For Faith and Freedom

work, and play into love, and love into marriage, and so onwards to the churchyard, where we all presently lie, hopeful of

s own actions, even if that liberty lead to whipping-post, pillory, or gallows. To boys of ambition and imagination the gifts of Fortune show like the splendid visions of a prophet. They think that earthly fame will satisfy the soul. P

being driven, loading each other with burdens intolerable, or with wealth or with honours, and then dying and being forgotten in a moment-which we call London. In the kindly country one

where a man cannot hear himself speak, they say, for the roaring of the crowd, the ringing of the bells, and t

l for prayer. Robin, besides, loved to go forth with hawk and gun; to snare the wild creatures; to hunt the otter and the fox; to bait the badger, and trap the stoat and weasel; to course the hares. But cities and crowds, even if they should be shouting in his honour, did never dra

r. What? None of your pettifogging tribe for me: I shall step to the front, and stay there. What? Someone must have the prizes and the pr

u are strong enough to

magination. He was already six feet in height, his shoulders broad, and his face red and fiery, so that now he looked very big and tall. 'Then my Inn will make me a Bencher, and I shall sit at the high table in term-time. And the attorneys shall run after me and fight with each other for my services in Court, so that in every great

in, laughing. 'Ben is too modest, how

eys and those who have suits in the Courts; then the ear of the Judge. I know not how one gets the ear of the Judge'-he looked despo

But as yet we stick

I be found. Next am I made Serjeant-at-Law. Then I am saluted as 'Brother' by the Judges on the Bench, while all the others burst with envy. After that I shall myself be called to the Bench.

' said Humphrey, gravel

then to govern themselves accordingly. I will be myself Judge and jury and all. Oh! I have seen the Judge at last Exeter 'Sizes. He made all to shake in their shoes. I shall not stop there. Chief Baron I shall be, per

e-first Lord Boscorel; or perhaps, if your Lordship w

d while I am climbing up the ladder, where wilt thou be, Humphr

y the pain, and you will honour me with the title not only of humble cousin, but also of rescuer and preserver. Will it not be honour enough to cure the Right Honourable the Earl of Sherborne (first of the name), the Lord Chancellor, of his gout, and to restore him to

Benjamin. Nobody could use finer la

to carry a gold-headed cane; all day long to listen while the patient tells

od laws, and so make the nation happy and prosperous. While you are doing this, I will b

-borough to bring out his cat-o'-nine-tails. In the winter evenings, he will play backgammon, and in th

they are obeyed. What better service is there than to cause good laws to be obeyed? Make good laws,

ve the village and go forth to prepare for such course as should

, a strong voice, and a loud laugh. In no respect did he resemble his father, who was delicate in manner and in speech. He was

first, until he frightened me with th

shall not come back to this village for a long time. Nay, w

or me,

thou art not yet turned twelve, which is young to be hearing of such a thing. Yet a body may as well make things safe. And as for Humphre

s should they in

t skittish, I care not: all in good time. Very well, then; let us make things safe. Alice, w

g to do with m

child, thou wilt then be as

olish talk, B

Circuit, in order to see thee often-partly to keep an eye upon thee and partly to warn of

s I la

s coach. "Who is the lovely lady?" they ask. "The lovely lady"-that is you, Alice; none other-"with the diamonds at her neck and the gold chain, in the glass coach?" says one who knows her liveries: "'tis the lady of the great Lord Chancellor, t

ch, methinks, should be gentle and respectful, not as if a woman was like a savage to be tempted by a string of beads, or so foolish as to desire with her husband

of All Souls, where were still left one or two of his old friends. Then he rode back to his village. 'There are but two places in this country,' he said, 'or perhaps three, at most, where a gentleman and a scholar, or one who loveth the fine arts, would choose to live. These are London and Oxfor

ng: that is to say, when he went to pay his respects to Sir Christopher, his grandfather, he wore a very fine cravat of Flanders lace, with silken hose, and lace and ribbons at his wrist. He was also scented with bergamot, and wore a peruke, which, while he talked, he combed and curled, to keep the curls of this monstrous head-dress in place. Gentlemen must, I suppose, wear this invention, and one of the learned prof

id well to dress and to comport himself after the way of the world. 'Behold him! Thus he sits in the coffee-house; thus he shows himself in the pit

des from various

ss, and one the n

this, his crava

rd-long snake h

sacred peri

blew, nor touch

, 'if the mode can help thee to t

hath his fortune to make does well to be seen every

ing, singing, and making merry, he was reading in chambers or else attending the Courts all the day, and neglected nothing that would make him master of his profession. And, though of learning he had little, his natural parts were so good, and his resolution was so strong, that I doubt not he would have achieved his ambition had it n

ree years before. Therefore I continued with my mother, and would give him no ch

hat I might have to go away w

jamin. Let me pass!' For he

he swore a most dreadful, impious oath-'I am more resolved than ever. There is not a woman, even in London, that is to be compared with thee, child. What? Compared with thee? Why, they are like the twinkling stars compared

breathed hard; but s

you meant to say and let me go. If you hold me any longer

than a village green among the pigs and ducks. Think upon it well: thou art a lucky girl; a plain village girl to be promoted to a coronet! However, I have no fears for thee; thou wilt adorn the highest fortune. Thou wilt be worthy of the great place whither I shall lead thee. What? Is Sir George Jeffreys a better man than I? Is he of better family? Had he better interest? Is he a b

s eyes were as full of determination as when he would fight a lad of his own age and go on fighting till the other

y, women like a man to be strong of will-but because he had no religion in him and lived like an Atheist, if such a wretch there be; at all events, with unconcern about his soul; and because his life was profligate, his tastes were gross, and he was a drinker of much

reak all the commandments, heedless of his immortal soul, rather than suffer another man to take her-and that, even though he knows that the poor creature loves him not, or loves another man. If maidens knew this, I think that they would go in fear and trembling lest they should be coveted by some wild beast in human shape, and prove the de