before one of the most dull of all the bulls, heaped insults on him. "Master Maïquez," said the matador to him, "you must know we do not make believe here, as you do on your boards." Public applause, and the desire to gain fame, or to retain that which they have already acquired, oblige the toreadors to adventure beyond the ordinary dangers to which naturally they are exposed. Pepe Illo, and after him Romero, used to present themselves before the bull with their feet chained. The coolness of those men, in the most imminent danger, had something almost miraculous about it. Not long since, a picador, named Juan Sevilla, was overthrown, and his horse's belly ripped open by an Andalusian bull of prodigious strength and activity. This bull, instead of allowing his attention to be distracted by the chulos, directed his wrath entirely against this man, trampled upon him, and gave him many blows of his horns about the legs; but finally perceiving that they were too well defended by the gaiters of leather, fortified with iron, he drew back and lowered his head for the purpose of plunging his horn into his belly. At this moment Sevilla, raising himself up by a desperate effort, seized with one hand the bull by the ear, and plunged the fingers of the other into his nostrils, while he held his head close under that of the furious beast. In vain did the bull shake him, trample

test.

him under his feet, dash him against the ground, never was he able to make him let go his hold. Every one beheld with consternation this unequal conIt was apparently the deathstruggle of a brave man ; one was almost tempted to regret that it was prolonged; it was impossible either to cry out, or breathe, or turn away one's eyes from this fearful sight; it lasted nearly two minutes. At length the bull, conquered by the man in this close encounter, abandoned him to pursue the chulos. Every one expected to see Sevilla carried out of the enclosure in the arms of his companions.

He was raised up; scarce was he on his feet before he seized a cloak, and was about to attack the bull, notwithstanding his heavy boots, and the inconvenient armour of his legs. They were obliged to take the cloak from him forcibly, or he certainly would have been killed this time. They bring him a horse; he vaults upon him boiling with rage, and attacks the bull in the very centre of the arena. The encounter of these two valiant adversaries was so violent, that both horse and bull fell on their knees. Oh! if you had heard the vivas-if you had witnessed the frantic joy, the sort of intoxication of the crowd, in beholding so much courage and so much good fortune, you would have united with me envying the lot of Sevilla! This man is immortalized at Madrid.

This world is a strange one-so full of selfishness, mischief, and nonsense of all description, that one does not know well whether to laugh or cry at it. When one thinks of the petty aims to outstrip, and, if it may be, to circumvent, the high learning of some pragmatical pismires, the furtive propensities of others, and the nonsense of them all, we are apt to laugh; but when we think of the serious passions that in the meantime agitate, and the serious misery that often ensues, there is a necessity for chastening our merriment; and even a philosopher must sometimes be forgiven a sigh. I know no application that these reflections have to the story I am about to tell, which, as far as I can judge, is one of pure merriment. But there must be some latent application notwithstanding, for they have been suggested by it; and I believe they would form an introduction sufficiently suitable to every story of human life.

I was travelling in the north of England, and in the course of my travels had come to Kendal, in Westmoreland. I do not consider this town at all humorous in itself; on the contrary, to judge from appearances, it is as dull and prosaic as need be. But it stands well for occasionally seeing some wandering oddities. From the course of roads, as they at present run, (A. D. 1834) it stands on a spot that connects the land of Lakes with the land of Cakes; and whence the stream of humour, native and imported, travels southward, till all sinks in London, that ocean of every thing remarkable, and where, consequently, every thing ceases to be remarked.

We had travelled from Carlisle with. out change of company; and as it varied little till we reached our journey's end, I may here describe the company: one was tall, and looked grave-but these fellows often relax; another was short, and looked merry-but these, again, often prove glum; a third was neither tall nor short, with no particular cha

racter; the fourth was a little dark spirit, wearing spectacles and a black handkerchief, thin and fidgetty, and in every appearance a wasp, and certainly as decidedly a character in his way, as the others were wanting in markedness in any way. He cocked his spectacles at every thing, and upon every thing had a remark, and it was much oftener unpleasant than otherwise. But we had begun to become accustomed to them, and so to take them easily, or rather as wise people take physic-that is to say, not to take them at all; when something occurred that a little changed the system of our feelings, and gave just that gentle motion to our spirits that amused without fatiguing us, and placed us so far above a neighbour as to make us contented with ourselves.

The occasion was this: we were standing at the inn door of the aforesaid Kendal; the day was a dull one in December, uncertain if it should rain or snow, but in the mean time doing neither, yet gloomy, as a great man when he affects to be thinking— when a well fed, fattish looking gentleman, in a round face, with a very good complexion, a couple of straight eyes, and the usual complement of nose, a brown surtout, and drab-coloured trowsers, and spatterdashes, walked up, and very courteously, but at the same time confidently, asked room in the coach beside us for a portfolio of the size of a large breakfast tray. As it was not proposed for my side, I had no interest in opposing it, and therefore said nothing. But the little dark spirit took it up on principle, and therefore voted it an intrusion. ""Tis Mr. WORDSWORTH'S," said the young man of indefinite height and character; and at the same time adjusted it by the coach door, so as at once to be safe, and give no annoyance. "Mr. Wordsworth's!" said little vinegar : you don't say so?" "I do." "The great Mr. Wordsworth's ?" "To be sure; lives in Cumberland, and most proba

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bly is now going up to London with the materials of a publication!" "Is he on the coach ?" He is." "I should like above all things to see him. I have seen Sir Walter Scott, &c. &c., and should wish exceedingly I had seen Mr. Wordsworth. Coachman!" and he began to make an effort to have the coach door opened; but Jehu had just handled his whip, so the penny trumpet of the passenger was drowned amid the rattle of the coach wheels on the stones, a thing that must often happen, or the life of a coachman would be terrible.

As we are something in the great line ourselves, we had no particular inclination to be bored about curiosities of the same description; we had seen him, and were satisfied, and so resigned ourselves to sleep; and enquiries about the dress and address of a gentleman of ordinary dimensions and demeanour, however interlarded by observations about others of that same stamp, could not last for ever; so by the time we had reached Millthorpe, the storm had tolerably subsided. There our friend determined to make a bolt; but no one else was similarly inclined; and the guard, upon being applied to, said, we don't change here;" and in a few moments the wheels went round again. At Bolton the little fellow scrambled out-but we had no particular wish to humour the thing; so by the time he could accomplish his exit, no outside passenger was to be seen-some had gone into the house, some into the stables; the coachman was lighting his candle, (as it is termed,) and the guard knew nothing about Mr. Wordsworth, and, besides, was busy about a wisp of straw. The little man gazed and lingered, turning his spectacles in all directions; still nobody of the description wanted, came-and murmuring, “it is very odd," he again took his place in the coach. He looked eagerly out of the windows-sometimes at one side, sometimes at the other-still Mr. W. came not, from before at least, and the coach again drove off. "I shall see him at Lancaster," said he; dine there, don't we?" and the answer was, "we do." "I shall dine with him," rejoined the other confidently: "go where he will, I shall entreat to join him ;" and he seemed satisfied with the idea, to our great gratification.

"we

Still, if the coach stopped but for a moment, he would pop his head out, writhing upward like a worm, and looking before and behind and still the remark was, "it is very odd!" Mr. W. was invisible.

46

As we stopt at Lancaster, the guard pronounced in a loud and distinct voice, "Gentlemen, the time is twentyfive minutes," which may be elegantly understood to mean fifteen. We had, without one word upon the subjectand I know not from what motivebegun to be as desirous to disappoint little Vinegar, as we called him, as he was to avoid it. In this view the tall gentleman, aided by a huge cloak, effectually filled up one door, while the short one, and the portfolio, as effectually interdicted the other. The little man bounced about like a squirrell in a cage-now striving to have a peep at one side, now at another, but all to no purpose-he could see nothing. "He'll be gone, to a certainty," he ejaculated; “he cannot choose else! I shall lose him, of course!" and some reflections began to escape about the size and slowness of some people. "Sir?" said the short gentleman, with great solemnity. "I don't allude to you, of course," said Vinegar. Did you speak to me?" said our tall friend. No; I spoke to myself," said Splenetic, and at last jumped down. That moment he hastened up to the public room. Mr. W. was not there." Any gentleman taken a private room?" "Don't know, Sir." "Good Heaven, what stupidity!" and he descended as quickly as he had come up. In a few moments he came up again quite out of breath, and in the last degree chagrined. He had found a gentleman in a private room, exactly answering the description of the person he sought, and lolling, as he thought, in a very intellectual manner; and he had immediately intreated to join him, when, to his horror, he discovered he had a squint, and consequently could not be Mr. Wordsworth! May I ask if I have the honour of addressing Mr. Wordsworth ?" said he. No, Sir," answered the party questioned; "my name is Potts." "Potts, gentlemen! Alfred Peter Potts! He is a hardwareman and ironmonger from Birmingham. Here is his card, with all the adornment of skewers and grid

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irons, proper for a shop-bill;" and he threw the card on the table. One half of the company did not understand him; the other had not time to listen to him; but he went on :-" A gentleman dressed very like this person had gone off as the coach was coming slowly up High-street, and doubtless would be taken up in the outskirts, if taken up at all." We pretended to sympathise, but more than one had occasion to lean back that he might smile without being uncivil. Meantime the hare soup had shewn itself of the right kind, and escaped. He had the happiness of hearing every one speak well of it; but unfortunately in the past tense, for the last drop had just been appropriated by the divider. He desired that more might be brought, and the servant descended; but after he had been repeatedly rung for, reported that there was no inore. What else is at table? Is that a turkey ?" "It was, Sir," said the carver. "' Thank you for a wing, Sir." They had taken flight." "A little of the breast ?" Such an impression had been made upon that, that it could be impressed no more." "A leg, then." "There had only been two, and the last one had that moment walked off!" "Shall I have any thing?" at last shouted the little fellow. But this being addressed to nobody in particular, nobody in particular noticed it, till the waiter stepped forward: "Here is mutton," said he; but, after inspection, it proved too fat. Beef?-underdone; at least it appear Veal?-his aversion. Here's some very excellent boiled beef, Sir! -It was tough as the deuce, and there were now no potatoes; or they were smashed to a thousand atoms, and cold. There was nothing else however, and so it was taken. The rest were by this time at their pudding, or tarts and cheese, not forgetting their warm brandy and water. A friend maliciously recommended to him to secure his brandy and water; and he did so, but wasting his time for dinner in ridiculous complaints while ordering his drink; so that, he had only taken a few mouthfuls when the horn sounded! was there ever anything so provoking? The time cannot be up!impossible! Waiter! tell me how long we have been here! The time is

ed so.

up, Sir, said two or three, while adjusting their cravats, having already paid their bills. He now recollected he should want change. Then came higgling with an abominable purse! and just as a sovereign was got-come, gentlemen, shouted the guard. Compelled to resume his great coat, our little friend could neither taste dinner nor drink; and as we descended he was roaring to the empty rooms about his change. He might have taken that interval to help himself a little, but that he required to run from room to room, in quest of the servant to whom he had given his money. His "change" was at last got in the coach, by the guard's compassionately waiting a few moments; but there was no time for counting it, and some part of it was dropt in the straw! And where is Mr. Wordsworth? He had been quietly seated on the coach, (for he could not get in) an unconscious spectator of all the misery he had occasioned; and in that moment he might have been seen; but his admirer was too busy; and, just as he had thrust out his head, to have a peep, if possible, if but of the tip of a nose; the coach drove off, and there was a cry from all quarters to shut the windows. It is very odd! said our friend once more, and again resigned himself to his fate.

It was now becoming dark, and drizzled, and our dinner had made us heavy; we consequently would not be disturbed; at the first halt, however, our friend attempted to pop out; but in doing so, elicited a roar from his opposite neighbour-"Just upon a corn, by Jove!"-that completely occupied him in apologies, enquiries, and remarks upon the severity of such an infliction, &c. till, in spite of his evident hurry, the coach again drove off; and he sat down almost in despair, ejaculating "it is very odd!"

were

At the next stage horses changed; but it was now dark; the coachman had lighted no lamp, and the passengers were all enveloped in an oilcloth, as if they had formed the load of a French diligence.

At Preston not only horses but coaches were changed; and now came our hero's difficulty. The crowd and confusion were such that the guard stood with the key of the boot in his hand, as if it had been a tap, and only