Isopel Berners: The History of certain doings in a Staffordshire Dingle, July, 1825Borrow, George
General
Isopel Berners: The History of certain doings in a Staffordshire Dingle, July, 1825
Borrow, George
England -- Fiction; Romanies -- Fiction
And in that attitude I remained some time, perfectly unconscious. 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somewhat dizzy and bewildered, but the dark shadow had withdrawn itself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 drank 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 kitchen had been deserted by the greater part of
the guests; besides myself, only four remained; these were seated at the
farther end. One was haranguing fiercely and eagerly; he was abusing
England, 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, thought I.
CHAPTER VII.--A DISCIPLE OF WILLIAM COBBETT--THE SCHOLAR ENCOUNTERS THE
PRIEST.
The 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 very ill-favoured countenance,--"there is
no country like America," said he, withdrawing 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 hope, however--"
"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 dog's
wages, a bit of bread and a kick. Work, indeed! who, with the spirit of
a man, would work for a country 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 'Register'?"
"Ah, the Church of England has been a source of incalculable mischief to
these realms," said another.
The person who uttered these words sat rather aloof from 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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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