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conversation is among beasts, and his talons none of the
shortest; only he eats not grass, because he loves not
sallads. His hand guides the plough, and the plough his
thoughts; and his ditch and land-mark is the very mound of
his meditations. He expostulates with his oxen very
understandingly, and speaks gee and ree better than English.
His mind is not much distracted with objects; but if a good
fat cow come in his way, he stands dumb and astonished; and
though his haste be never so great, will fix here half an
hour's contemplation. His habitation is some poor thatched
roof, distinguished from his barn by the loop-holes that let
out the smoak; which the rain had long since washed through,
but for the double ceiling of bacon on the inside, which has
hung there from his grandfather's time, and is yet to make
rashers for posterity. His dinner is his other work, for he
sweats at it as much as at his labour. He is a terrible
fastner upon a piece of beef, and you may hope to stave the
guard off sooner. His religion is a part of his copyhold,
which he takes from his landlord, and refers it wholly to
his discretion; yet if he give him leave, he is a good
Christian to his powers, (that is,) comes to church in his
best cloathes, and sits there with his neighbours, where he
is capable only of two prayers, for rain, and fair weather.
He apprehends God's good only in a good year, or fat
pasture, and never praises him but on good ground. Sunday he
esteems a day to make merry in, and thinks a bagpipe as
essential to it as evening prayer; where he walks very
solemnly after service with his hands coupled behind him,
and censures the dancing of his parish. His compliment with
his neighbour is a good thump on the back, and his
salutation commonly some blunt curse. He thinks nothing to
be vices but pride and ill husbandry, from which he will
gravely dissuade the youth, and has some thrifty hobnail
proverb to clout his discourse. He is a niggard all the
week, except only market-day; where, if his corn sell well,
he thinks he may be drunk with a good conscience. His feet
never slink so unbecomingly as when he trots after a lawyer
in Westminster-Hall, and even cleaves the ground with hard
scraping in beseeching his Worship to take his money. He is
sensible of no calamity but the burning of a stack of corn,
or the overflowing of a meadow; and thinks Noah's flood the
greatest plague that ever was, not because it drowned the
world, but spoiled the grass. For death he is never
troubled; and if he get in but his harvest before, let it
come when it will, he cares not."
Notwithstanding the justice of this merry account, I must
beg leave to say a few words in behalf of the Manners of my
countrymen.
Few possess more native genius, or more intrinsic worth and
honesty; among the most unpolished of them are men of very
considerable learning; I mean men who are tolerable
proficient of the classics, and who are more than tolerable
mathematicians; even among the poor artificers, such as
tailors and shoemakers, may be found some tolerable poets.
Some have made no inconsiderable figure in life: Mr
Hoggarth, Mr A. Walker, Mr Sowerby, and many others, might
be brought as examples. But this we need not wonder at:
temperance will ever insure a clearness of the
understanding, and solitude has in all ages been considered
as the parent of contemplation.
We will return down the water, where the first remarkable
place that offers itself is Hallin-Hagg, a
considerable grove, (belonging to Williams Hassel, Esq;)
which grows upon an almost bare rock: at the bottom of this
is Kailpot Cragg, which we mentioned before, and
which is worth the notice of the curious.
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Next sail into How-Town Bay, commonly called How-Town
Wike, or Wich. From this place is a beautiful
view of the hills at the foot of the Lake. Dun-Mallard is in
front, and the black brow of Penrith beacon shoots away
behind it in a truly picturesque manner.
At How-Town was born James Brown, who, being obliged to fly
his country for deer stealing, entered the army under
Cromwell, and was by him soon advanced to
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