us go to rest, my love ; your fears are all groundless."
CHAPTER LXXVII.
" And so I still say," said Winifred, sobbing. " Let us retire to
rest, dear husband ; your fears are groundless. I had hoped long
since that your affliction would have passed away, and I still hope
that it eventually will ; so take heart, Peter^ and let us retire to
rest» for it is getting late."
" Rest I " said Peter ; " there is no rest for the wicked ! "
" We are all wicked," said Winifred ; " but you are afraid of a
shadow. How often have I told you that the sin of your heart is
not the sin against the Holy Ghost : the sin of your heart is its
natural pride, of which you are scarcely aware, to keep down
which God in His mercy permitted you to be terrified with the
idea of having committed a sin which you never committed."
**Then you will still maintain," said Peter, "that I never
committed the sin against the Holy Spirit?"
"I will," said Winifred; "you never committed it. How
should a child seven years old commit a sin like that?"
"Have I not read my own condemnation?" said Peter.
"Did not the first words whi«h I read in the Holy Scripture
condemn me ? * He who committeth the sin against the Holy
Ghost shall never enter into the kingdom of God.' "
"You never committed it," said Winifred.
" But the words ! the words I the words I " said Peter,
"The words are true words," said Winifred, sobbing; "but
they were not meant for you, but for those who have broken then:
profession, who, having embraced the cross^ have receded from
their Master."
" And what sayest thou to the effect which the words produced
upon me?" said Peter. "Did they not cause me to run wild
through Wales for years, like Merddin Wyllt of yore ? Thinkest
thou that I opened the book at that particular passage by chance ? "
" No," said Winifred, " not by chance ; it was the hand of
God directed you, doubtless for some wise purpose. You had
become satisfied with yourselfl The Lord wished to rouse thee
from thy state of carnal security, and therefore directed your eyes
to that fearful passage."
" Does the Lord then carry out His designs by means of
ffuile?" said Peter, with a groan. "Is not the Lord true?
(4a I)
423 LA VENGRO. [1835.
Would the Lord impress upon me that I had committed a sin
of which I am guiltless ? Hush, Winifred 1 hush I thou knowest
that I have committed the sin."
"Thou hast not committed it," said Winifred, sobbing yet
more violently. '' Were they my last words, I would persist that
thou hast not committed it, though, perhaps, thou wouldst, but
for this chastening; it was not to convince thee that thou hast
committed the sin, but rather to prevent thee from committing
it, that the Lord brought that passage before thy eyes. He is
not to blame, if thou art wilfully blind to the truth and wisdom
of His ways."
*' I see thou wouldst comfort me," said Peter, "as thou hast
often before attempted to do. I would fain ask the young man
his opinion."
" I have not yet heard the whole of your history," said L
"My story is nearly told," said Peter; "a few words will
complete it My wife endeavoured to console and reassure me,
using the arguments which you have just heard her use, and many
others, but in vain. Peace nor comfort came to my breast I
was rapidly falling into the depths of despair, when one day
Winifred said to me : ' I see thou wilt be lost if we remain here.
One resource only remains. Thou must go forth, my husband,
into the wide world, and to comfort thee I will go with thee.'
'And what can I do in the ¥ride world?' said I, despondingly.
' Muchy' replied Winifred, ' if you will but exert yourself; much
good canst thou do with the blessing of God.' Many things
of the same kind she said to me ; and at last I arose from the
earth to which God had smitten me, and disposed of my property
in the best way I could, and went into the world. We did all the
good we were able, visiting the sick, ministering to the sick, and
praying with the sick. At last I became celebrated as the possessor
of a great gift of prayer. And people urged me to preach, and
Winifred urged me too, and at last I consented, and I preached.
I — I— outcast Peter, became the preacher, Peter Williams. I, the
lost one, attempted to show others the right road. And in this way
I have gone on for thirteen years, preaching and teaching, visiting
the sick, and ministering to them, with Winifred by my side
hearkening me on. Occasionally I am visited with fits of inde-
scribable agony, generally on the night before the Sabbath ; for I
then ask myself, how dare I, the outcast, attempt to preach the
word of God ? Young man, my tale is told ; you seem in thought I "
" I am thinking of London Bridge," said I.
" Of London Bridge 1 " said Peter and his wife.
'' Yes," said I, '' of London Bridge. I am indebted for much'
ifias-l THB COMFORTBR COMPORTBD. 423
wisdom to London Bridge; it was there that I completed my
studies. But to the point. I was once reading on London
Bridge a book which an ancient gentlewoman, who kept the
bridge, was in the habit of lending me; and there I found
written, ' Each one carries in his breast the recollection of some
sin which presses heavy upon him. 0 1 if men could but look
into each other's hearts, what blackness would they find there I ' "
" That's true," said Peter. " What is the name of the book ? "
« The Life of Blessed Mary Flanders^
** Some popish saint, I suppose," said Peter.
"As much of a saint, I dare say," said I, "as most popish
ones; but you interrupted me. One part of your narrative
brought the passage which I have quoted into my mind. You
said that after you had committed this same sin of yours you
were in the habit, at school, of looking upon your schoolfellows
with a kind of gloomy superiority, considering yourself a lone,
monstrous being who had committed a sin far above the daring
of any of them. Are you sure that many others of your school-
fellows were not looking upon you and the others with much the
same eyes with which you were looking upon them ? "
" How ! " said Peter, " dost thou think that they had divined
my secret?"
" Not they," said 1 ; " they were, I dare say, thinking too
much of themselves and of their own concerns to have divined
any secrets of yours. All I mean to say is, they had probably
secrets of their own, and who knows that the secret sin of more than
one of them was not the very sin which caused you so much misery? "
** Dost thou then imagine," said Peter, " the sin against the
Holy Ghost to be so common an occurrence ? "
''As you have described it," said I, "of very common
occurrence, especially amongst children, who are, indeed, the
only beings likely to commit it."
" Truly," said Winifred, " the young man talks wisely."
Peter was silent for some moments, and appeared to be re-
flecting ; at last, suddenly raising his head, he looked me full in
the face, and, grasping my hand with vehemence, he said : " Tell
me, young man, only one thing, hast thou, too, committed the
sin against the Holy Ghost?"
" I am neither Papist nor Methodist," said I, " but of the
Church, and, being so, confess myself to no one, but keep my own
counsel ; I will tell diee, however, had I committed, at the same
age, twenty such sins as that which you committed, I should feel no
uneasiness at these years — ^but I am sleepy, and must go to rest."
" God bless thee, young man," said Winifred.
CHAPTER LXXVIII.
Beforb I sank to rest I beard Winifred and her husband con-
versing in the place where I had left them; both their voices
were low and calm, I soon fell asleep, and slumbered for some
time. On my awakening I again heard them conversing, but
thej were now in their cart ; still the voices of both were calm.
I heard no passionate bursts of wild despair on the part of the
man. Methought I occasionally heard the word PedAod pro-
ceeding from the lips of each, but with no particular emphasis. I
supposed they were talking of the innate sin of both their hearts.
"I wish that man were happy," said I to myself, "were it
only for his wife's sake, and yet he deserves to be happy for his own.*'
The next day Peter was very cheerful, more cheerful than I
had ever seen him. At breakfast his conversation was animated,
and he smiled repeatedly. I looked at him with the greatest
interest, and the eyes of his wife were almost constantly fixed
upon him. A shade of gloom would occasionally come over his
countenance, but it almost instantly disappeared ; perhaps it pro-
ceeded more from habit than anything else. After bradcfast he
took his Welsh Bible and sat down beneath a tree. His eyes
were soon fixed intently on the volume ; now and then he would
call his wife, show heip some passage, and appeared to consult
with her. The day passed quickly and comfortably.
" Your husband seems much better," said I, at evening fall,
to Winifred, as we chanced to be alone.
" He does," said Winifred ; " and that on the day of the week
when he was wont to appear most melancholy, for to-morrow is
the Sabbath. He now no longer looks forward to the Sabbath
with dread, but appears to reckon on it. What a happy change I
and to think that this change should have been produced by a few
words, seemingly careless ones, proceeding from the mouth of one
who is almost a stranger to him. Truly, it is wonderful."
" To whom do you allude," said I, " and to what words? "
'/ To yourself, and to the words which came from your lips
last night, after you had heard my poor husband's history. Those
strange words, drawn out with so much seeming indifference,
have produced in my husband the blessed effect which you have
(4»4)
x8a5.J ANOTHER SABBATH. 435
obserred They have altered the current of his ideas. He no
longer thinks himself the only being in the world doomed to
destruction, — the only being capable of committing the never-to-
be-foigiven sin. Your supposition that that which harrowed his
soul is of frequent occurrence amongst children, has tranquillised
him ; the mist which hung over his mind has cleared away, and
he b^ins to see the groundlessness of his apprehensions. The
Lord has permitted him to be chastened for a season, but his
lamp will only bum the brighter for what he has undergone."
Sunday came, fine and glorious as the last Again my friends
and myself breakfasted together, again the good family of the
house on the hill above, headed by the respectable master,
descended to the meadow. Peter and his wife were ready to
receive them. Again Peter placed himself at the side of the
honest farmer, and Winifred by the side of her friend '' Wilt
thou not come? " said Peter, looking towards me with a face in
which there was much emotion. " Wilt thou not come? " said Wini-
fred, with a face beaming with kindness. But I made no answer,
and presently the party moved away, in the same manner in which
it had moved on the preceding Sabbath, and I was again left alone.
The hours of the Sabbath passed slowly away. I sat gazing at
the sky, the trees and the water. At last I strolled up to the
house and sat down in the porch. It was empty ; there was no
modest maiden there, as on the preceding Sablkth. The damsel
of the book had accompanied the rest. I had seen her in the
procession, and the house appeared quite deserted The owners
had probably left it to my custody, so I sat down in the porch,
quite alone. The hours of the Sabbath passed heavily away.
At last evening came, and with it the party of the morning.
I was now at my place beneath the oak. I went forward to meet
them. Peter and his wife received me with a calm and quiet
greeting, and passed forward. The rest of the party had broke
into groups. There was a kind of excitement amongst them, and
much eager whispering. I went to one of the groups ; the young
girl of whom I have spoken more than once, was speaking : " Such
a sermon," said she, " it has never been our lot to hear ; Peter never
before spoke as he has done this day — he was always a powerful
preacher ; but oh, the unction of the discourse of this morning, and
yet more of that of the afternoon, which was the continuation of it."
"What was the subject?" said I,. interrupting her. '*Ahl you
should have been there, young man, to have heard it ; it would have
made a lasting impression upon you. I was bathed in tears all the
time ; those who heard it will never forget the preaching of the good
fet^T Williams on the Power, Providence iind Goodness of &k)."
CHAPTER LXXIX.
On the morrow I said to my friends: "I am about to depart;
farewell ! " " Depart I " said Peter and his wife simultaneously,
" whither wouldst thou go ? " "I can't stay here all my days," I
replied. " Of course not," said Peter, " but we had no idea of
losing thee so soon : we had almost hoped that thou wouldst join
us, become one of us. We are under infinite obligations to thee."
"You mean I am under infinite obligations to you," said I.
" Did you not save my life?" " Perhaps so, under God," said
Peter; "and what hast thou not done for me? Art thou aware
that, under God, thou hast preserved my soul from despair ? But*
independent of that, we like thy company, and feel a deep interest
in thee, and would fain teach thee the way that is right. Hearken,
to-morrow we go into Wales ; go with us.'' " I have no wish to
go into Wales,' said I. " Why not ? " said Peter with animation.
''Wales is a goodly country; as the Scripture says — a land of
brooks of water, of fountains and depths, that spring out of valleys
and hills, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills
thou mayest dig lead."
** I daresay it is a very fine country," said 1, " but I have no
wish to go there just now ; my destiny seems to point in another
direction, to say nothing of my trade." . ** Thou dost right to say
nothing of thy trade," said Peter, smiling, *' for thou seemest to
care nothing about it; which has led Winifred and m3rself to
suspect that thou art not altogether what thou seemest; but,
setting that aside, we should be most happy if thou wouldst go
with us into Wales." ** I cannot promise to go with you into
Wales," said I ; " but, as you depart to-morrow, I will stay with
you through the day, and on the morrow accompany you part of the
way." " Do," said Peter. " I have many people to see to-day, and
so has Winifred ; but we will both endeavour to have some serious
discourse with thee, which, perhaps, will turn to thy profit in the end."
In the course of the day the good Peter came to me, as I was
seated beneath the oak, and, placing himself by me, commenced
addressing me in the following manner : —
** I have no doubt, my young friend, that you are willing to
(4a6)
xSas-l "^ THE WELSHMAN'S CANDLES 437
admit, that the most important thing which a human being pos-
sesses is his soul ; it is of infinitely more importance than the body»
which is a frail substance, and cannot last for many years ; but
not so the soul, which, by its nature, is imperishable. To one of
two mansions the soul is destined to depart, after its separation
from the body, to heaven or hell : to the halls of eternal bliss*
where God and His holy angels dwell, or to the place of endless
misery, inhabited by Satan and his grisly companions. My friend,
if the joys of heaven are great, unutterably great, so are the
torments of hell unutterably so. I wish not to speak of them, I
wish not to terrify your imagination with the torments of hell ;
indeed, I like not to think of them ; but it is necessary to speak
of them sometimes, and to think of them sometimes, lest you
should sink into a state of carnal security. Authors, friend, and
learned men are not altogether agreed as to the particulars of
hell. They all agree, however, in considering it a place of
exceeding horror. Master Ellis Wyn, who by-the-bye was a
Churchman, calls it,. amongst other things, a place of strong sighs,
and of flaming sparks. Master Rees Pritchard, who was not only
a Churchman, but Vicar of Llandovery, and flourished about two
hundred years ago — I wish many like him flourished now —
speaking of hell, in his collection of sweet hymns, called the
WeUhmafis Candle^ observes : —
'' ' The pool is continuaUy blazing ; it is very deep, without
any known bottom, and the walls are so high, that there is neither
hope nor possibility of escaping over them '•
" But, as I told you just now, I have no great pleasure in talking
of hell. No, friend, no ; 1 would sooner talk of the other place, and
of the goodness and hospitality of God amongst His saints above."
And then the excellent man began to dilate upon the joys of
heaven, and the goodness and hospitality of God in the mansions
above, explaining to me, in the clearest way, how I might get there.
And when he had finished what he had to say, he left me,
whereupon Winifred drew nigh, and sitting down by me, began
to address me. ''I do not think," said she, " from what I have
observed of thee, that thou wouldst wish to be ungrateful, and
yet, is not thy whole life a series of ingratitude, and to whom ?-^
to thy Maker. Has He not endowed thee with a goodly and
healthy form, and senses which enable thee to enjoy the delights
of His beautiful universe — the work of His hands? Canst thou
not enjoy, even to rapture, the brightness of the sun, the perfume
of the meads, and the song of the dear birds, which inhabit
among the trees? Yes, thou canst; for I have seen thee, and
448 LA VBNGRO. [xSsS-
observed thee doing so. Yet, during the whole time that I have
known thee, I have not heard proceed from thy lips one single
word of praise or thanksgiving to **
And in this manner the admirable woman proceeded (or a
considerable time, and to all her discourse I listened with attrition ;
and when she had concluded I took her hand and said, " I thank
you," and that was all.
On the next day everything was ready for our departure. The
good fomily of the house came to bid us farewell. There were
shaking of hands, and kisses, as on the night of our arrival.
And as I stood somewhat apart, the young girl of whom I have
spoken so often came up to me, and, holding out her hand, said :
" Farewell, young man, wherever thou goest ". Then, after looking
around her, she said : " It was all true you told me. Yesterday
I received a letter from him thou wottest of, he is coming soon.
God bless you, young man ; who would have thought thou knewest
so much ! "
So after we had taken our farewell of (he good family, we
departed, proceeding in the direction of Wales. Peter was very
cheerful, and enlivened the way with godly discourse and spiritusd
hymns, some of which were in the Welsh language. At length
I said : " It is a pity that you did not continue in the Church ;
you have a turn for Psalmody, and I have heard of a man be-
coming a bishop, by means of a less qualification ".
"Very probably," said Peter; "more the pity. But I have
told you the reason of my forsaking it Frequently, when I went
to the church door, I found it barred, and the priest absent ; what
was I to do? My heart was bursting for want of some rdigious
help and comfort; what could I do ! as good Master Rees Pritchard
observes in his Candle for Welshmen : —
" ' It is a doleful thing to see little children burning on the
hot coals for want of help, but yet more doleful to see a flock of
souls falling into the burning lake for want of a priest *."
" The Church of England is a fine church," said I ; " I would
not advise any one to speak ill of the Church of England before me.*'
" I have nothing to say against the church," said Peter ; "all
I wish is that it would fling itself a little more open, and that its
priests would a little more bestir themselves ; in a word, that it
would shoulder the cross and become a missionary church."
" It is too proud for that," said Winifred.
"You are much more of a Methodist," said I, "than your
husband. But tell me," said I, addressing myself to Peter, "do
you not differ from the church in some points oi doctrine ? I, of
iftis-l POUNDSD ON A ROCK. 449
course, m a true member of the church, am quite ign<»ant of the
peculiar opinions of wandering sectaries.*^
" Oh, the pride of that church 1 " said Winifred half to herself ;
"wandering sectaries 1"
" We differ in no points of doctrine^" said Peter ; " we believe
all the church believes, though we are not so fond of vain and
superfluous ceremonies, snow-white neckcloths and surplices, as
the church is. We likewise think that there is no harm in a
sermon by the road-side, or in holding free discourse with a beggar
beneath a hedge, or a tinker," he added, smiling; "it was those
superfluous ceremonies, t})ose surplices and white neckcloths, and,
above all, the necessity of strictly regulating his words and conver-
sation, which drove John Wesley out of the church, and sent him
wandering up and down as you see me, poor Welsh Peter, da*'
Nothing further passed for some time ; we were now drawing
near the hills : at last I said : " You must have met with a great
many strange adventures since you took up this course of life ? "
" Many,'' said Peter, " it has been my lot to meet with, but
none more strange than one which occurred to me only a few
weeks ago. You were asking me, not long since, whether I be-
lieved in devils ? Ay, truly, young man ; and I believe that the
abyss and the yet deeper unknown do not contain them all ; some
walk about upon the green earth. So it happened, some weeks
ago, that I was exercising my ministry, about forty miles from
here. I was alone^ Winifred, being slightly indisposed, staying
for a few days at the house of an acquaintance ; I had finished
afternoon's worship — the people had dispersed, and I was sitting
solitary by my cart under some green trees in a quiet, retired
place ; suddenly a voice said to me : ' Good evening. Pastor ' ; I
looked up, and before me stood a man, at least the appearance
of a man, dressed in a black suit of rather a singular fashion. He
was about my own age, or somewhat older. As I looked upon
him, it appeared to me that I had seen him twice before whilst
preaching. I replied to his salutation, and perceiving that he
looked somewhat fatigued, I took out a stool from the cart, and
asked him to sit down. We began to discourse ; I at first
supposed that he might be one of ourselves, some wandering
minister ; but I was soon undeceived. Neither his language nor
his ideas were those of any one of our body. He spoke on all
kinds of matters with much fluency, till at last he mentioned my
f reaching, complimenting me on my powers. I replied, as well
might, that I could claim no merit of my own, and that if
I spoke with any effect, it was only by the gmce of God. As I
uttered these 'ast words, a horrible kind of sneer came over his
430 LA VBNGRO. [iSdiS.
countenance, which made me shudder, for there was something
diabolical in it I said little more, but listened attentively to
bis discourse. At last he said that I was engaged in a paltry
cause, quite unworthy of one of my powers. 'How can that
be ,' said I, ' even if I possessed all the powers in the world, seeing
that I am engaged in the cause of our Lord Jesus?'
"The same kind of sneer again came on his countenance, but
he almost instantly observed that if I chose to forsake this same
miserable cause, from which nothing but contempt and privation
were to be expected, he would enlist me into another, from which
I might expect both profit and renown. An idea now came into
my head, and I told him (irmly, that if he wished me to forsake
my present profession and become a member of the Church of
England, I must absolutely decline ; that I had no ill-will against
that church, but I thought I could do most good in my present
position, which I would not forsake to be Archbishop of Canter-
bury. Thereupon he burst into a strange laughter, and went
away, repeating to himself, 'Church of England! Archbishop
of Canterbury ! ' A few days after, when I was once more in a
solitary place, he again appeared before me, and asked me
whether I had thought over his words, and whether I was willing
to enlist under the banners of his master, adding, that he was
eager to secure me, as he conceived that I might l^ highly useful
to the cause. I then asked him who his master was ; he hesitated
for a moment, and then answered, ' The Roman Pontiff'. ' If it
be he,' said I, ' I can have nothing to do with him ; I will serve
no one who is an enemy of Christ' Thereupon he drew near to
me and told me not to talk so much like a simpleton ; that as for
Christ, it was probable that no such person ever existed, but that
if He ever did, He was the greatest impostor the world ever saw.
How long he continued in this way I know not, for I now con-
sidered that an evil spirit was before me, and shrank within mysdf,
shivering in every limb ; when I recovered myself and looked
about me, he was gone. Two days af\er, he again stood before
me, in the same place, and about the same hour, renewing his
propositions, and speaking more horribly than before. I made him
no answer, whereupon he continued; but suddenly hearing a
noise behind him, he looked round and beheld Winifred, who
had returned to me on the morning of that day. ' Who are you ? '
satd he fiercely. ' This man's wife,' said she, calmly fixing her
eyes upon him. ' Begone from him, unhappy one, thou teroptest
him in vain.' He made no answer, but stood as if transfixed ;
at length recovering himself, he departed, muttering * Wife I Wife I
If the fool has a wife, he will never do for us.* "
CHAPTER LXXX.
Wb were now drawing very near the hills, and Peter said, ** If
you are to go into Wales, you must presently decide, for we are
close upon the border ".
« Which is the border ? " said I.
" Yon small brook," said Peter, " into which the man on
horseback, who is coming towards us, is now entering.''
" I see it," said I, " and the man ; he stops in the middle of
it, as if to water his steed."
We proceeded till we had nearly reached the brook. " Well,"
said Peter, "will you go into Wales ?"
«* What should I do in Wales ? " I demanded.
" Do ! " said Peter, smiling, " learn Welsh."
I stopped my little pony. ** Then I need not go into Wales ;
I already know Welsh."
** Know Welsh ! " said Peter, staring at me.
" Know Welsh ! " said Winifred, stopping her cart.
" How and when did you lekm it ? " said Peter.
" From books, in my boyhood."
" Read Welsh I " said Peter, " is it possible ? "
" Read Welsh 1 " said Winifred, " is it possible ? "
" Well, I hope you will come with us," said Peter.
" Come with us, young man," said Winifred ; "let me, on the
other side of the brook, welcome you into Wales."
" Thank you both/' said I, " but I will not come."
"Wherefore?" exclaimed both simultaneously.
" Because it is neither fit nor proper that I cross into Wales
at this time, and in this manner. When I go into Wales, I should
wish to go in a new suit of superfine black, with hat and beaver^
mounted on a powerful steed, black and glossy, like that which
bore Greduv to the fight of Catraeth. I should wish, moreover,
to see the Welshmen assembled on the border ready to welcome
me with pipe and fiddle, and much whooping and shouting, and
to attend me to Wrexham, or even as far as Machynllaith, where
I should wish to be invited to a dinner at which all the bards
(431)
4i« LA VSNORO. [xteS-
should be present, and to be seated at the right hand of the
president, who, when the cloth was removed, should arise, and,
amidst cries of silence, exclaim — 'Brethren and Welshmen,
allow me to propose the health of my most respectable friend the
translator of the odes of the great Ab Gwilym, the pride and
glory of Wales '."
" How ! " said Peter ; " hast thou translated the works of the
mighty Dafydd ? "
" With notes critical, historical and explanatory."
" Come with us, friend," said Peter. " I cannot im>mi8e
such a dinner as thou wishest, but neither pipe nor fiddle shall be
wanting."
" Come with us, young man," said Winifred, " even as thou
art, and the daughters of Wales shall bid thee welcome/'
" I will not go with you/' said I. " Dost thou see that man
in the ford?''
" Who is staring at us so, and whose horse has not yet done
drinking ? Of course I see him."
" I shall turn back with him. God bless you ! "
" Go back with him not," said Peter, " he is one of those
whom I like not, one of the clibberty-clabber, as Master Ellis
Wyn observes — ^tum not with that man."
*' Go not back with him," said Winifred. " If thou goest
with that man, thou wilt soon forget all our profitable counsels ;
come with us."
" I cannot ; I have much to say to him. Kosko Diwus^
Mr. Petulengro."
'* Kosko Diwus, Pal," said Mr. Petulengro, riding through
the water ; " are you turning back ? "
I turned back with Mr. Petulengro.
Peter came running after me : '* One moment, young man,
who and what are you P "
'' I must answer in the words of Taliesin," said I ; " none can
say with positiveness whether I be fish or flesh, least of all my-
self. God bless you both ! "
** Take this," said Peter ; and he thrust his Welsh Bible into
my hand.
CHAPTER LXXXI.
So I turned back with Mr. Petulengro. We travelled for some
time in silence ; at last we fell into discourse. *^ You have been
in Wales, Mr. Petulengro ? "
" Ay, truly, brother."
" What have you been doing there ? '*
** Assisting at a funeral."
** At whose funeral ? "
" Mrs. Hearne's, brother.**
"Is she dead, then?"
" As a nail, brother."
«* How did she die ? "
" By hanging, brother."
" I am lost in astonishment," said I ; whereupon Mr. Petu-
lengro, lifting his sinister leg over the neck of his steed, and
adjusting himself sideways in the saddle, replied with great de-
liberation : —
" Two days ago, I happened to be at a fair not very far from
here; I was all alone by myself, for our party were upwards of
forty miles off, when who should come up but a chap that I
knew, a relation, or rather, a connection of mine— one of those
Hearnes. 'Ar'n't you going to the funeral?' said he ; and then,
brother, there passed between him and me, in the way of ques-
tioning and answering, much the same as has just now passed
between I and you ; but when he mentioned hanging, I thought
I could do no less than ask who hanged her, which you forgot
to do. ' Who hanged her ? * said I ; and then the man told me
that she had done it herself — been her own hinjiri ; and then I
thought to myself what a sin and shame it would be if I did not
go to the funeral, seeing that she was my own mother-in-law. I
would have brought my wife, and, indeed, the whole of our party,
but there was no time for that ; they were too far oiT, and the
dead was to be buried early the next morning, so I went with
the man, and he led me into Wales, where his party had lately
retired, and when there, through many wild and desolate places
(433) a»
434 ^^ VBSGRO. [1895.
to their encampment, and there I found the Heames, and the
dead body — ^the last laid out on a mattress, in a tent, dressed
Romaneskoenscs, in a red cloak and big bonnet of blade heaver.
I must say for the Heames that they took the matter veiy coolly :
some were eating, others drinking, and some were talking
about their small affairs ; there was one, however, who did not
take the matter so coolly, but took on enough for the whole
family, sitting beside the dead woman, teaitng her hair, and re-
fusing to take either meat or drink ; it was the child Leonora.
I arrived at nightfall, and the burying was not to take place
till the morning, which I was rather sorry for, as I am not veiy
fond of them Heames, who are not very fond of anybody. They
never asked me to eat or drink, notwithstanding I had married
into the family ; one of them^ however, came up and offered to
fight me for five shillings ; had it not been for them, I should
have come back as empty as I went — he didn't stand up five
minutes. Brother, I passed the night as well as I could, beneath
a tree, for the tents were full, and not over clean ; I slept little, and
had my eyes about me, for I knew the kind of people I was among.
"Early in the morning the funeral took place. Thetxxly
was placed not in a cofiin but on a bier, and carried not to a
churchyard but to a deep dell close by ; and there it was buried
beneath a rock, dressed just as I have told you; and this was
done by the bidding of Leonora, who had heaxd her bebee say
that she wished to be buried, not in gorgious fashion, but like a
Roman woman of the old blood, the kosko puro rati, brother.
When it was over, and we had got back to tfie encampment, I
prepared to be going. Before mounting my gry, however, I be-
thought me to ask what could have induced the dead woman to
make away with herself, a thing so uncommon amongst Romanies ;
whereupon one squinted with his eyes, a second spirted saliver into
the air, and a third said that he neither knew nor cared ; she was
a good riddance, having more than once been nearly the ruin
of them all, from the quantity of brimstone she carried about
her. One, however, I suppose, rather ashamed of the way in
which they had treated me, said at last, that if I wanted to know
all about the matter, none could tell me better than the child, who
was in all her secrets, and was not a little like her ; so I looked
about for the child, but could find her nowhere. At last the same
man told me that he shouldn't wonder if I found her at the grave ;
so I went back to the grave, and sure enough there I found the
child, Leonora, seated on the ground above the body, crying and
taking on ; so I spoke kindly to her, and said, how came all thiSi
liz^) MRS. HERtfE'S DBATM. 455
Leonora? teli me all about it It was a long time before
I could get any answer ; at last she opened her mouth, and spoke,
and these were the words she said : ' It was all along of your pal ' {
and then she told me all about the matter. How Mrs. Hearne
could not abide you, which I knew before, and that she had sworn
yoiir destruction, which I did not know before. And then she
told me how she found you living in the wood by yourself, and
how you were enticed to eat a poisoned cake ; and she told me
many other things that you wot of, and she told me what perhaps
you don't wot, namely, that finding you had been removed, she,
the child, had tracked you a long way, and found you at last well
and hearty, and no ways affected by the poison, and heard you,
as she stood concealed, disputing about rdigicn with a Welsh
Methody. Well, brother, she told me all this ; and, moreover,
that when Mrs. Hearne heard of it, she said that a dream of hers
had come to pass. I don't know what it was, but something
about herself, a tinker, and a dean ; and then she added, that it
was all up with her, and that she must take a long journey. Well,
brother, that same night Leonora, waking from her sleep in the
tent, where Mrs. Hearne and she were wont to sleep, missed her
bebee, and, becoming alarmed, went in search of her, and at last
found her hanging from a branch ; and when the child had got
so far, she took on violently, and I could not get another word
from her ; so I left h^, and here I am.''
"And I am glad to see you, Mr. Petulengro ; but this is sad
news which you tell me about Mrs. Hearne."
"Somewhat dreary, brother; yet, perhaps, after all, it is a
good thing that she is removed; she canied so much Devil's
tinder about with her, as the man said."
" I am sorry for her," said I ; " more especially as I am the
cause of her death — though the innocent one."
"She could not bide you, brother, that's certain ; but that is
no reason" — ^said Mr. Petulengro, balancing himself upon the
saddle — "that is no reason why she should prepare drow to take
away your essence of life, and, when disappointed, to hang her-
self upon a tree . if she was dissatisfied with you, she might have
flown at you, and scratched your face ; or, if she did not judge
herself your match, she might have put down five shillings for a
turn-up between you and some one she thought could beat you
— ^myself, for example, and so the matter might have ended com-
fortably ; but she was always too fond of covert ways, drows and
brimstones. This is not the first poisoning affair she has been
engaged in."
43^ LA VBNGkO. tx^5-
*< You allude to drabbing bawlor/'
** Bah i " said Mr. Petulengro ; " there's no harm in that. No,
no ! she has cast drows in her time for other guess things than
bawlor; both Gorgios and Romans have tasted of them, and
died. Did you never hear of the poisoned plum pudding ? "
« Never."
**Then I will tell you about it. It happened about six years
ago, a few months after she had quitted us — ^she had gone first
among her own people, as she called them ; but there was another
small party of Romans, with whom she soon became very intimate.
It so happened that this small party got into trouble ; whether it
was about a horse or an ass, or passing bad money, no matter to
you and me, who had no hand in the business ; three or four of
them were taken and lodged in Castle, and amongst them
was a woman ; but the sherengro, or principal man of the party,
and who it seems had most hand in the affair, was still at large.
All of a sudden a rumour was spread abroad that the woman was
about to play false, and to peach the rest Said the principal
man, when he heard it, ' If she does, I am nashkado '. Mrs.
Hearne was then on a visit to the party, and when she heard the
principal man take on so, she said : ' But I suppose you know
what to do?' 'I do not/ said he. 'Then hir mi devlis,' said
she, ' you are a fool. But leave the matter to me, I know how
to dispose of her in Roman fashion.' Why she wanted to in-
terfere in the matter, brother, I don't know, unless it was from
pure brimstoneness of disposition — she had no hand in the matter
which had brought the party into trouble, she was only on a visit,
and it had happened before she came ; but she was always ready
to give dangerous advice. Well, brother, the principal man
listened to what she had to say, and let her do what she would ;
and she made a pudding, a very nice one, no doubt — ^for, besides
plums, she put in drows and all the Roman condiments that she
knew of; and she gave it to the principal man, and the principal
man put it into a basket and directed it to the woman in Castle,
and the woman in the castle took it and "
"Ate of it," said I, "just like my case?"
" Quite different, brother ; she took it, it is true, but instead
of giving way to her appetite as you might have done, she put
it before the rest whom she was going to impeach — perhaps
she wished to see how they liked it before she tasted it herself —
and all the rest were poisoned, and one died, and there was a
precious outcry, and the woman cried loudest of all; and she
said : ' It was my deatl^ was sought for ; I know the man, and I'll
ito5-l ^^J5 PLC/Af PUDDING. 437
be revenged/ and then the Poknees spoke to her and said, * Where
can we find him?' and she said, 'I am awake to his motions;
three weeks from hence, the night before the full moon, at such
and such an hour, he will pass down such a lane with such a
man .
" WeU," said I, "and what did the Poknees do?"
'' Do, brother, sent for a plastramengro from Bow Street, quite
secretly, and told him what the woman had said ; and the night
before the full moon, the plastramengro went to the place which
the juwa had pointed out, all alone, brother; and, in order that
he might not be too late, he went two hours before his time. I
know the place well, brother, where the plastramengro placed
himself behind a thick holly tree, at the end of a lane, where a
gate leads into yarious fields, through which there is a path for
carts and horses. The lane is called the dark lane by the Gorgios,
being much shaded by trees ; so the plastramengro placed himself
in the dark lane behind the holly tree ; it was a cold February
night, dreary, though ; the wind blew in gusts, and the moon had
not yet risen, and the plastramengro waited behind a tree till he
was tired, and thought he might as well sit down ; so he sat down
and was not long in falling to sleep, and there he slept for some
hours ; and when he awoke, the moon had risen, and was shining
bright, so that there was a kind of moonlight even in the dark
lane ; and the plastramengro pulled out his watch, and contrived
to make out that it was just two hours beyond the time when the
men should have passed by. Brother, I do not know what the
plastramengro thought of himself, but I know, brother, what I
should have thought of myself in his situation. I should have
thought, brother, that I was a drowsy scoppelo, and that I had
let the fellow pass by whilst I was sleeping behind a bush. As it
turned out, however, his going to sleep did no harm, but quite the
contrary ; just as he was going away, he heard a gate slam in the
direction of the fields, and then he heard the low stumping of
horses, as if (xi sc^ ground, for the path in those fields is generally
soft, and at that time it had been lately ploughed up. Well,
brother, presently he saw two men on horseback coming towards
the lane through the field behind the gate ; the man who rode
foremost was a tall, big fellow, the very man he was in quest of:
the other was a smaller chap, not so small either, but a light, wiry
fellow, and a proper master of his hands when he sees occasion
for using them. Well, brother, the foremost man came to the
gate, reached at the bank, undid it, and rode through, holding it
open for the other. Before, however, the other oould follow into
438 LA VBNGRO. [1825.
the lane^ out bolted the plastramengro fiom behind the tre^
kicked the gate too with his foot, and, seizing the big man on
horseback, ^You are my prisoner,' said he. I am of opinion*
brother, that the plastramengro, notwithstanding he went to sleep,
must have been a regular fine fellow."
" I am entirely of your opinion," said I ; " but what happened
then ? "
" Why, brother, the Rommany chal, after he had somewhat
recovered from his surprise, for it is rather uncomfortable to be
laid hold of at night-time, and told you are a prisoner ; more
especially when you happen to have two or three things on your
mind, which, if proved against you, would carry you to the nashky.
The Rommany chal, I say, clubbed his whip, and aimed a blow
at the plastramengro, which, if it had hit him on the skull, as was
intended, would very likely have cracked it. The plastramengro,
however, received it partly on his staff, so that it did him no
particular damage. Whereupon seeing what kind of customer he
had to deal with, he dropped his staff, and seized the chal with
both his hands, who forthwith spurred his horse, hoping by doing
so, either to break away from him, or fling him down ; but it
would not do— the plastramengro held on like a bulldog, so that
the Rommany chal, to escape being hauled to the ground, sud-
denly flung himself off the saddle, and then happened in that
lane, close by the gate, such a struggle between those two— the
chal and the runner — as I suppose will never happen again. But
you must have heard of it ; every one has heard of it ; every one
has heard of the fight between the Bow street engro and the
Rommany chal."
" I never heard of it till now."
" All England rung of it, brother. There never was a better
match than between those two. The runner was somewhat the
stronger of the two — all these engroes are strong fellows — and a
ffreat deal cooler, for all of that sort are wondrous cool people-^—
he had, however, to do with one who knew full well how to take
his own part. The chal fought the engro, brother, in the old
Roman fashion. He bit, he kicked, and screamed like a wild
cat of Benygant ; casting foam from his mouth, and fire from his
eyes. Sometimes he was beneath the engro's legs, and sometimes
he was upon his shoulders. What the engro found the most diffi-
cult, was to get a firm hold of the chal, for no sooner did he seize
the chal by any part of his .wearing apparel, than the chal either
tore himself away, or contrived to slip out of it ; so that in a little
lioie tbe chal was three partv naked ; wd as for Mdiiig bim by
i«a5.] SATISFACTION. 459
the body, it was out of the question, for he was as slippery as an
eeL At last the engro seized the chal by the Belcher's handker-
chief, which he wore in a knot round his neck, and do whatever
the chal could, he could not free himself ; and when the engro
saw that, it gave him fresh heart, no doubt ; ' It's of no use,' said
he ; * you had better give in ; hold out your hands for the darbies,
or I will throttle you'/'
" And what did the other fellow do, who came with the chal ? "
said I.
" I sat still on my horse, brother."
" You ? " said I. " Were you the man ? "
** I was he, brother."
^' And why did you not help your comrade ? "
^' I have fought in the ring, brother."
"And what had fighting in the ring to do with fighting in
the lane ? "
*<You mean not fighting. A great deal, brother; it taught
me to prize fair play. When I fought Staffordshire Dick, t'other
side of London, I was alone, brother. Not a Rommany chal to
back me, and he had all his brother pals about him ; but they
gave me fair play, brother; and I beat Staffordshire Dick, which
I couldn't have done had they put one finger on his side the
scale ; for he was as good a man as myself, or nearly so. Now,
brother, had I but bent a finger in favour of the Rommany chal
the pkstramengro would never have come alive out of the lane ;
but I did not, for I thought to myself fisur play is a precious stone ;
so you see, brother "
" That you are quite right, Mr. Petulengro ; I see that clearly ;
and now, pray proceied with your narration ; it is both moral and
entertaining."
But Mr. Petulengro did not proceed with his narration, neither
did he proceed upon his way ; he had stopped his horse, and his
eyes were intently fixed on a broad strip of grass beneath some
lofty trees, on the left side of the road It was a pleasant enough
spot, and seemed to invite wayfaring people, such as we were, to
rest from the fatigues of the road, and the heat and vehemence
of the sun. After examining it for a considerable time, Mr.
Petulengro said : ** I say, brother, that would be a nice place for
a tuzzle I "
" I daresay it would," said I, ** if two people were inclined to
fight"
''The ground is smooth," said Mr. Petulengro; "without
boles or rut^ and the trees cast much shade. I don't think.
440 LA VBNGRO. [1835.
brother, that we could find a better place/' said Mr. Petulengro,
springing from his horse.
*' But you and I don't want to fight ! "
" Speak for yourself, brother," said Mr. Petulengra " How-
ever, I will tell you how the matter stands. There is a point at
present between us. There can be no doubt that you are the
cause of Mrs. Heame's death, innocently, you will say, but still
the cause. Now, I shouldn't like it to be known that I went up
and down the country with a pal who was the cause of my mother-
in-law's death — that's to say, unless he gave me satisfaction. Now,
if I and my pal have a tuzzle, he gives me satisfaction ; and if he
knocks my eyes out, which I know you can't do, it makes no
difference at all, he gives me satisfaction ; and he who says to
the contrary, knows nothing of gypsy law, and is a dinelo into
the bargain."
" But we have no gloves I "
" Gloves 1 " said Mr. Fetulengro contemptuously, " gloves !
I tell you what, brother, I always thought you were a better hand
at the gloves than the naked fist ; and, to tell you the truth, be-
sides taking satisfaction for Mrs. Heame's death, I wish to see
what you can do with your morleys ; so now is your timCj brother,
and this is your place, grass and shade, no ruts or holes ; come
on, brother, or I shall think you what I should not like to call
you."
CHAPTER LXXXII.
And when I heard Mr. Petulengro talk in this manner, which I
had never heard him do before, and which I can only account for
by his being fasting and ill-tempered, I had of course no other
alternative than to accept his challenge ; so I put myself into a
posture which I deemed the best both for offence and defence^
and the tuzzle commenced ; and when it had endured for about
half an hour, Mr. Petulengro said: "Brother^ there is much
blood on your face, you had better wipe it off"; and when I
had wiped it off, and again resumed my former attitude, Mr.
Petulengro said : '^ I think enough has been done, brother, in the
affair of the old woman ; I have, moreover, tried what you are
able to do, and find you as I thought, less apt with the naked
morleys than the stuffed gloves; nay, brother, put your hands
down ; I'm satisfied ; blood has been shed, which is all that can
be reasonably expected for an old woman, who carried so much
brimstone about her as Mrs. Hearne ".
So the struggle ended, and we resumed our route, Mr.
Petulengro sitting sideways upon his horse as before, and I driving
my little pony-cart; and when we had proceeded about three
miles, we came to a small public-house, which bore the sign of
the Silent Woman, where we stopped to refresh our cattle and
ourselves ; and as we sat over our bread and ale, it came to pass
that Mr. Petulengro asked me various questions, and amongst
others, how I intended to dispose of myself; I told him that I
did not know ; whereupon with considerable frankness, he invited
me to his camp, and told me that if I chose to settle down
amongst them, and become a Rommany chal, I should have his
wife's sister, Ursulai who was still unmarried, and occasionally
talked of me.
I declined his offer, assigning as a reason the recent death of
Mrs. Hearne, of which I was the cause, although innocent. " A
pretty life I should lead with those two," said I, ''when they
came to know it." "Pooh," said Mr. Petulengro, "they will
never know it I shan't blab, and as for Lepnor^^ that girl has a
(441)
44a LA VBNGRO. [iSas.
head on her shoulders." " Unlike the woman in the sign," said
I, " whose head is cut off. You speak nonsense, Mr. Petulengro ;
as long as a woman has a head on her shoulders she'll talk, — ^but,
leaving women out of the caisei it is impossible to keep anything
a secret ; an old master of mine told me so long ago. I have
moreover another reason for declining your offer. I am at
present not disposed for society. I am become fond of solitude.
I wish I could find some quiet place to which I could retire to
hold communion with my own thoughts, and practise, if I thought
fit, either of my trades.** " What trades ? " said Mr. Petulengro.
" Why, the one which I have lately been engaged in, or my
original one, which I confess I should like better, that of a
kaulomescro." " Ah, I have frequently heard you talk of making
horse-shoes," said Mr. Petulengro. " I, however, never saw you
make one, and no one else that I am aware. I don't believe —
come, brother, don't be angry, it's quite possible that you may
have done things which neither I nor any one else has seen you
do, and that such things may some day or other come to light, as
you say nothing can be kept secret. Be that, however, as it may,
pay the reckoning and let us be going ; I think I can advise you
to just such a kind of place as you seem to want."
^' And how do you know that I have got wherewithal to pay
the reckoning ? " I demanded. *' Brother," said Mr. Petulengro,
" I was just now looking in your face, which exhibited the very
look of a person conscious of the possession of property ; there
was nothing hungry or sneaking in it Pay the reckoning^
brother."
And when we were once more upon the road Mr. Petulengro
began to talk of the place which he conceived would serve me as
a retreat under present circumstances. "I tell you frankly,
brother, that it is a queer kind of place, and I am not very fond
of pitching my tent in it, it is so surprisingly dreary. It is a deep
dingle in the midst of a large field, on an estate about which there
has been a lawsuit for some years past. I daresay you will be
quiet enough, for the nearest town is five miles distant, and there
are only a few huts and hedge public-houses in the neighbourhood.
Brother, I am fond of solitude myself, but not that kind of
solitude ; I like a quiet heath, where I can pitch my house, but I
always like to have a gay, stirring place not fiar off, where the
women can pen dukkerin, and I myself can sell or buy a horse,
if needful — such a place as the Chong Gav. I never feel so
merry as when there, brother, pr Qn the l^eatb ^bovi^ it, wb^re I
taught you Rommany. '^
x825] THB SEPARATION. 443
III ■
Shortly after this discourse we reached a milestone, and a few
yards from the milestone, on the left hand, was a cross-road.
Thereupon Mr. Petulengro said : ** Brother, my path lies to the
left ; if you choose to go with me to my camp, good, if not, Chal
Devlehi '\ But I again refused Mr. Petulengro's invitation, and,
shaking him by the hand, proceeded forward alone, and about
ten miles farther on I reached the town of which he had spoken,
and following certain directions which he had given, discovered,
though not without some difficulty, the dingle which he had
mentioned. It was a deep hollow in the midst of a wide field,
the shelving sides were overgrown with trees and bushes, a belt
of sallows surrounded it on the top, a steep winding path led
down into the depths, practicable, however, for a light cart, like
mine ; at the bottom was an open space, and there I pitched my
tent, and there I contrived to put up my forge. ** I will here ply
the trade of kaulomescro," said I.
CHAPTER LXXXIII.
It has always struck me that there is something highly poetical
about a forge. I am not singular in this opinion : various indi-
viduals have assured me that they can never pass by one, even in
the midst of a crowded town, without experiencing sensations which
they can scarcely de6ne, but which are highly pleasurable. I
have a decided penchant for forges, especially rural ones, placed
in some quaint, quiet spot — ^a dingle, for example, which is a
poetical place, or at a meeting of four roads, which is still more
so ; for how many a superstition — ^and superstition is the soul of
poetry — is connected with these cross-roads 1 I love to light
upon such a one, especially after nightfall, as everything about a
forge tells to most advantage at night ; the hammer sounds more
solemnly in the stillness ; the glowing particles scattered by the
strokes sparkle with more effect in the darkness, whilst the sooty
visage of the sastramescro, half in shadow, and half-illumed by
the red and partial blaze of the forge, looks more mysterious and
strange. On such occasions I draw in my horse's rein, and,
seated in the saddle, endeavour to associate with the picture be-
fore me — in itself a picture of romance — ^whatever of the wild and
wonderful I have read of in books, or have seen with my own
eyes in connection with forges.
^ I believe the life of any blacksmith, especially a rural one,
would afford materials for a highly poetical history. I do not
speak unadvisedly, having the honour to be free of the forge, and
therefore fully competent to give an opinion as to what might be
made out of the forge by some dextrous hand. Certainly, the
strangest and most entertaining life ever written is that of a
blacksmith of the olden north, a certain Volundr, or Velint, who
lived in woods and thickets, made keen swords, so keen, indeed,
that if placed in a running stream, they would fairly divide an
object, however slight, which was borne against them by die
water, and who eventually married a king's daughter, by whom
he had a son, who was as bold a knight as his father was a
cunning blacksmith. I never see a foige at night, when seated
(444)
iSas.] MUMPERS^ DINGLB. 445
on the back of my horse at the bottom of a dark lane, but I
somehow or other associate it with the exploits of this extra-
ordinary fellow, with many other extraordinary things, amongst
which, as I have hinted before, are particular passages of my own
life, one or two of which I shall perhaps relate to the reader.
I never associate Vulcan and his Cyclops with the idea of a
ibrge. These gentry would be the very last people in the world
to flit across my mind whilst gazing at the forge from the bottom
of the dark lane. The truth is, they are highly unpoetical
fellows, as well they may be, connected as they are with Grecian
mythology. At the very mention of their names the forge bums
dull and dim, as if snow-balls had been suddenly flung into it ;
the only remedy is to ply the bellows, an operation which I now
hasten to perform.
I am in the dingle making a horse-shoe. Having no other
horses on whose hoofs I could exercise my art, I made my first
essay on those of my own horse, if that could be called horse
which horse was none, being only a pony. Perhaps if I had
sought all England, I should scarcely have found an animal more
in need of the kind offices of the smith. On three of his feet
there were no shoes at all, and on the fourth only a remnant of
one, on which account his hoofs were sadly broken and lacerated
by his late journeys over the hard and flinty roads. ''You
belonged to a tinker before," said I, addressing the animal, '' but
now you belong to a smith. It is said that the household of the
shoemaker invariably go worse shod than that of any other craft.
That may be the case of those who make shoes of leather, but it
sha'n't be said of the household of him who makes shoes of iron ;
at any rate, it sha'n't be said of mine. I tell you what, my gry,
whilst you continue with me, you shall both be better shod, and
better fed, than you were with your last master."
I am in the dingle making a petul ; and I must here observe,
that whilst I am making a horse-shoe, the reader need not be
surprised if I speak occasionally in the language of the lord of
the horse-shoe — Mr. Petulengro. I have for some time past
been plying the peshota, or bellows, endeavouring to raise up the
yag, or fire, in my primitive forge. The angar, or coals, are now
burning fiercely, casting forth sparks and long vagescoe chipes, or
tongues of flame ; a small bar of sastra, or iron, is lying in the
fire, to the length of ten or twelve inches, and so fiir it is hot, very
hot, exceeding hot, brother. And now you see me, prak, snatch
the bar of iron, and place the heated end of it upon the covantza,
or anvil, and forthwith I commence cooring the sastra as hard as
446 LA VBNGRO. [iSas-
if I had been just engaged by a master at the rate of dui caulor,
or two shillings a day, brother ; and when I have beaten the iron
till it is nearly cool, and my arm tired, I place it again in the
angar, and b^n again to rouse the fire with the pudamengro,
which signifies the blowing thing, and is another and more
common word for bellows, and whilst thus employed I sing a
gypsy song, the sound of which is wonderfully in unison with the
hoarse moaning of the pudamengro, and ere the song is finished,
the iron is again hot and malleable. Behold, I place it once
more on the covantza, and recommence hammering ; and now I
am somewhat at fault ; I am in want of assistance ; I want you,
brother, or some one else, to take the bar out of my hand and
support it upon the covantza, whilst I, applying a chinomescro,
or kind of chisel, to the heated iron, cut off with a lusty stroke or
two of the shukaro baro, or big hammer, as much as is required
for the petul. But having no one to help me, I go on hammering
till I have ^atirly knocked off as much as I want, and then I place
the piece in the fire, and again apply the bellows, and take up the
song where I left it off; and when I have finished the song, I
take out the iron, but this time with my plaistra, or pincers, and
then I recommence hammering, turning the iron round and round
with my pincers : and now I bend the iron, and lo^ and beholdt
it has assumed something the outline of a petul.
I am not going to enter into further details with respect to
the process — it was rather a wearisome one. I had to contend
with various disadvantages ; my forge was a rude one, my toob
might have been better; I was in want of one or two highly
necessary implements, but, above all, manual dexterity. Though
free of the forge, I had not practised the albeytarian art for very
many years^ never since — ^but stay, it is not my intention to tell
the reader, at least in this place, how and when I became a
blacksmith. There was one thing, however, which stood me in
good stead in my labour, the same thing which through life has
ever been of incalculable utility to me, and has not unfrequently
supplied the place of fiiends, money, and many other things of
almost equal importance — iron perseverance, without which all
the advantages of time and circumstance are of very little avail in
any undertaking. I was determined to make a horse-shoe, and a
good one, in spite of every obstacle — ay, in spile of dukkerin.
At the end of four days, during which I had fashioned and
refashioned the thing at least fifty times, I had made a petul such
as no master of the craft need have been ashamed of; with the
second shoe I had less difficulty, and, by the time I had made
x825.] HORSE SHOBINO. 447
the fourth, I would have scorned to take off my hat to the best
smith in Cheshire.
But I had not yet shod my little gry ; this I proceeded now
to do. After having first well pared the hoofs with my churi, I
applied each petul hot, glowing hot to the pindro. Oh, how the
hooh hissed; and, oh, the pleasant, pungent odour which
diffused itself through the dingle^ an odour good for an ailing
spirit
I shod the little horse bravely — ^merely pricked him once,
slightly, with a cafi, for doing which, I remember, he kicked me
down ; I was not disconcerted, however, but, getting up, promised
to be more cautious in future ; and having finished the operation,
I filed the hoof well with the rin baro ; then dismissed him to
graze amongst the trees, and, putting my smaller tools into the
muchtar, I sat down on my stone, and, supporting my arm upon
my knee, leaned my head upon my hand. Heaviness had come
over me.
CHAPTER LXXXrV.
Heaviness had suddenly come over me, heaviness of heart, and
of body also. I had accomplished the task which I had imposed
upon myself, and now that nothing more remained to do, mj
energies suddenly deserted me, and I felt without strength, and
without hope. Several causes, perhaps, co-operated to bring
about the state in which I then felt myself. It is not improbable
that my energies had been overstrained during the work, the
progress of which I have attempted to describe ; and every one
is aware that the results of overstrained energies are feebleness
and lassitude — want of nourishment might likewise have some-
thing to do with it. During my sojourn in the dingle, my food
had been of the simplest and most unsatisfying description, by
no means calculated to support the exertion which the labour I
had been engaged upon required; it had consisted of coarse
oaten cakes, and hard cheese, and for beverage I had been
indebted to a neighbouring pit, in which, in the heat of the day,
I frequently saw, not golden or silver fish, but frogs and eftes
swimming about. I am, however, inclined to believe that Mrs.
Hearne's cake had quite as much to do with the matter as
insufficient nourishment. I had never entirely recovered from
the effects of its poison, but had occasionally, especially at night,
been visited by a grinding pain in the stomach, and my whole
body had been suffused with cold sweat; and indeed these
memorials of the drow have never entirely disappeared — even
at the present time they display themselves in my Sjrstem,
especially after much fatigue of body and excitement of mind.
So there I sat in the dingle upon my stone, nerveless and hope-
less, by whatever cause or causes that state had been produced
— there I sat with my head leaning upon my hand, and so I
continued a long, long time. At last I lifted my head from
my hand, and began to cast anxious, unquiet looks about the
dingle — the entire hollow was now enveloped in deep shade —
I cast my eyes up ; there was a golden gleam on the tops of the
trees which grew towards the upper parts of the dingle, but lower
(448^
ztes-] THE HORRORS. 449
down all was gloom and twilight, yet, when I first sat down on
my stone, the sun was right above the dingle, illuminating all its
depths by the rays which it cast perpendicularly down, so I
must have sat a long, long time upon my stone. And now,
once more, I rested my head upon my hand, but almost instantly
lifted it again in a kind of fear, and began looking at the objects
before me, the forge, the tools, the branches of the trees, en-
deavouring to follow their rows, till they were lost in the darkness
of the dingle ; and now I found my right hand grasping con-
vulsively the three forefingers of the left, first collectively, and
then successively, wringing them till the joints cracked ; then I
became quiet, but not for long.
Suddenly I started up, and could scarcely repress the shriek
which was rising to my Ups. Was it possible? Yes, all too
certain ; the evil one was upon me ; the inscrutable horror which
I had felt in my boyhood had once more taken possession of me.
I had thought that it had forsaken me ; that it would never visit
me again; that I had outgrown it; that I might almost bid
defiance to it; and I had even b^un to think of it without
borrory as we are in the habit of doing of horrors of which we
conceive we run no danger ; and, lo 1 when least thought of, it
had seized me again. Every moment I felt it gathering force,
and making me more wholly its own. What should I do?-^
resist, of course ; and I did resist. I grasped, I tore, and strove
to fling it firom me ; but of what avail were my efforts? I could
only have got rid of it by getting rid of myself: it was part of
myself, oi rather it was all myself! I rushed amongst the trees,
and struck at them with my bare fists, and dashed my head
against them, but I felt no pain. How could I feel pain with
that horror upon me t and then I flung myself on the ground,
gnawed the earth and swallowed it ; and then I looked round ;
it was ahnost total darkness in the dingle, and the darkness
added to my horror. I could no longer stay there ; up I rose
firom the ground, and attempted to escape ; at the bottom of the
winding path which led up tbe acclivity I fell over something
which was lying on the ground ; the something moved, and gave
a kind of whine. It was my little horse, which had made that
place its lair; my little horse, my only companion and friend
in that now awful solitude. I reached the mouth of the dingle ;
the sun was just sinking in the far west, behind me; the fields
were flooded with his last gleams. How beautifiil everything
lodged in the last gleams of the sunl I felt relieved for a
moment; I was no longer in the horrid dingle; in another
«9
450 LA VBNORO. (x^S-
minute the sun was gone, and a big cloud occupied the |4ace
where he had been ; in a little time it was almost as dark as it
had previously been in the open part of the dingle. My h<»ror
incr«ised ; what was I to do? — it was of no use fighting against
the horror, that I saw ; the more I fought against it, the stronger
it became. What should I do: say my prayers? Ah 1 why not?
So I knelt down under the hedge, and said, '* Our Father " ; but
liiat was of no use; and now I could no longer repress cries ;
the horror was too great to be borne. What diould I do : ran
to the nearest town or village, and request the asastance of my
fellow-men ? No 1 that I was ashamed to do ; notwithstanding
the horror was upon me, I was ashamed to do that. I knew
they would consider me a maniac, if I went screaming amongst
them ; and I did not wish to be considered a maniac. Moreover,
I knew that I was not a maniac, for I possessed aU my reasoning
powers, only the horror was upon me-*-the screaming honor 1
But how were indifferent people to distinguish between madness
and this screaming horror ? So I thought and reasoned ; and at last
I determined not to go amongst my fdlow-men whatever the
result might be. I went to the mouth of the dingle, and there
placing myself on my knees, I again said the Lord's Prayer ; but it
was of no use ; praying seemed to have no eflect over the horror ;
the unutterable fear appeared rather to increase than diminish ;
and I again uttered wild cries, so loud that I was apprehensive
they would be heard by some chance passenger on the neighbour-
ing road ; I, therefore, went deeper into the dingle ; I sat down with
my back against a thorn bush ; the thorns entered my flesh, and
when I felt them I pressed harder against the bush ; I thought
the pain of the flesh might in some degree counteract the mental
agony ; presently I felt them no longer ; the power of the mental
horror was so great that it was impossible, with that upon me, to
feel any pain from the thorns. I continued in this posture a long
time, undergoing what I cannot describe, and would not attempt
if I were able. Several times I was on the point of starting op
and rushing anywhere ; but I restrained myself, for I knew I could
not escape from myself, so why should I not remain in the dingle ?
so I thought and said to myself, for my reasoning powers were
still uninjured. At last it appeared to me that the horror was not
so strong, not quite so strong upoii me. Was it possible that it
was relaxing its grasp, releasing its prey? O what a mercy ! but
it could not be---and yet I looked up to heaven, and clasped my
hands, and said, *' Our Father " . I said no more, I was too agi-
tated; and now I was almost sure that the horror had done its wont
xtes-] THB HORRORS. 451
After a litUe time I arose, and staggered down yet farther into
the dingle. I again found my little horse on the same spot as
before ; I put my hand to his mouth, he licked my band. I flttng
myself down by him and put my arms round his neck; the
creature whinned, and appeared to sympathise with me ; what a
comfort to have any one, even a dumb orute, to sympathise with
me at such a moment I I clung to my little horse as if for safety
and protection. I laid my head on his neck, and felt almost
calm ; presently the fear returned, but not so wild as before ; it
subsided, came again, again subsided ; then drowsiness came over
me, and at last I fell asleep, my head supported on the neck of
the little horse. I awoke; it was dark, dark night — not a star
was to be seen — but I felt no fear, the horror bad left me. I
arose from the side of the little horse, and went into my tent, lay
down, and again went to sleep.
I awoke in the morning weak and sore, and shuddering at the
remembrance of what I had gone through on the preceding day ;
the sun was shining brightly, but it had not yet risen high enough
to show its head above the trees which fenced the eastern side of
the dingle, on which account the dingle was wet and dank from
the dews of the night I kindled my fire, and, after sitting by it
for some time to warm my framcj I took some of the coarse food
which I have already mentioned ; notwithstanding my late struggle
and the coarseness of the fare, I ate with appetite. My provisions
had by this time been very much diminished, and I saw that it
would be speedily necessary, in the event of my continuing to
reside in the dingle, to lay in a fresh store. After my meal I
went to the pit and filled a can with water, which I brought to
the dingle, and then again sat down on my stone. I considered
what I should next do ; it was necessary to do something, or my
life in this solitude would be insupportable. What should I do?
rouse up my forge and fashion a horse-shoe? but I wanted nerve
and heart for such an employment ; moreover, I had no motive
for fatiguing myself in this manner ; my own horse was shod, no
other was at hand, and it is hard to work for the sake of working*
What should I do? read? Yes, but I had no other book than
the Bible which the Welsh Methodist had given me ; well, why
not read the Bible? I was once fond of raiding the Bible; ay,
but those days were long gone by. However, I did not see what
else I could well do on the present occasion ; so I determined to
read the Bible ; it was in Welsh — at any rate it might amuse me ;
so I took the Bible out of the sack in which it was lying in the
cart,and htgui to read at the place where I chanced to open it
454 LA VBNORO. [1895.
I opened it at that part where the history of Saul ccmimenoes. At
first I read with indifierence ; but after some time my atteotioD
was riveted; %nd no wonder ; I had come to the visitations of Saul —
thos^dark moments of his when he did and said such unaccoont-
abie things; it almost appeared to me that I was reading of
myself; I, too, had my visitations, dark as ever his were* Oh,
how I sympathised with Saul, the tall, dark man 1 I had read his
life before, but it had made no impression on me ; it had never
occurred to me that I was like him, but I now sympathised widi
Saul, for my own dark hour was but recently passed, and, perhaps,
would soon return again ; the dark hour came frequently on Saol.
Time wore away ; I finished the book of Saul, and, dosing
the volume returned it to its place. I then returned to my seat
on the stone, and thought of what I had read, and what I had
lately undergone. All at once I thought I felt well-known sensa-
tions, a cramping of the breast, and a tingling of the soles of the
feet ; they were what I had felt on the preceding day---they were
the forerunners of the fear. I sat motionless on my stone : the
sensations passed away, and the fear came not Darkness was
now coming again over the earth ; the dingle was again in deep
shade; I rousal the fire with the breath of the bellows, and sat
looking at the cheerful glow ; it was cheering and comforting.
My little horse came now and lay down on the ground beside the
forge ; I was not quite deserted. I again ate some of the coarse
food, and drank plentifully of the water which I had fetched in
the morning. I then put fresh fuel on the fire, and sat for a long
time looking on the blaze ; I then went into my tent
I awoke, on my own calculation, about midnight — ^it was pitch
dark, and there was much fear upon me.
CHAPTER LXXXV.
Two mornings after the period to which I have brought the reader
in the preceding chapter, I sat by my fire at the bottom of the
dingle. I had just breakfiasted, and had finished the last morsel
of food which I had brought with me to that solitude.
"What shall I now do? " said I to myself; " shall I continue
here, or decamp ? This is a sad, lonely spot ; perhaps I had better
quit it; but whither should I go? the wide world is before me,
but what can I do therein? I have been in the world already
wiUiout much success. No, I had better remain here ; the place
is londy, it is trucj but here I am free and independent, and can
do what I please ; but I can't remaiiThere without food. Well, I
will find my way to the nearest town, lay in a fresh supply of
provision, and come back, turning my back upon the world, which
has turned its back upon me. I don't see why I diould not
write a little sometimes ; I have pens and an ink-horn, and for
a writing-desk I can place the Bible on my knee. I shouldn't
wonder if I could write a capital satire on the world on the back
of that Bible ; but first of aU I must think of supplying myself
with food."
I rose up firom the stone on which I was seated, determining
to go to the nearest town with my little horse and cart, and
procure what I wanted. The nearest town, according to my beit
calculation, lay about five miles distant ; I had no doubt, however,
that by using ordinary diligence I should be back before evening.
In order to go lighter, I determined to leave my tent standing as
it was, and all the things which I had purchased of the tinker,
just as they were. ''I need not be apprehensive on their
account," sdd I to myself; ''nobody will come here to meddle
with them ; the great recommendation of this place is its perfect
solitude ; I daresay that I could live here six months without
seeing a single human visage. I will now harness my little gry
and be off to the town.**
At a whistle which I gave, the little gry, which was feeding on
the bank near the uppermost part of the dingle, came running to
(4S3)
454 ^^ VENGRO. [ites-
me : for by this time he had become so accustomed to me, that
he would obey my call for all the world as if be had been one of
the canine species. " Now/' said I to him, "we are going to the
town to buy bread for myself, and oats for you. I am in a hurry
to be back ; therefore, I pray you to do your best, and to draw
me and the cart to the town with all possible speed, and to bring
us back ; if you do your best, I promise you oats on your return.
You know the meaning of oats, Ambrol ? "
Ambrol whinnied as if to let me know that he understood me
perfectly well, as indeed he well might, as I had never once fed
him during the time he had been in my possession without saying
the word in question to him. Now, ambrol, in the Gypsy tongue,
signifieth a pear.
So I o^Murisoned Ambrol, and then, going to the cart, I re-
moved two or three things from out it into the tent ; I then
lifted up the shafts, and was just going to call to the pony to come
and be fastened to them, when I thought I heard a noise.
I stood stock still supporting the shaft of the little cart in my
hand, and bending the right side of my face slightly towards the
ground ; but I could hear nothing. The noise which I thought I
had heard was not one of those sounds which I was accustomed
to hear in that solitude : the note of a bird, or the rusding of a
bough ; it was — there I heard it again, a sound very mudi re-
sembling the grating of a wheel amongst gravel. Could it proceed
from the road ? Oh no, the road was too hx distant for me to
hear the noise of anything moving along it Again I listened,
and now I distinctly heard the sound of wheeb, which seemed to
be approaching the dingle; nearer and nearer they drew, and
presently the sound of wheels was blended with the murmur of
voices. Anon I heard a boisterous shout, which seemed to pro-
ceed from the entrance of the dingle. " Here are folks at hand,"
said I, letting the shaft of the cart fall to the ground, " is it possible
that they can be coming here?"
My doubts on that point, if I entertained any, were soon dis-
pelled; the wheels, which had ceased moving for a moment or
two, were once again in motion, and were now evidently moving
down the winding path which led to my retreat. Leaving my
cart, I came forward and placed myself near the entmnce of the
open space, with my eyes fixed on the path down which my
unexpected, and I may say unwelcome, visitors were coming.
Presently I heard a stamping or sliding, as if of a horse in some
difficulty ; and then a loud curse, and the next moment appeared
a man and a horse and cart ; the former holding the head of the
iteS-l UNWELCOME GUESTS. 455
horse up to prevent him from falling, of which he was in danger,
owing to the precipitous nature of the path. Whilst thus occupied,
the head of the man was averted from me. When, however, he
had reached the bottom of the descent, he turned his head, and
perceiving me, as I stood bareheaded, without either coat or waist-
coat, about two yards from him, he gave a sudden start, so violent,
that the backward motion of his hand had nearly flung the horse
upon his haunches.
"Why don't you move forward?" said a voice from behind,
apparently that of a female, " you are stopping up the way, and
we shall be all down upon one another ; *' and I saw the head of
another horse overtopping the back of the cart
'* Why don't you move forward, Jack?" said another voice,
also of a female, yet higher up the path.
The man stirred not, but remained staring at me in the posture
which he had assumed on first perceiving me, his body very much
drawn back, his left foot far in advance of his right, and with his
right hand still grasping the halter of the horse, which gave way
more and more, till it was clean down on his haunches.
"What's the matter?" said the voice which I had last
heard.
** Get back with you. Belle, Moll/' said the man, still staring
at me, "here's something not over-canny or comfortable."
" What is it ? " said the same voice ; " let me pass, Moll, and
111 soon clear the way," and I heard a kind of rushing down the
path.
" You need not be afraid," said I, addressing myself to the
man, " I mean you no harm ; I am a wanderer like yourself —
come here to seek for shelter — ^you need not be afraid ; I am a
Roman chabo by matriculation — one of the right sort, and no mis*
take. Good-day to ye, brother ; I bid ye welcome."
The man eyed me suspiciously for a moment, then turning
to his horse with a loud curse, he pulled him up from his haunches,
and led him and the cart farther down to one side of the dingle,
muttering as he passed me, " afraid. Hm I "
I do not remember ever to have seen a more ruffianly-looking
fellow ; he was about six feet high, with an immensely athletic
frame; his face was black and bluff, and sported an immense
pair of whiskers, but with here and there a grey hair, for his age
could not be much under fifty. He wore a faded blue frock-coat,
corduroys, and highlows ; on his black head was a kind of red
nightcap; round his bull neck a Barcelona handkerchief — I did not
like the look of the man at all.
456 LA VBNORO. [i8ts
''Afraid/' growled the fellow, proceeding to anhainett his
horse; "that was the word, I think."
But other figures were now already upon the scene. DashiDg
past the other horse and cart, which by this time had reached the
bottom of the pass, appeared an exceedingly tall woman, or rather
girl, for she could scarcely have been above eighteen ; die was
dressed in a tight bodice, and a blue stuff gown ; hat, bcmnet or
cap she had none, and her hair, which was flaxen, hung down on
her shoulders unoonfined; her complexion was Cair, and her
features handsome, with a determined but open expression. She
was followed by another female, about forty, stout and vulgar-
, looking, at whom I scarcely glanced, my whole attention being
absorbed by the tall girl.
'' What's the matter, Jack ? " said the latter, looking at the
man.
'' Only afraid, that's ally" said the man, still proceeding with
his work.
'' Afraid at what — ^at that lad ? why, he looks like a ghost.
I would engage to thrash him with one hand."
** You might beat me with no hands at all," said I, ** £dr
damsel, only by looking at me ; I never saw such a foce and
figure, both regal. Why, you look like Ingeborg, Queen of Nor-
way ; she had twelve brothers, you know, and could lick them
all, though they were heroes: —
* On Dovrefeld in Norway,
Were once together seen.
The twelve heroic brothers
Of Ingeborg the queen.' *'
" None of your chaffing, young fellow," said the tall girl, " or
I will give you what shall make you wipe your face ; be civil, or
you will rue it."
"Well, perhaps I was a peg too high," said I ; " I ask your
pardon — ^here's something a bit lower: —
* As I was jawing to the gav yeck diwus
I met on the drom miro Rommany chi — ' '*
** None of your Rommany chies, young fellow," said the tall
girl, looking more menacingly than before and clenching her
fist, ''you had better be civil, I am none of your chies; and
though I keep company with gypsies, or, to speak more proper,
half and halfs, I would have you to know that I come of Christian
blood and parents, and was bom in the great house of Long
Melford."
" I have no doubt," said I, " that it was a great house
sSas-l THE FL AMINO TINMAN. 457
judging from your size, I shouldn't wonder if you were bom in
a church."
" Stay, Bdle," said the man, putting himsdf before the young
virago, who was about to rush upon me, " my turn is first ; " then,
advancing to me in a menacing attitude, he said, with a look of
deep malignity, " Afraid was the word, wasn't it ? "
" It was," said I, '* but I think I wronged you ; I should have
saidy aghast, you exhibited every symptom of one labouring under
uncontrollable fear."
The fellow stared at me with a look of stupid ferocity, and
appeared to be hesitating whether to strike or not ; ere he could
make up his mind, the tall girl started forward, crying, "He's
chaffing, let me at him " ; and, before I could put myself on my
guard, she struck me a blow on the face which had nearly brought
me to the ground.
" Enough," said I, putting my hand to my cheek ; '* you have
now performed your promise, and made me wipe my face ; now
be pacified, and tell me fairly the grounds of this quarrel."
" Grounds I " said the fellow ; " didn't you say I was afraid ?
and if you hadn't, who gave you leave to camp on my ground?"
'' Is it your ground ? " said I.
"A pretty question/' said the fellow; '^as if all the world
didn't know that. Do you know who I am?"
"I guess I do," said I; "unless I am much mistaken, you
are he whom folks call the ' Flaming Tinman '. To tell you the
truth, I'm glad we have met, for I wished to see you. These are
your two wives, I suppose ; I greet them. There's no harm done
—there's room enough here for all of us — ^we shall soon be good
friends, I dare say ; and when we are a little better acquainted*
I'll tell you my history."
" Well, if that doesn't beat all," said the fellow.
" I don't think he's chafiing now," said the girl, whose anger
seemed to have subsided on a sudden; "the young man speaks
civil enough."
"Civil," said the fellow with an oath; "but that's just like
you ; with you it is a blow, and all over. Civil I I suppose you
would have him stay here, and get into all my secrets, and hear
all I may have to say to my two morts."
" Two morts I " said the girl, kindling up, " where are they?
Speak for one, and no more. I am no mort of yours, whatever
some one else may be. I tell you one thing. Black John, or
Anselo, for t'other an't your name, the same thing I told the
young man here: be civil, or you will rue It"
458 LA VBNORO. [182S
The fellow looked at the girl forioosly^ but his g^ce soon
quailed before hers ; he withdrew his eyes, and cast them on my
little horse» which was feeding amongst the trees. '* What's
this ? " said he, rushing forward and seizing the animal " Why,
as I am alive, this is the horse of that mumping villain Sltngsby."
'' It's his no longer ; I bought it and paid for it"
** It's mine now," said the fellow ; " I swore I would sdze it
the next time I found it on my beat ; ay, and beat the master
too."
" I am not Siingsby."
"AU's one for that.''
" You don't say you will beat me ? "
"Afraid was the word."
'' I'm sick and feeble."
" Hold up your iSsts/'
" Won't the horse satisfy you ? "
" Horse nor bellows either."
" No mercy, then.*
" Here's at you,"
"Mind your eyes, Jack. There, you've got it. I thought
so," shouted the girl, as the fellow staggered back from a sharp
blow in the eye. " I thought he was chaffing at you ail along.**
" Never mind, Ansela You know what to do — go in," said
the vulgar woman, who had hitherto not spoken a wonl, but who
now came forward with all the look of a fury; "go in apopli;
you'll smash ten like he."
The Flaming Tinman took her advice, and came in, bent 00
-smashing, but stopped short on receiving a left-handed blow on
the nose.
"You'll never beat the Flaming Tinman in that way," said the
girl, looking at me doubtfully.
And so I b^an to think myself, when, in the twinkling of an
eye, the Flaming Tinman disengaging himself of his frock-coat,
and, dashing off his red night-cap, came rushing in more desper-
ately than ever. To a flush hit which he received in the mouth
he paid as little attention as a wild bull would have done ; in a
moment his arms were around me, and in another, he had hurled
me down, falling heavily upon me. The fellow's strength ap-
peared to be tremendous.
" Pay him off now," said the vulgar woman. The Flaming
Tinman made no reply, but planting his knee on my breast^
seized my throat with two huge homy hands. I gave myself up
for dead, and probably should have been so in another minute
1825] LONG MBLPORD. 459
but for the tall girl, who caught hold of the handkerchief which
the fellow wore round his neck with a grasp nearly as powerful as
that with which he pressed my throat
** Do you call that foir play ? " said she.
" Hands off, Belle," said the other woman ; '' do you call it
&ir play to interfere ? hands off, or I'll be down upon you myself."
But Belle paid no heed to the injunction, and tugged so hard
at the handkerchief that the Flaming Tinman was nearly
throttled ; suddenly relinquishing his hold of me, he started on
his feet, and aimed a blow at my fair preserver, who avoided it,
but said coollv :—
"Finish t other business first, and then I'm your woman
whenever you like ; but finish it fairly— no foul play when I'm
by — I'll be the boy's second, and Moll can pick you up when he
happens to knock you down."
The battle during the next ten minutes raged with consider-
able fiiry ; but it so happened that during this time I was never
able to knock the Flaming Tinman down, but on the contrary
received six knock-down blows myself. "I can never stand
this," said I, as I sat on the knee of Belle, " I am afraid I must
give in ; the Flaming Tinman hits very hard," and I spat out a
mouthful of blood.
" Sure enough you'll never beat the Flaming Tinman in the
way you fight— it's of no use flipping at the Flaming Tinman
with your left hand; why don't you use your right?"
" Because I'm not handy with it," said I ; and then getting
up* I once more confronted the Flaming Tinman, and struck him
six blows for his one, but they were all left-handed blows, and the
blow which the Flaming Tinman gave me knocked me off my
lcg«.
"Now, will you use Long Melford?" said Belle, picking me
up.
" I don't know what you mean by Long Melford," said I,
gasping for breath.
" Why, this long right of yours," said Belle, feeling my right
arm — " if you do, I shouldn't wonder if you yet stand a chance."
And now the Flaming Tinman was once more ready, much
more ready than myself! I, however, rose from my second's
knee as well as my weakness would permit me; on he came,
striking left and right, appearing almost as fresh as to wind
and spirit as when he first commenced the combat, though his
eyes were considerably swelled, and his nether lip was cut in two ;
on he came, striking left and right, and I did not like his blows
4te LA VBNORO. [1825.
at aU« or even the wind of them, which was anything but agree-
able, and I gave way before him. At last he aimed a blow
which, had it taken full effect, would doubtless have ended the
battle, but owing to his slipping, the fist only grazed my left
shoulder, and came with terrific force against a tree, dc^ to
which I had been driven ; before the Tinman could recover him-
self, I collected all my strength, and struck him beneath the ear,
and then fell to the ground completdy exhausted, and it so
happened that the blow which I struck the tinker beneath the
ear was a right-handed blow.
'' Hurrah for Long Melford 1 " I heard Belle exclaim ; " there
is nothing like Long Melford for shortness all the world over."
At these words I turned round my head as I lay, and per-
ceived the Flaming Tinman stretched upon the ground apparently
senseless. *' He is dead," said the vu^ar woman, as she vainly
endeavoured to raise him up ; ''he is dead ; the best man in all
the north country, killed in this fashion, by a boy/' Alarmed at
these words, I made shift to get on my feet ; and, with the
assistance of the woman« placed my fallen adversary in a sitting
posture. I put my hand to his heart, and felt a slight pulsation.
*' He's not dead," said I, " only stunned ; if he were let blood, he
would recover presently." I produced a penknife which I had
in my pocket, and, baring the arm of the Tinman, was about to
make the necessary incision, when the woman gave me a violent
blow, and, pushing me aside, exclaimed : " I'll tear the eyes out
of your head, if you offer to touch him. Do you want to complete
your work, and murder him outright, now he's asleep? you have
had enough of his blood already." '' You are mad," said I, " I
only seek to do him service. Well, if you won*t let him be
blooded, fetch some water and fling it in his face^ you know
where the pit is."
" A pretty manoeuvre," said the woman ; ** leave my husband
in the hands of you and that limmer, who has never been true to
us ; I should find him strangled or his throat cut when I came
back." " Do you go," said I, to the tall girl, " take the can and
fetch some water from the pit." '' You had better go yourself,"
said the girl, wiping a tear as she looked on the yet senseless form
of the tinker ; " you had better go yourself, if you think water will
do him good." I had by this time somewhat recovered my
exhausted powers, and, taking the can, I bent my steps as fast as
I could to the pit ; arriving there, I lay down on the brink, took
a long draught, and then plunged my head into the water ; after
which I filled the can, and bent my way back to the din^
xSas] PAIR PLAY. 461
Before I could reach the path which led down into its depths, I
had to pass some way along its side; I had arrived at a part
immediately over the scene of the last encounter, where the bank,
overgrown with trees, sloped precipitously down. Here I heard
a loud sound of voices in the dingle ; I stopped, and laying hold
of a tree, leaned over the bank and listened. The two women
appeared to be in hot dispute in the dingle. " It was all owing
to you, you limmer," said the vulgar woman to the other ; " had
you not interfered, the old man would soon have settled the boy."
" I'm for fair play and Long Melford," said the other. " If
your old man, as you call him, could have settled the boy fairly,
he might, for all I should have cared, but no foul work for me ;
and as for sticking the boy with our gulleys when he comes back,
as you proposed, I am not so fond of your old man or you that I
should oblige you in it, to my soul's destruction." " Hold your
tongue, or I'll "; I listened no farther, but hastened as fa$t as I
could to the dingle. My adversary had just begun to show signs
of animation ; the vulgar woman was still supporting him, and
occasionally cast glances of anger at the tall girl who was walking
slowly up and down. I lost no time in dashing the greater part
of the water into the Tinman's face, whereupon he sneezed, moved
his hands, and presently looked round him. At first his looks
were dull and heavy, and without any intelligence at all ; he soon,
however, began to recollect himself, and to be conscious of his
situation ; he cast a scowling glance at me, then one of the deepest
malignity at the tall girl, who was still walking about without
taking much notice of what was going forward. At last he looked
at his right hand, which had evidendy suffered from the blow
against the tree, and a half-stifled curse escaped his lips. The
vulgar woman now said something to him in a low tone, where-
upon he looked at her for a moment, and then got upon his legs.
Again the vulgar woman said something to him ; her looks were
furious, and she appeared to be uiging him on to attempt some-
thing. I observed that she had a clasped knife in her hand.
The fellow remained standing for some time as if hesitating what
to do ; at last he looked at his hand, and, shaking his head, said
something to the woman which I did not understand. The tall
girl, however, appeared to overhear him, and) probably repeating
his words, said : " No, it won't do ; you are right there, and now
hear what I have to say, — let bygones be bygones, and let us all
shake hands, and camp here, as the young man was saying just
now ". The man looked at her, and then, without any reply,
went to his horse, which was lying down among the trees, and
46s LA VBNQRO. [itos.
kicking it up, led it to ^e cart, to which he forthwith began to
harness it. The other cart and horse had remained standing
motionless during the whole affair which I have been recouotingy
at the bottom of the pass. The woman now took the horse by
the head, and leading it with the cart into the open part of the
dingle turned both round, and then led them back, till the horse
and cart had mounted a Uttle way up the assent ; she then stood
still and appeared to be expecting the man. During this proceed-
ing Belle had stood looking on without saying anything ; at last,
perceiving that the man had harnessed his horse to the other cart,
and that both he and the woman were about to take their de-
parture, she said : " You are not going, are you ? " Receiving oo
answer, she continued : ** I tell you what, both of you. Black
John, and you Moll, his mort, this is not treating me over civilly,
— however, I am ready to put up with it, and to go with you if you
like, for I bear no malice. I'm sorry for what has happened, but
you have only yourselves to thank for it Now, shall I go widi
you, only tell me?" The man made no manner of reply, but
flogged his horse. The woman, however, whose passions were
probably under less control, replied, wiUi a screeching tone:
" Stay where you are, you jade, and may the curse of Ju(kis cling
to you, — stay with the bit of a mullo whom you helped, and my
only hope is that he may gulley you before he comes to be
Have you with us, indeed 1 after what's past, no, nor nothing
belonging to you. Fetch down your mailla go-cart and live here
with your chabo." She then whipped on the horse, and ascended
the pass, followed by the man. The carts were light, and they
were not long in ascending the winding path. I followed to see
that they took their departure. Arriving at the top, I found near
the entrance a small donkey cart, which I concluded bdonged to
the girl. The tinker and lus mort were already at some disttmce ;
I stood looking after them for a little time, then taking the dcmkey
by the reins I led it with the cart to the bottom of the dingle.
Amved there, I found Belle seated on the stone by the fireplace.
Her hair was all dishevelled, and she was in tears.
'* They were bad people," said she, " and I did not like them,
but they were my only acquaintance in the wide world."
CHAPTER LXXXVI.
Ih the evening of that same day the tall girl and I sat at tea by
the fire, at the bottom of the dingle ; the girl on a small stool,
and myself, as usual, upon my stone.
The water which served for the tea had been taken from a
spring of pellucid water in the neighbourhood, which I had not
had the good fortune to discover, though it was well known to my
companion, and to the wandering people who frequented the
dingle.
•* This tea is very good," said I, " but I cannot enjoy it as
much as if I were well : I feel very sadly."
"How else should you feel," said the girl, "after fighting
with the Flaming Tinman ? All I wonder at is that you can feel
at all I As for the tea, it ought to be good, seeing that it cost
me ten shillings a pound."
''That's a great deal for a person in your station to pay."
"In my station! I*d have you to know, young man — how-
ever, I haven't the heart to quarrel with you, you look so ill ; and
after all, it is a good sum for one to pay who travels the roads ;
but if I must have tea, I like to have the best ; and tea I must
have, for I am used to it, though I can't help thinking that it
sometimes fills my head with strange fancies — ^what some folks
call vapours, making me weep and cry."
" Dear me," said I, " I should never have thought that one of
your size and fierceness would weep and cry I "
" My size and fierceness I I tell you what, young man, you
are not over civil this evening ; but you are ill, as I said before,
and I shaVt take much notice of your language, at least for the
present; as for my size, I am not so much bigger than yourself;
and as for being fierce, you should be the last one to fling that at
me. It is well for you that I can be fierce sometimes. If I
hadn't taken your part against Blazing Bosville, you wouldn't be
now taking tea wiUi me."
" It is true that you struck me in the face first ; but we'll let
that pass. So that man's name is Bosville ; what's your own ? '*
(463)
464 LA VBNGRO. [1825.
"Isopel Bcrners,"
" How did you get that name ? "
" I say, young man, you seem fond of asking questions I will
you have another cup of tea? "
** I was just going to ask for another."
" Well, then, here it is, and much good may it do you ; as for
my name, I got it from my mother."
'' Your mother's name, then, was Isopel ? "
" Isopel Bemers."
" But had you never a father ? " •
"Yes, I had a father," said the girl, sighing, "but I dou't
bear his name."
" Is it the fashion, then, in your country for children to bear
their mother's name ? "
" If you ask such questions, young man, I shall be angry with
you. I have told you my name, and whether my father's or
mother's, I am not ashamed of it."
" It is a noble name."
'* There you are right, young man. The chaplain in the great
house where I was horn, told me it was a noble name ; it was
odd enough, he said, that the only three noble names in the
county were to be found in the great house ; mine was one ; the
other two were Devereux and Bohun."
" What do you mean by the great house ? "
" The workhouse."
" Is it possible that you were bom there ? "
" Yes, young man ; and as you now speak softly and kindly,
I will tell you my whole tale. My father was an officer of the
sea, and was killed at sea as he was coming home to marry my
mother, Isopel Bemers. He had been acquainted with, her, and
had left her ; but after a few months he wrote her a letter, to say
that he had no rest, and that he repented, and that as soon as
his ship came to port he would do her all the reparation in his
power. Well, young man, the very day before they reached ^on
they met the enemy, and there was a fight, and my father was
killed, after he had struck down six of the enemy's crew on their
own deck ; for my father was a big man, as I have heard, and
knew tolerably well how to use his hands. And when my
mother heard the news, she became half distracted, and ran away
into the fields and forests, totally neglecting her business, for she
was a small milliner ; and so she ran demented about the meads
and forests for a long time, now sitting under a tree, and now by
the side of a river — at last she flung herself into some water, and
iSas-] ISOPEL BBRNBRS. 465
would have been drowned, had not some one been at hand and
rescued her, whereupon she was conveyed to the great house,
lest she sbould attempt to do herself further mischief, for she
had neither friends nor parents— And there she died three months
after, having first brought me into the world. She was a sweet,
pretty creature, I'm told, but hardly fit (ox this world, being
neither large, nor fierce, nor able to take her own part. So I
was bom and bred in the great house, where I learnt to read
and sew, to fear God, and to take my own part. When I
was fourteen I was put out to service to a small farmer and his
wife, with whom, however, I did not stay long, for I was half
starved, and otherwise ill-treated, especially by my mistress, who
one day attempting to knock me down with a besom, I knocked
her down with my fist, and went back to the great house."
'' And how did they receive you in the great house ? "
'* Not very kindly, young man— on the contrary, I was put
into a dark room, where I was kept a fortnight on bread and
water; I did not much care, however, being glad to have got
back to the great house at any rate, the place where I was bom,
and where my poor mother died, and in the great house I con*
tinned two years longer, reading and sewing, fearing God, and
taking my own part when necessary. At the end of the two
years I was again put out to service, but this time to a rich
farmer and his wife, with whom, however, I did not live long,
less time, I believe, than with the poor ones, being obliged to
leave for "
'' Knocking your mistress down ? "
" No, young man, knocking my master down, who conducted
himself improperly towards me. This time I did not go back to
the great house, having a misgiving that they would not receive
me, so I tumed my back to the great house where I was bom,
and where my poor mother died, and wandered for several days,
I know not whither, supporting myself on a few halfpence which
I chanced to have in my pocket. It happened one day, as I sat
under a hedge crying, tuiving spent my last £uthing, that a
comfortable-looking elderly woman came up in a cart, and seeing
the state in which I was, she stopped and asked what was the
matter with me ; I told her some part of my story, whereupon
she said : ' Cheer up, my dear, if you like you shall go with me,
and wait upon me '. Of course I wanted little persuasion, so I
got into the cart and went with her. She took me to London
and various other places, and I soon found that she was a
travelling woman, who went about the country with silks and
30
466 LA VBNGRO. [1835-
linen. I was of great use to her, more especially in those places
where we met evil company. Once, as we were coming from
Dover, we were met by two sailors, who stopped our cart, and
would have roUbed and stripped us. ' Let me get down,' said I ;
so I got down, and fought with them both, till they turned loimd
and ran away. Two years I lived with the old gentlewoman who
was very kind to me, almost as kind as a mother ; at last she fell
sick at a place in Lincolnshire, and after a few days died, leaving
me her cart and stock in trade, praying me only to see her
decently buried, which I did, giving her a foneral fit for a gentle-
woman. After which I travelled the country melancholy enough
for want of company, but so far fortunate, that I could take my
own part when anybody was uncivil to me. At last, passing
through the valley of Todmorden, I formed the acquaintance oi
Blazing Bosville and his wife, with whom I occasionally took
journeys for company's sake, for it is melancholy to travd about
alone, even when one can take one's own part I soon found
they were evil people; but, upon the whole, they treated me
civilly, and I sometimes lent them a little money, so that we got
on tolerably well together. He and I, it is true^ had once a
dispute, and nearly came to blows, for once, ^en we were alone,
he wanted me to marry him, promising if I would, to turn off
Grey Moll, or if I liked it better, to make her wait upon me as
a maid-servant ; I never liked him much, but from that hour less
than ever. Of the two, I believe Grey Moll to be the best, for
she is at any rate true and faithful to him, and I like truth and
constancy, don't you, young man? "
*'Yes»" said I, "they are very nice things. I feel very
strangely."
" How do you feel, young man ? "
" Very much aftaid,^'
"Afraid, at what? At the Flaming Tinman? Don't be
afraid of him. He won't come back, and if he did, he shouldn't
touch you in this state. I'd fight him for you* but he won't
come back, so you needn't be afraid of him."
" I'm not afraid of the Flaming Tinman."
"What, then, aie you afraid of?"
" The evil one."
" The evU one," said the girl, " where is he ? "
" Coming upon me."
" Never heed," said the girl, " I'U stand by you.**
CHAPTER LXXXVII.
The kitchen of the public-house was a large one, and many
people were drinking in it; there was a confused hubbub of
voices.
I sat down on a bench behind a deal table, of which there were
three or four in the kitchen ; presently a bulky man, in a green
coat, of the Newmarket cut, and without a hat, entered, and
observing roe, came up, and in rather a gruff tone cried : " Want
anything, young fellow ? "
** Bring me a jug of ale," said I, ** if you are the master, as I
suppose you are, by that same coat of yours, and your having no haft
on your head."
" Don't be saucy, young fellow," said the landlord, for such
he was, *• don't be saucy, or " Whatever he intended to say,
he left unsaid, for fixing his eyes upon one of my hands, which I
had placed by chance upon the table, he became suddenly still.
This was my left hand, which was raw and swollen, from the
blows dealt on a certain hard skull in a recent combat. " What do
you mean by staring at my hand so? " said I, withdrawing it from
the table.
" No offence, young man» no offence," said the landlord, in a
quite altered tone; "but the sight of your hand ," then
observing that our conversation began to attract the notice of the
guests in the kitchen, he interrupted himself, saying in an under
tone: "But mum's the word for the present, I will go and
fetch the ale."
In about a minute he returned, with a jug of ale foaming high.
" Here's your health," said he, blowing off the foam, and drinking ;
but perceiving that I looked rather dissatisfied, he murmured:
"All's right, I glory in you; but mum's the word." Then
placing the jug on the table, he gave me a confidential nod, and
swaggered out of the room.
What can the silly, impertinent fellow mean, thought I ; but
the ale was now before me, and I hastened to drink, for my weak-
ness was great, and my mind was full of dark thoughts, the
(46t)
468 LA VBNORO. [1895.
temains of the indescribable honor of tbe preceding night. It
may kill me, thought I, as I drank deep, bat who cares, anything
is better than what I have stiffeied. I drank deep, and then leaned
back against the wall ; it appeared as if a vapour was straling up
into my brain, gentle and benign, soothing and stilling the
horror and the fear ; higher and higher it mounted* and I fdt
nearly overcome ; but the sensation was delidoas, compared widi
that I had lately experienced, and now I felt myself nodding ; and
bending down I laid my head on the table on my folded hajods.
And in that attitude I remained 8<xne tim^ pofectly un-
conscious. At length, by degrees, perception returned, and I
lifted up my head I felt somewhat dizzy and bewildered, but
the dark shadow had withdrawn itself from me. And now, once
more, I dmnk of the jug; this second draught did not produce an
overpowering effect upon me — ^it revived and strengthened me.
I felt a new man.
I looked around me : the kitdien had been deserted by the
greater part of the guests ; besides myself only four remained ;
these were seated at the fiairther end. One was haranguing fiercely
and eagerly ; he was abusing £ngland, and praising America. At
last he exclaimed : ** So when I gets to New York, I will toss up
my hat, and damn the King ".
That man must be a Radical, tfiought L
CHAPTER LXXXVIIL
Thb individual whom I supposed to be a radical, after a short
pause, again uplifted his voice : he was rather a strong-built fellow
of about thirty, with an ill-favoured countenance, a white hat on his
head, a snuff-coloured coat on his back, and, when he was not
speaking, a pipe in his mouth. ''Who would live in such a
country as England?" he shouted.
"There is no country like America," said his nearest
neighbour, a man also in a white hat, and of a vay ill-favoured
countenance, '' there is no country like America," said he, with-
drawing a pipe from his mouth ; ** I think I shall " — and here he
took a draught from a jug, the contents of which he appeared to
have in common with the other, — "go to America one of these
days myself."
" Poor old England is not such a bad country, after all," said
a third, a simple-looking man in a labouring dress, who sat
smoking a pipe without anything before him. " If there was but
a little more work to be got, I should have nothing to say against
her. I hop«, however
If
*' You hope, who cares what you hope ? interrupted the first,
in a savage tone ; *' you are one of those sneaking hounds who are
satisfied with dc^'s wages, a bit of bread and a kick. Work,
indeed I who, with the spirit of a man, would work for a coimtry
where there is neither liberty of speech, nor of action ? a land full
of beggarly aristocracy, hungry borough-mongers, insolent parsons,
and ' their wives and daughters,' as William Cobbett says, in
his Rig^Ur**
" Ah, the Church of England has been a source of incalcul-
able mischief to these realms," said another.
The person who uttered these words sat rather aloof firom
the rest ; he was dressed in a long black surtout I could not
see much of his face, partly owing to his keeping it very much
directed to the ground, and partly owing to a large slouched hat,
which he wore; I observed, however, that his hair was of a
reddish tinge. On the table near him was a glass and spoon.
(469)
470 LA VBSGRO. [iSss-
" Yoa aie quite right,*' said the fint, aOtidiiig to what this bst
had said, '' the Church of England has done inoilnibMe misrhirf
here. I Taloe no religion thiree halfpence, for I betiere in none ;
bat the one that I hate most is the Oiurch of England ; so when
I get to New York, after I have shown the fine fellows on tiie qpaj
a spice of me, bf the £in^ 111 toss up my hat again, and
the Church of England too.
''And suppose the people of New Yoik should d^ joa in
the stocks ?** said I.
These words drew upon me the attention of die whole four.
The radical and his companion stared at me ferjcioasly ; the
man in black gave me a peculiar glance from under his slouched
hat ; the simple-looking man in the labouring dress laughed.
''What are you laughing at, you fool?" said the radical,
turning and looking at the other, who appeared to be afnud of
him, "hold your noise; and a pretty fellow, you,* said he,
looking at me, "to come here, and speak against the great
American nation."
" I speak against the great American nation ? " said I» " I
rather paid them a compliment"
" By supposing they would put me in the stocks. Well, I call
it abusing them, to suppose they would do any such thing —
stocks, indeed f — there are no stocks in all the land. Put me in
the stocks ? why, the President will come down to the quay, and
ask me to dinner, as soon as he hears what I have said about
the King and the Church."
"I shouldn't wonder," said I, "if you go to America, yon
will say of the President and country what now you say of the
King and Church, and cry out for somebody to send you back
to England.-
The radical dashed his pipe to pieces against the table. " I
tell you what, young fellow, you are a spy of the aristocracy, sent
here to kick up a disturbance."
" Kicking up a disturbance," said I, " is rather inconsistent
with the office of spy. If I were a s|^, I should hold my head
down, and say nothing."
The man in black partially raised his head and gave me
another peculiar glance.
" Well, if you ar'n't sent to spy, you are sent to Bully, to
prevent people speaking, and to run down the great Ammcan
nation; but you sha'n't bully me. I say down with the aristocracy,
the beggarly aristocracy. Come, what have you to say to that ? "
"Nothing," said I.
r
III
1815.] THB PUBLIC'HOUSB. 471
^ ** Nothing ! " repeated the radical.
L^ '* No," said I, "down with them as soon as you can."
** As soon as I can ! I wish I could. But I can down with
a buUy of theirs. Come, will jou fight for them ? "
" No," said I.
"You won't?"
"No^" said I; ''though from what I have seen of them I
should say they are tolerably able to fight for themselves."
"You won't fight for them/' said the radical, triumphantly;
" I thought so ; all bullies, especially those of the aristocracy, are
cowards. Here, landlord," said he, raising his voice, and striking
against the table with the jug, "some more ale — he won't fight
for his friends."
"A white feather," said his companion.
" He ! he I " tittered the man in black.
'' Landlord, landlord," shouted the radical, striking the table
with die jug louder than before. ''Who called? " said the land-
lord, coming in at last. "Fill this jug again," said the other,
"and be quick about it." "Does any one else want anything? "
said the landlord. "Yes," said the man in black; "you may
bring me another glass of gin and water." "Cold?" said the
landlord. "Yes," said the man in black, "with a lump of sugar
in It.
"Gin and water cold, with a lump of sugar in it," said I, and
struck the table with mv fist
"Take some?" said the landlord, inquiringly.
"No," said I, "only something came into my head."
" He's mad," said the man in black.
" Not he," said the radical " He^s only shamming ; he knows
his master is here, and therefore has recourse to these manoeuvres,
but it won't da Come, landlord, what are you staring at ? Why
don't you obey your ocders ? Keeping your customers waiting in
this manner is not the way to increase your business."
The landlord looked at the radical and then at me. At last,
taking the jug and i^ass, he left the apartment, and presently
returned with each filled with its respective liquor. He placed
the jug with the beer before the radical, and the glass with the
gin and water before the man in black, and then, with a wink to
me, he sauntered out
" Here is your health, sir/' said the man of the snuff-coloured
coat, addressing himself to the man in black, " I honour you for
iriiat yon said about the Church of England. Every one who
spesks against tfie Church of England has my warm heart. Down
47S LA VBNGRO. [x8«s*
with it, I say, and may the stones of it be used for mending the
roads, as mj friend William says in his Register.'*
The man in black, with a courteous nod of his head, dxank
to the man in the snuff-ooloured coat ''With respect to the
steeples," said he, " I am not altogether of your opmion ; they
might be turned to better account than to serve to mend the
lofluls ; they might still be used as places of worship, but not for
the worship of the Qiurch of England. I have no fault to find
with the steeples, it is the church itself which I am compelled to
arraign ; but it will not [stand long, the respectable pert of ita
ministers are already leaving it. It is a bad church, a persecuting
church."
" Whom does it persecute ? " said I.
The man in black glanced at me slightly, and then replied
slowly, " the Catholics ".
"And do those whom you call Catholics never persecute?"
said I.
" Never," said the man in black.
" Did you ever read Fox's Book €f Martyrs f " said I.
" He ! he ! tittered the man in black, " there is not a word
of truth in Fox's £ook of Martyrs,"
** Ten times more than in Uie Mos Sanctorum !* said I.
The man in black looked at me, but made no answer.
" And what say you to the Massacre of the Albigenses and
the Vaudois, ' whose bones lie scattered on the cold Alp,' or the
Revocation of the Edict of Nantes?"
The man in black made no answer.
'' Go to," said I, " it is because the Chuiich of England is not
a persecuting church, that those whom you call the respectable
part are leaving her ; it is because they can't do with Uie poor
Dissenters what Simon de Montfort did with the Albigenses, and
the cruel Piedmontese with the Vaudoisy that they turn to Moody
Rome ; the Pope will no doubt welcome them, for the Pope^ do
you see, beine very much in want, will welcome—-*—"
" Hollo 1 ' said the radical, interfering, '' What are you saying
about the Pope ? I say hurrah fix the Pope ! I value no religicm
three haHpencet as I said before, but if I were to adopt any, it
should be the Popish, as. it's called, because I conceives the
Popish to be the grand enemy of the Church of England, of the
beggarly aristocracy, and the borough-monger system, so I won't
hear the Pope abused while I am by. Come, don't look fierce. Yoa
won't fight, you know, I have proved it ; but I will give you another
chance — I will fight for the Pope, will yon fight against him ? "
ifaS-l THE PUBUC'HOUSB. 473
'* Oh dear me, jes," said T, getting up and stepping forward
'' I am a quiet, peaceable young man, and, being so, am always
r eady to fight against the Pope — ^the enemy of aU peace and quiet.
To refuse fighting for the aristocracy is a widely different thing
from refusing to fight against the Pope — so come on, if you are
disposed to fight for him. To the Pope broken bells, to Saint
James broken shells. No Popish vile oppression, but the Pro-
testant succession. Confiision to the Groyne, hurrah for thet
Boyne, for the army at Clonmel, and the Protestant young
gentlemen who live there as well.*'
*' An Orangeman,'' said the man in black.
" Not a Platitude,*' said I.
Theman in bbu:k gave a slight start.
"Amongst that fiimily,* said I, " no doubt something may be
done, but amongst the Methodist preachers I should conceive
that the success would not be great"
The man in black sat quite stilL
*' Especially amongst those who have wives,** I added.
The man in black stretched his hand towards his gin and
water.
" However," said I, "we shall see what the grand movement
will bring about, and the results of the lessons in elocution."
The man in black lifted the glass up to his month, and in
doing so, let the spoon fall.
** But what has this to do with the main question ? " said I : " I
am waiting here to fight against the Pope."*
"Come, Hunter," said the companion of the man in the
snuff-coloured coat, " get up, and fight for the Pope."
"I don't care for the young fellow," said the man in the
snuff-coloured coat.
" I know you don't,*' said the other, " so get up, and serve
him out"
" I could serve out three like him," said the man in the
snuff-coloured coat
" So much the better for you," said the other, " the present
work will be all the easier for you, get up, and serve him out at
once."
The man in the snuff-coloured coat did not stir.
"Who shows the white feather now?" said the simple-
looking man.
" He I he I he I " tittered the man in black.
"Who told you to interfere?" said the radical, turning
ferociously towarib the simple-looking roan ; " say another word.
474 ^^ VBNORa [i8a§.
and 111 And you I " said he, addressing himsdf lo the man
in black, ** a pretty fellow you to turn against me, after I had
taken your part I tell you what, you may fight for yourself. Ill
see you and your Pope in the pit of Eldon, before I fight far
eiUier of you, so make the most <^ it'*
" Then you won't fight ? " said I.
*' Not for the Pope," said the radical ; " 111 aee the
Pope "
*' Dear me I '' said I, " not fight for the Pope, whose rdigioD
you would turn to» if you were inclined for any. I see how it is^
you are not fond of ^hting ; but I'll give you another chance—
you were abusing the Church of England just now. I'll fight for
it — will you fight against it?"
" Come, Hunter," said the other, *' get up, and fight against
the Church of England."
" I have no particular quarrel against the Church of England/*
said the man in the snuff-coloured coat, " my quarrel is with the
aristocracy. If I said anything against the diurch, it was merely
for a bit of corollary, as Master William Cobbett would say ; the
quarrel with the church belongs to this fellow in black; so kt
him carry it on. However," he continued suddenly, '*I won't
slink firom the matter either ; it shall never be said by the &ie
fellows on the quay of New Yc^k, that I wouldn't fight against
the Church of England. So down with the bq;garly aristocracy,
the church, and the Pope, to the bottom of the pit of Eldoo, and
may the Pope fall first, and the others upon him."
Thereupon, dashing his hat on the table, he placed himself in
an attitude of offence, and rushed forward. He was, as I have
said befote, a powerfiil fellow, and might have proved a dangerous
antagonist, more especially to myself, who, after my recent
encounter with the flaming Tinman, and my wrestlings with die
evil one, was in anything but fighting order. Anv coUisioUi bow-
ever, was prevented by the landloid, who, suditenly aM>earing,
thrust himself between us. *' There shall be no fighting here,"
said he, "no one shall fight in this house, except it be with
myself; so if you two have anything to say to each other, you had
better go into the field behind the house. But, you fool," said he.
pushing Hunter violently on the breast, ''do you know whom
you are going to tackle with ? this is the young chap that beat
Blazing Bosville, only as late as yesterday, in Mumpers' Din|^
Grey Moll told me all about it last night, when she came for some
brandy for her husband, who, she said, had been half killed ; and
she described the young man to me so dosdy, diat I knew him
iftis.] IBIDEM. 475
at once, that i8» as toon as I taw how hia left hand was braised,
for she tdd me he was a left-hand hitter. Ar'n't it all tnie» yoang
man? Ar'n't yon he that beat Flaming BosviDe in Mumpers'
Ding^?" ''I never beat FUming Bosville," said I, "he beat
himself. Had he not struck his hand against a tree, I shoaldn^t
be here at the present moment." '^ Here I here I " said the
landlord, *' now tiiat's just as it should be ; I like a modest man,
for, as die parson sayst nothing sits better upon a young man than
modesty. I remembert when I was young, fighting with Tom of
Hopton, the best man that ever pulled off coat in England. I
remember, too^ that I won the battle ; for I happened to hit Tom
of Hopton, in die mark, as he was coming in, so that he lost his
wind, and falling squeldi on the ground, do ye see, he lost the
battle, though I am free to confess that he was a better man than
myself; indeed, the best man that ever fought in England; yet
still I won the battle, as every customer of mine, and everybody
within twelve miles round, has heard over and over again. Now,
Mr. Hunter, I have one thing to say, if you choose to go into the
field behind the house, and fight the young man, you can. I'll
back him for ten pounds ; but no fighting in my kitchen — because
why ? I keqM a decent kind of an estab^hment/*
" I have no wish to fight the young man," said Hunter ;
" more especially as he has nothing to say for the aristocracy. If
he chose to fight for them, indeed — ^but he won't, I know ; for I
see he's a decent, respectable young man ; and, after all, fighting
is a bladcguard way of settling a dispute ; so I have no wish to
fight ; however, there is one thing I'll do," said he, uplifting his
fist, " I'll fight this fellow in black here for half a crown, or for
nothing, if he pleases ; it was he that got up the last dispute
between me and the young man, with his Pope and his nonsense ;
so I will fight him for anydiing he pleases, and perhaps the young
man will ht my second ; whil^ you «-— "
" Come, doctor," said the landlord, " or whatsoever you be,
will you go into the field with Hunter? I'll second you, only
you must back yourselt I'll lay five pounds on Hunter, if you are
inclined to back yourself; and will help you to win it as far, do
you see, as a second can ; because why? I always likes to do the
fiur thing."
*' Oh I I have no wish to fight,** said the man in black hastily ;
*' fiffhting is not my trade. If I have given any offence, I beg
anybody's pardon."
" Landlord,'* said I, " what have I to pay ? "
•* Nothing at all," said the landlord ; " glad to see you. This
476 LA VBNORO. [i8ss
is the first time that you have been at my house, and I never charge
new customers, at least customers such as you, anything for the
first draught You'll come again, I dare say i shall always be
glad to see you. I won't take it," said he, as I put sixpence od
the Uble ; '' I won't take it"
** Yes, you shall/' said I ; '' but not in payment for anything
I have had myself: it shall serve to pay for a jug of ale for that
gentleman," said I, pointing to the simple-looking individual;
*' he is smoking a poor pipe* I do not mean to say that a pipe is
a bad thing ; but a pipe without ale, do you see *-— "
" Bravo 1 " said the landlord, *' that's just the conduct I hke."
** Bravo 1 " said Hunter. " I shall be happy to drink with the
young man whenever I meet him at New York, where, do you
see, things are better managed than here."
" If I have given ofience to anybody, '* said the man in black,
'* I repeat |hat I ask pardon, — more especially to the young
gentleman, who was perfecdy right to stand up for his rdigion,
just as I — ^not that I am of any particular religion, no more than
this honest gentleman here,** bowing to Hunter; "but I happen
to know something of the Catholics — several excdlent friends
of mine are Catholics—and of a surety the Catholic religion is an
ancient reUg^n, and a widely extended religion, though it certainly
is not a universal religion, but it has of late made considerable
progress, even amongst those nations who have been particulariy
opposed to it— amongst the Prussians and the Dutch, for example,
to say nothing of the English ; and then, in the East, amongst the
PersianSt amongst the Armenians "
" The Armenians," said I ; " oh dear me, the Armenians ^
''Have you anything to say about those people, sir?" said
the man in black, lifting up his glass to his mouth.
<* I have nothing fiirther to say," said I, '' than that the roots
of Ararat are occasionally found to be deeper than those of Rome."
" There's half a crown broke," said the landlord, as the man
in black let &11 the glass, which was broken to pieces on the floor.
" You will pay me the damage^ friend, before you leave this kitchen.
I like to see people drink freely in my kitchen, but not too freely,
and I hate breakages; because why? I keeps a decent kind c^ an
establishment"
CHAPTER LXXXIX.
The public-house where]|[the scenes which I have attempted to
describe in the preceding chapters took place, was at the distance
of about two miles from the dingle. The sun was sinking in the
west by the time I returned to the latter spot. I found Belle
seated by a fire, over which her kettle was suspended. During
my absence she had prepared herself a kind of tent, consisting
of large hoops covered over with tarpaulin, quite impenetrable to
rain, however violent. " I am glad you are returned," said she,
as soon as she perceived me; "I b^an to be anxious about
you. Did you take my advice?"
** Yes," said I ; " I went to the public-house and drank ale
as you advised me; it cheered, strengthened, and drove away
the horror from my mind — I am much beholden to you."
" I knew it would do you good," said Belle ; " I remembered
that when the poor woman in the great house were afflicted with
hysterics and fearful imaginings, the surgeon, who was a good,
kind man, used to say : ' Ale, give them ale, and let it be strong '•"
*' He was no advocate for tea, then ? " said I.
" He had no objection to tea ; but he used to say, ' Every-
thing in its season '. Shall we take ours now — I have waited for
you.
" I have no objection," said I ; "I feel rather heated, and at
present should prefer tea to ale — ' Everything in its season,' as
the surgeon said."
Thereupon Belle prepared tea, and, as we were taking it, she
said : " What did you see and hear at the public-house? "
" Really," said I, " you appear to have your full portion of
curiosity ; what matters it to you what I saw and heard at the
public-house?"
" It matters very little to me," said Belle ; " I merely inquired
of you, for the sake of a little conversation — you were silent, and
it is uncomfortable for two people to sit together without opening
their lips — ^at least I think so."
** One only feds uncomfortable," said I, " in being silcn^
(477)
47S LA VBNGRO. [i8a5.
wheD one happens to be thinking of the indiyidual with whom
one is in oompanj. To tell you the truth, I was not thinking of
my companion, but of certain company with whom 1 had t^en
at the public-house."
*' Really, young man,^ said Belle, *' you are not over compli-
mentary ; but who may this wonderful company have been — some
young ? " and here Belle stopped.
** Nob" said I, ** there was no young person — ^if person you
were going to say. There was a big portly landlord, whom I
dare say you have seen ; a noisy savage radical, who wanted at
first to fasten upon me a quarrel about America, but who subse-
quently drew in his horns; then there was a strange fellow, a
prowling priest, I believe, whom I have frequently heard of^ who
at first seemed disposed to side with the radical against me, and
afterwards with me against the radical. There, you know my
company, and what took place."
** Was there no one else? " said Belle.
** You are mighty curious," said I. '' No, none else, except a
poor, simple mechanic, and some common company, who soon
went away."
Belle looked at me for a moment, and then appeared to be
lost in thought — '^ America?" said she, musingly — "America?"
" What of America ? " said I.
" I have heard that it is a mighty country."
** I dare say it is," said I ; '' I have heard my father say that
the Americans are first-rate marksmen."
**l heard nothing about that," said Belle; "what I heard
was, that it is a great and goodly land, where people can walk
about without jostling, and where the industrious can sJways find
bread ; I have frequently thought of going thither."
'' Well," said I, " the radical in the public-house will perhaps
be glad of your company thither ; he is as great an admirer of
America as yourself, though I believe on different grounds."
" I shall go by myself, said Belle, " unless — unless that should
happen which is not likely — I am not fond of radicals no more
than I am of scoffers and mockers."
" Do you mean to say that I am a scofier and mocker? "
"I don't wish to say you are," said Belle; "but some of
your words sound strangely like scoffing and mocking. I have
now one thing to beg, which is, that if you have anything to say
against America, you would speak it out boldly."
"What should I have to say against America? I never was
there."
sftis-] BBLLB IN THE DINGLB. 47$
** Many people speak against America who never were there.**
** Many people speak in praise of America who nerer were
there; but with respect to myself^ I have not spoken for or
against America."
" If yott liked Ammca yon would speak in its praise/*
''By the same rulei if I disliked America I should speak
against it"
'' I can't speak with you/' said Belle ; '' but I see you dislike
the country."
" The country ! "
" Well, the people— don't you ? '*
" I do."
'< Why do you dislike them ? "
" Why, I have heard my father say that the American marks-
men, led on by a chap of the name of Washington, sent the
English to the right-about in double-quick time."
*' And that is your reason for disliking the Americans ? "
'' Yes," said I, '' that is my reason for disliking them.'*
** Will you take another ctip of tea ? " said Belle.
I took another cup; we were agam silent "It is rather
uncomfortable," said I, at last, " for people to sit together without
having anything to say."*
" Were you thinking of your company ? " said Belle.
** What company ? " said I.
" The present company."
'^The present company ! oh, ah ! — I remember that I said one
only feels uncomfortable in being silent with a companion, when
one happens to be thinking of the companion. Well, I had been
thinking of you the last two or diree minutes, and had just come
to the conclusion, that to prevent us both feeling occasionally un-
comfortably towards each other, having nothing to say, it would
be as well to have a standing subject, on which to employ our
tongues. Bdle, I have determined to give you lessons in
Armenian."
'< What is Aimenian ? "
"Did you ever hear of Ararat?"
"Yes, that was the place fiiiere the ark rested; I have heard
the chaplain in the great house talk of it ; besides, I have read of
it in the Bible."
" Well, Armenian is the speech of people of that place, and I
should like to teach it vou."
"To prevent '^
"Ay, ay, to prevent our occasionally feding uncomfortable
48o LA VBNGRO. [i&is-
together* Your acqairiog it besides might prove of alterior ad-
vantage to us both; for example, suppose you aod I were in
promiscuous company^ at Court, for example, and you had some-
thing to communicate to me which you did not wish any one dse
to be acquainted with, how safely you might communicate it to
me in Armenian."
^Would not the language of the roads do as well?" said
Belle.
'' In some places it would,* said I, '* but not at Court, owing
to its resemblance to thieves' slang. There is Hebrew, again,
which I was thinking of teaching yoo, till the idea of being
presented at Court made me abandon it, from the probability of
our being understood, in the event of our speaking it, by at least
half a dozen people in our vicinity. There is Latin, it is true, or
Greek, which we might speak aloud at Court with perfect confi-
dence of safety, but upon the whole I should prefer teaching you
Armenian, not because it would be a safer language to hold com-
munication with at Court, but because, not being very well
grounded in it myself, I am apprehensive that its words and forms
may escape from my recollection, unless I have sometimes
occasion to call them forth."
*' I am afraid we shall have to part company before I have
learnt it,'' said BeUe ; *' in the meantime, if I wish to say anything
to you in private, somebody being by, shall I speak in the
language of the roads?"
'' If no roadster in nigh, you may," said I, *'and I will do my
best to understand you. Belle, I will now give you a lesson in
Armenian." *
*' I suppose you mean no harm," said Belle.
" Not in the least ; I merely propose the thing to prevent our
occasionally feelix^ uncomfortable together* Let us begin."
"Stop till I have removed the tea-things," said Belle; and,
getting up, she removed them to her own encampment
'' I am ready," said Belle, returning, and taking her former
seat, " to join with you in anything which will serve to pass away
the time agreeably, provided there is no harm in it."
"Belle," said I, " I have determined to commence the course
of Armenian lessons by teaching you the numerals ; but, before I
do that, it will be as well to tell you that the Armenian language is
called Haik."
"I am sure that word will hang upon my memory," said
Belle.
*'Why hang upon it?"
ites-] LBSSOlf IN ARMENIAN. 481
** Because the old woman in the great house used to call so
the chininey-hook» on which they hung the kettle ; in like manner,
on the hake of my memory I will hang your hake.'*
*' Good ! " said I, " you will make an apt scholar ; but, mind,
that I did not say hake, but haik ; the words are, however, very
much alike ; and, as you observe, upon your hake you may hang
my haik. We will now proceed to the numerals."
''What are numerals ? " said Belle
" Numbers. I will say the Haikan numbers up to ten. There,
have you heard them ? " — " Yes." " Well, try and repeat them.*
''I only remember number one," said Belle, "and that
because it is me,*'
" I will repeat them again," said I, ''and pay greater attention.
Now, try again."
^^ Me^jergo^ earache**
" I neither said jtrgo nor earache. I said yergou and yerek.
Belle, I am afraid I shall have some difficulty with you as a
scholar."
Belle made no answer. Her eyes were turned in the direction
of the winding path, which led from the bottom of the hollow
where we were seated, to the plain above. " Gorgio shunella,"
she said, at length, in a low voice.
"Pure Rommany," said 1 ; "where?" I added in a whisper.
" Dovey odoi/' said Belle, nodding with her head towards the
path.
" I will soon see who it is," said I ; and starting up, I rushed
towards the pathway, intending to lay violent hands on any one
I might find lurking in its windings. Before, however, I had
reached its commencement, a roan, somewhat above the middle
height, advanced from it into the dingle, in whom I recognised
the man in black whom I had seen in the public-house.
St
CHAPTER Xa
Thb man in black and myself stood opposite to each other for a
minute or two in silence ; I will not say that we confronted each
other that time, for the man in black, after a furtive glance, did
not look me in the face, but kept his eyes fixed, apparently on the
leaves of a bunch of ground nuts which were growing at my fe^
At length, looking around the dingle, he exclaimed: "JBuona Sera^
I hope I don't intrude ".
"You have as much right here," said I, *'as I or my com-
panion ; but you had no right to stand listening to our convena-
tion."
" I was not hstening," said the man, '' I was hesitating whether
to advance or retire ; and if I heard some of your conversation,
the fault was not mine.*'
" I do not see why you should have hesitated if your inten-
tions were good," said I.
** I think the kind of place in which I found myself might
excuse some hesitation," said the man in black, looking around ;
'^moreover, from what I had seen of your demeanour at the
public-house, I vras rather apprehensive that the reception I might
experience at your hands might be more rough than agreeable."
" And what may have been your motive for coming to this
place?" said I.
" Per far visita d sua signoria, tcco il motivo,'
" Why do you speak to me in that gibberish?" said I ; " do you
think I understand it? "
'* It is not Armenian," said the man in black ; " but it might
serve in a place like this, for the breathing of a little secret com-
munication, were any common roadster near at hand. It would
not do at Court, it is true, being the language of singing women,
and the like ; but we are not at Court — when we are, I can per-
haps summon up a little indifferent Latin, if I have anything
private to communicate to the learned Professor."
And at the conclusion of this speech the man in black lifted
up his head, and, for some moments, looked me in the &ce.
(43a)
If
xfl^S*] THE MAN IN BLACK. 483
The muscles of his own seemed to be slightly convulsed, and his
mouth opened in a singular manner.
"I see," said I, "that for some time you were standmg near
me and my companion, in the mean act of listening."
" Not at all," said the man in black ; " I heard from the steep
bank above that to which I have now alluded, whilst I was
puzzling myself to find the path which leads to your retreat. I
made, indeed, nearly the compass of the whole thicket before I
found it."
** And how did you know that I was here? ** I demanded.
^The landlord of the public-house, with whom I had some
conversation concerning you, informed me that he had no doubt
I should find you in this place, to which he gave me instructions
not very clear. But now I am here, I crave permission to remain
a little time, in order that I may hold some communion with you."
" Well," said I, " since you are come, you are welcome, please
to step Ms way."
Thereupon I conducted the man in black to the fireplace
where Belle was standing, who had risen from her stool on my
springing up to go in quest of the stranger. The man in black
looked at her with evident curiosity, then making her rather a
graceful bow, "Lovdy virgin," said he, stretching out his hand,
** allow me to salute your fingers ".
" I am not in the habit of shaking hands with strangers," said
BeUe.
'* I did not presume to request to shake hands with you," said
the man in black, " I merely wished to be permitted to salute
with my lips the extremity of your two forefingers."
" I never permit anything of the kind," said BeUe ; " I do not
approve of such unmanly ways, they are only befitting those who
lurk in comers or behind trees, listening to the conversation of
people who would fain be private."
*'Do you take me for a listener, then?" said the man in
black.
"Ay, indeed I do," said Belle ; " the young man may receive
your excuses, and put confidence in them if he please, but for
my part I neither admit them, nor believe them ; " and thereupon
flinging her long hair back, which was hanging over her cheeks,
she seated herself on her stool.
" Come, Belle," said I, " I have bidden the gentleman wel-
come ; I beseech you, therefore, to make him welcome ; he is a
stranger, where we are at home, therefore, even did we wish him
away, we are bound to treat him kindly."
404 ^^ VBNGRO. [1895.
'' That's not English doctrine," said the man in blade.
" I thought the English prided themselves on
said I.
"They do so," said the man in black; "they are proud of
showing hosfHtality to people above them, that is, to those who
do not want it, but of the hospitality which you were now de-
scribing, and which is Arabian, they luiow nottung. No Eogliah-
man will tderate another in his house, from whom he does not
expect advantage of some kind, and to those from whom he does,
he can be civil enough. An Englishman thinks that, because he
is in his own house, he has a right to be boorish and brutal to
any one who b disagreeable to him, as all those are who are
really in want of assistance. Should a hunted fugitive rush into
an Englishman's house, beseeching protection, and appealing to
the master's feelings of hospitality, the Enghshman would knock
him down in the passage."
" You are too general," said I, " in your strictures ; Lord »*
the unpopular Tory minister, was once chased through the streets
of London by a mob, and, being in danger of his lifp, took shelter
in the shop of a Whig linen-draper, declaring his own unpopular
name, and appealing to the linen-draper's feelings of hospitality ;
whereupon, the linen-draper, utterly foigetful of all party ranooor,
nobly responded to the appeal, and tdling his wife to conduct
his lordship upstairs, jumped over the counter with his ell in his
hand, and placing himself with half a dozen of his assistants at
the door of his boutique^ manfully confronted the mob, telling
them that he would allow himself to be torn to a thousand pieces,
ere he would permit them to injure a hair of his lordship's head ;
what do you think of that ? "
" He ! he ! he ! " tittered the man in black.
*^ Well," said I, " I am afraid your own practice is not very
different from that which you have been just now describing ; you
sided with the radical in the public-house against me, as long as
you thought him the most powerful, and then turned against him,
when you saw he was cowed. What have you to say to that ? "
'* Oh ! when one is in Rome, I mean England, one must do
as they do in England, I was merdy conforming to the custom of
the country, he ! he I but I b^ your pardon here, as I did in the
public-house. I made a mistake."
<<Well," said I, ''we will drop the matter, but {Hay seat
yourself on that stone, and I will sit down on the giass near you."
1 MS., '* Lord AtbefdMal".
itoy] " WHEN IN ROME ' 4B5
i<— «i^«^^— ^"^i^i— ^— »^— ^— ^— — — p^^»^— — — p— I— — ^— i^— ^— ■^■^»^».— — .^i— »^^— ^— ^
The man in black, after proffering two or three excuses for
occupying what he supposed to be my seat, sat down upon the
stone, and I squatted down gypsy fashion, just opposite to him,
Belle sitting on her stool at a slight distance on my right. After .
a time I addressed him thus: "Am I to reckon tibis a mere
visit of ceremony? Should it prove so, it will be, I believe, the
first visit of the kind ever paid me."
"Will you permit me to ask," said the man in black — "the
weather is very warm," said he, interrupting himself, and taking
off his hat.
I now observed that he was partly bald, his red hair having
died away from the fore part of his crown ; his forehead was
high, his eyebrows scanty, his eyes grey and sly, with a downward
tendency, his nose was slightly aquiline, his mouth rather large —
a kind of sneering smile played continually on his lips, his
complexion was somewhat rubicund.
" A bad countenance," said Belle, in the language of the roads,
observing that my eyes were fixed on his face.
" Does not my countenance please you, fair damsel ? " said the
man in black, resuming his hat and speaking in a peculiarly
gentle voice. " How," said I, " do you understand the language
of the roads?"
** As little as I do Armenian," said the roan in black ; " but
I understand look and tone."
"So do I, perhaps," retorted Belle; "and, to tell you the
truth, I like your tone as little as your face."
" For shame," said I ; " have you forgot what I was saying
just now about the duties of hospitality? You have not yet
answered my question," said I, addressing myself to the man,
"with respect to your visit."
" Will you permit me to ask who you are ? '
" Do you see the place where I live?" said I.
" I do," said the man in black, looking around.
** Do you know the name of this place ? "
" I was told it was Mumpers', or Gypsies' Dingle,' said the
man in black.
" Good," said I ; " and this forge and tent, what do they look
like?"
" Like the forge and tent of a wandering Zigan ; I have seen
the like in luly."
" Good," said I ; they belong to me."
"Are you, then, a Gypsy?" said the man in black.
"What else should I be?"
406 LA VBSGRO. [i8t^
*'Biit you seem to have been acquainted with ▼arious in
dividuals with whom I have likewise had acquaintance ; and you
have even alluded to matters, and even words, which have passed
between me and them."
'' Do you know how Gypsies live?" said I.
*' By hammering old iron, I believe, and telling fortunes."
'' Well," said I, *' there's my forge, and yonder is some iron,
though not old, and by your own confession I am a soothsayer.**
" But how did you come by your knowledge ? "
'' Oh/' said I, " if you want me to reveal the secrets of my trade,
I have, of course, nothing further to say. Go to the scarlet dyer,
and ask him how he dyes cloth."
''Why scarlet?" said the n;tan in black. ''Is it because
Gypsies blush like scarlet"
"Gypsies never blush," said I; "but Gypsies' cloaks are
scarlet"
"I should almost take you for a Gypsy," said the man in
black, "but for "
"For what?" said I.
"But for that same lesson in Armenian, and your general
knowledge of languages ; as for your manners and appearance I
will say nothing," said the man in black, with a titter.
"And why should not a Gypsy possess a knowledge of lan-
guages?" said L
" Because the Gypsy race is perfectly illiterate," said the man
in black ; " they are possessed, it is true, of a knavish acuteness ;
and are particularly noted for giving subUe and evasive answers —
and in your answers, I confess, you remind me of them ; but that
one of the race should acquire a learned language like the Ar-
menian, and have a general knowledge of literature is a thing Me
w non credo afatto"
" What do you take me for? " said I.
"Why," said the man in black, "I should consider you to be
a philologist, who, for some purpose, has taken up a Gypsy life ;
but I confess to you that vour way of answering questicms is &r
too acute fcv a philologist'
"And why should not a philologist be able to answer ques-
tions acutely ? " said I.
"Because the philological race is the most stupid under
Heaven," said the man in black ; " they are possessed, it is tni^
of a certain faculty for picking up words, and a memory for re-
taining them ; but that any one of the sect should be able to give
a rational answer, to say nothing of an acute one^ on any subject
1835.] THB CLOTH PUZZLED. 487
though the subject were philol<^ — is a thing of which I
have no idea."
" But you found me giving a lesson in Annenian to this hand-
maid ? "
" I believe I did," said the man in black.
"And you heard me give what you are. disposed to caU acute
answers to the questions you asked me?"
" I believe I did/' said the man in black."
''And would any one but a philologist think of giving a lesson
in Armenian to a handmaid in a dingle ? "
'' I should think not," said the man in black.
"Well, then, don't you see that it is possible for a philologist
to give not only a rational^ but an acute answer ? "
" I really don't know," said the man in black.
" What's the matter with you ? " said I.
" Merely puzzled," said the man in black.
" Puzzled ? "
"Yes-"
" Really puzzled ? '*
" Yes."
"Remain so."
"Well," said the man in black, rising, "puzzled or not, I will
no longer tresspass upon your and this young lady's retirement ;
only allow me, before I go, to apologise for my intrusion."
"No apology is necessary," said I ; "will you please to take
anything before you go? I think this young lady, at my request,
would contrive to make you a cup of tea."
" Tea ! " said the man in black—" he I he I I don't drink
tea ; I don't like it — if, indeed, you had," and here he stopped.
"There's nothing like gin and water, is there? " said I, "but
I am sorry to say I have none."
" Gin and water," said the man in black, "how do you know
that I am fond of gin and water ? "
" Did I not see you drinking some at the public-house ? "
"You did/' said the num in black, "and I remember, that
when I called for some, you repeated my words — permit me to
ask, is gin and water an unusual drink in England ? "
" It is not usuaUy drunk cold, and with a lump of sugar/'
said I.
"And did you know who I was by my calling for it so?"
Gypsies have various ways of obtaining information," said I.
With all your knowledge," said the man in black, "you do
not appear to have known that I was coming to visit you "
4B8 LA VBNGRO. [1895.
''Gypsies do not pretend to know anything which relates to
themselves," said I ; '' but I advise you, if you ever come again,
to come openly."
*' Have I your permission to come again ? " said the man in
black."
'' Come when you please ; this dingle is as free for you as me."
''I will visit you again," said the man in black — ''till then,
addio"
" Bdle," said I, after the man in black had departed, " we
did not treat that man very hospitably ; he left us without having
eaten or drunk at our expense."
"You offered him some tea," said Belle, "which, as it is
mine, I should have grudged him, for I like him not."
"Our liking or disliking him had nothing to do with the
matter, he was our visitor and ought not to have been permitted
to depart dry ; living as we do in this desert, we ought always to
be prepared to administer to the wants of our visitors. Belle, do
you know where to procure any good Hollands ? "
" I think I do," said Belle, " but "
'*I will have no 'buts'. Belle, I expect that with as little
delay as possible, you procure, at my expense^ the best Hollands
yoa can find"
CHAPTER XCL
Time passed on, and Belle and I lived in the dingle ; when I say
lived, the reader must not imagine tlrnt we were always there*
She went out upon her pursuits, and I went out where inclination
led me; but my excursions were very short ones, and hers occa-
sionally occupied whole days and nights. If I am asked how we
passed the time when we were together in the dingle, I would
answer that we passed the time very tolerably, all things con-
sidered ; we conversed together, and when tired of conversing I
would sometimes give Belle a lesson in Armenian ; her progress
was not particularly brilliant, but upon the whole satisfactory ; in
about a fortnight she had hung up loo Haikan numerals upon the
hake of her memory. I found her conversation highly entertain-
ing ; she had seen much of England and Wales, and had been
acquainted with some of the most remarkable characters who
travelled the roads at that period ; and let me be permitted to
say that many remarkable characters have travelled the roads of
England, of whom fame has never said a word. I loved to hear
her anecdotes of these people ; some of whom I found had oc-
casionally attempted to lay violent hands either upon her person
or effects, and had invariably been humbled by her without the
assistance of either justice or constable. I could clearly see» bow-
ever, that she was rather tired of England, and wished for a change
of scene; she was particularly fond of talking of America, to
which country her aspirations chiefly tended. She had heard
much of America, which had excited her imagination; for at
that time America was much talked of, on roads and in home-
steads, at least so said Belle, who had good opportunities of
knowing, and most people allowed that it was a good country
for adventurous English. The people who chiefly spoke against
it, as she informed me, were soldiers disbanded upon pensions,
the sextons of village churches, and excisemen. Belle had a
craving desire to visit that country, and to wander with cart and
little animal amongst its forests; when I would occasionally
object, that she would be exposed to danger from strange and
(489)
490 LA VBNGRO. [1835.
perverse customers^ she said that she had not wandered the roads
of England so long and alone, to be afraid of anything which
might befall in America ; and that she hoped, with God's fiivour,
to be able to take her own part, and to give to perverse customers
as good as they might bring. She had a dauntless heart that
same Belle. Such was the staple of Belle's conversation. As (or
mine, I would endeavour to entertain her vrith strange dreams of
adventure, in which I figured in opaque forests, strangling wfld
beasts, or discovering and plunderbg the hordes of dragons ; and
sometimes I would narrate to her other things &r more genuine
— how I had tamed savage mares, wrestled with Satan, and
had jdealings with ferocious publishers. Belle had a kind heart,
and would weep at the accounts I gave her of my early wrest-
lings with the dark monarch. She would sigh, too, as I recounted
the many slights and degradations I had received at the hands
of ferocious publishers ; but she had the curiosity of a woman ;
and once, when I talked to her of the triumphs which I had
achieved over unbroken mares, she lifted up her head and
questioned me as to the secret of the virtue which I possessed
over the aforesaid animals ; whereupon I sternly reprimanded* and
forthvrith commanded her to repeat the Armenian numerals ; and,
on her demurring, I made use of words, to escape which she
was glad to comply, saying the Armenian numerals from one to
a hundred, which numerals, as a punishment for her curiosity, I
made her repeat three times, loading her with the bitterest re-
proaches whenever she committed the slightest error, either in
accent or pronunciation, which reproaches she i^peared to bear
with the greatest patience. And now I have given a very fair
account of the manner in which Isopel Bemers and myself passed
our time in the dingle.
CHAPTER XCII.
Amongst other excursions, I went several times to the public-
house, to which I introduced the reader in a former chapter.
I had experienced such beneficial effects from the ale I had
drunk on that occasion, that I wished to put its virtue to a
frequent test; nor did the ale on subsequent trials belie the
good opinion which I had at first formed of it. After each visit
which I made to the public-house, I found my frame stronger^
and my mind more cheerful than they had previously bran.
The landlord appeared at all times glad to see me, and insisted
that I should sit within the bar, where, leaving his other guests to
be attended to by a niece of his who officiated as his house-
keeper, he would sit beside me and talk of matters concerning
** the ring," indulging himself with a cigar and a glass of sherry,
which he told me was his favourite wine, whilst I drank my ale.
'* I loves the conversation of all you coves of the ring,*' said he
once, '' which is natural, seeing as how I have fought in a ring
m3rself. Ah, there is nothing like the ring; I wish I was not
rather too old to (go again into it. I often think I should like to
have another rally—- one more rally, and then — ^but there's a time
for all things — youth will be served, every dog has his day, and
mine has been a fine one — ^let me t>e content. After banting
Tom of Hopton, there was not much more to be done in the way
of reputation ; I have long sat in my bar the wonder and glory of
this here neighbourhood. I'm content, as far as reputation goes ;
I only wish money would come in a little £uter ; however, the
next main of cocks will bring me in something handsome— <pmes
off next Wednesday at have ventured ten five-pound notes —
shouldn't say ventured either — run no risk at all, because why ? I
know my birds." About ten days after this harangue, I called
again at about three o'clock one afternoon. The landlord was
seated on a bench by a table in the common room, which was
entirely empty ; he was neither smoking nor drinking, but sat with
his arms folded, and his head hanging down over his breast At
the sound of my step he looked up ; ** Ah/' said he, '' I am glad
(491)
49> LA VBNORO. [iSsy
you are come, I was just thinking about you ". ** Thank you,'*
said I ; ** it was veiy kind of you, especially at a time like this,
when your mind must be lull of your good fortune. Allow me to
congratulate you on the sums of money you won by the main of
cocks at I hope you brought it all safe home." *'Safe
home,*' said the landlord ; " I brought myself safe home, and
that was all; came home without a shilling, regularly done,
cleaned out" " I am sorry for that," said I ; " but siter you
had won the money, you ought to have been satisfied, and not
risked it again-^how did you lose it? I hope not by the pea
and thimble." «'Pea and thimble," said the landlord, '<not
I ; those confounded codes left me nothing to lose by the pea
and thimble." " Dear me," said I ; " I thought that you knew
vour birds." «' Well, so I did," said the landlord ; " I knew the
birds to be good birds, and so they proved, and would have won
if better birds had not been brought against them, of which I
knew nothing, and so do you see I am done, regularly done."
** Well," said I, '' don't be cast down ; there is one thing of which
the cocks by their misfortune cannot deprive you — ^your reputa-
tion; make the most of that, give up cock-fighting, and be
content with the custom of your house, of which you vrill always
have plenty, as long as you are the wonder and glory of the
neighbourhood."
The landlord struck the taUe before him violently with his
fist *' Confound my reputation ! " said he. ^ No reputation
that I have vrill be satis£u:tion to my brewer for the seventy
pounds I owe him. Reputation won't pass for the current coin
of this here realm ; and let me tell you, that if it a'n't backed by
some of it, it a'n*t a bit better than rotten cabbage, as I have
found. Only three weeks since I was, as I told you, the wonder
and glory of the neighbourhood ; and people used to come and
look at me, and worship me, but as soon as it b^an to be
whispered about that I owed money to the brewer, they presently
left off all that kind of thing; and now, during the last three days,
since the tale of my misfortune with the cocks has got wind,
almost everbody has left off coming to the house, and the few
who does, merely comes to insult and flout me. It was only
last night that fellow. Hunter, called me an old fool in my own
kitchen here. He wouldn't have called me a fool a fortnight
ago ; 'twas I called him fool then, and last night he called me
old fool ; what do you think of that ? the man that beat Tom of
Hopton, to be called, not only a fool, but an old fool ; and I hadn't
heart, with one blow of this here fist into his fiice, to send his
iteS-] PUBLICAirS PROPOSITION. 493
head ringing against the wall ; for when a man's pocket is low, do
you see, his heart aVt much higher ; but it is of no use talking,
something must be done. I was thinking of you just as you
came in, for you are just the person that can help me."
** If you mean/' said I, '' to ask me to lend you the money
which you want, it will be to no purpose, as I have very little ol
my Own, just enough for my own occasions ; it is true, if you
desired it, I would be your intercessor with the person to whom
you owe the money, though I should hardly imagine that any-
thing I could say " " You are right there," said the hmdlord ;
** much the brewer would care (or anything you could say on my
behalf — ^your going would be the very way to do me up entirely.
A pretty opinion he would have of the state of my affiiirs if I were
to send him such a 'cesser as you, and as for your lending me
money, don't think I was ever fool enough to suppose either that
you had any, or if you had that you would be fool enough to lend
me any. No, no, the coves of the ring knows better ; I have been
in the ring myself, and knows what fighting a cove is, and though
I was fool enough to back Uiose birds, I was never quite (wA
enough to lend anybody money. What I am about to propose is
somdthing very different from going to my hmdlord, or lending
any capital ; something which, thot^ it will put money into my
pocket, will likewise put something handsome into your own.
I want to get up a fight in this here nei^bourhood, which would
be sure to bring plenty of people to my house, for a week before
and after it takes place, and as people can't come without drink-
ing, I think I could, during one fortnight, get off for the brewer
all the sour and unsaleable liquids he now has, which people
wouldn't drink at any other time, and by that means, do you see,
liquidate my debt; then, by means of betting, making first all
right, do you see, I have no doubt that I could put something
handsome into my pocket and yours, for I should wish you to be
the fighting man, as I tiiink I can depend upon you." '^You
really must excuse me," said I, " I have no wish to figure as a
pugilist, besides there is such a difference in our ages ; you may
oe the stronger man of the two, and perhaps the hardest hitter,
but I am in much better condition, am more active on my legs,
so that I am almost sure I should have the advantage, for, as you
very properly observed, ' Youth will be served '.'* *' Oh, I didn't
mean to fight," said the landlord ; " I think I could beat you if I
were to train a little ; but in the fight I propose I looks more to
the main chance than anything else. I question whether half so
many people could be brou^t together if you were to fight with
494 J^ VBNORO. [i8ai
me as the person I have in view, or whether there would be half
such opportunities for betting, for I am a man, do you se^ the
person I wants you to fight with is not a man, but the young
woman you keeps company with."
"The young woman I keep company with," said I; "pray
what do you mean?"
" We will go into the bar, and have something," said the land-
lord, getting up. *^ My niece is out, and there is no one in the
house, so we can talk the matter over quiedy." Thereupon I
followed him into the bar, where, having drawn me a jug of ale,
helped himself as usual to a glass of sherry, and lighted a cigar,
he proceeded to explain himself farther. ** What I wants is to
get up a fight between a man and a woman ; there never has yet
been such a thing in the ring, and the mere noise of the matter
would bring thousands of people together, quite enough to drink
out — for the thing should be dose to my house — ^all the brewer's
stock of liquids, both good and bad." '' But," said I, ** you were
the other day boasting of the respectability of your house ; do yon
think that a fight between a man and a woman close to your
establishment would add to its respectability ? " '* Confound the
respectability of my house," said the landlord, ** will the respect-
ability of my house pay the brewer, or keep the roof over my
head? No, no! when respectability won't keep a man, do you
see, the best thing is to let it go and wander. Only let me li^ve
my own way, and both the brewer, myself, and every one of us,
will be satisfied. And then the betting — ^what a deal we may
make by the betting — and that we shall have all to ourselves,
you, I, and the young woman ; the brewer will have no hand in
that. I am manage to raise ten pounds, and if by flashing that
about, I don't manage to make a hundred, call me horse." "But,
suppose," said I, " the party should lose, on whom you sport your
money, even as the birds did ? " ** We must first make all right,"
said the landlord, " as I told you before ; the birds were irrational
beings, and therefore couldn't come to an understanding with the
others, as you and the young woman can. The birds fought fair ;
but I intend you and the young woman should fight cross."
** What do you mean by cross ? " said I. ** Come, come," said
the landlord, " don't attempt to gammon me ; you in the ring,
and pretend not to know what fighting cross is< That won't do,
my &ie fellow ; but as no one is near us, I will speak out. I
intend that you and the young woman should understand one
another and agree beforehand which should be beat ; and if you
take my advice you will determine between you that the young
tSas-] '*rLL CHANOB MY MLIGtON f" 495
woman shall be beat, as I am sure that the odds will run high
upon her, her character as a fist woman being spread far and wid^
so that all the flats who think it will be all right, mil back her,
as I myself would, if I thought it would be a fair thing." " Then,"
said I, " you would not have us fight fair." " By no means,"
said the landlord, " because why ? I conceives that a cross is a
certainty to those who are in it, whereas by the &ir thing one may
lose all he has." " But," said I, ''you said the other day, that
you liked the fair thing." ** That was by way of gammon," said
the landlord ; " just, do you see, as a Parliament cove might say
speechifying from a barrel to a set of flats, whom he means to sell.
Come, what do you think of the plan ? "
'* It is a very ingenious one," said I.
*' A'n't it," said the landlord. "The folks in this neighbour-
hood are b^inning to call me old fool, but if they don't call me
something else, when they sees me friends with the brewer, and
money in my pocket, my name is not Catchpole. Come, drink
your ale, and go home to the young gentlewoman."
'* I am going," said I, rising from my seat, after finishing the
remainder of the ale.
*' Do you think shell have any objection ? " said the landlord
"To do what?" said I.
•• Why, to fight cross."
" Yes, I do,*^ said I.
" But you will do your best to persuade her ? "
" No, I will not," said I.
" Are vou fool enough to wish to fight fair ? "
" No, said I, " I am wise enough to wish not to fight at alL"
** And how's my brewer to be paid ? " said the landlord.
'< I really don't know," said I.
** 111 change my religion," said the landlord
CHAPTER XCIIL
Onb evening Belle and myself received another visit from the
man in black. After a little conversation of not much importance,
I asked him whether he would not take some refreshment, as-
suring him that I was now in possession of some very ezoellent
Hollands which, ?rith a glass, a jug of water, and a lump of sugar,
were heartily at his service ; he accepted my offer, and Belle going
vdth a jug to the spring, from which she was in the habit of
procuring water for tea, speedily returned with it full of the clear,
delicious water of which I have already spoken. Having placed
the jug by the side of the man in black, she brought him a glass
and spoon, and a tea-cup, the latter containing various lumps of
snowy-white sugar : in the meantime I had produced a bottle of
the stronger liquid. The man in black helped himself to some
water, and Ukewise to some Hollands, the proportion of water
being about two-thirds ; then adding a lump of sugar, he stirred
the rhole up, tasted it, and said that it was good.
** is is one of the good things of life," he added, after a
short paase.
''What are the others ? " I demanded.
''There is Malvoisia sack," said the man in black, "and
partridge, and beccafico."
" And what do you say to high mass ? " said I.
" High massl " said the man in black; "however," he con-
tinued, after a pause, " I will be frank with you ; I came to be
so ; I may have heard high mass on a time, and said it too, but
as for any predilection for it, I assure you I have no more than
for a long High Church sermon."
" You speak k la Margutte? " said I.
"Margutte ! " said the man in black, musingly, "Maigutte?"
" You have read Pulci, I suppose ? " said I.
** Yes, yes," said the man in black, laughing ; " I remember."
" He might be rendered into Englisl^" said 1, " something
in this style: —
(496)
J
i8ss] TINKBR QUOTES PULCI. 497
** To which Margotte answered with a aneery
I like the blue no better than the black.
My faith consists alone in savoury cheer,
In roasted capons, and in potent sack ;
But above all, in &moas gin and clear,
Which often lays the Briton on hia back.
With lump of sugar, and with lympth from well,
I drink it, and defy the fiends of hell."
'' He 1 he ! he 1 " said the man in black ; " that is more than
Mezzofante could have done for a stanza of Byron."
" A clever man," said I.
" Who ? " said the man in black.
" Mezzofante di Bologna."
'' He 1 he I he I " said the man in black ; " now I know that
you are not a Gypsy» at least a soothsayer ; no soothsayer would
have said that —
*»
"Why," said I* ''does he not understand five-and-twenty
tongues ? "
" Oh, yes," said the man in black ; " and five-and-twenty added
to them ; but — he 1 he I he ! it was principally from him who is
certainly the greatest of philologists that I formed my opinion of
the sect"
" You ought to speak of him with more respect," said I ; '' I
have heard say that he has done good service to your see."
" Oh, yes," said the man in black ; '* he has done good service
to our see, that is, in his way ; when the neophytes of the propa-
ganda are to be examined in the several tongues in which they
are destined to preach, he is appointed to question them, the
questions being first written down for him, or else, he 1 he 1 he !
Of course you know Napoleon's estimate of Mezzo&nte ; he sent
for the linguist from motives of curiosity, and after some discourse
with him, told him that he might depart ; then turning to some
of his generals, he observed : *J\r<ms avons eu id un exemple qt^un
homme peut avoir btawoup dt paroles avec bien ptu d* esprit \**
"You are ungrateful to him," said I ; "well, perhaps, when
he is dead and gone you will do him justice."
" True," said the man in black ; " when he is dead and gone
we intend to erect him a statue of wood, on the left-hand side of
the door of the Vatican library."
" Of wood ? " said I.
" He was the son of a carpenter, you know," said the man in
black ; " the figure will be of wood, for no other reason, I assure
you ; he I he !
" You should place another statue on the right."
3«
498 LA VBNGRO. [1815.
" Perhaps we shall," said the man in black ; " but we know
of no one amongst the philologists of Italy, nor, indeed, of the
other countries, inhabited by the faithful, worthy to sit parallel
in effigy with our illustrissimo ; when, indeed, we have conquered
these regions of the perfidious by bringing the inhabitants diereof
to the true faith, I have no doubt that we shall be able to select
one worthy to bear him company, one whose statue shall be
placed on the right hand of the library, in testimony of our joy
at his conversion ; for, as you know, ' There is mwe joy/ etc"
"Wood?" said I.
** I hope not," said the man in black ; ''no, if I be consulted
as to the material for the statue, I should strongly recommend
bronze."
And when the man in black had said this, he emptied his
second tumbler of its contents, and prepared himsdf another.
i
CHAPTER XCIV.
''So you hope to bring these regions again beneath the bannei
of the Roman See?" said I, after the man in black had prepared
the beverage, and tasted it
" Hope," said the man in black ; " how can we fail? Is not
the Church of these regions going to lose its prerogative ?"
*' Its prerogative ? "
" Yes ; those who should be the guardians of the religion of
England are about to grant Papists emancipation and to remove
the disabilities from Dissenters, which will allow the Holy Father
to play his own game in England."
On my inquiring how the Holy Father intended to play his
game, the man in black gave me to understand that he intended
for the present to cover the land with temples, in which the religion
of Protestants would be continually scoffed at and reviled.
On my observing that such behaviour would savour strongly
of ingratitude, the man in black gave me to understand that if I
entertained the idea that the See of Rome was ever influenced
in its actions by any feeling of gratitude I was much mistaken,
assuring me that if the See of Rome in any encounter should
chance to be disarmed and its adversary, from a feeling of mag-
nanimity, should restore the sword which had been knocked out
of its hand, the See of Rome always endeavoured on the first
opportunity to plunge the said sword into its adversary's bosom, —
conduct which the man in black seemed to think was very wise,
and which he assured me had already enabled it to get rid of a
great many troublesome adversaries, and would, he had no doubt,
enable it to get rid of a great many more.
On my attempting to argue against the propriety of such
behaviour, the man in black cut the matter short, by saying, that
if one paity was a fool he saw no reason why the other should
imitate it in its folly.
After musing a little while I told him that emancipation had
not yet passed through the legislature, and that perhaps it never
would, reminding him that there was often many a slip between
the cup and the lip; to which observation the man in black
agreed, assuring mej however, that there was no doubt that
(499)
SOO LA VBNGRO. [itss-
emancipation would be carried, inasmuch as there was a rery loud
cry at present in the land ; a cry of " tolerance," which had almost
ir4;htened the Government out of its ¥rits ; who, to get rid of the
cry, was going to grant all that was asked in the way of toleration,
instead of telling the people to ** Hold their nonsense/' and
cutting them down, provided they continued bawlii^ longer.
I questioned the man in black with re^>ect to the origin of
this cry; but he said to trace it to its origin would require a
long history ; that, at any rate, such a cry was in existence, tiie
chief raisers of it being certain of the nobUity, called Whigs, who
hoped by means of it to get into power, and to turn out certain
ancient adversaries of theirs called Tories, who were for letting
things remain in statu quo ; that these Whigs were backed by a
party amongst the people called Radicals, a specimen of whom
I had seen in the public-house ; a set of fellows who were always
in the habit of tuiwling against those in place; "and so," he
added, " by means of these parties, and the hubbub which the
papists and other smaller sects are making, a general emanci-
pation will be carried, and the Church of England humbled,
which is the principal thing which the See of Rome cares for.'*
On my telling the man in black that I believed that even
among the high dignitaries of the English Church there were
many who wished to grant perfect freedom to religions of all
descriptions, he said : " He was aware that such was the fancx^
and that such a wish was anything but wise, inasmuch as if they
had any regard for the religion they professed, they ought to
stand by it through thick and thin, proclaiming it to be tiie only
true one, and denouncing all others, in an alliterative style, as
dangerous and damnable; whereas by their present conduct,
they were bringing their religion into contempt with the people at
large, who would never continue long attached to a church, the
ministers of which did not stand up for it, and likewise cause
their own brethren, who had a clearer notion of things, to be
ashamed of belonging to it. I speak advisedly," said he, in con-
tinuation, " there is one Platitude.*'
** And I hope there is only one," said I ; " you surely would
not adduce the likes and dislikes of that poor silly fellow as the
criterions of the opinions of any party ? "
*' You know him ?** said the man in blac]c ; " nay, I heard you
mention him in the public-house ; the fellow is not very wise, I
admit, but he has sense enough to know that unless a church
can make people hold their tongues when it thinks fit, it is
scarcely deserving the name of a church ; no, I think that the
5
t
t
if
I
1815.) MR. PLATITUDE. 501
r fdlow is not such a very bad stick, and that upon the whole he
(1 is, or rather was, an advantageous specimen of the High Church
^: English clergy, who, for the most part, so far from troubling their
f heads about persecuting people, only think of securing their tithes,
eating their heavy dinners, puffing out their cheeks with im-
\ portance on country justice benches, and occasionally exhibiting
^ their conceited wives, hoyden daughters, and gawky sons at
^ country balls, whereas Platitude "
jj, *' Stop," said I ; " you said in the public-house that the
( Church of England was a persecuting church, and here in the
^ dingle you have confessed that one section of it is willing to grant
perfect freedom to the exercise of all religions, and the other
only thinks of leading an easy life."
" Saying a thing in the public-house is a widely different thing
from saying it in the dingle," said the man in black ; '* had the
Church of England been a persecuting church, it would not
stand in the position in which it stands at present ; it might, vrith
its opportunities, have spread itself over the greater part of the
world. I was about to observe, that instead of practising the
indolent habits of his High Church brethren, Platitude would
be working for his money, preaching the proper use of fire and
&ggot, or rather of the halter and the whipping-post, encouraging
mobs to attack the houses of Dissenters, employing spies to collect
the scandal of neighbourhoods, in order that he might use it for
sacerdotal purposes, and, in fact, endeavouring to turn an English
parish into something like a Jesuit benefice in the south of France."
" He tried that game," said I, " and the parish said, * Pooh,
[ pooh,' and, for the most part, went over to the Dissenters."
" Very true," said the man in black, taking a sip at his glass,
'' but why were the Dissenters allowed to preach ? why were they
not beaten on the lips till they spat out blood, with a dislodged
' tooth or two ? Why, but because the authority of the Church of
' England has, by its own fault, become so circumscribed that Mr.
' Platitude was not able to send a host of beadles and sbirri to their
^ chapel to bring them to reason, on which account Mr. Platitude
ifl very properly ashamed of his church, and is thinking of uniting
' himsdf wiUi one which possesses more vigour and authority."
' ** It may have vigour and authority," said I, " in foreign
lands, but in these kingdoms the day for practising its atrocities
is gone by. It is lit present almost below contempt, and is obliged
to sue for grace in formA pauperis**
" Very true," said the man in black, " but let it once obtain
emandpatioD, and it will cast its slough, put on its fine dotbes.
ti
Sm LA VBNQRO. [1835.
and make oonveits by thousands. ' What a fine church/ th^H
say ; ' with what authority it speaks — no doubts, no hesitation,
no sticking at trifles.' What a contrast to the sleepy Eng^iish
Church 1 they'll go over to it by millions, till it preponderates
here over every other, when it will of course be voted the domi-
nant one ; and then — ^and then " and here the man in black
drank a considerable quantity of gin and water.
" What then ? " said I.
" What then ? " said the man in black, ** why, she will be true
to herself. Let Dissenters, whether they be Church of England,
as perhaps they may still call themselves, Methodist or Presby-
terian, presume to grumble, and there shall be bruising of lips in
pulpits, tying up to whipping-posts, cutting off ears and noses —
be 1 he ! the farce of King Log has been acted long enough; the
time for Queen Stork's tragedy is drawing nigh ; " and the man
in black sipped his gin and water in a very exulting manner.
'* And this is the church which, according to your assertion
in the public-house, never persecutes ? "
" I have already given you an answer," said the man in black,
** with respect to the matter of the public-house ; it is one of the
happy privileges of those who belong to my church to deny in
the public-house what they admit in the dingle ; we have high
warranty for such double speaking. Did not the foundation
stone of our church, Saint Peter, deny in the public-house what
he had previously professed in the valley ? "
*^ And do you think," said I, ''that the people of England,
who have shown aversion to anything in the shape of intolerance,
will permit such barbarities as you have described ? "
*' Let them become Papists," said the man in black ; '* only
let the majority become Papists, and you will see."
" Thev will never become so," said I ; " the good sense of the
people ot England will never permit them to commit such an
absurdity."
** The good sense of the people of England ? " said the man in
black, filling himself another glass.
''Yes," said I ; "the good sense of not only the upper, but
the middle and lower classes."
'^And of what description of people are the upper class ?^
said the man in black, putting a lump of sugar into his gin and water.
"Very fine people," said I, "monstrously fine people; so^ at
least, they are generally believed to be."
"He! hel" said the man in black; "only those think them
•0 who don't know them. The male part of the upper class arc
iSas.] MACSYCOPHANT. 503
in youth a set of heartless profligates ; in old age» a parcel of poor^
shaking, nervous paillards. The female part, worthy to be the
sisters and wives of such wretches, unmarried, full of cold vice,
kept under by vanity and ambition, but which, after marriage,
they seek not to restrain ; in old age, abandoned to vapours and
horrors, do you think that such beings will afford any obstacle to
the progress of the church in these r^ions, as soon as her move*
ments are unfettered ? "
'' I cannot give an opinion ; I know nothing of them, except
from a distance. But what think you of the middle classes ? "
** Their chief characteristic," said the man in black, '* is a rage
for grandeur and gentility ; and that same rage makes us quite
sure of them in the long run. Everything that's lof^y meets their
unqualified approbation; whilst everything humble, or, as they
call it, ' low,' is scouted by them. They begin to have a vague
idea that the religion which they have hitherto professed is low ;
at any rate that it is not the religion of the mighty ones of the
earth, of the great kings and emperors whose shoes they have a
vast inclination to kiss, nor was used by the grand personages oi
whom they have read in their novels and romances, their Ivanhoes,
their Marmions, and their Ladies of the Lake."
« Do you think that the writings of Scott have had any influ-
ence in modifying their religious opinions ? "
'* Most certainly I do," said the nkan in black. " The writings
of that man have nkade them greater fools than they were before.
All their conversation now is about gallant knights, princesses and
cavaliers, with which his pages are stuffed— all of whom were
Papists, or very High Church, which is nearly the same thing ; and
they are beginning to think that the religion of such nice sweet-
scented gentry must be something very superfine. Why, I know
at Birmingham the daughter of an ironmonger, who screeches to
the piano the Lady of the Lake's hymn to the Virgin Mary,
always weeps when Mary Queen of Scots is mentioned, and fasts
on the anniversary of the death of that very wise martyr, Charles
the First. Why, I would engage to convert such an idiot to
popery in a week, were it worth my trouble. O Caoaliert
GualtUro^ avtU fiUto molto in favare ddla Santa Sedi I "
" If he has," said I, "be has done it unwittingly ; I never
heard before that he was a favourer of the popish delusion."
" Only in theory," said the man in black. " Trust any of the
dan MacSycophant for interfering openly and boldly in favour of
any cause on which the sun does not shine benignantly. Popery
IS at present, as you say, suing for grace in these regions in/armd
S04 LA VBNGRO. [1825.
paupiris ; but let royalty once take it up, let old gouty George
once patronise it, and I would consent to drink puddle-water, if
the very next time the canny Scot was admitted to the royal
aymposium he did not say : ' By my faith, yere Majesty, I have
always thought, at the bottom of my heart, that popery, as ill-
scrapit tongues ca' it, was a very grand religion ; I shall be proud
to follow your Majesty's example in adopting it '."
" I doubt not," said I, ** that both gouty George and his
devoted servant will be mouldering in their tombs long before
royalty in England thinks about adopting popery."
'* We can wait," said the man in black ; '' in these days of rampant
gentility, there will be no want of kings nor of Scots about them."
" But not Walters," said I.
<<Our work has been already tolerably well done by one,"
said the man in black ; " but if we wanted literature we should
never lack in these r^ons hosts of literary men of some kind or
other to eulogise us, provided our religion were in the fashion,
and our popish nobles chose, and they always do our bidding, to
admit the canaille to their tables, their kitchen tables. As for
literature in general," said he, '' the Santa Sede is not particularly
partial to it, it may be employed both ways. In Italy, in particu-
lar, it has discovered that literary men are not always disposed to
be lick-spittles."
" For example, Dante," said I.
"Yes," said the man in black. ''A dangerous personage;
that poem of his cuts both ways; and then there was Pulci, that
Morgante of his cuts both ways, or rather one way, and that sheer
against us; and then "there was Aretino, who dealt so hard with
the povtri frati; all writers, at least Italian ones, are not Hdc-
spittles. And then in Spain, 'tis true, Lope de Vega and Calderon
were most inordinate lick-spittles ; the Principe Canstanie of the
last is a curiosity in its way ; and then the Mary Shtart of Lope ;
I think I shall recommend the perusal of that work to the
Birmingham ironmonger's daughter ; she has been lately thinking
of adding * a slight knowledge of the magneeficent language of the
Peninsula' to the rest of her accomplishments, he! he! he! but
then there was Cervantes, starving, but straight ; he deals us some
hard knocks in that second part of his Quixote ; then there was
some of the writers of the picaresque novels. No ; all literary
men are not lick-spittles, whether in Italy or Spain, ot, indeed,
upon the Continent ; it is only in England that all "
*' Come," said I, " mind what you are about to say of English
literary men,"
1
i8a5-l TENDENCIES AT WORK. 505
"Why should I mind?" said the man in black, ^Uhere are
no literary men here. I have heard of literary men living in
garrets, but not in dingles, whatever philologists may do ; I may,
Uierefore, speak out freely. It is only in England that literary
men are invariably lick-spittles ; on which account, perhaps, they
are so despised, even by those who benefit by their dirty services.
Look at your fashionable novel writers, he 1 he ! and above all at
your newspaper editors, ho ! ho ! "
" You will, of course, except the editors of the from your
censure of the last class ? " said I.
" Them 1 " said the man in black ; " why, they might serve as
models in the dirty trade to all the rest who practise it See how
they bepraise their patrons, the grand Whig nobility, who hope,
by raising the cry of liberalism, and by putting themselves at the
head of the populace, to come into power shortly. I don't wish
to be hard, at present, upon those Whigs," he continued, " for
they are pla3ring our game ; but a time will come when, not want-
ing them, we will kick them to a considerable distance : and then,
when toleration is no longer the cry, and the Whigs are no longer
backed by the populace, see whether the editors of the will
stand by them ; they will prove themselves as expert lick-spittles
of despotism as of Uberalism. Don't think they will always
bespatter the Tories and Austria."
" Well," said I, " I am sorry to find that you entertain so low
an opinion of the spirit of English literary men ; we will now
return, if you please, to the subject of the middle classes ; I think
your strictures upon them in general are rather too sweeping — ^they
are not altogether the foolish people which you have described.
Look, for example, at that very powerful and numerous body the
Dissenters, the descendants of those sturdy Patriots who hurled
Charles the Simple from his throne.*'
" There are some sturdy fellows amongst them, I do not deny,"
said the man in black, "especially amongst the preachers, clever
withal — two or three of that class nearly drove Mr. Platitude mad,
as perhaps you are aware, but they are not very numerous ; and
the old sturdy sort of preachers are fast dropping off, and, as we
observe with pleasure, are generally succeeded by frothy coxcombs,
whom it would not be very difficult to gain over. But what we
most rely upon as an instrument to bring the Dissenters over to
us is the mania for gentility, which amongst them has of late be-
come as great, and more ridiculous, than amongst the middle classes
belonging to the Church of England. All the plain and simple
tehions of their fore&thers they are either about to abandon, or
5o6 LA VBNGRO. [1825.
have already done so. Look at the most part of their chapels, no
longer modest brick edifices, situated in quiet and retired streets,
but lunatic-looking erections, in what the simpletons call the
modem Gothic taste, of Portland stone, with a cross upon the top,
and the site generally the most conspicuous that can be found ;
and look at the manner in which they educate their children, I
mean those that are wealthy. They do not even wish them to be
Dissenters, ' the sweet dears shall enjoy the advantages of good
society, of which their parents were debarred '. So the girls are
sent to tip-top boarding-schools, where amongst other trash they
read Rokeby, and are taught to sing snatches from that high-flying
ditty the ' Cavalier '
* Would you match the base Skippon, and Massey, and Brown,
With the barons of England, who fight for the crown ? '
he! he! their own names. Whilst the lads are sent to those
hot-beds of pride and folly — colleges, whence they return with
a greater contempt for everything ' low,' and especially for their
own pedigree, than they went with. I tell you, friend, the
children of Dissenters, if not their parents, are going over to the
church, as you call it, and the church is going over to Rome."
'' I do not see the justice of that latter assertion at all," said
I ; " some of the Dissenters' children may be coming over to the
Church of England, and yet the Church of England be very fan
from going over to Rome."
"In the high road for it, I assure you," said the man in
black, " part of it is going to abandon, the rest to lose, then: pre-
rogative, and when a church no longer retains its prerogative, it
speedily loses its own respect, and that of others."
*' Well," said I, " if the higher classes have all the vices and
follies which you represent, on which point I can say nothing, as
I have never mixed with them ; and even supposing the middle
classes are the foolish beings you would fain make them, and
which I do not believe them as a body to be, you would still find
some resistance amongst the lower chases ; I have a considerable
respect for their good sense and independence of character, but
pray let me hear your opinion of them."
*^ As for the lower classes," said the man in black, ** I believe
them to be the most brutal wretches in the world, the most addicted
to foul feeding, foul language, and foul vices of every kind ; wretches
who have neither love for country^ religion, nor anything save their
own vile selves. You surely do not thmk that they would oppose a
change of rel^on ? why, there is not one of them but would buirab for
xaaS-] PRIBSTLBY. 507
the Pope, or Mahomet, for the sake of a hearty gorge and a drunken
bout, like those which they are treated with at election contests."
''Has your church any followers amongst them?" said I.
** Wherever there happens to be a Romish family of consider-
able possessions/ said the man in black, " our church is sure to
have followers of the lower class, who have come over in the hope
of getting something in the shape of dole or donation. As, how-
ever, the Romish is not yet the dominant religion, and the clergy
of the English establishment have some patronage to bestow, the
churches are not quite deserted by the lower classes; yet were
the Romish to become the established religion, they would, to a
certainty, all go over to it; you can scarcely imagine what a
self-interested set they are — for example, the landlord of that
public-house in which I first met you, having lost a sum of money
upon a cock-fight, and his affairs in consequence being in a bad
condition, is on the eve of coming over to us, in the hope that
two old Popish females of property, whom I confess, will advance
a sum of money to set him up again in the world."
" And what could have put such an idea into the poor fellow's
head?" said I.
*' Oh ! he and I have had some conversation upon the state of
his affairs," said the man in black ; " I think he might make a rather
useful convert in these parts, provided things take a certain turn,
as they doubtless will It is no bad thing to have a fighting fellow,
who keeps a public-house, belonging to one's religion. He has
been occasionally employed as a bully at elections by the Tory
party, and he may serve us in the same capacity. The fellow
comes of a good stock ; I heard him say that his father headed
the High Church mob, who sacked and burnt Priestley's house at
Birmingham towards the end of the last century."
A disgraceful affair," said I.
What do you mean by a disgraceful affair?" said the man in
black. " I assure you that nothing has occurred for the last fifty
years which has given the High Church party so much credit in the
eyes of Rome as that ; we did not imagine that the fellows had so
much energy. Had they followed up that affair by twenty others
of a similar kind, they would by this time have had everything ia
their own power ; but they did not, and, as a necessary conse-
quence, they are reduced to almost nothing."
" I suppose," said I, " that your church would have acted very
differently in its place."
" It has always done so," said the man in black, coolly sipping.
'' Our church has always armed the brute population against the
genius and intellect of a country, provided that same inteUea and
5o8 LA VBNORO. [i8ss-
#■!■■■■■■ ■■ ■
genius were not willing to become its instraments and eulogists ;
and provided we once obtain a firm hold here again, we would
not fail to do so. We would occasionally stuff the beastly rabble
with horseflesh and bitter ale, and then halloo them on against all
those who were obnoxious to us."
'< Horseflesh and bitter ale ! " I replied.
''Yes," said the man in black; ''horseflesh and bitter ale, the
&yourite delicacies of their Saxon ancestors, who were always
ready to do our bidding after a liberal allowance of such cheer.
There is a tradition in our church, that before the Northumbrian
rabble» at the instigation of Austin, attacked and massacred the
presbyterian monks of Bangor, they had been allowed a good
gorge of horseflesh and bitter ale. He ! he 1 he 1 " continued
the man in black, " what a fine spectacle to see such a mob,
headed by a fellow like our friend, the landlord, sack the house
of another Priestley ! "
"Then you don't deny that we have had a Priestley,'* said I,
"and admit the possibility of our having another? You were
lately observing that all English literary men were sycophants?"
" Lick-spitdes/' said the man in black ; " yes, I admit that you
have had a Priestley, but he was a Dissenter of the old sort ; you
have had him, and perhaps may have another."
" Perhaps we may," said I. " But with respect to the lower
classes, have you mixed much with them?"
"I have mixed with all classes," said the man in black,
" and vrith the lower not less than the upper and middle, they
are much as I have described them ; and of the three, the lower
are the worst. I never knew one of them that possessed the
slightest principle, no, not It is true, there was one fellow
whom I once met, who , but it is a long story, and the affair
happened abroad."
"I ought to know something of the English people," he
continued, after a moment's pause ; " I have been many years
amongst them labouring in the cause of the church."
" Your see must have had great confidence in your powers,
when it selected you to labour for it in these parts ? " said I.
"They chose me," said the man in black, "prindpally
because being of British extraction and education, I could speak
the English language and bear a glass of something strong. It
is the opinion of my see, that it would hardly do to send a
missionary into a country like this who is not well versed in
English ; a country where they think, so hx from understanding
any language besides his own, scarcely one individual in ten
speaks his own intelligibly ; or an ascetic person, where as they say,
ites-] "00 TO ROME FOR MONEY f so9
high and low, male and female, are, at some period of their lives,
fond of a renovating glass, as it is styled, in other words, of tippling."
" Your see appears to entertain a very strange opinion of the
English,'* said I.
" Not altogether an unjust one," said the man in black, lifting
the glass to his mouth.
** Well," said I, " it is certainly very kind on its part to wish to
bring back such a set of beings beneath its wing."
*' Why, as to the kindness of my see," said the man in black,
** I have not much to say ; my see has generally in what it does a
tolerably good motive ; these heretics possess in plenty what my see
has a great hankering for, and can turn to a good account — ^money 1 "
''The founder of the Christian religion cared nothing for
money," said I.
** What have we to do with what the founder of the Christian
religion cared for?" said the man in black; '*how could our
temples be built, and our priests supported without money ? but
you are unwise to reproach us with a desire of obtaining money ;
you forget that your own church, if the Church of England be
your own church, as I suppose it is, from the willingness which
you displayed in the public-house to fight for it, is equally
avaricious; look at your greedy Bishops, and your corpulent
Rectors ; do they imitate Christ in His disregard for money ? Go
to I you might as well tell me that they imitate Christ in His
meekness and humility."
** Well," said I, " whatever their faults may be, you can't
say that they go to Rome for money."
The man in black made no direct answer, but appeared by
the motion of his lips to be repeating something to himself.
" I see your glass is again empty," said I ; *' perhaps you will
replenish it."
The man in black arose from his seat, adjusted his habiliments,
which were rather in disorder, and placed upon his hoid his hat,
which he had laid aside, then, looking at me, who was still lying
on the ground, he said : " I might, perhaps, take another glass,
though I believe I have had quite as much as I can well bear ;
but I do not wish to hear you utter anything more this evening
after that last observation of yours — it is quite original ; I will
meditate upon it on my pillow this night after having said an ave
and a pater — ^go to Rome for money 1 " He then made Belle a
low bow, slightly motioned to me with his hand as if bidding
farewell, and then left the dingle with rather uneven steps.
** Go to Rome for money," I heard him say as he ascended the
winding path, " he 1 he ! he 1 Go to Rome for money, ho 1 ho ! ho I *
CHAPTER XCV.
Nearly three days elapsed without anything of particular moment
occurring. Belle drove the little cart containing her merchandise
about the neighbourhood, returning to the dingle towards the
evening. As for myself, I kept within my wooded retreat, working
during the periods of her absence leisurely at my forge. Having
observed that the quadruped which my companion drove was as
much in need of shoes as my own had been some time previously,
I had determined to provide it with a set, and during the afore-
said periods occupied myself in preparing them. As I was employed
three mornings and afternoons about them, I am sure diat
the reader will agree that I worked leisurely, or rather lazily.
On the third day Belle arrived somewhat later than usual ; I was
lying on my back at the bottom of the dingle, employed in tossing
up the shoes, which I had produced, and catching them as they
fell, some being always in the air mounting or descending,
somewhat after the fashion of the waters of a fountain.
** Why have you been absent so long?" said I to Belle, " it
must be long past four by the day."
^* I have been almost killed by the heat," said Belle ; " I was
never out in a more sultry day — the poor donkey, too, could
scarcely move along."
** He shall have fresh shoes," said I, continuing my exercise;
" here they are, quite ready ; to-morrow I will tack them on.*'
" And why are you playing with them in that manner ? " said
Belle.
" Partly in triumph at having made them, and partly to show
that I can do something besides making them ; it is not every one
who, after having made a set of horse-shoes, can keep them going
up and down in the air, without letting one fall/'
" One has now fallen on your chin," said Belle.
" And another on my cheek," said I, getting up ; " it is time
to discontinue the game, for the last shoe drew blood."
Belle went to her own litde encampment ; and as for mysell,
after having flung the donkey's shoes into my tent, I put some
(510)
laasO «i45H, WHEN GREEN." 511
fresh wood on the fire, which was nearly out, and hung the kettle
over it. I then issued forth from the dingle, and strolled round
the wood that surrounded it; for a long time I was busied in
meditation, looking at the ground, striking with my foot, half
unconsciously, the tufts of grass and thistles that I met in my way.
After some time, I lifted up my eyes to the sky, at first vacantly,
and then with more attention, turning my head in all directions for
a minute or two ; after which I returned to the dingle. Isopel was
seated near the fire, over which the kettle was now hung ; she had
changed her dress — no signs of the dust and fatigue of her late
excursion remained ; she had just added to the fire a small billet
of wood, two or three of which I had left beside it ; the fire
cracked, and a sweet odour filled the dingle.
" I am fond of sitting by a wood fire," said Belle, '* when abroad,
whether it be hot or cold ; I love to see the flames dart out of the
wood ; but what kind is this, and where did you get it ? "
** It is ash," said I, " green ash. Somewhat less than a week
ago, whilst I was wandering along the road by the side of a wood,
I came to a place where some peasants were engaged in cutting up
and clearing away a confused mass of fallen timber : a mighty-aged
oak had given way the night before, and in its fall had shivered
some smsdler trees ; the upper part of the oak, and the fragments
of the rest, lay across the road. I purchased, for a trifle, a
bundle or two, and the wood on the fire is part of it — ^ash, green
ash."
" That makes good the old rhyme," said Belle, " which I have
heard sung by the old woman in the great house : —
* Ash, when green.
Is fire for a queen.* *'
" And on fairer form of queen, ash fire never shone,** said I,
'' than on thine, O beauteous queen of the dingle."
*' I am half disposed to be angry with you, young man,'* said
Belle.
** And why not entirely ? " said I.
Belle made no reply.
" Shall I tell you ? " I demanded. ** You had no objection
to the first part of the speech, but you did not like being called
queen of the dingle. Well, if I had the power, I would make you
?ueen of something better than the dingle — Queen of China.
)ome, let us have tea."
** Something less would content me," said Belle, sighing, as
•he rose to prepare our evening meal.
5ia LA VBNGRO. [x8s5-
■■ ■ ■ ' ' ^ ■
So we took tea together, Belle and I. " How ddicious tea
b after a hot summer's day, and a long walk/' said she.
'' I dare say it is most refreshing then," said I ; " but I have
heard people say that they most enjoy it on a cold winter's night,
when the kettle is hissing on the iire» and their children playing
on the hearth."
Belle sighed. " Where does tea come from ? *' she presently
demanded.
'* From China,** said I ; *' I just now mentioned it, and the
mention of it put me in mind of tea."
'• What kind of country is China ? "
" I know very Httle about it ; all I know is, that it is a very
large country far to the East, but scarcely laige enough to contain
its inhabitants, who are so numerous, that though China does not
cover one-ninth part of the world, its inhabitants amount to one-
third of the population of the world."
" And do they talk as we do ? "
'' Oh no 1 I know nothing of their language ; but I have heard
that it is quite different from all others, and so difficult that none
but the cleverest people amongst foreigners can master it, on
which account, perhaps, only the French pretend to know any-
thing about it."
" Are the French so very clever, then ? " said BeUe.
'' They say there are no people like them, at least in Europe.
But talking of Chinese reminds me that I have not for some time
past given you a lesson in Armenian. The word for tea in Ar-
menian is — by-the-bye, what is the Armenian word for tea ? *'
" That's your affair, not mine," said Belle ; " it seems hard
that the master should ask the scholar."
" Well," said I, " whatever the word may be in Armenian, it
is a noun ; and as we have never yet declined an Armenian noun
together, we may as well take this opportunity of declining one.
Belle, there are ten declensions in Armenian t
" What's a declension ?
** The way of declining a noun.'
** Then, in the civilest way imaginable, I decline the noun.
Is that a declension?"
" You should never play on words ; to do so is low vulgar,
smelling of the pothouse, the workhouse. Belle, I insist on your
declining an Armenian noun."
*' I have done so already," said Belle.
** If you go on in this way," said I, ** I shall decline taking
any more tea with you. Will you decline an Armenian noun ? "
ions in Armenian i "
X&I5.] tti^ DMCLbNStOtf. 5ii
" I don't like the language^" said Belle. '* If you must teach
me languages, why not teach me French or Chinese ?"
** I know nothing of Chinese ; and as for French, none but a
Frenchman is clever enough to speak it — to say nothing of teach-
ing ; no, we will stick to Armenian, unless, indeed, you would
prefer Wefsh I »
*' Welsh, I have heard, is vulgar," said Belle ; " so, if I must
learn one of the two, I will prefer Armenian, which I never heard
of till you mentioned it to me ; though of the two, I really think
Welsh sounds best."
'' The Armenian noun," said I, '' which I propose for your
declension this night, is . • • which signifieth Master."
'' I neither like the word nor the sound," said Belle.
" I can't help that," said I ; '' it is the word I choose ; Master,
with all its variations, being the first noun, the sound of which I
would have you learn from my lips. Come, let us begin —
^* A master ... Of a master, etc. Repeat — "
" I am not much used to say the word," said Belle. *' But,
to oblige you, I will decline it as you wish ; " and thereupon
Belle declined master in Armenian.
'* You have declined the noun very well," said I ; '' that is in
the singular number ; we will now go to the plural."
*' What is the plural ? " said Belle.
'* That which implies more than one, for example, masters ;
you shall now go through masters in Armenian."
" Never," said Belle, '' never ; it is bad to have one master,
but more I would never bear, whether in Armenian or English."
*' You do not understand," said I ; ''I merely want you to
decline masters in Armenian."
'* I do decline them ; I will have nothing to do with them,
nor with master either; I was wrong to What sound is
that?"
"I did not hear it, but I daresay it is thunder; in Ar-
menian "
" Never mind what it is in Armenian ; but why do you think
it is thunder ? "
** Ere I returned from my stroll, I looked up into the heavens,
and by their appearance I judged that a storm was nigh at hand."
"And why did you not tell me so ? **
** You never asked me about the state of the atmosphere, and
I am not in the habit of giving my opinion to people on any
subject, unless questimied. But, setting that aside, can you blame
me for not troubling you with forebodingi about storm and
33
514 tA VENGRO. [i^y
tempest, which might have prevented the pleasure you
yourself in drinking tea, or pertiaps a lesson in Armenian, though
you pretend to dislike the latter/'
" My dislike is not pretended/' said Belle ; " I hate the sound
of it, but I love my tea, and it was kind of you not to wish to cast
a cloud over my little pleasures; the thunder came quite time
enough to interrupt it without being anticipated — there is another
peal — I will dear aHay, and see that my tent is in a condition to
resist the storm, and I think you had better bestir yourself."
Isopel departed, and I remained seated on my stone, as
nothing belonging to myself required any particular attention ; in
about a quarter of an hour she returned, and seated herself upon
her stool.
** How dark the place is become since I left you," said she ;
''just as if night were just at hand."
** Look up at the sky," said I» ** and you will not wonder ; it
is all of a deep olive. The wind is banning to rise ; hark how
it moans among the branches ; and see how their tops are bend-
ing— ^it brings dust on its wings — I felt some fall on my fieice ; and
wlmt is this, a drop of rain ? "
'' We shall have plenty anon," said Belle; " do you hear? it
already begins to hiss upon the embers ; that fire of ours will soon
be extinguished."
*<It is not probable that we shall want it," said I, ''but we
had better seek shelter ; let us go into my tent."
" Go in/' said Belle, '' biU you go in alone ; as for me, I wtU
seek my own."
" You are right*" said I, "to be afraid of me; I have taught
you to decline master in Armenian."
"You almost tempt me," said Belle, "to make you decline
mistress in English."
" To make matters short," said I, " I decline a mistress."
" What do you mean ? " said BeUe angrily.
" I have merely done what you wished me/' said I, " and in
your own style ; there is no other way of declining anything in
English, for in English there are no declensions."
"The rain is increasing," said Belle.
" It is so," said I ; "I shall go to my tent ; you may come,
if you please ; I do assure you I am not afraid of you."
" Nor I of you/' said BeUe ; " so I will come. Why should
I be afraid? I can take my own part ; that is ^
We went into the tent and sat down, and now the rain b^an
to pour with vdiemeoce. " I hope we shall not be flooded in
x8a5-] " VOICE OF THE LORD." 515
this hollow," said I to Belle. '* There is no fear of that/' said
Belle ; '* the wandering people, amongst other names, call it the
dry hollow. I believe there is a passage somewhere or other by
which the wet is carried off. There must be a cloud right above
us, it is so dark. Oh 1 what a flash ! "
*' And what a peal," said I ; " that is what the Hebrews call
Kitmi Adonai— the voice of the Lord. Are you afraid ? "
" No," said Belle, " I rather like to hear it."
** You are right," said I: *' I am fond of the sound of thunder
myself. There is nothing like it; Koul Adonai behadar ; the voice
of the Lord is a glorious voice, as the prayer-book version hath it."
" There is something awful in it," said Belle ; " and then the
lightning, the whole dingle is now in a blaze."
<<<The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and
discovereth the thick bushes.' As you say, there is something
awful in thunder."
'' There are all kinds of noises above us," said Belle ; "surely
I heard the crashing of a tree ? "
** * The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedar trees,' " said I,
" but what you hear is caused by a convulsion of the air ; during
a thunderstorm there are occasionally all kinds of aerial noises.
Ab Gwilym, who, next to King David, has best described a
thunderstorm, speaks of these aerial noises in the following
manner : —
* Astonicd now I stand at strains,
As of ten thousand clanking chains ;
And once^ methought, that overthrown,
The welkin's oaks came whelming down ;
Upon my head up starts my hair :
Why hunt abroad the hounds ^ air ?
What cursed hag is screechins; high.
Whilst crash goes all her crockery ? '
You would hardly believe, Belle, that though I offered at least
ten thousand lines nearly as good as those to the booksellers in
London, the simpletons were so blind to their interest as to
refuse purchasing them.*
" I don't wonder at it," said Belle, " especially if such dread-
ful expressions frequently occur as that towards the end ; surely
that was the crash of a tree?"
" Ah 1 " said I, " there Ms the cedar tree — I mean the
sallow ; one of the tall trees on the outside of the dingle has
been snapped short."
" What a pity," said BcUe, '' that the fine old oak, which you
5x6 LA VBNGRO. [zSss-
saw the peasants cutting up, gave way the other night, when
scarcely a breath of air was stirring ; how much better to have
fallen in a storm like this, the fiercest I remember."
" I don't think so/' said I ; '* after braving a thousand tem*
pests, it was meeter for it to fall of itself than to be vanquished
at last But to return to Ab Gwilym's poetry, he was above
culling dainty words, and spoke boldly his mind on all subjects.
Enraged with the thunder for parting him and Morfydd, he says,
at the conclusion of his ode : —
* My curte, O Thunder, cling to thee,
For parting my dear pearl and me'***
" You and I shall part ; that is, I shall go to my tent if you
persist in repeating from him. The man must have been a
sayage. A poor wood-pigeon has fallen dead."
"Yes," said I, ''there he lies just outside the tent; often
have I listened to his note when alone in this wilderness. So
you do not like Ab Gwilym ; what say you to old G5the : —
* Mist shrouds the night, and rack ;
Hear, in the woods, what an awfiil crack 1
Wildly the owls are flitting.
Hark to the pillars splitting
Of palaces verdant ever.
The branches quiver and sever,
The mighty stems are creaking,
The poor roots breaking and shrieking.
In wild mtxt ruin down dashing,
O'er one another they're crashing ;
Whilst 'midst the rocks so hoary,
Whirlwinds hurry and worry.
Hear'st not, sister ' "^
" Hark 1 " said Belle, " hark ! "
** * Hear'st not, sister, a chorus
Of voices ? ' "
<* No/' said Belle, '< but I hear a voioe.'^
CHAPTER XCVI.
I USTENED attentively, but I could hear nothing but the loud
clashing of branches, the pattering of rain, and the muttered
growl of thunder. I was about to tell Belle that she must haiQS
been mistaken, when I heard a shout, indistinct it is true, owing
to the noises aforesaid, from some part of the field above the
dingle. "I will soon see what's the matter," said I to Belle,
starting up. " I will go, too," said the girl. " Stay where you
are," said I ; " if I need you, I will call ; " and, without waiting
for any answer, I hurried to the mouth of the dingle. I was
about a few yards only from the top of the ascent, when I beheld
a blaze of light, from whence I knew not ; the next moment
there was a loud crash, and I appeared involved in a cloud of
sulphurous smoke. "Lord have mercy upon us," I heard a
voice say, and methought I heard the plunging and struggling of
horses. I had stopped short on hearing the crash, for I was half
stunned ; but I now hurried forward, and in a moment stood
upon the plain. Here I was instantly aware of the cause of the
crash and the smoke. One of those balls, generally called fire-
ballSy had fallen from the clouds, and was burning on the plain
at a short distance ; and the voice which I had heard, and the
plunging, were as easily accounted for. Near the left-hand corner
of the grove which surrounded the dingle, and about ten yards
from the fire-ball, I perceived a chaise, with a postillion on the
box, who was making efforts, apparently useless, to control his
horses, which were kicking and plunging in the highest degree
of excitement I instantly ran towards the chaise, in order to
offer what help was in my power. "Help me," said Ae poor
fellow, as I drew nigh ; but, before I could reach the horses, they
had turned rapidly round, one of the fore-wheels flew from its axle-
tree, the chaise was overset, and the postillion flung violently from
his seat upon the field. The horses now became more furious
than before, kicking desperately, and endeavouring to disengage
themselves from the fallen chaise. As I was hesitating whether to
run to the aaiistaDce of the postillion, or endeavour to disengage
(si 7)
5t8 la VBNGRO. [1895.
the animals, I heard the voice of Belle exclaiming : "See to the
horses, I will look after the man". She had, it seems» been alarmed
by the crash which accompanied the fire-boltj and had htirried ap
to learn the cause. I forthwith seized the horses by the heads, and
used all the means I possessed to soothe and pacify them, em-
ploying every gentle modulation of which my voice was capable.
BeUe, in the meantime, had raised up the man, who was much
stunned by his fall ; but presently recovering his recollection to a
certain degree, he came limping to me, holding his hand to his
right thigh. " The first thing that must now be done," said I.
" is to free these horses from the traces ; can you undertake to do
so ? " "I think I can/' said the man, looking at me somewhat
stupidly. " I will help/' said Belle, and without loss of time laid
hold of one of the traces. The man, after a short pause, also set
to work, and in a few minutes the horses were extricated. " Now,"
said I to the man, " what is next to be done ? " "I don't know,"
said he; "indeed, I scarcely know anything; I have been so
frightened by this horrible storm, and so shaken by my fall/'
" I think," said I, "that the storm is passing away, so cast your
fears away too ; and as for your fall, you must bear it as lightly as
you can. I will tie the horses amongst those trees, and tiien we
will all betake us to the hollow below." " And what^s to become
of my chaise?" said the postillion, looking ruefully on the fallen
vehicle. " Let us leave the chaise for the present/* said I ; " we
can be of no use to it." " I don't like to leave my chaise Ijring
on the ground in this weather," said the man ; " I love my chaise,
and him whom it belongs to." " You are quite right to be fond
of yourself," said I, "on which account I advise you to seek
shelter from the rain as soon as possible." " I was not talking
of myself/' said the man, " but my master, to whom the chaise
belongs/' "I thought you called the chaise yours," said I.
" That's my way of speaking," said the man ; " but the chaise is
my master's, and a better master does not live. Don't you think
we could manage to raise up the chaise?" "And ^at is to
become of the horses ? " said I. " I love my horses well enough,"
said the man; "but they will take less harm than the chaise.
We two can never lift up fiiat chaise." " But we three can," said
Belle; "at least, I think so; and I know where to find two poles
which will assist us." " You had better go to the tent," said I,
"you will be wet through." "I care not for a little wetting,"
said Belle ; ^ moreover, I have more gowns than one — see you
after the horses." Thereupon, I led the horses past the mouth
of the dinglei to a place where a gap in the hedge afforded ad-
1825*] ^ QUEST. 5x9
mission to the copse or plantation, on the southern side* Forcing
them through the gap, I led them to a spot amidst the trees^
which I deemed would afford them the most convenient place for
standing ; then, darting down into the dingle, I brought up a
rope, and also the halter of my own nag, and with these fastened
them each to a separate tree in the best manner I could. This
done, I returned to the chaise and the postillion. In a minute
or two Belle arrived with two poles, which, it seems, had long
been lying, overgrown with brushwood, in a ditch or hollow
behind the plantation. With these both she and I set to work in
endeavouring to raise the Men chaise from the ground.
We experienced considerable difficulty in this undertaking;
at length, with the assistance of the postillion, we saw our efforts
crowned with success — ^the chaise was lifted up, and stood upright
on three wheels.
" We may leave it here in safety," said I, "for it will hardly
move away on three wheels, even supposing it could run by itself;
I am afraid there is work here for a wheelwright, in which case I
cannot assist you ; if you were in need of a blacksmith it would
be otherwise." ** I don't think either the wheel or the axle is
hurt," said the postillion, who had been handling both; "it it
only the linch-pin having dropped out that caused the wheel to
fly off ; if I could but find the Unch-pin ! though, perhaps, it fell
out a mile away." "Very likely," said I ; "but never mind the
linchpin, I can make you one, or something that will serve : but
I can't stay here any longer, I am going to my place below with
this young gentlewoman, and you had better follow us." " I am
ready/' said the man ; and after lifting up the wheel and propping
it against the chaise, he went with us, slightly limping, and with
his hand pressed to his thigh.
As we were descending the narrow path, Belle leading the
way, and myself the last of the party, the postillion suddenlv
stopped short, and looked about him. "Why do you stop?
said I. " I don't wish to offend you/' said the man ; " but this
seems to be a strange place you are leading me into ; I hope you
and the young gentlewoman, as you call her, don't mean me any
harm — you seemed in a great hurry to bring me here." " We
wished to get you out of the rain," said I^ " and ourselves too ;
that is, if we can, which I rather doubt, for the canvas of a tent is
slight shelter in such a rain ; but what harm should we wish to
do you?" " You may think I have monev/* said the man, "and
I have some, but only thirty shillings, and for a sum like that it
would be hardly worth while to " "Would it not?" said
590 LA VBNGRO. [1825-
I ; " thirty shillings, after all, are thirty shillings, and for what I
know, half a dozen throats may have been cut in this place for
that sum at the rate of five shillings each ; moreover, there are the
horses, which would serve to establish this young gentlewoman
and myself in housekeeping, provided we were thinking of such a
thing." '' Then I suppose I have fallen into pretty hands," said
the man, putting himself in a posture of defence ; " but I'll show
no craven heart ; and if you attempt to lay hands on me. 111 try
to pay you in your own coin. I'm rather lamed in the 1^, but I
can still use my fists ; so come on both of you, man and woman,
if woman this be, though she looks more like a grenadier."
" Let me hear no more of this nonsense," said Belle ; " if you
are afraid, you can go back to your chaise — ^we only seek to do
you a kindness."
"Why, he was just now talking of cutting throats," said
the man. "You brought it on yourself," said Belle; "yoa
suspected us, and he wished to pass a joke upon you ; he would
not hurt a hair of your head, were your coach laden with gold, nor
would I." "Well,'' said the man, "I was wrong — here's my
hand to both of you," shaking us by the hands ; " 111 go with
you where you please, but I thought this a strange, lonesome
place, though I ought not much to mind strange, lonesome places,
having been in plenty of 8Ui:h when I was a servant in Italy,
without coming to any harm — come, let us move on, for 'tis a
shame to keep you two in the rain."
So we descended the path which led into the depths of the
dingle; at the bottom I conducted the postillion to my tent,
which, though the rain dripped and trickled through it, afforded
some shelter; there I bade him sit down on the log of wood,
while I placed myself as usual on my stone. Belle in the mean-
time had repaired to her own place of abode. After a little time,
I produced a bottle of the condial of which I have previously had
occasion to speak, and made my guest take a considerable
draught. I then offered him some bread and cheese, which he
accepted with thanks. In about an hour the rain had much
abated: "What do you now propose to do?" said I. "I
scarcely know," said ^e man ; " I suppose I must endeavour to
put on the wheel with your help." " How far are you fix)m your
home?" I demanded. "Upwards of thirty miles," said the
man ; " my master keeps an inn on the great north road, and
from thence I started early this morning with a family which I
conveyed across the country to a hall at some distance from here.
On my return I was beset by the thunderstorm, which frightened
iSas-l THB POSTILLION. sax
the horses, who dragged the chaise off the road to the field above,
and overset it as you saw. I had proposed to pass the night at
an inn about twelve miles from here on my way back, though how
I am to get there to-night I scarcely know, even if we can put on
the whee^ for, to tdl you the truth# I am shaken by my fall, and
the smoulder and smoke of that fire-ball have rather bewildered
my head ; I am, moreover, not much acquainted with the way."
" The best thing you can do," said I, " is to pass the night
here; I will presently light a fire, and endeavour to make you
comfortable — in the morning we will see to your wheel" ''Well,''
said the man, " I shall be glad to pass the night here, provided I
do not intrude, but I must see to the horses." Thereupon I
conducted the man to the place where the horses were tied.
'' The trees drip very much upon them," said the man, " and it will
not do for them to remain here all night ; they will be better out
on the field pickine the grass, but first of all they must have a
good feed of com ; ' thereupon he went to his chaise, from which
he presently brought two small bags, partly filled with corn ; into
them he inserted the mouths of the horses, tying them over their
heads. *' Here we will leave them for a time," said the man ;
*' when I think they have had enough, I will come back, tie their
fore-legs, and let them pick about."
CHAPTER XCVIL
It might be about ten o'clock at night. Belle, the postillion,
and myself, sat just within the tent, by a fire of chaixx>al which I
had kindled in the chafing-pan. The man had removed the
harness from his horses, and, after tethering their legs, had left
them for the night in the field above, to regale themselves on
what grass they could find. The rain had long since entirely
ceased, and the moon and stars shone bright in the firmament,
up to which, putting aside the canvas, I occasionally looked from
the depths of the dingle. Large drops of water, however, Calling
now and then upon the tent from the neighbouring trees, would
have served, could we have forgotten it, to remind us of the
recent storm, and also a certain chilliness in the atmosphere^
unusual to the season, proceeding from the moisture with which
the ground was saturated ; yet these circumstances only served to
make our party enjoy the charcoal fire the more. There we sat
bending over it: Belle, with her long beautiful hair streaming
over her magnificent shoulders ; the postillion smoking his pipe^
in his shirt-sleeves and waistcoat, having flung aside his great-
coat, which had sustained a thorough wetting; and I without my
wagoner's slop, of which, it being in the same plight, I had also
divested myself.
The new comer was a well-made fellow of about thirty, with an
open and agreeable countenance. I found him very well informed
for a man in his station, and with some pretensions to humour.
After we had discoursed for some time on indifferent subjects, the
postillion, who had exhausted his pipe, took it from his mouth,
and, knocking out the ashes upon the ground, exclaimed: '*I
little thought, when I got up in the morning, that I should spend
the night in such agreeable company, and after such a fright ".
'* Well," said I, " I am glad that your opinion of us has
improved ; it is not long since you seemed to hold us in rather
a suspicious light."
"And no wonder," said the man, ''seeing the place you
were taking me to. I was not a little, but very much afraid of
ye both ; and so I continued for some time, though, not to show
i8t5-) SPBCULATTONS. js)
a craven heart, I pretended to be quite satisfied ; but I see I was
altogether mistaken about ye. I thought you vagrant Gypsy
folks and trampers ; but now "
*' Vagrant Gypsy folks and trampers," said I ; " and what are
we but people of that stamp ? "
" Oh/' said the postillion, '' if you wish to be thought such,
I am far too civil a person to contradict you, especially after your
kindness to me, but "
" But ! " said I ; ** what do you mean by but ? I would have
you to know that I am proud of being a travelling blacksmith :
look at these donkey-shoes, I finished them this day."
The postillion took the shoes and examined them. '^ So you
made these shoes ?" he cried at last.
" To be sure I did ; do you doubt it ? "
" Not in the least," said the man.
** Ah ! ah ! " said I, '* I thought I should bring you back to
your original opinion. I am, then, a vagrant Gypsy body, a *
tramper, a wandering blacksmith."
''Not a blacksmith, whatever else you may be," said the
postillion laughing.
•' Then how do you account for my making those shoes?"
" By your not being a blacksmith," said the postillion ; " no
blacksmith would have made shoes in that manner. Besides,
what did you mean just now by saying you had finished these
shoes to-day ? a real blacksmith would have flung ofif three or four
sets of donkey shoes in one morning, but you, I will be sworn,
have been hammering at these for days, and they do you credit,
but why ? because you are no blacksmith ; no, friend, your shoes
may do for this young gentlewoman's animal, but I shouldn't like
to have my horses shod by you, unless at a great pinch indeed."
" Then," said I, " for what do you take me? "
" Why, for some runaway young gentleman," said the postillion.
" No offence, I hope ? "
" None at all ; nq one is offended at being taken or mistaken
for a young gentleman, whether runaway or not ; but from whence
do you suppose I have run away ? "
" Why, from college," said the man : " no offence ? "
** None whatever ; and what induced me to run away from
college?"
" A love affair, I'll be sworn," said the postillion. "You had
become acquainted with this young gentlewoman, so she and
you "
"Mind how you get on, friend," said Belle, in a deep serious tone.
5M ^^ VBNGRO. [iSas-
" Pray proceed/' said I ; " I dare say you mean no offence/'
*' None in the world," said the postilUon ; *' all I was going to
say was that you agreed to run away together, you from coll^e^
and she from boarding-schooL Well, there's nothing to be
ashamed of in a matter like that, such things are done every day
by young folks in high life."
** Are you offended?" said I to Belle.
Belle made no answer; but, placing her elbows on her knees
buned her face in her hands.
" So we ran away together? " said I.
"Ay, ay," said the postillion, "to Gretna Green, though I
can't say that I drove ye, though I have driven many a pair."
"And from Gretna Green we came here?"
"I'll be bound you did," said the man^ "till you could
arrange matters at home."
" And the horse-shoes?" said I.
"The donkey-shoes, you mean," answered the postilUon;
" why, I suppose you persuaded the blacksmith who married you
to give you, before you left, a few lessons in his trade."
"And we intend [to stay here till we have arranged matters
at home?"
"Ay, ay," said the postillion, "till the old people are pacified
and they send vou letters directed to the next post town, to be left
till called for, beginning with, ' Dear children,' and endosing you
each a cheque for one hundred pounds, when you will leave this
place, and go home in a coach like gentlefolks, to visit your gover-
nors ; I should like nothing better than to have the driving of you :
and then there will be a grand meeting of the two fiunilies, and alter
a few reproaches, the old people will agree to do something hand-
some for the poor thoughtless things; so you will have a genteel
house taken for you, and an annuity allowed you. You won't get
much the first year, five hundred at the most, in order that the old
folks may let you feel that they are not altogether satisfied with you,
and that you are yet entirely in their power ; but the second, if you
don't get a cool thousand, may I catch cold, especially should young
madam here present a son and heir for the old peqple to fondle,
destined one day to become sole heir of the two illustrious houses,
and then all the grand folks in the neighbourhood, who have,
bless their prudent hearts 1 kept rather idoof from you till then,
for fear you should want anything from them — I say, all the
carriage people in the neighbourhood, when they see how swim
mingly matters are going on, will come in shoals to visit you."
" Really," said I, "you are getting on swimmingly."
ft
If
iSas.] STRANDED GBNTRY. 5«5
'' Oh/' said the postillion, " I was not a gentleman's servant
nine yean without learning the ways of gentry, and being able to
know gentry when I see them."
*' And what do you say to all this ? " I demanded of Belle.
" Stop a moment/' interposed the postillion, " I have one
more word to say : and when you are surrounded by your
comforts^ keeping your nice little barouche and pair, your coach-
man and livery servant, and visited by all the carriage people in
the neighbourhood — to say nothing of the time when you come
to the family estates on the death of the old people — I shouldn't
wonder if now and then you look back with longing and regret to
the days when you lived in the damp, dripping dingle, had no
better equipage than a pony or donkey-cart, and saw no better
company than a tramper or Gypsy, except once^ when a poor
postillion was glad to seat himself at your char^ml fire/
** Pray," said I, '' did you ever take lessons in elocution ?
** Not directly," said the postillion ; "but my old master who
was in Parliament, did, and so did his son, who was intended to
be an orator. A great professor used to come and give them
lessons, and I used to stand and listen, by which means I picked
op a considerable quantity of what is called rhetoric. In what I
last said, I was aiming at what I have heard him frequently
endeavouring to teach my governors as a thing indispensably
necessary in all oratory, a graceful pere — ^pere — ^per^[iination.''
" Peroration, perhaps ? "
"Just so,** said the postillion ; " and now I am sure I am not
mistaken about you; you have taken lessons yourself, at first
hand, in the college vacations, and a promising pupil you were, I
make no doubt. Well, your friends will be all the happier to get
you back. Has your governor much borough interest?"
** I ask you once more," said I, addressing myself to Belle,
" what do you think of the history which this good man has made
for us?''
" What should I think of it," said BeUe, stiU keeping her &ce
buried in her hands, " but that it is mere nonsense ? "
** Nonsense 1 " said the postillion.
" Yes," said the girlt '* and you know it."
" May my leg always ache, it I do," said the postillion, patting
his leg with his hand; "will you persuade me that this young
man has never been at college?"
" I have never been at college, but — "
" Ay, ay," said the postillion ; " but "
" I have been to the best schooli in Britain* to say nothing of
A cdebnttai «ne in Irdand."
536 LA VBNGRO. [iSts
' ■ . ■ . - -^ — .^
^^ Well, then, it comes to the same thing," said the postillion ;
'' or perhaps you know more than if jou had been at college— and
your governor ? "
" My governor, as you call him," said I, ''is dead."
** And his borough interest ? "
*' My father had no borough interest," said I ; " had he
possessed any, he would perhaps not have died as he <Ud, honour-
ably poor."
"No» no/' said the postillion; 'Mf he had had borough
interest, he wouldn't have been poor, nor honourable, though
perhaps a right honourable. However, with your grand education
and genteel manners, you made all right at last by persuading this
nofile young gentlewoman to run away from boarding-school with
you."
*'I was never at boarding-school," said Belle, "unless you
caU "
" Ay, ay," said the postillion, " boarding-school is vulgar, I
know : I beg your pardon, I ought to have odled it academy, or
by some other much finer name — you were in something, much
greater than a boarding-school"
*' There you are right," said Belle, lifting up her head and
looking the postillion &11 in the face by the light of the charcoal
fire ; " for I was bred in the workhouse."
"Wooh I" said the postillion.
" It is true that I am of good —
"Ay, ay/' said the postillion, "let us hear
" Of good blood," continued Belle ; " my name is Bemers,
Isopd Berners, though my parents were unfortunate. Indeed,
with respect to blood, I believe I am of better blood than the
young man."
" There you are mistaken," said I ; "by my father's side I
am of Cornish blood, and by my mother's of brave French
Protestant extraction. Now, with respect to the blood of my
father — and to be descended well on the father's side is the
principal thing — it is the best blood in the world, for the Cornish
blood, as the proverb says "
" I don't care what the proverb says," said Belle ; " I say my
blood is the best — ^my name is Berners, Isopel Berners — it was
my mother's name, and is better, I am sure, than any you bear,
whatever that may be ; and though you say that the descent on the
father's side is the principal thing — and I know why you say so,"
she added with some excitement — "I say that descent on the
mother's side is of most account, because the mother *'
iSav] GRBTNA GRBBN. 597
'^Just come from Gretna Green^ and already quarrelling/' said
the postillion.
" We do not come from Gretna Green/' said Belle.
''Ah, I had forgot/' said the postillion, "none but great
people go to Gretna Green. Well, then, from church, and already
quarrelling about family, just like two great people/'
"We have never been to church," said Belle, "and, to
prevent any more guessing on your part, it will be as well for me
to tell you, friend, that I am nothing to the young man, and he,
of course, nothing to me. I am a poor travelling girl, bom in a
workhouse : journeying on my occasions with certain companions,
I came to this hollow, where my company quarrelled with the
young man, who had settled down here, as he had a right to do,
if he pleased ; and not being able to drive him out, they went
away after quarrelling with me, too, for not choosing to side with
them ; so I stayed here along with the young man, there being
room for us both, and the place being as free to me as to him/'
** And, in order that you may be no longer puzzled with
respect to myself," said I, " I will give you a brief outline of my
history. I am the son of honourable parents, who gave me a
first-rate education, as far as literature and languages went, with
which education I endeavoured, on the death of my father, to
advance myself to wealth and reputation in the big city; but
fiuling in the attempt, I conceived a disgust for the busy world,
and determined to retire from it. After wandering about for
some time, and meeting with various adventures, in one of which
I contrived to obtain a pony, cart and certain tools, used by
smiths and tinkers, I came to this place, where I amused myself
with making horse-shoes, or rather pony-shoes, having acquired
the art of wielding the hammer and tongs from a strange kind of
smith — not him of Gretna Green — whom I knew in my child-
hood. And here I lived, doing harm to no one, quite lonely and
solitary, till one fine morning the premises were vbited by this
young gentlewoman and her companions. She did herself any-
thing but justice when she said that her companions quarrelled
with her because she would not side with them against me; they
quarrelled with her, because she came most heroically to my
assistance as I was on the point of being murdered; and she
forgot to tell yo«i, that after they had abandoned her she stood
by me in the dark hour, comforting and cheering me, when
unspeakable dread, to which I am occasionally subject, took
possession of my mind. She sa]rs she is nothing to me, even as
I am nothing to her. I am of course nothing to her, but she is
mistaken in thinking she is nothing to me. I entertain the
5s8 LA VBNGRO. [ifos.
highest regard and admiration for her, being convinced that 1
might search the whole world in vain for a nature more heroic
and devoted"
*' And for my part/' said Belle, with a sob, "a more quiet»
agreeable partner in a place like this I would not wish to have ;
it is true he has strange ways, and frequently puts words into my
mouth very difficult to utter ; but — ^but " and here she buried
her face once more in her hands.
"Well/' said the postillion, *'I have been mistaken about
you ; that is» not altogether, but in part You are not rich folks,
it seems, but you are not common people, and that I could have
sworn. What I call a shame is, that some people I have known
are not in your place and you in theirs — ^you with their estates
and borough interest, they in this dingle with these carts and
animals ; but there is no help for these things. Were I the great
Mumbo Jumbo above, I would endeavour to manage matters
better ; but being a simple postillion, glad to earn three shilhiigv
a day, I can't be expected to do much. '
'' Who is Mumbo Jumbo?" said I.
" Ah I " said the postillion, " I see there may be a thing or
two I know better than yourself. Mumbo Jumbo is a god oi the
black coast, to which people go for ivory and gold."
'* Were you ever there ? " I demanded.
"No/' said the postillion, ''but I heard plenty of Mumbo
Jumbo when I was a boy."
''I wish you would tell us something about yourself. I
believe that your own real history would prove quite as enter-
taining, if not more, than that which you imagined about us."
" I am rather tired," said the postillion, " and my leg is
rather troublesome. I should be glad to try to sleep upon one
of your blankets. However, as you wish to hear something
about me, I shall be happy to obl4;e you ; but your fire is rather
low, and this place is chilly.''
Thereupon I arose, and put fresh charcoal on the pan ; then
taking it outside the tent, with a kind of to which I had
fashioned, I fanned the coals into a red glow, and continued
doing so until the greater part of the noxious gas, whidi the coals
are in the habit of exhaling, was exhausted. I then brought it
into the tent and reseated myself, scattering over the coals a
small portion of sugar. ** No bad smell," said the postillion ;
" but upon the whole I think I like the smdl of tobacco better;
and with your permission I will once more light my pipe.^'
Thereupon he relighted his pipe; and after taking two or
three whiAi began in the following manner.
CHAPTER XCVIII.
**l AM a poor postillion, as you see ; yet, as I have seen a thing
or two, and heard a thing or two of what is going on in the
world» perhaps what I have to tell you connected with myself
may not prove altogether uninteresting* Now, my friends, this
manner of opening a story is what the man who taught rhetoric
would call a hex — hex — "
*< Exordium,'* said L
** Just so," said the postillion ; " I treated you to a per — per
— peroration some time ago, so that I have contrived to put the
cart before the horse, as the Irish orators frequently do in the
honourable House, in whose speeches, especially those who have
taken lessons in rhetoric, the per — per — ^what's the word? — fre-
quently goes before the exordium.
"I was born in the neighbouring county; my father was
land-steward to a squire of about a thousand a year. My father
had two sons, of whom I am the youngest by some years. My
elder brother was of a spirited, roving disposition, and for fear
that he should turn out what is generally termed ungain, my
father determined to send him to sea: so once upon a time,
when my brother was about fifteen, he took him to the great
sea-port of the county, where he apprenticed him to a captain
of one of the ships which trade to the high Barbary coast. Fine
ships they were, I have heard say, more than thirty in number,
and all belonging to a wonderful great gentleman, who had once
been a parish boy, but had contrived to make an immense fortune
by tracHng to that coast for gold dust, ivory and other strange
articles; and for doing so, I mean for making a fortune, had
been made a knight baronet. So my brother went to the high
Barbary shore, on board the fine vessel, and in about a year
returned and came to visit us ; he repeated the voyage several
times, always coming to see his parents on his return. Strange
stories he used to tell us of what he had been witness to on the
high Barbary coast, both off shore and on. He said that the fine
vessel in which be sailed was nothing better than a painted hell ;
(529) 34
530 LA VBNGRO. [1825.
that the captain was a veritable fiend, whose grand delight was
m tormenting his men, especially when they were sick, as they
frequently were, there being always fever on the high Barbary
coast ; and that though the captain was occasionally sick himself
his being so made no difference, or rather it did make a differ-
ence, though for the worse, he being when sick always more
inveterate and malignant than at other times. He said that
once, when he himself was sick, his captain had pitched his face
all over, which exploit was much applauded by the other high
Barbary captains; all of whom, from what my brother said,
appeared to be of much the same disposition as my brother's
captain, taking wonderful delight in tormenting the crews, and
doing all manner of terrible things. My brother frequently said
that nothing whatever prevented him from running away from his
ship, and never returning, but the hope he entertained of one day
being captain himself, and able to torment people in his turn,
which he solemnly vowed be would do, as a kind of compensa-
tion for what he himself had undeiigone. And if things were
going on in a strange way off the high Barbary shore amongst
those who came there to trade, they were going on in a way yet
stranger with the people who lived upon it.
** Oh, the strange ways of the black men who lived on that
shore, of which my brother used to tell us at home ; selling their
sons, daughters and servants for slaves, and the prisoners taken
in battle, to the Spanish captains, to be carried to Havannah, and
when there, sold at a profit, the idea of which, my brother said,
went to the hearts of our own captains, who used to say what a
hard thing it was that free-born Englishmen could not have a
hand in the traffic, seeing that it was forbidden by the laws of
their country ; talking fondly of the good old times when their
fore&thers used to carry slaves to Jamaica and Barba(^oes,
realising immense profit, besides the pleasure of hearing dielr
shrieks on the voyage ; and then the superstitions of the blacks,
which my brother used to talk of ; their sharks' teeth, their wisps
of fowls' feathers, their half-baked pots, full of burnt bones, of
which they used to make what they called fetish ; and bow down
to, and ask favours of, and then, perhaps, abuse and strike,
provided the senseless rubbish did not give them what they
asked for; and then, above all, Mumbo Jumbo, the grand fetish
master, who lived somewhere in the woods, and who used to
come out every now and then with his fetish companions; a
monstrous figure, all wound round with leaves and branches, so
as to be quite indistinguishable, and, seating himself on the high
1835.] THE POSTILLION'S TALB. 531
seat in the villages, receive homage from the people, and also
gifts and offerings, the most valuable of which were pretty
damsels, and then betake himself back again, with his followers
into the woods. Oh, the tales that my brother used to tell us of
the high Barbary shore 1 Poor fellow 1 what became of him I
can't say ; the last time he came back from a voyage, he told us
that his captain, as soon as he had brought his vessel to port, and
settled with his owner, drowned himself off the quay in a fit of
the horrors, which it seems high Barbary captains, after a certain
number of years, are much subject to. After staying about a
month with us, he went to sea again, with another captain ; and
bad as the old one had been, it appears the new one was worse,
for, unable to bear his treatment, my brother left his ship off the
high Barbary shore, and ran away up the country. Some of his
comrades, whom we afterwards saw, said that there were various
rep<nts about him on the shore ; one. that he had taken on with
Mumbo Jumbo, and was serving him in his house in the woods,
in the capacity of swash-buckler, or life-guardsman; another,
that he was gone in quest of a mighty city in the heart of the
negro country ; another, that in swimming a stream he had been
devoured by an alligator. Now, these two last reports were bad
enough ; the idea of their flesh and blood being bit asimder by a
ravenous fish, was sad enough to my poor parents ; and not very
comfortable was the thought of his sweltering over the hot sands
in quest of the negro city ; but the idea of their son, their eldest
child, serving Mumbo Jumbo as swash-buckler, was worst of all,
and caused my poor parents to shed many a scalding tear.
'' I stayed at home with my parents until I was about eighteen,
assisting my father in various ways. I then went to live at the
squire*s, partly as groom, partly as footman. After living in the
country some time, I attended the family in a trip of six weeks*
which they made to London. Whilst there, happening to have some
words with an old ill-tempered coachman, who had been for a great
many years in the family, my master advised me to leave, offering
to recommend me to a 4mily of bis acquaintance who were in need
of a footman. I was glad to accept his offer, and in a few days
went to my new place. My new master was one of the great
gentry, a baronet in Parliament, and possessed of an estate of
about twenty thousand a year; his family consisted of his lady, a
son, a fine young man, just coming of age, and two very sweet,
amiable daughters. I liked this place much better than my first,
there was so much more pleasant noise and bustle — so much
more grand company — and so many more opportunities of im-
53a LA VBNGRO. [1825.
proving myself. Oh, how I liked to see the grand coaches drive
up to the door» with the grand company; and though, amidst
that company, there were some who did not look very grand,
there were others, and not a few, who did. Some of the ladies
quite captivated me; there was the Marchioness of in
particular. This young lady puts me much in mind of her ; it is
true, the Marchioness, as I saw her then, was about fifteen years
older than this young gentlewoman is now, and not so tall by
some inches, but she had the very same hair, and much the same
neck and shoulders — ^no offence, I hope? And then some of the
young gentlemen, with their cool, haughty, care-for-nothing looks,
strudc me as being very fine fellows. There was one in particular,
whom I frequently used to stare at, not altogether unlike some
one I have seen hereabouts— 4ie had a slight cast in his eye, and
but I won't enter into every particular. And then the
footmen ! Oh, how those footmen helped to improve me with
their conversation. Many of them could converse much more
glibly than their masters, and appeared to have much better taste.
At any rate, they seldom approved of what their masters did. I
remember being once with one in the gallery of the play-house,
when something of Shakspeare's was being performed ; some one
in the first tier of boxes was aj^lauding very loudly. ' That's
my fool of a governor,' said he ; 'he is weak enough to like
Shakspeare — I don't — he's so confoundedly low, but he won't last
long — going down. Shakspeare culminated' — I think that was
the word — * culminated some time ago.'
*' And then the professor of elocution, of whom my governors
used to take lessons, and of which lessons I had my share, by
hstening behind the door ; but for that professor of elocution I
should not be able to round my periods — ^an expression of his —
in the manner I do.
"After I had been three years at this place my mistress died.
Her death, however, made no great alteration in my way of
Uving, the £unily spending their winters in London, and their
summers at their dd seat in S as before. At last, the young
ladies, who had not yet got husbands, which was strange enough,
seeing, as I told you before, they were very amiable, proposed to
our governor a travelling expedition abroad. The old baronet
consented, though young master vras much against it, sayii^,
they would all be much better at home. As the girls persisted,
however, he at last withdrew his opposition^ and even promised
to follow them, as soon as bis parliamentary duties w6uld permit,
for he was just got into Parliament ; and, like most other young
i8a5.1 THE TALE. 533
members, thought that nothing could be done m the House with-
out him. So the old gentleman and the two young ladies set off,
taking me with them, and a couple of ladies' mai£ to wait upon
them. First of all, we went to Paris, where we continued three
months, the old baronet and the ladies going to see the various
sights of the city and the neighbourhood, and I attending them.
They soon got tired of sight-seeing, and of Paris too ; and so did
I. However, they still continued there, in order, I believe, that
the young ladies might lay in a store of French finery. I should
have passed my idle time at Paris, of which I had plenty after
the sight-seeing was over, very unpleasantly, but for Black Jack.
£h I did you never hear of Black Jack ? Ah I if you had ever
been an English servant in Paris, you would have known Black
Jack ; not an English gentleman's servant who has been at Paris
for this last ten years but knows Black Jack and his ordinary.
A strange fellow he was — of what country no one could exactly
lay — for as for judging from speech, that was impossible. Jack
speakii^ all languages equally ill. Some said he came direct
from Satan's kitchen, and that when he gives up keeping ordi-
nary, he will return there again, though the generally received
opinion at Paris was, that he was at one time butler to King
Pharaoh, and that, after lying asleep for four thousand years in
a place called the Kattycombs, he was awaked by the sound of
Nelson's canon, at the battle of the Nile ; and going to the shore
took on with the admiral, and became, in course of time, ship
steward ; and that after Nelson's death, he was captured by the
French, on board one of whose vessels he served in a somewhat
similar capacity till the peace, when he came to Paris, and set up
an ordinary for servants, sticking the name of Katcomb over the
door, in allusion to the place where he had his long sleep. But,
whatever his origin was, Jack kept his own counsel, and appeared
to care nothing for what people said about him, or called him.
Yes, I forgot, there was one name he would not be called, and
that was Portuguese. I once saw Black Jack knock down a
coachman, six foot high, who called him blaick-foced Portuguese.
* Any name but dat, you shab,' said Black Jack, who was a little
round fellow, of about five feet two ; ' I would not stand to be
called Portuguese by Nelson himself.' Jack was rather fond of
talking about Nelson, and hearing people talking about him, so
that it is not improbable that he may have sailed with him ; and
with respect to his having been King Pharaoh's butler, all I have
to say is, I am not disposed to give the downright lie to the
report Jack was always ready to do a kind turn to a poor
S34 ^"^ VBNORO. [1835-
servant out of place, and has often been known to assist such as
were in prison, which charitable disposition he perhaps acquired
from having lost a good place himself, having seen the inside of
a prison, and known the want of a meal's victuals, all which
trials King Pharaoh's butler underwent, so he may have been
that butler ; at any rate, I have known positive conclusions come
to, on no better premises, if indeed as good. As for the story
of his coming direct from Satan's kitchen, I place no confidence
in it at all, as Black Jack had nothing of Satan about him, but
blackness, on which account he was called Black Jack. Nor am
I disposed to give credit to a report that his hatred of the Portu-
guese arose from some ill treatment which he had once experi-
enced when on shore, at Lisbon, from certain gentlewomen of
the place, but rather conclude that it arose from an opinion he
entertained that the Portuguese never paid their debts, one of the
ambassadors of that nation, whose house he had served, having
left Paris several thousand francs in his debt This is all that I
have to say about Black Jack, without whose funny jokes, and
good ordinary, I should have passed my time in Paris in a very
disconsolate manner.
*• After we had been at Paris between two and three months,
we left it in the direction of Italy, which country the family had
a great desire to see. After travelling a great many days in a
thing which, though called a diligence, did not exhibit much dili-
gence, we came to a great big tovm, seated around a nasty salt-
water basin, connected by a narrow passage with the sea. Here
we were to embark; and so we did as soon as possible, glad
enough to get away ; at least I was, and so I make no doubt were
the rest; for such a place for bad smells I never was in. It
seems all the drains and sewers of the place run into that same
salt basin, voiding into it all their impurities, which, not being able
to escape into the sea in any considerable quantity, owing to the
narrowness of the entrance, there accumulate, filling the whole
atmosphere with these same outrageous scents, on which account
the town is a famous lodging-house of the plague. The ship in
which we embarked was bound for a place in Italy called Naples,
where we were to stay some time. The voyage was rather a lazy
one, the ship not being moved by steam; for at the time of
which I am speaking, some five years ago, steamships were not
so plentiful as now. There were only two passengers in the
grand cabin, where my governor and his daughters were, an
Italian lady and a priest. Of the lady I have not much to say ;
she appeared to be a quiet respectable person enough, and after
ites-I ^^^ TALE. S35
our arrivid at Naples^ I neither saw nor heard anything ■K>re of
her; but of the priest I shall have a good deal to say in the
sequel (that, by-the-bye, is a word I l^unt from the professor
of rhetoric), and it would have been well for our fiunily had they
never met him.
'' On the third day of the voyage the priest came to me, who
was rather unwell with sea-sickness, which he, of course, felt
nothing of, that kind of people being never affected like others.
He was a finish-looking man of about forty-five, but had something
strange in his eyes, which I have since tiiought denoted that all
was not right in a certain place called the heart. After a few
words of condolence, in a broken kind of English, he asked me
various questions about our family ; and I, won by his seeming
kindness, told him all I knew about them, of which communi-
cativeness I afterwards very much repented. As soon as he had
got out of me all he desired, he left me ; and I observed that
during the rest of the voyage he was wonderfully attentive to our
governor, and yet more to the young ladies. Both, however,
kept him rather at a distance ; the young ladies were reserved,
and once or twice I heard our governor cursing him between his
teeth for a sharking priest The priest, however, was not dis-
concerted, and continued his attentions, which in a little time
produced an effect, so that, by the time we landed at Naples, our
great folks had conceived a khid of liking for the man, and when
they took their leave invited him to visit them, which he promised
to do. We hired a grand house or palace at Naples ; it belonged
to a poor kind of prince, who was glad enough to let it to our
governor, and also his servants and carriages ; and glad enough
were the poor servants, for they got from us what they never got
from the prince— plenty of meat and money — and glad enough,
I make no doubt, were the horses for the provender we gave
them ; and I daresay the coaches were not sorry to be cleaned
and furbished up. Well, we went out and came in ; going to see
Uie sights, and returning. Amongst other things we saw was
the burning mountain, and the tomb of a certain sorcerer called
Virgilio, who made witch rhymes, by which he could raise the
dead. Plenty of people came to see us, both English and
Italians, and amongst the rest the priest. He did not come
amoi^st the first, but allowed us to^settle and become a little
quiet before he showed himself ; and after a day or two he paid
us another visit, then another, till at last his visits were daily.
'' I did not like that Jack Priest; so I kept my eye upon all
bis motions. Lord 1 how that Jack Priest did curry favour with
536 LA VBNGRO. [itas-
our governor and the two young ladies; and he curried, and
curried, till he had got himself into fitvour with the governor,
and more especially with the two young ladies, of whom dteir
father was doatingly fond. At last the ladies took lessons in
Italian of the priest, a language in which he was said to be a
grand proficient, and of which they had hitherto known but very
little ; and from that time his influence over them, and conse-
quently over the old governor, increased, till the tables were
turned, and he no longer curried fovour with them, but tfaey
with him ; yes, as true as my leg aches, the young ladies canied,
and the old governor curried fovour with that same priest ; when
he was with them, they seemed almost to hang on his lips, that
is, the young ladies ; and as for the old governor, he never con-
tradicted him, and when the fellow was absent, which, by-the4iye
was not often, it was ' Father so-and-so said this, and Father so-
and-so said that ; Father soand-so thinks we should do so-and-
so, or that we should not do so-and-so '. I at first thought that
he must have given them something, some philtre or the like;
but one of the English maid-servants, who had a kind of respect
for me, and who saw much more behind the scenes than I <yd,
informed me that he was continually instilling strange notions
into their heads, striving, by every possible method, to make them
despise the religion of their own land, and take up that of the
foreign country in which they were. And sure enough, in a
little time, the girls had altogether left off going to an E^ig^sh
chapel, and were continually visiting places of Italian worship.
The old governor, it is true, still went to his church, but he
appeared to be hesitating between two opinions ; and once when
he yr^s at dinner he said to two or three English friends, that
since he had become better acquainted with it, he had conceived
a much more favourable opinion of the Catholic rdigion than he
had previously entertained. In a word, the priest ruled the
house, and everything was done according to his will and
pleasure ; by degrees he persuaded the young ladies to drop
their English acquaintances, whose place he supj^ed with Italians,
chiefly females. My poor old governor would not have had a
person to speak to, for he never could learn the language, but for
two or three Englishmen who used to come occasionally and
take a bottle with him, in a summ^ •house, whose company he
could not be persuaded to resign, notwithstanding the entreaties
of his daughters, instigated by the priest, whose grand endeavour
seemed to be to render the minds of all thr^ foolish, for his own
ends. And if he was busy above stairs with die governor, tiieie
iSaS-l THE TALS. 537
WAS another busy belo w with us poor English servants^ a kind of
subordinate priest, a low Italian ; as he could speak no language
but his own, he was continually jabbering to us in that, and by
hearing him the maids and m3rself contrived to pick up a good
deal of the language, so that we understood most that was said,
and could speak it very fairly ; and the themes of his jabber were
tibe beauty and virtues of one whom he called Holy Mary, and
the power and grandeur of one whom he called the Holy Father ;
and he told us that we should shortly have an opportunity of seeing
the Holy Father, who could do anything he liked with Holy Mary :
in the meantime we had plenty of opportunities of seeing Holy
Mary, for in every church, chapel and convent to which we were
taken, there was an image of Holy Mary, who, if the images
were dressed at all in her &shion, must have been very fond of
short petticoats and tinsel, and who, if those said figures at all
resembled her in face, could scarcely have been half as handsome
as either of my two fellow-servants, not to speak of the young
ladies.
** Now it happened that one of the female servants was much
taken with what she saw and heard, and gave herself up entirely
to the will of the subordinate, who had quite as much dominion
over her as his superior had over the ladies; the other maid,
however, the one who had a kind of respect for me, was not so
easily besotted ; she used to laugh at what she saw, and at what
the fellow told her, and from her I learnt that amongst other
things intended by Uiese priestly confederates was rob1>ery ; she
said that the poor old governor had already been persuaded by
his daughters to put more than a thousand pounds into the
superior priest's hands for purposes of charity and religion, as
was said, and that the subordinate one had already inveigled her
fellow-servant out of every penny which she had saved from her
wages, and had endeavoured likewise to obtain what money she
herself had, but in vain. With respect to myself, the fellow
diortly after made an attempt towards obtaining a hundred
crowns, of which, by some means, he knew me to be in posses-
sion, telling me what a meritorious thing it was to give one^s
superfluities for the purposes of religion. ' That is true,' said I,
'and if, after my return to my native country, I find I have
anything which I don't want myself, I will employ it in helping
to build a Methodist chapel.*
'* By the time that the three months were expired for which
we had hired the palace of the needy Prince, the old governor
began to talk of returning to England, at least of leaving Italy.
5s8 LA VENGRO. [1895*
I believe he had become frightened at the calk which
continually being made upon him for money ; for after all, yoo
know, if there is a sensitive part of a man's wearing apparel« it is
his breeches pocket; but the young ladies could not think of
leaving dear Italy and the dear priest ; and then they had seen
nothing of the country, they had only seen Naples ; before leav-
ing dear Italia they must see more of the country and the cides ;
above all, they must see a place whidi they called the Eternal
City, or by some similar nonsensical name ; and th^ persisted
so that the poor governor permitted them, as usual, to have their
way ; and it was decided what route they, should take, that is, the
priest was kind enough to decide for them ; and was also kind
enough to promise to go with them part of the route, as far as m
place where there was a wonderful figure of Holy Mary, whidi
the priest said it was highly necessary for them to see before
visiting the Eternal City; so we left Naples in hired carra^es,
driven by fellows they call vefurim^ cheating, drunken dogs, I
remember they were. Besides our own fimiily there was die
priest and his subordinate, and a couple of hired lackeys. We
were several days upon the journey, travelling through a very wild
country, which the ladies pretended to be delighted with, and
which the governor cursed on account of the badness of the
roads ; and when we came to any particularly wild spot we used
to stop, in order to enjoy the scenery, as the ladies said ; and
then we would spread a horse-cloth on the ground, and eat bread
and cheese, and drink wine of the country; and some of the
holes and comers in which we bivouacked, as the ladies called it,
were something like this place where we are now, so that when I
came down here it put me in mind of them. At last we arrived
at the place where was the holy image.
" We went to the house or chapel in which the holy image
was kept, a frightful, ugly black figure of Holy Mary, dressed in
her usual way ; and after we had stared at the figure, and some
of our party had bowed down to it, we were shown a great many
things which were called holy relics, which consisted of thumb-
nails and fore-nails and toe-nails, and hair and teeth, and a
feather or two^ a mighty thigh-bone, but whether of a man or a
camel, I can't say ; all of which things I was told, if piop^ ly
touched and handled, had mighty power to cure all kinds €l
disorders ; and as we went from the holy house, we saw a man in
a state of great excitement ; he was foaming at the mouth, and
cursing the holy image and all its household, because, after he
had worshipped it and made offerings to it, and besoagbt it to
iSas-] THB TALE. 539
\ assist him in a game of chance which he was about to play^ ft had
left him in the lurch, allowing him to lose all his money ; and
when I thought of all the ruU)ish I had seen, and the purposes
[ which it was applied to, in conjunction with the rage of the losing
I gamester at the deaf and dumb image, I could not help compar-
( ing the whole with what my poor brother used to tell me of the
I superstitious practices of tiie blacks on the high Barbary shore,
and their occasional rage and fury at the things they worshipped ;
I and I said to myself, if all this here doesn't smell of fetish may I
, smell fetid.
*' At this place the priest left us, returning to Naples with his
[ subordinate, on some particular business, I suppose. It was,
however, agreed that he should visit us at the Holy City. We
\ did not go direct to the Holy City, but bent our course to two or
three other cities which the family were desirous of seeing, but as
nothing occurred to us in these places of any particular interest,
I shall take the liberty of passing them by in silence. At length
we arrived at the Eternal City; an immense city it was, looking
as if it had stood for a long time, and would stand for a long
time still; compared with it, London would look like a mere
assemblage of bee-skeps ; however, give me the bee-skeps with
their merry hum and bustle, and life and honey, rather than that
huge town, which looked like a sepulchre, where there was no
life, no busy hum, no bees, but a scanty, sallow population, inter-
mixed with black priests, white priests, grey priests ; and though
I don't say there was no honey in the place, for I believe there
was, I am ready to take my Bible oath that it was not made
there, and that the priests kept it all for themselves."
CHAPTER XCIX.
''Thb day after our arrival," continued the postillion, "I was
sent, under the guidance of a lackey of the place, with a letter*
which the priest, when he left, had given us for a friend of his in
the Eternal Ci^. We went to a laige house, and on ringing,
were admitted by a porter into a cloister* where I saw some iU-
looking, shabby young fellows walking about, who spoke English
to one another. To one of these the porter delivered the leitei;
and the young fellow going away, presently returned and tcrid me
to follow him; he led me into a large room, where, behind a
table, on which were various papers, and a thing, which they call
in that country a crucifix, sat a man in a kind of priestly dress.
The lad having opened the door for me, shut it behind me, and
went away. The man behind the table was so engaged in reading
the letter which I had brought, that at first he took no notice of
me; he had red hair, a kind of half-English countenance, and was
seemingly about five^md-thirty. After a little time he laid the
letter down, appeared to consider a moment, and then opened
his mouth with a strange laugh, not a loud laughi for I heard
nothing but a kind of hissing deep down the &ioat; all of m
sudden, however, perceiving me, he gave a slight start, bat
instantly recovering himself, he inquired in English concerning
the health of the family, and where we lived ; on my delivering
him a card, he bade me inform my master and the ladies that in
the course of the day he would do himself the honour of waiting
upon them. He then arose and opened the door for me to
depart ; the man was perfectly civil and courteous, but I did not
like that strange laugh of his, after having read the letter. He
was as good as his word, and that same day paid us a visit It
was now arranged that we should pass the winter in Rome, to my
great annoyance, fo» I wished to return to my native lanc^ being
heartily tired of everything connected with Italy. I was not,
however, without hope that our young master would shortly
arrive, when I trusted that matters, as fiir as the fiunily wexe
concerned, would be put on a better footing. In a few days
our new acquaintance, who, it seems, was a mongrel Englishman,
(S4o)
iSas-l ^^^JS CONTINUED. 541
had procured a house for our aocommodation ; it was large
enough, but not near so pleasant as that we had at Naples, whidi
was light and airy, with a large garden. This was a dark, gloomy
structure in a narrow street, with a frowning church beside it ; it
was not fiur from the place where our new friend lived, and its
being so was probably the reason why he selected it. It was
furnished partly with articles which we bought, and partly with
those which we hired. We lived something in the same way as
at Naples ; but though I did not much like Naples, I yet liked it
better than this place, which was so gloomy. Our new acquaint-
ance made himself as agreeable as he could, conducting the
ladies to churches and convents, and frequently passing the
afternoon drinking with the governor, who was fond of a glass of
brandy and water and a cigar, as the new acquaintance also was
— no, I remember, he was fond of gin and water, and did not
smoke. I don't think he had so much influence over the young
ladies as the other priest, which was, perhaps, owing to his not
being so good-looking ; but I am sure he had more influence
with the governor, owing, doubtless, to his bearing him company
in drinking mixed liquors, which the other priest did not do.
*' He was a strange fellow, that same new acquaintance of
ours, and unlike all ^e priests I saw in that country, and I saw
plenty of various nations — ^they were always upon their guard,
and had their features and voice modulated ; but this man was
subject to fits of absence, during which he would frequently
mutter to himself; then, though he was perfectly civil to every-
body, as far as words went, I observed that he entertained a
thorough contempt for most people, especially for those whom he
was making dupes. I have observed him whilst drinking with
our governor, when the old man's head was turned, look at him
with an air which seemed to say, ' What a thundering old fool
you are!' and at our young ladies, when their backs were turned,
with a glance which said distinctiy enough, * You precious pair
of ninnyhammers ' ; and then his laugh---4)e had two kinds of
laughs^^ne which you could hear, and another which you could
only see. I have seen him laugh at our governor and the young
ladies, when their heads were turned away, but I heard no sound.
My mother had a sandy cat, which sometimes used to open its
mouth wide with a mew which nobody could hear, and the silent
laugh of that red-haired priest used to put me wonderfully in
mind of the silent mew of my mother's sandy-red cat. And then
the other laugh, which you could hear ; what a strange laugh that
was, never loud, yes, I have heard it tolerably loud. He once
54a LA VBNGRO. [1835.
passed near me, after haying taken leave of a silly Eoglisb fUIow
— a limping parson of the name of Platitude, who they said was
thinking of turning Papist, and was much in his company ; I was
standing behind the pillar of a piazza, and as he passed he was
laughing heartily. Oh, he was a strange fellow, that same red-
haired acquaintance of ours I
'* After we had been at Rome about six weeks, our old friend
the priest of Naples arrived, but without his subordinate, for
whose services he now perhaps thought that he had no occasion.
I believe he found matters in our fiamily wearing almost as
favourable an aspect as he could desire: with what he had
previously taught them and shown them at Naples and elsewhere,
and with what the red-haired confederate had taught them and
shown them at Rome, the poor young ladies had become quite
handmaids of superstition, so that they, especially the youngest,
were prepared to bow down to anything, and kiss anjrthing how-
ever vile and ugly, provided a priest commanded them ; and as
for the old governor, what with the influence which his daughters
exerted, and what with the ascendancy which the red-haired man
had obtained over him, he dared not say his purse, far less his
soul, was his own. Only think of an Englishman not being
master of his own purse. My acquaintance, the lady's maid,
assured me, that to her certain knowledge, he had disbursed to
the red-haired man, for purposes of charity, as it was said, at
least one thousand pounds during the five weeks we had been at
Rome. She also told me that things would shortly be brought
to a conclusion, and so indeed they were, though in a different
manner from what she and I and some other people imagined ;
that there was to be a grand festival, and a mass, at which we
were to be present, after which the family were to be presented
to the Holy Father, for so those two priestly sharks had managed
it ; and then she said she was certain that the two ladies,
and perhaps the old governor, would forsake the religion of their
native land, taking up with that of these foreign regions, for so
my fellow-servant expressed it, and that perhaps attempts might
be made to induce us poor English servants to take up with the
foreign -religion, that is, herself and me, for as for our fellow-
servant, the other maid* she wanted no inducing, being disposed
body and soul to go over to it Whereupon, I swore with an
oath that nothing should induce me to take up with the foreign
religion; and the poor maid, my fellowservant, bursting into
tears, said that for her part she would sooner die than have
anything to do with it; thereupon we shook hands and agreed
ifias-l " ^^^ church:' 543
to stand by and countenance one another : and moreover, pro-
vided our governors were foob enough to go over to the religion
of these here foreigners, we would not wait to be asked to do the
Uke, but leave them at once, and make the best of our way home,
even if we were forced to beg on the road.
" At last the day of the grand festival came, and we were all
to go to the big church to hear the mass. Now it happened
that for some time past I had been much afflicted with melan-
choly, especially when I got up of a morning, produced by the
strange manner in which I saw things going on in our family ;
and to dispel it in some degree, I had been in the habit of
taking a dram before breakfast On the morning in question,
feeling particularly low-spirited when I thought of the foolish
step our governor would probably take before evening, I took two
drams before breakfast ; and after breakfast, feeling my melancholy
still continuing, I took another, which produced a slight effect
upon my head, though I am convinced nobody observed it.
'* Away we drove to the big church ; it was a dark, misty day,
I remember, and very cold, so that if anybody had noticed my
being slightly in liquor, I could have excused myself by saying
that I had merely Uken a glass to fortify my constitution against
the weather ; and of one thing I am certain, which is, that such
an excuse would have stood me in stead with our governor, who
looked, I thought, as if he had taken one too ; but I may be
mistaken, and why should I notice him, seeing that he took no
notice of me : so away we drove to the big church, to which all
the population of the place appeared to be moving.
"On arriving there we dismounted, and the two priests who
were with us led the family in, whilst I followed at a little distance,
but quickly lost them amidst the throng of people. I made my
way, however, though in what direction I knew not, except it
was one in which everybody seemed striving, and by dint of
elbowing and pushing, I at last got to a place which looked like
Uie aisle of a cathedral, where the people stood in two rows, a
space between being kept open by certain strangely-dressed men
who moved up and down with rods in their hands; all were
looking to the upper end of this place or aisle ; and at the upper
end, separated from the people by palings like those of an altar,
sat in magnificent-looking stalls, on the right and the left, various
wonderful-looking individuals in scarlet dresses. At the farther
end was what appeared to be an altar, on the left hand was a
pulpit, and on the right a stall higher than any of the rest, whcte
was a figtue whom I could scarcely see.
544 LA VBNGRO. [1835.
" I can't pretend to describe what I saw ezactlj» for my head,
which was at first rather flurried^ had become more so from the
efforts which I had made to get through the crowd ; also from
certain singing which proceeded from I know not where, and
above all from the bursts of an organ which were occasicMiallj so
loud that I thought the roof, which was painted with wondrous
colours, would come toppling down on those below. So there
stood I, a poor English servant, in that outlandish place, in the
midst of that foreign crowd, looking at that outlandish sight,
hearing those outlandish sounds, and occasionally glancing at
our party, which, by this time, I distinguished at the opposite side
to where I stood, but much nearer the place where the red figures
sat. Yes, there stood our poor governor, and the sweet young
ladies, and I thought they never looked so handsome before, and
close by them were the sharking priests, and not far from them
was that idiotical parson Platitude, winking and grinning, and
occasionally lifting up his hands as if in ecstasy at what he saw
and heard, so that he drew upon himself the notice of the
congregation.
'' And now an individual mounted the pulpit, and began to
preach in a language which I did not understand, but which I
believe to be Latin, addressing himself seemingly to the figure in
the stall ; and when he had ceased, there was more singing, more
organ playing, and then two men in robes brought forth two
things which they held up; and then the people bowed their
heads, and our poor governor bowed his head, and the sweet
young ladies bowed their heads, and the sharking priests, whilst
the idiotical parson Platitude tried to fling himsetf down ; and
then there were various evolutions withinside the pale, and the
scarlet figures got up and sat down, and this kind of thing con-
tinued for some time ; at length the figure which I had seen in
the principal stall came forth and advanced towards the people ;
an awful figure he was, a huge old man with a sugar-loaf hat,
with a sulphur-coloured dress, and holding a crook in his hand
like that of a shepherd ; and as he advanced the people fell 00
their knees, our poor old governor amongst them ; the sweet young
ladies, the sharking priests, the idiotical parson Platitude all fell
on their knees, and somebody or other tried to pull me on my
knees, but by this time I had become outrageous ; all that my
poor brother used to tell me of the superstitions of the high
Barbary shore rushed into my mind, and I thought they were
acting them over here ; above all, the idea that tl^ sweet young
ladies, to say nothing of my poor old governor, were, after the
tSas.] ''MUMBO JUMBO.'' $45
conclusion of all this mummery, going to deliver themselves up
body and soul into the power of that horrid-looking old man,
maddened me, and, rushing forward into the open space, I con-
fronted the horrible-looking old figure with the sugar-loaf hat, the
sulphur-coloured garments, and shepherd's crook, and shaking
my fist at his nose, I bellowed out in English : —
*' ^ I don't care for you, old Mumbo Jumbo, though you have
fetish !
** I can scarcely tell you what occurred for some time. I have
a dim recollection that hands were laid upon me, and that I
struck out violently left and right On coming to myself, I was
seated on a stone bench in a large room, something like a guarde
room, in the custody of certain fellows dressed like Merry Andrews ;
they were bluff, good-looking, wholesome fellows, very different
from the sallow Italians ; they were looking at me attentively, and
occasionally talking to each other in a language which sounded
very like the cracking of walnuts in the mouth, very different from
cooing Italian. At last one of them asked me in Italian what had
ailed me, to which I replied, in an incoherent manner, something
about Mumbo Jumbo ; whereupon the fellow, one of the bluffest of
the lot, a jovial, rosy-faced rasod, lifted up his right hand, placing
it in such a manner that the lips were between the forefinger and
thumb, then lifting up his right foot and drawing back his head,
he sucked in his breath with a hissing sound, as if to imitate one
drinking a hearty draught, and then slapped me on the shoulder,
saying something which sounded like goot wine, goot companion,
whereupon they all laughed, exclaiming, ya, ya, goot companion.
And now hurried into the room our poor old governor, with the
red-haired priest ; the first asked what could have induced me to
behave in such a manner in such a place, to which I replied that
I was not gomg to bow down to Mumbo Jumbo, whatever other
people might do. Whereupon my master said he believed I was
mad, and the priest said he believed I was drunk ; to which I
answered that I was neither so mad nor drunk but I could distin-
guish how the wind lay. Whereupon they left me, and in a little
time I was told by the bluff-looking Merry Andrews I was at
liberty to depart. I believe the priest, in order to please my
governor, interceded for me in high quarters.
** But one good resulted from this affair ; there was no presen-
tation of our family to the Holy Father, for old Mumbo was so
frightened by my outrageous looks that he was laid up for a week,
as I was afterwards informed.
" I went home, and bad scarcely been there half an houi
%&
54fi LA VBNGRO. [ites
when I was sent for by the govemcMTi who again referred to the
in church, said that he could not tolerate such scandalous behavioui
and that unless I promised to be more circumspect in future,
he should be compelled to discharge me. I said that if he was
scandalised at my behaviour in the church, I was more scandalised
at all I saw going on in the £amily, which was gOYemed by two
rascally priests, who, not content with plundering him, appeared
bent on hurrying the souls of us all to destruction ; and that with
respect to discharging me^ he could do so that moment, as I
wished to go. I believe his own reason told him that I was
right, for he made no direct answer ; but, after looking on the
ground for some time, he told me to leave him. As he did not
tell me to leave the house, I went to my room intending to lie
down for an hour or two ; but scarcely was I there when the door
opened, and in came the red-haired priest He showed himself,
as he always did, perfectly civil, asked me how I was, took, a
chair and sat down. After a hem or two he entered into a long con-
versation on the excellence of what he called the Catholic rehgion ;
told me that he hoped I would not set myself against the light, and
likewise against my interest ; for that the fiunily were about to em-
brace the Catholic religion, and would make it worth my while to
follow their example. I told him that the femily might do what they
pleased, but that I would never forsake the religion of my country
for any consideration whatever ; that I was nothing but a poor
servant, but I was not to be bought by base gold. ' I admire your
honourable feelings,' said he ; ' you shall have no gold ; and as I see
you are a fellow of spirit, and do not like being a servant, for which
I commend you, I can promise you something better. I have a
good deal of influence in this place, and if you will not set your
face against the light, but embrace the Catholic religion, I will
undertake to make your fortune. You remember those fine
fellows to-day who took you into custody, they are the guards of his
Holiness. I have no doubt that I have interest enough to procure
your enrolment amongst them.' ' What,* said I, ' become swash-
buckler to Mumbo Jumbo up here ! May I '—and here I
swore — * if I do. The mere possibility of one of their children
being swash-buckler to Mumbo Jumbo on the high Barbary shore
has always been a source of heart-breaking to my poor parents.
What, then, would they not undergo if they knew for certain that
their other child was swash-buckler to Mumbo Jumbo up here ? '
Thereupon he asked me, even as you did some time ago, what I
meant by Mumbo Jumbo ? And I told him all I had heard about
the Mumbo Jumbo of the high Barbary shore; telling him that I had
ites-] DISILLUSION. 547
no doubt that the old fellow up h^e was his brother, or nearly
related to him. The man with the ^d hair listened with the
greatest attention to all I said, and when I had concluded, he got
up, nodded to me, and moved to the dior ; ere he reached the
door I saw his shoulders shaking, and as he closed it behind him
[ heard him distinctly laughing, to the tiine of — he I he ! he !
** But now matters b^an to mend. What same evening my
young master unexpectedly arrived. I brieve he soon perceived
that something extraordinary had been goin{ on in the family. He
was for some time closeted with the governor, with whom, I
believe, he had a dispute ; for my fellow-servant, the ladies' maid,
informed me that she heard high words.
'' Rather late at night the young gentleman sent for me into
his room, and asked me various questions with respect to what
had been going on, and my behaviour in the church, of which he
had heard something. I told him all I knew with respect to the
intrigues of the two priests in the family, and gave him a circum-
stantial account of all that had occurred in the church , adding
that, under similar circumstances, I was ready to play the same
part over again. Instead of blaming me, he commended my
behaviour, told me I was a fine fellow, and said he hoped that if he
wanted my assistance, I would stand by him: this I promised to
da Before I left him, he entreated me to inform hun the very
next time I saw the priests entering the house.
" The next morning, as I was in the court-yard, where I had
placed myself to watch, I saw the two enter and make their way
up a private stair to the young ladies' apartment; they were
attended by a man dressed somethmg like a priest, who bore a
large box ; I instantly ran to relate what I had seen to my young
master. I found him shaving. 'I will just finish what I am
about,' said he, 'and then wait upon these gentlemen.' He
finished what he was about with great deliberation, then taking
a horsewhip, and bidding me follow him, he proceeded at once
to the door of his sisters' apartment : finding it fastened, he burst
it open at once with his foot and entered, followed by myself.
There we beheld the two unfortunate young ladies down on
their knees before a large female doll, dressed up, as usual, in
rags and tinsel ; the two priests were standing near, one on
either side, with their hands uplifted, whilst the fellow who
brought the trumpery stood a little way down the private stair,
the door of which stood open ; without a moment's hesitation, my
young master rushed forward, gave the image a cut or two with
his horsewhip, then flying at the priests, he gave them a sound
flogging, kicked them down the private stair, and spurned the
S4B LA VBNQRO. (iRs5.
man, box and image after them ; then locking the door, he gave
his sisters a fine sermon, in which he represented to them their
folly in worshipping a silly wooden graven image, which, though it
had eyes, could see not ; though it had ears, could hear not ; though
it had hands, could not help itself; and though it had feet, could
not more about unless it were carried. Oh, it was a fine sermon
that my young master preached, and sorry I am that the Fath»
of the Fetish, old Mumbo, did not hear it. The elder sister
looked ashamed, but the youngest, who was very weak, did
nothing but wring her hands, weep and bewail the injury which
had been done to the dear image. The young man, however,
without paying much regard to either of them went to his father,
with whom he had a long conversation, which terminated in the
old governor giving orders for preparations to be made for the
fiimily's leaving Rome and returning to England. I believe that
the old governor was glad of his son's arrival, and rejoiced at
the idea of getting away from Italy, where he had been so
plundered and imposed upon. The priests, however, made
another attempt upon the poor young ladies. By the conniv-
ance of the female servant who was in their interest, they
found their way once more into their apartment, bringing with
them the fetish image, whose body they partly stripped, ex-
hibiting upon it certain sanguine marks which they had daubed
upon it with red paint, but which they said were the result
of the lashes which it had received from the horsewhip. The
youngest girl believed all they said, and kissed and embraced
the dear image ; but the eldest, whose eyes had been opened by
her brother, to whom she was much attached, behaved with
proper dignity; for, going to the door, she called the female
servant who had a respect for me, and in her presence reproached
the two deceivers for their various impudent cheats, and especially
for this their last attempt at imposition ; adding, that if they did
not forthwith withdraw and rid her sister and herself of their
presence, she would send word by her maid to her brother, who
would presently take effectual means to expel them. They took
the hint and departed, and we saw no more of them.
'' At the end of three days we departed from Rome, but the
maid whom the priests had cajoled remained behind, and it it
probable that the youngest of our ladies would have done the
same thing if she could have had her own will, for she was
continually raving about her image, and saying, she should wish
to live with it in a convent ] but we watched the poor thing, and
got her on board ship. Oh, glad was I to leave that fetish
country, and old Mumbo behind me!"
CHAPTER C
**We arrived in England, and went to our country seat, but
the peace and tranquillity of the family had been marred, and
I no longer found my place the pleasant one which it had formerly
been ; there was nothing but gloom in the house, for the youngest
daughter exhibited signs of lunacy, and was obliged to be kept
under confinement. The next season I attended my master, his
son and eldest daughter to London, as I had previously done.
There I left them, for hearing that a young baronet, an acquaint-
ance of the family, wanted a servant, I applied for the place, with
the consent of my masters, both of whom gave me a strong re-
commendation, and being approved of, I went to live with him.
" My new master was what is called a sporting character, very
fond of the turf, upon which he was not very fortunate. He was
frequently very much in want of money, and my wages were any-
thing but regularly paid ; nevertheless, I liked him very much,
for he treated me more like a friend than a domestic, continually
consulting me as to his affairs. At length he was brought nearly
to his last shifts, by backing the favourite at the Derby, which
favourite turned out a regular brute, being found nowhere at the
rush. Whereupon, he and I had a solemn consultation over
fourteen glasses of brandy and water, and as many cigars —
I mean, between us — as to what was to be done. He wished
to start a coach, in which event he was to be driver and I guard.
He was quite competent to drive a coach, being a first-rate whip,
and I dare say I should have made a first-rate guard; but to
start a coach requires money, and we neither of us believed
that anybody would trust us with vehicles and horses, so that
idea was laid aside. We then debated as to whetlier or not he
should go jnto the Church ; but to go into the Church — at any
rate to become a dean or bishop, which would have been our
aim — ^it is necessary for a man to possess some education ; and
my master, although be had been at the best school in England,
that is, the most expensive, and also at College, was almost totally
(549)
Sso LA VENGRO. [itas
illiterate, so we let the Church scheme follow that of the coach.
At last, bethinking me that he was tolerably glib at the tongue,
as most people are who are addicted to the turf, also a great
master of slang, remembering also that he had a crabbed old
uncle, who had some borough interest, I proposed that he should
get into the House, promising in one fortnight to qualify him
to make a figure in it, by certain lessons which I would give him.
He consented ; and during the next fortnight I did little else than
give him lessons in elocution, following to a tittle the method
of the great professor, which I had picked up listening behind
the door. At the end of that period, we paid a visit to his
relation, an old gouty Tory, who, at first, received us very coolly.
My master, however, by flattering a predilection of his for Billy
Pitt, soon won his affections so much that he promised to bring
him into Parliament, and in less than a month was as good as
his word. My master, partly by his own qualifications, and partly
by the assistance whicFi he had derived, and still occasionally
derived, from me, cut a wonderful figure in the House, and was
speedily considered one of the most promising speakers ; he was
always a good hand at promising. He is at present, I believe, a
Cabinet minister.
" But as he got up in the world, he began to look down on
me. I believe he was ashamed of the obligation under which he
lay to me ; and at last, requiring no further hints as to oratory
from a poor servant like me, he took an opportunity of quarrelling
with me and discharging me. However, as he had still some
grace, he recommended me to a gentleman with whom, since he
had attached himself to politics, he had formed an acquaintance,
the editor of a grand Tory Review. I lost caste terribly amongst
the servants for entering the service of a person connected with
a profession so mean as literature ; and it was proposed at the
Servants' Club, in Park Ijine, to eject me from that society.
The proposition, however, was not carried into effect, and I was
permitted to show myself among them, though few condescended
to take much notice of me. My master was one of the best men
n the world, but also one of the most sensitive. On his veracity
being impugned by the editor of a newspaper, he called him out,
and shot him through the arm. Though servants are seldom ad-
mirers of their masters, I was a great admirer of mine, and eager to
follow his example. The day after the encounter, on my veracity
l}eing impugned by the servant of Lord C in something
I said in praise of my master, I determined to call him out, so
I went into another room and wrote a challenge. But whom
1835.] PBRORA TION. 551
should I send it by? Several servants to whom I applied
refused to be the bearers of it; they said I had lost caste, and
they could not think of going out with me. At length the servant
of the Duke of B consented to take it ; but he made me
to understand that, though he went out with me, he did so merely
because he despised the Whiggish principles of Lord C 's
servant, and that if I thought he intended to associate with me,
I should be mistaken. Politics, I must tell you, at that time
ran as high amongst the servants as the gentlemen, the servants,
however, being almost invariably opposed to the politics of their
respective roasters, though both parties agreed in one point,
the scouting of everything low and literary, though I think,
of the two, the liberal or reform party were the most inveterate.
So he took my challenge, which was accepted; we went out,
Lord C 's servant being seconded by a reformado footman
from the Palace. We fired three times without effect ; but this
affair lost me my place, my master on hearing it forthwith dis-
charged me ; he was, as I have said before, very sensitive, and
he said this duel of mine was a parody of his own. Being,
however, one of the best men in the world, on his discharging
me he made roe a donation of twenty pounds.
" And it was well that he made me this present, for without
it I should have been penniless, having contracted rather expensive
habits during the time that I lived with the young baronet. I
now determined to visit my parents, whom I had not seen for
years. I found them in good health, and, after staying with them
for two months, I returned again in the direction of town, walking
in order to see the country. On the second day of my journey,
not being used to such fatigue, I fell ill at a great inn on the
north road, and there I continued for some weeks till I recovered,
but by that time my money was entirely spent. By living at the
inn I had contracted an acquaintance with the master and the
people, and become accustomed to inn life. As I thought that
I might find some difficulty in procuring any desiralQe situation
in London, owing to my late connection with literature, I deter-
mined to remain where I was, provided my services would be
accepted. I offered them to the master, who, finding I knew
something of horses, engaged me as a postillion. I have remained
there since. You have now heard my story.
"Stay, you sha'n't say that I told my tale without a per —
peroration. What shall it be? Oh, I remember something
which will serve for one. As I was driving my chaise some weeks
%s^o, on my return from L ^ I saw standing at the gate of
SS3 LA VBNGRO. [rSss
an avenue, which led up to an old mansion, a figure which I
thought I recognised. I looked at it attentively, and the figure,
as I passed, looked at me ; whether it remembered me I do not
know, but I recognised the face it showed me full well
'' If it was not the identical face of the red-haired priest whom
I had seen at Rome, may I catch cold !
" Young gentleman, I will now take a spell on your blanket —
young lady, good-night"
[Ena e/ Vol. III^ J^jiJ
THE EDITOR'S POSTSCRIPT.
Lavengro and The Romany Rye (properly Romanb Rdi) were
terms applied to George Borrow in his youth by the Norfolk
Gypsy, Ambrose Smith, better known in these volumes as Jasper
Petulengro. The names signify respectively "Philologist" and
" the Gypsy Gentleman ". The two works thus entitled constitute
a more or less exact autobiography of the writer of them, from the
date of his birth to the end of August, 1825. The author himself
confesses in his Preface that " the time embraces nearly the first
quarter of the present century ".
Zavengro was written at Oulton, in Suffolk, slowly and at
intervals, between the years 1842 and 1851. The MSS. exist
in three varieties: i. The primitive draft of a portion, found
scattered through sundry notebooks and on isolated scraps of
paper, as described in the letter to Dawson Turner (Zi/e, i., p. 394).
2. The definitive autograph text in one thick quarto volume. 3.
The transcript for the printers, made by Mrs. Borrow, in one
large folio volume, interlarded with the author's additions and
corrections.
The text of the present edition reproduces with fidelity the
first issue of 1851. Occasionally a verbal alteration, introduced
by the author himself into his second edition of 1872, has been
adopted in this, whenever it seemed to improve the reading. In
general, however, that reprint was in many respects a defective
one. Not only words, but eveiv whole sentences, which had
escaped the printers, remained undetected by the editor, and, as
a consequence, were lost to later impressions, based, as they all
have been, on that issue. We should have preferred to alter,
quietly and without remark, certain errors in the text, as we
did in the documents published in the Zt/e; but save in a single
instance, we have left such inaccuracies intact, reserving all cor-
rections for the place where we might be supposed to exercise a
free hand.^
1 The one sole emendation consists in substituting the masc. cJUvai for the
fem. fumemt, on p. 314. Lt Jument est ieau was a soledsm that could not longer
be tolerated.
55S)
554 EDITOR'S POSTSCRIPT.
The insertion, with brackets of course, of the promised inedtted
episodes, caused in two cases some embarrassment In removii^
them from the final form of his MS., Mr. Borrow closed up the
Sp with a few fitting lines which concealed the withdrawal,
lese words had to be suppressed on the restoration of the
passages.
The insertions will be met with as follows : —
The Poet Parkinson, pp. 119-25.
The Wake of Frcya, pp. 128-33.
Cromwell's Statue and the DairymafCs Daughter, pp. 196-98.
Portobello or the Irish Patriot, pp. 231-39.
Thomas d'^terville, in the Notes^ pp. 558-59.
Thus we have made a full statement as regards the text of the
present reprint. Any one who takes up this edition will discover
no visible name, or preface, or introduction, save only those of
George Borrow, from the title to the close. The book is, there-
fore, "all Borrow," and we have sought to render the helping
hand as inconspicuous as possible. Should, however, the pre-
judiced stumble at the Notes, we can say in the language of the
fairy smith of Loughmore : is agad an t-leigheas, you have the
remedy in your own power.
Speaking of the Notes, they have been drawn up on the un-
impeachable testimony of contemporaneous record. Especially
have we sought the works which Mr. Borrow was accustomed to
read in his younger days, and at times with curious results. A
list of these is given at the close of The Romany Rye, and is
referred to in these notes as " Bibliography *' for the sake of
concision. What is not here explained can be easily looked up
in our Life, Writings, and Correspondence of George Borrow,
London, 1899, which of itself furnishes a sufficient and unalterable
exhibition of the facts concerning the man and his work.
W. I. KwApp.
High St., Oxford,
Novtmher, 1899.
NOTES TO LA VENGRO.
WITH
CORRECTIONS, IDENTIFICATIONS AND TRANSLATIONS.
Pftge X. East D : East Dereham, a small town in Norfolk,
i6 miles W. of Norwich, and 102 N.E. of London. Here Capt< Thomas
Borrow, the father of George, was often stationed from 1792 to 181 2. — x.
East Ajifflia: This Anglo-Saxon kingdom comprised the present counties
of NorfoTk, Suffolk and Cambridge. — i. Tredizmock, read Treikinnick s
Parish of St. Cleer, Cornwall. — 2» Big Ben: Benjamin Brain or Bryan
was born in 1753. Some of his most severe " battles *' were fought between
1780 and Z79o--one on the 30th of August in the latter year, with Hooper
at Newbury, Berks. A few days after this exploit, he picked a quarrel with
Sergeant Borrow of the Coldstream Guards, which resulted in the Hyde Park
encounter. Some four months later, f.«., Z7th January, 1791, the decisive
fight for the championship came off between Brain and Johnson. It was
an appalling spectacle, and struck dumb with horror, even in that day, the
witnesses to the dreadful conflict. Big Ben was the victor, and remained
champion of England from that date until his death thret years (not "four
months ") later— ^th April, 1794. " Lavengro," carried away by the enthu-
siasm of early reminiscence, allowed himself to declare that his father read
the Bible to Brain in his latter moments. But in 1794 Thomas Borrow was
busy recruiting soldiers in Norfolk, one hundred miles from tlie scene of the
dying pugilist. However, the error was probably one of date merely, and
during the year 1791 Thomas doubtless read the Bible to him in London,
since we learn from Pierce Egan that ** Ben derived great consolation from
bearing tlie Bible read, and generally solicited those of his acquaintance
who called upon him to read a chapter to him".^ — ^ Captain: The
West Norfolk Militia was raised in 1759 by the third Earl of Orford. He
died in December, 1791, when the regiment was r$organiitd (not "raised")
under the new Colonel, the Hon. Horatio Walpole, subsequently the sixth
Earl of Orford. Thus in February, 1792, Thomas was transferred from the
Guards to be Sergeant-major in the W.N.M., and stationed at East Dereham.
He manned (he following year, became Quarter-master (with the rank of
Ensign) In 1795, and Adjutant (Lieutenant) in February, 1798. This his
final promotion doubtless gave him the honorary rank of Captain, since in
the Monthly A rmy List for 1804 we read : ** Adjutant, Thomas Borrow, Capt.**,
But a letter before me dated i8th April, 1799, from his Major, is officially
addressed to him as "Lieut. Borrow, Adjutant," etc., etc.-*-^. Petrement:
Our author knew very well that his mother's maiden name was Ann Per-
frement^ pronounced and written Parfrtnunt at the present day by those of
the lainily we have met. The correct spelling is found on the tombstone
1 Bmiana^ U., 497.
(555)
* im' \
55« SOTBS.
of her sister, Sarah, at Dereham (1817), and on that of her brother, Sanmel,
at Salthouse near Holt (1864).— 3. Castle of De Biirig:h: A £uiciliil
Borrovian epithet applied to Norwidi Castle. Nor did the odles kuUd tiie
Church of St. Mary-the-Less, in Oueen Street, Norwich ; it was a distmct
parish charch long before Elizabeth's reign, and in her time the parish was
consolidated with the neighbouring one of St. George's, Tombland, whSe
the church became municipal property. But the French exiles of the Edict
of 1685 did worship there, even as did the Dutch refugees from Alva's
persecution a century before (1565-70).— 4. Middle Age: Sorrow's &ther
was thirty-four, and his mother twenty-one, at the date of their marriage.
John was bom seven years after the marriage, and George ten. The
mother was, then, thirty-one at George's birth. — ^ Bishop if qpldiis : Ser-
mons.— 4. Ang^ola : More correctly Angora, — ^5. Foreign gfraTe : Lieut. John
Thomas Borrow died at Guanajuato, Mexico, 22nd November, 1833.
Pages 13-13. *' Snorro " Sturleson : Poet and historian of Iceland (117ft-
1241). Harald (not ifaro(<f) III., called "Haardraade". Battle of Stamford
Bridge, a.d. 1066, same year as Norman Conquest. See Mallet's Northern
Antiquities, pp. 168-71 and 194 ; Snorro's Hsimskringlat ii., p. 164, and his
Chronica, 1633, p. 381, for the Quotation; also BibUog. at end of Ramamy
Ry€,-^l^ Wittcnester: Rather Wincheluot according to the Regimentid
Records. — 14. A gallant frigate: A reminiscence of Norman Cross gossip
in z8zo-ii. ** Ninety-eight French prisoners, the crew of a large French
privateer of eighteen guns called the Contre-Amiral Mngon, and commanded
oy the notorious Blackman, were captured i6th October, 1804, by Capt.
Hancock of the Cruiser sloop, and brought into Yarmouth. They marched
into Norwich, 26th November, and the next morning proceeded under guard
on their way to Norman Cross barracks " — Norwich Papers, 1804. — 15. Ladj
Bountiful: Dame Eleanor Fenn (1743- 18 13). — 15. Bard: William Cowper
(i73i-i8oo).~>z6. Some Saint: Withburga, daughter of Anna, king of the
East Angles, was the "saint " and the "daughter" at the same time. — 19.
Hnnchbacked rhymer: Alexander Pope.— ao. Properties of God, read
attributes.-^M. Rector : The Rev. P. J. H. Wollaaton.*-ao. Philoh : James
Philo (1745-1829). — ^2Z. Tolerism, reaid toleration, — 04. Mere : Whittlesea
Mere, long since drained. — 31. Bengui : See the vocabulary at the end for all
Gypsy words in this volume. — 34. Jasper : The change from Ambrose to Jasper
was made in pencil in Mrs. Sorrow's transcript at the last moment in 1849,
before handing it to the printers. — ^38. Three years : Included in the subse-
quent narrative, not excluded from it as his Norwich school days (1814-15,
x8i6-z8) were. They extend from July, i8zi, to April, 18x3 — ^from Nonnan
Cross to Edinburgh. The chronology, according to the Regimental Records,
was as follows: George was at East Dereham from 22nd July to i8th
November, x8iz, at J. S. Buck's ('* Dr, B,*s ") school ; 30th November, 1811,
to February, 1812, at Colchester; 28th February to 5th March, 18x2, at
Harwich ; Z5th to X9th March, at Leicester ; 21st to 30th March, at Melton
Mowbray ; and to 25th April, at Leicester again ; 28th April to 3rd May, at
Tamworth {Lavengro, pp. 367-68) ; 6th to 26th May, at Macclesfield ; 28th
May to 2nd August, at Stockport ; 3rd to 23rd August, at Ashton ; 24th
August to 15th December, at Huddersfield {W. W,, p. 64, and Lavemgro,
pp. 39-41) ; i6th December, 18x2, to 19th March, 18x3, at Sheffield ; 20th and
2xst March, 1813, at Leeds; 22nd March, at Wetherby; 23rd March,
Borou^bridge ; 24th March, Allerton ; 25th March, Darlington ; a6th March,
Durham {W.W,, pp. 258-59) ; 27th and 28th March, Newcsotle ; agth March,
Morpeth ; 30th March, Alnwick ; 3rd and 4th April, at Berwick-spoo-Tweed ;
6th A^ x8x3, Edinburgh CasUe.— 38. UUj: Sos BibUog.
HOTBS. 557
Pag« 43. Bank of a ri^er : The Tweed. The scene here described
occurred on a Sunday, 4th Anrjl, 1813, near Berwick, where they ** arrived
the preceding night'* (p. 44).~42. Elvir Hill: See Borrow's Romantic
Ballads^ Norwich, 1826, pp. 111-14. This piece entitled " Elvir Hill," one
of the old Danish ballads of Vedel*s collection, 1591, represents the dangers
attending a youth who '* rested " his " head upon Elvir Hill's side " where
he was so charmed in his sleep by a brace of seductive fairies, that
** If my good luck had not managed it so
That the cock crew out then in the distance,
I should have been murder' d by them on the Hill,
Without power to offer resistance.
** *Tis therefore I counsel each young Danish swain
Who may ride in the fore^ so dreary,
Ne'er to lay down upon lone Elvir Hill
Though he chance to be ever so weary.*'
43. Skaldaglam : The bardiius of Tacitus, or the « din '* made by the Norse
'* oards ** (skalds) on shields and with shouts as they rushed into battle. It
is not in Molbech, but Snorro frequently uses it in his Chronica^ 1633. — ^43.
Kalerala : Title of the great Finnish epic, of which the hero is WoinomOinen.
—43. Polak: PolanderorPole. — ^43, Magyar (pron. Af^V) : Hungarian. —
43. Batoscha : An erratum of the author for his Batuschca (z6i) — ^better
Batyushca, *' fother Tsar "-^but generally applied by Borrow to his friend the
Po^«.— 45 to 55 : See Lift, i., pp. 39-43.— 4)6. Bui hin Digri : The Jomsburg
Viking, A.O. 994. See Borrow's Romantic Ballads^ p. 136, and Once A
Wuh, ix., p. 686. The account is given in Snorro's Chronica^ 1633, P> '3^
(see Bibliog.), but a more accessible version of it is found in Midlet's
Northern Aniiquitics (Bohn's ed.), pp. X44-45.*-46. Honmga Vog, read
Hjdrdnga Vdgr in Icelandic, or Vaagin Danish. In Romany Rye Jp, 359)
it is Englished as <• Horinger Bay ^--50. Hickatfarift: A Norfolk worthy
of the eleventh century, whose prodigious exploits with the axle of his cart
as an offensive weapon, and the whed as a shield, are handed down in the
chap-books of the last three centuries. See p. 63 ; also Bihliog, at the end
oi Romany Rye.Si, Elzigood : William E., of Heigham, Norwich, enlisted
October, 1789, became Drum-major in the regiment, 32nd October, 1802 ;
csdled fiicetiously or maliciously Else-than-guJe on p. 54. — 55. CHanlon :
Redmond O'Hanlon (d. 1681), a proprietor of Ubter, dispossessed under the
Cromwellian settlement, and afterwards leader of a band of outlaws. — ^56.
IMsbanded: The W.N.M. regiment left Edinburgh in lulv, 18x4, and was
disembodied at Norwich, i9tn July. It was again called out, zoth July,
X815, and sent to Ireland. John Borrow was appointed Ensign, 29th May,
18x5, and Lieutenant, X3th December of the same year. The regiment
sailed from Harwich ('*port in Essex ") 3xst August, reaching Cork harbour
(" the cove ") about 9th September, 18x5. 63. Wight Wallace (story book
of): Stt Bihliog,
Page 63. Shorsha: The Irish for Oeorge, properly written Seors, but
the author usually wrote his Irish by sound. — 04. Sarput, read sagart :
(Lat. sacerdos), a priest.— 64. Finn-ma-Coul : In Irish rionn-mac-Cumhail,
the £ather of Ossian.-^^ Brian Boroo: In Irish, Brian Boroimhe, a king of
Ireland fo26-xox4).— 65. Saggartins^ : Studying with reference to the priest-
hood.—0^. Mavoomeen : Properly mo mhuimin, my darling. — 65. nanaiD
5SS NOTES.
moo Dioal ; Wrongly given for U*anQm d'n Diahkal [God preterrt] my tool
from the devil I See Romany Ryt, p. 386, where it is outte correct — from sotmd^
~4S6. ChriatmAS over: 1816. Regiment qaarterea at Templemore. John,
now a lieutenant (not " entign *'), is sent with a detachment to Loughmofe,
three miles away. Sergeant Ba^g, promoted to that rank, zoth July. 1815,
accompanies him.— 66. Moontiuii : Called locally, *' Devil's Bit" and not
DevU's HiU or Mt., as in the text.— 68. Pine old language (add: mUck):
** A labkair Padric ^nminsi Fail na Riogk
*Sanfaigki eaomknn Colum naamktka *n I"
(which) ** Patrick spoke in Innisfail to heathen chiefr of old,
And Columb, the mild prophet- saint, spoke in his island-hold."
So Borrow gives the Irish and his versidnin Romantie Ballads, p. viii. The Erse
lines were taken from Lhuyd*s Arckaologia BritamUea^ Oxford, 1707, sign, d,
—69. The Castle: Loughmore Castle.— 71. Figure of a man: Jerry Grant,
the Irish outlaw. See the Ntwgate CaUndars subsequent to 1840— Pelham.
Griffith, etc. — 7a and 83. '* Sas and '* Sassanach,*' of course mean English-
man or Englisn (Saxon). — 74. Cler^man of the parish : The Rev. Patrick
Kennedy, vicar of Loughmore. His name is also on the list of subscribers
to the Romantic Ballads^ Norwich, 1826, as J, Kennedy, by mistake. — J^
Swanton Morley : A village near East Dereham.— 83. Arri^od yuit (Irish),
read airgiod dkuit : Have you any money ? — 83. Tabhair cfaug^am (pron.
tower khoogam) : Give (it) to me. — 83. Is ag^am an't leigeas (read an t-
-Uigkias) : I have the remedy. — 83. Another word : deagkbklasda : See
Romany Rye, p. 266, and Notes and Qusries, 5th May, 1855, p. 339, article
by George M^tivier.
Page 84. Old dty: Norwich. The regiment having returned to
head-quarters, nth May, x8i6, was mustered out 17th June. The author
describes the city from the " ruined waU " of the old Priory on the hill to
the east. — 85. The Norman Bridge: is Bishop's Bridge. — 85. Sword
of Cordova, in Guild Hall, is a mistake for the sword of the Spanish
General Dqp Xavier Winthuysen.— 9a Vone banished priest: Rev.
Thomas d'EterviUe. The MS. gives the following inedited account of
D*Eterville. I omit the oft-recurring expletive sacri (accursed): —
[Myself, Were you not yourself forced to flee from your country ?
D'itervilU. That's very true. ... I became one vagabond — nothing
better, I assure you, my dear ; had you seen mo, you would have said so.
I arrive at Douvres ; no welcome. I walk to Canterbury and knock at the
door of one auherge. The landlord opens. *' What do you here ? ** he says ;
" who are you ? " " Vone exiled priest," I reply. " Get you gone, sirrah ! "
he says ; " we have beggars enough of our own," and he slams the door in
my face. Mafoi, il faisoit bien, for my toe was sticking through my shoe.
Myself. But you are no longer a vagabond, and your toe does not stick
through your shoe now.
D'EtervilU. No, thank God, the times are changed. I walked and
walked, till I came here, where I became one pkilologue and taught tongues
— French and Italian. I found good friends here, those of my religion.
" He very good man," they say ; " one banished priest ; we must help him."
I am no longer a vagabond — ride a good horse when I go to visit pupils in
the country — stop at auberge — landlord comes to the door : " What do you
please to want, sir ? " " Only to bait my horse, that is all." Ek bien, land-
lord very polite ; he not call me vagabond ; I carry pistols in my pocket.
Myself. I know you do ; I have often seen them. But why do you carry
pistols?
NOTES. 559
D*iUrvilU, I ride along the road Crom the dieUnt viUase. I have been
to visit my pupil whom I instruct in philology. My pupil has paid me my
bill, and I car^ in my purse the fruits of my philology. I come to one dark
spot. Suddenly my bridle is seized, and one tall robber stands at my horse's
head with a very clumsy club in his hand. ** Stand, rascal," says he ; " your
life or your purse I '* " \tty good, sir," I respond ; " there you have it.'*
So I put my hand, not into my pocket, but into my holster ; I draw out,
not my purse, but my weapon, and — ^bangl I shoot the English robbcar
through the head.
Myulf, It is a bad thing to shed blood ; I should be k>th to shoot a
robber to save a purse.
D^EttrvilU, Qut tu ts bits I mon ami. Am I to be robbed of the fruits
of my philology, made in foreign land, by one Enf^lish robber ? Shall I
become once more one vagabond as of old ? one exiled priest turned from
people's doors, my shoe broken, toe sticking through it, like that bad poet
who put the Pope in hell ? Bah, bah I
By degrees D*£terville acquired a considerable fortune for one in his
station. Some people go so far as to say that it was principally made by
an extensive contraband trade in which he was engaged. Be this as it may,
some twenty years from the time of which I am speaking, he departed this
life, and shortly before his death his fellow-religionists, who knew him to
be wealthy, persuaded him to make a will, by which he bequeathed all his
property to certain popish establishments in England. In his last hours,
however, he repented, destroyed his first will, and made another, in which
he left all he had to certain of his relations in his native country ; — " for,"
said he, *' they think me one fool, but I will show them that they are mis-
taken. I came to this land one banished priest, where I made one small
fortune; and now I am dying, to whom should I leave the fruits of my
philology but to my blood-relations ? In God's name, let me sign. Mon-
sieur Boilean left the fruits of hie verses to hia niece ; eh bUn, I will bequeath
the fruiu of my philology to my niece and nephew. There, there ! thanks
be to God, it is done I They take me for a fool ; I am no fool. Leave to
the Pope the fruits of my philology I Bah, bah ! I do no such thing. I
do like Monsieur Boileau."]
P>fi»^ 93* ISmxVu Home: Earlham Hall, the residence of Joseph
John Gumey (1788-1847), the Norwich banker and frimous Quaker. The
** tall figure *' mentioned on the next page was Mr. Gumey, then twenty -
eight years ol age.— 95. Qolff read Greek: This is a misuke. Mr. Gumey
was an early student of Italian. See Braithwaite's Life, i., pp. 25 and 49.
— Zohar: Very correct. Braithwaite, i., p. 37. — Abarbe&al, read Abarbanei
or Abrabanel : A Spanish Jew driven from Spain in 149a. See p. 283.->-97.
Castle Hill: Norwich.— 97. Pair of hones: Tombland Fair, held 01
Maundy Thursday every year. — lOO. Heath : Mousehold Heath, near Nor-
wich. See also pp. 106, z6i, etc — ii3. " Gemtti, sospri ed alti guai '*
(compare Dante, in/.^ iii., 8 : '* Quivi io^iri^ pianii^ e alii guai ") : Groanj,
sighs, and deep lamentations. — Z14. Ab uwiljm : See Bihuog, at the end of
Romany Rvs, — 114. Cowydd : A species of Welsh poetry. — Z14. Eos (W.) :
Nightingale.— 114. Narrow Court: Tuck's Court, St. Giles, Norwich.— 1x5.
Ola muter: William Simpson of the law firm of Simpson & Rackham,
Norwich. — 115. Bon Joor : read Bonjowr . . . / bien dts ekoses de ma parid
Monsieur Peyrecouri or Pierreeourt ". " Expressions " in this sense (kind
regards) is the Spanish expresioneSt disguised as French. — xiS. Bwa Btach :
The "little hunchback". See p. 114.— 1x9 to xas- Paridnsoci the poet 1
S6o NOTBS.
ThiB chafacter, who appears for the first time among the faiedited episodes of
Lav^grOf was a real one, although his true name (Parkerson) is given
somewhat veiled, as usual with Mr. Borrow. He seems to have been the
poet-laureate of farmers, corn-merchants, drovers and publicans, selling his
muse to the highest bidder, at first in printed sheets of eight pages, and
subseouently gathered into pamphlets of thirty or more pages which he
offered for one or two shillings each. They were printed by R. Walker,
" near the Dnke*s Palace, Norwich," and sold by " Lane and Walker, St.
Andrew's". They are without date, but cannot range far from x8i8. Here
are some specimens of his style: "The Norwich Corn Mart. By J.
Parkerson, Junior.'
i»
At om o'clock iki busy suns hegin^
Q^*ck to tkd hall they all arc posting in ;
The cautious merchant takes his standi
The farmer shows the produce of his land,
etc., for sixty-six lines. " On Mr. L . . . taking leave of his wife and
childien, who was sentenced to transportation for fourteen years "(I): —
Hannah, farewell, Vm hound to go.
To taste the bitter draught of woe,
Z34 lines. " A Description of the Pine-Apple at Trowse " : —
Both Beauty and Art have exerted their skill.
You will find on a spot near the brow of a hiU;
The hill is near Norwich and calVd BracondaU,
I stept into Vince's myself to regale,
etc., four pages of that — 124^ Mr. C. : Thomas William Coke, Esq., of
Holkham, Earl of Leicester in 1837, and died in 1842.
Pages 128-133. The Wake of Freya: This incident must have
occurrM to Mrs. Borrow at her home. Dumpling Green, East Dereham, on
a Friday night, 5th December, 1783, when she was twelve (not *' ten ") years
old. Her eldest sister, Elizabeth, would be in her seventeenth year.
Friday was then, as now, market day at Dereham. The place was the
Blyth farm about one and a half miles (not ** three ") from " pretty D '*.
The superstition referred to in this episode is, or was, a very common ooe
in Norfolk, and even other countries. See the Norfolk Chronicle for 14th
May, 179 1 ; Qlyde's Norfolk Garland, pp. 13-14, and George Borrow in the
Quarterly Review for Januazy, 1861, p. 62.^150. Freya: The Venus
of the North vras the stster of Prey, according to Mallet (p. 94), and the
original sources. — 136* To London: Crome (John's teacher) died at
Norwich, aand April, i8ax; but Tohn could not leave until alter the
Regimental Training, which closed that year on 26th June; hence his
departure may be set down for the last of June, 1821.— 136. Rafael:
Note spelling here (also pp. 223 and 225) and Raphael on p. 352.^
157. Corregio, read Correggio, — 139. Murray and Latroon, the Scotch
outlaw and the ** English Rogue ". See Bibliog, at the end of Romany
J?y«.— 14a. *' Draoitfaeac," magic, read draoidheachd (Ir.).— Z44. Mng^gte-
toffi^nm : Evidently a Borroviaa slip here. See Notes and Queries for 3nl
April, 1852, p. 320.— Z45. Vedd: Anders Sdrensen Vedel, first collector of
the Kiampeviser, or Heroic Ballads of the Danes, Copenh., 1591. — 14^
Chapter xxiii. : Interview between William Taylor (21 King Street, NorwidO
«
NOTES. 561
and George Borrow. — x<x. Orm Ungarswayne : "Orm the youthful
Swain/' RomanHc Ballads, p. 86. But see the Danish ballad •'Birting'
in Sorrow's Targumt St. Petersb., 18351 pp. 59-61, commencing:—
*' It was late at evening tide.
Sinks the day-star in the wave,
When alone Orm Ungarswayne
Rode to seek his fiither's grave "•
— 151. Swayne VonTed: See this piece in Romantic Ballads, pp. 6i-8x. —
SZ. Mousha, read Mufa, in Arabic or Moshi in Hebrew; both represent our
OSes, But the Jew's name was Levi, according to the MS, — 153. The
Fi^ht: Between Painter and Oliver, near North Walsham, 17th July, 1820.
This chapter xxiv. relates the author's call on Mr. Petre of Westwick House,
which must have been after 20th May, when it was decided that the " battle "
should take place within twenty miles of Norwich. — 155. Parr: There
were two Parrs, one, Thomas, called •* English " or •* Old "Parr (1483-1635)
who lived 152 years, and Samuel, called the '* Greek " Parr (1747-1825,) who
had been Heaa Master of the Norwich Grammar School from 1778 to 1785.
This Dr. Samuel Parr was the one referred to by Mr. Petre. — 155. Whiter :
Rev. Walter Whiter, author of the Commentary on Shakespeare, Lond.
1794, and Etymologicum Magnum, Camb., 1800, 4to ; enlarged ed., Camb.,
1822-25, 3 vols. 4to.— 156. Game Chicken : Henry Pierce, nicknamed Game
Chicken, beat Gulley, 8th October, 1805 (Egan's Boxiana, i., p. 145). — 156.
Sportine Gentlemen : John Thurtell and Edward Painter ('* Ned Flatnose *').
— Z58. fiarmanbeck : Slang for constable — word taken from the English
Rogue, — x6i. Batuschca (read BAtyooshca): See p. 43. — z6z. Pnber-
lenaky, read Priohrathenski : Crack regiment of the Russian Imperial
Guara, so called from the barracks situated near the Church of the Trans-
figuration (Priobraxhenfe).
Page z66. The Fight of Z820, chapter xxvi. We will here give a
condensed portion of a chapter which we suppressed from the Life.
On the 2oth of May, 1820, an eager crowd might have been seen pressing
up to a card displayed in the Castle Tavern, Norwich. The card was signed
T. C, and T. Belcher ; but every one knew that the initials stood for the
Champion of England, Thomas Cribb. The purport of the notice was that
Edward Painter of Norwich was to fight Thomas Oliver of London for a
purse of 100 ^ineas, on Monday, the 17th of July, in a field within twenty
miles of the city.
A few days after this announcement, George Bonrow was charged by his
principals to convey a sum of money to a country gentleman by the name
of John Berney Petre, Esq., J. P., residing at Westwick House, some thirteen
and a half miles distant on the North Walsham road. The |^entleman was
just settling the transfer of his inheritance, his father havmg died eight
months before. Borrow walked the entire distance, and while he tarried
with the magistrate, the interview took place between him and Thurtell who
desired to secure a field for the fight. Mr. Petre could not accommodate
them, and they drove on to North Walsham. There they found the " pightle "
which suited them in the vicinity of that town, on the road leading to Hap-
pii^urgh (Hazebro),
Norwich began to fill on Saturday, the 15th of July, as the stage-coaches
rolled in by the London (now Ipswich) and Newmarket roads. The Inn
36
563 . NOTES.
attached to the Bowling Green on Chapel-Fidd, then kept by the fiuoous
one-legged ex-coachman Dan Gurney (p. 167), was the otvourite resect of
the ** great men '* of the day. Belcher, not old Belcher of 1791, but the
" Teucer " Belcher, and Cribb, the champion of England, slept at the Castle
Tavern, which like Janus had two £aces — ^backed on the Meadows and
fronted on White-Lion. The Norfolk in Sl Giles and the Angel on the
** Walk," housed other varieties of the sporting world.
At an early hour on Monday, the Z7th, the roads were alive with
pedestrians, equestrians, Jews, Gentiles and Gypsies, in coaches, barouches
and vehicles of every sort. From Norwich they streamed down Tombland
into Magdalen street and road, out on the Coltishall highway, and thence —
sixteen and one half miles in all — to North Walsham and the field. One
ancient MacGowan (the Scotch for Petulengro) stood on Coltishall bridge
and counted 2050 carriages as they swept past. More than 25,000 men and
thieves gathered in concentric circles about the stand.
I do not propose to attempt the description of this celebrated fngna or
" battle with the fists ". Those who crave such diversions will find this ooe
portrayed fittingly in the newspapers of the time. The closing passage of
one of them has always seemed to me to be a masterpiece of grim brutality :
" Oliver's nob was exchequered, and he fell by heavy right-handed blows on
his ears and temple. When on his second's knee, his head dangled about
like a poppy alter a shower."
A second fight, this time between Sampson, called the " Birmingham
boy," and Martin the " baker," lost much of its interest by reason^of the
storm described in Lav^ngro. " During the contest," says the Norfolk
Chronicle^ "a most tremendous black cloud informed the spectators that
a rare sousing was in preparation for them." And the Mercury states that
*' the heavy rain drenched the field, and most betook themselves to a retreat,
but the rats were all drinkled ". Thus the " cloud " was no fiction, 1^
which the Gypsy foretold the dreadful fate awaiting John Thurtell before
Hertford gaol, gth January, 1824. Ned Painter never fought again. He
was landlord of the White Hart Inn from 1823 to 1835. The present
proprietor still shows his portrait there, with the above fact duly inscribed
on the back of the frame.
Page z68. Public: The Castle Tavern, Holbom, kept by Tom
Belcher—the " Daffy Club ".—169. '' Here's a health to old honest Jofan
Bull : '* The verses were taken from a rare old volume entitled : Thg Norwich
Minstrel, p. 30. (See Bibliog.) : —
M
HONEST JOHN BULL."
•« Here's a health to * Old honest John Bull ' ;
When he's gone we shan't find such another ;
With hearts and with glasses brim full.
We'll drink to * Britannia, his mother ' ;
For she gave him a c^ood education,
Bade him keep to his God and his King,
Be loyal and true to the nation.
And then to get merry and sing.
*' For John is a good-natured fellow,
Industrious, honest and brave ;
Not afraid of his betters when mellow,
For betters he knows he must have.
NOTES. 5«3
There must be fine lords and fine ladies.
There mast be some little, some great ;
Their wealth the support of our trade is,
Our trade the support of the State«
" Some were bom for the court and the city.
And some for the village and cot ;
For it would be a dolorous ditty,
If we were born ' equal in lot '.
If our ships had no pilots to steer,
What would come of poor Jack on the shrouds ?
Or our troops no commanders to fear,
They would soon be arm'd robbers in crowds.
** The plough and the loom would stand still,
If we were made gentlefolks all ;
If clodhoppers — who then would 611
The parliament, pulpit or hall ?
* Rights of Man ' makes a very fine sound,
* Equal riches * a plausible tale ;
Whose labourers would then till the ground ?
All would drink, but who'd brew the ale ?
*' Half naked and starv'd, in the streets
We should wander about, sans culottes ;
Would Liberty find us in mefts,
Or Equality lengthen our coats ?
That knaves are for levelling, don't wonder,
We may easily guess at their views ;
Pray, who'd gain the most by the plunder ?
Why, they that have nothing to lose.
"* Then away with this nonsense and stuffy
Full of tresCson, confusion and blood ;
Every Briton has freedom enough
To be happy as long as he's good.
To be rul'd by a glorious kine,
To be govem'd by jury and laws ;
Then let us be happy and sing,
' This, this, is true Liberty's cause*."
Page 174. Haik, read HaJk: Armenian.— 178. Conqueror of Ti|ipoo
Sahib : General Harris (1791). — x8i. March : The exact date was dis-
covered by me in private letters in Norwich. See Life, i., p. 91. George
left Norwich on the evening of zst April, 1824, and consequently reached
London early on the morning of 2nd April. — 182. Lodriiie : No. 16 Mill-
man Street, Bedford Row. — 185. The publisher : Sir Richard Phillips. —
185. Mr. 8O-aiid'40 : Taylor of Norwich.— 186. The Magfazine:
The Monthly Magaxine; or, British Register.— -i^f. The Ostford Re-
view : The Universal Review; or. Chronicle of ths Literature of all
Nations, No. z, March, 1824, to No. 6, January, 1825. See also pp. 190,
203 and ff. — X91. Red Juliui, called elsewhere by Borrow lolo Goch : A
Welsh bard of the fifteenth century. — 191. Cesar's Castle : The Tower
of London. — 194 and 423. Blessed Mary Flanders : Defoe's Moll
Flanders. See oibliog. at the end of Romany Rye, — 197. Bookseileri^
5*4 NOTES.
shop: The shop was a depository of the Religious Tract Society, the
publishers of Legh Richmond's Annals of the Poor, of which the first section
was the Dairyman* s Daughter (pp. loi). — ^acn. Vtwij married : Richard,
Jr., m. Feb., 1823.— aod. " Newnte Lives" : The true title was : CtUhraUd
Trials^ and RemarkabU Cases of Criminal yurisprudenes, from the earliest
records to the year 1825, Lond., 1825 (February), 6 vols. 8vo.— 2CK. Trans-
istor of " Faustns " : Faust, a Drama by Ooethe, and Schiller's Song of the
Bell; translated by Lord Francis Leveson Oower, Lond., J. Murray, 1823,
8vo; and ed., enlarged, ibid,, 1825, 2 vols. 8vo.— ao8. Translator of
Quintilian: I doubt whether this was John Carey, LL.D. (1756-1826), who
published an edition of Quintilian, 1822, but no translation. My information
ts positive that it was Wm. Giflford, translator of Juvenal, 1802, 3rd ed. 1817.
— ^2x5. Oxford : This constant satirising of the great English university in
connection with the publisher's theory, doubtless grew out of a series of
articles printed in the Magazine during the years '23 and '24, and which
may be summarised by this notice in vol. fvi., p. 349 : " In a few days
will appear a series of Dialogues between an Oxford Tutor amd a Disciple
of the new Commonsense Philosophy ; in which the mechanical principles
of matter and motion will be accurately contrasted with the theories of
occult powers which are at present cherished by the Universities and
Royal Associations throughout Europe*'. — 220, Chnrchjard: St. Giles
churchjrard where Capt. Borrow was buried on the 4th of March
previous. — 2X^ A New Mayor : Inexact. Robert Hawkes was mayor of
Norwich in 1822. Therefore he was now «jr-mayor — ^230. Man with a
Hnmp: Thomas Osbom SpringBeld, was not a watchmaker so far as is
known in Norwich, but " carried on the wholesale silk business, having almost
a monopoly of the market " (Bavne's Norwich, p. 588). — 221. Painter d the
heroic : Benjamin Robert Haydon (1785- 1846) .—-224. Norman Arch : The
grand entrance and exit to the Norwich Cathedral, west side. — ^225. Sni4> :
The Snap-Dragon of Norwich is the Tarasque of the south of France, and
the Tarasca of Corpus day in Spain. It represents a Dragon or monster
with hideous iaws, supported by men concealed, all but their legs, within its
capacious belly, and carried about in civic processions prior to the year 1835 ;
even now it is seen on Guy Fawkes' day, the 5th of November. — Whiffler:
An official character of the old Norwich Corporation, strangely uniformed
and accoutred, who headed the annual procession on GuildhaU day, flourish-
ing a sword in a marvellous manner. AH this was abolished on the passage
of the Municipal Reform Act in 1835. As a conse<^uence, says a contem-
poraneous writer, " the Aldermen left off wearing their scarlet gowns, Snap
was laid up on ;a shelf in the ' Sword Room ' in the Guildhall, and the
Whifflers no longer danced at the head of the procession in their picturesque
costume. It was a pretty sight, and their skill in flourishing their short
swords was marvellous to behold.*' See Romany Rye, pp. 349-50. — Billj
Blind and Owlenelass (Till Eulenspiegel) : See Bibliography. --22^. Brandt
and Stniensee : For High-Treason in Denmark, 1772. See Celebrated Trials,
iv., p. 465 ; and for Richard Patch ('* yeoman Paten *'), 1805, vol. v., p. 584.
— ^220. Lord Brron : The remains of the poet lay in state from Friday
gth July, 1824, >i^ Sir Edward Knatchbull's house, Great George Street, to
Monday the xath when they were conveyed to Hucknall-Torkard in Not-
tinghamshire. On that day (12th July) Borrow witnessed the procession
as described in the text. — ^233. Carolan's Receipt : Torlough (t.r., Charles)
O'Carolan, the celebrated Irish harper and bard, was born at Nobber, Co.
Meath, in 1670, and died in 1738. See Alfred Webb's Compendium af
NOTES. 565
Irish Biography, Dublin, 1878, p. 37a; T. C. Walker's Irish Bards, 1786,
App., pp. 86-87, »n<* ^»«'- o/NaL Biog,, xli., p. 343. The " Receipt " in Irish
is in Walker, and at the end of Vallancey's Irish Orammar, second ed.,
Dublin, 1781.^ Here is the translation given in Walker :—
** When by sickness or sorrow assail'd.
To the mansion of Stafford I hie'd
His advice or his cordial ne'er fail'd
To relieve me — nor e'er was denied.
** At midnight our glasses went round,
In the morning a cup he would send ;
By the force of his wit he has found
That my life did on drinking depend.
•* With the spirit of Whiskey inspir'd,
By my Harp e'en the pow'r is confess'd ;
Tis then that my genius is fir'd,
'Tis then I sing sweetest and best
** Ye friends and ye neighbours dimw near,
Attend to the close of my song;
Remember, if life you hold dear.
That drinking your life will prolong."
Curiously enoush among the subscribers to the Romantic Ballads, Norwich,
1826, we find these names: (p. 185) '*F. Arden, Esq., London, live copies,"
*<T. O. O'Donnahoo, Esq., London, five copies;" (p. 187) '* Mr. J. Turner,
Ix>ndon ".
Page 24^ The Review: The Review actually ceased January, 1825,
with its sisctn number. — 268. Laham: In Heb. bread is Wum; but our
author probably wrote it by sound. Z*hats is the ace. of hats, the Arm. for
bread ; for as Borrow's source, old Villotte (1714)1 says : " Accusativus pra-
figit nominativo Ut4raM jr*'. — ^370 and a66. Mesroub, read Miesroh,
who, about a.d. 450 introduced the Armenian alphabet. 271. Sea in Arm.
is dxow. See Romany Rye, p. 356— 26z. AdeULnte (Span.) : Come in.— 281.
Bneno (Span.): Good. This sound of the word bucno, heard in 182s from
the Jew Manasseh, was brought to Borrow's memory in 1836 when he met
the Jew Abarbanel on the roads in Spain. See B. in S,, p. 65, sm. ed. —
gfia. Una vez, etc. (Span.) : On one occasion when he was intoxicated. — aSa;
Goyim (Heb.) : Nations, Gentiles.— aSs. Lasan akhadca, read Ldshdn
haqifdddsn : Sacred language, t.#., Hebrew. — 362. Tanin : Wine in Heb. is
ydytn (not ydnin), but our author quoted correctly from the Dialoghi di
Amor4 composts her Leons Medico, Vinegia, 1541, and the Span. ed. ^hich
I use) : Los Dialogos de Amor de mestre Leon Abarbanel medico y Filosofo
exceUnte, Venetia, 1568, sm. 4to (Bodleian). The passage is: "And he
(Noah), after the flood, was called Janus on account of his invention of wine,
for janin in Hebrew signifies wine, and he is represented with two faces
> Beginning —
*' Afas timn no sidn atkarlaigkios fUn,
Degkludis me trd, agus hflUirde wU,
Air eudirt an Sedin u sdcal Mdgkail,
*'An Stafartack taimk, nock gndtk gan ehdUir
S66 NOTES.
turned in opposite directions, became he nw befi>re the flood and after it ". '
O. B. always writes Abarbenel for Abarbanel. His true name was Leo
AbrabaneL— aSs. Janinoso (Judseo-Span.) meaning vinosust intoxicated.—
363. Epicourajyun : Christians, as below, the "Epicureans," for so the
rabbis of the East call us in the West — properly, " unbelievers *'. But
Borrow's form is not found in Buxtorf (i8G9>--fead Y^n^^^^liTinM ^pi^^^'f^sim
and (pop.) J5/tMHfli.— 265. Sephardim : Spanish aiM PortiPguese Jews, as the
Ashkinagim are the German Jews. — 990 to 30X. I am at ... : Green-
wich, Blackheath and Shooter's Hill (301).— 504. Colonel B. . . .: Col.
Blood. See dUhrated Trials^ vol. ii., pp. 248-354 : ** Thomas Blood, gener-
ally called Colonel Blood, who stole the crown from the Tower of London,
167 1 ".—317, Got Care to ... , read Amesbury, Wilts.— 323- City of
the Spire: Salisbury. — ^325. From . . . t re^^d Bristol. — ^330. Strang^:
Could not be William Beckford (1759-1844) of Fonthill Park, three miles
from Hinton, a doxen or fifteen miles from Salisbury. Besides the place
was sold in 182a and George Mortimer occupied it in 1825. Borrow had
been walking fiv€ days in a N.W. direction from Salisbury, and all his
narrative harmonises with the places and dates that bring him to Horn-
castle in August, 1825.-^62. Abedarimns, read afr^^r/ionttms.— 363.
Flaming' Tinman : He is also called by Borrow, Biasing Tinman, Flying
Tinker, Blazing Bosville or Boswell, and finally Anselo Herne, his true
clan-name.^3p7. Ten years ago, f.«., thirteen, when he was at Tam-
worth in April or May, 1812.— 377. The Romany chi, etc. : See p. 387
for the translation. —379. Answer to the g^e : llie Rommany churl and
the Rommany girl love thieving and spacing and lying and everything but
honesty and trttth.^390. Petfa yw, etc. ( W.) : What is that lying there on the
ground ? Yn wirianeddf in truth, surelv. — ^390. Gwenwyn: Poison ! Poison 1
the lad has been poisoned I —394. HangM the mayor: The suppressed
name of the Welshman and the whole account of the affair is ^ven in Wild
WaUs^ p. 7 (chapter iii).— 404. Bardd Cwsg: The Sleepmg Bard, by
Ellis Wynn. See Bihliog.-^^l. Merddin V^llt (Myrddin) : U., Wild
Merlin, called the Wizard.— 433. Found written: See MoU Flanders
by Defoe, p. 188, ed. 1722 : " OnT what a felicity is it to mankind," said /,
** that they cannot see into the hearts of one another t '* I have carefully
re-read the whole volume of Moll Plandtrs^ and find no such passages as
those referred to here, save the one above. Hence, we may justly inlier
that Borrow quoted the spirit^ rather than the words, of his author. See
Romany Rye^ pp. 305-6.— 431. Catraeth, read Cattraeth, The reference is to
Aneunn's book, the Gododin, or Battle of Cattraeth. See Bibliog. — 433.
Fish or flesh : See Borrow's Targum, St. Fetersb., 1835, p. 76, under the
** History of Taliesin," ending : —
** I saw the end with horror
Of Sodom and Gomorrah I
And with this very eye
Have seen the [Trinity] ;
I till the judgment day
Upon the earth shall stray :
NoHi knows for certainty
Whether fish orfiesh I be."
1 «• El qual (N06) despues del diluuio, por su inuendon del uino, fve Ihamado
lano, porque lanin en ebraico quiere dezir uino, y lo pintao con dos caras boltadasi
porque tuuo uisu antes del diluuio 7 despues " {Fofa 71, verso).
NOTES. 567
The original Welsh of the '* Hanet Taliesin ** is in the Oorchestum Beirdd
Cymru, 1773 — Bihliog, at the end of Romany Rye. — ^432. Take this : This
Bible, with Peter Williams' name in it, was sold in London in x886 out of
Geo. Sorrow's collection. — ^443. Mumpers' Dtng^le : Near Willenhall, Staf-
ordshire. The place is properly Momber or Mourner LaM4, and is now occupied
by the " Monmer Lane Ironworks," hence totally obliterated. — ^444. Voliindr
{Vdlundr) : The Wayland Smith of Northern legends. See in the Bihliog,
under '* Wayland Smith," and Mallet, p. 570. — ^456. Ing^eborg : The lines
are from the Romantic Ballads of 1826, p. 58, entitled the "Heroes of
Dovrefeld. From the old Danish."— 456. '* As I was jawiog : " Text and
translation of the whole eight lines are found on pp. 182-83 ^ ^^ Lavo-Lil^
1874:—
As I to the town was going om day
My Roman lass I m§t by iks way.
The MS. is somewhat different — <*Rommany" instead oiRomaHt and the
last line, '* If you will share my lot with me ". — 469. The man in black :
This priest seems to have been a Fraser of Lovat. See Romany Ry4,
p. 25, and "Arbuthnot" in the BihHog, — ^481. Armenian: It must be
remembered that Sorrow's Armenian was limited to the Introduction,
Grammar and Lat.-Arm. Diet, of the Jesuit Joseph Villotte, I7i4> fol.,
which he picked up at Norwich in 1822-23 as he tells us on p. 175,
and Romany Rye, p. 93. Hence all his examples are taken from that
book — mi, one ; yergou, two ; y^ek, three, and those in Romany Ryg. —
483. Bnona sera (It.) : Good evening. — ^482. Per far Tisita, etc. : To pay
your lordship a call, that is my motive.— 486. Che to non, etc., read ch*
to, etc.: That I do not believe at all.— 488. Addio: Farewell.— 4ai7. Puld:
See the Bibliog, This version is rather free and local. Here is the original
(canto xviii., t 97, ed. 1546) :—
Rispou allkor Margutie : '< A dirtel tosio.
To non credo piu al mro ch* a ViUMurro,
Ma nsl coupons, 0 lesso, 0, vuofU, arrosto,
B credo alcuna wolla anco ml burro.
Sella cervogta, e, ptando to n*ho, nel mosio^
B molto pin nelV astro eke il mangurro^
Ma 9obra httto nel hum vino ho/ede,
B creao eke sia salwo cki gli creeU,*
If
9p^ O CaTftliere, etc. : Oh, Sir Walter, ye have wrought much in behalf of
the Holy See 1—504. Poreri frati: Poor friars I—X08. One fellow I met:
".— SXi Mast
accormng to the prayer-book version.
LIST OF GYPSY WORDS IN LA VENGRO.
f
Adrey. in.
Ambrol, pear.
And^, in, into.
Andre, in, within.
Angir, charcoal, coals.
Apopli, again.
Aukko, here is.
A^a, yes.
Ar$Ji, yes.
ArtXttkf comes, is coming.
Bard, large, big.
rlor. swine.
Bebee (aunt|, grandmother.
Benffoi, devil.
Bitcnadey, pi. sent.
Bttchadey pawdd (p. 300), an error
for bitchado pawdel, sing.
Bord, great.
Borodromengro, highwayman.
Bore foros, London.
Cafiy horse-shoe nail.
Cana, when.
Canlor, shillings.
Chabdy pi. of
Chabd^ child, lad, Gypsy.
Chachipen, truth.
Chal, lad, G^^psy.
Chal Derlem gc with God, farewell.
Chavdp «.f . ckahd,
Chi, girl, lass, Gypsy.
(3hinomescro, chisel.
Chipes, pi. tongues.
Chive, to throw ; pass (bad money).
Chivios, he or it is cast.
Chong, hill.
Chcnijg gav, Norwich.
Chun, knife.
Coor, to strike, hammer.
Cooromengro, boxer.
Covantza, anvil.
Dearginni (Hung. Q.), it thunders.
Dinelo, a fool, silly.
Diwus, day.
DloovUt money (for hvo).
Dook, to bewitch, to spirit away.
Dock, spirit, soul, divining spirit,
demon, ghost.
Dosta, enough.
Dovey odoi, that there, up yonder.
Drab, herb, poison.
Drab, to poison.
Drom, road, way.
Drow (often pi.), drugs ; poison.
Dui, two.
Dukker/n (the in is Eng. '*ing"),
any one's fortune, or fortunes, laite,
fortune-telling.
Dukker/n dool^ the fortune-telling
or divining spirit or demon.
Dukkeripen, fortune-telling.
Duvel, God.
Duvelskoe, divine.
Engro (mere tnding), Borrovian for
" master,*' " fellow," *• chap ".
Foros, city, town.
Gav, village, town.
GiOiej song, ditty.
Gorgm, non-gypsy, stranger, some-
body, police. G. avella, some one
is coming. G. shunella, some one
is listening. G.'s welling, the police
are about
Gorgfious, adj. formed from gorgio.
Grandbefoee, see behei.
Grondinni {Roumanian G.), it hails.
Gry, horse, pony.
Harkomescro, tinker.
Hinjiri, executioner.
Hir mi Devlss, by my G ,
Hokkeripen, falsehood.
aw, to go. Jaw-ing, going,
ib, tongue, language.
urealf dog.
uwa, woman.
Kauley, f. of
Kaulo, black, dark.
(568)
GYPSY LIST.
569
Kaulomescro, blacksmith.
Kjjtured, stole.
Kekaubi, kettle.
Ker, house.
KoidcOy good.
Krai or Krallis, king.
Lachipen, honesty.
LaTeng^rOy "word-master," '* philo-
logist ".
Leste, him.
Lil, book.
LoovUf coin, money.
Lundra, London.
Lttripen, theft, robbery.
MaiUa, donkey.
Manridi, cake.
Manro, bread.
ManiiSy man.
Marel (read msrel), dies.
Men, we.
Menaar (read msnsa), with us.
Miro, mv.
Morro, bread.
Muchtar, tool-box.
Nashkado, lost, hanged.
Nashky, gallows.
O, the.
Odoiy there ; dovey o., yonder.
Pa. over, for.
Pal, brother, friend, mate.
Palor, brothers.
Parraco, I thank.
Pawdel, on the other side, across;
bttchadey p., transported.
Pen. to say, to tell ; penning, telling.
Peshota, pi. bellows.
Petttl, horse-shoe.
Petuleturro, smith.
Piodro, noof, foot.
Pios, health (in toasting).
Plaistra, pincers.
PlaatramengrOy runner, detective.
Pokaees, magistrate.
Pnda {voc). brother.
PudamengTO, blower, bellows.
Pnrdi old, ancienL
PuTy earth, ground.
Ran, stick, c^lPf^ . .
Rati, blood, stock.
Rikkenf . t of
Rikkeno, pretty, fine.
Rin, file.
Rom, husband ; Gypsy.
Roman, Borrovian for Gypsy.
RomaneskoenaM, in Gypsy fashion.
Romanhr (Bor.), in Gypsy, G.-like.
Romano, Gypsy.
Rome and dree (Rom andr6 7) Gypsy
at heart.
Romf, wife.
Rommanis, in Gypsy.
Rommany, Gypsy.
Rommany Chal, Eng. Gypsy.
Rommany Chi, t Eng. Gypsy-girl.
RoTel, weeps.
Rje, gentleman ; farming r., farmer.
Sap, snake.
Sapen£^, snake-catcher.
Sastra, iron.
Sastramescro, worker in iron, smith.
Scoppdo, ninny.
Sherengro, head man.
Sboon, to hear, to listen.
Shttkaro, hammer.
Shunella, is listening.
Si, is, are.
Sora, all (who).
Ta, and.
Tacho rommanifl, &ithfiil wife.
Tan, tent.
Tasanlor (ta-sorlo), to-morrow.
Tatchipen, truth.
Tawno Chickno, *' Shorty".
Tu, thy.
Tute, thee.
Vafi^escoe chipes, tongues of fire.
Viluuninni (Hung. G.), it lightens.
Wafodo, bad, &lse.
Welling^ (corruption of avW/a), com-
ing. G.'s welling, " the hawks are
abroad ".
Weah, forest
Yag, fire.
Yeck, one.
ZigaH (SiftviV), Gypsy.
Zmg$lo (/to/Ma), Gyp^.
r L
1 4. 1912
FMimED BT
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